Featured Recipe

Chocolate Peanut Butter Snowballs

These taste like Christmas in your mouth. The perfect combination of peanut butter and chocolate and not too sweet. They are really easy to make, but taste like they're a lot of work. Rolling them gets a little messy and they freeze really well. My friend Kristy introduced me to them and my friend Tahnee told me I had to post the recipe after I gave her a sample - this is for both of them! Courtesy of the Kraft Canada Website

http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/recipes/chocolate-peanut-butter-snowballs-82742.aspx

What's for Dinner?

I love grocery shopping day! I live in a smallish town, but I'm only about a half hour drive to "the city" so every 2 weeks or so, I make the trek into Superstore and do a gigantic shop and stock up on deliciousness. Plus, it saves money doing it that way than running into town to go to the grocery store every other night. I love seeing my fridge/freezer/pantry so full of edible possibilities!

On that note, here's the menu) all of which, except one, will be leftovers for next week. Not quite sure how it's all going to fit in my freezer though....

Tonight was Pad Terr. This is my version of Pad Thai and is named after my husband Terr because it is one of his favourite things (after lasagne, of course). Wide Pad Thai noodles, chicken, peppers, green onion, white onion, carrot, bok choi, garlic, bean sprouts and a soy/teriyaki/sweet chili sauce. The 2 keys here are cinnamon and sesame oil. Just a pinch of cinnamon goes very well with the teriyaki and ginger flavours and a few drops of sesame oil right at the end give it a very nice nutty flavour. Also, cook the onion, carrots and the white "stem" parts of the bok choi for at least 5 minutes before you add the chicken so that they are tender at the end. They are "hard" vegetables and need more time to cook; you don't want hard carrots with soft peppers. Add the leafy parts of the bok choi near the end, just before the bean sprouts and the noodles. I bought Rose brand noodles at Superstore (98 cents for about a pound of noodles!) though I had to guestimate how long to soak them for (35-ish minutes) as there were absolutely no instructions on them. The hubby declared that they were the best noodles in this dish yet (I've tried about 4 different varieties)!
Tomorrow is orzotto (orzo pasta cooked like risotto) with ricotta and spinach stuffed chicken thighs wrapped in prosciutto. They key here is to use the leftover ricotta/spinach mixture from the chicken in the orzotto to make it super creamy. Add a can of diced tomatoes (drain the liquid) and you're golden. The chicken is a bit finicky as the filling likes to leak out while you're trying to stuff it and it gets a little messy, but it's so worth it! Another of Terr's favourites.

Chicken thighs with the stuffing, before rolling

stuffed, rolled and wrapped. Ready to be baked

orzo cooking in chicken broth, much like risotto

Orzotto with ricotta, spinach, tomatoes and prosciutto

Dinner!

 One night will be potato chowder (I use milk and chicken broth instead of cream and puree some of the potatoes with some of the liquid at the end to give it a thicker, creamy consistency). Dress it up with bacon bits, cheddar cheese and green onion.
It's definitely fall and time to bring on more comfort foods...like chili! This is one of the few instances where I cook with rice. Throw about a cup of uncooked, instant brown rice with the tomatoes, and it will cook as it absorbs all the tomatoey flavour. I also add a poblano pepper for a bit of smokey heat (poblanos are about the same size as green peppers except they are a much darker green and are kind of oblong. They are more smokey than hot, but do have a bit of heat. Great in Mexican dishes).
The other favourite on the menu is pita pizzas. Easy and oh so delicious. Not quite take-out pizza, but probably better for us. Mmmmm, pizza.
All of the above, except for the pita pizzas, will be leftovers next week, along with the spaghetti with meat sauce and the crock pot roast beef with tomatoes, green peppers and brown rice creation that the hubby invented last week that are already in the freezer.

I hope this has inspired you. As much as I dislike summer coming to an end, I do love comfort food like chilis and soups - they're hearty and filling and warm you up.

Bon Apetit!

Featured Recipe

This is so simple and you're going to love it. I came up with this over the Thanksgiving weekend while we were at a friend's house. My husband bought some Strongbow (apple cider), which I'm not typically a huge fan of because it's really dry. So, here's my solution to enjoying a delicious Strongbow, without your mouth feeling like you've sucked a cotton ball.

Thanksgiving Apple Cocktail
Makes 1 drink (plus a second one afterwords)

1/2 can Strongbow Cider
1/2 can Canada Dry Ginger Ale (any brand will do but Canada Dry is the very best)
6 frozen raspeberries

Mix Strongbow and ginger ale. Add frozen raspberries. Let raspberries thaw as they cool your drink.....wait for it.... I know it's going to take all your will power, but it's worth it.....after about 10 minutes the raspberries should be thawed enough to smash with the back of a spoon and infuse your drink.

You will not be disappointed! (Unless you're my husband, who hates raspberries. What a weirdo!)

What's for Dinner?

I'm gonna keep this short and sweet because dinner is in the oven as we speak! Tonight is Mexican Lasagne (which is essentially baked fajita casserole, but it's way more fun to call it Mexican Lasagne [much like my love for Greek "tacos"]). I tired something new tonight and I grilled the tortillas (used instead of lasagne noodles) before I assembled the layers. hopefully this will end up less soggy than previous incarnations. Another key here is chipotle chili powder, if you can find it. Just a pinch gives it a great smoky flavour with a bit of a kick. I know Epicure sells it, if you know anyone who sells Epicure.

I want to comment on my pork tacos from last week - I am not sure I will ever make tacos with beef again. The combo of the tex-mex spices with the pork was really quite a flavour explosion. Quite Awesome.

The rest of this week was a little boring: The Quinoalaya I didn't end up making last week, plus whole wheat penne with meat sauce. I found this really incredible imported Italian pasta at the grocery store in town (no English on the package) and you get better quality and more in the package and it's cheaper than Catelli. Sounds like a no-brainer to me

We have a bunch of leftovers, which is good on a budget. I have taken to making large batches of stuff, and then freezing to have at a later date. I know I'm a little bit late on jumping on that train, but it totally works if you're trying to save on groceries. Who knew?

Oh, and I need to express my love for homemade chocolate chip cookies, especially when they stay soft and moist. Thank you recipe on the back of the Bakers milk chocolate chips bag.

Bon Apetit!

Featured Recipe

My husband loves breakfast on the weekend. Fried egg sandwiches, egg wraps, bacon and eggs.....as long as it's savoury and includes eggs in some form. This was his suggestion last night (he makes the suggestions, I make them happen) and it was so worth it.

Breakfast Cups
Makes 6

Ingredients:
1 large yellow flesh potato (not a russet/baking potato)
6 eggs
2 slices deli ham
6 TBSP grated cheddar cheese
1 TBSP vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Peel and grate the potato. Squeeze the excess liquid out of the potatoes. Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet. Fry the potatoes with a little bit of salt until the potatoes are golden. The potatoes will tend to clump together and form "pancakes." This is okay - just keep cooking them until they're golden and then separate the "pancakes" into 6 equal portions
2. Spray 6 muffin tins with cooking spray. Equally divide the potatoes on the bottom of the cups. Divide the ham equally in each cup. Top each with an egg. Cover each with 1 TBSP grated cheese.
Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes. The eggs need to be at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit (you don't want runny yolks).

What's for Dinner?

Have I mentioned how much I love food? I LOVE food! Dinner is my favourite meal of the day and I spend most afternoons dreaming about dinner for that night. And I love to cook. It relieves stress and I love coming up with new recipes and flavour combinations. Pretty much my favourite thing.

A couple of years ago, I started doing something I swore I'd never do: I plan my meals for the week ahead of time. I always thought it would be so boring if you knew ahead of time what you were going to eat all week, but really, it is awesome. It helps control my grocery budget and I know what I need to take out of the freezer to thaw the night before. I have these little magnetic white boards that I put on the fridge and I write the menu on them. One of the best decisions I've made. You can't believe how much less I spend on groceries and how fewer trips I make to the store.

So, with that, here's the menu. Yesterday was Chicken Enchiladas (yes, the very same ones that are an earlier featured recipe). I found really nice poblano peppers at the grocery store. They have this great smoky flavour and just a teeny little bit of heat (less than a banana pepper) that compliment the smoky cumin and chipotle chili powder. A little taste of Mexico.
Tonight is Pita Pizzas. It's the season opener tonight for my favourite NHL hockey team against my husband's favourite team and that calls for pizza. Using pitas creates a nice crispy thin crust and you can top them with anything you like. Our favourite combination is pepperoni, green pepper and shallot (or red onion) and Monterrey Jack cheese. Delish!
Tomorrow is spaghetti with meat sauce. Simple and classic. We use whole wheat pasta - not only does it have a great taste, but you eat less because it is more filling. The only time I use regular white pasta is when I make lasagne or the late nights when we make KD.
Monday is Quinoalaya (jambalaya made with quinoa instead of rice). Since introducing my husband to quinoa, he can't seem to get enough. It is not as filling as brown rice, but is so good.
Tuesday is pork tacos. This is my cheap out night. I bought a taco kit so all I needed was the ground pork. I usually make them with beef but thought I'd try something different this time and we try not to eat beef more than once or twice a week.
Wednesday is leftover spaghetti. I go walking or swimming every Wednesday andI just don't have much time to make something from scratch.

That's about it for now.
Bon Apetit!

My Favourite Kitchen Tools - Part 2

When I was making breakfast this morning, I was grateful yet again for the wonder that is my digital meat thermometer. And it's not just for meat; I used it for baked eggs this morning (See today's featured recipe).
I bought the thermometer for about 10 bucks at Superstore and it has saved me numerous times (particularly when making things like pork tenderloin or chicken thighs). It has a guide on the cover that tells you temperatures for meat and chicken and reads in both Celsius and Fahrenheit.  Best 10 bucks I've spent.

I love my Betty Crocker Cookbook. I am listing it as a tool because I don't use it so much for the recipes as for the tips and hints and cooking charts.  It tells you everything you need to know to cook anything. It has charts for cooking meat (every type and cut of meat you can think of) and eggs (where that meat thermometer comes in handy), shows you the difference between perfectly cooked cookies and undercooked and overcooked cookies (complete with pictures), step by step picture instructions for making pastry, pictures of different kinds of vegetables and grains, how to properly measure flour for baking, and everything in between. The recipes are pretty good too. If you only ever buy one cookbook, buy this one.

Ok, last but certainly not least, my cast iron pot. I bought it at Ikea about 5 years ago and it makes the best pasta sauce. The secret to a cast iron pot is to clean it without soap. I know that sounds kind of disgusting, but trust me. Cast iron is porous and it absorbs all the flavours of what you put in it. So, when you clean it with soap, it absorbs that taste. On the flip side, the more you cook in it, the more the flavours of everything you've cooked in it get infused into whatever you're making; tomato based pasta sauce gets better every time. Plus, you can put it in the oven (but not the lid as it is aluminum). I have a recipe for bread that you cook right in the pot, but have yet to make it.
There is a bit of maintenance required - after you've cleaned it, you have to oil it on the inside so it doesn't rust. And you need to use it on a regular basis, particularly if you live in a humid climate, like I do on Vancouver Island,so it doesn't get mildew-y. Worth the $50 investment.