Over the Kitchen Counter: Angie's Place for Cooking and Crafts

Balsamic Vinegar

There are some things in life that are just worth spending a little extra money on, like authentic Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, good chocolate, pure vanilla extract, and balsamic vinegar.  I am no authority on the subject, and the rules regarding classification of balsamic vinegar are quite confusing, but I try to buy the best I'm willing to afford.  This balsamic is produced in Modena, Italy (good sign #1), was about $14 bucks (good sign #2, since grocery store vinegars are about $2), and came from a company founded in 1605...come on, that's got to be a good sign!  I don't really know...but I'm hoping to find out when I take my dream vacation to Italy in a few years.  This stuff tastes pretty good but I'll be happy to report what the REALLY good stuff tastes like...check back in July, 2012.  Until then, try to stay away from the generic stuff and treat yourself to some gourmet foods - your taste buds deserve it. 

After School Snack: Fruit Dip

My kids requested this after school snack: a fruit tray with fruit dip.  It was the end of the week so I only had some apples, a pear, a bit of fresh pineapple (from the Caribbean chicken), and some frozen strawberries but they went crazy for it anyway.  The dip is so easy to whip up - so long as you have the ingredients available.  You might have to plan in advance because not everyone has a jar of marshmallow "creme" waiting in the pantry.  I used an electric beater to combine the marshmallow stuff with a small tub of cream cheese and an individual container of strawberry yogurt.  I didn't follow a particular recipe in terms of quantities - they were just what I had on hand and it worked out great.  Mmmm, it's a really nice way to get them to eat up all the fruit!  DH got the dregs after dinner and said, "Mmm, that stuff is good."

It's funny because the other night, quite late after I'd gone to bed to read, the kids (all teenagers) came home from their various activities and all ended up on the end of my bed, chatting about their evenings, days, thoughts, etc. and even though it ended up being an hour later and way past my bedtime by the time we got them to go to bed, it was a precious moment that we knew not to cut short.  The kids were very relaxed and laughing, sharing, it was just so cute.  It's little times like that which bond a family together and make you realize what a difference that makes.

Food, Inc. on Oprah

Oh my gosh!  Did you see Oprah yesterday?  The topic of discussion was "Do You Know Where Your Food Comes From?" and featured the documentary "Food, Inc.".  I was bursting at the seams since this is a subject I am passionate about and the reason I started this blog in the first place.  The quote I have posted on my youtube channel from Mark Bittman says essentially the same thing: eat real food!  I think Oprah will reach a few more people than I will so I was thrilled to see this idea of "back to basics" eating high-lighted.  A couple of great points, part of Michael Pollan's food rules, were my favourite part of the show, but the best one for me was Rule #39: Eat all the junk food you want, as long as you cook it yourself!  This is what I've been saying all along: it tastes better, you have all the control, and it's fun in the process.  Taking the time to make it yourself just adds to the pleasure and overall experience of food...real food!  Mr. Pollan summed it up in a few short words: "Eat real food, mostly plants, not too much".  I love it!  Hurray!  Check it out at Oprah.com.  Can you see me smiling? 

Cereal

  We are big cereal eaters - so much so that when we renovated our kitchen I had a special shelf in my pantry planned just for all our various boxes of cereal!  Maybe it stems from childhood when my mother didn't want us opening more than one box at a time, but nowadays we have about 14 different kinds of ready-to-eat breakfast cereal ready to go.  Unfortunately for my nieces and nephew, they are all of the pretty healthy variety.  I saw a commercial for the leprechaun/tiger/vampire cereals the other day which they called "kid cereals" and it struck me how appalling it is to persuade the consumer that those are the cereals children are supposed to eat.  There is no reason to start a toddler on a "food" that is full of sugar and processed grain stripped of it's nutrients - (so stripped they then need to be re-fortified.  That doesn't make sense, does it?) and then try to "convert" them later in life when weight becomes an issue.  As with any packaged food, reading the nutrition label is the best start for picking the right food.  Pay attention to the grams of sugar and fat - you want to aim for a whole grain cereal with over 3 grams of fibre.  And of course, pay attention to the serving size shown on the box - that is the quantity used as the basis for the nutritional numbers: if you are eating over a cup of cereal (not hard to do) but the serving size is 2/3 of a cup, the calories, fat, sugar, and fibre are multiplied accordingly.

And another rule of mine resulting from childhood trauma: I will never mix the old remnants of one kind of cereal into a box of another kind.  Yuck!

With Sherry (Sherry Trifle)

  Another Christmas tradition for us (and many other British descendants) is Sherry Trifle for dessert.  I have made this for years and years after growing up with it for years and years.  I start with a purchased jelly roll, sliced up and covering the bottom of a pretty glass bowl. Next, I add 1/2 cup of dry sherry to soak into the cake (this is the best part!)  Then a layer of fruit is added on top - I have always used a can of drained mandarin oranges and sliced bananas.
A custard component is the next layer of the dessert.  I favour the traditional British Bird's Custard, which I make (easily, with no risk of scorching) in the microwave using the dessert recipe on the back of the container (versus the sauce recipe).  Licking the bowl after this step just takes me right back to my childhood!  I refrigerate the concoction at this point until right before serving.  This allows the custard to set up.  Finally, I top the whole dessert off with sweetened whipped cream and either cherries on top or some reserved mandarin segments.  I made two bowls of trifle this year (one for Christmas dinner and one for Boxing Day) and each serves a lot of people - the bowl weighs a ton!   It looks so pretty too and that's why you use a glass bowl to show off the layers. 
  

Mandarins

I was always fortunate to have mandarins growing up and still look forward to enjoying them at Christmas time.  Everyone in my family likes to eat them and since they are so easily peeled and segmented, they are the perfect snack.  (My son will eat about 6 at a time!)  They are larger than clementines  
and rarely have any seeds.  Chinese mandarins are the most readily available but sometimes we can get Japanese ones (our favourite).  The prices vary each year, with a box costing anywhere from $3.99 to an incredible $15.99 one year!  Even at that price we couldn't resist having one box - it just wouldn't be Christmas morning without a mandarin in your stocking.  And what do my kids like to do with the first mandarin of the season?  Make an elephant head out of the peel - a trick my DH showed them as toddlers - by peeling the skin in one continuous motion to form a trunk, face, and 2 giant elephant ears!  Try it...

Panettone

We always look forward to enjoying some Panettone at Christmas time.  Imported from Italy, this uniquely flavoured fruit bread is wonderful plain, buttered, or toasted.  It contains candied orange, citron and lemon, and raisins.  Apparently, it was first made in Milan back in ancient times and still involves a lengthy production time due to the curing of the dough and a proofing process that takes several days.  A good loaf will cost anywhere from $7 - $10 (in my area, anyway).  Make sure you are buying authentic, Italian panettone - there are no substitutes for the real thing and the investment is 100% worth it for this traditional Christmas treat.   

Git 'er Done

I had my entry and basement flooring done this week...the guys showed up an hour late, with the wrong quote and too much vinyl cut and then told me that they couldn't do the stairs like I had hoped...but no big deal and it all worked out in the end.  Before:   pink, cheap floor ripped up from dance shoes, hockey bags, lack of glue, and naughty children.  I kept hearing the guys say stuff like "hmmm, that's interesting...never seen that before" as they tore it out...turns out there were 2 layers of vinyl on the lower stairs...a bad patch job?  No, I discovered the oak trim wasn't cut perfectly and the builder tried to fill up (and cover up!) the gap with extra vinyl!  Now there IS a gap which DH will have to fill with caulking or something.  I'm pretty happy with the after, but to save money DH is going to paint and replace the trim himself so we'll have a bit of time before we see the complete picture.  It is just amazing how much stuff we had in 2 closets, which is now piled all over my workshop!  I can't stand mess so the first priority is getting the closets painted and re-trimmed so some of that stuff can go back in (an excellent time to purge).

Of course, while the workmen were working I was trapped upstairs with no craft room, no computer, and couldn't leave the house so I made good use of my time in the kitchen.    I was very productive!  I cleaned the fridge, made a big pot of soup, cut up all the veggies for a veggie tray for dinner, made cinnamon buns (for my son who has been asking for them for a month), and chocolate chip banana bread.  I cleaned out the cupboards and got rid of the stale stuff and wiped down all the shelves.  I'm sure the smell of cinnamon and chocolate was wafting downstairs making the guys hungry!  Unfortunately, the toxic smell of floor glue was wafting upstairs, giving me a headache, burning eyes, and near-hallucinations!  On the bright side, the job was completed in one day, instead of the two they had scheduled.

Mother has gone for a visit with my sister so I will have a few days to get things done for the holidays.  I have so much to do, from getting some cards made, written, and sent, to baking, decorating, wrapping, and shopping.  I hope to film some of my favourite Christmas treats as I make them so I can share the recipes with you.  That's one of the best parts of this time of year: the special goodies that come out of the kitchen.  It's amazing how fond my kids are of the traditions we have formed and they look forward to them as much or more than the gifts!  Now, that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown!
 
 

Pomegranates

It's purely by coincidence that my daughter asked me to buy a pomegranate and I just found out that it's pomegranate month!  Very fitting then that my post today is all about this interesting fruit and it's roughly 600 seeds.

The easiest way to harvest the slightly sour seeds is to cut and break apart the outer skin into sections and then hold each one under water while gently prying the seeds from the pulp.    The seeds sink and the pulp floats so you can just skim and then pour off the water.  The seeds make an extremely healthy snack to nibble on - although I'll warn you - the juice really stains!  You can buy commercially available pomegranate juice, such as POM.  My favourite way to drink it?  Pomegranate martinis: pure pomegranate juice shaken over ice with citrus vodka, peach schnapps, and a hit of fresh lime...really good!  What a great way to get a hefty dose of Vitamin C and antioxidants!

Remembering Elvis

Well, it's been 32 years since Elvis Presley died so I thought it was a good night to break open my bottle of Cabernet from the Graceland Cellar.  I picked up this souvenir during our trip to Vegas in June.  It was a very nice wine and a fitting way to remember "The King"...