Swiss Chard and Cheddar Soup

NOTE: This post was scheduled by Daniel Saraga of Haggis and Herring before he suddenly passed away.  We have decided to ensure his scheduled posts continue.  Daniel's wife Meredith posted her eulogy.  Please read more about our wonderful Daniel.

September cooled down right away, just the way I like it. I dislike hot-and-sticky August. Cool nights, warm soup, some hearty bread and a beer. That's my idea of a September dinner.

Earlier that week, I read Chaya's Swiss Chard Soup recipe and it inspired me. I knew I had to make my own version. You can read Chaya's post if you'd like to learn more about Swiss chard.

Well, I've made my first soup of the season, and according to Meredith, I've set the bar high. The cheese in the soup really complimented the beer. We nearly finished the entire pot ourselves - with barely enough left over for lunch the following day.

Swiss Chard and Cheddar Soup

2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
2 carrots, chopped
4 cups chopped Swiss chard, cleaned and chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
3-4 cups vegetable broth
1 can mixed chickpeas and kidney beans, drained
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup shredded old Cheddar cheese

1. Heat oil in a deep pot on medium and fry onions for 3-5 minutes.
2. Add garlic and carrots and continue fry for another 3-5 minutes.
3. Add Swiss chard and stir for 2-4 minutes, until wilted.
4. Add broth, beans, thyme, salt, oregano, and pepper, stir, cover and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce to medium and let simmer, covered for 30-40 minutes.
6. Remove 1 cup of vegetables into a separate container and and using an immersion blender, puree.
7. Add pureed vegetables back to pot, stir in cheese, and serve.

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Ultimate Bacon Sarnie (Sandwich)

At the end of August, I read an article about an ongoing debate on the ultimate bacon sarnie (sandwich) in The Register, a UK-based technology magazine. The author, Lester Haines, welcomed readers to email in their photos by Friday, September 14, so here it is.

To prepare, Meredith and I had a deep discussion about how we'd make our ultimate bacon sarnie:

Bread: bread can be a contentious issue. Clearly, a proper English sarnie would be built upon slices of hand-sliced white bread. Well, we had just finished our loaf and chose a different avenue. Instead, we opted to get some Gryfe's bagels - one of the best bagels you can get that's not baked in Montreal.

Bacon: our initial thoughts would be to Canadianize the sarnie a bit further by using pemeal bacon. That thought lasted until we realized that we already had some traditional slices in the freezer from a local butcher.

Sauce: there was no debate here. It must be brown sauce, and it must be HP's brown sauce in particular.

Eggs: yes, our sarnie has an egg. We hope it's not interpreted as an Aussie move, we just thought it would go really well with everything, and it sure did.

Cheese: this is where things fell off the rails, sorta. We trotted off to the nearest grocer with high hopes to get some old Cheddar. We didn't want to buy the generic 1/2 kilo block of tasteless cheddar - we wanted something nice from the deli. There was only one problem: the Cheddar was made in Normandy. Say what? Yes, Normandy, France. We're hoping to be forgiven for that particular indiscretion. We're keeping the bagel, but we're hoping for proper English Cheddar for our next go.

Verdict: this is the ultimate bacon sarnie. The bagel wasn't overpoweringly dense and allowed you to taste the rest of the sandwich. The brown sauce complimented both the bacon and the egg, and the cheese, despite surrendering as soon as it touched the egg, added just the right flavour.

Ultimate Bacon Sarnie

2 bagels
1 tbsp butter
6 rashers (slices) bacon
2 eggs
2 slices old cheddar cheese
1-2 tbsp brown sauce (i.e., HP sauce)

1. Slice bagels in half and butter both sides. Set the slices on plates.
2. In a non-stick or cast-iron pan, fry the bacon and set aside.
3. Wipe out the pan and and fry eggs, over easy.
4. Before removing eggs from pan, place slices of cheese on top of the eggs and remove the pan from the heat.
5. Assemble each sandwich as follows:
   bottom bagel slice
   brown sauce
   3 rashers bacon
   egg (with melted cheese on top)
   bagel top slice.

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Secret Recipe Club: Cuban Sandwich

Note to SRC: my deepest apologies to Wendy for the late link-up.

It's Secret Recipe Club time again, and this month's assignment is Wendy from La Phemme Foodie. Wendy blogs from Philledelphia, where she's a lawyer by day and a food blogger and photographer by night.

For the assignment, we considered several recipes, including slow cooker ribs in a root beer barbecue sauce, as buffalo wing macaroni and cheese, but in the end, I had a craving for a sandwich, and her Cuban sandwich won the day.

We made a few changes to the recipe out of necessity. On the shopping trip for ingredients, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find roasted pork. Our grocery store doesn't have a proper deli, so we're stuck with packaged prepared meats. They did have sliced roast beef, so I picked up some of that.

Meredith was quick to point out that it's very unlikely that you'd be able to find a Cuban sandwich anywhere that's not made of pork, and it's even less likely that you'd find one made of beef, given the abundance of pigs and the lack of beef cattle.

We also decided to use a French baguette instead of a plain kaiser roll. That's was simply because I'm not keen on huge, overly heavy breads.

In the end, the sandwich turned out really well. It grilled nicely in our panini press (we chose the griddle attachment) and was warm and tasty. We'll likely be making this again

Cuban Sandwich

1/3 cup diced dill pickles
1/3 cup diced pickled banana peppers
1 baguette, sliced into two 8" lengths and split in half
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp mustard (we used Dijon)
100g pound thinly sliced smoked ham
150g pound thinly sliced cold roast pork (we used roast beef)
2-4 slices Swiss cheese
1 tsp margarine or cooking spray (we used cooking spray)

1. Preheat a panini grill to medium.
2. Combine pickles and peppers in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Spread 1 tbsp mayonnaise on the bottom half and 1 tbsp mustard on the bottom of each sandwich.
4. Layer the remaining ingredients in the following order: ham, roast pork (or beef), pickle mixture and cheese.
5. Gently flatten sandwich and spread margarine on the top.
6. Transfer the sandwich to the panini grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately.

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Macaroni in Cheese Sauce

I finally got Jacob to try real macaroni and cheese. He still prefers boxed macaroni and cheese :-(

Anyway, I asked Meredith to teach me how to make proper cheese sauce and she did, but I made one mistake. With such a mild sauce, I shouldn't have used whole wheat pasta. It didn't allow the full flavour of the sauce to come out. The next time I make this, I'll use regular pasta.

Macaroni in Cheese Sauce

1 package macaroni, prepared following package directions
1 1/2 cups milk

2 tbsp flour
pepper
2 tbsp salted butter
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Whisk together milk and flour in a sauce pan.
2. Add pepper and butter and begin to whisk on medium heat.
3. When butter melts and mixture begins to boil, slowly add cheese, constantly whisking until cheese melts.
4. Pour mixture over pasta and toss before serving.

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Secret Recipe Club: Mushroom Quesadillas

I know I missed October,  but it's Movember, and it's time for Secret Recipe Club, hosted by Tina of Mom's Crazy Cooking.

This month's assignment is A Southern Fairytale, run by Rachel, who, according to her site is a "deep fried southern belle and aspiring domestic darling."

Well, if I was going to be doing something southern, I was happy to try some Tex-Mex. I found a recipe for mushroom quesadillas that looked quite yummy (and tasted great) and went straight to work. Rachel's recipe had you making full-sized quesadillas by using a full tortilla on the top and bottom. I found that very difficult to flip on the grill - I just haven't had enough practice. Next time, I'll only fill half of the tortilla and fold it over. Flipping it will be much easier.

Mushroom Quesadillas

4 tortillas
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded and divided into 2
5 mushrooms, chopped and divided into 2
1/4 red pepper, chopped and divided into 2
1/4 small onion, chopped and divided into 2
salsa or sour cream for serving

1. Preheat grill on medium.
2. Place 2 tortillas on grill and sprinkle with half a portion of cheese each.
3. Sprinkle on a portion of each vegetable and top with the rest of the cheese.
4. Place remaining two tortillas on top and gently press down.
5. Grill for 3-5 minutes on each side and let cool for two minutes before cutting using a pizza cutter.
6. Serve with sour cream or salsa.

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Beer Bread with Cheese in Cast Iron

At the beginning of September, I was starting to panic - I hadn't cooked very much and I was running out of completed recipes for the blog. At the same time, things were just plain busy - and beans on toast was for dinner.

That afternoon, before starting dinner, I saw a recipe that inspired me to make a change to dinner plans - and bake... sort of. Food Floozie had just wrote about a buttery beer bread covered in cheese. Not wanting to completely duplicate her efforts, I switched things around a bit. I used olive oil instead of butter, and not nearly as much cheese (read: I ran out of cheese).

By the time I got the bread into the oven, neighbours dropped by to invite us to supper - so the bread ended up being a yummy pre-dinner snack (and part of my lunch for the following day!).

The final result was great - warm, dense, soft, and it still had a cheese and onion-y goodness to it. I imagine it wasn't as rich or tasty as the Food Floozie's, tho.

Beer Bread with Cheese in Cast Iron

3 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups white flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 12-ounce bottle of beer
4 oz Cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
2. Heat oil in a 9-inch cast-iron pan and add the onion, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes, Fry until the onions are translucent.
3. Whisk together the flours and baking powder in a large bowl and stir in the onion and garlic mixture.
4. Continue to mix while slowly stirring in the beer.
5. stir in the cheese and transfer the mixture back into the pan.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a tester inserted into the centre of the bread comes out clean. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

Mostly based on Food Floozie's Beer 'n Cheese Bread

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Bleu Cheese Chicken Burger

Continuing the cottage story from last week - I really didn't do a lot of creative cooking. I did do a lot of grilling. One of the first meals I prepared that week involved a few prepared products, however, it's how it turned out in the end that is worth blogging about.

It all started with the giant green zucchini. We were given the enormous squash as a gift from a neighbour's garden just before we left for the cottage. We just packed it in the car with everything else. I knew I'd be able to use it over the course of the week.

Aside from a few basics, we had packed some cheeses, prepared chicken burgers (thank you, President's Choice), sausages, bread, buns and pastas. The first thing I wanted to do was make burgers.

It was when I opened the fridge at the cottage that I received some inspiration. There was a bottle of President's Choice Balsamic Glaze on the door. I knew that we were free to use the sauces, so I had to do something with it. I wanted to use it on the burgers. Chicken burgers can sometimes be a bit plain.

While preparing dinner, I realized that we needed to start on that zucchini right away. As soon as I started to slice into it, I realized that the slices were a perfect burger size. Then I remembered the bleu cheese in the fridge.

What resulted was a tasty, easy to make gourmet burger, if you ignore the basic bun that I used.

Bleu Cheese Chicken Burger

4 chicken burgers (beef acceptable)
4 slices zucchini rounds (cut to 1/2-inch thick)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp pepper
4 hamburger buns (splurge and get something nice)
4 tbsp crumbled bleu cheese
President's Choice Balsamic Glaze

1. Grill the burgers following package directions.
2. Brush the zucchini with oil and sprinkle with pepper.
3. Grill the zucchini on medium-high for five to eight minutes on each side, until toasty, but not mushy or burnt.
4. Lightly toast buns on the grill.
5. Assemble the burgers: bottom bun; chicken burger; zuchini slice; 1 tbsp bleu cheese; balsamic glaze (to taste); top bun.

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Cheese and Onion Pie

Our friend Julia has perfect timing. Occasionally, I help her with her website, Fibre Fantastics, and in return, she cooks us dinner or sends us a recipe.

At the beginning of the summer, we were planning a brunch with some friends. Julia's email arrived right on schedule - the day Meredith and I were planning the menu. Her recipe's two main ingredients are two of my favourite foods: cheese and onions. It must be served for the brunch!

The morning of the brunch, I chopped the onions started on the salads and ran (well, drove) to the bakery. The cheese pie was pretty much done when I got home.

The brunch was a success. In addition to the great company and the cheese and onion pie, we served bagels, pressed cottage cheese, egg salad, herring, my kitchen sink salad, a pickle plate and our friends brought an amazing apple pie.

Cheese and Onion Pie

• 1 pie shell
• 3 medium onions, sliced thinly
• 1 cup water
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup milk
• salt
• pepper
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
2. Line pie plate with pastry, prick with a fork and bake at 350-degrees for 10 minutes.
3. Place onions in a wide saucepan with 1 cup water and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce to medium-low and simmer, covered for 5 to 10 minutes. Drain and let cool.
5. Beat together eggs, milk salt and pepper.
6. Assemble the pie by placing half of the onions in the pie shell, then mozzarella cheese. Add rest of onions, cheddar cheese, and pour egg mixture over the final layer of cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes or until set.
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Secret Recipe Club: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Jarlsberg Cheese and Sauteed Mushrooms

I'd been meaning to blog about grilled cheese for some time, but I'd never got around to it. The grilled cheese is an amazing sandwich, and according to The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches, first appeared in the 1930s - around the same time sliced bread made its debut.

Years earlier, in 1917, Kraft started selling canned cheese to the U.S. Army. They bought out Velveeta in the late 1920s. The individually-wrapped slices didn't appear until the mid-1960s - known as "square cheese," in our home. When Wonder's sliced bread hit the shelves, processed cheese quickly became the original filling for the grilled cheese sandwich.

So the original grilled cheese isn't something fancy - it's Wonderbread and Velveeta. Truth be told, I still think that processed cheese is a perfectly acceptable filling for grilled cheese. Jacob has graduated from plain sliced bread and now prefers his square cheese in between two slices of marble rye. I actually think it's quite good. On special occasions, I one-up it with this:

Jacob's double-decker barbecued-grilled cheese
sandwich with square cheese and marble rye.

I've also been meaning to visit a very special restaurant in Kensington Market for quite some time. The Grilled Cheese is dedicated to making (in what my opinion are) the best grilled cheese sandwiches I've ever tasted. The decor is very rustic, with wooden tables and benches and a wall full of preserved vegetables.

Jacob drinking his water with the wall of preserves
behind him.

I ordered the Blackjack that is served with Jalapeno Havarti, tomatoes, spinach and black olive pesto. The sandwich was served with a slice of pickles and potato chips. The bread was perfect - crunchy on the outside with a buttery flavour.

My Blackjack grilled cheese sandwich.

Secret Recipe Club

For the July edition of Secret Recipe Club, I was assigned Hoosier Homemade. Hoosier's grilled cheese really caught my eye. Sauteed mushrooms on Jarlsberg cheese all in between two slices of garlic-parmigiana French bread. That ain't no Velveeta on Wonderbread!

I definitely wanted to do a variation on it, but at the same time, too much variation is just another sandwich. I was sticking to the Jarlsberg cheese and mushrooms but I wanted to give a salute to Jacob's sandwich as well, so I'm sticking with the marble rye.

The final sandwich turned out great. The thinly-sliced bread turned out crispp on the outside and helped the sandwich heat up quickly. The thinly sliced mushrooms didn't release much water (could be because I used cremini mushrooms). The cheese wrapped around the mushrooms perfectly. I was very happy.

Unfortunately, I had run out of pickles during the weekend and forgot to buy more, so I had to serve the sandwich with a side of carrot sticks instead. It's just not the same :-(

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Jarlsberg Cheese and Sauteed Mushrooms

• 1 + 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 4 slices marble rye
• 4 slices Jarlsberg cheese

1. Heat one tsp oil on medium-low and saute garlic for one minute. Add mushrooms and saute until mushrooms are soft and slightly browned.
2. Assemble the sandwich using bread, cheese, mushroom mixture, cheese and bread. 
3. In a larger pan, heat remaining two teaspoons of olive oil and fry sandwiches for 2-3 minutes on each side until lightly browned. 

Makes two sandwiches.

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Salmon Ball

This salmon ball is creamy with a bit of crunch, and gluten-free.

Continuing on the holiday brunch theme from a couple weeks ago, I wanted another protein dish that could be served in a sandwich or just on crackers. I didn't want to make another salmon salad - too boring. That's when I remembered Shannon, an old friend from the university residence I lived in.

Shannon's favourite thing to bring to a party was a tuna ball. It was basically a can of tuna mixed with a block of cream cheese. It was very rich, but very tasty. I wanted to use that concept as a base for what I wanted to make.

I had a can of boneless, skinless salmon (about the size of a can of tuna), but I wanted to do a little more. Cutting out some of the cream cheese and adding some sweet onion, celery and mustard for flavor seemed like the way to go. For added presentation, I rolled the final product in slivered almonds to give it some crunch. It was a hit - something I'll definitely make again.

Salmon Ball

• 1 can boneless, skinless salmon (drained)
• 1/2 cup cream cheese (at room temperature)
• 1/4 cup minced sweet onion
• 1/4 cup minced celery
• 1 tsp sweet hot mustard
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds

1. Mash the salmon with a fork.
2. Fold in the cream cheese, onion, celery and mustard using a spatula.
3. Spread almonds on a cutting board. Roll the salmon mixture into a ball and then roll it on top of the almonds.
4. Wrap in plastic wrap and let set in fridge until ready to serve.

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Creamy Chicken and Noodle Bake

After a difficult week in March, Friday night was just going to be the two of us. We just needed some comfort food, but we had no idea what to make. I was very tempted to get some take-out or pack us all in the car for something as simple as Swiss Chalet.

Then I found it. Girlichef did it again and right on time! I nearly followed her recipe to the tee and the result was fabulous.

That, some Caeser salad and a movie was the perfect ending for Friday.

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Creamy Chicken and Noodle Bake

by Daniel Saraga June 1, 2011

This casserole is pure comfort food.

Ingredients

2 tbsp canola oil500g ground chicken400ml (1 can) tomato sauce1/4 tsp saltto taste pepper1 package egg noodles1/2 cup sour cream1-1/4 cup cottage cheese1 cup green onions, sliced2 cups extra-old Cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.2. In a pan, heat the oil and brown the chicken. Add tomato sauce, salt and pepper (freshly ground preferred), stir and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.3. Boil noodes according to package directions until al dente. Drain and in a separate bowl, mix with the sour cream, cottage cheese. green onions and more pepper.4. Grease a large casserole dish with pan spray or oil.5. Spread half of the noodle mixture in the bottom, then add half of the meat mixture and half of the cheddar cheese. Repeat the layers again (noodles, meat and cheese).6. Top with half of the meat and half of the cheese. Repeat.7. Bake for 20 minutes, uncovered until cheese has melted.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 1 hour Yield: 1 large casserole dish

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The Hearth and Soul Hop (51) is in the house at a Moderate Life!

Aloo Mutter Butter Paneer (Potato, Peas and Cheese)

Note: this entry is linked to the Real Food Holidays Blog Carnival – Shavuot 2011 blog carnival. It's certainly not a traditional Jewish dish (unless you're one of my Jewish friends from India, in which case, this dish isn't breaking news), but it does highlight a different and tasty way to eat your Shavuot cheese outside of the more traditional European blintzes and cheesecake.

At the wedding of two very good friends of ours, we were treated to some very, very good Indian food. Our favourite dish was basically deep-fried cheese and potato balls in a very yummy sauce. I found the recipe quite quickly, however, balked on actually cooking it up because of the deep-frying involved.

Shortly after, I found some paneer at the local grocery store and it was sitting in the fridge for a few weeks - quietly waiting. The opportunity came up at the end of March and I decided to use it in a butter-chickeny-kinda sauce with some other vegetables.

I winged the recipe and it tasted great.

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Aloo Mutter Butter Paneer (Potato, Peas and Cheese)

by Daniel Saraga May-27-2011

A great alternative to butter chicken, this dish uses soft Indian cheese as the main protein source.

Ingredients

• 2+2 tbsp butter
• 2 onions, minced
• dash salt (if butter is not salted)
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds, crushed
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1 28oz can tomatoes
• 400g paneer, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 2-3 potatoes, boiled and cut into 3/4" cubes
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 cup half-and-half cream
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a dutch oven on medium and fry onions with salt until translucent.2. Add garlic and ginger and stir for another 1-2 minutes.3. Add fenugreek, garam masala and tomatoes, stir and bring to a boil.4. Reduce to medium-low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes.5. Puree mixture with an immersion blender and let simmer for another five minutes.6. Add paneer, potatoes and peas and let simmer for up to five minutes.7. Stir in remaining butter, cream and cilantro, and let simmer for 1-2 minutes until warm again.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 50 mins Yield: 6 servings

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No-fry Salmon Patties with Creamy Dill Sauce

Right before Passover, mom wanted us to stop by for supper. She found a recipe she thought we'd like - baked salmon patties. I helped out, documented things and took pictures.

These patties turned out fantastic. Crispy on the outside and super-tasty. I'll never want a pan-fried salmon patty again. Yes, these ones use a tub of cream cheese (if you include the sauce), but it's totally worth it.

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No-fry Salmon Patties with Creamy Dill Sauce

by Rochelle Saraga May 6, 2011

These salmon patties are a tasty alternative to pan-fried salmon patties.

Ingredients

250g dill-flavoured cream cheese, at room temperature1 egg1/4 cup sweet onion, minced2 tsp dried parsley1 tbsp lemon juicefrom 1 lemon, lemon zest2 cans salmon2 tbsp relish or minced dill pickles1/4 cup breadcrumbs1 cup panko breadcrumbs1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted3 tbsp milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400-degrees.2. Line baking tray with parchment paper.3. Mix half of the cream cheese with the egg, green onion and parsley.4. Add half the lemon juice and zest, salmon relish and 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, and mix well.5. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.6. Combine panko bread-crumbs and butter.7. Roll 1 tbsp balls of salmon mixture and coat in butter-breadcrumb mix.8. Place balls 1” apart on baking sheet and flatten slightly with a fork.9. Bake for 10 minutes on each side - until browned.10. While baking, whisk remaining cheese, remaining lemon juice, zest and milk together for the sauce.

Details

Prep time: 40 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 1 hour Yield: 36 patties

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Potato, Cauliflower and Peas Curry

Late last year, I put two and two together when I clued in that an Indian take-out-slash-caterer a friend frequently spoke of is actually walking distance from our (now not so) new place.

Mistaan is a fairly big operation with a small store front that offers a take-out menu, some packaged foods and Indian movies. I started dropping by occasionally for samosas (3 for $1) and eventually started taking home vegetable parokas as well. It's becoming a problem, being so close.

Anyway, with some friends coming over for dinner, I had a few dishes prepared but I decided I needed something else. A quick trip to Mistaan resulted in samosas, parokas, a container of saag paneer (spinach and cheese - OMG so good), a bottle of mango chutney for the deep-fried goodies, and a bottle of lime pickle (limes packed with chili peppers) to add some zip to the meal.

The rest of the meal included my kofta curry, spiced rice and a variation of something new I saw at Niya's World, Aloo Gobi Mutter Ki Subzi (potato cauliflower and peas). It turned out way better than I thought it would. The recipe also called for Amchur powder (mango powder) that I had bought some time ago and had yet to use. Overall, we stuffed ourselves stupid and still had leftovers for the following evening (since our guests were leaving town and couldn't bring it with them).

That's what I call a Friday night dinner.

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Potato, Cauliflower and Peas Curry

by Daniel Saraga May 4, 2011

This tasty vegetable curry uses mango powder and compliments any Indian-themed dinner.

Ingredients

1 tbsp water1 tsp chili powder1/2 tsp turmeric6-8 potatoes, cubed1 small cauliflower3 tbsp oil2 onions, thinly sliced1 cup peas1/2 tsp mango powder (amchur) 1 tsp garam masala1/4 tsp salt3 tbsp water1-2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1. In a small glass, combine water, chili powder and turmeric, stir and set aside.2. Boil potatoes until soft.3. Cut flortes from cauliflower, discarding centre.4. In a deep pot, fry onions in oil over medium heat until translucent.5. Add water and spice mixture and continue to stir for 2-3 minutes.6. Add potatoes, cauliflower, peas, mango powder, garam masala and salt and stir for 2-3 minutes.7. Add 3 tbsp water, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes on low, until cauliflower is soft. Add additional water if necessary.8. Stir in cilantro before serving.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 1 hour Yield: 10 servings

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Irish Onion Soup

The Irish invented onion soup, didn't you know?

It's amazing how everyone becomes Irish leading up to St. Paddy's Day. You couldn't find a blog without stumbling upon a recipe for corned beef and cabbage (isn't corned beef a New York Jewish thing?). Sometimes the different recipes just turn into a big blur, and sometimes a recipe will stand out. Especially if it involves cooking with stout.

Anyway, I've cooked with Guinness before and this time the recipe I found adds it to my favourite soup - French Onion Soup. I could tell right away that the recipe was going to be tasty. The primary difference between this particular onion soup and a standard French onion soup is the beer and substituting the swiss cheese with an extra-old cheddar. It's a different flavour, but it's excellent.

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Irish Onion Soup

by Daniel Saraga April 8, 2011

This onion soup uses Guinness and extra-old Cheddar to add a unique twist to the French classic.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil5 cloves garlic cloves, minced8 cups onions, thinly sliced1/4 tsp sea salt1 tsp dried thyme leaves1/4 cup sherry vinegar2 cups (1 pint) Guinness stout beer4 cups beef stock1 cup water2 thick slices pumpernickel, cubed200g or more extra-old Cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.2. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.3. Add onions, season with salt, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often.4. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.5. Add the thyme, vinegar, and Guinness.6. Reduce beer by half, and add the beef stock and water. Bring back to a boil, and then simmer on medium for 10 more minutes.7. Preheat the broiler. Transfer soup to individual oven-proof soup bowls.8. Top with toasted pumpernickel cubes and sliced cheddar.9. Broil until cheese melts and bubbles. Serve hot.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 1 hour Total time: 1 hour 10 mins Yield: 8 bowls

Adapted from Delicious Dishings.




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Mashed Cauliflower and Broccoli

• 1 cauliflower, chopped
• 1 broccoli, chopped
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 pinches sea salt

1. shredded cheddar cheese for garnish.
2. Steam cauliflower and broccoli until very tender.
3. In a food processor, combine vegetables, butter and salt and puree.
4. Transfer to a casserole dish and bake for 25 minutes at 350-degrees.
5. Garnish with cheese when serving.

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Crustless Broccoli Quiche

• 4 tbsp margarine
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2-3 tbsp processed cheese (e.g., Cheese Whiz or equivalent spreadable cheese product)
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 large broccoli, steamed and finely chopped (using a food processor)
• 4 tsp margarine

1. Preheat oven to 325-degrees.
2. In a deep pan, heat margarine over medium heat and saute onions until soft.
3. Stir in flour.
4. Stir in water, cover and let simmer on low until mixture thickens and starts to bubble.
5. Add cheddar and processed cheese and stir until blended.
6. Add broccoli and eggs and stir gently until combined.
7. Pour mixture into a 1-1/2 quart greased casserole.
8. Dab the four teaspoons of margarine along the top.
9. Bake for at least 35-40 minutes, until the top begins to brown and firm.
10. Let cool before cutting into squares for serving.

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Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

Relaxing with our friends

In late September the temperature suddenly dropped. Meredith still liked it cold in the house and I was freezing. It was going to be a busy week between band practice, Meredith's evening out with friends, our final "caring for baby" class and my parents dropping by for Meredith's birthday.

We spent the weekend cleaning, fixing, building, sorting and anything else you could think of around the house. By Sunday evening, the house was chilly and friends were stopping by for some hot tea. Tea turned into dinner, to my delight.

It was time for comfort food. Specifically, time to break out a version of the mashed potato casserole recipe I had recently found. Although the original recipe listed it as a side dish, chock full of cheese, bacon and creamy goodness, it's really a meal in one bowl (aside from my obligatory salad). The four of us pretty much finished the entire dish, with a little snack set aside for a midnight snack or lunch the following day.

Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

• 6 cups potatoes, hand mashed
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 package (250g) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup extra old Cheddar cheese
• 12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
2. In an electric mixer, beat potatoes, milk, cream cheese, sour cream, parsley, garlic salt and nutmeg until mixture is smooth.
3. Transfer mixture into a 13x9 casserole dish, sprinkle on Cheddar and bacon.
4. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Bake for an additional 5 minutes uncovered.

(Based on Easy to be Gluten Free's recipe)

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Pizza-dough Bread-sticks with Fresh Basil

• 1 bag fresh pizza dough (or make your own from scratch)
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1/2 cup grated marble cheddar cheese
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, minced
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, ground
• 1 cup fresh pizza sauce, warmed

1. Preheat oven to 425-degrees.
2. Roll dough into a 12" x 9" rectangle and transfer to a baking sheet.
3. Brush butter onto dough.
4. In a bowl, combine cheese, basil, garlic powder and pepper flakes. Sprinkle over dough.
5. using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife, slice the dough crosswise into 1-inch strips. Cut in half lengthwise to make twice as many shorter bread-sticks.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes until bread is golden-brown.
7. Serve with warmed pizza sauce for dipping.

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Grilled Chicken Cheeseburgers

Note: This isn't one of my typical recipes. I usually don't publish recipes using prepared or partially prepared foods, however, this sandwich can be prepared using fresh ingredients if you choose. The version pictured below uses the prepared ingredients listed.

For each burger:

• 1 tsp oil
• 1 President's Choice thick & juicy chicken burger
• 2 slices Country Harvest Oat & Honey bread
• margarine
• 4 slices old Cheddar cheese

1. In a cast-iron pan, fry burgers according to directions (6 minutes on each side on medium-low) so they're crispy and cooked through.
2. Apply margarine lightly to one side of each slice. With the first slice margarine-side-down, put two slices of cheese, burger, 2 slices of cheese, bread (margarine-side up).
3. Fry sandwich on low for 2-3 minutes on each side.
4. Serve with a spinach salad to balance out all the greasy goodness.

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