Light and Crispy Fish & Chips

Frying. It's not something that I do a lot at home. To be honest, because it's messy. And it smells. But it tastes so darn good!

Today I picked up some beautiful fresh fish (snapper) and couldn't resist turning it into fish and chips. And it was amazing! Our daughter of course, who has eaten very little deep fried food, if any, in her lifetime of less than 2 years absolutely adored it, even though fish has been an on and off food for her.

The batter was light and crispy, and the tartar sauce was the perfect tangy accompaniment. Definitely worth the mess and smell in my kitchen!

Stirfried Beef with Zucchini, Ginger and Scallions

I grew up with amazing stirfries that my mom used to make for us all the time. My favourites were beef and brocolli, beef and zucchini and beef and green beans.

Although I also stirfry quite often for my family, I can never get them tasting quite as good as my mom's. That is, until this one. Usually my veggies are overcooked, my meat is a little on the chewier side, or the flavours just aren't the same. But it seems that I finally got one right. I managed to achieve a similar balance of flavours to the stirfries I remember and kept the meat tender and the veggies al dente.

The tricks?

- Starting with good meat, thinly sliced across the grain.

- Cooking everything separately. First browning the meat and removing it from the pan when it is just browned but not necessarily completely cooked. The slices are so thin that between residual cooking once removed from the pan and the additional cooking time once added back to the pan, they cook quickly and completely faster than we think. Then cooking the veggies until just fork tender. Doing these steps allows you to control the cooking time of the two main components, which cook at vastly different rates.

Hopefully this is a sign of great stirfries to come?

Meaty Coconut Kale Soup

Our daughter loves soup. Particularly pureed soups. But today I decided to take a chance on a chunky, meaty soup with chopped kale.

I was fairly certain that she would spit out the kale. Even chopped relatively small, it has a particular texture that doesn't fare well with 18 month old children. The other thing I wasn't sure about was the ground meat in the soup. Our daughter likes meat, but I wasn't sure she would like having to chew a lot while eating the soup. Lastly, the red pepper flakes. Our daughter loves food with good flavour, and I wanted to add enough to bring good depth of flavour without actually making the soup spicy. (If it was just me eating it however, I would have added more).

On the other hand, I knew the chunks of potato would be a hit. And the rich and creamy coconut milk I figured would be a no brainer.

Given all of this though, I really wasn't sure how this soup would be received in our household. So I made the soup, crossed my fingers, and hoped for the best.

Baked Egg Frittata with Sausage, Feta and Sundried Tomatoes

So I am in love with The Pampered Chef stoneware. This has nothing to do with the fact that I just started as a consultant for The Pampered Chef (www.pamperedchef.biz/heathergiraud) and everything to do with the fact that I LOVE this stoneware for everything! I have no idea why it took me so long to get myself some! Everything that I cook on it turns out awesome--- evenly cooked and browned-- and the more I use it, the better it gets. Plus, I use them for sweet and savory and the stoneware doesn't retain any flavors or smells!

One of my favorite things to cook on my stoneware is an egg frittata. It's perfect for brunch and so easy to make! You just cannot go wrong with this dish. You can modify it to suit your tastes-- remove the feta and add a different type of cheese, add some sauteed onions, remove the sausage and add bacon or ham. It all works. Oh, and did I mention that it sure is impressive when it comes out of the oven :) Yum yum!

Red Curry Chicken Drumsticks

I don't usually buy drumsticks. I love chicken, but would prefer to buy them whole or if I buy pieces, I prefer the wings or the thighs. That has all changed.

We recently had chicken wings for dinner. As usual, I proceeded to take off some of the meat to give to my 1 year old daughter. This time, however, she was insistent on having a wing too. So, I cut off the drummette and gave it to her. She loved it. So much in fact that she completely cleaned the bone!

Curious to see if this enthusiasm would continue, the next day, I bought a package of chicken drumsticks and made these Red Curry Chicken Drumsticks. I wanted to see if my daughter would like eating off the bone as much as she had the previous day. To my surprise, my daughter happily ate 3 of them! It seems that she likes food with a little kick, and she loves holding the drumstick and eating off of it.

Since that time, I have tried other marinades for drumsticks and I have not been disappointed. My daughter has enjoyed all of them. So I guess I will be buying packs of drumsticks more frequently!

Creamy Sockeye Salmon Orechiette

I realize that I have been missing in action for a while. It's not that I haven't been cooking. It's just that between looking after our active 11 month old, the never ending house projects, and of course, enjoying the summer, I haven't had time to sit down and share.  But don't worry. I'm here. And I've got a really good one for you.

This pasta is so quick and easy and uses ingredients that most of us have regularly in our pantries and fridges. As summer comes to an end (sigh....), the days get shorter, and we get back in the hustle and bustle of work, school, daycare etc, quick no-fuss meals are in high demand. And this is one of them. It is also sure to please as it doesn't skim on flavor, and it contains some kid favorites-- pasta, peas and a creamy sauce. Yum yum!

Salmon with Boursin Cheese & Tomatoes en Papiotte

We'd been driving for 3 plus hours south east from Dijon to Thonon-les-Bains to visit friends. Normally this trip would be filled with some good music, sleeping (for me) and talks of future travels and projects. This time, with our 9 month old daughter, it was filled with Nirvana's MTV unplugged album on repeat (it was a surefire way to get her to sleep), and talks of potentially stopping at the next rest stop, what she was going to eat, and diapers. Wow, how times have changed.

So after what seemed like endless driving on the French highways, mediocre rest stops and not much napping on my part, a late lunch and a little rosé in the garden of our friends' home was welcome. And for lunch? A wonderful fillet of salmon baked en papiotte (in a parchment paper pocket) with boursin cheese and tomatoes. It was so delicious and so flavorful. Even our 9 month old daughter loved it!

Chilled Cucumber & Avocado Soup

It's almost that time again!

As the weather heats up, chilled soups make the perfect light meal or starter. They are refreshing, flavorful and so easy to make. Especially because you can make them in advance. If you are entertaining, you can serve chilled soups family style in a large soup tureen with a ladle (already prepared in the fridge) or you can dish the soup into small bowls before your guests even arrive.

This chilled cucumber and avocado soup combines the coolness of the cucumber with the creamy avocado to make an awesome soup summer soup! You will never just think of soup as a winter dish ever again!

Dry Rub BBQ Ribs

The sun is shining, so it must be time to fire up the barbeque! 

Well, even if the sun isn't shining, it is always a good time to barbeque! Especially in our case, since our barbeque is just outside our kitchen door on the covered part of our deck, sheltered from mother nature and really just an extension of our kitchen! Oh, and did I mention our barbeque is natural gas? No need to lug propane tanks back and forth and no fear that the propane will run out just as your dinner is in the middle of cooking. Yep, it doesn't get any easier than that!!!!

So, now that the barbeque is uncovered and clean, the question is... what to make? I figure that you just can't start barbeque season without ribs, dry rubbed and slow cooked until tender? Yum yum!

I usually make a whole jar of dry rub, then put it in a mason jar to use on both chicken and ribs whenever I feel like it.

One Pot Beef Stew

Snow, snow, snow! After quite a dry winter here on the west coast, I was starting to wonder if we just skipped winter this year. And then a few days ago, the snow started and I woke up to a winter wonderland! And the snow hasn't stopped! There are at least 20 centimeters on our deck and counting and the local mountains are packed with fresh powder.

So yesterday. I decided to take my little one for her first excursion in the snow. We went for a nice long snowshoe and at the end of it, I was famished! (probably had something to do with carrying an extra 16+ pounds on my front!). What did I crave after a day on the mountain? Hearty, soul warming, comfort food of course!

Split Pea Soup

When time is an issue, soups really are the way to go. It takes very little effort to make a large pot and then you have a bunch of meals taken care of! I know a lot of people who regularly prepare a huge batch of their favorite soup to enjoy for lunches or dinners throughout a busy working week.

Soup is also healthy and I swear it gets tastier as the week goes on. And if you don't want to eat the same soup over and over? No problem! Make a big batch anyway and freeze it in portions. You never know when it might come in handy as a quick meal.

Split pea is a soup that my mom used to make for us, but for some reason, I have never really made myself. I have no idea why. I absolutely love it. If it is the "soup of the day" at a restaurant, I will usually order it. I even found that you can buy pretty good tasting ones in tetra packs in the super market. That being said, it is so easy to make, there isn't any reason why I shouldn't just be making it. 

Steamed Five Spice Pork Buns

For a lot of us, the fall is a time for foraging, harvesting, and preparing for winter. For me, the fall included stocking my freezer full of meals to get me through the first few months with my newborn. And today is one of the days in which I enjoyed the fruits of my labour from the fall.

I had been running around all morning tending to a 3 month old baby's every need, and before I knew it, my stomach was grumbling. Even though I pride myself in having a fully stocked fridge and pantry most of the time, I also pride myself in staying away from most process foods and making things from scratch. So of course, when I opened my fridge, I had lots of fruits and veggies that would need to be broken down (which is difficult with one arm holding a baby) and in my pantry, lots of dry ingredients waiting to be made into bread and muffins, or needing to be cooked (like legumes and grains). So, freezer it was. Oh, and there were so many choices! Thank goodness for that fall preparation.

Festive Eggnog Pancakes (can be whole wheat!)

So I recently did a post about these awesome eggnog muffins. I originally made them because I had some eggnog leftover from when my sister came over. Well, needless to say, I loved these muffins so much that I bought some eggnog to make some more. And what do you know, I still have eggnog left in the fridge. And so begins that vicious cycle of leftover eggnog.

I figured I should make something else besides the muffins. And since my husband was off from work yesterday, I decided to make something for breakfast besides our usual bowls of oatmeal. So I made pancakes. With eggnog. Oh, and I added a little extra nutmeg and cinnamon just to emphasize the fact that these were eggnog pancakes.

I made the pancakes with whole wheat flour, but you could use white flour or a mix of white and whole wheat. The pancakes were delicious and fluffy. You could eat these with maple syrup, butter or jam, but I highly recommend eating them with a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk. I think the milk adds to the spirit of the eggnog pancake.

They were fluffy and delicious and oh so festive.

Merry Christmas to you and your families!

Pulled Pork Enchiladas with Spiced Tomato Sauce

A couple of month ago, I wrote about nesting, freezer meals and preparing for the arrival of our first child. Well, our daughter arrived at the end of September, and boy am I glad that I took the time to stock up the freezer! For those days when you just don't have time to think about lunch or dinner, these make ahead meals really save the day!

One of the make ahead dishes that I already shared with you was my Roasted Chicken (or pork) Enchiladas with Salsa Verde, Sour Cream and Cilantro Sauce. 

In addition to those enchiladas, I also made another variation of this dish with a spiced tomato sauce.  After a long, cold day, we pulled one out of the freezer last night and happily enjoyed this warm, homemade but pre-made meal.  It was so comforting on such a cold day, but because it had been made in advance, it took only an hour in the oven, and literally no work!

Heartwarming Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

It's getting cold outside. This means, that it's time for some heartwarming soups. Thankfully, I had anticipated this need a couple of months ago before our little one arrived and made a huge pot of gumbo, portioned it, and froze it for times like these!

Okay, perhaps it was more of a craving than anticipating my future need. But whatever the case, I made lots, ate a bunch and froze the rest. And I sure am thankful for it now.

The first time I had gumbo was actually when I lived in Austin. I worked in a restaurant that served this amazing seafood gumbo. It was slightly spicy, and so flavorful and rich. I have thought time and again of trying to recreate it, but never gotten around to it. Then one day, I was wandering around the grocery store and saw that Campbell's had a Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. I thought I would try one. And to be honest, for store bought soup, it was delicious. But it also furthered my determination to make my own.

Citrus Chicken and Potato Bake

As the weather gets colder, I am really into recipes that use the oven and heat up the house. Yes, multitasking at its finest! But not only that-- with a newborn baby in the house, I don't have as much time as I used to, so meals that I can prep in less than 15 minutes, stick in the oven, and forget about until the timer goes off are the new "go to" type of meal. And this is one of them.

In a nutshell, all of the ingredients get squished together in a large ziplock bag (or bowl if you like). This can be done at your convenience, when you have a spare minute or two-- for me with a newborn, these moments can be at random times during the day. Once this is done, you can place the bag or bowl in the fridge for up to day until you are ready to bake.  Then, it's bake, forget, then dinner is served! How easy was that? Oh, and did I mention, you can double or triple this recipe if you want to with minimal extra work (and if your oven is big enough).

Green Tomato Sauce

It's official. Fall is here and my tomato harvest is officially over. Okay, it's been over for a few weeks now, but I've finally gotten around to harvesting the green tomatoes off of the plants before cleaning the beds up for the winter.

I have lost all hope that these green tomatoes will turn red. And unfortunately, with the rainier and cooler August and September that we had, there are lots and lots of green tomatoes. So, what to do with all these completely green (and only partially ripened) tomatoes? Well, I decided to make some tomato sauce.  Now you might think that to do this you need to combine ripe tomatoes with a small quantity of green tomatoes, but that's really not the case. In fact, I used 100% green and partially ripened tomatoes and the sauce tasted fantastic!

Curry Rice Noodles

So, I was craving Singapore Fried Noodles-- the thin, vermicelli noodles that are stirfried with curry. It's funny because I have only ever had them once, when I went to a noodle house with my mom and she ordered them. But they have stuck with me. And I have been thinking about making them ever since.

Well, today was the day. The day that I wanted them so badly. Unfortunately, I didn't have vermicelli noodles, nor ground pork or shrimp which is what the noodle dish I ate with my mom had in them. But that's okay. I improvised to get the flavours that I was craving. And it turned out to be exactly what I had been thinking about.

Just goes to show that you can use what you have around and still recreate the flavours and textures you are craving. (No longer necessary to run to the grocery store in the middle of cooking!!).

Quinoa Zucchini Cakes with Sriracha Aioli

Yesterday, we pulled out all of our zucchini plants and turned over the beds. Sigh... as the weather cools down, it seems to be the end of the growing season for me. I can't really complain though. As a first time gardener this year, I was very fortunate to get a huge crop of veggies throughout the season. Some of the veggies were more successful than others, but overall, it was definitely worth the hard work.

So, as I turned over a majority of our beds last night in preparation for perhaps a little bit of fall/winter gardening but mostly to prep for spring, I reflected on what the growing season looked like for us and all the great recipes that came out of it.

Fortunately, before calling it a season, I was able to get a few more zucchini out of the plants and thus able to make one more great garden fresh meal.

Pulled Pork or Roasted Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde, Cilantro and Sour Cream Sauce

It's official. I am nesting. With the upcoming arrival of our first child, I have found myself stationed in the kitchen making freezer meals for the time crunched days and nights ahead.

Lasagna's and chili already done, I was looking to make something a little different. So started my stroll through the grocery store, where I picked up a massive pork shoulder to make a pulled pork with crispy pork crackling! Now, with only 2 of us in the house at the moment, I figured I would need to do something else with the pork besides eat it for lunch and dinner for the next week, so I stopped at the market where my favorite little Mexican joint is and bought some corn tortillas. Enchiladas here we come!