key lime pie

It's Charissa's birthday! Our lovely nanny who joined our family just a few months ago has turned the ripe old age of 21! So, to celebrate her birthday and her Jamaican heritage, we are singing her birthday in with, nope, not a cake, but a pie...key lime pie to be exact! (I know it's not Jamaican but it's tropical and that's how we decided on it!)

I had never made key lime pie before but my very good friend Maya has many a time. It's her standby recipe for special occassions  not only because it is beautiful and delicious but it is also quick and easy to make. Happy 21st birthday Charissa!

Key Lime Pie
(Prep Time: 30 minutes*/Total Time: 45 minutes. Makes 1 - 10 inch pie.)
*Prep time reduced to 15 minutes if you use bottled key lime juice

Ingredients - Crust:
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 c melted butter or you can cheat and buy 1 (10 inch) pie crust

Ingredients - Filling:
1 (14 0z.) sweetened condensed milk or lite condensed milk
3 egg yolks (keep whites for meringue)
2/3 cup key lime juice (fresh or bottled)

Ingredients - Meringue:
3 egg whites
5 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon key lime juice

Directions - Filling:
Mix condensed milk and egg yolks. Add key lime juice. Mix. Pour in pie crust.

Directions - Meringue:
Combine egg whites and lime juice in a bowl. Beat until foamy with electric mixer. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Beat at high speed until the white forms stiff peaks. Spoon onto filling.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven 10 to 15 minutes or until brown.

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maple glazed beets with goat cheese, toasted walnuts and dried cranberries

If you think you don't like beets, you should try them like this. Boil them gently in combination of vegetable stock and a splash of white wine then douse them in a simply sweet maple syrup glaze followed by a sprinkling of goat's cheese, toasted walnuts and dried cranberries.

I was going to share the plate with everyone but...

I admit it. I ate the whole thing. Do I regret it? No.

Yum.

Maple Glazed Beets with Goat's Cheese, Toasted Walnuts and Dried Cranbeerries

(Prep time: 15 minutes/ Total Time: 45 minutes. Serves 2 as a side or 1 greedy foodie.)

Ingredients:

4 small beets, peeled and sliced (they come in a lovely variety of colours...these were a gorgeous yellow orange)

1 cup vegetable stock

1/4 cup dry white wine (if desired you can omit wine and increase stock)

1/4 cup real maple syrup

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 - 1/3 cup walnuts, toasted (in oven for about 10 minutes at 200 degrees F)

1/4  - 1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/4 - 1/3 cut goat cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Place peeled and cut beets in a shallow casserole dish. Cover with stock and wine then bake until soft, about 30 minutes.

While beets are cooking, mix maple syrup with olive oil. Set aside.

Toast walnuts. Set aside.

Remove beets from oven when cooked and drain. Toss with maple syrup glaze, walnuts and cranberries.

Place on a plate and add small chunks of goat cheese on top. Serve (and if you're nice...share.)

Easy Ginger Beef and Rice Noodles

A little while back, I made a lovely chicken and raman noodle stir fry that everyone, including my oldest sometimes fussy eater, enjoyed. I wanted to try and recreate the same sort of dish but was keen to make a couple of changes.

This time, I wanted to use beef instead of chicken and rice noodles instead of raman noodles. Beef, because I had some in the freezer that needed to be used and rice noodles because our lovely nanny "Car" as my kids call her, is gluten intolerant.

This dish was super delicious without being time consuming and it reminded me of Vietnamese Pho but with less prep time because of the use of store bought beef stock. Having extra stock was a bit of a blunder on my part but it ended up being a pleasant mistake. If you want to, you can lessen the amount of stock to make it less Pho like and more like a stir fry but I personally enjoyed sipping away at the remaining broth found at the bottom of my bowl on this chilly winter night.

Easy Ginger Beef and Rice Noodles
(Prep Time: 15 minutes/Total Time: 30 minutes. Serves 4)

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package rice thin noodles (dry)
2 teaspoons grapeseed or vegetable oil
1 pound flank steak, cut into thin strips*
1 small red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 small yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strip
2 teaspoons grated ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup beef broth (I used gluten free)
2 tablespoons soy sauce (I used wheat free)
2 cups baby spinach
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

*Tip: Throw beef in the freezer for ten minutes then slice. Much easier to make thin slices this way.

Directions:
Cook rice noodles according to package directions until just soft. Drain, rinse with cold water then set aside.

In a large wok, heat oil over high heat. Add beef, peppers, ginger and garlic and cook until beef is just cooked, about 3 - 5 minutes. Add in beef broth and soy sauce. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat.

Add in spinach and cooked noodles. Heat through until spinach wilts then stir in cilantro before serving in deep bowls.

lovely zucchini bread

This is the mother of all zucchini breads. It was everything a zucchini bread should be. Moist, delicious and packed full of nutritious zucchini! I used raisins instead of walnuts since my oldest is not always keen on nuts and we loved the added sweetness that the raisins gave to the bread.

I found this recipe on all recipes and it was rated by 1926 people with an average score of 5 out of 5 stars. If that's not impressive enough, it has been saved by over 45,000 viewers. Now that's some yummy zucchini bread!

Mom's Zucchini Bread
(By v monte at http://www.allrecipes.com/. Makes 2 loaves)

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts (I used raisins instead)
 
Directions:
Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.

Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool

Mild Fish Curry with Coconut Rice

I like to expose my kids to a variety of flavours and cultures through food. Especially those foods deemed by many as ones that  kids most likely won't appreciate. My kids don't always declare that they are a fan of new foods introduced my me all of the time but sometimes they do surprise me. Like the other night.

You might think kids and curry don't go together but I disagree. I think you just have to introduce them to it in varying degrees. Start very mild then increase the intensity as they get older. Accompany the curry with tastes you know they are familiar with and like. Then work your way from there.

This fish curry is a great example of the above. I used a mild fish and paired the small amount of curry used with coconut milk to give the dish a mild flavour that the kids could appreciate and enjoy. And they did.

If you like curry and you don't have kids or your kids are older and have more developed tastes, up the curry in this recipe a notch or two, tasting it at the end to determine how much more you want to add.

And to my big supporter and friend, Carol: Your kids are going to LOVE this! :-)

Mild Fish Curry with Coconut Rice
(Prep Time: 10 minutes/Total Time: 30 minutes. Serves 4)

Ingredients - Fish:
1 tablespoon butter

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 inches ginger root, grated (to yield 1 tablespoon)

1/2 tablespoon curry powder (increase up to 2 tablespoons if desired)

1 (14 fluid ounce) coconut milk

salt

1 tablespoon corn starch

1 pound (500 grams) cod, cut into bite sized pieces

1/4 teaspoon ground tumeric

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh is best)

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Ingredients - Coconut Rice

1 cup basmati rice, rinced

1 cup coconut milk

2/3 cup water

vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Begin to cook rice by greasing a medium pot with vegetable. Place rice, coconut milk, water and salt in the pot over high heat and stir occasionally until it begins to boil. Reduce heat to medium low, place a lid slightly crooked on the pot and let the rice simmer for the next 15 minutes. Place the lid fully on the pot, turn the heat off and let the rice sit another 5 - 10 minutes or until your fish curry is ready. Fluff rice with a fork before serving.

To prepare the fish curry, place a wok or large, deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the butter and once hot, cook the onion, garlic and ginger until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the curry powder and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the coconut milk, salt and corn starch. Stir occassionally until thickened. While sauce is thickening, sprinkle tumeric on the fish and toss to coat.

Add the tomatoes, lemon juice and 1/2 cup of hot water to the curry mix. Allow to heat up then check flavour to see if you want more curry or salt.

Add the fish pieces and peas and cook until fish begins to flake, about 5 minutes.

Plate rice on individual plates and spoon curry over top to serve.

Cook Book Recipe Review: Orange Cranberry Oat Cookies

The cookie jar was getting empty and after last week's Witches Fingers courtesy of Dinnervibe, it was time for some old fashioned, not so wierd, cookies. But what sort of cookies would fit the bill? Somehow, after all of this weeks Hallowe'en inspired, chocolate induced activities, a simple, plain cookie recipe just wouldn't do.

My fabulous mother in law Jen, taught me a few Christmases ago that if you want to make your cookies taste a little special, add the grated peel (zest) of one orange to the batter. It adds a little bit of sophistication to the cookie and tastes especially nice in an oatmeal or chocolate chip cookie batter.

As I was leafing through a few of my recently acquired cook books, I decided that a cookie on the healthier side of things was manditory. This week's batch of cookies was to contain no chocolate of any sort. (These observations were deduced as I watched my 3 year old bounce off the walls in anticipation of eating yet another mini chocolate bar from his Halloween stash).

One of the above mentioned cook books I acquired is All the Best Recipes by Jane Rodmell. It is chalk full of delicious, always turn out great recipes that are perfect for the home cook who wants to create extraordinary meals without getting too crazy. And, it's also full of some great desserts and treats, including this recipe for orange cranberry oat cookies.

The Final Result:
Oh these cookies are a keeper! I love finding a cookie that has that store bought chewy texture but doesn't taste store bought. The addition of the orange zest gave the cookie a perfect citrus twist without being overpowering and the use of cranberries instead of raisins was a nice change. We will definitely be making these cookies again.

(Currently on sale at Chapters Indigo! Click Here.)

Orange Cranberry Oat Cookies
(From Jane Rodmell's All the Best Recipes)
(Prep Time: 15 minutes/Total Time: 30 minutes. Makes 36 cookies)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon corn syrup (makes them chewy)
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
3 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed or a wooden spoon, beat butter and brown sugar until blended. Add egg and beat well. Beat in corn syrup and orange zest. With a wooden spoon, gradually add in flour mixture, mixing until well blended. With a wooden spoon, stir in cranberries and oats. Mix well.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls (15mL), about 2 inches (5 cm) apart, on prepared baking sheets. Press flat with a floured fork or the palm of your hand. Bake in preheated oven until golden and slightly firm to the touch, 13 to 17 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes then transfer to wire raacks and let cool completely.

Kid Friendly Meatballs with Mash Potatoes and Green Beans

My oldest wanted to help me make dinner the other night. And he wanted to get his hands messy. So, what better way to really get cooking but by rolling up your sleeves and making meatballs. For a five year old, nothing is better than squishing meat between your fingers then rolling it into little balls. Come to think of it, it's really just like playing with play-doh, except for the colors aren't as pretty and once it's cooked, you get to eat it!

Whenever either of the boys ask to help me cook or bake, I am more than happy to oblige. They stand on their chairs, hands washed and little aprons on, eager and giddy with excitement. Yes, it can get messy and yes, sometimes our recipes don't turn out quite the way they were supposed to (especially in the baking department when Mommy's not quite keeping a close eye on how much baking soda is being added). But, here's the thing...

One day, I hope to have spent enough time in the kitchen with my boys so that they become self sufficient young men who know how to cook something for themselves that encompasses more than boxed mac and cheese and toast.

One day, when they are living on their own, I hope their daily diets include whole grains, fruits and vegetables because that is what they saw being cooked and had fed to them as they were growing up.

And finally, one day, when my boys are men,  I hope they look back on their own childhoods and remember all the fun times we had together in the kitchen, creating and eating, sharing and talking, and from those memories, they desire to create the same sort of memories with their own children.

OK. That's it. I better put the recipe up now or I might just burst into tears. Sniff.

Kid Friendly Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans

(Prep Time: 30 minutes/Total Time: 45 minutes. Serves 4)

Ingredients - Meatballs:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon oregano

Ingredients- Vegetables
3 Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup cream
salt and pepper

4 cups green beans, trimmed
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper

Directions:
Place potatoes in a pot of water and set to boil. Add salt and cook until tender then drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

While potatoes are cooking, mix meatball ingredients together well. Scoop mixture out by the tablespoon and roll into 2 inch balls. Place on a baking sheet as they are rolled.

Place meatballs in the oven for 30 minutes until cooked.

Place green beans in a pot of water and set to boil. Cook until tender crisp. Drain and add butter then season with salt and pepper.

Mash potatoes with butter and cream. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with green beans and meatballs.