A Great Market Score

Remember elementary school after the summer break - when the teacher made you write an essay on "What Did You Do This Summer?". After almost a month of Saturdays, I finally made it to both the Brewery Farmers Market and the Seaport Farmers Market today. I was going to write a lovely story about it... but frankly after shmoozing with some of my favorite people, buying up a storm, putting everything away and breading some gorgeous Off the Hook, line caught haddock... I'm too pooped to write much. Since a picture is worth a thousand words anyway...
Aleppo Seven Spice Blend from Epices de Cru distributed by Costas Halavrezos at the Brewery Market.
Stunning purple kale and pale orange yams or sweet potatoes from Ted Hutten & Family Farms
Farm fresh eggs and lots of lamb from Wood 'n Hart.
The lamb stewing meat to replace the one I just used to make a fantastic curry with my own blend of Epices de Cru spices - Sri Lankan Black Curry & Singapore Curry (recipe from my iPad App - How to Cook Everything ... Recipe & story to follow soon.

Bumped into one of my very favorite Halifax chefs - Dennis Johnston of fid Resto - we're still talking about doing another cooking lesson (last was how to butcher & cook a hanger steak)- perhaps how to roast a chicken and perhaps even do a video... great segue to the one on his site with Dennis making his grandmother's strawberry shortcakes... not in season now, but the segment was filmed last summer (he's actually buying the strawberries from Ted Hutten. It's a small but wonderful world at the market. You should watch it. It will definitely take your mind off freezing winter weather. But I digress...

Over to the Seaport Farmers Market and first stop...

Chris at Getaway Farm. He's such a sweetie that he'll even take your order on line and have it ready when you get there. Who could resist these gorgeous beef shanks. I used up the last in my Mushroom,Beef, Barley & Lentil Soup and there's none left in the freezer. Of course I had to add two thick strip loins and a flank steak - both my Honey's favorites.

On to The Fish Shop and some fresh line caught haddock
It's already breaded and ready for a quick pan fry (this time done with Panko crumbs. My friend Peter Boudreau told me about Emma of Spice of Life Artisan Foods having sweet potato panko style crumbs from her awesome sweet potato bread, so naturally I went hunting for her. Unfortunately she was out of them, but told me to go to Rock Island Bistro for a great meal and ... you guessed it... her sweet potato panko crumbs. But I digress again...
Before heading home I had to stop at Julien's for Artisan breads and pain chocolat (another treat for my Honey). Actually, Julien's is now represented at both markets, so you have choices to make.
And Sweet Williams Country Sausages for their awesome smoked turkey (plus some sausages for the freezer)

Herb Gouda from That Dutchman's Cheese, since I already knew what I'd make for lunch.
Grilled cheese & turkey sandwiches slathered with pesto & Kozlik's lime & honey mustard (from my trip to Toronto).
Who could blame me for picking up some of this most excellent (I'm drooling as I write) honey comb from Cosman & Whidden Honey to spread on some toasted Julien's bread?
Or for picking up some fresh mint from Riverview Herbs... one can never have too much mint on hand.
Noggins Corner Farm mushrooms (and a Brussels sprout muscling its way in - I couldn't resist those either).

Or these gorgeous beets from Elmridge Farm, for that matter. We are going to have some wonderful eats this week!

Now it's off to chill before making supper.

Presto Pasta Night #198

Jen of Tastes of Home did a brilliant job of hosting this week's Presto Pasta Night Roundup #198. But you don't want to hear me going on and on... so check out the goodies for yourself.

Thanks everyone for your very delicious dishes. I do hope you're already thinking about what pasta dish you'll come up with next. I'm hosting over at Once Upon a Feast and I can't wait.

Send your entries to ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com

Pasta & Soup - Perfect Cure for Flu Season

I can't believe I've actually missed a few days this week. I really thought today was Tuesday! There's nothing like a Winter flu to knock one out for a few days ... and calling for "mommy" to make something warm and soothing like chicken soup. Since I AM the mommy, it's a good thing I made a huge pot of chicken broth back in December and froze them in 2 cup batches in ziplock baggies.

Which just happens to be my entry for Baby Steps to a Rockin' Life , a cool roundup put together by Alex of A Moderate Life .
Easy steps to 'instant mommy" when you're too sick to cook:
1. make a very big batch of broth;
2. allow to cool;
3. label ziplock baggies big enough to hold 2 cups of broth;
4. measure & pour soup into baggies & seal;
5. lay the baggies flat on a baking sheet that will fit in the freezer and allow to completely freeze (if you have a tiny freezer you might have to do this in a couple of batches);
6. Stand the frozen baggies upright and you'll be surprised at how many helpful "hugs" of soup you can fit in the space.

And just in under the wire for Presto Pasta Night, this week hosted by Jen of Tastes of Home... is this

Quick Ginger Chicken, Pasta & Spinach Soup

(seen at the top of the page)

Even sickly me... could crawl out of bed and throw it together. While the broth was defrosting, I threw a couple of handfuls of spinach into a bowl in the microwave, then chopped it up, added that plus 1/4 cup whole wheat fusilli and a slice of ginger to the soupThe whole thing took 15 minutes... and yes... I did feel like my mother was looking after me.

fineCooking Takes Meatloaf to a Whole New Level

Seriously... I mean... since I've been on and on lately about comfort food... naturally my heart skipped a beat when the latest issue of Fine Cooking graced my mailbox.

I love the section "8 Delicious Ways to Make the Best Meatloaf" with the very special fineCooking feature where you can make your own variation. In fact, last year I wrote about another one for Braised Short Ribs (see my penchant for comfort foods?) that my then three year old came up with. He loves cooking and playing on the computer... so what a great combination. Thanks fineCooking! (The link will take you to an interactive page where you get to choose your own ingredients.)

Before I share my creation, I found this healthier variation for meatloaf cupcakes that Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy blogger shared and fineCooking noted. You have to check it out. The photos are to die for.

Back to the magazine... The 8 options... and each one sounded awesome... Indian Spice Lamb; Sausague, Lemon & Parmesan; Blue Cheese & Bacon; Southwestern Spicy Pork & Bell Peppers; Double Mushroom & Sherry; Stout & Cheddar; Turkey, Bacon & Fennel; and Greek Olive, Red Wine & Feta. All of them are free form, five have tasty glazes and three are wrapped in bacon. It's hard to stop myself from drooling.

Because I can never just leave a good thing (or in this case 8 great things) alone, I came up with my own take on the mushroom one...

Mushroom Meatloaf with Honey Chipotle Glaze

I used a combination of fresh cremini and dried wild mushrooms. And because I often find sherry a little too overpowering, I did half sherry and half of the mushroom liquid from reconstituting the mushrooms. Instead of the ketchup glaze, I made my own honey & chipotle puree instead. The spiciness balanced the richness of all those mushrooms.

This seems like a perfect fit for Hearth & Soul, a lovely blog hop, moderated by a great bunch of ladies. Check it out and let me know what your favorite meatloaf is.... or if you're like my daughter and has it at the bottom of her fave things to eat... silly girl!... I bet they'd each make some great burgers.


Obviously I had to share with another great roundup - Magazine Mondays hosted by Ivonne of Cream Puffs In Venice .

Even More Comfort Food

I'm sure the weather has a lot to do with it... grey, grey and more grey.... so cold, my fingers even feel like Bob Cratchit in Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. But I'm really not complaining. It just means bringing out the old family favorite comfort foods.

Like the Salmon Patties above... always served with mashed potatoes... a little bit lumpy and very buttery... and canned corn niblets.
...Or like my mom's Creamed Salmon on Toast... we used to call it something a lot less flattering, but that never stopped us from asking for seconds... and sometimes thirds.
...Or like some hearty soup. My dad's favorite was beef & barley soup, but mine were her split pea or lentil soups with lots of short ribs. And then I found this recipe for Mushroom, Beef, Barley AND Lentil Soup.... need I say more?

So my question is... how come it's the dreary weather that pulls out all the stops when it comes to craving family favorites from childhood?

And, even though, there is more than soup here, I'm sharing with Deb at her Kahakai Kitchen for her Souper Sundays. Since it's positively freezing here, you know I'll be checking out this week's roundup for more super soups to warm my bones.

Presto Pasta Night #197 = Spectacular

GirliChef did a perfectly brilliant hosting Presto Pasta Night #197!!! And there are no words (I checked the Thesaurus) good enough to say thanks to all 30 contributors.... there are dishes to tempt any palate... but don't take my word for it.

And while you're wandering through carb Heaven, don't forget to start thinking about what you'll be sending in for next week's roundup. Jen at Tastes of Home will be hosting for the first time, so make her feel special. Send your entries to tastesofhome (at)gmail (dot) com and cc me - ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com

Roasted Cauliflower - The Little Black Dress

There is nothing like roasted vegetables in the dead of winter and cauliflower is probably my all time favorite. In fact, it's my little black dress... you can dress it up to match any ethnic mood you happen to be in. Toss the florets it with olive oil and what ever else your heart desires... some minced garlic... some smoked paprika... a pinch of red chili pepper flakes... some dried herbs... the list is only as limited as your imagination. Then roast it in a 400F/200C oven on a foil lined, rimmed baking sheet for 15-20 minutes. Nothing easier, and much lower in carbs than potatoes.

The above is tossed with a Singapore Curry Blend of Spices from Epices de Cru/The Spice Hunters and distributed here in Halifax every Saturday at the Old Brewery Farmers Market by Costas and his lovely crew. Check out what I had to say.
I used it as a side dish for a very tasty Grilled Ginger Lime Steak. If you look closelyat the upper left corner, you can just get a peek of my wonderful box of Curries & Masalas from the Islands.

What's your favorite way to dress up a veg?

Sicilian Pasta - On the Sweet Side

Perhaps it's watching Godfather One through a bazillion umpteen times, but when I think of Sicilian food, I think spicy... very, very spicy. And, naturally although I tell everyone they MUST read through the entire recipe before starting out. I just quickly scanned the photo and title (which just mentioned Swiss chard... I've been craving it lately and finally found... and sausage... I always have Italian fennel sausages on hand). The book is ... Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast, which I've used often, even wrote about how great a little cookbook it is. Admittedly, it's been sitting on my shelves for a while (I'm fickle and tend to go with the latest that arrive at my kitchen, before they too, sit in my bookcase waiting for me to crave something special.

But I digress, this time it was the Swiss chard. It's not really in season here in Nova Scotia, but it is a hearty green and I finally spied a bunch at my local supermarket.

Back to the recipe... still thinking "if Sicilian, it must be spicy", I did wonder how the raisins would fit in the picture. And I admit, my first bite had me wonder. It definitely was sweet and I thought I'd probably never make the dish again. But then came bites number two and beyond. The crunchy pine nuts and heartiness of the meat balanced the sweetness of the raisins so well that my Honey and I had to have seconds. We even decided against a salad so we could have more.

Pasta with Sausages, Swiss Chard & Pine Nuts

I did add a pinch of red chili pepper flakes, but the balance of sweet (from the raisins), salty (from the cheese) and robust (from the sausages & chard) didn't really need it.

It's a given that I'll be sending this off to Girlichef, this week's host for Presto Pasta Nights. You can send her your entries too, just email to girlichef (at)yahoo (dot)com and cc me - ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com


Interestingly enough, Girlichef, along with some other great food bloggers does Hearth 'n Soul Blog Hop, another great weekly event . I love the intro statement..."Food from your hearth, to feed your soul. Food that follows your intuition". And there's never a time when pasta doesn't do just that for me.

What's your favorite soul feeding food?

PPN #196 Almost Ready

UPDATE: Presto Pasta Night #196 is up and glorious - thanks everyone.

I'm off to play with little boys, but keep checking over at Chez Cayenne Claire is our fantastic host for this week's Presto Pasta Night Roundup. A HUGE thanks to her for doing this for the second time and, as always... thanks everyone for sending in delicious pasta dishes week after week.

Next week, we're lucky enough to have Heather, our favorite GirliChef hosting. Send your entries to girlichef (at)yahoo (dot)com and cc me - ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by Thursday, January 20th.

Check HERE for the simple guidelines... in a nutshell - make a pasta... mention Presto Pasta Nights, the week's host with links ... and email the link to the week's host.

Pasta, Pasta, My Mind Sees Only Pasta

A somewhat misleading title because I actually made a delicious Hoisin Garlic Flank Steak, with Sauteed Ginger Garlic Kale and the last of the garlicky rice for dinner last night. That said....

Did you ever have one of those weeks when it seems like everywhere you look there's pasta? I've been drooling over every one of the dishes in the pasta chapter in Jamie Oliver's book Jamie's Italy and I've written about it before...

Mark Bittman's NY Times weekly column this week is all about making easy homemade pasta (I wrote about that too)

Don't even get me started on Donna Hay's newest book Seasons (well, see what I've written and then rush out to buy your own copy) but know that the Roasted Garlic, Ricotta & Kalamata Olive Pasta I made last week... and had for two wonderful leftover lunches, still has me licking my lips.

I guess I've been fixated on pasta because of tomorrow night's dinner. Our friends head back to Calgary after packing up their stuff and we wanted to spend the evening with them. A few obstacles stand between now and sitting down to dinner...

1. Braces on my friend's teeth - yes, even those a few years over forty sometimes need them, means something soft;
2. I'll be spending the day as I usually do with those little angels who sometimes give me time in the kitchen to prepare dinner, and often they would rather play - which means I have to prepare something in advance so I don't get stressed'; and...
3. I want something that all three generations would enjoy.

And what could be better than a baked pasta dish that I can prepare today and just throw in the oven an hour before serving. Well, after flipping through lots of books and lots of magazines, not to mention searching the Internet, I ended up coming back to a recipe I found on the Italpasta box of jumbo pasta shells about a million years ago.

Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Pasta Shells

Naturally... because why should things be easy... the grocery store was out of jumbo shells and since we were expecting a blizzard yesterday, I really didn't feel like traipsing all over the city to find some. A little luck and some flexibility, I found some oven ready cannelloni, also from Italpasta - I do love the brand.

Now... oven ready cannelloni means that I can do the stuffing without cooked pasta tubes splitting on me. I just fill a zip lock baggie with filling, cut one of the corners off and make my own piping bag. It makes the process very manageable, not to mention easy to clean up. Hopefully, I'll take a photo of the cannelloni version, if we're not having too good a time eating it!

And that's my tip for Baby Steps to a Rockin Life put together by Alex of A Moderate Life.

It's also my entry for this week's Presto Pasta Night. Claire of Chez Cayenne is hosting and you still have some time to send in your pasta before midnight tonight. Send your entries to cdmcculloch7 (at)gmail (dot)com and cc me - ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com

What's your go to dish for such occasions?

Great Resource Sites - A Work In Progress

Kitchen Equipment

• Culinary Direct
• Quisinart - has recipes
• Weber BBQ - also has great recipes

Magazines & Newspapers

• Bon Appetit
• Epicurious - my favorite recipe site
• Gourmet - virtual magazine only these days
• Donna Hay
• Food & Wine
• Waitrose
• LCBO's Food & Drink
• Food Network Canada - you can even find some of my recipes & articles here
• The Telegraph - UK
• LA Times
• NY Times
• San Francisco Chronicle

General Cooking Resources

• CosmoPages
• Indian Herb & Spice Guide
• Herbs, Spices & Seasonings - great lexicon
• The Spice Trader - great spices from around the world
• Hot Smoke BBQ - lots of great bbq tips & goodies
• Easy Dinner Recipes & Guide
• InfoMonkey.net - follows all things great in Halifax (I especially like the foodie section)
• Kozlik's Mustard - Toronto based
• Tangled Garden - herb jellies, oils, vinegars and liqueurs
• Williams Sonoma
• Food Blog Diary - great roundups & other food blog events
• Food 52
• StillTasty - let's you know how long is toooooo long to keep food fresh.
• Another Herb & Spice Guide

Some of My Favorite Cooks & Cookbook Authors

• Jacques Pepin
• Gourmania - Norene Gilletz is one of my favorite Canadian cookbook authors
• Jamie Oliver - what else is there to say
• Nigella Lawson
• Donna Hay
• Mark Bittman

Great foodie apps for iPad & iPhones

• epi (from Epicurious)
• How to Cook Everything (from Mark Bittman)

Some of my favorite blogs

• A Moderate Life
• Equal Opportunity Kitchen
• Eats Well With Others
• GirliChef
• More Than Burnt Toast
• The Food Blog Diary
• Thyme for Cooking
• Two Lazy Gourmets

A Two For One Delight - Hot Spinach Dip + Eggs = Great Brunch

Friends were over last night for dinner and before we actually sat down for the meal, we nibbled on a new dip - born of not reading the recipe through before I wrote "spinach" on my grocery list. The recipe called for 2 pounds (make that 1 kilogram for my metric friends) and my Honey bought... as I requested 1 bag of spinach and "oh, please get some Swiss chard for another recipe I plan on making". Well, the bag of spinach weighed 4oz and even with the Swiss chard added to the mix, the greens came to less than a pound. Still... the weather was blustery, and I didn't have the heart to send him out again... or to go myself, for that matter. So... a creamier but still very delicious dip was created. In no small part to the kick that the Cholula Chipotle Hot Sauce gave it.

Hot Spinach & Swiss Chard Cheese Dip

As you can see from the photo, we dug in before I had a chance to take one of the bubbling, straight-from-the-oven dish.

There was still a bit left this morning and, along with some very excellent smoked turkey from Sweet Williams Country Sausage at the farmers market, it made an awesome breakfast this morning.

Cheesy Spinach & Smoked Turkey Frittata

I can't think of anything better than eggs to change up yesterday's delight into an entirely different dish. Pasta is the second best option for me. What's your choice?

Segue .... don't forget to share your pasta dish - leftover inspired or not for this week's Presto Pasta Night. Claire of Chez Cayenne is hosting. Send your entries to cdmcculloch7 (at)gmail (dot)com and cc me - ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com

First Trip to the Farmers Market 2011

First trip to the Halifax farmers markets in 2011. I was so excited, I forgot to check in with 4square or take any photos. It's still a "winter" market, meaning lots of the fresh produce vendors are still missing and the ones that are there are mostly selling root vegetables.

That said, I still managed quite a score... some of the packages are chuck stewing beef for the Hearty Beef Stew with Preserved Lemons & Olives I'll be serving it to our friends tomorrow night for dinner. They're from Getaway Farm. The smoked turkey from Sweet Williams Country Sausage will make a great lunch - grilled sandwich with bread from Julien's Bakery and Garlic Gouda from Foxhill Cheese House . The Turkey Fennel sausages (also from Sweet Williams) is for a terrific looking pasta dish in my Everyday Food Fresh Flavor Fast (I wrote about it almost a year ago and just flipped through it again - two dishes coming up this week - the pasta & a hot spinach dip).

The mache and microgreens are from the Hutten Family Farm will star in tomorrow night's salad. I just have to figure out which dressing to make it really shine.

No time for more shopping because we had all day plans with kids & grandkids. We met up for a weekend brunch and then said bye-bye to mom & dad (who got the day off). And then it was off to the Museum of Natural History with Boaz & Dov. We missed out on T Rex and his friends... the dinosaurs will be arriving next week, but we still had a great time.

The second we got back to our place, Boaz (4) and I raced to the kitchen to whip up some of Norene Gilletz's amazing Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies.

... to help keep our energy level high for the rest of the day. And I just had to share this picture of Dov (2) relaxing after his bath. How delicious an end to a perfect day.

Presto Pasta Night #195 Happy New Year

It's hard to believe but Presto Pasta Nights is almost four years old and still going strong. 2011 starts out spectacularly and I want to thank everyone for making it such a huge success week after week. But you don't want to hear me blabbing, you want to check out the awesome entries, so without further ado, here they are...

First up is Joanne of Eats Well With Others – I’m glad her New Year’s resolutions include eating more pasta and sharing with Presto Pasta Night often. Her Pappardelle with Peas, Sausage & Ricotta has me drooling.
Georgia of Oh Kitchen, What Won't You Do? sent us her mom's version of Spaghetti Carbonara - lighter than many and perfect choice for the New Year.
Ever have one of those days when you can't decide between pizza and pasta... no worries, Debbi Does Dinner made the choice easy ... Pizza Pasta Soup in the Slow Cooker. Check it out!
Helen, of Fuss Free Flavours is a wonderful PPN regular and this time she shares a very flavourful dish of Pea, Horseradish & Smoked Fish Penne. I love all those strong tastes together.
Being a grandmother myself, I can relate to this story that Nico of Cocoa & Coriander shared. It seems her grandmother's cavatelli with tomato sauce & meatballs was so good, that she never was allowed to make any other version. Do try Nico's Broccoli & Sausage Orecchietti.
LimeCake has me drooling with another robust flavored pasta - Walnuts & Anchovies definitely caught my attention.
Tina over at Life in the Slow Lane at Squirrel Head Manor always shares great dishes and this time a cookbook as well. I love the Chicken Soup with Orzo in the Slow Cooker... perfect for a wintry day.
Michelle of Ms enPlace, shared this Lemon Risotto, and although it's not made of pasta... unless one uses orzo that looks like rice... I had to share it with the resto of you.
Branny Boils Over is hoping 2011 is better than 2010 - me too! With recipes like this Pasta with Chickpeas, I'm sure we're all going to be better off.
Tigerfish of Teczcape is back - and I'm always glad to share her gorgeous and delicious dishes. This Stir Fry with Whole Wheat Noodles has me drooling.
Julie of Pictures of a Princess is a newbie to PPN and I hope she plans on coming back often. My mouth is watering from this creation - Pumpkin Cream Pasta. I can't wait to try some.
Jen of Tastes of Home is back with gorgeous photos, a great dish of Korean Black Bean Noodles and a history lesson.
Nic of Lemon & Cheese made one of my favorite Jamie Oliver recipes - Chicken & Mushroom Pasta. It's a hard one to beat.
And last, but definitely not least my version of a Donna Hay unbelievably easy and yet over the top spectacular - Roasted Garlic, Kalamata Olives & Ricotta Pasta.
Once again - thanks everyone for making the first PPN of 2011 so special.

Next week Claire of Chez Cayenne will be hosting again. You can send your entries to cdmcculloch7 at)gmail (dot)com and cc me - ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by January 13th.