Cooking - for a new lifestyle (Our Test Kitchen)

Another recipe from C is for Cooking:  Recipes from the Street.  Chloe and I made these for my uncle (Chloe's "Poppy") for a belated Father's Day present.  These are YUMMY!  The only change I made was that I used 1/2 blueberries and 1/2 cranberries.  I have a soft spot for cranberries and so does my uncle, so I thought why not? 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 stick butter, softened 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 3 cups uncooked old fashioned oats 2 cups fresh blueberries 1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line a 13 x9 baking pan with aluminum foil. Lightly grease the foil with nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil. 2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt until well mixed. 3. In a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed, beat together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and butter...

This meal went over so well that Cameron cleaned his plate and Hal actually went back for seconds.  If you know Cameron and Hal you will know that this is nothing short of a miracle. Swedish Meatballs "Kottbullar" (meatballs) is a Swedish dish, traditionally served with boiled potatoes and a "lingonberry sauce", similar to a cranberry sauce.  The spice used here is the berry of a pimiento tree.  It is aptly named "allspice" because it tastes like a combination of spices, mostly cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 1/2 potato, peeled 2 tsp Italian parsley, fresh, minced 1/4 onion, finely chopped 1 large egg 400 g ground beef, lean 1-1/2 tbsp milk, 2% 1/4 tsp allspice powder 1/4 tsp salt ground pepper to taste 2-1/2 tbsp brown sugar 2 tbsp Dijon mustard 2 tsp apple cider 2 tsp canola oil 2 tsp olive oil Peel the potatoes, boil them until very tender, 20-25 minutes.  Drain well, then put them in a bowl and mash. Mince parsley, add half to the bowl of potatoes ...

Supper was delicious tonight -- we both LOVED it . . . and I love trying new recipes.  Can you tell? Lettuce and Tomato Salad 1 tomato 2/3 curly leaf lettuce 2 radishes 1 green onion Salt and pepper Cut the tomatoes into segments and place them in a salad bowl.  Add lettuce leaves.  Finely slice radish and green onion then add them to the bowl.  Pour in 2 tbsp Classic Vinaigrette.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Toss and serve. Pasta with Sausage and Cauliflower ½ onion, coarsely chopped 1-1/4 cups cauliflower, cut into small florets 1/2 tbsp olive oil 2 Italian sausages ¼ dried chilli peppers, minced ¾ cup chicken broth, warm 2 cups penne rigate or other short pasta Salt and pepper 2 tbsp parmesan Keep the serving dishes in the oven at the lowest setting so they are warm when you serve.  Put a colander in the sink to drain the cooked pasta so that it will be ready when needed.  Prepare vegetables.  Heat the oil in a frying pan over m...

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED these recipes and I was sure Hal would too.  Wrong again.  The man likes tomatoes, fruit, rice, curry and he has unwittingly eaten tofu many, many times in Thai food.  But apparently I'm wrong.  He liked the rice and the strawberries . . . sigh . . . well I won't give up!! Tomato Salad with Oregano 2 tomatoes cut into quarters 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Salt & pepper to taste ¾ tsp dried oregano Put all ingredients into a bowl and toss well. Makes 2 servings. Tofu Curry with Fruit ½ onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced ½ apple, peeled and cut into quarters 2 slices canned pineapple, cut into bit-size pieces 1 banana, cut into bite-size pieces 150 g watermelon, cut into bit-size pieces 1 tbsp butter 1 tbsp curry powder ½ cup vegetable broth 220 g firm tofu, cut into 1.5 cm cubes ½ tbsp canola oil ¼ cup cream 15% Salt and pepper to taste Heat half of the butter in a pan over medium heat.   Add the onion and garlic, t...

I just finished reading Julie Powell's adventures in French cooking.  While I saw vague similarities to the movie . . . which I loved . . . I think the movie was more about Julia Child's life (played by the fabulous Meryl Streep) whereas the book is more about Julie Powell (played by Amy Adams in the movie).  I loved her irreverant style of writing.

Believe it or not, I got this recipe from my two-year-old daughter's Sesame Street cookbook, called C is for Cooking:  Recipes from the Street .  What I like about this cookbook over most of the other cookbooks I've seen geared toward kids is that it's not full of junk-food recipes or recipes for food that is "dumbed down" to appeal to kids.  I don't believe in kid food.  If we can eat it, so can she, unless of course it's ultra-spicy, in which case I'd just simply tame hers down.  I don't cook a separate meal for her.  Now, as I step down off my soapbox, I present a cutesy-sounding recipe that was actually very tasty and worthy even of being served to company.  That Grover, he knows what he's talking about. Enjoy!!! :) Grover's Chicken and Couscous with Juice-Juice Makes 4 servings Ingredients: 1 cup orange juice 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 cloves garlic 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast 1 cup low so...

Chloe and I made these for hubby/Daddy this morning for Father's Day, while he had a much-deserved sleep in.  They are a bit labour intensive, but they are worth the work.  They were yummy, especially now that it is strawberry season and we used fresh ones from the farmer's market to make the sauce. Enjoy! :) Basic Crepe Batter: 1 cup milk 1/4 cup cold water 2 eggs 1 cup all-purpose flour Pinch salt 1 tablespoon sugar 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for sauteing the crepes Cheese Filling: 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese 4 ounces cream cheese 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar (I used 5 Tbsp.) 1 tsp. vanilla 1 Tbsp orange zest 1 egg Strawberry sauce (optional); strawberry preserves work well, too 1 quart strawberries hulled, sliced 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup water 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1 orange zest finely grated Directions For the crepes: Combine the milk, water, eggs, flour, salt and sugar in a bowl (or blender) B...

Ingredients: 1/2 cup powdered orange flavored drink mix (like Tang) 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 1/2 cups vanilla baking chips 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Step 2: In a large bowl, with an electric mixer cream 1 sticks (1/2 cup) of softened salted butter or margarine with 1 eggs and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Beat well. Step 3: Gradually add cookie mix, stirring until ingredients are well mixed. Step 4: Roll dough into tablespoon size balls. Place 2 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Step 5: Bake 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly on cookie sheet. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling surface. Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies.  These were awesome!  Especially if you like the combination of orange and vanilla, this will be a winner for you.  Sweet, but oh-so-good!!

Menu: Beet and Green Apple Salad Italian-Style Sausage in a Tomato Sauce Potato Puree Beet Greens Sugared Peaches   Beet and Green Apple Salad 3 beets 1 Granny Smith apple 2 tbsp Classic Vinaigrette (recipe below) salt and pepper to taste Prepare the beets:  boil or steam them about 25-30 minutes.  Let the beets cool down a few minutes, then peel them and dice into 1.5 cm pieces.  Place the pieces in a salad bowl.  Cut the apple into 1.5 cm cubes, without peeling them, but removing the core.  Add the apples to the salad bowl.  Pour in the Classic Vinaigrette, then season with salt and pepper.  Toss well, then serve. Makes 2 servings. Classic Vinaigrette Whisk together 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 3-1/2 tbsp wine vinegar (I used red wine vinegar) and 1 tbsp Dijon mustard. I LOVED THIS SALAD.  HAL DOESN'T LIKE BEETS APPARENTLY.  HE ONLY LIKES BEET RELISH.  FIGURE THAT OUT IF YOU CAN. Italian-Style Sausage in a Tomato Sauce ...

Tonight's Menu: Barley and Lentil Soup Blue Cheese Burgers Lettuce and Tomato Salad Fresh Grapes Barley and Lentil Soup 1/3 cup green-brown lentils, rinsed and drained 1/2 onion, finely chopped 1 carrot, finely chopped 2 cups Swish chard, or spinach, coarsely chopped and packed 1-1/2 cloves garlic, minced (I love garlic so used 2) 1 tbsp olive oil 1/2 tsp ground cumin 2 cups chicken broth 2 cups water 1/3 cup pearl barley 3/4 cup canned tomatoes (diced or chopped) salt and pepper to taste Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onion and sauté 3-4 minutes until soft.  Add the carrots, then sauté 5 minutes with occasional stirring, until they are golden-coloured.  Add the garlic and stir 1 minute, then add the cumin and stir 1 minute.  Pour in the broth, water and barley.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 25 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and lentils.  Continue to simmer, covered, until the lentils and ba...

I made this recipe for Judy's 13th birthday party.  Deb is actually tossing the salad in this photo.  The only change I made to the recipe is that I added the cooked rhubarb into the salad dressing rather than on the salad greens and the greens I used was baby spinach. 4 stalks rhubarb, cut diagonally into thin slices 1/4 cup sugar 2 tbsp red wine vinegar salt and pepper to taste 16-20 spinach leaves 6 tbsp. vegetable oil Place the rhubarb in a wide saucepan.  Sprinkle on the sugar and add enough water to cover by 1".  Place over high heat and bring to a boil.  Cook, uncovered, for exactly 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and pour through a large sieve into a bowl.  Return the liquid to the pan.  Stir in the vinegar, salt and pepper, and place over high heat.  Cook, uncovered, until the mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup.  Meanwhile, divide the spinach among 4 salad plates.  Arrange the rhubarb over the spinach.  When the liquid is re...

2 cups cooked and cooled macaroni 2 ripe tomatoes, chopped 1 green onion, chopped 1/2 green pepper, chopped 1/4 cup cucumber chopped. Mix together. 2/3 cup sugar 1/2 c oil 1/3 cup ketchup 1/4 cup vinegar 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1 tsp paprika Mix together and pour over the macaroni and vegetables

Very nice flavour!! 2 cups beans (frozen, canned or fresh. If fresh, cook until crisp tender) 1/4 cup onion 2 strips of bacon diced, cooked until crisp 2 tbsp of peppers, red, green or yellow 4 tbsp cider vinegar 4 tbsp brown sugar In a small skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove to paper towel. Keeping 2 tbsp of drippings, saute onions. Stir in vinegar and brown sugar, heat thoroughly. Drain beans and place in bowl. Stir in onion mixture. Top with crisp bacon.

Barley is a source of B-complex vitamins and a good source of soluble fibre, the kind that helps to reduce blood cholesterol levels. I thought the salad was okay . .. but not exciting. My fellow testers seemed to feel the same way. 1 cup pearl barley 1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved 2 cups corn kernels, cooked Bring large pot of water to boil; add barley. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 50 minutes or until tender. Drain; chill under cold running water and drain again. Meanwhile, in food processor or blender, puree basil, Parmesan, oil, salt and pepper ; stir in garlic. Toss with barley. add tomatoes and corn; toss again. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Source: CanadianLiving.com