Archive for December, 2010
Again, my mealtime theme: thriftiness. Isn’t it next to cleanliness? Probably not.
I think this time was worse than the dinner orchestrated around a bunch of depressed cilantro – this time there was a few spoonfuls of cranberry sauce left over from Christmas – not enough to do much with except spread on a sandwich, but there were no turkey leftovers. The culinarily sane might think to scrape it out into the garbage and put the bowl in the dishwasher, but I kept mine covered in the fridge for days in the hopes that I might use it in something.
And yes-I did. Turns out tart cranberries go very well in maple syrup. I always mean to warm it anyway, on account of real maple syrup needing to be stored in the fridge. I put my few precious spoonfuls into a small pot with some syrup and warmed it as I made waffles. And, thinking of how much Mike loves cranberry-orange loaf (doesn’t everyone?) added a bit of grated orange zest to the waffle batter. Doesn’t it almost seem like I planned it that way from the beginning?
It appears I’ve posted recipes for waffles before. You could make Waffles of Insane Greatness, or honey bran waffles, or overnight yeasted waffles. Or you could just add orange zest to your egg-milk mixture and make French toast. (To combine the two, cook your dipped bread in your waffle iron!)
December 30 2010 | breakfast | 11 Comments »
If any of you are anything like me, you have a glut of Mandarin oranges in some corner of the kitchen, likely going squishy in their green papers because they seemed like a good idea at the time, but you have run out of gumption to eat your way through that entire enormous box. Years ago I began looking for alternate uses for Mandarin oranges (try them in smoothies and milkshakes – just pop them in peeled and whole) – one of my favorite things to make is Mandarin jam, which isn’t at all like marmalade – it’s soft and slightly runny and sweetly orangey without the big chunks of peel. I discovered it on one of my favorite food blogs, The Travellers’ Lunchbox.
Here’s the recipe – and I made another batch, this time with a vanilla bean. Leave the whole bean in the jam, or pull it out as you jar it. If you don’t have vanilla beans, add a small spoonful of Madagascar vanilla bean paste.
December 28 2010 | leftovers | 9 Comments »
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring – except for a louse. And several hundred of his little buddies. Did you know that’s where the word lousy comes from? And nitpicking? I get it now.
Yes, Christmas this year was made memorable by lice, gastrointestinal distress and more laundry in two days than I usually do in a week. On Christmas morning it was decided that we probably shouldn’t make our usual rounds, despite W sporting a freshly shaved head and snug toque, lest we spread more than love this holiday season. So we stayed home, and in fact still have unwrapped gifts under the tree to be opened at such time as we can be declared free and clear.
On the upside, there was this turkey – a 22 lb. heritage breed from Winter’s. Divine. Late in the morning we stuffed it, buttered it, salt and peppered it, and let the oven do the rest. There is truly no better potpourri/food foreplay than a turkey roasting in a warm house over the course of a day.
We ate at our house, at our table. There were 5 of us instead of 15, and we propped my laptop up on the table and opened our Christmas crackers on skype, kinda-sorta with the rest of the family at my Mom’s house, a few blocks away, on her laptop.
I made mashed potatoes and peas, and cranberries simmered with orange juice, sugar and a sprig of rosemary, gravy and Brussels sprouts with buttered pecans.
Santa brought W his own digital camera, so that he could document his own dinners. And dog.
This is my favourite photo of the week. Untouched.
Merry Christmas.
December 27 2010 | leftovers | 7 Comments »
It’s not too late! We need to wean ourselves off of Christmas, don’t we? It’s a good combo, holidays or not. And it utilizes my favourite marshmallowy frosting – one that doesn’t leave a slick of oil on the roof of your mouth. I posted the recipe over at the Family Kitchen.
December 27 2010 | leftovers | 3 Comments »
I think I’ve found my new favourite Christmas food gift. Granola, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways:
1) By the time we actually get to Christmas, some of us are feeling Christmas cookie burnout. (No offense, shortbread. I’ll still eat you.)
2) I have friends who are gluten free, dairy free, egg free – this makes everyone happy without seeming like a compromise.
3) I make a big batch every year for my dad, anyway.
4) It’s easy to stir together and bake, and fun to package in glass jars or Christmassy little bags.
5) It has a long shelf life, so will still be fine if the recipient doesn’t get around to eating it immediately.
6) No one will regift it or get rid of leftovers before their new healthy resolutions.
Have I sold it strongly enough? Today it’s about all I’ve been eating – with plain Vital Green Farms yogurt – on account of picking up Mike’s stomach flu sometime mid-Christmas afternoon.
Christmas Granola
use melted butter instead of oil for particularly decadent granola, or add some flax oil to boost omega 3s.
4-5 cups old-fashioned (large flake) oats
1 cup sliced or slivered almonds, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts or a combination
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey, Roger’s Golden Syrup or maple syrup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla or coconut extract
1/2 cup green pumpkin seeds
1/2-1 cup dried cranberries, raisins, slivered apricots or other dried fruit
Preheat the oven to 325F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat.
In a large bowl, mix the oats, nuts, coconut, cinnamon and salt. In a small bowl, stir together the oil, brown sugar, honey/Roger’s Golden Syrup/maple syrup and vanilla. Pour over the oat mixture and stir until well coated.
Spread out onto one or two baking sheets, making clumps by squeezing some of it together if you like. Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring two or three times, until golden. Remove from the oven and stir in the pumpkin seeds and cranberries. Cool completely, then package in jars or sealed bags.
December 26 2010 | breakfast and grains | 13 Comments »
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