Today has been an enormous, pregnant albatross attempting to take off from a well-greased runway. With a piano tied to its ass.
I finally sat down to my 100 or so hours’ worth of editing (that was due yesterday) at around 1, and had to leave at 3:30 to pick up my nephew from school. Having not really paid attention when planning this I told my sister we’d hang out at her house until she got home from work, and having simply written “pick up kids from school” on the calendar, it hadn’t registered that she wouldn’t get home from her meeting until after 8. It occurred to me at about 6:30 that she wasn’t coming home anytime soon and I was responsible for dinner, there, at about the same moment W came into the kitchen crying, with a fresh handful of splinters.
Has anyone experienced a three year old with splinters? Lots of them? For the first time? It was much louder than that. While I consoled him/wrestled him into a body lock that might allow me a closer look, during which he flailed and thrashed, embedding the slivers even deeper (will I ever get better at this?) Ben ate two granola bars, a bag of fruit gummies, a fruit cocktail cup and two cheese slices, plowing his way through a weeks’ worth of lunch accessories from the cupboard before I noticed. He then brought W some digestive cookies in an attempt to console him, and by the time all was relatively calm again it was after 7. All told, the boys ate the aforementioned snacks, pears, and shared a blueberry bagel. I ate digestive cookies and a Wagon Wheel. And the second half of two pears. I have no idea what Mike ate.
Upon arriving home and getting W to bed by 9, I was about to get back to work editing and prepping for my first “Dinner with Julie” cooking class in Red Deer tomorrow when I remembered I had committed to baking breakfast breads and biscotti for 80 women at an event that begins at 8 Saturday morning, and I won’t be home from Red Deer until around midnight tomorrow night. So… I’m now baking 7 dozen biscotti and will have to find the time tomorrow morning to bake around 8 quick loaves. I’ve eaten the ends off all the biscotti logs so far but have still not gone back to my editing/nutritional analyses/magazine article.
I made chocolate brownie biscotti and a savoury rosemary-Parmesan biscotti with chopped dried figs. A total experiment, yes, but I have high hopes. For the savoury ones I blended the dry ingredients with about a half cup of Parmesan and the leaves off a couple twigs of rosemary in the food processor, then cut in the butter (in the processor), dumped it into a bowl and stirred in the wet ingredients, then shaped the dough into long, narrow logs. I’m hoping they will go well with Saturday’s afternoon wine tasting.
One more thought on the subject of biscotti: it doesn’t really have to be baked twice. They are cooked through after the first baking, so if you’re not a fan of rock-hard cookies there’s always the option of slicing them and then serving them as is; nice and soft. (Kids are far happier with them this way too.)
Basic Biscotti
This is a great blank biscotti canvas to start with: try flavouring the dough with different extracts, ginger or grated orange or lemon zest, add spices such as cinnamon or espresso powder to the dry ingredients, and stir in any kind of nut, seed, dried fruit or chocolate you think would work.
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and stir until almost combined; add any additions you want and stir just until blended. If it seems dry, use your hands to complete the mixing as the dough comes together.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Divide in half and shape each piece into an 8” long log. Place the logs 2”–3” apart on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray, and flatten each into a rectangle that is about 3” wide.
Bake for 20–25 minutes, until firm and starting to crack on top. Transfer the logs to a wire rack to cool for a bit and reduce the oven temperature to 275°F.
When they’re cool enough to handle (they tend to crumble when they’re still hot), place the logs on a cutting board, trim the ends and cut each log diagonally into 1/2”–3/4” slices with a serrated knife. Place the slices upright on the cookie sheet, spacing them about 1/2” apart so that there’s room for the air to circulate between them, and return to the oven for 30 minutes. If you like, turn the heat off and leave the biscotti inside the oven until it cools down to make them even harder.
Makes 2 dozen biscotti.
Per Biscotti: 78 calories, 1.5 g fat (0.7 g saturated fat, 0.4 g monounsaturated fat, 0.1 g polyunsaturated fat), 14.3 g carbohydrates, 20.5 mg cholesterol, 1.6 g protein, 0.3 g fiber. 17% calories from fat
A few flavour ideas:
Cranberry, Orange & White Chocolate Chunk Biscotti: Add the grated zest of an orange to the butter-sugar mixture, and 1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries and 1 cup white chocolate chunks or chips to the dough along with the flour.
Cantuccini (Almond Biscotti): For traditional Italian cantuccini, use almond extract instead of vanilla and add 1 cup slivered or sliced almonds to the dough along with the flour.
Almond Chocolate Chunk Biscotti: Use almond extract instead of vanilla, and add 1 cup of slivered or sliced almonds and 1/2 cup chopped chocolate to the dough along with the flour.
Lemon White chocolate Biscotti: Add the grated zest of a lemon to the butter-sugar mixture, and 1/2 cup white chocolate chunks or chips to the dough along with the flour.
Apricot Ginger Biscotti: Add 1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger to the butter-sugar mixture, and 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots and 1/2 cup chopped candied ginger along with the flour.
Lemon Poppyseed Biscotti: Add the grated zest of 1 or 2 lemons to the butter-sugar mixture, and 1/4 cup poppyseeds along with the flour.
Matcha Green Tea Biscotti: Add 1 Tbsp. dried matcha green tea to the flour mixture, and add 1/2 cup slivered almonds.
Brownie Biscotti
2 Tbsp. butter or non-hydrogenated margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips or white chocolate chunks
1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add to the egg mixture and stir until almost combined; add the chocolate chips and walnuts and stir just until blended.
On a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray, shape the dough into a 10” long log. Flatten it with your hands until it’s 3”-4” wide.
Bake for 30–35 minutes, until firm and cracked on top. Transfer the log to a wire rack to cool for a bit and reduce the oven temperature to 275°F.
When the log is cool enough to handle (they tend to crumble when they’re hot), transfer to a cutting board and cut diagonally into 1/2”–3/4” slices with a serrated knife. Place the slices upright on the cookie sheet, spacing them about 1/2” apart so that there’s room for the air to circulate between them, and return to the oven for 30 minutes. If you like, turn the heat off and leave the biscotti inside the oven until it cools down to make them even harder.
Makes about 15 biscotti.
Per Biscotti: 173 calories, 5.8 g fat (2.7 g saturated fat, 2.1 g monounsaturated fat, 0.8 g polyunsaturated fat), 27.6 g carbohydrates, 33.4 mg cholesterol, 3.3 g protein, 2 g fiber. 30% calories from fat
October 16 2008 | cookies & squares | 11 Comments »
OK, it was turkey again. But I have to call it Classy Chicken because that’s what it was – an old recipe from The Best of Bridge - a tin-of-soup-and-mayo casserole that remains my Dad’s favourite dinner and when I was a kid, taught me what opaque meant. (As in, saute the peppered chicken until it turns opaque.) Classy chicken (or turkey, as the case may be) can be served with rice, but around here it must be served with mashed potatoes, which I also happen to have extra of. The very best part is the crispy golden ring around the edges it produces in the oven.
This, to me, is the quintessential after-school-special dinner that still makes me feel like I have homework to do. After eating it, I actually had the urge to go up to my room and call my friends without my sisters listening in on the other line.
I’m going to post the original B of B recipe – it has not been referred to for years, as my entire family knows this by heart. Looking it up now I didn’t even realize asparagus was an option – it’s just so much a chicken and broccoli bake. I use a bunch of broccoli, (usually) leftover roast chicken or turkey, low fat cream of mushroom soup and a big spoonful of low fat mayo – likely closer to 1/4 cup than to 1/2. And a little more curry powder, if my Mom isn’t eating it. Tonight I used up the last of a bag of pre-grated white cheeses leftover from foodstyling last week.
Classy Chicken
(from Winners -page 85 – and The Best of the Best)
3 chicken breasts, skinned & boned
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 Tbsp. oil
1 – 10 oz. (280 g) pkg. frozen asparagus or broccoli (fresh is even better)
1 – 10 oz. (284 ml) can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 – 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle with pepper. Saute quickly in oil over medium heat just until opaque (don’t overcook – the chicken will get tough!) Drain. Cook asparagus or broccoli until crunchy. Drain and arrange in bottom of buttered casserole. Place chicken on top. Mix together soup, mayonnaise, curry and lemon juice and pour over chicken. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bake, uncovered, at 350F for 30-35 minutes. Serves 6.
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October 15 2008 | chicken & turkey and leftovers | 11 Comments »
Each month is gay,
each season nice,
when eating
chicken soup
with rice.
- Maurice Sendak
Actually it was turkey, but Maurice didn’t write about turkey soup with rice in A Book of Months.
Once my chunky turkey stock was bubbling on the stove I discovered I had already used all the carrots and celery over the weekend, and so I added a chopped sweet potato instead, then threw in a bag of cooked brown and wild rice from the freezer. (Cooking noodles or rice separately keeps all the starch from coming out into your soup.) It was good, but left sufficient room for chocolate fondue at The Mercury later on at my Artemis Foundation meeting.
Turkey/Chicken Stock 101 (Coles’ Notes)
for a richer flavour and colour, roast your stripped turkey carcass in the oven until browned
onion skins and celery leaves make a great stock – throw an unpeeled quartered onion (or just the trimmings left over from the stuffing) and the inside stalks of celery that tend to get thrown out into your pot with the carcass
cover the carcass with cool water and bring the whole thing to a boil; let it simmer for about 20 minutes and then turn the heat off and let it cool, steeping as it does – there is no need to boil it for hours
once cool enough to handle, pull out the bones and strip off any remaining meat into the stock; chill
don’t be freaked out when it turns into gel; how do you think they make gelatin anyway?
any fat can be plucked off the top once it has risen and solidified in the fridge
if you freeze it in glass jars, make sure you leave plenty of room for expansion so that the glass doesn’t break (this may seem obvious, but I’ve done it myself far too many times)
October 14 2008 | soup | 3 Comments »
I must admit I was a little bummed to find Cornish game hens at Mike’s mom’s house tonight – it does make sense to make teeny birds for each of us – Chicken Little instead instead of Big Bird (which I did offer to make) but it’s just not quite the same. Particularly without gravy and cranberry sauce and stuffing. Not that I’m complaining. Well, maybe I am. I realize I just had turkey dinner last night, but my gut was anticipating another, one unsullied by an overabundance of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls.
Wow, am I spoiled.
At any rate I didn’t bring my camera, as I expected the same turkey dinner from Safeway we had last year, and had already taken photos of this morning’s granola experiment which carried me through the afternoon and which I’m now munching on in front of a movie. I wouldn’t have gone looking for a granola recipe – it’s something I’ve been winging for years generally with success, and most recipes I’ve come across contain unnecessary quantities of melted butter – often as much as a cup – which I have no doubt is delicious but is not where I want to set the bar. Mine generally contains only grains, nuts, seeds and honey and/or maple syrup, with some dried fruit tossed in at the end. I came across a version made with applesauce in Nigella Lawson’s Feast, and then stumbled upon it again last week on Orangette and took it as a sign.
The recipe calls for brown rice syrup, which is not as sweet as sugar but will produce a crisp, crunchy texture. I was suspicious of the age of the bottle I had in my cupboard, and so used maple syrup instead and it was just fine. I used a bag of all-nuts trail mix I picked up in Edmonton, so the batch has pistachios, cashews, almonds and hazelnuts, and almost a cup of sesame seeds.
Now, upon reviewing and writing it out, I have just discovered I missed entirely the 3/4 cup of brown sugar from her dry ingredient list, which explains why it’s not overly sweet or clumpy. I love it when this sort of thing happens, when you discover you can get rid of 3/4 cup of sugar (and over 500 calories) and not even miss it.
My New Granola
(adapted from Nigella Lawson, via Orangette)
5 cups old-fashioned oats
2-3 cups almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, walnuts or a combination
3/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce (or a lunch box snack pack)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp. canola or flax oil
1/2 – 1 cup raisins, cranberries, chopped dried apricots or a combination (optional)
Set racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat it to 300°F.
In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, stir together all of the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir well.
Spread the mixture evenly onto two rimmed baking sheets. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring once or twice, until pale golden. Set aside to cool completely, then stir in the dried fruit if you like.
Store in zilpoc bags or airtight containers. Makes 8-10 cups.
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October 13 2008 | breakfast and snacks | 6 Comments »
I didn’t think I ate too much until I went and listed it. No wonder I’ve managed to fill out even my PJ pants. As usual, I ate too many warm, puffy-white Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (this is the only night we have them) between oven and table before I even started on dinner. (As I was rolling them up, I snuck a chunk of my Dad’s 70% cocoa Lindt chocolate into the middle of one I then arranged crookedly in one corner of the cookie sheet so I could distinguish it from the others. Kind of a lowbrow chocolate croissant.)
Everyone contributed something: I did the soup (threw all the ingredients, including two leeks the size of baseball bats, in the slow cooker last night and left it, then pureed with a hand-held immersion blender right in the pot), cranberry-rhubarb sauce and dessert, and nothing was that elaborate, really; even the squash was just thrown in the microwave and the baby carrots quickly steamed and drizzled with honey. My sister cut simmered Brussels sprouts in half and browned them with some sliced almonds, and my mom did the turkey and plain old bread, onion and sage (the very best kind) stuffing.
I had to make the requisite pumpkin pie, but also made another browned butter bliss: apple this time, as it’s the season for them, and I didn’t have the gumption today (after teaching a hands-on risotto class) to make pumpkin and apple pie. To make the bliss I sliced unpeeled Jonagold apples straight into a baking dish, stirred up the butter-sugar-egg-flour batter, spread it over the apples and baked it until it was bubbly; the result was fantastic rewarmed in my Mom’s oven while we ate dinner and served with softened vanilla ice cream. Next I must try it with pears. Or maybe pears and fresh cranberries.
Must go finish digesting.
Apple Browned Butter Bliss
(by way of Ligita’s Quick Apple Cake in Classic Home Desserts)
3 tart apples, peeled or not and thinly sliced
a squeeze of lemon juice
3/4 cup + 3 Tbsp. sugar (or to taste, according to the sweetness of the fruit)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (or to taste)
1/2 cup butter
2 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter a pie plate.
Toss the apples in a bowl (or the pie plate) with about 2 Tbsp. sugar and the cinnamon; spread into the plate. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and keep cooking it, swirling the pan occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until it turns golden. Pour into a bowl.
Stir the 3/4 cup of sugar into the butter, then the eggs, then the flour. Pour/spread over the fruit (don’t worry if it doesn’t cover it completely; it will bake up to more than it looks) and sprinkle with the last tablespoon of sugar.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden and crusty, and the juices ooze from around the edges. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or thick vanilla yogurt.
Serves 8.
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October 12 2008 | dessert and sweet stuff | 6 Comments »
