A Lazy Sunday and Simple Bites

Even though the sun is shining and it's balmy (at least for Halifax - 14C or 57F), we'll probably be staying in. The short outing yesterday had me pooped, so I think another day of blobbing (at least I've progressed to actually getting dressed) is in order. And lucky me that yesterday I made a new tasty dip from a new and delightful cookbook called Small Bites. I've written about it and have a ton of pages bookmarked, but feeling under the weather, this dip sounded perfect...and it was!

I love hummus and have a couple of versions I could make in my sleep, but I wanted something different and boy...this was it in spades! Still has the chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic, but then some other magical ingredients come into play and it's a whole different story.

Chickpea & Pomegranate Dip

Seriously... so good that I have to whip up another batch today and too bad I don't have any chicken wings or ribs around because there are definitely a couple of things I could whip up in 5 minutes and let the oven do the rest!

What's your favorite "munch in front of the TV" snack that's simple to put together? I need a plan.

The Latest Presto Pasta Roundup

This week, Spring was really in the air, and through the haze of my cold, what stood out was all the color! Possibly because my nose is still stuffed and my sense of taste and smell are hiding out. But all those colors!...vibrant pink, bright green, confetti combinations of every hue...masterful! So thanks everyone for a fabulous roundup. As soon as my nose allows, I'll be trying them all out.

And, Aquadaze of Served with Love did a brilliant job of hosting this week's Presto Pasta Night. Thank you for great commentary and getting it up so quickly so we can all start our pasta weekends off right!

This time I might start by color...pink? green?...who knows. What about you? Will you pick at random? start at the top and work down?...I need a strategy.

Next week is my week, so send all your entries to ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.

Guidelines for submitting a dish. And if you're interested in hosting - everyone loves it! , just drop me a line.

In the meantime, enjoy a pasta filled weekend.

Through the Haze of a Cold

Where has this week gone? It's Thursday and I've been laid low by a winter cold. I suppose I should be happy in that it's the first (and hopefully only one) this winter. It all started on Sunday when I still had enough energy to whip up a fantastic pasta dish with fresh Digby scallops that I bought the day before at the Halifax Farmers Market and some sweet fennel Italian sausages from Abato Italian market near my home. It was simple enough to throw together and I even managed to write the ingredients down on a post it note. Somehow it took until today to actually make it back to the computer and write about it. I hope I didn't miss a step...still in a haze...

Pasta with Digby Scallops & Sweet Fennel Sausages

Tomorrow is Presto Pasta Night #106 and Aquadaze of Served with Love will be in charge! So send your perfect pastas her way at aquadaze (at) rediffmail (dot)com and cc me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com Guidelines to share your pasta dishes.

No energy left...but later I'll be making a dumbed down version of this Quick Vietnamese soup I have some beautiful shrimp dumplings in the freezer from my favorite Taisan Asian Market and I must a have a star anise or two and some chicken broth somewhere handy.

I know I'm repeating myself, but don't forget that Aquadaze of Served with Love hosting tomorrow's roundup! You still have the rest of today to email aquadaze (at) rediffmail (dot)com and cc me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com Guidelines to share your pasta dishes

If you'd like to host a Presto Pasta Night Roundup yourself, just send me an email

Presto Pasta Night #105

It never ceases to amaze me how week after week there are so many fantastic pasta dishes and that each host puts their own unique spin on the roundup. Pam of Sidewalk Shoes did a super job of hosting this month's Presto Pasta Night Roundup #105. Thanks for the wonderful commentary and thanks to everyone who sent in all those awesome dishes.

What are you waiting for...oh...you probably didn't, but I do hope you caught who's hosting next week...
Aquadaze of Served with Love will be in charge! So send your perfect pastas her way at aquadaze (at) rediffmail (dot)com and cc me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com Guidelines to share your pasta dishes.

And if you'd like to host a Presto Pasta Night Roundup yourself, just send me an email

Salmon - Which Camp are You?

It's not that I NEVER cook salmon any other way, as my daughter implied. There are at least thirty different salmon recipes I've shared here (the photo is with Lime & Jalapeno ). And many of them I'm made a number of times. That said, I don't know of any fish that I like better, flavor-wise, anyway and hate masking it, no matter how good the marinade or glaze. And so my question to you...which camp are you in...marinate or simple herbs on your salmon?

But let me back up a day....on Wednesday, Joanna and I took the boys to a very cool cafe (used to be called Bean Sprout Cafe) That's Boaz playing with the trains and mummy in the foreground feeding Dov on a comfy couch (don't know who that pretty little girl is playing a the stove)...good food AND fun place for Boaz to play...Dov only wanted to be held and fed, but he is only three and a half months old.

Over lunch (very tasty paninis), we discussed yesterday's supper. Boaz and I spend Thursdays together and sometimes his mummy & daddy come over with the baby for supper, and sometimes they leave the baby with us and have a "date night"...aren't we terrific grandparents? Not knowing which they'd do (expecting a last minute decision), I picked up some beautiful salmon fillets at the grocery store on my way home.

Yesterday, my angel wasn't feeling too well and needed lots of TLC - no problem for Grandma, but it meant I couldn't get much time in the kitchen. Not even enough time to check out recipes for something new or to prepare some marinade for the salmon. So, twenty minutes before it was time to eat, I roasted the salmon with just a drizzle of Apple Cider Balsamic Vinegar and a dash or two of Aleppo Pepper. Too rushed and crazy to take photos, sorry...ever try getting an under-the-weather two year old to eat? Have some chicken fingers (his usual fave) "NO WAY, Gramma!", what about some lentil soup (loved last time)...repeat refrain. How about yoghurt (my fall back plan) same story. I know...new Boaz favorite - dollop of peanut butter on a banana, bitten off and then a new coat of peanut butter to be applied...wrong.

And since my Honey and I had to take turns eating while the other snuggled a tired little boy watching Finding Nemo for the gazillianth time...I had lots left over for sandwiches etc..

I find that simple does it best, especially if you know you're probably going to have lots of leftovers. I hate when everything tastes the same.

A Simple Pasta Not Quite Homemade

I know that I told you all how excited I was to get my KitchenAid Pasta Kit. And, truly, I am, but now I have to share a little known fact about me...

Big sigh as I reveal one of my quirks...

This isn't the first time that when I finally get some kitchen toy...er equipment...something I've been craving for years...it sits, surrounded by cookbooks on my table...sometime for weeks before I actually use it.

There's always a rationale of course. I've decided that I need a day unencumbered with meetings, outings (like yesterday when my daughter and I went out with the boys), babysitting (Boaz is coming over today), ...help me out, here...I need more excuses!...before I really focus on actually making the pasta.

I've already cuddled my two attachments, actually fit them in my big, gorgeous KitchenAid Stand Mixer, read the manual...several times. I've flipped through a number of magazines and cookbooks looking for the perfect sauce ...nothing too flavorful that will hide the true essence of the pasta itself.

But, no time to actually make any pasta and the deadline for this week's Presto Pasta Night is fast upon me...Pam of Sidewalk Shoes is hosting and I wanted to get something to her. So I'm sitting here writing, and trying not to look at my attachments, sitting within arms reach, to tell you (in a whisper, so as not to hurt their feelings), that I made a fresh pasta dish last night that took the time to boil water plus 2 minutes....seriously!

I've written before about my pantry & fridge staples, so it's no surprise that my new fave "Must Have" is the President's Choice Porcini Mushroom Tortelloni and I happened to have some in the fridge. Lucky me, there was a recipe on the back for a stunning (and so simple it's scary) browned butter & sage sauce.

Porcini Tortelloni with Brown Butter & Sage Sauce

Oh...I did use the big, black and beautiful KitchenAid Slotted Spoon that came in the kit...does that count?

Don't forget to send your pasta entries to Pam of Sidewalk Shoes at morefromscraps(at)comcast(dot)net and cc me too please: ruth(at)4everykitchen(dot)com

Guidelines to share your pasta dishes.

And if you'd like to host a Presto Pasta Night Roundup yourself, just send me an email

Still No Pasta And a Cry For Help

It's not often my Honey actually makes a request for dinner. He's usually just happy to eat whatever I make. That said, he did mention pizza a couple of times in the last few days and so I did whip up his favorite...meat lovers delight....tomato sauce (with lots of garlic & some balsamic vinegar added to tomato paste and a sprinkle of red chili pepper flakes), a sweet fennel sausage turned into tiny meatballs and sauteed before adding to the topping, Italian salami with prosciutto, thinly sliced red onions and cremini mushrooms all topped with grated Mozzarella.

That part was fine, and the dough part tasted great, but here's the dilemma... I love thin crust pizzas and mine always come out very poofy. What am I doing wrong????

To all the pizza makers out there....please help with a little guidance!

Who's the Luckiest Person in the World????

Luckiest person in the world...that would be me. No contest!

I could list ALL the reasons, but let's just stick to today. It is gloriously sunny - perhaps Spring is really around the corner.

Just about to go outside and enjoy it when....I got a FedEx delivery....my KitchenAid Pasta Kit !!!!

You know I love my KitchenAid Stand Mixer

and you know I love making pasta with my daughter Joanna (just one of many posts about it)

and probably know that I've even added the KitchenAid pasta making attachments for to my wish list way back in 2007.

Now that I have my own kit, including a pasta serving spoon, slotted spoon, Ecco Pasta egg pasta mix, and spinach pasta mix plus TWO attachments - the pasta roller and the fettuccine cutter...I'm doing cartwheels and whooo-hooing around the kitchen. Really...I need to calm down a bit and go for a walk just to think about what fantastic sauce I'll be preparing to go with the pasta.

Don't forget that Pam of Sidewalk Shoes is hosting Presto Pasta Night this week. Send your entries to: morefromscraps(at)comcast(dot)net and cc me too please: ruth(at)4everykitchen(dot)com

How Many Times Can I Say It....Love Food Magazines

I've already mentioned my latest batch of food magazines and I'm already Jonesing for more...how fickle I am. Don't get me wrong...I never throw old ones away and spend many a glorious hour flipping through them looking for the perfect recipe for... something or other.

The bottom two shelves of those bookcases are filled with great magazines and at the top of the photo (on the left) is my coveted Donna Hay Collection of cookbooks (5 so far) and magazines. There are actually two more shelves of cookbooks above, but this is a post about magazines.

There are certain times of the month when they all seem to appear on bookstore shelves and I can't resist. So, while watching mindless TV, I flip through them, turning down pages that look appetizing and, I admit, often put them aside for a time. That said...much more often, there will be one or two in a batch that just scream out to me every time I pass them by.

Bon Appetit March 2009 is just such an issue and it looks loved too...all wrinkly from when it fell into the bathtub (a perfect relaxing event...sweet smelling bubble baths and a glorious read of savory dishes). Thank goodness for the hair dryer! Usually only one recipe gets made immediately after purchase, but that issue won our hearts with four awesome meals:

Braised Short Ribs in Sherry

Lamb & Eggplant Shepherd's Pie

Moroccan-style Chicken Pie

Shrimp & Sausage Pie

But it was time to move on...and the latest Saveur(top of the pile on my table) has been making the most noise with those fantastic looking ribs on the cover...which, by the way, were everything I expected them to be and then some.

Hawaiian-style Kalbi

There are some lovely artichoke recipes that I'll be trying ...once we actually get some local artichokes. It is still very much winter here, remember. I think, however it's time to move on to the next magazine...

Donna Hay?...the roasted tomato, eggplant & haloumi burger has my mouth watering, as does the smoky chili chicken, chorizo and feta burger (it is getting on to lunch time here, although today we're eating out with the kids - two generations of them!) and the mint flat bread with green onion pesto is definitely a "must make soon".

The latest Bon Appetit (April, 2009)?...some very tasty looking dishes, but they really are more Spring friendly, so that one is on hold, except perhaps the halibut fillet on mashed fava beans with mint...that is if I can find the early spring fava beans here.

Delicious Magazine ?...February's issue has an awesome looking Spicy Prawn (shrimp in my neck of the woods) and chickpea curry that definitely is on the shortlist...not to mention the nutella mousse!

I guess it's time to hit the stores...not sure if it's for more magazines or ingredients for some of the above.

Which are your favorite cooking magazines? I'm always looking for new faves.

Ben's Fantastic Presto Pasta Night Roundup

Ben of What's Cooking did a fabulous job of hosting this week's Presto Pasta Night Roundup #104 The biggest decision for me this weekend will be which dish to start with!

Thank you all so much for those great pastas and now I'm rushing off to buy all the ingredients I'll be needing to whip them up!

Have a great pasta filled weekend and don't forget that next week, Pam of Sidewalk Shoes is hosting, so send lots of goodies her way. Her email: morefromscraps(at)comcast(dot)net and cc me too please: ruth(at)4everykitchen(dot)com.

Guidelines for sharing a pasta dish.

And if you're keen on hosting...check out these simple guidelines and send me an email.

Finally - Chilean Empanadas de Pino

My daughter Sharron spent a year and a half in Chile teaching English and she's been back home for almost as long. Often, we've talked about the delicious empanadas she ate while away and promised a recipe.

Finally, since a mutual friend had a Chilean houseguest who promised to make some, we have a recipe worth sharing, although there are a few caveats (see the recipe for our excuses).

Empanadas de Pino

Hope you enjoy!

Chef Craig Flinn's Awesome Roast Garlic & Cremini Pappardelle

A little over a year ago, I had the privilege of interviewing Chef Craig Flinn of the award winning Chives Canadian Bistro for Foodtv's Food For Thought - a very cool guy. At the time, he was writing his first cook book, Fresh & Local, which is finally in print and naturally I had to have a copy!

The book, subtitled - "straight from Canadian farms to your table", like the restaurant menus, focuses on using fresh, in-season, and local products. A quote from their website says it best...

"Working closely with the farmers and independent producers of Nova Scotia has
been the foundation of our reputation for serving the best food to our restaurant guests, we will continue to use locally raised and grown products, in-season and at the peak of freshness. Memorable meals are seeded this way".

But more about the book (and the next recipe I try - Root Vegetable Tart - after all it is winter here in the Maritimes) another time.

This time I wanted to make sure I had my pasta dish ready for Presto Pasta Night this week hosted by Ben of What's Cooking. Not the prettiest picture, but the pasta was fantastic.

Roasted Garlic & Cremini Mushroom Pappardelle with Roast Chicken

You still have time to send your tasty pasta treats to Ben by email: ben(dot)herrera (at)whatscooking (dot)us . Please cc me: ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot)com as well.

Amazing Braised Short Ribs in Sherry

I had every intention of serving these awesome braised short ribs over some penne or fusili to soak up all that gorgeous gravy. But it's either early onset senility or the cold that's coming on gangbusters. Whatever the reason, the sweet potatoes were cooking before I realized that I had wanted to do some simple pasta with olive oil & garlic under this mound of goodness. And in case you're straining your eyes looking for long, meaty short ribs...forget it. I could only find enough for half the recipe, so I added chuck/blade roast, cut into 2" cubes. Very tasty, over the thyme seasoned mashed sweet potatoes.

Oh well, that means I still have to come up with a dish for this week's Presto Pasta Night. Ben of What's Cooking is host and I want to do something special. My intention...a mouth-watering dish of Roasted Garlic & Cremini Mushrooms Pappardelle with Roasted Chicken from a new cookbook Fresh & Local by Chef Craig Flinn of Chives Canadian Bistro right here in Halifax - another great reason to come visit. I'll be writing about the book and trying out a few other recipes as well.

The chicken is roasted, so keep you fingers crossed. And don't forget to send Ben your entries. The guidelines are here. And Ben's email ben(dot)herrera (at)whatscooking (dot)us . Please cc me: ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot)com as well.

If you're interested in hosting...it is so much fun....check out the guidelines here and send me an email.

Pantry Supplies

I recently bought a stash of magazines...Bon Appetit (even though I'm still working my way through the last one with all those glorious stews and pot pies), Delicious - Australia (with another gorgeous stew to hook me in), Saveur (the ribs on the cover got me instantly), EatingWell (for those asparagus - I'm craving Spring so badly) and the latest Donna Hay Magazine (just because I can never resist anything with her name on it.)...surprise, surprise!

I noticed that a couple of them had articles on pantry staples....so perfect for this time of year when at least the Northerners among us are often house bound due to winter weather. We've come a long way since I grew up when the only boxed anything in my mother's pantry was Kraft Dinner and canned...well we did have Campbell's chicken noodle soup and cream of mushroom that my mother used for her awesome Creamed Salmon on Toast. My mother really did have to make just about everything from scratch. I know, it was a different, slower time, but still... I want the home cooked flavor but faster!

And a couple of weeks ago I was sent a giant box full of goodies from the latest President's Choice and Blue Menu line to try and if I liked them, to share my thoughts with you.

Before I tell you about any of the products, let me state up front that:

1. I do not get paid for mentioning any of the items you read about anywhere on my site;
2. I am not a dietitian or nutrition expert, so I will never tell you how good something is for you, but like many an art lover, "I know what I like";
3. I remember the lessons my father and mother taught me - "If you have nothing good to say...say nothing" and "never tell a lie" (which in my mother's mind was the very worst offense because who knew what world of crime it would lead to);
4. I really only use this blog to write about things that make me happy, and frankly, I don't have enough time to even do that well;
5. I've loved and used President's Choice products for years, and, naturally was excited to have them contact me and ask me to sample their newest goodies. (An aside: When my daughter moved to Chile to teach English for a year or so, one of her first emails was to tell me how thrilled she was that there were PC products in the grocery stores there!);
6. Lastly, while I do love to cook (obviously), I also like to take short-cuts and thus having my fridge, pantry and freezer stocked with staples... (like those magazines suggest- like jars of marinara sauce, tapenade...) lets me experiment and play whenever the mood strikes me regardless of the weather or anything else that seems to get in the way of preparing a meal.

My latest favorite (not part of my new stash) is from their line of fresh pastas, imported from Italy...Trentino-alto-adige (Porcini Mushroom Tortelloni) that I made with a creamy sherry sauce(and more mushrooms, naturally). The only complaint was that I should have made more.

I am, however, sipping some very delicious Fair Trade medium roast 100% Arabica coffee from Africa that was in the package and enjoying every mouthful.

Yesterday was one of those days...feeling achy (but that's another and very uninteresting story) and not wanting to leave the house. Plus I was busy making tonight's dinner (another great slow braised short rib recipe from last month's Bon Appetit that needs overnight in the fridge before the final cooking) and a Cassata alla Siciliana . By suppertime, I had to scrounge around the kitchen. Okay, not totally true, I've been meaning to try the box of Barley & Mushrooms from the Blue Menu which the box says is high in fibre. (Note: All the Blue Menu items tell you what they're good for...like the Omega oil that's a good source of omega 3 & 6 polyunsaturates, and the On track plus protein cereal with 13g of protein per serving, but you do have to read the nutrition facts on the back - some have lots of sodium).

Back to last night's delicious dinner....the barley & mushrooms took about 30 minutes (one minute to dump the contents of the box and some liquid into a pot and the rest left to bubble on the stove to soften the barley). Although there was plenty of dehydrated mushrooms in the package, I can never have enough, so I sauteed some sliced cremini and shitake mushrooms in a little olive oil and added them to the mix just before serving. I also used low sodium chicken broth instead of water - just because, that's what I always do.

Sitting on top of the barley & mushrooms in the photo above, is what looks like potato latkes (pancakes), but are actually Quick Chicken Cutlets that were prepared in less time than it took for the barley to soften. In other words, a perfect dinner - delicious and very little effort.

Thank goodness for handy ready-to-use staples! What's your favorite time saver, always on hand staple?

CIA's New Blog is all about food

Just a short note...The C I A has a new blog...and NO...I don't mean the Central Intelligence Bureau. The Cooking Institute of America is much more forth coming with information - recipes and videos bring chefs right to your kitchen. I've written about their wonderful cookbook and now I get to watch their chefs create the awesome dishes right before my eyes.

Well I missed Mardi Gras this year, but I'm drooling and reminiscing over this Crawfish Etouffee. And I learned something new...crawfish have fat! I guess if you're a Southerner you know that, but here in the North, I've never seen a live crawfish and only tasted their fantastic goodness on a visit to New Orleans years ago. A city that must be revisited and soon!

My plan was to buy some small shrimp as a substitute, but what do I do now? I can't even find crawfish at any local market here in Halifax. Perhaps the video will help me....

Now I guess I'm on a frozen crawfish hunt.

A Request I Couldn't Refuse - Cassata alla Siciliana

A while ago, a cassata fan - Patrick, emailed me for the REAL recipe I talked about when I created a South Beach Diet friendly version of this awesome Italian dessert...pound cake, ricotta filling with candied fruit, chocolate and orange liqueur, covered with a deadly frosting of chocolate, coffee and butter

So without further ado...I could have just emailed the recipe, but, you know me...I had to make it so that I could take a photo and share it with the rest of you.

Cassata alla Siciliana

Perhaps if we close our eyes, and eat it standing up, we'll forgo the gazillion calories.

The Last Weekend Cookbook Challenge - With Love

I admit that I haven't contributed to EVERY Weekend Cookbook Challenge, that wonderful monthly event conceived of by Sara of I Like to Cook way back in 2005 - Holy Cow!!! And now I'm really sad that this roundup will be the last. Nothing is forever, but...I will truly miss these.

The very first WCC challenge was to choose a recipe from your oldest cookbook. I made an Italian Braciuolini served over pasta (surprise, surprise!). It was from the original Doubleday Cookbook and so I thought I'd marry the Love theme of this month with the Oldest theme of the first and share my most romantic dinner for two dish from the also no longer in print - except in second hand stores or on eBay if you're lucky (whew that was a mouthful) Time Life Series - Foods of the World Series - Cooking of Spain & Portugal

Bife à Poruguêsa

You know the expression "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach"? Well this is the dish they were talking about. And it takes so little time to prepare that you'll even have time to dress up and set a romantic table.

I think this is a fitting tribute to WCC's last meal. So with love, thanks Sara (and all the guest hosts over time) for the love fest. What will I swoon over now?