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Five Steps Toward a Greener Kitchen (Recipe: Happy Planet Cookies)

Aimee — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 05:07:00 +0000

I’m on maternity leave from June 11 to July 16: The following is a guest post from Simple Bites editor Aimée Wimbush-Bourque.

Environmentally friendly practices are a dime a dozen, but implementing them in the home doesn’t happen overnight. Like any lifestyle change, they are best put into practice gradually; little actions that can be realistically maintained.

It’s important to take those steps to being eco-aware, even if it is just giving up bottled water this summer. Multiple small changes add up to big changes and there is less chance of you having a ‘green burnout’ if you start small.

My kitchen’s carbon footprint is gradually shrinking, as it’s in the process of a “greenover,” as cookbook author Jackie Newgent puts it. We compost enthusiastically, recycle constantly, and choose seasonal produce most of the time — my love for lemons is a powerful thing!

Now that we’ve started, it seems we learn something new every day about being more environmentally aware in the kitchen. It’s exciting to implement these changes for the better as a whole family, and it makes me proud when my two-year-old can sort compost from garbage. After all, this whole saving the planet business is for him.

Here is a list to get you started on your kitchen “greenover,” or, if you are already a conscious cook, inspire you to reach even further towards a low-carbon lifestyle.

Do what you can, when you can; take small steps, just don’t stop.

Photo by jaycross

1. Make sustainable food choices.

This may be the most important decision you make for feeding your family and is an excellent place to start on the road to a greener kitchen. On Simple Bites we gave 10 Tips for Sustainable Eating, among them being:

eat in season and locally, (how to source food locally)
earn to cook real food,
preserve your own foods as much as possible (look to Simple Bites for a Canning 101 series to come in July), and
grow something, anything.

2. Shop smart.

While buying local is commendable, there is more to smart shopping than considering food miles. Here are a few tips.

Make a menu plan and stick to your grocery list. As you’ve probably heard, successful menu planning can help shrink gas and grocery bills, cut back on waste, and help you cut out convenience foods.
Bring reusable shopping bags and produce bags.
Buy bulk when appropriate. Less trips to the store means less fuel emissions, and it saves time, energy and money.
Buy organic. Supporting crop rotation, water protection and pesticide-free food is a win-win situation for both the farmers and you.
Buy Fair-Trade.

3. Be an energy-wise cook.

In her book Big Green Cookbook, Jackie Newgent outlines many clever tips for low-carbon cooking. Among the more progressive are:

Hypercooking, which is forgoing the preheating process for baking casseroles or other dishes. Most foods cook just fine starting in a cold oven,
Using residual heat. Turning off an oven or pot and allowing the cooking process to finish with residual heat.

Jackie’s cookie recipe below demonstrates both hyper-baking and the use of residual heat with great success.

Photo by the bitten word.com

4. Eat more plants.

It’s what my mother’s been telling me for years, it’s the tagline for our recent Simple Living Book Club selection, and it’s vital to our long-term health. Ultimately, it can help reduce the strain on our environment as the meat industry is responsible for a notable amount of water and air pollution.

Two simple ways to get started on your part-time vegetarianism are:

Turn your side dishes into main dishes. Instead of making meat the centerpiece of your meal, serve smaller portions of it and add an extra vegetable to the menu.
Embrace the Meatless Monday movement and pledge to serve one meatless meal a week in your home.

5. Implement these four ‘R’s into daily cooking.

Reduce. Buy only what you need. Be conscious about food waste.
Reuse. Love those leftovers and kitchen scraps! Give that lettuce-washing water to plants, turn the chicken carcass into a soup, and toss lemon rind into the dishwater for an instant deodorizer.
Repurpose. Save those glass jars, plastic containers and tin cans for a reincarnation. Katie has an excellent post on repurposing kitchen containers.

Photo by wheatfields

Recycle: Stay up to date with what recycling is allowed in your area, then max out your bin! Recycle vegetable scraps and lawn trimmings into compost — this tutorial from Simple Organic shows it is simpler than you think.

Hyper-cooking with Happy Planet Cookies

This recipe, from Big Green Cookbook by Jackie Newgent conserves energy by both not preheating the oven and turning the oven off before the cookies are completely done, allowing them to finish cooking in the residual heat.

The dough can also be easily stirred by hand — and in my case, by a child — which means no electricity is needed for a mixer.

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Recipe: Happy Planet Cookies

Photo by Aimee

Makes about 24 cookies

1 cup whole-wheat flour (preferably stone-ground)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 cup canola or peanut oil
1 cup turbinado or Demerara sugar (see note)
1 large egg (preferably organic)
1 tablespoon apple butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
4 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate chips or chunks

Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cayenne, if using, in a medium bowl.
Whisk oil and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk in the egg, apple butter and vanilla until smooth.
Stir the flour mixture into the oil mixture until blended. Stir in oats and chocolate (batter will be thick).
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto sheets, making 12 cookies on each sheet.
Place baking sheets in the oven. Turn the oven to 375 degrees.
Bake until the cookies just start to spread into a cookie shape but are still undercooked, about 8 to 10 minutes.
As quickly as possible (so too much heat doesn’t escape), open the oven door and swap the trays — move the tray on the top rack to the bottom rack and bottom rack to the top. Close the oven and turn it off.
Let the cookies continue to bake in the oven to the desired level of brownness and crispness, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Transfer the sheets to racks to cool.

Note: Turbinado and Demerara sugar are available at natural foods stores and gourmet grocers.

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Everyone is smiling when steps are taken to make our kitchen’s greener: the kids, the family and the earth.

What color of green is your kitchen? In what area would you like to improve?

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Five Steps Toward a Greener Kitchen (Recipe: Happy Planet Cookies) is a post from Simple Mom

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2 Weeks Till Christmas: Make Your Food Gifts

Tsh — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:07:26 +0000

Can you believe that Christmas is almost here? It seems like yesterday I was writing about 12 Weeks Till Christmas on a balmy September afternoon. And now, here we are.

The gift buying frenzy is hyping up, and hopefully you’ve made most of your purchases. But there are still those people in your life that need a gift from you, but you’re short on ideas. Or you’re short on cash. Or both.

Food gifts are great because they please almost everybody, they can be done inexpensively, and they’re fun to make. From your boss to your children’s teacher, who wouldn’t love a batch of homemade cookies?

This week’s holiday task in our 12 Weeks to a Peaceful Christmas series is to plan — or make — your edible gifts.

Here are a few recipes for holiday baking.

Cookies, Candies, and other Sweet Snacks

Photo by Aimee

Basic Shortbread, and Many Variations :: Under the Highchair
Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies :: Joy the Baker
Coffee Toffee :: Smitten Kitchen
Lemon Meltaways and Meringues :: Cannelle et Vanille
Pepparkakor :: Delicious Days
Muddy Buddies :: Tasty Kitchen
Christmassy Chocolate Bark :: Tasty Kitchen
Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies :: The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Butterscotch Cookies :: Orangette
Honeybuns :: Cook and Eat
Panettone :: Cooking Breads

Savory Snacks

Photo from Jamie Oliver

Peanut Butter Popcorn :: Tammy’s Recipes
Peanut Brittle :: FoodTV (Alton Brown)
Pineapple and Red Chile Salsa :: Food and Wine
Wonderful Salsa :: Recipezaar
Sugar and Spice Candied Nuts :: Smitten Kitchen
Olive and Artichoke Tapenade :: Epicurious
Cheeky Chili Pepper Chutney :: Jamie Oliver
Homemade Pretzels :: Frantic Home Cooks
Simplest Brioche :: La Tartine Gourmande

Gifts in a Jar

Photo by Patrick Q

If you’re not up for cooking, you can even make simple gifts in a jar — layer the ingredients in a jar, attached with the recipe to make what’s inside. You can’t get much easier.

Butterscotch Cookie Mix :: All Free Crafts
Texas Cornbread Mix :: Organized Christmas
Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix :: Recipe Goldmine
Italian Pasta and Bean Soup Mix :: Heart 4 Home
Gingerbread Pancake Mix :: Mr. Breakfast

Tip Nut also has some helpful links for creating your jar gifts, such as gift tags and jar lids.

What are your go-to recipes for edible gifts? Feel free to share your recipe links in the comments section.

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3 Weeks Till Christmas: Menu Plan & Batch Cook for December

Tsh — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:00:39 +0000

December is typically a very busy month for most families — holiday parties, school events, and shopping lists keep us hectic and busy. Keeping up with typical household tasks feels a bit intrusive and even a bit of a seasonal damper. Who wouldn’t rather bake Christmas cookies than tackle the laundry?

Dinner easily falls to the wayside. Pizza delivery becomes all too common, and healthy, sit-down meals are set aside for convenient fast food or quick, frozen dinners.

With a simple meal plan, you can easily double your recipes in the first half of December, so that in the second half — when we’re swamped with holiday festivities – all you have to do is thaw, heat, and serve.

I’ve written plenty about menu planning — how I sometimes plan a month’s worth of meals at a time, how I use Google Calendar and Delicious to manage it all, and how batch cooking and freezer meals can cut my time in half.

For December, I’m incorporating all of these tools. Winter food can easily be doubled and frozen, so with a basic two-week meal plan, I can have our family’s dinners stocked for the fun-yet-hectic holiday season.

This week’s task for our 12 Weeks to a Peaceful Christmas series is to make a meal plan for December that incorporates batch and freezer cooking. Plan to cook more in the first half of the month so that you’re free to enjoy the season in the second half.

Our December Plan

Here is my family’s December meal plan. Feel free to copy verbatim, or simply get an idea or two to work for your household.

Friday, December 4 — homemade pizza and salad

task: triple my pizza dough and sauce batches, and use it each Friday
additional days: Friday, December 11, 18, and January 1

Saturday, December 5 — shepherd’s pie

task: double the recipe and freeze the second
additional day: Saturday, December 19

Weeks 1 & 3

Sunday, December 6 – grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup

task: double the soup recipe and freeze the second; roast a chicken, cube it, and freeze in one cup batches
additional day: Sunday, December 20

Monday, December 7 – white chicken chili

task: use cooked cubed chicken; double the recipe and freeze the second
additional day: Monday, December 21

Tuesday, December 8 — tacos, beans, and rice

task: double the seasoned ground beef and freeze the second batch; make beans and freeze half
additional day: Tuesday, December 22

Wednesday, December 9 — stir fry (honey glazed or Pacific rim, depending on our mood)

task: roast a chicken, cube it, and freeze in one cup batches
additional day: each Wednesday — December 16, 23, and 30

Photo by Steven Depolo

Thursday, December 10 — French market soup

task: double the recipe and freeze the second batch
additional day: Thursday, December 24 (when I’ll also make cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning)

Saturday, December 12 – chicken and dumplings

task: use cooked cubed chicken; double the recipe and freeze the second (mix the dry ingredients for the dumplings and store in a separate container, then add the milk and cook that day)
additional day: Saturday, December 26

Weeks 2 & 4

Sunday, December 13 — cheese enchiladas, beans, and rice

task: double the enchiladas and freeze half; make beans and freeze half
additional day: Sunday, December 27

Monday, December 14 — corn and potato chowder

task: double the recipe and freeze the second batch
additional day: Monday, December 28

Tuesday, December 15 — chicken pot pie

task: use cooked cubed chicken; double the recipe and freeze the second batch
additional day: Tuesday, December 29

Thursday, December 17 – chicken and sausage gumbo

task: use cooked cubed chicken; double the recipe and freeze the second batch
additional day: Thursday, December 31

This doesn’t include Christmas Day, where we’ll most likely be gathering with others and celebrating in true food overload style.

What are your go-to recipes for the holidays or for particularly busy seasons?

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Back to the Basics: 10 Recommended Kitchen Items for the Home Cook

Aimee — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 06:13:51 +0000

All photos are by Aimée.

The following post is written by food columnist Aimée Wimbush-Bourque.

“In the childhood memories of every good cook, there’s a large kitchen, a warm stove, a simmering pot and a mom.”

-Barbara Costikyan

Ever wonder how your mother or grandmother functioned without all the modern day conveniences and kitchen gadgets that are now available? You know what? I’ll bet she did just fine. In fact, she was probably just as efficient in the kitchen as the average home cook today.

Everywhere you turn, companies hawk every gadget imaginable, trying to convince us that this tool or this utensil will transform us into Martha Stewart on Christmas Day. While I fully believe that having the right tool for the job can make cooking more enjoyable and productive, I also think that the typical kitchen is cluttered with useless gadgets.

Some of these gizmos, such as an apple peeler/corer actually take more time to assemble, use, disassemble,wash, dry and put away than if you were doing the job by hand with a paring knife!

I already had an idea for this article when Tsh announced her Back to Basics series, and in doing so, she confirmed that a roll call of useful kitchen items was, indeed, an important step in equipping our kitchens for back to basic meal planing and preparation.

It’s time to clear the clutter and trinkets that you seldom use, and invest in a few high-quality (but not necessarily high cost) items for daily use that will last you a lifetime.

My Top Ten Kitchen Items

Here is a peek into my kitchen and the items I rely on every day for my cooking and baking. There is nothing overly extravagant, like a Pacojet ice-cream maker (please, Santa), but these items are all as dear to me as a close friend, and make daily cooking a pleasure.

You’ll notice I’ve left out some obvious essentials on the list such as measuring spoons and cups, a can opener, a wooden spoon, and the like, because to me these are staples–like your kitchen table and chairs–and I think I can safely assume that every kitchen has them. They haven’t evolved much over the years, probably because they continue to serve their purpose in the best possible way without getting over-complicated.

Also, I’ve assigned a ball-park value to each item to give you an idea of what you should expect to spend on these items. Remember prices may vary from country to country, and bargains certainly can be found on all items. Don’t rule out second-hand shopping; good quality items such as All-Clad or Le Crueset cookware can have more than one life.

under $20 $
$20-$50 $$
$50-$100 $$$
$100-$150 $$$$

1. A Good Knife – $$$

I can’t stress enough the importance of a good quality knife. A sharp knife will save you so much time and is the best investment you can make in your kitchen. I recommend starting with a 6-1/2″ chef’s knife and a small paring knife, as about 90% of all knife work can be completed with this pair.

2. Melamine Mixing Bowls – $$

These nesting mixing bowls are durable, lightweight and heat resistant. I love color, and these bowls are a fun and cheery way to mix up anything! Rubber base rings grip the counter, making these my choice over stainless steel mixing bowls.

3. Tongs – $

Perhaps one of the most useful kitchen tools ever, I refer to my tongs as my third hand because I reach for them so often during the day. If you think tongs are just for turning meat on the BBQ, then you need to play around with them a little more.

Try using them to loosen boiling spaghetti (eliminating those unfriendly octopi), toss a salad, turn cubes of browning stew meat or chicken, fish out deep-fried nuggets, and do virtually anything that is too hot or icky to do with your bare hands.

Tip: Don’t leave the tongs in the kitchen once dinner is ready! Bring them to the table and use them to dish up your meal in an efficient and tidy way.

4. Stainless Fry Pans – $$$

If the house was on fire, I would probably grab the kids and my All-Clad pans from the kitchen before leaving. Heavy enough to sear a steak or dissolve sugar, these versatile stovetop-to-oven fry pans just might actually make my food taste better. I’ve disturbed them nearly every day from where they sleep on my pot rack, yet then show almost no sign of wear and tear.

5. Large Cutting Board – $$

Essential for any kitchen, an all-purpose cutting board can never be too big. My hefty wooden board has many different uses, ranging from basic everyday food prep to cheese board at a party.

Tip: Bigger is better! As long as you have storage space for it, your cutting board can’t be too big. Often I’ll have at least three different items in various stages of preparation in three corners of my large board.

6. Silicone Spatula – $

The perfect balance between firm and flexible and available in every pretty color imaginable: it’s the spatula all grown up. Heat resistant to 800F, these spatulas were probably invented by someone who often absentmindedly set the spatula down on the hot stove next to the pot. Guilty!

The silicone head won’t scratch non-stick cookware, and is easily removed and tossed in the dishwasher for proper disinfecting.

7. Fine Mesh Sieves – $

Perfect for straining sauces, sifting flours or passing delicate purees, these durable sieves are irreplaceable in my kitchen and are always within my reach. I use them for countless other purposes such as rinsing rice and beans, washing berries, and straining pulp and seeds out of citrus.

It’s convenient to have this first-class tool in a few different sizes, but a standard five-inch size will accommodate most cooking uses.

Tip: Just washed your sieve, but now you need it to sift some dry ingredients? If the oven is on, pop it in for a minute or two and it will dry in a jiffy.

8. Immersion Blender – $$$

Where would I be without this hand blender to puree soups, whip up batches of creamy salad dressing, emulsify sauces, blend together smoothies, and puree baby food? There is no question that this tool simplifies my life in the kitchen. Best feature: the removable head allows for a quick clean-up. After a knife, this just may be a kitchen’s second-most versatile tool.

Note: Most hand-blenders (or stick blenders, as they are also known) also come with several handy attachments, like a whisk and a chopper/mini food processor.

9. Dutch Oven – $$$$

I *heart* my Red Le Creuset 7 ¼ quart Round French Oven. Pasta sauces, bold curries, meaty stews, delicate custards – you name it. This pot is never empty in my kitchen and never wears out. It functions as slow cooker, rice pudding pot, lazy paella pan, and just about every one-pot wonder you can imagine. A beloved wedding present, I know this high quality pot will outlast me in the kitchen.

10. Baking Sheet – $

Yes we’re cookie fiends around here, but our baking sheets get much more action then just gingersnaps and shortbread. On any given day they could be occupied by stale bread, drying in the oven for breadcrumbs, catching vegetable peelings, or holding a mountain of shish kebabs headed for the BBQ.

Tip: Visit a restaurant supply store to find the really big cookie sheets (15″x 20″); otherwise don’t invest tons of money on expensive sheets. I find the older and more warped they are, the better cookies they make!

Bonus!

11. Braun Aromatic Coffee Grinder – $$

A worthwhile investment for the serious home cook, my little coffee grinder works perfectly for grinding spices and hasn’t been used for coffee in some time. Without it, making those batches of homemade garam masala would be a lot more work. If you buy your spices whole and prefer to grind them yourself, this is a time saving tool for you.

Tip:Switching from a curry to cinnamon? Simply pulse some coarse salt through it to remove odours and wipe clean with a dry cloth.

Baker’s Dozen! One last item for the serious baker…

12. Stand Mixer – $$$$$

If tongs are my third hand, this beauty is my third arm. This cherished wedding present does it all — from the softest pizza dough to the fluffiest butter cream, with countless batches of cookies in between.
Some of its features include:
325-watt mixer with 10 speeds;
5-quart stainless steel bowl
Tilt-back head for easy access to mixture
two-piece pouring shield with large chute for adding ingredients
Includes flat beater, dough hook, and wire whip

Depending on your style of cooking, upbringing, or ethnicity there might be a few items missing from this list that you can’t function without.

Take a slow cooker, for example; although I seldom use mine (I received as a gift), it has been called the working woman’s best friend, and has probably saved the day for many a busy woman balancing work and home.

How about a wok? For some, the wok could star in the preparation of several meals a week, yet for those who seldom cook Asian-inspired dishes, it may collect dust for a year.

Each household has their own beloved ‘top ten’ kitchen items, and today I am sharing mine with you. I hope you don’t come away from this post thinking, “Aimée says I need to have a spice grinder”, and then go purchase something that you’ll never use. Instead, let my list free you to embrace the ‘less is more’ motto, and stock your kitchen with a few key items that are invaluable for cooking.

Make sure that any additions to your tools are indeed saving time, and not overly gadgety. Remember, it’s about getting back to basics — I’m sure your grandmother would approve.

What do kitchen item do you reach for every day? What is your most prized tool? Feel free to share your ‘Top Ten.’

–
Aimée prepares simple home cooked meals on a daily basis for her family, and draws from her professional training as a chef/caterer to help her be a better home manager. Before her children arrived, Aimée worked as a personal chef and was happy to have her life revolve around food. After she fell in love with motherhood and determined to never return to work, she married her two passions by becoming a food/mommy blogger. She still does what she loves best, only now she has two little helpers to keep her on her toes. On days when there are too many cloth diapers to fold, Aimée usually copes by baking something sweet. Writing from Montréal, she journals her kitchen adventures at Under the High Chair.

CURRENT SPONSORS:

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Crisp or Crumble? Baked Summer Desserts Defined

Aimee — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:01:37 +0000

Photo by Jen Yu

The following post is written by food columnist Aimée Wimbush-Bourque.

It’s not yet July and my dessert track record for the past month has been something like this: cobbler, crisp, crisp, fresh fruit cake, cobbler, and crumble.

There’s no question that as soon as the seasonal fresh fruit of summer arrives at the market, I’m waiting to pounce on it and turn it into a casual yet utterly delicious dessert. Begone, heavy winter baking featuring caramel, chocolate, nuts, and more nuts; I’m ready for something tart that makes my taste buds sing!

Simple summer desserts tug on our heartstrings. They’re old-fashioned, such as a peach cobbler or a strawberry-rhubarb crisp, and they conjure up memories of ‘down-home’ baking with Grandma.

Far from spiffy modern desserts, these baked treats aren’t much to look at, but make up for their rustic appearance with their heartwarming flavours. Simple to prepare, they are outstanding desserts that anyone can make, and they require only a handful of basic baking ingredients and no fancy kitchen tools.

Summer desserts are ideal for the novice baker or the mom with many ‘helpers.’ They come together quickly with minimal fuss, making them ideal for summer entertaining. After all, who wants to spend hours in the kitchen perfecting a layer cake when the beach is calling?

Confused between a cobbler and a crisp? How about a crumble? I’ll define what sets these desserts apart, and provide links to a few tantalizing recipes of each.

Cobblers

Photo by Aimee

The deep-dish cobbler is my favorite of all baked summer desserts. Thick slices of stone fruits or berries stew gently under a blanket of puffy biscuit-like topping that has been sprinkled with raw brown sugar. Serve it warm with a dollop of whipped cream and you may find yourself turning down marriage proposals! Fruit and berry fillings are interchangeable–peaches probably being the most popular–while the topping ranges from traditional baking powder biscuits to a fluffy cake batter that is poured over the top. Spices and other flavourings such as lemon zest can be added to the topping for extra flavour.

Crisps/Crumbles

Photo by Jen Yu

As far as I can tell, the only thing that separates these two desserts is on which side of the pond they are served! Britain is credited for bringing us the delightful crumble, stewed fresh fruit topped with a streusel-like combination of flour, butter and sugar, while the American version is essentially the same but is referred to as a ‘crisp.’ A crisp often has oats added to the topping and has made a name for itself, thanks to the well-known, much-loved apple crisp.

A crisp (or crumble, whichever you prefer) is handy because the topping can be made in advance. As long at it is refrigerated, it can keep for a few days while you wait for those pears to ripen or to get berry picking. There’s nothing better than mounding fruit, still warm from the sun in a baking dish, scattered with a buttery topping and baked to bubbling, juicy perfection.

Fresh Fruit Cakes

Photo by Aimee

These are purely no-fuss cakes, but by no means are they plain Jane. Assembled in a matter of minutes, they consist merely of a simple cake batter and a few handfuls of fruit. As easy as they are to put together, don’t underestimate the sophistication of a fresh fruit cake. A sprinkling of icing sugar or a few fresh berries added to a serving can transform it into quite an elegant dessert.

The batter is usually a classic white or fluffy buttermilk cake, and the fruit can be sprinkled on top, layered between the batters, or placed in the pan first for an ‘upside-down’ cake. In this case, the pan is lined with parchment paper and as soon as the cake is removed from the oven, it is inverted onto a serving platter and the parchment peeled off. Voilà.

You may notice that the quintessential comfort food, pie, is not included in this post. Wait! Hold those over-ripe plums that you are getting ready to throw at me. I wanted to compile a selection of desserts any amateur cook could put together. Mastering the perfect pie crust is a technique that takes time and is not a skill that comes naturally to most people.

Also, I find that truly ripe fruit contains so much water, pie just isn’t the best idea; the crust will get soggy and you’ll miss out on the best part of a piece of pie: the contrast of a crisp crust and soft cooked filling. Try a cobbler for those ripe fruits–the juicier, the better.

Now that summer is in full swing, it’s hard to ignore the bounty of summer fruits that crowd the stands at local farmers markets and produce stores. Whether you are tempted by a brilliant berry or a soft-skinned plum, these old-fashioned desserts are the best way to showcase your favourite fruit.

Try your own combinations, using the fruit that is freshest in your area. Swap out stone fruits and use berries interchangeably–you may like your own interpretation best of all.

Got a simple summer dessert you just can’t live with out? Share it in the comments; I’d love to hear about it.

Aimée prepares simple and beautiful home cooking on a daily basis for her family, and draws from her professional training as a chef/caterer to help her be a better home manager. Before her children arrived, Aimée worked as a personal chef and was happy to have her life revolve around food. After she fell in love with motherhood and determined to never return to work, she married her two passions by becoming a food/mommy blogger. She still does what she loves best, only now she has two little helpers to keep her on her toes. On days when there are too many cloth diapers to fold, Aimée wishes she could escape to her parent’s farm, but usually copes by baking something sweet. Writing from Montréal, she journals her kitchen adventures at Under the High Chair.

CURRENT SPONSORS:

Plan to Eat - meal planning made simple.
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Treed - A simple, flexible, effective project planning tool.

Crisp or Crumble? Baked Summer Desserts Defined is a post from Simple Mom

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Celebrate Spring with Two Seasonal Tarts

Aimee — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 08:01:15 +0000

All photos are by Aimee.

The following post is written by food columnist Aimée Wimbush-Bourque.

Ah, spring… After a long winter of eating potatoes, squash and carrots, she welcomes us with a tantalizing array of fresh new produce: bright green asparagus, cheery red radishes and seductive, oh-so-sweet strawberries.

Why does this bounty taste so good right about now? Because this is exactly when God intended it to be eaten! It is in season, meaning this is the time of the year it is meant to be enjoyed. It has naturally ripened on the vine or in the earth, it is fresh and, best of all, it’s affordable.

These days, with every fruit and vegetable known to man available year-round at our supermarkets, awareness of our planet’s natural food seasons is rapidly diminishing.

Curious as to why you should eat seasonal produce, as opposed to whatever is featured on the front of your weekly flier? Here are a few reasons:

Eating in season…

Tastes better! It is ripened naturally (as opposed to picked prematurely for shipping purposes), harvested when perfect, and its sheer freshness provides us with a boost of extra nutrition. Surprise! Your fruit is actually is full of juice and flavour when it is enjoyed in its appropriate growing season.
Saves on energy used to transport food. Way too many veggies are jet-lagged from those long trips from South America to your neighborhood grocery store – and more seriously, too much fossil fuel is being consumed to get them there.
Supports local growers. Buttercup loved Farm Boy in The Princess Bride, and we love him too. Wouldn’t you rather support your community and the home team? While you may not see your purchases making an impact on a global scale, your requests for local, farm-grown food might change a Farm Boy’s future.
Saves money. Costs are way, way down for produce in season. What’s not to like about that? You may not realize, but we pay a premium for food that has traveled a long way. Skip the berries selling for $4.99 a pint in January (they’re unripe and tasteless anyway), and wait until May when they are practically giving them away for $.99 a pint, and they taste like strawberries should.
Teaches our children about nature’s cycles and the passing of the seasons. Most kids can tell you that pumpkins turn up in the fall, but how many can pinpoint the asparagus season?

To better inform yourself of what is available and when, a great site to start with is Eat the Seasons. Updated every week, it lists what food is currently in season (including things like oysters and wild mushrooms, because they, too, have seasons) and is full of tips and recipe ideas.

I don’t know about you, but I am tired of disappointing off-season produce. This past winter I had enough rock-hard peaches, completely tasteless cantaloupe, and woody pineapples to drive this point home to me. Why I practically threw that money away, I’m not entirely sure, but it probably boils down to consumerism at it’s finest: I want what I want, when I want it.

From now on, I am going to try to celebrate each season as it comes and take my menu-planning cues from nature.

Here are two recipes to get started. Granted, fresh strawberries need no other embellishment than a dollop of whipped cream, and asparagus can be simply steamed and served with a slathering of butter; however, should you want to dress either of these noble spring ingredients up, here are two simple recipes for an appetizer and a dessert.

Both recipes are adapted from Martha Stewart.

Asparagus Gruyère Tart

Flour, for the work surface
500 grams puff pastry
1 1/2 cups Gruyère cheese, shredded
1 1/2 pounds medium or thick asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16×10-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry dough 1 inch in from the edges to mark a rectangle. Using a fork, pierce dough inside the markings at 1/2-inch intervals. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.

Remove the pastry shell from the oven, and sprinkle with Gruyère. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell; arrange in a single layer over Gruyère, alternating ends and tips. Brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until spears are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve warm.

Strawberry Galette

1 pound strawberries, hulled
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon cold butter, cut into pieces
250 grams puff pastry

On a floured surface, roll pastry to 1/4 inch thick round. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cut strawberries lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. Toss with sugar and cornstarch, and immediately arrange in concentric circles on the dough – start 1 inch from edge, overlapping slices slightly. Fold the edge of dough over the berries. Whisk together yolk and water. Brush the dough with egg wash, and dot berries with butter.

Bake until pastry is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool. Slice like a pizza and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Do you have a favorite month at your local farmer’s market? What is a seasonal dish you love?

__
Aimée prepares simple and beautiful home cooking on a daily basis for her family, and draws from her professional training as a chef/caterer to help her be a better home manager. Before her children arrived, Aimée worked as a personal chef and was happy to have her life revolve around food. After she fell in love with motherhood and determined to never return to work, she married her two passions by becoming a food/mommy blogger. She still does what she loves best, only now she has two little helpers to keep her on her toes. On days when there are too many cloth diapers to fold, Aimée wishes she could escape to her parent’s farm, but usually copes by baking something sweet. Writing from Montréal, she journals her kitchen adventures at Under the High Chair.

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A Monthly Menu Plan for the Spring

Tsh — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 08:01:45 +0000

Photo by Alyson Hurt

It’s been several months since I wrote about menu planning; mostly, because I haven’t menu planned in awhile. With all our traveling in the States, it’s only been this past week that we’ve had some semblance of a normal life since mid-October.

But we’re all itching for some well-planned meals around here, so with the start of a new month and the start of a new season, I thought it a great time to plan for the entire month.

Our current book club selection, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle has me jazzed about eating locally and seasonally, and there have been some great recipe site suggestions on the forums. And I love food blogs, so I thought I’d pay some of my favorites homage and try out some of their recipes.

With this in mind, I’ve tried to make our month’s menu as seasonal as possible, with every intention to get most of the ingredients from our twice-weekly neighborhood farmer’s market.

I can’t vouch for the seasonality of every recipe here, especially since every locale is different. But for the most part, these recipes work well for us in the spring, and if they do for you, then please use and enjoy.

Here are some other articles I’ve written about menu planning:

You might also remember that I like to have a theme for each day of the week, which helps me narrow down recipe decisions. For the spring, our weekly rotation looks somewhat like this:

M0ndays - pasta
Tuesdays - soup, salad, and/or sandwiches
Wednesdays - stir fry
Thursdays - crock pot
Fridays - pizza
Saturdays - something new
Sundays - something easy

So here it is – our family’s menu.

April Menu Plan

Week One

Photo from Smitten Kitchen

Wednesday, April 1 – honey-glazed chicken stir fry over white rice (roast and cube a whole chicken; freeze half of it)
Thursday, April 2 – minestrone soup and no-knead bread
Friday, April 3 – pizza, salad, and dessert
Saturday, April 4 – beef empanadas, spanish rice, and pinto beans (freeze half the beans for later)
Sunday, April 5 – quesadillas with leftover rice and beans

Week Two

Photo from Under the High Chair

Monday, April 6 – warm bow tie pasta and salad
Tuesday, April 7 – bread soup and salad
Wednesday, April 8 – pacific rim stir fry over white rice
Thursday, April 9 – chicken and sausage gumbo
Friday, April 10 – pizza, salad, and dessert
Saturday, April 11 – lemon, chicken, and leek pot pies
Sunday, April 12 – Easter Sunday – italian chicken salad over greens; lemon-drenched lemon cake

Week Three

Photo from Cooking Light

Monday, April 13 – chicken spaghetti casserole; sauteed broccoli in olive oil
Tuesday, April 14 – grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato-basil soup
Wednesday, April 15 – honey-glazed chicken stir fry over white rice
Thursday, April 16 – french market soup, salad, and no-knead wheat bread
Friday, April 17 – pizza, salad, and dessert
Saturday, April 18 – beef stroganoff and sauteed asparagus in olive oil
Sunday, April 19 – grilled vegetable salad and no-knead wheat bread

Week Four

Photo from Joy the Baker

Monday, April 20 – broccoli chicken bake and salad
Tuesday, April 21 – spinach salad with caesar dressing, chicken, and garlic croutons
Wednesday, April 22 – pacific rim stir fry over white rice
Thursday, April 23 – red beans and rice
Friday, April 24 – pizza, salad, and dessert
Saturday, April 25 – spring panzanella
Sunday, April 26 – grilled burgers, oven-baked fries, salad, and dessert

Week Five

Photo from Tomato Casual

Monday, April 27 – chicken fettuccine and salad
Tuesday, April 28 – sun-dried tomato and oregano pasta with salad (I’ll try my hand at homemade sun-dried tomatoes)
Wednesday, April 29 – honey-glazed chicken stir fry over white rice
Thursday, April 30 – chicken and sausage gumbo

What are you eating this week?

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6 Ways to Thrive in The Kitchen With the Kids

Aimee — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 08:01:02 +0000

All photos are by Aimee.

The following post is written by food columnist Aimée Wimbush-Bourque.

I‘m sure I’m not the first mother to discover that children aren’t always happy playing on their own while mama does the cooking; usually they want to be right where the action is. Yep, right under your feet.

The good news is that by welcoming the little ones into the kitchen to cook and bake with you (instead of banishing them to the basement or TV room), you will be contributing immensely to their development.

Cooking with your children may not always be a piece of cake, but the benefits far outweigh the challenges. They can learn practical skills, such as counting and measuring, along with social skills like following instructions and patience – all while fostering creativity.

I don’t have to tell you the advantages of this one-on-on nurturing time together – just think back to cooking with your mom or grandmother, and how special that felt.

I’m predicting that my son is going to make his future wife superbly happy, because he’ll know his way expertly around the kitchen. Noah and I have been cooking together ever since he was old enough to stand on a chair, and I’m proud to say he is well on his way to becoming a little chef.

So what are you waiting for? Here are six steps to help you get started.

1. Start teaching at the grocery store.

Most of us shop with the little ones in tow, so why not make it a fun and educational experience?

• Name fruit and vegetables together. You’ll be surprised at how quickly your preschoolers will pick up the names of those exotic fruits. Occasionally encourage their curiosity by letting your children pick out one new fruit to bring home.

• Include children in some decision making. For example, ask them, “Should we cook spaghetti or fusilli with our sauce tonight?” Don’t let children make demands about your purchases, but do help them feel like you’re taking their tastes into consideration.

• Show older children how to clip coupons, and teach them about cost comparisons and simple money management.

**2. Set kitchen guidelines early, and never waver.**

My son will inform people that “Only Mama touches knives” because I’ve drilled that into him ever since he could stand and eat raisins at the counter. These boundaries are key for your children’s safety. As soon as your babies are crawling, you are teaching them that the stove is “hot”; the same goes for any items in the kitchen that are unsuitable for little hands. Make these rules clear before any cooking or baking goes on.

And don’t forget rules for hygiene! Teach your children about basic food-safe actions we can take, such as hand washing, and covering our mouths for sneezing and coughing.

3. Set yourself up properly.

• Provide your children with an apron – trust me, your laundry lady with thank you (oh wait, that’s probably you). Wearing an apron is also useful for signaling the beginning and end of “cooking time.”

• Make sure cookbooks, your phone, and everything you will need are in place, so you never have to leave the room to fetch something – thus leaving your children unattended.

• Provide duplicates of a few of your kitchen utensils for your child. Most children won’t be appeased with toy versions, but want to use exactly what mom is using. Items like spatulas, whisks, and measuring cups are affordable and safe for little hands, and provide a great source of entertainment to boot!

• Keep quick clean-up solutions close by, such as paper towels, dry dish towels, and a warm cloth for spills or overly sticky fingers – including yours.

4. Talk, taste, and sing a little.

• Talk: Children are sponges for information. In simple terms, always explain what you are making. Talk about each ingredient, where it comes from and what makes it special. Guide them through the task at hand in a way they can easily understand.

• Taste: Let your children taste anything they want. This is a safe, controlled environment where they can explore ingredients and educate their senses. Explain about sour, sweet, salty, bitter and spicy parts of the tongue and taste buds. Don’t worry, they won’t be dipping into the baking soda anytime soon behind your back.

• Sing: We love to make up songs as we work, or we enjoy old favourites such as “Biscuits in the oven” or “I like to eat (eat, eat) apples and bananas.” It brings a lighthearted and fun atmosphere into the kitchen.

5. Give small tasks to your children.

Children want to help and be involved. Sometimes all I hear myself saying is “Don’t touch that. Leave that alone. BE careful!”, and it’s usually because I have not given my son a specific task with boundaries. Once he is occupied with something, I can proceed with what I need to do.

Here are just a few things that keep my three-year-old busy:
•  Tearing, washing, and drying lettuce
•  Peeling vegetables, snapping beans, shucking corn
•  De-stemming grapes, strawberries,
• Rolling meatballs
• Sifting flour
• Cracking and beating eggs
• Transporting items to and from the fridge
• Grating cheese
• Rolling dough
• Making fruit salad
• Assembling sandwiches
• Greasing pans

6. End with clean-up.

Don’t let your children slip away to play as soon as dinner is popped into the oven. Now is the perfect time to teach them to see a task through from beginning to en,d and that clean-up can be a fun part of cooking too! Have them rinse the dishes or unload the dishwasher.

If all the clean-up is for an adult (washing a blender or sharp knives, for example), then enlist their help to set the table.

My wish is that you discover the valuable blessings of including your children in your kitchen time. The lessons learned and the laughs shared will last you a lifetime.

And don’t forget: Praise is invaluable, as is plenty of patience on your part.

To end, here is one of our favourite cookie recipes to whip up (not to mention my most requested recipe from friends!). We work together to assemble the ingredients, and then we speed through the shaping, thanks to Noah. He helps me roll them in sugar and place them on the pan.

Spice Snaps

(adapted from Joy of Cooking)
Makes 4 dozen

Preheat the oven to 325F. Have all ingredients at room temperature.

Cream together until light:

3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar

Stir in:

2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
2 teaspoons white vinegar

Sift together and add to butter mixture:

3-3/4 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger (or 3 teaspoons ground)
1 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated Tonka bean (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix well and roll into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in white sugar to coat, and place two inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until tops have cracked and edges start to brown. Cool a few minutes on the pan, then loosen with a spatula and transfer to a wire rack.

Store in an airtight container. These cookies freeze very well.
For a softer, chewier cookie, remove from the oven while centers are still slightly undercooked.

Do your kids participate with you in the kitchen? Do tell!

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How to Cook Up a Winning Oscar Party

Aimee — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 08:01:57 +0000

Photo by Nick Plowman. Unless noted, all remaining gorgeous photos in this post are by Aimée Wimbush-Bourque.

The following post is written by food columnist Aimée Wimbush-Bourque.

The Oscars are a great excuse to bring your movie buff friends together, enjoy some simple food, and beat those February blahs. Perhaps you’re toying with the idea of hosting a party to watch the Academy Awards. You’ve got the TV in place, you’re a huge Kate Winslet fan, and the only thing stopping you is planning the menu.

I can help! Sure, I haven’t seen many of the nominated films. Okay, a pathetic one. I’ve seen ONE FILM. But I can still give you some tips to ensure that your food will collect an award of its own, while remaining hassle-free.

Since this red carpet event is centered around the television, it isn’t the occasion to serve a multi-course meal in the dining room. But you can still do more than open a jar of salsa and sling a bag of Tostitos onto the coffee table. It’s going to be a looong night, and you’re going to need some sustenance.

Here are some strategies to help you further.

1. Go Antipasto.

If a wine-and-cheese is the easiest party to host, (and who can argue? One – open wine. Two – slice bread. Three – serve cheese.) then an antipasto party is a close second and is heaps more fun. If you can open a jar and use a knife, you can easily assemble this finger food feast. Similar to the Spanish tapas concept of many small dishes coming together to create one meal, antipasto is a culinary medley of simple appetizers featuring gorgeous Italian ingredients. Variations are limited only by the imagination, and perhaps the availability of ingredients.

Italians view their antipasto as a “short film” preview to dinner, but you can turn it into a “feature length” winner that’s a meal in itself:

• Cured Italian meats and crusty breads take the lead role, with bowls of fat, juicy olives, succulent marinated vegetables and mounds of fresh fruit playing supporting roles.

• An assortment of Italian biscotti (cookies) for dessert rounds out the meal; these can be either purchased or homemade, depending on how ambitious you are.

• For beverages, Italian red wine is choice. To accommodate your pregnant friends and designated drivers, you can also serve Italian drinks such as Brio, San Pellegrino, and Limonata. Salute.

Photo by Michael Johnson

2. Plan your menu.

Know ahead of time what you want to serve and how many guests to plan for. Be sure to factor in how much time you have to prepare, along with your skill set. If you’ve never made bread before, now may not be the best time to try breadsticks from scratch.

Keep in mind where you’ll be shopping for ingredients as you put your menu together. If you’ve got a reliable Italian grocer, then there are almost no limits to what you can do. If not, then be prepared to make some substitutes, such as ham for prosciutto.

For simplicity (and to optimize flavours), everything should be served at room temperature – which also means no pots and pans and no last minute scramble over a hot stove. Bravo.

Here are some menu ideas:

The Bread Department

Essential to an antipasto spread, these variations on a bread theme serve as platforms for all those gorgeous Italian meats and condiments. They come in many shapes and sizes.

• Grissini: A favorite snack around my home, these thin, crunchy breadsticks are way more fun than any cracker. Stock up – they disappear fast.

• Bruschetta: These thick slices of Italian-style bread are either grilled or toasted, then brushed with olive oil. Classically, they are topped with a mixture of fresh tomato, garlic and herbs.

• Crostini: Meaning ‘little toasts’, these small rounds of sliced bread are sliced thinner than bruschetta and dried out in the oven until crisp. A tip: ask your baker to pass the baguettes through the industrial bread slicer before giving them to you. This will save you a lot of time at home and also ensure nice, even rounds of crostini. For my favorite topping, see the recipe at the bottom.

• Focaccia: Ever since I found a simple recipe for this flatbread that delivers fantastic results, I have always made my own. Your friends will swoon when you serve warm wedges of focaccia with olive oil and balsamic for dipping—just like fine dining restaurants in the 80’s.

• Pizza: Do I really need to elaborate?

Vegetables

• Marinated: Artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, red peppers, and mushrooms.

• Fresh: Cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and endive.

Condiments & Sauces

Try pesto, black olive tapenade, sun-dried tomato pesto, anchovy paste, gherkins, roasted garlic, and mustard. Don’t leave out balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil for dipping the focaccia.

• Olives: Head for the bulk olives section of your deli for an assortment of black and green, spiced and marinated, which is just as easy as getting canned olives but twice as tasty and loads more fun.

• Italian cured, sliced meats: Mortadella, salami, sopressata – a little goes a long way for these rich and flavorful cold cuts. Include a few pepperoni sticks for the real carnivores.

• Cheese: Cheese plays a supporting role to the cured meats, but my favorites are buffalo mozzarella, bocconcini, or provolene. Below is my recipe for marinated bocconcini.

• Asparagus: Steam and serve with a garlic mayo dip, or wrap in prosciutto. A tip: Stand asparagus spears in a tall glass for an attractive presentation.

• Fresh fruit: Grapes, figs, melons, and strawberries…. Slice the cantaloupe in two-bite wedges and wrap them in prosciutto. Serve some plain melon for the vegetarians (I like mine with a sprinkling of sea salt).

• Italian cookies: Amaretti, biscotti, anisette – whether homemade or purchased, these finish off the meal on a sweet note, and are ideally paired with an inky espresso. Your guests will appreciate the caffeine-sugar jolt combo before they have to drive home.

3. Share the load by delegating help.

I’ll never forget an experience my sister had when she hosted a wine tasting. She was providing the wine and had asked guests to bring finger food, not specifying anything in particular. Imagine her dismay when seven out of eight couples brought hummus and pita.

To avoid having a fridge full of leftover hummus at the end of the night, assign something specific for each person to contribute. I find people often prefer to be told specifically what to bring, thus eliminating them having to come up with something themselves. It’s beneficial for the host, because you get exactly what you need and nothing is left to chance.

A tip: Inviting a few college guys? Have them bring the wine, and entrust the bruschetta to someone who knows their way around the kitchen.

4. Source before you shop.

Save yourself time, and make a quick call to verify with your butcher or grocer if they have what you need. How annoying is it to go through the effort of getting the kids dressed (we’re talking multiple winter layers here), and spending time and gas to run errands, only to discover your grocer doesn’t carry marinated artichokes, or that the melons at the market are hard as moon rock. Start your shopping before you head out the door by having a detailed list, a solid game plan, and completed homework.

5. Prepare in advance as much as you can.

Since most of the food is served room temperature, an antipasto spread lends itself well for advanced preparation, and gives you a chance to freshen up, pour yourself a glass of wine, and stake out a spot on the sofa before guests arrive.

Do Ahead Tips Up to 12 Hours in Advance:

• Bake crostini, and store it in an airtight container to maintain their crispiness.
• Slice melon, and store in an airtight container in fridge.
• Arrange platters of sliced meats and cheeses, wrap well with cling film, and refrigerate until an hour before serving.
• Prepare small serving bowls with vegetables, olives, and condiments. Cover and refrigerate.
• Steam asparagus, cool, and wrap in a damp paper towel. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.
• Arrange the cookies on a pretty tray, and wrap them well in cling film to keep them fresh.

6. Party!

To me, this is the ideal way to watch the Academy Awards – plenty of great food, surrounded by friends, all in the comfort of your own home. If the crowd favorite doesn’t win Best Picture, or if the speeches are boring and the outfits forgettable, people will still be talking about the party next year, thanks to your efforts in the kitchen. Since you’ll need something to keep you awake once the food settles, I give you this Oscar Party Pool Sheet to print up for each guest. Have fun betting on the winners.

Recipes

Wilted Spinach and Garlic Crostini with Parmesan

Half French baguette, sliced in ½ inch rounds
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
2 – 10 oz bags fresh baby spinach
2 teaspoons butter
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 anchovies, minced
½ teaspoon hot pepper flakes
Parmesan, whole, for garnish

Preheat your oven to 425°F. Brush the baguette slices with some of the olive oil, and place them on a baking sheet. Toast until golden brown, and sprinkle with salt and let cool.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and add the spinach (you may have to do it in two batches, depending on the size of your skillet). Stir often, until the spinach is wilted and begins to release a lot of its juices. Drain off the liquid and turn the spinach onto a paper towel. Blot the spinach dry.

Heat the remaining oil in a skillet. Cook garlic, anchovies and hot pepper flakes for about two minutes or until golden. Add spinach, and toss it to coat with oil and garlic sauce. Cook gently until it’s well-coated and warm. Season to taste with salt.

Divide the spinach among toasted baguette crostini, and top it off with a shaving of parmesan. Serve warm.

__

Marinated Cherry Tomatoes and Bocconcini

1 pint cherry tomatoes, washed
1 500ml tub of mini bocconcini
4 garlic cloves, peeled
8 or so whole black peppercorns
6 sprigs fresh herbs such as rosemary, oregano, or thyme
½ cup red wine vinegar (balsamic can be substituted)
2 cups extra virgin olive oil

In a clean pint jar, combine the cherry tomatoes, 2 garlic cloves, 4 peppercorns, and a few springs of fresh herbs. Repeat this in another jar, replacing the tomatoes with bocconcini.

Combine vinegar and olive oil in a small sauce pan and heat gently. Remove from heat, and pour over the tomatoes and bocconcini, dividing the mixture evenly between the two jars. Cool to room temperature. Cover jars with lids, and swirl mixture gently to combine. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Return to room temperature before serving, and serve with plenty of sliced crusty bread and sea salt.

Does the thought of throwing a party leave your knees weak? What are some strategies that you find helpful?

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Celebrate Simply From Your Kitchen

Tsh — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:00:16 +0000

Photo by Endless Beauty

T’is the season to spend most of your time in the kitchen, right? Perhaps if you’re hosting a grand holiday fête, or maybe you have three times as many house guests as family members. But more than likely, no one is truly expecting you to pull off a magazine cover-worthy spread on the table. Your family just wants to be with you.

To me, that’s what holiday cooking should be about. Cooking and baking together, enjoying our little creations to celebrate the season. My daughter loves to cook, and I bet some of you have kids who enjoy being your kitchen helpers as well.

If you’ve gotta cook for the holidays, I encourage you to make it easy on your family. I’m sticking with some of these simple recipes from around the blogosphere to celebrate the Christmas season…

Photo from Smitten Kitchen

Simple Dinners

Chicken Sausage Florentine Rigatoni :: Picky Palate
Sausage-Stuffed Potatoes :: Smitten Kitchen
Oven-Roasted Chicken :: Tammy’s Recipes (one of my favorites – we use this almost weekly!)
Rachael Ray’s Carbonara
Honey-Glazed and Pacific Rim Stir Fry
Homemade Pizza

Photo from Everybody Likes Sandwiches

Festive, Easy Desserts

Mint Melties :: Everybody Likes Sandwiches
Really Easy Chocolate Fudge With Toasted Walnuts :: Everybody Likes Sandwiches
Chocolate Shortbread :: Everybody Likes Sandwiches
Layers in a Glass :: Chocolate & Zucchini
Chocolate Orange Biscotti :: Jill E Duffy Eats This

Photo from David Lebovitz

Kid-Friendly Creations

Christmas Cookies :: Honey & Jam
Caramelized Matzoh Crunch With Almonds :: David Lebovitz (you can substitute with any plain cracker)
Candy Cane Chocolate Bark :: Everybody Likes Sandwiches
Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread and Cinnamon Chip Biscotti :: Picky Palate

Photo from Joy the Baker

Christmas Day Deliciousness

Meyer Lemon & Fresh Cranberry Muffins :: Everybody Likes Sandwiches
Cranberry Coffee Cake :: Joy the Baker
Dutch Babies
Mulled Cider :: Under the Highchair
Amy Scattergood’s Quick Cassoulet :: The Wednesday Chef
Risotto :: Bread & Honey
Pepperoni Roll :: Tammy’s Recipes
Pecan Pie :: Homesick Texan

Now it’s your turn – what recipes in the blogosphere are making your mouth water? What’s on your menu for the holidays?

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