I eat therefore I train

Go To Meal - Marinated Baked Tofu

2010-04-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

Non-vegetarians may quail or hide at the mere mention of tofu but as a recovering vegetarian it's still a part of my diet for one very big reason - it's so damn easy!

It's easy to store - an unopened package will last in your fridge for well over a week so you can buy it in advance.
It's easy to cook - throw in the holy trinity of SE Asian cooking (soy sauce, sesame oil and ginger) and you have some seriously tasty potential whether you bake, stir fry or marinate it. The stuff is a sponge for flavour, the trick is to rinse it well to get rid of the "beany" taste then press it to remove the water prior to cooking with it.

One of the simplest recipes I make is marinated tofu. It's easy to prepare and gives me enough left overs for two or three lunches. It's my go-to meal for busy weeks, I always have the marinade ingredients and uncooked rice on hand so all I need is a brick of tofu and some sort of veggie for a complete meal.

The recipe as per the cook book is as follows, my variations are at the end.

2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tsp grated fresh ginger
1 Package of tofu (~375g)

Slice tofu into approx 1/4 inch slices then press to remove water. Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil and ginger in a small bowl.

Place the pressed tofu in a flat bottomed glass or ceramic baking dish and pour the marinade over it. Let sit for 30-45 minutes, turning the tofu slices at least once.

Preheat the oven to 375. Cook the tofu for 20 minutes, turning after 10.

Serve on rice, brown is best.

My variations:
I usually double the marinade, use 3/4 for the tofu and the rest on steamed broccoli, carrots or other veggies to accompany the meal.
I love ginger so usually put in at least three times as much.
Sprinkle sesame seeds on the tofu prior to cooking - they're healthy (iron and calcium) and they'll roast a bit while the tofu cooks, adding more flavour.
A minced/pressed clove of garlic is a tasty addition.
Throw in some green onion bulbs in the dish with the tofu - they're yummy roasted.

Mr. Picklepuss

2010-03-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted in a while. And I have lots to post (just no photos to go along with the post since things seem to get consumed really quickly once they are made). I've had a few projects. One of which is a sourdough starter which has been dubbed Mr. Picklepuss. He lives in a recycled mason jar. He's about a week old now so is ready to be tested out for bread.

To make a Mr. P of your own it's dead easy. All you need is 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of tepid water. That's it. Combine them in a jar or other non metallic container. I used a bit of cheese cloth and an elastic to keep him covered. It needs some air circulation so punching small holes in the lid or using a bit of (clean) old cloth will work too. I would dampen the cloth before covering the mouth of the jar. Then you leave it somewhere fairly warm like on the mantel about the gas fireplace like me or in your kitchen if that's a fairly warm place.

When they start out your starter is pretty high maintenance - it needs to be fed everyday for the first week or so. To do that you dump about half of the old mixture and add about half a cup of flour and a bit of water to make a thick liquidity mixture. In a few days it'll start to smell sour and be a bit bubbly. This is good.

After that week it's good to go. You can store it in the fridge and feed it once a week.

I'll see how my bread turns out when I make it in the next few days and let you know how to use the starter.

Roast Leek

2010-02-08T18:35:00.001-08:00

Roasted veggies make me happy! I'm cranky today so I'm pulling out the big guns and roasting a leek.

Roasted Leek
Rinse the leek thoroughly and ensure you've removed dirt from all crevices then pat dry.
Place on a foiled baking sheet and brush with olive oil.
Roast in a 400F oven for 15 minutes, turn and roast for another 15.
Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with salt.
Enjoy!

Goulash with Spätzle

2010-01-10T18:56:00.000-08:00

I was talking about making this on the other blog and thought while I was in blogger and while it was relatively fresh in my mind I should post the recipe.

Goulash

- 2lb of stew beef chunks
- 1/4c flour combined with ground pepper and a teaspoon of (hungarian) paprika
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 -2 tbsp of paprika (depends if you are using spice and how you like it) - to make the flavour more complex you could also add a tsp each of ground caraway seeds, majoram, and thyme - I didn't have any on hand but the thyme but those flavours were seen in various online recipes I used for inspiration.
- 3 tbsp of tomato paste
- 4 c of veggie broth

Toss the beef in the flour mix and brown in a large saute pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil - 5 to 10 minutes, work in batches as need be. Remove and set aside.
Saute onions and garlic on medium in rest of olive oil until just turning golden.
Add paprika, saute one more minute
Add tomato paste and veggie broth, deglazing the pan.
Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and leave stirring occationally for 1 1/2 hours. I left it uncovered to thicken it.

Spätzle

Combine 2 eggs and a cup of milk.
Add to 2 c of flour (cut with a dash of salt)
Mix adding milk as needed to make it like pancake batter.

Run through the spätzle maker into a big pot of boiling water. If you don't have one, try slowly pouring the runny mixture through a collinder with biggish holes while shaking it gentle to make the droplets seperate.

Cook for 2 or 3 minutes (they will float to the surface so work fast or in batches). Drain and toss with 1 tbsp of butter.

Serve the goulash on the spätzle (or beside since the spätzle tastes really good on its own with a bit of salt).

This made enough for two dinner portions (the picture below is on side plates not dinner plates) and two large lunches.

Tomato Olive Beef

2010-01-02T18:27:00.000-08:00

Training season is about to begin which means it's time to pull out the slow cooker - cooking hearty, healthy food is a must when you're working out (and the rest of the time) and having vast amounts of left overs is very handy when you're spending more time on the bike, in the pool or on the run than you are at home.

The first time I made this it rocked! I have a batch slow cooking away right now and I'm hoping it's as good as my first effort.

Tomato Olive Beef

From the Company's Coming Slow Cooker Dinners

28oz can of diced tomatoes (with juice)

1.5 cups thinly sliced red onion

2 fresh chilies, seeds and ribs removed *

1/3 cup tomato paste

1/4 cup dry red wine

1 tbsp chili powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 lbs (900g) beef stew meat

6 bacon slices, cooked crisp & crumbled

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

6 Kalamata olives, pitted & chopped**

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Combine first 8 ingredients in 3.5 to 4 liter slow cooker. Add beef and bacon. Stir well. Cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 4 to 5 hours.

Add basil. Stir well. Remove to large serving bowl. Scatter olives and pine nuts over top.

Serves 8.

* leave the seeds in for a spicier dish

** I LOVE olives so I include at least 6 per person

Coconut Almond Bars

2009-08-18T16:26:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from Active.com, it sounded good but actually tasted way better than I expected. It's healthy, yummy and super easy to make - can't get much better than that!

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened coconut
½ cup dates (or raisins)
½ cup raw almonds
½ cup sesame seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup cashews
1 ½ cups tahini (or natural peanut butter)
1 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla.

Combine rolled oats, unsweetened coconut, dates (or raisins), raw almonds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and cashews. Mix tahini (or natural peanut butter) with honey and one vanilla. Microwave for one minute. Combine wet and dry ingredients. On a greased baking sheet, spread mixture into a one-inch-high rectangle. Cut into 12 bars. Or, if time allows, bake at 350° F for 15 minutes.

My first attempt ended up a bit squishy in the middle, but that's likely the fault of my ancient oven.

Curry in a hurry

2009-07-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

I am a fan of curries. All kinds of curries. Indian to Thai. I love 'em.

Thai is possibly the easiest to make. I usually make a simply red coconut curry on rice. Simple and tasty. Today I made a slow cooker beef curry from the William-Sonoma Essentials of slow Cooking. It was the third thing I've made out of the book and I'm giving the book two thumbs up for sure. Tasty recipes with simple natural ingrediates and none of that "can of mushroom soup" business... but I digress.

Curry. Thai Curry to be precise. Out of respect for copy right and all that I won't repost the recipe I made to day but it builds on the basic principles of my Red Coconut Curry. Which I will share.

The key to a good curry is finding a good curry paste. I am a fan of the plastic container of Namjai brand. Can't usually find it in your local Safeway but a good asian market will have it. I'm not a fan of the oily paste in the envelop that you get at the plain jane grocery store asian aisle. So invest in some good paste. If you are in Vancouver you can get it at South China Seas in Granville market.

Now the recipe:

Red Coconut Curry with Prawns or chicken or tofu...

- enough of your meat (or tofudabeast) for 2 or 3 people (i.e. 2 chicken breasts) cut into cubes, strips, or shelled as needed
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tsp of grated ginger
- 2 tbsp of curry paste
- 1 tsp of fish sauce (it's the Thai equivalent of soy sauce or salt)
- 1 can of coconut milk (shake it well before opening in case it separated)
- 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
- 1 red pepper chopped into bite sizes pieces

If you are dealing with chicken you'll want to saute the meat quickly before you start not cooking it through but lightly browning it.

Saute the garlic and ginger for 30 secs add the curry paste saute 30 more secs breaking up any chunkies.
Pour in coconut milk, add sugar. Stir well to combine and incorporate curry paste.
Add meat and the red peppers chunks.
Simmer for 20 minutes or so. If it's chicken check to see if it's done.

Yes it's supposed to be soupy.
Spoon in over basmati or jasmine race in a bowl.

Simple and fast and tasty.

For a beef curry you can add some finely chopped onion and let the whole thing cook in the slow cooker for a few hours adding large potato chunks about an hour before the end and red peppers 15 minutes out if desired.

Tip of the Month - Quinoa

2009-06-23T21:08:00.000-07:00

Quinoa seems to be one of the current "super foods" - it's a healthy grain that's conveniently packed with protein. It isn't super hard to make but I experimented with cooking it in my rice cooker anyway. The result was better than my stovetop efforts.

I used the same water to grain ratio for quinoa as I do for long grain white rice. I forgot to time it but it didn't seem to take to0 long, about 15-20 minutes.

Remember to thoroughly rinse quinoa before cooking regardless of what method you use, this will prevent a bitter final product.

Toad in the Hole

2009-06-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

An English standard that I grew up with. It's definitely comfort food, not health food, but it's super yummy!

Toad in the Hole by Robert Gibert CC Attribution, Noncommercial, No Derivative works.

Ingredients
"Toad"
6-8 sausages

"Hole" (a.k.a. Yorkshire Pudding)
7/8 cup of flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup mile
1 tbsp melted butter

Fry sausages until cooked - put on papertowel/dishtowel to absorb fat.

Preheat oven to 450F

Sift salt and flour into a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl beat eggs until thick. Combine with milk. Gradually stir milk & egg mixture into the flour. Add melted butter. Beat for at least one minute using a rotary egg beater or whisk. Put some oil, butter or fat into a flat bottomed glass dish (8x10 or 9x9) and heat into the oven. When fat is melted place sausages in the pan and put back in the oven to heat up sausages. When pan and sausages are hot remove pan from oven and pour batter over them. Cook for 20 minutes.

Tips for successful Yorkshire Pudding
Because I could make super fluffy Yorkshire Pud as a kid it became my job to make it whenever we had toad in the hole or roast beef. The picture above isn't my cooking, it is however a darned fine example of fluffy Yorkshire Pud. Here are some of my secrets:

Beat the mixture with a rotary egg beater or a whisk - electric blenders just don't get enough air in (I was a lazy kid - if I used the manual method it was because it worked!).
For super fluffy pud let the mix sit for 5-10 minutes then beat again for a minute. No idea why but this makes for a fluffier final product.
Get your pan super hot before you add the batter.

Couscous a la Nicole

2009-05-21T08:31:00.000-07:00

I've been a slacker on posting recipes. I have been meaning to post the ice cream cake recipe I did a few weeks back (I have pictures on the camera at home so I'll do it sometime this weekend hopefully).

In the mean time, Nicole would like to share her couscous salad recipe. I unfortunately don't have a picture of this dish but I have seen it and had it and can vouch for it's tastiness. Where it says "I" in the recipe it's Nicole's advice.

Couscous a la Nicole

Step 1: mix dressing;
1/2C olive oil (I use a little less oil & a little more lemon juice)
1/3C lemon juice
2 cloves garlic pressed
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp Tabasco

Step 2: prep salad ingredients
1C couscous (I use the whole box)
1 1/4 chicken stock (I use as much as the couscous instructions ask for water)
1/2C golden raisins
1 can garbanzo beans aka chickpeas
3 chopped green onions
1 tomato diced
1 small cucumber diced
1 red pepper diced
1/2C feta cheese (I use bit more b/c I love cheese)

Step 3: Putting it together
Boil chicken stock. Add couscous to stock, stir, cover, let sit 5 mins off element. Fluff.
Put prepared couscous in large bowl. Add remaining ingredients & toss.
Pour dressing over couscous mixture. Stir well. It's best to prepare salad few hours ahead of time so couscous mixture has time to absorb all of the dressing. (Turmeric stains)

Words of wisdom:
I prep dressing. Boil stock. While stock is going I prep veggies, in the middle of that the stock boils so I add couscous & let it sit as per couscous box cooking instructions. Finish vegg prep. Toss all together. I usually make it night before, it keeps fresh for days : )

Cinco de Mayo

2009-05-08T16:42:00.000-07:00

A few days late but hey I've been busy!

As a nod to Cinco de Mayo on Tuesday I desided to try making some "real" cali-mexican food. Luckily one of my favorite food bloggers has a great list of mexican food. Check it out. I made Carne Asada on corn tortillas and spanish rice. Both recipes were AWESOME. Definetly something I'll make again. And again. And again.

Next thing I want to try is cerviche.

Back in the kitchen

2009-05-03T15:24:00.000-07:00

So this isn't really a recipe post. I'm making Sunday dinner for friends who ran a half marathon today. On tap are some short ribs braised in red wine from my new subscription to Bon Appetit (Thank you Mom and Dad!), mashed potatoes, salad with roasted garlic vinaigrette and some bread. The last two items (the dressing and the bread) came from a new book: Ratio. I've just started reading this book but it's right up my alley. It takes the basic items of cooking: bread, pasta, cake, mayonaise etc. and breaks it down to their base in terms of ratios of the ingredients. And then from there you can add flavours and change the final form as you see fit.

The bread I made to day was a simple 5:3 ratio (by weight) of flour to water plus a bit of salt and yeast. Knead, let rise and then play. I'm making two rustic breads (no fancy forming into shapes) one with roasted garlic and rosemary with olive oil worked into the surface and the other just olive oil and kosher salt.

The chapter in Ratio on vinaigrettes is short and sweet and points out two things that I think are important. One is the ratio: 3:1 oil (fat) to vinegar (acid). That's the starting point. Changing the oil or fat from regular oil to olive oil or to warm bacon fat will change the taste. Same with the vinegar: red or white wine vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice, grapefruit juice (fresh squeezed of course) to balsamic vinegar. Follow the ratio and you're golden. The second thing was the guide on adding other flavours. The book advises combining everything (the Dijon mustard, salt and pepper, garlic, herbs, etc.) with the vinegar first, then adding the oil. My dressing today is equal parts red wine and balsamic vinegar, a small amount of mustard, a pinch of salt, a touch of pepper, several cloves of roasted garlic and olive oil.

Spaghetti and meatballs

2009-04-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

So I haven't progressed to making my own pasta (yet) so this should be titled "Meatballs (to have with your spaghetti) with optional sauce (you can just use stuff from a jar if you choose)" but that's a REALLY long title.

We were so eager to eat I forgot to take a picture. This was Brian's lunch the next day.

A few years back I set out on a mission to make The Best Meatballs EVER. I had some ideas at the beginning: I wanted to make them small not giant and something more then just meat in ball form. But that was it. So I pulled up a bunch of meatball recipes and started testing. A bit from this one. A bit from that one. And after a while I got the hang of it. And I've settled on a recipe that gets raves from my friends. It feels good to hear: "I love your meatballs!" or "You're making meatballs? can I come over for dinner??" So I think I've done it. And here it is in all it's glory: Amy's Meatballs (with optional sauce instructions).

Meatballs:

Combine the following in a large bowl. Get your hands in there (wash them first) and work that egg and dry stuff into that beef.

1-2 lbs of extra lean ground beef
1/4 cup of finely chopped onion
~2/3 cup bread crumbs per pound of beef
1 cup of fresh grated parmasen or romano cheese (must be fresh... none of that dry stuff from a shaker)
1 egg per pound of beef
1-2 cloves of garlic
generous teaspoon of each oregano and basil
a few twists of the pepper and salt mills

If the mixture seems too dry (sometimes the bread crumbs can dry it out) add a splash of milk.

Form the beef mixture into balls, rolling them between your hands to make them firm. I make them just less than an inch in diameter. Bite size. This makes lots! Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (so they don't stick after). They don't spread like cookies but keep them seperated. This stages is referred to as the Meat Cookie stage. Bake for 10 - 15 min at 350F.

Add the balls to finished sauce and let simmer for 20 minutes (at least).

Optional Sauce Hints

So you can take the easy road and get your favorite basic tomato and basil tomato sauce. But I find jarred sauces just not right so I usually start with a good quality basic tomato sauce from an Italian delicatessen or bakery (the kind that comes in a skinny jar) and fine tune it.

Start by sauting 1-2 cloves of garlic in olive oil add a few tablespoons of finely chopped onion (you can set some aside when you make the meatballs for this).

Add a large can of crushed tomatos or a jar or two of that basic tomato sauce.

Season with basil (and oregano if you so choose).

Allow to simmer stirring occasionally for 30 minutes.

If it's too runny you can add some tomato paste.

Give it a few twists of the pepper and salt mills.

Taste it. Aciddy? yeah... add a pinch of brown sugar. Stir well. Taste again. Repeat adding a small amount of sugar. Shouldn't need more then two pinches depending of the volume of sauce and the type of tomatoes and your own taste buds.

And here's my last hint: Make the sauce the day before and allow to cool and sit in the fridge over night and then reheat when you make the meatballs.

This ain't no boxed Kraft Dinner

2009-04-08T09:12:00.000-07:00

One of my husband's current apres run favourite things to get is the macaroni and cheese from Burgoo. He gets it with a side of garlic potatoes while I usually opt for the Pain Francias (which is to die for and will be addressed in a future post). This started a craving of my own to make macaroni and cheese at home and so I am on a mission to find the best blend of cheeses to make this dish really sing. The measures for the sauce are a bit hazy as I just eyeball it everytime and never really get it the same.

Here is the basic recipe I use. This whole thing takes about 20-30 minutes to make and is super easy. I use a 8X13" baking pan when I broil it at the end to get lots of crispy topping. 'Cause who doesn't like the crispy, melty, cheesy topping???

Not from a box Mac and Cheese

1 package of macaroni (454g) - really you can use any shape like rotini or bunnies or wheels
2-3 cups of shredded cheese - you pick. Mix it up. Use old chedder for traditional M&C or asharper cheese for a sassier dish - the amount depends how cheesy you want it.
1/3-1/2 c of butter
1/4 - 1/3 c of flour
~2 cups of milk
Pinch nutmeg
Fresh ground pepper

Cook the pasta. While you're waiting for the water to boil shred that cheese.

Once the pasta is in start on the cheese sauce:

- Melt the butter in a sauce pan.
- Sift in the flour a tablespoon or so at a time whisking after each addition
- Add the milk slowly while whisking to make sure it's not lumpy - less for a thicker sauce, more if you like your mac and cheese a little more saucy
- Add the nutmeg and some ground pepper (4 cranks of the mill should do it)
- Allow to come to a simmer on medium
- Add the cheese gradually to the warmed mixture, continuing to whisk
- Stop adding cheese when it's starting to thicken - not as thick as stadium nacho cheese; a little more runny will be perfect.

When the pasta is done to your liking drain it and transfer it to a baking pan or a cassorole.

Toss it with about 1/2 cup of cheese if you want.

Pour cheese sauce over top.

Sprinkle cheese on top as desired.

Broil at a distance (i.e. not on the highest rack position) until the cheese on top is bubbly and starting to go a bit golden and crispy in places.

The Surprise Inside Chocolate Cupcakes

2009-04-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

It was a special occasion on April 1st - it was a certain someone's birthday (not just April Fool's day). And a special occasion calls for special treats. So I put my thinking cap on and dreamed up something that would suit Miss Alison on her birthday. I would be providing for a crowd of about 30 so I thought mini cupcakes were called for. But how to make them special enough for such an awesome person such as Alison??? Inject them with extra flavour!!! Because that is Alison to a T: looks like a regular person on the outside but is full of extra flavour (in a good way! in a good way!).

For these "Surprise Inside Chocolate Cupcakes" you can really use any filling that you think would be tasty. I made two types: caramel and raspberry jam.

Chocolate Cupcakes

3 oz of dark dark chocolate
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup of warm water

This will make about 12 large but not over sized cupcakes. I increased this by 50% and made 36 "large" mini cupcakes

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and set aside to cool a it (but not resolidify - just enough so that it doesn't "cook" the eggs when you add it later)

In a seperate bowl beat the butter until airy then add the sugar and keep beating.

Add the eggs and vanilla and mix til combined.

Add the chocolate and mix a little more.

In another bowl mix toget the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients in two batches adding the water in between.

Mix until combined and smooth.

Pour into cupcake tins (with liners) and bake 15 - 25 minutes depending on the size (15 for mini cup cakes, 25 for the big ones in a poor oven). A toothpick will come out clean but moist when cooked.

Set aside to cool.

Filling

This is where you can have some fun. I used a high quality caramel sauce and some organic raspberry jam. In the case of the caramel sauce I heated it in a warm water bath to make it a bit runnier so it was easy to inject. And I added a few teaspoons of warm water to the jam to make it runnier too.

To inject your filling of choice you have a few choices. I used a baster. Mostly because I couldn't find a pastry bag with an appropriate tip. The baster worked like a charm. I sucked up some of the filling, inserted the tip to about 1/3 the depth of the cooled cup cake, squeezed some in while withdrawing the tip. The caramel or jam kind of oozed out the top but it tends to settle so when you've gone through once you can go back and top up as you see fit.

I made mini cup cakes in this case so the tip was thin enough for long enough. If you are making a bigger cupcake you might want to find a pastry bag tip that is longer and use a bag.

Icing

Now that you have a cupcake with a bit of an oozing "sore" on top (especially if you used jam!) you'll want to patch it up. OK unless it's Halloween and you want something icky looking then I suggest vanilla cupcakes with jam! So I made a sour cream based icing. Feel free to substitute in your favourite icing. This one is pretty chocolaty.

3 oz of dark chocolate
1/2 c of sour cream
3/4 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 - 2 c of icing sugar
Some cocoa powder - optional

Melt the chocolate, allow to cool a bit

Wisk in sour cream and vanilla

Add the icing sugar in 1/4 c batches sifting the sugar in each time. After about 1 1/2 c start taste testing to get the sweetness and the thickness just right.

If it's not chocolaty enough for you (it wasn't for me) add some cocoa powder too. You might need to add more sugar too. Taste it with each addition until it's just right. If it gets too thick add a touch of milk. If it's still not thick enough more sugar in your answer! Have fun with it.

Ice your cupcakes with a spoon and serve them up!

Finn Pancakes

2009-03-31T11:42:00.000-07:00

If you ever end up in Thunder Bay Ontario whether on purpose or by accident or just driving through you HAVE to stop in at The Hoito, the Finlandia Club's restaurant in the basement of the Finnish Labour Temple, for pancakes. Plan your road trip accordingly to make sure you can be in T-Bay for breakie. In fact Rick Mercer did a piece on The Hoito a few weeks back.

Finn pancakes are kinda like crepes nut not really. They are the size of dinner plates and come topped with your order of eggs, bacon etc. Me? I like 'em plain with a side of crispy bacon.

My friend from Thunder Bay set out on a mission a while back to perfect the art of Finn pancakes so that he could satisfy his longing for them without having to fly across the country. It took a few trial runs of tasty but not quite right breakfasts before he got it.

ETA: a T-Bay Finn friend of the above mentioned friend had some advice on the whole business and suggested leaving out the salt and baking powder. My response is leave the salt in (it's just a bit, it won't kill you and has magic cooking/taste bud powers. Not sure about the baking powder. I need to do some reading on the science of cooking first. Which is why I bought this and am now waiting for its arrival.

Finn Pancakes

2C Milk
1.25C Flour
2Tbsp sugar
1/4tsp salt
1tsp baking powder
2 eggs

The night before you'll want to mix everything together in a big juice jug and put it in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, in your fuzzy slippers and jammies get out a heavy duty pan (a large diameter crepe pan works well... remember these things are supposed to be the diameter of a dinner plate) and get it good and hot.

Turn it down to medium for cooking. Oil the pan. Pour a thin layer of the batter over the pan - it'll be thin like a crepe. Turn once when the other side in golden and getting crispy as the picture above.

Lightly oil the pan in between pancakes to keep them coming up easy.

We usually transfer them into a warm oven until they are all cooked so we can feast together.

Hyvää ruokahalua!

Balsamic Roasted Chard

2009-03-30T20:43:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to figure out a good way to cook chard for a few months now, it's supposedly a super food so I'm keen to add it to my diet. Sauteeing it wasn't as successful as I wanted so I've been keeping an eye out for other recipe ideas.

Yesterday I came across a reference to roasting red chard. I LOVE roasting vegetables so I immediately ran out a grabbed some chard. Mollie Katzen's Vegetable Heaven let me down for the first time in ages (I consult pages 96-99, on roasting veggies, more than anything in any of my other cookbooks) so I went to the good ol' internet and found the following recipe. It's tasty and super quick too.

Balsamic Roasted Chard
Ingredients:
1-2 heads Swiss chard chopped in 1-2 inch strips (tough rib removed)
Generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Salt (preferably kosher or Sea)
Big splash of balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Heat oven to 450 degrees.
Lay chopped chard out on a sheet pan.
Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and salt.
Roast for approximately five minutes or until wilted (depending on chard’s thickness).
Remove and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Crêpe Mania

2009-03-29T19:53:00.000-07:00

I have a tendency to fall victim to intense food cravings that often continue long enough to be considered a mania.

My current mania has been crêpes. Really, it's not about the crêpe, but what you put in it - sweet crêpes with jam, lemon, sugar, nutella, fruit, etc. are lovely. Savory crêpes are fantastic with veggies, meat and especially cheese. Can't forget the cheese! Two weekends ago I had crêpes for dessert, breakfast, brunch and dinner. I've exercised restraint this weekend, I only had crêpes for dinner tonight.

Savory crêpes with asparagus, chevre and black forest ham.

The recipe I use is from Joy of Cooking (1975 edition) and is very easy.

French Pancakes or Crêpes
Sift:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Resift with:
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
2 tablespoons powdered sugar (omit for savory crêpes)

Beat:
2 eggs

Add and beat:
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Make a well in the sifted ingredients. Pour in the liquid ingredients. Combine them with a few swift strokes. Ignore the lumps; they will take care of themselves. You may rest the batter refrigerated 3 to 6 hours. Heat a 5-inch skillet. Grease it with a few drops of oil. Add a small quantity of batter. Tip the skillet and let the batter spread over the bottom. Cook the pancake over moderate heat. When it is brown underneath, reverse it and brown the other side. Use a few drops of oil for each pancake.

Torbin's Birthday Cake

2009-03-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

Best accompanied by good friends, hyper kids, and happy music.

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
19oz can crushed pineapple

bake at 350 oC for 40 min in 9x13" pan.

decorate with:
1 cup icing sugar
1/2 cup butter
8 oz softened cream cheese
grated orange peel

Mocha Muffins

2009-03-26T13:12:00.001-07:00

It's all Stan's fault. He said Coach Drew had a muffin top. Drew then pointed out that so did Stan. Since then Drew has lost the muffin top but not the... er... "handle". He still gets called Coach Muffin Top once in a while.

So for his birthday his "partner" Coach Alan asked if I could make muffin tops. And so I did. Out of this recipe. I'm assuming they'll be just as good in muffin form.

Mocha Muffins

3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup regular milk and 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar 'cause no one has buttermilk in the fridge... except my dad but he makes muffins 2 or 3 times a week)
1/2 cup of strong coffee (I used espresso) cooled to room temperature
1 tsp of vanilla
1/2 cup of oil * see below for a note on this

1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3 ounces of grated good quality dark dark chocolate * see below
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup "chips" i.e. butterscotch, chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter.

* don't want to grate the chocolate: can't blame you it's a pain instead use 1/3 cup dutch cocoa powder and increase the oil by 3 tablespoons

Whisk together wet ingredients.

In another (bigger bowl) mix together dry ingredients.

Fold in liquidy mixture. Fold until just combined. Too much mixing with make the muffins tough and chewy.

Bake 20-25 minutes at 375F. Or 15 minutes for tops :)

Makes 12 regular muffins (or 22 tops in my pan). Don't for get to use muffin cups or spray the pan before loading it so that they don't stick.

Power Orbs

2009-03-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

And from appies we'll skip the main and go right to dessert. Mostly because it's the only recipe I can remember off the top of my head while at work.

These are named by Elvis (not the King - the other one).

WARNING can be addictive.

1 c Smooth peanut butter
1 c Icing sugar
1 1/2 c rice krispies

6 oz or so of chocolate of your choice (I like a combo of milk and dark)

Combine peanut butter and sugar with some forks (unless you are lucky enough to have some fancy device like a food processor or a pastry cutter)

Add rice krispies (I try to crumble the "dough" and get the rice in from there with my hands - don't use the food processor and if you did before then remember safety first and take the dough out of the processor or else don't come crying to me about lost digits).

Form balls of just under an inch (like 3/4 of an inch).

Freeze them (this is key).

Melt chocolate in a double boiler (bowl fitted into a pot with about an inch of water, boil water and the steam will heat the bowl melting the chocolate without burning it).

Dip the balls in the chocolate to coat and then move to wax paper with forks.

Cool on the counter for a bit and refrigerate to set chocolate. If you move them right to the fridge the chocolate gets "foggy".

Potstickers

2009-03-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

For my first post I'm going to add a snack/appie.

I discovered this recipe while watching a cooking show - it turned out to as easy to make and as tasty as it looked on the show. I only had two problems with it: I ate way too many wontons the first time I made them and felt a little ill after; and I left the spare wonton wrappers in the fridge a little too long and they became very, very stinky.

Extras freeze well and make for a quick snack.

Potstickers
(from Everyday Food)
Serves 4
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients
1/2 cup finely chopped Napa or Savoy cabbage
Coarse salt
6 ounces ground pork, not all lean (I used ground chicken)
scallions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped, peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Wontons
24 rectangular (3 1/2-by-3-inch) or square wonton wrappers
1 recipe Wonton Filling
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 scallions, finely chopped (optional)
1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce, for serving

In a medium bowl, toss cabbage with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let stand 10 minutes. Wrap cabbage in a double layer of paper towels; firmly squeeze out excess liquid. Return cabbage to bowl; add pork, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Mix well with a fork. Refrigerate leftover filling up to 2 days.

Wontons
Work with one wrapper at a time, and keep the rest covered with a damp towel. Spoon one rounded teaspoon of filling in center. With dampened fingers, wet the four edges. To make a triangle, fold wrapper in half over filling, making sure the ends meet and filling is centered; press edges down firmly to seal.

Moisten one tip on long side of triangle. Then bring together both tips on long side, overlapping them slightly; press tips together to seal.

Fold remaining top corner back. Transfer to an oiled plate; cover with a damp towel to keep moist. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add half the wontons and cook, turning once, until lightly browned, about 1 minute per side. Carefully add 1/2 cup water (oil may sputter), cover, and steam until translucent and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and wontons. Sprinkle pot stickers with scallions, if using, and serve with soy sauce.