Archive for category: Recipes

hello! & pumpkin seeds

hello! & pumpkin seeds

Hello friends! I’m sorry I’ve been remiss in posting lately. Lots of you have checked in to see if I’m ok, and I am! I’m awesome! I’m just more busy than I’ve ever been.

Maybe that’s not exactly true, but I’ve certainly had a bit of an attitude change.

I’ve been this busy before, but somehow working for myself changes things. Where I used to find solace in taking some time for myself to write a blog post, I now find stress. Since all of my time is now spent for myself, minutes that aren’t spent on my businesses (three at last count) cause me a bit of panic. The minutes where I need to stop, because I no longer have the brain power to do it, I can only sit on my ass and watch mind-numbing TV.

That being said, I need balance. I can’t only work. I’m learning that. So today I’m back with a short and sweet blog post about the first of two delicious things I did with this pie pumpkin. You might be able to guess about what the second will be.

These pumpkin seeds were the world’s most delicious. (Or at least the most delicious I’ve ever had). The secret? Frying them in butter before roasting them.

Healthy? Not so much. Insanely tasty? You bet.

World’s Best Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients

  • Seeds from a pumpkin, pie or otherwise
  • Butter (about 1/2 tbsp for a pie pumpkin’s worth of seeds, this is an art, not a science)
  • Some shakes of salt
  • Some grinds of pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 275F.
  2. Rinse all the orange gunk off pumpkin seeds and let dry until mostly dry.
  3. Melt butter in a saucepan (if you are extra crazy, try browning the butter), add pumpkin seeds, salt and pepper and fry for a minute or so until well coated.
  4. Spread on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes (or until browned). Keep an eye on them because you want them crunchy but not burnt!

October 18, 2012 0 comments Read More
pizza sundays

pizza sundays

When we got back from Buenos Aires and stayed with our friends Sam & Graham for about a month we were introduced to the deliciousness that is homemade pizza dough. (I’ve talked a bit about this here).

Since then, homemade pizza has becoming a more and more frequent occurrence in our lives; to the point that we’re having homemade pizza pretty much every Sunday night.

This may seem like a serious endeavour, but in fact it’s actually pretty quick! I make a batch of pizza dough (enough for four crusts) once a month and freeze them in individual airtight tupperware containers after “keyhole-ing” them. If I defrost them for at least 5 hours at room temperature, they work perfectly.

After defrosting our crust, we roll out the dough, top our pizza, and toss it in the super hot oven for a super quick, super delicious Sunday night meal.

Since I last wrote about pizza—I’ve changed my baking technique a bit (Thanks Steph!). I place the rolled dough on the stone and bake for a couple of minutes before taking it out of the oven and adding toppings. While it may not be authentic, it makes for a super crispy and delicious crust.

Yesterday’s pizza was inspired by pinterest (and Joy the Baker). Hot italian sausage, pepper and tomato pizza. We simply fried up the sausage (and drained and blotted it), thinly sliced delicious sweet peppers and tomatoes, and arranged them in a pretty pattern on top of ((good) store-bought) pizza sauce. We topped it off with a bit of mozzarella and tossed it in the oven.

When it came out it was looking delicious. And it tasted even better.

Since I’ve just finished up my last frozen dough, I can’t wait to get my hands on the 3kgs of Tipo 00 pizza flour that Graham picked up for me a few weeks ago!

(See this post for pizza dough recipe, including instructions for freezing.)

September 24, 2012 0 comments Read More
j’ai cuit une galette de pêche

j’ai cuit une galette de pêche

That’s french for “I baked a peach galette.” I’m sort of fancy.

I’ve made Martha’s delicious stonefruit galette twice this summer. The first time I made it with fresh Okanagan peaches, and the second time with fresh Okanagan plums. Both galettes were equally delicious when served warm (not hot) with ice cream. As peach and plum season is coming to a close you could also make this galette with apples and cinnamon. It would be delicious too.

Both galettes were also amazing cold from the fridge for breakfast the next day.

Not only is this galette delicious, but through it I found Martha’s recipe for Pâte Brisée. The most perfect pie crust I’ve ever tasted. Since this crust has no sugar in it, I threw my leftover dough in the freezer and used it about a week later to top a bottomless chicken pot pie. It’s seriously good stuff.

But to the pie recipe!

Pate Brisee

From Martha Stewart
Make sure all the ingredients are COLD before you begin.
Makes enough for one double-crust, two single crust 9-inch pies, or one galette with a bit of extra.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup cold (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Directions

  1. Pulse flour and salt in a food processor. Add butter, and pulse until mixture forms coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds.
  2. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream just until dough holds together without being wet or sticky, no longer than 30 seconds.
  3. Divide dough in half, and shape into disks. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. Dough can be frozen up to 1 month; thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.

Stonefruit Galette

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
  • Pate Brisee
  • 1/2 cup finely ground toasted hazelnuts (toast in a pan then grind in a food processor)
  • 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 pounds fruit (peaches, plums, apples, etc.), sliced into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.with rack in lower third. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out pate brisee to 1/8 inch thick. Trim edges to form an 18-by-16-inch rectangle, and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine flour, hazelnuts, brown sugar, optional cornstarch, and salt; spread to cover the dough (Martha suggests leaving 3″, I fill it all up so as to make a stuffed crust galette).
  2. Arrange fruit in rows on top, slightly overlapping the slices and alternating direction of each row. Sprinkle fruit with granulated sugar. Fold dough to enclose edges; brush dough with egg wash. Chill at least 30 minutes in refrigerator.
  3. Bake 10 minutes at 425. Reduce oven heat to 400 degrees. Bake until pastry is golden brown and fruit is softened, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool a bit. Serve.

Note: Martha’s recipe finished off the galette by brushing it with a melted jam. I find this galette SUPER sweet as is without the jam, but click through to the original recipe if you have a super sweet tooth!

September 17, 2012 3 comments Read More
bruschetta

bruschetta

I just realized that I’ve been keeping a secret from you all. And it’s kind of important.

It’s my very favourite bruschetta.

I could have sworn that I’ve posted about it before, but I searched (internally) and I searched (on Google) and I couldn’t find it. If indeed I’ve shared this before, I don’t really apologize. Because this is Sunday lunch at Casa Suter pretty much every week from when the tomatoes get good until the tomatoes get bad again. (I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned before, but I really really really hate mealy tomatoes.)

On Saturday I popped into Whole Foods in search of a mango. Usually I don’t go into Whole Foods—I’m on a budget, yo. That being said, I was on a mango hunt, and Whole Foods was on my way home. Now, they failed in the mango department… but these cherry tomatoes for $6 for two pints caught my eye (unfortunately, not local, they are from California).

And immediately all I could think was “It’s bruschetta season!!”

Look at the colours!

The best thing about bruschetta? It only takes four ingredients (six if you count salt and pepper). And a little bit of chopping time. And a little bit of melding time.

And it is delicious. And will make your entire home smell like (I presume) Italy.

And served with a baguette, some cheese and pate you’ve got yourself a perfect Mediterranean lunch. A lunch that can be enjoyed week after week after week (or day after day after day) in the late summer.

Bruschetta

Many, many, many variations can be made on this bruschetta. This simple version is my fave. I don’t have measurements, just taste as you go!

Ingredients

  • fresh, ripe, non mealy tomatoes (whatever looks best to you this week)
  • fresh basil
  • garlic, to taste
  • olive oil
  • salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. Dice tomatoes (or, if using small cherry tomatoes—my favourite variation—simply cut each in halves or quarters) and place in a bowl. Tear up fresh basil (to taste) and add to tomatoes. Press garlic (to taste) into mix. Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil (again, to taste). Add a few grinds of salt and pepper. Mix up. Let sit for several hours.
  2. Enjoy on fresh or toasted baguette or other crusty bread. Or by the spoonful. I’m not judging.

August 15, 2012 0 comments Read More
oatmeal blueberry muffins

oatmeal blueberry muffins

These muffins are delicious. The secret(s)? Fresh blueberries and yogurt. Delicious (and nutritious) yogurt.

Seriously, they are so good that the thought of having more in my life got me up out of bed at 6:00 am Sunday morning to bake. And the best part? They are easy. And relatively healthy (minus the brown sugar and the butter, of course).

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins Featuring Yogurt

From Taste of Home
Makes 12

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup quick-cooking oats
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I subbed cinnamon, still delicious)
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup (8 ounces) plain yogurt
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup (or a bit more) fresh blueberries

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Combine the egg, yogurt and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in blueberries.
  2. Coat muffin cups with cooking spray (or butter) or use paper liners; fill three-fourths full with batter. Bake at 400° for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the muffin comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm. (Or cool. Whatever.)

August 6, 2012 0 comments Read More
fennel napa cabbage slaw

fennel napa cabbage slaw

On Friday I told you a bit about the weekly farm box that comes to our home full of healthy, farm fresh veggies. I also told you that this vegetable delivery sometimes makes me have to think a bit outside of the box.

For instance: Vancouver crept into summer this year and the first week of the program we received a box full of mystery greens. Dandelion greens, mustard greens, horseradish greens, some edible flowers, other various mystery greens and a gigantic lettuce. After having a little #firstworldproblems style meltdown wondering what on earth I got myself into, we made interesting flavourful salads and stirfrys and topped off the week with a delicious dandelion green soup. Three years ago, I never would have imagined those worlds coming out of my fingertips.

And more recently week after week after week of fennel bulbs. And I don’t really like fennel. But every week, without fail, a fennel bulb (complete with stalks and leafs) arrives at our home, ready to be eaten. We’ve had mini pies with fennel, pizza with fennel, roasted potatoes with fennel, and most recently a delicious (and super quick to prepare) fennel-napa cabbage-apple slaw.

The other flavours—especially the sesame oil—toned down the fennel flavour so much in this slaw so that I really enjoyed it. The inspiration recipe also included cashews (which I simply forgot to add, but would have been the perfect “finishing” feature for this delicious slaw, making it one-dish-lunch-worthy).

Napa Cabbage, Green Apple & Fennel Slaw

Inspired by this recipe.

Ingredients
Slaw

  • 1/2 head thinly sliced Napa cabbage
  • 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
  • 1 green apple, cored, quartered and thinly sliced
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews, coarsely chopped

Dressing

  • 1/8 cup cold-pressed olive oil
  • 1 large, juicy Meyer lemon
  • A few drops of sesame oil
  • Coarsely ground sea salt
  • Freshly cracked pepper

Directions

  1. In a deep salad bowl, toss together the cabbage, fennel, apple slices, green onions and cashews.
  2. In a small container, whisk together the remaining ingredients; season to taste. Add more lemon juice, if desired.
  3. Drizzle over the slaw ingredients and toss. Eat immediately.

July 30, 2012 0 comments Read More