Thursday, 29 January 2015
Sunday, 18 January 2015
Friday, 16 January 2015
Saturday, 18 October 2014
Elegant & Gourmet….made EASY!!
I LOVE preparing our huge Thanksgiving feast. All the wonderful smells filling the house….in anticipation of all the yummy food we are going to eat!! Of all the holiday dinners, this is the one I enjoy making the most.
Pumpkin pie is always, always on the top of the list. I still have my mom's handwritten recipe that I turn to each year. It has been many, many years since she has been with us, but the memories of her pie always make their way to my dinner table.
My oldest daughter is the ONLY person that does not like pumpkin pie. How can you not like pumpkin pie?? Even my 2 1/2 year old grandson loves pumpkin pie. So like most moms….I make 2 desserts so she can enjoy a nice ending to the meal as well. Believe me, my husband and son-in-laws have no problem eating both desserts….even my other daughter….who loves pumpkin pie as much as I do, enjoys the 2 dessert option.
Since this is the fall season, my dessert of choice involves apples. Usually an apple pudding, or apple crisp find their way onto the menu. This year I decided to try something different. With the help of one of my favourite sites: www.thekitchn.com, I made a truly wonderful, elegant dessert…..Free Form Apple Tarte.
It is one of the most simple desserts I have ever made and it's now on my list of top 10 desserts I love making. It truly reminds me of visiting a gourmet coffee shop with my husband, and ordering this for a nice treat. In fact I have ordered something like this on several occasions….now I can make it at home!!
So you see…with a little help from the internet….and some patience in the kitchen…things people would consider difficult are actually easy. Simple gourmet….it doesn't get better than that.
Check out the site and give it a try….perhaps it will become a favourite of yours too.
Enjoy!!
Sunday, 3 August 2014
Shrimp Tacos with Homemade TORTILLAS!!
Making my own tortillas always intrigued me….but living in Canada and trying to find an authentic tortilla press was almost impossible. Thank goodness for online shopping and Amazon!! Last month I decided to order the press and give this whole new cuisine a try.
Yesterday was experiment day. Myself and my wonderful husband decided that it was time to try our new press and shrimp tacos for the test.
We were blown away at the final product. Although my tortilla making skills are far from the wonderful Mexican chefs, if the first attempt at something at least resembles the end product, and the taste is awesome….then the attempt was a success…and these WERE!!
I made the dough and pressed out the tortillas and he cooked them in the skillet. We kept them warm while he grilled the shrimp on the BBQ, and I sliced up the avocado. These tasty little gems were garnished with chopped kale and peach chutney. For the side we had a crispy cool cucumber salad.
Voila just like that we felt like we were in a little Mexican villa without leaving the house!!
I certainly don't think fish tacos are strange anymore….in fact I think these are going to become one of my favourite fun things to make!!
Like I have said before….have fun in the kitchen and ENJOY!!
Thursday, 19 June 2014
Who's Your INSPIRATION?
Who's your cooking inspiration? For me it originally started with my mom, grandmother and aunts. With a Ukrainian background, endless hours were spent in the kitchens of many family cooks, all creating their wonderful "home made" masterpieces. Many of my relatives had huge gardens, orchards, farms that raised livestock….and even in Manitoba my uncle had a wheat farm!!
Everything like milk, bread, meat, fruits and vegetables all came from someone in the family. Freezers where always full, and cold rooms contained many jars of sauces, jams and pickles. Oh how the memory of the fall and smell of "sauerkraut" still creeps into my senses.
Mostly everything was made by memory. I do have a few scribbles of notes that my mom had….at least I managed to find her pumpkin pie recipe, but mostly all these wonderful ladies cooked from the heart!!
Although I loved (and still do) many of the family favourites, after getting married I thought it was time for me to get inspired on my own, trying different things, different food cultures….tasting the world with never leaving home!! So my immense cookbook collection got underway. Many years later I am still adding to the collection…in fact I just added 3 new books last month (well really my husband surprised me with them). My collection also includes magazines and binders full of Internet recipes as well.
Along with the books, I am an avid fan of so many cooking shows. Top Chef, Master Chef, many of the celebrity chef shows….and one of my all time favourite shows was Junior Master Chef. At the end of that show my husband laughed and said, "I thought you were a good cook, you better pick it up a notch". I laughed too….but totally agreed!!
These things have inspired me to cook and try things I would have never even thought of. I do remember once we were having company for dinner, and I decided to try something new. My mom said to me, "You've never cooked that before, how are you going to serve it to guests"? My answer was…they don't know that!!
Over the years I have cooked fresh pasta, made curries, Moroccan lamb, Thai food, sushi, endless food adventures….all with a little inspiration. Next time you are in the mood for a certain cuisine….try cooking it. You might be surprised at what you are able to accomplish in the kitchen. I love when I try something new and say: I MADE THAT!!
Sunday, 1 June 2014
BBQ Pizza … REALLY???
During my work day I mentioned to a co-worker that we were going to BBQ pizzas for dinner on the weekend. Her response was … "Really you can BBQ pizza?" I know the first time I heard about cooking pizza this way, that was my exact reaction too.
My husband and I really enjoy doing pizza on the BBQ. It gives us both a chance to be creative and have fun cooking and eating something we LOVE.
When time permits I will make my own dough, but this day that was not an option. I opted using a Italian stone fired crust available in the bread section at the grocery store.
The sauce consisted of pureeing a can of fire roasted tomatoes, then staining out the excess liquid. Since we were making 2 different pizzas, I divided the sauce. One sauce had hot pepper flakes and Italian seasoning added, and the other had smoky BBQ sauce added to the tomato base.
Now comes the fun part….all the wonderful toppings. I made a "Zesty Mediterranean Pizza". It consisted of the spicy sauce, feta cheese, black olives, spicy Italian sausage and kale.
My husband's creation was a "Smoky BBQ Chicken Pizza". It had the BBQ sauce as the base, along with shredded double smoked cheddar cheese, yellow peppers, cooked chicken breast and mushrooms.
Since my husband is the official "grill master" in this house….the rest of the work was up to him. He preheated the BBQ to around 400 degrees Fahrenheit and placed the pizzas directly on the grill and closed the lid. About 10 minutes later he took out his handy dandy pizza peel….and removed the wonderful smelling pizzas from the grill. It's like having your very own pizza oven!!
Now comes the best part…..eating these wonderful creations!!! They were AWESOME!! What a fun way to end a busy day…..stress free cooking!!
Next time you are in the pizza mood, and you have a BBQ, why not give this a try? Creations are endless….let your taste buds help inspire you to create some of the best tasting pizzas you will ever eat!!
P.S. This was the first time I used the store bought crust….it is a wonderful idea…give it a try!!
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