Sunday, November 28, 2010

Appetizers for a family housewarming

Some of the last few recipes published here were served at a small dinner for Meredith's uncle, aunt and mom during Labour Day weekend. Meredith and I were busy in and out of the kitchen between having fun with Jacob, cleaning and hanging pictures.

Thinking we didn't have enough food, Meredith decided that we didn't have enough food to serve (note: we always have more than enough) so she started making these yummy bread-sticks from whole-wheat pizza dough and some basil from the garden. We served it with some of the pizza sauce my mom made from scratch during her annual tomato sauce festival with her friends.

So good.

Recipe: Pizza-dough Bread Sticks with Fresh Basil

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Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Italian Sausage and Potato Curry

  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 2 cups finely chopped onions
  • 2 stick cinnamon
  • 4 tbsp minced garlic
  • 3 tbsp minced ginger
  • 1 can diced tomatoes (drained)
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 tbsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 500g Italian sausage (check label for gluten-free)
  • 4 medium potatoes, peeled, cubed and boiled until tender
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (including stems)
  1. In a large pan, heat oil on medium heat for one minute. Add onions and cinnamon, and sauté for five to eight minutes, until onions are golden. Add garlic and sauté for four more minutes. Add ginger, tomatoes, salt, pepper, turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala and cayenne. Cook masala for five minutes, until the oil separates.
  2. Add sausage and cook for 10 minutes. Add sour cream and water and stir well. Increase the heat to medium-high. When curry starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring two or three times, until sausage is completely cooked and adding the potato at the 10 minute mark. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick. Cool curry for 5-10 minutes.
  3. Transfer sausage to a plate, slice into rounds and add back to curry. Just before serving, heat curry on medium heat until it starts to boil lightly. Stir in cilantro.
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Humbly accepting awards

Right when things were getting busy, my friend Mary (a.k.a., the Food Floozie) passed on three awards to me as one of the new blogs she's discovered.

1. The "One Lovely Blog" award 
Who am I to argue?
2. "The Versatile Blogger"
I couldn't argue that either.
I'm definitely versatile.
3. The "Stylish Blogger" award:
(imagine the scratching sound
of a turntable coming to an
abrupt stop)
Hold the phone. I imagine Meredith would disagree, however, I did manage to woo her while picking my own clothes. Or is this about how I present my blog, and the quality of the pictures? Aha! I'll leave my wardrobe out of this!

Now, to accept these awards, I'm obligated to do three things:

1. Link back to the person who gave me the rewards (done, at the top of this post and elsewhere)

2. Share seven things about myself:
a. Although I'm referred to as the techie guy, I've never owned a smartphone (my current phone is almost six years old) and I don't play videogames.
b. I'm currently raising money for prostate cancer research through Movember, and I've raised a little over $250 so far. 
c. I'm very proud of my wife, Meredith, who courageously started her own travel business last year as well as (re-)taught herself to knit. 
d. This past November 5, my wife and I spent half the day watching the entire Back to the Future trilogy.
e. Kermit is my favourite Muppet.
f. I play in a community concert band called Resa's Pieces. I discovered the band after finding an old school friend on Facebook who invited me to join the band.
g. My favourite baked good is the rosewater chocolate bun that my grandmother used to make. A year after she passed away, I found a bag of them in my grandfather's freezer.
3. Pass the awards on to five new blogs you've discovered and contact the bloggers about the awards. It's up to them to accept the award and spread the love.

  • The Wizard and I
    One of my best friends started a blog very recently and he's found the writing process to be a great outlet.
  • Gluten Free Edmonton
    Although not a brand-new discovery, my sister-in-law recently decided to become a regular contributor. Her gluten-free adventures are a good read.
  • Chronicles of a Food Junkie
    The Food Junkie reviews restaurants wherever she goes - many in my hometown.
  • Sweet, Spicy and Sour
    A recent discovery with lots of neat recipes from various cuisines.
  • Devine Knits with Infiknit
    The blog of a local yarn retailer. I pop by every once in a while to see if there's anything I'd like Meredith to knit for me :-)

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Chicken and Potato Patties (Croquettes)

  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 cups boiled chicken (mom used chicken from a soup she made)
  • 2 eggs
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 cups mashed potatoes
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • oil for frying
Chicken:
  1. In a bowl, mash chicken with a fork until ground and set aside.
  2. Brown onions in 2 tbsp oil.
  3. Add onions, 1 egg, salt and pepper to chicken and mix thoroughly.
  4. Form chicken mixture into patties taking note of the number of patties.
Potatoes:
  1. Combine mashed potatoes with 1 egg, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.
  2. Form into flat patties larger than the chicken patties. Note: make twice as many potato patties as chicken patties.
Bringing it all together:
  1. Put a potato patty in your hand and form a slight bowl and put the meat patty on top.
  2. Put the second potato patty on top and roll/pat it.
  3. Dip patty in panko breadcrumbs and brown on both sides.
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Monday, November 22, 2010

Balsamic Coleslaw


On Wednesday, Food Floozie posted a picture of Tom's coleslaw in balsamic vinaigrette. Unfortunately, wordless Wednesday means no recipe, so I was out of luck.

It only took a day for me to make my way to the grocery store, pick up some shredded cabbage and get to work. My big fear was that I'd screw it up. I sometimes have a problem working with balsamic. Meredith frequently (in the nicest way possible) tells me that the dressings are too strong.

Fortunately, I had a good recipe to work from that's served me well for years. I was able to make a few tweaks and my new balsamic coleslaw (my new favourite, by the way) turned out nice and tasty.

Balsamic Coleslaw
  • 1 14 oz bag of shredded cabbage and carrots (I'm lazy)
  • ¼ cup white vinegar
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic mustard (or 1 tbsp dijon mustard)
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
  1. Stuff shredded cabbage into a jar.
  2. Combine the remaining ingredients into a small pot, stir and heat until mixture comes to a boil and sugar dissolves.
  3. Pour into jar, shake well and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.
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Get Grillin’ with Family Fresh Cooking and Cookin’ Canuck, sponsored by Ile de France Cheese, Rösle, Emile Henry, Rouxbe and ManPans.

Tempted by the Food Floozie

On Wednesday, Food Floozie posted a picture of Tom's coleslaw in balsamic vinaigrette. Unfortunately, wordless Wednesday means no recipe, so I was out of luck.

Read more: Balsamic Coleslaw

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hearthandsoulgirlichef

MyMeatlessMondays

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Guest chef: mom in the kitchen

Right before Rosh Hashanah, my mom dropped by with some food for the meal (she tends to make things well in advance). She also had a special treat for me: chicken and potato patties.

She based her recipe on the Passover recipe in Second Helpings but changed it around because I prefer to not eat matzo meal.

My dad's mom used to make a similar dish she called a mini pastel, which is a Sephardic meat, potato and egg casserole (like a cool Sheppard's pie). Her version would be spiced with cumin, tumeric and paprika - more "exotic" than my mom's Ashkenaz version that goes all out with the salt and pepper. I think mom's going to make the Sephardic version next time.

Recipe: Chicken and Potato Patties

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Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp soft butter
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup poppy seeds
  • 1 cup sour cream or yogurt
  • grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  1. Cream together the eggs, butter and sugar. Add poppy seeds, yogurt, lemon
  2. rind and lemon juice.
  3. Mix together the dry ingredients, and stir into creamed mixture.
  4. Pour into greased muffin tins and bake at 425-degrees for 15-20 minutes.
Recipe from Julia of Fibre Fantastics.


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Monday, November 15, 2010

Deer Beer Pumpkinhead Chili (Venison, Pumpkin and Lager Chili)


In early October, I was speaking to a colleague about the upcoming hunting season. Not wabbit season, or duck season...


but deer season.

Oh deer!
My colleague usually takes his deer to a butcher before bringing it home for packaging and he still had some left in his freezer from last year.

Well, I was glad to take some off his hands to free up some freezer space and shortly after, I was presented with a couple venison steaks and some burger (ground). I immediately went to work looking for what to do with the meat. I didn't want to do something plain, and I wanted something that would best reflect the fall season.

I found a few chili recipes that interested me. One of them had pumpkin, ale and some sweet potatoes. I decided to use that concept as a starting point for what I made. The result was a very large pot of tasty chili.

Deer Beer Pumpkinhead Chili

1+2 tbsp canola oil
1/2 kilo ground venison
2 onions, finely chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
8 cloves garlic, finely minced
1-2 jalapeno peppers, chopped (optional)
1 bottle of Rickard's Red beer
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1-1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 can (5-6 oz) tomato paste
3 cups chicken or beef stock (I used chicken)
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can romano beans
  1. Heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat in a deep pot and brown venison, remove and set aside.
  2. Add 2 tbsp oil, onion and potato to pan and saute for 8 minutes until onions are translucent.
  3. Add garlic and stir for one minute.
  4. Add beer to degalze pan and reduce for about ten minutes.
  5. Add jalapeno peppers, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, pumpkin, salt and tomato paste, stir and let simmer for 1 minute.
  6. Add venison, stock, tomatoes and beans and bring to a boil.
  7. Reduce to medium-low and let simmer for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Oh deer, that's a lot of food

Right before starting the parental leave, I was speaking to a colleague about the upcoming hunting season.

Read more: Deer Beer Pumpkinhead Chili (Venison, Pumpkin and Lager Chili)

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Hunk of Meat Mondays

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Meatless Mondays: the evolution of appetizers

I've been eating beans and onions all my life.

Read more: Beans and Onions

MyMeatlessMondays

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The power of barter

I occasionally help our friend Julia of Fibre Fantastics with her website in return of something food related. Last year, it was a wonderful meal of her garden salad in poppy seed dressing and seduction chicken.

This year I was handed a recipe for lemon poppy seed muffins - just in time for a housewarming. I'm writing this as Meredith is baking them and they smell delicious.

Recipe: Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

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Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Picked Beets and Pickled Eggs

Pickled beets, pickled eggs, hummus, herring and
dill pickles. Eggs had only marinated for 24 hours.
Pickled Beets
  • 3 large beets
  • 3 + 2 cups water
  • 2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup vinegar
  • 1-1/2 tsp salt
  1. Wash beets, cut off ends and in half.
  2. Place beets in a medium-small sized pot with 3 cups of water (should be enough to cover) and boil until tender.
  3. Drain and reserve liquid for egg recipe.
  4. Remove skin from beets, slice into chunks and pack into sterilized jar(s).
  5. Combine sugar, 2 cup water, vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil (dissolving sugar).
  6. Pour vinegar mixture over beets leaving about 1/2 cm space at the top of the jar. Discard remaining liquid.
  7. Tighten lid on jar and let cool before refrigerating.
Note: if bottles were sterilized, beets don't need to be refrigerated until opened.

Pickled Eggs
  • 8 eggs, boiled and peeled
  • 1 cup beet liquid from beet recipe
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 stick cinnamon
  1. Loosely pack boiled eggs into a sterilized jar (my mistake was cramming them into a small jar).
  2. Combine beet liquid, vinegar, sugar, garam masala and cinnamon in a pot and bring to a boil (dissolving sugar).
  3. Pour mixture through a strainer into jar leaving 1/2 cm space.
  4. Tighten lid on jar and let cool before refrigerating.
  5. Let marinate for several days before opening.
Note: use eggs within one week after opening.


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Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Hearth and Soul Exclusive: Sausage Potato Curry

I was finally given the go-ahead to make a curry so I headed to the grocery store to gather some ingredients.

When I got there, I didn't like the chicken (mostly the price) and mild Italian pork sausages were on sale, so I opted for those instead.


The yummy result is a variation on my Chicken Curry recipe with the following changes:
  • Substituted chicken with 1/2 kilo of mild Italian sausage, cut up
  • Substituted chickpeas with about six small potatoes, cut up and boiled before being added to the curry.
The potatoes allowed me to skip making rice. Convenient since I was in a hurry to scoot off to band practice.

Recipe: Italian Sausage and Potato Curry

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Sunday, November 7, 2010

When one recipe feeds another

When I saw Jules Food's recipe for pink pickled eggs, I immediately wanted to try it. However, I also wanted to make the beet broth fresh (Jules used canned beets), so I had to make picked beets as well. Perfect, a double project (and way more work than I originally anticipated).

When we went down to Kensington Market to shop, I started noticing that the beets were calling me, but I was distracted by Meredith and my new anniversary hat and some crazy wind (Meredith's hair is usually way-more under control).

The final kick was when Meredith dashed into the knitting store and I wandered into the Grilled Cheese where they had an awesome wall of pickled things.


I wanted to do some more pickling. 

My biggest problem is that I didn't really have the proper jars, so I ended up cramming the eggs into a small mason jar (should've used a larger one) and using some jam jars for the beets. This resulted in the eggs being so tightly packed that the sides against the jar didn't absorb the colour very well, and the beets not being fit for long-term storage. I always recommend proper sterilized mason jars with new lids.

Recipe: Pickled Beets and Pickled Eggs

MyMeatlessMondays

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Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chip Cookies


1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup reese peanut butter chips
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
  1. Preheat oven to 375-degrees.
  2. Using an electric mixer, beat shortening and butter on high-speed for 30 seconds.
  3. Add both sugars and baking soda and continue mixing until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl when necessary.
  4. Continue mixing and slowly add flour.
  5. When flour is completely mixed, add chocolate and peanut-butter chips.
  6. Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, drop mix onto a nonstick cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes (until edges are browned.
  7. Transfer to a rack to cool.
(makes approximately 60 cookies; based on Better Homes and Gardens)

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Monday, November 1, 2010

It's Movember!

An appeal to my readers and fellow food bloggers: it's that time of year again, time for me to start fundraising for men's health. Of the two fundraising campaigns I blog about (the other being the failed Dan wants a Doctor Who Scarf campaign of 2009), this particular cause is worthy of your attention and donation dollars.

This Movember, the month formerly known as November I'm donating my face to raise awareness about prostate cancer. My donation and commitment is to grow a moustache for the entire month of Movember, which I'm sure will generate conversation, controversy and laughter. I'll be posting photos of my progress periodically on Schmaltz Herring dot Net for your amusement.

I'm doing this because 4,400 men die of prostate cancer in Canada each year and one in six men will be diagnosed during his lifetime. This is a cause that I feel passionately about and I’m asking you to support my efforts by making a donation to Prostate Cancer Canada.

To help, you can either:
  • Make a donation online and using your credit card or PayPal account
  • Write a cheque payable to Prostate Cancer Canada, referencing my name or Registration Number 44885 and mailing it to: Prostate Cancer Canada, Suite 306 145 Front Street East, Toronto, ON M5A 1E3, Canada.
All donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

For more details on how the funds raised from previous campaigns have been used and the impact Movember is having please visit the Movember Canada website.

Thanks so much for helping me support men's health.

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