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sweets for my sweetie on valentine’s day

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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!

redwater grille’s shrimp – delicious!

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A few weeks ago, we went to Redwater Grille to celebrate a friend’s birthday.  I started my meal with an appetizer of Pan Roasted Wild Shrimp in a garlic chili butter.  The dish was so amazing and I thought about it for days.  I had to find the recipe. 

Thanks to Google, I discovered the menu was created by Ned Bell, who was the corporate chef of the Vintage Group who owns Redwater Grille.  I happen to come across the recipe on someone’s personal website, under a different name – I was thrilled!  I made the shrimp for our Progressive Dinner and my husband commented that the sauce would go great with pasta.  This past weekend, I pulled out my new pasta machine and tried my hand at fettucine.  The wholewheat noodles were perfect to sop up the tasty sauce.

Ned Bell’s Wild West Prawns

3 TB olive oil
30 peeled jumbo shrimp
2 TB minced garlic
1/4 cup dice red bell pepper
1 cup cherry tomotoes, quartered
2 TB chili powder
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup cream
8 ounces butter, cut into cubes
salt
pepper
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

Heat oil in a pan until almost smoking hot.  Add the shrimp and sear for 30 seconds or until they start to turn golden brown.  Remove the shrimp and add the garlic, red pepper and tomatoes to the pan.  Saute for about 1 minute or until the garlic browns slightly.  Stir in the chili powder, cook 30 seconds and add the wine.  Bring to a boil and add the cream and butter.

Reduce the sauce for about 2 minutes, or until it is thick enough to coat a spoon.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and mix in green onions and cilantro.  Return the shrimp to the pan, warm through, and serve immediately.

a night at NOtaBLE

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My husband has a new job.  For the past few years, hubby has been a construction project manager, working on office buildings, supermarkets and large box stores.  I am excited about his new venture with LUX Group where he will be in charge of building restaurants and coffee shops.  Yes, food establishments.  Hooray!

Hubby’s new boss B and his girlfriend M (who it turns out I went to high school with!) were kind enough to take us out for dinner at NOtaBLE, Michael Noble’s restaurant located on Bowness Road.  I had heard and read great things about the restaurant and was excited to check it out.

We weren’t able to make reservations for the day we went and the restaurant was busy – we did have to wait about 30 minutes for a table.  We were quite hungry by the time we were seated and went straight for the main course.  I ordered the char-grilled and braised lamb shank served with chanterelle mushroom and asiago risotto.  It was a great choice.  The lamb was moist and the risotto was creamy and delicious.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Hubby ordered the whole grilled sea bream with lemon, thyme, and red wine butter sauce.  Our server offered to debone the fish for him, although he didn’t take her up on the offer.  The fish was moist and very tasty.

There weren’t a lot of vegetarian options for M but the kitchen was kind enough to make her gnocci with assorted veggies which she seemed to enjoy.  B ordered the New York steak which looked juicy and tender.

We had to of course order dessert.  The double baked chocolate cake was served warm with a scoop of chocolate sorbet and was delicious!  B ordered the stilton cheesecake and enjoyed it even though he didn’t like blue cheese.  The cheesecake was served with a rhubarb compote.

Michael Noble worked with B on the menu for Kayne’s so I did get an introduction after our meal.  He was even kind enough to take a picture with me.  We had a great time at NOtaBLE – great food and great company.

NOtaBLE on Urbanspoon

garlicky tomato and avocado bruschetta

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We have been lucky in the last couple of weeks to enjoy some great October weather.  We took advantage of this last week and went to Canmore for the day.  We had lunch at Luna Blue and enjoyed a feast of garlic with bruschetta, pizza and pasta.

I had good friends coming over for a lasagna dinner and I needed a quick appetizer to go along with it.  The garlicky bruschetta from the week before had been on my mind and I figured it would be the perfect starter.  I added an avocado to the mix which added some texture and made the bruschetta creamy.  It was a hit, even with the little ones.



Garlicky Tomato & Avocado Bruschetta

3 tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 TB olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
bunch of basil, chopped
salt
pepper

baguette, sliced
olive oil for drizzling

Slice the baguette on the diagonal and place on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and bake until toasted.

Mix the ingredients for the brushcetta.  Let stand for 10 minutes.  Top the toasted baguettes with the mixture and enjoy!

garlic lemon shrimp orzo

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As much as I love cooking, sometimes after a long day at work, the last thing I want is to spend time in the kitchen.  With a 20 month old though, its not always easy to grab some takeout that has the nutrition that is important in his diet.  This is one of my favorite dishes and it’s a quick and easy dish to prepare.  The starch from the orzo makes the dish creamy, like a faux risotto.  Q can be moody about food, and things he likes one day can be something he doesn’t touch the next.  This orzo is tasty and comforting and a dish that he never says no to.  This dish is inspired by Ina Garten’s Baked Shrimp Scampi.

Garlic Lemon Shrimp Orzo

1 pound of peeled, deveined shrimp
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 green onions, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
grated lemon zest
juice of 1/2 lemon
4 TB butter
2/3 cup panko
1/2 cup orzo, cooked
salt
pepper

Cook the shrimp in oil until almost cooked through. Add the garlic, onions, tomatoes, and lemon zest and stir.  Add in the lemon juice, butter and panko and stir until mixture becomes thick.  Add orzo and stir until combined.

sumo does good sushi

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It had been a long week and definitely a day to order in.  We needed something that would keep a picky 18 month old and a dieting hubby happy.  Sushi it was! 

We order sushi often from Sumo Grill in Sunridge Mall and enjoy doing take out so Q can thoroughly enjoy the sushi and we don’t need to worry about making a mess at the restaurant!  The sushi is fresh and the high quality of the food entices us to go back again and again.

We ordered spicy salmon rolls that were covered in a creamy sauce with some kick.  Q loved the simple avocado rolls and the delicious yam tempura rolls.  My favorite at any sushi place is dynamite rolls – filled with tempura shrimp, yummy!  The salmon and tuna sushi were melt in your mouth good.

Satisfying and delicious, can’t wait to have some more.

Sumo Grill Japanese Restaurant on Urbanspoon

pecan oatmeal cookies – another hit from the barefoot contessa

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Its no secret that one of my favorite channels is the Food Network.  I can sit for hours watching chefs turn ordinary ingredients into mouth watering creations.  One of my faves is Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa.  I have recreated her recipes many times, and they are always a hit.  Her recent episode “Outdoor Entertaining” featured Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies and they looked so good, I had to try them for myself.

I substituted the raisins for chocolate chips (gotta have the chocolate!) and found that these were the most delicious oatmeal cookies ever.  Another winning recipe from Ina!

Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies
(Adapted from Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa)

1 1/2 cups almonds
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.

Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together into a medium bowl. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Add the oats, raisins, and nuts and mix just until combined.

Using a small ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop 2-inch mounds of dough onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly with a damp hand. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned.

Transfer the cookies to a baking rack and cool completely.

Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad

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Watermelon, feta, mint….who knew combining sweet watermelon with creamy cheese and mint would taste so good. It’s amazing how well it works together – trust me.

After cold weather and a snow fall this month, it’s nice to finally have lovely May weather.  The weekend was spent outdoors. We enjoyed the plus 20 temperatures that we had eagerly been awaiting.  Sunday afternoon on the boat led to barbecuing indian spiced and korean bbq ribs. 

This watermelon, feta and mint salad was such a refreshing accompaniment to the meal.  This unexpected combination of sweet watermelon, creamy cheese accented with sweet red onions and mint definitely felt like “summer in a bowl”.  Take it to your next potluck – it will be the most talked about dish.

Update – August 2019 – My 5 year old helped me make this salad today. He was so confused about the addition of onions to his beloved watermelon. He would not try the salad but I was not upset about it. It just meant there was more for hubby and I to enjoy!

 

 
 
Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad
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Ingredients

  • 2 cups watermelon, cubed
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 10 mint leaves, sliced thinly
  • 1 TB red wine vinegar
  • Juice of 1/4 lemon
  • 2 TB olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Combine the watermelon, feta, onion and mint in a bowl.
  2. Combine the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and shake well.
  3. Pour the dressing over the watermelon. Enjoy!
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coo coo for kuku paka

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My husband loves indian food.  Its not one of my favorite things to cook but I do feel such a sense of accomplishment when I do and it turns out.  This past weekend, I made for the first time, kuku paka – chicken in a coconut curry sauce.  Chicken, tender potatoes and boiled eggs in a creamy yet mild curry – yum!

This was a hit with both husband and Q….definitely a make again meal.

Kuku Paka3 TB fried onion (or 1 small onion, sauteed)
3 pounds of chicken, cubed or in pieces
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/2 tsp each of garlic, ginger, cumin powder, coriander powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
4 potatoes, cubed
2 1/2 cups of water
2/3 pkg of pure creamed coconut mixed with 450 ml of water (you can use a can of coconut milk instead)
4 boiled eggs

Mix together the onions, chicken, tomatoes and spices and cook for a few minutes on medium heat.  Add the potatoes and water and cook on medium heat until chicken is done.  Add the coconut and continue cooking until the curry has reduced.  Add eggs.

Garnish with parsley or coriander.  Enjoy!