New beginnings

It's been over a year since I have posted anything (well, close to two years, but who's counting).

This years challenge:

1. Post in this forum weekly, no matter what the content.
2. Build a better blogging network. I think that this would inspire me to actually post.
3. Take pictures every day. Post (some of) them.
4. Cook more. Post the results (good and bad).

Let's see if I can make this work. Especially over the holidays. This may be a tall order.

a.

Lovely Winter Weekend: Mount-Royal, Montreal

Weekly Resolutions

Long walks in small Canadian towns make me happy.

In the next seven days, I resolve to:

+ Take more pictures (and post them);
+ Make Marmalade;
+ Read more;
+ Give thanks for things that make me happy.

Chewy, Spicy, Ginger Cookies - Perfect for the Holidays!

In my opinion, these are the best ever ginger cookies. The original recipe can be found here, but I made a few alterations, because I wanted to give them a bit more kick.

Chewy Ginger Cookies

Recipe from Bon Appétit

+ 2 cups all purpose flour

+ 3 teaspoons ground ginger

+ 2 teaspoons baking soda

+ 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

+ 1 teaspoon ground cloves

+ 3/4 teaspoon salt

+ 3/4 cup crystallized ginger (chopped small)

+ 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

+ 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature

+ 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

+ 1 large egg

+ 1/4 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses

+ Combine first 6 ingredients in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Mix in crystallized ginger. 

+ Using electric mixer, beat brown sugar, shortening and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add egg and molasses and beat until blended. 

+ Add flour mixture and mix just until blended. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

+ Preheat oven to 350°F. . Spoon sugar in thick layer onto small plate. Using wet hands, form dough into 1 1/4-inch balls; roll in sugar to coat completely. Place balls on baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. (Make sure to cover the baking sheets with parchment paper.)

+ Bake cookies until cracked on top but still soft to touch, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets 1 minute. Carefully transfer to racks and cool. (Can be made 5 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

Pumpkin Spice Soup

The cold weather has finally arrived. Yup. It's here in full force. Below 0C every night.

Although this means that summer is finally over (sigh), it also means that I can legitimately start making soups for dinner every night. Yum. Here is a recipe for a new-found favorite: pumpkin spice soup. Inspired by the good folks at the Moosewood Restaurant, I have made a few alterations to their Tunisian Pumpkin Soup recipe. 

Pumpkin Spice Soup (with fresh spice topping, for good measure):

Inspired by the Moosewood Restaurant 

+ 2 carrots, peeled and chopped

+ 2 parsnips, peeled and chopped

+ 2 medium onions (about 2 cups), chopped

+ 2 cups canned pumpkin

+ 2 tbsp olive oil

+ 3 cups water 

+ 1/2 cup tomato juice

+ 1 cup real unsweetened apple juice

+ 1 tsp salt

+ 1/2 tsp paprika 

+ 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

+ 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

+ 1 tsp ground cumin

In a soup pot, saute the onions until they are translucent (8-10 minutes). Add the parsnips, carrots and salt and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg and cumin. Stir and cook for about 1 minute. Then add the water, tomato juice, apple juice. Let this simmer until the vegetables are cooked (about 15 minutes). Add the pumpkin, make sure it is properly mixed in and then blend (I used an immersion blender, but a regular blender would work fine, as well).

Fresh spice topping:
Inspired by the Moosewood Restaurant

+ 2 tbsp olive oil

+ 1 tsp crushed garlic

+ 2 tsp ground corriander

+ 1/4 tsp cayenne

+ 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

+ 1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro

+ 1/8 tsp salt

Saute the crushed garlic in oil for about 1 minute. Add the coriander and cayenne. Stir constantly until it bubbles (about another minute). With the mixture off the heat, add the fresh lemon juice, cilantro and salt. Drop a heaping teaspoon into the pumpkin spice soup for a flavor overload (in a good way)

No-cook tomato sauce.

I love making pizza from scratch. Sauce included. However, sometime I just don't have that much time (or foresight) to get things done. Not to mention trying to motivate myself to make a sauce AND a pizza on the same night. Enter easy no-cook tomato sauce. Adapted from this recipe, it is perfect for making a quick but totally homemade pizza.

No-cook pizza sauce


+ 1 can of tomato paste (about 5.5 ounces or 156 ml)
+ 1 cup water
+ 1/3 cup olive oil
+ 2 - 3 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
+ 10 basil leaves, chopped fine
+ 1 sprig of rosemary, chopped fine (about 1 tsp)
+ 1/2 tbsp dried oregano (fresh would work too)
+ 1/2 tsp dried chili peppers
+ salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and set aside for a few hours to let the flavors blend. That's it. That's all.


* I have let this sauce rest for both 1 hour, or overnight. It is equally delicious both ways, so don't worry if you forget to make it the night before. I just let it rest at the same time as the dough is rising. Easy-peasy.

Semi-Improvised Wheatberry Salad

As I was browsing in the bulk food store the other day (yes, browsing) I came across wheatberries. Having previously read about this grain on Daily Nibbles I decided to pick some up. Also, I had a feeling that a wheat berry salad would make a perfect lunch. Boy was I right.

After I brought the said grain home, though, I had no idea what I was getting into. According to Wiki:

"The term wheatberry or wheat berry refers to the entire wheat kernel (except for the hull), comprising the bran, germ, and endosperm. Wheatberries have a tan to reddish brown color and are available as either a hard or soft processed grain. They are often added to salads or baked into bread to add a crunchy texture; as a whole grain, they also provide nutritional benefits since they are an excellent source of dietary fiber." (Wikipedia) 

So, they are healthy. Good. I also discovered that they are delicious. Seriously good. And, keeping with a previous post, they make a perfect hearty salad.

Semi- Improvised Wheatberry Salad
Inspired by the recipe posted on Daily Nibbles.

+ 1 cup wheatberries
+ 1/3 cup nuts (I used almonds)
+ 1/3 cup raisins 

+ 1 apple (I used granny smith)

+ 1/3 cup almonds, slivered
+ 2 cups vegetables (I used bell peppers, corn, peas, and carrots)
+ 1/2 a small onion
+ 1/4 cup vinegar (I used apple cider, but you could probably use any kind)
+ 1/4 cup olive oil (I used extra virgin)
+ Salt and pepper to taste
+ 1/2 a small lemon

First, cook the wheatberries. Make sure you set aside enough time, as they take quite a long time to be ready. I cooked a cup of wheatberries in about 5 cups of water, and drained them once they were cooked (about 1 hour). You could probably use less water, or even make them in a slow cooker, but the-cook-and-drain method suited me fine. When they are cooked, wheatberries are chewy and have a bit of nutty flavor. Pretty tasty.

When the wheatberries are cooking, get your other ingredients chopped and ready. I roughly chopped mine, but you could make them smaller or larger, if you are so inclined. Just cut them, and drop them in a big bowl along with the slivered almonds and the raisins (other dried fruits and nuts would probably also be quite good, too). If you don't want your apple to brown, make sure to toss them in a bit of lemon juice first. My salad lasted two days, and the apple didn't brown one bit.

In a small bowl, mix together the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. If you have any fresh herbs, you could also include those.

When the wheatberries are ready, toss everything together. You'll have one delicious salad.