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.