Morel Mushroom Cream Sauce

This is a recipe adapted from allrecipes.com.  I still prefer tomato sauce for pastas, but this was a nice change (and a good way to use up the dried morel mushrooms we have had for a while).

Ingredients

• 1 -2 ounces dried morel mushrooms
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• Hot cooked pasta

Directions

1. Heat the 3 cups stock to simmering. Remove from heat. Add dried mushrooms; let mushrooms stand 20 minutes. Strain mixture through a 100% cotton cheesecloth-lined sieve, reserving 1 cup broth. Rinse mushrooms under warm running water; squeeze out excess moisture. Slice in half lengthwise any of the larger mushrooms; set aside.
2. For sauce: In a medium saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat. Add shallots. Cook and stir for 3 to 5 minutes or until shallots are tender. Sprinkle flour over shallots; stir to combine. Slowly add reserved 1 cup broth, stirring until smooth. Reduce to low heat. Cook, uncovered, for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Slowly whisk in the cream. Cook, whisking constantly, over medium heat for 7 minutes more or until the mixture thickens. Stir in reserved morels and 1/4 cup parsley. Cook and stir until heated through. Add in spinach.
3. Spoon sauce over pasta. If you like, sprinkle with additional parsley.

Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts

This is my favourite appetizer!!!!  All of this time, I thought this was something unique my Mom made, but after Googling it, it looks like it is extremely popular!  It is a great appetizer to make for guests because it is pretty easy, does not involve a lot of ingredients, and seems fancier than it is.  Sometimes I make it even when guests are not coming over because then I do not have to pretend to be polite and can just eat them all myself.

Ingredients
1/2 cup ketchup
5 heaping tbsp brown sugar
package of bacon
water chestnuts (whole, from a can)

Mix together ketchup and brown sugar in a small bowl.  Cut bacon into thirds.  Coat each slice of bacon in ketchup mixture and wrap it around a water chestnut.  Secure with toothpick.  Bake for 15 min at 375 degrees.

Coconut Squash Pie

Although this recipe sounds very exotic, it actually just tastes like delicious pumpkin pie.  One day, I was sitting on the couch, and had the amazing idea of using coconut milk in the pumpkin pie recipe instead of whipping cream (sometimes I just use regular milk).  We also happened to have a squash lying around the house and so I used baked squash, instead of the usual canned pumpkin.  The homemade crust and pumpkin pie recipe have been posted in previous blog posts - but below is what I did to make this particular pie.  The filling is actually enough to make 2 pies, so I ended up stretching the single pie crust recipe to form 2 crusts and made 2 pies (and ate them both!!!).

Homemade Pie Crust (adapted from Wanda's Pie in the Sky cookbook):


1.5 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup cold water

In large bowl, combine flour, salt, and butter.  Cut with pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together.  Sprinkle with the cold water, let rest for 30 seconds, then cut with about 15 strokes of the pastry cutter.  Form dough into a disk and wrap in plastic (but save a small ball of dough for the topping).  Chill for 20 minutes.  Roll out disk on a lightly floured surface, and transfer dough to pie plate.



Coconut Squash Pie (adapted from an old Toronto Star article):


398mL pureed squash, baked
2/3 C brown sugar
1/3 C white sugar
1 T flour
1 1/2 t cinnamon (more!)
1/2 t each of salt, nutmeg, ground ginger (more!)
1/4 t each of allspice, black pepper (more!)
1 C coconut milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 C orange juice (I didn't have any and just substituted extra coconut milk)
3 T orange liqueur
1 1/2 t vanilla

Prick pie dough and bake at 400 degrees, 5 min until dry (but not brown).  Cool.
Reset oven to 375 degrees.
In large bowl, mix pumpkin, sugars, flour, spices.  Add cream, eggs, orange juice, liqueur, vanilla; whisk together.
Pour into shell and bake 45 to 60 min until slightly wobbly.

Carrot Cake - Recipe from Wanda's Pie in the Sky Cookbook

This is the best carrot cake recipe.  I realize this is a bold statement, and I firmly stick by it.  It is from the Wanda's Pie in the Sky cookbook which has amazing recipes all around.  Please do not deviate from the recipe because every single ingredient is very important.

Note:  This recipe makes 2 cakes.  You are actually supposed to layer the cakes I think, but I never do.

C=cup, T=tbsp, t=tsp

Cake
4 eggs
1  1/4 C sugar
1 1/2 C oil
1/2 C orange liqueur
1 t vanilla
2 1/2 C flour
2 t baking powder
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 t nutmeg
1 t cinnamon
2 C grated carrots
1 C crushed pineapple
3/4 C broken walnuts
1 C coconut flakes
1 C raisins

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease 2 cake pans.  Use electric mixer and beat eggs and sugar until pale and creamy.  Add oil, liqueur, vanilla and beat until well combined.  Add flour, baking power, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.  Add to egg mixture.  Stir in carrots, pineapple, walnuts, coconut, raisins.  Pour batter into pans.  Bake 25-30min (may take longer than this - poke with toothpick to see if ready).

Frosting - Make only 1/2 of this recipe!!!
1 1/2 C cream cheese, softened
1/2 C butter, softened
5 C icing sugar
1/2 t almond extract
1 t vanilla
1 T orange zest
1 T lemon juice

Use electric mixer and beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add icing sugar, almond extract, vanilla, orange zest.  Beat until smooth and creamy.  Add lemon juice and beat until light and fluffy.  Spread on cake (after cake has cooled). 

Enjoy!!!  (Especially for breakfast).  :)

Homemade Lemonade with Ginger and Maple Syrup

I was at Balzac's (the coffee shop) the other day and saw on their menu lemonade with ginger and maple syrup.  It was a bit expensive so I didn't end up getting it, but went home and made it that afternoon.  It was DELICIOUS!  So refreshing and tasty.  Yum.  Please make it - it is worth the trouble.

Heat in a pot for 15 minutes:

3 lemons worth of lemon juice
1/3 cup maple syrup
grated ginger (as much as you like)
4 cups water

Remove from stove and add in 10 ice cubes.  When cool, put into fridge.

That's it!  Enjoy!

BBQ'd Elk Steaks

Aki recently got his MA thesis manuscript accepted for publication (!!!) - so what better way to celebrate than with elk steaks!!  What actually happened was that he went away for the weekend, so I went to St. Lawrence Market to entertain myself.  I wanted to pick up a treat for a celebration dinner and walked past the man that sells elk meat, who I have seen many times.

Me:  How do you cook this?  <Pointing to elk pieces> Do you stew this?
Elk Man:  Yes, people like to make stew with these small pieces here.
Me:  Mmm.  <Pointing to big chunk of elk> - Do you roast this?
Elk Man:  Yes, that is for roasting.
Me:  And how do you cook this <pointing to elk steaks>?
Elk Man:  You would cook it any way you cook regular steak.
Me:  Okay, so barbeque or pan fry?
Elk Man:  Yes.

Thank you for answering my questions!  So I went with the elk steaks and hurried home.  I felt a bit bad about going to the market without Aki because he loooooves the market and we always go together, but then I found out later he went to Jean Talon market in Montreal without me!!!  That is a discretion that is about 25 times worse!  (I was going to say 50 times but didn't want to seem like I was exaggerating). 

Anyways, this is how I made the elk:

BBQ'd Lemon-Garlic Elk Steaks

• 2 pounds venison steaks
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Place everything in a large ziplock bag, swish it around a bit, and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least several hours.  Take meat out 1 hour before grilling to let it come down to room temperature.  Heat up BBQ and grill on each side for 2 to 4 minutes.  I like my meat super rare (2 minutes each side), but you may not!

Credit to:  Derrick Riches, About.com Guide

It tasted very delicious!  I thought it might just taste like beef, but it was way more flavourful in a very unique way that is hard to describe.  I thought it might taste gamey like lamb, but it did not taste like lamb.  You will have to try it yourself!  It is a very lean type of meat and after eating it I felt strong (like elk)!!!

Ukrainian Borscht Time!

I thought I should probably taste this recipe before I posted it, so I just did.....not bad!  Mmmm, actually it's pretty good.  <This is live commentary>.  I think it is the garlic that makes it so good.  It wasn't quite what I was expecting - much more tomato-based and red than I had imagined.  I don't know if there is a difference between all of the types of borschts, or if it just happens to be this recipe.  It is from allrecipes.com but with no sausage.  Oh, I just remembered that I did not add the dollop of sour cream!!!  How silly.  I'm sure that will bring it from "pretty good" to "very good!"  To be determined.  And it would have made the photo look nicer!  Also, I thought I had parsley with which to garnish the soup and I chopped it up but then it turned out to be cilantro.  Oiy vey!  Next time I may try this recipe:  http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipes/recipe.html?dishid=3538.

Here is the slightly revised recipe below.  WARNING:  It makes a lot - a huge pot full.

Ingredients

• 3 medium beets, peeled and shredded
• 3 carrots, peeled and shredded
• 3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 medium head cabbage, cored and shredded
• 1 (8 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup sour cream, for topping
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Directions

1. Fill a large pot halfway with water (about 2 quarts), and bring to a boil. Add the beets, and cook until they have lost their color. Add the carrots and potatoes, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Add the cabbage, and the can of diced tomatoes - cook until tender.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until tender. Stir in the tomato paste and water until well blended. Transfer to the pot. Add the raw garlic to the soup, cover and turn off the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Taste, and season with pepper.
3. Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with sour cream and fresh parsley.  

Easiest Shrimp Gazpacho Recipe

Although it is true that I have not read all other gazpacho recipes to know if this is the easiest (in fact, I have not read any other gazpacho recipes), I am making an educated guess that this one is the easiest.  It is so easy that it is a bit funny to eat/drink if you know what is in it.  Nonetheless, it was pretty tasty!  This recipe is adapted from The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook by Arthur Agatston.  I guess he is true to his word about the quick and easy part!

10 large shrimp
3 cups tomato juice (I used V8!), chilled
3/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup water
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
Dash of tobasco sauce
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Pepper to taste

Quickly fry shrimps until just cooked and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and stir.  Dish out into bowls and top with shrimp. 

Delicious Orzo Salad Recipe

I was very happy with this recipe!  It was brought to my attention by an old friend from high school (Thanks, Sabrina!) who made it for a Canada Day BBQ/Picnic.  It has "a depth of flavours" as Aki would say.  I think the mint is what really makes it great.  I also used the sweetest cherry tomatoes (red and yellow) that I found at the Nathan Phillips Square Farmer's Market.  This recipe is by Giadia De Laurentis who is on the show "Everyday Italian."

Ingredients

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups orzo
• 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups red and yellow teardrop tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
• 3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• About 3/4 cup Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Pour the broth into a heavy large saucepan. Cover the pan and bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the orzo. Cover partially and cook until the orzo is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Drain the orzo through a strainer. Transfer the orzo to a large wide bowl and toss until the orzo cools slightly. Set aside to cool completely.

Toss the orzo with the beans, tomatoes, onion, basil, mint, and enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.

Red Wine Vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil (I would use less than this!  Maybe 3/4 cup max)

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender (this does not have to be done in a blender!). With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Easy Crabcake Recipe

It seems like we have been eating a lot of things in cake form....hamburgers for dinner, pancakes for breakfast, and now crabcakes for dinner!  I've wanted to make these for some time now and am reminded every time I see the fancy jars of crab meat pieces in grocery stores.  They are usually pretty expensive, but I decided that today (actually, yesterday) was the day for a treat!  So, $15 dollars later, I made myself 7 moderately sized crabcakes which were surprisingly filling!

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

2 eggs
6 tbsp mayo
8 tsp lemon juice
pinch red pepper flakes
2 tbsp dried spice (I used sage, but tarragon is recommended)
3 tbsp minced green onion
450 mL of crab meat pieces
1 1/2 to 2 cups of breadcrumbs

Whisk together  first 6 ingredients, then gently add in crab meat, being careful not to break up the pieces of crab.  Add in breadcrumbs until mixture forms a nice consistency (one in which you could form patties from).  Form 7 to 8 patties and fry on both sides until cooked thoroughly and browned on each side.

Serve with homemade tartar sauce (plain yogurt with some relish mixed in).

Egg in a Hole

Make this easy recipe if you would like to impress your breakfast guests with minimal effort.

1)  Spread butter on both sides of a slice of bread.
2)  Cut a hole out of the slice of bread.
3)  Place slice of bread on hot frying pan and crack an egg into the hole.  I like to crack the egg into a bowl first, and then gently slide it into the hole.  Also place the small bread hole piece on the frying pan (to the side) to brown it.
4)  When egg is cooked on one side and bread is lightly browned, carefully flip it over!
5)  Spread grated cheese over egg and around it.
6)  Cook until egg is to your liking (runny yolk please!). 

It actually tastes even more delicious than you would think!

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese (+ Suprise!)

Don't get too excited - the surprise is just tomatoes.  I had some that needed to be eaten soon, and I thought the colour would make for a good picture, and the tanginess would make it extra good!  The recipe is adapted from allrecipes.com. 

Ingredients

• 1 package macaroni (I used Barilla - my fav!)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 cups milk
• 1 package cream cheese (Try not to use the "light/lite" kind - it tastes a bit funny!)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 pkg cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I used more!)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cook macaroni for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. In a large saucepan (you can use the one you made the pasta in) over medium heat, melt butter. Mix in milk, cream cheese, pepper, and Dijon mustard. Continue cooking until sauce is thickened. Add cooked macaroni, tomatoes, and Cheddar cheese.
4. Pour into large casserole dish. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and parsley on top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and hot!

How to Grill a Whole Fish

What a fresh meal!  My dad went fishing and caught a bunch of rainbow trout, which Aki then prepared for dinner in 2 different ways.  I prefer my fish steamed with ginger, green onion, and soya sauce; but he much prefers it barbequed.  We also had it with a side of fresh vegetables from my grandmother's garden.  Unfortunately I can't tell you what type of vegetables these are because I do not know what they are called, but they are delicious and taste a bit like spinach (but better!).  Also, as you may have noticed all of the protein-rich meals lately, my iron levels are fantastic and I have not been tired!  So, thank you meat, fish, iron pills, and protein powder.

Grilled Fish
-sprinkle outside and inside with a bit of salt
-heat up BBQ very hot
-grill directly on grill for 6 min one side, 5 min other side

-try not to be scared by the eyeballs and enjoy!  (notice how the head is conveniently not included in the picture).

Steamed Fish
-steam fish with grated ginger in large fry pan, covered, for about 15 min
-top with green onion and dash of soya sauce

Steamed Veggies
-steam veggies with sliced garlic until tender
-top with oyster sauce

Beef Eye of Round Roast

I think this recipe needs a better name, but it really is just a beef eye of round roast, so what can you do?  I was originally going to make a stew with the beef but felt like eating a roast.  I was not sure how it would turn out, as it is a leaner and cheaper cut of meat, and indeed it was a bit tough.  Well, that is life, and one day when I am rich I will only buy the finest cuts of meat.  Serve with horseradish, and lots of it (I love horseradish!).

Roast (3 pounds)
-cover with gravy (I had leftover gravy in my fridge, but I think you can omit this step)
-season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder
-preheat oven to 500 degrees F for 20 minutes (although my oven only went up to 450 F.  Lame!)
-roast in oven, uncovered, for 21 minutes (3 minutes/pound)
-when it is done, without opening the oven door at all, let sit in oven for 1 to 2 hours
-take it out and let sit for half an hour
-slice thinly


Green Beans
-cook green beans lightly (I prefer to steam them)
-add 2 tbsp butter, salt and pepper, juice of half a lemon, 3 tbsp minced parsley


Enjoy!

Cauliflower Gratineed with Cheese and Tomatoes

I really enjoyed this dish!  Thank you again to Julia Child. The dish looks pretty thanks to the extra colour of the tomatoes, which also gives it a nice tangy flavour.  The cheese and butter help too!

Ingredients:
-1 cauliflower, cut into flowerets
-3 tomatoes, sliced
-1/3 cup melted butter
-1/4 cup breadcrumbs
-1/2 cup grated parmesan
-salt and pepper

Directions:
-blanche cauliflower (which means to cook it, but just barely, then submerge in cold water to stop the cooking process)
-arrange cauliflower in middle of baking dish, with sliced tomatoes surrounding it
-cover with half of the melted butter
-top with breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt and pepper
-top with rest of the melted butter
-bake at 375 degrees F for about 20 min

Chicken with Cream Sauce (aka Poulet Saute a la Creme)

I am so full of rich food I can barely keep my eyes open, let alone muster up the energy (haha, I just wrote "courage" by accident) to write this.  This is another Julia Child recipe, but adapted to be a touch healthier.  I will keep it short and simple. 

Ingredients:
Chicken thighs, without skin
Butter
Salt, pepper, dried thyme
Fresh parsely
Half of a shallot, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:
-Fry chicken in 1 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp butter
-Cover and cook over medium heat until cooked thoroughly (about 15 min)
-Remove chicken from pan and season with pepper and dried thyme
-Discard all but 1 tbsp leftover oil/butter

-Fry half shallot until slightly browned in leftover oil/butter
-Add white wine and cook until reduced to about 3 tbsp liquid
-Add cream and cook until slightly thickened
-Remove from heat and add 1 tbsp butter and diced parsely

-Add in cooked chicken and serve

Adzuki Bean Soup

Adzuki beans are red beans that are cheap and very healthy, and are typically used in Asian desserts.  I have had them in dessert soups and pastries, and have always liked them since I was a little girl.  You can find them in Asian supermarkets or sometimes in the "ethnic" section of other grocery stores.  Here is some nutritional information from the website livestrong.com to try to encourage you to make this recipe:

"A 100 g serving of cooked adzuki beans offers 128 calories, 0 g of fat, 7.5 g of protein, 25 g of carbohydrates, 7.3 g of dietary fiber, 8 mg of sodium, 0 mg of cholesterol, 121 mcg of folate, 532 mg of potassium, 168 mg of phosphorus, 52 mg of magnesium, 2 mg of iron, .57 mg of manganese, and 1.78 mg of zinc."

Convinced?!

Recipe/Directions
-soak 1 cup of adzuki beans in water overnight
-rinse and drain well
-place adzuki beans in large pressure cooker or pot and add 7 to 8 cups of water
-cover and simmer for 20 minutes in pressure cooker or 1 hour in regular pot

-serve with 1 tbsp condensed milk
-eat for breakfast, snack, or dessert!

Variations:  Other people thicken the soup, and/or add raw or brown sugar instead of condensed milk.  Do as you please!

Julia Child - Mastering the Art of French Cooking

TIME TO GET FAT!!!!

Inspired by the book & movie, Julie and Julia, I will be embarking on a French cooking journey and making a series of recipes from the book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  I will be interspersing these dishes with some healthier, less heavy meals, especially considering it is summer and ridiculously hot outside (i.e., not really a time for heavy stews and meats with cream).  All recipes will be slightly adapted since I cannot be bothered to follow exact recipes.

Recipe 1:  Potage Parmentier (Leek and Potato Soup)

4 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cups leeks, sliced
10 cups water

Boil and then simmer these ingredients for 50 minutes.  Mash with potato masher.  Add 2 to 3 tbsp of butter and decorate with fresh parsley before serving.

PS. This is not a recipe with a lot of butter and cream....wait for it!

Steamed Wontons & Fried Wontons

Wow, it has been so long since I have posted that I have had to create a "to blog" folder on my desktop to clean up all of the files of pictures cluttering it up.  Since I have last posted, I have had these wontons twice.  The first time I had made the filling and there were not enough wonton wrappers to use it all up, so I froze the meat mixture and used it again last night.  Here is the recipe!

Meat mixture
pork or chicken (or shrimp if you are a fancypants)
canned bamboo shoots, drained
canned water chestnuts, drained
green onion
1 egg
3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp soya sauce
pepper to taste

*process all ingredients together in a food processor

Buy wonton wrappers (make sure they are not dumpling wrappers, as wonton wrappers are thinner).  Wrap about a tsp of meat mixture in the wontons and seal with either water + cornstarch (pre-mixed in a little bowl) or a beaten egg.  There are many ways to wrap wontons, some more elaborate than others.  Look!
http://www.homemade-chinese-soups.com/how-to-fold-wontons.html

I don't actually do any of those.  My techniques are a family secret.  And by family secret I mean that it is too hard to describe in words and I can't seem to find a picture on the internet to show you.

Cooking wontons
I had planned to boil all of the wontons (in a separate pot of water, NOT directly in the broth because the flour from the wrappers will come off into the broth and it will taste bad).  Then I was going to make a separate soup broth with green onions and Chinese vegetables.  However, Aki decided to deep fry some of the wontons and they were DELICIOUS!!!  We dipped the deep fried ones into Japanese mayonnaise.  Last night when we had them again, we actually fried all of them as a delicious Friday treat!