Canadian Thanksgiving... over a month late

I'm sorry it's been so long. This semester has been riddled with bad luck accompanied by stress. First I found a member of my family is very ill, then I fell off a horse and injured my tail bone and hip, then I pinched my sciatic nerve as a result of limping from the injured hip, as soon as that got better I rolled my ankle really badly and sprained it, and that only really started getting better a few weeks ago, and last week I had the worst cold I've had in years which kept me in bed for days straight. And through all that I either haven't felt like or haven't been able to bake or cook much out of the ordinary, day-to-day sustenance.
But Anders and I did make a small Thanksgiving dinner together and I took photos. We had been at my cousin's wedding the day before and neither of us were able to spend Thanksgiving day with out families, so we made a small dinner together. Now, Canadian Thanksgiving was over a month ago, but since American Thanksgiving is coming up, I thought I'd finally post about it!


Here's what our little table looked like. Delicious!


This is Anders' plate, complete with turkey (I don't eat meat).

I didn't really use recipes for any of this. For the turkey breast, I made a rub with softened butter, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Then I rubbed it all over the breast and under the skin. I put a large piece of onion in the small "cavity" created by the ribs on the underside of the breast and put it in the oven for about an hour.
For the dressing we tore up rye bread, tossed it with celery, onions, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and olive oil. Neither Anders nor I like mushy stuffing cooked inside the bird (especially me... since I don't eat meat), so we baked it in a dish until it got crispy and tasssty.
Steamed vegetables and a mashed potatoes are pretty straightforward, so I don't think I need to explain that, right? The only thing I will say is that for mashed potatoes, Yukon Golds are GREAT. I also find that it works best to mash the potatoes with a masher first, then add in milk and (lots of) butter and whip the whole thing with a mixer. It makes for very smooth and tasty mashed potatoes!

The dinner was really great, except that the turkey was apparently pretty disappointing. I didn't have any, so I wouldn't know, but Anders didn't like it much. I got the breast from a butcher nearby, but I should have known better, because Anders has never really cared for any of the meat I've gotten there. Everything else was delicious though, and we were so happy to be able to have a small Thanksgiving dinner when we couldn't be with our families.

Anyway, I'm hoping to be able to do more baking soon - I've missed it a lot, especially since I haven't been able to do any of my other normal activities like horseback riding and running. And with Christmas coming up, I should have an excellent reason to do so!

Until then, guten Appetit! Continue reading...

Chicken Pot Pie

I recently traveled from Kingston to Hamilton to spend Christmas with my family, leaving Anders behind, at our apartment, where he is studying for exams until next week. Before I left, I wanted to make sure he wouldn't have to resort to eating cookies and granola bars until he gets home. This is not to say he can't cook. He can! It's one of many reaons he's a great man. But cooking (and cooking well) takes time, time that could be better used studying and preparing for exams! So before I left, I set to work making some chicken pot pies!

Naturally enough, I started with some chicken breasts!


I drizzled the chicken with olive oil, and seasoned it with salt, pepper and rosemary and baked it.


While the chicken was roasting, I prepared some potatoes, carrots, celery and an onion.


And then the chicken came out of the oven, smelling super delicious. Even though I don't eat meat.


I set the chicken aside to cool and started on the pie filling. The recipe called for oil and butter in the pan, but elected to use the remaining oil and chicken drippings from the pan and some butter.


In that, I sauteed the onion and celery.


Next, I added a bit of flour...


And blanched the potatoes and carrots in some chicken stock.


After blanching in the stock for three minutes, I removed the potatoes and carrots and set them aside.


And then added both the chicken broth and some cream to the onion and celery and whisked until smooth.


Once it had thickened a bit, I added the potatoes, carrots, and some frozen peas and corn.


And I mixed it all together again, and then cut the chicken up into chunks (which I added later and didn't snap a photo of, apparently).


I turned to my trust olive oil pie dough for these little pies, and rolled the dough out to fit into little pot pie tins.


Next, I stuffed shell full of the chicken filling. Let's face it, if I made it any smaller, it wouldn't be filling enough for Anders!


Then, I put on a simple top.


I put four pies on a tray (two of these are actually beef!) and put them in the oven to brown up.


Anders heated up a pie the next day for dinner.


And enjoyed it!


I was personally just happy they turned out so well! I'd seen so many photos of chicken pot pies with completely liquid fillings, so I was pleasantly surprised to see this nice, thick filling. I can't say anything about the flavour, but it all looked really good!

Recipes

Olive Oil Pie Crust

2/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 ½ cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup ice water
1 tablespoon of vinegar

×××

Place olive oil in the freezer until it solidifies, approximately 3 or 4 hours.
Combine flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl and mix. Add remaining ingredients and blend with a pastry blender. Place dough in an air tight container or plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for an hour or so to chill.
Roll ball out to 1/8 inch thickness and fit into a pie plate(s). Use as you would a regular pie crust.

Chicken Pot Pie

3 cups cooked chicken (three to four breasts)
1 onion, diced
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or the chicken drippings)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
4 cups chicken broth made with one extra boullion cube
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup cream
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas

×××

Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt, pepper and rosemary. Roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
In a large, deep pan, sautee onion and celery in chicken drippings and butter for about 5-10 minutes. Be sure to stir every few minutes to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom of your pot.
Heat up the *chicken stock in a medium sized pot, adding one extra cube of bullion. Blanch the carrots and potatoes in the stock for 3 minutes, remove and set aside.
Add the garlic to the onion and celery and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the flour and cook out the starch for about 2 minutes. Stir constantly, to avoid burning. Add the hot chicken stock and allow to come to a low simmer as you stir to thicken. Once the mixture has begun to thicken add the salt, pepper, and cream, and allow to simmer for a couple of minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, corn, peas and chicken and stir until combined. Allow to simmer for a few minutes before removing from the eat.

×××

Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit. To assemble the pie (or pies), roll out the dough and fill the pie dish, leaving a little extra dough around the edges. Fill the pie with the desired amount of filling, and place a vented top over the filling. Pinch the edges to seal. Bake for up to 45 minutes, or until the filling bubbles and the crust browns. After removing the pie(s) from the oven, allow to set for a few minutes before serving.


*For the stock, I used OXO broth boullion powder.

Guten Appetit! Continue reading...

The quest for steak supremacy (also, crash hot potatoes and crepes)

This past weekend, Anders parents went away so we got to spend some good quality time together. Which, naturally, meant lots of cooking. I love cooking for him! He eats so much. It's great.
My newest endeavour and quest (because I totally gave up on the Brötchen one, until I can get a real recipe from a real German) is mastering steak. I did it for Anders' birthday with a filet, which went fine, but I was told (later) that it could have used a bit more flavour. I also made an attempt of it a few weeks ago, one night before Anders was racing. But I was stressed or something and ended up overcooking the damned eye-of-the-round I had bought from the farmers' market (seriously, buying meat at a market is key; $3.59 for a steak!). And this weekend, I thought I would give it another try. We did some research on marinades before I got started and Anders went to do his workout.

I ended up marinading it for about two hours in a mixture of olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, salt, pepper, and a bit of white wine vinegar.

I didn't just leave it out on the counter, though. I covered it with a plate and let it sit in the fridge.

I also made a marinade for the portabello mushroom cap I bought for myself. It was olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic.


While the steak and my mushroom were doing their respective thangs, I prepared the potatoes I had bought, also at the market, for crash hot potatoes. This idea came from Pioneer Woman. I can't help myself. her recipes are delicious and she is my idol.

Ooh, two colours.

And then I threw them in a pot of boiling water.

Photographs of boiling water are cool.

Once they were fork tender, I drained them, spread them out on a lightly oiled cookie sheet (in a pattern of red, white, red, white, because I'm crazy), and half smashed them with a metal spatula.

I made up a mixture of olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, and drizzled it over top of the smashed potatoes. Boy, is this photo bad, or what. Then I put them in the oven at 375°F (because that's the temperature it had to be at for the steak).

At this point I did some dishes, made a spinach and strawberry salad (with a sweet lemon dressing), watched some TV and waited for Anders to get home so I could start the steak and mushroom.



This is what your stove would look like if you were vegetarian and dating a guy who loves steak.


Mmm, dinner on the table.

Want a better idea of what our dinners looked like? No? TOO BAD.

Ooh, crash hot potatoes.


Aah, steak.


Ooh, portabello mushroom (too bad I charred it... I was so concerned about the stupid steak).


Aah, spinach and strawberry salad.

So there you have it. I can only really comment on the potatoes, which were totally delicious, but could have been crispier (the oven wasn't hot enough, but I knew that), and the mushroom cap, which was also delicious, if a bit charred. It really helps to marinade mushrooms before cooking them. They don't feel so rubbery, and they really absorb... well they absorb anything, but especially flavour in this instance. The salad was also delightful and simple.
And the steak? I'm told it was better than the last one I overcooked, but should probably be marinaded longer to really be flavourful. BUT the flavouring it did take on was tasty (apparently). So at least I know how to flavour, now I just need to plan ahead a bit more, I guess.

I know I would usually post a recipe or three right about now, but it's all pretty straight forward, and in the experimentation phase. You can look at PW's recipe, linked above, for crash hot potatoes, since that's the one I used (basically), and for now, here's a rough idea of what I did with the steak.

Eye of the Round, Marinaded
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 clove of garlic, crushed or grated on a rasp
1-2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

×××

Place the steak in the marinade, cover and refigerate until ready to cook (at least half an hour). Flip over in the marinade every half hour.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Add olive oil and a small amount of butter, just enough to moisten the bottom of a small pan (one you can put in the oven, like a cast iron pan). Heat the pan on high until very hot, but do not allow it to smoke. Place the steak in the pan and brown each side for about 2 minutes. Put the pan in the oven for 3-5 minutes, depending on how you like it cooked. When the steak is removed from the oven, allow it to sit in the pan for about 3 minutes, so the juices may redistribute in the meat.


I would also like to mention that we (read: I) made crepes the next morning (read: afternoon) for breakfast (read:linner [lunch-dinner]). I love crepes. So. Much. They are so simple and delicious and really not too terrible for you, which is great, in my books.

They do look funny though, when you're not quick enough to spread them out in the pan. They also bubble strangely. Point and laugh!

But before I even started making them, I hulled and washed some more of the strawberries (which were getting a bit soft in the fridge), and peeled and sauteed a pear in some brown sugar. And then I made the crepes.

They looked something like this sexy little thing when we finally ate them (at 3PM).

This one, I have a real recipe for! One I actually followed, too! I got it from the Food Network. More specifically, it's Alton Brown's recipe. And really, does Alton Brown ever do any wrong?

Recipe

Crepes
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons melted butter
Butter, for coating the pan

×××

In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds. Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This allows the bubbles to subside so the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking. The batter will keep for up to 48 hours.

Heat a small non-stick pan. Add butter to coat. Pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove to the cutting board. Lay them out flat so they can cool. Continue until all batter is gone. After they have cooled you can stack them and store in sealable plastic bags in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for up to two months. When using frozen crepes, thaw on a rack before gently peeling apart.

Guten Appetit! Continue reading...

Chili con Veggies

My mum used to make this chili, which I lovvve, while I was still living at home (full time... now I'm home in the summers and on long holidays, but for all intents and purposes, I live in Kingston, where I go to school). Last week, when no one could decide what to eat for dinner on Monday night, I decided to make it. It's so simple and delicious. Usually we make it in the winter, because who wants to eat chili in the summer, right? But everything is field-fresh right now, so it's really the perfect time.
I started by making a pot of basmati rice. It's my favourite rice.

And if you're one of those people who's always had trouble making rice that's perfect and not nasty and sticky, follow these instructions: bring two cups of water to a boil; add one cup of dry rice (any kind except brown, which takes a ridiculously long time) and stir to prevent sticking; allow water to come to a boil again, and turn the heat on the stove down to the half-way point (or a bit lower, if your stove runs hot); cover the pot and set your timer for 15 minutes, AND DO NOT LIFT THe LID TO STIR OR CHECK ON THE RICE AT ANY TIME (it's fine, I promise!); after 15 minutes, remove the pot from heat and allow to sit for at least another 5 minutes. It can be left longer. Which is what I did in this particular instance, because by the time the rice was done, I was making chili. It probably sat for about half an hour or something.
Anyway, once the rice was on its way, I got out the big pot and poured in a couple tablespoons of olive oil.

No need to be exact, just enough to cover the bottom of the pot. I also added some flavouring: chili powder, turmeric, tamari (or soy sauce) and garlic and let it simmer for a few minutes.

I chopped up some vegetables while I was waiting (I'm lying, I did this before I even started...).

For this recipe I usually use some sort of bell pepper (yellow, in this case, but any colour will do), celery and carrots. I also throw in a fresh tomato. It must be peeled first, though.

Once the vegetables are chopped and the spices have had some time to simmer in the oil, the pepper, celery and carrots go in, but not the tomato, yet.

This needs to cook for just a few minutes; between three and five.


I don't know about anyone else, but we always have a can of tomato paste in our cupboard.


It goes in with the vegetables, along with the tomato, a splash of lemon juice, and salt and pepper, to taste. It looks really thick and pastey at this point, but it's nothing to be concerned about.

That cooks on medium-high heat for 15 minutes. While I'm waiting, I open a can or two of beans, any kind:

We had red kidney beans and black beans. Yum.


After cooking for a bit, the juices from the tomato really add some liquid to it.

At this point, it's time to add the beans.

And simmer for another 15 minutes.


Once it's done, serve it on the perfect rice you have sitting, waiting on the stove. Deliiiish.

Recipe

Chili con Veggies

1-2 cans of beans (any kind)
Chili powder, to taste
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon tamari (or soy sauce)
1-2 cloves garlic, pressed
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large bell pepper (any colour) chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 can tomato paste
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

×××

Briefly sautee the spices, tamari and garlic, stirring to avoid burning. Add the pepper, celery and carrot and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, except the beans, and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Add the beans and simmer for another 15 minutes. Serve on rice.

Guten Appetit! Continue reading...

Staples: pasta primavera

One of Anders' and my staples is pasta primavera. It's great because we both love vegetables, so despite the fact that there's no meat in it for Anders, we both really enjoy it. I also have severe emetophobia and eating light is one of the few things that helps keep me sane. And, besides the time it takes to cut and clean the vegetables, it's a really simple dish.

To begin, cook some pasta. Shock it when it's done so it doesn't continue to cook and let it sit until you're ready for it.
Next, choose a whole whack of vegetables you like.

These are the ones we usually use:


Rinse them and chop them up, pretty much however you want:

In this instance, I cut the peppers into strips, julienned the carrots, halved the green beans, quartered the mushrooms, and cut the broccoli and cauliflower into bite-sized fleurettes.

Pour a generous amount of olive oil into the pan, and crush some garlic into it:

I threw some Italian seasoning into the pan, too, but I don't, usually.

Put the vegetables in and toss them to coat in oil:


Let them cook for a while. I usually let them go until they brown a little:

If it's taking a long time, put a lid over the pan the let the vegetables steam.

Once the vegetables are cooked (tender but crisp), throw in the cooked pasta and toss it all together:


Guten Appetit!

Continue reading...