Banger and Mash Pie

Here it is, finally. It's been a long day!
First attempt. Not so good. I've been up over 13 hours. Give me strength...

Second attempt. Better. No need to be perfect with puffed pastry in this sort of pie. Most pubs have the insides bubbling out all over the crust. It adds to the charm! (that's my story and I'm sticking to it!)


Bangers and Mash Pie
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tbsp olive oil


• 1/2 tbsp butter


• 1 large onion, finely diced


• 2 banger sausages


• 2 tbsp flour


• 2 cups water


• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/4 inch cubes


• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce


• 1/2 tsp garlic powder


• 1/2 tsp onion powder


• 1.5 - 2 cups frozen peas


• Package of frozen puffed pastry or refrigerator pie crusts


• 1 egg, beaten

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F


2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat with the olive oil and butter


3. Saute the onions and sausage, removed from the casing until browned


4. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute


5. Add in the water, potatoes, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and onion powder.


6. Simmer for 10 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender


7. Add in the peas and heat through


8. Cut the pastry into 4 rectangles


9. Spray 4 small casserole dishes with cooking spray


10. Place one half of the pasty in each dish with the other half hanging over the side


11. Spoon in the filling mix evenly between the 4 dishes


12. Turn over the other half of the pastry to cover the casserole.


13. Brush on the beaten egg.


14. Cook for 25- 30 minutes until golden. Check often, ovens and casseroles vary!

Really tasty! Quite easy too (aside from the battle with the first puff pastry) They looked fine in the end.

Enjoy!

Wedding Day

Mom in her wedding hat enjoying her English Breakfast tea!

10 AM and I'm losing steam. Wedding was beautiful. Someone needs to provide Princess Eugenie and Beatrice some styling lessons. Camilla has no shame. But overall a lovely day. You can tell William and Catherine really love each other and share a solid foundation for a good relationship. He is lucky to have found such a great partner to share his royal responsibilities (and burdens) with.

If you think the monarchy costs the British people you'd be quite wrong. The monarchy actually pays the British government and the queen pays income and capital gains taxes. Check it out here along with other interesting facts (Camilla could actually become queen...).

No Pimms were to be found here so I had to forgo the Pimms Cup cocktail. Straight champagne it is!

I haven't made the Bangers and Mash pies but I will this afternoon and post the recipe then. If that's not enough time for you to make it tonight.... well it'll be here for another British event... Queen's Jubilee, opening of the Summer London Olympics, to celebrate the birth of William and Kate's first born (with a year I'm predicting!)....

The Royal Wedding Viewing Menu

I'm ready!

The hat is the extent of my official Royal Wedding outfit. I'll wear it with my jammies. 4am is a little early to put on a fancy smancy outfit...

Since I'll be glued to the TV all day, I'm doing some 'make ahead' dishes. Here's the day's menu:



Whole Wheat Cranberry Scones (not my recipe but very, very good. Serve with your favorite jam)



Assorted Tea Sandwiches

Curry Egg Salad (regular egg salad with a dash of curry powder)

Apple and Cheddar (sliced apple and cheddar with honey dijon mustard)

Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese (this one is pretty self-explanatory)

Ham and Mustard (again, self explanatory)

Bangers and Mash Pies

Instead of having bangers, mashed potatoes and mushy peas, I'm going to take puffed pastry and make a pie out of diced banger sausage, potatoes and peas. I'll post the finalized recipe once I make it. The point is that I can make these up tonight and they'll be ready to go tomorrow evening.

And a large pot of tea, of course! And maybe a Pimm's Cup or Pimm's Royal or two...

It's gonna be a partay!

Mom's Birthday Dinner

The day started with a lovely brunch of smoked salmon eggs benny with the yogurt sauce I posted yesterday (see below). Then I made this Sour Cream Cheesecake. Next time I'd half the topping since it spilled over the pan. It was a simple and delicious recipe. I sliced up some fresh strawberries for the top. We went with the traditional Newfie Jiggs Dinner but instead of salt meat we had corned beef, a preference of mine and mom's since our Jersey days. The beige mashed stuff in the blue glass bowl is pea pudding. Just yellow split peas boiled in the pot in a pudding bag. Any cotton pillowcase will do to in a pinch. Tie it up tight and toss it in the and simmer for a couple of hours until the peas are soft then mash with a bit of butter. OMG, it's sooooo yummy.

You start by boiling the meat and peas pudding in a large pot for a couple of hours until the peas are soft and the meat is tender. Toss in some turnip and carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks. Cook those for about 20 minutes and then toss in the peeled potatoes and chucks of cabbage. I usually pull out the peas pudding at this point. Cook the veggies and meat for another 20 minutes or so until the potatoes are fork tender. That's it.

I use any leftover pea pudding as the base for pea soup. I also freeze the liquid I boiled the meat and veggies in for a base for pea, veggie or beef soup or stew later. It's got great flavour. My favorite is the leftover hash the day after. Mash or dice up the veggies and meat and throw it in a pan with a couple of big spoons of peas pudding. Sometimes I add some diced onion first. Best comfort food ever!

I could have made anything Mom wanted for her birthday but she thoroughly enjoyed this meal!

Birthday Brunch Yogurt Sauce

Today is my mom's birthday. I'm in the kitchen all day making some favs for her. We started the day with Eggs Benny with Smoked Salmon. Mom's watching her weight so I thought I'd try something lighter for the hollandaise sauce. Here's what I came up with. (Mom licked her plate so I think it was an acceptable substitute!)
Birthday Brunch Yogurt Sauce
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup low fat or fat free plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 2 green onions (scallions or spring onions)
• 2 tbsp light miracle whip or sour cream

Instructions:

1. Mix and enjoy on eggs benny, veggies or fish.

Yup, that simple. Enjoy!

Rainy Day Minestrone

It's a crappy, rainy, cold day around here. Mud up to our eyeballs. Even the dogs are thinking it's too wet to play outside! I was going to heat up some leftovers from the freezer for supper so I could get some household chores done but it's too dreary to think about chores. So since I'm not getting anything done around the house I figure I might as well play around in the kitchen. This recipe is great to make a supper for one night and then have cups of it for a starter for the rest of the week in place of a salad since its full of veggies and a good soul warmer for these chilly spring days! I've got a multi grain ready to bake loaf in the freezer that will round out the meal quite nicely.

Use whatever veggies you've got on hand. The combo here is what I had handy.

Rainy Day Minestrone

Serves 8 -10

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil


• 1 onion, diced


• 2 large carrots, diced


• 2 ribs celery, diced


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 6 cups chicken broth


• 2 tbsp lemon juice


• 1 798ml/28 oz can of tomatoes


• 1/2 large cabbage diced


• 2 tsp each dried parsley, oregano and thyme


• salt and pepper to taste


• 1 medium zucchini


• 1 cup orzo pasta or some other small pasta.


• 1 540ml/19 oz white kidney beans (also known as cannellini beans)


• Parmesan to serve.

Instructions:

1. Heat a large pot over medium high heat with the olive oil


2. Add in the onions, carrots and celery and saute until soft, about 5 minutes


3. Add in the garlic, chicken broth, lemon juice, tomatoes, cabbage and dried herbs.


4. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes over low heat.


5. Add salt and pepper to taste.


6. If I'm making this for later I would stop here and let the soup sit until shortly before I'm ready to head to the table.


7. Bring the soup up to a boil.


8. Add in the zucchini and pasta


9. Simmer until the pasta is done. (refer to package directions for time)


10. Stir in the beans and heat through


11. Serve with a generous sprinkle of grated parmesan

Enjoy!

Rant - Processed Foods Are Evil!

• I'm pulling out my soapbox and hopping on it. Although I should be knitting my mother's birthday gift this is just too important. (and my hand is going numb again so I could really use the break) I just watched Dr. Oz reveal the recent research that has found a link between preservatives, processed foods and Alzheimer's. I've been saying for a couple of years now how important it is to find the shortest distance from Mother Nature's hands to your mouth when making food choices. Processed foods are EVIL! Stop eating them. They are bad for you. They increase the risk of cancer and diabetes. And now we see there is a correlation between type 2 diabetes (previously known as adult onset diabetes but is now seen regularly in kids) and Alzheimer's. Scared?! You should be!

• For years we've known the correlation between diet and heart disease but we all must start to recognize the connection between our complete health, physical and mental (the brain is just another body organ after all) and what we put in our bodies. Any population that has been touted as 'being health', Sardinia, Greek, Italian, Indian, are population groups that eat natural food products with no processed foods. It seems living off the land is a good thing. But if you can't live off the land, you can at least make better choices when you put food into your body. What exactly are processed foods? A good general way to look at it, to help keep things simple, is once man has interfered, the food have become processed. Natural sources are always, I repeat ALWAYS, best. Read the ingredients, if you can't identify everything in the list put it back on the shelf. There are special things to look for, Glucose-fructose (sugar), MSG and has Dr. Oz pointed out, the dreaded Sodium Nitrite. Here's a good list to start with!

• The label says it's healthy and natural with less fat, injected with omega 3 or probiotics. Must be good for me, right? Hold the phone folks! If it's not as Mother Nature intended beware. It's officially a processed food. Adding nutrients into other food sources isn't the best way to get the nutrient. Get your omega 3 from fish, not added to your yogurt or margarine (don't even get me started on margarine, use olive oil and limited amounts of butter - way better than man-made margarine, I don't care what health organization the margarine producer is supporting...). Check out a great article from thatsfit.ca on foods touted as "healthy". Actually the whole http://www.thatsfit.ca/ site is pretty great for a different perspective on healthy living.

• One more thing to consider under the heading of processed foods. White flour, white sugar, white rice, anything processed to 'white' is bad for you. Period. No dancing around it. When it comes to food, white ain't cool. Save 'white' for your summer wardrobe, not your diet. If you can find a local small mill that is stone grinding flour or grains, buy, buy, buy! Even white salt should be replaced with sea salt. Yup, less processing, just as Momma Nature intended.

• I'm getting off my soap box now. For supper this evening I'll be having leftover Cheesy Spinach Pasta Bake (see below) which has all real foods, nothing processed!

Cheesy Spinach Pasta Bake

I'd picked up a large box of fresh baby spinach at the CostCo and wanted to use it up by it "Best Before" date so I was thinking veggie lasagna. When I checked I was low on lasagna noodles but had tons of these wonderful ziti noodles. Hmmm, baked ziti is one of my favorites of all times. This is a healthy variation on the dish. It's a bit time consuming making it a perfect weekend meal with lots of leftovers for lunches, another weeknight meal or the freezer.

Cheesy Spinach Pasta Bake

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

• 1 lb/454 g dried ziti or tube type pasta


• olive oil


• 1 onion, diced


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 28 oz/798 ml can diced tomatoes, no salt added


• 2 tsp dried oregano


• 6-8 cups fresh spinach, chopped or 2 packs frozen, drained


• 500ml container low fat cottage cheese


• 3 cups shredded part skim mozzarella


• 1.5 cups shredded parmesan


• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Cook the pasta as directed on the package but pull it from the water about 2 minutes before the recommended cooking time (it will absorb more fluid while baking in the oven) and drain


2. Heat a large pot over medium high with a drizzle of olive oil


3. Saute the onions until soft.


4. Add in the garlic, tomatoes and oregano, simmer for 5 minutes


5. Add in the spinach and stir until just wilted


6. Remove from the heat and stir in the cottage cheese, 2 cups of the mozza and 1 cup of the parmesan.


7. Add in the pasta.


8. Pour the mix into a 9 X 13 baking pan (lasagna pan)


9. Top with the remaining cheese.


10. Bake at 350 for 35 - 40 minutes until the dish is bubbly and brown.

Enjoy! (This one is nice for a make ahead dish for entertaining!)

Quinoa!

This week I tried a recipe for Quinoa Cakes I'd seen on CBC's Steven and Chris show. They were cooking with "Best Recipes" Kary Osmond. This can be found here. I actually followed the recipe to the letter which is not something I usually do. While it was a bit time consuming (you have to cook the quinoa ahead and let it cool and once you assemble the cakes you have to refrigerate them for an hour) you could do it on the weekend and have leftovers for another meal during the week or for lunches. It was worth the effort! This recipe got rave reviews around here. Quinoa is a complete protein so it's great for a vegetarian meal. It has a fun texture that's quite appealing to most picky eaters. I came across another recipe for a Quinoa Bowl which looks like lots of fun because you can play with the ingredients. Treat it like a pasta or rice and toss with whatever you have on hand. Blue cheese, feta or parmesan finish off the dish (I'm a cheese-a-holic). ps. it's pronounced Keen-wha!

Tuscan Chicken and Bean Stew

Keeping with the theme of cheap, easy and healthy, I bring to you this delish stewie soup recipe.

Tuscan Chicken and Bean Stew
Serves 4 -6

Ingredients:
1 cup navy or cannelloni beans, dried (or 19 oz can)
2 slices bacon, diced
1 large onion, diced
3/4lb chicken breast, bone in, skin removed
4 cups water
2 tsp dried rosemary and thyme
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper as necessary
1 pk or 5 nuggets frozen spinach or 4 cups fresh chopped (as much as you want, use Kale or Swiss Chard if you're feeling frisky!)
1/2 cup or so of grated parmesan cheese for serving.

Instructions:
Soak the beans overnight covered in water if using dried. Drain and set aside.
Heat bacon in a large soup pot over medium heat. Cook until just crispy. Remove from pot and set aside
Toss onions in pot with bacon fat. Cook until soft and browned
Add in Chicken breast and brown on all sides
Add in beans, water, rosemary and thyme and simmer until the chicken is cooked through (20 - 30 minutes) (this makes a chicken broth which is why I used just plain water)
Remove chicken and tear chicken off the bone. Return the chicken to the pot
Check beans, making sure they are tender. Don't add tomatoes until the beans are as soft as you want them. (the acid in the tomatoes will stop the cooking process for the beans)
Add in the tomatoes. Check the taste and salt and pepper as necessary.
Simmer 10 minutes
Add in the spinach and heat through or until wilted.
Serve each bowl topped with a good shake of parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Hash

This recipe rocks it out of the house. Seriously. And it's cheap, healthy and surprisingly quick. Food costs are expected to rise 7 - 10% in the next while so I'll really be focusing on cheap, healthy eats. The best way to combat rising food costs is to buy local! So hit those farmers markets!

This recipe calls for pork but you can use your favorite sausage and leave out the 1/2 tsp each of the dried spices. Try to buy the lean sausage. Take the sausage out of the casing and break it up in the pan as you brown it.

Sweet Potato Hash

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 tbsp olive oil, canola oil or a bit of bacon fat (I use a combo of oil and bacon fat to give the pork more flavour - if using sausage, omit the bacon fat)
• 1 large onion, peeled and diced
• 1 lb lean pork sirloin, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp each, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, black pepper and coriander.
• Salt as necessary
• 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Instructions:

1. Place the sweet potatoes in a pot with about 1/2 inch of water on the bottom. Heat over high and boil about 5 minutes until just fork tender. Drain
2. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over medium high heat with the oil/fat.
3. Saute the onion until soft
4. Add the pork, garlic and spices and cook through. Check for salt and add as necessary
5. Add the drained potatoes and cook until browned, about 5 minutes
6. Add the maple syrup and nutmeg and heat through

Enjoy!

Shrimp Quesadillas

Last night I made a quick and tasty dish with some frozen, cooked shrimp. I always have cooked shrimp in the freezer because they make a great low calorie, lean protein evening snack with a little cocktail sauce. But they're also great for quick meals, salads, to throw in with pasta...

Here's what I did
Per serving:
2 tortillas
spinach
red onion
shrimp
cheddar
avocado
lime juice (just a little squeeze on the avocado)
chili powder
garlic powder
onion powder
red pepper
mushrooms
Layer all the goodies on one tortilla, cover with the other tortilla and bake at 350 until the cheese has melted.

This dish inspired me to think of other ways to make quesadillas or tacos. Leftovers of any meat, fish or seafood will work. It's a great way to make a little go a long way. And each person can customize their own. I don't like mushrooms in general so I left them off mine. Easy!

You can be traditional and use salsa and sour cream. I find most fish taco recipes don't use a lot of or even any tomatoes or salsa and I find it's a nice break to leave them out. The point of this type of dish is to do what you want. You have a nice blank slate - fill it as you see fit!

ps. these were deadly tasty!

Beautiful Beef Stew

The ingredient list looks long but this really is a simple stew. I was quite impressed with the flavour if I do say so myself. Wonderful for these dark, cold days of winter.

Beautiful Beef Stew
Serves 8 - 10

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 lbs stew beef
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 2 ribs celery, sliced thin
• 4 - 6 carrots, peeled and diced into 1/2" pieces
• 4 - 6 parsnips, peeled and diced into 1/2" pieces
• 1/2 - 1 turnip, peeled and diced into 1/2" pieces
• 4 cloves roasted garlic, minced (or 2 cloves raw garlic)
• 1/2 bottle red wine
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 6 cups water (or 6 cups low sodium beef broth instead of the bouillon cube and water)
• 25 shakes Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 4 cups potatoes, peeled and diced

Instructions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat.
2. Saute the stew beef until brown.
3. Sprinkle with the flour and saute until thick
4. Add the onion and celery and saute until soft, about 5 minutes
5. Toss in the everything but the potatoes
6. Simmer over medium low heat 15 minutes
7. Add the potatoes and continue simmering until they are tender when poked with a fork.

You can also make this dish in the slow cooker/crock pot. Do steps 1 -4 as directed then add them and everything but the potatoes in the slow cooker. Simmer 6 hours on low. Add the potatoes and turn the slow cooker up to high and cook until the potatoes are tender, 20 - 30 minutes.
Enjoy!

Spinach and Beet Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

Here is a quickie that's super tasty. Nice with a pureed soup or grilled meat.

Spinach and Beet Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 8 cups of washed and torn up spinach
• 1/2 cup diced pickled beets
• Light blue cheese dressing

Instructions:

1. Heat a dry saute pan over medium high heat
2. Toss the pumpkin seeds in the pan and heat until brown and plump
3. Remove the seeds and set aside
4. If you wish you can saute the shallots, add oil to the pan and saute until soft and golden. (but you can serve them raw in the salad)
5. Divide the spinach, beets, shallots and pumpkin seeds between 4 salad plates.
6. Drizzle with the blue cheese dressing.

Yes it is that simple. Elegant. Impressive. Easy. Done!

Meatloaf Most Excellent

Moist. That's the word to describe this meatloaf. And what's winter without meatloaf?! Well dull really. So here's one I whipped up last week. I used my food processor but if you don't have one just chop up the ingredients really fine.

Meatloaf Most Excellent
Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

• 2 cups diced stale french bread
• 1/2 - 1 cup milk
• 1/c grated parmesan
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves roasted garlic (or 1 large raw clove)
• 1 tbsp dried rosemary
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 tbsp creamed horseradish (the kind you get in the jar)
• 5 or more good squirts of Worcestershire Sauce
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 tsp steak spice
• 1/4 cup ketchup

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. Soak bread and milk in a bowl for about 5 minutes until the milk is absorbed. Squeeze out the excess milk from the bread and place the bread in the food processor.
3. Add the parmesan, onion, garlic and rosemary to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped
4. Add the parmesan bread mix to a bowl with the remaining ingredients and mix until just blended.
5. Form into a loaf, spread the ketchup on top and bake for 55 minutes or until the internal temp is 165F.

The soaked bread really does make it moist! Enjoy!

Sesame Broccoli - Super Simple Sides

I often find that broccoli is bitter during the winter months. This recipe is perfect for dressing up that out of season broccoli. Or you can use frozen. You can make this side while chicken or fish bakes in the oven. Add a potato or sweet potato for a quick, balanced, healthy meal!

Sesame Broccoli
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 bunch of broccoli (about a pound or 500 grams), cut into long stalks
• 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 medium clove of garlic, minced

Instructions:

1. Heat a DRY wok or saute pan over medium high heat. Toss sesame seeds around the pan until golden, 2 - 5 minutes
2. Remove the sesame seeds from the pan and set aside.
3. Fill the pan with 1/2 inch of water and return to the heat
4. Add the broccoli and stem until tender, 5 - 10 minutes
5. Remove the broccoli from the pan and set aside with the sesame seeds
6. Add the sesame oil to the pan and heat until hot
7. Add the garlic, broccoli and sesame seeds to the pan and saute until heated through, about 5 minutes

Enjoy!

Chinese Sesame Noodles

Here's a yummy dish I made for Chinese New Year but it's great for any night of the week. Use any combination of veggies you like.

Chinese Sesame Noodles
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 lb whole wheat spaghetti
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 3/4lb chicken boneless breast or thighs (or leftovers)
• 2 cups each, broccoli and red cabbage, both chopped
• 2-3 green onions sliced diagonally
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds

Sauce:

• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 inch cube of ginger, minced
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/3 cup soya sauce, low sodium
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup hot water

Instructions:

1. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions.
2. Drain and toss with 1 tbsp of the sesame oil
3. Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in a wok over medium high heat
4. Saute the chicken until cooked through and remove from the wok
5. Meanwhile, mix all the sauce ingredients together in either a blender or use a hand blender (immersion blender), set aside.
6. Add the broccoli and red cabbage to the wok and cook until tender
7. Toss in the green onions and the sesame seeds. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes (you can also toast the seeds in a dry pan if you wish)
8. Add in the sauce and heat through
9. Add in the noodles and heat through again.

Enjoy!

Polenta with Italian Tomato, Zucchini and Bean Sauce

Late night I was in the mood for some "stick to your ribs" food. I made this dish and it got rave reviews. (And I felt like I had just spent the day on the Italian Alps.) If you don't want to make polenta (although it's dead easy and freezes well) then pasta or gnocchi would also work. You can make up the polenta ahead of time or on the weekend and have it ready to go for a quick weeknight meal.

Polenta with Italian Tomato, Zucchini and Bean Sauce
Serves 4 - 5


Ingredients:

Polenta:

• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Sauce:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 14 oz can of No Salt Added tomato sauce
• 19 oz can of chick peas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  

Instructions:
Polenta:

1. Grease a 9X5 bread pan and put aside.
2. Heat the broth and Italian seasoning in a saucepan over medium heat until simmering
3. Pour in the cornmeal a bit at a time, whisking until blended.
4. Heat until thickened (add more cornmeal if necessary) about 3 minutes
5. Stir in the cheese and immediately pour into the prepared bread pan
6. Let cool for 30 - 45 minutes. The turn the loaf out on to a cutting board and slice into 1/2 inch slices. At this point you can freeze the polenta for another time or refrigerate it for later in the week.

Sauce:

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat
2. If using the polenta, heat a saute or grill pan over high heat.
3. Add the onion, zucchini and Italian seasoning and saute until soft, about 5 minutes
4. Pour in the tomato sauce and beans.
5. Simmer for 5 - 10 minutes
6. Meanwhile, brown or grill the polenta slices in the saute or grill pan on both sides until brown.
7. Stir the Parmesan cheese in the tomato and bean sauce and serve immediately over the polenta.

Seriously - delicious... (I have got to remember to get a pic before it's all gone...)

Never a dull moment around here (Tips for making life easier in the kitchen.. I can't help you with everything else...)

Wondering where I've been? Well December 28th I fell on the one lone little patch of ice in my driveway while taking out the garbage and I broke my wrist. It's been a real treat... New Years dinner at my house was an adventure in frustration. I directed and mom cooked. She enjoyed it as much as I did. (can you smell the sarcasm from there?)

So due to this recent development, there have been a lot of short cuts in my kitchen. And while I have had to find simpler ways to cook I have realized that these are great ideas for busy people too! Here's a few simple things you can do to help make meal times easier at your house even if you haven't got a gimp fin:

• Have a food processor? Use it! It can do all the chopping, shredded, dicing, etc for you. Throw the parts in the dishwasher (except the blade - hand wash and dry it immediately and put it away in a safe place) and you're done. If you don't own a food processor, think about buying one if you find meal times a chore. And keep it on the counter. If you put it away in the cupboard it will be more of a chore to pull it out.
• Buy pre cut fresh veggies. They may cost more but if you're not eating them because you don't have time to prepare them then the extra cost is worth it.
• Pick up frozen veggies. They are pre cut and precooked so it's less time to the table (just don't overcook them!)
• Opt for shredded cheese instead of blocks of cheese. Or when you do shred or grate cheese do up extra for later in the week. (this is a great use of the food processor)
• Buy garlic and ginger already minced in jars. Spooning out a little to add to dishes is so much simpler than mincing or chopping some every time you need it.
• I'm not a huge fan of canned veggies but one thing I can't live without is canned diced tomatoes (watch the added salt!). Why buy fresh to chop when you can just open a can? I find the tomatoes in the off season are quite tasteless so a good can of Italian tomatoes is perfect!
• And once again I'm going to preach about cooking once, eating twice and freezing the extra. Nothing is better than having healthy meals already to go in the freezer when live throws you a curve ball.

I have a few recipes in my book just waiting to be added here but up until now typing was a painful activity. Now it's manageable so stay tuned! Did I mention this is my favorite time of year? With the short dark days and cold weather I turn to my kitchen for adventure, experimentation and a little joy! This time of year I'm inspired not just to cook comfort foods but also ethnic cuisine. And of course everything has to have a healthy twist because it's just too easy to pack on the pounds this time of year.

PS. As I go back and use this space as my own recipe database, I've been noticing all the spelling and grammatical mistakes I make. Wow I really need an editor! Thanks for your patience. I'll try harder!

Pumpkin and Squash Lasagna

Here's a delicious recipe for comfort food lasagna made with seasonal veggies. Lasagnas always take some effort but the leftovers are worth it. And never mind that lasagnas are great for make ahead meals, perfect for entertaining! This one is truly elegant.

Before:

Pumpkin and Squash Lasagna.

Serves 6 - 8

You can buy can pumpkin and frozen squash. If you buy fresh, put some slits in the skin and microwave for 7 minutes on high. This will par cook the pumpkin and squash enough so it's manageable.

Ingredients:

White Sauce

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 cups skim milk
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)

Veg Filling:

• 2 cups diced butternut squash
• 2 cups diced pumpkin
• 1 cup diced broccoli
• 1 500g tub of 1% cottage cheese
• 2 tsp dried sage
• salt and pepper to taste

Additional Ingredients:

• 9 - 11 lasagna noodles, spinach would work nice for added colour
• 1 cup small scallops
• 2 cups shredded part skim mozzarella
• Dried parsley to sprinkle on top

Instructions:

1. Heat the oven to 350
2. Heat a saucepan over medium high heat and melt the butter until bubbly
3. Whisk in the flour and cook one minute, reduce the heat to medium
4. Slowly whisk in the milk and heat until thick
5. Stir in the Parmesan, thyme, parsley, dry mustard and salt. Set aside
6. Place all of the vegetable filling ingredients in a food processor and blend (if you don't have food processor, finely chop or mash the veggies and mix with remaining ingredients). Set aside.
7. Take a 8 X 11 (or whatever size pan you have!) pan and spoon is a nice bit of sauce. Place a layer of noodles on top of the sauce, then cover those noodles with another layer of sauce.
8. Scoop on a layer of the veggie mix. Cover with another layer of noodles and then white sauce.
9. Spread out a layer of scallops and cover them with mozzarella. Then another layer of noodles and sauce.
10. Keep layering until you run out of ingredients. End with a layer of noodles, white sauce and mozzarella.
11. Bake at 350 for 50- 55 minutes until golden.

After (this is all that's left...):

This will freeze nicely but I've run out of freezer space. We all knew it would happen one day. (I've been stocking up on meats and veg for the holiday season when things have been on sale!)