An Everyday Cookie

Hi Haley!

A birthday cake is a heady thing. It's a licence, really, to enact your sugar fantasies. By the way, I've been enlisted to produce Grandma's eighty-eighth. Stay tuned. I for one, am not at all appalled to hear that you made your own cake, but that's because I know how much satisfaction it gave you, and how many nights you fell asleep mulling over which frosting, which combination of flavours. (I'm thinking three, maybe four nights).

But aside from birthdays, regular, non-sushi days chug on and I'm trying to cook less and clean more. This sounds wrong, I know. Maybe it is wrong... Key word remains: 'trying'. I wanted to ask you what the website was that dictates chores to errant house-wives. I'm not really a house wife, the breadwinner, actually, but I would like to make a pass at cleanliness. You see, the other day I reached for a big mixing bowl that I had stored up on top of my fridge. My fingers were instantly sticky upon contact with the invisible top of the fridge. I rinsed them off and that seemed to take care of the problem. Then I dropped a fork and it slid under the stove. Upon fishing for it, I made a few discoveries I'd rather not share lest Joan (for new readers, Joan is our saintly clean and disgustingly health-conscious mother) should happen to read this post. Anyways, I was out of rags...

Chocolate chip cookies are the cure for most problems. (See the blog on Grade Nine Blondies). This is a really nice every-day cookie recipe. It tastes a lot like a granola version of a choc chip cookie, which is why I like it. I'm sure you'll agree that there is something about oats... Anyways, this recipe is straight from one of Peter Reinhart's (I'm way to lazy to look up the correct spelling of his name but probably should) books.

Energy Cookies a la Peter Reinhart

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 sup sesame seeds

1 Tbsp flax seeds

2 cups flour

1/2 cup choc chips

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 tsp salt

1/s tsp baking powder

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup raisins plumped in 1 cup hot water

Begin by toasting the seeds.

Combine the seeds in a bowl with the dry ingredients. Drain the raisins, reserve the water. Add the raisins and add to the bowl along with the honey and the oil. Mix!

Add water until you can mix it into a stiff batter.

Scoop the batter in mounds onto a prepared cookie sheet. Flatten the mounds with your hand as they won't spread when you bake them off.

Bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are just beginning to brown.

Birthday Cake

R-
Thanks for the birthday wishes. It's true, a Reems birthday is a big deal - and as a true Reems- March 30 is a day that I shamelessly look forward to. After having 31 special days, I still spend too much time deciding what the meal lineup on my birthday will look like - in the past it was what restaurant Mike would be taking me to, now it's what form of take-out will grace our table. For we have a new birthday champion that can no longer be excluded from a birthday dinner - Finn has taken on birthdays with all the excitement that an almost 3-year old can drum up. He has figured out that with birthdays comes presents, and cake, and balloons, and if he's really lucky- candy.

The highlight of Finn's young life was taking home a goodie bag from his friend Ben's third birthday party. This was a loot bag that I was not be able to first sneak into and 'censor' - no Finn was aware of all the glorious sugary contents. He devoured about half of the treats while sitting in the buggy on the way home, and then proceeded to lock himself into his bedroom to polish 'er off. Even though I had acknowledged that the treats were his, he still saw me as a potential roadblock to sugar nirvana.

This year, the dinner meal was decided on - Hana Sushi - followed by a cake made by myself and Finn. Grace was scandalized that I was going to be making my own birthday cake; however, I have learned that if you want something to taste amazing you need to make it yourself. Mike, like Caleb, had to be introduced to the all-out Reems birthday extravaganza. He plays along gamely and makes sure that I am sufficiently spoiled- from the start of our relationship he was always the ultimate gift buyer. Gifts are his love language and he does them well - the only part of the special day missing from his itinerary? The cake. Each year when this was pointed out, Mike obligingly whisked me off for a birthday blizzard, or selected a chocolate bar at the birthday movie - yet, I still felt the need for a cake. I finally had the eureka moment this year that if I wanted the perfect confection I was going to need to roll up my sleeves. Finn and I were up for the challenge and, in an attempt to replicate my all-time favourite cake- Victoria's Dutch Bakery Mocha Point- we rolled up our sleeves and got busy.

I made two 9-inch yellow cakes and then sliced them in half to be filled with a vanilla cream filling and mocha whipping cream. To be finished off with more mocha whipping cream. Finally, I melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and drizzled them on parchment and then broke them up randomly to be sprinkled on top (chocolate shavings would also be great but I didn't have a block of the good stuff). I'm not going to give the individual recipes but I am going to reveal my secret for an amazing whipped frosting.

Take 500 mL of whipped cream. Add 1 T instant coffee. Put in fridge for about an hour until the coffee is dissolved (real coffee would make your cream to watery, and the hour lets the coffee dissolve nicely). Then add 1/3 cup (or more if you have a sweet tooth) icing sugar (which has corn starch in it to make the cream a bit stiffer) and then whip that cream with your electric mixer. You could add 1/3 cup cocoa but I am trying to model the Dutch Bakery with a more strict coffee flavour.

OK, that might not be a secret, but it did taste amazing. Oh, and thanks for the Happy Birthday sung on the phone. You and Carmen get better every year -though in your case it may have been Caleb's lovely harmony.

Happy Birthday Haley

Dear readers,

(To wish Haley a Happy Birthday, please comment on this post!)

When C., my husband, entered our family circle, first as a boyfriend, later a hubbie, he was shocked by the gusto and intensity with which we tend to celebrate a birthday--in our twenties we still recieve hand-made banners, balloons, numerous phone calls, BBQs, our favourite cakes, etc. Plus birthday boy or girl gets to call all the shots throughout the day. The real kicker for C. was my Grandma's eighty-ith. Picture Mings, the slightly classy Chinese restaurant in downtown Victoria, a round table of elderly Dutchies (plus my immediate family), not yet prescribed hearing aids. One has to speak at a shout to be heard. And everyone wants to be heard. Ome Willam, in a red vest and bowties, black thick-rimmed glasses and a shock of white hair, is snapping at the not-so-young Chinese-Canadian waiter and calling him 'boy.' Ome Gerritt, much to the delight of Dad and B., is calling C. 'Gayleb,' a nickname which still surfaces today...I think Grandma had fun. She certainly was mad when we tried to slip the party just before nine o'clock. I think she said repeatedly, 'but it's my birthday.'

She was right. The birthday takes precedence. Which is why I'm a little ashamed that I failed to announce Moochie's birthday a few days ago. On the last day in March the beautiful Haley turned thirty-one. Wow...two babies, one Mike, still cooking, still looking hot. You've done good Mooch!

To wish Haley a Happy birthday please comment on this post.

Spinach Filo Quiche

Rach -

Happy Easter. Finn just had the sweetest phone call from his cousin Atley- Please visualize, no, I need you to 'hear-ize' in a super cute 2-year old voice- 'HAPPY EASTER FINN!' Finn thinks it's so awesome that someone not a grandma wants to talk to him on the phone, that he starts laughing uncontrollably, and then moves onto yelling random nonsense words into the mouthpiece. Hopefully his social skills pick up before kindergarten.

The annual bun-fest was delicious as always. The overnight rising had us savouring hot-cross buns for a Good Friday breakfast, as opposed to the usual later coffee brunch-fest. I added one cup of finely chopped apple, but it almost absorbed into the dough, anyway we didn't even notice this addition.

I loved the look of your new hot cross bun recipe and I like the idea of the whole wheat - I need to point out though, that I found no evidence of any type of dried fruit in your recipe (must have been the sun in your eyes). What did you put in, how much, and when should I add said fruit? Waiting a whole other year for hot cross buns seems a little long so I might be a little wild this year and pull out, just for kicks, a Canada bun on July 1st (maybe with a maple syrup glaze?), or maybe a special Harvest Bun with cranberries for Thanksgiving? The possibilities are endless. I could rhapsodize about buns at length but had better move on to more exciting topics.

Such as spinach quiche. With filo. This is a post dedicated to those who want to be able to make a meal with 20 min or less prep time. It's also a dish that I like to have the ingredients in my freezer for, so that when I realize that my fresh veggie supply has dwindled, I can whip it up without having to make an impromptu grocery run. Finally, this is a great meal for you Rach - as less than a month since you posted pictures of a splayed brick chick, you and Caleb are now off meat.

What you need for this seriously easy dish is a box of filo and some frozen spinach in your freezer. Here's what I used:

• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 package defrosted spinach drained, or the equivalent fresh pre-cooked spinach
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup or so chopped green onions
• 1/3 tsp salt and pepper
  
• 1 cup shredded cheese - I used aged cheddar
• 8 (or so) sheets of filo. Defrost this in your fridge overnight or on the counter for a few hours. You won't use all the sheets but I have successfully re-frozen the remainder of the filo for another day.

This is a flexible recipe. The filling is forgiving and you could easily saute some minced garlic and onion, or any carnivores out there could add some diced bacon or pancetta.

First, while the filo is still covered, make your filling. Combine the eggs, milk, spinach, green onions and cheese. I have to be honest, I don't actually measure the ingredients so you are making this with a leap of faith. I didn't have any feta left, but for a play on spanakopita this would be a great addition.

Next you need to layer your filo into your pie plate. I really took the fast route and used (close your eyes for a second Rach - or please don't judge me) a quick spray of Pam between the sheets. I know, the contents in a can of aerosol Pam can't be good for you. Brushing some olive oil or melted butter between the layers would be the more real food alternative. If the filo breaks a bit no worries. Leave the edges hanging over the pie plate until you've done the layers.

Then you need to pour your filling into the shell. Put the edges of the filo over the filling and bake in the oven for about 40 min at 350 degrees - or until the filling looks set and the crust is brown.

Let it set for 10 minutes or so, toss a salad and there you have it.

Hot Crosses

Hey H.,

How did this morning's bun-fest go? Was the over-night-garage-rise method as trusty as always? I'm going to keep this blog brief as I'm huddled up against my kitchen window in order to maintain an Internet connection. A ray of sunlight is hitting me right in the eyes and bouncing off the computer screen. If this is full of typos it's because I can't see a thing.

We had M and M over for breakie. I think they were sufficiently impressed by our spread of eggs, fruit salad, and hot cross buns. Sigh, sad that so much of what you and I make is less about love and more about showing off. Look what I can do.

I made 100% whole wheat buns because I'm on one of those whole-grains kicks. Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book has become my new best friend. I'm loving the hippy-style, healthy approach the book takes to bread making. While these are nice and grainy, they're still fairly rich... Here's the basic recipe, although I made some fairly significant changes.

3 to 3.5 cups whole wheat flour
1.5 TBsp instant yeast
3/4 cups to 1 cup warm water
1 cup yogurt
1 egg
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp butter

Combine 1 cup of the flour with the yeast. Add the water. Stir smooth. Add the wet ingredients except for the butter. Add the remaining flour 1/2 a cup at a time. The dough will be sticky. Add more flour by the spoonful if necessary. Wet your hands in order to keep the dough from sticking and knead for five minutes. Knead the butter in. The dough should be sticky but smooth. Let rise until doubled (one to two hours). Deflate the dough; reshape it into a ball and let it rise another 1/2 hour to 45 minutes, or until it is back to doubled in size.

Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape into buns. Let rise until doubled.

Mix one egg with 1 TBsp of water and brush over the buns before baking in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, mix 2 Tbsp honey with 1/2 Tbsp water and heat in a saucepan until boiling. Remove from heat.

When you take the buns out of the oven brush them with the honey glaze. You may add the decorative cross using an icing mixture but I omitted that step.

Serve them hot. If you plan to serve them later in the day, reheat the buns in a 350 degree oven.

Delish Baby

Rach,

Thanks for making me feel better about my travel-departure struggles. Once again, this is just highlighting our shared genes.

Your Rebar Curry looks awesome. I also find the idea of making a curry paste daunting, but with your guidance I'm going to give it a go. When I saw cilantro on your list of ingredients I started to get excited. Every year around this time I get enthused about planting, and a good herb really gets me ready to dip my hands into the manure bag. Planting I can do- it's the weeding and upkeep that I struggle with. Fortunately for me I have found that Chilliwack is much more forgiving in the green thumb department than Calgary. In Alberta one needs to have that gardening gift (translation:diligence) in order to produce food for the table. In Chilliwack it takes some good soil, lots of watering, and a mother-in-law that manages a garden centre. Last year we had such a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes that even Mike, of the I-don't-eat- fruit-or-anything-that-might-resemble-a-fruit, was bragging. So yesterday, in anticipation of summer days, and summer eats, Finn and I planted our first seeds of the season, snap peas, regular peas, and Swiss chard.

I'm not actually giving a recipe today, though I have lots to impart - during nap times right now I am busy dipping into my stash of peanut butter brownies, and I made the worlds easiest filo spinach quiche for dinner tonight.. but more on those later. I just wanted to show off the more delicious offering that my house has to offer. Couldn't you just take a good nibble on those cheeks?

Oh, and yes, I will be making hot crossed buns. This year I am really going overboard and am planning on adding some diced apple to the dough. I'm also going to follow the overnight garage rising method - why you ask? Overnight guests of course! I'm not sure if Finn is more excited to see Grandma, Grandpa, or Josie. If any of our readers are still with me, I am including a link from last year's Hot Cross Buns.

Overnight Cinnamon Buns

R-

My new food craze? Overnight cinnamon buns. This is a breakfast designed to impress your out-of-town guests, conveniently with all the prep completed the day before. Oh that's right, you and C live in a funky ONE bedroom apartment, and most of your family is within a 15 minute driving distance. Since we have a ferry or a mountain pass between many of our loved ones, Chilliwack, and Chateau Campbell, has become the place to visit. As you know we boast beautiful mountain views, lovely lakes, and Caleb's favourite - a plethora of cheap thrift stores. The newest attraction to the list? You got it, Sunday morning cinnamon bun breakfast.

I use this recipe with the following changes. I use only 1/4 sugar for the dough, I reduce the eggs from 3 to 2, and I use only 2 T butter. Last time, instead of making 12 buns I divided the dough into 14 buns to make them slightly smaller, mostly so that I can eat 2 for breakfast with a little less guilt. Oh, and instead of putting them in my already bursting fridge, I let them rise overnight in the cool garage (To clarify: 'Cool' as in temperature, please don't mistake this as a nod to Mike's NBA Jam video arcade game).

Since we have a household divide on raisins I do half with and half without - they are good without raisins too, but I have a hard time abstaining from food loves. So after I spread the filling on the dough I sprinkle half with raisins and leave half plain.

The final tweak is that I like to make a cream cheese glaze. I cream aprox 1/3 c cream cheese with 3/4 cup icing sugar and then add milk 1 T at a time until I have the desired consistency. I haven't tinkered with whole wheat flour yet, but might need to if I keep pumping these out of my oven at this rate.

OK, Rach nap time is ticking away and I have a new stack of library books!

Please note: While Mike and I love having overnight guests, we have ensured that our 'guest bed' (mattress on the floor), is only comfortable enough for about three nights, thus enabling good times and memories for both parties.

Another Thwack at the Rebar Curry

Mooch, you are getting ahead of me. Congrats, I know that will make you happy. I wrote this in response to your Texas entry but then got in a fight with my computer and couldn't upload. Your cinny buns look awesome, by the way. Always a crowd pleaser...Are you planning hotcross buns? Anyways, here's what I wrote on Sunday:

Hi Haley,

Yes, I understand the pre-trip panic. I can only imagine it must be heightened by the added responsibility of a baby and a toddler. I have enough trouble getting my own underwear and wallet (the two essentials) into a bag. In fact, on departure for Mexico, half way to the school, where we met before leaving for the 7:00 ferry, I felt the panic, reached into my purse to feel for my wallet, and sure enough, realized I was driving without it. Needless to say, I was twenty minutes late. The kids were watching from the bus, sleeping bags and pillows already loaded, as my gold beetle came roaring into the parking lot. Well I made it. And all the way home, too. And I've been cooking.

Much of late has been Mexican inspired, but yesterday, due to the presence of a jalapeno pepper and a handful of cilantro in the fridge (yes, I know, Mexican ingredients), I instead went South Asian and tackled that delicious Rebar coconut curry. Yum. I have always been daunted by making my own curry paste. The Rebar list of ingredients looks long and involved. Plus the added weight of making the curry after I've preped the paste... I discovered the secret, which is to make the paste before hand. I've also simplified the recipe to its essential parts and switched the vegetables. Please try this, Moochie, you won't be disappointed.

My Simple Rebar Coconut Curry

Curry Paste

2 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground pepper
4 garlic cloves
A thumb of ginger
½ cup chopped shallots or onions
2 jalapeno peppers
½ tsp red pepper flakes (sub ground red pepper if necessary)
1 bunch cilantro
Juice of a lime or half a large lemon
1 Tbsp salt
1/3 to ½ cup oil

Whiz it all in a food processor

The Curry- Enough for 2-3 servings (make brown rice to accompany)

1 cup cooked chickpeas
1 to 1 and ½ cups coconut milk
2 Tbsp curry paste
¼ cup water
½ a fist sized potato
½ Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp fish sauce (optional)
½ a red pepper
½ cup sliced mushrooms
½ cup grate cabbage
A squeeze of lime or lemon juice

Heat a pan over medium heat and add about ¼ to 1/3 cup of coconut milk. Add the curry and mix it in. Add the water and potatoes and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until the potatoes are just tender.

Add the sugar, soy and fish sauce, remaining veggies, chickpeas, and remaining coconut milk. The coconut should cover the veggies. If it cooks down too much you can always add more coconut milk and/or more water. Cover and cook until the veggies are tender.

Just before taking off the heat, stir in the lime juice. Taste, and adjust the seasoning to taste (more soy sauce or salt or lime or curry paste).

Rach-
Hmm.. I seem to recall you and I taking an extended blogging break right around this time last year. Our common Reems-ness finds too much multi-tasking difficult and not really worth the effort. For you, another stint as a traveling chef to Mexico, and for me, a trip to Texas with the family made blogging impossible.

I never do well with preparing for trips. In order to pack the requisite gear for a toddler, infant, and self for a 10 day trip one needs to be organized. First strike. In order to complete such packing it also helps to have a functioning washing machine. Second Strike. Finally, there was the tiny matter of realizing the day before we left that you actually need to register your newborn in order to be receiving health coverage. Third Strike.. In classic Haley procrastination-regret-panic mode, everything came together. Coby got health coverage, me and the Sears Appliance-fix-it guy are tight (turns out you need to empty your pockets before you wash your clothes - crazy, crazy times). As you know Rach, none of this is new or surprising. I got myself through university, actually made it to my wedding, and have perforned many, many events in similar fashion. It drives Mike crazy but I claim that it is the element of the unknown that keeps the love alive (that, and the fact that I make everyone around me feel organized and oh-so together by comparison).

Mike and I, in our classic traveling tradition, this time with a new generation of eaters, ate our way from Houston to Dallas. In terms of sheer caloric intake, this trip came close to our New Orleans honeymoon, or possibly to the very high carb- mainly croissant, baguette and pastry diet that saw me through the France portion of a Europe backpacking trip many years ago (Amen Heather?).

I have several recipes to bring to the table, and will post soon, but just wanted to let you know that I am alive and eating. The Texans are not a bunch that are fond of vegetables. Or even sweets for that manner. No, it's all about that meat. Smoked meat that is. You are not a true Texan until you own at least one smoker. On our journey I ate the following smoked items (in no particular order): pulled pork, various sausages, and brisket. Yes brisket. It was almost enough for a west coast girl to pull out the tofu, but I perservered and let the brisket work the magic. And oh the magic.

I don't like meatloaf-

R1-
I loved your last post. Seriously, I went back frequently just to look at your finished brick chick. There is something about plucked whole chickens that make me alternate between feeling sorry and wanting to chuckle. Mom roasted a speciman a few weeks ago and judging by its position in the roaster, I was sure it was going to sprint the 100 meters, or I should say skate the thousand.

I have a good Olympic-viewing-cooking set up right now. I am working on my middle island counter-top, on the far end where I can view Mike's 42 inch flat screen baby. With the crowds cheering me on, I attempted to conquer an old nemesis - meatloaf (cue thunder and scary music)-

I'm just not that into meatloaf - I'll eat it, sure, but it's on that short list of things I'm not wild for. In the normal world this would be a non-issue- don't love it, then don't cook it. However, since Mike is the pickiest person I know (seriously, everytime somebody tells me that they are picky I just laugh - no one has even come close to Mikey). If Mike ever questions my love - which he may mentally do on a 'why didn't my children sleep last night' kind of grumpy day, then he just needs to look at the plethora of Mike-friendly meals coming out of my kitchen. A key player in his food loves is ground beef. No, nothing resembling a steak, nope, just chuck it into a blender for my manly man.

On my quest for ground beef creativity, meatloaf factors in - well behind the lovely meatball and the mighty hamburger, but eventually we get to meatloaf. In an attempt to tart up the conventional meatloaf I went on the offensive. I stuffed it. Boy, did I stuff it. And I have to say, even I, with a meatloaf aversion, thought that it was OK. The rest of the dinner table was more enthusiastic, Finn polished off two adult-sized servings with ease.

1) Make your basic meatloaf recipe. Now, I don't have a recipe per se, I am sure the wonderful world of google will give you lots of options. I will give you my meatloaf 'method.' Aside: a method not a recipe, therefore I am in no way responsible if your interpretation of my method is not awesome.

Haley's Mealoaf Method: Take some beef - I generally use 2 pounds which makes a good sized loaf. Then add some flavour, this varies as to my mood - I always add: salt and pepper, and garlic powder. I usually add: 1 small grated or finely chopped onion. I often add: dash of dijon mustard, barbecue sauce, and/or worcestershire and I occasionally add: grated carrot (if I'm feeling that we need to up the veggie in-take). Next I add about 1/3 cup of fine oatmeal or bread crumbs. Finally, most people add an egg to bind - I've done with and without and don't notice a difference- this time I added about 1/3 cup of tomato sauce instead.

2) Now for the Filling and Rolling-
If you're still with me - next, on a large cookie sheet lined with my silicon mat ( if you don't have one I would use foil or parchment), I patted the meatloaf mixture into a large rectangle - a bit bigger than a 9 by 13 pan. Then I spread one package of defrosted and drained spinach (you could use fresh, just cook it first), topped with about 2/3 cup of crumbled feta cheese. Then I rolled the whole baby up length-wise. Does that make sense? Rolling on the vertical to get a long skinny roll. Picture one giant sushi roll. If the meat crumbles just patch it back and keep going. I then put the whole roll on the middle of the cookie sheet (still on the mat) and baked it at 350 for an hour. Maybe 5 minutes before it was done I spread some tomato sauce on top. You could also top it with barbecue sauce or grated cheese.

In the meantime roast your potatoes and make a salad - You might just see me on the podium yet!

Brick Chick

Hi Haley,

First off, you should know that this post is as much for Heather as it is for you, as I've come to realize how much she loves appetizing photos. I have a feeling the splayed naked chicken is really going to do it for her. Heather: enjoy!


Chicken Under a Brick: The Photo Journey

This is one of those recipes that looks difficult and results in an impressive finished product BUT is in fact a cinch (great word) to prepare.

The gist is, you strip your chicken of her backbone, smoosh her flat, then cook her in a hot pan under a brick.

I use a heavy cast iron pot rather than a brick. To use a brick, find a vacant lot, and then a brick. Wrap your brick in tin foil and you're ready to go.


Step One: Remove your chicken's backbone.

Do this by putting your chicken on a cutting board breast up, and slicing on either side of the backbone. This will take some force. After the bone is removed use your hands to flatten the chicken. You want it to be as flat as possible so that it cooks evenly in the pan.

Step Two: Season your Chicken's Bod

Rub your chicken with a little olive oil, some coarse or table salt, and some freshly ground pepper. You may also dice some garlic and add that to your rub, or any other herbs such as rosemary or thyme.

Step Three: Fry that Bird
Heat a pan with a teeny bit of oil over medium heat. When it's good and hot, add the chicken and push the brick down on top of it. The breast should be down on the pan. Cook this way for 10-15 minutes before removing the brick and flipping the chicken. Cook breast up without the weight of the brick for another ten minutes. Flip the breast down and cook for another five. If you have a particularly large bird, you will need to finish cooking the bird in a 400 degree oven. You will know the bird is done when the legs move easily in their joints and the juices run clear from the leg joint area.

R-
The cake was fabulous - though the step-up that yours had over mine was the big, beautiful coconut shavings.

Thanks for your food list- If the world revolved around me, rather than status updates, Facebook would give me food updates- you know, let me know what my friends are eating hour by hour. When I'm asking Mike about his day what I really want to know is - what did you have for lunch?

As I sit on the couch tonight with a full belly I'll give you my delicious day -

Breakfast- leftover birthday pancakes with cream cheese and raspberry sauce (sauce from leftover cake)
Lunch- Finn and I polished off leftover home-made birthday sushi. Finn had enough soy sauce in this meal to equal his normal sodium intake for a week, maybe a month.
Nap-time snack - leftover cake
Dinner-baked spaghetti and meat balls, spinach salad with balsamic vinaigrette, in-laws here so I stepped it up a notch and finally got around to making your foccacia bread topped with two sliced garlic cloves and rosemary. (I love living back in BC - my rosemary and thyme have flourished all winter - and my chives think that it is spring and have started sprouting again.). Anyway the bread was great, I loved the shaggy dough concept. I made a double batch and have half the dough sitting in my fridge for pizza tomorrow night.
Dessert- leftover cake

Are you seeing a theme here? There's still one piece left...

I too am mulling over Valentine treat possibilities. A front runner is your chocolate mousse torte - but I don't want to commit to early- I need have something to daydream about whilst pushing the swing at the playground!

Cake (Very Creative Title, I Know)

Hi Haley,

Glad you liked the cake. I'm not really in a bloggy mood right now but I am trying to be good. My food thoughts are revolving around such:

meringue cookies--cooling on the rack
chicken--washed, rubbed down with coarse salt, herbs, and olive oil, waiting naked in the fridge
bread--always new possibilities (I made a banana French sourdough. Very nice)
Valentines Day--heart cookie (classic), pancakes, scones...hmmm, what else can be hearified?
chocolate pudding--slightly obsessed with this treat

I will post the cake recipe, in case any of our eager readers want to try it. I won't post icing and pastry cream recipes. When I made the cake, I split it and filled it with pastry cream and jam and iced it with a white chocolate frosting. It was good. The cake can also stand on its own two feet, so please try serving it unadorned. It is very tasty this way, just not as sweet, or as hello-world-look-at-meish.

Coconut Poppy Seed Cake
1 cup flour
2 Tbsp poppy seeds
3/4 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
1 tsp baking powder
3 large eggs
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup yogurt

Preheat to 350

Sift flour, poppy seeds, coconut and baking powder together.

In another bowl, whisk the eggs; add the sugar and whisk. Whisk in the oil and salt.

Fold half the dry into the wet. Fold in the yogurt. Fold in the remaining dry.

Pour into a sprayed 9 inch round pan.

Bake 30-40 min.

Let cook 5-10 min before unmolding on a rack. Cool completely before devouring.

Rach-
I know that the Reems table has never been a quiet one; when we were growing up there was much jockeying to get a word in edgewise at the chaotic dinner table. In order for one's story to be heard, it was not the contents that needed to be edited - no matter the excitement of the news, or the drama of the delivery- no, what was important was the sound volume. As our numbers increase with a new generation, the noise at our communal dinners is, if possible, getting louder. As excited two-year-olds wrestle in the family room, and Guy and Brent debate the merits of.. what I'm not sure, our voices raise in competition and companionship.

Now, with the dishes cleared away, the toys back in their boxes (waiting to be released come morrow), and the Reems' offspring back to their homes, a quiet has settled over Grandpa and Grandma's. Finn is in bed - complete with stories, hugs, and bungee cord to secure his door, and I am relishing the silence, but also the afterglow of time spent with family.

And, let's face it, I can't help but reflect on your cake. That glorious coconut poppy seed concoction of deliciousness. I need the recipe. I need to make that cake. I could write paragraphs about that cake but I am too tired to think coherently, let alone write so I am going to sign off.

Thanks for the cake.

Monster Mash

Hi Halzey,

Thanks so much for picking up the flour. What is the mill like? Is it on a farm? Did they say where they get their grain from? So very inquisitive, I am.

I looked up white whole wheat flour on the King Arthur's flour website because I wasn't sure exactly what it was. According to KA, the white whole wheat is "milled from hard white spring wheat, rather than traditional red wheat." Essentially, it will produce lighter baked goods than its red wheat (regular whole wheat flour) counterpart. I think for some cookies and muffins, a combo of white whole wheat and whole wheat pastry flour might work well, as the pastry flour tends to really soften the texture of the baking and it sounds as if the white whole wheat will not. I'm thinking that the two might be combined to achieve a nice balance.

Anyhooo, I checked out a fun book from the library called "Baked." It's by two guys that opened a really successful bakery in New York.

I tried their recipe for monster cookies and made a couple of changes, naturally.

Here's my version of "Baked Monster Cookies"

2 and 3/4 plus 2 Tbsp oats (large, not quick)
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
pinch salt
1/2 tbsp baking soda

1/4 plus 2Tbsp butter, softened (at room temperature, NOT melted)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp corn syrup (which they stress not to skip despite the small increment)
1 cup peanut butter (smooth, I used unnatural, which the recipe calls for, and I happened to have on hand due to a peanut butter mix up. Natural might be quite good, as well)

1-2 cups chocolate chips or chopped chocolate--dark and milk (I used chopped chocolate and in this recipe, more is better. You may also use a combo of chips and M 'n Ms, as monster cookies typically do, or Smarties if you love them best).

In one bowl, mix the dry ingredients.

In another bowl, beat the sugar and butter. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the corn syrup and vanilla, beating after the addition.

Add the peanut butter and beat yet again.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix until almost combined. Add the chocolate and mix until evenly distributed.

Put in the fridge for 5 hours or in the freezer for two.

Drop by 1 and 1/2 TBsps onto a prepared pan. Make sure your cookies are nice high rounds as they will spread.

Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes, or until just brown. Let them cool for 3-5 minutes on the pan before popping them onto a cooling rack.

Impress your friends.

Let the Baking Begin Continue!

R-

Looking forward to seeing you Thursday! I brought your grocery list to Anita's Organic for a flour-shopping frenzy. I have 30 kg of grainy goodness for you - Between your order and mine I came away with the following flours:
rye,
white whole wheat,
whole wheat pastry,
buckwheat,
stone ground whole wheat,
and all purpose.

So start flexing those kneading muscles!

I received a helpful tutorial on white whole wheat and whole wheat pastry flours - white ww is perfect for heartier cookies and quick breads due to its higher gluten content, while ww pastry is a really soft flour great for.. wait for it.. pastry.

I loved seeing your Grade 9 blondie recipe - as per usual our kitchens are in tandem - I have been blondie-obsessed lately. Of course, I had to whip yours up yesterday and they were superb. I took your advice and went with the 1/3 cup butter - actually 2/3 for a double batch. I am unable to bake a recipe without doubling it - a throwback to growing up in a family of six. This was a necessary doubling, however, as the cookie jar is - less than 48 hours later- almost empty again.

I have taken the liberty to changing the name to suit this household - 'Toddler Blondies.' In the last year or so, in the company of my spirited toddler, I am of the firm belief that chocolate at nap time is a necessity for the happiness of my family. Happy mommy = happy everyone. So thank you for the recipe!

See you soon!

Grade Nine Blondies

Hey Moochie, (Look at buckwheat post; issues have been resolved.)

I'm definitely making those crepes. For some time I have been intending to do a savory crepe dinner, so your post was perfect timing--same brain wave as usual. Now, the whole wheat cinnamon rolls went fairly well. The staff seemed to dig them. But the staff loves Tim Horton's doughnuts (which, for the record, are terrible). My cinnamon buns are in no-way Tim Hortonesque, but the comparison stands to show the nebulous nature of a thumbs up from Andy Bos. Basically, I think they call for an addition of part whole-wheat pastry flour to give the dough the softness I'm looking for. Nonetheless, my last day is going very well, thank you. I even have time to blog (shh, don't tell). But it is lunch time, so technically...

While I said I'd tell you about the dinner I made for Mom and Dad, I'm too lazy to do a full post on it. Probably a symptom of my newly unemployed nature. I've become a layabout, a vagabond, nearly.

(Suddenly, fifteen minutes early, Tom, my T.A., enters my room. I make a frantic dive for the mouse, minimize the window, and pretend to be looking over my marks. This is an odd and unnecessarily sneaky move as Tom would be unconcerned by my lapse in marking, would probably be interested in the blog, might even start reading the blog. Reems' are suspicious by nature. )

It is Sunday night and I have returned. I truly tried to complete the post earlier over the weekend. Believe me Moochie. But our internet connection is possessed (illegal in fact, the real problem). Anyhow, dinner with Mom and Dad...the topic is growing stale and a tad unappealing so I will write little in regards to it except to note that Dad was quite sure I had bought a 'special' chicken. I tried to tell him it was 'what I had done with it' (note reference to Australian movie, "The Castle"). He was unconvinced. So I guess I should return to the Quadra Street butcher for special chicken.

Sunday night and I'm feeling free as a bird with no possibility of work on the horizon. Ah, sweet unemployment. In tribute to my contract for teaching junior high at PCS, I will post my recipe for Grade Nine Blondies. These are Grade Nine Blondies because they are sweet and because they are a delicious. They are a cinch to prepare. On some days, grade nines are wonderful; other days, they leave you thin and wasted, barely able to hold you hand up to you face, and on those days, you make Grade Nine Blondies and eat a lot of them.

Grade Nine Blondies
1/3 cup butter (If you are virtuous, you can get away with 1/4 cup but you will be sorry and sad and you won't be eating Grade Nine Blondies)
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or more chips)

Preheat your oven to 350.

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and cream some more.

In another bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and salt together.

Add wet to dry, when almost combined, toss in the chips and nuts and mix until just combined.

Grease a square pan (9x9) and fill it with the batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes. The edges should be pulling away from the pan but an inserted tester may still come with clingons.

Rach-

Hello! You must be on the home stretch of your teaching contract. I still have to make it to the store in search of buckwheat flour to make your new bread. I have left you some questions that also need to be addressed. Otherwise, I predict an emergency call in the middle of the bread-making process.

Which reminds me, I meant to tell you that my grape jelly actually does have some 'jell' to it. Do you remember last September when I called you frantically for jelly-making advice? Who knew that instruction reading and timing was so critical in the making of jelly? And who knew that 'interpretation' of a jelly recipe isn't a great idea? A few months in the freezer passed before I was able to bring myself to actually open a jar. Angels were singing the hallelujah chorus on my shoulder after I dipped a spoon in and actually met with something slightly jiggly.

Where was I? Oh yes, buckwheat- Going to the store these days is something that happens more infrequently then it used to. My little assistant chef is much better at food production and consumption than resisting the beautiful, shiny packaging at the supermarket. Despite a 'grocery shopping-with-Mommy-ban,' in the kitchen we are a team. Finn's culinary skills are becoming honed. He now asks me about finding recipes, pores over the pages of my cookbooks in search of the prettiest cookies, and has become a top-notch egg cracker. Any breakdown in this team concept he comes by honestly - like his mother he has a penchant for a sweet, buttery dough. Despite promises of bowl licking, delayed gratification is an elusive comment for a two and a half year old, and I frequently catch the little monkey with his finger in the batter.

Notice that while I have devoted a good paragraph to Finn and his foodie ways, I managed to restrain myself from actually posting pics of my children. This was difficult. It's just that they are so sweet. In 2-D photography anyway. In real life the sweetness-level is on a vastly sliding scale- Finn no longer has a light bulb in his room, and has a child-lock on the inside of his door. Coby, however, isn't old enough to be naughty yet - and now that she is starting to realize that sleep is good, it's all I can do not to nibble those cute little ears- she's so delish.

Last week I made your Six Minute Cake. It was fabulous - and while I didn't clock it I felt that the preparation time took pretty close to the promised 6. I also made the No Knead Bread. It was great, but I wasn't sure whether to take insult or pleasure when Mike's review came in- "This bread is awesome - it must be from the store."

My latest offering comes as a result of this store-avoidance and plays upon an effort to make do with my fridge and pantry offerings. A half tub of ricotta sat waiting for some loving. Combined with some neglected stalks of broccoli we had a great meal.

Broccoli-Cheese Crepes

First I took advantage of my sleeping beauties and made the crepes during nap time. You can use your favourite crepe recipe - I did half wheat flour and half white. It's odd, but in crepes I really don't notice the whole wheat- likely because I tend to eat them slathered with something sweet. I used a cup and a half of flour which made 10 crepes. I could only use 9 because for some inexplicable reason Finn put a not-so-fresh wash cloth on one of them.

Next came the filling. I sauteed over a low, long heat a finely chopped red onion and 1 clove of garlic. I chopped up, again fairly fine, the equivalent of about 2 cups of broccoli. I steamed this in the microwave, drained and let this cool before combining the broccoli with the onion/garlic combo and the half tub of ricotta (250 g).

Cheese sauce. I made a bechamel sauce (1 T butter, 1 T flour, 2 cups milk, salt & pepper) and added maybe half a cup of old cheddar. I spread just enough to cover the bottom of a 9 by 13 dish and then got to the business of filling my pretties.

I put a little blob of the ricotta-broccoli mixture on each crepe so that I knew that I would have even filling distribution, and then rolled them up, placing them all nice and snug in the dish. I ladled the remainder of the sauce on top, sprinkled with some more cheese and put them into a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Oh, they tasted fabulous. Combined with a salad this was a great meal. It sounds pretty fiddly, and I guess it was, but because I did it in a few steps it didn't feel like it took that long. Another nice thing is you can make this earlier in the day. I think spinach would be a great replacement for the broccoli.

I will call you soon - I feel like we haven't talked for an age - Mom and Dad gave rave reviews about Caleb's latest show. I'm hoping that it's still up in the first week of February? Can't wait to see his Cathedral Grove Pics!

H

Buckwheat Bread

H-

(Sorry, no picture. My computer hates me)

Classic on your last post, slipping in a picture of Coby beside the salad. Mutually related? Uncertain. Did she partake of the salad? Doubtful. Make the salad? Improbable. But she's dang cute.

This is a new bread recipe I wanted to share with you. Have you been baking bread? I'm quite excited about baking more bread in two weeks when I'm finished my job. I have all kinds of ideas floating around in my brain for different combination of ingredients. I want to make a yeast-risen banana bread, with coconut milk. Stay posted. Anyways, this is a buckwheat recipe I dreamed up. Don't try to up the amount of buckwheat (I well know your habit of jimmying with a recipe). The ratio is just right. Particularly as buckwheat is without gluten and actually inhibits your dough from rising. In this bread, it dominates the flavour, while the bread remains light. Anyhooo, please try it!

Buckwheat Bread a la Reems

1 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup bran or wheat germ
1 package instant yeast (2 and 1/4 tsp)
1 cup warm water (110-120)

2 Tbsp instant coffee dissolved in a little water
2 Tbsp melted butter
3 Tbsp honey
1/2 cup yogurt
1 egg

3 cups unbleached flour
2 Tbsp flax seed
1 Tbsp salt
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

Combine: buckwheat, 1/2 cup flour, bran, yeast, and water

Add: wet ingredients and mix

Add: 1/2 cup flour, salt, flax, pumpkin seeds and mix

Add remaining flour 1/2 a cup at a time, beating smooth after each addition.

Knead 5-8 minutes. Dough will be tacky. Add flour by the tablespoon if necessary.

First Rise: 1 and a half to 2 hours (until doubled).

Shape into two rounds (I used clay bakeware but next best is rounds on a cookie sheet). Place on a greased cookie sheet and let rise, covered, for 1 hour (or until doubled).

Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Salad Awesomeness

Rach-

I'm still in that post-holiday, nibbling away at my chocolate letter mode. Even me, of the sweetest tooth, can get sugar-overload. So to start the New Year off right I needed to open the crisper and pull out the veggies!

Ever since we shared the Rebar salad with basil vinaigrette, I have been itching to make the dressing. I'm often reluctant to go beyond a side-salad at a restaurant, but oh, with your learned guidance I was in salad nirvana. I thought that I was going to have to do some experimenting to get my take on the vinaigrette perfected, but happily, the Rebar folk have provided the recipe in their cookbook.

I know that you have the book, but here is the recipe-

Rebar's Basil Vinaigrette

Combine in a food processor-

2 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 T dijon mustard
2T honey
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 bunch basil (45 grams - I used a 30 gram bunch)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

Add slowly to processor- 1 cup olive oil.

Voila. Store in fridge for up to a week.

Happy new year, say hi to C for me!

P.S. You have the sweetest niece.

Dearest H.,

I come with humblest apologies for my seemingly MIA in blog land. While I have strayed, my heart has remained true to Reems Eats. Let it be known that in my absence, not once did I peruse another Food Blog; not once did I fail to sigh after creating a delicious bit of food and think, what a wonderful post this would be; and not once did I forget the times we've had here, together, in this strange cyber meeting place.

I don't ask you to understand why I left, why I had to go. I only ask for you to take me back, along with this amazing ground-breaking recipe for a skillet eggplant lasagna. All this could be yours...

Skillet Eggplant Lasagna

I made this in a truly Reems-fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants moment. A dinner date at friends, for Caleb's birthday, was cancelled at the last minute and my fridge was a desolate landscape, inhabited by a mere couple cheeses, some lettuce, an eggplant and half a bag of mushrooms (plus the other usual odds and sods). But we had a birthday to celebrate, so with a slap and a dash this new, veggie-heavy noodle-light lasagna was born. You can customize the following recipe to suit whatever is in your fridge.

The Ingredients:

2 pieces of bread (preferably whole wheat)

2Tbsp to 1/4 cup (aprox) walnuts (sub almonds or pecans)

1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese (optional)

A medium-sized eggplant, cut into rectangular pieces, about one inch long

a couple handfuls of mushrooms (I think the more mushrooms the better), sliced

two garlic cloves, minced

tomato sauce (a sauce ready for pasta- I use my own canned sauce. Use a pre-made pasta sauce, or make one using canned tomatoes-- saute garlic and onions, add tomatoes, salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar and simmer for 30-60 mins)

Dried or fresh lasagna noodles

1/4-1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup cheddar or mozzarella cheese

basil (optional)

The Work:

Roast or saute the vegetables. If sauteing, start with the garlic and add the eggplant, then as it softens, throw in the mushrooms and cook until they've released their juices and softened.

Mulch bread, nuts, and Parmesan cheese in the food processor. Taste and add salt and pepper or additional nuts if necessary.

Assemble your creation in a 10-12 inch skillet or a corning ware (any oven-proof dish will do). Cover the bottom of the dish with tomato sauce.

Spread a layer of vegetables on top (use half the veggies). Shake half of the bread/nut mixture on top of the veggie layer. Dot with ricotta cheese. It doesn't need to be covered with the ricotta, just as long as you've got blobs spread out evenly on top of the veggies.

Top with one layer of pasta noodles. This will be your only pasta layer. Top with a generous layer of sauce. If you are using dried noodles, or fresh, for that matter, you don't need to precook them if you use a generous portion of sauce. The noodles will cook in the sauce in the oven.

Top with remaining vegetables. Top with remaining bread/nut mixture. Cover with a sparing layer of mozzarella cheese. If you like, artfully dot any remaining ricotta on the top of the lasagna and sprinkle it with chopped basil.

Bake at 375 for 45 min or until the lasagna is hot and bubbling.

Biscotti Bake-a-thon Begins-

R-

sorry about the lower case type. i'm becoming adept at typing one-handed. babe snuggled up close in one arm, laptop literally atop my lap. anyway, i hope that all is well. i'm glad to have verified that you are alive in person, only missing in the blogosphere. after my jaunt to victoria i have some culinary highlights to reflect on-

1- the rebar. best food ever. i need to recreate that basil salad dressing. and the vegetarian fajitas. and the coconut cream pie. and the mousse cake. and the peanut butter cheesecake.. is there a reason why the baby-weight is coming off so slowly?

2-your french press coffee. given my chronically sleep-deprived state coffee is an important part of my day, and yours was top notch.

3-Joan's after-church tuna melts. mike has our house under a tuna ban so I love a clandestine tuna engagement.

OK, babe is in bed and I'm back to the world of two-handed typing. So today began my festive season of biscotti-baking. Now as you know, December is reserved for cranberry-almond-white chocolate-dipped biscotti. I haven't done the ceremonial chocolate-dipping yet, but that will come. I need to reserve that portion of the biscotti production line for when my greedy sous-chef is out with daddy.

I know that I shouldn't bother giving you this recipe, since you will be perfectly content waiting until Christmas for your batch. You can't say that I'm not concerned of the happiness of a most-beloved sister (just finished my annual re-reading of Pride and Prejudice)-

Cranberry-Almond Biscotti - as adapted from the One Smart Cookie

Cream:
2 T soft butter
2/3 cup sugar
Add:
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Stir in pre-sifted dry ingredients:
2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt
and stir in 2/3 cup dried cranberries and 1/2 cup chopped or slivered almonds

The dough will be very stiff, I usually finish off with a hand-mixing to get everything combined.

Now for the shaping and baking portion of your biscotti-bake off-

1) Shape your dough into a flat log - - maybe 14" long by about 4" wide. If you like smaller biscotti go longer and skinnier.

2) Bake for 30 min at 350 degrees.

3) Remove from oven. After a few minutes remove carefully - today I used two dutch cheese cutters as my spatulas. Let cool on a rack for about 15 min or so.

4) Transfer your log to a cutting board, and on the diagonal, cut your cookie "loaf" into 1/2" slices.

5)Important!! Do not skip this step!! Next, as the baker eat the leftover loaf ends (Rach, our Reems terminology would dictate this as the "cuppy.." As I typed this I became curious if this had a legitimate source or was a Reems-original, A la google I discovered that the Dutch term for the end of a loaf of bread is the "kapje, leading to our usage of the word cuppy")

5) Bake these biscotti beauties again at 275 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove. If you like them really crisp bake on each side for 15 minutes each. I like them not rock-solid and stand them on their base (see the way the biscotti is standing in the pic) for one 15 min stint.

For everyday biscotti you can leave it at that. To kick it up a notch you can dip one end in melted white chocolate. I melt white chocolate in the microwave.

There you have it.

I'll see you again Wednesday! Give C a birthday hug for me tomorrow.

Sending out an S-O-S

So Rach- WHERE ARE YOU? Seriously, everyday I log onto my laptop, hoping to see a delicious recipe for yet another inspiring creation, but alas, nothing. I do realize that you are a busy high-school English teacher, with classrooms of young adolescent crushes to fend off, while my days lately are fairly routine. You know how it is, time spent sitting on the bathroom floor next to the potty, or having impromptu dance-parties with a two-year old. Another sizable portion of my days is devoted to food production - whether baking with Finn, preparing nutritious meals for myself and the busy toddler, or sustaining a two-month old with "mommy milk" (sorry if this is too graphic). So every now and then it's nice to take a break from the usual breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack routine and venture into the fun and exciting world of grown-up food - appetizers!

We had some friends over on Saturday night and I was excited to pull out an old faithful sweet appy concoction. It's my firm belief that between the hot spinach dip and the crock of mini meatballs there needs to be something sweet and definitely over-the-top. This apple dip tastes amazing, looks fabulous and is ready in minutes. Only assembly is required.

On a round platter or plate assemble your layers-

Layer 1- Spread 1 package of softened cream cheese in a round circle (I use light). You can use spreadable cream cheese or a block for this.

Layer 2- Top with caramel spread. This is different than caramel sauce or syrup and is found next to the peanut butter in your grocery store.

Layer 3- Sprinkle with chopped-up chocolate bars. I was introduced to this with broken-up Skor bars, but mix it up sometimes. On Saturday I used up leftover mini-Snickers from the Halloween stash.

Finally, slice up apples for dipping I wait to do this until right before the party, and still toss the apples in a bit of lemon juice to prevent browning. I insist that you put the apple slices in a circle around your dip.

It's that easy. Take this to a Christmas party and everyone will love you.

OK, please let me know that you're alive. I might have to come to Victoria to find you. On Wednesday. On the 5:00 ferry. Good times!

Roasted Veggies and Feta

Hey Rach-

It's been a busy week- first a trip to Calgary, and then off to the Okanogan with the Cobster for a girls weekend. I have to say, traveling with a 2 year-old and a 7-week babe isn't for the faint of heart. Your darling nephew staged quite a wailing protest as we dragged him from the play area at the Calgary airport. However, we had great visits with friends, and I had a confirmation that Chilliwack now feels like home. My next trip is to Victoria in only 10 days - Donna's birthday weekend coincides with her favourite Grandmother activity - the Sidney Santa Clause parade. So we're hopping the ferry and coming to see you. I'm hoping for some sister hang-outs; I was actually thinking that another girls' night to the Rebar would be fun. Which reminds me, I finally tried the Rebar cookbook's peanut butter-chocolate chunk squares that we have been speculating about. They were good, but I wouldn't quite elevate them to the super category.

Heather, our faithful reader, has requested some seasonal recipes. My old Crazy Plates standby came to mind. Have I made you the Garden of Eaten' before? It's a medley of roasted veggies tossed with balsamic vinegar and feta cheese. I use the recipe pretty loosely, using up the veg in my crisper and adding herbs as I am inspired. I play up the seasonal veggies; in the fall I add squash, or even halved brussel sprouts. I'm going to list the vegetables that I used last week when I made this, I also like to use zucchini, mushrooms, yams, other coloured peppers.. anything that would taste good roasted.

Roasted Veggies with Feta (adapted from Crazy Plates)

Dice veggies (these are suggestions only)-
4 yukon gold potatoes
1/2 acorn (or other) squash
2 carrots
1 red onion
1 red pepper (yellow or orange)
2 cloves minced garlic

Toss with 1 T olive (or canola) oil, salt, pepper & 1 tsp oregano

Roast at 400 degrees for aprox 40 min or until potatoes are tender.

Toss with 2 T balsamic vinegar& 1/2 c crumbled feta.

Voila!

OK, I have a book to finish. We'll talk soon!

Apple Breakfast Muffins

Hey Rach-
You should be on the ferry right now - en route with the rest of the clan for the big baptismal celebration in the 'Wack this weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing you. I was missing my sisters yesterday - this baby-induced sleep deprivation has the affect of making me more sentimental than usual. I find myself getting emotional at the slightest provocation - a cuddle with Finn reminds me that one day he will be a pimply 15 and won't want a snuggle with me; I couldn't tell you why, but a Tim Horton's commercial made me teary eyed a few days ago; so yes, yesterday I was missing you. Hmm.. now it seems like I've framed this as an irrational thought. No, it just means that we are due for a good hangout; which I realize this weekend won't be - with everyone rolling in for just over 24 hours I suspect that things will be busy. In preparation for a house full of people Finn and I have been doing some baking. Yesterday was the day of apples. We hauled out the apple peeler/slicer thing-a-majig and got to work. Finn is getting to be much easier to be with in the kitchen. We haven't had a tantrum over chocolate chips for a few weeks now (you might recall from your visit that Finn and I don't see eye to eye on how many chocolate chips the sous chef merits).

We made a few apple-based products - apple sauce, apple oatmeal muffins, and an apple crisp for tonight. I made sure to write down what I put in the muffins this time - I tend to stray from the recipes but can then never quite re-create the same muffin. I tend toward making hearty muffins: in my mind cookies are more indulgent, a muffin should be tasty, yet should also be able to stand-in as a healthy breakfast option. Here is the apple oatmeal muffin batch that we concocted yesterday.

Apple Oatmeal Muffins
(This makes 18 muffins)

Combine dry ingredients:
cup whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup oatmeal
4 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine wet ingredients:
1/2 cup oil
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups milk

Add ins:
2 cups finely chopped apples (I peeled mine but you could leave the peel on)
Optional: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or raisins or both

Optional streusel topping- Combine 1 T oil or melted butter with 3 T brown sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 2 T flour and 1/4 cup oatmeal. If too dry add a very small amount of water (1 tsp or so).

Stir dry and wet ingredients together. Add apples and raisins or nuts. Sprinkle with streusel topping if desired.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 min.

OK, I'll see you soon - did you bring a costume? It's Finn and Atley's first trick-or-treating experience tonight- I just have to figure out a way to sneak away the candy for mommy..

Rach, I'm just having a chuckle about your latest post. You aren't a cranky person.. though it has been common Reems knowledge that you are best left to your self for a bit first thing in the morning.. I also have to agree with you on the work front- maternity leave agrees with me for all the reasons you cited: A leisurely breakfast with tea mug in hand, some paper reading, followed by a coffee and a walk to the park..these are all important parts of my morning. I know you're possibly wondering how Finn and Coby fit into that picture -they are there - the trick at the breakfast table is to find all the sections of the paper that will keep the little man occupied - any fliers with colour, the sports section. The Vancouver Sun is currently doing a pet series that I am getting lots of mileage out of. I try not to view this as neglectful parenting, more of teaching independence and self-discovery. Anyway, I am rambling, I just wanted to let you know that I too was somewhat evil this morning. After a 4 am hangout with the Cobester my first loving comment to Mike this a.m. was "When are you clearing out your laundry?" In my defense I didn't have an omelet waiting for me.

You're wondering about the reason for my post? It's purely a responsive piece. Although I should let you know I made a lovely pumpkin-chocolate chip-walnut-cranberry loaf yesterday. Scrumptious. I love the idea of freezing the pie crusts pre-made; you're so clever, we must share the same genes. Oh, and something else exciting. I often google Reems Eats to find our blog, simply because I never bothered to bookmark our page on our laptop.. today something amazing happened. I came upon a Reems Eats blog reference. Yes, this was an epic moment in our blogging career.

OK, hang in there. If I still lived in Victoria it would definitely mean a pint of Merridale Cider at the 5th street grill this evening, but alas I will commiserate in spirit.

P.S. Mike's school is cancelled due to H1N1. Every time Mike feels a tickle in his throat, or hears Finn cough he's convinced that he and Finn are going to be stricken. Strangely he thinks that Coby and I will somehow be immune to this. I suppose that I should interpret this as an acknowledgment of our more resilient, and therefore superior gender.

Lemon Balm

Hi Haley,

It's Thursday morning and I'm cranky. To all appearances it's been a perfect morning. My little hubby made me an omelet for breakfast. Then he drove me to work, where I said a curt goodbye and pecked him on the cheek. I'm a terrible person. Well, no, not really. But I am cranky. I think it might be the whole 'work' thing that's getting me down. You and I aren't really ones for work. In the mornings we'd rather stay home and bake bread and go for a walk on a leaf strewn path as it rises.

But life goes on.

And on.

But I did read the blog, see your pumpkin pie, and smile. I have also had pie on the brain. While I haven't been utilizing a pat in crust, I have been taking a short cut. Mine is to make a big batch of dough, enough for four single crust pies, and then put three disks of dough in the freezer.

Victoria's been a little gloomy lately, lots of clouds, and the sun's been disappearing very early. Too hang onto that sunshine just a little longer, I made a lemon meringue pie on Sunday. Caleb's parents were away. They asked us to come by and let the cat our (or was it in?). Either way, the cat needed attention. So on Sunday night we took a couple of slices of pie and a bottle of wine over to the Speller residence. We lit a fire in the hearth, pulled the couch up and close and played house. Suddenly, October didn't seem so gloomy.



Sunny Lemon Meringue Pie


I used the Better Homes and Gardens lemon meriangue pie recipe. It is a classic. Many lemon pie recipes use lemon curd, which is very nice. This one is a rift on lemon curd, and includes the addition of water, which makes for a lighter pie, both in taste and calorie/fat content.


1 9-inch Baked Pastry Crust
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups water
3 slightly beaten egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter, cut up
1/2 to 2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tarter
6 tablespoons sugar



First, seperate your three eggs and beat the egg yolks. Set them aside.



Then, combine the sugar, cornstarch, flour, and water in a saucepan. Now pop it onto the stovetop and bring to a boil. Be sure to stir constantly to avoid sticking. Boil for two minutes. The mixture should get nice and thick. Take the pot off the stove and spoon aproximately a cup's worth into the egg yolks.


Pour the egg yolk mixture back into the pot and mix it into the cornstarch and water mixture. Put the pot back on the stove. Bring it to all to a gentle boil and boil for two more minutes. Stir all the while to prevent sticking.


Take the pot off the stove. Stir in the zest. Stir in the butter. Slowly stir in the lemon juice. Put a lid on the pot to keep it all warm while you focus on the meringue.


Meringue:

Beat the egg whites and cream of tarter on meduim speed for about a minute. Soft peaks should start to form. Now crank your beater into high and add the sugar one tablespoon at a time. Beat about four minutes until stiff peaks form.


Assemble:

Pour lemon filling into your pie crust. Spoon the meringue overtop, spreading it out over the edge of the crust because it will shrink back a bit.


Now bake it in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes until the tips of the meringue are lightly browned.


Variation: For a low fat version, omit the crust and pour the lemon filling right into a pie plate before topping with the meringue and baking according to the recipe instructions. It still tastes great!