Quinoa 'Fried Rice'

Dear Jess,

I am finding my new routine. Alice has a few naps a day, and I am able to identify when she needs one. Due to her sleeping at night time, this gives me time to get things done around the house (as I normally don't need to nap myself anymore) and cook more often!

Today's recipe came from the Internet. I haven't done anything with ginger in a while, and you know how I love quinoa! It turned out just how I wanted it. The only thing I will change next time, is I will use another egg.

Enjoy!

Quinoa 'Fried Rice'
from www.domesticsuperhero.com

2 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
8oz mushrooms, sliced
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 carrots, peeled and grated
3 cups cooked quinoa (I cooked mine with chicken broth)
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 green onions, sliced
Sriracha, for serving (optional)

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet over low heat. Add eggs and fry until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side, flipping only once. Let cool before dicing into small pieces.

2. Heat remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet or wok* over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring often, until onions become translucent, about 4-5 minutes.

3. Add mushrooms, broccoli and zucchini. Cook, stirring constantly**, until vegetables are tender, about 3-4 minutes.

4. Add corn, peas, carrots and quinoa. Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.

5. Add ginger and soy sauce, and gently toss to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 2 minutes.

6. Stir in green onions and eggs.

7. Serve hot with a drizzle of Sriracha, if desired.

* I just used my large pot, and put it on medium heat.
** If you're using a large pot like I did, it is not as crucial to stir constantly throughout the recipe.

I was quite pleased with the flavour. Like I said earlier, I will add another egg next time (3 eggs total).

I hope all is well!

Love,

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

Dear Sally,

 

Your last two posts were AWESOME! Jesse has actually been growing pickling cucumbers in our backyard so that will be on my list of things to make very soon. We have also been enjoying an abundance of lettuce and kale lately.

Summer continues to fly by. There was a time in the last few weeks where I was just throwing things together at dinnertime in the hopes that it would resemble food. My parents came down this past weekend and broke me of that habit. My mom wanted to try a new recipe out and I’m glad she suggested it. Everyone loved it and there wasn’t too much work involved in making it.

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large Spanish onion, sliced into thin rounds

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

oil for grilling

2 red peppers, sliced into 4 segments

8 large Portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed

Salt and pepper to taste

4 slices manchego, white cheddar, or goat cheese

2 cups baby spinach

4 whole grain buns

Warm oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook on low until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in balsamic vinegar. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pan, and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

            Preheat grill to medium. Lightly brush red pepper slices with oil and grill for 2 minutes per side, or until tender with some grill marks. Remove red pepper from grill. Brush mushrooms with oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add mushrooms to grill, stem side down, and cook for 5 minutes. Flip mushrooms and cook for another 4 minutes.

Top 4 mushrooms with equal amounts of red peppers, cheese, and spinach. Cover each with a remaining mushroom, stem side down so that the stem sides are facing each other. Cook for 1 minute or until cheese has melted. If using buns, heat them on the grill for one minute or until toasted.

Serve stuffed mushrooms topped with caramelized onions. I added basil to mine and didn’t have a bun and it was delicious! The goat cheese really makes it creamy.

I am starting to get excited about September as my planning continues. It’s going to be a busy year but I am looking forward to it.

            I really miss you. So many times I have wanted to just walk over, grab a cup of tea and catch up. Hopefully we can do that soon. I love the photos you send each month of your beautiful baby belly. I definitely want to be in Peterborough soon but it is looking like it will have to be in September some time. We’ll get up there soon.

Love Always,

Slow Cooker Beef Roast with Portobellos and Onions

Dear Jess,

We had the best thunderstorm last night! It was loud, bright, and long! So amazing!

On Thursdays, I work for most of the day. Dinner tends to be either left overs, or something from the slow cooker.

I was looking for a good beef roast recipe, because I picked up beef when it was on sale last week. I was tired of seeing 'onion soup mix' or 'can of cream of mushroom soup' as ingredients in all of my search results. I'm gaining enough weight with this baby... the last thing I need is to add more sodium and preservatives to my food! Also, there just has to be a yummy solution without adding all this junk that should never be eaten to begin with. So this was my improvisation, and I must say it turned out spectacular!

Slow Cooker Beef Roast with Portobellos and Onions
my own experimental recipe
2 onions, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
2-4 lb beef roast
1-2 sprigs rosemary, chopped
3 cups beef stock (I used my homemade stuff!)
4-5 Portobello mushrooms, chopped
Salt and Pepper

Place onions and carrots in the bottom of your slow cooker. Place beef on top of onions and carrots. Place Rosemary on top of beef. Place mushrooms on top of beef.

Pour stock over everything.

Turn slow cooker on low and leave for 7 hours.

Remove Roast from slow cooker, and place on serving dish. Slice as desired. Using a slotted spoon, remove onions, carrots and mushrooms from liquid, and place with roast on serving dish.

I cooked my rice with the juice from the beef instead of water, and then used the rest of the juice to make a gravy. Dinner is served! 

I hope your August is enjoyable! We are heading to the cottage on Friday night for the weekend. I'm looking forward to some excellent relaxation.

My 'nesting' stage has started to rear its head. This week I painted our bedroom, and got caught up on all my cleaning and laundry! I am also enjoying some belly time most days to enjoy feeling the baby wiggling around in my tummy. Right now, life is good.

I love you and miss you. We have to plan a get together soon!

Love,

Strudelicious Panzerotti

Dear Jess,

Happy Summer Holidays!

How is your trip?! I saw a picture or two on Facebook. It looks like you're having a relaxing time!

As you know I am a 'nanny' for a little boy in town throughout the week, and while he's napping I generally flick on the Food Network. I don't usually watch the Eat Shrink and be Merry show, but it happened to be on, so I watched it. They were making a Panzerotti, and immediately I wanted it. I got home, realized we had so many leftovers from pizza last weekend, and decided I would make it. The Food Network puts all the recipes on their website, so I hunted it down, and here we go!

Both Jason and Bill really enjoyed this! We even have some leftovers!

(Excuse the bad pictures... we lent our camera to my sister-in-law for her trip to England, so these are from my phone)

Strudelicious Panzerotti
adapted from foodnetwork.ca

Dough
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 envelope Fleishchmann's Quick-Rise Yeast*
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup very warm water
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp honey

Sauce
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 tsp minced garlic
2 cups tomato sauce
1 tsp (each) dried oregano and basil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey

Filling
1 tsp olive oil
6 oz Italian sausage, casing removed and broken up
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 cup shredded cheese
10 x 15 inch piece parchment paper
1 lightly beaten egg for brushing top of panzerotti

Dough
1. To make dough, combine both flours, ground flax, yeast and salt in medium bowl. Mix well. Measure warm water in measuring cup, then stir in olive oil and honey. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and mix using a wooden spoon to form a ball. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 2 minutes. Spray another medium bowl with olive oil spray (or coat lightly with olive oil) and place dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until double in size, 20 to 30 minutes.

Sauce
To make sauce, heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium pot. Add onions and garlice. Cook and stir until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn them. Add tomato sauce, oregano, basil, balsamic vinegar and honey. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. (Sauce may be made one or two days in advance and kept refrigerated.)

Filling
To make filling, heat olive oil in a non-stick over medium-high heat. Add sausage, onions, and bell pepper. cook and stir until sausage is no longer pink. Add mushrooms. Cook and stir until mushrooms are tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in oregano. Cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat. (Filling may be made one or two days in advance and kept refrigerated.)

Assembly
Spray parchment paper lightly with olive oil spray (or brush lightly with oil). When dough has risen, turn out onto parchment paper and, using a rolling pin, roll dough into a rectangle to fit parchment. Sprinkle dough with extra flour if too sticky.

Spread 1/3 cup sauce lengthwise in center of dough. (Make a 'strip' of sauce measuring down the center of the dough leaving an 1-inch margin at top and bottom and 2 1/2-inch margins on both sides.) Spread filling evenly over sauce. Top with grated cheese.

Using a sharp knife, make 8 cups (about 1 1/2 inches wide and 2 inches long) down each long side of dough. To braid dough and enclose filling, fold 1 inch top dough border over filling then, beginning with left-hand side, fold first dough strip at a slight downward angle over the filling. Do not stretch the dough too much. Fold first right0hand dough strip over top and continue to braid dough, tucking in ends and bottom dough border. (This sounds complicated but you're simply braiding the dough over the filling as if you are making a strudel!)

Brush top of panzerotti lightly with beaten egg.

Place panzerotti (and parchement) on baking sheet. Bake at 400F for 14 to 20 minutes, until top is golden brown. Remove panzerotti from oven and let cool 5 minutes before slicing (It's hot!)
Slice into four pieces and serve with warm sauce on side.

I will be making this again for sure! 

Enjoy the rest of your trip! 

So Much Love,

Jamie Oliver's Chicken and Leek Stroganoff

Dear Jess,

What a busy last couple of weeks! Fortunately, I have today off. This means I have time to write this small little post.

I made this recipe quite a while ago. Jason wasn't a huge fan because of the mushrooms, but I truly enjoyed it. It is simple and comfortable, and you know how I feel about cooking with wine!

Chicken and Leek Stroganoff
From Jamie's Food Revolution, Page 34
(Serves 2)

3/4 cup long-grain or basmati rice (I used long-grain brown rice)
1 large leek
a big handful of crimini or oyster mushrooms (or your favourite kind)
2 chicken breast fillets
olive oil
a pat of butter
a glass of white wine
freshly ground black pepper
a bunch of fresh parsley
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (I used 5%)
1 lemon

1. Pour boiling water from the kettle into a large pan, place on a high heat and add a pinch of salt. Add your rice, bring back to a boil, then turn the heat down slightly. Cook for the length of time given in the instructions on the package. Cut both ends off the leek, quarter lengthways, slice across thinly, then wash well under running water. Slice the mushrooms. Slice the chicken breasts into little-finger-size pieces.

2. Put a large frying pan on a high heat and add a good lug of olive oil and a pat of butter. Add the leek to the pan with the white wine, a small glass of water; and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Let it bubble away for 5 minutes, covered loosely with a piece of aluminum foil. Meanwhile, finely chop the parsley, stalks and all. Remove the foil and add the chicken strips, most of the parsley, the cream, and the mushrooms. Stir, bring back to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain your rice. Just before serving, cut your lemon in half and squeeze the juice of one half into the stroganoff. Season to taste.

3. Spoon some rice onto each plate and top with the stroganoff. Scatter with the rest of the chopped parsley. Serve with the other lemon half, cut into wedges.

I love you and miss you! I hope your kindergartens are doing well, and you're not overwhelmed with is all. I can't wait to see you again!

So much love,

Jamie Oliver's Dark Sticky Stew

Dearest,

I have been watching Sense and Sensibility and BBC's Pride and Prejudice. 'Dearest' is one of the great pet-names in Sense and Sensibility. So imagine I am addressing you with an English accent wearing a great bonnet and a dress with a frilly apron. It will have more of an effect.

Other phrases that have infiltrated my dialogue include: 'don't vex me!', 'make haste!', and 'capitol!' - all of course said in an English accent.

My meal last night followed this theme. I picked (yet another) Jamie Oliver recipe. It's called 'Dark Sticky Stew' and I believe it also sounds much better when paired with an English accent.

I'm not sure this one will make it in the binder. I really wish I could have found some Lamb to use as the recipe called for. I really believe it would have made it a little thicker, (I used pork tenderloin) which I think was Jason's main issue. He was hoping for something a little thicker. We also ate it straight out of the oven. I believe the left overs will thicken as any chili/stew/soup does overnight.

 Although it was actually quite tasty, I think it was too flavourful for this time of year. It would be better suited for a freezing blizzard day in January (if we are to ever get that weather again...) This recipe was mainly attractive because it was a blustery day and it looked so cozy. Also... it calls for half a pint of Guinness... my mind was made up pretty quickly once this fact was revealed.

This recipe fills your house with such savoury aroma and (other than the Guinness) the ingredients are quite humble and (including the Guinness) compliment each other quite well.

Dark Sticky Stew (Serves 6)
adapted from Jamie Oliver's Dark Sticky Stew, from Jamie's Dinners

1 1/2 lb Pork Tenderloin, diced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small handful of fresh rosemary, leaves picked
2 heaped tablespoons flour
extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion peeled and roughly chopped
8 mini-bello mushrooms, torn in pieces (any mushrooms will do)
1 handful of baby carrots, cut in half
1 parsnip, peeled and grated
1 dessertspoon Marmite
2 heaped tablespoons pearl barley
1/2 pint rich ale (Guinness, Caffrey's, John Smith's)
1 pint chicken stock
3 Italian sausages, taken out of casing and chopped

1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Put your pork into a bowl and season well with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Finely chop your rosemary leaves and add to the bowl with the flour. Mix around so that the meat is completely covered. Fry the port in a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a hot casserole-type pan - do this in batches so the pieces get a nice bit of colour, then remove from the pan and put to one side.

2. Turn the heat down, then fry your onion, mushrooms and carrots for about 5 minutes until softened and slightly coloured. Add the pork back to the pan along with the parsnip, Marmite, pearl barley, ale and stock. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 minutes while you prep your sausages. Just before the stew goes in the oven, add the sausage. Then place a lid on or make a cartouche*, wet it and tuck this over the pan. Cook for around an hour.

3. Serve with some crusty bread! 

*A cartouche is simply a piece of parchment paper cut to the size/shape of the top of your pot. You simple cut it out, wet it with some water, and place it on top of your stew instead of a lid. 

I was also stoked because I was able to use my brand new Lagostina pots! I actually got them for Christmas a couple years ago but have never used them. They have been taunting me for long enough! We took the convenient opportunity to move them from my parents' house to Jason's (our future home). It was a dream cooking with this pot! I love everything about all of them. The shape, the way the food stirs in the bottom, the way you can see your reflection in the side, how they are oven safe (an important fact for this recipe), how they react immediately to any heat adjustments, how they all match, how they all have glass lids, how the handles don't get hot when using them on the stove, and how they're mine!

I hope all is going well. I miss you dearly, but am comforted by knowing I will see you in a couple weeks! Both our weddings are creeping up on us. I believe we need to do a Skype date soon. Let me know what time works for you!

All My Love,

Italian Cuisine & Hair Gel

Dear Sally,

I miss you. Nothing else needs to be said.

Over here in Newmarket Jesse and I have started doing “theme” meals. Our first was an Italian night. We wanted to pair a new Italian red wine with a cheese and crackers appetizer plate. We followed this with a spicy mushroom and sausage risotto from the 2011 Holiday Special Food & Drink magazine. The recipe doesn’t call for sausage but Jesse wanted to add a little something more. His suggestion added a wonderful flavor to the dish. The wine went quite well with the meal and the risotto was so silky smooth. It was like butter in your mouth without any butter at all. As usual I made any alterations that were needed for my ‘special’ diet. I also added lots of my father’s homemade white wine for more liquid and flavor. I would love to try a dessert risotto recipe next, possibly with fresh peaches and cinnamon.

Mushroom Risotto (with sausages)

3 cups chicken stock

1/3 cup olive oil

6 oz mixed mushrooms

¼ unsalted butter (I left this out completely)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 cups chopped onion

2 cups carnaroli rice

1 cup dry white wine

½ cup grated Grana Padano

or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (I left out the cheese)

Garnish

2 tbsp chopped parsley

1 tsp lemon juice

1. Heat chicken stock in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and reserve on the back burner.

2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a medium saucepan over high heat, reserving remainder of oil. Add mixed mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes or until golden. Finish with 1 tbsp butter. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. Heat remaining ¼ cup olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Add rice and stir with a wooden spoon until rice is toasted and slightly opaque, about 3-4 minutes. Add white wine and continue to cook till all liquid is absorbed.

4. Add warm chicken stock a few ladles at a time, allowing stock to be absorbed between additions, until rice is cooked and has a creamy texture, about 22 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add grated cheese and remaining 3 tbsp butter, then fold in reserved mushrooms.

5. Let risotto rest on stove, covered for 2 minutes before plating to allow starches to re-absorb slightly. Serve garnished with parsley and s squeeze of lemon juice.

Thank you for sharing the video from your mother’s party. As I told your dad, I watched the slideshow of pictures and was crying at my desk. It is amazing to see how so many came out to celebrate such an amazing woman.Yes you can come for a tour any time . . . maybe around roofing time! Yay shingles :)

Love ya lots,