Happy 2010 Everyone!
Almost at the two week mark of staying home with my 2 1/2 year old. I don't know how stay-at-home mom's do it. They must be highly organized, because I am running out of things to do, there is only so much book reading, playing and art we can do. I think we will go for a nice long winter walk and perhaps he will take a long winter nap this afternoon.
That will give me some time to organize for our fondue feast tonight! Yes I know this blog is supposed to be about fast and easy recipes, but I'm off work and I am indulging my cooking whims these last few weeks. So tonight I'm making a cheese, broth and chocolate fondue. The cheese is fairly simple, but does take some time and you have to hang out with it stirring, stirring ( A really easy way to do cheese is to buy the already partially melted/blended fondue cheese, it can be found in the specialty cheese section at your grocer). The broth is easy, and since I have homemade beef broth from the other day I will be using that. The chocolate; easy peasy!
I hope you all try out a fondue of your own, because it really doesn't take that much time to set up and it is the most social way to eat, because you need to cook your own food, so you must chat while waiting. Just make sure you have some good wine or for New Year's good champagne!
Cheese Fondue:
Gruyere Cheese grated
Emmental Cheese grated
1 1/2 cups white wine
2 tablespoons kirsch
1 clove garlic (optional)
Rub inside of melting pot with garlic clove and discard, bring wine to a simmer and add cheese keep stirring making sure that cheese does not ball up, add kirsch. If needed you can add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken it up, making sure to stir cornstarch into a little water before adding it to the cheese. Remove from stove and place on your fondue burner, dip day old baguette and/or veggies into the mixture. Pure heaven.
Just remember to take your lactaid before eating. :)
Broth Fondue:
Favourite broth (veggie, chicken, beef)
cubed meat (I use flank steak and chicken breast)
veggies (asparagus, cauliflower, mushrooms, broccoli)
dips for dipping your cooked goodies into (bbq, fig balsamic vinagrette, caesar dressing, mint sauce, garlic mayo etc.)
On a stove bring your broth to a boil and then reduce to simmer for 2 mins. Move pot to fondue burner and dip away. Just makes sure your chicken is cooked all the way through.
Chocolate Fondue:
Your favourite milk chocolate bar melted
milk (about 1/2 cup)
Banana
Strawberries
Blueberries
Shortbread cookies
Pretzels
Anything you want to dip in chocolate really
Melt chocolate slowly over double boiler (ie. water in a pot below the pot you are melting in), add the milk while melting to desired thickness.
Enjoy!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
The Aftermath of Christmas Dinner - Recipes
Welcome to my Busy Girls Cooking Guide. The first entry is leftovers and luckily for me I've had the last couple of weeks off for the holidays, so I've had much more time to cook the way that I would love to on a regular basis. But my basic premise for this blog is to share the kinds of meals I come up with considering my busy schedule. I'm a mother, a wife and I work full time as an academic counsellor at the University. A very busy and sometimes draining job, which I also love. So here we go.
This year I had my family over for christmas, the in-laws and my mother and step-father. It was relatively successful. My mother only raised my eyebrows once, but that is another entry for another time.
The food was a hit, I made a great turkey and no I did not brine it, I cooked it the old fashioned way, lots of butter and salt and pepper rubbed onto and under the skin. The day before I had made a rosemary encrusted standing rib roast, so we also had cold roast for those who don't love turkey. Sides included bread stuffing, green beans with shallots, garlic mashed potatoes, brussels in maple syrup, roasted tomatoes with stilton cheese and watercress and of course orange zest cranberry sauce. Delicious!
Lots of food and lots of leftovers! Now what to do with them all... below are a few of the recipes I came up with, mostly classics, but they have created some great frozen meals for when I go back to work next week.
Both soup recipes below are not quick and do take some time, however they both create enough to freeze at least 2 or more meals, a quick supper in a pinch.
Roasted Tomato, Watercress and Stilton omelette:
Used the leftover roasted tomato salad in an omelette and served with toasted baguette. Perfect combo, I would use this for a brunch recipe again. Roasting the tomatoes is what takes the time, about 5-6 Roma toms. cut in half with the seeds and pulp removed, turn upside down and let drain about 15 mins., put on a cookie sheet cut side down and sprinkle with salt and olive oil, bake in an 325 degree oven for about 45-60 minutes.
Turkey Soup:
Stock:
-Turkey bones/ and most of the dark meat still attached
-2-3 Celery Stalks roughly chopped
-1 onion chopped (skins can be left on)
-2 cloves garlic crushed just to expose the inside (skins can be left on)
-2 bay leaves
-1/2 a bunch of fresh parsley
-Salt and Pepper to taste
-1 Lemon cut in half
-Water to just cover turkey (about 10-12 cups)
Any other herbs you wish to flavour your soup
Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 2-3 hours, drain off the liquid into a separate bowl, let cool. Separate the meat from the bone and set aside, green bin the remaining ingredients.
Soup:
Heat a tablespoon of Olive oil and add a med. onion, chopped celery(2 stalks), carrots chopped(2 large), and saute for 5-7 minutes just until onion is soft. Add turkey meat, and then stock, and if needed some additional salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 1 hour. I add about 1/2 cup of rice at the 1/2 hour mark, but you can also add noodles if you prefer. Serve with fresh parsley on top and some baguette or crackers
Beef and Wild Rice Soup
Stock:
Leftover beef bones and some meat (from a standing rib roast)
1/2 onion
1 stalk celery
2 tsp thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste
enough water to cover everything (about 6-8 cups)
Bring to a boil and simmer the same amount of time as the turkey stock. Follow the same procedures of removing the meat from the other ingredients and setting aside, skim the stock of most of the fat that will float to the top once cooled.
Soup:
Add olive oil, carrots (2 large) and 1 clove of garlic to the pot, saute about 5 mins. Add meat and stock and bring to a boil simmer for 1 hour, I add the wild rice right at the beginning of the simmer because it takes so long to cook. Add any additional salt and pepper to taste, I also add about 1/2 cup of red wine and some worchester sauce. Serve with a very crusty bread and butter.
Enjoy!
I will soon return with much quicker delicious recipes.
This year I had my family over for christmas, the in-laws and my mother and step-father. It was relatively successful. My mother only raised my eyebrows once, but that is another entry for another time.
The food was a hit, I made a great turkey and no I did not brine it, I cooked it the old fashioned way, lots of butter and salt and pepper rubbed onto and under the skin. The day before I had made a rosemary encrusted standing rib roast, so we also had cold roast for those who don't love turkey. Sides included bread stuffing, green beans with shallots, garlic mashed potatoes, brussels in maple syrup, roasted tomatoes with stilton cheese and watercress and of course orange zest cranberry sauce. Delicious!
Lots of food and lots of leftovers! Now what to do with them all... below are a few of the recipes I came up with, mostly classics, but they have created some great frozen meals for when I go back to work next week.
Both soup recipes below are not quick and do take some time, however they both create enough to freeze at least 2 or more meals, a quick supper in a pinch.
Roasted Tomato, Watercress and Stilton omelette:
Used the leftover roasted tomato salad in an omelette and served with toasted baguette. Perfect combo, I would use this for a brunch recipe again. Roasting the tomatoes is what takes the time, about 5-6 Roma toms. cut in half with the seeds and pulp removed, turn upside down and let drain about 15 mins., put on a cookie sheet cut side down and sprinkle with salt and olive oil, bake in an 325 degree oven for about 45-60 minutes.
Turkey Soup:
Stock:
-Turkey bones/ and most of the dark meat still attached
-2-3 Celery Stalks roughly chopped
-1 onion chopped (skins can be left on)
-2 cloves garlic crushed just to expose the inside (skins can be left on)
-2 bay leaves
-1/2 a bunch of fresh parsley
-Salt and Pepper to taste
-1 Lemon cut in half
-Water to just cover turkey (about 10-12 cups)
Any other herbs you wish to flavour your soup
Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 2-3 hours, drain off the liquid into a separate bowl, let cool. Separate the meat from the bone and set aside, green bin the remaining ingredients.
Soup:
Heat a tablespoon of Olive oil and add a med. onion, chopped celery(2 stalks), carrots chopped(2 large), and saute for 5-7 minutes just until onion is soft. Add turkey meat, and then stock, and if needed some additional salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 1 hour. I add about 1/2 cup of rice at the 1/2 hour mark, but you can also add noodles if you prefer. Serve with fresh parsley on top and some baguette or crackers
Beef and Wild Rice Soup
Stock:
Leftover beef bones and some meat (from a standing rib roast)
1/2 onion
1 stalk celery
2 tsp thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste
enough water to cover everything (about 6-8 cups)
Bring to a boil and simmer the same amount of time as the turkey stock. Follow the same procedures of removing the meat from the other ingredients and setting aside, skim the stock of most of the fat that will float to the top once cooled.
Soup:
Add olive oil, carrots (2 large) and 1 clove of garlic to the pot, saute about 5 mins. Add meat and stock and bring to a boil simmer for 1 hour, I add the wild rice right at the beginning of the simmer because it takes so long to cook. Add any additional salt and pepper to taste, I also add about 1/2 cup of red wine and some worchester sauce. Serve with a very crusty bread and butter.
Enjoy!
I will soon return with much quicker delicious recipes.
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