I was really running with a theme last weekend.  I made marshmellow's, white pizza and then this... more white.
Maybe it's the winter thing.  Truth be told, it's all kinda getting me down.  I know that some friends in Montreal are begging for snow and I'd be happy to oblige.  I really would.  January is the hardest month for me, if only because it's the longest.
Maybe it's the Ham that D cured and roasted - that came out a little too salty (live and learn - we're gonna change the formula next year  - try Nigella's cooking it in coca cola thing) and now we're looking for things to do with it that don't involve eating big hunks of salty ham tout seul.


Maybe it's that anything covered with creamy cheese sauce is appetizing anytime all the time.  I guess when it's white and cheesy you just can't go wrong.  Even better if it's just a little gooey and just a little runny and with just a hint of nutmeg and pepper sauce.
Or Maybe I'm just feeling all weird and 'just-getting-over-the-stomach-flu-ee'.  I think that what I really need to do is go for a good long run.  Feel the wind through my hair (let's clarify that I really meant wind and not blustering cold air), the pacing of my breath and my shoes hitting the pavement.  Maybe I'll just wait until tomorrow when it's not -19 C though....

Either way... this white stuff is celebrating the middle of January, the leftover new year's ham, making it to Valentine's Day and a long weekend.  'Cause Damn... we really need something to celebrate right now.

Ham, Cauliflower and Chard Casserole
serves 4 - 6

3 cups of cooked ham, diced
4 cups cauliflower, cut into large florets
1 med/sm bunch of chard, stems removed and sliced thin
1 med onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/3 cup + 1 tbsp butter
1/3 cup +1 tbsp flour
3 3/4 cup milk, warm
3 cups (about) med/sharp cheddar
2 tbsp Worcestershire
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dry mustard
2 tsp salt
2 dashes of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Have a large 9x13 inch baking dish ready.
Heat a large pot and add in a couple of tbsp of oil.


Add the veggies and saute for about 10 min on medium to low heat.  Add in the diced ham and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a heavy bottomed sauce pan, melt the butter.  Add in the flour and stir together until it's well mixed and bubbling just a little bit.  Slowly, stirring the whole time, add in the warm milk.  Stir with a whisk until the sauce begins to thicken.  Once thickened, add in the cheddar, Worcestershire, soy sauce, mustard, salt and nutmeg.  Stir until the cheese has melted into the sauce.
Place the veggies and ham into the baking dish.  Cover with the cheese sauce.  Sprinkle with parmesan or crushed bread crumbs if you want (that would be nice!).  Bake for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and just turned golden on the top.
Remove from the oven and cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.  Serve with Rice, potato... I don't know... whatever... have it all by itself.

Things have changed.  I used to have the best job - I still have the best job actually but part of what made it the best job has changed.  I used to get to see my BFF (to coin my daughter's term) KT almost everyday at work.  She worked in the same place I did... until December 31st that is.  We used to get in a little giggle or a little bitch session for a couple of minutes or so pretty much everyday.  If I ran out of tokens for the subway (or I rode my bike to work and by the end of the day it's raining... let's say) we had a little stash that we shared so neither one of us would be stuck.  Often I would come in to work to find some little treat or 'give-away' on my desk... my BFF was just thinking of me.  If I made something that I knew she would love then I would bring it in and leave it on her desk - just enough to get her and her Big G through a couple of days.  It also provided me with some much needed adult taste testing.
Well, she left for early retirement (she's in her later thirties after all!) on December 31st.  I had some trouble saying goodbye because I'm not really saying 'goodbye' AND because I hate goodbye's.  Like, I mean HATE.  So, now that we are in the middle of January I am trying to adapt to all of those wonderful things mentioned above missing from my everyday work experience.  It's been two KT-less weeks at work and there is a big hole, I won't lie to you.  I've been trying to keep myself beyond busy whilst at work.  That seems to help.


She does live nearby though so we have been able to console ourselves with being able to meet for a quick coffee break or a lunch a couple of times a week.  We also meet up regularly for a little girls night or, as was the case this weekend, a girls shop.  In this case it really was 'girls' because we brought along kid #1 for some retail exposure.  Kid #1 seems to love fashion almost as much as KT and the two of them decided that Kid #1 needed to do a shop with the 'less adventurous' Mom/BFF in the background.  It made it much more fun for me (kid #1 and I didn't fight... not even once!) and we even got a middle of the afternoon 'snack' (snack for Kid #1, drinks for Wanda and KT).  A fantastic time was had by all and we are going to repeat it.  I also happened to mention that I would be making these little puppies today

Blue dots bought on our shopping excursion p.s.

and KT has generously accepted my request to taste test them for me.  We'll be meeting up to share the cupcakes and I'll be sneaking in a little friend time...
So, I still feel kinda sorry for myself - really happy for my now early retired BFF.  My desk is rather bleak and empty and I'm giggling to myself now at work but at least we can still share everything else... and I'll let you know what her feedback is on the Cupcakes.


Spice Cupcakes with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing
from The New York Times Thanksgiving thing
makes about 10 cupcakes

Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs

Icing
1 pkg (4 oz) Cream cheese
2 tbsp unsalted butter
dash of salt
3 cups (or so) icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 oz melted white chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare a cupcake tin with 10 - 12 liners (just in case)
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and salt.  Set aside.
In another bowl mix together the molasses and milk.  Set aside.
In a third bowl beat the butter until light and fluffy.  Add in the sugar and continue to beat together until well mixed.  Add in the eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition.  Alternate adding the milk/molasses mixture and the flour, mixing well after each addition.  Begin and end with the flour.  Place a heaping spoonful of the batter into each muffin cup, filling to about 3/4 full.


Bake for about 20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
Cool completely before icing.

Icing
In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, butter and dash of salt until they are well mixed and creamy.  Add in the icing sugar until well incorporated.  Add in the vanilla and the melted chocolate.  Mix well.  Ice the cupcakes once they are completely cooled.  Maybe add a little blue ball on the top - or a silver one, or gold or purple or whatever...

Usually my christmas baking list consists of Cappuccino Flats and lemon squares with maybe a little something extra on the side just to add some variety.  This year however, I had a cookie exchange party to go to.  I decided to try some new recipes for that (and didn't want to share my cappuccino flats cookies!) and after it was all said and done I had waaaaayyyy too much baking goin' on.  I just couldn't bring myself to do the lemon bars because they are special to me and need to be appreciated fully on their own.

I don't know why but I love the whole lemon/sweet thing.  Maybe it's the colour, maybe the tartness or maybe even the lovely savouriness of the crust.  I don't know, I just love it.  I need to try making lemon curd and getting that into my repertoire.  (that's just an aside as I'm thinking with my fingers here)  So just a couple of days before Christmas I had these organic meyer lemons that I got from the food box and they were dying because I hadn't used them up.  I had to get moving so I went ahead and zested and juiced them and then froze the lot of it 'cause I just couldn't bring myself to make anything else sweet at the time.

Ok, sorry I did't realize at the time that I left the stupid stickers on the lemons!

This past weekend though we were more or less (and most lusciously) housebound thanks to no dance class, no piano lessons, 10 cm of snow and two really tired parents.  This left me with lots of time to get these lemon bars finally looked after.  Good thing too because a couple of days after that I came down with some sort of cussing stomach bug that had me off food for about 36 hours.  I'm really trying to stay positive (this year) so all I'm going to say is that there is always a silver lining and stomach bugs are a great short term weight loss strategy.  Done and Dusted.


For the record, I didn't have the appropriate amount of granulated sugar for the lemon crap so I substituted some muscovado sugar which admittedly isn't as sweet AND changed the colour a little.  So I feel somewhat cheated and I think that I need to make them again just so that I can be sure that I've 'done right' by the lemon bars... I'll keep ya posted.


Lemon Bars (adapted from Ina Garten's recipe)
makes about 36 squares

Crust:
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp salt

Filling:
1 cup fresh lemon juice
zest from all the lemons used to get the fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 cups sugar
6 eggs
2/3 cup flour

Icing sugar for dusting.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease an 9x13 inch baking dish with butter. (Truth be told I used a little less than the 9x13 by rolling up some aluminum foil but it was a bit of a stretch so I wouldn't exactly recommend it - just use a slightly smaller pan if you want to go 'less')
In a large bowl combine the butter, sugar, flour and salt.  Cut everything together until it forms a crumbly ball.  Place the dough in the greased pan and press down until it's covered the bottom of the pan and is packed and looks like a crust (!).  Bake for 15 - 20 min or until the crust is just browning at the edges.
Remove from the oven and cool slightly.

In a large bowl combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, eggs, sugar and flour.  Whisk until everything is incorporated and the sugar has dissolved.  Pour into the slightly cooled pan with the crust in it.
Bake the whole thing for 30 - 35 min.  Until the lemon stuff looks 'set'.  Remove from the oven and cool for about 10 min.  Once the squares are cooled, dust with icing sugar and cut into squares.

It's white on white here in the T.  We woke this morning to a surprise dumping of snow - must have been a good 10 cm or so.  It's beautiful, and that's sayin' something for someone who would really rather be biking.  I like that it's one of those few times a year when:

a.  Cars drive slowly and actually smile at you when they see you shovelling.
b.  I don't have to worry about kid #1 or #2 falling down for any reason because they are so padded with crap and the snow is so deep that there's no risk of injury.
c.  A lot of the neighbours come outside all at once.  We all shovel and the kids all play and we all chat and it's... nice.
Like I said before, that's sayin' something for me.

So my Winter Wonderland inspired my White cooking day - Marshmallows first and now this:


I don't where this came from - could have been anywhere I suppose.  All I know is that this recipe has been in my recipe box... then folder... then binder... for years... and years.... AND I have made it... once.

It doesn't suck so I don't know why I haven't done more with this idea.  At my most favouritest pizza joint in the entire world - Amelio's (yes, all my Montrealers, you know what I'm talkin' 'bout) - they do this totally sick five cheese pizza that's mind blowing.  This isn't even close to that but I'm in Toronto, not Montreal ;-( and we're just gonna have to make do.  This is a variation as well because I've added in some cooked spinach


and some mushrooms and believe me, they do provide a much needed ccontrast to the cheese.  You could take this in another direction entirely by adding chicken or shrimp or something but I really wanted to keep this meat free.


Also, I think that this pizza is pretty.  I know that pizza is not something that would immediately strike anyone as 'pretty' but I guess that compared with the normal pizza 'look' this one is pretty to me.  Weird.
However, I would make this kind of thing and cut them down for mini's if I had guests - which I don't these days because the main floor of my house has basically turned into a lego receptacle.
Lastly, FYI:  For my taste, when it comes to re-heating pizza leftovers I have to do it in the oven.  The microwave just makes my crust gross and gooey and not pizza'ee' at all.  Blech.   Enjoy the pizza ;-)


Feta Ricotta Pizza... with spinach ;-)
serves 4 (or maybe 2)

pizza dough - you can find my post on that here or you can buy some at the store in dough form or prebaked (although that crap tastes like....) - for on large pizza (sometimes use a cookie sheet for this recipe.

1 bunch of spinach - cooked and sieved (push out as much of the water as you can)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup (maybe 1 1/4 or so) ricotta
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled (I didn't have any so I substituted parmesan)
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oregano and basil
dash or two of nutmeg
1 tsp honey
1 1/2 - 2 cups mozzarella (depending on how drenched you like your pizza), shredded or sliced if you are using fresh mozzarella.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F
Get the dough ready on a cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal.
Roll out the dough.  Roll it out a little larger than the pan you want to bake it on, it will shrink when you lift it onto the pan (my achilles heal!).  Place dough on pan over top of the cornmeal.
In a bowl, combine the ricotta, the feta (or parmesan), salt, oregano, basil, nutmeg and honey.  Mix well.
Spread onto the pizza dough.  Sprinkle the cooked spinach on top of the ricotta mixture.  Sprinkle the mushrooms out over that.  Lastly, sprinkle the mozzarella on top.
Bake for about 12 minutes or until the pizza is bubbly in the middle and golden brown at the edges.
Remove from oven and let it rest for about 7 minutes.
Dig in... maybe throw some crushed hot peppers on the top.

Thank God it's Saturday.
I stayed in bed for a long time.
Kid #2 went voluntarily naked around the house for the entire morning.
I didn't even think about doing a run today.
I contemplated lots.  Whatever... I'm in a strange mood today and I won't lie to 'ya, it's kinda fun.
We woke up today to a hefty snowfall - thank God it's saturday and we can stay in - and all the kids toys are covered in the backyard.  I can still see the beaded gold string that somehow made it's way 18 feet up the tree.  It's just hanging there.  It's like a stupid play toy for squirrels and raccoons or something.  It looks weird but I know it's there b/c kid #1 left it outside and then wrapped it around the tree and then the wind or an animal or both gradually pulled it higher and higher.  It kind of feels like our little signature on the world out there.


During my contemplations I decided to make marshmallow's.  I've been wanting to make them ever since D bought me this for Xmas.   To be more precise, I've been wanting to make them for a long time.  however, without the help of something powered by an engine the whole endeavour sounded exhausting.  But now, with a reasonably powerful engine in my hand I thought 'let's give it a go'.


Let me say this up front.  This is cussing messy!  I was expecting it to be somewhat messy (recall, if you will, numerous experiences with melted marshmallow's during the rice crispy square making process) but this stuff was off the chain!  The most exciting part was when, near the end of the whisking adventure, the marshmallow mixture started crawling up the sides of the spinning bowl.  It just started to come out over the lip of the bowl when I stopped it.  Now I've got this sticky stuff all over my mixing engine - ugh!  I'm sure that a good 1/10th of the recipe stayed back on the sides of the bowl because I just couldn't get the damn stuff off.  What the cuss, it tasted good and the kids got a nice bowl treat to fight over - happy saturdays.  Other than that it was relatively easy.  Waiting for the sugar/syrup crap to get to 240 degrees F took longer than I expected but at least I didn't have to do anything.  You WILL need a candy thermometer and some kind of mixing machine


Homemade Marshmallow's (adapted from Ina Garten)

3 packets of unflavoured gelatine
1/2 cup cold water
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp kosher salt (regular will work too)
1 tbsp vanilla (good quality)
icing sugar for dusting, etc.

In mixer bowl combine the gelatine and cold water.  Set aside.


In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, water and salt.  Place over high heat and cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F.


Slowly pour the mixture into the dissolved gelatine and whisk using some kind of mixer machinery for about 10 minutes, start at low speed and gradually increase to high speed.  (watch the sides of the bowl, MmmK?!)
Once this stuff looks really thick and is stickier than anything you'd ever want to touch under normal circumstances it's ready to pour into a pan.  Add in the vanilla and mix the stuff.  Get ready to pour.  I used a large pan but regretted it.  I would use an 8x8 square pan.  You could line it with parchment or just grease it with butter and heavily dust it all with icing sugar.  Either way, put icing sugar in the bottom.  Pour the mixture into the pan and dust on top with icing sugar as well.


Wait for many hours until the stuff is solid enough to cut.
Turn the marshmallow's out onto a large cutting board and carefully remove the parchment paper.


Oil or butter a long knife and try using that to slice the marshmallows, someone else has suggested using an oiled pizza cutter... whatever works people, this is tricky.  Keep in mind though that even if these things get stretched they tend to bounce right back.
Slice them into squares and toss them in more icing sugar so that they stay separated from each other.

I am totally fried.  I guess that sleeping in, only having one or maybe two items on my 'to do' list, eating great food and generally not doing anything before noon has kind of caught up with me.  THE hardest thing in the world has been getting up and seeing a 5 or a 6 as the first number on the clock.  I won't lie to you, I thought of calling in sick more than once.  My home studio is back in full force and by Wednesday I was a complete mess.  It was all I could do to get through the week in one piece.
I worked a lot.  I worked out a lot too.  I didn't cook.  Not a thing.  I had some soup in the freezer - Thank God! - and between that and some noodles it got us through.  I didn't even think about cooking.  I felt totally uninspired to cook but it wouldn't have mattered anyway.  I didn't have time to cook.
I've also been kinda tired of meat.  I didn't overdo it during the holidays so I can't really explain it but I'm just hankering veggies... there it is.


So, after coming home from work and really needing to eat (by now the soup is gone) but knowing that I didn't have time before I start job #2, I was overjoyed to find out that I had a last minute cancellation which meant I had an extra hour knocking around.  FOOD!


I can't believe that I haven't posted this recipe before because it really is one of my 'go-to' stir fry recipes.  Most of the time with this stir fry business it's really about Wanda throwing a bunch of veggies into a wok with a bunch of soya sauce and crap and something spicy and... Bob's Yer Uncle.  When it comes to the awesome peanut sauce thing I'm a little better.  My quantities will be totally whack but I'll get all the ingredients... mostly.  I got this recipe idea from my University friend Pam who was my accompanist for a long time (remember I'm a music person here people - classical singer by trade).  Pam was from Saskatchewan and she was Mennonite and totally into Harrowsmith (none of these things are necessarily connected - just so 'ya know).  I got this recipe from her Harrowsmith book (they really are gems) and it's a beautiful thing.


Tofu in Peanut Sauce (adapted slightly from Harrowsmith)

1/2 cup veg stock
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp (or more) crushed hot red pepper
2 tbsp honey
5 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
4 tbsp oil (sesame if possible)
3 tbsp fresh ground ginger
4 cloves garlic, crushed
6 cups (at least) of veggies - assortment of onion, carrot, pepper, broccoli, zucchini... you get the idea
1 lb (about 1 pkg) of firm tofu, cut into smallish chunks

Heat wok over medium heat.   Add in the oil and throw in the veggies (remember the 'throw in' part) and let them cook for a while - 6 or 7 minutes let's say.  Throw in the garlic, ginger and tofu.
In another bowl combine the veg stock, peanut butter, hot red pepper, honey, soy sauce and red wine vinegar.  Whisk together until everything is mixed well.  Pour onto the veggies and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.  Check the tastes and adjust (the heat ;-) if necessary.
This gives you time to get the rice or noodles ready...

Oh boy.  I've kinda done it to myself.
We got invited to an open house.  This is a good thing.
I want to make Monkey Bread but we absolutely can't eat it all.  I decide to make Monkey Bread to take to the open house.  This is a good thing.
I've never made Monkey Bread before.  This is not necessarily a good thing.
However, making something I've never made before hasn't exactly ever stopped me from posting anything here.  I'm a 'dive-in-now-possibly-regret-it-later... or-not!' kind of person.  So...forwards I go.
Truth be told, I should be off to the party now.  But, I was baking.  And, it's complete misery outside.


And, I was in the middle of a 2 1/2 hour Bollywood flick that was amazing... And... I just am not moving anywhere fast.
I discovered that Monkey bread has a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pan.  Lesson learned.  In future I will a.  Cover the bottom of the tube pan with parchment b. not use a tube pan but maybe a springform pan instead.  So having learned the lesson I found myself having to decided how to make the monkey bread look appealing even though half of it was still stuck in the pan and I had to fish it out with a fork.

Gotta say - if we're just talkin 'bout taste here, I prefer it without the glaze... just like this.

Ah!  Icing anyone?!
So... thanks to Smitten Kitchen, we have glaze my peeps.  If in doubt, blob it all up in something that looks like it might have come out of a tube pan and then pour something on top of it to totally cover up the ramshackle-ness.  TIDY!
Also, not that this is necessarily relevant at all because it's not going to be an issue.  I wouldn't make it ahead of time.  This really should be eaten the day of (I'm chuckling even as I'm writing this).  It's just not the same the next day.
Lesson here:
If you can't eat the whole thing yourself in one day then invite friends over or take it to them... Jus' sayin'


Monkey Bread adapted from Smitten Kitchen and my bread book
serves a good few - think at least 8

1/3 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F)
1 tsp sugar
1 pkg. active dry yeast
3 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 tsp salt
1 cup scalded milk (cooled to 110 degrees F)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter

Glaze:
3 oz (or about half a pkg) of cream cheese at room temp.
3 tbsp icing sugar
2 - 3 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp vanilla

In a bowl combine the flour and salt.
In another dish or bowl combine the warm water, sugar and yeast.  Set aside and let it stand for 10 min. until it expands and gets all foamy and yeasty.
In another bowl combine the scalded milk, butter and sugar.  Let the butter melt in the milk.
Form a well with the flour.  Pour in the milk mixture and the yeast mixture once it's all done and foamy.


Combine well and then turn out onto a lightly flour surface.  Knead for about 5 - 6 min. or until it forms a ball and looks nice and smooth.
Place the dough ball in a bowl that's been oiled or buttered.  Cover with a clean cloth and let it rise in a warm, non-drafty place for about 1 hr.  The dough should double in size.

While the dough is rising place 1/4 cup of melted butter in a small bowl and in another bowl mix together 1 cup of light brown or muscovado sugar and  about 2 tsp of cinnamon. Set aside.

Meanwhile, butter a tube pan or a baking dish for the Monkey Bread to bake in... set aside.

Punch the dough down and form the dough into little balls about the size of golf balls.
Dip each ball into the melted butter and then into the sugar/cinnamon mixture.  Place each ball gently into the prepared pan.  Don't stuff them in - they need room to expand.


Once all the balls are done and in the pan then cover again with a clean cloth and let it rise in a warm, draft-less place for about 1 hr or until doubled in size.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake the bread for about 30 min or so (maybe a few minutes longer... maybe).  Leave for about 5 min and then turn out of the pan (otherwise it will stick)
While it's cooling, make the glaze.
In a bowl combine the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Gradually add in the milk and vanilla until it's a consistency to pour over the bread - not too thin though otherwise it will pour right off ;-)
Once the bread has cooled sufficiently then you can pour the glaze over top.  Try to control yourself during this time and take it to wherever you are going without eating any along the way.

This is me actually eating a piece of bread - pic taken by Kid #1

If you happen to be particularly brilliant and have decided that sharing is dumb then, by all means, let yourself go...