The Star Wars Cookbook

Kids... and grown-ups can have a laugh with this cookbook. With all it's play on words like the Boba Fett-uccine, Tusken Raider Taters and Wookie Cookies one can see the direction the force is going. The pages are sort of plastic coated which makes this easy when small hands are in the kitchen cooking. Repelling spills. This cookbook covers breakfasts, beverages, snacks and sides, main courses and desserts. Offering approximately seven recipes per chapter and most of them can be done within 25 minutes! As it's stated in the introduction "The force inhibits all realms, including the kitchen." 

The food photography is fun. They use action figures to demonstrate the recipes. One can only think that someone was having a lot of fun putting this cookbook together. 

I have made the Sandtrooper Sandies, Wookie Cookies, the Bossk Brownies and a version of the Twin Sun Toast, all very edible. I know there is a second cookbook. Both would come in handy if hosting a Star Wars themed party. And for the collectors out there, there is a retro Star Wars cookbook kit that come with character shaped cookie cutters. - JW       

Quick Lemon Herb Salmon

I really didn't have time to fuss over dinner so making this salmon was easy. As I grabbed one ingredient after another the ideas started flowing. What I did know is that I did not want to add dill. This is a pretty basic no fuss way of doing salmon. Adding some freshly grated ginger would have been a nice touch. You can added whatever herbs you like. It was nice to break away from the usual dill that gets added to salmon dishes. As for the lemon... well I am such a citrus girl and quite like a bit of pucker!  

First, I covered a baking tray with parchment paper. Then I placed the pieces of salmon on the lined tray. Over each piece of salmon, I squeezed fresh lemon juice. Drizzled a bit of olive oil. Added a bit of freshly ground black pepper. I scattered a generous amount of mixed herbs. Placed a nice lemon sliced on top, adding a bit more herbs and then drizzled a good amount of balsamic vinegar over each slice. The salmon sat, to infuse, as the oven warmed up. With the oven hot at about 350ºF/175ºC, I placed the tray inside the oven and baked the salmon pieces for about... 15 minutes. If you do have time to plan ahead you can easily make this as a marinade and let the salmon sit overnight. -JW 

Sunday Morning #2

Nothing beats this breakfast. Apple and pecan french toast with syrup and a side of strawberries and whipped cream. A sweet and lovely way to start the day! - JW  

Goats Cheese on Pumpernickel

Those brick like loaves of pumpernickel always fascinated me when I was a little girl. How did they condense all that bread into those thin slices? How does it toasts? Is this bread just for such gatherings where only fine finger food and champagne are served? Or is it more of an afternoon tea bread? I felt very compelled to buy such said loaf when I was browsing the aisles of the German Deli.

I made a round of these tasty morsels to share for lunch. Goats cheese on thin pumpernickel slices, cut in half and then cut in half again to make a square shape. Then I spread some champagne dill mustard on top of the cheese, added a radish, cucumber or tomato and then sprinkled summer savoury over all the prepared slices. I served them with a pot of Earl Grey tea. There are many options for dressing these pumpernickel slices. The possibilities are endless and you can get the kids involved. They will have loads of fun adding their favourite toppings. Enjoy your weekend! - JW  

Pukka Tea

Enjoying a cup of tea every now and again I do try my fair share of different flavours and brands. Pukka is one that I have been very impressed with. The quality of tea is good and the packaging I adore. I do recommend you indulging in one of their many teas. Currently Pukka doesn't ship directly to Canada however I found this brand of tea at Winner's and Blush Lane Organic Market here in Edmonton. Although on the box it does list Advantage Health Matters Inc. based in Canada as it's distributor. Click *here* for inquiries. You can also find out more about Pukka by clicking *here*. - JW 

Valentine's Day

Sometimes it is the simplest things that mean the most. And a way to anyone's heart is through their stomach... on Valentine's Day! Yesterday I made these treats to share and surprise my kidlets in their lunch boxes. The cookie recipe asked for sour cream and I just happened to have enough in my refrigerator. They are more cake like than biscuit like. It adds for an interesting texture.    

Sometimes a hint is all you need. I drizzled a few with melted dark chocolate to add a bit of sweetness.  

Having some left over crêpes served it's purpose by spreading them with almond butter and sliced strawberries. To make them really Valentine's Day worthy you can add melted chocolate on top! You don't have to look far and wide on Valentine's Day because inspiration is everywhere even in your kitchen!  

Mascarpone Sauce

I bought some ravioli from the Italian Centre and realised that I haven't had an alfredo sauce in quite some time. In my hunt for the perfect recipe... I always sift through the many cookbooks I have looking at all the possibility for a particular recipe. After much cross referencing and deliberation I combined 2 to 3 recipes to make one recipe. It's handy having as many cookbooks as I do! While I was feeling out my recipe I came across this mascarpone sauce and in a blink of an eye I decided that would be the more fitting sauce for the ravioli.

It is one of those moments when everything comes together. The sauce was creamy with just the right amount of garlic and a delicate sage flavour. 

Mascarpone Sauce with Garlic, Mushrooms and Sage

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4 tablespoons of butter

1-2 cloves of garlic

8oz/225g of mushrooms of your choice

9oz/250g of mascarpone cheese

2 tablespoons of milk

1 teaspoon fresh or dried sage

salt and pepper, optional 

Melt the butter in a large skillet or pan. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes. Reduce the heat and stir in the mascarpone cheese, milk, and sage. Stir carefully, making sure everything is combined and the cheese has melted. Season with salt and pepper if you like. Pour over pasta and toss to coat.  

You can serve this sauce over any pasta. It went well with the fresh ravioli I bought from the Italian Centre. A bit of shaved parmesan cheese on top and a sprinkle of fresh parsley and you are good to go! - JW   

Shrove Tuesday

For Shrove Tuesday I served my pancakes after dinner. I made more of a crêpe like pancake and served them with a pinch of organic sugar, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and then a drizzled of golden syrup over top. The lemon juice gave them a burst of flavour that counterbalanced the sweetness from the golden syrup. If I had not made these, my banana pancakes I posted about the over the weekend would have been my other choice. How do you like to dress your pancakes? - JW 

Banana Pancakes

They look like regular pancakes however they are not. I had a few over ripe banana's so I decided to peel and mash them and add the mash to the pancake batter. I served them with whipped cream, strawberries and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. They were simply delicious! It is a great way to change a classic weekend breakfast. Regular pancakes step aside, these have become my favourite! - JW 

Turkey Pie

I finally served up one of my turkey pies I made with leftover turkey. The pastry I made was light and flaky. The filling moist and tender. It made for a delicious dinner served with a kale salad. Stay warm this weekend and hopefully I will be over this cold soon! 

- JW  

Gluten Free Baking

I finally bought myself a gluten-free cookbook. I often get asked if I have a gluten free recipe for the things I bake. The answer to that is no. Although most things in the kitchen are trial and error, with gluten-free baking and cooking you have to know your substitutions. Which ingredients will give you the taste and texture and how to achieve  suitable gluten-free baking. This cookbook is only a 160 pages and concentrates more on the baking than cooking. It talks about gluten, celiac disease, wheat allergy, lactose intolerance, gluten-free foods, hidden gluten-free foods and gluten-free flour blends. To help you get a better understanding of about gluten-free. It certainly has become quite the topic as more and more people are being diagnosed with a gluten intolerance. No one in our household needs to follow gluten-free eating however I would bake from this cookbook again.  

The recipes range from cupcakes to muffins, cookies and bars, cakes, desserts, pies, bread and savoury pastries. The layout is functional. Ingredients list and instructions on one page and a recipe photo on the other. The full page food photography is very mouth watering and doesn't scream out gluten-free at all or a lack of taste.            

I bought this book to help me better understand more about gluten free and to be able to offer baking to my friends and share recipes with those whom have inquired to me about gluten free recipes. I made the zucchini bread from this cookbook although I added some cocoa powder to it to make a chocolate zucchini bread. The result... was a bit different however tasty and moist. The cocoa powder I used was not gluten free. I searched and finally had to give up, finding none. I will share the recipe for the zucchini bread from the cookbook, with you. 

                      Here is a picture of the zucchini bread I made with chocolate. 

Zucchini Bread  

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3 cups gluten-free, wheat-free all purpose flour
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking soda
1 teaspoon all spice
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts
2 cups of shredded zucchini

*Note: I omitted the walnuts and all spice and added about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of good quality cocoa powder to the flour. 

1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Grease two 8 1/2 inch loaf pans and line with parchment paper. 
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, baking soda and spices into a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract until a creamy consistency forms. Add the flour mixture, walnuts and zucchini to the bowl and fold in to make a smooth batter. 

4. Divide the batter between the two pans and bake in a preheated oven for 55-60 minutes, until firm to the touch.
5. Let cool in the pans for about 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Let the bread rest on the rack for at least 30 minutes before serving. 

Prep time: 25 minutes     Cooking Time: 1 hour
Per Loaf:  2,430cal/138g fat/ 18g saturated fat/ 235g carbs/ 116g sugar/ 2.9g salt