Pork Piccata

This recipe is originally Chicken Piccata and I’ve made it before and the whole family loved it, but the other day I pulled out a pork tenderloin from the freezer with no plan for it.

When I came home from work with 2 hungry kids in tow, I had to come up with a plan fast, and although there are so many ways to make / work with a pork tenderloin, nothing was speaking to me and I didn’t have time for it to marinate (my favourite way to eat it, marinated and BBQed).

So I modified this recipe to be a pork dish because pork is such mild flavour it worked very well.  The kids thought it was chicken (and ate it well) and Hubby and I both went back for seconds.

Pork Piccata

1 pork tenderloin
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup capers, drained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley


To prepare the pork tenderloin, first cut remove silver skin, then cut into thirds, take each third and butterfly.  Using a meat mallet to pound out each piece to an even thickness (I got mine to about 1.5 cm thick).

Sprinkle both sides of each piece with salt and pepper, then dredge both sides in the flour.

Over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with olive oil; once hot cook the pork pieces on both sides until just brown (about 3 minutes / side).  Make sure not to over crowd your pan, you might need to do 2 batches.  Remove pork from pan and set aside.

Add chicken broth, lemon juice and capers, bring to a boil and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Return the pork to the pan, turning over to coat in the sauce and simmer until cooked through (5-7 minutes depending on the thickness of your pork).  Using tongs take the pork out of the pan and place on serving platter.  Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, then remove from heat and pour sauce over the pork.  Garnish with parsley and serve alongside your choice of starch (I did rice).

Yield: 4 servings.
Source: Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis’ recipe in Giada’s Family Dinners cookbook.

Chicken Vesuvio

The other day I pulled out a couple of chicken breasts from the freezer before going to work and then came home without a dinner plan.  Sound familiar?

So a quick look through Giada De Laurentiis’ cookbook and I found this little gem.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love one-dish meals?  Love, love, love them!  I could have used a few more veggies in this one and although it could work with a few roasted red peppers, I like it as is.  Next time I will serve a plate of fresh veggies or a salad on the side maybe…. maybe….

 

Chicken Vesuvio

3 tablespoons olive oil
2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ pounds small potatoes, halved
6 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
¾ cup white wine
¾ cup chicken broth
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
¾ teaspoon dried rosemary, or 1 ½ teaspoons fresh, minced
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven (or a large skillet or pot that has a lid and can go into the oven) over medium-high heat.
Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
Brown the chicken pieces on both sides, you might have to work in batches depending on how much chicken you are using and how large your pot is – you don’t want to over crowd them though otherwise they will not brown nicely.

Once chicken is browned (4-5 minutes / side), remove from pot and set aside.

Add more oil if needed; add potatoes to the pot, stir to coat and cook for about 10 minutes until they are golden brown, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic to the potatoes and sauté about 1 minute, then add the wine and broth, scraping up any grown bits on the bottom of the pot.  Add the oregano and rosemary bring to a boil and then return the chicken to the pot. 

Cover the pot, place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Check the doneness of the chicken pieces and potatoes, you might have to remove the chicken and set aside and continue cooking the potatoes an additional 5 minutes.

Once the potatoes are done, spoon them on top of the chicken pieces and cover with foil.  Return the pot to the stove on medium-high heat; add in the artichokes and butter.  Stir until the butter has melted, the artichokes are hot and the sauce starts to thicken slightly – about 5 minutes.

Spoon sauce over top of potatoes and chicken and serve.

Enjoy!

Yield: Depending on how many pieces of chicken you use – this will serve 2-4 people. 

Spanish Rice & Chicken

I love cookbooks!
My husband might even say I have a cookbook problem, but I call it a collection.
I fell in love with cookbooks back when I was in high school and I still have plenty if not all of my first cookbooks.

The other thing I love is the cookbook magazines you can buy in grocery stores.
My very first ever cookbook magazine was Taste of Home - Oct / Nov 1994 edition.

I read that magazine over and over again - I made so many different recipes from it, most of which were really good.
But as all things go, the old get pushed aside and the new becomes front and centre.

A few weeks ago, I was looking for an old recipe and I stumbled onto this Taste of Home magazine, and as I thumbed through it and remember all those recipes I tried way back as a teenager, I found my dinner idea for the next day.

The last time I made this recipe, I was in high school!

I made a few changes, and both hubby and I really liked it, the kids, ate the chicken and rice but turned their noses up at the peppers as they usually do.
But I know a recipe is really good when I look over and the green peppers have not be picked out by my husband - he inhaled this one!

This is perfect for a fall or winter day - comfort food.

Spanish Rice & Chicken

2-3 pounds bone in chicken pieces (I used drumsticks and thighs)

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 ½ cups chicken broth
3 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
1 cup uncooked rice
1 medium onion, chopped
½ green pepper, chopped
½ yellow pepper, chopped

Preheat oven to 425 F (if you have convection – set to 400 F convection), place chicken in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.  Combine garlic powder, celery salt and paprika; sprinkle evenly over both sides of each chicken piece.  Place in oven and cook uncovered for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile bring chicken broth, tomatoes, salt and chili powder to a boil in a saucepan.

Once chicken has cooked for 20 minutes, add the rice, onion, green and yellow peppers, then pour chicken broth mixture on top, stir a little bit (you might need to move the chicken pieces around to make sure the rice is mixed in).

Cover with a lid or foil and return to oven and continue to bake for an additional 45 minutes or until the chicken is done and the rice is tender.

Enjoy!

Yield: serves 4 adults.

Source: Taste of Home Oct/Nov 1994 edition
 

Tomato, Lime & Cilantro Salsa with Chicken

You know those nights when you have no idea what to have for dinner?  Or those times you pull of a few chicken breasts from the freezer and now you need a game plan for what to do with them?

Hubby stumbled onto this recipe quite a while ago as he was flipping through one of my cookbooks looking for inspiration after I told him I was taking a night off from making dinner.

We now make this meal a lot; at least twice a month. 
We love it in the summer because it is fresh and fast and still allows you to keep the house cool, and we it in the winter because it is fresh and makes us forget that there are 3 feet of snow outside our door.

You can really use this salsa on anything, but our favourite way is to grill chicken breast and serve with rice, and then top both with the salsa, but if your favourite meat is pork, I am sure that would be great too.

Tomato, Lime & Cilantro Salsa

4-6 Roma tomatoes, small dice
½ cup finely chopped cilantro
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 lime, zested and juiced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons white sugar
Salt & freshly ground pepper

Mix everything together in a bowl,;allow to sit for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavours to blend.
Enjoy.

Source: adapted from Fine Cooking Annual Vol. 2

Guest Post - Stock Fine Foods

Hey Everyone! I’m Amy, Minivan Stiletto’s little sister.  Jenny asked me to guest post for her while she is away in BC.  I’m sure she’s drinking wine for breakfast and passing out in the sun – that’s a good way to get a tan.

I love entertaining and trying out new products so I always found it frustrating when I had to drive around the city for certain products. I always thought, “How great would it be if this stuff could just get delivered to your door?”

So a couple months ago I launched an online specialty food store.  

It’s called Stock Fine Foods. The idea of this business is to deliver hard-to-find and higher-end products right to your door.  You’re not going to find the same products here as you would at Safeway.

Jenny suggested I feature some of my favorite products, well, that’s a tough one because I love all my products.  I wouldn’t be selling them if I didn’t.  But it made me think about a conversation we had a few weeks ago, she had asked me what was so special about specialty pasta.  I believe she even said somewhere about how she usually buys the cheapest or whatever is on sale.

Here's my answer:

Specialty Pasta is special mainly because of their ingredients. A lot of high-end pastas use only flour and water – and the absolute best flour and water you can find. The way these pastas are made is usually the same way it was made 100 years ago - By hand, with a lot of attention and technique

I find that for the most part anything made by hand is better than items mass-produced and it shows in these pastas.

Now if you can afford it – by all means use specialty pasta all the time, but that can get expensive. So try better pasta with simple pasta dishes like this Carbonara or an Aglio E Olio. These dishes will really let the pasta shine and show you how much a difference it can make.

Here is my absolute favorite Pasta:

Rustichella d'Abruzzo was founded in Italy in 1924 and they make their pasta today the same way they did the day they started.  Their recipe is very basic, durum wheat and fresh, natural spring water.

One of my favorite dishes to entertain with is this Carbonara. It is so easy to prepare everything before your guests arrive and then throw it all together right before you’re ready to serve.

Keep in mind, this recipe is not on the light side, you can tone it down a bit if you want, but if you are looking to impress your guests – it is a wow dish if done right.

Carbonara

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons Gianni Calogiuri Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 ½ cups whipping cream

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

8 large egg yolks

¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves

¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Le Paludier Fleur De Sel

1 pound Rustichella d'Abruzzo spaghettini

Freshly ground white pepper

1 tablespoon lemon zest

Directions:

Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat.  Add the pancetta and garlic and sauté until it is brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Set aside and cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, cheese, yolks, basil, and parsley to blend.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spaghettini and cook until it is just tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Drain.

Next, add the spaghettini and the cream mixture to the pancetta and garlic, return pan to a medium-low heat and toss until the sauce coats the spaghettini thickly, about 4 minutes (do not boil or you might end up scrambling the eggs).  

Season the pasta, to taste, with pepper and salt if needed (the pancetta and Parmesan will likely add all the salt you need). Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the lemon zest and serve.

Source: adapted from Giada De Laurentils – Everyday Italian

Try this out! It is fabulous and super easy to make. As a special offer to Jenny’s readers I’m offering 10 per cent off your entire order. Use the promo code “minivan” and if you live in Calgary I am offering $5 flat rate shipping on all orders over $30.  Check me out, you won’t be disappointed.

Facebook link – www.facebook.com/stockfinefoods

Twitter – www.twitter.com/StockFineFoods

Website link:  www.stockfinefoods.com

Quick Korean Beef

Sunday night I am hanging out on twitter when someone posted a link to what they were making for dinner.  Of course I check it out and get linked to this recipe.
Score!  I now found my dinner plan for Monday night.

Monday night is soccer night, which means, fast quick meals that not only can be made super-fast, but also ones the kids like and we don’t spend an hour forcing helping them to eat.

This meal was a win for everyone in the family, make it as spicy as you like but mine was quite toned down since I wanted the kids to eat it as well.

Quick Korean Beef

1 lb lean ground beef

1 tablespoon sesame oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup brown sugar
¼ cup soy sauce
½ - 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
½ - 1 teaspoon crushed red chili peppers
1 bunch green onions

Heat a large skillet over medium heat; add ground beef and sesame oil.  Cook until almost finished browning and then add the minced garlic.  Finish cooking, and strain to remove excess oil.

Return back to heat; add brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger and chili peppers.
Cook for a few minutes to help the flavours blend.
Remove from heat, and serve with rice, topping with green onions and toasted sesame seeds if desired.

I julienned some carrots and cucumber to serve with it, if you have pickled carrots, these would be even better.

Since I take pictures of my meal, Little Girl wanted to take on of hers.  Here is her meal, she has already eaten her cucumber - can you tell it is a favourite of hers.

Barley Risotto

This recipe came from my sister, I have no idea where she got it from and what modifications she did, but it is fantastic.

The only thing I think I would change next time would be to reduce the amount of oil, maybe 2 tablespoons instead of 1/4 cup?  Thoughts?  This was my first time ever making any version of risotto, do I really need that much oil? 

Barley Risotto

4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 - 2 cups white wine
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup pearl barley
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper to taste
Fresh parsley

Combine chicken broth and wine in a pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat to keep simmering.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot, saute the barley until lightly toasted.  Add the onion and garlic and continue sauteing until the onion is transparent.
With the heat on medium, start adding your broth / wine 1/2 cup at a time.  Stir continually and add more broth once the previous 1/2 cup had been absorbed.
This will take you at least 30 minutes, barley should be al dente.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed - keep in mind you are about to add Parmesan cheese (which is very salty).
Turn the heat off, add the Parmesan, stir and cover.  Let sit for 5 minutes.
Add fresh parsley and serve.

Yield: makes about 4 servings.
Enjoy!

Kulinary Kids Cooking Class

Do you have a little chef?  Or maybe an aspiring little chef?

As you all know, I spend quite a bit of time in the kitchen.  I have some very early memories of being in the kitchen with my Mom and I think one of the most important tools I can teach my children is how to cook.

I know not everyone wants to know how to cook, or I guess there are some people that have a hard time making KD, but I really don't understand those people.
Frozen pizza is not real food!

I guess it just comes naturally to me, I know what it means when a recipe says to dice an onion and mince garlic.
So I spend time with my kids in the kitchen and I know as they get older we will spend even more time together cooking and baking.

What I have not done yet though, is take either of them to a cooking class, but when Kulinary Kids announced on their Facebook page the other day that they where holding a draw for some free classes, I jumped at the chance - as luck would have it we won one!

I won a spot for Little Girl to attend one of their Growing Chefs classes.  It is a 1 hour long, unparented class where they help make one item, class is valued at $40.

On the agenda for this week: Mexican Churros.

Little Girl was super excited for the class, but when we got there her shyness kicked in.  Although it is unparented, she asked that I stay, which I didn't really mind - I got to take some fantastic photos and saw her doing things I have not allowed her to do at home yet.

The final product.

Little girl had a great time, she was so proud of herself and the food she got to bring home.

It was a super big confidence booster for her!  I highly recommend signing your kids up for a class, or summer camp.

Kulinary Kids

#224, 12100 Macleod Trail SE

Calgary, AB

403-276-CHEF (2433)

Disclaimer: I received 1 free class for Little Girl to attend and was asked only to provide feedback in return.  I was not asked to blog about it, but seriously, why would I not?

Cream of Tomato Soup

Cream of Tomato Soup

4 pounds tomatoes (on the vine or Roma)

3 large carrots
2 red onions
5-6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
4 cups chicken stock
1 small can tomato paste
¼ cup minced fresh basil
1 tablespoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 /12 teaspoon sugar
½ cup half & half cream

Core and cut the tomatoes in half, place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Peel and roughly chop the carrots, peel and cut the red onions into large wedges.  Place the carrots and onions on a different baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place both baking sheets in the oven on Broil setting.

Toss the carrots and onions after about 5 minutes, remove from the oven after 10-12 minutes, once they have started to soften and darken.

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat, add the carrots and onions.

Cook, stirring often for 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Remove tomatoes from the oven, using tongs or a fork, remove the skins from the tomato halves then add to the carrots and onions.

Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, basil, salt, pepper and sugar.  Stir well and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes.
Remove soup from heat and puree in a food processor working in batches.

Return soup to pot and back to very low heat, add half and half cream and heat until desired temperature.

Serve and enjoy!

Source: adapted from an Ina Garten’s recipe, Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup – Back to Basics book

Braised Lamb Shanks

Lamb for Easter?  Why, yes thank you!  I happen to have a rather large box of lamb in my freezer.

I was on twitter on Saturday and saw Julie Van Rosendaal tweet about how many hits her lamb recipes were getting this weekend - so of course I join the masses and check out her lamb recipes.
This one was the winner!

Braised Lamb Shanks

2 lamb shanks

Salt & pepper
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 cloves, garlic, roughly chopped
1 small can tomato paste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 ½ cups red wine
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 ½ cups beef stock

This recipe works best in a large braising pot (Le Creuset or Staub), but any heavy bottomed pot that can also go into the oven works great.

Preheat the oven to 325 F convection.

Generously sprinkle salt and pepper over the lamb shanks.
Heat oil in pot over medium-high heat.
Add the shanks and cook a few minutes on all sides to brown.  Remove meat from the pot, set aside.
Add onion, celery and carrots to the pot.  Sauté until soft, stirring often, about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic, tomato paste, rosemary and bay leaf, cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the wine, red wine vinegar and sugar.  Bring to a boil, and then add the beef stock.  Return to a boil again and taste.  Add salt and pepper if necessary, and then add the lamb shanks back to the pot.
Cover with lid and place in oven.  Cook for 2-3 hours until the meat is tender and falling away from the bone.
Make sure to turn the meat every half hour since it most likely will not be completely submerged in sauce.

 Cooking time depends on how big your shanks are, mine were pretty small so it took only about 2 hours to cook.

Once your lamb is done, you can remove the shanks from the pot and then use an immersion blender to puree the sauce if you want a smoother sauce; I left mine chunky. 

Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

Enjoy!

Source: adapted from Dinner with Julie. 

Oven Roasted Cauliflower

Oven Roasted Cauliflower
1 small head of cauliflower, cut into medium size pieces
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (the real kind, not out of a green container)
1 lemon
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
olive oil

Preheat oven to 425F (use convection at this temperature if you have it).
Spread out cauliflower onto baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place in oven and cook.
Make sure to toss the cauliflower every 8-10 minutes, so it gets evenly cooked and browned.  Add the sliced garlic in after the cauliflower is about half done.  It should take about 30-40 minutes depending on how large your pieces are, but could also be a bit less so watch it.
When cauliflower is done, remove from the oven and place in a large bowl.
Add the juice from half the lemon and the Parmesan cheese, toss and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Hamburger Stroganoff

This is a fantastic weeknight meal.If I have a package of noodles in the pantry, chances are I have all the necessary ingredients on hand.
Oh, and it is absolutely delish too!

 Hamburger Stroganoff

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, diced

3 cups sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup dry sherry or white wine

1 1/4 cups sour cream

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Salt & pepper

Egg noodles

Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat, while cooking sprinkle with salt. Once cooked, drain meat and set aside.

Return skillet to stove, turn the heat down to medium, add some butter if needed and sauté the onions until done. Remove onions and set aside.

This is a good time to start cooking your noodles now in a large pot of boiling salted water.

While the noodles are cooking add a tablespoon of butter to the skillet, increase the heat to medium high and add the sliced mushrooms. Sauté until nicely browned. Add the sherry and deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Let the sherry reduce by about half, then lower the heat to low.

Remove the skillet from the heat. Mix in the sour cream and paprika until smooth. Return the skillet to very low heat and make sure not to let the sour cream boil or it may curdle.

Stir in the lemon juice and add a tablespoon of water if needed to thin the sauce out a bit.

Stir in the meat, onions and parsley.

Taste, add more salt and pepper if needed.

Serve over egg noodles and enjoy!

Source: I have adapted this recipe from Simply Recipes.

Sausage and Dilled Orzo

I found this recipe when someone posted a link on their blog, I made a few changes that I feel make it better, but this is a great recipe to have in the summer and can be made ahead of time because it is also great served at room tempurature.

Sausage and Dilled Orzo

5 large sausages (I used mild since the kids were eating with us, but spicy would be even better)

4 ripe but firm Roma tomatoes

1 yellow or orange pepper

Olive oil

250 g (or 1/2 a package) uncooked orzo

1 bunch of broccoli

1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill

3 green onions, thinly sliced

Chicken stock

Preheat BBQ to high.

Cut the tomatoes in half and quarter the pepper.  Brush each with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Prick the sausages each a few times.

Turn one side of the BBQ down to medium low - place sausages on that side, turn often for even cooking.

Place the vegetables on to the BBQ side that is still on high.  The tomatoes will not take long to cook, remove from grill when done.  The peppers will take a bit longer, remove when done.  Allow to cool slightly, then chop into large chunks.

Meanwhile, bring chicken stock to a boil and cook orzo in the stock.  The orzo should take about 6-8 minutes to cook, add the broccoli pieces for the last 2 minutes.

Drain both and place in a large bowl, add salt, pepper, basil, dill, green onion and grilled vegetables.

Once sausage is done, slice and add to orzo and vegetables, toss together and serve warm or at room tempurature.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Pecan Maple Butter Tarts

I read the blog Chasing Tomatoes all the time.  She has some amazing recipes and wonderful ideas.

She posted this recipe a few weeks ago on her blog and I knew I had to make it.

I brought the recipe home, had it sitting on the kitchen counter when Hubby saw it.

He thought he has died and gone to heaven. 

His words: "Are you trying to kill me? These are all my favourite things in one tart!  You are making those today right?"

No, I waited a little bit, but it was worth the wait for him.



Chocolate Pecan Maple Butter Tarts

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup maple syrup (No. 1 medium grade)

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon cider vinegar (I did not have any so I used white wine vinegar)

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup chopped pecan halves

3/4 cup high quality bittersweet chocolate (I used 4 Baker bittersweet baking squares)

24 tart shells

Pre-heat oven to 350 F.

In a bowl mix together the brown sugar, maple syrup, butter, eggs, cider vinegar and salt.  Set aside.

Divide the chopped nuts and chocolate evenly between the tart shells, then fill with the filling.

Bake until the pastry is set and the filling is golden, about 15-20 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy.

Source: Chasing Tomatoes

Spiced Turkey Meatballs

I made these for dinner the other day and they turned out way better than I could have hoped for.  They were delish.  Both hubby and I found the sauce on it's own a bit much to take, but once you have baked it with the meatballs - super yummy!

I will be making these for parties instead of opening a box from now on.

Spiced Turkey Meatballs

1 egg, beaten

½ cup dry bread crumbs

¼ cup finely chopped onion

½ teaspoon curry powder

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound ground turkey

Sauce:

½ cup honey

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon curry powder

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

In a bowl mix together all the meatball ingredients, make sure to mix well to incorporate the spices properly (a well washed hand works well).

Form into 1 inch balls and place on parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake, uncovered at 350 convection for 15 minutes, or less depending on the size of your meatball.  Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients in a small saucepan; cook and stir until heated through.  Brush each meatball with the sauce, and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes, until done.

Chicken on a Stick

Chicken Satays – or as she called it – Chicken on a Stick

2 chicken breasts

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 lime, juiced

2 teaspoons shredded fresh ginger

3 garlic cloves, pressed

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 tablespoon honey

Bamboo skewers

Soak your bamboo skewers in water.

Slice the chicken breasts into thin strips, and set aside.

In a bowl large enough to marinades your chicken, mix together the soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, garlic, peanut butter and honey.  Add in chicken strips, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425 convection.

Thread your chicken strips onto the bamboo skewers and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Cook 10-15 minutes (depending on how thick your chicken is sliced) turning once.

Enjoy!

Source: Modified from My Favorite Recipes by Annabel Karmel

In the Kitchen with Mom

One of my wishes for my kids is that they enjoy the kitchen as much as I do, and if they maybe are not that person that loves to cook, at least I want them to know how to cook a nice meal and bake a cake from scratch.

So we spend a lot of time together in the kitchen.  Usually it is making cookies or cakes – really anything with the stand mixer and they are involved.

But recently Little Girl for a kid’s cookbook as a gift, so this past Sunday, I sat her down and told her to pick a recipe and we will make it together for dinner.

Well, she did me one better, she picked 2 recipes – dinner and dessert.

So on Sunday afternoon, while Little Boy napped, we made dinner and dessert.  She was so proud of herself! 

Recipes will follow tomorrow!

Epic Salsa Weekend

I love making salsa. I love eating homemade salsa even more.

Last year I got together with my sister and we made a double batch of salsa.  It was an entire day, but it involved some wine and we had a blast.

The only problem was we each only ended up with 36 jars of salsa (500ml). 

Did I mention I really like homemade salsa?

I rationed it – only some close friends and a few family members were brought into the elite group and were rewarded with a jar.

So this year, I find out my sister still has 12 jars left (how this is possible I have no idea), so I thought I would make the same double batch of salsa by myself.  You see my thinking was 70+ jars for myself and this would allow me to give a few more as gifts.

Did I mention that a double batch of salsa requires 80 pounds of roma tomatoes? 

Let me tell you, this was EPIC salsa weekend.

80 lbs of tomatoes

20 lbs of onions

16 green peppers

16 red peppers

And a lot of jalapenos

I started at the farmers market – and discovered better pricing for different items at different markets – so 2 farmers markets later- all done Thursday and Friday during my lunch hours.

Friday after work / evening – start chopping the peppers and onions (I know most normal people use a food processor, but I have never had one until this year, and did not think about it until I was almost done).

Saturday – chopping all morning – head out with the family in the afternoon – Saturday evening – peel and chop 40 pounds of tomatoes.

Sunday – cook the first batch and peel and chop the other 40 pounds of tomatoes.

Process all the jars.

Not only did I end up being extremely exhausted, have very sore feet, but I got 76 – 500 ml jars of salsa!

If you are really nice to me – I just might share a jar with you!

Jenny’s Salsa

40 pounds Roma tomatoes

10 pounds onions

8 red peppers

8 green peppers

4 bulbs of garlic

20 jalapenos

10 fresh red or green chillies

2 cups brown sugar

2 cups vinegar

1/2 cup pickling salt

1/4 cup dried chilli flakes

4 cans (156 ml each) tomato paste

Chop the onions, red & green peppers, set aside.

Mince the garlic.

Seed the jalapenos and fresh chillies, process in food processor.

Peel and chop the tomatoes.

Divide everything between 2 extremely large pots; add in brown sugar, vinegar, salt, dried chillies and tomato paste.  Stir to combine, and place over medium-high heat.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and continue to stir often.  Watch your heat, but you want to keep the salsa boiling.

Cook until it looks done – 45minute to an hour.

Ladle into sterilized jars and process in a water bath for 10 minutes.