The Sunset Cocktail

I know it is only mid week however this weekend the forecast is predicting a warm one, so a cocktail maybe in order. This tipple was one that my husband and I created over the weekend; The Sunset is a working title. This cloudy coral shot of Vitamin C reminded me of a lovely Canadian sunset, a beacon blazing and stretching across the evening sky. 

The Sunset Cocktail

------------------------------------------------------------------------

the juice of 1 orange, freshly squeezed and strained

the juice of 2 lemons, freshly squeezed and strained

4 ounces of gin

a glug of simple syrup

a dash of Angostura Bitters 

10 ml of Rose's Cranberry Twist Mix

Place all ingredient into a cocktail shaker with a few ice cubes. Shake and pour into a martini glass. Serve and enjoy!

Hope everyone is having a good week. It has been a busy Spring Break for us so far. - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Easter Dinner

Not the typical Easter dinner however it was a modest holiday feast of sorts. Turkey is traditionally reserved for Christmas and Thanksgiving however I decided to change things up a bit and cook up an Easter dinner from our claimed grocery points, which was a free turkey. Seasoned turkey and creamy mashed potatoes with lashings of gravy, thick mushy peas and homemade cranberry orange sauce. All with the added bonus of leftovers, plenty of leftovers, to be had and made into other delicious dishes this week. 

Hope everyone had a great weekend, we did! - JD    

Food Photo of the Day ~ Violet Rice Krispie Treats

Roses are red, and violets are the colour of our rice krispie treats! Today the kidlets created this Easter inspired treat. They worked together with such organization I was only on hand to supervise and do the clean up. Just by adding a bit of food colouring and some candy sprinkles it completely turned this popular cereal treat around. The colour is a bit more vibrant than the photo shows. Still, they had fun and it is a great way to start off their Spring Break! 

 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Chickpea Veggie Korma

Almost nothing compares to sautéing vegetables, their muted colours burst with vibrancy and flavour. With the added seasoning blend of a Korma that makes these veggies even more irresistible. Whether you create the sauce on your own or use a low-salt ready made one; trying different vegetables like cauliflower and kale adds superfood goodness while also adding texture and taste.  

Hope everyone is having a good week so far. - JD 

Brown Soda Bread with Molasses

I have made soda bread before however thought I would give this recipe a try. It has a slight variation, the addition of molasses. This is a quick no fuss recipe without yeast that gives a more dense and textured bread typical of rural Ireland. This soda bread is so appealing that it is great to serve anytime, with any meal and not just Irish inspired ones. 

Brown Soda Bread with Molasses

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Makes 1 loaf

2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

2 cups whole wheat flour 

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 3/4 cups buttermilk

2 tablespoons molasses

Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Line a baking sheet with a sheet of nonstick parchment paper.

Combine the flours, oats, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl, mixing throughly.

Whisk together the buttermilk and molasses in a large pitcher. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk mixture. Using a fork, stir the liquid, gradually drawing in the flour from around the edge. With floured hands, lightly knead to a soft dough.

Shape the dough into a circle and place on the lined baking sheet. Press flat to about 2 inches thick. Use a sharp knife with a long blade to cut a deep cross in the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 400ºF. Bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until the bottom of the bread sounds hollow when tapped. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool slightly. Serve warm. 

Red Cabbage with Mushrooms, Nuts, & Bacon

Cabbage is an ingredient in Irish cuisine and rightfully so. With the many colours comes different flavours; and this recipe has red cabbage lightly braised with bacon, mushrooms, and hazelnuts. With the prep work aside this dish is not complicated to create and makes for a lovely side dish.

Red Cabbage with Mushrooms, Nuts, & Bacon

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Serves 4

1/2 large red cabbage

2 tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil

6 thin bacon strips, cut into bite-size pieces

1 onion, chopped

2 teaspoons thyme leaves

2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped cremini mushrooms 

1/3 cup toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

grated zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 cup meat stock

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

pat of lightly salted butter

Substitutions: meat stock for a low sodium stock such as chicken or vegetable stock.

Quarter the cabbage lengthwise and discard the tough core in the centre. Slice the leaves widthwise into ribbons.

Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole dish or deep skillet over medium - high heat. Cook the bacon for about 5 minutes, until crisp.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion and thyme, and cook for 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent.

Add the mushrooms and cabbage, and cook for an additional 5 minutes, until starting to soften. 

Stir in the nuts, lemon zest, sea salt, pepper, and sugar, and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Pour in the vinegar and stock, cover, and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until the cabbage is tender.

Check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper if necessary. Stir in the parsley and a pat of butter just before serving.

Porter Cake

This cake is similar to fruit cake. Instead of brandy there is Porter, or stout... like Guinness. Porter cake is dense and rich; perfect for dessert or with a cup of tea. Even a scoop of maple walnut ice cream would compliment nicely.  

Porter Cake

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Makes one 7-inch cake

3 cups mixed currants and golden raisins

1 cup dried unsweetened cherries

3/4 cup finely chopped candied citrus peel

1 1/3 cups stout

2 3/4 all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon all spice

pinch of salt

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten

Mix the currants, golden raisins, cherries, and citrus peel in a large bowl. Add the stout and let soak for at least 5 hours or overnight, stirring occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 325ºF Grease and line and 7 inch square cake pan.

Sift the flour baking powder, spice, and salt into a large bowl.

Cream the butter and sugar in a separate bowl for about 4 minutes, until light and fluffy. Stir in the beaten eggs, a little at a time, adding some of the flour mixture at each addition and beating well. Stir in the remaining flour.

Add the fruit and any liquid to the batter, mixing well to a soft consistency. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, levelling the surface with a wet spatula.

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Reduce the oven temperature to 300ºF and bake for an additional 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let rest in the pan until completely cool.

Invert, wrap in wax paper, and store in an airtight container. 


Notes: I baked the cake in a 9 inch square cake tin because I do not own a 7 inch one.  This is a very heavy, as in weight, cake so when removing from the oven or the tin be prepared to use some caution and muscle! 

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!  

Food Photo of the Day ~ Butter Chicken Pizza

When culinary worlds collide it can be quite tasty. This is my son's representation of deliciousness... Butter Chicken Pizza. This pizza is a lovely departure from the tradiotnal and hinges on what is more reflective of the culinary society today. All you do is replace the tomato sauce with a homemade butter chicken sauce or a low sodium ready made one. Add some cooked diced chicken, veggies, of your choice, mozzarella and some cheddar cheese. It is superb! 

Hope everyone had a great weekend, we did! - JD 

Parisian Martini

The weekend is almost here and with that there is a return of the warm summer weather. This cocktail is smooth, with a bit of a bite. A lovely weekend tipple to compliment any mood. 

Parisian Cocktail

------------------------------------------------------

3 ounces of gin

1 ounce of dry vermouth

1/2 ounce Creme de Cassis

Shake with cracked ice and strain into a chilled martini glass.

Bottoms up! 

Enjoy the weather and have a great weekend everyone! - JD 

Jelly Roll ~ Part 2

I knew my attempt at making another jelly roll would happen sooner than expected and here it is, in all it's rolled up glory. This recipe was by far the better one. With a pliable spongy cake that rolled effortlessly and oozed crimson jam.  


Jelly Roll
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
3 large eggs
1 cup of casters sugar
1/3 cup cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup all purpose flour OR 1 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
icing sugar, for dusting the tea towel and sprinkling on the finished cake 
about 2/3 cup jelly or jam of your choice
1 clean tea towel

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a jelly roll pan (15.5 x 10.5 x 1 inch) with parchment paper or waxed paper or aluminium foil. If using waxed paper or foil grease generously.

Beat the eggs in a bowl with an electric mixer on high speed for 5 minutes or until very thick and lemon coloured. Gradually beat in the sugar. On low speed beat in the water and vanilla. Gradually add the flour, baking powder and salt, just beating until batter is smooth. Pour into the prepared pan, spreading to the corners. 

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Immediately loosen cake from the edges of the pan and turn upside down onto a clean tea towel generously sprinkled with icing sugar. Carefully remove the paper. Trim off stiff edges of cake, if necessary. While the cake is hot, carefully roll cake and towel from narrow end. Cool on wire rack for at least 30 minutes. 

Unroll cake and remove the sugared tea towel. Beat the jam or jelly slightly until soften; spread over cake. Roll up the cake. Sprinkle with icing sugar. 

Just waiting to be sliced. Sweet and definitely worth another try.  


Hope everyone is having a good week so far. - JD 

Roasted Cauliflower with Kale and Brown Mushrooms

This is one of the most simplest dishes and my favourite. Super delicious and healthy. Love those oven roasted veggies.    

Oven Roasted Cauliflower with Kale and Brown Mushrooms

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 head of cauliflower, cored and cut into florets

bunch of Kale, chopped

8 brown mushrooms, thickly sliced

4 scallions (green onions), chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

mixed herbs or seasoning mix (I used a blend of dried crushed chili peppers, sea salt, and dehydrated lime) 

about 4 tablespoons of cold water in a glass  

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Place the cauliflower florets in a large bowl, add cold water and soak for 20 minutes. 

In the meantime wash and chop the kale, set aside. Wash and slice the mushrooms, set aside and chop the scallions and set aside. 

Drain the cauliflower and pat dry. Place in a large, 9 x 13 inch oven proof baking dish. Drizzle with the olive oil. Generously sprinkle with mixed herbs. Toss to coat. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes; turning every 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned. Sprinkling each time with about 2 tablespoons of cold water.

When the first 10 minutes are up, being careful remove the hot dish from the oven and add the chopped kale and sliced mushrooms. Lightly toss to incorporate. Do not worry if the dish is heaping, it will bake down. Sprinkle with cold water and place back into the oven to  roast for another 10 minutes. 

Again, once those 10 minutes are up carefully remove the baking dish from the oven and add the scallions, toss to incorporate. Sprinkle with cold water and place back into the oven and roast for the remaining 10 minutes. 

Serve immediately as a main dish or as a side dish.  

Hope everyone had a good weekend! - JD 

Let Them Eat Kale!

We all know the benefits of eating kale. It is one of the most nutrient dense superfoods hanging out in the produce section at the local grocery store. There is curly kale, red kale, Asian kale and baby kale. Which ever kale you choose it has substantial and positive health benefits. I prefer my kale raw in a salad or lightly sautéed with some garlic and balsamic vinegar. 

This is one of my favourite cookbooks and it offers 75 nutritious recipes that will help you include kale into every meal. The recipes span from... Breakfast to Appetizers, Side Dishes, and Snacks,... of course Salads, Soups, Stews and Chilis, Main Dishes and finally Sauces, Salsas and Spreads. Not all the recipes in the book are vegetarian / vegan. Most ingredients you will already have in your pantry which make these recipes much more accessible. The colour photos are glossy, full page, and up close.  

I wanted to share this recipe form the cookbook as I was quite taken with the eggplant, kale, and chickpea combination. If you can not find dinosaur (dino) kale perhaps try another kale that is available.

 Eggplant, Kale, and Chickpea Tacos with Charmoula Sauce

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Serves 3 to 4.

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 eggplant, unpeeled, chopped into strips (unpeeled)
6 cloves of garlic
1 x 14 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 head dino kale 
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 to 8 corn or flour tortillas
Charmoula sauce 

Instructions:

1. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat.

2. Add the eggplant and use a spatula to toss the egg plant in the oil/butter to evenly coat. Sauté until the eggplant begins turning brown, about 3 minutes.

3. Add the chopped garlic and chickpeas. Continue sautéing, stirring consistently until eggplant is very brown and begins losing its form, about 5 to 8 minutes.

4. Add the chopped Kale and continue sautéing and stirring until kale has softened, about 5 minutes.

5. In a small separate skillet, heat tortillas one or two at a time over medium heat until warm.

6. Add desired amount of veggie mixture to tortillas and drizzle Charmoula sauce on top. 

Cookbook Footnotes: 
"Dino or Dinosaur kale is the same as Lacinato or Tuscan kale. The leaves are long, dark green and resemble dinosaur skin. The flavour is less bitter than other kinds of kale and easier to chew in its raw form."

Charmoula Sauce
--------------------------------------------------
Makes 3/4 cup of sauce

1 cup parsley
1 cup cilantro
1 cup dino kale leaves
6 to 8 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about the juice of 4 lemons) 

Instructions:

1. Add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend/process until a thick paste has formed. You can leave the sauce chunky or blend until completely smooth, depending on your preference.

2. If you don't have a blender or food processor, you can finely chop the first four ingredients and whisk everything together until well combined. 

Cookbook Footnotes:
"Charmoula sauce is a traditional Middle Eastern sauce, typically made with parsley, cilantro, lemon juice, and Middle Eastern spices. It is used to marinate fish and poultry, or serve on top of cooked meat and /or vegetables. All ingredients combined make for a sauce that is not only full of nutrients but also helps cleanse the liver."


I will also include this recipe from the cookbook. A simple flavourful stew packed with spicy goodness and of course, kale!   


Indian Chickpea Stew with Kale

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Serves 6 to 8.

1 tablespoon of olive oil or grapeseed oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 x 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, including juices

2 x 15 ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed

3 cups vegetable broth (low sodium)

1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste 1 bay leaf

8 cups green kale leaves, stems removed, chopped

Brown rice for serving

Instructions:

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, sauté the onion over medium heat until it begins to brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Add all of the ingredients except for the kale and stir to combine. Cover and bring the pot to a boil.

3. Once full boil is reached, lower the heat to medium - low and allow the stew to cook at a gentle boil about 15 minutes.

4. Remove the cover from the pot and add all of the kale. It's okay if the pot is very full at this point; the kale will cook down.

5. Put the cover back on and allow the kale to steam about 30 seconds to 1 minute before stirring it into the stew to incorporate it.

6. Cook and additional 2 minutes, then serve over cooked brown rice. 

Have a good weekend everyone! - JD 

Jelly Roll Cake

This type of cake was on my baking to do list however I felt slightly intimidated by the shear effortless perfection that this cake emits, until yesterday. As first time jelly rolls go this turned out as best as the recipe instructed. My efforts produced an edible cake quickly devoured by all... my son had two slices! However I felt it was not 100%. There are many jelly roll recipes with slight variations therefore I will give it another go with a different recipe. Still, I am pleased with my efforts and surprised at how quickly one can be whipped up.  

Jelly Roll Cake

---------------------------------------------------------------

1 cup sifted cake flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 salt

2 eggs 

3/4 cup white sugar 

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk, preferably 2%

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1 cup strawberry jam or your filling of choice (I used a poppyseed filling) 

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Grease and line a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.

In another large bowl beat the eggs together and sugar with an electric mixer until thick and pale, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and milk. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients. The batter will be thin pour into the prepared jelly roll pan.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until centre springs back when pressed lightly. Do not over bake, it may crack.

Meanwhile generously dust a clean dish towel with confectioners' sugar. Turn the cake out onto the towel, and slowly peel off the parchment paper. Gently roll  up the cake using the towel, and let cool for about 10 minutes. 

Unroll the cake and spread an even coat of jam or your choice of filling, onto the top. Roll the cake back up into a tight spiral, and remove the towel from underneath. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Notes: I followed the recipe as stated, only baking for 8 minutes, and although it turned out and the cake tasted fine, a little bit crumbly, I felt it was not 100%. This was my first time making a jelly roll; so perhaps I haven't got my rolling down.  

Perhaps not rolled tight enough. Still pleased with my efforts and I am determined to perfect my jelly roll making. 

- JD