Friday, April 27, 2012

Dessert Night and Pinterest

Wednesday is Dessert Night!  After hearing our kids beg for sweets and dessert all the time, we decided to designate a dessert night.  It works out so well!  Usually I try to make something homemade or we go out for ice cream.  This past week, Mike made cream puffs for the first time.  Oh deliciousness!


Cream Puffs


It's Friday!

Fridays mean pizza night around here!

I have a guilty love for taco pizza - what's not to love?  Apparently a lot, according to Mike.  This week I decided to ignore Mike's protest and put together an easy taco pizza.  I used the Pioneer Woman's "Mexican Flatbread Pizza" recipe as a base but made my own crust, skipped the meat, and put spinach on top.  It was delicious!  Everyone seemed to like it (and Mike's plate was clean - hrm!).

Taco Pizza


Last week, we made a Bird's Nest Pizza. I could have licked the plate clean! The recipe calls for Saint Nectaire cheese but I couldn't find it so I used another french cheese - l'edel de cleron. The creamy and stinky cheese coupled with the runny eggs and parmesan was so amazingly delicious. I left the l'edel de cleron off the kids' side of the pizza because I didn't want them to waste it and then they picked off the asparagus, too. Ah well.

Bird's Nest Pizza

Jim Lahey's Bird's Nest Pie

serves Makes one 10- to 12-inch pizza

3 thick asparagus spears
1 ball of Pizza Dough, shaped and waiting on a floured peel (I like Emeril's dough recipe and I use cornmeal on the peel)
1/4 C finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3/4 ounce Saint Nectaire cheese, cut into 6 chunks (I used l'edel de cleron)
4 to 6 quail eggs (we used regular eggs which was a bit of a problem with cooking time - use small eggs if you can)
Pinch of kosher salt

Place the pizza stone in a gas oven on a rack about 8 inches from the broiler. Preheat the oven on bake at 500°F for 30 minutes. Switch to broil for 10 minutes (or until egg whites are set).

Cut away about 2 inches of the base of each asparagus spear. With a vegetable peeler, shave the entire asparagus from bottom to top, reversing your grip and rotating as necessary to shave as much as possible. Don’t rush it; be deliberate for the greatest precision.

With the dough on the peel, sprinkle the Parmigiano evenly over the surface and distribute the chunks of Saint Nectaire (or other cheese) on top. Arrange the asparagus shavings over the cheese.

With quick, jerking motions, slide the pie onto the stone. Broil for 2½ minutes under gas (somewhat longer with an electric oven). The cheese should be bubbling, the crust only slightly charred. Using the peel, pull the pizza out of the oven. Close the oven to conserve heat.

Crack the eggs very carefully to keep each yolk whole. Place the eggs around the pizza (one for each slice). Sprinkle the salt evenly over the pie. Return to the oven to broil for 1 minute (or more depending on size of egg - use the small eggs if you can!), until the eggs are set but not hard and the charring is deeper.

Using the peel, transfer the pizza to a tray or serving platter. Slice into wedges (cutting through the egg yolks to allow them to spread slightly). Serve immediately.

Note: If quail eggs are unavailable (farmer’s markets are often an excellent source), go with the smallest eggs you can find.











Friday, March 23, 2012

Cheers to 2012

I've been reading a lot of "foodie" novels and memoirs lately and it has me thinking about my cooking and baking repertoire. Or, lack of. I think I have ADD when it comes to cooking and baking. I'm always trying something new and we rarely eat a dish more than once. I think my problem is that there are so many delicious sounding foods that I must keep trying new things. But, I'm starting to think I'm not doing myself a favor. By not making a dish more than once, I have no opportunity to fine tune it or tweak it to be my own. I want to have a few signature dishes so this spring and summer, I'm going to work on a repertoire. Luckily, I have a few things to start with: pasta fagioli, cinnamon rolls, homemade macaroni and cheese, pitas, and I'm getting pretty good at dan dan noodles. I'd definitely like to add a red sauce pasta to the list, along with a mexican dish, a hearty breakfast dish, and some sort of cake.

We decided to do an every-other-week crop share this season (ok, I decided and finally convinced Mike to go along with it). I'm really hoping that less veggies means more flexibility with cooking. And because we won't be as bombarded with veggies, I can go to the farmers market and/or cook something without a crazy amount of vegetables in it. And perhaps, I'll actually stick with blogging this season. Cheers to the 2012 fresh veggie season!

PS - And maybe I'll get around to fixing my Flickr and my broken photo links.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Tis The Season

Hello Old Friends!

We've been cooking and baking up a storm but have failed at documenting all the goodies. I made a tasty and good looking dish the other night and thought I'd share.

Vegetarian Stew with Quinoa, Butternut Squash & Coconut Milk




































Yield: Serves 4

From the kitchen of Cookin Canuck.

2/3 cup quinoa
1 1/3 cup water
Pinch of salt
2 cups diced (1/2-inch) butternut squash
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1/2 large jalapeno pepper, seeds & membranes removed, minced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup lite coconut milk, stirred
1 can (14 oz.) petite diced tomatoes (with juices)
1 can (14 oz.) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 green onions, thinly sliced

In a medium saucepan, combine quinoa and water, and place over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for approximately 20 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed. Remove the quinoa from the heat, fluff with a fork and re-cover to keep warm.

In a medium or large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and the cubed butternut squash. Cook until the squash is just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

In a large frying pan, heat olive oil oil over medium heat. Add onion and kosher salt and cook until the onions are turning brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Add ginger and minced jalapeno and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add garlic. Cook for 1 more minute, stirring.

Add the lite coconut milk, diced tomatoes with juices, chickpeas and cooked butternut squash. Turn the mixture to medium-high and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the butternut squash is tender, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes.

Divide the quinoa between bowls and ladle the stew over top. Garnish with sliced green onions. Serve.

Baking

As far as holiday baking goes, we've been making a bunch of cookies: chocolate crackles (Martha Stewart's recipe is my favorite), sugar cut out cookies, white chocolate cherry shortbread, chocolate covered cherries and macaroons. Macaroons have become my thing.

Macaroon

Cherry Shortbread



We tried these pretzel, rolo, M&M candies for the first time this year (found on pinterest). Owen was able to do these without much help - it was great!

Pretzel, Rolo & M&M Candies


For Thanksgiving, I made these cranberry brie bites (also found on pinterest) and they were phenomenal.

Cranberry and brie bites (pinterest)

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

I need to share the deliciousness!

We've had some tasty summer meals lately and I just don't have the time to properly document them in my blog like I used to. So, I'm going to try out an abbreviated format for the time being.

Scallops with Tomatillo Guacamole & Corn Salsa
the kitchn

Both Mike & I love scallops but rarely buy them because they're pricey. I decided to splurge and make this meal and it was so worth it! So delicious and easy, too! Both kids gobbled it up which shocked me. I will definitely make this again. And, I'll be making that tomatillo guacamole to go on tacos, too. I love tomatillos!


Ratatouille Bake
All Recipes
Tasty, easy, delicious. Owen said, "Mama did you make this? It's DELICIOUS!" Score!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Birthday Party Fun

Our daughter celebrated her first birthday last weekend! We whipped up some of our favorite foods for the occasion.

The Menu:
Ina Garten's Panzanella
Watermelon
Food Should Good Sweet Potato Chips
Grandma's Baked Beans (super secret recipe)
Sausages from Kramarczuk's: Curried Wild Rice Brat, Cherry Bomb Brat, and Mediterranean Lamb
Rainbow Cupcakes


Kramarczuk's Sausages

Panzanella



Happy Birthday Jillian!

Favorites

We enjoyed a few favorites in the past week: steak fajitas with greens, spring turnip salad, and radish sandwich. If we have a bunch of greens or peppers to use, we often turn to fajitas. The turnip salad is one of my favorite things and the radish sandwich is all about good butter (we used Hope butter this time). Yum!

Steak Fajitas with Green Garlic, Radish Greens, Onion, Spinach

Steak Fajitas with Green Garlic, Radish Greens, Onion, Spinach


Spring Turnip Salad

Spring Turnip Salad

1 fresh, young bunch of turnips, stems discarded, greens well washed and sliced into thin ribbons (1/3 inch or less), roots trimmed, peeled, and cut into 3/4 inch chunks
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Olive oil
Salt
1 tablespoon honey
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup plain yogurt or buttermilk
1/3 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, cilantro, and chives
1 cup cooked white beans
3 hard cooked eggs, peeled and sliced
4 strips bacon, cooked and chopped or crumbled
3 pieces of cornbread (your favorite recipe), cut into small cubes

At least a few hours in advance, toss the raw turnip greens with 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and a big pinch of salt. Cover and refrigerate.

Put the turnip roots in a medium saucepan with an inch of water, a pinch of salt, and a splash of olive oil. Cover, bring to a boil, and boil hard, covered, until turning tender, about 5 minutes. Then remove the lid and continue to boil until tender enough to eat, a minute or two more. Drain if necessary and allow to cool.

Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon honey in 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar and the lime juice. Whisk in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Stir in 1/4 cup plain yogurt or buttermilk and the chopped herbs. Taste and add salt, vinegar, or oil if necessary.

Dress the beans with 2 tablespoons of the yogurt dressing. Spread some greens on each plate and top with egg, beans, bacon, steamed turnips, and cornbread. Serve extra yogurt dressing on the side.


Radish Sandwich

Radish Sandwiches and Spinach Salad