Banana Muffins feat. Greek Yogurt

After another not so successful dinner time in Toddlerland, I was racking my brain trying to figure out how to get some protein into this picky little girl.  As I've mentioned before, I was a vegetarian for quite some time, including when I was pregnant, so I know that one can be extremely healthy (maybe more so?) without meat in their diet.  The issue lies in that she doesn't eat any of the other things that I would have, with the exception of lentils from time to time.  I'm sure that amongst my overpriced foils another gray hair has sprouted over this recurring topic. 

Greek yogurt is a lot higher in protein than regular yogurt and I also happen to have a fridge full of it, so I did a quick Google search and within seconds I had inspiration.  I have used the same banana muffin recipe for years from my trusty Muffin Mania book, but I must say, these will replace Old Faithful.  It must be a combo of the extra egg and the yogurt, but these are a lot lighter in texture and I love it!  They also use oil instead of butter and are 2/3 whole wheat flour, so all in all a healthier version of one of our favorites.  I might cut the sugar down to 1/2 cup next time, I will let you know if there is any difference, but I'm confident that they'll still be sweet enough.

Banana Muffins feat. Greek Yogurt

adapted from countrygirlcooks

3 ripe bananas, mashed

2 lg eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt (I use Liberte)

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup white cake/pastry flour

3/4 cup white sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional) I like Camino Bittersweet

In large mixing bowl, mash bananas with fork and beat in the oil, eggs, yogurt, sugar and vanilla until well combined. You could do that part in a stand mixer, but I'd recommend doing the rest of the mixing by hand.  Mix in the flours, soda and salt and mix until just blended and no flour remains.  Fold in the chocolate chips now if using.  Spoon into 12 prepared cupcake tins and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes (my oven is a tad slow and takes the full 25).

Easter Pie-stravaganza Part Three: Chocolate Almond Cookie

Pie number three... AKA the pie that almost never was.

I decided to make yet another pie while I was out walking the trail that runs behind our house last Sunday.  I do my best thinking out in the fresh air, and it also builds an appetite.  We were going to be heading out the door in three hours, should I really be making another pie?  "Yes", my stomach answered loudly!

Because time was an issue, I used the other pie crust recipe in my arsenal, a no-roll pie crust.  I use this quickie mainly when I make quiche, but it is perfect is a super sweet pie such as this one.  I prepped the crust and the filling, popped it in the oven and within minutes SMOKE!  I had used an 8" tin pie plate which was a bit too small for the job and when the filling started to melt down it overflowed.  Like a chocolate chip volcano, buttery lava flowed all over the racks and the bottom of the oven.  Frig.  I threw a baking sheet lined with parchment on the bottom rack (note to self, do this first next time) and about 10 minutes later I had some tasty cookie lava to munch on.  I decided to let the pie finish cooking, but was pretty sure it was a goner.

It looked like a giant cookie when it came out of the oven, not a trace of pastry to be seen.  It smelled delicious however, so it got wrapped in foil and taken for the trip to dinner anyway.  It was still so good, actually it was Hubby's favorite of the three (he is a major Chocoholic).  This pie tastes like a big, chewy chocolate chip cookie and I've made it with almonds, walnuts and pecans with success.  None of them were that pretty mind you, but they were all uber tasty!

Chocolate Almond Cookie Pie

Adapted from Have Fork Will Eat

1 9″ pie crust (I used my no-roll crust, see below)

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar (lightly packed)

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

1/2 cup ground almonds 

1/2 bag (about 1 cup) bittersweet chocolate chips (I used Camino 71% Bittersweet)

1/2 cup cake/pastry flour

1/4 cup raw almonds, chopped or whole

In mixing bowl, beat butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla with fork until well blended.  Add in ground nuts and flour and mix until well incorporated, but do not overbeat.  Fold in chocolate chips and extra nuts (I first tried putting extra nuts on top, but they just got swallowed by the pie when it baked).  Scrape mixture into unbaked pie shell and bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees, or until a nice crust has formed on the top.  Let cool for at for at least 3 hours so it can set up enough.  This pie is great warm or fully cooled, alone or with whipped cream (a caramel drizzle on the plate? OMGood!)

My No-Roll Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups pastry/cake flour

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar (omit for savory pies)

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil

2 tbsp milk

Mix flour, salt and sugar with fork right in the pie plate.  Make a well in center and add the oil and milk and mix with fork until dry ingredients are all coated, it will look like small marbles.  Press dough by hand up sides and along bottom of plate.  If blind baking to be filled after cooking, prick all over with a fork and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.   

Wordless Wednesday - Easter Fun

Easter Pie-stravaganza Part Two: Dutch Apple

The hectic weekend along with this annoying cold virus that hit each one of us this past week is taking its toll on me.  *Yawn!*  Even looking at pictures of all the pies I made for Sunday is making me tired...and hungry!

I love Dutch Apple Pie.  I love it's blend of pastry, soft cinnamon-spiked apples and buttery crumble topping.  Mmm squared!  I grew up in the Annapolis Valley, so I think I am morally (and legally?) required to have a few apple recipes up my sleeve.  I am also terribly allergic to apple blossoms...totally unrelated but I find it amusing now that I no longer live there.

My Dutch Apple Pie

1 9" pie crust (unbaked) I used my French Butter Pastry.
7 cups thinly sliced peeled and cored apples (I prefer Gravenstein or McIntosh for almost everything, and this pie was made with local Valley Macs)
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp flour

Crumble Topping:

1 cup flour
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Method:

Toss the sliced apples in a large bowl with the sugar, flour and cinnamon, and then pile them into your unbaked pie crust.  Some people (maybe you too) will dot the pie with a tbsp or two of butter at this point, but I always forget and now just resign to leaving it out.

Blend the topping ingredients together with a pastry cutter until it is crumbly and the butter is well distributed.

Spoon it over the pie and press down very lightly, just to nudge it into the apple-y nooks and crannies.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and continue cooking for 45 additional minutes (1 hour in total).

Enjoy warm or cold, alone or with ice cream, whipped cream or a slice of old cheddar, tea or coffee.  Just enjoy!

Up next:  Chocolate Almond Cookie Pie!!  A pie trifecta.

Easter Pie-stravaganza Part One: Lemon Meringue

Here we are on the last day of our long Easter weekend, and it has been a great one so far. We had our family holiday to-do this year at one of my sisters' houses, and I was given my favorite task: dessert.

As always, I turn 'dessert' into 'desserts', mainly because I have too many recipes bookmarked that I want to try, but also partially because I just can't make up my mind.  After a few days of humming and hawing, I decided to go with pie.  One pie turned into two, then a few hours before we were going to head out the door, two turned into three.

Three pies for eight adults and a toddler...sounds about right ;)

I've only been making pies from scratch for a few years, and just recently, thanks to lots of  Play Doh hours being logged, figured out how to crimp the crust so it didn't look like a mangled mess.  I use two recipes for pie crust, one is a French crust (a Pate Brisee), the other an oil-based no-roll crust.  I used the all-butter French pastry for this pie.

This was my first totally from scratch lemon pie (growing up I thought homemade consisted of the little blue box of filling mix) and it was everything I wanted and more.  It had a great natural yellow color, and a great mix of sweet and tart from actual lemons, who'd a thunk it!  I read through a lot of recipes, both online and in my cookbooks before finding the right mix of ingredients that I also had on hand in proportions I thought I would like the best.

Lets start with the pie crust, as you will need to have this baked and cooled before making the luscious lemon filling...

My French Butter Pastry
(enough for one 9 to 10" pie shell)

1 1/2 cups flour (all-purpose or pastry)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar (I leave this out of a savory pie)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, well chilled and cut into 8 pieces
6 tbsp ice water

In food processor, add dry ingredients and pulse once or twice to combine.  Add butter and pulse just a few times until you get pea-sized pieces of butter.

Add the ice water, 1 tbsp at a time, pulsing once in between each addition.  Pulse a few extra times at the end until you get a small pebble-like grain as shown in the picture below.

Empty this mixture out on to a piece of plastic wrap (it will be very loose) and draw the ends of the plastic wrap together to bring the dough into a ball.

Unlike most recipes for Pate Brisee, I leave the dough as is, like this, on the counter for 30 minutes to rest.  Then I roll it out and line the pie plate.  Then I put it in the freezer for a few minutes if baking empty for a pie like this one or while I'm prepping ingredients for the filling of a baked pie.  I pressed tin foil into the shell, weighted it down with some rice and blind baked the crust at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.  I then took the foil and rice out, reduced the heat to 375 and continued to bake for another 10 minutes.

Now that you have your crust baked and cooled, lets tackle the filling...

My Lemon Pie Filling

1 1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup lemon juice (juice of 2 lemons)
1 cup boiling water
5 well beaten egg yolks (save the 5 whites for the meringue)
3 tbsp unsalted butter, diced
2 tbsp grated lemon zest

Mix the sugar, cornstarch, salt together in medium saucepan (not on heat yet, but turn your burner on medium high to heat up).  Add the lemon juice and cold water and whisk until well blended.  Whisk in the egg yolks and then the boiling water, putting the pot on the heat at this point.  Continue stirring until the filling comes to a boil and then lower the heat to medium and continue cooking for a minute or so until it gets nice and thick.  Remove from heat, whisk in butter bits and lemon zest and pour into pie shell.

Now, it's meringue time!

My Meringue

5 egg whites at room temperature
1 pinch cream of tartar
3 tbsp white sugar
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

In (hopefully) your KitchenAid mixer, beat the 5 egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar using the whisk attachment until soft peaks form.  Add 3 tbsp of sugar and 1 tbsp vanilla and continue whipping at highest speed until stiff peaks form.  Spoon meringue on pie and spread it over to the crust, making sure to make contact with the crust, otherwise your meringue will shrink (gasp...shrinkage!).  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until as golden as you would like.

Stay tuned for Easter Pie-stravaganza Part Two:  Dutch Apple :)

Until then, enjoy!

BFTP: English Muffins for Easter Brunch

BFTP = Blast from the past :)

With the long Easter weekend soon upon us, I wanted to share a recipe, but at the same time did not want to be too predictable with my selection.  Lemon pies, chocolate haystack nests filled with Cadbury Mini Eggs and coconutty bunny cakes abound, so...

I chose English Muffins :)  

I think some delicious Eggs Benny with ham or asparagus (or both) would be a perfect holiday brunch and although these little munchkins are tasty enough on their own, anything is better smothered in hollandaise!

Truthfully, I have only made these the once so far, but I know that I am ready to do it again.  I'm not too patient when it comes to breakfast (or anything else for that matter), I like it ASAP when I get up, so another reason why these are a perfect brunch food.  I followed this recipe from The Fresh Loaf and made no changes or tweaks and got excellent results.

 

Regardless of your personal beliefs, I hope that you are able to enjoy your family and friends this holiday weekend, and remember to always cook with love for the ones you love. With that, I am off to spend some time with my family and tend to a snuffly little girl.  See you all next week :)

Wordless Wednesday - Waiting (Impatiently) for Summer

Peanut Butter Buttercream

Chocolate and peanut butter, there are only a few who aren't totally woo'd by this perfect match of sweet and salty.  I first made this icing for our Brother-in-law's birthday cake.  It was a peanut butter lover's fantasy... chocolate layers filled with the pb buttercream and chopped mini peanut butter cups and the top and bottom were covered with even more chopped mini pb cups and also some bite size cups.  I scored major points with this cake ;)  I think this would make a killer frosting for some strawberry cupcakes... PB&J anyone?  Or maybe Elvis-style with a banana cupcake, pb frosting and crumbled bacon on top?  Let me know!

 

My Peanut Butter Buttercream

Adapted from Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing

2.5 cups icing sugar, sifted

2 cups creamy peanut butter (sorry, natural will not work)

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup whipping cream

Beat all together in stand mixer for 4-5 minutes or until light and fluffy.  If not using stand mixer, use hand mixer, but I'd let it do a minute or so longer.  It is a softer buttercream, so depending on how you are going to use it, you may wish to add a bit more icing sugar during the process.

This makes a huge batch of frosting, and you will have enough to generously cover two 9" layers but also enough left over for another 8" cake or a dozen cupcakes at least.  Of course, it's also a great dip for anything chocolate, mwahahaha.  Evil.

Meatless Monday - Mujaddara

I was a happy lacto-ovo vegetarian for almost 7 years until last summer, so there are still a lot of meatless meals happening in our house.  Funny enough, this is one of the meals that Miss Picky will usually gobble right up (usually, as nothing is an absolute yes).  Coincidentally, a few of the meals I could tolerate eating when pregnant were Lebanese as well, it's a wonder a didn't turn into a falafel.  I really do think there is something to a child's tastes leaning to how their mother ate while she was pregnant.  I just wish now more than ever that I had been able to eat normally when I was carrying her.  You never saw a new mother as elated as I was when she was born, partially because I was no longer nauseous :) 

Mujaddara is a Lebanese rice and lentils dish.  My version is very simple and uses brown rice for added fibre and nutrients.  The flavour of the onions and the onion-infused oil are what take this meal from ordinary to Mmm!

My Rice & Lentils
1 cup uncooked medium grain brown rice, rinsed
1/2 cup uncooked brown lentils, rinsed
1 cube low sodium vegetable stock
2 3/4 cup water
2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
S&P to taste

In large pot, mix the rice, lentils, water and veggie cube (or substitute for vegetable broth).  Bring to a boil, reduce to low, cover and cook 35 to 45 minutes, or until the rice is tender.  While the rice and lentils are cooking, cook the onions in the olive oil in a large skillet for same length of time, letting them caramelize (even start to blacken a bit is not a bad thing).  When the rice is done and the onions are well browned, add the onions and any remaining oil to the rice pot and stir to mix.

I like to serve this with a dollop of Greek yogurt on the top, which ups the protein power of this dish even more.

Let's make Coq au Vin (or Coq auMG!)

I think that the classic slow-cooked foods are the absolute best!  Why we all don't eat them more often, I'll never know.  I challenge you to name one item on a fast food menu that has one tenth of the flavor of the dish like this.

Coq au Vin is one of the meals that can literally make me tear up when I take the first bite, the depth of flavor is just beyond words.  I know that to me at least, it sounded like one of those meals that was just too complicated to make for everyday.  After doing some cookbook and online investigation however, I found out that it is actually so very simple and because it actually tastes better the next day, you can do a lot of prep work and cooking ahead of time, making it a fantastic meal for guests (very happy ones).

 

It appears that there are as many versions of Coq au Vin as there are cooks.  While I can by no means vouch for any aspects of authenticity in my version, I will strongly recommend that you give it a try.  I like to serve it with buttered noodles or just plain mashed potatoes and a green salad.  Make sure to have extra baguette to wipe up all the delicious sauce, you won't want any to be wasted.

My Coq au Vin (or Coq auMG!)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp unsalted butter

salt and pepper

8 to 10 pieces of chicken, fairly uniform in size, I prefer dark meat for this dish. (Skin on, bone in)

1/2 onion, minced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced in thin slices

2 slices of pancetta or bacon, chopped in about 3/4 inch pieces

4 tbsp flour

2 cloves chopped garlic

1 bottle of dry red wine (I use Cabernet Sauvignon, but a Pinot Noir or Cote du Rhone would also work very well)

5 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

Dry chicken parts well and season with s&p.  In a dutch oven bring the oil and butter up to temperature on a bit higher than medium heat.  Brown chicken in small batches, making sure that each piece gets well browned on all sides.  When each batch is a nice, rich golden brown, remove chicken to a plate and set aside. 

In the same pot, add the onions and carrots,  and sautee for about 4 minutes (not looking for any browning here really).  Add the bacon or pancetta and cook for an extra few minutes.  Add the garlic and sautee another minute or so.  Finally, stir in the flour and continue cooking for another couple of minutes. 

Add a small amount of the wine to the pot while stirring, this is starting your sauce, then add the rest of the bottle of wine.  At this point, you'll have a lovely bright purple sauce, but don't worry, that'll change :)  Add the herbs and bring to a simmer.  Add the chicken back to the pot and let simmer, covered, for about an hour on low heat, testing for s&p at the end.  Now, add the browned pearl onions and mushrooms (see below).  If you found the sauce to be too thick for your liking, you could add some low sodium chicken stock to thin it.  Conversely, if you find it too thin, remove chicken at the end of an hour and raise heat and let the sauce reduce until desired consistency, then add back the chicken, mushrooms and onions.

Browned Mushrooms and Onions

2 cups fresh pearl onions, blanched and peeled (see note)

3 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tsp white sugar

10 ounces white mushrooms, wiped clean, stems trimmed, sliced into thirds

2 tbsp minced fresh parsley 

salt to taste

While the Coq au Vin cooks (or is reheating), bring pearl onions, butter and sugar and 1/2 cup of water to a boil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Reduce heat and cook, covered until onions are tender (about 10 minutes, depending on size).  Uncover, bring heat back up to medium high and cook until all liquid evaporates.  Add mushrooms and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until both are browned and glazed (10-15 minutes).  Remove from heat and set aside.

If making ahead, adding the mushrooms and onions upon reheating is best, but really...it's all good :)

Note on blanching onions:  Drop the pearl onions into a pot of boiling water for one minute.  Strain onions and put into ice water bath.  The peelings should now easily come off for you.  A la Julia Child, I also make a small x in the root end of the onion with a paring knife to prevent them from bursting or opening up upon cooking.

What I have in common with a grilled cheese...

I refuse to let go of National Grilled Cheese Month.  Some say it was just a day, but I go big or stay home.  April is the Grilled Cheese's time to shine, so shine on my crispy friend :)

Today's homage saw old cheddar, basil pesto and tomato in a cheese and onion sourdough.  It was pretty darn good if I do say so myself.

Now, what could I possibly have in common with a grilled cheese sandwich?  Well three years ago, April was my time to shine too.  It was in April of 2008 that the newstands and grocery checkouts throughout Canada and the US (and beyond?) had my Photoshop-enhanced smile gracing their shelves.

Yep, that's me :)

To make a not-very long story even shorter, I got the opportunity to fly to NYC to do this photo shoot for Woman's World magazine through the SparkPeople PR team.  SparkPeople is the health/fitness/weight loss website that I used to lose 111 pounds back in 2006.  I am still using the site to finally get rid of the rest of this baby weight (umm...she'll be two next month, so it's about time) and return to my cover girl spendour, minus those extra teeth.  I have fifteen pounds to go, and I'll enjoy every meal of it.  That is what getting healthy and losing weight taught me, to eat well.  As you can see by the posts I've already made, I'm not going to preach and jam salad down your throat everyday.  Moderation is the key in EVERYTHING in life.  I recommend SparkPeople to anyone who is looking for some help getting control of their lives, and it is free.

So while my fifteen minutes of fame has come and gone, may we celebrate National Grilled Cheese Month forever!

BFTP: Baileys Chocolate Cheesecake

BFTP:  Blast from the past :)

This was the first cheesecake I ever made, and was certainly not the last.  I grew up on the 'no bake cheesecake', which while it can be tasty, is not reallllllllly cheesecake (especially not with canned pie filling thrown on top...okay food snobbery over).  I made this cheesecake as a birthday present for a former co-worker, and it gave me all the cheesecake-making confidence in the world!

Like most of the things in my life, good or bad, I tend to analyze the sh!t out of them.  I must have read half of the articles and reviews of cheesecake on the web before deciding this recipe from Allrecipes and the methods I would use to make it.  The only adaptation I made to the recipe was to up the Baileys to 1/2 cup (duh, I'll always up the booze).

"If it ain't broke don't fix it", is my motto with cheesecake making, and probably mostly out of superstition I have followed the same routine when it comes to the actual baking of them, which I will share with you :)

The Heather Method of Cheesecake Baking

1. I always put parchment paper over the bottom of the springform pan before snapping it together (hanging outside of the edges).  This is because of my fear of the crust sticking to the base of the pan and ugly slices :)
2. I always wrap the whole outside of the pan in foil to help insulate the sides so that they do not overbake.  
3. I always put a pan of water on the lowest rack of the oven instead of putting the pan itself in a water bath.  This adds the moisture to the oven without the fear of leakage (More fear! I have cheesecake issues!).  
4. Last but not least, I always leave the cheesecake in the oven when it is finished with the door cracked until it has completely cooled.  
5. Then, and only then, I put it in the fridge.  

 

Look Ma!  No cracks!  Okay, you might see a couple bubbles, but it was pretty good for my first attempt!

I might not need to do any of these steps to make a delicious, beautiful cheesecake, but for a couple minutes of work, I'm not going to chance it :)  I've made many, many cheesecakes since this one, but it still holds a special place in my heart as it was my first.

Wordless Wednesday - Wild Ginger

Memories of Manhattan - Wild Ginger Vegetarian Kitchen, 380 Broome St
http://wildgingeronline.com/

Mango Soy Protein from Wild Ginger (2008)
http://wildgingeronline.com/

Whole Wheat Molasses Bran Muffins

These muffins are loosely based on the recipe of the top of the green Quaker Natural Wheat Bran box, but use whole wheat flour, less sugar and no icky trans fat laden shortening.  The added hints of pumpkin and ginger make them so good and the pumpkin keeps them moist.  They are toddler-approved even, which makes them even better!

My Whole Wheat Molasses Bran Muffins

1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 cup molasses
2 eggs
6 tbsp pumpkin puree *see note
1 cup milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 cups natural wheat bran
1/2 cup golden raisins (or chocolate chips if you are feeling frisky)

In a large mixing bowl combine bran, milk and raisins and let rest while prepping other ingredients.  Mix brown sugar, oil and molasses (best in this order so that you can use the same measure...the molasses just slides out of the measuring cup when done after the oil) together and then beat in eggs, one at a time and then mix in the pumpkin puree.  Scrape this mixture into the larger bowl with the bran mixture and stir.  Add dry ingredients and mix by hand until just combined.  Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes (14-15 for mini muffins) at 400 degrees.

Makes 12 medium/large muffins and 12 mini muffins or any combo thereof :)

* I always freeze my pumpkin puree (fresh or canned) in 6 tbsp servings because I make pumpkin pancakes a lot and my recipe uses that much.  So that is why you'll see 6 tbsp of pumpkin or multiples of 6 in my recipes :)

BFTP: Greek Fava Bean, Eggplant and Olive Stew

BFTP =  Blast from the past :)

Happy rainy Monday everyone.

I roasted a turkey yesterday, which means that there will be a LOT of turkey meals in our house this week, all of which will be delicious, but none of which while be overly exciting.   I also wanted to share a recipe that isn't baking, although a nice loaf of fresh crusty bread goes swimmingly with this dish, hint hint.

I first made this great stew back in 2008 when I stumbled upon the Mediterrasian website.  I have since enjoyed many of their recipes, including the Soupe au Pistou which I have already shared with you.  I'll let you link to their website for the recipe as I made absolutely no changes and followed their recipe as written, serving it with a loaf of whole wheat sourdough from Julien's.

A note on feta:  I love feta cheese, love love love.  My favorite brand is Holmestead, which luckily is a local company.  Coincidentally my mother-in-law is good friends with the owners and I got to have a tour one day to see how my favorite cheese was made (and some of the best Baklava I have ever eaten, thanks Susan!)  I believe they still have a small outlet right at their farm in the Valley that sells both their product and some excellent imported Greek items...worth checking out if you are in the area.

Whole Wheat Orange Cranberry Loaf

Wow!  What a beautiful Sunday we had here in Halifax.  Real 'Spring' must be coming soon, PLEASE let it be coming soon.  The day just flies by when we can get out for leisurely walks, park trips, or just puttering around the backyard.

We got Boo's new sand and water table set up today.  It was an early Easter gift from her grandparents and probably the best gift ever for her.  She just loves shoveling the sand into her little animal cups and when it's warm enough to put water in the other side, she is going to be beside herself :)

The weather forecast for the rest of the week looks less than lovely, so I decided to put off my weekly baking and enjoy this beautiful day as much as I could.  This delicious loaf is one that I made last weekend and will be making again this week.  Truthfully, I adore lemon loaf more than anything, but this is a pretty good alternative, especially with it's Cointreau-spiked glaze.

My Whole Wheat Orange Cranberry Loaf

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp grated orange zest (zest of one medium orange)
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (LOCAL!)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup orange juice (juice of 1 1/2 oranges, topped up with water, milk or almond/soy milk to 3/4 cup)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Grease and flour and 9x5" loaf pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream butter and sugar together well.  Add egg and continue to beat another minute or so.  Add in juice and vanilla and mix until well combined.  Combine remaining dry ingredients (except cranberries) and mix in by hand until just moistened, adding in cranberries at the very end.  Scrape into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour.

While loaf is baking, prepare glaze:

Juice of half an orange (1/4 cup ish)
2 tbsp white sugar
1 tsp Cointreau (optional, but Mmm!)

Mix together juice and sugar and heat in small saucepan until sugar dissolves, remove from heat and add Cointreau.  (I normally throw the sugar and juice in the microwave for 30-60 seconds instead).

When loaf is done, immediately poke a few holes in the hot loaf with a toothpick or wooden skewer and spoon glaze over the loaf, allowing it to sink in.

This loaf really really needs to rest.  Please let it cool and wrap it up airtight and let it rest for at least 24 hours before slicing, it gets better over time.

Perfect Pizza!

This is totally just a bragging post, but OMG I made the best pizza tonight with my Just Pizza Dough and last week's Kicky Maple Pizza Sauce.  The amount of sauce was just perfect, the toppings were simple and perfect; mild Genoa salami and green olives stuffed with pimento.  I got the cheeses spot on, and used a mix of shredded mozzarella and shredded Canadian baby parmesan.  This made a nice large 14" thick crust pizza, half of which is already in the freezer for later in the week to stop me from eating it :)

I feel like the Queen of the pizza world!

Have a great weekend everyone :)

BFTP: Six Mushroom Lasagna

BFTP = Blast from the past :)

I first made this lasagna back in the summer of 2008 after being inspired by a delicious piece of Mushroom Lasagna that I had eaten earlier that week from the Italian Market on Young St.  It's almost time for a remake, so I thought I would share my oh-so-dreamy version (not recipe as you will see it is a 'bit of this' and a 'splash of that', like most of my cooking).

The six mushrooms were Cremini, Portobella, Porcini, Chanterelle, Oyster and Shitake.  I used fresh Cremini and Portabellas and the rest were re-hydrated from dry form.  In a large pot, I sauteed up a large minced shallot along with about two pounds of assorted roughly chopped mushrooms.

A pot full of mushrooms turns into not so many after simmering in a bath of butter, extra virgin olive oil and white wine.  I cooked the mushrooms down quite a bit, added some herbs de Provence, some extra sage (I used dried in this case, but fresh would have been oh so yummy), salt and pepper.  I fed them some some extra wine and a splash of vegetable broth until they looked like they were having just the right amount of fun.

Right before I was ready to build the lasagna, I added about a pint (yikes) of heavy cream and a bit of freshly grated Parmigiana Reggiano.  I put together the lasagna using layers of nice flat lasagna sheets (dry, but softened in water for about 30 minutes... I never precook my lasagna noodles), the mushroom cream, shredded mozza and more Parm, as well as a layer of Ricotta, which I had mixed with a beated egg, Parm, and some grated Nutmeg.

This lasagna is definitely a main meal, but believe it or not the others also paired it with a grilled NY Striploin.  I was still vegetarian at the time but trust me, there is nothing lacking in this dish as is :)  This is probably one of the most flavorful Italian-inspired meals that I have ever made.

Enjoy!

Picky, picky, picky!

Who knew that one of the most trying moments of being a Mommy would include a cheese sandwich?  Well, today it did.

Having a picky 22 month old daughter is quickly wearing on me.  The few foods she'll actually eat aren't very unhealthy, which is a good thing, but they are so limited and sporadic.  She likes yogurt, Laughing Cow cheese, applesauce, rice, couscous, lentils, fresh smoothies, whole wheat bread and peanut butter.  She also likes almost all baked goods of course, but there is currently a Mommy embargo on those.  Meat is a no go except for maybe some tuna every other week, and vegetables?  Well, she used to like them, but now it's down to grated carrot in her grilled cheese and jarred baby food sweet potatoes and butternut squash occasionally.  I will make them myself for her, but no way Jose.

Looking at the list that I just wrote, it doesn't look that limited, but I just want to be able to cook a meal that doesn't have to include rice or couscous (and I would love to not have to pick a thousand pieces of each off of the floor each night), and not have to make a second meal, or put up with a freak-out.

Lunch today almost broke me.  We had just gotten back from a playtime so I went easy with Laughing Cow on bread and applesauce, normally a winner.  Well the applesauce became finger paint and the sandwich became the focus of a mega-meltdown.  It's happened before, more than once.  Today it really tripped a switch inside me.  Changes are needed...NOW.

I've said this literally one hundred times before but today has got to be the day I stick with it.  No more giving in to Little Miss Picky Pants.  There will be healthy choices for breakfast (which is the only meal that isn't a struggle lately, thank goodness), lunch and dinner and if she chooses not to eat it...well, there will be nights when she probably goes to bed hungry.  Even writing those words kills me.

I've read over and over that this is what you have to do.  Friends and family tell me this is what I need to do.  I know that it is the right thing to do.  I would never purposely give her a food that I know she dislikes on a regular basis, but something has got to give.  I keep hoping that it will be like when we initiated bedtime when she was an infant... that it will be a hard few days and then 'voila', she will at least try something that is put in front of her and who knows, maybe even like it.

Please let me find the strength to follow through with this.  Oy!

Boo tried Pizza in January.  It looks like she likes it right?  She never ate it again.

Ooey Gooey Grilled Cheese

When I read that April was Grilled Cheese Month, I suddenly got very giddy and happy.  Not only was I justified in indulging in one of my favorite comfort foods, it was being encouraged!  With a picky almost 2 year old in the house, grilled cheese also has a special place in my heart because it is a meal that we all love, and those meals are few and far, far, far between.

I'm actually making a list of the different combinations I want to make to celebrate this very special month, from the everyday Grilled Cheese to the more la di da fancy pants sammiches :)  I've so far seen a French Onion version and a dessert version that are tempting me.

I started off slow today with a pretty basic model, but it was soooooooo good!  I had to go to the Superstore this morning, so I picked up a loaf of their baked in store roasted garlic loaf and filled it with garden vegetable havarti, buttered both sides and grilled it in a frying pan.  I don't have a panini grill, but I love making grilled cheese in the Foreman grill too.

Happy Grilled Cheese Month!

Me day!

The cook was not inspired today, so it was the day I dreamed of yesterday; the one where I could take the time to fiddle with my blog settings.  Hooray for getting a job done quickly!

No real post today, but I will include a picture of some cute cookies I made a couple of years back.  They are sugar cookies covered in rolled fondant, which is much easier (for me anyway) than royal icing. I made the scales using a straw that I cut in half and the fins with a wooden skewer...fun!

Fun and Chocolate Buttercream

I have really been having fun doing this blog :) I was getting into a bit of an at-home mom rut, and needed something to do that was just for me. Since recreational shopping is out since converting into a one income family, this is a fantastic substitute!

I haven't used blogger for years and like fiddling with all the gadgets and getting things set up just so. When I get time, so like in a few years, I need to work on a personalized title banner and all those little (big) things to make this place feel like home. It feels like my new little office, I wish my last desk had a La-Z-Boy ;)

It seems like I'm really baking-centered, but I swear I do cook too! It seems like baking lends itself better to pretty pictures and also just that the fact that at least some of it can stick around for a day or two until I can get the camera out. I really am totally a newbie with photography too, so if you ever want to leave any tips or constructive criticism that can help me out, it is more than welcome. I got my dSLR (Canon) when Boo was 11 months old, so I haven't had much time to practice. I took one of the 6 week classes at Carsand Mosher right after I bought it, and it was really helpful, but practice is really the most important part of photography. Most of the BFTP (Blast from the past) photos are taken with my old P&S in a dark apartment.

As promised, here is my recipe for super rich Chocolate Buttercream, which as you can see is excellent for piping on everyone's favorite these days...cupcakes!

My Chocolate Buttercream

1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 2/3 cups sifted icing sugar
1/3 cup cream (coffee, blend or whipping, or if you have to, just milk)
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup sifted cocoa powder

Cream butter well (the KitchenAid is great for making icings like this, but if you don't have one, use electric hand mixer).  Mix in cocoa, salt and vanilla until cocoa is mixed in thoroughly.  Beat in icing sugar alternately with cream and continue beating until it comes together how you like it.  I normally let it go for 3 or 4 minutes.

Makes about 2 cups.

Sangster's Jamaica Rum Cream Ice Cream

I warned you that I was going to go here.  I didn't know it would be this quickly, but the thought of this ice cream was almost keeping me up at night.  I used to be a Baileys girl, until my sister told me about Sangster's and I bought a bottle.  Bye bye Baileys.  This stuff is so tasty that a cracked bottle is as good as gone in this house.  Hubby and I have been having our weight loss competition since January 1st and I had gotten a bottle of Sangster's for Christmas and it had been sitting unopened in our fridge since then.  That just wasn't right; it might be one of the saddest things I have ever heard.

This ice cream was an OMGSuccess!  I love that because of the alcohol content that it didn't ripen rock hard in the freezer.  It's scoopable and will keep it's shape, but is just on the verge of melting in your mouth as soon as it touches your tongue.  It is a Philadelphia-style ice cream, meaning it's easy peasy and has no eggs.

My Sangster's Jamaica Rum Cream Ice Cream

2 cups heavy (whipping) cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup Sangster's Jamaica Rum Cream

Dissolve the sugar and salt in a medium saucepan over low/medium heat with half of the heavy cream.  Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients.  Chill overnight and make as per your ice cream maker's instructions.  Make sure to give it at least 4 to 6 hours to ripen, and like it mentioned above, it won't get rock hard because of the boozy goodness.

I like to store my ice creams in a shallow 1.9L Pyrex covered container, and I put plastic wrap right on top of the ice cream itself, keeping the air off of it's surface :)

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!