Melt in your mouth lamb stew

This stew was so yummy that it all got eaten before I could take a picture. Making stew in the crock is not only easy but it makes your house smell divine. The best part about cooking with the crock is that when it’s time to start thinking about eating dinner the food is ready; it makes you feel like someone else made you dinner.

Set your crock to high and while it is heating up add 4 large peeled chopped potatoes, 4 large peeled and chopped carrots. In a pan on the stove add olive oil and sauté 2 onions and one head of garlic. ( I assume that you would have peeled and sliced these) Add one pound of diced lamb. Sauté at medium to high heat until brown. Deglaze with 3 cups of stock. Season with salt and pour into crock. Add about 2 tbsps of dried parsley and cover. In five hours open lid stir in one can of white Romano beans and cover for approx 20 minutes. Eat anytime after this!

Elliot makes chocolate pudding

Elliot has wanted to make Chocolate Pudding for a few weeks now.  We finally got our act together and bought some bakers chocolate and while Olivia napped we made some Old Fashioned Pudding.  When it was all done and setting in the fridge he turned to me all excited and said “next time can we make it from the box?”

The Recipe was super easy.  In a saucepan add 1 and 3/4 cups of milk.  I did half cream/half milk to make it richer.  Add 1/2 cup of sugar a pinch of salt and 2 ozs of unsweetened chocolate in a pan.  Bring to a low boil and make sure chocolate has fully melted.  In a separate bowl mix together 3 tbsps  of cornstarch and 3/4 cup of milk.  Add this mixture to the hot chocolate mixture.  Reduce heat and whisk.  You will notice the pudding getting thicker.  Laddle into 4 small cups or one large bowl.  Let it stand at room temperature until warm and place in fridge to cool down.  Great dessert for a cold overcast spring night!

Kitchen sink food

We all have that dish that uses up bits in the fridge. For us it has been pasta or pizza. As of late I have been making frittata for dinner. I have always loved frittata. The combination of roasted potatoes and veggies held together with eggs is so cleaver. I have simplified the process of making this by roasting my potatoes before hand. Either early in the day or the day before while things seem calm; I cut up 3 or 4 large potatoes and 1 onion and place in a casserole dish. I add some garlic cloves and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. This goes in the oven at 350 for about an hour or until potatoes are cooked. Once they are cooked I remove from oven let cool and put pan in the fridge for later. About an hour before I plan on eating I preheat oven to 350 get out my casserole dish and then rummage around in the fridge for stuff to throw in. The possibilities are endless. Last night I used up 6 pieces of bacon, 5 sundried tomatoes, 1 red pepper, half a cup of shredded Mexican blend cheese and some chopped cilantro. The great thing about frittata is there no right or wrong amounts. Just add what you have to the pan. I then whisk together 8 eggs and a cup of cream or milk, add salt and pepper and pour over mixture in the pan. Place in oven and bake for approx an hour or until frittata is set. Should be firm to the touch. Enjoy using up stuff in your fridge!

Coconut Chicken

I have been craving chicken with coconut.  I love making things in the crock because when 5 o’clock hits at my house with two hungry tired kids,  it is nice to not have to think about making dinner.  This recipe was so easy and very yummy.  In the future I might try using coconut cream instead of milk to make it a little thicker.  I ended up reducing some of the liquid on the stove and adding it back to the crock which only took an extra 5 minutes.  I served it with Basmati rice of course.

Coconut Chicken

In a saucepan toast one tsp each of ground  ginger, onion powder and  fennel seeds.  Add 4 cardamom pods.  Add to the crock with 6 chicken thighs.

Add 4 peeled and chopped carrots.

On the stove sauté about two handfuls of mushrooms ( i used shiitake) in butter with 4 cloves of garlic.  Add to crock with one can of coconut milk.

Set on low for 6 hours and enjoy your day!  At time of serving I added fresh chopped cilantro and salt and pepper to taste!

Oh BABY banana muffins with peanut butter chocolate chips

I love making banana muffins.  I often make them with chocolate chips because my son loves them this way.  While in my “local” valu mart I stumbled upon these little PB chips.  After seeing a pin on you know where  for banana bread with Reese pb cups I was inspired to switch things up.  The result was very succesful and I believe the ladies at stitch n bitch that night enjoyed them too or they are just good friends!  Use my recipe for Banana Muffins and just throw in a cup of the chips instead of the blueberries to the flour mixture!

http://foodaura.wordpress.com/2011/03/25/blueberry-banana-muffins/

Soup Swap…Potato and leek

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I was invited to a soup swap this past Sunday.  I had never been to one before and it was such an excellent evening.  10 people had committed to coming which meant a lot of soup.  Each person had to bring a 500ml jar  of soup for each person and at least a litre to share for the group.  I of course made too much which just meant that the two grandmas in town also got a litre jar of soup.  I decided to make potato leek which is one of my favourites and super easy to make.  In all fairness not having a baby in an ergo on  my back while I peeled 10lbs of potatoes would have been nice..but hey I’m a supermom right?

Potato Leek (makes 10 litres)

You will need:

10 lbs of peeled white or Yukon potatoes

3 large leeks

4 Onions

1 Stalk of celery

5 heads of garlic

lots of butter

1 bunch of fresh thyme and salt and pepper.

In a large Pot sauté in butter garlic, onions and chopped leeks.

When the above is golden add Potatoes ( 1 cut mine in half ) and chopped celery. 

Cover with water so that no vegetables are sticking out of the water.

Add the picked fresh thyme, and bring to a low boil.  Reduce heat and let it cook all afternoon…..

When the Potatoes are nice and firm add more butter and Puree till creamy.  Season to taste and enjoy the taste of winter!

 

 

Corn and chicken soup

I have been craving Asian chicken corn soup lately. I decided to make it for supper using local ingredients and without corn starch, which makes it goopy! We have been getting organized lately in our kitchen. We make sure to always have a homemade stock around which is vital in dinner making. Here’s the quick recipe which the 5 year old and hubby loved.
In a large pot boil 1 liter of chicken stock. Add 500 grams of fresh corn niblets. (I used local frozen). Once it comes to a boil set to low. In a seperate pan I sautéed 1 chicken breast (cut up into small pieces) in homemade garlic scape pesto, but you could just use olive oil and garlic. Deglaze with a few tablespoons of chinese cooking wine. One the chicken is cooked add to the soup. Chop up a handful of cilantro and a green onion and add to soup. Season with salt and pepper. At the table top with a large handful of tatsoi. I served it with warm ciabatta. Enjoy this quick and easy Asian style corn and chicken soup.

cauliflower and fennel soup

Soup is an excellent way to use up ingredients that have been taking up space in the fridge. I had bought a cauliflower a few weeks back and never got to cooking it. I decided to whip together a quick soup with it. In a large pot sauté in olive oil a head of peeled garlic and 1 large onion roughly chopped. Add a roughly chopped fennel and about 2 medium peeled and chopped potatoes. While this getting golden add one cleaned and roughly chopped cauliflower. Cover with water and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to medium and let cook until ingredients are tender. Purée, season and serve with grated old cheddar on top.

Let the kids cook

I hear a lot from fellow moms how their kids won’t eat the food they cook for them. I have found that having our son help in both the growing, picking and making of our food avoids this issue. Being a part of the process engages them and excites them about what they eat. On this particular night we decided to have Maki rolls. Elliot was so impressed that we were making it from scratch that he was right in helping to make them.

Popeyes

My 93 year old grandmother can cook two things. Popeyes are one of them. Everyone has a different name for them. The key to them is lots of butter in the pan. The bread soaks up the butter and is essential to the flavours of this dish. I decided to take it up a notch and use bagels. You will still need to increase the hole size so that there is enough room for the egg to cook. I used a small round cookie cutter. Place your pan on medium heat and melt butter. Place your bagels cut sliced side down in pan and toast till golden. Flip bagels and crack an egg in the centre of each. Cook until the white has gone from clear to white. Flip bagels and cook for a few minutes so that all the whites get cooked. The key is keeping the egg runny. When done flip again onto your plate so that the sliced side is up. Enjoy!