My glorious debut

I have spent far too long greedily absorbing the bounties of this glorious blog, and now it is my turn to give back.
Well, that's not quite true. In reality I forgot about aforementioned blog until about an hour ago, and since then have been greedily catching up. I am particularly excited to fry up some hummous cakes (Not that I am trying to cause conflict by voting for a favourtie recipe...I promise I just like the ease).
Speaking of ease, my debut is quick and to the point. In fact, the entire recipe can be summed up in 3 words:
ROAST SOME CHICKPEAS
With my insatiable appetite that cannot be quenched, a mere midmorning muffin and tea-time cookie do very little to tide me over, and I find myself stuffing handfuls of chocolate chips in my mouth, handfuls of cereal, handfuls of cookies, handfuls of anything I can get my grubby hands on.
At risk of this blog becoming Carmen's confessions of a foodaholic, or confessions of a gluttonous pig, I will stop there.
I decided if I am going to be shoving handfuls of food into my gobber on an extremely regular basis, it might as well be a tasty, healthy treat!
Hence the roasted chickpeas (Although I summed it up in three words, I will still share the longer version):

Turn the oven to 425
Pat the chickepeas dry.
Sprinkle them with a spoon of olive oil (not very much or they won't be crispy)
Season them with whatever you'd like...my favourite is a bit of garlic and some chili powder.
Spread them on a cookie sheet
bake them for about 30-40 minutes, until they seem good and browned.

Once they're out, you might need to do a bit of reseasoning according to preference


I shove handfuls in my mouth relatively guilt free.

I found the idea for this online, and one commenter mentioned hers went soft overnight. Naturally I can not comment on that, because mine have never lasted overnight.

Brunching With Babies

In a previous post Haley wrote that when chocolate is unavailable, heaven forbid, lemon is the next best choice in the dessert world. Her observation must have fluttered through my brain last week as I dug through cupboards and recipe books. I was holding a Victoria day brunch for my siblings and their children. The bagels and eggs had been bought and the ingredients for a hollandaise sauce stood ready. I need a dessert-yes, even breakfast warrants treats-but my cocoa jar was empty. Fortunately, I found three large lemons rolling around my crisper. As the brunch promised to be filling, I wanted dessert to be a few mouthfuls of sweetness. A cake or pie seemed too heavy handed and unbrunch like. I opted for mini cupcakes. A few weeks ago Caleb found miniature muffin tins at the thriftstore in Sidney. Almost every bowl, spoon, and pan in my kitchen is secondhand. I find the older cookware to be durable. Plus it comes in funky retro colours. For these mini lemon cupcakes, I used a recipe for lemon loaf from the Moosewood Desserts Cookbooks. Then, in salute to the cupcake my mom used to make when I was little, I mixed up a batch of lemon curd, cut out the centres, and filled each cake.
1/2 cup butter (I reduced it to 1/3)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar (I used half white, half brown for a lighter texture)
2 eggs
1 Tbsp of lemon zest
1 and 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk (I used 3/4 cup butter milk to accommodate for the reduced amount of butter)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I omitted the nuts)

Cream butter and brown sugar
Beat in eggs one at a time.
Add the lemon peel.
Separate bowl: Sift flour, b. powder, and salt.
Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk to the creamed mixture, beating until JUST combined after each addition. Stir in nuts (if using).

Pour into a loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 45 to 60 mins.
Or
Pour into mini muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 min.

Cool and then cover with lemon glaze.

Lemon Glaze:
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice with 1/4 cup sugar. Poke holes in cake with a toothpick. Pour glaze over.

Then, cut a circle out of the top of each cupcake, fill it with lemon curd (not glaze). Take the piece you cut out of the cupcake and cut it in half. Arrange pieces on top of the cupcake.

Lemon Curd:
Mix in a saucepan: Juice of two lemons, 1 Tbsp lemon zest, 1/4 cup sugar. Heat, stirring constantly until sauce thickens. Take off heat. Run through a mesh strainer. Optional: mix in 2 Tbsp butter in pieces (Most recipes call for 1/2 cup butter but this seems unnecessary).

Pop (into your mouth) and enjoy!

Ahhh, Sunnyslope..

Snack time is always a little more exciting when I'm back at 6364 Sunnyslope Dr. By myself. Pilffering through the cupboards and fridge for Joan's hidden stashes. Finding that last little bit of apple crisp, or the roll of Drosts hidden since Christmas. There is something nostaslgic about this- Brings me back to my teen years. This morning? A discovery from the freezer. A lovely tupperware full of homemade eatmore bars. Thanks Joan. Always good to be back!

The Stone vs. Cookie Sheet Dilemma

What Reems doesn't love a good pizza. This a popular Friday night meal at the Campbell household. Mikeyc is the king of the pepperoni and feta (the key here is that the pepperoni must be on TOP of the cheese). For myself, a rummage through the crisper drawer to see what veggies are requiring urgent attention. This particular pie had a medley of orange and red peppers, spinach, green onions, and shrimp. The shrimp is a new addition to my pizza repertoire; however, so easy. Just shake some little precooked shrimpies from your bag in the freezer, run under tap water, break into two if desired, and voila! A pizza with class (to combat the more, shall we say, ghetto pepperoni).

Now my other dilemma. Pizza stone or cookie sheet? Now, in the past I have been a stone kind of girl- despite my inital stone near disaster.. the first meal that I ever prepared for future brother-in-law Rhys... note PREHEATING of the stone is required. So when you have a little grublet like Finn lurking in the shadows I find it easier to premake the pizza during nap time or Daddy and Finn hangout time.. This makes the cookie sheet the better option.
Pizza Stone
PROS

• Nice round shape. who doesn't like a good wedge of the 'za?
• Years of getting my stones nicely seasoned (don't used soap on them, soak and scrub clean)
• The bottom gets nice and crispy (although I must say that I am in the soft and doughy team so this is a con for me)

CONS

• Preheating - requires everything to be preassembled and then thrown together in a mad pizza making frenzy right before they need to go in the oven. This is particularly problematic when making 2 pies.

Cookie Sheet

PROS

• Can premake your pizzas
• The doughy crust (A con for some)
  

CONS

• Not as cool.
  

OK, folks. There you have it. Ramblings on pizza stones. Just what you needed to enlighten your otherwise dull existences. Victorians, I look forward to seeing you.. but more importantly to sharing some good eats.

Soup, Fluffy Bread, and Mojitos: A Dysphagia's Dream

Caleb has created a small garden in our living room. It is my favourite place to sit and read surrounded by a forest of greenery with the sun coming in through the window. He collected the plants from roadside stalls and church bazaar sales. I want a basil plant but, oddly, he hasn't stumbled across one yet. He's out garage saling right now so my fingers are crossed. I never know what Caleb might find.

The chives are a great addition to soups and salads but we weren't sure how to make the best use of our mint plant. Last week I found the answer at Irish Times, floating in my glass. My drink was clotted with green leaves, as mint is an integral part the Mojito. I slurped back the remains of my favourite beverage and thought, surely we can do better. (I was a little disappointed in IT's mojito. The mojito at Spinnakers is far tastier.)

We wanted to share our wealth of mint and alcohol, so we rounded up the Canada trip crew (Caleb, Kathleen, Brian, and I) for a Friday night of eats and drinks. Food options will be limited on our cross-Canada trip this summer. All cooking will be done on a propane stove. We have to revel while we can. Although last night we concluded that if Brian had the proper supplies, he could mix mohitos right across the country.

As usual, I was responsible for the food component of our 'Mojito Night.' I've been feeling a bit under the weather. I blame my cold on my new job at P.C.S. as high schools are riddled with germs. Nothing beats a sore throat like a thick soup and so, with the guidance of my Rebar Cookbook, I redrafted a recipe for Yam Peanut Soup, swapping the yams for carrots and potatoes. Naturally I kept the integral ingredient, peanut butter. The results were delicious.

Cooking for Kathleen and Brian is always a challenge. Not because they're particularly fussy. When Brian samples my cooking, his response is so enthusiastic that I become quite certain that I'm the West Coast's answer to Julia Child. Kathleen is the problem. She has a condition called celiac. Her body is unable to digest gluten. In fact, the negative response is so strong that if she eats gluten she is unable to take in the nutritional properties of other foods. Yikes. The worst part is, it (gluten) will cause her to fall asleep almost anywhere (work, school, the shower, etc). It's usually easy to prepare a dinner without gluten but I usually pair soup with bread. I had made a spinach salad but I needed something relatively easy and filling to round out the meal. I turned to Bernard Clayton's Complete Book of Breads which I recently borrowed from the library. In the cornbread section I found a rich but lovely recipe for something called Spoon Bread, a cross between corn bread and souffle. While the bread took longer to bake than it should have due to my tempermental oven, our anticipation heightened the experience. The timer went off for the fourth time and we were finally treated to a cloud of cornmeal, eggs, and cheese hot from the oven.

As I scrambled to complete my miniature masterpiece, Brian downloaded a recipe for Mojitos. When I sat down at the table, I tired and hungry, he slid a cup of goodness, complete with a tiny umbrella, under my nose. After dinner Kathleen produced chocolate tarts from the bakery in Broadmead. They were so good I felt guilty. Dinner with Brian and Kathleen may pose some challenges but these are easily outweighed by the benefits.

The Dinner:

The Drinks
This was Brian's department but here is the recipe he followed:
Mojitos:
1 tsp sugar
2 ounces lime juice
4 mint leaves
2 ounces rum
2 ounces club soda

Mix and enjoy


The Salad
A mix of spinach, red onion, mushrooms and boiled egg topped with an orange poppy seed dressing. The was the first time I tired this dressing. I probably won't make it again.


The Soup
5 cups vegetable stock (Use water if you haven't prepared stock)
Red or yellow onion
salt
ginger, minced or powdered
garlic (about 4 cloves)
cumin
coriander
cayenne pepper
red pepper (one or half)
two medium potatoes chopped
five cups (aprox) chopped carrots
half a cup orange juice or pineapple juice (I used orange)
a couple tomatoes
1/2-1/3 c. peanut butter, depending on your taste
chopped fresh cilantro
a splash of lime or lemon juice
a splash of Tabasco

Remember, you can change the amounts and the veggies used.

Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil. Add some salt and the rest of the spices. Cook until the onions are soft. Add the veggies. Saute until the veggies start to stick to the pan. Add stock to cover. Simmer until the veggies are tender.

Add the juice, tomatoes, peanut butter, and more stock (if necessary) and simmer for 1/2 an hour. Puree the soup. Return to the pot and return to a simmer for about 10 min. Season with Tabasco. Add any extra flavouring if needed, such as more salt or juice. Just before serving, add a splash of lemon juice and chopped cilantro.

Voila!


The Bread
Spoon Bread

3/4 cornmeal
1 and 1/2 cups water
1 and 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/4 c. butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
4 eggs, separated

In a saucepan, stir cornmeal into water. Heat over medium heat. Remove from heat once it begins to thicken. This will happen quite quickly once it begins. Stir in cheese, butter, garlic, and salt. When cheese is melted, pour in milk. Stir in the egg yolks.

Beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold into the batter.

Pour mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish. Make sure the batter is even

Bake for about one hour at 325. Test for doneness by slipping a knife into the center. The knife should come out clean. If not, bake for anther ten minutes.

Serve right away! You will need a spoon to scoop servings out of the pan.

Yes, Beans were Involved

Monday night and I'm feeling a little, well, Monday nightish; although this entire-body fatigue is tempered by the arrival of spring. Caleb and I just took an evening stroll. The streets were full of flowers, children, bikers, rollerbladers, and frisbees. We both found ourselves letting out sighs of contentment. Perhaps we were responding to the wash of blue sky and the row of mountains beyond, or, more likely, we were still swollen with the pleasure of a most perfect meal. Food does that to us.

For weeks now, I've been promising to share my recipe of flour tortillas with Haley. Now, after feasting on these homemade wraps and stuffings, I'm inspired to post the recipe.

Flour Tortillas

2 cups flour

½ tsp b. powder

¼ tsp salt

2 Tbsp canola oil

2/3-3/4 cups warm water

Combine dry plus oil and half the water.

Stir and continue adding water (while stirring) until dough comes together but is not too sticky.

Knead for about 5 min. Dough should be elastic and smooth.

Cover and let stand for at least a half an hour so dough will relax. This step can be skipped if you’re in a rush.

Divide into 8 balls. Press each into a disc and roll out as thin as possible. (7-8” in diameter)

Cook one at a time on a dry skillet at medium heat until tortilla blisters and brown spots appear. Wrap cooked tortillas in a clean dish towel to keep warm.

Coconut Curry

I've been a little quiet on the food blog lately as I began my new job at Pacific Christian last week. Working full time really cuts into my frittering time. But here I am, Sunday morning, pre-church, reporting on a meal prepared and consumed two nights ago.

I had half a block of tofu left over in the fridge and so I decided to whip up a coconut curry stiryfry.

You can use any combination of the following veggies:
Broccoli, carrots, yams, asparagus, peppers, eggplant, mushrooms (these are actually a must), etc.

Plus: garlic and onions and, if you have it, cilantro

Tofu: Chop half a block into squares, toss it with half a TBsp olive or seseme oil and one Tbsp soya sauce. Bake it in the oven or toaster oven for 10-15 min.

Here's what you do!:

Heat some oil in a wok or pan. Toss in the garlic and onion. Stirfry until onions soften. Add any extra hard veggies (if you are using any) such as carrots, or potatoes, or yams. Stiry fry for about 5 mins (or a little less).

Add 1/3 of a can of coconut milk. Add 2-3 Tbsp green curry paste. Mix the curry paste into the coconut milk. Add a shot of lemon or lime juice and 3 Tbsp water. Add more coconut milk if necessary. You need enough liquid to simmer the veggies in.

When the hard veggies are just tender, mix in a couple spoons of brown sugar, a couple Tbsp soy sauce and a some fish sauce (if you have it). Add the remaining veggies plus the rest of the coconut milk and simmer.

Turn up the heat, add the tofu. If you are using bokchoy, add it now. Simmer until sauce reduces and thickens.

When you think its ready, throw in a little extra lemon or lime juice plus cilantro or basil. Check the seasoning and add some more soy sauce if necessary.

Scoop over bowls of rice and enjoy!