Food | Travel | Family | Life
March 21st marks the Persian New Year, Navroz (Nowruz). It is a festival celebrated in many Muslim communities and cultures. Dried fruits, nuts and grains are distributed symbolising blessings of abundance and sustainance.*
We wish everyone a very happy New Year filled with peace, happiness and lots of love.
~SFQ
* Wheat – strength, Sweet – happiness,love and affection, dried fruit – long life, raising – good health, nuts – intelligence, mint – curing disease, cloves – pleasure of life.
I love March. It’s a month of many birthdays. My dad’s, my father-in-laws, nieces, nephews, friends …and mine. As much as I hate getting older, I do take the time to celebrate my big day. Actually, I celebrate the week! I have a whole lot of pampering lined up – massage, facial, mani, pedi, hair – it’s going to be a great week.
March for me is about indulgence. We had friends over recently and indulged in this chocolate cream pot. A creamy chocolate pudding with nutella whipping cream. It’s so easy to make. The hard part is letting it refrigerate for a few hours. Definitely worth the wait.
Chocolate Pots de Creme with Nutella Whip
Adapted from Claire Robinson’s 5 Ingredient Fix
4 oz chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tsp sugar
1 TB nutellaPreheat the oven to 325 degrees. Put the chocolate into a heat-proof bowl. Heat the cream and sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Whisk until sugar is dissolved. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Put the yolks in a small bowl; while whisking, add a small amount of the warm chocolate mixture to temper the yolks. Whisk the yolk mixture into the chocolate until well combined. Pour into a large baking dish and place it into a high-sided baking dish. You can use 4 ramekins instead of one large dish if you prefer. Fill the pan with boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the chocolate-filled bowl and transfer to the oven. Bake until the custard is set but slightly jiggly, about 45 minutes. When the custard is at room temperature, refrigerate for a few hours.
Whip the remaining cream with the sugar until firm peak form. Add the nutella and whip for a bit more. Serve the cooled custard topped with the whip.
To celebrate Valentine’s Day, hubby and I chose to have dinner at Ruth’s Chris. We had been to one Ruth’s Chris in Vegas a couple of years ago but we hadn’t tried the Calgary location. We had heard such a range of reviews, we just had to check it out for ourselves.
For Valentine’s Day, Ruth’s Chris was offering up their date night menu – an appetizer to share, an entree each, a dessert to share and wine for $99. It was a good thing we had reservations because the place was busy! The restaurant, located in the Tower Centre, was on the 2nd floor and had a good view of downtown. Ruth’s Chris provided parking in the Tower Centre.
To start, we settled on the mushrooms stuffed with crabmeat. There were four mushrooms and the crab stuffing was pretty good. We were also served garlic bread and cheese bread, both of which were delicious and we had inhaled them long before our steaks arrived.
For our mains, I ordered the 8 oz petit filet and hubby ordered the 12 oz new york strip. The steaks came sizzling to the table in butter, how could that not be good! The petit filet was perfect if you were looking for meat that was soft and melted in your mouth. For flavour, the new york strip was the way to go. By ordering one of each, we had the best of both worlds.
We were able to order two sides to go along with our meals. We ordered the sauteed mushrooms and the mashed potatoes. Unfortunately, the sides were bland and disappointing. The mushrooms tasted like they were straight from a can.
To finish off our meal, we chose the creme brulee. Creme brulee is one of those desserts that we order every chance we get. This was one of the best brulees we have had! The sugar topping was light and delicate and the custard was creamy.
All in all, we enjoyed our meal. Except for the sides, the food was good. The service, which is a huge factor for me, was really good. Our waiter was very attentive and even the manager came to every table to ensure that everything was going well. We will definitely go back for the steak!
It’s been a long week and as tempting as it was to grab take out, I had to resist. We had a busy weekend ahead and I knew we would be eating out. I decided it was time to start cleaning out my freezer. With a wedding in the family coming up in the summer, I had a feeling we would need some space in there. I was happy to find some scallops and jumbo prawns but couldn’t think of any side to make with it. We had finished most of our produce and rice just didn’t appeal to me. Rummaging through the fridge, I did notice that we had an abundance of eggs and spinach….scrambled eggs, why not?
After making the seafood, I felt that it really needed some kind of sauce. The lemon butter sauce I threw together with garlic was just the right flavours needed to top off the scallops and prawns.
The combination was perfect! Comfort and decadence on one plate.
Seared Scallops and Prawns
6 sea scallops
6 jumbo prawns
olive oil
salt
pepper
2 TB butter
2 TB lemon juice
1 garlic clove
Pat the seafood dry and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a hot pan and sear until cooked. Once seafood has been removed from the pan, add the butter, lemon juice and garlic. Pour sauce over seafood and enjoy.
When I need whipping cream for a recipe, I can’t help but buy the large 1L size, even if I just need a cup. It just makes economical sense. I know, I need help. That means that as the best before date approaches, I’m scrambling trying to find something to make with the whipping cream. I was happy when Julie posted this easy scone recipe that uses whipping cream instead of butter! In five minutes, the batter was mixed and dropped onto cookie sheets. The warm scones were perfect with homemade blueberrry jam. They were so good, they didn’t last very long.
The recipe can be found at the Family Kitchen. Thanks Julie!
Hard to believe it’s almost been 2 years since our last visit to Geneva. My sister worked there for a few years and it’s been one of my favorite places to visit. The history, the lake, the chocolate, and of course, the food! The one thing that stands out, besides all the chocolate, is the pain au chocolat aux amandes. The day that we left for our swiss train ride, my sister ran to a nearby bakery and surprised us with these goodies. Croissants filled with almonds and chocolate, sinfully delicious! I’ve been addicted to these ever since. She has even brought them over on a few of her visits.
I’ve been thinking about these lately and just had to have one. We have some great bakeries in Calgary where one can easily find pain au chocolat or an almond croissant. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find one that sold the combination. I figured I would try my hand at it, a perfect project when cooped up at home with a cold.
When searching for recipes, most called for marzipan as the filling for the almond croissant. Not willing to leave my house, I threw a few things together to make an almond paste. To make things a little easier, I pulled out one of my favorite ingredients from the freezer – puff pastry! Come to any party of mine and you will be sure to find something made with this buttery dough.
The result was a wonderful substitution for the croissant from Geneva. A flaky buttery crust filled with chocolate and a subtle hint of almonds. A delicious but dangerous snack to have around.
Pain au Chocolat aux Amandes
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3 TB softened butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 TB flour
puff pastry
chocolate chips
egg whites, for egg wash
sliced almonds, for topping
icing sugar, for dusting
Combine the first six ingredients to make a paste. Roll out the puff pastry and cut into rectangles, approximately 8 rectangles per sheet. Spread almond paste on each rectangle. At the edge of each rectangle, put a line of chocolate chips, roll over once and add another row of chocolate. Roll the puff pastry to the end and place on parchment paper, seam side down. Brush the tops of rolled pastries with egg wash and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 40 minutes. Dust each with icing sugar.
Dhokro is a savoury steamed cake and is perfect for a quick snack or a cup of chai. This version is made with semolina and flavoured with garlic and spices.
Happy Valentine’s Day! With my birthday being next month and our anniversary the month after, we aren’t big on store-bought gifts. I remember our first Valentine’s Day, I made my honey some home-made truffles. Hard to believe that was eight years ago! It was definitely time to make the truffles again.
People always seem impressed when you make chocolates but it really is so easy! It’s also messy, so be prepared to get your hands dirty. My favorite combo is chocolate with roasted almonds but any topping will work – sprinkles, dusted cocoa, even icing sugar.
Chocolate Truffles
8 oz. chocolate chips or squares
1/2 cup whipping cream
chocolate chips, melted
toppings (nuts, sprinkles, cocoa, etc.)
Over a double boiler, melt the chocolate and whipping cream. Refrigerate the resulting ganache for a few hours. With a melon baller, scoop out little balls from the chocolate and refrigerate again. Take the scoops of chocolate and make them into round balls with the palms of your hand. Dip the balls of chocolate first into the melted chocolate and then into the topping of your choice. Enjoy!
Any excuse for my toddler and I to make cookies together, we take it. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we just had to make cookies to celebrate. Q gets up on the counter and helps pour things into the mixing bowl, watching as everything is incorporated. His favorite part is decorating, especially when sprinkles are involved.
These are cookies from my childhood. Almond cookies shaped into crescents. Sometimes topped with icing sugar, sometimes dipped in chocolate and nuts. Not too sweet, they are perfect with a cup of chai.
We dipped the ends of these ones into chocolate and covered them in heart-shaped sprinkles. A delicious surprise for all of Q’s little friends.
Almond Crescent Cookies
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup finely ground almonds
1 1/2 cups flour
Beat the sugar and margarine until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix. Next add the almonds and flour until the dough comes together. Make dough into a disk and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Take rounds of dough and shape them into crescents. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Makes 1 1/2 dozen cookies.
Chocolate – it’s a huge weakness of mine. It’s rare for a day to go by without me having it in some form. I was so happy when I rediscovered these chocolate fiber muffins. I found the recipe years ago and it was a favorite of mine, but somehow got lost and forgotten. I recently found it on my old computer and it has been a staple the last few weeks. Chocolate muffins that are good for you! These are filled with fiber and have no butter or margarine. These muffins are dense and filling and with their chocolately goodness, I don’t know who likes it better, me or my toddler. I substituted half the batch with mint chocolate chips making it a good substitute for my peppermint hot chocolate which I rarely have these days. I wish I knew where this recipe came from – the creator of this recipe deserves A LOT of credit.
Chocolate Fiber Muffins
1/2 cup cocoa
3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 TB baking powder
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups water
3 cups All Bran Cereal
2 egg whites
2/3 cup chocolate chips (or mint chocolate chips)
Put cereal in water and set aside. Mix all dry ingredients with a whisk. Combine cereal, dry mixture, egg whites and vanilla and mix well with a mixer. Fold in chocolate chips.
Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes. Makes 24 muffins.
