Cook It With Love

Does Your Food Taste Like Your Fridge or Freezer?

2011-07-27T12:58:00.000-07:00

It isn't fun when food starts to get a refrigerator or freezer taste to it. If you clean your fridge and freezer regularly, you can prevent food from getting that 'taste' or smell.

Here are some tips to help you prevent that from happening and to keep your fridge hygienic --- reducing the chance of food borne illnesses.

Clean out the fridge regularly. Use vinegar or lemon juice to cleanse and disinfect without your having to worry about heavy rinsing due to using chemicals in your fridge. Consider taking shelves and drawers out and soaking in the tub to make them easier to clean and to be sure you've gotten every inch of the fridge.
Keep an open box of baking soda in the fridge and in the freezer. It'll help absorb odours. (Tip: pour down your sink when you replace the baking soda (every other month) and then pour some vinegar afterwards. This will help deodorize your drains)
Don't forget to clean freezers too, in order to keep ice cream and ice cubes tasting fresh.
Organize your fridge and freezer carefully so that food doesn't "hide" with a chance to go bad or get freezer burnt and contribute to odours. Date the food so you'll know how old it is and be very careful about leaving meat in the fridge put it on a plate, for instance, to keep juices from leaking to other areas. Clean it out once a week to keep it clean and hygienic.

Is L'Ortolano Sauce Worth the Price?

2011-07-19T21:23:00.000-07:00

I was shopping today and saw a new selection of pasta sauces in my local grocery store. The bottles looked new and interesting and the sauce inside the glass bottles looked really tasty. But then I saw the price and was flabberghasted that the sauce was $9.49. Spaghetti sauce for $9.49? Gobsmacked!

Would you pay almost $10 for spaghetti sauce?

I'd love to know if anyone has tried L'Ortolano sauce. If so, how is it? Is it worth almost $10 a jar?

Inside Out English Muffin Sandwiches

2011-07-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

If you love English muffins, you'll LOVE making English muffin sandwiches that are inside out.
Instead of toasting your sandwich, use a panini (or you can even fry it like a grilled cheese). The english muffin nooks get very crispy and it's wonderful with all sorts of sandwich stuff. Here are a few of the ones we like in my house:

Ham & Cheese Inside Out English Muffin Sandwiches
--------------------------------------------------------------
Pull the English muffin apart (gently) and then butter the nooks (tip: use Hellmann's real mayo for even crispier deliciousness)
put mayo and mustard on the non non-cranny sides
Put ham and cheese
close it so the sandwich is inside out
Grill on both sides or use a panini press and gently close.

Tuna Inside Out English Muffin Melts
--------------------------------------------
Tuna
Mayo
Tomato
Cheese
salt & pepper
-Prepare as above.

EXTRA Love:
Add some shredded cheese after flipping the sandwich to the pan. The cheese will crisp and stick into your nooks and your crannies.

Lovely Mac and Cheese with Swiss Chard

2011-05-15T07:06:00.000-07:00

A comfort food guest post, contributed by Bridget Sandorford

I was the only kid in school who hated macaroni and cheese. They called me crazy; I blame Velveeta. Now that I have my own kitchen, I’ve developed a few ideas of my own about good, “old-fashioned” mac and cheese.

Ingredients

3 tbsp butter

1 large, chopped yellow onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup all purpose flour (I sneak about 1/8 cup of whole wheat in there, just because)

3 cups milk (skim, 2%, almond, or soy milk—they’re all good)

2 cups grated Gouda cheese, additional ½ cup finely grated Gouda

2 cups grated Edam cheese

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp nutmeg

One bunch (about a pound or two) of Swiss chard, tough stems removed

16 oz elbow macaroni

3 tbsp olive oil

1 cup panko or homemade bread crumbs

1 tomato, sliced

¼ tsp oregano

Directions

Melt 3 tbsp of butter in big pot over medium heat and add onions. When onions are clear (not burned), add minced garlic and flour. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Gradually add milk. Stir occasionally until the ingredients begin to boil. Add the 2 cups of Gouda and 1 cup (not both) of Edam. Stir until the mixture is relatively consistent and stir in the cayenne and nutmeg. Salt and pepper to your personal taste.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter a 13x9 casserole or Pyrex.
Wash the chard and steam (don’t boil or you’ll lose the nutrients to the water) over a pot of water. About five minutes after the water begins to boil, add a handful of salt and the macaroni to the pot (allowing the chard to continue steaming). When the macaroni is al dente, remove the chard and save the macaroni in a wire colander. Squeeze water from the chard with a towel (it will be very hot) and cut into small bits.
Stir macaroni into cheese sauce and mix. Pour half of the mixture into the prepared casserole. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of Edam and then the chard. Follow with remaining cheese sauce and spread flat. Place the tomato slices on top and sprinkle oregano.
In another pot, melt 3 tbsp olive oil and pour in panko. Stir in ½ cup Gouda. Sprinkle the crumbs over the casserole and bake until they are golden, between 30 and 40 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes and serve with a pretty parsley sprig. The tomatoes tend to slide around but try to get a slice!

Photo Credit: Author's Personal Work.

Bio: Aside from school and working part-time as an Assistant Chef, Bridget Sandorford is the resident Culinary Schools blogger where recently she’s been researching Washington DC culinary colleges as well as Orlando culinary colleges. Her passion for food has followed her research into many different areas, such as nutrition, fitness, organic foods, gardening, and cooking on a budget. She lives outside of Charleston, South Carolina.

Creamy Cheesy Broccoli Serendipity Soup

2010-10-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

This serendipidous recipe happened when I over-boiled broccoli by accident. When I stirred my cheese sauce in, the broccoli quickly began to disintegrate and the mixture resembled soup. A few tweaks and...Voila ---- my Creamy Cheesy Brocoli Soup was born.

Steps to Creamy & Cheesy Broccoli Soup

Boil the heck out of your broccoli (about one bunch, flowerets only)until it's very tender and falling apart. Sometimes I'll do a broccoli & cauliflower mixture.

Drain it.

Put it back on the stove in a sauce pan. Turn the heat to medium.
Add a bit of chicken soup stock, 2 tablespoons of flour, and a dollop of butter. I like using the Knorr Homestyle Stock - Chicken. It comes in a tiny blister pack and works great!

Whisk the mixture until thick.
Start putting in some cheese. Cream Cheese, Cheez Whiz, Parmasean, Cheddar, Mozzarella, whatever!
Add some salt and pepper and parsley. I like to add a dash of Mrs. Dash or similar seasoning as well.
Stir continuously, adding up to 4 cups or so of milk slowly and simmering until thick and creamy looking.
I like to add a bit of shredded cheese on top once it goes in the bowl.
Serve! Goes great with Garlic Bread!

Extra Banana Moist Banana Bread

2010-10-13T08:44:00.001-07:00

My banana bread recipe calls for 3-4 bananas. I use 5! My wee boy says it's the bestest thing he's ever eaten. Here's my adapted banana bread recipe. It smells amazing, is very banana-y and is super moist!

It makes two loaves so you can either: eat 1 and give one away, eat 1 and freeze the other, or eat both of them ;). If you have a bunch of mini loaf pans, you can go that route as well!

My original recipe came from my favourite Betty Crocker Everything You Need to Know to Cook cookbook but as I usually do, I made it my own. I've made some tweaks (more bananas, regular milk instead of buttermilk, and a white/brown sugar combo instead of just white. I also ditched the nuts):

Banana Bread Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
5 bananas (ripe! I like to use a combo of newer & older bananas ---just before they turn black is good)
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2.5 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

How long do you bake banana bread?
Preheat to 350. Bake on the bottom rack. Banana bread loaves take 1 to 1.25 hours. At an hour I'd suggest sticking a toothpick or fork deep into the center to see if it comes out clean. Clean=done.

Mixing Directions:

Mix the sugar and butter
Stir in your eggs
Mash your bananas in
Add other wet ingredients
Add dry ingredients
Stir (slightly lumpy is fine, even preferable!)

Pour into greased loaf pans.
Betty Crocker's version says it can last at room temp (tightly wrapped) for 4 days or in the fridge for up to 10.

(photo: Jason Nelson)

Stagg Chili Hot Dip

2010-04-17T17:25:00.000-07:00

I love my cousin Christine's cold Mexican dip. When I'm feeling like something hot, I go for my adaptation of my other cousin Lori's Stagg Chili Dip. This is a hot layered dip and she made it for us once when we were playing Mexican Train Dominoes.
Below is my adaptation:

Ingredients:

1 can Stagg Chili (I prefer Silverado for this recipe)
1/2 cup Salsa or Piquante
1 tub spreadable cream cheese
Sprinkling of Clubhouse Roasted Garlic & Peppers Seasoning
Shredded Marble Cheese (or a Mexican Cheese mixture with Jalapenos)

Layer from bottom to top:

-Cream cheese (thin layer)
-Salsa and Stagg Chili (mixed together first, then spread evenly on top of cream cheese)
-A uniform sprinkle of the Clubhouse Roasted Garlic & Peppers Seasoning
-Shredded cheese (as much or as little as you like!)

Do this in a shallow baking dish that can go to the table for dipping.
Bake at about 300 for an hour and then serve with your favourite nacho chips. Or do it for a few minutes and then put the broiler on. My pick for dipping for this recipe is Tostito's Scoops.
Caution:
It'll be hot so protect yourself and put a hotpad down to protect your table!

Hot or Mild, Meaty or Vegetarian...

You can adapt this to be a spicy dip or mild Stagg Chili dip depending on the ingredients you choose and you can add additional hot sauce if you like. You can even use homemade chili and if you're looking for a vegetarian dip with plenty of protein, use a vegetarian chili in place of the regular or Silverado Stagg Chili.
Happy Dipping!

Yorkshire Pudding Recipe

2009-12-30T07:24:00.000-08:00

Yorkshire pudding tastes wonderful with a roast beef and gravy. It's really simple to make. Once you've made them fresh, you'll probably never want to buy frozen yorkshire pudding again!

1 dozen Yorkshire pudding (popovers)

1 cup of flour
1 cup of milk
2 eggs
1 pinch of salt
Mix well

Meanwhile, put a drip of oil in each cup of your muffin baking tin and put in a 375 degree oven for a few minutes. Once the oil is hot, carefully spoon the batter into the cups. Keep an eye on them, they take anywhere from 15-25 minutes on average. Keep an eye on them so you can have big yorkshire pudding that you are able to get out of the oven before they burn or turn hard.

Potluck Party Tips

2009-10-03T12:30:00.000-07:00

Tips For Creating the Best Potluck Recipes
By Helen Polaski

The best potluck recipes are recipes that have history. While there is nothing wrong with adding a new recipe to the mix every now and again, when you hold potluck dinners your guests will want the tried-and-true favorites. Because of this, it's always fun to bring along the recipe someone is sure to ask for it.

Ask The Hostess: Before you assume you should bring this dish or that dish, ask the hostess. There's nothing like surprising your hostess, but you need to make sure you don't bring the same dish as someone else.

Preparing Potluck Recipes: The best potluck recipes are prepared just hours before you attend the event. For example, crock pot chili can be made the day before, and reheated at the potluck, but you don't want food to be days old. You want to showcase your best recipes.

However, if you are making something that must be chilled for several hours, make it the night before. Don't take chances. Guests will not gravitate toward a gelatin mold that did not set or a frozen dessert that is not frozen.

Signature Dishes: The hostess and other party-goers who know you will recognize your signature dish. If you generally bring potato salad to an event and it always disappears, don't mess with perfection. Bring potato salad. Your fellow guests will be expecting it.

Use Fresh Ingredients: Because you want your recipe to be as appealing as possible, it's important to purchase fresh ingredients for your dish. A vegetable tray that has seen better days will not be the hit of the party, but a vegetable tray that's covered in fresh veggies with plenty of tempting dip will disappear fast.

Bring Insulated Containers: Casseroles that should be served hot should be brought in a dish that keeps them hot. Purchase an insulated carrying case that will keep the dish hot until it's served, or use a crock pot as your container and then reheat it as soon as you arrive at the party.

Keep Cold Dishes Cold: If your potluck dish should remain cold, then by all means bring along a larger container and ice. Place the larger container on the table, add a few ice cubes and then set the dish with the food in it on top of the ice. Leave enough room to slide ice cubes between the two containers. If packed with ice in this manner, the dish will remain cold for several hours.

For more information on potluck, visit the holidays section of Life123.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Helen_Polaski
http://EzineArticles.com/?Tips-For-Creating-the-Best-Potluck-Recipes&id=2868517

Ode to the Iron Skillet

2009-04-26T07:49:00.001-07:00

In terms of cooking, an iron skillet can be a kitchen staple. Not only does it cook food beautifully and fill your food with flavour but it can help you increase your body's iron absorption. If you've got an iron deficiency, this health article about overcoming iron deficiencies gives a lot of helpful tips.

Iron Skillet Tips:

-Season your pan a few times a year, particularly if food is beginning to stick.

-Clean it immediately after use with water and cloths. Avoid soap if possible. If you must use soap, re-season your pan before your next use.

Iron Skillet Recipes:

My two favourite foods to cook in an iron skillet are:

Pan-Fried Potatoes

-Start with good oil such as olive or coconut oil and a dollop of butter. When the pan is good and hot put in chopped potato wedges and add plenty of seasoning salt, salt & pepper, Mrs. Dash and some diced onion. Cook on med-high until done.

and:
Garlic Bread You Eat with a Knife & Fork

Let's Talk Turkey--Turkey Lurkey

2009-04-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

I'm a bzzagent. That means that I get to create buzz about new products. Bzzagent sends me information or a free sample and I tell them what I think and what my friends (that I bzz) think. Recently, I got invited to an Ontario Turkey campaign.

Now, I love turkey. I love Thanksgiving and Christmas and Easter turkey but really, other than the odd roasted turkey deli sandwich, we don't really use turkey the rest of the year. Maybe that's partially because we gorge ourselves so much on major holidays and also because we eat it for 3-4 days until we're ready for a 3 month break but it's also because I haven't really gotten adventurous in my cooking with turkey beyond my amazing tag team roasted turkey and stuffing recipe.

But beyond the famous roasted turkey with sage stuffing, I haven't done much dabbling. I'm now inspired! This Bzzagent Turkey Campaign has given me some great turkey recipes. Not only is turkey a great meat because it's high in protein and low in fat (with all that warm and fuzzy tryptophan, too!) but it's very versatile. I didn't really consider just how versatile until bzzagent send me a whack of cookbooks.

Here are some of the mouth-watering recipes inside:

-Spanish Meatballs with Saffron rice (turkey meatballs!)
-Pecan Crusted Turkey with Praline Sauce (Yum!)
-Feta Stuffed Greek Turkey Burgers (I can't wait to fire up my BBQ and give this one a try!)
-Turkey Nachos ( I'm sure a much healthier alternative to my regular Nachos Supreme!)
-Turkey Burrito Casserole
-Turkey Cabbage Rolls
-Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Turkey Breast (Can't wait to try that one!)
-Jerk Turkey Mango Wraps (This just sounds like summertime to me!)
-Turkey Stew in a Bread Bowl (mmmmm...)

Check out http://www.turkeyrecipes.ca for more!

Cheers,
BzzAgent MarleyMauve

Spaghetti Squash Prima Vera

2009-03-02T14:58:00.000-08:00

Today I tried spaghetti squash for the first time. It has a fraction of the calories of spaghetti and was a great 'mock' pasta dish. I'd definitely have it again on its own or as a vegetable side dish. It'd go fabulous with chicken parmigiana, I think.

I made it primavera style and while it didn't taste like spaghetti it was pretty awesome. It had the texture of cooked shredded potatoes and a really nice flavour. Here's how I made it:

Spaghetti Squash Primavera
--------------------------
-1 spaghetti squash: microwave 8-12 minutes. Pierce with a fork several times and put in a dish with 1/4 cup of water. Turn spaghetti squash over half way during cooking.

-Halve the squash and separate the strands from the seeds

Meanwhile, in a frying pan sautee some slices of zucchini, pepper, and sundried tomato in oil.

Add spaghetti squash and a touch each of tomato sauce, spices, an ounce of shredded cheese, and stir fry for a few minutes.

Enjoy!

Keurig Coffee: I'm In Love With My K-Cups

2009-01-10T18:18:00.000-08:00

I recently got a Keurig coffee maker. Here's my review of the Keurig k-cup coffee machine.

Coffee Prayers Answered!

This coffee maker is the answer to a major coffee problem in my house. I wake up about 3-4 hours earlier than my husband each day and as a result, he either gets stale coffee or I get to make two pots each morning (because the pouty lip and the rave reviews about my coffee's loveliness get me every time. )

This coffee maker makes a single cup of coffee at a time and perfectly brews each cup with a k-cup which looks like a milk creamer so this resolves several things including:

-getting a fresh cup of coffee
-getting a fast cup of coffee
-getting the exact flavour you want!

The k-cups are easy to use but not so easy to find as they're not yet available in the grocery stores (from what I've seen but I've seen them in coffee shops and Home Outfitters) so I'll likely start ordering them online through Amazon so I can get many flavours such as decaf, breakfast blend, vanilla, chai tea, and more. (Buying two boxes allows me to pay $0 in shipping). Sometimes you feel like a regular coffee and sometimes you feel like a flavoured one so it's nice to make just a cup at a time, especially if you and your partner don't feel like the same blend. We can even get it in hot chocolate for the kids.

My favourite is the extra-bold. The aroma fills the house instantly.

I've found extra uses for the Keurig coffee machine as well.

1. Make a hot cup of tea with it
2. Get hot water out of it for Cup-A-Soup and instant oatmeal
3. Make hot chocolate with it

You can use your own coffee instead of buying k-cups if you like by using this little doo-dad:

And, if you want to display your many flavours of coffee and tea on your countertop, you can use the Keurig K-Cup carousel:

Seriously, I love this coffee maker! I'm able to get a cup of fresh coffee any time I want. It literally takes less than a minute and tastes as good as coffee shop coffee. I definitely give Keurig a thumbs up!

Update: Where do I get my k-cups in Ontario?
-Home Outfitters (about $12 for 16 k-cups)
-Timothy stores (about $16 for 24 k-cups)
-Metro Grocery Stores (about $12 for 16 kcups)
-Costco (my favourite option: $25 for 50 k-cups)

Making Gravy With Bovril

2008-11-26T09:55:00.000-08:00

I love using Bovril to make gravy. While it's a big help, you can still get homemade tasting gravy.

Here's how I do mine:

Bovril Beef Gravy
-----------------
Brewed tea, lots of liquid beef bovril (packets of powdered bovril work fine too but I like the liquid best)and beef drippings. Bring to a boil and then as it's rapidly bubbling, slowly pour in mixed flour and water or mixed cornstarch and water. An amount of about one cup but thick works great. Whisk the boiling liquid constantly until everything is thick and then if necessary, strain. Usually, this method results in lump-free gravy.

Bovril Chicken Gravy
--------------------
Follow the same as above but with Bovril chicken bouillon.

Extra Gravy Tips:
-----------------
-Using Bisquick and milk or water is a great thickening option.
-Use a dash of milk or cream in your gravy for a nice consistency
-Instead of ending with thickener, start with a spoonful of butter and flour and thicken from the beginning
-Add in a cup of condensed cream of mushroom soup for a mushroom gravy but start by frying fresh mushrooms as step one
-Add onion soup mix for an onion flavour
-Make your gravy and then add about 4 cups of a tetra beef stock for au jus and mix with roast beef slices.
-Make your gravy in the roasting pan on the stove for extra flavour

Chicken Divan That's Cheesy, Creamy and Lovely

2008-10-05T15:58:00.000-07:00

I adapted this Chicken Divan recipe from the Campbell's website. I served it with sweet potatoes and rice. The sauce made the rice especially tasty!

Whisk together 1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup with 1/2 soup can of milk. Place in a casserole dish.
Add cooked broccoli florets and cooked cubed chicken breast pieces. (Cook the chicken in a little oil with some Mrs Dash, salt and pepper)
Cover with cheese. I used a mixture of cheddar, mozzarella and Monterrey Jack.
Mix cooked chicken and cooked broccoli in with the sauce and then cover with shredded cheese.
On top of the shredded cheese add a bit of mixed melted butter with breadcrumbs.
Cook at 425 for about 20 minutes.

This Chicken Divan was easy and tasted fantastic. The kids (even the finicky one) ate everything on their plates!

Garlic Bread You Need To Eat With A Knife And Fork

2008-09-22T15:57:00.000-07:00

Ever had garlic bread so good that you had to eat it with a knife and fork? You've found your recipe here!

This adaptation came from Alice Fazooli's, a restaurant that served it and called it Crab Shack bread.

Unless you've baked your own fresh bread, buy a round loaf of French, Portuguese or Italian bread. Take a cast iron frying pan or cast iron deep dish pizza pan and place the bread in the middle.

Slit an X in the middle and stuff all areas of that slit with pats of real butter, with minced garlic and then sprinkle the top of the bread with fresh Parmesan and Romano cheese. Bake it on a low broil until bubbly.

Garlic Warning:

Eat this ooey gooey good garlic bread along with someone you love so they're not repulsed by your breath afterwards as you'll feel like you're able to kill small animals from a ten foot distance with just your breath.

Sesame Teriyaki Chicken Breasts

2008-09-22T15:44:00.000-07:00

This chicken teriyaki recipe was adapted from a restaurant I once had these at.

Sesame Teriyaki Chicken Breasts
---------------------------------------
Take boneless, skinless chicken breasts and dip in sesame seeds. Use a Zip Loc bag of sesame seeds and toss some spices in as well in order to coat the chicken.

Place chicken in a casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray and pour a little bit of prepared Teriyaki sauce on top but not too much as you'll continue adding teriyaki throughout the cooking. If you brush it on you'll move the sesame seeds around so try not to touch the chicken at this point.

Bake at 325 degrees until cooked. Every 20 minutes or so, add a little more teriyaki if neccesary with a basting brush...but don't brush too hard or you'll take the seeds off. At the end, if the bottom of the pan seems like it's becoming too burnt, add a bit of brewed tea or chicken stock just to create some moisture. Only do this after the chicken is nearly cooked.

Lemon Herb Asparagus

2008-09-22T15:39:00.000-07:00

I wanted Asparagus with some flavour tonight so introducing my latest creation. This was tonight's side dish with Teriyaki Sesame Chicken and it turned out lovely!

Lemony Herb Asparagus
-----------------------------

Wash fresh asparagus and trim ends off. Get a skillet nice and hot and spray with a bit of cooking spray. Toss in a pat of butter and cook asparagus on medium, turning frequently until they're soft. Put some salt, pepper and other seasoning on them as well. We use Mrs. Dash original.

Once the butter starts to turn brown, add a little dash of chicken stock from a tetra. Not enough to saturate the asparagus spears but enough to get the spices up and off the bottom of the pan and continue turning the asparagus. Add a little more chicken stock a bit at a time throughout the cooking process to ensure the asparagus has moisture to cook in and simmer on low. Just before you're ready to serve, squeeze juice from a fresh lemon wedge on and toss before serving. The combination of lemons, herbs and moisture from the chicken stock creates a lovely lemony glaze.

Today's Dinner: Lemon Poppy Chicken Breasts

2008-09-17T14:21:00.000-07:00

This recipe was adapted from a Rachel Ray recipe and this is what is for dinner tonight:

Lemon Poppy Chicken Breasts
-----------------------------------

Bite sized pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breast dipped in flour
Add salt, pepper, fresh ginger(1/4 teaspoon) and fresh garlic(1/2 teaspoon) and Mrs. Dash
Fry in a few spoonfuls of olive oil in a big skillet on med-high
Add in grated lemon peel from two fresh lemons and sprinkle in lots of poppy seeds

When cooked, add in slowly a cup or so of chicken broth. I use the tetra pak of Campbell's chicken broth. The flour coating around the chicken will help it thicken.
Turn down to low and let it get 'happy'

When it's almost done squeeze juice of one lemon and stir.

We love to serve with baby carrots on a bed of cooked basmati or jasmin rice.

Crunchy Onion Chicken Breasts

2008-08-13T17:10:00.000-07:00

I discovered French's recipe for for Onion Chicken and it was delicious. I adapted it from the French's website. It was wonderful! Did I say it was delicious?

Chicken breasts dipped in egg and then dipped in crushed French's onions (lots of them!). I tried to blend them in the blender but because they're a bit oily this didn't work out so well. After I made it, I found suggestions on the French's website about putting the onions in a bag and rolling with a rolling pin. Mine were just sort of crunched and this made for some areas with really thick coating (which was kinda nummy.)

Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes for thick breasts, 20-30 for smaller ones until no longer pink.

I served it with rice and peas and it turned out really well.

Teppan Salmon Cooked At Home

2008-08-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

If you want to try a new salmon recipe, this one is wonderful! I went for teppanyaki (aka hibachi or Japanese Steak House) last week for our anniversary dinner and it was a wonderful experience. I have had salmon 3 times in my life where I've LOVED it and this was one of them. Other times I typically find it too strong and not so lovely. Our Japanese chef definitely cooked with love on our anniversary!

I watched closely and here's what the chef did:

Get the pan (a griddle preferably) really REALLY hot. Put a bit of oil on the pan and then put the salmon on top. Cook on each side for just a few minutes each. Aside from the salmon, put some butter and some soya sauce and a squirt of lime or lemon and mix together. After your salmon is almost fully cooked on the other side of the pan, transfer it on top of this juicy sauce to finish it off. Put a touch of cooking alcohol on if you like and light it on fire too. (SAfely of course. We tried this at home but evidently our method failed because it didn't catch fire. 'Twas still yummy!)

This salmon dish works great with stir fried vegetables and/or rice and/or fried shanghai noodles.

Yo-Yo Nights - Make Everyone Happy

2008-07-24T10:26:00.001-07:00

What's the yo-yo night? It is: You're on Your Own for dinner.

Sometimes we do this with leftovers by letting everyone decide what they want and sometimes the whole family goes to the store and picks dinner for one. Yo-Yo nights are a great way to get leftovers eaten up and keep the family happy. It might be a masterpiece for one and it might be a can you can open and heat or a frozen entree. It keeps everyone in the family happy and makes for an easy meal night.

Take the stress off and consider a Yoyo family dinner night tonight

My Hubby's Favourite Baked Italian Sausage

2008-07-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

Cooking your baked Italian Sausage in sauce all day can produce some mouth-watering results. The sauce from the pan turns out lovely with all the flavours from the sausage blended through. Here's how we do ours.

Mushrooms and peppers and lots of canned tomatoes with your favourite Italian sausage in a big casserole dish. We put in some olive oil, garlic, a spoon or two of sugar, lots of black pepper and some italian seasoning. Use a combination of tomato types (canned crushed, chunky, etc.) and even throw in some sun dried tomatoes if you fancy them.

Cook all day on low heat until sausages are cooked and serve with your favourite pasta.

Sloppy Joes Cheesesteak Style

2008-06-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

I found a recipe yesterday from Rachael Ray so adapted it to my own version and it was really scrumptious. I'm eating leftovers of it as I type this post today.

The recipe is a cross between sloppy Joe sandwiches and Philly Cheesesteak.

My recipe calls for the following and I'm linking the original recipe below as you can watch how it's prepared if you like.

Sauce:

Make a rue sauce with butter and flour and add a cup of milk. Boil and then simmer until bubbly and thick. Add a cup of shredded cheese of your choice. Rachael's recipe called for Provolone but I used parmasean and mozzarella combined.

Fry ground beef and lots of onions and mushrooms (mushrooms were my addition) until cooked and add a bit of beef stock, some worcestershire and lots of HP brown sauce. The consistency should look somewhat like Sloppy Joes.

Pour meat and cheese sauce on warm crusty buns. Calabrese buns lightly broiled work great for this recipe!

Adapted from: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/philly-cheesesteak-sloppy-joes/

A Fast Pasta Primavera

2008-06-09T22:02:00.000-07:00

This 'a fasta pasta' dish can be done with alfredo sauce, rose sauce or a red sauce. This pasta primavera recipe calls for a red or blushed sauce. If you like to add meat, go for it!

Loads of chopped vegetables. Feel free to blanch ones that take a bit longer to cook. Here's what I used the last time I made this dish (today).

-Zucchini
-Carrots
-Red Pepper
-Orange Pepper
-Yellow Pepper
-Cremini Mushrooms
-Broccoli Flowerets

Sautee all vegetables in olive oil with lots of seasoning. I used Mrs. Dash, Italian Seasoning, Garlic, Seasalt, Fresh Black Pepper, Parsley.
When they vegetables are almost done, add a jar of your favourite sauce. You can use homemade or something prepared. My favourite is a light sauce with a bit of a tangy bite called Aurora Spicy Arrabbiata. I made a big batch so I also added a can of Aurora Plum Tomatoes and then a big handful of fresh (or jarred) Parmesan cheese.

Toss the sauce with freshly made pasta of your choice. Bow tie, Fusili or Rotini works great. Before I toss together I add a bit of cheese and butter to the pasta while it's still hot.

Our Greek Souvlaki Dinner

2008-05-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

Tonight is Greek night at Chez Dana. Here's my Greek dinner.

Kebabs (with or without pitas)
Greek Salad
Greek Roasted Potatoes
Rice

Pre-made Souvlaki. Pork, Chicken or Turkey will do. If you don't want to do pre-made you can do a pork roast in Greek spices and put together your own kabobs. We really like Marc Angelo's kebabs as a version readily available in little blister packs in our grocery stores.

If I'm making it myself, I marinate pork, chicken, etc. in oil and Greek seasoning. My absolute favourite version is by Club House spices.

The kebabs take 20-30 minutes at 425 in the oven or you can BBQ them as well.

Greek Salad comes courtesy of Kraft Greek with Feta dressing mixed with a European lettuce blend, olives, feta cheese, cucumber and tomatoes.

Rice is most often my favourite Dainty Basmati but sometimes I use plan Uncle Ben's or some non-descript no-name brand as well. Good rice is in order instead of instant rice.

Roasted Potatoes for Greek night turn out best when you roast them with lots of Club House Greek and / or Emeril's Essence and use organic coconut oil. The flavour is gorgeous. (Put them on half an hour before cooking your kebabs)

The kebabs can be served on the bed of rice or in your favourite pita and don't forget the Tzatziki. I sometimes buy it pre-made or make homemade Tzatziki. myself with thick plain yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, lemon juice and dill.

Honey Garlic Crockpot Meatballs

2008-05-26T06:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the kind of day where I wanted something delicious but didn't want to slave over it so out comes the trusty crock pot. Pre-made meatballs like President's Choice, Jane's or Schneider's Meat Balls work great in the crock pot. They're already cooked so it's just a matter of heating them up and getting whatever sauce you're using to soak right through. So I put in a jar & a half of VH Honey Garlic Sauce and a box of 80+ Schneider's Meatballs and let them (as Emeril would say, )"Get Happy".
I opted for an easy warm and serve rice by Dainty and served them in a big bowl. The rice and the meatballs blended in that sauce were delectable and there are enough left for lunch today.

This dish also works great as an appetizer! Hunt through my archives for more Meatball recipes as well. I have several famous recipes listed here.

Cheers,
Dana

Pork Chops in Mushroom Sauce

2008-05-19T15:36:00.000-07:00

My pork chops in mushroom sauce recipe has evolved over time based on the needs and wants of my family. I like white pork chops and my husband likes dark pork chops. Sometimes we add Shake 'n Bake into the mix and sometimes I do my own coating. For the purposes of this recipe, I'm going to list the Shake 'n Bake variety but will list my basic breading recipe here for you as well. If you don't want to use condensed soup in your recipe, you can make homemade cream of mushroom soup as well. I often do it from scratch but my family likes this version and it is the easiest to cook without sacrificing flavor or love.

Pork Chops in Mushroom Sauce
----------------------------
Whatever types of pork chops you like. I use darker large ones with bones and white boneless ones as well. Preheat the oven to 375. Line the pan with foil to save on mess factor and spray with cooking spray so the chops don't stick to the foil.

Dip wet pork chops into Shake 'n Bake mix. We like the Extra Crispy Chicken version for this recipe better than the version for Pork. That's just our preference.

Cook for 45 minutes or until cooked and if you like, you can take them out and mix in the sauce and cook them for the last ten minutes in the sauce. In my family, some of us like our sauce on the dry pork chop and some of us like the sauce all over the pork chop so some chops get submerged in the sauce and some get sauce on top or on the side after the last ten minutes are up.

To make the sauce:

Sautee fresh mushrooms in oil, salt and pepper and a bit of garlic. I like Cremini mushrooms for this recipe and use as much as you like. Toss with a can of Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup or a fancier canned mushroom soup if you prefer. I also like to add a dash of Beef Bovril and mix it together as well as a glug or two of milk. Warm and serve over your pork chops or bake in the oven over the pork chops for ten minutes to soften up the breaded coating and get the pork chops happy.

Your own mushroom soup can be made easily with milk, mushrooms, butter and beef stock.

Your own breading can be made easily with bread crumbs and your favorite spices.

Bon Apetit avec LOVE.

Fajita Fiesta

2008-04-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

We love making fajitas at our house. I love chicken fajitas and my husband loves steak fajitas so we often make both. Anything that looks like a big spread smörgåsbord of food that we can assemble ourselves makes my family happy. We're not Tex nor Mex but we do love a good Tex Mex meal. Here's how we do chicken and steak fajitas:

Use thin strips of chicken or steak. (If I'm cooking both I cook them separately)

Fry meat in a little bit of oil or cooking spray and add your favourite spices. We use Mrs. Dash and Clubhouse Greek or any other table blend as well as some salt and pepper. When the meat is half way cooked, throw in lots of coloured peppers strips or rings, onion strips or rings and sliced Cremini mushrooms. Keep stirring. When everything is just about cooked I add a few tablespoons of salsa and toss it around loads and let it finish up. The meat has great flavour but that little bit of salsa finishes the steak or chicken and the stir fried vegetables nicely.

Gotta love assemble - it - yourself dinners!

We put out shredded cheese, extra salsa, sour cream and our favourite Spanish rice (my favourite is Rice-A-Roni Spanish Rice cooked with a half can of diced tomatoes) and pile everything in our own desired quantities onto our warm tortillas. Some of us even dollop our rice into the fajita while others like it on the side. These fajitas are awesome and if you make too much, they taste great the next day. We warm them either in the oven in tin foil or in the microwave under plastic wrap. Ole!

Quick and Easy Quiche

2008-03-31T08:01:00.000-07:00

For my quiche, I use a ready made pie crust as it saves oodles of time. My favourite quiche recipe contains ham, broccoli and cheese. I use cheddar on mine but any cheese or combinaton of cheese will do.
I mix a few eggs with butter and beat it really well. Then, drop in chunks of ham and broccoli. Add some sea salt and black peppter. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until it's looking solid and then add a layer of shredded cheese on top. Cook about another 15 minutes until it looks lovely and golden.

A quiche is really versatile and a great way to use any leftover vegetables. You can put mushrooms, colourful peppers and other veggies in to make a great brunch or dinner recipe.

If you want to take a stab at your own crust, merely follow the recipe on the back of any Tenderflake lard box or purchase a box of ready to make pie crust that just requires water.

Raw Broccoli Salad

2008-03-30T16:50:00.000-07:00

My raw broccoli salad is one I borrowed from a friend who served it at a baby shower. It was easy to guess the ingredients except for the dressing. I was actually surprised at what the dressing consisted of.

I'm now asked to bring this salad every time there's a potluck.

Raw broccoli flowerets
small one inch cubes of old or medium cheddar
salted /shelled / roasted sunflower seeds
plump raisins
1-3 tablespoons of Miracle Whip Salad Dressing.

Toss it all together. Use as much of the ingredients as you like and coat just lightly with the Miracle Whip.Let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour to blend flavours. It's lovely and a great way to get your kids to love broccoli!

I love serving it in a clear bowl as it's a colourful addition to any potluck table.

Cesar Salad Perfection, Courtesy of Renee's.

2008-03-30T16:47:00.000-07:00

I often get asked for my Cesar salad recipe. It's really simple and the dressing is commercial.

Here's how it goes:

Renee's Gourmet Cesar Salad Dressing
Romaine Lettuce
Parmesan Cheese
Cooked Bacon
Croutons

I like to buy homestyle croutons such as sour dough or multigrain which have white and grown croutons in them. You can also use romano cheese instead of parmesan.

My real secret to a great cesar salad beyond the dressing is the bacon, I think. I don't use bacon bits. I fry about 6 slices of bacon, dry and cool them and then tear them into pieces. The real bacon flavour is lovely and it's nice to get a chunk instead of a tiny crumb of it.

Try mixing your cesar salad about half an hour before you want to eat it so the flavours blend but don't mix too early otherwise your croutons will go soggy.

Dana's Carmella Soprano Lasagna

2008-03-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

I don't profess this to be Carmella's specific lasagna but it's my version of it. While watching the Sopranos one night someone talked about Carmella's lasagna with the layer of sausage and sweet peppers so I came up with my own version that used sausage instead of ground beef. It's been known as my Carmella Soprano Lasagne ever since.

Here's how it goes:

Use any kind of lasagna noodles you like. If you like fresh, they're fabulous. If you boil yours, no worries! If you like the ready-to-bake lasagna by all means (just add extra sauce with that kind as it is essential!).

I like two layers of stuff which means you need 9-12 noodle strips depending on the length and width of your pan. My large rectangle pan fits three strips across and usually a half a noodle at the end. Sometimes I'l make two as this freezes really well as well.

Make it as high as you like, though. You can have multiple layers of these ingredients.

Brown some sweet Italian sausage in Olive oil and get it crumbly or into very small pieces, some rainbow coloured diced peppers (I like to use orange, red and yellow) and lots of fresh mushrooms. This mixture is going to be your bottom layer between your first two noodles. I add a bit of mozzarella in this layer and some sauce to help it glue together.

The next layer consists of ricotta and spinach. I use thawed frozen spinach that's chopped and dry it really well before mixing in with my ricotta (one tub usually makes due with a half a square package of spinach).

The top requires lots of italian tomato sauce and cheese. Use as many cheeses as you like. I like to use Kraft Italian blend with parmesan and / or romano cheese on top.

Bake according to your lasagna noodle directions under tin foil until the last fifteen minutes when you take it off to get the cheese bubbly and golden.

Serve with bruschetta and cesar salad if you like. As I said, I don't know what Carmella would've put in her lasagna but mention of her recipe inspired this one and it's the only way I make it nowadays.

How To Make Great Cheesy Bruschetta

2008-03-30T16:17:00.000-07:00

Bruschetta is a lovely tomato topping on top of crusty calabrese bread in our house. I love adding cheese to the mix as well. Here's how I do mine:

Dice 2-3 tomatoes really small and toss with a bit of good quality olive oil, a pinch of garlic powder and a pinch of Italian seasoning (something with oregano and basil)

Butter crusty bread wedges with a bit of garlic butter and then put some mozzarella shreds on top. On top of that, put a spoonful of your tomato topping and then put under the broiler for a minute or two until everything is bubbly and yummy. I often sprinkle some fresh parmigiana or romano cheese on top while they're still hot. This might not be a traditional bruschetta but it goes quickly when I have company over!s Enjoy!

Goes great with spaghetti or lasagna.

Chicken Parmigiana - Cooking With Amore

2008-03-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

I love Chicken Parmesan. I put more mozzarella cheese in it than parmigiana so I'm not sure why I still call it Chicken Parmesan but that's what it's known as and here's my version:

Make your favourite tomato sauce.
*Feel free to dig through my archives for my ten minute homemade tomato sauce*

Dip boneless / skinless chicken breasts in egg and milk batter and then drench in bread crumbs. I put italian seasoning, parmigiano, romano and as well as seasalt and cracked black pepper in my breadcrumbs to give extra flavour (even when using Italian breadcrumbs).

Then lightly fry the breaded chicken in olive oil just to brown the outside (a few minutes each side). Before putting the chicken in a baking dish, put the semi-cooked chicken back into a large bowl of bread crumbs and redredge. Italian breadcrumbs work great and I always make sure I add some spice and grated parmasean and romano cheese.

In a baking dish, line with tomato sauce and then place your semi-cooked chicken breasts on top. Layer more sauce and plenty of shredded mozzarella.

Bake at 350 for an hour covered with tin foil. Make sure chicken is cooked all the way through. An hour generally does it for me if the breasts are thick. If I filet or pound them flat, the time is reduced.

For a double duty meal, make extra because on the next day you can make a great meal with warmed up leftover chicken parm and serve on hot garlic bread or submarine sandwich rolls with extra sauce for dipping. Sometimes I even put it in a wrap with some lettuce and tomato.

All the above meals go well with pasta of your choice, lasagna, risotto or salad.
Bon Apetito...This dish is Cooking With Amore!

Cooking a Ham? Glazes and Leftover Ham Ideas

2008-03-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

A ham is a beautiful thing. Cooking a ham doesn't take a lot of work as they're typically smoked so heat and serve. Here are a few options for ways to bake your ham so it turns out juicy with a nice glaze.

Brown Sugar Glazed Ham
Cover your ham with a mixture of: 1 cup brown sugar, 1-2 table spoons of vinegar, 1 table spoon of dry mustard. Bake at low heat in a covered roasting pan according to pkg directions. 2-3 hours at 300 is usually a safe bet being sure it doesn't dry out. I often make a second batch of the glaze to pour in as it's cooking.

Cherry & Pineapple glaze
Cover your ham with cherries and pineapples 9either place them on top or use tooth picks to hold in place) and add some brewed black tea to cover the bottom of the pot as well as a bit of juice from the can/jar of fruit. Remove the fruit when the ham is cooked and most probably won't want to eat it but the flavour that seeps through the meat and the juice left in the bottom makes it delicious!

What to do with leftover ham

If you have the chance to buy a big one, it's a great idea. There are plenty of things you can do with leftover ham.

Leftover ham can go in the freezer or other uses or use right away. Here are some tips:
-Toasted Western Omelette
-Eggs and Ham
-Ham and Scalloped Potato Bake
-Pea Soup With Ham
-Quiche

Cooking With Your Kids - Fun And Useful At Every Age

2008-03-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

It’s never too early to get your kids involved in the kitchen. There are different age appropriate family activities you can involve your kids in that happen in the kitchen. There can be many benefits to spending time cooking with your kids.

Why Cook With Your Kids?

Cooking can be a great family activity. Kids love to create and the process of food preparation is very creative. Cooking activities can be very imaginative and help your kids find productive things to do at home. Teach kitchen safety and supervise them and you might find that you all have a lot of fun together.

Toddler Activities in the Kitchen

Toddlers love to help stir things and pass you things. They can also help to build sandwiches, put raw toppings on pizzas and help you decorate cooled cakes and cupcakes. Don’t stress about the mess, have fun with it! Wearing old clothes and using a drop cloth such as an old tablecloth can save you mess and stress.

Preschooler Activities in the Kitchen

Preschoolers love kitchen activities such as cracking eggs and decorating just about anything. Your little ones might even be great at helping you spread butter, jam or peanut butter on bread or icing on a cake. Use a rounded spreader instead of a sharp knife of course and supervise. Your child will love the activity! Preschoolers can be very helpful with areas such as greasing the pan and placing the muffin liners into the cups as well.

School-Aged Kitchen Activities

Your 6 to ten year old can really be a great help in the kitchen. Get them to help follow recipes with you by measuring ingredients, stirring and whipping as well as using some of the safer kitchen gadgets like blenders and mixers. They can often make toast or safely remove items from the microwave for you as well as work with items at the stove on lower heat when supervised. Simmering vegetables or making boxed macaroni and cheese with your supervision is a great idea as kids approach the tween years.

Cooking: Fun and Productive

Kids can be not only a great help with prep and cleanup but this can be a great time to chat with your kids. Doing things together gives you more time to communicate with your kids and from a nutrition perspective, get your kids to help you choose healthy meal choices and your cooking time together can be a great bonding and learning experience as well. Having your kids help you prepare nutritious meals will help their eating habits as well because they’ll be more apt to taste something they made even if it is made with healthy ingredients they may have otherwise rejected. Cooking and homemaking skills are also important as kids get older because you'll be teaching them life skills they will use when they eventually leave the safety and comfort of the nest as well.

Four Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets For The Busy Bee

2008-03-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

Whether you work at home or work outside of the home, time saving kitchen gadgets are something everyone can benefit from. Here are some great gadgets that can save you a significant amount of time in your kitchen. You might have some of these already and putting them to use can save you time and effort, especially during the work week.

Crockpot

A crockpot is the busy and working person’s dream. Not only does it mean you only have one pot to wash but assembling something quickly in the morning will mean a nutritious and tasty meal waiting for you when you get home from work. Crockery creates a great flavour and they are very easy to clean. There are some great online resources for crock pot cooking. You don’t even have to do it in the morning, you can prep food the night before and keep your crockpot in the fridge and plug it in before leaving for work in the day.

Freezer

If you have a large freezer, you can save yourself significant amounts of time in the kitchen. When you have time to cook large batches of food, you can save yourself meal prep time later on. Families who make good use of their freezer can eat less fast and processed foods. This also works great when you find freezer friendly food on sale. Stock up and save money!

Standing Mixer

Imagine mashed potatoes that mash themselves and the ability to reduce the wrist action needed for baking and other kitchen duties. A free standing mixer can be a great kitchen gadget.

Food chopper/ Food Processor

This kind of gizmo can save you significant amounts of time chopping, slicing and dicing. It can shred cheese, mix liquids and save your eyes from tearing up with onion chopping. Although some are big and bulky, they can be a great time saver in the kitchen for a busy cook. Even the smaller manual kitchen choppers are very useful and quite inexpensive.

Time Saving In The Kitchen

You might have some of these kitchen gadgets already that aren’t being put to good use. A bit of time on the weekend spent on organization in your kitchen will go a long way during the week. Consider prepping salad fixings and cooking extra batches of food for weekday eating and you’ll find yourself spending less time during the week on meal prep without sacrificing taste and nutrition.

The Joy of Crockpot Meatballs

2008-03-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

Crockpot meatballs get a lot of attention on my blog and my reports tell me people want to know:

-How to cook crockpot pre-cooked meatballs
-How long to cook meatballs in the crockpot
-What to mix with pre-cooked meatballs

I love cooking pre-cooked meatballs in a crock pot. They turn out great and are perfect as appetizers, in spaghetti or for a buffet or pot luck meal. I often cook it to serve over rice in various ways as well.

I make Tangy meatballs that are a favourite for many and include:
-2/3 jar Welch's Grape Jelly
-1 tsp dry mustard
-2 bottles Heinz Chili Sauce
-1 box Italian Meatballs (I like Schneider's Meat Balls or President's Choice (PC) Meat Balls)

or

Swedish Sweet & Sour Meatballs
-1 jar Sweet & Sour Sauce
-1 box Swedish Meatballs

Both these recipes are great for appetizers or for a meal serve on a bed of Basmati rice.

You can also use pre-cooked meatballs in your favourite Spaghetti sauce. The beauty of crockpot meatballs is that the longer they cook, the tastier they become and because they're pre-cooked, within a few hours they are ready to eat. Keep an eye so they don't become burnt but generally they're thawed within a few hours and get soft within about 4 when you cook at low temperature.

Creamy Oven Baked Macaroni and Cheese

2008-03-09T15:45:00.000-07:00

I love macaroni and cheese. Baked mac and cheese is a lovely comfort food that's great for lunch or dinner. Use whatever kind of noodles you like when you make it. Shells hold the sauce inside and make it extra creamy though so when you make this dish, consider that. You can use any kind of past you prefer.

Use as many kinds of cheese as you like as well. The more cheese, the better although cheddar should be used in the largest quantity. Is there too much cheese, ever? No way! This macaroni and cheese recipe is based on my most commonly made one although I can make it with any combination of cheeses available to me.

One of the important things to remember when you make the pasta is to cook it al dente. Because it's going to bake in the oven take a minute or two off the cooking time so it's not mush.

Second most important thing is to make enough sauce soupy so that it doesn't dry up. When you bake your mac and cheese in the oven, don't bake too long or your liquid will evaporate and the result will be dried out macaroni.

Cream Baked Macaroni and Cheese
-------------------------------
Serves 4-6

Preheat the oven to 375. Spray your casserole dish with Pam Cooking spray or grease it with butter or coconut oil to keep it from sticking.

3/4 of a 900g bag of your favourite pasta. I love doing this with shells. Butter and salt the cooking water to keep the pasta from sticking and to give the pasta flavour.

Drain the pasta and set aside. If you can, time the pasta to be ready around the time the sauce is ready. Sauce only takes 10-15 minutes.

Sauce:
-melt 2 tablespoons of butter and then throw in 2 table spoons of flour and stir until it looks like paste. Turn heat down a little for a few minutes

-Add 3 cups of milk and whisk on lower heat and then start piling in the cheese. I usually shred a 600g bar of cheddar and put half in the sauce and half on the top of the casserole at the end. Stir all the cheese you want in slowly. I usually add a few spponfuls of Parmasean or Romano, a few spoonfuls of cream cheese and plenty of cheddar. Put some salt and pepper and a pinch of Mrs. Dash if you like a bit of extra flavour.

Mix your macaroni with your sauce and put in your casserole dish. It should look really soupy. Then, cover the top with loads of shredded cheese. Then if you like, put a light sprinkle of breadcrumbs (optional). I top it off with a few pats of butter and some salt and pepper on top.

Pop in the oven and cook until golden and slightly crispy but not too crispy otherwise your sauce will have evaporated.

Enjoy!

Chicken Cordon Yum

2008-02-21T11:42:00.000-08:00

My sister in law and I made this variation of Chicken Cordon Bleu together the first time I tried it and it quickly became one of my favourite dishes. Part of the dish happened out of lack of the ability to keep the chicken together with twine or toothpicks but it turned out serendipitous in my opinion because it results in a center with chicken, ham and breading and the bottom of each piece has a lovely golden crust.

Here's how I make it:

Flattened, tenderized boneless and skinless chicken breasts need to be dipped in egg and milk (like a french toast batter) and then dipped in bread crumbs and spices. I like to use italian breadcrumbs and add in salt, pepper and my favourite Mrs. Dash seasoning.

Lay the breaded chicken breast flat and put on top a piece of black forest ham and a pile of mozzarella. Then, roll it up into a loose log and place it with the opening face down in a baking dish. Cover the outside with more breadcrumbs and some spice if you like and I like to put a little pat of coconut oil on top of each piece.

Cook it at 350 for about an hour.

You'll find that some of the cheese will have fallen out through the bottom and created a thick crust on the bottom. I'm sure this isn't how the chef's in a top notch restaurant would make this but I love the way the cheesy crust forms on the bottom. I know some chefs only bread the outside after fastening this into a roll but I love how the chicken breading sits inside the ham and turns out like a stuffing along with the ham and cheese. I enjoy serving this dish with a nice colourful salad and lots of italian salad dressing.

Easy Chicken Quesadillas That Are To Drool For

2008-02-04T14:14:00.000-08:00

For a great meal fast meal that's a crowd pleaser, you can serve these chicken quesadillas up with some Spanish rice (homemade or pre-made is fine) and / or a Mexican salad. For my salad I put some of my favourite veggies together with salsa and ranch dressing and toss it together. Shredded cheese, tortilla chips and some jalapenos make it quite mexican-ish.

For my quesadillas, I brown some chicken in oil and spices and when it's done, simmer with some salsa for extra flavour. Any other spice you like will do such as Mrs. Dash. Sautee some vegetables like multi-coloured peppers and onions and fresh mushrooms and get your ingredients together. I like to set up an assembly line on the counter to make them easy. An adult can eat one or one and a half and kids generally eat under one depending on how thick you make these.

Open up some flour tortillas (big ones) and spread them with sour cream and salsa and plenty of diced cooked chicken and peppers and other veggies that you like.

Generously sprinkle with your favourite cheese and then fold in half. Put in a Pannini maker to toast or a griddle will do, flipping to warm both sides. Serve with sour cream, salsa and guacamole for dipping. I like to cut mine in three in pie shaped slices.

If you're watching calories you can use extra veggies to plump up your quesadilla, fat free cheese and light sour cream. To spice it up, use hot salsa or piquante as well as extra jalapenos.

Beef Dip Sandwiches Drenched With Love

2008-01-28T06:25:00.000-08:00

This recipe was inspired by a Rachel Ray recipe that's quite similar. Only, I use a roast of beef instead of roast beef deli lunch meat so mine isn't exactly ready in thirty minutes. It's worth the effort though as this beef dip or French dip or Beef Dip Au Jus sandwich is very lovely!

Here's how I do it:

Cook Your Roast Beef at 350 for about 2-2.5 hours. You'll have covered it with spices and every thirty minutes or so poured a 1/4 cup of tea into the pan to keep it juicy. Make sure you cook it covered.

Shave the meat really thin when it's done but be sure you've tented it for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Before it's done make your au jus. Start with a skillet with some butter and some finely chopped onion (just about a 1/4 of a small onion) and then add a teaspooon of flour. Stir continously until it's thick. Then add a few cups of beef stock and some brewed black tea. Then add some more butter and some Beef Bovril until it looks like a really thin gravy.

After you've taken your meat out of the pan, add your au jus to the roasting pan and turn up to medium and start scraping the pan and stirring it all together. Your jus along with the beef drippings will make a lovely juice. You might add a little more butter, a little more beef stock or tea to get the consistency you like.
As the meat is shaved, put it in the roasting pan and drench it so it's covered and simmers for a few minutes.

Warm some pannini rolls and layer your meat on top. I like to put sauteed onions, peppers and mushrooms in the sandwich as well with a sprinkling of a mixture of mozzarella, parmasean, provolone and asiago but any yellow shredded cheese will do.

Have some au jus on the side for dipping and be sure to have plenty of serviettes for your chin . The perfect companion for this dish is my famous French onion soup which works well for dipping if you've run out of au jus too.

How To Cook A Roast with Yorkshire Pudding Popovers

2007-12-29T13:01:00.000-08:00

I most often slow cook my roast in the oven at 250 or in my crockpot all day with plenty of brewed tea and Beef Bovril plus my trusty Mrs. Dash. A roast can be cooked on its own or with all your vegetables. It's up to you. I have a roast in the oven now cooking at a higher temp for a shorter time though and will throw the sweet potatoes and baked potatoes in an hour before we're ready to eat.

If your roast has a layer of fat, keep the fat right side up because it'll help make the roast juicy as the fat melts into the meat instead of into the bottom of the pan. You can also throw in other spices, tuck in cloves of garlic, roast some onions and make wonderful gravies with some mushroom soup or onion soup mix for various flavours.

A bbq is a great way to cook a roast but my favourite way is in the oven on low, in a roasting pan and then making gravy with some of the drippings. For my roast beef gravy, I use a pot of brewed tea, some beef bovril, Horne's Gravee mix, roast drippings and thicken with Bisquick mixed with milk. It makes an awesome gravy.

If you want to make Yorkshire pudding on the side, you mix: 1 cup of flour, 2 eggs, 1 cup of milk and a pinch of salt. Pour into preheated muffin tins with hot oil (about a teaspoon of oil in each tin) and cook at 375 ofr about 20 minutes keeping a close eye. Sometimes I make big ones in a pie plate or loaf pan instead of individual popovers.

Yorkshires taste awesome with butter and gravy. Did you know they were intended to trick the belly into getting full when there wasn't enough meat and potatoes to go round? Coulda fooled me...I an eat four of them on my own. LOL.

Enjoy your roast beef dinner and turn it into one of those double duty meals too by making them into lunch or dinner for a few days. Make submarine sandwiches with mozzarella and mustard, stews, hot roast beef open faced sandwiches or soup.

Christmas Appetizer Table

2007-12-05T05:43:00.001-08:00

At Christmas, we have a tradition called "The Christmas Table."
A large table gets set up in my house with appetizers and treats from Christmas Eve until New Year's Day. It's one of our favourite holiday traditions.

We always have our favourites and we have plenty to offer scheduled and drop-in guests. Here are a few of the things we put on our Christmas table. Some things are put out only for an hour at a time when we plan to be noshing at the table as we don't let perishables spoil.

This is a great food list if you are planning on having a Christmas cocktail party or New Year's Eve bash as well.

The table generally has a Christmas table cloth and other Christmas decorations and I use all my favourite serving platters and fancy ware.

-Meatballs in a crock pot. I usually do the Tangy Meatballs with the Chili Sauce and Welch's Grape Jelly and sometimes my husband does the same in his own Crock pot with Venison meatballs with the same recipe.

-Volcano Bread Spinach Dip. I often put out extra crackers. To save the bread from getting all mushy since we don't eat it in one sitting (unless there's a houseful) I often use a platter and put out the dip and bread separately instead of using the bread as the bowl.

-Vegetables and Dip. Raw broccoli, cauliflower, pepper strips, carrots and celery are perfect. A French onion dip does well by mixing onion soup mix and sour cream or I will sometimes buy a few commercial bands. My favourites are the Martitz Ranch and the Helluva Good onion Dip. I often put out an extra bowl with chips

- A crab dip with Triscuits. The layered crab dip we put together has cream cheese on the bottom and then canned crab meat, jarred seafood sauce and then top it with mounds of shredded cheese.

-Nacho Dip. We usually do a layered one with cream cheese, then refried beans, salsa and then shredded cheese.

-A Cheese Ball surrounded by assorted crackers. My cheese ball is simple. Use plenty of cream cheese, sharp cheddar and a bit of crumbly blue cheese. Dice up a little bit of onion really fine and a shake or two of Worcestershire sauce and then shape it. After it's shaped you can roll it in sunflower seeds to make it pretty

-A Cheese Tray and a Meat Tray

-Assorted nuts, chocolates, a basket of Spanish clementines and candies.

-Seafood on Christmas eve for my husband. That's his Christmas Eve treat.

We replenish stock throughout the holidays and most years other than Christmas dinner and our special Christmas brunch we are known to only eat from the table with the odd turkey sandwich between Christmas and the 29th of December. We often grow weary of the gluttony and then have one big last feast with all new dips, etc on New Year's Eve.

My Famous Ooey Gooey Good French Onion Soup

2007-11-24T08:34:00.000-08:00

French onion soup is a beautiful thing. We always throw some extra cheeze around the rim of the bowl so it gets crunchy and yummy. Whichever bowl comes out of the oven with the most crusty cheese on it is the most coveted bowl!

French Onion Soup to Serve Four

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3 onions, peeled and chopped. (Burn a tealight by your chopping board to reduce onion induced tears and burning)
4 cups brewed tea
2-3 envelopes so beef Bovril or a big glug from the liquid bottle.
1 huge dollop of butter

Boil the onion soup on high until the onions are transparent.

Pour the soup into bowls that are set on a large cookie sheet.
Place lightly toasted french bread on top of each bowl. Apply very liberally with shredded mozzarella. Sometimes I even make the bread into garlic bread first and sometimes I use a combination of cheeses.

Pop French Onion Soup into the oven and broil until the cheese is melted and ooey gooey good.

Bon Apetitit!

How To Copy Famous Recipes

2007-11-19T19:41:00.000-08:00

Many great cooks want to not only create their own culinary masterpieces, some of us want to copy some greats that we've already tasted. Whether you want to imitate a famous restaurant recipe or copy something you tasted somewhere by cracking the recipe there are some great ways to experiment and come up with close facsimiles. For instance, I think I have Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits pretty well down pat. I can almost completely replicate the flavour and texture of McDonald's Hash Browns although I do eat healthier now than when I made the discovery so I don't typically boast about that one.

How do you create a replica of a great famous recipe?

My mother-in-law can copy almost anything she sees or tastes by strange freakish talent. I'm getting the knack for it with some of my cooking. Not everyone can manage that. There are some great websites that can help you copy recipes. When I first got online, I had a computer program filled with famous recipes like KFC chicken, several famous chocolate bars, pre-made baked goods and plenty of spices and treats that were deemed top secret recipes. Now, this stuff is easy to find online. Here are two great resources. Top Secret Recipes and Copy Cat Recipes. These websites can be helpful and you will be surprised at some of the recipes you'll find!

How do you create your own famous recipe?

When you find a gem, save it for very special occasions so that people crave it. The fastest way to ruin a recipe is to make it for every event. Instead, make them beg you to make it! Don't tell a soul your secret recipe! If you write your recipes down or teach them to someone, swear them to secrecy and don't post it on the Internet whatever you do. Last weekend I commented to my husband that I had posted a family recipe here and he me the dirtiest look you might imagine. oops. A good recipe should be shared, shouldn't it?

Cheesy Vegetable Crockpot Chowder

2007-11-10T07:07:00.000-08:00

My friend Brenda sent me this recipe.
I loved it. I tweaked it by adding three kinds of cheese and varying the vegetables a little. I used cauliflower and multiple coloured peppers plus put in a 1/4 cup of Campbell's Gardennay Autumn Carrot Soup and some fresh herbs. This recipe was delicious and I baked some rolled biscuits to dip. (I put garlic and cheese in them to make them taste like Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits)
Thanks Brenda for the recipe!

Vegetable Cheese Chowder-- Brenda Emmett

3 Cups Chicken Broth

1 Cup Chopped Potatoes (or ½ inch cubes)

½ Cup Chopped Carrots (or ½ inch cubes)

½ Cup Chopped Celery

½ Cup Chopped Onion

½ Cup Green Pepper

¼ Cup Butter or Margarine

2 Cups Milk

½ Cup Flour

12 oz Shredded Cheese or 1 jar of Cheez Whiz

1 TB chopped Parsley

Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Heat broth. Add vegetables. Cover and cook in crock-pot or slow cooker for 1 ½ hours at #5 or high heat.

In a small bowl combine milk and flour. Add cheese and remaining ingredients. Stir until thickened. Hold at lower temperature until serving time.

Cooking With Coconut Oil

2007-11-09T05:59:00.000-08:00

I have written about the virtues of coconut oil on my health blog. It's not the demon people make it out to be just because it's a tropical oil. On the contrary, coconut oil is filled with lauric acid which can do wonders for various aspects of your health including your immune system and your complexion.

Not only does it do wonders for your health, it does wonders for your cooking! Coconut oil has a higher melting point so while other oils burn and smoke and release trans fatty acids, coconut oil does a much better job of deep frying and roasting. You'll notice that the oil is still clear as the food gets golden and there's no smoke or awful fumes. It doesn't make food taste like coconut either. I make my famous roasted potatoes with coconut oil and they turn out beautifully because the oil does not burn and the results are a crisp golden potato. I feel better about eating it because I know the benefits of coconut oil. When I make chicken cordon bleu I use it as well as mix it in to my vegetables and with as many recipes as possible. Whenever possible it's most beneficial to use organic coconut oil.

Volcano Bread: My Spinach Dip & Pumpernickel Bread Famous Recipe

2007-11-07T07:27:00.000-08:00

I love this recipe. Some call it volcano bread and others call it Spinach Dip or Pumpernickel dip but whatever it's called, it's scrumptious. It's a must-have for Christmas time, any pot lucks and for baby showers and bridal shower fare. Here's how I do mine:

2 cups sour cream
1/2 brick cream cheese (cubed)
1 envelope Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix
1 package thawed frozen chopped spinach (squeeze excess water out)
3 chopped green onions (optional)
can chopped/drained water chestnuts (optional)
1/2 cup real mayo
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
Round Pumpernickel loaf

Mix all ingredients and let blend for an hour before eating in a bowl. Place all into hollowed out pumpernickel loaf. Use hollowed out section in cubes to surround the loaf for dipping. When it runs out, start tearing the loaf apart to dip. You can also put bread sticks and crackers such as Triscuits around the loaf as well. Yum!

Secrets of Great Cooking: Not So Secret

2007-11-05T15:42:00.000-08:00

Some of my best 'secret' recipes come from the back of the box or the can label of something. It's a great thing to experiment with the recipes on the back of the can or the back of the box. The recipes are tested and easy and you can grab the items you need in the grocery store and shop for what you need by looking at the listing. Many food companies also list recipes in weekly flyers or package inserts. Many are worth a try. I can think of two recipes off the top of my head that I regularly get asked for and one is my cheesecake. My cheesecake gets awesome reviews and it's simply the recipe from inside the box of Philidelphia Cream Cheese. The shortbread cookie recipe that everyone goes gaga over at Christmas time is on the back of the Canada cornstarch box in my local grocery store. I've also adapted many recipes from the back of a can of Campbell's soup to make it my own by tweaking it.

The next time you don't know what to make for dinner, go to the grocer store and look for a recipe. Or, start leafing through one of the many magazines laying about the house. Most magazines are filled with great recipes and some of them are very simple.

What's Cookin' Mom?

2007-11-03T15:24:00.000-07:00

What's for dinner? This is a daily question around here. My eldest son loves food and thinks I'm an awesome cook. Sweet child :) I like involving him in the cooking process and my husband is now doing the same.

If you're having trouble getting your kids to eat what you cook, a great helper is to get them involved in the kitchen. They will want to taste something they took part in cooking and exposure to different food will broaden their horizons and up their vitamin intake!

It's a great idea to let your kids help you cook. My eleven year old recently expressed an interest in cooking. Cooking together helps me pass on my cooking secrets, gets me some help in the kitchen and gets him some exposure to help him make a great husband/Dad someday. I involve him in all aspects of cooking. Even my 3 year old helps with simple tasks like buttering the muffin tins and stirring the cake batter or mixing the macaroni & cheese together.

It's a great idea to let your kids help with the menu planning, too. If they get to choose dinner for one night you can make encourage them to choose something that encompasses all four food groups. If they get to choose what vegetable is on their plate, they will more than likely eat it. You can also get them trying new things by setting extra rules such as: no two vegetables the same in a month and try something new once a month. Incent them however you can, even if you let them choose dessert too.

Stew Up Some Love in a Pot

2007-10-20T07:08:00.000-07:00

My homemade beef stew and dumplings is something I’m sure will be the taste of home to my eleven year old son when he grows up. Here’s how I make it.

Brown small chunks of stewing beef on med-high in a big stock pot with 2tbsps oil, a few cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, meat tenderizer and some Beef Bovril. Once it’s good and brown (only about 5-10 mins) pour in 4 cups of brewed hot (or lukewarm) tea and bring to a boil. Scrape the bottom to bring the flavour back into the meat.

Once it’s boiling turn to low and put the lid on. Let the meat get happy in the juices for at least an hour before you add some vegetables. I add carrots first and let them cook for half an hour before turning up to med-low and adding potatoes and dry quick cooking pearl barley. After the potatoes have been in about ten minutes I add other vegetables such as either canned or frozen such as peas, beans and corn and get ready to thicken the stew and add dumplings.

Dumplings: Mix up my dumplings (2 cups of bisquick mix and 2/3 cup of milk)
Thickener: mix up a cup of milk with ½ a cup of bisquick and add in a few glugs of beef Bovril.

I turn up the heat again to bring it all to a boil and then put in my thickener and stir. Once it’s good and thick I start adding dumplings by the spoonful onto the top. I put the lid on for ten minutes. Then, I separate the dumplings with a wooden spoon and stir the pot slowly, carefully not to sink the dumplings too much and then turn on low for ten minutes with the lid on.

This is a great double duty meal as well because you can help it morph into a different meal for leftovers. In this case, Beef Pot Pies! If you have loads of leftover stew, it freezes well. I love to put it into pie shells and freeze. It makes a great beef pot pie!

Enjoy!

San Franciso Cookies

2007-10-19T06:41:00.000-07:00

I was asked to give some link love to the award winning San Francisco Cookie Company. If you look on their website you'll see that they've had some love from Rachael Ray. You can get these cookies online for some holiday cookies or locally in San Francisco and one of the things I like is that you can get all natural cookies that still taste good.

Last week I bought some all natural cookies for my son at the grocery store and they left a horrible aftertaste. I won't buy those again but would consider these ones. They can make a great Christmas cookies treats and look like they've been cooked with love!

A great gift idea is on their website where you can give the gift of cookies all yar long with scheduled cookie delivered throughout the year. As Rachael would say, "Yum-o!"

The Big Jerk Jerk Burger

2007-10-18T13:47:00.000-07:00

I invented this burger one night when we decided to make hamburgers for dinner. I impulsively decided to try making a Jerk Burger. I had recently been turned on to Caribbean jerk seasoning so created this recipe that I thought was original. After we ate it, I figured I might have to brand it because it was so scrum-didley-uptious (sorry to quote Ned Flanders there but it was necessary!) but upon closer Googling I see that it does exist.

The Big Jerk Jerk Burger
________________________

2lbs of medium ground beef
1 heaping tablespoon of Grace Jerk Marinade
1 heaping tablespoon of Hellmann's Mayo
garlic
salt
pepper
1 teaspoon prepared or dry mustard
2-3 tbsp bread crumbs

Mix well with your bare hands and shape into about 6 patties. Broil in the over for ten minutes each side.

To finish them off, I like to put mayo and sweet bbq sauce on the bun. My husband likes mayo+ Grace's Jerk BBQ sauce. He likes it hot, I like it a little tamer and a sweet BBQ sauce like Diana Sauce does the trick very nicely.

Stop Being Bored With Dinner!

2007-10-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

Part of the process of lovingly cooking a meal comes from anticipation of the food itself. If you're bored with your meals and are not excited about what you're cooking, you aren't likely to make it with love. The result will be boring food that's boring to cook and boring to eat. Bleh. Food isn't just about fuel and sustenance, it's about flavour and passion!

If you are not cooking with love, start trying some new things. Get excited about dinner again! We all get in a rut with food. Sometimes my husband and I would wander around the grocery store aimlessly trying to think of something new for dinner. If you find you're cooking the same things and feeling bored with cooking, it might be time to dabble in some new recipes. Here are some tips to get you some ideas

-Watch Food shows on Food channels or your favorite recipe show. This is a great way to get some ideas. Try out a new recipe!
-Select a day a week where you try something new. If it turns out great, you have something new to add to the repertoire. Saturdays are perfect for this because you'll have more time and if it tanks, you can always run out for a pizza:)
-Try something totally different! Look at a cuisine you don't normally eat like Mediterranean, Mexican or Indian, or Thai. Wake up some taste buds by departing from the ordinary.

If you want to try something new today without running out to shop, try using this great tool: Cooking By Numbers. It lets you choose what you have in your kitchen right now and turn it into recipes.

Sacred Heart Soup Recipe

2007-10-12T13:23:00.000-07:00

I make Sacred Heart Soup, aka Cabbage Soup even when I'm not doing the Sacret Heart Soup Diet. And soup is good for the soul, mind and body.

If you want to read about the Sacred Heart or Cabbage Soup diet, you can read all about it on one of my blog posts at health niche or read about my own diet story but this post is a quick and easy way for you to make the soup yourself. I make it when I have excess vegetables in the house and when I want to jump start a bit of weight shedding (I did it this wee because of Thanksgiving last weekend. Moo!)

Sacred Heart Soup AKA Cabbage Soup

2 cans tomatoes
1 can chicken or beef broth
4 cups green tea
a few handfuls of chopped carrots
several torn or chopped leaves of cabbage
2 stalks celery
1 envelope lipton soup (chicken noodle)
1/2 chopped green pepper
2 chopped green onions
spices: cracked pepper, salt, mrs. dash, worcestershire sauce

I also like to sometimes put in chopped sweet potato and chopped zuchini in my soup.

For more information about the Sacred Heart Diet, stop by SacredheartSoup.com.

Cabbage Rolls That are Stuffed With Love

2007-10-12T12:58:00.000-07:00

When my husband and I makes these special cabbage rolls (he does most of the work), he stuffs love into them. Cabbage rolls are a great meal to make because you can feed an army, send them to friends and family and fill your freezer. They take the better part of a day but are well worth it. You can cook them in a giant (turkey sized) roasting pan or we like to use a plug-in roaster oven. Time and temp are your choice but we find about 300 for 4 hours for this large batch does the trick. Be careful your meat is well cooked.

When we make cabbage rolls we sometimes have to keep it a secret because people will make a special trip over just to steal a few :)

Mix a few pounds of ground beef with cooked Basmati rice, spices, eggs, tomato soup and cream of mushroom soup. For our large batch, I'll put the avg. ingredients below. A lot of this is to taste and as with most cooking with love, there aren't exact ingredient counts. You judge by look/feel/smell. Because they slow cook for a long time in sauce, be generous with your spices!

Cook your cabbage leaves until they're soft in a large pot of boiling water. My husband cooks a few leaves at a time, often putting the whole cabbage in the pot of boiling water to loosen them.

Roll the cabbage leaves up with the meat mixture and line your pan. Layer homemade tomato sauce all over it and fill the pan.
At the top layer, place whole canned tomatoes all over the top and put more spice like salt/pepper and Mrs. Dash and then slow cook until they're done.

Our large batch of Cabbage Rolls:
________________
5lbs lean ground beef (some people mix ground beef, pork & veal)
3 cabbages
2-3 cans each of tomato & mushroom soup
Homemade tomato sauce (a large pot full)
1.5 cups uncooked Basmati (or your favourite long grain) rice, cooked.
2-3 eggs
Mrs. Dash, Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder

Mmmm Gravy

2007-10-07T18:34:00.000-07:00

Gravy can be a lovely part of a meal. Whether you're cooking it for a roast, for turkey dinner or for another meal, good gravy can be the crowning glory of a well prepared meal.

Here's mine. This works with or without pan drippings. Pan drippings are obviously desired but I make it without them when I do it for salisbury steak, hot hamburger gravy or poutine.

Start with brewed tea. It makes a great base instead of plain water. Add your drippings if you have them. If you don't, use extra Bovril.

My two favourite gravy helpers are Bovril and Horne's Gravee powder. I use them both for best results. Taste your gravy as you cook it to find out what works for you.

Add your drippings and your bovril (beef or chicken, whatever you prefer) to your tea and then add a dollop of butter. I know, I know, my alter ego health blog self would tell you to use the butter sparingly but this is the cook with love blog, not the health blog. I can cook healthfully and lovingly but not when I cook gravy. Sorry. :)

Bring it to a boil. When it's bubbling, add your thickener. Some prefer cornstarch and water, others flour and milk but my favourite gravy thickener is milk blended with Bisquick mix (a 1/2 cup milk, 2 tbsps of Bisquick). You can also start the dish with the thickener by a dollop of butter and teaspoon of flour and let it get thick and add to the mixture from there.

It'll thicken quickly and then you need to turn it down or off) and adjust either the thickness, the taste or leave it just as it is. I use gravy in a lot of dishes. Less drippings means less calories and more gravy helpers mean more sodium so serve it the way you like it and do some experimenting until you find the perfect gravy for your tastebuds.

Bon Apetite!

Tag Team Turkey Perfection

2007-10-07T18:10:00.000-07:00

Ever had a roasted turkey on Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter that melted in your mouth? Ever had a turkey so juicy and stuffing so tasty that you thought you'd gone to culinary heaven? I have that experience each time I cook a turkey. My husband and I tag team prep our turkey and we cook it with love...

No one wants to slave over a turkey that turns out dry and tasteless. I know I don't! We developed this system over time and we find that since we've mastered it, we always get a perfect outcome.

First, get your bread cubed for stuffing the night before. Let it get a bit stale if you can by leaving it out for a few hours or all night but lightly covered with a clean tea towel. Today we had turkey for Canadian Thanksgiving and I prepped the stuffing last night and put it in the fridge and this morning moistened it with some butter and a little bit more spice and it was scrumptious.

My husband handles the bird prepping part. He cleans the cavity with lots of salt water and dries it really well inside and out with a lot of good quality, thick paper towels. Drying it ensures your dressing/stuffing doesn't turn out too soggy.

My husband smears butter underneath the skin in several parts so that the turkey ends up like a Butterball but much less costly and (we feel) tastier. After he stuffs it, he sews the flap of skin over the top end to keep the dressing dry with butcher's twine and fits the bottom end with tin foil to cover the opening.

We then smear the outside of the bird with butter and poultry seasoning, salt, pepper and a little Mrs. Dash and then cover clean brown paper in butter and fit it over the turkey. The brown buttered paper gets the turkey a nice golden brown. Picture attached is our turkey two Easter's ago.

Baste that baby with loving care every half hour until it's done. That's tres important because that's how you prevent it from drying out. We have a neat little gadget that was only $3 that tucks into the breast and pops out when the turkey is finished. Don't overcook it. If you have to get it out because it's done and your vegetables aren't done 'yet', carve it and cover it with foil while you hurry everything else up. Overcooked and underloved turkey results in dry and not very desirable turkey.

Dana's Turkey Stuffing aka Turkey Dressing:
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2 stalks celery finely chopped
1 large onion
2 eggs
1/8 pound of butter
poultry seasoning
Mrs. Dash
Salt
pepper
1 & 1/2 loaves of cubed or torn bread.

Mix it all up with your bare hands and use spice to taste.

Hubby stuffs the bird, I make the stuffing, I spice it as he gives it a full body massage with butter and spice before it goes in the oven and then we take turns basting it. I then make the gravy while he carves it.
Tag team turkey is a turkey cooked with love and we get thumbs up from family and friends every time!

Christine's Cold Mexican Dip

2007-10-01T06:09:00.000-07:00

Looking for a great, easy cold Mexican dip? Love guacamole? This one is not as spicy as it sounds and you can control it by controlling the quantity of spicier ingredients. I spent the weekend eating some food made with love...my cousin Christine made her newly famous Mexican dip for our girl's weekend. Girl's weekend this time was low effort so we decided to do appetizers instead of elaborate meals. Actually, I suggested it because I typically get to do the most elaborate meal and this weekend was about relaxing.

Girl's weekend is four of us in a cottage in the woods with no men, no kids and no counting calories or carbs. I thought I'd share it with you. It's filled with love and yummy goodness:

1 500ml tub sour cream mixed with 1/2 envelope Old El Paso taco seasoning. You don't have to use the whole tub and you can use low fast sour cream

Your favourite refried beans

Some lovely guacamole

finely chopped jalapeno peppers to taste

chopped tomatoes

chopped green onions

shredded cheese (any kind you like. Marble works well)

chopped black olives

Most of this is to taste and you can make it as big or as thick as you like. Layer beans, then guacamole, then sour cream mixture and then cheese and then top with the rest. Serve with your favourite tortilla chips. Ours are: Tostitos Multigrain.

This recipe is SOOOOO filled with love!

My Creamy Cheesy Cauliflower Concoction

2007-09-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

The more vegetables you can eat the better...this one is so yummy your kids might not even believe it's a vegetable! I found a cauliflower recipe originally in Better Homes & Gardens but lost it so between looking online, my memory of what was in it and through books and trial and error, came up with my own cauliflower concoction and it gets rave reviews every time. The original had homemade croutons in it too but I don't usually bother with those now.

Wash and clean your cauliflower and chop into little flowerets. Steam it until it's soft. You can do this on the stove or in the microwave but try to do it on the stove. Microwaves zap away the good stuff in my humble opinion.

Whisk together 1/3 cup of milk, 1/4 to 1/2 cup of real mayo and about half the mayo measure of regular or dijon mustard. Put in salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash (or another all spice) a few spoons of grated romano or parmasean and a few handfuls of whatever shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, etc) you like. Bake the cauliflower concoction until everything is bubbly and melted.
YUM!

Throwing Some Love Into Sunday Dinner

2007-09-23T05:32:00.000-07:00

Growing up, Sunday was dinner usually at my grandparents and it was usually a roast beef dinner with gravy and mashed potatoes and cream corn. I have many happy memories of those dinners and being filled with laughter and extended family. Today, I enjoy Sunday dinners too but don't do it every sunday. Instead I do make efforts to have a nice dinner that's also family time.This means that we sit as a family and have a nice talk, say an extra meaningful prayer and that we always have a nice dinner.

We forgo fast foods, easy dinners and I try to avoid the microwave (which I do most days, anyway) as well and take a little extra eeffort. Too many families never dine together and share the special time of breaking bread together. We try to eat dinner together every night but Sundays I always go through a bit more effort. My boys are still little but I hope that they carry on the tradition when they grow up too.

Soup for The Soul

2007-09-22T10:23:00.001-07:00

Soup really does soothe the soul. It's proven that chicken noodle soup can help you feel better when you're sick. There's the sacred heart soup diet to help you detox and lose weight and as Campbell's says, "Soup IS Good Food."

I make soup from scratch and I use some helpers as well. Here are some ways I add love to my soup.

-Use tea as a base. We use green tea for Asian soups, chai tea for exotic soups and regular tea as a soup base for any other soup. It creates a wonderful flavour! If you're sick, make your soup with White tea has superb healing powers for the ill!

-Save leftover vegetables and put them in the freezer. When making a soup toss them in. Save time, money and effort this way and get more vegetables in your diet!

-Make cream soups with milk. They're friendlier on your figure and I think they taste better. Make anything into a cream soup by starting off with some flour and butter in a warm pan and then slowly adding milk and simmering it once it's reaches a quick boil.

-Make homemade rolls or baking powder biscuits to go on the side. Nothing goes better with fresh homemade soup than fresh warm bread or biscuits with some melted butter!

-Make soup in your crock pot! It is easy and results in a wonderful flavour!

Get Some Kudos Tonight!

2007-09-21T11:02:00.000-07:00

Are you sick and tired of cooking the same old things? There are two essential parts to making delicious food. Part one is is enjoying the cooking experience and part two is even more important than the first part. Part to is: anticipating the finished dish. If you aren't excited about what you're making and drooling over the prospect of eating it, you won't likely put a generous dash of love in it.

Browse some recipes and find something new to cook! Look online at recipe sites, pull out some magazines from your magazine rack, read your cookbooks or ask someone what they are having for dinner tonight! When you shop in the grocery store, there are often little coupons hanging on the shelves with recipes on the back. Try one!

I have a plastic folder among my cookbooks where I tuck clippings of recipes that I find and what to try. It's like my little inspiration folder and when I'm stuck on what to make for dinner, I'll often go hunting in the inspiration folder for ideas. You never know, you may end up with kudos from family and the whole experience of cooking dinner can have new appeal!

Cook something new tonight and don't forget to cook it with love!

Ten Minute Homemade Tomato Sauce With A Dash of Love

2007-09-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

Tomato sauce can be made from scratch in a flash. Don't waste your money on prepared sauces...make your own. Here are a few tips to help you take some tins of tomatoes and make them into something lovely! This can be used for pizza, pasta, meatloaf or any other Italiano dish you like!

If you want it extra thick quick, either use one can of tomato paste for every two cans of tomatoes or buy the jars of strained tomatoes. Whip it with your blender as well and when I'm in a hurry, I blend it with the spices in the blender so that I can improve the blending of the flavours faster. The love adding part is tasting it throughout the process to get the right amount of love in there!

Tip: Use fresh spices wherever you can!

Sauce can be easily made with: a dash of
olive oil
salt & pepper
garlic
Italian seasoning
parsley

And...this is important: about 2 tablespoons of sugar for every two cans of tomatoes. I also like to often add a can of stewed diced tomatoes for chunky texture along with my already smooth, silky tomato sauce.

I also like to add Mrs. Dash to mine. The sugar helps you take the tartness out of the sauce quickly which is a secret many people don't know about. I also like to blush the sauce with a quick glug of milk or light cream. If you want to make a rosee, you can half & half it with milk (yum!)

Bring it to a boil and then turn it off and let it sit and cool while you prep the rest of your meal. I love starting it by sauteeing fresh mushrooms and peppers and adding my other ingredients to the same pot. You can really taste the freshness this way in both the sauce and the vegetables. I also will do meat sauce this way or fry in Italian sausage or meatballs with my mushrooms and peppers before adding the tomatoes and fresh spices. The oil from the meat (if minimal) makes it taste even more like it has come from a gourmet ristorante.

Tip: If you have fresh tomatoes in the fridge or sundried tomatoes, toss them in too!

Bon Appetito!

In Praise Of The Double Baked Potato

2007-09-15T15:07:00.000-07:00

Ahh, the potato. it's a staple for many reasons. Not only is it inexpensive and a little can go a long way but it's very versatile. There are dozens of things that you can do to make a potato interesting. My childhood saw a lot of boiled and uninteresting potatoes dropped on my plate. I didn't like that much. When I fell in love with cooking, I fell in love with all the things you could do to the potato to make it less boring.

I once lived on a bag of potatoes for a week and didn't really get bored. We made scalloped potatoes, baked potatoes, french fries, potato chips, home fries, potato pancakes, hash browns, home fries, mashed potatoes and more. Ok, I got a bit sick of it by the end but I was single and living on a meager income and the bag of 50lbs of potatoes was only $3

Today, I only eat potatoes once or so a week but have plenty of favourite recipes that call for them. The recipe below is one that's a real crowd pleaser so I often make them for potluck meals or for family dinners.
I think it's my very favourite way to prepare a potato. It's called a Double Stuffed Potato.

The double stuffed potato can be stuffed with anything you like. It can also be called a deviled potato as well or a twice baked potato. You bake your potatoes just as you like. If you want to speed up the process you can microwave them part way but in my opinion, microwaving isn't cooking with love so I really try to avoid the nuker when cooking as much as I can.

After the potato is baked, cut in it half length wise and scoop out the insides being careful to leave the shell in tact. Whip the potatoes with your mixer after generous amounts of butter, sour cream, salt and pepper are put in the bowl and throw in some shredded cheese of your choice (old cheddar is good!) and then scoop the whipped potatoes back into the shell...top the potatoes with cooked crispy crumbled bacon and more cheese and put under the broiler for a few minutes. The tops get golden and crusty and they are delicious!
Serve with sour cream on the side.
WARNING:
The meat and other food on your plate might be neglected.

Cook It With Love Once, Eat It Many Times

2007-09-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

I am a huge fan of the multi-purpose meal or follow-up meal or the big batch for freezing. Cook something lovingly in huge batches when a staple item like meat or vegetables are on sale. This can save you later in time, money and effort and make warming up something turn into a great eating experience instead of a so-so dining experience where you nuke a tin of something.

Roast Beef:
A big roast can make many meals. Do your traditional roast beef dinner on day one with a big giant roast. Don't forget the yorkshire pudding and real gravy!
Here are ideas for follow-up meals:

-Day 2, hot roast beef sandwiches (open faced) with leftover gravy or roast beef submarine sandwiches with mozzarella

-Day 3, beef soup or stew. This is a great way to deal with leftover vegetables too! (note, whatever you don't use by today, freeze it for use later.)

4th meal, etc..Beef pot pies. If your batch of stew is huge, you an do a follow-up meal with that with a beef pie by buying ready made or homemade pie crusts or rolled biscuit dough and filling the pie crusts with the stew. Delicious! They freeze well also. I sometimes make a pot of stew on day two or three (max) and half the batch is for dinner and the other half goes into pie shells and straight into the deep freeze.

I always make double or triple batches of spaghetti sauce, meatballs and chili and my husband does a very coveted batch of cabbage rolls that can feed an army and freeze wonderfully. Most times though, they don't make it to the freezer because his recipe is so wonderful family and friends beg for some to take home.

Love Your Crockpot!

2007-09-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

This isn't an original statement but it bears repeating because the busy person who loves a good meal will fall madly in love with their crock pot. Don't say your mornings are too crazy, prep the night before! Meat and vegetables and some spices thrown in the pot and the pot thrown in the fridge is only going to take a few minutes at night. In the morning, plug it in, put it on low and 9 hours later, voila!

I also do some crock pot meatballs that often get asked about. Here are two simple meatball crock pot recipes that I often serve for potlucks, baby showers and we always make these on Christmas Eve too. If you love them enough to have them as a meal instead of an appetizer, both these variations are great with any steamed veggie plus a healthy heap of rice. The sauce from both of them works great on rice & vegetables!

Swedish Chinese Meatballs (yes, you read that right)
-frozen Swedish meatballs thrown frozen into a crock pot)
-a jar of sweet & sour sauce
-1/2 jar of water (swish the leftover sauce around)
Turn on the crock pot and as Emeril says, let them get happy!

Tangy Meatballs
-2 bottles Kraft Chili Sauce
2/3 of a large jar of Welch's grape jelly
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
-Box of frozen italian meatballs (If you're in Canada either Schneiders or PC Meatballs will do. If you can't get them, any old meatballs will work too!)
Turn on the crock pot and let the happiness begin...

Meatballs are happy in a few hours but can be happy all day long if you want to do this while you go to work as well. These are easy breazy because they are frozen pre-cooked meatballs and vegetarians can use mockballs (lol) and dieters can use extra lean meabatlls too.

I love putting a roast, stew or chili on in the crock pot too. My husband also loves making Boston baked beans that way. There are whole websites dedicated to crock pot recipes and everything that comes from a real crock pot has a special taste that can't be described. Make sure you use one made with crockery to et that flavour! When you use it too, most recipes that aren't designed for the crock pot may need a little less liquid and spice because the lid will be on all day and you won't lose the juices the way you would in an over on on the stovetop.

Most people who claim they don't have time to cook decent meals during the week have one of these babies in the back of the kitchen cupboard. Haul it out and give it another chance!

Discovering Jerk - Making Jerk Pork at Home

2007-09-03T08:09:00.000-07:00

I discovered Jerk this summer. We now keep a stock of Grace Jerk Marinade in our fridge at all times. We also use the Grace Jerk BBQ sauce as well. Try this recipe which is great for a family or even better when you have a big dinner to plan for. Lots of rice with kidney beans on the side goes wonderfully! It's really easy because of the minimal prep. The secret here is to let it marinade for a good 24 hours before slow cooking until the meat falls apart.

Mix marinade with brewed tea 3:1 and cover a pork tenderloin or assortment of chicken and put in the fridge for 24 hours.

Put meat and all the marinade in a roasting pan and cook at 250 for a few hours. Turn up to 350 for the last half hour. It's wonderful! My husband likes me to boil the juices and add a bit more tea for a sauce. Sometimes I thicken it with flour and butter. You can also put some vegetables in the roaster for jerk veggies. Yum!

I've started experimenting with jerk seasoning in other cooking as well. I've spoken with many friends who love Caribbean cooking and all agree that Grace is the best. They have an assortment of other products to go along with the meal as well.

Food, a Love/Hate Relationship

2007-09-03T06:33:00.000-07:00

Food is one of life's sweetest pleasures but it comes with a price sometimes. You have to grow or buy it, you have to prepare it, cook it and clean up after it once you've enjoyed eating it. For some, struggling to burn it off afterwards is also a concern.

I believe in the variety of food helping you to live healthier. Go for a rainbow of colour on your plate and experiment a little with new techniques and new spices. Too many people's plates are bland looking and beige coloured with fried fast food. Make it your goal to help everyone in your house add more colour to their plates...especially your kids. The more variety you give them when they're little, the better they'll eat as they grow up. If you have a child who won't eat anything but mac & cheese and hot dogs, chances are that you've indulged that behaviour for a time!

Today's tip:
Use fresh spices whenever you can. Once you've tried cooking something with fresh herbs and spices over dried, you'll see a huge difference in flavour.

Cook with love and variety and you'll improve your health and expand your horizons!