Steamed Garden Peas

This is an odd year for me in that for the first time in several years I really don't have much in the way of a garden.  We've been here almost two years.  The spring of 2012 we put in a large raised bed and two smaller beds but the combination of the cold, wet spring combined with being in the sunny south for the month of May, followed by flooding in June, very few vegetables got planted this year.  I have a few containers of greens and herbs as well as tomatoes in one of the raised beds, asparagus and strawberries in the others.  It doesn't help that we are doing a complete revamp of our backyard meaning new decks and new sunroom which will see about 95% of our backyard covered in deck and pool.  The whole edible garden area will be revamped as well so at least two beds will be dismantled and rebuilt in the next couple of weeks.  At any rate, I am buying organic produce this year from local growers in lieu of home grown. 

I love garden fresh peas!  They are an early crop that prefers cooler temperatures.  Garden fresh sweet peas were in season when we visited the Niagara area a couple of weeks ago.  These delightfully sweet morsels of goodness are best enjoyed raw or steamed. 

Garden peas steam nicely.  Don't over steam them, just steam until they are al dente.  Quickly remove from the steamer basket.  Stir in a little butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  The smaller pods are tender enough to eat.  The larger pods are a bit tougher but they can be enjoyed much the same way you would artichoke by pulling the pod through your teeth. 

Do be sure to enjoy garden peas in season.  They really are delightful!  One variety I like growing is Little Marvel which has large pods with about eight nice sized peas.  In our corner of beautiful Ontario, Canada I plant the first crop in the spring while it is still cool then plant a second crop in the fall as the weather starts to cool again.  I don't worry about preserving them either, just simply enjoy them in season!

Easy Grilled Potatoes

For many, hot summer days means outdoor grilling which means an easier, laid back cooking style.  While grilled hotdogs, burgers and sausage are quite popular so to are meats, poultry and fish that need easy sides to make the meal.  My husband is really a meat and potatoes kind of guy so we often cook potatoes on the grill.

Grilled potatoes are an excellent side that pairs nicely with grilled meats and fish. Potatoes can be baked on the grill whole as is or wrapped in foil.  Each give a slightly different result.  We have cooked grilled sliced or cubed potatoes for years in foil packets on the grill.  One of my husband's friends uses a metal loaf pan which makes a lot of sense when trying to reduce waste.  This method allows for a slight higher degree of caramelization which means extra flavour.   Unlike using a foil packet, the pan method makes it easy to check whether the potatoes are cooked as desired without having to guess or go by feel.

Potatoes grilled this way are quite delightful!  They are ever so easy to make.  These potatoes sure winner as a side dish.  

Ingredients:  potatoes, sweet onion, sea salt, pepper
 

Method:  Wash the potatoes.  Thick slice them.  Slice onion.  Pour a little olive oil in the bottom of a metal non-stick loaf pan.  Layer in potatoes and onion slices.  Drizzle with a little olive oil.  Add a couple of dabs of butter.  Season with sea salt and pepper or garlic pepper or seasoning of choice.  Cover the pan with aluminum foil.  Place on the grill on indirect heat.  The potatoes take about 40 minutes to cook with nice caramelization.  Stir midway through the cooking process for best results.

Homemade Shake & Bake Chicken with Steamed Asparagus and Pierogi (Polish Dumplings)

The last part of winter hung on and the cold weather really hasn't let go.  So far, it has been a cold, damp spring with snow still in the forecast.  Last night and this morning, heavy thunderstorms with rain advisories are rolling through.  While it isn't perfect outdoor weather, it is a great time for me to do a bit of home canning and baking, especially breads.  Mid-February through to the first week of May, we are in overdrive mode working 16 to 18 hour days 7 days a week, more so my husband for the past couple of years.  We are in bed before 8 PM and while he drifts off to sleep immediately, I sip on camomile tea and play a hidden objects game or crochet before going to sleep by 8:30 PM.  He's up at 3 AM and out the door 20 minutes later.  I'm usually up the same time, sometimes a half hour later.  I have dinner ready for 5:30 PM and these days I am relying on home cooked comfort foods.

Homemade shake & bake chicken is one of our family comfort foods.  It's quick, easy, no muss, no fuss, and just downright good!  What you may not know is homemade shake & bake chicken reheats nicely so you can cook extra one night then simply reheat for a quick meal another night.  To reheat, place the cooked shake & bake chicken pieces in an oven proof casserole dish.  Cover with aluminum foil.  Heat in oven at 350°F for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve.

I used four bone in chicken breasts for homemade shake & bake chicken, 2 each for Saturday and Sunday's dinner.  The first dinner I served the chicken with steamed broccoli, baked potatoes and homemade creamy coleslaw.  The second dinner I served the chicken with steamed asparagus, potato and cheese pierogi and a small garden salad.

Pierogi are Polish dumplings made with unleavened dough stuffed with a potato filling that are either boiled, or boiled then baked or fried.  Traditional pierogi are filled with a mixture of potato, meat and sauerkraut.  Sour cream or caramelized onion pieces are popular toppings for pierogi.   I have not made pierogi from scratch as they are not something we have very often, as in once a year if that.  I bought frozen pierogi this time to serve as a guideline in making them from scratch.  This is a handy tip for getting an idea of how the final product should be prior to making your own from scratch.  I did the same thing when learning to make fresh pasta by comparing it to store bought fresh pasta and when first attempting certain artisan breads.  At any rate, a 1 kg bag of frozen store brand pierogi costs $1.79.  There were about 30 pierogi in the bag but I used almost half the bag for dinner leaving me half to use in my testing.  Homemade pierogi should come in less expensive with a fresher flavour.  One recipe on Food Net work uses 3 c of flour and 3 eggs for the dough which would cost me 99¢ plus the filling so an estimated added 50¢ for potato and cheese, which gives a total cost of $1.49 for 72 pierogi.  So, based on this homemade pierogi should be under half the price of store bought.  I'm off to do a bit of experimenting so will report back on the results later this week.

Irish Tater Tots

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Have you ever had two similar dishes then meshed them together?  Well, that is what happened today.  We like the Irish fries at Murphy's and the loaded tater tots at Hooter's.  Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, the two dishes melded together so I came up with some just a bit different for our St. Patrick's Day meal.

We went out for our Irish dinner Saturday night but seriously there was nothing Irish on the menu.  I decided to bring in a little Irish to our dinner today with Irish Tater Tots, a mix between Irish fries and loaded tater tots. 

I couldn't find tater tots so used McCain's Tasti Taters.  I cooked them as per instructions then topped with fresh gTrated mozzarella cheese, bacon bits and sliced green onions with sour cream on the side.  The end result was a rather tasty side dis for our evening meal.   There was a lovely splash of green to mark the day but I really didn't go all out for St. Paddy's Day. 

Truth be told March 17 hits right in the midst of my husband's busy season where we are up at 3 AM and in bed by 8 PM most nights.  I might fiddle on the laptop for a half hour after going to bed but really that about sums up our schedule.  I'm refinishing our diningroom table so things are a bit hectic and yet this was still a nice celebration meal!

Balsamic Mushroom Slices

We often have friends and relatives stay with us at our vacation home.  During our fall vacation in October, four of the guys arrived the same day my husband's sister and our nephew left.  They were down for a week of serious golfing while enjoying the sun.  While do a fair share of eating out when they are down, we also cook meals.  Most of the breakfasts and lunches are made at home as well as about half of the dinners.  Don't get me wrong as we love eating out but getting into relaxed mode makes it easier to eat at home some days.

The nice thing is, most of our family and friends are foodies as well so they love to help with the cooking and KP duty.  This is a wonderful way to share recipes and lots of good conversation peppered heavily with laughter.

My husband picked up rib eye steaks to grill for dinner.  Sautéed mushrooms are almost a must have with steak followed closely by caramelized onions.  One of the guys was making his specialty caramelized onions in a bourbon reduction.  I decided to get creative with the sautéed mushrooms.  I started them as I normally do in a mixture of extra virgin olive oil and butter.  When the mushrooms were at the sweat point, I made a change.

Balsamic vinegar reduction is absolutely delightful and ever so easy to make.  Simply pour balsamic vinegar into a fry pan then bring to a simmer.  Continue cooking until it is reduced to the consistency of a medium thick syrup.  It is a lovely, rich, full bodied  sauce ideal for serving over meats but also works nicely over some sweets like vanilla icecream.   I reasoned a balsamic vinegar reduction would go nicely with the mushrooms while complimenting the flavour of the grilled steaks.  Instead of making the balsamic vinegar reduction separately, I added about a half cup of balsamic vinegar to the cooking mushrooms.  I thought it would infuse the mushrooms with the rich flavour of the reduction.  

I continued cooking the mushrooms until the balsamic vinegar was nicely reduced.  The mushrooms were nicely sautéed with a lovely hint of caramelization but with a deeper, richer colouring.  The aroma was tantalizing!

The whole kitchen smelled heavenly between my mushrooms and our friend's onions!  Both took about the same time to cook.  Both were simple variations of traditional toppings served with steak.  My husband had raved about our friends bourbon onions so I kept my fingers crossed the balsamic sautéed mushrooms would  be equally well received.

The meal was rather simple yet quite delicious consisting of grilled rib eye steaks, grilled potatoes,  balsamic sautéed mushrooms and bourbon caramelized onions, and a garden salad.  I could not believe how such simple variations by adding balsamic vinegar to the mushrooms and bourbon to the onions, made such a difference.  That is not sour cream on the potatoes.  It is Greek style yogurt that is lower in fat with a bit richer flavour than sour cream.

This really is what makes cooking so much fun.  It really doesn't take much to change a recipe for a totally different result.  Simply substituting one type of vinegar for another can change the flavour of a dish.  I found that out years ago with canning recipes.   Adding in flavour enhancers like bourbon, sherry or wine can make a huge difference in the flavour as well.  So don't be afraid to do a bit of experimenting substituting one or more ingredient with a variant of that ingredient.

Pan Fried Cod with Corn Hash

During the holiday season I bought a couple of bags of McCain's frozen cubed hash browns to make a country breakfast casserole.  This is a nice, easy casserole that goes over well when having company for breakfast.  We have been enjoying fish a couple of times or more a week so I wanted something a bit different than the standard steamed potatoes with vegetable and side salad last week.  I came up with a rather easy yet tasty corn hash.

The frozen cubed hash browns are definitely a convenience food and they are more expensive per ounce than whole potatoes.  However, they are inexpensive enough to keep a bag or two in the freezer as they work nicely for certain dishes, especially hashes.  These hash browns can be used as a side dish for any meal.

Corn Hash
recipe by: Garden Gnome

3 c frozen, cubed hash browns
1 medium onion
½ c cooked bacon pieces
1 c niblet corn
2 tbsp butter

Melt the butter over medium heat in fry pan.  Chop onion and add to the melted butter.  Cook until translucent.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Continue cooking until hash browns are golden brown.  Serve as a side.

Venison Rib Eye with Creamy Mushroom Pilaf

I use a select few commercially prepared condensed soups to make sauces and dips but I always  substitute my home canned stocks and broths when a recipe calls for the commercially canned versions.  The reason being is home canned or simply home made stocks and broths are less expensive but have better flavour.  Stocks and broths add a wonderful flavour to rices so unless I need plain white rice for a particular dish, I always cook rices in stocks (eg. beef, chicken, vegetable, tomato).

The guys had a successful hunt camp which translates into me having a bit of venison in the freezer.  Venison is wild game that can have a gamey edge to it if not cooked properly.  This is mainly due to the meat being very low fat and the mouth feel of what fat there is.  For this reason, venison is usually cooked with pork or bacon fat.

We pan fried the venison rib eye steaks in a little bacon grease in one of our new ceramic coated non-stick EcoPans.  The pan was amazing to use to the point my restaurant grade Teflon coated have officially been retired.  I served the venison steaks with home canned green beans and a creamy mushroom pilaf.  The recipe called for using part of the Parmesan cheese and parsley as a garnish.  I omitted both as venison is a very rich meat so I wanted the pilaf to complement rather than compete with that richness.

Creamy Mushroom Pilaf
modified from: Campbell's, Simply Delicious Recipes (1992), Pp. 130

3 tbsp butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 c fresh sliced mushrooms
1 c uncooked long grain white rice
1¼ c homemade stock
¾ c water
¼ c dry white wine
¼ tsp pepper
¼ c sour cream
½ c fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Place the onion, mushrooms, rice and butter into a 2-quart saucepan.  Cook until rice is lightly browned on medium heat, stirring often.  Stir in broth, water, win and pepper.  Heat to boiling.  Reduce the heat to a low simmer.  Cover and cook 20 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in the sour cream and half of the cheese.  Cover and let stand 5 minutes.  Stir.  Garnish with remaining cheese and parsley if desired.

Kitchen Quick Tips - Caramelizing Onions

Sprinkle a little sugar over cut onions just as they start sweating when caramelizing for enhanced colour and flavour.

Easy Black Bean Salad

As mentioned in previous posts, beans are considered an extremely frugal food with high nutritional value for your food dollar.  While frugalistas recommend eating beans at least three times a week, we don't.  We average about once a week.  Dried beans are the best value coming in at about 90¢ per pound for store bought packaged beans depending on the size of package and variety of bean.  A one pound package of beans will yield 4 to 5 cups of beans or about 2 to 3 (14 oz) cans of beans that would cost at best 69¢ per can or $1.38 to $2.07.  Dried beans are as easy to cook as pasta they just take a bit longer so nix those cans that aren't eco-friendly and save some money cooking beans from scratch.  If you home can, consider canning a couple of batches for the convenience of ready to use. 

I can't recall when I first had black beans but they were love at first bite.  Along with other beans that I home can,  black beans are one of my favourites.  Home canned beans are convenient because they are ready to use.  If I run out of home canned beans then I resort to cooking them from scratch as was the case with this easy black bean salad.

Black beans have a rich, earthy flavour that makes them quite lovely for salads and dips.  This tasty salad is ever so easy to make.  I garnished the salad with a dab of sour cream and sprinkling of green onions.  It made for a colourful presentation.

Easy Black Bean Salad

1 c dried black beans*
1 c niblet corn
1 c salsa
sour cream
green onion

Rinse and check beans for stones.  Place in saucepan and cover with water to about an inch above the beans.  Bring to a boil then boil for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and cover.  Let sit 1 hour.  Drain and cover with fresh water.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer.  Cook beans until tender, about 40 minutes.  Drain and cool.  Cook niblet corn, drain and cool.  Stir beans, corn and salsa together.  Chill.  Garnish with a dab of sour cream and green onion slices.

* 1 c dried beans = 2½ c cooked beans

Sautéed Zucchini Mix

Many home gardeners lament over the prolific nature of zucchini complaining that one plant produces much more than they or their family, friends and neighbours can use.  I beg to differ in opinion.  We love zucchini and I normally put in at least five zucchini plants.  I pick the zucchini when it is about 8 - inches long and no longer.  It is nice and tender at that stage, full of flavour perfect for grilling or sautéing.

One of our favourite side dishes is sautéed zucchini with mushrooms and onions.  We make this combination quite often, adapting it to cook in foil packs on the grill or open fire as well.  When sautéed there is a wonderful caramelization that takes place giving a depth to the flavour that is unbeatable.

We had a couple of left-over potatoes that had been baked on the grill.  This gives a smokiness to the flavour that can't be duplicated in the oven.  I heated a fry pan with a little olive oil and butter then added the cubed left-over potatoes.  When they just started caramelizing I added the onions followed by the mushrooms and finally the zucchini.  Each vegetable is added just as the previous one starts to caramelize.  The end result is a tasty side dish that is sure to please!

Grilled Garlic Pepper Pork Chops with Red Beans and Rice

Two more of our friends arrived a couple of days ago.  My husband want to play with out fancy new grill again and after a long travel day for them I decided a homemade meal was in order.  We bought a large pork loin (about 10 lb) for $19 on our first grocery shopping trip so I cut it into thirds.  One third is in the fridge curing for peameal bacon later in the week.  I'm sure everyone will appreciate a taste of home!  One third went into the refrigerator for me to decide what to do with and the other third was turned into boneless garlic pepper pork chops.

It was rather interesting as I didn't have an actual menu plan for the dinner.  I just started pairing things together knowing I wanted to use up part of the pork loin.  I rolled a pork loin piece in garlic pepper to create a nice coating then set in the refrigerator until ready to be cut for grilling.  I cut the seasoned pork loin into 1 - inch chops for grilling as pictured.  The chops were nicely flavoured, tender and juicy.


Grilled Garlic Pepper Pork Chops


about 3 lb pork loin
about ½ c garlic pepper

Place the pork loin onto a cutting board.  Sprinkle one half of the garlic pepper over the pork loin and press in a bit.  Turn the pork loin over and repeat.  Flip the pork loin a couple of times to be sure all sides are well covered with the seasoning.  Place the pork loin into a zipper style bag or large container.  Refrigerate until ready to grill.  Remove from refrigerator.  Slice into 1 - inch thick chops.  Grill on direct heat on medium until marked with nicely defined grill marks.  Turn and repeat.

I mentioned earlier this week that we stopped at a Popeye's for chicken.  One of the sides we ordered was red beans and rice.  Well now, we love just about any bean out there and we love rice so it made a lot of sense to try this Louisiana specialty dish that is served both in restaurants and at home.  I love finding a dish like this that are rather easy to duplicate at home!

Traditionally red beans and rice is a side dish served on Monday to help use up pork from Sunday's dinner.  I cheated on this recipe using a can of cooked small red beans but sure shooting I am taking a lot of dried small red beans home to can up.  I honestly was flying by the seat of my pants while creating this side as well, tasting as I added ingredients to get the taste I wanted.  The beauty of this simple recipe is it very easy to tweak as far as seasonings and extras.  Popeye's version was a bit spicier but didn't have the extra vegetables.  I think the extra vegetables compliment this dish nicely.  I really like how it came out!

Red Beans and Rice

beans:
1 - 15 oz can small red beans (500 ml/16 oz home canned)
¼ small green pepper
1 small stock celery
 ¼ small onion
1 bay leaf
½ tsp garlic pepper
½ tsp thyme
¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Chop the pepper, celery fine.  Divide in half reserving the remainder for garnishing.  Pour the beans into a small saucepan.  Stir in the vegetables.  Add bay leaf and seasonings.  Bring to a low boil, cover and remove from heat.  Let sit until cooled then refrigerate to let the flavours meld.  Before serving bring back to a low boil.  Pour into serving bowl for spooning over rice.  Garnish with remaining uncooked vegetables if desired.

rice:
The only tried and true method I use for cooking rice is a rice maker.  The only thing I insist on is to always use another liquid with flavour if at all possible

serving:
Place the rice in a serving bowl, the beans in another serving bowl and the remaining uncooked vegetables in a third serving bowl.  Assemble directly on the plate as desired.

He Said - Baked Potato Dinner

Potatoes are our favorite side usually steamed or baked.  My husband's third selection for the Second Annual He Said/She Said Contest from Jean Paré's Company's Coming Heart-Friendly Cooking is baked potato dinner (Pp. 111).  You just can't go wrong with stuffed baked potatoes sometimes referred to as twice-baked potatoes!  Stuffed baked potatoes freeze nicely too.  Simply cool the stuffed baked potatoes then place on a baking sheet to freeze.  When frozen place the potatoes into a zipper style freezer bag.  Reheat in oven or microwave oven. 

The baked potato dinner is the name of the recipe for the potatoes in Jean's cookbook.  While my husband was making the potatoes I made the stuffed chicken breast (Pp. 86) to complete the meal.  I will post the recipe for that tomorrow.  Jean recommends adding a salad or steamed vegetables with the potatoes to make a complete meal which would also make the meal vegetarian.

The baked potatoes were delicious!  This recipe is another keeper.  It was easy to make with minimal prep as well.   My husband substituted 4 medium sized potatoes for the extra large which make 8 stuffed potatoes.  He substituted MiracleWhip® for the Caesar salad dressing and omitted the dill. 

Baked Potato Dinner
source: Jean Paré Company's Coming Heart-Friendly Cooking, 2003, Pp. 111.

2 extra large baking potatoes, with peel
1 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
2 c sliced mushrooms
2 tsp canola oil
1 green onion, sliced
½ c mashed soft tofu
2 tbsp light Caesar salad dressing
2 tsp chopped fresh dill
dash coarsely ground pepper
½ c grated light sharp cheddar cheese
sprinkle paprika

Bake the potatoes at 400ºƒ (205ºC) until tender.  Remove from oven.  Cut in half lengthwise.  Let stand until cool enough to handle then scoop out the pulp into a mixing bowl leaving the shells about ¼ - inch thick.  Set the shells aside.  Mash the potatoes with a fork.  Cook the garlic and mushrooms in canola oil in a non-stick skillet on medium heat until mushrooms are golden.  Stir mushroom mixture into the potatoes.  Add onion, tofu, salad dressing, dill and pepper.  Mash.  Stir in cheese.  Spoon the filling evenly into the shells.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Place in ungreased casserole dish.  Bake uncovered at 400ºF (205ºC) about 30 minutes until heated through.

Makes 4 stuffed potatoes.

Camp Style Honey Glazed Carrots

We did a fair amount of camping when the kids were growing up.  Two things criteria for camping foods seemed to be consistent in that we wanted simpler foods that could be prepared on the campfire, on the campstove, the propane grill or in the RV and we wanted something just a bit different.  The end result is we ended up with several meals and dishes that can be cooked using one of the four methods that met both of the criteria.  At the same time many of these simpler camp style foods have become family favourites including our family favorite taco salad that started out as a camping recipe. 

Vegetables can present a problem when camping simply because a lot of times you don't want to take the time to set up the camp stove or heat up the RV just to boil up vegetables.  I quickly found foil packets worked nicely as the vegetables could be cooked on the propane grill or on the firepit that quite often was on during the dinner.    I devised several rather simple vegetable based foil packets that gave us nice vegetable sides without a lot of time or effort.  I continue to use these especially during the hot summer months when I cook as much as possible on the outside grill.  One such dish is Camp Style Honey Glazed Carrots pictured.

Camp Style Honey Glazed Carrots

2 c prepared carrots or baby carrots
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp fresh chopped chives
pinch of salt

Place the ingredients on a sheet of tin foil.  Fold long ends together to form a tight seal then repeat with each resulting end.  Wrap a second time.  Place the foil packet on the grill or firepit in indirect heat.  Let cook about 20 minutes.  Carefully remove from heat.  Poke holes in the tin foil to allow steam to escape [careful as steam can burn].  Open the packet and serve.

Caramelized Onions

Caramelized onions are a true delight and are a staple in our house.  They are used as a condiment usually with burgers or as a side dish with liver and onions.  Caramelized (carmelized) onions are easy but somewhat time consuming to make.  The reason for this is the onions need to be cooked long and slow to allow the sugar content to caramelize giving them that wonderful flavour and colour.  I discovered that caramelized onions reheat nicely and can be made in advance then frozen, canned or dried for later use. 

By far the vast majority of caramelized onions that we eat are cooked fresh along with the meal.  This past weekend I did just that to have fresh caramelized onions as a condiment for the burgers.  Surprisingly there were left-overs so I popped them into a bowl and covered with tin foil.  The following evening we grilled steaks for dinner so I inverted the bowl so the onions were in the tin foil and reheated them on the grill in the foil.    It was a very easy reheat method for using up the left-over caramelized onions.  Some recommend adding a bit of sugar to help the onions caramelize quicker but I don't do this.  Here is my basic way for making caramelized onions.

Caramelized Onions

1 - 2 large Spanish onions
2 - 4 tbsp butter*

Peel the onions.  Cut in half then into slices.  Melt the butter on medium then add the onions.  Cook until translucent stirring occasionally.  At this point you may have to add a bit more butter.  Continue cook on low heat until golden brown and nicely caramelized.

*If intending to can the caramelized onions follow the instructions in the above link.

Snow Peas and Portobello Mushrooms in Hoisin Sauce

The weather was just about as beautiful as you could get yesterday so I took one of our last three packages of steaks from the freezer to grill for dinner.  If you recall we buy beef on the hoof each year so ours is ready to pick up this coming week meaning we have been doing a lot of eating from the freezers.  At the same time new Ontario seasonal produce is becoming available adding a bit of variety to the table.

The dinner menu was grilled steak, baked potato so nothing new there but I wanted something slightly different for a vegetable side.  My husband came home with gourmet portobello mushrooms, a couple of handfuls of snow peas, and a bundle of asparagus.  Now in my opinion the only thing gourmet about the portobello mushrooms was they came in their own little wicker basket but they looked good.  I decided to slice and sauté the portobello mushrooms with onions then stir in a couple of tablespoons on Hoisin sauce.  About 5 minutes before serving I stirred in the snow peas and let sit until they were al dente.  The end result was a nice vegetable side that had a nice flavour and texture.

Pan Fried Pork Steak with Rustic Mashed Potatoes

We are undergoing a lot of major changes what with the house up for sale and at the same time knowing a half of beef will be ready shortly. We've arranged to have the beef stored until after our move if all goes according to plan. I have one primary goal in mind - reduce our freezer stock to as low as possible. That goal is followed with eating what we can from the pantry because moving empty jars is a lot easier than full jars of food. I've been trying to use one item from the freezer and one or more items from the pantry for each evening meal. So far that strategy has been working so we are starting to see a good reduction in the freezers.

Pan Fried Pork Steak

My husband is currently working fairly long days which is normal for this time of year. What I've been doing is making a dinner style meal for his lunch then a lighter meal for the actual dinner hour so he doesn't have a full tummy when heading to bed early. A couple of nights ago I pulled the last 2 pork steaks from the freezer and decided to pan fry them.

I pan fried until caramelized on both sides, seasoned with garlic pepper then poured in a half jar (250 ml/1 c) turkey stock and added a few onion pieces and added a lid. I let this simmer to form a nice sauce. While the meat was simmering I put potato cubes on to steam for rustic mashed potatoes.

Rustic mashed potatoes method: Steam about 10 washed unpeeled potatoes cut into cubes. Remove from steamer and place in stand mixer bowl. Pour in 250 ml/1 cup turkey stock, 1 tsp roasted garlic, 4 oz cream cheese, 1 tbsp butter. Beat until blended but still a bit chunky.

Hubby's Lunch

I have several reusable divided plates that I use for making lunches. A few of them can be used in the freezer as well for homemade tv style dinners. Pictured is my husband's pan fried pork steak with rustic mashed potatoes for tomorrow's lunch. It's a simple meal yet substantial one.

Divided plates with covers are great for lunch bags so they see a fair amount of use here. They come in so many styles and shapes now. Most of them are leak proof so can be used for a variety of meals and can be used in the microwave to reheat easily.

Arlene's Truck Stop, Battle Creek, Michigan (with recipes)

I've mentioned before that when we are on road trips we often stop at truck stops for meals. The reason being truck stops tend to have good coffee and excellent home style cooking. Now you can't stop at just any truck stop. The quality of the coffee and food is directly related to how busy the parking lot is. The busier the parking lot the better the truck stop! My husband is very good at finding the excellent truck stops. We've yet to eat at one that hasn't had good food thanks to his well tuned sixth sense.

Arlene's Truck Stop

Arlene's Truck Stop is located at 4647 Columbia Ave. in Battle Creek, Michigan just off of I-94 on exit 92 to the right about a quarter of a mile up the road. The truck stop is quite busy but not fancy. There is a rather small tuck shop with the basics, mainly snack type foods. Fuel is available and there is ample parking for larger rigs. The restaurant is small and quite non-descript but the food is excellent. The home style food portions are large but low priced. A bottomless cup of coffee was $1.50 each. The service was fast and friendly, well above average. You definitely will not be leaving this truck stop hungry!

Country Fried Steak

My husband ordered the country fried steak ($7.59) with American fries, 2 poached eggs and white toast. Country fried steak is easily made at home. It is simply a thin cut of tenderized cube steak or round steak coated in fried chicken coating (eg. Homemade Shake & Bake Coating Mix) or seasoned flour then pan fried. It is usually topped with country gravy. Country (white) gravy is extremely easy to make and quite versatile. It is basically a thicker, seasoned white sauce. You can kick it up a notch by turning white gravy into sausage or bacon gravy. Here's how I make sausage gravy. You can substitute a good quality bacon cut across the slices to form bacon pieces for the sausage.

Sausage Gravy

4 breakfast sausage links or small pattie slices
2 c whole milk
2 tbsp unbleached flour
salt and pepper to taste

Fry the sausage links until cooked through, breaking them up as they fry. When the sausage is nicely browned and resembles the texture of crumbled ground beef remove from the heat. Drain the sausage reserving 2 tbsp of fat. Mix about ¼ c of the milk into the flour in a separate bowl to form a smooth slurry. Return the frypan to a medium heat. Pour in the rest of the milk. Heat while stirring constantly until milk comes to the scald stage (just starting to boil). While stirring pour the flour slurry into the milk and continue stirring and cooking until the mixture thickens to desired consistency. Remove from heat. Stir in the crumbled sausage. Season as desired with salt and pepper if desired.

Eggs Sunny Side Up

I ordered the ultimate breakfast ($5.79) with ham, 2 eggs sunny side up, hash browns and whole wheat toast. I think every restaurant serves some type of potatoes with their egg breakfast however what is a bit confusing is the terminology used to describe the potatoes. The term American fries was used to describe those included in my husband's meal. However, these are often called home fries or even country cuts. I had hash browns with mine but quite often if you order hash browns you end up with something almost like a semi-mashed home fries or actual home fries or something that looks like strands of French fries cut across to form little cubes of potatoes. These hash browns were the shredded variety and they are quite easy to duplicate at home. Do not be tempted to stir these hash browns while cooking as they will get gluey. Here's my method.

Hash Browns (shredded)

1 - 2 large baking potatoes (eg. Yukon Gold, Russet)

Shred the potatoes. Rinse to remove extra starch. Place the shredded potatoes in a tea towel and press out as much moisture as possible. Pour enough cooking oil to cover the bottom of your frypan. Heat a frypan on medium high. Pour the shredded potatoes into the pan in a shallow layer, about ½- inch thick. Let them cook without disruption for 3 minutes or until just golden brown. Carefully flip and repeat. Remove from pan and serve seasoning with salt and pepper if desired.

Fun With Orzo

Pastas come in all shapes and sizes. Did you know there is a reason for this? The shape actually determines how the pasta will hold the sauce. Ridged pastas hold thinner sauces best but shape goes well beyond that. The shape of the pasta determines the dish. Quick lasagna is lovely but lasagna made using actual lasagna noodles is always better!

Orzo

Orzo was originally made from barley where the name came from. It is sometimes call Italian rice because of its shape. Orzo is a rice shaped pasta made from hard wheat semolia. While it is not rice orzo is a good substitute for rice. You can get the rich, creaminess texture of a risotto in a lot less time yet orzo stands up nicely in a salad or soup. So this really is one pasta shape you want on your pantry shelves because of its versatility.

Pictured is uncooked orzo to give you an idea of the shape and size. As with most dried pastas orzo is relatively inexpensive. Do keep in mind when cooked orzo is larger than rice so while it is a good substitute is still different. It does cook considerably faster than rice!


Orzo with Baked Chicken

Last Thursday my husband was away so I decided on a bit simpler meal for myself. Orzo just fit in with that plan nicely. Cooking for one does not need to be time consuming or boring! I put two chicken legs with backs attached in the oven to bake. When finished I paired the chicken with an easy orzo side dish reminiscent of risotto by simply draining the cooking orzo then stirring in butter, dried parsley along with a little salt and pepper. I added one of the chicken legs with backs attached to the side then topped with mango chutney.

Despite cooking for one this really was a nice meal. The orzo was rich and creamy with the mango chutney adding interest without overpowering. In hindsight I think stirring in a bit of plain yogurt with the orzo would have given just that extra. Oh and that mango chutney is a real keeper! Talk about a lovely flavour!

Cooking for one is always a challenge and even more so when you have been used to cooking for a larger family. In this case I actually cooked enough for two planning on left-overs. What is very tempting when eating alone is to ignore presentation. This really is a time when presentation becomes a bit more important because you are sending yourself the message that you are worth the extra effort. Thank goodness I don't have to eat alone a lot but hey it happens. I fell into the trap of eating meals alone in front of the computer or television, essentially multi-tasking and not really enjoying my food. Now I actually plan ahead for dinners I know I will be eating alone. Normally I do cook extra because my husband will take the left overs for lunch. Then I set the table properly unless I decide to eat in the sunporch or on the dock and set that properly as well. I also garnish exactly as I would if someone else was dining with me. Garnishing is one of those things that honestly those cooking for one is just too easy to omit yet it really gives that great eye appeal. So if you are cooking for one, do a bit of pampering. Set the table, turn off the television, use garnishes and enjoy your food!

Summer Salad

It's kind of funny that one of our kids almost goes in the same cooking trends I do. Last week I was really into orzo and I really wanted to make taco salad but didn't get the chance. We visited the kids on Sunday and it was like they had read my mind.

They served grilled hot dogs for lunch along with a really nice orzo salad. I'm not a huge hot dog fan but I will tell you that salad was awesome! It was made with boiled, drained orzo with chopped tomatoes, onions, red and yellow peppers, cucumbers and sweet peas. Tying it together was a simple homemade vinaigrette at only 2 tbsp for a large bowlful. The results were just delightful! This summer salad is definitely something I will be doing a bit of tweaking. I'm thinking a nice vinaigrette made with Herbs de Province would be nice but with the herb garden going fresh herbs will definitely be on the agenda!

Camp Style Scallop Potatoes

During the kitchen renovations I was determined to prepare as many home cooked meals as possible. For the most part the weather co-operated so I could use the grill as an oven much the same as I do during the hot summer months. What was a bit different from our normal and lighter summer fare was cooking a bit heavier comfort foods. The day following the renovation was hot and humid so instead of cooking indoors I cooked the meal on the grill.

Camp Style Scallop Potatoes

It was a really tasty comfort meal! On the dinner menu was bone-in ham, camp style scallop potatoes, niblet corn and tossed salad. I wrapped the ham well in tin foil then put it on the grill on direct low heat to cook. Recall that direct heat is over the heat source whereas indirect heat is not over the heat source. The camp style scallop potatoes were cooked in covered tin foil pans on indirect heat. The corn was heated on the side burner of the grill. This was a quick and easy to prepare meal with minimal prep work and very little clean-up. More importantly the heat was kept out of the house!

Camp Style Scallop Potatoes
6 - 8 potatoes, unpeeled
¼ large red onion
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
unbleached flour
fresh chives
butter
scalded milk

Wash the potatoes. Cut into thin slices using a mandolin. Place in lightly salted water until ready to use. Cut the chives with scissors to form small pieces. Chop the red onion. Lightly butter the bottom of a foil pan. Spread a single layer of the potato slices over the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle lightly with flour, salt and fresh ground pepper. Sprinkle on a few onion and chive pieces. Add two or three small pieces of butter. Continue adding layers in this fashion ending with a onion, chive layer. Scald about 2 cups of milk. Pour over the potatoes until milk is coming just slightly over the top layer. Cover with tin foil. Place on indirect heat in medium grill. Allow to cook about 40 minutes or until potatoes are soft and sauce is creamy.

Note: These can be cooked on indirect heat using a charcoal grill or wood heat by moving coals to one side and placing the foil pan over the area cleared.

Mashed Potatoes

I know it sounds a bit corny but seriously neither of us are into gifts for special occasions. What really means more to both of us is good food and spending time together. On my special days my husband makes his famous breaded pork chops. These beautiful chops are custom cut to one and a half inches thick at the butcher shop the day he is going to make them. They are then given his special treatment, baked in the oven resulting in luscious pork chops anyone would die for! There are always left overs because one of the pork chops is simply too large to eat. My husband managed to make the chops for one of my special days recently despite the kitchen being under renovations. That really meant a lot to me!

Herbed Mashed Potatoes

The following day I was left with the expected left overs. Now the problem with left overs is unless you do something different they are left overs. Not that there is anything wrong with left overs as any frugal cook will tell you but that doesn't mean they have to be the exact same as the meal before. Always make your meals interesting even left overs.

The meal: I took one of the left over pork chops and sliced it about a quarter inch thick being careful to keep the breading in tact. Then I placed the slices in a baking dish, added a couple of tablespoons of water as pork has a tendency to dry when reheating and covered. I wanted something different for the potato but not an in your face different. I steamed 6 medium peeled potatoes then hand mashed them with sour cream, herb & garlic cream cheese and a small amount of half & half. [The next time I do this I will just use regular cream cheese and an herb blend to match the meal.] Served with a tossed salad and nibblet corn it was a nice meal that wasn't too taxing on the kitchen given its condition.

Sorry, it not a fancy meal but when doing kitchen renovations it's better than nothing :)