Snowy Jaunts and Warming Soup

Snowy Jaunts and Warming Soup

After a wonderfully jolly weekend of trips up to the snowy mountains and into Canada, and good ol’ visits with friends and family, it’s time to knuckle down and get ready for my week.

Nooksack River

Nooksack River, WA

I’m a busy girl these days, working full-time, freelancing for a newspaper and blogging five days a week. As much as I love to cook, by the time I finish my work each day I’m exhausted and all I want to do is curl up with a book and have food ready to eat.

Thus, every Sunday evening is spent in my kitchen, preparing foods that work beautifully as leftovers for the work week ahead: savory tarts, stew, casseroles, pretty much anything healthy that can be divided up easily and reheated.

This Sunday, after two days spent outside in freezing rain and deep snow,

Apple in the snow

I wanted to warm my bones with hot, soothing soup. I didn’t have the ingredients for “real” soup recipes, so I got creative, making it up as I went. It turned into a lovely chicken soup, thick and hearty with carrots, celery, onion, potatoes and barley,  and cilantro and fresh lime juice to zest it up. With tortilla chips on the side, it’s the perfect lunch for a rainy Washington day.

Chicken Barley Soup

Chicken Barley Soup with Lime and Cilantro

Chicken Soup with Cilantro and Lime

Ingredients:

8 cups chicken stock
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
2 large carrots, diced
1/3 cup barley
1-2 tsp dried cilantro
1 large can chicken, shredded
ground black pepper to taste
1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions:

  1. Combine everything but limes and bring to boil.
  2. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until vegetables are tender and barley cooked.
  3. Serve with limes and fresh cilantro.
Ryan’s Herbed Frittata

Ryan’s Herbed Frittata

My younger brother Ryan is one of the best cooks I know. For years he has delighted us with such dishes as roasted rack of lamb with caramelized walnuts, chicken curry with lime and cilantro or dark chocolate filled croissants.

These days Ryan divides his time between Paris and Amsterdam, but this week we get him all to ourselves for days on end of old movies, games and LOTS of happy eating.

As much as we love his razzle-dazzle, knock-your-socks-off food, sometimes it’s the simple ones that are truly comforting.

Frittata and Coffee

My brother Ryan making breakfast for the family

Saturday morning he gathered all manner of lovely bits together for a fabulous frittata. He finely chopped onion, peppers and bacon, frying them up into caramelized goodness. Then added heavy cream, eggs and chopped fresh herbs.

He stirred and simmered the lot for a minute or two, then let it sit a bit until almost firm. Finally he topped the egg mixture with chopped cherry tomatoes and herbed feta cheese and slid the pan into the oven to finish cooking and brown the top.

Frittata

Sweet tomatoes, fresh herbs and sharp cheese

Finally it was done, browned and beautiful, perfect with a slice of hot buttered raisin toast.

Pan-baked Frittata

Raisin Toast

Ryan’s Herbed Frittata

Ingredients:

1/2 onion diced fine
1/2 red bell pepper diced fine
1/4 cup crumbled bacon bits
1/4 cup cream
8 large eggs
2 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs such as rosemary and parsley
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 ounces herbed feta cheese

Directions:

  1. Saute onion, bell pepper and bacon until vegetables are soft.
  2. Beat eggs, herbs and cream together and add to pan, stirring gently to heat through. Let sit in pan over low-medium heat until mostly solid.
  3. Top with cherry tomatoes and feta cheese and place under broiler for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and eggs are set.
  4. Serve hot with toast.
A Little Dash Of Canada in Thanksgiving

A Little Dash Of Canada in Thanksgiving

For as long as I can remember, Nanaimo Bars have been a feature at every family holiday dessert table. The mere mention of the name can cause my overseas brothers to groan in jealous delight. 🙂

They come from my homeland of Canada and are devilish little morsels, chock full of butter and chocolate and more butter.

So on this most American of holidays, I wish my Yankee friends HAPPY THANKSGIVING and share a little treat from our Canadian Thanksgiving holidays.

Nanaimo Bars

Nanaimo Bars

Nanaimo Bars

Bottom Layer:
1/2 cup softened butter
1/4 cup white sugar
5 tablespoons Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa
1 large egg, beaten
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup shredded coconut

Middle Layer:
1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons vanilla pudding powder
2 cups powdered sugar

Topping:
4 ounces dark chocolate
1/4 cup butter

Directions:

Bottom Layer:

  • Melt first 3 ingredients in top of double boiler or heavy saucepan.
  • Add egg & stir to cook & thicken.
  • Remove from heat.
  • Stir in remaining ingredients& press firmly into an ungreased 9 x 9-inch pan.

Middle Layer:

  • Cream all ingredients together; beat until light.
  • Spread over bottom layer.

Topping:

  • Melt chips & butter over low heat; cool.
  • When cooled but still runny, spread over middle layer.
  • Chill in refrigerator. Use a very sharp knife to cut into squares.
Southern With A Dash of Swedish

Southern With A Dash of Swedish

Once a week I join a group of friends for Culinary Experimentation Club. It started out with five of us, formed after the season finale of “24” left us with free Monday evenings. 🙂 Over the months new foodies have swelled our ranks to 13 on an average night.

It is such a jolly time, everyone arriving with armloads of ingredients, visiting amiably over glasses of wine as we stir, chop, roast and finally, EAT!

We are a motley crew of musicians, artists, computer techies, writers, students, and salesmen. Many of us were strangers until Culinary Experimentation Club brought us together, and for some of us, this night is the only time our lives intersect.

In our regular lives we face divorces, single-parenting, heartbreak, and turmoil of faith, but this weekly gathering is a safe haven, a place to love and be loved and divulge as little or as much as we like. Outside world tensions ease as we sip our drinks, discuss recipes, and sneak bits of each others creations when no one (or everyone!) is looking.

I love these people.

This week we chose a Southern theme, adding a dash of Swedish to keep things interesting.

Toby started off the evening with a gorgeous cheese platter and beautiful apple flower, while Cameron braved the rain-storm to find some alder in the woods to smoke flank steak and brisket.

Cheese Platter

Cheese Platter

 

Apple Flower

Apple Flower

 

Smoked Brisket

Smoked Brisket

Darren made homemade creamed corn in the crock pot and prosciutto wrapped asparagus in the smoker.

Prosciutto-wrapped Asparagus

Prosciutto-wrapped Asparagus

Kat’s friend Serena made a crispy coleslaw zesty with lime juice and fresh cilantro.
Coleslaw

My brother and I made savory Swedish mashed potatoes, rich with ricotta cheese. Kat whipped up spicy gluten-free hush puppies and, with Mike’s hammer expertise, made a pan of fudge dotted with smashed candy canes.

Southern Cooking

 

Cooking Club Southern

(Clockwise from top left) Ryan, Kat, Mike, Cameron, Krista, Darren, Toby

Twas a delicious evening!

Swedish Mashed Potatoes

12 large potatoes
12 garlic cloves
1 stick butter
2 tsp garlic powder
15 oz tub ricotta cheese
15 oz tub sour cream
1 bunch scallions, sliced
paprika

Boil potatoes with garlic cloves until potatoes are tender. Mash potatoes, garlic and remaining ingredients. Spread mixture into buttered 9″ by 13″ pan, sprinkle with paprika and bake at 375 for 45 minutes until golden brown.

Paris Crêpes and the Luxembourg Gardens

Paris Crêpes and the Luxembourg Gardens

Next to making and sharing delicious food, traveling is my favorite pastime. I gladly give up movies, new clothes and such, and put every spare penny towards plane tickets, hotel rooms and oh so fabulous meals.

This fall I spent a couple of weeks in Paris visiting family and dear friends. One brisk afternoon my friend Amy and I donned coats and scarves and set off for the Jardin de Luxembourg, instantly slowing to a saunter as we entered the gates.

Luxembourg Garden Lady

Wide, leaf-strewn gravel paths meandered past twisted old trees, around great stretches of green grass bordered in short, scalloped iron fencing. At the center of nearly every grassy place was an intricately carved marble statue, its base festooned with flowers, the lawns dotted with fallen leaves.

 

It was lunchtime and clusters of teenagers parked themselves on chairs, benches and even the pathways to eat their meal, laughing, talking and smoking happily in the warm fall sunshine. Here and there an artist sat in the sun, capturing the autumnal beauty in chalk or paint. Well-dressed women sat alone with their thoughts, or shared them animatedly with a friend. My favorites were the elderly couples, the women in heels, dresses and wool coats, the men in dress pants and overcoats, both wearing hats, strolling hand in hand along the winding pathways.

Luxembourg Gardens fence

We emerged from the park ages later, our hearts richly satisfied with the beauties we’d seen, and walked towards the Pantheon. By this time our stomachs were crying out for victuals, and we spotted a crêperie across the road. We had the cheeriest waiter, a young fellow about 22 who behaved as though nothing pleased him more than to see his customers happy.

He seated us outside at a tiny round table and brought us flat water and our buckwheat crêpes of choice. I chose a savory one filled with white ham, Emmental cheese, tomato and fried egg, while Amy indulged her sweet tooth with Nutella, banana and coconut. The crêpes were amazing – delectably crisp yet chewy, with fresh and flavorful fillings. Ooeee, SO good on a cold day! 🙂

Ham and Cheese Crepe

They were delicious, so earthy, rich and hearty that within a day or two we were positively craving them!

We found another crêperie down a twisting side street and were directed to a teensy table by the window with two round-seated wooden chairs. Within a few minutes it was packed to the gills with locals – nary a tourist to be seen – so we were quite proud of our choice. 🙂 Amy’s crêpe was filled with melty, caramelized pears and I had a buckwheat one with cheese, ham and egg topped with a fabulous green salad with a vinegary dressing that dripped down onto the crepe. Deeeelicious!

French Crepes

Wanting to replicate these beauties at home, I experimented with flour and milk and came up with my own version that I love. I hope you will too!

Buckwheat Crepes

Ingredients:

2 cups coconut milk
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
3/4 cup flour
3 large eggs

Directions:

  1. Mix all ingredients in non-metal bowl and let sit overnight.
  2. Heat non-stick pan over medium-high heat.
  3. Use 1/4 batter per crepe, pour into pan and tilt to cover bottom. When nearly set, flip and brown other side for 10-30 seconds. Repeat until batter is used up.
  4. (The first couple of crepes may be flops – mine always are – but you’ll get the hang of it in no time.)
  5. Spread warm (or cold!) crepes with Nutella or top with shredded ham and Swiss cheese and heat until cheese is melted.