Friday December 13, 2013

 Dinner for 2

Cheese, Nuts and Beet and Daikon Salsa
  Warm Salmon and Grapefruit Salad with Asparagus
Triple Chocolate Brownie with Vanilla Bourbon Ice Cream

 Just my husband and I tonight.  To start I have some cheese and nuts and some beet and daikon salsa made from Vij's Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine cookbook.  

I have just picked up a large box of grapefruit from a fundraiser for my nephew's rugby team.  I have a couple of favourite ways to use grapefruit.  One is for breakfast, broiled with honey vanilla and cardamon and the other is in this warm salad with salmon and snow peas.

I have been making this for a few years, starting in Australia using this recipe.  I stick mostly to the recipe but it depends what I can find fresh.  This time I used snow pea sprouts instead of tendrils.  I have also used watercress, extra snow peas, and even rocket (arugula).  It is a lovely refreshing and light dinner or lunch.

The triple chocolate brownie is from Chef Micheal Smith.  These brownies are so decadent I rarely make them but when I do they never last long.  I topped them off with President's Choice Black Label Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Ice Cream.  A light dinner ending with a rich decadent dessert.  Good for a quiet night during the Christmas season.

 

Friday November 29, 2013

Dinner for 5

Soju Sangria
Kimchee Citrus Pork with Roasted Fuji Apples
Salmon and Scallion Skewers with a Miso-Honey Glaze
Cremini Mushrooms & Pearl Onions with Sesame-Garlic Butter
Spicy Chicken and Peppers with Smoky Chili Rub
Ginger-Soy Beef with Chili Tomatoes
Ginger Scallion Noodles

 Sides of Pickled Shiitake Mushrooms, Pickled Cherries, Pickled Fennel and Kimchee

 A gift of fantastic homemade Kimchee from friend inspired tonight's dinner.  Feeding all five of us (2 adults and 3 children with varying tastes) I chose a variety of skewers from Seoultown Kitchen: Korean Pub Grub to Share with Family and friends by Debbie Lee.  Pork, salmon, vegetable, chicken and beef.  Something for everyone. Plus plenty of pickled sides.

I started with Soju Sangria found in the Seoultown Kitchen cookbook.  I could find no plums, as it is November, so I just used more mango instead.  This was very refreshing, who new aloe vera juice could be so tasty.  I am looking forward to making it and drinking it on hot summer days.

There were technical difficulties with the skewers.  I had my sous chef (aka husband) grilling.  It was dark, well below zero and one of the burners on the BBQ just didn't want to light.  He wasn't dressed properly for the task so he was cold and cranky.  That resulted in some over charring but I would definitely make these again, in nicer weather.

 Kimchee Citrus Pork with Roasted Fuji Apples 

 Salmon and Scallion Skewers with a Miso-Honey Glaze

 Cremini Mushrooms and pearl Onions with Sesame-Garlic Butter 

 Spicy Chicken and Peppers with Smoky Chili Rub

 Ginger-Soy Beef with Chili Tomatoes

The noodles were out of Momofuku by David Chang. 

The yummy pickled sides were made this past summer after I vowed to read all of my cookbooks cover to cover.  Momofuku by David Chang was the first one I read completely.  It inspired a lot of picking.  Pickled cherries are my new favourite thing followed closely by shiitaki mushrooms.  And the Kimchee made by my friend was just wow!

In the end there was nothing left.  We were all stuffed. 

Friday November 15, 2013

Dinner for 2

Turmeric and Saffron Curry

Raita
Beet and Daikon Salsa
Naan

Ground Beef Curry with Warm Fennel and Zucchini Salad

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts with Red Peppers, Paneer and Cashews

Shrikhand

A week ago I hooked up with a like minded friend on Saturday morning after the Farmers Market.  We wandered through our local kitchen store and then headed to the public library.  Wandering through the cookbook and food writing section we made recommendations to each other.  She suggested:

• Ripe, a Fresh Colourful Approach to Fruits and Vegetables by Cheryl Sternman Rule 
• Long Ago in France The Years in Dijon by M.F.K. Fisher  
• Elegant and Inspired Vij's Indian Cuisine by Vikram Vij and Meeru Dhalwala

After scanning through the book by Vikram Vij I decided to make the Turmeric and Saffron Curry to start a meal earlier in the week.  It was so fantastic I decided to plan my Friday Night Dinner out of the cookbook.  All except the dessert of Shrikhand came out of the Elegant and Inspired Vij's Indian Cuisine cookbook.

Loved it

The Turmeric and Saffron Curry is a beautiful start.  It is like eating a bowl of sunshine.  This has become a favourite in my house.  There are fights for the last bowl.

Although I had every intention of making my own naan, my day got busy and I ended up purchasing it.  I have decided I am going to make some and freeze it so it is always on hand for curries, dhal and whenever a simple pizza bottom is needed for a quick kid friendly meal.

Who knew I could convince a beet hater (my beloved husband) to try them.  He ended up loving the beet and diakon salsa, must have been all the coriander (cilantro).  Also pictures is the raita which was a great accompaniment to the meal.

A very tasty ground beef curry with a warm zucchini and fennel salad.

I have found another dish to get brussel sprouts into my husband.  These were delicious I will have to make them again soon.

I think I have mentioned a few times that I am not much of a dessert eater or maker.  I like a good rich dessert on occasion but mostly I like light things like fruit.  This is a wonderful end to a meal.  Sweetened yoghurt topped with pistachios.  I added candied fennel seeds as well.

Friday November 8, 2013

Dinner for 5, Our Family

Meatballs with a Cranberry Sauce over Rice
Sauteed Broccoli with Almonds
Spinach Salad with Blue Cheese
Parfait with Chocolate Yoghurt, Raspberries, Oatmeal Brown Sugar Crumble and Whipped Cream

Oh what to make, was my thought earlier today? Just the family tonight and my husband has been away so I am thinking of keeping it kind of simple.  Even though my husband is often away some weeks I get worn down.  This is one of them.  I just want a tasty dinner that hopefully everyone will like.

I have ground pork from Thatcher Farm and a whole lot of fresh cranberries because they were on sale for 50 cents a bag and I just couldn't resist them.  I love them in pancakes and muffins (I always try to keep some in the freezer and I am well stocked now) but what about savoury dishes besides cranberry sauce with turkey.  I have a cookbook from the Ontario cranberry growing area of Bala with local recipes.  I love these kinds of cookbooks. I decided on Meatballs with a Cranberry Sauce over Rice.

From this photo you may be able to tell I have never actually made meatballs before.  They didn't brown as evenly as I would have liked.  The whole dish was a little sweet for my liking but the kids thought it was okay.

I sauteed the broccoli with garlic and topped it with toasted almond slivers.  Very taste.

The spinach salad included toasted pine nuts, red onion and blue cheese with a balsamic vinaigrette.

The dessert was pretty special, although super simple to make.  I made a crumble with oatmeal and brown sugar and left it to cool.   I added a little sugar to the raspberries and let them sit.  I whipped cream with a little vanilla and confectioner's sugar.  Then I used a store bought chocolate yoghurt from Sheldon Creek Dairy.  I then put it in layers in my grandmother's crystal. Looked beautiful and tasted fantastic.

 

 

Friday November 1, 2013

Dinner for 2

Cheese
Sirloin Steaks with Garlicky Swiss Chard
Roasted Potatoes
Roasted Beets (these are just for me)
Huge Pile of Hallowe'en Candy for Dessert

Friday Night dinner this week was just for two because my son likes his girlfriend more than steak, my one daughter likes a friend's mother's  hamburgers and hockey more than steak and my other daughter just doesn't like steak.

Started the evening with a little cheese plate.

Found the recipe for the Sirloin Steak with Garlicky Swiss Chard in the Fall 2013 edition of Cooking Fresh by Fine Cooking.

The roasted potatoes are done Jamie Oliver style by boiling them first, letting them steam dry and then roasting them with salt, pepper and olive oil.  The beets (which only I love in my family and I don't understand why) were washed, wrapped in foil with a little salt pepper and olive oil then baked in oven and peeled and quartered when cooked through. Topped with a little more salt , pepper and olive oil.

Dessert today was found by raiding the kids Hallowe'en candy.  Shhh Don't tell them.

Friday October 26, 2013

Dinner for 7

Baba Ghanoush, Dukkah and Za'atar with Bread for dipping
Spinach Salad with Dates and Almonds
Lamb Chops with Autumnal Roots, Shoots and Fruits
Dukkah Crusted Ocean Perch
Cheese Course (1608, 6 yr Cheddar, Emerite Blue, Bliss and a soft Goat Cheese)
No-bake Lemon Cheese Cake
Raspberry Fizz to Drink

My son wanted a Friday Night Dinner for his birthday this year.  Due to the busy schedules of teenagers we had to move it to a Saturday and even then one friend ended up having to cancel.  My son and I worked on the menu together.  He loves lamb and middle eastern flavours.  After trying to work around food allergies and diet restrictions we came up with the above menu to suit all.  

The teens all dressed up for the occasion like they were off to a high end restaurant.  One of the guests even brought me flowers ... she is welcome back anytime. 

I worked as the chef and my husband was the waiter. My daughter worked as the official food photographer.  This is the first time I have not sat at the table of one of my dinners.  All went well.  With me not sitting down and eating each course the timing sure went off without a hitch.

It started with baba ghanoush, dukkah and za'atar with bread for dipping.  I don't think I will ever go back to store bought baba ghanoush again, this was so tasty.  Having dukkah with bread and olive oil reminded me how much I love it.  There was also grated fresh tomatoes to dip your bread in before dipping it in the za'atar. 

The recipe for the baba ghanoush was from Jerusalem a Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.  I made the dukkah using a recipe from Taste I have been making it for a long time so I don't always follow it exactly and this time I used almonds in place of the hazelnuts.  I bought the za'atar locally.

The Spinich and date salad was also from Jerusalem a Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.   I loved this salad and plan to add it to my regular rotation of side dishes.  It was delicious.

The mains included the lamb with two sauces, the dukkah crusted fish and a parsnip thyme and leek mash.

The recipe for the fish is something I have also been doing a long time.  I bread the fish by dipping it in seasoned flour, then milk then dukkah and bake it in the oven. The fish stays moist and the crust gets crunchy.  The other dishes were based on a recipe from BBC Food .  Not having fresh currents available for the red current and green chilli sauce I used frozen raspberries in their place.  I also did not have pomegranate powder to sprinkle on the lamb so I used a little sumac instead.  It was all rather tasty.  The yoghurt and date sauce could be eaten on it's own in my opinion.

Some of my son's favourite cheeses purchased from our favourite cheese shop Ouderkirk and Taylor.

We forgot to get a photo of the cheese cake before it was devoured by the guests.  We did get a shot of the Raspberry Fizz at its fizziest, it is favourite alcohol free drink in our house.

Friday October 25, 2013

Dinner for 5
Sesame Steak Salad with Asian pear
Noodles with Soy Dressing
Lemon Cheesecake  

Tonight we are having a casual Friday Night Dinner. Tomorrow we are having the official 'Friday Night Dinner' for my son and seven of his friends as a birthday celebration. The complicated and busy lives of working teens meant a Saturday date would work better. 

I thought one of my adult nephews might drop by tonight so I was keeping the menu simple and easy to expand for 6 if he could make it.  Unfortunately in the end it was only us.

 A yummy stir fried steak salad topped with toasted sesame seeds, asian pear and green onions.

Noodles with a simple soy Dressing.  I could eat these all day long.

Leftover no bake lemon cheesecake from the birthday celebration yesterday.  This is so light and fluffy made with whipped evaporated milk, cream cheese, sugar and lemon jello to set it.  All in a graham cracker crust with a little extra crumbled on top.  This is one of the first successful desserts I ever learned to make, way back when I was in high school.  It is still a favourite.

Friday October 18, 2013

Dinner for 4
Pork and Ginger Wonton Stir fry (sort of a deconstructed dumpling)
Bok Choy and Garlic
Lemon Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Icing and Macerated Raspberries

It has been a crazy, busy, short week.  After not having Friday Night Dinner for so many weeks you would think I would be well organized.  But I am not.  Truth be told I am rarely well organized.  I think I might be missing that gene.  The oldest is out so it is the girls, hubby and I for dinner tonight.

I was babysitting for a friend this morning and she had just received a new cookbook for her birthday, Mad Hungry Cravings by Lucinda Scala Quinn .  I was leafing through it and saw many recipes I would like to try but I landed on Pork and Ginger Wonton Stir Fry for tonight.  At least I think that is what it was called.  That is what I wrote down at the top of my notes, but it seems I either got the name wrong or I left out ginger when making my notes because there was actually no ginger in it.  Maybe I should have thrown some in.  

It was pretty tasty but I did have a lot of trouble with the wontons sticking together, then getting over cooked.  I think if I was to make it again I would use Udon Noodles and throw in some bright vegetables to make it look more appetising.  Sometimes Friday Night is good for trial and error. Bok Choy is often stir fired and often eaten in our house. I just trim add rinse the baby bok choy and mince a little garlic.  I get the wok hot, add some oil (vegetable and sesame oil) toss in the garlic for thirty seconds add the bok choy and stir fry until wilted.  I then season with a little soy sauce.

I didn't have time to whip up dessert but I did find some pre-made cupcakes at the store.  I added vanilla butter cream icing with extra whip cream that I was using on my friend's birthday cake.  I used some frozen raspberries to make a little sauce on the side.

Not to bad for a crazy, busy, short week.  It certainly appealed to my daughters.  Especially the dessert.

 

Friday August 23, 2013

Dinner for 7

Boiled Fresh Corn on the Cob

Grilled Vegetables with Maple Balsamic Dressing

Grilled Salmon, Shrimp and Steak with Garlic, Parsley and Chive Sauce

Wild Blackberry Tarts

After a few weeks of no dinners due to travel and summer fun I ended up doing a Friday Night Dinner at my Dad's this week.  I was travelling to my Dad's place to pick up my youngest daughter from a fun filled week at 'Grandpa Camp'.  My dad had agreed to entertain and care for my youngest and my nephew for a week at his house in cottage country.  We will see if he ever volunteers for that again.  

I had brought up some fresh vegetables from the Farmers' Market  but I didn't really have a plan.  When I arrived, my Dad asked if I would make dinner for him and some of his neighbours.  Of course I agreed.  I had beautiful corn, zucchini, mushrooms, sweet peppers and red onions.  All I needed was a protein for this glorious summer BBQ at my Dad's beautiful riverside home, and a plan.  My Dad suggested I look through the Aussie BBQ cookbook I had given him when I was living in Australia.   I found a wonderful surf and turf recipe which I adapted for the evening. 

First order of business is to clear off the picnic tables and set them together for a wonderful alfresco dining by the river.  Does it get any better than this?

The corn is at it's peak right now.  I just boiled it for 8 minutes in salted water and served it up.  I like it just with pepper but I let the guest dress it with becel (my dad has no butter) and salt and pepper as to their taste.

I grilled all the vegetables together in one of those handy dandy grilling baskets.  Then tossed them with a dressing of:

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tsp Dijon Mustard

1Tsp Maple Syrup 

Salt and Pepper

The Salmon, Shrimp and Steak were all grilled on the BBQ then topped with a sauce from The Great Aussie Barbie Cookbook by Kim Terakes.

1/3 Cup Olive Oil

4 Tbsp Butter (again I used Becel here)

2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp Dried Oregano

1/2 Cup Flat Leaf parsley, finely chopped

1/2 Cup Chives, finely chopped

Melt Butter and heat oil in a fry pan.  Add herbs and heat through then pour over the cooked protein.

We finished the meal off with Wild Blackberry Tarts made by my Dad.  The blackberries were picked on his property.  Yummy!

This was a great meal.  Fresh and eaten outdoors.  Best part was being able to cook for my Dad's neighbours who have been so supportive of my Dad since the death of my Mom in the Spring.  Nice to give back to great people. It was also nice to show off my cooking skills to a new group of people.  They gave me rave reviews which always fuels my passion.

 

 

Friday August 30, 2013

Dinner for 2
Grilled Wild Sockeye Salmon
Spinach Salad

Wow it has been weeks since I have been home to cook a Friday Night Dinner.  There was Hillside Festival, a trip to Kingston to visit my sister and her family, a weekend get-away in Toronto with my sisters, a Soccer party for my youngest daughter and a visit at my Dad's.  That brings us to the Labour Day Weekend and the 'end' of summer.  Where did it go?

I am keeping it simple tonight because it is crazy hot out and it is just the Hubby and I.

Simply grilled the Salmon on my BBQ with a little salt, pepper, lemon juice and oil.  Topped it off with a little more lemon juice and some chopped coriander.

The Spinach Salad was equally easy.  Baby spinach, thinly sliced red onion, cremini mushrooms quartered and canned mandarin segments all tossed together with the dressing made with olive oil, juice the mandarins were canned in, salt, pepper, white wine vinegar and a little grainy mustard.