Chicken Pot Pie has to be considered as ‘comfort’ food. Try this one out and see if you agree.
- 1 lb. frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 tbsp. canola oil
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 1 cup yellow onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 cup celery, peeled and cut in 1/2 inch slices
- 2 cups Yukon gold potatoes, diced 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock, divided
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 3 tbsp. flour
- 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp. chopped flat leaf parsley
- pinch of sea salt
- pinch of freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup frozen kernel corn
- 3 cups diced cooked chicken, white and dark meat
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Cut the pastry discs large enough to cover 6 individual bowls. Place discs on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush with the beaten egg. Bake until golden brown (according to package instructions). Remove from the oven and allow to cool down.
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the canola oil and butter. When melted, add the onion, carrot and celery and saute until the onion is translucent. Add the potatoes and 1 cup of the stock. Cover and reduce the heat to simmer, cooking until the carrots and potatoes are tender.
Whisk together the remaining stock, whipping cream and flour until smooth and stir into the vegetable mixture and cook until thickened. Stir in the thyme, parsley, salt, pepper, peas and chicken.
Heat through. Divide and ladle into the warmed bowls. Top with the puff pastry discs and serve.
Green Beans With A Cranberry/Pistachio Dressing
After another trip to Penticton yesterday, it was too late to post a recipe. I’m back now so today,I think this one may be a wonderful addition to the Easter Dinner, coming up soon, so you should be prepared.
- 1 1/2 lbs. fresh green beans
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 cup pistachios, chopped
- 2 tbsp. pumpkin seeds
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp. parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Trim stem end from beans, wash before putting into the pot and blanch until tender crisp (about 8 minutes). Drain and put into a bowl of ice water to stop cooking further. Drain and arrange on a small serving platter.
Mix the pistachios, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, garlic and a pinch of salt together. Heat a fry pan with olive oil, add the nuts and cook, stirring constantly until the pistachios are heated through (2 minutes).
Remove from heat and add the vinegar and parsley. Spoon dressing over the beans and serve immediately.
Great addition to your dinner.
Simple Fish “Tagine”
The title shouldn’t scare you. It really means if you don’t have a tagine (who does?) make sure you have an oven-proof large fry pan with a tight fitting lid. There…simple.
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
- 1 tbsp. Hungarian paprika
- 2 tsp. turmeric
- pinch of salt and black pepper
- 1/8 tsp. saffron
- 4 x 4 oz. halibut or cod, skinless (4 servings)
- 1 Vidalia onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 orange bell pepper, cored and julienned
- 1/3 cup colossal green olives
- 3 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup fish stock (vegetable will also work)
- 1/2 lb. raw prawns, cleaned, tails on
- 1/2 lb. mussels, scrubbed
- lemon wedges for garnish
- crusty bread (for dipping)
In a food processor whirl 1/4 cup of the olive oil, garlic, cilantro, turmeric, paprika, salt, pepper and saffron until almost smooth. Transfer to a shallow bowl. Add the fish pieces and turn in the mixture to coat well. Set aside.
In a large oven proof fry pan heat 1 tbsp. olive oil. Add the onion and saute until almost soft. Add the orange pepper and olives and saute for a further 2 minutes.
Fold in the tomatoes and stock and bring to a boil. Snuggle the fish pieces into the vegetable mixture and scrape the remaining marinade over the top. Cover the pan and simmer for 5 minutes of a medium low temperature. Remove the lid and tuck the prawns and mussels into the mix and continue cooking for another 5 – 10 minutes. Discard any mussels that do not open.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with lemon wedges and slices of crusty bread for dipping into the liquid gold sauce.
If you want to take this one over the top, serve with a really chilled Chardonnay. Just sayin’.
Seafood Risotto In One Pot
Well, after two days off …not really, transplanting some pot-bound indoor plants and watching them sigh a big sigh of relief, here it is..Monday morning. So..I absolutely love risotto and this is for the hard-core seafood diner. Trust me!
- 2 tbsp. virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp. minced garlic
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 1/2 bulb fennel, cored and chopped
- 3 tbsp. tomato paste
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup dry vermouth
- 1/2 tsp. saffron
- 1 pound orzo
- 2 cups clam juice
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 12 mussels
- 16-18 shrimp. deveined
- 1/2 lb. squid rings
- 1 lb. small clams
- 1 lb. meaty white fish, cut into chunks
- flat leaf parsley leaves for garnish
In a large heavy-bottomed saucepot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic, onion, and fennel, stirring until just starting to brown. (3 minutes), add the tomato paste and season with a little salt and pepper and continue cooking, stirring constantly for 2 more minutes. Stir in the vermouth and saffron and cook for 1 minute.
Add the orzo and now, using a large ladle, add the clam juice and broth, stirring constantly until the orzo is el dente and the liquid is almost all absorbed. Add the shrimp, squid and baby clams into the pot, stirring under to cover the seafood. Stir gently for about 5 minutes until the seafood is cooked through. Season the fish with salt and pepper and gently tuck under the orzo and cook about 5 minutes more. Let stand for five minutes before serving and sprinkle some of the smaller parsley leaves over.
In warm bowls, ladle out the orzo. If you wish put a few wedges of lemon/lime on the table and let everyone help themselves.
You may need a whip to hold the guests back and stop the neighbours from breaking down your door just to taste this. Enjoy!
Cumin Roasted Carrots With Honey Lime Dressing
When you want something different for dinner and you have a few friends over, try this.
- 3 lbs. baby carrots, trimmed and scrubbed
- 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 3 tbsp. tahini
- 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 tsp. lime zest
- 2 tbsp. liquid honey
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss together the carrots, orange juice, cumin, thyme, bay leaves and coconut oil on a parchment lined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing occasionally until the carrots begin to caramelize and are fork tender (about 30-35 minutes). Remove the bay leaves immediately and discard.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the yogurt, tahini, lime juice and zest and honey. To serve, lay the carrots on a platter and drizzle with the dressing. Any dressing remaining, pour into a bowl and let everyone help themselves.
Now…even Mikey likes this….
Barbecue Rib-Eye With a HOT Pepper Relish
Spring is almost here ( at least it has warmed up in most of our Country) and everyone is dusting off the barbecue. This will be a great start to the season. Oh yeah…keep the fire extinguisher handy for your mouth…it is a HOT relish.
Hot Pepper Relish
- 1 cup bell pepper (any colour), seeded and cut into strips
- 1 cup Banana pepper, seeded and cut into strips
- 1 cup Habanero peppers, seeded and cut into strips
- few drops Tabasco sauce
- 1 cup Vidalia onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1 tbsp. mustard seeds
- 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups white vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
Combine all ingredients in a large heavy bottom saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook for about 15-20 minutes until desired consistency. Stir often so it doesn’t burn on the bottom. Remove from heat and cool down to room temperature. Pour into a sealable canning jar and refrigerate.
This will keep for about 3-4 weeks. Make this ahead of the day you want to barbecue.
Rib Eye Steaks
- 2 rib-eye steaks about 1 inch thick * Could have left-overs or cut in half and serve 4
- olive oil for brushing on the steaks
- Hot Pepper relish
- 1-2 avocados, peeled and cut into a small dice
- bowl of baby potatoes, cooked and kept warm
Remove steaks from the refrigerator at least 60 minutes before cooking. Lightly oil steaks and place on a medium-high barbecue. After 3-4 minutes, turn the steaks over (5 minutes if cooking to medium rare).
Transfer the meat to a cutting board to rest. Prepare the avocado. Place the steaks on 2 pre-warmed plates and top with the relish and avocado. Serve with the new potatoes. Optional”: Sour cream to cool down the heat on the relish.
Dinner For Two On Valentine’s Day
I wanted to share what occurred yesterday in our home. A home that was over-flowing with love in ways others may not understand. It was so beautiful and the pictures today will show you just how beautiful and meaningful it was…for us!
My husband has a knack for finding the most perfect card (for any occasion) that always brings a tear. We decided this year, due to the fact we are hoping to change our residence, celebrating our 25th Anniversary and taking a mini vacation later on in the Fall, we would buy each other a card, enjoy a dinner at home and simply enjoy the day.
I set the table a couple of days ago, bought fresh flowers (Tulips- one of my most favourite) in three colours to go with the table setting and bought a couple of reddish candles. I did not want the Christmas red and these appeared more mellow.
Don asked me what I wanted for dinner…I immediately answered scallops with your famous salsa. Then he asked me to make his favourite desert New Orleans Bread Pudding With A Whiskey Sauce and it grew from there. He added Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Coleslaw (OH,OH,OH…MY FAVOURITE. ) No one can make this like Don. In fact, I won ‘t eat it anywhere but here. Somewhere down the line he added Baked Beans (his way). Then he added Crab stuffed Zucchini With Melted Cheese on top. Grrrroooaaannnn!
So…our meal was something like this:
Crab Stuffed Zucchini
Scallops With Papaya Salsa
Pulled Pork Sandwiches With Coleslaw
Baked Beans
New Orleans Bread Pudding With Whiskey Sauce
Wine/O’Doull’s
Fresh Coffee
We took our time, enjoyed each course and chatted about our favourite things we have done over the past 28 years (27 Valentine’s). It was so enjoyable and quite a few giggles along the way.
This was simple (for us) done with love, and a sense of mystique as well. I have saved every card we have given each other over all these years and have, from time to time, gone over them a few times. Nothing can take away the feelings these conjur up each and every time they are read. I hope, one day, that our children will read these cards and see that, yes, a real love can come on the second go-round.
Yes, we celebrated our way and now the next celebration is Easter and then birthdays…….
I am so thankful for my life and what it gives this home of ours in love replenishing.
Mushroom Bisque With Spicy Croutons
I love bisques and chowders more than any other soup and this one is at the top of my list. Can you guess I LOVE mushrooms done any way.
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup dried mushrooms
- 2 lbs. fresh crimini, white, and portabello mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed, chopped coarsely
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 leek, white part only, rinsed extremely well, chopped coarsely
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- sea salt and white pepper
- 1 stalk celery, ribs removed, thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 cup chicken stalk
- 1/4 cup sweet sherry (Marsala)
- 1 Yukon gold potato, peeled, diced in 1/2 inch cubes
- pinch of fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 cup whipping cream
- Spiced Croutons (recipe below)
Bring the water to a boil. In a bowl, place the dried mushrooms, add the boiling water over and set aside.
Clean and trim the mushrooms, chop coarsely and set aside. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan. Add the leek, shallots, pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly for about 5-6 minutes until the shallots begin to brown. Add the celery and rosemary and continue to cook for two minutes.
Add the fresh mushrooms and season with salt and pepper, stirring often for about 5 minutes, until they cook down to half their volume. Using a slotted spoon, add the porcini mushrooms, reserving the liquid, and add to the pot. Increase the heat to high and cook for 60 seconds.
Slowly pour the reserved liquid into the pot, making sure no sediment gets into the pot. Now add the stock, sherry and potatoes. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 12-13 minutes or until they are tender. Turn the heat off and let the soup sit for about 9 minutes, stirring occasionally.
If using a blender, puree in small batches or use a hand held immersion blender and puree until smooth. Transfer to a clean pot and add the thyme and whipping cream, Stir well. If too thick, simply add more whipping cream (of course). Simmer for 5 minutes and ladle into warm soup bowls and top with the spicy croutons.
Spicy Croutons
- 1/4 tsp. of each of the following: dried basil, white pepper, oregano, thyme, dried dill, garlic powder and ground celery seeds
- 1/4 cup butter
- 9-10 slices of baguette, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix everything together in a small bowl. In a small saucepan melt the butter over low heat. Add the spices and salt to taste.
Pour over the bread cubes to coat. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake for about 15 minutes until golden.
Stir just once during the baking time. Let cool down and top each bowl of soup with this delectable tidbit.
Endive With Dungeness Crab And Citrus Salad
This is another wonderful Hors d’Oeuvre to serve when having a dinner party or just a simple wine and cheese evening with family and friends.
- 6 large Belgian endive, make sure they have firm fat heads with yellow tips that are at least 6 inches long.
- 1/2 fennel bulb, trimmed and finely chopped
- 1/2 lb. fresh Dungeness crabmeat
- 1 finely minced shallot
- 2 tbsp. mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp. sour cream
- 1 tsp. finely grated lime zest
- 1 tsp. orange zest
- 1 tbsp. lime juice
- 2 tbsp. orange juice
- pinch of sea salt
- pinch of lemon pepper
- 1/2 cup orange segmented, skinned and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Trim the ends off the endive and separate into spears. Keep 24-30 of the largest ones and place in a ice water bath. Chill no less than 15 minutes, then drain and pat dry with paper towels. Refrigerate.
In a bowl mix together the fennel, crabmeat, shallot, mayonnaise, sour cream, lime and orange juice and zest. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
Spoon a generous amount of the crabmeat salad onto the wide bottom of each spear. Garnish with a few segments of the orange. Serve immediately.
Jump back so you don’t get trampled by the stampede of everyone wanting to try these. Yup! You did it again.
Valentine’s Guacamole
You really didn’t think I would load it up with garlic for Valentine’s, did you? Really?
Try this…it IS tasty.
- 6 ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
- 3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
- Fine zest from 1 lime
- 1 cup shelled, toasted and chopped pistachios
In a bowl, mash the avocado, zest and lime juice together with a fork. Fold all but 3 tbsp. pistachios in and season with a little salt.
Sprinkle the remaining pistachios over the top and serve immediately with warm tortilla chips. (about 10-12 seconds in the microwave will do it). This way, they taste just out-of-the-oven fresh.
As this is just the starter, make sure you everything else ready to go and now just sit together and enjoy a glass of bubbly or O’Doull’s. It doesn’t matter what…just do it and see what happens next…..(censored).
Smiles all around…
Hot And Spicy Snacks That Are Good For You
in case you didn’t notice, I spent Family Day with my handsome and ‘bread maker” yesterday. May I say the smells in this house were off the chart. It was also a day to connect with two of our five children (they’ll love that). All in all, a great day.
Now to get on to today’s work. I am sure we all have a bad/good habit at night while watching the television and that is to snack on all the wrong things. Try these…
Chili Lime Nuts
- (yup, they are spicy)
- 1 cup each of blanched raw peanuts, raw cashews and pecan halves
- 1/2 cup pistachios, shelled
- finely grated zest of two limes
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. crushed red chilies
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- generous pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Combine all the nuts in a bowl. In a small saucepan combine the remaining ingredients and stir over medium heat until the sugar has melted. Drizzle this over the nuts and spread them out in a single layer. Bake for 15-17 minutes. Remove.
Leave on the pan..stop! don’t sample just yet. Let them cool completely before putting into jars with a lid. Refrigerate and then at night (or lunch/breakfast)…okay- any time, put some in a small bowl and munch away!.
See how good I am to you?
Macaroni And Cheese With A Superb Twist
This is one dish you will make and re-make for years to come. It is truly a yummy, comfort food to make. Let’s get started.
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
- 4 slices hearty sourdough bread, roughly torn
- 4 tbsp. chilled butter, divided
- 1 cup grated aged white cheddar
- 1 3/4 cup macaroni
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp. flour
- 2 cups whole milk (or 1 1/4 whole milk, 3/4 cup whipping cream)
- 1/2 cup Havarti cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup McLarens cheese
- 1 cup Monteray Jack cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1 tsp. dry mustard
- pinch of cayenne
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 5 oz. cooked lobster meat
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously butter 6 individual baking dishes or a 2 qt. casserole dish and set aside. Lower oven to 350 degrees.
Toss 1 1/2 cups of the diced squash and oil together and spread out in an oven proof dish large enough to hold the cubes in a single layer. Bake for 18-22 minutes until tender but still firm.
Combine the torn bread with 2 tbsp. of diced butter in a processor and spin until coarse crumbs. Place in a bowl, stir in the aged cheddar and set aside.
Cook the macaroni until about halfway tender. Drain and transfer to a bowl. Set aside.
Melt the remaining butter in a large saucepan, add the flour and whisk until well combined. slowly add the milk/cream whisking the whole time until it becomes thickened. Stir in the cheeses, mustard, cayenne and nutmeg. Fold in the macaroni, baked squash and gently heat through.
Spoon into the baking dishes and sprinkle the crumb mixture over and bake for about 20-30 minutes until golden and bubbling in a 350 degree oven.
Serve with a crisp salad and a glass of, perhaps, a Chardonnay. Ummm… better yet a Pinot Gris.