Potato Salad

Ever find one of those recipes that is just... the BEST?! When you eat what you've made you think, "How have I lived my life up to this point without this food in my life?!"

Yeah, this is one of those.

Now, I can't take credit for most of this recipe; much of it is owed to Tyler Florence. You can find his original here.

When Chris and I make a recipe, we tend to pare it down and make it with quantities of ingredients that make our life simpler. Also, we tend to cook for a bit of a crowd.

At this point, some of you are thinking of that potato salad you had three years ago that was flavourless, watery, and left you disappointed. Firstly, I did not make that salad and secondly, this is ENTIRELY different from that salad. This one is actually good.

RECIPE: Potato Salad
Serves 12 (for your bbq this weekend)

Ingredients:
5 lb bag baby potatoes
12 eggs
1 bunch scallions (green onions), whites and greens sliced up together
1 small jar capers, drained
2 cups mayo
1/4 cup dijon
8-10 good pickles, diced (I use Kuhn brand as they don't contain preservatives)
reserve the pickle juice
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 bunch fresh flat leaf parsley or cilantro (whatever you prefer), chopped - including stems
1 bunch dill, chopped
the juice of 1 lemon or lime

Method:

> turn the broiler on high

> after washing the potatoes, quarter them, lay them on a sheet pan, and put them under the broiler (second rung from the top) for about 10 minutes; they should be golden and tender when you take them out of the oven; leave them on the pan until they have cooled

> to boil the eggs, put enough water into the pot to just submerge all the eggs; bring the water to a boil then turn it down to medium before lowering in the 12 eggs; put the lid on the pot and set the timer for 9 minutes; cool in cold water, peel, and dice the eggs up fairly small

> add the chopped eggs, scallions, capers, dijon, diced pickles, red onion, parsley or cilantro, dill, and lemon juice to the bowl; stir together

> stir in the potatoes to coat

> lastly, add in the mayo, determining how much is needed for the rest of the salad; thin down with pickle juice to your hearts content

> enjoy

Twenty Minute Dinner

Right now, I don't have time. I don't have extra time at any point in my day. There is just so much going on with the end of the school year, spring sports, our dogs, my husband's job change, garden, family moving... and then it's time to make a healthy dinner before rushing out the door and on to the sport of the evening.

I just don't have time.

But I have these cubes of stewing lamb in the fridge. And I a litre of canned tomatoes. We must be out the door in less than one hour so I have 20 minutes - at most - to make a healthy, filling, delicious dinner. Here I go!

RECIPE: Quick Curry
serves 6

Ingredients:
3 cups white rice (+ water to make the rice)

<for the curry>
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala (brown curry powder)
0.5 tsp kosher salt
1 to 1.5 lb (450-700g) stewing lamb, beef, or cubed meat of any kind
1 litre (quart) of canned tomatoes
1 cup raisins
1 cup yogurt

<for the cauliflower>
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp madras curry (yellow curry powder)
1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets

<serve with>
chopped cilantro
unsalted peanuts


Method:

1. measure the rice and get on with cooking it

2. bring the oven rack up to the second from the top and turn the broiler to high

3. over high heat, heat the oil for the curry in a large skillet then add the spices and stir together for 1 minute until fragrant

4. add in the meat and stir to coat the meat with oil and spices

5. in a large bowl, mix the olive oil and madras curry; chop the cauliflower and add in the florets and toss them to coat the cauliflower (I also had a leek in the fridge and chopped that into the cauliflower; any veggies would work here)

6. once the meat is cooked, add the litre of tomatoes and the cup of raisins; stir together

7. pour the cauliflower onto a cookie sheet - in one even layer - and put under the broiler for about 10 minutes

8. chop the cilantro and pour the peanuts into a bowl for the table

9. set the table and pour a glass of wine (or crack open a beer)

10. stir in the yogurt right before serving the curry; it may curdle a little, not altering the flavour at all, it just looks a little funny, like when I made it!

11. ENJOY!!!

Alternate:
- instead of stewing lamb, you could use beef, chicken, shrimp, pork, goat, chopped onions, mushrooms, or chickpeas
- instead of in the oven, you could steam the cauliflower in a pot on the stovetop
- instead of cauliflower, you could use cabbage

This was so delicious, I really did make it two nights in a row!!

Green Onion Chickpea Curry

This is easily one of our favourite dishes. It is simple to make, cook, and easy to eat.

RECIPE: Green Onion Chickpea Curry

Ingredients:
1/4 cup oil
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 large onion, chopped or sliced
2 large tomatoes, diced (or a can of diced tomatoes)
1 tsp salt
5 tbsp minced ginger
2-4 large jalapeños, minced
3 cans (16 oz each) chickpeas, drained
1 can coconut milk, stirred
8 stalks green onions, cut in 1 cm lengths

Stovetop Method:
> heat the oil and fry the cumin seeds for 30-60 seconds or until fragrant
> sauté the ginger, jalapeños, and onion until soft
> add the tomatoes, salt, chickpeas, and coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes or until the rest of dinner is ready (add water to thin the curry as needed)
> stir in the green onions just before serving

Oven Method:
> pre-heat the oven to 190ºC or 375ºF
> the oil can be omitted if the cumin and vegetables are not being sautéed
> throw all the ingredients into a deep pan or lidded casserole dish and stir it all together
> put the lid on and bake it

Serve over:
> rice or noodles
> salad greens like spinach, arugula, or endive
> thinly sliced sautéed cabbage

For an interesting twist, add a chopped apple or two to the curry before cooking. Pairs well with tangy chilli sauce.

Madras Roasted Vegetables

If you are looking for a simple, easy, quick, versatile vegetable side dish for anything saucy or curry-ish, THIS dish is for you.

green cardamom pods

The Vegetable Fritter

I found myself staring into the fridge, unsure what would be for dinner. I was making some minced beef that could have been served on rice or pasta, but I didn't want either.

There it was - a zucchini - but what would it become?

For the Love of Potatoes

When the kids and I arrived home around 7:00 pm, I asked Chris what he wanted for dinner. "Deep fried anything, covered with cheese," was his answer.

Obviously I was not going to deep fry anything. I made a basic salad, chicken, and oven fries.

At my house, oven fries are super simple:
1. tiny potatoes washed & quartered
2. into the bowl: oil, powdered garlic, pepper; stir then add quartered potatoes
3. dump onto a rimmed cookie sheet and broil on high, removing every 5-7 minutes to flip (2-4 times)
4. when they are golden and perfect, salt then eat them

Herbes de Provence

It sounds so yummy - so French - so... complicated and intimidating. But it is not complicated. It is simple and delicious. You read right; French, delicious, simple.

This is a chicken thigh over salad. Super easy, incredibly flavourful.

Philly Cheese Steak

Sometimes I think that any cookbook I make might have a full chapter devoted to "things that go on a bun". This sandwich would be in that chapter.

Neither I nor my husband have ever been to the east coast, but this is our best guess at what this legendary sandwich might taste like...

En Papillote

One of my favourite ways to cook fish is the french style 'en papillote' (in parchment). All it means is that you cook the fish in the oven, wrapped in parchment paper. The result is always perfectly done moist fish. Here is how it breaks down...

Steak and Salad

Dinner Saturday night was amazing!! I made a salad and My husband grilled the steaks. Sounds simple, but it was incredible!!

Turkey Mini Meatballs

The other day, I wanted something fun, yummy, and different. We are on quite the salad and fish kick right now, but the ground turkey in the fridge was begging for inspiration. What to do? Turkey Meatballs, of course!

Lunch With A Friend

Friends came over for lunch and a visit yesterday and it was delightful! The kids had a blast and my friend and I had a lovely visit.

Good company, good coffee, good food... excellent day!

Portabella Garlic Mushroom Burgers

I was in need of a delicious, healthy, filling, fast dinner (on our way out the door). One that the kids would eat quickly and enjoy. Solution: Portabella Garlic Mushroom Burgers.

It's actually one of the best things I have ever put on a bun. Here is how it breaks down...

Portabella Garlic Mushroom Burger with tomato, cilantro, and caramelized red onions on a toasted ciabatta bun.

The Return Of Taste

After being sick for the last month, my sense of taste is finally returning. It disappeared among the orange juice, toast, soup, and cough syrup I have been living off.

I figured that posting recipes while I could not actually taste anything was not a wise choice. At one point I loaded something I was eating with Frank's Red Hot Sauce and still could not taste a thing. Now that I can taste, it's time to start posting again!

Lazy Cookies

When I was little, my family bought packages of half-cup squares of Parkay Margarine. At one time, I'm ashamed to say, I used to eat it straight up, by the spoonful.

My parents have long since converted to buying actual butter and I thankfully no longer eat margarine (or butter) by the spoonful. My stand-by cookie recipe comes from that Parkay box and if I'm creating a new recipe for a cookie, it often originates here:

Hearty Mushroom Soup

There are times when I want something hearty, meaty, but... meatless. This soup is the solution.

What mushrooms should you use? As many different kinds as you can - variety is one of my favourite spices! I have used white button, brown button, cremini (baby portabella), large portabella, oyster, enoki, and shitake all in this soup.

Actually, I Like Oatmeal!

Steel Cut Oats

As a little girl, I was unable to eat oatmeal or any whole grain hot breakfast like it. There was something about the slimey, lumpy texture that I physically could not swallow.

Easy Dinner: Serve Over Rice

Last night, I needed an easy solution for dinner; something quick, simple, that my children and husband would all love, and that would also be good for school lunches today. Here was the solution:

Winter Soup

Tuesdays and Thursdays I am always running. After I pick the boys up from school, we have a small amount of time at home before we need to jump into the car and run to the city for a class. By the time we get back, it's 7:00 and bedtime is looming. If dinner is not ready when we get home, the boys are up way too late.

Yesterday, my solution was soup. While the boys are at school, I had time to pull it all together and pop it into the crock pot or a ceramic pot in the oven, covered, on low and it was waiting for us when we got home. It was orange, happy, warm, and totally satisfying.

Roasting Vegetables

There is something about this time of year that sends me in search of winter vegetables for roasting. Carrots, yams, parsnips, beets, and various squash all find themselves sliced, tossed in a light oil, salted & peppered, and laying patiently on my roasting pan, awaiting the scorching heat of the broiler.