More Christmas Feasts

Well, the little sister and the brother-in-law have headed home post-XMAS. Though we did not actually work on the cookbook during the visit, we certainly did eat well and were creative in our cooking. Sandy didn't mention that on the 23rd we had a small feast of our own - a meditteranean extravaganza, if you will. Homemade hummus and pita, assorted cheeses and olives, greek potatoes and lamb chops pounded thin, coated in fresh breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese and then fried in olive oil. It was great. The potato recipe was pulled from www.foodtv.ca - a Christine Cushing recipe. The lamb recipe is one that I have wanted to try for ages and is from Nigella Lawson's third book, "Forever Summer". Nigella will never (no matter how hard she tries) reach the annoyance factor that Rachel Ray brings (am I the only person in the world that just doesn't see the fascination with that high pitched happy chick?). That said, she is trying a bit too hard as of late to fulfill the "gastroporn" label that was bestowed upon her by some savvy food writer.

On the 27th - the last day of their visit - we made buffa-que wings from one of Steve Raichlen's grilling books. This endeavor confirmed that it is more difficult to cook/smoke via indirect heat in the dead of winter. Nonetheless, the results were good and the Blue Cheese dressing authentic. Sadly, though I am an avid cheese lover, I cannot wrap my head around blue cheese so this part of the dish was lost on me.

Shoot me now

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/?q=evoo-dictionary

Christmas Feasts

I haven't posted in a bit...this is day 4 of eating our faces off (or eating our asses on as husband says). We are currently in Edmonton for Christmas break and have been feasting, catching-up with friends and family, feasting some more, and sharing in lots o' holiday cheer. Last night Christmas dinner at Mum and Dad's served up: turkey (brined - mum's first time doing that and it turned out YUM YUM), stuffing, Holland Cheese Scallop (a la Sandy), carrots, beans, potatoes, gravy, and perogies (OF COURSE!!!!) served with mushroom sauce then apple pie for dessert. We have a box of goodies to take back with us to Vancouver, even including a bag of perogies--which never lasts long when we get them home. It's been a lovely visit and I've especially enjoyed seeing my little nephew, who is such a hoot!!! I luv it. It's nice to be back and playing Auntie. Not sure what/when our next recipe test will happen. I suppose the Holland Cheese Scallop I tackled for dinner could count. It's a rich rice, egg, and cheesey bake that a childhood friend had at their place for dinner waaaay back when (Thanksgiving, I think??) and I HAD to get that recipe. It always wins the crowd.

Poor man's broccoli prevails

Recipe #10 is a winner! I would have to say Cauliflower Soup is the first of the recipes that has been very straightforward with not much room for improvisation(s) or error (which for me this weekend was a good thing!). The December rush is melting my brain and Sunday was the peak. I had a lovely weekend and even finished all my Christmas cards (yes, some will be late) and shopping, but definitely need the upcoming holiday break. Sunday evening rolled around and we were both ready for a cosy, small dinner [See picture of cat. It was one of those nights]. I really loved this soup. I am a caulifower nut and one of my fave veggies on a veggie tray is cauliflower (with a good ranch dip, of course!). Husband said he felt it was blandish, but a little bit of salt and pepper corrected it. I didn't change a thing. I think the one thing you could do is blend the ingredients to make the soup more smooth. I just mashed as per the recipe.

Tomorrow night we have our last holiday shin dig before we head out of town and will be having a couple and their kids over for dinner. The menu: a romaine/spinach salad with poms and orange slices served with pecan crusted goats cheese and a sweet and sour vinagrette, rosemary scented roast lab (with cranberry mustard rub), polenta with sharp white cheddar, beets, and carrots. For dessert I have made cranberry tarts and will serve with whipping cream. I was able to prep a lot of it tonight, so that takes a load off. We are looking forward to leaving for Edmonton this Friday for the holiday break. Can't wait to see everyone and share in some GREAT eats.

Can openers at the ready...

The evening started a bit late. I neglected to notice that the recipe called for me to simmer the concoction for 1.5 hours. Hence, chopping onions at 9:30pm made me cry - and not just because of onion tears. But true to yesterday's commitment, I proceeded to cook. Developed carpal tunnel from opening all of the cans and managed to finish my XMAS cards while the pot bubbled away. The ghoulash was like I remembered, homey and comforting. Might have been missing something. Almost think it could be salt but I am concerned about adding that because of all of the canned goods already within (and salt-laden, I am sure). Maybe garlic?

I also looked up Goulash on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goulash. And we definitely did NOT make goulash in the truest sense of the word. I actually think we made Chili for sissies - and maybe that is the better name for the recipe.

I have been in a ground beef purgatory (or maybe a vegetarian's nightmare) in the last little while as I now have both chili and goulash in my fridge. Therefore, I am recommending a vegetarian option- Cauliflower soup - for this weekend's recipe. It is my mother-in-law's recipe and it is great. Jason even loves it and he says that cauliflower is the poor man's broccoli.

I'm no Julie Powell

Alright, I admit it. I definitely would not have the fortitude to do what Julie Powell did in making her way through MtAoFC (Mastering the Art of French Cooking) in one year - and blogging about it to boot! I now know why she and her hubby were up eating their suppers at 10 pm because it is darn hard to organize oneself after putting in a full days work. I think, like my Auntie Darlene is oft to say, that it is just like us Cancers to have great intentions but lack follow through, but there is only so long one can make excuses.

Julie, I bow to you and your commitment to the culinary arts. I will strive to follow in your example in the weeks coming. (or at minimum try to keep up with my little sis)

Tonight Ghoulash - tomorrow, the world!

Canned extravanganza

My day started out with not too much to do, but I ventured out shopping only to find myself getting home about five hours later. I realize I really don't like shopping...at all. I suppose that feeling is mostly only when I HAVE to shop. Today's mission was Christmas gifts and this city was a zoo, but with decent sales and a dash of patience on my part, I survived.

When I came home it was time to start in on tonight's dishes. I started with the Goulash (recipe #9). This was a recipe that a childhood playmate of mine's Nana used to make. I loved it so much that Mum put in a special request to her Nana for the recipe. Her Nana also made really good carmel corn. It's amazing what food you can remember from your childhood. Like I still remember the first time I had onion rings. I was 4 and my friend, Tracy, along with her Mom took me to Dairy Queen and they ordered them for me. I have loved them ever since. Still love them even more with a pint of Strong Bow and a side of sour cream (on heavy hitting days) or a side of ketchup, but straight up with salt is good, too. I am still waffly on A&W onion rings and prefer good ol' pub style beer battered kind.

I went on Wikipedia to discover what Goulash really is, and now have confirmed that this version we have is a major modification. This was definitely an easy dish to prepare and likened to Jean Pare's (Company's Coming) recipes of waaay back: a can of this, can of that, a can of something else and then oh yes, some noodles. This one was "let's try broken up spaghetti" and skip the spetzle. This recipe is a canned extravanganza! And easy! If you were strapped for time and looking for minimal effort with decent payback then "ta daa." I think in terms of spices it was missing something...maybe paprika and garlic powder? So, it may be blastphemy that this recipe is even called Goulash, but let's go with that for now.

I started in on the Baking Powder Biscuits (recipe #10) as I was browning the beef for the Goulash. I flubbed up on the recipe. I got all the ingredients right but I didn't add all the milk at once and did it bit by bit instead...as a result of not reading but doing what seemed logical. So my dough was little tough. I have to admit, as much as I love to be in the kitchen, baking is not my forte (except for my amazing banana bread and cookies). I feel there is a strong difference between cooking and baking. I am not even a big dessert person so maybe that's why--because I haven't nearly put in the effort. I can exert my baking bravado when required but think that this is a skill that over time if I do it, can work its way into my kitchen repertoire. Anyhow, had a taste of a fresh, hot out of the oven biscuit with butter and my husband's Nana's crab apple jelly and WOW. Those just hit the spot. Fresh outta the oven does that.

Eats in Ottawa

Well, it is December 7. I was away only for a few days but I feel like I lost a whole week. I had a great trip out east to Ottawa. It was bitching cold there but biting wind aside, I had a good time touring the city when not conferencing. I had the most amazing italian at Mamma Teresa's. So, so good. I had their Spaghetti alla Mamma Teresa, which was a tomato-cream sauce with ground meat, onions, and mushrooms. Sounds simple, but damn it was good. Must be a real "go to" place as on a Sunday night, the old house was full to the hilt.

I had a chance to tour the grand Parliament grounds of our capital. Though I was told tours run all day, I arrived bright eyed and bushy tailed Wednesday afternoon (just before I flew home) to find out they don't tour in the afternoon. Fortunately, a friendly man from Saskatoon was visiting an old colleague that works in the Senate so I got a sneak peak in and saw their library and some behind the scenes areas. So nice of them! I finished that, asked around, and found out I was able to sit in on Question Period. The place was a full house and it was very cool to see it in action. Way more riveting than clips you see on the news or on CPAC. The Liberals are such hecklers!!! Anyhow, I digress. Met a very funny lady on the flight home who shares my distaste for flying (but I did have lovely flights both ways). She said she looked at me and knew I wasn't the woman she was going to die with. I think her fear is at a bit more of an extreme than mine, but her comment was definitely an ice breaker. Oh, I almost forgot another gastronomical delight on this trip: the Black Tomato. My colleague recommended we go there for dinner. I had their asian bbq pork tenderloin with buckwheat noodles. Sweet, juicy pork layered on a bed of black-bean sauced noodles. Very good.

Carlyn, where are you? Car has been quiet this week and I am wondering if her computer at home is up and running. She definitely needs that laptop! So, I am debating about what we can cook-up this weekend. I am thinking Baking Powder Biscuits and Goulash. Fortunately, our seasonal events are limited this weekend but next weekend is a bit of overkill. My next task is to get those recipes (and decorate, shop, and do cards). Till we cook again...

Lazy but not blue

So today I tasked myself with completing recipes #7 and 8 - Sugar Top Blueberry Muffins and Lazy Man Cabbage Rolls. I leave for Ottawa tomrrow (am there till Wednesday) so I did have to get through them today. Fortunately, I was able to cook away and keep tabs on the Liberal party leader convention which made for some riveting (or not so riveting, depending on what you like) TV news.

The blueberry muffins are very tasty and I tackled those first thing this morning. Pat was at his classes so I had a quiet house and [finally] a sunny day to help brighten things up for my day at home. My muffins turned out quite dense and I found the batter very very thick to work with, so I am not sure if I screwed up or that's how they are supposed to be! Car did give me the recipe over the phone (she another computer meltdown) and I chicken scratched it over an old bill and realize I could have written it better so maybe I missed something...? I have some great pictures, but right now blogger doesn't have the feature available for me to post them up so hopefully that is just a glitch for today and not a feature that has disappeared entirely (or something we have done to the site!). The lazy cabbage rolls are very comfort food for me.

Fortunately (as opposed to Car), I did 3/4 parts regular cabbage with the remainder using sauerkraut, so avoided the super tart. I also used two full cans of condensed tomato soup and next time would only opt for 1.5 (give or take) since it was a bit saucey. I did have ground beef and browned that first and mixed in with the rice, although some good Ukrainian sausage would be a very decent substitute. Also, a dallop of sour cream on the side is the perfect finish.

I will have to give some thought as to what I can pick for next week...will hopefully post that up on my return (along with some pictures!!!)

The really lazy version...

How much lazier can lazy cabbage rolls get?

Well, substantially lazier if you forget to buy ground beef for the recipe! So, modify, modify modify was my mantra on Friday night as I moved ahead and started the recipe -using cut up kielbasa rather than ground beef. I do not have a picture, as - let's be real - lazy cabbage rolls would be a challenge even for a veteran food stylist.

I think next time I would do a half and half mix of cabbage and sauerkraut is it was a tad tangy. But I do think that I will have to pull this recipe out of the hat a bit more often as it is super-quick and very satisfying. We can't all be the ultimate baba rolling cabbage rolls by the oven for hours on end. This dish provided the same feel with minimal effort - a definite must have for the cookbook.

Blue, Blue Muffins

I think that these Alberta ex-pats need to NOT get excited about the fact that there is snow because those of us that are stuck here in the hellishly cold winter wonderland we call Alberta will be stuck with it until April or May. The Vancouverites, on the other hand, will be in springtime weather by next week (maybe still fearful of drinking the water, but wearing spring jackets!).

This weekend's theme is warm and cozy to benefit those of us in the deep freeze. Blue Muffins will be the baking endeavour and Lazy Cabbage Rolls will be recipe number 2

Omelletelepathy

All hell breaks loose when it snows out in the West Coast. I took this picture yesterday and today is much more like a winter wonderland. Good news is the boil water advisory has been lifted. The bad news is power outages and terrible roads, but I am a snow bunny at heart and love this little taste of winter we're having. It's the prairie girl in me screaming out Bring it on!!!!

Had a jam-packed weekend, but did have time on Sunday morning for recipe test #6: Spanish Omelette . This weekend I was caught up in a few events of people trying to do things before the busy Christmas season gets busier, but everyone is trying to do this at the same time, so the concept backfires. The weekend did include a cookie bake and decorate-a-thon, which was wicked. Gingerbread and sugar cookies. Mmmmm--mmm. Anyhoooo, I digress: the recipe's name is deceptive as the product has no spanish flare at all (or at least I fail to make the connection at this stage). It is like a potato frittata. It was very easy to prep and simple, yet tasty. I have to admit, I couldn't bear three days of leftovers for just the two of us, so I halved the recipe (worked perfectly!). It could also easily be transformed into other styles such as tex mex (black beans, cheese, and salsa on top) or Italian (with chorizo and green pepper). I had a GREAT chuckle when I saw Car's entry--we prepared it almost identically except I used cherry tomatoes. Bacon (Costco has the BEST) and tomatoes along with the dish was a perfect combination. We cut it into squares the next day and put on a bun along with cheese and bacon for a hearty breakfast sandwich (husband's idea--very yummy).

I have a new laptop and am grappling a smidgen with trying to type correctly and get used to the touch mouse. I do love it, though. Car's enthusiasm for one rubbed off. Armed with a new cell phone (my first) and a laptop. Watch out, world! Luddite no more!!!

Now, I have one day free this weekend for our next project, as I leave for out-of-town on Sunday. I'll await big sis's pick(s) and will rest up for the challenge...

Organic eggs and and other luxuries

I believe that there are a few things in which it really makes a difference about what brand you buy. Some examples: ketchup, flour, soap and tomato juice, Kraft Dinner....Sometimes going for the 'no name' option is just not going to cut it. Similarly, once you start using organic, free-run eggs, you will never go back..... I was reminded of this as I commenced cracking 10 big eggs to make the Spanish Omelet this morning. The shells are harder (why are the other shells softer anyway?) and the yolks are a deep, golden hue. This is in stark contrast to the eggs that I used to use that seemed to be pale and generic - boring actually, like the lives of the chickens that laid them likely lived. Now the organic onion, on the other hand, was likely a waste of money!

The omelet was great. While it was baking in the oven I cooked some bacon to go with. It was a nice breakfast - and will be great at room temperature as lunch with a salad (at least I hope so because that it what we will be having for the next couple of days!).

See, I really did make the duck

I really did make the duck and it turned out great - looking just like Sandy's. I have also included proof that I did use the Minute Rice (in deference to my husband's request) and it turned out great - shaving about 20 minutes off the cooking time too.

No pain, no gain

It’s miraculous, really. I looked at my hands today and then up my arm to my elbow. Clean, clear, free of abrasions, burns, or cuts, which marvels me because whenever I get in the kitchen, I wound myself. Even if it is the utterly last stage of plating things up, I will find a way to slice my fingertip or something. So, considering how much ruckus I have been causing in my favorite place of our condo (bed not included), I am thrilled that I have made it relatively unscathed (thus far *knock on wood*).

Our next recipe testing is the Spanish Omelet. I am slammed this weekend and really only have Sunday morning free, so we’ll give it a whirl. This dish can also be an entrée so it’s flexible for Car. It was either that or one of the poached egg options that was tempting me...

I notice in her postings that Car questions whether her meal will be bust or how her meal preparation may be thwarted. Now, in the 30 years of my life, Carlyn has never cooked anything bad. Even when she tried tripe, it was good. Who does that? Even when she claims its crazy in her kitchen, I don’t really notice. Me, on the other hand, I’m banging, sometimes cursing (usually at a cat underfoot), or managing (read what you want) my husband’s unsolicited cooking advice. My kitchen does get a little crazy, but I like it, so long as I don’t loose too many fingertips.

Stuffing is NOT evil!

Well, the duck feast was last night and it was amazing. Pretty impressive feat for a Monday night - but one can do that when one leaves work a little early to cook supper! (thanks HR for the concept of 'earned days off').

I have pictures to share but, alas, still without a working home computer, our avid readers will be forced to eye my sister's creations in the interim (luckily, the final products looked the same). I have to say that despite my bravado in the previous entries, I was a bit nervous about this recipe. Having only roasted a 'whole' bird a handful of times, I approached the stuffing and trussing of the bird with some trepidation. Thanks be to the recipe gods - it all went relatively uneventfully.

In fact, the most eventful part of the creation was the heated discussion that my hubby and I had the night before when I mentioned I was thinking of substituting the white rice for a brown/white and wild rice mix. "No screwing with mom's recipe", I was told. So, true to the pink 3x5 card, I proceeded to read up on how to cook Minute Rice. The resultant cooked duck and stuffing passed muster and Jason even introduced me to how applesauce could (I am very grudgingly admitting this) actually complement the duck. Mom and dad, convinced to stay for an impromtu dinner, also voiced their approval.

Now stuffing cooked in the bird, contrary to what Alton Brown (chef extraordinaire) says, is not evil. In fact, I think that those individuals who fear walking on the wild side and courting various foodbourne illnesses, are really missing out by throwing the stuffing in the old casserole dish. Had I done that, it would just be plain old rice with a few fixing in it and not have had the amazing 'essence of duck' that cooking it in the bird provided it with.

PS. The creamed corn was wicked too - I am finding it hard to cook white sauce with a recipe as I usually make it up as I go along. But for the sake of the cookbook I am measuring and counting - that was the hardest part of doing that dish - by far.

Duck impresses!

So, I woke up this morning to another very wet day (this is a picture out our condo window). The boil water advisory was still on, but that didn't deter me from prepping for tonight's dinner extravaganza. The menu: Roast Duck with Wild Rice Stuffing, Creamed Corn, and a side salad (I made my fave winter salad with romaine, green onion, feta, toasted pine nuts and pomegranates with sweet vinaigrette). Car informed me that she will be trying this tomorrow night since they had Grey Cup fun at a neighbours to participate in today, which she had forgot about (way to go, BC LIONS!!!). I digress...the duck turned out with great coloring, moist, and tasty. We were quite impressed! It is quite a fatty bird, and even 15 min into cooking you could hear the juices dropping and bubbling from inside the oven. It took two hours...3o min at 400 and then another hour at 325 and then let it rest for about 20 min after cooking. I left the carving to husband, although he did have to go on-line to figure out the best way. He said they made it look much easier in China! The stuffing was delicious and hearty-- had a nice "nuttiness" to it from the wild rice. I did feel something in it was missing in terms of spice, but I still can't put a finger on what should go in...chinese five spice? ginger? even green onion? The mix of brown mushroom and shitake was a good call. Creamed corn went off without a hitch and I even nailed down the measurements for it. It was creamy goodness. I do think that it only would serve 4-5 sides so something to think about [serving portions]. The cat went a little snakey when he saw the bird during prep. He even got the cooked giblets for a dinner snack. I don't think he will ever be the same...

Lac Brome

I did my grocery shopping tonight for tomorrow's dinner, AKA recipe test #4 and 5. The Roast Duck with Stuffing recipe is from Carlyn's in-laws and Creamed Corn is Mum's. Both recipes are the vague "a bit of this, a bit of that." I did go adventurous on the mushrooms in the stuffing recipe, as there was no specification on kind/quantity called for, so I bought shitaki and brown. And then there is the rice for the stuffing...Carlyn suggested a mix of brown/white/wild instead of just white. There's a juggle with cooking all those well at the same time. Every other mixed "package" kind has seasonings or flavourings; however, I did find a nifty product by Canoe brand called "White'n Wild Rice" which contains unseasoned parboiled white and roasted wild in the package (a Canadian product from Keewatin, Ontario -- ironically right by Lake of the Woods where we have a family cottage). So that takes care of the rice! For the most part, Safeway handled my typical ingredients, but I did need to trek to Urban Fare for the duck (Carlyn did give me a hint on where to find that one). I found a duck from Lac Brome, Quebec (or Brome Lake in English) in the frozen section. There were only two available, so I think you would have to be prepared for a bigger hunt in case, say, a dozen or so people in your neighbourhood are cooking duck that night. Or in Carlyn's case, go to your in-laws freezer for freshly frozen, made-in-Alberta hunted duck. I wonder if that is what she is using???

Not for the faint of heart

Sandy, who said this adventure was going to be without a bit of trepidation?

What would the fun be if we didn't prepare a dinner with sweaty palms and a bit of anxiety?

Luckily, you being in Vancouver in the midst of the boiling water festival could potentially blame any foul fowl on the likelihood of water contamination. Me, on the other hand, will have no one but myself to blame for any cooking fiascos that may occur. And, on that note, the chances of such fiascos occuring is pretty darn high because of the 'loose' manner in which the recipes have come to us. Cooking a bird "until done" wouldn't be an issue if we roasted birds regularly - unfortunately, like Sandy, I have only done so once in my kitchen.

Look for my update sometime on Monday - with hubby trashing - I mean fixing- our home computer - I will not likely be able to elaborate on the Sunday festivities until later.

Roast duck? What the $%#&?

So, Carlyn (who I tend to refer to as Car in my blog A.K.A Big Sis) has assigned us Roast Duck and Creamed Corn for our recipes this weekend. I double-checked our cookbook recipe list to be sure and yup, there it was: Roast Duck with Wild Rice Stuffing. I am scared. I have had duck only like three times (all good) although have never even cooked it myself. I did my own roast chicken for the first time last year -- alas, I am finding this task daunting!!! After the recent flurry of bad weather here on the Wet Coast, they have now instigated a boil water advisory (turbidity = more sediment + other nasties). Even after boiling the water it is still cloudy with a hint of pea greenish/yellow (to stay on the theme of cooking). Now the Creamed Corn I can handle. Actually I am more excited to make Corn Chowder with it for the next day! Now, where do I find duck...to roast...not BBQ'd like found conveniently in Chinatown.

Nonplussed by the Stroganoff

What did I do wrong?

The first right thing I did was decide to cook stroganoff on a snowy Alberta day. A cold snowy day is just perfect to eat something homey and "stick to your ribs" like that. And I did not feel that bad about sauteing sirloin in butter and then adding more butter becuase, heck, I shoveled the driveway 3 times!

First, the squash - Sandy, you are right - it is just like it was when we were kids despite the fact that Hubbard squash is nowhere to be found. But I loved it loved it. And, surprise, surprise -Jason loved it too. I got to thinking that it was a recipe that was really old fashioned and wondered how it could be "twisted" to be more modern - after some pondering, I think that I have come up with something.

Now for the stroganoff. It didn't rock my world and I am not sure why. In fact, a certain despondency settled upon my mood after I ate it (as pointed out by Jason). It was good - certainly better than the gummy (yet watery) shepherd's pie that I had at a trendy Edmonton bistro last week- but not great. Given that this is truly a classic recipe and we are fortunate to have it passed to us - I think something must have gone awry in my execution. I also think that there might be something to be said for not using the RTU (that is "ready-to-use") beef broth as maybe the salt in the old fashioned canned concentrated stuff adds something to the dish.

[side note: I think that RTU will be my Rachel Ray-ism. The EVOO thing just drives me batty but look where it got her......]

Flapcakes

Survived Recipe Test #3...I made the amount as per recipe in two varieties and came out with a dozen (but I did more 2 tbsp batter than just 1 tbsp). I think the recipe would serve 4 sides (not mains). These are very filling, not like Blender Pancakes, cause they are more "cakey." The batter could be thinned out just a bit if you prefer. I used the Cuisinart Griddler with a tad fewer "cold spots" than Car, but did notice one cool spot on the lower section. I did keep the heat between 350 and 400 and preheated for a long time. I instigated the pancake variety with a trick I saw at a great breakfast joint in Sausalito (thanks to Rhonda and Chris) that once the batter is poured, THEN you stick in your fruit. It avoids clumping and encourages eveness/variety in the 'jacks. So, I made blueberry ones and pineapple: blueberries from frozen pckg and the pineapple from canned. Worked out very well. Maple syrup + pineapple = deadly combination, and of course, the double whammy of blueberry cakes + Summerland Sweets Blueberry Syrup is a delight (a bit of sugar shock, but nothing that salty bacon or potatoes as sides couldn't offset). Banana slices would also be so good. We ate three hours ago and still very full and I only had three (two to start...).

A Griddler is like Bar-B-Que and other similarities

This morning I stumbled out of bed and made an attempt at making the flapjacks that I remember from childhood. Based on my discussions with Sandy the other night, I was relegated to making the double batch that will reportedly serve about 6 people while she would try the single size recipe that serves 2-3. Let me just say that it might have been a good call on her part to do that and I am now saddled with about 2 breakfast's worth of extra pancakes - but more on that later. With my hubby still sleeping and 2-year old (Nathan) in tow, I began working on recipe #1.

It actually went quite smoothly - mix the dry ingredients separately from the wet, stir until just moistened, etc. Nathan provided a running commentary. I was amazing because I could break eggs and he was exceedingly disappointed that I could not break yet another egg into the recipe as it only called for 2. This brings us to similarity #1. Eggs, milk and melted butter in a bowl- in the eyes of a 2-year old - look like orange juice. Luckily, I chose to turn my back only for a minute, because had it been longer, his little face would have disappeared into the bowl.

The first half of the batch was just plain old flapjack, nothing special but still really good and the second part of the batch had some frozen, home grown, blueberries thrown in just for good measure. This is where we come to similiarity #2 - a Cuisinart Griddler is just like a bar-b-que - there are cold spots! Here I am cooking away and 2/3 of my pancakes are still not bubbling and are looking a bit sickly pale - like a Canadian's legs in January. Hmmm. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my griddler. In fact, I brag about it to everyone who does not have one as it makes wicked sandwiches and paninis and grills meat like no one's business. But this is the first time that a shortcoming has reared its ugly head in my kitchen.

Nonetheless, I forge on and the first 100 pancakes are almost complete, Nathan is busy eating and my husband (who is complaining of jetlag a full week and a half after returning from his trip to Japan) is still sleeping. As I stand by myself in the kitchen waiting for the tiny bubbles to form in the batter so I can commence flipping, I trip over similarity #3 - the pancake cooker (or waffle maker, as the case may be)- is essentially the kitchen slave because she (invariably) is trapped in the kitchen flipping and pouring until everyone else is full and she (invariably) can come out and enjoy the remnants (which, because a double-batch had been made, were plentiful).

All in all - the flajacks were good, but I have some thoughts. If this recipe is in the cookbook, we should probably re-make it and do an actual pancake count - I'm sure I made a 100 but it might have only been 25. And, yes, we should take a picture and post it so that we can compare product. It is too late for the flapjacks because, though sumptiously good at 10 am, are just a tad soggy now. :)

P.S.

I am getting a kick out of how excited Car is about the blog. Nice work, woman, by the way! (this was her idea and now she wants to get a laptop). I love it.

Vancouver's Test Kitchen

Well, I made two of "the" recipes tonight. Nana's Beef Stroganoff and the Cheesey Squash. I didn't even have wine with dinner for fears it would affect my palate for the taste testing. First encounter with the squash was figuring out how to peel it effectively (skin is so hard!) Also, Mum recommends Hubbard squash but I got Acorn. Out of the 5 varieties at my local grocery store downstairs, no Hubbard. And YES, it did taste exactly how I remembered it!! And then Nana's Stroganoff worked out so well. The husband even LOVED it like he does Nana's (even with broad noodles, not orzo) so that's a good sign (and hopefully it is not just because the Flames were winning the hockey game). I did tweak here and there from what I had learned last time I tried the recipe with some hiccups. Will now resend updated recipe to Car so she will have some tips for when trying it...

It begins...

We are starting this weekend - after weeks (ok, months) of talking about it, Sandy and I are going to take our fistfulls of tattered recipe cards and cook until we devise a cookbook worthy of our baba (grandma), mom and mothers-in-law. A cookbook that will remind us of all the classic food that we grew up on but have a modern twist for us 20 or 30 somethings that have to spend 40+ hours a week in the office.

The fact that we are miles apart and trying to craft a decent - no, excellent - cookbook is not lost on us either! But this blog will let us share our passion together. Let us compare our successes (absolutely no leftovers), commiserate over our culinary disasters (I called, but no one would come to the table), and connect with each other just like we were sharing a glass of wine over dinner just feet from eachother.

The adventure begins and the weekend menu is featuring:

1. Flapjacks (childhood recipe)
2. Nana's Beef Stroganoff (Sandy's husband's Nana)
3. Cheesy Squash (a favorite of ours from Mum)