Baked Cinnamon Raisin Apples over Vanilla Ice Cream

Fruit is a regular "dessert" in our house. On special occasions, I'll make something more rich and extravagant, but most days, if we have dessert, we tend to stay on the healthier side of things. Take this baked apple recipe for example. You can reduce the amount of sugar if desired and eat it without the icecream. The kids will still devour it and you can feel good knowing that their "treat" is not only delicious but nutritious as well.

There are a variety of different apples that work well in this recipe. Choose from Golden Delicious, Jonathan, Rome Beauty, Gala, or Jonagold.

Baked Cinnamon Raisin Apples over Vanilla Ice Cream
(Prep Time: 10 minutes/Total Time: 30 minutes. Serves 4)

Ingredients:
• 4 apples, cored, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups vanilla ice cream
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium sized bowl, mix together apple pieces, raisins, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Place in a casserole dish. Dot butter on top.

Bake for 20 minutes, mixing once halfway through cooking.

Serve over top of vanilla ice cream with pecans sprinkled on top.

Simple Rice Pudding

Have some left over plain rice sitting in the fridge? Turn it into dessert! This is a sample rice pudding that my kids love and I like making. Waste not, want not!

Simple Rice Pudding
(Total Time: 10 minutes. Serves 4)

Ingredients:
2 cups left over cooked rice (that has been cooked with water)
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
Combine all of the above ingredients in a small pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until hot then serve.

Curried Pork Stir Fry with Rice Noodles

What did I do for dinner tonight? I had some left over coleslaw cabbage mix in the fridge and some defrosted pork. As I dug deeper into the vegetable crisper, I spotted a couple of carrots that needed to be used and one lonely red pepper. Stick rice noodles were on sale the last time a did a grocery shop and so there were a few packages sitting in the pantry. What to do with all the above mentioned food items? Stir fry was the first thing that popped into my head. Because I like to expose my kids to different flavours in the hopes that they will learn to appreciate them, I decided to add some curry into the mix. But if you, or certain members of your family are not fans of curry, simply omit it. You'll still get a quick and easy stir fry chalk full of veggies and loads of flavour.

Curried Pork Stir Fry with Rice Noodles
(Prep Time: 20 minutes/Total Time: 30 minutes Serves 4)

Ingredients:
3/4 pound (750 grams) pork tenderloin, cut into thin strips
3 teaspoons cornstarch
1 1/2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1/2 yellow onion, sliced thinly
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons grated ginger
2 cups coleslaw mix
2 medium carrots, sliced into matchsticks
1 red bell pepper, sliced into matchsticks
2 tablespoons chicken stock
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
8 ounces (225 grams) vermicelli rice noodles, soaked till soft and drained

Directions:
In a medium sized bowl, toss the pork with the cornstarch and the water. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine chicken stock, soy sauce, curry powder, and brown sugar. Set aside.

In a large wok over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. When hot, stir fry pork until browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate.

Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the wok then stir fry onion, garlic and ginger for 1 minute, scraping up any brown bits from the wok as they cook. Add coleslaw mix, carrot and red pepper and stir fry 2 minutes more.

Add chicken stock mixture and stir to combine. Add reserved pork and drained rice noodles. Continue to cook until heated through, about 3 - 4 minutes, then serve.

Sausage and Broccoli Frittata

I sometimes forget that eggs are a great dinner alternative and not just a breakfast item or something to be used in baking. They're great for those busy days when you want to make something quick, light and nutritious for dinner but don't feel much like cooking.

This frittata is perfect for those in your family who like eggs but still want to feel like they're eating dinner. The sausage adds some substance and the broccoli fulfils the need to have a veggie served. If you like your sausage with a bit of a kick, use a mild Italian sausage for this recipe. If you prefer to go the non-spicy route, use a breakfast sausage then tell your kids you're having breakfast for dinner. That's what we did tonight and I swear the kids cleared their plates because of it. Gotta love that reverse psychology!

Sausage and Broccoli Frittata

(Prep Time: 10 minutes/Total Time: 30 minutes. Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 large (or 4 small) sausage links, cut into thin disks
1 medium broccoli head, chopped into small pieces (yields 3 cups)
1/2 small yellow onion, diced fine
1 tablespoon water
6 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
In a large skillet (10 inches wide), heat vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 - 12 minutes. Remove sausage from pan.

Add onion and saute 2 - 3 minutes until translucent. Add broccoli and water, cover and cook 2 minutes more, stirring once.

Add eggs then season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cheese on top, then reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook about 15 minutes until cooked through. If desired, you can place the skillet under the broiler for a minuted to create a browned top. Cut into wedges and serve.

Honey Sesame Finger Lickin' Chicken Drumsticks

These are so easy to make and super delicious. Drumsticks with a bit of an Asian flare. I just threw together a few different sauces used in Asian cuisine along with some honey for sweetness and the outcome was mmm mmm good! Make some rice to pour a little of the extra sauce over and some steamed snap or snow peas to go with these babies. And these drumsticks are finger lickin' good so make sure you have wet clothes or a lemon hot water bowl to clean your fingers off! Enjoy!

Honey Sesame Finger Lickin' Chicken Drumsticks
(Prep Time: 10 minutes/Cook Time: 30 minutes. Serves 4)

Ingredients:
10 chicken drumsticks
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
8 tablespoons honey
5 teaspoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 teaspoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 cloves garlic,  minced

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss drumsticks with oil then place in a casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper.

Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Remove, pour sauce over drumsticks, turn to coat and place back in the stove. Continue to cook for about 20 or so minutes, turning occasionally, until cooked through.

Serve over top steamed rice (spoon over some extra sauce!) and fresh steamed peas.

White Bean and Corn Turkey Chili

Mild enough for the kids but flavourful enough for the adults. This chili will have everyone asking for more.

Serve with grated cheddar cheese, sour cream and chopped spring onions as toppers. Make it fun by using corn tortilla chips for scooping instead of a spoon. If you like a thinner chili, you can add more chicken stock and if you like your meals spicy, add more of the chili powder to increase the heat. You just really  can't go wrong with this hearty, delicious, and quick weekday meal.

White Bean and Corn Turkey Chili
(Prep time: 15 minutes/Total Time: 45 minutes - Serves 4)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 pounds (550 grams) ground turkey
1 medium yellow onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cans (16 ounces each) white beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn, thawed and drained
1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (for topping)
1/2 cup sour cream (for topping)
4 spring onions, chopped (for topping)

Directions:
Use a large pot and heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.

Increase heat to medium high and add in ground turkey. Break the meat up as you cook it with a wooden spoon. Add in garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Continue to cook while continuously stirring for five minutes.

Add beans, tomatoes, corn and chicken broth. (You will want to add as much or as little of the chicken stock as you want for your desired thickness of chili). Bring the chili to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Stir occasionally. After 10 minutes, taste and add more salt if needed. Serve with cheese, sour cream, onions and tortilla chips.

A Dinnervibe Dinner: Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls with Mango Chutney Sauce

Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls are not only delicious but also beautiful. I love how the see through rice paper roll  exposes all the gorgeous colours of the prawns and fresh produce. They look intimidating to make but are actually quite easy and quick to produce. And the best part? The ingredients are all available at your local grocery store. That's another great plus of living in such a fabulous multicultural city. You can find a large variety of products from all corners of the world when you want to get adventurous in the kitchen. What an excellent way to expose your childen to a variety of different cultures and food tastes.

These rolls were featured in this week's Dinnervibe. I whipped 12 of these beauties up in about half an hour. They were fresh, light and delicious. The sauce added a tangy twist. Everybody, including my almost three year old loved them. Nice!

Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls with Mango Chuney Sauce
(From Julie Van Rosendal’s “Grazing” -  Whitecap Books)


Ingredients - Rolls:
15 small to medium rice paper rolls
a handful (about 4 oz) of thin rice vermicelli noodles
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
15 cooked shrimp, peeled and de-veined
half a large cucumber (or one small), peeled if necessary and cut into thin sticks
small handful fresh cilantro, mint, or Thai basil leaves, torn up or left whole
1/4 cup chopped peanuts or cashews (optional)

Ingredients - Ginger Mango Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup mango chutney
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
juice of 1 lime
a bit of grated fresh ginger

Directions:
Combine all dipping ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.

To prepare the filling, place the noodles in a bowl of boiling water and let stand for about 3 minutes (or as the package directs) to soften. Drain well and place in a medium bowl. Add carrot and rice vinegar and toss to combine. Cut the shrimp lengthwise in half.

To assemble the rolls, fill a shallow dish (I use a pie plate) with hot water and lay a clean tea towel over your work surface. Soak one rice paper round at a time in the water for about 10 seconds, until it’s pliable, and lay it on the tea towel. Pat the surface with the edges of the towel to absorb any excess water. Place 2 shrimp halves (cut side up so you can see the pink through the wrapper), a stick of cucumber and some noodles down the middle of the round.

Sprinkle with cilantro and peanuts (if using). Fold over one long side to cover, and then fold up both ends. Roll the whole thing up as tightly as you can without tearing the wrapper. Serve with dipping sauce.

Cookbook Recipe Review: Honey and Spice Pork Kabobs

We had a very busy and wonderfully eventful day. My oldest son (my baby!) had his 5th birthday party at one of those huge indoor playgrounds and it was a great success. All the kids had an amazing time climbing long rope ladders, sliding endlessly down bumpy slides and jumping then floating into pools of multicolored plastic balls. They rode the choo choo train a billion times, gorged themselves on pizza and hotdogs, lemonade and cake, then blissfully went home, clutching their goodie bags, with smiles on their exhausted little faces.

They weren't the only ones who felt the rise and then the crash of a chocolate cake, excitement and sugar induced adrenaline rush. Mommy rode that wave too. But luckily, she thought ahead, grabbed one of her life saving cookbooks and planned out dinner before even setting out for the party.

There are a few cookbooks out on the market now that mimic the latest "prep and freeze" dinner assembly businesses we've seen crop up over the last few years. Entitled, "Fix, Freeze, Feast" by Kati Neville and Lindsay Tkacsik, this cookbook is chalk full of family pleasing recipes. Recipe instructions allow you to prep multiple amounts of the same meal then conveniently freeze any extra meals to be cooked at a later date. Instructions are given to either freeze or cook right away. These meals are live savers for busy and time starved families who still want delicious homemade meals on the table without the additional preservatives found in many frozen foods.

The Final Verdict:
The marinade for these kabobs produced a slighlty sweet tang with just a hint of the spices used. My youngest son polished off his and asked for more. My husband gave it a two thumbs up. I really enjoyed the honey flavour combined with the "cake spices" as well as the pork being in small pieces as it was cubed for the kabobs. Oldest had issues, not so much with the taste, but with the texture. But that was no surprise. If it's not ground or processed meat, he usually isn't a fan. You'd think the kid didn't have teeth the way he can complain about having to chew more than twice but I've learned to just not worry about it. I will definitely be making this again and next time I think I will make some coconut rice and grill some pineapple on the side as I think the fruit flavours would blend very well with the spices used in the kabob marinade.

Honey and Spice Pork Kabobs
(From "Fix, Freeze, Feast" by Kati Neville and Lindsay Tkacsik: Serves 4)

Ingredients:
1 pound (450 grams) pork loin, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground anise
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon (about 3 cloves) minced garlic
4 metal or wooden skewers

Directions:
If using wooden skewers, place in water to soften.

Rinse pork loin and trim as desired.Cut into cubes them place in a medium sized non-reactive shallow dish.

Whisk together orange juice, honey, spices and salt in a medium bowl. Pour marinade over pork. Let sit for 30 minutes.

Heat BBQ to medium low.

Place cubes of pork on skewers. Grill, turning occassionally and basting as desired, 15 - 18 minutes until thoroughly cooked. Do not baste the final 5 minutes of cooking. Discard remaining marinade.

Crunchy Fish Fingers with Roasted Rosemary Potato Wedges and Coleslaw

Today was a very busy day. I spent approximately 5 hours baking, frosting and decorating my son's birthday cake for his 5th birthday party that is being held tomorrow at one of those indoor play places that are complete with slides, climbing ropes, ball pits and screaming children. Oldest "HAD TO HAVE" a Noah's Ark Birthday Cake complete with two by two animals. I looked all over town to see who could create one. I did find one person but they wanted $150 for it. Ha! Being the crazy person that I am, I thought I could make one instead. And believe it or not, I did.

It actually turned out pretty well. But, by the time dinner prep came knocking at my door, I must be honest... I really just felt like just ordering a pizza and calling it a day. But, since I just spent about $50 making a birthday cake, I didn't. Instead, I made one of the easiest dinners known to tired mothers everywhere.

Crunchy Fish Fingers with Roasted Rosemary Potato Wedges and Coleslaw

(Serves 4)

Ingredients- Potatoes and Fish:
4 red potatoes, cleaned and cut into wedges
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
salt and pepper

4 (4-6 ounce) cod (or halibut) fillets
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten gently
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup rice crisps cereal
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Ingredients - Coleslaw:
1 small bag coleslaw mix
2 small apples, grated
1/2 cup raisins
2 teaspoons celery seed
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons mayonaisse

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss potato wedges with vegetable oil and rosemary. Spread out onto a foil lined baking sheet. Season well with salt and pepper. Place in the oven for 45 - 55 minutes, turning once halfway through the cooking time, until cooked and golden.

Cut the fish into bite sized strips.

In a food processor, combine together the rice cereal, cheese, salt and pepper and blend until fine and well mixed.

Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Dip the fish pieces into the flour then the beaten eggs, then coat with the bread crumb mixture, pressing into the fish so that the pieces are coated well. Place the fish pieces in a single layer onto a foil covered cookie sheet.

When potatoes are 10 minutes from being finished,  place fish in the oven and bake  for approximately 10 - 12 minutes until cooked through.

While fish is cooking, prepare coleslaw by combining all ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mix well. Serve with fish sticks and oven fries.

Cookbook Recipe Review - Patio Ribs

My husband, Peter likes his meat and potato chips. Bacon, in his world, would be one of the five food groups. Whenever I make ribs for him and ask what he would like on the side for veggies, his response is always the same. With a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye, he tells me, "No veggies required!" Ha! He wishes...

Best of Bridge is a household name for many home cooks. They have been around for a while now, over 30 years, after starting up in 1975. This Canadian group of women began their life as "The Ladies of the Best of Bridge" after deciding to take the recipes that they had shared as friends during their bridge games and produce a cookbook. 3.2 million copies later, their brand still lives on in their recipes that are welcoming, easy to create with gourmet results.

I eyed "A Year of the Best" while at my favourite book store a few months ago. I love the fact that almost every recipe is paired with a picture and the dishes and ingredients are categorized seasonally. Less thinking for me when I am trying to be more globally responsible by choosing recipes that feature local, in season ingredients. Patio Ribs was an instant, "I have to make this" because of my carnivorous, meat loving husband. And much to his chagrin, I added roasted sweet potatoes and corn on the cob into the mix. If I hadn't, I would have had to double the recipe, because I am sure he would have eaten a portion that could feed two men easily.

THE END RESULT:

Make sure you have a lemon water bowl and a big napkin when you eat this meal! These mouthwatering ribs are tender, sticky, and deliciously sweet without being sickening. Everyone loved the combination of the hoisin with the honey and the chili sauce gave the meat a pleasant little zing! These ribs would also be great cut into individual pieces and served as an appetizer. We gave these ribs a 5/5!

Patio Ribs
(From "A Year of the Best" - Serves 4)

Ingredients:
4 pounds (3 - 4 racks) pork back spare ribs
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup oyster sauce
3 Tbsp hot chili sauce (1Tbsp if you have little kids)
2 Tbsp liquid honey

Directions:
If there is skin on the underside of the ribs you need to remove it. Slice each rack in half and add to a large pot of boiling water. Allow to boil gently for about 45 minutes until the ribs are fork tender then drain.

Stir the hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, chili sauce and honey together in a small bowl.

Coat the ribs with sauce on each side until completely covered. BBQ on oiled grill over medium heat. Continue to baste with sauce and turn often for about 15 minutes until well glazed. Serve!

Better Than Brownies Chocolate Cookies

If you ever need a great baking recipe that will always turn out to be impressive and delicious, check out one of Michelle's recipes at Brown Eyed Baker. I've tried a couple of her delightful treats now, including her Chocolate Chip and Pretzel Cookie Bars and they are absolutely fabulous.

These cookies truly are better than brownies, with their gooey, chocolatey centers and brownie like glossy tops. If you need a chocolate fix, these will do more than fix you. It's like plastic surgery for your tongue. Yum!

Better-than-Brownies Chocolate Cookies
(From Michelle at the website Brown Eyed Baker. Makes 24 large cookies)

Ingredients:
2 2/3 cups (about 16 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 eggs
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper of a silicone baking mat.

2. Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set it over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, until completely melted and smooth.

3. In the meantime, stir together the eggs, vanilla and sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside.

4. In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder.

5. Add the melted chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and stir to combine well. Slowly add the dry ingredients, folding them into the batter. Once all of the flour is incorporated, stir in the chocolate chips.

6. Scoop 1½ tablespoons of dough (a medium cookie scoop’s worth) onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until they are firm on the outside. Like brownies, do not overbake! Leave to cool completely on the baking sheets.

(Adapted from Culinography)

Product Review - Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix

Lately, I've been exposed to a few gluten free products that are available on the market for those people that are unable to eat wheat due to allergies or certain health issues such as celiac disease and gluten sensitivities. Our wonderful nanny, "Car" as my oldest likes to call her, is one of those people who can't eat gluten. She joins us for dinner most nights and so I am learning how to make gluten free meals as well as our own "regular" ones. Many would find having to learn how to cook certain foods without gluten in them a pain but not me! I consider it a challenge!

This week, one of our dinners was a http://www.dinnervibe.com/ featured dinner: "French Bread Pizza" from Claudia of http://www.pegasus-legend.whatscookin.blogspot.com/. Since French bread is a "no no" for Car, we checked out a few of the available products on the market. Bob's Red Mill selection was impressive with over 400 natural products available in Canada and the United States. They also carry a great selection of gluten free products and mixes, such as GF oats, cookies, cakes, brownies, breads, flours, pancakes, polenta, and more.

As for the GF pizza crust mix, here's a little information from their site:

"This mix makes a light, crispy, delicious pizza crust. Specially designed for those sensitive to wheat or gluten and delightfully easy, this whole grain pizza crust bakes up to two 12" gluten free pizzas! Top with your favorite gluten free toppings and savor how delicious homemade pizza can be. Ingredients: whole grain brown rice flour, potato starch, whole grain millet, whole grain sorghum flour, tapioca flour, potato flour, evaporated cane juice, xanthan gum, active dry yeast, sea salt, guar gum."

At about $5 a bag, we thought we'd spend a little "dough" and give it a try! (Sorry, couldn't help myself!)

The Final Result: Car has had here fair share of gluten free pizza crusts and she's learned to stay away from the frozen ones. We were hopeful when we bought this one and even more excited as we watched it brown in the oven like a real pizza crust should. As Car took a bite, I watched her in anticipation and couldn't help from blurting out, "How is it!?" Her response" "Good. Really good. Close to real pizza crust." I had a little nibble, just to check it out and honestly, I can say it was good. The texture was definitely different than the pizza crust I was used to and there wasn't the same "yeasty" flavour to it, but it it did taste pretty darn good. Success! So, we give Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Mix a thumbs up!

Carrot Spice Muffins

One of my favourite food bloggers is Angie, a fellow Vancouverite from http://www.seasaltwithfood.com/. She always presents beautiful, delicious recipes and she also takes amazing photos. I've been making the same carrot muffins for years now and when I saw one of her latests posts, a carrot spice muffin adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, I thought I would give them a try. And ooooooh, I am so glad I did. I pretty much followed the recipe except for a couple of changes, one being I omitted the nuts as oldest doesn't like them so if you are a nut lover, add them in.

These little gems are light, tasty and with just a hint of coconut, they add a little somethin somethin to your average carrot muffin. After trying just one, I decided these lovely little beauties do deserve to be eaten with a little cream cheese, just as Angie suggested, as they remind me of a lighter, healthier version of carrot cake minus the extra oil and pineapple. Yum!

Carrot Spice Muffins

(From Angie at http://www.seasaltwithfood.com/ Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan: Makes 36 mini muffins) 

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2/3 cup flavorless oil, such as canola, safflower or corn
2 large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk (I only had skim so I used 1/2 cup skim milk and 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup shredded carrots (I put them in the food processor so they would be fine)
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/3 cup moist, plump raisins
1/3 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted, cooled and chopped (I omitted these)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups. Then place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda and salt. Stir in the brown sugar, making certain there are no lumps.

In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, milk and vanilla extract together until well combined.

Pour the the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and with a rubber spatula, gently but quickly sir to blend. Stir in the carrots, coconut, raisins and nuts. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold.

Cookbook Recipe Review - Cashew Paella

You know one of those recipes you used to make a long time ago and then, for some reason, you forget about it only to rediscover it years later? This is one of those. In university, I had friends who lived off campus and were vegetarian. I was invited over often and when I was, I always cooked dinner , a vegetarian paella from "What's Cooking Vegetarian" as a thanks for getting me away from residence food. This dish is one I made often because as I remember, it was so good and greatly appreciated by my vegetarian friends. Paella is traditionally cooked with chicken or fish so if you want to add one or the other to the dish, feel free but I personally like it how it is.

When I made this for the family, I didn't expect the kids to like it. The flavours are bold and a little too intense for the 2 and 4 year old palate. I suspected Peter would like it because of the variety of spices used but not be overly enthusiastic as there was no meat in the dish. I believed I would love it because of the cashews, the risotto and the abundance of vegetables

The Final Result:
I think I am either psychic or I know my family...

The flavour of this dish was mildly intense, but for the adult who loves the flavours of cumin and tumeric, the amount of spices blended together with the remainder of the ingredients created a flavourful, Middle Eastern influenced meal. The risotto was cooked to perfection and the length of cooking for each part of the recipe was just right as all of the vegetables retained their individual flavours and did not get mushy. I really loved the crunch of the cashews as well as the addition of the black olives and baby corn. Overall, I thought this dinner was excellent while Peter, thought it was good but could use some chicken or seafood. If you are a die hard for meat, like my guy, you could definitely throw in some chicken. As I mentioned earlier, I also think this recipe would be fabulous with scallops or prawns or both but definitely stands well on its own. The kids? Nope. As I predicted, "Too spicy!" rang in our ears and they received a few quick scrambled eggs, toast and small bowl of buttered peas for their meal.

Cashew Paella
(From "What's Cooking Vegetarian" by Jenny Stacey- Serves 4)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 red onion, chopped
1 cup risotto rice
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 green (jalapeno) chili, seeded, cored and sliced
1 red pepper, diced
1 orange or yellow peeper, diced
1 can of baby corn, sliced lengthwise
8-10 whole pitted black olives
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
2 cups vegetable stock (if you are not vegetarian and have chicken stock on hand, that will do too!)
3/4 cup unsalted cashews
1/ cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat the olive oil and butter together in a large heavy bottomed skillet until the butter has melted.

Add the onion and saute till soft, about 2 - 3 minutes

Stir in the rice, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, garlic, chili, bell peppers, corn, olives, and tomato and cook over medium heat for 1 - 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add cashew nuts and peas and cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper, divide on to plates and garnish with parsley. Serve!

M&M Cookies

Why make chocolate chip cookies when you can make M&M cookies!

The boys were pretty excited when I told them we were going to make cookies. They nearly jumped off their chairs when they heard that we were going to use M&M's instead of chocolate chips. (And no, I don't allow the kids to usually stand on chairs, only when they help me bake or cook.

I'm not going to write too much about it. Just that they were "really, really, super duper, really, the bestest cookies!" (Their words, not mine.)

M&M Cookies
(Slightly adapted from http://www.allrecipes.com/ Submitted by Robbi Shultz: Makes about 4 dozen)

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups candy-coated milk chocolate pieces

Directions:
In a large bowl, beat sugar, eggs, butter, and vanilla thoroughly.

In a seperate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Add gradually to creamed mixture. Blend well. Add M&M candies and stir to combine.
Drop dough by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10 to 12 minutes,until golden.

Honey Glazed Pork Chops with Roasted Garlic Cauliflower and Rice Pilaf

If you've never made a rice pilaf before, you have to DO IT. For most of my life, I was never a huge rice fan. Unless it was of the Chinese version with some pork, chicken or shrimp thrown in, I found it bland and boring. Using chicken stock instead of water helped but I still wasn't in love. Until now...

Rice pilaf takes about 10 - 15 minutes longer to make than preparing regular old rice but it is a million times better. And it is very simple to do. In a nutshell, you choose some sort of auromatic vegetable (or a few) and gently fry them up in some olive oil in  large saute pan. Add your rice and stir well until the rice is coated with the oil. Then, if you choose, add some herbs or spices, the liquid of your choice (I like stock), bring to a boil  then reduce the heat to a simmer and let the rice absorb the moisture as usual. What you get is a delicious, flavourful, wonderfully textured rice that beats the plain stuff hands down. And you can mess with the vegetables and spices/herbs however you want to match your main. Tonight, I chose to use a little yellow sweet onion, carrot and zucchini, all diced fine, and some chicken stock along with white basmati rice. The result was a flavourful rice that carried a slight, mild, fresh garden taste. Delish! And then, there was the cauliflower...

Easy peasy and if you swear you'll NEVER like cauliflower, you'll have to try it this way. I've had 2 people I've cooked it for tell me before eating it that they don't like cauliflower and then after digging in, helped themselves to seconds. Ha!

And lastly, the easiest, kid friendly, makes adults happy, pork chop in the world. Honey glazed with a little brown sugar, these little gems will have everyone humming, "mmm mmmm" at the table. And the best part is if you have any rice and pork left over, you can chop up the pork into little pieces the next day and fry them both together with a little bit of egg. Instant pork fried rice. Yum!

Honey Glazed Pork Chops with Roasted Cauliflower and Rice Pilaf
(Serves 4)

Ingredients - Rice Pilaf:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 small onion, small dice
2 small carrots, small dice
1 small zucchini, small dice
1 cup white basmati rice
1 3/4 cups chicken stock

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil. Add onion, carrot and zucchini and cook until tender. Add rice and stir until well coated with the oil. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 - 50 minutes, depending on the type of rice used. (Brown rice takes longer).

While rice is cooking, prepare cauliflower.

Ingredients - Roasted Garlic Cauliflower:
1 small head cauliflower, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper
1/2 cup parmesan cheese. grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss caluilfower with olive oil, garlic and 1/4 cup of the parmesan. Place in a small casserole dish then in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, stir, then add the last 1/4 cup of parmesan on top and bake for 15 minutes more.

Immediately after placing cauliflower in the oven, begin to cook pork chops.

Ingredients - Honey Glazed Pork Chops:
4 (1 inch thick) boneless pork loin pieces
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons brown sugar

Heat vegetable oil in a large oven proof skillet over medium high heat.

Season pork loin pieces with salt and pepper, then fry to brown both sides, turning only once. (Should take about 12 minutes or so).

While pork is cooking, mix brown sugar and honey in a small saucepan over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until melted and mixed together.

Spoon half of the honey mixture over the pork chops and place in the oven beside the cauliflower. Reduce heat to 250 degrees. After 15 minutes, flip the pork chops over and spoon the remaining honey mixture over top and cook another 15 minutes more.

Serve chops with extra glaze spooned over top (don't be skimpy!), rice pilaf and roasted garlic cauliflower.

Cookbook Recipe Review - Stir Fry Cashew Pork

America's Test Kitchen is a real kitchen. 2500 square feet in size and located just outside the city of Boston. It is also the home of those who publish the well known Cooks Illustrated and Cook's Country Magazines. Their mission? To test, test and re-test recipes as many times as need be until they come up with the best version. If you ever feel like watching the America's Test Kitchen in action, you can tune into the show. Just check out http://www.americastestkitchen.com/ for local TV times.


Our local grocery store had a 2 for 1 special on pork tenderloin a few weeks back so I grabbed 2 and threw them in the freezer, after eyeing the above mentioned cookbook magazine and knowing at some point we would either have friends or family over for dinner. Pork is one of those meats that you have to cook for just the right amount of time otherwise you end up with a dried out, too tough and chewy food disaster. So, I opted to take one of the above mentioned tenderloins and turn then into this simple stir fry. I love stir fries because they are quick and easy. Add the fact that I was going to be using one of my favourite sauce flavours, Hoisin, and this recipe was a shoe in to be tried.

THE END RESULT
This was a delicious dish with moist and tender pork pieces and just the right amount of red pepper flakes that gave the meal a little kick. If you don't like spicy foods, you might opt to reduce the amount of red pepper flakes to 1/4 teaspoon or take them out completely. The cashews added a nutty crunch to each bite and the cilantro gave the meal a pleasant freshness. My inlaws and my mom were over for dinner that night so we all got to participate in this meals rating. All the adults gave it a 5 stars as did my youngest, Trevor, who is almost three years old but eats like a 40 year old man. My oldest, Taylor, who is the picky palate in our home, gave it a thumbs down, telling me it was "too spicy!" but I was not surprised or discouraged. I suspect when he gets a bit older, he will enjoy this meal tremendously, just like the rest of us.

Stir Fried Cashew Pork (Over Rice)
(From "America's Test Kitchen - 30 Minute Suppers"- Serves 4)

Ingredients:
(1 cup rice or your choice - my addition)
1/3 cup Hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup water
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pork tenderloin (3/4 to 1 pound or 400 to 500 grams), cut into 1/4 inch strips
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 cup roasted, unsalted cashews, half coarsely chopped, half left whole
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Directions:
Begin cooking rice according to package directions.

In a small bowl, mix Hoisin, soy sauce, water, and pepper flakes. Set aside.

Heat 2 teaspoons of the vegetable oil in a wok or medium sized skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, stir fry half of the pork until cooked through, about 2 minutes, then transfer it to a plate. Repeat with another 2 tsp of vegetable oil and other half of pork.

Add remaining vegetable oil to the wok and heat until shimmering. Add garlic and ginger and cook 30 seconds. Add sauce mixture, pork and it's juices, and cashews . Cook for 2 -3 minutes until thickened.

Sprinkle stir fry with chopped cilantro and serve over hot rice.

Ratatouille

I told the kids we were having ratatouille as part of our meal for tonight's dinner. My almost 5 year old got the most confused then incredulous look on his face before exclaiming quite enthusiastically, "We're having rat!?!?!" I should have known better.

After explaining that ratatouille was actually the name of a traditional French Provencal stewed vegetable dish, usually served as a side and not a cartoon character, he was still suspicious. "Oh no. Ratatouille is the name of a rat! I don't want to eat a rat!!" Oh thank you Disney.

When making ratatouille, Julia Child would insist on layering your vegetables by first sauteeing the zucchini with the eggplant seperately first before adding a sauce made with tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic on top. She would then tell you to pop it into the oven and let it bake. My time is limited and I had no peppers, so I did it my way, the quick way, and I tell you, I bet it could match or even beat Julia Child's method any day. (Uh oh. Did I just hear the sound of a few Julia Child's devote followers gasp? Sorry, but it was just so damn good and I'm feeling rather cocky!) I had to use a few pans at once because of my time restriction and because of my multiple pan approach, I had to really be on my toes, watching them all at the same time, but the result was absolutely worth it.

If you don't want to use so many pans and you have the time, you can saute each vegetable, one at a time, in a medium sized pan and transfer each vegetable to the large pan until they are all cooked.

There's a dinner party I'll be hosting soon and I will definitely be showcasing my ratatouille on lightly olive oiled and oven toasted French bread slices with a little goat's cheese sprinkled on top as our first course. Oh, they were so so good!

Ratatouille
(Serves 4 as a side dish or makes 8 large appetizers)

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced and divided
1 medium sweet yellow onion
1 small eggplant
2 small zucchini
1 pint mini heirloom tomatoes (cherry or grape tomatoes if you can't get heirloom)
sea salt
fresh ground pepper

Directions:
Slice your eggplant into 1/2 inch slices, set in a colander and salt. Let sit 15 minutes before rinsing, patting dry and then cutting into 1/2 inch cubes. Set aside.

Slice onion into 1/2 inch slices. Set aside.

Slice zucchini into 1/2 inch disks. Set aside.

Wash and dry tomatoes. Set aside.

Set one large heavy bottom pan to the side.

Place four medium sized pans over medium heat with one tablespoon of olive oil in each. Once hot, begin to saute onion in one pan, eggplant in another pan, zucchini in another pan and tomatoes in the last pan. You are going to add a clove of minced garlic and a pinch of sea salt and pepper to each pan near the last 2 minutes of cooking time:

Onion should be cooked until almost carmelized, about 16 - 18 minutes.

Eggplant should be cooked until very soft, about 16 - 18 minutes.

Zucchini should be soft and slightly browning (you might have to turn the heat up at the end for a couple minutes), about 14 - 16 minutes.

Tomatoes should be soft and almost to the point of breaking, about 8 -1 0 minutes.

Once all the vegetables are cooked and transfered to the large pan, set the large pan on medium heat and saute gently until warmed through. Taste and adjust seasonings if neccessary then serve.

The Easiest No Bake Granola Bars Ever

It's that time of year again! Back to school! And for us, that means packing lunches to be eaten in between picking up the youngest from preschool and taking the oldest to Kindergarten. Most days, if the weather cooperates, we eat lunch picnic style at the park. Snacks are always needed late morning and mid afternoon and since I try my best to stay away from processed snacks, I need recipes that are quick and easy.

I tripped upon this granola bar recipe while searching the net on Michael Bittman, NY Times writer and cookbook creator. Most know him for his cookbook, "How to Cook Everything", which is chalk full of "Essential Recipes" as well as nice little features, such as substitution ideas and tables showing how to expand basic recipes.

I think these granola bars turned out great, and the kids liked them too. The only suggestion made by Mark Bittman himself is to use a not too sweet granola when making these, otherwise they might be too sugary. Another option, which I followed, was given by http://www.kissmyspatula.com/ is to omit the brown sugar all together and adjust the amount of honey to 1/2 cup and add 1/3 cup of peanut butter with the oil and granola.

The Easiest No-Bake Granola Bars Ever
(Adapted by http://www.kissmyspatula.com/ Original recipe from Mark Bittman from The NY Times Bitten: Make a 9 x 9 pan of granola bars)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn (I used grapeseed)
3 cups any good, not-too-sweet granola

Method:
Put the honey, peanut butter, and oil in a small pot and bring to a boil.

Put the granola  in a large bowl. Mix. Pour the sugar mixture over the top and mix until the granola is well coated.

Press into an 8- or 9-inch square pan. Tip: Use a piece of wax paper so you can really press down hard. Let cool in the fridge. Cut into squares or rectangles and serve. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Cookbook Recipe Review - Died and Gone to Heaven Chocolate Layer Cake

We were invited over to our good friends' Moira and Rod's for dinner. I always love to contribute to the meal and suggested I bring dessert. There's this cake I've been "dying" to try (ha ha) from the cookbook "Eat, Shrink and Be Merry" by Janet and Greta Podleski, who became known in the foodie world after publishing their first cookbook, "Looney Spoons".

Janet and Greta's cookbooks are really fun to read. All their recipes are accompanied with little cartoons, cooking tips, nutritional information, funky facts, pop quizzes and more. I really like their recipes as they are healthy, nutritious and calorie conscious. They tote their book contains "great tasting food that won't go from your lips to your hips!" Sounds good to me. And it applies to almost everything in the cookbook. Except for this cake. It's the one recipe that is decadent and definitely splurge worthy. It has it's own chapter section too. It's filed under "You're Gonna Die Anyway" which suggests to me that it's got to be good.

THE END RESULT

Moist, chocolatey, rich, delicious, melt in your mouth, "oh my!" good. This cake takes the cake! Everything about it was delicious, including the chocolate cream cheese icing, which I could have personally eaten with a spoon straight out of the bowl. (I wanted to but I didn't). This cake is a treat and a half. The only complaint I had about it was the removal from the pan process. This cake is so moist that you really have to make sure your parchment paper is cut to fit the bottom of the pan so that it fits perfectly before filling it with the mix. That way you end up with a perfectly round cake. My circles were a bit too big and went up the sides of the pan a little. In the end, the cake was a bit bumpy around the edges. Not that anyone could tell. I just filled the indents in with extra icing. I call it an extra yummy mishap.

Died and Gone to Heaven Chocolate Layer Cake

(From "Eat, Shrink and Be Merry" by Greta and Janet Podleski)

Wanna buy the book? Click the link above to go to Chapters Indigo where orders over $39 means free shipping. No hassle store returns too!

Ingredients - Cake:

3 cups granulated sugar

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 cup strong brewed coffee. cooled

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 ounces (113 grams) unsweetened chocolate squares, melted in a double boiler and cooler slightly

Ingredients - Frosting:
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup (35%) whipping cream
6 ounces (170 grams) semi sweet chocolate squares
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 package (8 ounces/250 grams) light cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter, softened

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Get three 9 inch round cake pans. Using one of them, trace and cut out three circles of parchment paper. Grease each pan with a little bit of butter, place the parchment paper circles in each one then lightly grease those too. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a seperate large bowl, beat eggs on high speed for 3 minutes. They should be thick and lemon coloured. Add buttermilk, coffee, oil, vanilla and melted chocolate. Mix on low speed to blend well.

Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Blend on medium until smooth then divide the batter between the 3 pans. Bake 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for ten minutes and then transfer the cakes to a cooling rack. Peel off paper.

To make the frosting, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the sugar, cocoa and whipping cream. Whisk constantly until mixture comes to a gentle boil then cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate squares until melted. Add vanilla, stir then let cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, set your electric mixture to high and beat the cream cheese with the butter until smooth. Add cooled chocolate mixture and beat on medium until well blended. Refrigerate frosting until spreading consistency is reached, about one hour.

When cakes are completely cooled, set one cake layer on your presentation plate. Frost. Add a second cake layer. Frost. Add last layer and finish frosting. Add chocolate shavings, raspberries or strawberries to complete. If you use berries, make sure they are super dry after washing. Cover and refrigerate. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before serving.

Mild Coconut Curry Chicken with Asparagus and Peas Over Rice

After last week's dinnervibe dinner of Curried Cod in Parchment Paper courtesy of Sylvia of http://www.citronetvanille.com/, I wanted to experiment a little more with curry. It's not something we eat a lot of in our house, mostly because of our youngins who have a tendancy to lean towards basic flavours, but Peter and I sure enjoyed it. The meal itself was delicious and mild enough that many kids, especially ones over the age of 5, would surely enjoy it. The combination of coconut with the green curry paste was perfect for those who enjoy a milder curry. You could always double the amount of curry paste if you like a stronger flavor. I especially loved the addition of mint. It gave the dish a refreshing twist and I thought it was just the right amount. But Peter, not being a mint fan, would have preferred less. If you try this dish, gage and adjust the amount of mint and curry according to your family's tastes.

Mild Coconut Curry Chicken with Asparagus and Peas over Rice
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:
1 cup brown basmati rice
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1/2 - 1 tablespoon green curry paste (I used 1/2 tablespoon)
1 cup light coconut milk
1 cup chicken stock (or vegetable if you want to substitute tofu to make this a vegetarian meal)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 pound (450 grams) chicken breast, cut into bite sized chunks
1 1/2 cups asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

Directions:
Put rice on to cook according to package directions. Tip: I like to use a little less water to make firmer rice: 1 3/4 cups water for 1 cup rice

Heat vegetable oil in a large fry pan or wok over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft. Add curry paste and stir to combine the paste with the onion.

Add coconut milk, chicken stock, soy sauce and honey. Turn heat up and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add chicken and stir occasionally until chicken is cooked through. Add asparagus and peas and continue to simmer until asparagus is tender crisp. Add fresh herbs then serve immediately in bowls over hot rice.

Tuna Steak Burgers with Yam Fries

Tuna. When I think of tuna, my first memories goes back, way back to the stuff from a can mixed with some mayo and a few seasonings, then it all dolloped between a couple of slabs of white Wonder bread. Throw in a soggy lettuce leaf or two and bingo bango, a tuna fish sandwich from my youth, served with a small carton of warm milk and some browning apple slices in the lunchroom of my elementary school. Let's just say my mom never got too creative when it came to school lunches. And to be honest, I actually liked her tuna fish sandwiches. Really liked them. But I also liked cheap frozen fish sticks, bulk link hot dogs (shudder) and Spam when I was that age too. Blech.

Thank goodness I grew up and moved on.

Now I am going to go on to some details about my day and make this short recipe posting long, For dinner tonight, I was planning on getting creative to see what I could come up with on my own tonight for my tuna burgers. I was planning on chopping then pulsing some tuna steaks in the processor with some chives, garlic, ginger, cilantro, salt and pepper. I was then going to mix in a little teriyaki sauce, maybe a tad of sesame oil and then form them into delicate little patties before grilling them on the BBQ. That was my plan.

Then one of my boys called for help out in the backyard. I didn't need to go fast. It wasn't an emergency. I don't know why I was so speedy. But as I ran down the concrete step, I misjudged my footing, tripped, but then luckily caught myself from falling by balancing the majority of my weight for a split second on my second toe on my right foot.

I think I broke it.

It is a nice shade of purple and blue and it hurts like hell to bend it. There went my decision to be a genius in the kitchen tonight.

After nursing my little, purple toe, I decided I was no longer in the mood to be creative. I didn't want to have to stand. And I still needed to make dinner but it needed to be something I could prep in 5 minutes and cook in 5 minutes. So, I plopped my butt down on the computer and found this recipe on http://www.allrecipes.com/.

If you're familiar with allrecipes, you'll know that the recipes are rated by those that have tried them. This one has been rated 225 times and stands at 4.5 out of 5 stars. That's pretty darn good in the allrecipe world and enough info for me to want to give it a try. I liked the idea of the orange juice and soy sauce flavour with the garlic and lime. I also liked the idea of mixing a marinade, sticking it in the fridge, then putting my foot up for 1 hour before having to stand up again for another 8 minutes to cook. As for serving it as a "burger", I did that to make it more kid friendly. It was pretty good but I next time I will serve it with a citrus salsa or orange and spinach salad so that the flavor of the tuna isn't taken up by bun.  And I'll make it without my toe being broken.

Grilled Tuna Steak Burgers with Yam Fries
(From LINKYJ at http://www.allrecipes.com/)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 (4 ounce) tuna steaks

4 yams, cut into thick wedges
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Create tuna marinade in a shallow glass or ceramic dish. Place tuna steaks in marinade, flipping over to coat then place in the fridge for one hour (or 2 hours if you have the time).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss the yam wedges with the vegetable oil, salt and pepper. Spread out on 2 baking sheets so the yams are not touching. Bake for 40 minutes, flipping once after about 30 minutes.

When yams are 20 minutes from being finished, remove tuna steaks from fridge. Let sit for 10 minutes to come to room temperature. Heat grill on high.

Sear tuna steaks on lightly oiled grill for about 4 minutes per side, basting with the marinade after flipping. Do not overcook.

Serve on a toasted bun with garlic mayo, spring mix lettuce and yam fries.

Website Recipe Review - Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Today's Recipe: Cauliflower Mac and Cheese from Susan of http://www.foodblogga.blogspot.com/. I love Susan's website and her meals. They are wholesome, nutritious, feel good recipes. Her site is also easy to read and beautifully simple. She doesn't need a ton of flash because her food photos are absolutely gorgeous. Seriously. You look at one of her photos and you want to just reach in and eat. But since I can't, the next best thing I can do is cook her creations myself.

THE END RESULT:

A whole cauliflower went in to this dish and you wouldn't even know it. The use of the sharp white cheddar in the sauce creates a creamy textured, cheesy flavoured pasta that is pleasantly mild with just the right amount of "cheesiness". My kids asked for second and third helpings. When that happens, a recipe gets five stars and the author gets my eternal gratitude. I will DEFINITELY be making this meal again.

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
(From Susan of http://www.foodblogga.blogspot.com/: Serves 4)
Ingredients:
1 head orange cauliflower (white can be substituted)
1/2 pound (400 grams or 2 cups) small pasta such as gemelli, elbows, or shells
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups skim milk, plus 1/2 cup for pureeing cauliflower
1 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese, plus 1/2 cup for sprinkling on top
a generous amount salt and several cranks of freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fajita or Mexican spices, optional
1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with cooking spray.
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Trim cauliflower and break into small florets. Boil until tender, 10-15 minutes. Drain. Place in a blender or processor with 1/2 cup milk and puree until thick and smooth. Set aside.

Cook pasta according to directions until al dente.

For the sauce, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk briskly. Gradually add 2 cups milk, whisking continuously, until it reaches a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes, or until thick and bubbly. Add the pureed cauliflower, 1 cup cheddar cheese, and a generous amount of salt and black pepper. Whisk until smooth and remove from heat. Add cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and toss until well coated. Pour into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheddar evenly over the top.

For the buttered breadcrumbs, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add bread crumbs and toss until coated with butter. Sprinkle even over the top of the cheddar. Or, if you prefer, set crumbs aside, and use as a garnish just before serving.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown on top and the cheese sauce is bubbling around the edges.

Cookbook Recipe Review - Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

While many of our well known breakfast cereal companies are making some effort to reduce the amount of sugar and salt in their recipes, the fact of the matter is that most cereals with kid-appeal are still less than desirable when it comes to nutrtitional value. In order to reduce the amount of breakfast cereals that my kids eat in the morning, I have been on a mission for a few months now to cook and bake breakfast for my family more often than not. Don't get me wrong, the kids still get their Honey Nut Cheerios and Mini Wheats, but just not every day. We frequently enjoy whole wheat pancakes, pumpkin french toast, fresh baked muffins, scrambled eggs with homemade toast, and more.

A few mornings back, I cracked open my recently purchased cookbook, "Healthy Appetite" by Gordon Ramsay with optimism and enthusiasm. Gordon may not be the easiest guy to work with, or at least, that's my assumption after watching a few episodes of "The F Word", "Hell's Kitchen" and "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares", but the guy is one heck of a chef. Interestingly, Ramsay's first career was that in professional football as a player with the Glasgow Rangers but he moved on after 3 years to complete a course in hotel management. Fast forward to the present and Gordon Ramsay has authored a variety of top selling cookbooks, opened numerous award winning restaurants, received a total of 16 Michelin Stars, starred in a variety of successful TV shows, and last but not least, filmed the most current season of Hell's Kitchen in Araxi Restaurant and Bar, located in our own Whistler, BC. In this season's Hell's Kitchen, 19 chefs fillet their way up to the prestigious position of Head Chef in order to be given the honor of working side by side with Executive Chef, James Walt. Oh, if I could have been a fly on the wall during those tapings!

But back to the cookbook. There are a variety of recipes I want to try from "Healthy Appetite" and this one took the honor of being first. I admit, I wanted to start with a simple recipe, nothing too complicated and upon first glance at these muffins, I was instantly drawn in to the the fact that the recipe calls for whole wheat flour instead of white. I also loved that blueberries were required because 1) they are chalk full of antioxidants, 2) the more fruit I can get my kids to eat, the better, 3) blueberries are currently in season, 4) our local blueberries are absolutely amazing in flavor and 5) at the moment they are really, really inexpensive.

 
The Final Result:
My kitchen smelled heavenly as these lovely little muffin cups of goodness baked to perfection. Golden brown and bursting with blueberries, I had to keep telling the kids, "Just a few more minutes!" as they kept asking, "Are they ready? Are they ready?!" every minute or two. Fearful that my two boys would burn their mouths because of their lack of patience and blowing skills, I threw a few in the fridge as soon as they were ready to hasten the cooling process. (Sorry Gordon, I know you probably wouldn't approve of the fridge cooling method.) Three minutes later, two hungry little boys exclaimed, "These are really yummy! Mmmmm! Blueberries!" I loved them too. I'm a texture kid and these muffins had fabulously crunchy tops with soft, moist middles which only complimented their wholesome flavour. Not too sweet but definitely tasty. And so, Gordon, I give you and your muffins a big thumbs up!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins
(From "Healthy Appetite" by Gordon Ramsay - Makes 12 large muffins)

Wanna buy the book? Click the link above to go to Chapters Indigo where orders over $39 means free shipping. No hassle in store returns too!

Ingredients:
2 very ripe large bananas
scant 2 cups (300ml) whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon bking soda
pinch of fine sea salt
1/2 cup light brown sugr
scant 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup light olive oil (or melted butter) - I used butter
7 ounces (200grams) fresh blueberries
1 teaspoon raw brown sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees an line a muffin tin with paper or silicon cups.

Peel bananas and mash them in a bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and light brown sugar. Make a well in the center an add buttermilk, beaten egg, olive oil (or butter) and bananas. Combine until just mixed. Do not overmix! Add in blueberries and give a couple of stirs.

Spoon batter into muffin cups until full and then sprinkle the tops with raw sugar. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown.

Let cool a few minuts in the pan and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Duck Breast with a Blackberry Reduction, Roast Pototoes and Green Beans

I have never cooked duck in my life and I thought it was about time I tried. I've had duck. Duck L'orange, Peking Duck, appetizer duck rolls, and more and I've always liked it, in small doses. Duck is rather a fatty bird but this is what gives it extra rich flavour. Since we are a health conscious family, I chose to divide one breast among us (the kids don't each much anyway), simply cook it in pan with a little salt and pepper then serve it with a reduction. The property beside our house is city property and in these trying econmic times, let's just say the clearing of overgrown blackberry bushes is not a priority. But we don't mind because the silver lining to this issue is bowlful upon bowlful of lovely, sweet, plump juicy blackberries. So, that answered my question of what type of reduction I would make. Having ever made a blackberry reduction, I wanted to insure I got this meal right and searched online. Low and behold I found not only a reduction recipe but it was paired with...duck breast! Throw in some roast pototoes and some fresh buttered green beans and dinner is looking pretty darn good.

Pan Seared Duck Breast with a Blackberry Reduction Served with Roast Potatoes and Green Beans

(Recipe adapted from Lazyme at  http://www.recipezaar.com/)

Tip: Have all your ingredients prepped and ready as things can move a little fast!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
1 1/4 cups blackberries, frozen, thawed
1 1/4 cups beef broth
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons cognac
1 tablespoon maple syrup
4 duck breasts, with skin

3 potatoes, cut into chunks
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups green beans, trimmed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Season potatoes with salt and pepper. Place on a baiking sheet and cover with olive oil. Using your hands and coat the pan and potatoes with the oil. Place in oven.

To Make the Reduction: Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sugar; stir until sugar dissolves and mixture turns deep amber color, about 5 minutes. Add wine, orange juice and vinegar (mixture will bubble vigorously) and bring to boil, stirring to dissolve caramel.

Add 1 1/4 cups berries and both broths and boil until sauce thickens and is reduced to about 1 cup, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes.

Strain sauce through sieve into heavy small saucepan, pressing on berries with back of spoon. Mix in cognac and maple syrup then set sauce aside. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill).
Trim any excess fat from duck breasts. Cut three 4-inch long by 1/16-inch deep lengthwise slits in skin (not meat) of duck then season duck with salt and pepper.

At this point, bring a pot of water to a boil for the green beans.

Heat heavy large ovenproof skillet over high heat until hot. Add duck, skin side down, and sear until brown, about 5 minutes. Turn over and cook 3 more minutes then transfer skillet to oven and continue cooking to desired doneness, about 3 minutes for medium.

Add beans to boiling water.

Bring reduction sauce to simmer over low heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter and whisk just until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Slice duck, spoon sauce delicately over top then garnish with additional berries and serve with buttered green beans and roast potatoes.