Orzo Stuffed Tomatoes

The time is ripe for tomatoes - perfectly hot weather for the whole month of July, lovely and dry so the tomatoes get extra sweet, this is a stunning way to serve a salad at your next entertaining opportunity. They can even be assembled a day ahead, so no last minute running around. Love it!

I find I am leaning toward more prep-friendly meals. With my three crazy kids, one crazy wiener dog with a short-dog syndrome, a part-time job and a husband that travels for work, life gets kinda busy, and easy is what I crave. Easy but delicious. Delicious and sometimes even on the healthy side. Only sometimes :)

These really are a big serving for one person. You could search for those Campari tomatoes, I bet they would look adorable on a buffet, filled with orzo, feta and basil.

Stuffed Tomatoes
Makes 8

8 tomatoes (I used hot house because they are always perfect in colour and shape), tops cut off and middles scraped out

1/2 cup dry orzo, cooked in salted boiling water until al dente, and drained
1 green onion, chopped
4 large basil leaves, chopped
50g feta cheese crumbled (keep a little left for garnishing the tops)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts (optional)
1/4 red pepper, chopped fine
juice from 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt & pepper to taste

When your tomatoes are scooped out, sprinkle the insides with a little salt and turn them upside down on a paper towel lined baking sheet so the juices drain right out. Leave them there until your salad is ready.

Place cooked and cooled orzo in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Season well.
Divide salad between tomatoes, top with a little crumbled feta cheese and a small fresh sprig of basil.

Enjoy!

Ham & Cheese Waffles

I tried the Rachael Ray waffle method of putting brownie batter into my waffle iron - no luck! The entire mess completely stuck to my non-stick waffle iron. Yes, I know, nothing is meant to stick to a non-stick surface, but I guarantee you, I was scraping that muck off my waffle iron for hours. Never again, as delicious as that sounded.

When I came across this recipe from Bon Appetit (in the March 2012 edition), I literally could not wait to to try it. Perfect for brunch, perfect for lunch and even perfect for dinner. Perfect for breakfast too! They are so delicious, they will be making their way onto my plate sometime soon...and yes, I am still using up that leftover ham from my last post.

These waffles are surprisingly light and crisp and the ham and the cheddar is baked right in the batter, so every bite is filled with the sharp and salty flavours of cheddar and ham. Of course, I added more cheese and more ham to mine.

Ham & Cheese Waffles
Makes 6 (their recipe says 12, but I must have a bigger iron)

1 3/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large egg whites
3 large egg yolks
1 cup (2 sticks) melted butter
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup soda water
Non-stick vegetable oil spray
1 cup thinly-cut strips of ham
3/4 cup shredded sharp white cheddar
Maple syrup

Preheat oven to 300°. Heat waffle iron until very hot. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites in a medium bowl until medium-soft peaks form. Whisk egg yolks, melted butter, buttermilk, and soda water in a medium bowl; gradually whisk into dry ingredients. Fold in egg whites.

Coat waffle iron with non-stick vegetable oil spray. Pour batter onto iron, spreading it into corners (amount of batter needed will vary according to machine). Scatter 1 rounded Tbsp. ham and 1 Tbsp. white cheddar over each waffle. Cook until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a baking sheet; keep waffles warm in oven between batches. Serve with butter and warm maple syrup.

Enjoy!

Cauliflower Leek & Ham Pot Pie

It's kind of weather for pot pie, but verging on not. Part of me wishes it was cold enough to enjoy a steaming hot pot pie, but the other part is longing for the warm sunny days of Summer to continue. Actually, all of me is waiting (not very patiently) for the sunny days of Summer to return.

Cauliflowers are in all the grocery stores right now, albeit not locally grown yet, they are all beautiful and large and white. I also saw leeks today as well so they hit my basket rather quickly too. Ham, I already had, yes, in my freezer left over from a baked ham dinner earlier in the year. I hate leftovers, I don't know why. Maybe it's because I grew up on lots of them, and this is my way of rebelling - HA to you, mum and dad! But, my husband has challenged me to clear out the freezer, instead of just buying more food. So, this is one way. Plus, I absolutely hate throwing away good food. There's no reason for it, if you buy it (or grow it) you should not waste it - simple.

That being said, I throw out my fair share of food. I try so hard not to, I shop every other day so I am not stockpiling, but inevitably something finds it's way to the back of the fridge and I miss it. Right now there's some suspicious looking apple juice I saw today. Not sure how long it lasts once it's opened, and then I am not even sure what to do with it....let me think about it and I will see what I come up with.

I made my pastry (rough puff dotted with pink peppercorns) and made a basic white roux with chicken stock and cream to bind the filling. It's rather simple, but so delicious all together.
It's my kind of comfort food - belly filling and heartwarming.

I do warn you, if you make your own puff pastry, this recipe will take some time. I did make my own "rough puff", but you can use the pre-rolled sheets that are sold in the freezer section at the grocery store.

Cauliflower Leek and Ham Pot Pie
Makes 4-6 serves (depending on the size of your ramekins)

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons butter
2 leeks, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup cream
150g ham, roughly chopped (I used leg ham)
1 cup (125g) shredded cheddar cheese (I used 2 year old cheddar)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon pepper

4-6 rounds puff pastry, cut to fit your ramekins
1 egg, lightly beaten (add 1/4 teaspoon salt if using store-bought)

Preheat oven to 375F. Combine oil, cauliflower and salt in a large bowl. Toss to combine. Place cauliflower, in a single layer, on a baking sheet and roast 15-20 minutes until softened and beginning to brown. Remove from oven and set aside.

To make filling: melt butter in a large saucepan. When melted, add leeks with salt and cook gently until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Slowly stir in stock, being careful to stir out any lumps.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook gently for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Add cream, and stir through ham, cheddar, parsley and pepper. Remove from heat, and stir through cauliflower. Cool for 30 minutes.

Divide pie filling evenly between your oven-safe ramekins. Top with puff pastry and brush with egg wash. Bake at 375F until pastry is golden brown and you can see the filling bubbling below. Remove carefully from the oven and serve. Remember to warn your guests - the ramekins are HOT!

Note: You can make this a day ahead. Portion the pie filling and chill. On day of baking, preheat oven to 375F. Top ramekins with puff pastry, brush with egg wash and bake as above.

Enjoy!

My Grandma's Recipes

I opened up the mail box the other day, and inside was a parcel from my Dad in Australia. He hadn't mentioned posting anything, so I was intrigued as to what could be inside. I was so surprised to find my Grandma's cookbook - all her handwritten and hand-snipped recipes, gathered from so long ago.

My Grandma is the person who taught me to cook, and a favourite of ours was poached eggs. Whenerver I stayed over, we always used to make them in the mornings for breakfast. If my Grandpa remembered he would go out and try to find double yolk eggs - always a special treat.

Anyway, I just love to cook now, and cooking reminds me of so many afternoons in her kitchen. They are good memories and I am happy to remember them.

I'm looking over these recipes though, and there are some interesting ones. Did you see the one for Steak Paste? As delicious as that sounds (not), who would ever have thought to make it - steak into a paste, so gross. I will not be making that - ever....

And, just in case you need help with stubborn bathroom grime...all while you are cooking :)

Zucchini Pickles sounds good, might have to try it this summer when zucchini are plentiful.

And, check out the frosting job on that Teddy Cake. Nice......

Can you see the date on the Good Housekeeping Cake Recipes booklet? I know, this must be an antique, well, almost anyway.

So, over the summer, if I can find some time, I will be trying out some of these heirloom recipes, I will post my results...good, bad and plain ugly. Although, I am sure today's recipes originated from recipes like this. As with anything good, things transform and evolve into what we consider acceptable today.

Happy summer, hope you had some good laughs and hopefully, this is a welcome back to blogging for me. I will find the time, I will find the time, I will find the time.........

Happy Wedding Day Ottawa!

Today is day one of the Spring Wedding Show here in Ottawa, and these are the cupcakes I have on display with Jo-Ann Pullen. If you are looking for invitations, you might like to chat with Jo-Ann at Studio No 8, where she designs the most exquisite wedding and business logos and stationery (watch for change on my website, courtesy of the talented Jo-Ann shortly). She is one talented and creative lady and I am glad I know her. Here's hoping some of her talent rubs off on me!

I only made 100 cupcakes for today, so fingers crossed, if you were there, you got to sample some! These babies are vanilla cake, topped with vanilla buttercream and I made each daisy by hand with gum paste. I love tone-on-tone colour schemes - so chic. And, what's a cupcake without a little bling?

As much as this blog is about what I am creating and working on in the food arena, if you are looking for cupcakes for your wedding or special event, give me a call - weekends are filling up fast!

Spaghetti Boscaiola

One of my favourite pasta dishes of all times. I had completely forgotten about it since moving to Canada over 12 years ago, until I came across a reference to it on a menu search I was doing for inspiring ideas. I used to order this every time I went to our favourite Italian restaurant in Syndey, and I don't even really like mushrooms, but I love them in this dish.
I had never even thought the recipe could be so simple, just a handful of ingredients which I generally have on hand. We always have bacon, cream, garlic and reggiano in the fridge, and spaghetti, or some type of pasta is in the pantry. And, well, wine is just a given in our house.
Easy enough to put together, delicious flavours with some cracked black pepper and wonderfully quick for a weeknight dinner. Serve with a crisp green salad and some garlic bread.

Spaghetti Boscaiola
Serves 4, adapted from here

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 slices bacon, chopped fine (remove most of the fat)
8 mushrooms, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup reggiano parmigiano, shredded
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
Salt & pepper, to taste
Spaghetti, or linguine, your choice

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Cook spaghetti according to directions, drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, melt butter in large pan until foaming, add bacon and cook until beginning to brown. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant, but not coloured. Deglaze with white wine, scraping caramelised bits off bottom of pan. Add cream and reggiano and continue cooking until sauce has thickened slightly. Stir through parsley and check seasoning.
Add spaghetti to pan, and stir through to coat with sauce. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Chipotle Corn Bread

It's been a very busy couple of weeks - my brother and his girlfriend arrived from Australia on March 1st for a week, then we took the whole family down to Punta Cana for a week over March break. On March 15th, I returned to work full time - a shock to the system after being a stay-at-home mom for the past 16 months. Seriously, having to get up and be somewhere, on time, is really tough, after days where I would be still in my pyjamas at 2pm, and then decide it was too late to get dressed. I miss those days....

But, getting back into a solid routine has been good for me. I am exhausted at the end of the day, but a good exhausted, the feeling you get after you feel like you have achieved something.

So, my apologies for the lack of exciting posts in the last little while. It's April 1st today, so the beginning of a new month, and the beginning of Spring - such an amazing time to be cooking and eating.

This recipe was made with everything I already had on hand - pantry staples. It makes a wonderfully moist bread with a crisp crust, a touch of sweet from the corn and a touch of heat from the chipotles. Apart from enjoying it with chili, I think it would make a delicious wrapper to a smoked turkey salad - give it a try.

Chipotle Corn Bread

adapted from a recipe found here

Makes 1 loaf, 9"x5"

1 cup fine yellow cornmeal

1 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

3 large eggs

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup corn kernels, pulsed with immersion blender

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chilies (about 1 1/2 chilies)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 9 x 5 x 2 1/2-inch metal loaf pan. Mix first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, eggs and melted butter in medium bowl. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients; stir until blended. Add corn kernels, green onions and chipotle chilies. Mix well. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake bread until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Turn bread out onto rack; cool completely.

Enjoy!