Cheese (on sale!)

I've had a few different people tell me lately that they are buying the real cheddar cheese instead of the processed cheese.  This is great news since real food is always best!  However I've come to find out that these folks are either scared to stock up when it's on sale (this week Kraft Cracker Barrel 500g is on sale for $4.99 at the Atlantic Superstore) because they're afraid it will go bad or they are buying lots and freezing it.  Hold the phone folks!  Stock up and DON'T freeze it.  Check the expiry dates.  You'll see that the cheese you are buying today is usually good for 2 - 3 months as long as the vacuum seal is intact.  I buy 4 or 5 packs when they're on sale.  Now you know!

Beets!

I love beets!  I never did as a child and I've learned a lot of other people never did either.  I don't know if it's the colour or the fact that the only way we ever saw them was pickled.  I'm not a huge fan of pickles in general.  They're all right but around here they are served as condiments for a big cooked dinner.  When I'm having a big cooked dinner of potatoes, veggies, roasted meat and gravy I tend to have little room leftover for condiments.  Hence, beets never made it into my standard repertoire.  But as a travelling foodie beets have made their way into my heart.  And as a gardener they've made their way into my garden!  I always swipe some young ones for their green tops to saute as a simple green side dish.  Mmmm

I like my beets done simply.  Roasted if you please!  Here is a quick way to make beets to take to your next BBQ and have leftovers for delicious salad later on.

BBQ Beets
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 2 lb of beets, greens removed and washed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 blue cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Cut any large beets in halves or quarters so that all the beets/pieces are roughly the same size.  I like them around 1 1/2 inches or big enough not to fall through the grates of the BBQ.
2. Place the beets in a pot of water and bring to a boil on the stove
3. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover and simmer until the beets are tender when poked with a folk, about 20 minutes
4. Remove the pot from the stove, drain and let cook until you can handle them
5. Now if you don't have gloves your going to end up with very pink hands.  I get a pack of plastic gloves at the dollar store and have them on hand for just such an occassion.
6. Remove the skins on the beets by rubbing them with your hands. 
7. Toss the beets with olive oil, now they are ready for the grill whenever you want them.
8. In a small bowl mix the balsamic and blue cheese.  Set aside
9. You can travel to your BBQ party with one large bowl of pre-boiled beets and a small container of the balsamic and blue cheese mixture (or you can have this ready to go ahead of time if you're the host)
10. Heat the BBQ to high.  Grill the beets on all sided for just a couple of minutes
11. Return the beets to the big bowl, pour the balsamic and blue cheese over and toss..

I live mine as a side to red meat or portabello burgers.  Save any leftovers to toss with some salad greens and toasted nuts.  I like pumpkin seeds!

Enjoy!

Pork and Grilled Peaches

I've seen a few variations of this recipe.  This is my version which when served to my family members, got great reviews. 

Pork and Grilled Peaches
Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

• 1lb pork sirloin, cut into 4 equal pieces
• 4 peaches, cut in half and pit removed
• olive oil
• 4 tbsp pine nuts
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp crumbled blue cheese
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced

Instructions:

1. Heat either the BBQ or a grill pan on the stove top to high heat
2. Grill the pork on all sides until cooked through,  about 8 -10 minutes depending on thickness
3. While pork is grilling spray or rub the peaches all over with olive oil
4. In a dry pan over high heat, toast the pine nuts
5. Toss the pine nuts in a bowl with the balsamic, blue cheese and shallots.
6. When the pork is done, remove from the heat and let rest
7. Add the peaches to the grill or pan and grill on all sides
8. Toss the peaches with the pine nut/balsamic mix
9. Serve the pork with the peach/pine nut/balsamic mixture, dividing it equally between the 4 pieces of pork.

Enjoy! We sure did!!

Ponzu Tuna and Sesame Bok Choy and Noodles

I'm boiling up a big batch of noodles today since it's cooler.  In the summertime it's nice to have pasta and rice pre-cooked and in the freezer, ready to go for those BBQ meals.  Cause seriously, who wants to boil a big pot of water at the end of a hot summer day?!  Part of today's noodles will get used in my Sesame Bok Choy and Noodles. The rest will hit the freezer for another meal later on.

I picked up some Albacore Tuna Loins from the CostCo.  $9.99 for 5 loins frozen.  I try to keep some fish in the freezer and the price on these couldn't be beat.  I didn't have high expectations but these were awesome! 

Ponzu Tuna Loins
Serves 3

Ingredients:

• 3 tuna loins
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1/3 cup soy sauce

Instructions:

1. Heat the grill or grill pan on high heat
2. Mix together the lime juice and soy sauce to make the ponzu sauce.
3. Marinate the tuna loins in the ponzu for 10 minutes
4. Sear on each side 1-2 minutes for rare.
5. Heat the leftover marinate in the microwave for 3 minutes on high.
6. Serve the tuna loins with the heated leftover marinate ponzu sauce.

Sesame Bok Choy and Noodles
Serves 3 - 4

Ingredients:

• 4 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 head of bok choy, white and green parts separated and sliced.
• 1 1/2 cup cooked spaghettini noodles, preferably whole wheat

Instructions:

1. Heat a dry saute pan over medium high heat with the sesame seeds added
2. Heat until the sesame seeds are golden, remove the seeds
3. Heat the oil in the pan.
4. Add the onions and garlic and heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute
5. Toss in the white part of the bok choy and cook until softened
6. Add in the green onions and noodles and cook until the greens are a bit wilted and the noodles are heated through, about 1 - 2 minutes
7. Serve the tuna from above on a bed of the sesame bok choy and noodles with the leftover heated ponzu sauce on top!

(OMG, I just made this, ate it and still forgot to get a picture of it! UGH!)

Simple Pork Kebabs and Lovely Sauted Greens

Just finished the most lovely meal.  This morning I was feeling uninspired so I wanted something simple and healthy.  My expectations where exceeded...

Simple Tuscan Inspired Pork Kebabs
Serves 2 -3

Ingredients:

• 300grams/12 ounces pork sirloin, diced into 1 inch cubes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• zest and juice from 1 lemon
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• fresh herbs, oregano, thyme, rosemary
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper
• 1 large zucchini, sliced 1 inch thick
• 1 onion, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 4-6 large cherry tomatoes

Instructions:

1. Toss the pork in a glass bowl or casserole dish with the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, herbs, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper.  Let marinate 6 - 12 hours.  Turn occasionally
2. About an hour before cooking add in the zucchini, onion and tomatoes to the marinating pork and toss well.
3. Load the pork, zucchini, onions and tomatoes onto skewers.
4. Preheat a grill to high heat.
5. Grill the kebabs on each side for about 4 - 6 minutes each until the meat is browned and cooked through.

Lovely Sauteed Greens
Serves 2 -3

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 -6 cups of greens, I used beet greens and some spinach
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat
2. Saute the onion until soft and lightly browned
3. Toss in the garlic and saute for about 20 seconds
4. Add in the greens, reduce heat to medium, tossing the greens until they are wilted
5. Toss in the red wine vinegar
6. Season with Salt and Pepper as necessary (to taste) and serve sprinkled with a bit of Parmesan if you wish.

I could not believe how awesome these greens were.  I usually need cheese on my greens but these were great without any cheese....  Even my mom loved them and she doesn't typically enjoy bitter greens.  The red wine vinegar really balances out the flavours of the bitter greens.

Jacques Pepin - The Apprentice, My Life in the Kitchen

I have just finished the most lovely book, Jacques Pepin's The Apprentice, My Life in the Kitchen.  I realize I may be late coming to the table since Jacques Pepin's memoir was published in 2003 but better late than never.  Not only is his approach to food and cooking so sincere and passionate, his ability to storytell is fantastic.  I'm only sorry I've finished the book.  Typically I believe in passing books on to friends, family or the second hand store but this one is staying in my libary, my cookbook libary to be exact.  He ends each chapter by sharing a wonderful recipe out of his repetoire.  I've already incorporated his New England Clam Chowder recipe when making my own last week.

Jacques, like most french cooks (well all good cooks really) appreciates eating local and seasonal.  Funny how the rest of us are just getting that message now.  Years of watching food television programming certainly tained me as I recreated the recipes shown, fussy and with ingredients typically not local or in season.  But I have always noticed how I make different types of recipes in the different seasons because I feel like eating different things depending on the weather.  Some people actually make the same things all year around!  I get excited when the seasons' peaking produce hits the markets and stores.  I would like to mention that I cut my teeth on old PBS cooking shows of the late 70's and early 80's, the good ones that showed technique for bringing out the best in food and respecting the ingredients, which programming is thankfully getting back to these days.  I saw more than one Julia Child and Jacques shows back in the day.  I used to then hit the kitchen and try to emulate what they had done or how they had done it, putting on my own cooking show for the dog.  I was about 9....  Thanks Julia and Jacques.

One thing that stuck out in this book for me was the love Jacques has of living off the land, foraging and growing what you eat.  There is nothing I love more than heading out into the yard to snip some lettuce and fresh herbs for the days meals.  And next year?!  Well I'll be trimming off those dandelion leaves in the early spring now that I know when best to harvest them courtesy of Jacques directions.  (I have a ton on my side lawn!) Then I'll open up Jacques' book and make his Dandelion salad.  Not sure I can say the same for the snails/slugs in my garden that he liked to harvest around his home.  My North American palate is just not that adventurous I'm afraid to say....

Smashed Potato Salad

A simple twist on potato salad!  I started with smashed potatoes which are one of my grill time favorites.

Smashed Potatoes

1. Simply micro a few potatoes until just undercooked.  You can boil them with the skins on or bake them if you don't want to nuke them. 
2. Let the tatties cool until you can handle them.
3. Take the palm of your hand an smash each potato until it's about an inch thick or so. 
4. Drizzle each potato with olive oil and your seasonings of choice.  I like Ms. Dash Herbs and Garlic. 
5. Turn potato over and season the other side.
6. Grill on high heat until crispy on the outside, on both sides. 
7. Be sure to make extras to save for potato salad later!

Now on to the potato salad!



Smashed Potato Salad
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mayo
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp creamed jar horseradish
• 4-6 smashed potatoes (see above), diced
• 3 green or spring onions, chopped
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh herbs, thyme, oregano, chives, rosemary, basil, parsley, or whatever combo you have on hand

Instructions:

1. Mix the mayo, mustard and horseradish together.  I follow a rule of 3 parts mayo, 1 part Dijon and 1/2 part horseradish.  Taste and adjust the dressing mix to your liking
2. Toss the potatoes, onions and herbs.
3. Blend the dressing mix with the potato mix.

Enjoy!

BBQ Fish in Foil (more recipes)

Lately I've been noticing the price of Salmon and Trout has gone up, while these sturdy types are great for the grill, I'm watching my budget so I've been looking for alternatives.  I've also not been happy with how much fish we've been having in our diets overall so I'm always on the lookout for any type of fish to up our intake.  A lot of the white or smaller fish are just too delicate to handle well on the BBQ, although if you can get a fillet with the skin on then you're in great shape for the grill.  Doing fish in a foil packet makes it manageable so I've been doing them quite often.  (Planking it on cedar planks would work well too!  But that's another post altogether...) Plus you can add veggies and sauce and have a complete meal ready to go.  Let me tell you of two variations I've tried lately that really rocked it out of park. 
I finally came across some catfish.  I love catfish but it's been hard to find at the grocery store.  Used to be you could find it at the fish counter all the time, but not these days.  So I was very excited to find it at the farmers market this past week.  It was amazing!  And here's what I did with it:

Catfish, Spinach and Goat Cheese
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 pieces of foil, 12inches X 24 inches each
• Cooking spray
• 3-4 green onions, diced
• 1 lb Catfish
• 2 tsp lemon pepper salt free seasoning or 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice and 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp dried dill
• pinch of salt
• 8 cups fresh spinach
• pinch of nutmeg
• 4 ounces goat cheese, about a cup
• 4-8 tbsp of water

Instructions:

1. Divide the above ingredients in 4 to fill 4 packets.
2. Layer them in the order presented above, spray foil on the shiny side with the cooking spray
3. In the middle of the sprayed foil place the green onions, then the fish, followed by the lemon pepper seasoning, dill, salt, spinach, nutmeg.
4. Top with the goat cheese, crumbled
5. Close the packets across the top and one side and pour in 1- 2 tbsp of water in each packet and seal.
6. Bake in a 350 oven or on indirect medium heat on the BBQ for 20 - 25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.  Any thicker than 1 inch and you should increase the cooking time another 5 - 10 minutes. 

You can prep these ahead, in the morning when you have time (I did up mine before hitting the yard for some gardening while I still had the energy to care about dinner) or before guests arrive...  So convenient!

 

Thai Flounder, Veggies and Noodles

Serves 4

 

Ingredients:

• 4 pieces of foil, 12" X 24"
• Cooking spray
• 4 cups cooked whole wheat spaghetti
• 1 lb flounder or other white fish
• 4 green onions, diced
• 2 cups diced broccoli (I used frozen and it worked perfect!)
• 2 medium carrots, shredded
• 1 roasted red pepper, diced
• 4-8 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 can, 14oz light coconut milk
• 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 tbsp fresh cilantro and or basil, chopped

 

Instructions:

1. Spray foil sheets on the shiny side with the cooking spray
2. Layer in the spaghetti, fish, green onions, broccoli, carrots, red pepper, and mushrooms
3. Mix the coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, brown sugar and lemon juice.
4. Fold up the packets, leaving one side open.
5. Divide and pour the sauce mix evenly in the 4 packets and fold the remaining side closed on each.
6. Bake at 350 or over indirect heat in a medium BBQ for 20 -25 minutes. 
7. Top with the fresh herbs before serving.

And the very best part of this foil packet method - clean up is a pinch!

 

Updated Red Beans and Rice

This time around I adjusted my original seasoning from my Red Bean and Rice recipe.  Instead of Cajun Seasoning and Brown Sugar I used the following:

1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chipotle powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp celery seeds

And instead of dried oregano I used 3 Tbsp fresh chopped because I needed to pinch back the oregano growing in my garden. 

It was supper yummmmm!

Great Site!

In my adventures around the Internet I've come across a site worth sharing.  Broke and Healthy.  It can be challenging to balance our budgets with healthy choices so this site is a welcome pit spot along the information highway.  (I hope it grows cause it could be a great one stop spot for all your cheap living info needs.)You can find lots of info here on the Internet to make your life less expensive while maintaining a healthy lifestyle so go for it!

BBQ! Turnip Fries and Fish Packs

Happy June! Here are two quickies for the BBQ. I didn't serve these recipes together but they are both worth sharing.

Turnip Fries
Serves 3 -4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium turnip, cut into 1/4 inch fries


• 1 tsp turmeric


• 1/4 tsp cinnamon


• 1/2 tsp cumin


• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

1. Heat oven or BBQ to high heat (425F)


2. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil (shiny side towards the food!) and spray with cooking spray or drizzle olive oil and smear it around


3. Toss the turnip fries with the remaining ingredients


4. Spread the turnip over the baking sheet


5. Bake for 10 minutes, flip the fries and cook another 10 - 15 minutes until crispy.

Fish Packs
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 lb fish fillet, I used ocean trout but you could use any fish you choose


• 1 tsp dried dill


• 2 green onions, diced


• 1 small thinly sliced zucchini


• 1 tsp garlic powder


• 1/4 tsp salt


• 4 cups fresh spinach


• pinch of nutmeg

Instructions:

1. Heat BBQ to high heat


2. Cut fillet into 4 portions


3. Tear 4 pieces of aluminum foil, about 18 inches by 12 inches.


4. Spray each piece of foil on the shiny side with cooking spray


5. Layer ingredients as listed above, salmon, dill, green onions, etc.


6. Close foil on top and one end.


7. Toss in 1 Tbsp water into each packet and close the remaining end.


8. Cook on BBQ for 20 minutes. This is for a fillet about 1/2 inch thick. If the fillet is thicker, add 5 minutes per 1/2 inch.

These were simple and very tasty! (I've got to start remembering to get pics of these delicious dishes...)
Enjoy!

Leftover Rice and Risotto Salmon Cakes

I can not believe how long it has taken me to get these two wonderful recipes up on the blog. Holy smokes can I procrastinate. However, I was only nominated for the "Procrastinator's Award". My friend Colin won. But I digress. Gardening has been occupying most of my time these days. I'm starting to love spring for the gardening potential. Good exercise without going to the gym and the possibility of all those lovely veggies, herbs and flowers. Mom is second in command out in the garden so I'm thinking I'll seriously benefit from her experience this year.

Yesterday we went to the market. I wasn't expecting much in way of fresh veggies since the season has just started around here but there was lots of fresh asparagus, beet greens, rhubarb, fiddleheads.... and the most beautiful bunch of Swiss chard. Even more impressive was the selection of veggie and flower plants which were totally unexpected! These plants put my little seedlings to shame. No worries though, my gardening ego can take it. I'll admit defeat. And I did. And I bought some lovely tomato, pepper and herb plants. Maybe this will be the year I finally get some tomatoes out of my garden... I've been blaming the cooler weather out here next to the ocean (it's 22C and sunny in the city today while it's 11C and foggy out here) but it may be my little tiny seedlings that are started too late. Here's hoping cause I've got big healthy plants ready to go (thanks market vendors)!

Okay, on the recipes. I had leftover brown rice and asparagus risotto in the freezer so I pulled them out with 2 can of salmon and decided to try 2 different types of salmon cakes. Both were a huge hit! Here you go.

Curry Brown Rice Salmon Cakes
Serves 2 -3

Ingredients:

• 1 can pink or red salmon


• 1.5 cups cooked brown rice


• 1 tbsp fresh chives or cilantro or 1 tsp dried


• 2 eggs


• 1 tbsp curry powder


• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Instructions:

1. Remove the skin and bones from the salmon.


2. Mix the ingredients together and form into 4 - 5 patties. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.


3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil (spray the aluminum with cooking spray)


4. Bake in a 425F oven for 15 - 20 minutes flipping the cakes over at around 10 minutes.


5. Serve with Yogurt Mustard Lemon Sauce below

Leftover Risotto and Dill Salmon Cakes
Serves 2 - 3

Ingredients:

• 1 can pink or red salmon


• 1 cup cooked risotto (I used leftover asparagus risotto)


• 2 tsp dried dill


• 1 egg


• 1/2 cup bread crumbs


• 1 tbsp fresh chives or 1 tsp dried

Instructions:
See above!

Yogurt Mustard Lemon Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt


• 2 tbsp mayo


• 2 tsp dijon mustard


• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Instructions:

• Mix and let sit for 30 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!!

Quinoa Bowl with Squash and Spinach

Here's my first quinoa bowl recipe. I seriously doubt it will be my last. This is easy and delicious. And it is cheap when you consider how far a little dried quinoa goes and since it's a complete protein you can have a vegetarian meal which is always less expensive.

Quinoa Bowl with Squash and Spinach
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup dried quinoa


• 1 1/2 cup chicken broth or water


• 2 tsp olive oil


• 1 onion, diced


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 2 cups diced roasted butternut squash (or frozen)


• 3 cups fresh spinach


• 2 tbsp olive oil


• 3 tbsp shredded basil


• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan + more for serving


• sprinkle of Ms. Dash herb and garlic and/or salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat the broth in a medium pot to a boil


2. Add quinoa and simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside


3. Heat the 2 tsp oil in a pan


4. Saute the onions until browned


5. Add in the garlic and squash and saute until golden


6. Add in the spinach and cook until wilted


7. Toss in the quinoa, basil, olive oil and Parmesan


8. Stir until heated through


9. Season to taste with the Ms. Dash or salt and pepper


10. Serve with extra Parmesan.

Enjoy!

Veal Bolognese

I love a good Italian sauce. And pasta makes me weak in the knees. So here's another bolognese that got rave reviews. The key is the ground veal. It gives the sauce a certain sweetness. You could substitute pork or beef but it won't be the same.

Veal Bolognese
Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil


• 1 large onion, diced


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 2 large carrots, diced


• 1 lb ground veal, lean


• 1 medium zucchini, diced


• 19 oz/ 540ml can of Italian chunky stewed tomatoes, no salt added


• 1 tbsp tomato paste


• 1/2 cup skim milk

Instructions:

1. Heat a saute pan over medium high heat with the olive oil


2. Saute the onions, garlic and carrots until tender


3. Add in the veal and saute until browned and cooked through


4. Toss in the zucchini, tomatoes, tomato paste and skim milk


5. Simmer for 10 minutes


6. Serve over pasta with Parmesan cheese

Enjoy!

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!