Baked Oatmeal

"Baked Oatmeal" was a new term for me up until a couple years ago when Jerms' grandpa married again to his delightful new wife, Glennis. This recipe comes all the way from Pennsylvania and is breakfast bliss. I'd recommend this dish if you're having a big crew for breakfast and don't want too much hassle to go along with it. The great thing about making baked oatmeal is that you can prepare the dish the night before and then just pop it in the oven the following morning. I decided to make up a fresh-blueberry addition, but you can do all sorts of different ingredients that spark your interest and appetite (raisins, cinnamon/nutmeg, peaches, bananas, etc. etc.). Bon appetite!

* I usually double this recipe for 4 or more people.

Ingredients: 
1/3 Cup vegetable oil
1/2 c. sugar (I use brown)
1 egg beaten
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 c. milk
2 c. oats
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
raisins or blueberries optional

Directions:
Mix everything in an oval pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350. 

I often make it up the night before and just turn the oven on in the morning. If you are adding fruit, add it the morning of to prevent significant smearing. 

photo cred to the family kitchen - my camera had run out of batteries :(

Coconut Thai Red Lentil Suop

This is quite possibly one of the tastiest soup recipes I've come across in a long time. Jerms made it up for the House last week and it was a big hit. The soup is  served with fresh slices of lime & cilantro and I mean, really, how can you go wrong with a coconut milk base? Definitely a keeper for those long cold stretches in winter. Bon appetit! 

Ingredients
1 tbs olive oil

1 tbs curry powder (or up to 2tbs if you are a big curry fan)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/3 cup tomato paste
5-7 cups water (depending on consistency you're looking for)
1 (15oz) can coconut milk
2 cups red lentils
1 (15oz) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
1 tbs freshly squeezed lime juice
fresh cilantro and lime wedges for serving


Instructions
1. To a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat, add the oil. Add the curry powder and cinnamon and cook, stirring often, until the spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes.

2. Add the onion and cook 2-3 minutes, followed by the carrots, ginger, and garlic, salt, sugar, and tomato paste. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more.

3. Pour in the water, coconut milk, lentils, and chickpeas. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender and the soup has thickened.

4. At the very end, stir in the lime juice. Taste for seasoning and serve with fresh cilantro and lime wedges.

Chicken Pot Pies

Anytime I cook with puff pastry, I feel like a baking queen. If you've never used it before - I highly suggest you give it a go. It's remarkably easy and the results are always beautiful. I made up these little pot pies for a dinner with some wonderful friends of ours and we all thought they tasted great. To save time, I made the filling a couple days beforehand. Just a reminder that it takes a good 2 hours for the pastry to thaw - that, or leave it in the fridge overnight.

The egg wash at the end is completely optional, but if you've gone through all the work already, why not give it that last little sparkle? Bon appetit!

Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small yellow onion, minced
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
2 carrots, diced medium
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1/3 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups diced cooked chicken
Salt and pepper
1 sheet thawed puff pastry
1 beaten egg

Directions
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-high. Add onion, celery, and carrots and cook until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in green beans and chicken and season with salt and pepper.

Divide filling among four 8-ounce ramekins. Roll out 1 sheet puff pastry and cut 4 rounds to fit ramekins. Cut a small X in center of each to vent, then place on top of filling. Brush with beaten egg. Bake at 375 degrees until filling is bubbling and crust is golden, 30 to 40 minutes.

Jeremiah's Pancakes (lactose free)

For breakfast this morning we made up a nice batch of pancakes with some fruit salad on the side. A perfect Saturday morning "fun breakfast" as it's referred to in our house. I will admit that I am not exactly a "pancake person" (hisses and boos from all Canadians, I know, I know) - but I just LOVE these guys. We first got this recipe from our very dear friend when we hiked through Frontenac Park earlier this summer. The nice thing about it is that it has no dairy products - ie. great for those are are intolerant to lactose. They make up such an incredibly light, fluffy little pancake - it's amazing that there's no milk in them. I find that this recipe makes enough for about 3-4 people. We make a half batch for 2 people for breakfast. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

The man himself, making up pancakes in the bush

Mix all of your dry ingredients together. Add wet ingredients and stir until just moistened (the batter will still be a little lumpy... that's okay!). Heat some oil on medium heat in a large skillet. When the pan is nice and hot, add 1/3 cup servings of batter - flip when bottom is lightly browned and you start to see little bubbles on the top of the pancake. Serve with maple syrup!

Big, Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

One of my favourite foods from my old highschool cafeteria was the big soft oatmeal cookies that the ladies would bake up first thing in the morning. They were HUGE and cost $0.50 a piece. Every now and then I'd buy one before homeroom :)   ... needless to say, it was gone before O'Canada!

These cookies are really tasty. My saying is always that "an under-cooked cookie is a well cooked cookie" so make sure that you remove the cookies just, just as they start to brown. That way, you'll ensure that they stay nice and chewy. Bon appétit!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 eggs
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Directions:
1. Adjust the oven racks to the low and middle positions, and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder and nutmeg together in a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

3. Beat in the eggs one at a time. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the oats and raisins, if using.

4. Working with a generous 2 tablespoons of dough each time, roll the dough into 2-inch balls. Place the balls on the parchment-lined cookie sheets leaving at least 2 inches between balls.

5. Bake, reversing the position of the baking sheets halfway through baking (from top to bottom and front to back), until the edges of the cookies turn golden brown, 6-8 minutes (check check check them though!). Slide the cookies, on the parchment, to a cooling rack. Let cool at least 30 minutes before peeling the cookies from the parchment.

Homemade Sloppy Joes

Growing up, I love, love, LOVED Sloppy Joes. Under the influence of my father, I honestly believed that they were named after my real-life Uncle Joe who was (according to dad) always a messy eater. I think that I liked making this meal too because it was one of the few dishes that I could actually make by myself - all I had to do was brown the ground beef and add a package of Old El' Paso seasoning. I have since discovered that - amazingly enough - you can make an even better (an cheaper!) version on your own.  This recipe is pretty darn tasty and an easy weeknight dinner. Bon appétit!

* I've tried my best to estimate the seasonings but you may have to do a little tweaking to get the flavours right.

Ingredients
1 pounds ground beef
1 medium onions, chopped
2 to 3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tsp. cumin

3 tsp. chili

2 tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 cup apple cider or cider vinegar

Salt & pepper to taste

Hamburger buns, split

Directions
1. In a large skillet, cook the beef, onions and garlic over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomato paste and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
Serve about 1/2 cup meat mixture on each bun. Or cool and freeze in freezer containers for up to 3 months.
Yum!

Honey Oat Bread

It has been a very long time since I have posted anything on my little blog. There is one big reason for that: I'm pregnant! This'll be baby #1 for us and I must confess that 99% of the past 3 months' dinners have consisted of a welcoming bowl of Cheerios. I have done little to no baking, cooking or meal prep in general and my poor husband has been living off perogies and hot dogs. Today I had a bit of energy and inspiration though (the latter from my brother in law who sent us up some very yummy looking wild pear & wild grape jams!) and decided to whip up a loaf of this delicious honey oat bread from the lovely Darla at Bakingdom. A tip that she suggests is lining the loaf pan with parchment to make the bread easier to remove (a bit will hang over the edges and you just lift it out... brilliant!). I hope that you will enjoy it too! (makes enough for 1 9×5-inch loaf). Bon appétit!
ps - the oats on top will make you feel pro star :)

Ingredients
3 cups (381 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4 cups oats (I have used instant and old fashioned, both work great)
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup (250 ml) milk (almond or soy milk for vegan/dairy free)
1/4 cup (62 ml) lukewarm water
2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter or margarine
1/4 cup honey (agave for vegan)

Topping:
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons honey (or agave), warmed
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons oats

Directions:
In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the flour, oats, yeast, and salt.

In a small bowl, or two cup (450 ml) measuring cup, warm the milk so that it’s hot enough to melt the butter, but not boiling. Add the butter, stirring until melted, then stir in the water and honey.

Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture, mixing until it just comes together to form a dough. Knead for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. If the dough is still very wet and sticky after 5 minutes of kneading, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is barely tacky. If the dough is too dry, add water, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) at a time, to soften it up.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Once doubled, place the dough on a clean, dry work surface. If the dough is too sticky, lightly flour the surface before continuing. With your fingers, flatten the dough into a 9 by 12-inch rectangle. Tightly roll the dough, tucking the ends as needed, into a loaf. Place the shaped dough into a 9×5-inch loaf pan, cover with a clean dry towl, and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180 C). Place an empty loaf pan on the bottom rack of the oven and bring 2 cups of water to a boil.

When the loaf is doubled again, brush the top with the warmed honey and sprinkle with the oats.

Place the bread in the oven and pour the boiling water into the empty loaf pan on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the bread is deep golden brown and the internal temperature is about 190 degrees.

Transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving.

Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Word to the wise - have an event of sorts to bring these to so that you don't end up eating them all yourself! They're incredibly tasty little cookies. With lots of nice, smooth peanutty buttery flavour. When I read in the cookbook that this recipe would make 5 dozen cookies, I let out an audible scoff. Who honestly makes 5 dozen cookies with a recipe? Those must be some measly, sad little cookies if you ask me.  I shot for what I saw as a more appropriate 2 1/2 dozen.  Bon appétit!

Ingredients:
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups peanut butter chips

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375°F.

2. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Add eggs; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in Reese's peanut butter chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake 7-8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Homemade Pizza Dough

The first time I made pizza dough from scratch, I was terrified. Thought for sure that it just wouldn't work out. And, like most of my new experiences in the kitchen, I discovered that working with yeast was no big deal. None, whatsoever. The dough came together perfectly. Since then, I've perfected things even more and use my stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, making it really simple. I can never wait long enough to let it rise to it’s full height (i.e., double in size), but it always works great regardless! 

If you're a fan of multigrain dough, I suggest substituting a 1/4 cup of the regular flour for 1/4 cup of 12 grain (or whole wheat with a variety of seeds/nuts etc.) thrown in.  This recipe makes such a yummy, chewy dough. Delicious! Bon appétit!

Ingredients:

1 package active dry yeast (2 1/2 tsp) (10g)
2 tsp sugar (13g)
2/3 cup warm water (167g)
2 cups flour (if you want to do a 'whole wheat crust', use 1 3/4 cups white four and 1/4 cup whole wheat or 12 grain flour ... I especially like the 12 grain) (358g)
1 tbs corn meal
1/2 tsp salt (5g)
1 tbs. olive oil (11g)

Optional: any herbs to season your dough - dash of oregano, pinch of rosemary, pinch of red pepper flakes etc.

Directions:

For the bread maker:
Toss er' all in (except for the corn meal!!) and set your bread maker to 'pizza dough' ... if you don't have that kind of setting, I'm sure just the 'dough' setting would work too. This usually takes 45 minutes to an hour.

For the hands/stand mixer:
1. Combine your yeast, 1 tsp. sugar and the water in a large bowl for approx. 10 minutes (until mixture becomes frothy)
2. In a separate bowl, combine your flour, 1 tsp. sugar, and salt
3. Add the olive oil to the yeast mixture
4. Add 1 3/4 cups of your dry mixture to the wet and knead until a rough ball forms
5. Transfer your dough to a floured surface and knead 3-4 minutes
6. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray or butter, add the dough and cover with a damp towel. Place in a warm, dry and draft-free place for 1 hour (I like to turn the oven on for 20 seconds just to warm it up a little bit, turn off the heat and then place the bowl in the oven).
7. Once the dough his risen, PUNCH it down and fold in on itself to make another ball. Transfer this to your floured surface.

---

Once your dough is ready... 

1. Set your oven to 425F. Lightly oil your pizza pan and sprinkle with corn meal. You can use a conventional round pizza pan or a cookie baking pan would work well as well. Roll your dough out on a lightly floured surface until you reach the desired shape of your pizza pan. Transfer dough to pizza pan.

2. Top your pizza with all of your ingredients and bake at 425F for 12-15 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes for cutting. Enjoy!

Thai Chicken & Mango Stir Fry

This is a nice little stir fry that doesn't require much planning and tastes delicious. Both ripe and underripe mango work well. If the mangoes you have are less ripe though, use 2 teaspoons brown sugar. If they’re ripe and sweet, just use 1 teaspoon or omit the brown sugar altogether.  The fresh herbs are really what make this great dish (if you don't have them though, don't worry - it'll still taste great). A little note that if you anticipate having left overs - I'd recommend setting those portions aside before adding your fresh herbs and then adding the herbs the following day. That way you won't lose the intense flavour of the fresh herbs and your dish will reheat much better.  Also - a word to the wise: do not add the mango until the very, very end - otherwise it will just disappear into the dish. Bon appétit!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fish sauce (see Note)
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1-2 teaspoons brown sugar
4 teaspoons canola oil, divided
1 pound chicken tenders, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1-2 fresh small red or green chile peppers, stemmed and sliced, or 1/2-3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cups of red/green pepper, or broccoli, or maybe some nice snow peas
1/4 cup water
2 mangoes, peeled and sliced
1 bunch scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, preferably Thai
sprig of chopped fresh mint
1 lime, cut into 6 wedges

+ rice, vermicelli, naan or whatever you like to serve your stirfry with...

Directions:
1. Combine fish sauce, lime juice, cornstarch and brown sugar to taste in a small bowl.

2. Heat 2 tbs. oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add chicken; cook, stirring, until just cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

3. Add the remaining 2 tsp. oil, garlic, ginger and chiles (or crushed red pepper) to the pan. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about a minute. Add veggies and water; cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the reserved sauce and chicken; cook, stirring, until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is heated through, about 1 minute. Add mangoes and scallions; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir in cilantro, basil and mint. Serve with lime wedges!

Chicken Tikka Masala Curry

So unfortunately I don't have an actual picture of this dish because we ate it rehydrated on our week-long canoe trip through Algonquin Park. And all the credit goes to the amazing husband on this one - he did all the cooking and dehydrating and I just posed for the picture. This curry was incredible. Mouth wateringly incredible. Sweet yet tangy and it even dehydrates into a nice, light, cut-up-able sheet! On site, we added a brick of coconut solid because we needed the fat/proteins, but that'd be up to you. This recipe comes from Jamie Oliver - he recommends you marinate the chicken over night if you can, but of course we didn't do that (I'd be interested to know who thinks ahead to do these things!). Giles boys - another one you'll love. Bon appétit!

Ingredients (for 4):

• ½ fresh red chilli, deseeded (taste for spiciness!)
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled
• thumb-size piece of fresh ginger
• vegetable oil
• a pinch of paprika
• ½ tablespoon garam masala
• a teaspoon of tomato puree
• 3 sprigs of fresh coriander, leaves picked and chopped, stalks reserved
• 400g chicken breast, diced
• 1 small onion, peeled and sliced
• ½ red pepper, deseeded and sliced
• ½ green pepper, deseeded and sliced
• a pinch of ground cinnamon
• a pinch of ground coriander
• a pinch of turmeric
• 1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes
• 100ml plain yoghurt
• 100ml double cream (again, we used the coconut solid instead...)


For the curry paste:
Blitz the chilli, garlic, ginger and vegetable oil in the food processor. Add the paprika, garam masala and tomato puree, plus the coriander stalks, and blitz again to form a paste. Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl, coat them with the marinade and leave in the fridge overnight.

The next day…
In a little vegetable oil, on a medium heat, fry the onion, peppers and spices in a large saucepan. Cook gently for 10 minutes then add the tin of tomatoes and the yoghurt. Add the chicken and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes until cooked. Just before serving, stir through the double cream and chopped coriander leaves.

Zucchini Goat Cheese Omelet

My mum and dad have by far, the BEST vegetable gardens around. I'm not going to even mention the flower beds because this is a food blog, but lets just say that they could easily be featured in Better Homes & Gardens! This year the zucchini harvest was plentiful!  Just tonnes and tonnes of fresh, beautiful zucchini. Needless to say, I was richly blessed to receive a zucchini-filled care package in the mail earlier this week and decided to make the most out of those delicious little guys. This is a nice, light summer omelet which I hope you will enjoy! Bon appetit!

ps - The picture is a little dark, my apologies, but I had to use this one because I didn't want to display my flopped, failed to be properly formed omelet for all the world to see.  Taste over presentation, taste over presentation ...

Ingredients:
red onion, thinly chopped
goat cheese
3 eggs
splurt of milk
salt/ground pepper
thinly sliced zucchini
fresh baby spinach

Directions:
1. Mix your eggs, milk and salt/pepper in a large bowl and set aside. Pan fry the red onion until fragrant and tender and add your zucchini. Grill until lightly browned. Add everything to the egg mixture.

2. Over medium heat and a lightly oiled pan, fry your egg mixture until the top starts to look kind of cooked. Add the fresh spinach and goat cheese and then flip. Serve hot and enjoy!

Frozen Orange Sherbet Cream Sickle Dessert

This dessert is an orange cream-sickle lover's heaven. It's truly divine and quite possibly my favourite summer dessert. I've also made it with raspberry sherbet and blended fresh raspberries into the creamy part as well, but the orange is definitely my favourite. A perfect summer treat. A couple of hints when making this dessert - you'll want to pre-freeze the plate that you're going to serve it on to avoid a melty mess and you'll also want to make sure that you freeze the whole thing for a good day to make sure that it's good a solid. This just might be a "could have bought it at Loeb" kind of cake! Bon appétit!

Ingredients:

2 cups orange sherbet, softened (enough to have approx. 1 1/2" of sherbet on base of pan)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream Cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
rind of 1 orange

2/3 tub thawed coolwhip

Directions: 

1. Line a bread loaf pan with foil. Spread sherbet onto bottom of prepared pan to form even layer. Freeze 10 min.

2. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Gradually add condensed milk, orange rind and frozen juice (I just dollop in 1/2 the can of frozen juice concentrate), beating until blended. Whisk in cool whip; spread over sherbet in pan.

3. Freeze the whole thing for a good 6-7 hours, or, ideally overnight. To unmold, invert pan onto a pre-frozen plate; remove foil.  Enjoy!

Chipotle Marinated Chicken with Black Bean Salsa

I love it when we can actually get our act together and marinade something longer than 20 minutes. The result is always worth the wait! If you haven't noticed, I definitely have developed a new special spot in my heart (and blog!) for canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (tends to be found with the mexican food).  I'm telling you, these chiles are so darn delicious and somehow very 'authentic' tasting. A chipotle chile is a smoked, ripe, jalapeno pepper. They're pretty spicy so you may want to taste the sauce first before loading it in to your food. This particular dish can be made with either pork or chicken. The black bean accompaniment is pretty tasty! Enjoy and ...   bon appétit!


Ingredients
For The Pork/chicken
1 canned chipotle chile, in adobo sauce
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup coarsely chopped white onion
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat

For The Salsa
1 can (19 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chile, in adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch of vinegar

Directions
1. Make the meat marinade: Process chile, garlic, onion, lime juice, vinegar, and oregano in a blender until smooth. Rub marinade all over the pork/chicken. Transfer to a dish, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a grill pan over high heat. Grill meat until seared on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer pan to the oven; cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meat registers 145 degrees, 20 to 25 minutes. Let pork stand at room temperature 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

3. Meanwhile, make the salsa: Stir together the black beans, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice, chile, and cumin in a small bowl. Serve with the yummy meat! Enjoy :)

- recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

Tomato & Goat Cheese Salad

With the thermometer about to hit 32 (humidex 46!!!) this week, I was keen to find some no-cook, no-heat recipes. This turned out to be a nice, fresh,  kinda different little salad that was easy to put together. Believe it or not, Martha actually suggests cutting your goat cheese with a piece of dental floss - I decided that it was probably better that I simply didn't go down that road.  Bon appetit!

Ingredients: cherry tomatoes, cilantro, red/green onion, fresh goat cheese.

Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Fresh Guacamole

This is a recipe for chicken tacos spiced up with chipotle peppers and topped with a cool guacamole sauce. Again, really, really yummy. A good idea if you happen to end up with left over chicken from another meal. We BBQ'ed our chicken before hand so it had some of that great smokey flavour as well. ENJOY! And, as always ... Bon appétit :)


Ingredients (6 servings)
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 chipotle chiles in Adobo, seeds scraped out, minced, plus 1 tablespoon of the Sauce
3 cups cooked chicken, rough chopped
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon salt & fresh black pepper
1/4 cup water
Tortillas/shells
Your choice of fixin's: sour cream, cheese, diced lettuce, tomato, onion, salsa, lime wedges, salsa etc.

Guacamole:
2 avocadoes, halved, pitted, flesh removed
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1-2 crushed pieces of garlic

1/2 cup tomato, diced
1/3 cup yellow onion, finely diced
2 teaspoon fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Saute the onion in oil until translucent, add garlic and saute until fragrant, add chipotles and saute for a minute or two.

2. Add chicken, oregano, chile powder, salt, pepper, and water. Mix well and heat over medium-low heat about 8 - 10 minutes, stirring often.  You may have to play around with the spices until you get it right... sorry, those are approximations on the spices!

3. Serve in heated tortillas with fixin's.

Chicken Fettuccine with Pesto Cream Sauce

Oh my is this ever an amazing dish.  So pro-star too. You will be so impressed with yourself it's not even funny. I recently posted a yummy pesto recipe too, or you could also pick some up from the grocery store (I of course, highly suggest you make your own though). In Ottawa, you can get great fresh basil this time of year at Nicastros in the Glebe.  Much better tasting (and priced!) in my opinion than the usual tiny sprigs you can buy at the grocery stores. Bon appétit!

ps - My camera battery had died the day I made up this dinner, so you get the beautiful Martha picture to go along with this recipe too.

Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound fettuccine
1/2 cup basil pesto
1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:
1. Place chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap. With a meat mallet or heavy skillet, pound chicken to an even 3/4-inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet; cook the chicken until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Slice each piece across the grain into 4 or 5 strips; cover to keep warm.

3. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and return to pot.

4. In a small saucepan, heat pesto over low until liquefied. Stir in cream; heat until warm. Toss pasta with reserved cooking water and half the sauce. Divide among shallow bowls; top with chicken. Drizzle with remaining sauce.

- recipe cred to Martha 

Sesame Beef Sandwiches

My apologies to my poor little half-abandoned blog. I haven't been taking care of you the past few weeks as I should have. I also haven't been very adventurous in the kitchen the past few weeks either - which, remarkably enough, is suggestive of the fact that the blog has been lacking!

On the weekend, my husband cooked an absolutely mammoth piece of beef. I'm talking huge. It's only the 2 of us and, while I'm sure Georgie would have loved his share, he has quite the delicate little disposition. Needless to say, we`ve been looking for ways to eat up our excess of beef. This recipe is quite different in that you use pan-fried pizza dough as your `bun`. Neato.
Bon appétit!

Ingredients:
1 pound pizza dough (fresh, not frozen)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for greasing
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 cups shredded coleslaw mix
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chili oil
6 ounces roast beef (you could easily use deli sliced)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon grated peeled ginger
1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Directions
1. If using pre-bought pizza dough, microwave dough on 50 percent power to soften, 1 to 2 minutes, then let rest 5 minutes. I`ve never tried pre-made dough so hopefully it works out okay. If you`re keen, you can make your own very easily with this recipe. Grease a large plate with vegetable oil; shape the dough into a 9-inch round and place on the plate. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sesame seeds and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

2. Toss the coleslaw mix, vinegar, chili oil, and salt to taste in a bowl. In another bowl, toss the roast beef, sesame oil, scallions and ginger.

3. Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the dough seed-side down and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame seeds. Cover and fry, shaking the pan occasionally, until the dough is golden, about 3 minutes per side, turning with tongs. Transfer to paper towels, season with salt and cool.

4. Wipe out the skillet and place over high heat. Add the roast beef mixture and stir-fry until crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Slice the flatbread in half horizontally. Layer the beef, coleslaw mixture and cilantro on the bottom half. Cover with the top and cut into 4 wedges.

- photo and recipe cred to the Food Network

Fresh Basil Pesto

One of my greatest pleasures during the summer months is having access to copious amounts of fresh garden basil. That said, come winter, it`s always so disappointing to have to go and buy those ridiculously overpriced packages of herbs at the grocery store. They really are a taste of those smidgens of summer though and are a real treat for making delicious homemade pesto during that long cold stretch from October-May. I made up this yummy batch of basil pesto and kept some left over basil leaves for adding to our salads and sandwiches this week. So good.

A couple of really important pesto notes:

1. Don't heat it! Rule number one is don't heat the pesto. Let the pesto room to warm temperature and add to hot pasta or top vegetables.
2. Some people prefer to mix half parsley and half basil to tone-down the strong basil flavor. I personally really dig that bail-goodness so I always go for 100% fresh basil.

3. Don't skimp on the cheese. Buy good quality Parmigiano Regiano. The results will be worth the extra dollar for the cheese.
4. You may think it’s nice to toast the pine nuts until they’re coloured, to give them a nutty taste, but, according to Jamie, the really good, truly Italian pestos just have them very lightly toasted, to give a creaminess rather than a nuttiness.

Bon appétit!

Ingredients:
1 clove of garlic, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 good handfuls of fresh basil, leaves picked and chopped
a handful of pine nuts, very lightly toasted
a good handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
extra virgin olive oil
optional: a small squeeze of lemon juice

Directions:
Pound the garlic with a little pinch of salt and the basil leaves in a pestle and mortar, or pulse in a food processor. Depending on how much of a garlicky taste you like, go for either 1/2 a clove or a whole one. You can add more later if need be. Add the pine nuts to the mixture and pound again. Turn out into a bowl and add half the Parmesan. Stir gently and add olive oil – you need just enough to bind the sauce and get it to an oozy consistency.

Season to taste, then add most of the remaining cheese. Pour in some more oil and taste again. Keep adding a bit more cheese or oil until you are happy with the taste and consistency. You may like to add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end to give it a little twang, but it’s not essential. Try it with and without and see which you prefer.

Lemon-Thyme Green Beans

As a nice winter pick-me-up surprise, my mum dropped off a little bundle of summer greens that she`d kept frozen from her beautiful vegetable garden. Included were some "fresh", crunchy french green beans. We made them up with some fresh thyme and freshly squeezed lemon juice. So delicious - such a nice, easy side dish. Be careful not to go overboard on the thyme - just use a sprinkle ... you can easily taint your beans by going 'over thyme'. Bon appétit!

Ingredients
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Big pile of green beans, ends trimmed
Freshly squeezed lemon juice + zest from 1 lemon (? about 3 tbs. maybe?)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Directions
1. In a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid, bring about 1/2 inch water to a boil; salt generously.

2. Add green beans; reduce to a simmer, and cover skillet. Steam beans, tossing occasionally, until crisp-tender, 5-6 minutes.

3. Drain off the water and then add your butter to pan-fry the beans for a minute or two. Throw in your zest/thyme and season with salt and pepper, and toss to melt butter. At the last second, squeeze in your lemon juice and remove from heat. Enjoy!