Holiday Flurry

I intended to write a heart felt, or funny, or poignant, or profound post for the holidays.  But the fact is, I got caught up in the flurry that is part of the season.  Hanukkah is over, a a blur much like the candles in the window and the never still children.  I needed two shots just to get the faces of both my little angels.  That's Boaz, sitting on his mummy and Dov, speeding everywhere.

No one stands still long enough to get ONE great shot for posterity, so two will have to do.

Nor was there time to actually take photos of the table, the food.... I ended up making only two kinds of latkes rather than the four or five I intended.   I had made some Potato Beet Latkes that were tasty for a pretend Hanukkah dinner when my younger daughter, Sharron was in town.

No photos of the roast beef (studded with garlic, roasted on a bed of thinly sliced onions & thyme, rubbed with powdered mushrooms) or a variation on a Caesar Salad.

Or the broccoli trees - (my attempt to get little boys to eat some greens.  Dov, the little one played along for a while, biting off the "leaves" and giving me the stems for my winter forest.... trees that lost their leaves - I later found remnantsof the leaves under a plate!

Prep for dinner was easy,  with enough time to whip up a new favorite - Chewy No Bake Chocolate Macaroons, best eaten right out of the freezer before they get a chance to melt.

And since there is still some time left before 2012 shows up... a great White Bean, Mint & Parmesan Dip. that's perfect for a pre-holiday appetizer for a crowd, or a kick-off-your-shoes, hang-out-chill-on-the-couch kind of day.  I should have put it in my pretty red bowl, but, frankly, the dip was finished before I thought about it.   My advice, make a double batch!

Rather than make a bunch of resolutions for 2012, I thought I'd at least, try to catch up with some of the latest (and new favorite) recipes and cookbooks.   I'm still a little behind with both.    That said, I wish you all a joyous, prosperous and healthy 2012.  May it bring you all you wish for and then some.

Scramble Solution for those Scrambling-around Days before the Holidays

It is the final countdown for Christmas and Hanukkah and still in the middle of, what is officially known as the Holiday Season.   And that means lots of scrambling around.... scrambling for last minute gifts,  scrambling to whip up those holiday dishes, scrambling to get the house in holiday order... in general... scramble is the best way to describe our rushing about.

And since my day is looking pretty harried, I made the perfect breakfast,  AFTER the trip to physiotherapy, AFTER shopping for groceries, AFTER putting everything away, BEFORE heading out to the stores, BEFORE... well, everything else.

My perfect late breakfast/early lunch - a giant scramble.  You'll find a few variations HERE, but this one really looked like the holidays... a handful of fresh parsley, and some roasted red peppers rounded out the usual... chopped onion, mushroom and chorizo sausage with some fresh thyme.  

No time to chat, but I do want to wish everyone a joyous Holiday Season!   Now.... take a deep breath, exhale slowly and ....  enjoy the days ahead.

Quick & Easy Cooking for the Season

I realize that when we think of the holidays, we generally think of the feasting... memories of those we used to have at our family table growing up... thoughts of those we still prepare (or at the very least, attend)... or those restaurant events that also abound this time of year.

And all of those dinners are waist-expanding, just in the thinking of them, not to mention time-consuming to prepare.  So I thought I'd share a few of my time and stress savers for the OTHER meals we need to eat...

The easiest thing of all is to marinate some boneless chicken breasts and grill them.  I usually double or triple up the recipe so I have cooked chicken (the little black dress) for the base of everything from pasta, to stir fry (substitute chicken for shrimp) to frittatas (perfect from breakfast to supper) to ...well, you get the idea.   At the top is a standard around here...

Greek-Style Grilled Chicken

And my other favorite quick way to cook chicken is to high temperature roast it spatchcock style.

Wishing you all a stress free,  delicious, delightful and joyous holiday season.

Don't forget, I'm hosting the first Presto Pasta Night Roundup of 2012 on January 6th.  Please send me you entries anytime before January 5th.   email:  ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.

The Last Presto Pasta Night Roundup of 2011

While I don't usually like to double post... this time it's worth it..... 2011 has been an extraordinary year... especially for pasta lovers.  Forty nine Presto Pasta Night Roundups and hundreds of the most delicious and mouth-watering pasta dishes, shared by all of you.  Thank you all so much for taking a silly notion back in March, 2007 and turning it into one of the longest running weekly blog events out there!!!

This week, Rachel The Crispy Cook is our gracious host and since I'll be out for most of the day, I wanted to make sure to thank you Rachel for putting together a terrific roundup and all of you pasta fans, for an awesome year of pasta making.   Keep checking at The Crispy Cook to find out what's on tap for this week.

The next Presto Pasta Night... the first for 2012 is set for January 6th and I'll be hosting.   In the meantime, enjoy the Holiday Season.  I wish you all peace, joy, and lots of opportunities to share some pasta (or anything else) with those you hold dear.

Always Looking for a New Spin on Latkes

I think food-wise, Hanukah is my favorite holiday.   After all, who doesn't love fried potatoes?  But I have an even more specific tradition... a platter of many colored and flavored latkes....

UPDATE:  my take on the NY Times recipe - Potato Beet Latkes to add to my rainbow.

My standard...a trio of... Potato Latkes - naturally!  Curried Sweet Potato Latkes - everyone loves them, but not nearly as much as potato.  They're gone in a minute any other time of year, but on Hanukah... not even tried until we've all had our fill of potato!  Zucchini or broccoli latkes add a hint of green for a sneaky way to add some more vitamins to the mix of oil and eggs.

But I still want more color on the platter!  And I'm excited to say that I found a recipe on NY Times.com  for Red Flannel Laktes with a single beet to turn them a glorious shade of red.  Guess who's coming to the table this year!

Another tradition... terrible photo, but you won't find a better recipe for BBQ Brisket anywhere.  It's a perfect side to the starring latkes.   I know... strange to have latkes ... humble potato, sweet potato or zucchini... being the focus, and the meat etc., taking a back seat.

No time to do the three stages of marinating and cooking this year, my side... will be my cousin Sonia's Swedish Meatballs.  Sonia is actually Swedish and married to my cousin Steve, now lives in Florida, but wherever she is in reality... she's at our table every Hanukah!

As for dessert... being raised during the 1950's in Montreal, my family and all of our friends were Ashkenazi - European Jews and it wasn't until I was an adult that I was introduced to Sephardi Jews from Spain, North Africa and the Middle East and their wonderful food traditions... we just gorged on latkes and waddled home when we were stuffed.  Sufganiot or doughnuts stuffed with jelly was completely unknown.   To this day, I leave the making (or buying) of those to others if they choose.

The Gift of Giving

From Casual Brunch to Formal Feasting and everything in between, Holidays are the time of celebrating, getting together with friends and family, but before I share a recipe or two... a two hour power failure made me realize just how much I take for granted... running water... electric power to cook and enjoy all the techno toys we own... a great home protected from all the extreme weather.   From that extreme... no matter how short, it was a great reminder of just how fortunate I really am... to the other extreme of holiday gift shopping with hordes of people at the malls, buying a bazillion gifts and spending a fortune... more often than I care to think, putting them further into debt.

Charles Dickens wrote A Tale of Two Cities in 1859 and his opening paragraph could have been written yesterday....

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair..."

World economies are collapsing, unemployment is high and yet shopping malls are full of people buying gifts for friends and families.  And so often I hear the question..." What do you buy for the person who... has everything/wants nothing?"   Are you the type who gives gift cards?  Apparently more than 80% of them go unused.  Or are you the type who buys a gift that will ... best case scenario... be "regifted" or sit in a cupboard or garage until the next lawn sale they have?

I have the perfect solution... one that's a win/win for everyone.  With so many people doing without this year... Make a donation in their name to your favorite charity.   Not only will your donation make a difference to a total stranger in need, it will put the spirituality front and center in the Holiday Season.   

You can... 

• send a card in their honor to a charity of particular importance to you or whoever you're sending holiday wishes to.  (One of my favorites is FEED NOVA SCOTIA.) 
• host a different kind of party where, instead of Host/Hostess gifts... how many bottles of wine or funky gadgets do we need anyway?... have your guests donate to a charity of your/their choice or even a change jar at the door.   Admission = the loose change in pocket or purse.  
• volunteer at a community food drive or soup kitchen
• check out websites & Facebook pages of wonderful organizations that will donate money for every click/like you do.   Kraft Canada donated $50,000 to food banks across Canada,  Red Rose Tea donated 10,000 pots of tea... and there are many more wherever you live. 
• bring your canned goods & cash to local food drives
• join a Habitat for Humanity project
• visit a lonely senior and bring a home cooked treat ( a couple or more of frozen dinners would be appreciated)

And since holidays center around food in my world...and with all the pre-holiday stress of shopping and cooking and baking for those upcoming feasts... here's an easy recipe for some intriguing

 Spicy Fusion Chocolate Crackled Cookies

I so named them because the secret ingredients come from very different parts of the world... Saigon Cinnamon - which have a very distinctive scent and flavour - think red hot cinnamon candies as opposed to the more traditional cinnamon I associate with hot chocolate and apple cakes, etc.... and Ancho chili pepper, from Mexico, which I think of more for savory stews and chili dishes or as a grilling rub.    It takes less than 10 minutes to make, 10 to bake and 10 to cool.   .. a perfect "kick off your shoes and chill" break in between holiday tasks.  

Thoughts of the Sunny Middle East

There is nothing I would like better on a dreary & foggy day in Halifax than a trip to the Middle East with all that sunshine.   I'm not really complaining, because wet & dreary is better than a blizzard, but still...

A few weeks ago, my Honey was in Israel on business and brought me back a very special gift... a bottle of the most exquisite organic extra virgin olive oil from the ancient olive trees of Palestine. The company is Al'Ard, and you can read all about them right here.   But here is their description of the organic extra virgin olive oil:

"From the holy land - the home of olive tree, where ancient traditions and age old farming methods guarantee ideal, high quality olives known for their superior taste & aroma, to make Al‘Ard (The Land) one of the best produced olive oil in the world."

I really couldn't get a photo that does the bottle or the oil justice, but from the photo above you can see how golden and yet tinged with a hint of green the oil is.  And the taste..... frankly, I can't find the words to describe how delicious it is... earthy and rich are two adjectives that come to mind.  Bottom line... the aroma, texture and taste are truly sensual.

This is a special olive oil... one that would be fantastic with a splash of good balsamic and some fresh, crusty baguettes.   I was going to make a simple salad that I would normally add a sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar dressing, but this time I let the oil dictate the dressing.  I wanted nothing to overshadow it, but I did want the supporting actors... ie, the vegetables and rest of the dressing... to pay tribute.   There is no real recipe, just a handful of this, a drizzle of that, but here are the ingredients

• Romaine hearts - for crunch
• Sweet red pepper chunks - for color and sweetness
• Dried Black olives - as tribute
• Sliced red onion - just because I love onions in my salad
• Fresh mint & cilantro leaves - for more flavors of the Middle East
• Crumbled Feta - because Greece is another lovely place to think about when it's gloomy
• Dressing of lemon juice, garlic, touch of Dijon mustard and, of course...
• Healthy drizzle of Al'Ard organic extra virgin olive oil

Now I think I'm off to buy another baguette to do some dipping!

My Main Reason for a Food Blog

Recently a good friend and fellow food writer,Simon Thibault,  wrote an article about me for Saltscapes Magazine.  The focus was on family recipes being handed down through the generations,  why I started food blogging back in 2005 and where it's taken me.   Truth is, I started just to keep a journal of my recipes for my daughters, who where living elsewhere on the planet and for me... since I often "throw things together" and then don't remember what I did.  

Over the years I've written up hundreds of recipes and I even check the recipe index as often as I check all the cookbooks and magazines that fill my bookshelves and counter tops when I have a particular craving.  But it's always a very pleasant surprise when someone leaves a comment on an older entry... like this Rogan Josh, also known as Beef Curry.  I first wrote about it in 2005, then again as part of an Indian feast in 2006,  But it's particularly cool when I get a great comment in 2011!   Obviously it's time to make it again.

So, to my fellow bloggers or recipe journal keepers... what's you favorite tried and true that you don't often think about, but when you do, you need to whip up the dish immediately?

Presto Pasta Night #242

UPDATE: Somehow, I missed two wonderful pasta dinners, so scroll down and enjoy....Please let me know if I've inadvertently missed any others.

This is probably the shortest Presto Pasta Night Roundup since I started it back in 2007.  It even took me some effort to come up with my own pasta dish this week.  What with American Thanksgiving over and everyone eating turkey leftovers,  plus the rush of holiday gift shopping and baking, it's no wonder there's little time to whip up something over the top.

So hats off and a HUGE thanks to Tigerfish and Jamie for coming up with super easy and super satisfying dishes to get us all through the season.

Tigerfish of Teczcape has the absolute perfect dish for this time of year... something quick to prepare and nourishing for both body and soul... Chicken & Vegetable Soba Noodle Soup.  Cold and dreary days be gone!

 Jamie at Cookin' With Moxie... and next week's Presto Pasta Night host... used my favorite ingredients... mushrooms, Italian sausages, and a new red sauce for a very interesting Spaghetti alla Salsiccia. that doesn't take the usual two hours to simmer the ragout but packs an awesome punch.

Shaheen of Allotment 2 Kitchen sent in this droolingly delicious Red Chili Spiced Brussels Sprouts Pasta... a dish I would never knowingly keep from us.  It sounds brilliant and I can't wait to try it out.  

And then there's HoneyB of The Life & Loves of Grumpy's HoneyBunch... how could I possibly have forgotten such a fantastic PPN regular, not to mention terrific and frequent host.... who served my favorite food... shrimp.  This time served as Linguine with Shrimp in Saffron Cream Sauce... and I must confess that even though we had shrimp pasta two nights ago plus some for lunch... I'm ready to do it again!

My pasta dish based on an old standby... I can't imagine a freezer with no shrimps or a fridge with no chorizo or mushrooms... had a little twist to it... and an easy way to prep.   In the morning, I put the water in the Dutch oven on top of the stove so all I would have to do when I got home was turn on the burner.  I also peeled and thawed the shrimp, chunked the mushrooms, and chopped the chorizo, placing them in separate ziplock bags in the fridge.   And so I wouldn't forget which extra taste sensations to choose... I put the bottle of sherry vinegar, the avocado oil, an onion, 3 cloves of garlic and the red chili pepper flakes on the counter.  Once home, no matter how tired... no thinking required... turn on burner under water, get out large skillet, chop onion & garlic, heat oil and saute onion, mushrooms & chorizo, add shrimp.  By the time they are pink, it's time to boil the pasta and add sherry vinegar and chili pepper flakes to the skillet to your taste.   Toss in a couple of handfuls of arugula, which will wilt nicely by the time you serve it, and the drained pasta and VOILA!

Tigerfish & Jamie, thanks for sharing this week and everyone out there... put on your pasta thinking caps and join Jamie next week at Cookin' With Moxie for Presto Pasta Night #243.  Just cook, share and mention Presto Pasta Nights and Cookin' With Moxi with links   

Remember there are only two more Presto Pasta Nights for 2011, so let's send the year out in style.   If you'd like to host a PPN Roundup. Just drop me a line to pick a date.  It's never to early to sign up for 2012!

Stocking the Freezer & Prep for Pasta

Squirrels and bears do their own prep for long cold winters.  I do mine a little differently... although munching on nuts and salmon and then sleeping right through winter does appeal to me.  The photo above  is not the prettiest you've ever seen, but trust me, when I add the chicken broth (this time made with roasted chicken bones - and very tasty indeed) or the roasted vegetable broth to a dish, it will be transformed.

I make a huge batch of each, using my giant stock pot and then bag the broth in two cup portions in freezer proof zip lock bags.  After removing as much air as possible before sealing, I lay them flat on large rimmed cookie sheets (6 bags to a sheet) and flash freeze them (or as close to flash as a home freezer can get) and then store them like you would files in a filing cabinet.  Better than bouillon cubes or store bought broth and right at your fingertips.  

Next project is making and freezing the two pasta sauces I talked about on Presto Pasta Nights the other day.  Hopefully that will happen this weekend.   But in the meantime, tomorrow is Presto Pasta Night and I'm hosting this week.

And because I know today is going to be crazy busy, I've already filled the pot with water for the pasta, peeled the shrimp, chopped the mushrooms and chorizo, and have the sherry vinegar, avocado oil, garlic, onion and red pepper flakes handy so I don't even have to think. The only decision will be - arugula or cilantro.  In fact, since I'll probably be too tired to write... here's a similar recipe I've made in the past.  Shrimp, chorizo, mushrooms and pasta are my little black dress of deliciousness when I wish I had a personal chef to whip up something spectacular without any effort on my part. .

If you have a pasta dish to share with Presto Pasta Nights this week, just cook something up, write about it, mention Presto Pasta Nights  with a link and send your URL  to ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by midnight tonight - no matter what your time zone, and then check back for the roundup tomorrow.