A few of my favorite things

Some pantry, freezer and refrigerator ingredients are essential to have on hand. They can make food basic, extravagant, or even last-minute. Here's a short list of my personal favorites.

If you've ever read my blog, you know Greek yogurt is a must-have in our household. I must use it least once a day. I enjoy it with a sprinkle of cinnamon, a drizzle of honey, and a handful of blueberries. I also use it in cooking and baking — I add it to mashed potatoes, hummus, muffins, breads and cupcakes. I also use it as a replacement condiment for sour cream and mayonnaise.

I find many uses for organic fire-roasted tomatoes — first and foremost being my homemade salsa. We also use this type of canned tomato for Spanish dishes. We love the smokey flavor.

Although I prefer to simmer my own dry beans, there are many instances when the canned variety is far more convenient. I most frequently use garbanzos (chick peas) in homemade hummus. Both canned garbanzos and black beans are great to have on hand for a last-minute chili. Additionally, I love adding canned black beans to homemade guacamole — not only do they boost the nutritional value of the dip, they double the amount of guacamole.


Another "cheater" ingredient we always have in our freezer: frozen cubes of basil, cilantro, and ginger. I use frozen basil for quickie pesto, salad dressing, and pasta. When we don't have fresh cilantro on hand, I use the frozen variety for salsa, and just about any Mexican, Spanish, or Indian dish. I am obsessive about ginger. I add it to smoothies, muffins, cookies, and cakes.

While fresh-squeezed is best, I keep bottled lemon and lime juice on hand for many drinks and dishes from hummus and salsa to salad dressings and sauces. We enjoy lemon and or lime juice in a variety of mixed drinks as well — gin and tonics, dark n' stormies and of course sangria.

I call these my pizza all-stars. My homemade pizza crust is at its simplest: unbleached bread flour, extra virgin olive oil, active dry yeast, sea salt, and warm water. I sometimes add some whole wheat bread flour, as well.

When our little one was really little I preferred to make homemade baby food. Now I stash jars of organic varieties for use in my muffin making. It began with banana baby food — which I use when making muffins for our son, who cannot stand anything "lumpy" in his foods. Then I started to use carrot baby food to save the time of manually grating carrots for muffins and cakes (now I use the grater attachment on our food processor). From there I just experimented.

I can't help being in love with mango ginger chutney. I love most varieties — both spicy and sweet. It's delicious with Indian food, especially on naan bread, and it's fantastic with a cheese platter. For a real treat, try it on top of goat gouda or brie. 

I love quinoa! Maybe it's mostly because I enjoy saying the word "KEEN-wa." But I do enjoy this high-protein grain as a light yet hearty side dish and also in many types of salads. I especially love using it in salads with red beets since it makes the grain turn a lovely shade of pink.

Oh bacon. I've already dedicated an entire post to as ode to bacon, but of course it tops my list.

Agave nectar and honey are great alternative sources of sweeteners. Not only is honey is a good way to sweeten baked goods (and chai lattes!) — local honey also helps with seasonal allergies. I honestly have not experimented with using agave for too much baking, and I am not ashamed to admit that in our house it is most frequently used in my husband's notorious sangria.

I've already mentioned my love of lattes, but this happy bunch I call my latte all-stars. Dark sumatra is hands-down our favorite roast. And I always have Tazo chai tea — both decaffeinated and full strength — on hand for chai lattes. I also brew decaffeinated chai with plenty of honey when anyone in the house has a sore throat or head cold.

As long as I am mentioning lattes, I should include baking cocoa on my list of favorites. I use it for hot cocoa, mochas and in baking and chocolate frosting. I like that it is slightly bitter and does not have added sweeteners or dairy.

And while I am on the topic of sweet things, I cannot help it, I must have at least a tiny piece of chocolate most days! Generally we prefer the dark variety in our house, but somehow that beautiful triangular bar of nougaty milk chocolate goodness known as Toblerone always makes its way into someone's stocking at Christmas time.

Naughty & nice

I never know what to bring to a party. This year's family Christmas Eve gathering was no exception. On the one hand, I have been obsessively making cupcakes since I bought my new pastry bag kit. On the other hand — like most other people — I have been overindulging this holiday season.

The solution for me was to make little, nearly guilt-free cupcakes and bring a low fat veggie dip with vegetable crudite.

First the cupcakes. Ever since I found naturally dyed red, green and white jellybeans at Trader Joe's I have been wanting to use them for holiday cupcake decoration. Since the jellybeans are flavoured, I didn't want to get too fancy with my cupcakes, so I opted for simple vanilla. I searched online for a low fat, oil-free recipe and sort of winged it. Once I made the vanilla frosting, I thought why not have chocolate as well?

The veggie dip was simple — starting with one of my all-time favourtie ingredients: Fage 0% Greek yogurt. I added spices, lots of seasoning, a grated clove of garlic, and a touch of mayonaise. Then I thawed and squeezed the liquid out of some frozen organic spinach and gently folded it in. I peeled, chopped and arrange a colourful assortment of organic veggies, and my appetizer was done.

Now what to bring to the next party....?

Homemade pretzels - easier than you think

Ever since this month's Food & Wine magazine arrived, I have been craving Bavarian soft pretzels.

To me, the perfect pretzel has a liberally salted golden exterior, is soft on the inside, and is most definitely accompanied by sweet German mustard, bier and weisswurst!

I began making these deliciously doughy treats from scratch several Oktoberfests ago. They are super fun and easy to make with children, and the recipe is often requested.



shaping the pretzels

 I found a basic recipe by searching "bavarian pretzel recipe." The process is simple enough — make a dough, let it rise, then boil, salt and bake.

The real trick is in the shaping of the dough. Begin by rolling into a long thin rope. Gently holding both ends of the rope, cross the ends, twist around twice then pull down to the center to form a pretzel shape.

 

shaped pretzels ready to be boiled and baked

The pretzels are best enjoyed while warm — and with your favourite German bier of choice.

Prost!



A whole latte love



latte = love

 It's no secret that I love my lattes. In our house we have them daily — with homemade muffins, savory omelettes, crepes, pancakes, French toast, as an afternoon pick-me-up, in preparation for a destined-to-be late evening out, and for the ubiquitous "coffee date."

Lattes for me are a labor of love. From the years spent tasting and testing different beans and flavored roasts to the countless number of hand frothers I have tested — and destroyed. Our preference is for freshly ground Dark Sumatra, and I hand froth heated soy milk in one of my husband's beer steins.

extrra special mocha latte


As for flavored coffees, we've found we prefer a flavor shot to a flavored roast. But even flavor shots are tricky, as I am picky about having all-natural flavors with no added corn syrup.

I do love a mocha — I make them with equal parts of dark brewed coffee and hot cocoa. And I find that a simple swirl of chocolate is divine and makes just about any event all the more special, from Christmas morning to a blustery Friday afternoon.

  

Not only are lattes a wonderful accompanient to breakfast muffins, they make an excellent companion for — and excuse to bake —  homemade biscotti. My recipe has no added butter or oil and is made using whole wheat pastry flour. They are wonderfully crispy and perfect for dipping into a latte.

But we are not just coffee snobs in this house. Just today I enjoyed a lovely chai latte — brewed double strength, of course, sweetened with honey and topped with frothy goodness and a dusting of cinnamon.

And of course we are guilty of using after-dinner lattes as a vehicle for liquor. Irish coffee, anyone? Shot of Kahlua? My personal favorite is a decaf mocha latte with orange liquor —  a dusting of nutmeg and freshly-grated orange peel is heaven in a mug.



inspired art by Kindspin Design



Kitchen tips & tricks

Some hopefully helpful tips and tricks to help you save time and eat well!

It's okay to improvise. Following a recipe is sometimes important, but so is taking risks. I've been making oatbran muffins from the same basic recipe for close to 10 years. Over time I learned I could make replacements, using what I had on hand, and the recipe became no fail. The same thing goes for soups, stews, etc. Case in point: tonight I had my heart set on making black bean soup. As I assembled the ingredients I realized our all star was missing. But we did have chickpeas. The result was a deliciously smoky and spicy chickpea soup.

giant pot of tomato sauce

 Freezer bags are your friends. I use them constantly for batch freezing soups, stews, sauces, etc. For items such as canned tomato paste or even ground meat, add the food to the bag then "score it" by folding it into portions. Once frozen you will have a perfectly measured out portion without using multiple bags. When I freeze baked items, such as muffins, I use a drinking straw to suck the air out of the bag then quickly seal it before popping it into the freezer.

Save the end pieces from bread loaves. These make great breadcrumbs. I saved the end piece from each bread loaf we went through for well over a year. I kept them, tightly sealed, in a freezer bag. When we needed breadcrumbs, I simply toasted a frozen end piece then put it in the coffee grinder (we have one we use for spices, etc.) — voila! instant whole grain bread crumbs. Recently, while I was simmering something on the stovetop for hours, I realized I had a little time on my hands. I must have spent over an hour toasting all of the end pieces and grinding them up, but now we have a giant bag of homemade breadcrumbs in the freezer all ready to go.

More is usually less. This is the case in many recipes calling for sauteeing in butter/oil/ghee.
   

turkey tortilla soup

Leftover night is a weekday rockstar. We love leftovers, especially when things can be repurposed — turkey tortilla soup, anyone? Many things simply taste better the second time around. We also find with meals that take all day to roast, simmer or stew it's easier to make 6-8 portions with the intention of freezing meals for a later time. Of course, we usually end up calling friends over for a last-minute feast, but that's just how we roll.

Garlic = goodness. The easiest way to mince garlic cloves? Use a microplane zester, it's super fast and you don't have to dirty a knife. If you don't have a microplane, liberally salt freshly peeled garlic cloves — this keeps the minced garlic from sticking to your knife. A newly learned trick from the chefs — if you don't have time to roast garlic, simmer it on the stovetop immersed in extra virgin olive oil "until it's done." The result is the buttery consistency that is heaven when squished out of its papery skin and onto a crusty bread. Roasted garlic has many other uses, of course!
 

BLT salad

Try new things and experiment with tastes, textures and flavors. I use this philosophy in so many ways in the kitchen — from adding pumpkin or beet puree to pancakes, to using baby food in my homemade muffins, to recently trying spaghetti squash for the first time. I also love this tip when it comes to salads. I have salad for lunch 5-6 days a week and love coming up with new ideas. Salad should not be limited to the ubiquitous garden variety  — tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, etc. Sure that is great seasonally, but I love adding seasonal, local ingredients and fruit to salads, and I love roasted beets with everything from goat cheese to tangerines.

(Almost) everything is better with bacon. Need I say more?

Out of the kitchen - sous chef style

Last night I had the honor of being sous chef to one of my favorite people — a local foodie and former chef.

Our theme was finger foods, so most of the food was basic: cheese, crackers, grapes, crudite. And then there was homemade hummus —  which I am always a huge fan of. The chef's recipe included plenty of roasted garlic and tahini, and it was delicious.

The chefs also made snap peas stuffed with chicken mousse — a laborious project that involved creating a delicately seasoned mousse from poached chicken and garlic chicken sausage, slicing open each snap pea, piping the mousse in and topping each pea with crumbled bacon. Laborious, but totally worth it!

I was charged with slicing and dicing and helping to assemble veggie sushi rolls which were filled with cucumber, carrot, red pepper, sprouts and a touch of wasabi.

The rolls were sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and a tasty chili sauce, served with soy sauce and wasabi.



The food and the benefit party were a rousing success. And I was happy to be a part of it all.

¿Más salsa? ¡Sí, por favor!

I am a salsa fanatic. It's on my top 10 list of things I refuse to buy from a jar. And it's so incredibly simple to make.

My tomato salsa includes canned organic fire-roasted tomatoes; red, yellow or white onions (and/or scallions); fresh cilantro; garlic; lime juice; salt; cumin and secret spices.

In the summer I prefer to use fresh tomatoes and other garden-fresh ingredients which give the salsa a different texture, taste and brightness.

In an effort to use local ingredients, I have made salsa with store-bought mango and organic cucumber, radishes, and cilantro from our CSA.


mango salsa

As much as I love salsa, I am just as fanatical about guacamole. The combination of smashed avocado, onions, garlic, lime juice, cumin and cayenne to me, is the perfect balance of creamy and spicy. I sometimes add black beans to my guacamole — a trick a I borrowed from one of my favorite local foodies.

¡La noche mexicana es muy delicioso!

In this house, we never get enough Mexican food. We make quesadillas with low-fat cheddar cheese. We simmer pork or beef for hours, then shred and saute it with spices. We make black bean chili or spicy chicken tortilla soup and serve it with warmed tortillas or a handful of tortilla chips, guacamole, salsa, and fat-free Greek yogurt. We entertain with build-your-own burritos. And of course we make plenty of sangria and margaritas.

Weeknight dinner fritatta

We're quite possibly a little more into food than most. So, we usually know what's for dinner well ahead of time. There are some nights however, when it's getting late, nothing's been planned for or defrosted, and we don't want a lot of starches or carbohydrates.

Dinner frittata to the rescue.

The beauty of the frittata is that you can throw in most anything. Last week we had chipotle chicken sausages in the freezer and just a bit of salsa left over from a Mexican dinner party.

frittata with chicken chipotle sausages, onions & spinach
topped with homemade salsa

First we thawed out the sausage, removed the skin, and sauteed it with onions and spices. Eggs and egg whites were combined with finely minced cilantro, more spices and a splash of milk. The egg mixture was poured over the sausage and onions, then scattered with cheddar cheese (we prefer Cabot 75% lower fat) and spinach leaves. The frittata was cooked — like an omlette —  until set, then placed under the the broiler to brown the top and melt the cheese completely.

 Delicious. Simple. Healthy. Fast. Perfect for a weeknight dinner.

Anniversary dinner

Today is our anniversary and the kitchen is filled with the heavenly scents of lamb braising away. In our kitchen, food has always played a starring role in any celebration, and tonight is no exception. We are making lamb bordelaise, garlic smashed potatoes, and pan roasted Brussel sprouts.

We started by reducing beef stock then adding red wine, shallots and spices. Bordelaise typically calls for marrow, but since we are braising lamb shoulder steaks on the bone, we have neglected the marrow.

My smashed potatoes are a household favourite. I like my potatoes rustic, so I leave a bit of the skin on while I am peeling. Drop each newly peeled potato into a bowl of cold water — this will keep them from oxidizing and browning. Chop the potatoes roughly, returning the chopped pieces into the water bath to reduce some of the starchiness. Boil the potatoes until fork tender and  strain them well. I like to add one of my secret ingredients: fat free Greek yogurt. It gives the smashed potatoes the tanginess of sour cream, but with more protein and no added fat. I do add a small knob of butter for flavor, a whole grated garlic clove, and plenty of salt and freshly ground pepper.

The Brussel sprouts are basic — boiled with Xs in their stems until tender, then pan sauteed with a little bacon, finely chopped shallots, and seasonings.

It's an anniversary dinner, so of course we're having dessert. I'll be making apple strudel sundaes. Granny Smith apples, chopped dried apricots, and raisins are sauteed in a little butter. Water, brown sugar, walnuts, and spices are added, and the mixture is simmered until the fruit is tender. Then I deglaze the pan with a small amount of maple syrup and serve the mixture on top of low-fat vanilla ice cream.


We plan to toast seven years of marital bliss with a bottle of raspberry Framboise. À l'amour!

The basics of hummus & baba ghanouj

Today, a foodie friend who had recently made hummus for the first time called and asked for some tips. When I make hummus, there really is no true recipe. I go by taste, texture and what I have on hand.

hummus
The basic ingredients for this easy-to-make appetizer are chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, and seasonings. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender — you can even mash them by hand for a more rustic version.

In an effort to boost protein and reduce fat, I often add 2-3 tablespoons of fat free Greek yogurt to my hummus. I've also made various flavors such as:

• cumin & cayenne
• fresh cilantro
• fresh basil or homemade pesto
• roasted or freshly grated garlic

Of course there is store-made hummus with roasted red peppers and a variety of other added vegetables. But personally, I prefer my hummus fairly simple.

baba ghanouj
If you can make hummus, you can just as easily make baba ghanouj. It's pretty much the same as hummus except using roasted eggplant in place of the chickpeas. Simply cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and roast it until fork tender, 30-40 minutes depending on the size of your eggplant.

Hummus and baba ghanouj are typically served with fresh pita bread or pita chips. The store-made variety are fine, but I prefer to make mine at home.

pita chips
If you are using larger pita bread, cut it into triangle "chips." The smaller individual pitas are a good choice as well. Open the pitas along their seams, place them upside down on a baking sheet and coat lightly with olive oil spray. Season lightly with salt pepper (and cumin, optional) and toast at a low temperature for 10-12 minutes or until crisp.

The Tart

I make a swoon-worthy tart from a recipe I found in a magazine years ago. Originally called "Bitter Orange Crustada," in my kitchen it has become simply known as "The Tart." I have been making it for years now, and have created many versions with much success.

The recipe is quite simple. Make shortbread dough. After letting it chill for 30 minutes, cut off 1/3 to save for the lattice. 

Use your fingers to press the remaining dough evenly into a pie plate, then fill the pie with orange marmalade.

Here is where you can get creative — I have made this tart using black raspberry preserves, blueberry preserves, and lingonberry jam. The success really depends on how much sugar you use to make your shortbread — the sweeter the shortbread, the less sweet the filling should be.

Roll out the remaining dough then cut it into strips. Use the strips to create a decorative lattice over your filling. Brush the exposed dough with eggwash and bake it at 375 for about 40 minutes. Serve with French vanilla ice cream and commence swooning.

I like using the leftover scraps of dough to make cookies.

Homemade chicken soup

A pot of chicken soup is simmering on my stovetop as I type. Today I have a cold, and I truly believe there is no better remedy than homemade chicken soup.

I typically begin with a whole chicken, cut into parts, which I cover with water and bring to a gentle simmer. Once the fat rises to the top of the water, skim it off and disgard it. Then add a thinly sliced onion and lots of seasoning: plenty of salt and pepper along with parsley, sage, thyme, dill, rosemary - whatever combination pleases your palate. I also like to add a pinch of tumeric, for colour.

homemade chicken soup & apricot-walnut chicken salad

 I let the chicken, onions and seasonings simmer for about an hour before adding carrots and celery. You may try adding other vegetables such as parsnips, celeriac, leek, etc.

Simmer the soup another 30-60 minutes, then add a whole tomato - let it cook in the broth until it's good and soft, then force it through a fine mesh sieve to extract all of the juices and seeds.

Remove the chicken from the soup and sort through the pieces saving the larger pieces and tossing the bones and gristle. You can add small pieces of chicken back into the pot. This chicken is deliciously seasoned and makes a wonderful chicken salad, too.

Just before serving, add a handful of freshly chopped Italian flat leaf parsely and/or fresh dill.

Black Forest birthday cake

Any excuse to bake a cake is enough of an excuse for me. My husband's birthday is always something extra special. Since he is an October baby, a true beer snob, and a lover of all things German, we host an annual Oktoberfest in his honor.

And what Oktoberfest would be complete without Black Forest cake?

I find there is something extraordinary about making a cake that is at least three layers. This one featured layers of chocolate cake brushed with Kirsch, which is a cherry liquor.

Each layer was covered with whipped cream frosting and topped with mascerated black cherries.

I liked leaving the sides of the cake unfrosted, exposting the rich whipped cream frosting, layers of chocolate and just a few cherries.

The Black Forest cake was a hit this past year - I can hardly wait to bake another for next year's Oktoberfest. Prost!

And now for something different

I love to to try new foods - especially vegetables. Tonight I made spaghetti squash for the first time.

The recipe is simple - halve the squash, scoop out the seeds, put it into a casserole with some water and roast it until the flesh is soft. Then, the best part, you get to rake it with a fork creating strands of "spaghetti."

I served the spaghetti squash topped with homemade tomato sauce, sweet Italian chicken sausage, and some freshly-grated Peccorino Romano.

On the side, I made a salad of roasted beets, oranges and homemade polenta croutons with an orange-garlic-balsamic vinegarette. Delicious, and different.

Pizza porn

pesto with sausage & ricotta

I am hopelessly passionate about making pizza. The smells of yeast rising, tomato sauce simmering, fresh basil, caramelized peppers, garlic, sweet Italian sauage, browning mozzarella.... And the first bite - pure heaven. Add fresh ricotta, and I am swooning.

Needless to say, I've been known to make a few pies every now and then. Enough so that my homemade pizza has created a small, mostly local fanbase. Check it out: Nan's Homemade Pizza

My husband and I have always enjoyed making pizza at home. The process sort of evolved over time. It began with store-bought pizza dough, of which we tried countless varieties. We found Whole Foods' version to be our favorite, but at $2.99 per dough - and with an insatiable need to make things from scratch - I had to wonder how difficult it would be to make my own.

My dough recipe was years in the making. Eventually, I found the easiest way to make it was actually in the food processor. This method produced exactly the type of pizza I was craving - a crust that is thin and crunchy, but still chewy.

Bread flour, yeast, salt, extra virgin olive oil and water are combined in the food processor, then turned out onto a floured surface, briefly kneaded, and put into a bowl to rise and rest.

The sauce is also made from scratch using all organic ingredients. I simmer a simple red sauce for hours, then freeze it in "pie-sized" portions.

To begin, the dough is stretched onto an oil- and cornmeal-coated pan.

First I add the sauce:

Then toppings:

The pizzas are baked almost all the way through before adding the cheese.

spinach, mushroom, caramelized onion & garlic

We have spent countless hours in our kitchen enjoying many varieties of pie with friends and family. Below, a montage of some of our favorites.



adding ricotta to a sausage & pesto pie




pepperoni

 

yellow pepper & basil



roasted mushroom & ricotta



sausage & fresh basil



The first bite is always the best.