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!

Pat-in Pie Crust

Rach-

It's a great day in the 'Wack, the sun is shining, the trees are a patchwork of colour..but the best parts of my day? Finn and I have worked out a deal - if he wants to go to the park with slides and swings he has to sit in the stroller. To walk at a normal pace - without having to stop at every rock, to actually feel like I might be getting a bit of exercise? Fabulous. Another memorable part of the day? Leftover pie.

I know that this comes as no suprise, but I love to eat pie - though, really, who doesn't. The problem is making it. Making a pie crust is too much like work: the rolling, the floury counter (and floor, and cupboards, and fridge handle..). I love food, I like to eat, I like to cook but I admit it, I'm lazy. In the kitchen I like to take as many short cuts as possible to get to a delicious outcome. On our Thanksgiving trip to Victoria I left the parents' with two pumpkins from their garden. Now, with all my bravado about short-cuts I have to say that making pumpkin puree is not a shortcut. In fact, I can't say that I notice a difference in the pumpkin from the can and the big bowl full that I have in my fridge. The shortcut that I discovered this round is a pat-in-the-plate pie crust. No more rolling for me. This is an oil based crust so it loses that flaky quality, but for my pumpkin pie it was fabulous (and for those who care, trans-fat free!).

Cooking pumpkin isn't rocket science but my method is to use the microwave. I cut the pumpkin (or squash) into a few big pieces, scrape out the seeds, and then put the squash into a glass pyrex in the microwave. I microwave until soft and then set aside until cool. When cool, I peel the skin off, and puree the pumpkin using my brand new food processor. You want to make sure that the pumpkin is really soft so that the pureeing is quick and easy. Hard pieces make for chunks which makes for scraping down the sides of your blender/processor. The microwave method is convenient when Finn and I are puttering around in our PJs in the morning, but another great trick is just to chuck your pumpkin in when you already have the oven going with some other baking - pureeing pumpkin is all about stages, that way it seems like less work.

The pumpkin pie recipe I used is pretty standard - I won't post it because most pumpkin pie recipes are the same - the difference is that I used regular milk instead of the recommended evaporated milk or cream. I didn't notice a difference and suspect that the evaporated milk is a big marketing ploy - beyond the need to have access to canned milk, let's say while in the wilderness with no cows in the proximity- why is evaporated milk out there? If more people discovered this conspiracy, however, then Carnation would be out of business. Hhhhmm.. would anyone be interested in my latest inspiration: Food X Files? I digress, here is my new crust short-cut. I'm thinking of trying an apple-crumb topped pie variation.

Pat-in-Crust

1) Combine: 11/2 cup flour, 11/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt.
2) Make a well in the dry mixture and add: 2 T milk and 1/2 cup canola oil
3) Pat into a pie plate.

There you have it. Pie crust. It's that easy!

Before I sign off I need make a second request for your apple bread recipe (sadly we just finished your last half loaf from the freezer). A little birdy told me you might have a new teaching job? Drop me a post!