November 2011
1 post
7 tags
Caramel-Walnut Apple Crumble for ONE
Desserts are always for four or more, but what if you’re trying to be good and you want JUST ONE portion?
Well, here’s how the apple crumble I made last night shakes down.
It’s based on a Jamie Oliver recipe. I just cook it slightly different to get a “caramel sauce” and used what I had the in house.
This is using a Mini Cocotte to cook one person’s crumble...
October 2011
2 posts
7 tags
Autumn on a Plate & In a Bowl: Root Veggies 2 Ways
Nothing says autumn like root vegetables, some say.
They’re cheap, hearty, and go with most yummy things.
Being just me at home, I get bored of leftovers, so it’s better for me now if I can make one dish one night and turn it into another on the next night. Sunday’s when I get food ready for the week, so if I have a dish on Friday or Saturday and can reinvent it Sunday? WIN.
...
11 tags
Kick-Ass Black Bean & Pork Slow Cooker Chili
Life is hectic, as you’ve probably gathered from my lack of posting here.
So, all right, let’s talk food.
I’ve had a slowcooker for years and never liked ‘em. Lately, life’s hectic, as I said, so I’d like to rethink the slowcooker on occasion, and see if I can make it work for me. This recipe? A successful start.
I’m also getting started on a...
May 2011
1 post
11 tags
Pork, Capicollo, & Asparagus Sandwich
Sandwiches. I never really got it. If it wasn’t some open-faced broil version with bubbly cheese or a nod to the ever-loved burger, I wasn’t interested. I never had a club sandwich or Monte Cristo until my 36th year. Recently, I’ve started to “get” it. The sandwich, it seems, can be a noble platform for edible creativity. I’m in. Here’s last...
April 2011
2 posts
12 tags
Rainy Day Sandwich: The Slow-Food Bacon-And-Tomato...
I knew my friend Mark was coming by to fetch his on-loan-for-18-months BBQ, which I safeguarded in a food-of-love way while his leaky condo complex underwent massive renovations.
So, when I was shopping yesterday, I was fixated on 2 things — the steak I wanted for dinner, and the eggs I wanted for breakfast.
I completely forgot about supper TONIGHT.
In a “what the hell have I...
March 2011
1 post
7 tags
Rustic Dinners: Italian Beans with Sausages
This is one of my regular meals — I probably make it 3-6 times a year, and I make a huge batch so I can freeze it for work meals, serve it to friends with brunches, whatever.
I’ve never done it with a recipe, it’s just something I throw together. The amount of onions and peppers changes every time, this time it’s really veggie-heavy because that’s where my...
February 2011
1 post
7 tags
World's Cheapest Lunch Factory: Curried Chicken...
This is pretty much a 25-lunches-for-25-dollars kind of recipe, and really takes an afternoon to get it together, mostly because assembling wraps is a pain in the ass.
But, once you get THAT done, then you’re rocking, because then you’ll have between 20 and 25 wraps hanging out in your freezer. Grab one before work, microwave it for 90 seconds or so, you’re set with a...
October 2010
2 posts
8 tags
7 tags
My Best Bolognese
This is based upon the Food TV Network’s Best of cookbook’s recipe for Bolognese.
All ingredients are an approximation, based on my best recollection.
Don’t follow recipes to the T anyhow, not when it’s “cooking”. Baking is different, that’s science. Cooking, however, is art, because every ingredient from every seller tastes different, and YOU, the COOK,...
September 2010
1 post
13 tags
The BEST Onion Gravy Ever: For Bangers & Mash
Earlier this week, I had my dear friend Jon over for dinner. Jon was born in Britain, so he’s got a pretty soft spot for all things British, and I figured, with chicken drippings left from a roast in my fridge, French herb pork sausages in the freezer, and lots of in-season new Yukon potatoes in the fridge, there’d be nothing to serve him better than Bangers & Mash.
Next time you...
August 2010
3 posts
10 tags
Gnocchi with Bacon, Peas, & Sage
Here’s a really easy one I did tonight.
Gnocchi with bacon, peas, and sage is a pretty infamous combination, and rightly so. There’s just something awesome about it, and it’s perfect end-of-summer food, since the peas are plentiful, sage needs pickin’, and the gnocchi’s light-but-heavy.
So, here’s my lowkey version that took 15 minutes to pull off, and is a...
7 tags
Summer Harvest Garlic-Tomato Sauce for Pasta
Some believe the simpler you keep food, with the freshest ingredients, the better your offerings will be. Sometimes, I absolutely agree.
This is an example.
First, I made my basic tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes, then I kicked it up with lots of extras in Phase II. Unlike the fancy folk who want you to remove the skins from tomatoes, I see them as being part of the health and I really...
10 tags
Clay Pot Chicken Stew
My brother came for dinner last night, the day after I put together this claypot chicken from Canadian Living Magazine.
I thought straight-up leftovers would be okay, but bland, and decided to kick it up and turn it into an awesome stew. Next time, I’ll roast the chicken but then take the time to finish it off like THIS, because the difference is pretty WOW and really took me by surprised.
...
April 2010
1 post
10 tags
Almost Fat-Free Banana Muffins
Buying baked goods is about the most destructive thing you can do. A homemade Rice Krispy square? Probably 250 calories. Bought? Closer to 400 - 500.
What do they do? They add more sugar, more fat, and then to hide the extra sugar and fat, they use salt and other flavour additives to keep their evil secrets.
Buy a commercial muffin — MOST are way off the charts with their contents....
November 2009
2 posts
3 tags
Blueberry-Oatmeal Pancakes
These are the lightest, fluffiest pancakes, considering how damned much fibre’s in ‘em. They taste friggin’ awesome. I got them out of a sports nutrition book years ago.
The trick is, letting the oatmeal sit in the buttermilk/yogurt for a while. I think the acids break it down and you get the fibre but not the texture as much.
For 6 x 6” pancakes (so I half the batch pour...
Chicken Pot Pie? My Tips
I buy a couple of the small store-roasted birds when I’m trying to simplify things a little. About 2+ lbs of meat is good.
I make my own stock. This is why people “have a moment” when they eat my pot pie — I take it seriously and invest my time in getting the base right. Without good sauce, what’s the point?
I fill a dutch oven with the bones of 2 x 2lb roasted...
October 2009
2 posts
Budget Beater: The Mighty Bean
If you want a healthy, filling staple to eat all winter long, get to love your local bean. Packed with protein and complex carbohydrates, the Mighty Bean can do everything from creating great dips and spreads to beefing up your favourite stews.
People think canned beans, at a buck or so for a couple cups of hydrated, cooked beans is a steal. But you’d be wrong. You can save yourself 70% or...
August 2009
3 posts
10 tags
Caramelized Peppers Pasta
I quite enjoyed this pasta. It’s light, tasty. Good. It’s a slight detour from the recipe found in Homecooking: Shortcuts to Success by Franco (Silverback Books). I’ve increased both the garlic and the balsamic. The former should be obvious, but the balsamic is to both embolden the sweetness of the onions as well as cut through it. Balsamic, nectar of the gods.
A word? When...
5 tags
Indian Chicken Pizza
This is something I’ll be doing with leftover tandoori chicken in the future, as it’s really tasty. I got the idea off my friend, who does a variation of this, but this is how I’ve had mine.
Everything’s storebought, I’m afraid, but it’s an easy cop-out that’s different, and at least it’s not a processed meal.
I got my naan bread from Canadian...
7 tags
Artichoke, Shallot, and Chicken Sausage Egg...
This serves one hungry Steff for breakfast. I do many variations of eggs with onions, and I just can’t get enough of it. They HAVE to be caramelized to work with eggs, I feel. You could also make this as a frittata. See the note at the bottom.
1 chicken or turkey sausage (I used chicken-apple, I would suggest one with Italian, Mediterranean, herbed, or sweet seasonings) 1 large shallot,...
July 2009
2 posts
7 tags
Gazpacho My Way -- All Fresh
I’m weirded out when I see complicated gazpacho recipes involving non-fresh things like chicken stock or canned tomato juice a la Mott’s.
I used to use canned tomato juice, but I honestly prefer my gazpacho the way I’m going to share with you — devoid of all that processed stuff or the unecessary stock.
If, however, you want a more liquidy gazpacho than the chunky thick...
The Perfect Sunday End-of-Vacation Dinner
Upon being gifted a bottle of the amazing Black Cloud Wine 2006 Pinot Noir, I decided a nice swank bottle of wine deserved some scheming to create a perfect meal for complementing it.
I decided I wanted a bread salad, since I had leftover beautiful artisan baguette that could be useful, and quickly referred to my extensive collection of cookbooks. I decided I would go for Jamie Oliver’s...
June 2009
8 posts
4 tags
Chopped Chicken Salad with Tarragon-Lemon Dressing
I’ve made a monster bowl of this, but a single serving shown below, based on something I saw in the Williams-Sonoma cookbook, Cooking for Yourself, which is one of my favourites and geared to single people.
This, however, should make 4 good servings.
2 cups shredded cabbage 2 cups shredded savoy cabbage 1 yellow & red pepper, each chopped 4 spring onions, julienned 1 red onion,...
4 tags
Cardiac Attack on a Plate: Carbonara
For one hungry soon-to-be-fat person.
Oh, shudder. Sigh. This shouldn’t be so easy to make ‘cos it’s fucking awesome but horribly bad for you. I don’t eat shit like this anymore, so I’m pretty disappointed that I just did. But, oh, it was good. It’s the quick-and-easy way. Not sure it’s very authentic.
Pasta Carbonara
- 3 slices good bacon, chopped - 3...
A Cheese & Cracker to Die For
Today, Vancouver’s cheese omniscient, Les Amis Du Fromage, (heart-heart-heart) had their grand opening on East Hastings today, and I went with a friend and nom-nom-nommed on the limited samplings that held me off for the next six hours.
I put out an elaborate spread with six cheeses, three kinds of crackers, three meats, and three fruits. The combination that stole both my best...
4 tags
Curry & Currant Hummus
This is a knock-off of a local producer who makes FANTASTIC stuff that I a) cannot afford to buy and b) can’t quite mimic. If you can afford it, support The Bean Boy. You can find him at Farmers’ Markets in Vancouver, and in the interior where he lives. I can’t find an official site, but here’s some info on him.
So, my less-than-awesome knock-off that doesn’t cost ME...
9 tags
Fast & Fiery Tomato-Garlic Pasta Sauce
This is a classic easy recipe I learned off of PBS years ago. Friends have often loved it and I was reminded of it yesterday, but haven’t had it in a few years. This is my adaptation of it, since the original never used wine. And, naturally, when it’s Italian, wine NEVER hurts.
With campari tomatoes selling at the ridiculous price of .79 a pound, I stocked up, and this is the result.
...
2 tags
Authentic Tzatziki & The Prep Secrets You Need to...
I used to hate cucumbers. That’s changed. As a result, I love tzatziki now, and have used it often on everything from burgers to felafel pitawiches.
Storebought tzatziki’s shit compared to the real deal, and this is why I make my own. Most recipes you’ll find, too, are NOT technically correct. If the recipe doesn’t say to strain the yogurt before you make this, then...
Spanish Banks Beach Barbecue Tweetup!
[This is my recipe blog. My “real” blog is Smut & Steff, where I tackle wholly different subject matter from real politics to sexual politics to lil’ ol’ me.]
Vancouver Tweetup’s website is broken so I’m using this as a place to whore tomorrow’s Barbecue Tweetup at the beach.
Myself and OLMMark will be at the far west end of Spanish Banks, around the...
5 tags
Summery Nights: Tomato, Asparagus, & Bocconcini...
This is the quick-and-easy summer salad that’s delicious with grilled meats or just some crusty bread on a hot night.
I made this without herbs tonight, hence the less green snapshot, but I’d normally put a fair bit of basil, cut in a nice chiffonade, into this salad. Or even maybe tarragon. It needs a little extra salt without herbs, though, so I dusted mine with pink Himalayan...
May 2009
2 posts
Weekend Breakfast: The Art of Bacon, & an Egg...
Here’s my egg scramble I’m doing today.
This is a generous portion for one very hungry Steff who underate yesterday and has a monster bikeride on tap today. But it starts my day off with nearly three servings of vegetables, which is good, but then it’s got BACON, and that’s a fucking great start to any day.
Here’s my thang.
BACON, CHERRY TOMATO, GREEN ONION,...
My Caribbean-Style Black-Bean Salad
HI! Welcome to my new Tumbler log. I’ll be using this to post the recipes that I mention in my Tweets. You might wanna read my “real” blog at Smut & Steff because, well, it’s a good one.
Tonight I decided I’d try making a Caribbean-inspired black-bean salad. I’d tried to find a recipe with ingredients I felt like using, but that was a bust, so I winged it,...
