Red Cabbage

Another favourite thing of mine is red cabbage. Red cabbage is high in Vitamin C, rich in Vitamin A and abundant in Vitamin E. The darker and brighter a vegetable the better. Even though I had found a recipe in one of my many cookbooks, the recipe I used was given to me over the phone. This person was very sure and keen on sharing their recipe with me. You will need: one red cabbage, two apples, two white onions, olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar and salt and pepper to taste.

First you want to finely chop the cabbage, apples and onions. I used Gala apples, you may also use Granny Smith apples for more of a tart flavour. When finished chopping add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large pot. Add a little salt and pepper. Start by putting a layer of red cabbage on the bottom, then follow with a layer of onion and then a layer of apples. Pour a tablespoon or two of red wine vinegar and a tablespoon of sugar, I used brown sugar, over the first set of layers. Repeat until all the cabbage, onion and apples are in the pot.

Your layers should look somewhat like this. With everything in the pot, simmer on medium high heat for an hour or two. Stir occasionally. Not letting it stick to the bottom of the pan. If juices run out add a bit more red wine vinegar. I supposed you could add some red wine to the pot, I did not. If you want the dish to be more sweet add more sugar. It's all personal preference.

When the house smells wonderful and everything has simmered down... remember the crunchy red cabbage and onion and the crisp apples... they have all come together. Stewed down into this yummy dish that is best served warm.

Have it with sausages, chicken or fish. It is a tasty side that will add colour and crunch to your meal.

Egg Salad

I don't know about you but I peel my eggs while they are still hot. I find that every time I let them cool down the eggs do not separate from the shells so graciously. After the eggs have finished boiling, drain the water and then put them back in the empty pot and run cold water over them. Let them sit for a matter of seconds. Smack and roll the boiled egg on a flat surface, an instant tension releaser. All the while listening to the crack and crunch of the shell. Then peel away the shell. With the eggs still being hot your fingers get a bit of a workout. Repeat until all of the egg have their shells removed. With all the shells gone rinse the eggs under cold water and and place in a bowl. With a fork start mashing...

After mashing the eggs add a pinch of salt, pepper, green onion, a tablespoon of mayonnaise and a tablespoon of English salad cream. I absolutely luv salad cream and use it whenever I can. It adds a bit of tanginess and sweetness to your dish. To give a bit of heat or kick to your egg salad add hot sauce or my favourite Dijon mustard.

And when you are done you can dress it however you wish. Lettuce gives more crunch!

- jw

Cooking Ode to Robbie Burns

If you have celebrated Robbie Burns Day you may have chosen one of the above menus... I preferred to celebrate the day by making Bannock.

What a fine plate of Bannock! Enjoyed by all.

And a Whisky Mac with Bannock. Enjoyed by a few.

Gae bring to me a pint o' wine

And fetch it in a silver tassie

That I may drink, before I go,

A service to my bonnie lassie.

- Burns

For Comfort

I acquired this cookbook very inexpensively! The Ultimate Cooking Course and Kitchen Encyclopedia by Hermes House editor Carole Clements is 512 pages thick. It is a very heavy book. Just lifting it gives you a workout! It is broken down into two parts. Part One: The Cook's Kitchen Bible comes with a full Introduction on kitchen know how and the sections are Meat, Pasta & Grains, Vegetables, Eggs, Sauces, Fruit, Breads and Pastry & Cakes... etc. With numbered step by step instructions and colour photos to guide you. The recipes in this section could be more for the experienced cook or someone who is looking to expand their palette. Part Two: American Home Cooking is broken down into more condensed sections. For example: Salads, Vegetables, Eggs and Cheese are one section, Meat and Poultry are another and Pasta, Pizza & Grains are together as well... you get the idea. Still included are the numbered step by step instructions and coloured photos. The recipes here have more to do with comfort food and down home cooking. Cooking for a hectic lifestyle. Overall this is a pretty good cookbook. Lots of recipes worth trying. Some standard and some no so standard. The recipes I have tried are, Rice Pudding, Blueberry-Cinnamon Muffins, Pound Cake, Pancakes and Baked Sausages and Beans with Crispy Topping.

Here is the Baked Sausages and Beans with Crispy Topping, served with a side of rice. I found the recipe fairly straight forward and the ingredients easy. This recipe is from the American Home Cooking part. I did find the dish a bit on the sweet side. It did have 1/4 cup maple syrup and 1/4 cup brown sugar. So fairly sweet I would say. That being said the flavours did come out in this dish. My nine year old reluctantly ate it. He is a creature of habit with his food. If I was to make this dish again, next time I would switch the crushed tomatoes for stewed tomatoes and lessen the sugar. The recipe called for three meats; Sausages, Bacon and Kielbasa. A meat lovers heaven. As always I search for the lowest sodium ingredients that are offered. - JW

Stroganoff

The other day I featured the cookbook With a Jug of Wine by Morrison Wood and as I said I did cook the Stroganoff recipe from the book. Again... rather than beef I used chicken. The ingredients were simple and the recipe easy to follow. The only addition I made was adding paprika. The Stroganoff had subtle flavours and was served with Spaetzle, German egg pasta and steamed carrots. And was paired with a refreshing glass of white Riesling. Would I call on this cookbook again - yes!

my glasses off to you, Morrison Wood! - jw

© photos by Jacqueline Williams

Soup is on!

Yesterday I made soup from left over pork tenderloin stock. While the stock simmered on the stove I chopped my veggies. When done I added the veggies and macaroni, I used elbow macaroni, to the stock and let everything simmer together. After about 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender I removed from heat. Added two dashes of hot sauce and four quick dashes of paprika. stirred and served with two slices of french baguette and grated parmesan cheese on top. Very hearty!

The reason why I added hot sauce and paprika was because the pork tenderloin was cooked with cumin and brown sugar. The stock was sweet in taste so I wanted to cut the sweetness down. The soup was savory, sweet and just a hint of spice. I also felt that the soup could have used a root vegetable like turnip. Turnip would have worked well with the over all flavour of the soup. - jw

Just a Jug or Two

This cookbook I thought would be fun to add to my growing collection. With a Jug of Wine by Morrison Wood; Thirty-first printing, 1971, hardcover. Upon my research I found that the book remains out of print. Even though my copy is the thirty-first printing I am pretty lucky to have it and it must have been a very popular cookbook. Some reviews date Morrison Wood's musing in the kitchen pre Julia Child. The book starts with the discussion of wine, champagne and liqueurs. Then goes from appetizers to desserts with ease. One thing I do luv about this cookbook is that the recipes have easy to obtain ingredients. Most of the ingredients you would find in your pantry. Now I know cooking with wine... with alcohol is not for everyone. You could use cooking wine instead. I really enjoy when authors of cookbooks add stories, commentary... it makes it more personal. Fun to read. On page 63 is a recipe for Iced Chicken and Curry Soup which was a favourite of actress Myrna Loy. Whom was married to one of Woods old friends, Gene Markey. Interesting tidbit. Tomorrow night I am going to put this cookbook to the test and make Beef Stroganoff. I will be substituting the beef for chicken.

And just when you thought With a Jug of Wine couldn't get any better Morrison Wood came out with, More Recipes With a Jug of Wine; Thirteenth printing, 1971, hardcover. This companion has a whole new set of recipes. Similar to, With a Jug of Wine, they range from classic to exotic aka European. His stories and commentary are also present in this edition. I did find out that Morrison Wood did a third book called Through Europe With a Jug of Wine. I do not own a copy of that cookbook. - jw

© photos by Jacqueline Williams.