Death By Chocolate

Death By Chocolate always reminds me of two women - my mom and my best friend Camille.  My mom has made this several times over the years (including for dessert the night Mike and I told our parents that we were expecting!)  And I remember the first time I met Camille -  it was at a birthday party and she had made the hugest vat of Death by Chocolate that I had ever seen!!! 

Every time I've had this or made this, it always tastes just a little different but is always phenomenal.  I think one of the biggest reasons for that is generally, you use whatever you have on hand and you don't measure!!  The skor bits on top could easily be replaced by pieces of and kind of your favorite chocolate bar, chocolate shavings, or even drizzled with caramel.  You could add berries or nuts and everyone would still love it.  It's a classic dessert that very seldom has any leftovers, no matter the version you make!  

Death By Chocolate

1 box of chocolate cake, prepared according to package directions and cubed. (My trifle bowl will only hold a 1/2 a cake, so I cube up the rest and freeze the other half - another dessert ready to go!)

1 tub of low fat cool whip

1 package of chocolate pudding, prepared

1 or 2 cups of Kahlua (optional)

1/2 cup skor bits

Place 1/4 of your cubed chocolate cake into your trifle bowl, ensuring the bottom is completely covered.  Top with 1/2 the Kahlua, 1/2 the pudding, 1/2 of the cool whip and 1/2 of the skor bits.  Repeat layers. Refrigerate for a couple hours to let all the Kahlua soak into the chocolate cake.  Serve to your guest OR grab a spoon and head for a nice quiet room where nobody will bother you!

Of course you don't have to use a trifle bowl, it really is just used for presentation so you can see all of the pretty layers.  You could also use a large glass bowl - or even an  old ice cream pail.  I promise you it will taste just as good! 

Zucchini Wedges

My mom introduced me to this recipe last week and we made it again for supper tonight!  It's a great way to use up some of the zucchini that grew amazingly big this year.  This is a much healthier version of pub-style food and satisfies that craving without the greasiness you get with deep frying.

Panko Crusted Wedges (left) and Shake 'N Bake Wedges (right)

I wanted to try two different coatings for the wedges so I used Shake 'N Bake (on the right) and made my own coating with panko crumbs and Epicure's Lemon Dilly spice mix (on left).  My preference? The Shake 'N Bake by far were the favorite in our house.  The color was more appealing, it had more flavor (which most definitely means a lot more added salt), and I really liked the texture.  The panko crumbs are made from only the inside of white bread (no crusts), which is why the color is so light, and whereas the crunch is usually quite nice - it just didn't compare to Shake 'N Bake!

Zucchini Wedges
3 cups zucchini, cut into wedges that are about 1"x3"and about 1/2 inch thick.
1 egg, beaten
1 package Shake 'N Bake Crispy Coating

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Dip zucchini wedges in egg, and then toss to coat in breadcrumbs.  (can use plastic bag and shake it around or in a bowl and just flip it around to coat all sides).  Place on greased baking sheet.  Repeat until all zucchini wedges are coated.  Bake at 350 deg F for 25 minutes, or until fork pierces easily through zucchini.

*You could use this for other kinds of vegetables as well!  Get creative!

Brunch edition: Thyme Scrambled Eggs

Lately when I'm cooking, I find myself asking, "What can I make that Grayson will actually eat?"  He rarely wants to stop playing to eat, so a lot of the time (against my better judgement), I am feeding him on the go.  Every now and then, I'll find something that he will actually sit still for in the highchair and just devour!  What you ask?  Eggs!!  Instead of serving him just boring old scrambled eggs, we step it up a notch and add some real flavor by adding some fresh thyme!  It's really a balanced meal with elements from each of the food group included.  And the best thing is that it's not a super messy food for him to feed himself!  Usually most gets in his mouth and only a little on the floor, which is always considered a huge success!

Thyme Scrambled Eggs

4 eggs

1/8 cup milk

1 TSP fresh thyme 

1/2 cup grated cheese (we like old cheese with our scrambled eggies, but use whatever you've got on hand)

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 small tomato, chopped 

Preheat skillet and melt about a 1/2 tsp butter/margarine.  In medium size bowl, whisk first three ingredients together. Pour into hot pan, topping with the rest of the ingredients.  Once the egg white starts to cook, scramble them repeatedly until eggs are cooked and no longer runny.  Serve with a slice of whole wheat toast.

*we usually fry up some sausage to go along with this and cube it up for him.  The farmers sausage that Coop makes in store is absolutely delicious and is preservative free! yumm

When served with toast and sausage, this recipe is enough to feed all three of us!  

Open Faced Turkey Sandwich with Garlic Aioli

Grayson Shark Halloween/2011

 Hi everyone!!  Wow - I can't believe it's the middle of November already!  My little boy turns one tomorrow!

New updates on our life:
-Grayson is walking!
-I got a new job! I am now working in the College of Nursing at the University of Saskatchewan as the newest Clinical Placement Coordinator!  (Yay for no more shift work or nights!)
-Grayson started daycare last week
-Mike successfully went hunting white tail for the first time.  We have the tenderloin in the fridge, ready for tomorrow nights supper!

 This fall has just flown by and I haven't been able to keep up with my blog.  I have been keeping track of different recipes that I've tried or new twists on old recipes.  As much as I like my new recipes that I try, there's nothing like a good old comfort recipe to satisfy your cravings.  After Thanksgiving, we were lucky enough to have some turkey leftovers sent home with us from my MIL and some fresh garden tomatoes from my mom.  Mike and I were both starving one night and we wanted something quick, so I whipped up these yummy open faced turkey sandwiches, and they were a total hit!  You might ask why I am putting something as simple as a sandwich in my blog, as I asked myself that same question.  I guess the answer would be because sometimes you just don't know what to do with those turkey leftovers!

Open Faced Turkey Sandwiches with Garlic Aioli

4 slices of bread, toasted (I use Alsask bread from Family Bakery - a multigrain type bread)
1/3 cup mayo
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 clove garlic, minced (or more if you prefer!)
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 large tomatoes, sliced
1 cup leftover turkey
1/2 cup grated cheese (I like using old cheddar as it gives it more cheesy flavor!)

Preheat oven to broil.  Mix mayo, lemon juice, garlic and salt and pepper together.  Spread on each slice of toast.  Top with tomatoes, turkey, and grated cheese.  Broil for 3-5 minutes, watching closely so it doesn't burn!

Easy Tomato Side Dish

Standy Magee! 10 1/2 months old

 Hi everyone!!

Yes, I realize it's been almost two months since my last post but the weather has been way too nice to spend that time indoors!  We've been super busy with play dates, going to the farm to help out with harvest, and really just enjoying watching Grayson grow and learn!

Things new in our life:
Gray has 6 teeth, is cruising around like crazy, standing without assistance for short period of time, and is almost fully weaned!
I go back to work in under 3 weeks
We started p90x again! (abs, please come back, I miss you!)

So, since Grayson is eating pretty much EVERYTHING we are eating, I've been trying to expand my repertoire of recipes to introduce him to new flavors and textures.  This is also introducing Mike and I to new flavours and textures and we have been loving it!  Experimenting with different spices, preparation methods, and cooking styles has been a lot of fun and I can't wait to show you guys what we've been cooking!

For now though, due to limited time (Gray's going to wake up from his nap any minute) and the abundance of fresh tomatoes from everyone's overflowing gardens this year, I will post this super simple and super quick recipe for Broiled Tomatoes.  I can't remember where I got the idea for this, and I'm sure there's a million versions of it out there, but this was my first attempt at broiling tomatoes and it turned out great!

Broiled Tomatoes
3 large tomatoes
1 heaping TBSP margarine
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to broil on high (500 deg F).
Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise, removing the stem and the hard white part that attaches to the stem.
Score tomatoes with a knife in a checkerboard fashion across the cut side of the tomato.
Melt margarine in microwave for 15 seconds, add salt, pepper and breadcrumbs, stirring to combine.
Place tomatoes cut side up on a baking sheet. Divide the breadcrumb mixture between all 6 halves of tomatoes, pressing the breadcrumbs into the flesh of the tomato (this is why you scored it - so the yummy breadcrumbs could really get packed in there!).
In middle of the oven, broil for 2-3 minutes or until breadcrumbs are nicely toasted.

Things I would change next time - I'd maybe cook them at a lower temperature so that the tomatoes were hotter, as the breadcrumbs browned very quickly.

*Mike is on a 'no added sugar' diet for the month of October, which includes bread and bread products such as you guessed it - breadcrumbs!  I just used the butter/salt&pepper mixture on his tomatoes before mixing in the breadcrumbs for mine and Gray's.  He said his was delicious too!

Cooking Class: Spanish Tapas

In July, Brigie and I took a cooking class through Simon's Fine Foods.  We saw it on kijiji deals, and scooped it up right away.  Basically the deal was for  2 for 1 cooking classes.  The first cooking class we chose was Spanish Tapas.  Tapas are served as small platters of food instead of large meals.  They can be an appetizer or you could have several different tapas to make up your main meal.  

The menu that Simon had made up for us was absolutely amazing.  Some of the tapas were hot, some served cold, and all served delicious.  Simon was super relaxed and very easy going, making it a lot of fun.  We had a choice of which dishes we wanted to prepare, while working in pairs, and I think there was only one dish that we didn't make (out of the possible 9!) as we ran out of time.

**All recipes below I obtained through the cooking class at Simon's Fine Foods.

 Things that I learned:

• How to peel a tomato: After scoring the bottom of a tomato with an 'X' and cutting out the stem, place in boiling water until the skin starts to blister and then place in ice bath to stop the cooking process.
• How to cook with fresh herbs such as basil, thyme, and rosemary.  After you've removed the fresh herb from the stalk, freeze the stalk and use it when you're making soup for extra flavor!
• First time I've ever cooked with curry, turmeric, or coriander. 

Prosciutto wrapped Honeydew

Pork Kebabs (Pinchitos Morunos)- probably my favorite dish -  Brigie and I made these!  Simon says these are eaten all over Spain and were brought into the country from Africa.  It's funny because they actually struck me as very African Tasting!  It seriously tasted like I was very far away from home!  Transported me to some exotic vacation spot.

1 lb. lean pork, cut into small cubes

2 garlic gloves, finely chopped

2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon mild curry powder or pinchito spice mixture

1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds 1 teaspoon Spanish paprika

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preparation

Crush the garlic with the salt in a mortar (or with the flat of a knife on a board), then work in the other ingredients.

Skewer the pork, 3-4 cubes to a small stick, and marinate them in a shallow dish with the herbs (pinchito spice, coriander, paprika, and thyme), turning so they are well coated. Leave at least a couple of hours.

Spread the pinchitos out well on a barbecue or on foil under a grill. Cook them under a high heat for about 3 minutes on each side.

*We only marinated them for about 25 minutes and cooked them in the oven instead of the grill.

Gaspacho - chilled vegetable puree soup.  I thought this dish was okay - but I'm not a huge red onion fan.  Everyone else LOVED this.  It did taste amazingly fresh though!

Bread with Mushrooms and Aiolli - this was incredible! and I don't even like mushrooms!  First time I tried sherry too, which the mushrooms were cooked in.  It really reminded me of a Port -- tasted like a very sweet wine.  I really enjoyed the crunch of the crostini and the creamy aiolli sauce (mayo mixed with garlic.)

Meatballs with a Red Wine and Fresh Herb Sauce - Brigie and I made this and I have to say they were probably the best meatballs I've ever had!  The meatballs themselves had fresh herbs too (as well as the sauce) and was absolutely amazing!!

Meatballs in tomato sauce

Ingredients 2 tablespoons of olive oil

8 oz ground beef

1 cup (2 oz) fresh white breadcrumbs 2 tablespoons grated Manchego or Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 cloves garlic, chopped fine

2 scallions, chopped fine

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 cups (16 oz) canned plum tomatoes, chopped

2 tablespoons red wine

2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil leaves

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

In a bowl, thoroughly mix together the beef, breadcrumbs, cheese, tomato paste, garlic, scallions, egg, thyme, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Using your hands, shape the mixture into 12 to 15 firm balls.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook for several minutes or until browned on all sides.

Add the tomatoes, wine, basil, and rosemary. Simmer gently for around 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked. Season generously with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Potatoes Bravas - All I can say is wow.  I'm a potato girl and the crispness of the potatoes with the sweet and spicy sauce were to die for!! I went back for seconds and thirds of these.  However, they are fried and not very good for the waist line, that's for sure!!

POTATAS BRAVAS- crispy potatoes with a spicy sauce

3 tbsp olive oil
4 large russets peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tbsp minced onion
2 cloves garlic minced
Salt and pepper
1.5 tsp Spanish paprika
¼ tsp Tabasco sauce
¼ tsp chopped thyme
4floz ketchup
4 floz mayonnaise
Chopped parsley
8 floz olive oil for frying

The Bravas sauce
Warm the 3 tbsp olive oil and soften the onion and garlic
Turn the heat off and add the thyme, paprika and Tabasco sauce
Stir well
Transfer to a bowl and add the ketchup and mayonnaise
Season with salt and pepper

Potatoes
Sprinkle the potatoes lightly with salt and pepper
In a large skillet fry the potatoes in the 8floz olive oil until cooked through and browned.
Once cooked toss in the sauce and serve, top with chopped parsley.

Shrimp and Bacon Brochettes - yummm.  This is shrimp wrapped in bacon with some seasonings.

Stuffed Tomatoes - Basically a tomato stuffed with egg salad.  I really enjoyed this one even if it was a bit messy!  They looked really nice but were pretty finicky when trying to scoop out the insides of the tomato.  

I will most definitely make the pork kebabs, the meatballs and sauce, the bread with mushrooms and aiolli (although with likely substitute something else for the mushrooms like carmalized onions -yumm), and the potatoes bravas again.

All in all it was a super fun experience where I really enjoyed the cooking and definitely the eating portion of it.  Also the leftovers!!  Simon had let us know to bring containers to bring leftovers home in and I was so glad I did!! (Mike was too :P ).

 My friend Sol just told me he's going to Spain at the end of the month and I'm very envious that he'll be eating tapas all the time!  Yummmmmm!

Bush Pies!

We went camping for a week at the end of July with my mom and her 5th wheel at Greenwater Lake.  It was a bit of an adjustment for Gray and he let us know how much he didn't want to sleep in the back bunk!  With that being said, he had a great time with Grandma and I think Grandma had a great time with Gray too!!  Mike and I would head for a walk or jog atleast once a day and I definitely miss that since we've been back to the city.  However, walking there was MANDATORY to try and burn off some calories that were consumed.  We had our annual loaded fries from the Beach Cafe and they were delicious!! But we only have them once a  year for a reason!  (okay I admit, we had them twice this year but we did do a lot of walking to make up for it!

Bush Pies was the theme of camping this year!  We had breakfast bush pies, dinner bush pies, and dessert bush pies!!!  I have pictures below of most of our creations.  The only thing I'm missing was the grilled cheese and bacon sandwich.  It looked similar to the one picture below, minus the egg.

Breakfast Bush Pie: 1 egg, crumbled bacon, Tex Mex Cheese Shreds, Salt and Pepper

Half Eaten Breakfast Bush Pie

White Enchilada's turned Bush Pie!!  We used our leftover chicken mixture from White Enchilada's and put it in a Kaiser Bun and used our round Bush Pie Maker for some fabulous results!

Mike says the White Enchilada Bush Pies were his all time favorite!

Yum! Dessert Bush Pies- Mom had sampled this recipe at a friends campsite and couldn't wait to share it with us!  Nutella, cherry pie filling, and marshmallows made this ooey gooey delicious!  Bush Pie Tip: Make sure your bread is facing the opposite direction for proper bush pie sealage!

I could've left this on for another minute to melt the marshmallows just a touch more .

Dessert Bush Pie #2!!  This was Mike's creation - he took a twist (doughnut), cut it in half, filled it with marshmallow and nutella, and toasted it.  Was yummy but the sugar glaze on the outside of the twist was super sticky and didn't toast up very good.  (cherry pie filling noted in picture was just from the knife used to cut it)

Oh bush pies, how I love you!