In My kitchen!
Nigella's Old Rag Pie
Dealing with leftover bits in the freezer - in this case that phyllo that is getting crumbly. Turns out, it's not just for Baklava!
Sourdough Bread Pudding with Hot Honey Sauce
A side effect of the pandemic is the fascination with sourdough bread owing to an initial shortage of yeast. But when yeast came back, sourdough just stayed!
Bourbon Cookies
From the early months of the pandemic, how people began and then continued to cope. The upshot is that bacon and bourbon can help smooth the path! This cookie recipe is a delight!
Poverty and Pulses
Things are getting tight what with the pandemic and all. We need to channel our former student selves and remember how we coped without five fresh fruits and/or veggies every day.
Tantrums and Perfect Roast Potatoes
Nigella Lawson's gorgeous potatoes roasted in goose fat! Oh my! This is the perfect thing to do when you feel like throwing an epic tantrum but you can't because you know it will do you no good, and because you're an adult. But oh how you wish you could!
Nigella's Old Rag Pie
Dealing with leftover bits in the freezer - in this case that phyllo that is getting crumbly. Turns out, it's not just for Baklava!
Sourdough Bread Pudding with Hot Honey Sauce
A side effect of the pandemic is the fascination with sourdough bread owing to an initial shortage of yeast. But when yeast came back, sourdough just stayed!
Bourbon Cookies
From the early months of the pandemic, how people began and then continued to cope. The upshot is that bacon and bourbon can help smooth the path! This cookie recipe is a delight!
Poverty and Pulses
Things are getting tight what with the pandemic and all. We need to channel our former student selves and remember how we coped without five fresh fruits and/or veggies every day.
Tantrums and Perfect Roast Potatoes
Nigella Lawson's gorgeous potatoes roasted in goose fat! Oh my! This is the perfect thing to do when you feel like throwing an epic tantrum but you can't because you know it will do you no good, and because you're an adult. But oh how you wish you could!
Isolation and White Beans
I think we’ve all wondered how we’d cope if we had to self-quarantine for fourteen days. We don’t say “two-weeks” because that has the jaunty ring of holiday. We say “fourteen days” to emphasize the full weight of the thing. Actually, about half of the population, those who self-identify as introverted on the spectrum of such, secretly hope for “shelter in place” with the same glee that they look forward to being snowed in. A pot of tea, a stack of books, a lap full of cats and no fear of social interaction! Bliss! But isolation is more fun, somehow, if it’s by choice. These days, the world seems to be closing its doors and shuttering it’s windows. “Social distancing” is the new catch phrase, as we eye other humans with suspicion and hunker down in our homes. At first we are a bit apprehensive. Soon enough, with everything shutting down, we elevate to fearful. But then the hoarding frenzy happens and panic creeps in. Panic goes viral more quickly than any virus. We’re all going to die! This is the end of life as we know it! We must stock up! Hand sanitizer is sensible, but we all probably have a jolly good lot of it tucked away in purses and travel bags and drawers we never get around to sorting, because we intended to use it regularly and never quite did. But will we have sufficient toilet paper? That was the question that caused the stampede. True enough that handy alternatives to toilet paper don’t spring readily to mind, but if it came to that, a serious shortage would lend itself to the most entertaining post-apocalyptic war stories. But let’s not head for the corn husks until we’ve worked our way through the ample supply in the closet.
If we’re honest, we’ll admit that we have already stocked up. We’re Canadians. Stocking up is in our DNA. The average Canadian could sustain life for fourteen days on the contents of their lolloping large refrigerator alone, never mind the pantry stuffed to the brim with soups and noodles and every type of pasta sauce. There’s KD and red pepper jelly and a selection of barbecue sauces at the ready for any pulled pork emergency. And we haven't even cracked open the chest freezer! Bring on the apocalypse!
That’s why I had to chuckle at the recent news story about folks hoarding dried beans, lest it come to that. I feel confident in assuring all who will listen, that it will not come to that. Not only would a few weeks of working our way through our already accumulated stockpile be a good idea, whether forced or not, but the store would be happy to deliver – perhaps to the end of the driveway if quarantine is actually an issue - at the wave of a credit card. We are not without resources.
But should you have joined the stampede, a dried bean can be a wonderful discovery. They can bubble away in a pot on the stove while you pour another cup of tea, pet your cat and turn the page on this virus story.
Italian White Beans
INGREDIENTS
1 pound dried white beans such as Great Northern, Cannelini or Navy (about 2 ½ cups)
12 cups water
4 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
5 fresh sage leaves
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil high quality
INSTRUCTIONS
Rinse beans then place in large pot and cover with cold water. Set aside to soak for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Place beans, water, garlic, sage, bay leaf and 2 Tbsp. oil in a heavy saucepan. Cover and slowly bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, about 1 hour. Gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender but not mushy, about 1-2 hours more. (This is actually a perfect chore for that Instant Pot!).
Remove from heat, set aside, and allow beans to cool in the cooking liquid for 15 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.
To serve, drain the beans and drizzle with remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil. You can also serve the beans on crostini as an appetizer.
OR, make this delish dip from delish.com:
White Bean Dip with Parsley Oil
INGREDIENTS
1 c. dried white beans
4 clove garlic
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
3/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 c. flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 c. celery leaves
Flatbread or pita chips
DIRECTIONS
In a medium saucepan, cover the beans with 2 inches of water. Add the garlic, thyme, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Simmer the beans over low heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 hours. Add more water as necessary to keep the beans covered by 2 inches. (Again, or Instant Pot).
Drain the beans and reserve the garlic and 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid. Transfer the beans, garlic, cooking liquid, and 1/4 cup of the olive oil to a food processor and puree. Season with salt and pepper.
In a mini food processor, combine the parsley and celery leaves with the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil and puree. Season with salt and pepper.
Transfer the white bean dip to a shallow bowl and make a well in the center of the dip with the back of a spoon. Pour the parsley oil into the well and serve with flatbread or pita chips.
Now you can’t tell me that we don’t know how to weather a pandemic with panache!
Apprehension, worry, fear, panic, hoarding, cooking, eating, reading, relaxing. We’ve got this!
Pandemic and Bourbon Bacon Chocolate Chunk Cookies
When the going gets tough, isolated in a pandemic, the time comes for a chocolate chunk, bourbon, bacon cookie to brighten those dark corners!
Parasite - Ram Don
The movie Parasite was indeed a winner, but so was the dish served to the ravenous family! Ram-don noodles with steak. Who wouldn't want to give that a go right after seeing the film?
Cauliflower bread
This blog post is all bout eating healthy. Apparently you can make bread with cauliflower. Who know?
Soup Season
Make a nice, easy soup out of a butternut squash, broth and whatever you find in the fridge. Maybe add curry paste.
Instant Pot Mac & Cheese
Between the battle that is Christmas and the post-Christmas battle that is weight loss, there is a brief day or two to simply exhale, and enjoy a bit of comfort. That is the moment for Instant Pot Mac & Cheese!
Turnip Puff (pre-Christmas thoughts)
The lowly turnip (aka rutabaga) gets its moment to shine at the Christmas feast
The Dutch Baby!
It's a big, fluffy pancake that can be dolled up either sweet, with fruit and jam and whipping cream and such, or savoury, with meat and veg and herbs galore. Your imagination is your only limit!
Vegan Pizza
Some home cooking is easy to modify when vegans come to town. Pizza! Simply eliminate the cheese!
Fluffy Pumpkin Buttermilk Pie
A Google of “pumpkin pie for those who don’t like pumpkin pie” yielded this beauty which will impress all but the most resistant of the pumpkin pie averse.
Fluffy Pumpkin Buttermilk Pie from smittenkitchen.com.
Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
There are times when doing everything "from scratch" is not required. One of those occasions is Thanksgiving when you are swinging a complex dinner for a crowd and you don't have staff. Consider this excellent Mashed Potato Casserole with boxed potato flakes!
High School ála Goldenrod on Biscuits
High school Home Ec. back in the day taught us essentials like "White Sauce" and recipes we despised like Eggs á la Goldenrod. Turns out, it's a classic and when not being forced to become happy homemakers, it is really quite delicious. The secret is in the sauce!
First day of school - Pot Roast
The first day of school is the first day of the queen of comfort food, the pot roast. Just be sure to use a cut that is not too lean. Other than that, it's hard to go wrong. We all remember coming home from school to the smell of this deliciousness as our soft landing.
Cinnamon Bread
Sometimes the lure of a traditional recipe is just what's needed. Though we don't all have a basic bread recipe that we can simply modify, if we did, the base bread of this beauty would be a good one to choose!
Zucchini, Cheddar Cheese & Chive Buttermilk Quick Bread
It's that time of year when friends present friends with zucchinis the size of their thighs. Compost them, my friends, or , if you just don't have the hears, perhaps this quick bread.
Chimichurri Grilled Chicken Salad with Peaches and Sweet Potatoes
Time to take note of what your family likes and think of serving those things in a new and interesting way.
Gnocchi
Time to assess the kitchen cupboards. How many of these things do we actually use...anymore? Though the gnocchi board still has predetermining of place in my kitchen
Funeral Potatoes
The thing about funerals is that, unlike holiday meals where the hostess is expected to do it all, it's suddenly ok to pitch in and bring something. Funeral potatoes are a perennial favourite, and Three-bean salad smacks of tradition and family.
Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup
The future is looking bright, but is it really necessary to have food kits delivered to our kitchens when something as delicious as this tortellini soup is so easy?
Chicken Condon Bleu Casserole
Although casseroles have fallen out of favour in recent decades, they can still be a home cook's trusty friend!
Farro & Cumin Roasted Carrots and Tahini
Tahini and Farro are finding their way into our kitchens!!
Chicken Tikka Masala
Reflections on how comfort foods hop borders and make themselves at home in our kitchens.
Fast Food and Cinnamon Buns!
Sometimes it's time for fast food.
Other times you have time for a lovely, pillowy yeasted dough and the joy that is Cinnamon Buns!
Jambalaya & Sauerkraut Soup
Jambalaya AND a nice Sauerkraut Soup!
Along with a rant about transported vegetables!
Sous-Vide Prime Rib!
What is better than a tender, perfectly cooked Prime Rib? Use your Sous-Vide guarantee perfect results every time!
Mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot
Mashed potatoes are divinely creamy prepared in the Instant Pot!
Incorporating Kale
Kale got to be a bit overdone there for awhile, but let's not throw it out as "yesterday's trend". Try incorporating it into just about any pasta dish for a splash of colour and a dash of nutrition!
Classic Lasagna
Lasagna is wonderful. The classic. It takes time. We tend to take so many shortcuts that we lose sight of the glory of the true recipe. Sometimes it's best to take the time! It's worth it!
Cricket powder!
The world is changing and we have to change with it or be left on the shelf. To try cricket powder, you only have to be brave once. High diving board!
Sous Vide Chicken and Beef
Sous Vide sounds fancy, but actually, it is a wonderful secret for busy folks on the go. This is primarily because it is so forgiving. If you are an hour late, your roast beef will just be a bit more tender, and still at just your preferred degree of doneness!
Dinner Salads
How to assemble the essential components of:
.Base
.Veggie/fruit
.Protein
.Topping
.Bonus
To create a nutritious, delicious, dinner salad!
Corn Season with Fritters
Whatever your family techniques and traditions, the main thing is that you eat corn until it’s coming out of your ears, because, as we well know, corn season won’t last! Fall is just around the corner! Seize these lovely days!
Instant Pot Breakfast
This recipe - or collection of suggestions - hopefully will open your eyes to the many useful variations of the types of food we think of cooking in the Instant Pot.
Simple Pickling
Serve these pickles as part of an appetizer spread with fresh tomatoes, olives, flatbread, and hummus or baba ghanoush. They’re also tasty alongside grilled meats. finecooking.com
Instant Pot Pho Ga
In Vietnam, pho is eaten morning, noon, and night. The flavorful broth is traditionally cooked for hours to achieve a full-bodied flavor, but with a pressure cooker, you can enjoy this rich and complex soup in a fraction of the time. epicurious.com
Artisan Bread in Five
This delicious bread is a combination of the master recipe of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and a focaccia idea from Martha Stewart! So good!
Discovering Farro
At some point we all get tired of the same old starches and grains. Potatoes, rice, pasta. Let's get a little experimental and find out some of the secrets that other cultures have known for centuries!
Dealing with dodgy vegetables
Option A:
Discard and resolve to do better nest week.
Option B:
Soup!
Option C:
Dog food!
Bearnaise
Bearnaise is just a tarted up Hollandaise really. But it can elevate meats and fish to an astonishing new level!
Spring into Asparagus!
Spring is a time for asparagus. Wizened winter asparagus is better than no asparagus, but spring asparagus - oh my!
Madeleines
Thoughts about Late Onset Attention Deficit Disorder and the need to slow it down! Read Proust! Make Madeleines!
Pot Roast!
A lovely memory of my childhood was of Mother's Pot Roast done with her terrifying, death defying pressure cooker! These days, however, we can recreate the deliciousness without the anxiety!
Chicken Piccata
Although I made this recipe in the Instant Pot, it would, of course, be easily adapted to a slow cooker or oven.
Pumpkin Pie Spice and Bone Broth
A rather negative take on Christmas perhaps - too much Pumpkin Pie Spice and too many goodies!
Bigos - or what to do with Sour Cabbage!
The national dish of Poland, this dish, or variations thereof, are the comfort food of many slavic folk - or so I'm told.