Ingredients

• 1/2 lb boneless sirloin steak (preferably top butt; about 1 inch thick)
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
• 2/3 cup dry white wine

1. Trim excess fat, then thinly slice steak. Toss with flour, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper.
2. Heat 1 1/2 Tbsp oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté steak in 2 or 3 batches until no longer pink on the outside, about 2 minutes per batch, adding 1 1/2 Tbsp more oil as needed. Transfer to a plate.
3. Sauté garlic and rosemary in remaining Tbsp oil over medium-high heat until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine and 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper and boil, scraping up brown bits, until reduced by half. Return beef with juices to skillet and warm through.

This is inspired by Jimmy Buffet's amazing Macaroni and Cheese.

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons butter melted
• 1/2 pound cream cheese melted
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Tony Chachere's Seasoning
• 1/2 pound Cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 cup sliced jalapenos from jar
• 1/2 cup jalapenos juice from jar
• 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 1 pound Perciatel 10-inch macaroni noodles cooked al dente

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan melt butter. Add cream cheese and mix until blended. Add heavy cream and whisk. Add jalapeno juice and whisk. Mix in cheddar, stirring until cheddar is completely melted. Mix in sliced jalapenos. Add salt, Tony Chachere's seasoning and flour. Continue whisking until all ingredients are completely incorporated.
2. Spray loaf pan with pan coating. Layer bottom of a 13 x 9 inch pan with cooked macaroni. Cover with cheddar mixture. Add another layer of pasta and cheddar mixture. Dust top with bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Every year I write a Christmas gift guide on what to get for your husband/boyfriend and all of the significant men in your life over at JordonCooper.com.  It has become quite popular and I encourage you to wander over and check out my holiday gift suggestions.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cans (12 ounces each) of evaporated milk
• 2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of potato soup, undiluted.
• 2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) of chicken soup, undiluted.
• 1 can (11 ounces) white or shoepeg corn, drained
• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 pounds cooked small shrimp, peeled and deveined.
• 2 packages (3 ounces) cream cheese, cubed.

Directions

1. In a small skillet, sauté onion in butter until tender. 
2. In a 5 qt slow cooker, combine the onion mixture, milk, soups, corn, Creole seasoning, and garlic powder.
3. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours.
4. Stir in shrimp and cream cheese.
5. Cook 30 minutes longer or until cream cheese is melted.
6. Stir to blend.

Makes 12 servings.

Ingredients

1. 1 boneless beef sirloin tip roast (about 3 pounds) cut in half.
2. 1/2 cup of water
3. 1 can (4 ounces) diced jalapeno peppers, drained.
4. 1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
5. 12 crusty rolls (5 inches)

Directions

1. Place beef in a 5-qt slow cooker.
2. In a small bowl, combine the water, jalapenos and dressing mix; pour over beef. 
3. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until meat is tender. 
4. Remove beef and shred using two forks. 
5. Skim fat from the cooking juices.
6. Serve beef on buns with juice on the side.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups chopped green onions
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 tablespoons of mayonnaise
• 8 cups (32 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 4 cans (6 ounces each) crabmeat, drained, flaked, and cartilage removed.
• Assorted crackers

Directions

1. In skillet, sauté onions and garlic in butter until tender.  Transfer to a 3 quart slow cooker, add mayonnaise.  Stir in cheese and then cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted, stirring occasionally. 
2. Stir in crab, cover and cook for one hour longer or until heated through.  Serve spread warm with assorted crackers.
3. Reduced fat or fat free mayonnaise is not recommended for this recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 jars of process cheese sauce (8 ounce jars).  I recommend Tex-Mex Cheese Whiz
• 1 (10-3/4 ounce) can of condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained.
• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped, seeded jalapeno peppers
• Assorted fresh vegetables

Directions

1. In a 1-1/2 quart slow cooker, combine the cheese sauce and soup.  
2. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes and or until cheese is melted, stirring occasionally. 
3. Stir in the broccoli, mushrooms, and jalapenos.  
4. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours or until heated through.  Serve with vegetables.   

Makes 5 1/2 cups.

Ingredients

• 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened, plus more for buttering bread
• 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 4 slices whole wheat or sourdough bread
• 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 12 slices Swiss cheese, sliced very thin
• warm beef stock for dipping, if desired

Directions

• Add butter and oil to a medium frying pan.
• Add onions and cook over low-medium heat for 30 minutes. The onions should be a dark brown color.
• Butter each slice of bread. Place buttered side down in a large frying pan
• Add 3 extra thin slices of cheese on each side. (6 slices on each sandwich total).
• Place onions on one side of bread. When the cheese has melted put sandwiches together and take out of the pan.
• Cut in half and serve immediately with a side of hot beef broth if desired.

Ramsey to shut down Melbourne restaurant.

The star of Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares has closed Maze and Maze Grill in Melbourne’s Crown Metropol hotel – a decision that caused surprise among hotel staff.

‘Gordon made the decision without telling the Crown Metropol – people there were shocked,’ says a source. ‘He says the business is not sustainable. It all happened very quickly.’

The foul-mouthed chef, 44, who lives in America with his wife Tana, 37, and their four children, had previously claimed he wanted to ‘f*** off to Australia and retire’, but those plans may now be on ice.

To add to his woes, the star is also facing a £1.1 million court battle in New Zealand after pulling out of a number of charity engagements, ¬citing personal reasons.

Ramsay and his long-term business partner, Tana’s father Chris Hutcheson, have been embroiled in a very public split, with Ramsay accusing him of taking money out of parent company Gordon Ramsay Holdings (GRH). Ramsay has blamed his father-in-law for a financial crisis that has seen the closure of a number of his restaurants around the world.

A GRH spokeswoman said: ‘We have put Maze and Maze Grill into liquidation. Since the recent change in management at GRH, we have been conducting reviews of all of our group operations and concluded the business was not sustainable.’

1. Eat a balanced, varied diet containing healthy ingredients from the four main food groups (visit the American Diabetes Association nutrition page).
2. Bulk up on 100% whole grains for fiber and 5-10 servings per day of richly colored fruits and vegetables.
3. Trim bad fats like saturated and trans and get healthy monounsaturated fats from ingredients like canola oil, salmon or other fatty fish, nuts and avocados.
4. Eat seafood 2-3 times per week.
5. Try meat alternatives like beans and tofu and milk alternatives like soy milk.
6. Pass on adding salt to your food to keep blood pressure in check.
7. Be mindful of serving sizes and the number of calories you consume daily.
8. Limit your intake of alcohol, caffeine and sugar.
9. Strive for 30-60 minutes a day of exercise, and 60-90 minutes of physical activity per day for children (visit the American Diabetes Association fitness page).
10. Minimize stress and get plenty of sleep.

Safeway has 3130 meals that can be prepared in under 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 package (16 ounces) uncooked bowtie pasta
• 4 cups of milk
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) plus 3 tablespoons of butter, divided
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 pound Gouda cheese, shredded
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika or paprika
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions or until almost tender.  Drain pasta, reserving pasta water; keep warm.  Return water to a boil.
2. Bring milk and garlic to a boil in a small saucepan.  Reduce heat; keep warm.  Discard garlic.
3. Melt 1/4 cup butter in large saucepan over medium heat; whisk in flour.  Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly.  Gradually add milk, whisking after each addition.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cook and stir 10 minutes until thickened.  Remove from heat.
4. Add cheese, mustard and paprika to sauce; whisk until melted.  Season with salt and pepper.  Keep warm.
5. Preheat broiler.  Add cauliflower to boiling pasta water.  Cook 3 to 5 minutes or just until tender; drain.  Toss pasta and cauliflower with sauce.  Spoon pasta mixture into 6 to 8 ramekins or 13x9-inch baking dish.
6. Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add panko; stir just until moistened.  Sprinkle panko mixture over pasta mixture.  Broil 2 minutes or until golden brown.

Source: 3 in 1 Vegetarian Cookbook

Sophia Grace is a local Saskatoon company (one of the few things in Saskatoon not ridiculed by Rolling Stone magazine), that makes cool, fabulous and sexy kitchen aprons in a variety of patterns and looks.

Not only do they look good, Sophia Grace is also offering free shipping.  They are a great gift for a favourite foodie, lover of retro styling or anyone who wants to look nice in the kitchen.

You can purchase them locally at

Saskatchewan

• McNally Robinson Booksellers
• Skin Deep
• Alchemy Clothing and Salon
• The Uniform Choice
• Western Development Museum Gift Shop

Manitoba

• McNally Robinson Booksellers

Alberta

• The Tin Box

You can also purchase online at www.sophiagrace.ca

Peas and Thank You is a website and Vegetarian cookbook by Sara Matheny which features innovative recipes that are designed to appeal to the entire family, whether they are vegetarian or not.  Recipes like Tortilla Soup, Chickpea Curry Salad, or vegetarian Italian Wedding Soup.  They all look good.  You can purchase the cookbook via Amazon.com.

Ingredients

• 8 small boneless, skinless single chicken breasts (about 3 oz/90 g each)
• 1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 tablespoon of dark sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon of minced fresh ginger root
• 1 teaspoon of hot Asian chilli paste
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 pound of Asian eggplant or zucchini (about 4), cut lengthwise in 1/4 inch slices
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 8 10 inch whole wheat flour tortillas (or 8 pieces of pita bread)
• 1/3 cup of hoisin sauce
• 2 cups of shredded lettuce
• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Directions

1. Pat chicken dry.  Combine 1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce, honey, sesame oil, ginger, chilli paste, and garlic.  Combine half of sauce with chicken and marinate in refrigerator until ready to cook.
2. Brush remaining marinade on eggplant and onion slices.  Grill eggplant and onions for a few minutes until browned and cooked through.
3. Grill chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side until browned and cooked through but don’t overcook.  Cut vegetables and chicken into 2 inch pieces and toss together.
4. To warm tortillas, wrap in foil and place into a preheated (350 degrees) oven for five to ten minutes (or until warm)
5. To assemble, spread a spoonful of hoisin sauce over the middle of each tortilla.  Place chicken  and vegetable mixture in centre.  Top with lettuce and cilantro.  Fold up bottom, fold up sides and continue to roll up to enclose filling

Nutritional Information

1. Calories per serving | 340
2. Protein | 26g
3. Fat 7g
4. Cholesterol | 53 mg
5. Fibre | 4g
6. Sodium | 444g
7. Potassium 497 mg

Source: The Best of HeartSmart Cooking by Bonnie Stern

Jordon has heart disease.  He just spent several days at Royal University Hospital having blockages cleared and getting the scare of his life.  He is high risk because of his Type II Diabetes  but we haven’t watched his cholesterol like we should have.  Today I wandered out to Indigo! and bought some heart smart cookbooks which I will be trying out more and more around here and of course posting some recipes to The Cooking Blog in the new Heart Smart category.  I’ll also be adding this logo to the recipe along with the source.

It’s been posted at The Google Blog by the Charlie Ayers, former executive chef for Google.  Since it used Google sized portions, here is a recipe portion convertor to convert it.

As a recent study says

A healthy diet is expensive and could make it difficult for Americans to meet new U.S. nutritional guidelines, according to a study published Thursday that says the government should do more to help consumers eat healthier.

A 2010 update of what used to be known as the food pyramid called on Americans to eat more foods containing potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin D and calcium. But if they did that, the journal Health Affairs said, they would add hundreds more dollars to their annual grocery bill.

Inexpensive ways to add these nutrients to a person's diet include potatoes and beans for potassium and dietary fiber. But the study found introducing more potassium in a diet is likely to add $380 per year to the average consumer's food costs, said lead researcher Pablo Monsivais, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and the School of Public Health at the University of Washington.

"We know more than ever about the science of nutrition, and yet we have not yet been able to move the needle on healthful eating," he said. The government should provide help for meeting the nutritional guidelines in an affordable way.

Ingredients

1. 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1 egg
3. 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
4. 1/4 cup granulated sugar
5. 1 teaspoon baking powder
6. 1 teaspoon baking soda
7. 1/4 cup cooking oil
8. 1 pinch salt

Directions

1. Preheat a skillet over medium heat.
2. Mix all of the ingredients til combined.
3. Melt a little bit of butter in the pan.
4. Pour the batter by spoonfuls into the hot pan, forming 5-inch circles.
5. When the edges appear to harden, flip the pancakes.
6. They should be golden brown.
7. Cook the pancakes on the other side until they are also golden brown.

This isn’t good

It used to be that people who just couldn't break the plastic habit to go plastic-freecould at least rely on certain types of plastics, usually those labeled #2, #4, or #5 in the triangle of arrows on the bottom, because those plastics weren't made using bisphenol A or phthalates, the two chemicals in plastic that are known to interfere with the way your body produces and handles estrogen. But a new study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives concludes that there really are no "safe" plastics, thanks to all the chemicals, additives, and processing aids that go into making plastic products. In a test of nearly 500 chemical containers, the authors discovered that nearly all exhibited some kind of estrogenic activity.

What does this mean?  Well first of all you need to stop using plastic containers in microwaves.

• Revamp your food storage. Glass, ceramic, and stainless steel are great food-storage materials that can go from stove to fridge to freezer easily.

• Buy less processed food. Most processed foods in the grocery store come in some form of plastic packaging. Buying fresh vegetables and ingredients in bulk (which you can package in your own plastic-free containers) will help you avoid most of it.

• BYO… You may already carry a reusable mug and reusable shopping bags to eliminate some plastics, but take the next step and start carrying reusable produce bags, too, when you shop. Like other forms of plastic, those flimsy plastic produce bags can leach hormone-disrupting chemicals into your berries and broccoli, and they're hard to recycle once they're contaminated with food. You can find regular and organic cotton produce bags online at Ecobags.com.

via

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Ingredients

• 1/3 cup of Tequila
• 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper
• 2 of cloves garlic

Directions

1. Combine the tequila, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, and garlic in a blender; blend until smooth. Place the steak on a plate; pour marinade over the steak. Place in refrigerator at least 8 hours or overnight.

Selected steak recipes from the archives and from around the web

1. Grilled Steak and Blue Cheese Sandwich Recipe
2. Pub Steak Recipe
3. Steak Marinade Recipe
4. Steak Sandwich Recipe
5. Make your own A-1 Steak Sauce
6. Steakhouse-Style Grilled Marinated Flank Steak
7. Dirty Steak | Dwight Eisenhower wasn't the first or only cook to grill steaks directly on hot coals, but he was the most famous one to do it. One of many stories about Ike in the Eisenhower Library archives relates that he liked three-inch beef strip steaks—also called New York strip, shell steak, or Kansas City strip—completely covered with salt and pepper, then placed directly on white-hot coals for a rare, charry-crusted steak that can be addictive.
8. Garlic-and-Chili-Rubbed Steaks
9. Tequila Steak Marinade
10. Beer Steak Marinade

Tips and Guides

• How long should you be grilling your steak
• Weber Barbecue’s Steak Boot Camp booklet
• How to make an Oscar Award winning steak
• Jaccard 48 Blade Meat Tenderizer
• How to grill the perfect steak
• How to Turn a $5 steak into a $50 steak
• Tips for Grilling Meat

For those of you are so inclined to barbecue this summer, check out this free booklet (PDF) from 2006 from Weber Barbecue called Steak Boot Camp.

For 15 years, Weber has surveyed consumers across the country to find out what America loves to grill. What tops the list? Steak. Sure, burgers, hot dogs, and brats are all delicious on the grill, but nothing makes a griller’s heart palpitate like a big, juicy, perfectly cooked steak.

A good steak is one of life’s simple pleasures, but grilling it to perfection takes a little knowledge and skill. But once you’ve got it down, you’ll be able to grill steaks every bit as good as what you’d get at a high-priced steak joint. Just follow these tips and techniques and you’ll be large and in charge in no time when it comes to steak.

A lot of people love our Caesar Salad.  This is Jordon’s recipe and is really quite simple.  The one thing you do need is really fresh ingredients.

• 1 cup of vegetable oil
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice

Blend together until creamy.  If dressing doesn’t thick and creamy, it means your ingredients aren’t fresh and you don’t want to use it.

Before I make the dressing, I cook up some tender bacon, chop of the romaine lettuce, and toss on some croutons and I am set.

Ingredients

• 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• 4 medium carrots, cut lengthwise in quarters, then thinly sliced
• About 3 1/2 cans fat free chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 package (10 oz.) frozen peas.
• 3/4 cup small bow-tie pasta, cooked as label directs.
• 3 tablespoons chopped dill
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black better

Directions

1. With vegetable peeler or small knife, remove 3” by 1” strip peel from lemon; squeeze 1 tablespoon juice.
2. In nonstick 5- to 6-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot.  Add shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 2 minutes.  Add carrots, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender-crisp, 5 minutes.
3. Add broth, lemon peel, and water to saucepot; heat to boiling over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat to low'; cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Remove cover; stir in frozen peas and cook one minute longer.  Stir in cooked pasta, dill, pepper, and lemon juice; heat through.

Source: Soups & Stews by Good Housekeeping

According to Robyn O’Brien in this much see video from TEDxAustin, it’s not.

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Over at Serious Eats they decided to improve the Big Mac. If you are a fan of hamburgers, this is a post worth checking out.

Ingredients

• 2 porterhouse steaks, 1 pound each
• Kosher salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon shallot, minced
• Freshly ground white pepper
• Half a fresh lemon
• Oil

Directions

1. At least 6 hours before and up to the day before you plan to cook the steaks place them on a cooling rack set over a tray with edges. You want to catch the drips.
2. Season both sides of the steaks with salt. Put them back into the fridge uncovered until an hour before you want to cook them.
3. Allow the butter to soften at room temperature. Meanwhile place the garlic, shallot and parsley into a mortar. Using the pestle bruise, crush, and pulverize the aromatics until they are mushy.
4. Place the butter into a small mixing bowl and smear it around with a rubber spatula. Add the aromatics, a few drops of lemon juice, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of white pepper. Blend the butter until it is one shade of green with no streaks. You can either refrigerate the butter as is or you can roll it up in parchment pepper, then foil and twist the ends to form a round log. The foil allows the ends to stay sealed. 
5. When your are ready to cook the steaks, season both sides with fresh ground black pepper. Place a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot — you don't want it too hot but you want it to start searing right away -- add the steak.  Cook the steak on both sides until it is very brown and caramelized. Remove the steak from the pan when it has reached one temperature below where you like. If you want it cooked medium then cook the steak to medium rare and so on. Remove the steak to a sheet tray. 
6. Cook the second steak in the same fashion. Both steaks can be cooked up to an hour in advance and left to sit at room temperature. Do not refrigerate them. 
7. In your oven place the top rack so it is about 8 to 10 inches from the broiler. Heat the broiler. Using a filet knife cut the meat from each side of the bone then slice the meat into smaller bit size pieces. Re-assemble the steaks on the sheet tray. Smear each steak with some softened maitre d'butter then place a small glob on each steak. Place the steaks under the broiler just long enough to melt the butter and heat the steaks through. Serve.

From Macleans

Not only are investors speculating on land, they believe they can make a profit leasing the acreages to farmers while they wait for the right time to sell. Investors in Saskatchewan are charging rent equal to seven per cent of a property’s worth, said Johnston. That would mean a farmer pays around $70,000 upfront in rent, per year, for an average-sized 2,000-acre farm from Agcapita. The number could climb with farm prices, which are already rising. According to Statistics Canada, the price of Alberta farmland almost doubled between 2000 and 2009. According to Marvin Painter, a business professor at the University of Saskatchewan, the dividend yield from the rent and the predicted capital gain from a future land sale works out to be only slightly below what a blue-chip stock would reap.

“It’s a forever asset that produces income,” said Brad Farquhar, co-founder of Assiniboia Capital Corporation, which controls more than 110,000 acres, worth about $55 million, in Saskatchewan. They began raising money for their venture in 2007, both from big clients and smaller investors—half of their approximately 500 investors put in less than $10,000, he said. To ensure they are buying land that can generate rental income, the company assesses the productivity of a farm, and therefore the worth of the land, by examining soil quality, past yields and rainfall. “The last thing you want to do is buy land where the nutrients have been extracted by the last farmer,” he said. They only rent to farmers who “farm well,” and agrologists go out every year to inspect the land. The company hopes to assemble a large farmland portfolio that might be of interest to big-league investors. “Maybe Canada Pension Plan takes an interest in farming,” he said.

This recipe is inspired by Randall Friesen’s St. Patrick’s Day post about Leek and Potato soup.  You can see the photos here.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 (white & light green parts only) leeks, thinly sliced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 large potatoes, peeled & chopped
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 thick slices bacon
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Directions

1. In Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat; sauté leeks, celery, carrot, salt, thyme and pepper until softened, about 8 minutes.
2. Add potatoes, stock and 3 cups water; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly.
3. Meanwhile, in skillet, fry bacon until crisp; drain on paper towels then crumble.
4. In batches in blender, puree soup until smooth; strain into clean pot and reheat gently. Sprinkle each serving with bacon, cheese and parsley.

Randall linked to some delicious looking potato scones that his wife Lauralea posted.  Check them out as well.

Update: Jordon wasn’t fond of the parsley.

This was a really mediocre recipe as listed.  I’ll post the original recipe and then post an improved version.

Ingredients

• 5 cups water
• 2 packages of (3 ounces each) chicken flavour or oriental flavour ramen noodle soup mix.
• 6 ounces of snow peas (about 2 cups)
• 2 green onions
• 1 large carrot
• 1 pound skinless, boneless, chicken breast
• 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

Directions

1. In a 4 quart saucepan, heat water with seasoning packets from ramen soup mix to boiling over high heat.  Meanwhile, remove strings from snow peas and cut each diagonally in half.  Slice green onions and shred carrot.  Cut chicken into 3/4 pieces.  Break ramen noodle block into 2 layers.
2. When water mixture boils, a snow peas, green onions, carrot, chicken an noodles.  Cook 3 to 5 minutes over high heat or until chicken just loses it’s pink color, throughout.  Remove saucepan from heat.  Stir in sesame oil.

Note: We all found the recipe really bland and it’s because it uses 5 cups of water instead of a combination of soup stock and water.  I would suggest going with 2 1/2 cups of beef soup stock and 2 1/2 cups of water.

Sources: Good Housekeeping: Budget Dinners

Ingredients

• 12 ounces linguine or fettuccine
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground chicken breast
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 medium stalks celery, chopped
• 1 large (10 to 12 ounce) onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed with press
• 1 can (28 ounce) crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat milk (1% or 2%)
• 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped (optional)

Directions

1. Heat large covered saucepot of salted water to boiling over high heat.  Add pasta and cook as label directs.
2. Meanwhile, in 12-inch non stick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil on medium 1 minute.   Add ground chicken to skillet; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Cook chicken 8 to 9 minutes, or until it is no longer pink, stirring occasionally.  Transfer chicken along with any juices in skillet to medium bowl.
3. To same skillet, add remaining 2 teaspoons of oil with carrots, celery, onion, and garlic; cook 10 to 12 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned and tender, stirring occasionally.  Stir in tomatoes, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper; heat to boiling.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in cooked chicken and milk, heat through.
4. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta cooking water.  Drain pasta and return to saucepot; stir in sauce from skillet, Parmesan, parsley, if using and reserved cooking water.  Toss to coat.

Source: Good Housekeeping: Budget Dinners

Ingredients

• 6 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 1/2 teaspoons curry powder, divided
• 1 teaspoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup chopped apple
• 1/2 cup sliced carrot
• 1/3 sliced celery
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2  cans (about 14 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 4 ounces uncooked rotini pasta
• Plain yogurt

Directions

1. Coat chicken with 3 teaspoons of curry powder.  Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat.  Add chicken; cook and stir for 3 minutes or until cooked through.  Remove from pan; keep warm.
2. Add apple, carrot, celery, remaining 1/2 teaspoon curry powder and cloves to same saucepan; cook five minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add broth and orange juice.  Bring to a boil over high heat.
3. Reduce heat to low.  Add pasta, cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.  Stir in chicken.  Top each serving with a dollop of yogurt, if desired.

I made this a couple of weeks ago and Jordon and the boys were not that crazy with it.  I think the orange juice made it too sweet and if I make it again, I will go with more broth and no orange juice.

Source: The Soup Bible

Over at Serious Eats, they ordered and explored the items on the In-N-Out Burger secret menu.  You’ll also want to make sure you check out the slideshow.

Check out the recipe at Serious Eats.

Jordon doesn’t like spaghetti.  He had it too much as a kid and doesn’t enjoy it any longer.  If forced to, he’ll eat it but it’s not his favourite.  While in Winnipeg recently, he ate at the Old Spaghetti Factory at The Forks.  He was quite surprised to see a clam sauce offered instead of a traditional spaghetti sauce and after ordering it, fell in love with it.  I think you will as well.

Ingredients

• 3 ounces butter
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 3 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 (6 ounce) cans clams, chopped
• 1 quart half-and-half
• 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Combine butter, garlic, onion and celery in a saucepan.
2. Braise over medium-low heat until tender but not brown.
3. Add the flour, and mix to make a roux.
4. Drain clams, reserving juice.
5. In a separate saucepan, combine clam juice, half-and-half, thyme and salt.
6. Heat until just below boiling.
7. Add to roux, and cook until sauce thickens.
8. Add clams, stirring gently to mix through out the sauce.
9. Serve over noodles.

Jordon and Mark were watching Man vs. Food the other night and I was called into the living room to watch the segment on the Burger from Hell from the Coyote Bluff Grill.



After looking around, I found this recipe can be found over at Foodista.
Ingredients

• 2 pounds 80/20 Ground Chuck
• 4 Jalapeno Chiles
• 2 Serano Chiles
• 1 Habanero Chile
• 1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 cup Yellow Ballpark Mustard
• 1 1/2 Tbls. Cayenne Pepper
• 5 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
• 2 tablespoons Chopped Cilantro
• 8 Slices Orange Cheddar Cheese
• Shredded Lettuce
• Sliced Red Onion
• 4 Brioche Buns
• Mayonaise
• Salt and Black Pepper

Directions

• Split Chuck into 4 equal portions and shape into patties about 3/4 of an inch thick. Season with salt and pepper and let sit in the fridge for 1 hour.
• Combine Chiles and red wine vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to a light boil. Place chile mixture in food procesor and run until smooth. Mix the Vinegar sauce with Mustard and Chili Powder in a metal bowl and place in fridge.
• In a small saucepan, combine butter, cayenne pepper, and cilantro. Stir over low heat until butter is melted and everything is incorporated. Set aside
• Heat Nonstick Griddle over low heat and cook the burgers to desired doneness brushing with cayenne butter. Just before done, add 2 slices of cheese to each burger and cover with a metal bowl to melt.
• Spread mayonnaise on bottom buns, top with the burger, then mustard sauce, red onion, lettuce and the top bun.

This favorite recipe comes from Best of the Best: One Dish.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons of hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon of peanut or vegetable oil
• 1 pound sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 8 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced
• 1 cup baby corn
• 8 ounces asparagus (8 to 10 medium spears), cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup sugar snap peas or snow peas
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper strips
• 1/2 cup cherry tomato halves (optional)

Directions

1. Whisk together water, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and cornstarch in small bowl; set aside.
2. Heat peanut oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.  Add beef, cook and stir 5 or 6 minutes or until still slightly pink.  Remove beef to plate with slotted spoon.
3. Add sesame oil, mushrooms and baby corn to skillet, cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and corn is heated through.  Add asparagus, snap peas and peppers; cook and stir 1 minute or until crisp tender.
4. Return beef with any juices to skillet.  Stir reserved soy sauce mixture and add to skillet, add tomatoes, if desired.  Cook and stir 1 minute or until heated through and sauce thickens.

Makes 4 servings.

Jason Kottke thinks he may have it.

Legend has it this is the original recipe from the Anchor Bar (aka the birthplace for Buffalo wings), clipped out of a Buffalo newspaper by Meg's mother in the 70s and copied out longhand in Meg's recipe notebook.

You can try it here.

Ingredients

• 1 package of English muffins
• 1 cup of black olives, chopped
• 1/2  cup of Green onions, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup of Sharp cheddar cheese, Grated
• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of Curry powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Split muffins and lay in a single layer on baking sheet. Mix remaining ingredients and spread on muffin halves. Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes until spread is hot and bubbly. Cut each half into fourth or sixths and serve.
     

Ingredients

• Cooking Oil
• 1 envelope Onion Soup Mix
• 1 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2  cup of your favourite beer
• 1  tablespoon prepared mustard
• Use any of the following to equal 4 to 5 cups--broccoli florets, cauliflowerets, sliced mushrooms, sliced zucchini or chilled spears of mozzarella cheese.

Directions

1. In deep fat fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees F. Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat golden onion recipe soup mix, flour, baking powder, eggs, mustard and beer until smooth and well blended. Let batter stand 10 minutes. Dip vegetables into batter, then carefully drop into hot oil.
2. Fry, turning once, until golden brown; drain on paper towels. Serve warm.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium eggs
• 1 ½ cups of half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon of butter, melted
• 1 ½ cup of lobster meat, coarsely chopped
• ¾ cup of Swiss cheese, grated
• ¾ cup of Cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 small onion
• 1 clove of garlic.
• ¼ teaspoon of dry mustard
• ½ teaspoon of tarragon
• 1 teaspoon of parsley
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 packet of prepared pie crusts.

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Finely chop the onion and sauté in a little butter. Once onion is almost clear, crush the garlic and stir in; then remove from heat.
3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs thoroughly.  Add the half-and-half and beat again.
4. Stir in the lobster meat, Swiss cheese and Cheddar cheese. Add the onion and garlic, dry mustard, herbs, salt and pepper to the lobster mixture and combine thoroughly.
5. Pour into a pie crust that is lining a 9-inch quiche pan.  Bake for 45 minutes or until the quiche is set.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing

Wolfgang Puck is famous for a lot of great food, but if you had to choose the one item for which he would be most well known, it would be his pizzas.  This is his signature pizza dough recipe.

Once you have the dough made, check out his recipes for spicy chicken pizza, and pizza with smoked salmon and caviar.

Update: Fixed the broken link to the spicy chicken pizza.

Margy at Powell River Books has posted a great looking Mushroom and Crab Casserole Recipe that I need to try out.  It looks fantastic.  BTW, if you have some time, check out her blog which is about life on a floating cabin on the Powell River in British Columbia.

This comes from a cookbook that belongs to my son Mark and is based on the movie Ratatouille.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 salt
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Put all the ingredients in a blender in the order listed and blend until smooth.  Remove the lid and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula.  Briefly blend the mixture again.  Set the covered blender in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or even overnight.
2. When it is time to cook the crepes, use a paper town to spread about 1 teaspoon of butter or vegetable oil in the bottom of a 8 or 9 inch shallow frying pan and place over medium heat. Blend the batter again to smooth in.
3. For the first crepe, pour 1/4 to 1/3 cup of batter into a measuring cup to gauge how much to use.  For the rest of the crepes, pour approximately that much batter right from the blender.  Cook each crepe.
4. Pour the batter into your heated pan, well to one side.  Immediately tilt and swirl the pan to evenly coat the bottom.  This should take about 5 seconds.
5. Cook the crepe on the first side for about 45 seconds, the quickly  flip it with a spatula and cool the other side for about half as long.
6. Swiftly invert the pan so the cooked crepe will fall into a large plate.  Rub a little butter or cooking spray on the pan before cooking the next crepe.

The cookbook has been a favourite of Mark’s for years and was a great introduction of him to cooking with a minimum of intervention and help from me.  If you can find a used copy and have younger kids, I would pick up a copy.

Jordon was complaining about my Quesadillas being soggy the other day and he had a good point.  I looked around and saw how to make them crispy.  Several other sites said that I can get a similar effect by baking them in the over and brushing them down with oil and baking them at 450 degrees F. until they are slightly brown.

I had never heard of potato borscht until earlier this year when a friend told me about it.  Instead of beets it uses potatoes and is a Russian favourite.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 head cabbage, shredded
• 1 quart. water
• 4 or 5 potatoes, diced
• 4 or 5 carrots, sliced
• 1 quart. water
• 1 pint. sour cream
• 2 teaspoon. dried dill weed
• Salt & fresh ground pepper

Directions

1. Slice onion and shred cabbage. In a large cooking pot, cook onion and cabbage until tender in 1 quart water. Salt and pepper as desired.
2. In another pot, cook carrots and potatoes in 1 quart salted and peppered water. When tender, drain this cooking water into the cabbage/onion pot.
3. Mash potatoes and carrots with sour cream and dill weed. Add sour cream mixture to cabbage/onion broth slowly, stirring well. Correct seasonings to taste.

Over at Serious Eats, Kenji Lopez-Alt shows how you can cut your onion caramelization time from 45 minutes to about 15 or 20 minutes.

Before we can figure out how to improve our end results, it's important to understand exactly what's going on when an onion browns. First, the onions begin by sweating. As they slowly heat up, moisture from their interior (they are roughly 75% water by weight) begins to evaporate, forcing its way out of the onion's cells, and causing them to rupture in the process. This breakdown of the cells is what causes onions to soften during the initial stages of cooking.

Of course the end result of all of this is an onion dip recipe that you can be proud to serve on Super Bowl Sunday.

via

A gentleman’s agreement between him and a friend kept him out of Ontario.

They crossed the line and put a restaurant in Calgary, so the agreement went dead. They broke the line first, so we felt we could come into the East. And they’re friends of mine. But there wasn’t really anything stopping us before. [When the agreement was made] it was sort of an over-two-cocktails decision.

Now, I think we’ll be moving into other markets like Ottawa and London. I hope within the next two years we’re going to try something in Quebec too because Quebec is a very good market.

While I like how our kitchen at the lake has come together, you may not be thrilled with yours and if you are working in a small space, check out this list of ideas from Apartment Therapy.

From the Globe and Mail

As the wine flows, it undergoes turbulence, accelerating its contact with air. Oxygen can enhance a wine’s aroma and also, especially in the case of reds, soften astringent tannins. The wine will taste more complex and smoother. Even young bottles can benefit, especially those sealed under screw cap. If you don’t own an aerator… you can accomplish much the same effect with a decanter or any pitcher. Empty the bottle into the vessel, then pour it from the decanter into glasses. Or, if you don’t have a decanter, swirl the wine in your glass.

While you are at it, you may as well learn how to taste wine properly.

I have been working on the right pizza dough recipe for years and a couple of years ago I adapted a recipes from Better Crocker’s 40th Anniversary Cookbook that is for traditional white bread.  After tinkering with it for several months, the family declared that I had found the right combination.  

Ingredients

• 6-7 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 2 packages regular or quick-acting active dry yeast
• 2 1/4 cups very warm water (120 to 130 degrees F.)

Directions

1. Mix 3 1/2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt, shortening and yeast in a  large bowl.  Add warm water.  Beat on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently.  Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently.  Stir in remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, making dough easy to handle.
2. Knead for 5 minutes. 
3. Place tablespoon of cooking oil in bottom of large bowl.  Place dough in and flip over.  Let rise for 1 hour.
4. After an hour, punch down, divide into three equal parts and roll out for pizza dough.
5. Dough will make three pizzas (depending on how thick you want your crust.
6. Sprinkle teaspoon of corn meal in on pizza pan before putting dough on pizza stone or pizza pan.
7. Place pizza sauce, desired toppings, and cheese.
8. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. (and if using pizza stone, preheat stone)  Cook for 10-12 minutes, depending on thickness of dough and toppings.

Jordon absolutely hated scalloped potatoes for most of his life until he was forced to eat some made by the cooks of the Salvation Army Community Services (where he works) and has come to enjoy them. 

Ingredients

• 8 ounces of softened cream cheese
• 1/2 cup of sour cream
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 lb. red potatoes (about 9), thinly sliced
• 6 ounces of smoked ham, chopped
• 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder to taste.

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Mix cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder, and broth in large bowl until well blended.  Add potatoes, ham, 1 3/4 cups Cheddar and peas; stir gently to evenly coat all ingredients.
3. Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining Cheddar.
4. Bake 1 hour or until casserole is heated through and potatoes are tender.

Makes 15 servings

by Chef Mollie Ahlstrand and found in The Oprah Magazine Cookbook.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil.
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 pound button or wild mushrooms (such as porcini, cremini, shiitake) with stems removed, chopped)
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/2 tsp. salt.
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 24 small (1/2 in thick) slices of country-style bread (preferably ciabatta) toasted.
• 1 pound fresh salted buffalo mozzarella, cut into 24 slices.
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley

Directions

1. Preheat over to 375 degrees.  In a 12-inch non-stick skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Sauté garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add chopped mushrooms and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes.  Pour in wine; increase heat to high and cook, stirring, until liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes.  Mix in salt and pepper.
2. Arrange break on a large country-style bread baking sheet.  Top each piece with a slice of mozzarella.  Bake 5 to 7 minutes, until cheese is melted.
3. Top crostini with mushroom mixture; sprinkle with parsley.  Serve warm.

Makes six servings.

Check out the list from Apartment Therapy.

Ingredients

• 14 oz. fresh chow mein noodles
• 1/4 cup oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. sesame oil
• 8 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. grated gingerroot
• 4 cups chopped broccoli
• 4 oz snow peas, trimmed
• 1 sweet yellow pepper, cut into matchstick-size strips
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 1 green onion, sliced

Directions

1. In large saucepan of boiling water, cook noodles until tender, about 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain well and set aside in colander.
2. Meanwhile, in bowl, whisk together oyster sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil. Thinly slice chicken crosswise; add to bowl, tossing to coat.
3. In large wok or skillet, heat 1 tbsp. of the vegetable oil over high heat; stir-fry chicken mixture for 2 minutes. Transfer to plate.
4. Add remaining oil to pan; reduce heat to medium. Add onion, garlic and ginger; stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add broccoli, snow peas, yellow pepper and 2 tbsp. (25 mL) water; cover and steam for 3 minutes. Add noodles and stock; stir-fry until hot. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pan; add bean sprouts and toss to combine. Serve sprinkled with green onion.

We had some friends over last night for New Year’s Eve and here was some of the food.  The dip in the bottom left corner of the photo is from the Freeway Coffee in Hamilton.  Click here for the recipe.

To start of the New Year and the launch of the Oprah Winfrey Network (although it won’t launch in Canada until March 1st), here is a recipe from The Oprah Magazine Cookbook.

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise 
• 2 tsp. Tarragon (or Dijon) mustard
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1 shot shallot, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. capers
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Bring a medium saucepan filled three quarter with water to a boil.  Add eggs and cook 9 minutes (center of yolk will be slightly creamy).  Carefully pour off hot water and rinse eggs with cold running water to cool.  Peel eggs and roughly chop.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper, Add remaining ingredients.  Gently fold in eggs.