When I'm not at Work

The school lunch dilemma

I have a serious dilemma here in my house. It's school lunches. Because we both work outside the house, kid #1 eats her lunch at school. She doesn't like sandwiches. Because I'm cheap and too lazy to haul my ass out to buy something and usually don't have time to anyway, I have to eat my lunch at school too. I also don't like sandwiches.
I will eat them when I have to though. Two years ago I spent the entire school year eating lunches which consisted of two slices of whole grain bread, some cheese, some dijon, some lettuce, two slices of shaved deli meat and maybe a slice or two of tomato. Sounds good doesn't it?
Trust me, after about January you start to get bored and by June the thought of another sandwich triggered my gag reflex. Last year I did the same thing but with flat bread and cooked chicken breast. Ugh! This year I've got to get something goin' on. Kid #1, she takes a thermos with homemade soup or pasta and sausage sauce (her favourite) or leftover quiche. I am having trouble somehow with doing all this for myself. Aside from a hard boiled egg my lunches so far have been paltry to non-existent. I'm trying to fix it though. Last week I went to the grocery store and bought some pre-made 3 bean salad from the deli counter. Yeah... you know the stuff. I know you do. You look at it too, don't you? And you wonder about it, right? Well, I tried it. It was ok. I can do it better though.

So, I decided to get it in gear and make it. I figure that I can just take a big container of it to work on Monday and eat it for two or three days straight.

I have a feeling I'll be doing lots of 'school lunch' posts this year.
Just a note here... I would definitely blanch the green beans for about 5 minutes in boiling water to soften them up a bit.

Wanda's 3 Bean Salad
(makes 4 school lunches ;-)

1 can Chick Peas
1 can Kidney beans
2 cups Green beans (2 inch pieces, blanched for 5 minutes)
1/2 cup red or green onion chopped
1/2 cup red or green pepper, diced small
1/2 cup mixed fresh herbs (parsley, chives, basil, oregano, marjoram - whatever's on hand)
salt to taste
cayenne to taste
juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil

Mix the peas, kidney and green beans together in a large bowl. Add the onion and peppers. Mix in the chopped herbs. Add the lemon juice, red wine vinegar and olive oil. Check the taste to see if you are happy with the oil/vinegar ratio. Add in the salt and cayenne and check the tastes.
Lasts well in the fridge for a few days.

P.S. fits well into my lunch container too!

It's been too long.

I haven't baked with chocolate in what feels like forever. With so much beautiful fruit to work with who needs chocolate right? (Actually I do - a little dark stuff every single day!) Slowly, the reality of Fall is setting in. The luscious fruit of the late summer is ebbing away. I can't help but be a little sad (and resentful as I hustle off to work EARLY each morning on my bike or ready to run) to say good bye. However, the oven on and the chocolate baking help get me through the sadness.

I got a Facebook message earlier this week from my sister who lives in far away Calgary. She moved to Calgary about 10 years ago to get married and start a new life there. My brother and his wife followed about 4 years after that. They've all left me here in ON. I don't get to see them very often and that's hard sometimes. Last week was particularly difficult. First week of school, Kid # 2 starting Junior Kindergarden, first week back to work, sister's husband working out of town for what promises to be a good long time, me getting some hefty dental work seen to. It was all very overwhelming. She sent me a sad, gushy, 'I-miss-you-it's-so-crappy-we-don't-live-closer-will-this-ever-change' message.

I wish that I could be there. Ok. Let's be honest. I like my house, job, friends, general crap here in T.O. and I wish that they could be here. That's better. However... it's not to be. At least not for now. So, Mel this is for you. I'm baking this and each time I have some it will remind me of you. Think of it as me raising a cold one for you... 'cause I love you and can't bring you out here myself.

I got this recipe from a site called The English Kitchen. I think that she must bake or cook every single day or something. It's out of control! Either way, this recipe looked like just the thing.... Just a side note here, the Green and Black was out of this world (sayin something for me and white chocolate, huh?) and I didn't miss the nuts this time around.

White/Dark Blondies from 'The English Kitchen'

1/2 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar (I used the dark stuff)
1 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
100 g bar of dark chocolate (I used Godiva dark)
100 g bar of white (I used Green and Blacks)
1/3 cup toasted walnuts (didn't have, didn't use)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour an oblong or rectangular 8x12 baking dish.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
In another bowl combine the melted butter and the brown sugar together and mix well. Add in the vanilla and the eggs. Mix until fluffy. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir until everything is mixed. Add in the chocolate and nuts (optional). Mix and pour into the baking pan. Bake for about 20 - 24 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Let the pan cool for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Think of people that you love while you drink it with some milk or tea.

Another Re-Try and a challenge

I seem to have some kind of 'extreme sport' attitude when it comes to cooking. It's an odd thing. I think that it comes from fundamentally being a minimalist. I don't get huge satisfaction from having cupboards stuffed (unless I've canned it myself). That fact, combined with my broke situation (until my first pay cheque of course) means that cooking has become a challenge.

I like a challenge. It's take a mundane occasion and raises it beyond itself. Something that I can win - that's the best (unless I'm talking to my kids and then it's 'winning isn't everything' - they still believe it but who are we kidding). So here is my challenge. The stores are closed today because it's a holiday and to be frank I don't feel like hauling my ass out to a store anyway. I have to feed us this week. I have some italian sausage in the fridge. I am not getting a food box this week because monday is my delivery day, it's a holiday and the alternate delivery day sucks for me. No fresh veggies. I have a cabbage. It's really decided isn't it?

However, I was able to put a meal together (with plenty of leftovers) without exiting my house and purchasing something additional. Could this recipe do with some more veggies? Say, diced peppers, zucchini maybe even some spinach or something else green? For Sure. I made do with what I had and it will pretty much get us through the week (I've got some potato to make some chips if I'm in a pinch). I rose to the challenge AND the result was really dope tasty. Immense.

Cabbage Rolls with Sausage

serve 6 - 8

1 small cabbage

5 small italian sausage (I used hot), casings removed

1/2 onion, diced small

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 cups of rice

1 bouillion cube

2 tbsp honey

salt, to taste

handful of fresh chives and parsley, coarsely chopped

2 tsp dry mustard

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp smoked paprika

dash of pepper sauce

Tomato Sauce

1 large can of tomatoes (can be crushed or diced)

3 - 4 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp honey

salt to taste

dash of pepper sauce (optional)

3/4 cup shredded cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of water, boil the cabbage whole after cutting out the heart. The leaves will come away from the cabbage easily. Boil for about 5 minutes or until the leaves are pliable. Once boiled, set aside in a sieve. Using some of the boiling cabbage water, cook the rice until just slightly under cooked. Once cooked, drain if needed and set aside.

In a large heated pot, add some oil for frying and then add the onion and any additional cabbage bits that were not big enough to be used as rolls. Over medium to low heat, fry the vegetables until wilted and sweaty. Add in the sausage, you might want to chop them up a bit first. You could also use any other minced meat here. Once the sausage has cooked and is in small pieces, turn the heat down and add in the spices. Check the tastes and then add in the cooked rice.

In a large baking dish begin to place each leaf of cabbage that has been rolled with the rice mixture in it. I use a little method: Fold in the sides and then roll the rest - whatever works for you. Feel free to squeeze and tuck them in.

Tomato Sauce:

I used diced tomatoes but ran them through a food mill. You could use a simple passata or crushed tomato though which would be easier. I heated the tomato just a bit and added in the tomato paste, honey, Worcestershire and spices. Add in the salt last just to make sure it doesn't get over salted. Pour the sauce over the tucked in cabbage rolls.

Top with the shredded cheese and bake for about 20 min.

I timed this just to see how long the assembly would take. I took me 45 minutes to put the dish together beginning to baking.

Simple pleasures

Life is about simplicity. In the midst of back-to-school/work angst, of organising the extra-curricular schedules for my kids, of also organising my private teaching schedule, of training for the half marathon that I'm going to run in October (my 2nd year now!). Simplicity is still what I'm after. I think that the faster we try to go, the louder crap around us gets, the more we seek and need simplicity.

I'm sitting here typing and asking myself what the hell simplicity is though. That's a good one Wanda. Here it goes.

For me simplicity is:

Not hiding

Not being afraid to be afraid

Knowing who my 'loves' are and being happy with that

Knowing what I need and being happy with that

I'm sure that some other crap will come to me but for now that's, well, at least part of it. This recipe is very much in keeping with the above list. I sometimes shy away from cooking something if I think that no one else will eat it. This was just so easy and appealing to me that I finally gave in and did it.

I'm so glad that I did. Tasty, easy and satisfying. You can make additions here and there if you wish. Today though I preferred mine pared down, without a lot of fanfare. Beautiful. For sure, sprinkle some good quality parmesan on top of this puppy. Sit down in front of the tv or with a fave magazine. That's right, curl up just the two of you and enjoy a bowl of this. What the hell, throw in a glass of red and it's a party.

Easy Veggie Pasta

serves 4 (or 1 if you like)

2 cups (or so) fusilli pasta (I used org. wh. wheat for the record), cooked al dente

2 tbsp oil for frying

1/2 cup onion, sliced very thin

1 pkg (about 2 cups) button mushrooms, cut in half

1 pkg (about 2 cups) cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 cup green beans, cut in two inch chunks

3 tbsp (or so) Creme fraiche (use sour cream in a pinch)

salt to taste

a handful or so, fresh basil, parsley coarsely chopped

In a large pot (I used a large caste iron frying pan) saute the veggies in the oil. Keep the heat medium so that they don't get stuck to the pan. Stir regularly.

Allow the veggies to cook down for about 10 min. The tomatoes should look cooked. Add in the Creme Fraiche, salt and herbs and mix well. Throw in the cooked pasta and toss.

Serve with some fresh parmesan.

Variations on a Theme - Citrus cupcakes

Yes! We all loved it. The Lemon Drizzle Loaf from a few posts ago. I had a request for the quantities in North American conversions. Well, that sort got me thinking that I should make it again.

We just got new neighbours. After 9 years our next door neighbours have moved away and others have moved in. A man, a woman and a two year old boy. Ok - so I don't know their names yet. Hopefully that will be rectified very soon. I know how awesome/crappy it can be when you first move in to a place. I figure that they need some baking!

I don't want to make exactly the same recipe. I really liked the idea of blitzing the whole fruit until it's pulp. I don't have enough lemons. I decide that I'm going to use oranges and limes. Weird. But. It actually tastes good.

N.B. When you use limes, make sure that they are fresh because if the skin gets coarse when it ages then it won't blend properly. How do I know this? I've just spent the last 20 min. fishing pieces out of the batter.

End of the day. This recipe was tasty. I liked the texture of the cake this time around even better than the first time. I changed the icing this time as well and made a cream cheese/lemon concoction. Pure delight!

I think that lemon, limes or oranges in baking is da bomb. Combine them all and I'm losing my mind. Combine that with cream cheese and I've completely left the planet.

Now that they are baked and ready (and tested first of course!) We are off to take some to our new neighbours... names to follow!

Citrus Cupcakes (adapted from Delicious UK)

makes 16 medium cupcakes

250 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted

2 lemons OR 2 oranges OR 1 orange and 2 limes (my choice this time)

300 g (2 3/4 cups) self raising flour

440 g (2 2/3 cups) sugar

4 large eggs

Icing:

1 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature

3 - 3 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted

250 g (1 pkg) of cream cheese

juice from 1/2 a lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Prepare muffin tins with liners or grease and flour them.

Chop up the lemons or citrus quite small and blitz in the blender until it's pulp. Add the butter, sugar and eggs. Process until smooth.

Add the flour and mix well. Spoon or pour into the prepared muffin tins. Bake for about 22 - 24 min. or until a tester comes out clean. Cool briefly before removing from the pan. Cool completely. Ice only after completely cooled.

Icing:

Soften the cream cheese and the butter together. Add in the icing sugar and combine until it's beginning to get mixed together. Add in the lemon juice and finish combining. If it's too thick add a little more icing sugar until you get the desired consistency.

Zucchini Gratin

We've now been plunged into 'Fall' temperatures and I'm having trouble coping. For the last week we've been blissfully (if it's your thing) melting in 30 degree plus weather. This morning, we all woke up shivering and reaching for sweaters. 13 degrees this morning people. What truly astounds me is that people still have their air conditioners running in this weather!

Either way, now that the heat has passed (temporarily... fingers crossed) I must get into the kitchen and catch up on some cooking. I've been enjoying my lazy cooking schedule. The school year means doing my weeks' cooking on a very tight time line. Either Sunday afternoon or Monday afternoon. That's all I got... that's all folks. The summer though has meant that pretty much if the spirit moved me, I had the ingredients and it wasn't too hot to turn on an oven or stove then I was in business. It will all come to an end in a couple of days.

With that in mind, I've been flying around the kitchen putting together a really simple side dish. D has some Rainbow Trout that he is going to roast (he does a mean roast fish - think roasted with diced tomato, peppers, garlic, pepper sauce, herbs - it's beyond lush) and this simple, tasty side dish is the perfect accompaniment.

It's a nice combination of starch and veg, which I like. No fussing with multiple dishes. It uses stock and some simple spicing but managed to come out quite tasty nonetheless. I used up all my zucchini but didn't have as much as the recipe called for so I substituted in some red peppers.

Really more zucchini would be better. I will post the recipe as I found it but make the peppers an addition to all the zucchini rather than 'in place of'. You could easily do this dish stove top or baked in the oven (as I did this time). It's quite versatile. If you are looking for an easy side dish that stretches well, that you could make ahead or have a nice bit of leftovers from then this is your dish.

Zucchini Gratin (BBC Good Food Mag)

serves 6 - 8

2 tbsp of oil or fat for frying the veg

1 onion, sliced thin

1 1/2 cup Basmati rice, rinsed

7 medium Zucchini, finely sliced

1 red pepper cut into strips

3 1/2 cups hot stock (I used veg stock)

4 heaping tbsp Creme Fraiche (combo of sour cream and cream in equal parts)

salt, pepper sauce (optional) to taste

1 cup (or so) shredded cheese, Emmental or Cheddar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Add the oil or fat to a large, heated pot or dutch oven. Add in the sliced onions and cook at a low heat for about 10 - 15 min. Until soft and sticky.

Add the Zucchini and the pepper and let them cook for about 5 min with the onions. Add in the rinsed Basmati rice and mix it just to make sure that the rice is well coated. Add in the stock and stir. Turn the heat up slightly and cook for about 5 min. Make sure that the mixture stays quite wet, add more stock if necessary.

Add in the salt and spices after checking the taste. Adjust as necessary. Add in the Creme Fraiche and stir.

Transfer the whole mixture to a large baking dish (or just simmer it gently on the stove if you wish). Make sure the mixture is evenly distributed and try to get the veggies closer to the top. Bake for about 15 min. Remove from the oven, sprinkle on the cheese and bake for another 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Vanilla Ice Cream

It's a heat wave here in Toronto. The likes of which hasn't been felt since July! Come on though, it's seriously hot for the end of August. Awesome. I walk outside and it's like being back in Trinidad. You melt. Beautifully and completely. Nothing like it. Admittedly, it feels a bit odd getting ready for school and hearing all this stuff about 'fall' and 'back to school' whilst melting in 33 degrees. It's true though as much as I'd rather be at the beach. In just a few short days it's back to routines, early morning hustle, dance classes and work meetings. I'm trying to push all that out of my mind. Contemplate this for a second, Calgary (where my siblings and their families live) is freezing in near 0 degree temperatures. Forget Fall, they're all ready for Thanksgiving! What a strange country Canada is, eh? ;-)

I can't honestly put cooking off for long but the baking, well... that's something that I can't quite get away with. In addition, I'm still in a bit of a slump after saying goodbye to my cousin/sister (from another mother) on the weekend. Right now my regular chocolate habit just isn't cutting it. I need something more. However, the though of baking in this heat is off putting. The remedy is ice cream. I regularly make chocolate ice cream for Derek (it's his favourite and I must admit it's damn good) but vanilla is something else. Sacred almost. It must have vanilla bean in it as far as I'm concerned. I also splash it up with vanilla extract. When it comes to vanilla I spend money. I get the stuff from Williams Sonoma. It is great, very great, beyond great (well, let's not get ahead of ourselves here). It's well worth the money... end of. Today, I used a general custard recipe and added the vanilla junk after.

The junk that you could throw into this ice cream boggles the mind. Bits of your fave cookie, candy bar, malteezers, fruit mash, chocolate sauce (maybe for on top), caramel... you get the drift. I still like it plain jane. No crap except maybe some dark chocolate sauce... now if only I had a glass of champagne! ;-)

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

makes just under 1 litre of ice cream

1 cup sugar

seeds from 1 vanilla bean

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

1 tbsp vanilla extract

3 eggs yolks, mixed

In a medium sized pot, mix together the sugar and vanilla seeds. Heat together over medium heat for just a minute or two. Add in the cream, milk and vanilla. Stir well and heat to just under boiling. Remove from the heat for a moment. Take a large spoonful of the custard and add to the yolks. Once the yolks have warmed up a bit from the hot custard, add the yolks all back into the custard. Mix well and heat gently to 170 degrees F if you have a candy thermometer or use the back of the spoon method (You know it's ready when you run your finger through the custard on the back of a spoon and it stays in place with a line in it. No running together)

Sieve the custard into a bowl and cover with some clingfilm (right onto the top of the custard so that it doesn't form a crust). Cool completely for a few hours in the fridge. Churn the cooled custard in an ice cream maker (or by hand I guess) until it's the right consistency. Transfer to a freezer container and freeze the ice cream.

Definitely let this soften for about 7 minutes before scooping and eating.