"Hollywood" Breakfast Overlooking the Canola

What a feeling of accomplishment to have the anniversary party behind us successfully!  The next morning, it was just our family and the Klippensteins and a leisurely morning ahead of us.  We had the most amazing breakfast outside on the porch, overlooking the valley surrounded by good conversation.  And again, felt a little like celebrities.

See that delicious looking Blueberry French Toast??  Here is the recipe which the Klippensteins were so generous in sharing:

Overnight Blueberry French Toast

Ingredients 

• 12 slices day-old bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 12 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup maple syrup 
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 tablespoon butter 

Directions

1. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange half the bread cubes in the dish, and top with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the cream cheese, and top with remaining bread cubes.
2. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and syrup. Pour over the bread cubes. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
3. Remove the bread cube mixture from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Cover, and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking 25 to 30 minutes, until center is firm and surface is lightly browned.
5. In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in the remaining 1 cup blueberries. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, until the blueberries burst. Stir in the butter, and pour over the baked French toast.

Recipe can be found here:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Overnight-Blueberry-French-Toast/

The (Generally) Toddler Approved Chicken Soup

The (Generally) Toddler Approved Chicken Soup

My children like strange things, I think.  So I hardly ever use them as the tester for foods I'd suggest to other people.  But this soup is one that I have tried on many friends' children as they sit around our table for lunch and it comes back nearly 100% approved.  Best of all, it's really easy.  The most important ingredient really is the pesto, a trick that I learned from my mother-in-law.  It gives it that beautiful savory flavour and just enough zip for the adults at the table.

1 whole chicken carcass cooked
4-6 cups chicken stock
1/2 onion chopped
1 cup chopped, cooked chicken
1 cup uncooked rice
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup fresh chopped green beans
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 carrots
1+ Tbsp pesto

1. After we have a chicken dinner, I always save the bones to make soup by simmering for a couple of hours, and removing and tossing the bones.   But if you are in a hurry, don't bother boiling the bones, just chopped off pieces of chicken from one that is cooked.
2.  Add more stock to the pot, chopped onion, bits of chicken leftover, rice, peas, beans, corn, carrots and pesto to taste.
3.  Make sure to leave enough room for the rice to expand in the pot.  Simmer for 20 minutes until rice is soft enough to eat.
4.  Serve with various cheeses, crackers, fresh bread and butter.

Enjoy!

A Homemade Valentine Weekend.

We are having a wonderful Valentine's day/family day weekend with our family in town.  Toronto is a frigid -40C with the windchill and so we have been staying put inside with the heat cranked up and doing all sorts of Valentine's day things.  In my mind, every chance I can get to celebrate something is important, but as we hit major holidays, we are trying to move away the commericalization of it all (Except for maybe the flowers part....  I am still a huge sucker for flowers) and celebrate in ways that require, yes, some effort and time and thought--even if it seems (with small children) we have less time for that!

For the first time in many, many years, I dug out a recipe for shortbread cookies and made them with Grandma and Gabriel and iced them with cream cheese icing, topped with sprinkles.  

 The best part of the weekend, I've have to say, was when we came home after dropping off Gabriel at school to find a hand-written note from Grandpa saying, "I'm doing supper tonight.  I'm out getting supplies."  And then he proceeded to make us all an elaborate meal that evening. 

Abe all cleaned up and ready to celebrate.  Long overdue.

On Saturday morning, we made a big breakfast with red-coloured heart-shaped almond mascarpone pancakes pancakes and bacon.  These were a huge hit with Gabriel who ate about seven. But the whole pancake thing is kind of messy at least in my kitchen. Grandpa took this picture of what he came down to in the morning after I'd made pancakes.  I'm truly a disaster of a chef and work much better with a "sous-chef" then on my own.  Although I generally prefer when my sous-chefs aren't the three and under variety who I either have to hold while juggling cups of flour or ones that fly around doing laps of the house with a baby stroller at warp 10.  

This recipe is truly the BEST twist on the typical Saturday pancake from a box for special occasions.  All I did was add red food colouring, put it in a plastic baggie and cut a small bit off the corner through which to squeeze the batter to form hearts on a skillet.  The process of making the hearts is simple-ish.  I mean, honestly, my kitchen looks like that when I make pancakes from a box too..... But that red look is incredible.

Here is the recipe:

Red Velvet Almond Pancakes (Adapted from Giada's recipe)

1/2 cup (4 ounces) mascarpone cheese,
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons pure almond extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups buttermilk pancake mix
4 ounces almond paste, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

In a food processor, combine the mascarpone, water, sugar, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add the pancake mix and pulse until just combined. Add red food colouring (as much or as little as you desire) and the almond paste and blend until smooth.

Preheat a griddle or a large, nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Grease the griddle or skillet with 1 tablespoon of butter. Using a ladle, pour batter into a baggy, squeeze to one corner, twist above the batter and seal the top so batter doesn't leak out.  Cut a small tip off the bottom corner of the baggy and squeeze batter out on the skillet in a heart shaped form.  I often use a butter knife to push at the edges to get batter in place if I make a mistake.  Wait until the batter forms bubbles on top and then flip.  The second side will be quicker.  Do not cook too much or the pancakes will be too brown and loose that pink colour.  

Top with mascarpone and raspberries.  And maple syrup.  Delish!

Recipe adapted from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/almond-pancakes-recipe.html

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Chocolate Chunk, Cherry & Pistachio Cookie

It's something about the chocolate and the dried cherries, but this recipe hinted a little bit towards Valentine's when I made it the other day.   My dear friend from BC, Jenn of http://jennbrook.tumblr.com/ and http://instagram.com/happinessecho/ made these cookies the other day, except her recipe was a healthier version, so I will share that one too for all my health-conscious friends.  (Unfortunately I don't seem to carry spelt flour, etc).  I got mine from William Sonoma here.

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter,
    at room temperature
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 Tbs. light corn syrup
• 2 Tbs. milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup miniature bittersweet or
   semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup unsalted toasted shelled
   natural pistachios, chopped
• 3/4 cup dried tart cherries, chopped

Directions:

1) Preheat to 375°F.

2) In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda.

3) Use an electric mixer to beat butter and sugars.  Add corn syrup, milk and vanilla. Blend in flour mixture and stir in chocolate chips, pistachios and cherries.

4) Shape into balls and flatten, then bake for 8-10 minutes.  Let cool for 5 mins before eating.

 ~ ~ ~

And here's the healthy version: (From Jenn)

• 1/2 c flour 
• 1/2 c almond flour  
• 1/2 c spelt flour  
• 3/4 tsp baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda  
• 1/2 tsp salt  
• 3/4 c brown sugar  
• 1/4 c white sugar  
• 1 tsp vanilla  
• 1 egg  
• 1/2 c room temp butter  
• 1 c Choc chips  
• 1/2 c pistachios  
• 1/2 c dried cherries 
  1) Preheat to 375°F.
  
  2) In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda.
  
  3) Use an electric mixer to beat butter and sugars.  Add corn syrup, milk and vanilla. Blend in flour mixture and stir in chocolate chips, pistachios and cherries.
  
  4) Shape into balls and flatten, sprinkle with sea salt then bake for 10-12 minutes.  Let cool for 5 mins before eating.
  

Orange Cranberry Walnut Bread

 Orange Cranberry Walnut Bread

When I was pregnant with Gabriel, my good friend Dori made some of this bread for me.  It was one of the only things I could eat for the first 14 weeks.  And I was so incredibly thankful when she gave me the recipe.  I found myself a breadmaker on loan for awhile before finally getting my own for Christmas one year.  Now this bread is a staple in our house and I likely make it once a week.  The old recipe from Dori didn't work in my new breadmaker, but I adapted this one to make it taste just the same.  Thanks Dori!!  **A special note about breadmakers...  if you don't have one but would like to buy one, don't splurge.  Unless you have special dietary needs, just get a regular old basic Black & Decker, nothing fancy. 

2 large eggs
1 cup water
1/2 cup cranberry juice (pure is best, but others will do)
1/4 cup marmalade
1/4 cup dry skim milk powder
3 Tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter cut into pieces
5 cups bread flour
2 1/12 tsp of bread machine yeast
1 cup cranberries
1/3 chopped walnuts (pecans will also work)

1. Insert bread pan securely into bread machine and plug in.
2. Put all ingredients in bread machine in order listed (except cranberries and walnuts), making sure to level off each tsp or cup with a flat edge knife.  *Measurements must be exact for bread.
3.  Select "Sweet" setting and size of loaf (3lbs) and crust colour and press start.
4.  Listen for beep indicating "Add ingredient" and add cranberries and nuts.
5. Do not open bread machine until completed.  Once completed, remove pan from the machine and let it set for about 20 minutes before removing from the pan and serving.

This is one of those breads that Gabriel LOVES!  Sometimes I feel like it's hard to get the carbs in those kids that they need.  Having a breadmaker helps!

Corn, Ham & Sweet Potato Chowder

The other morning, as we were walking along the sidewalk, some little yellow leaves were flying around.  It wasn't really cold, but it was just a little bit coolish. Today is much like that and feels like a good ham chowder day.  And a good day to share another fall recipe.

This one is a favorite in our house.  Our son and daughter gobble it all up and would lick the bowl if we let them.  But then both of them are huge ham lovers and would eat corn every day of the week if it was their choice.

Corn, Ham and Sweet Potato Chowder

1 celery rib chopped
1 leek chopped
2 Tbsp butter
2 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of water
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1 Tbsp thyme
1/4 cup flour
2 cups 2% milk
salt and pepper to taste

1. Put chopped celery, leek and butter in a large soup pot and cook under tender on medium heat.
2. Add chicken broth, water and sweet potato, corn, ham and thyme.  Cook on medium heat until sweet potato is starting to soften.
3.  Mix flour and milk separately in a medium bowl until smooth.  Add to soup pot and cook until thickened.
4.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve.


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Yum! Apple Crepes!

After all of this lovely apple picking this past week, we got to work making many appley type things.  Mostly, just eating them straight up.  But it's been a Saturday/Sunday morning tradition in our house for 10 years now to make a big breakfast (crepes, french toast or pancakes) and so this past Saturday we made some caramelized apple crepes.

The best thing about crepes is that you can really go with the season and load them up with whatever is growing at the moment--strawberries and rhubarb in the spring, peaches and blueberries in the summer, apples and cranberries into the fall/winter and when nothing is really in season, bananas will do.  I always like to either enhance sweetness with Nutella or off-set it with Mascarpone cheese (a sweet Italian cream cheese).

This is the best crepe recipe that I have found, in my old Betty Crocker cookbook.  I can't find it online anymore.  It's the perfect one for sweet crepes--with vanilla and sugar) and if you choose to do savory, skip those two ingredients.

Crepes

1 1/2 cup of flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups of milk
2 Tbsp of butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs

1. Heat a crepe skillet on low while mixing ingredients.  I use a 9 inch Cuisinox.  These skillets do not require butter.
2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and sald in a bowl.  Stir in remaining ingredients and beat with a hand mixer until smooth.   
3. Pour 1/3-1/2 cup into the skillet (depending on the size) and rotate the skillet slowly until the batter reaches all of the edges of the skillet.  Cook until very lightly but still brown on the bottom.  Use a rubber scrapper to gently lift all of the edges before flipping
4.  Stack crepes together on a plate covered with tinfoil to keep warm and soft as the air will dry and make them stiff.
5.  Add a dollop of mascarpone in a line down the middle and fill with caramelized apples.  Roll up and top with fruit and/or maple syrup.



Caramelized Apples

Now for the filling!  Make sure to use cooking apples (Cortlands are best).  Cooking apples will keep their shape when cooked and the tart flavor is beautiful!  Do not use the softer apples like MacIntosh as they will turn to mush.

3-4 medium sized cooking apples such as Cortlands
1/4 cup of maple syrup

1. Thinly slice apples (leave skin on or peel beforehand if you like)
2.  Place in a frying pan on medium/high heat and cover with maple syrup.
3. Cook until soft and the maple syrup is thick and sticky, covering the apples.  You may choose to add more syrup.
4. Fill crepes! :)

Hope you love 'em!

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The Most Amazing Warm Potato Salad.

In my mind, nothing says summer like potato salad.  And this one puts all the other potato salads I've ever had to shame.  I have no claim to this recipe, in fact, I found it on the internet from someone who created this recipe from scratch, but it was too good not to share.  Hope you love it as much as we do--bacon, Parmesan cheese, dill and roasted potatoes and corn.  I honestly will never make any other potato salad again!  And I pretty much make it any time people are coming over these days.

Warm Potato Salad

 

Ingredients

• 5 pounds baby potatoes (not peeled)
• 2 cups corn (frozen, fresh, canned - doesn't matter)
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 pound sliced bacon
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup sour cream (14%, not light or fat-free)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup melted butter or a few tablespoons of reserved bacon grease
• Sliced chives or green onions, for garnish

 

Directions

1) Preheat your oven to 425F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.  Cut the potatoes into half, or into bite-sized pieces if the potatoes are on the slightly larger nugget size.  Place the potatoes in a single layer on the parchment paper-lined baking sheets.  Sprinkle the corn and the smashed garlic cloves evenly over top.  Brush the olive oil over the potato, corn, and garlic mixture, ensuring that the garlic is well coated with oil.  Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and a small amount of salt.

2) Roast the potatoes at 425F for about 45 minutes, or until they begin to turn golden.    

3) Meanwhile, using kitchen scissors (or a knife), cut each strip of bacon into large pieces.  Cook over medium heat in a frying pan until cooked to your liking, then remove to a paper-towel lined plate.  Reserve bacon grease if using for the dressing, or discard if not.  

4) In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, dill, and the melted butter or bacon grease (if using melted butter or bacon grease).  Stir well to combine.

5) When your potatoes are done, remove from oven.  Remove the 5 cloves of roasted garlic from the baking sheets, and transfer to a cutting board, where you will mince into small pieces.  Add the roasted garlic to the sour cream and mayonnaise dressing, and stir until well combined.  Adjust seasonings of the dressing if necessary.

6) Pour potato and corn mixture into a large bowl.  Add bacon.  Add sour cream and mayonnaise dressing.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and sliced chives and a little sprinkling of dill.  Serve warm, and enjoy the leftovers cold.

Recipe taken from: Playing with my food.

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We are Outdoor Living.

 

These days we are outdoor living.  The pool is full, sprinkler is on, grass is green and long and tickling our ankles.  We've pulled our kitchen table outside into the garden for the summer where we intend on eating lunch and supper.  We are just soaking it all up.

But don't be deceived by the photos.  There is plenty of mess and chaos in this house too--there are abandoned wet towels and bathing suits and training underwear in piles around the house, grass clippings and dirt in the pool and on the hardwood, a naked little potty-training boy running around the house and backyard, whose face is sticky from homemade Popsicles and who leaves dirty handprints on every door and wall.  There are plenty of "indoor toys" that have made their way into the pool.  And so many stories that that I am refraining from sharing here on the blog....  Let's just say, it is all far from glamorous, I'm afraid.   Anyone who has actually visited will know this to be true.  Gabriel sprayed me in my full length dress with hose yesterday and the dog jumped up and ate a chicken drumstick off the table in the garden.  This house is buuuussssy.

However, we are enjoying our chaotic, messy days and all the fun and craziness they bring--sprinkler fun, playdates in the sun, barbequing every meal we can manage, sunhats and sunscreen and bare feet.  Gabriel is a water hound, he can't seem to get enough and wants to be outside from the time he wakes up until sunset.  (I've let him out with the dog in the morning in his pyjamas while I gather breakfast).  He is forever wanting the hose or the sprinkler on and can't be trusted not to jump in the wading pool fully clothed.  I've pulled Maggie's activity centre outside too so we are all able to get some fresh air.  Gabriel has actually started calling her "May-gEE" now and letting us know that she belongs to him by attending to her every squeal or cry with frenetic kisses (and little love pinches).  "That's MY beebee" he says, "She's 'tute."  Maggie just grabs his head full of hair and nuzzles her face into it, leaving behind a puddle of drool.

This kid seriously knows how to have fun.  I wouldn't consider myself a naturally "fun" person.  It hasn't been high on priority list, so Gabriel's been my mentor.  Until the splash pads open, we are making our own happen.

We are experimenting making our own popsicles--mango/canteloupe, kiwi/mango/yogurt, raspberry/mango/yogurt.  Got any other favorites? Share!

We sit and watch all the craziness from these chairs.  Ok, and by sit, I mean for like an entire two minutes all day in five second intervals when I am not cleaning up a mess, fetching a snack or rescuing various items from the pool.

 We are barbequing everything, trying to keep this house cool.  It's been so hot, even at night.

Our staple hamburger recipe, Burgers a la Pizzaiola.  If you've been here, you know this recipe is a good one.

 From our garden to our tabletop.

 Our friend, Tricia, who is moving from BC and brought Maggie a peach tutu!  Awesome and outrageous!

Another favorite, Sweet and Sticky Chicken Drumsticks, slow cooked and then slow roasted on the BBQ.

Every girl needs at least one tutu, right? 

 This has got to be my all-time favorite picture of Maggie and her dad so far.

Yay June! 

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