Of Muses and Meringues

Sweet potatoes

2012-02-12T15:03:00.000-05:00

On Valentine’s Day, many of us will be baking or buying sweets for our loved ones. And I’m no different. Andrew, the girls and I will have dinner at home on Tuesday (somewhere between a piano lesson and theory class), and I’ll make sure I end the meal with something sweet to make everyone happy.

But earlier in the day I’ll be serving a sweet that no one but me really likes. At lunchtime, I usually eat on my own, so it’s a good chance to make something that only I enjoy eating. And on Valentine’s Day, that will be sweet potatoes.

True, Andrew doesn’t mind sweet potatoes in small doses. For example, as a modest side dish to whatever the main course is. But he has never made a meal out of a sweet potato and a little salt, like I have. And he isn’t the one who wistfully reads sweet potato recipes and dreams of a day when her family will love them as she does.

I didn’t like them as a kid, which is why I still hope to convert my girls. Now, knowing all the health benefits and wonderful taste of sweet potatoes, I can’t imagine feeling any other way.

So for Valentine’s Day lunch, I'll make these delicious sweet potato rounds to enjoy by myself. And if my family is reading this post, I promise the most romantic thing of all – I won’t serve any of the leftovers to you.

"What's in a name? That which we call a yam

By any other name would taste as sweet."

(with apologies to Juliet Capulet)

Sweet Potatoes with Pecans, Goat Cheese and Celery

(adapted from smitten kitchen)

1 1/2 pounds sweet potato, scrubbed, unpeeled, in 3/4" coins

4 Tbsp olive oil, divided

1/4 cup toasted and cooled pecan halves

1 1/2 stalks celery

1 Tbsp dried cranberries

2 ounces firm goat cheese

salt

2 tsp red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp smooth Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat a large baking sheet generously with 1 to 2 Tbsp olive oil. Lay sweet potatoes in one layer on the oiled sheet and sprinkle with salt. Roast, without disturbing, for 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully flip each piece. Sprinkle with additional salt and return the pan to the oven for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the salad. Chop the pecan halves and the celery and mince the cranberries. Crumble the goat cheese and combine with other ingredients. In a small dish, whisk together 2 Tbsp olive oil with red wine vinegar and Dijon. Mix with the salad. Scoop a spoonful of salad over each sweet potato round and serve.

Thursday's Child: Duncan, British Columbia

2012-02-09T05:54:00.000-05:00

This month I’m writing about outdoor art that we’ve seen on our travels. One of these wonderful displays appears in our own country.

We won’t forget the totem poles in Duncan, a town on southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia. We visited in March 2002, on a trip to take the girls to visit their grandfather (my father-in-law) who was living in Nanaimo. The trip was memorable for several reasons. It was our younger daughter’s first airplane trip, and it was the first time either of the girls had seen the Pacific Ocean.

We stopped in Duncan on our way to Nanaimo and were rewarded by this amazing town dedicated to the art of the totem. With over eighty on display, Duncan is known as the Town of Totems. Some of them were carved by local native artists, such as the widest totem in the world, Cedar Man Holding Talking Stick, by First Nations artist Richard Hunt. Others have been purchased from elsewhere in Canada and across the world, coming from as far away as New Zealand. One totem was carved specifically in honour of Rick Hansen, the Man in Motion.

The day was uncharacteristically cold, so our trip was brisk. Andrew bought a duck hunter’s hat from a local outdoor shop in an attempt to keep warm, and perhaps to audition for a future totem. My youngest daughter insisted on leading the way for our family along the city’s yellow-footed path.

It's hard to believe that this visit happened ten years ago next month. Where does the time go? The little girls in this photo are now teenagers, and they've been on a number of plane trips. But no matter where their future travels take them, I'm sure they'll always remember the wonderful totem poles of Duncan, British Columbia.

Reconnecting

2012-02-05T06:12:00.000-05:00

I had lunch with an old friend this week, for the first time in twelve years.

It’s hard to say why it’s been so long. Ruth’s been pursuing a demanding career on one side of the city, and I’ve been raising children and writing books on the other side. When she left her job to start a consulting company this month, I suggested we meet for lunch. What was it like to see her after all those years? The time flew by, we didn’t stop talking, and we promised ourselves the next lunch would be much sooner.

Ruth and I met in Europe, both of us between university degrees and both on a Contiki tour for travellers between 18 and 35. Although I went by myself, so did many of the others and meeting people was incredibly easy. I kept a journal on that trip, and my first mention of Ruth was when a group of us went dancing one night in Rome.

Here’s what else Ruth and I shared on that trip:

1. She taught me one of my most important life skills ever – how to French braid my hair.

2. While we were in Munich, we shared strawberries from the market (cool) and caramel sundaes from McDonald’s (not so cool).

3. We sang “Tales From the Vienna Woods” while we passed through those woods, likely to the annoyance of the rest of our tour group. (I’m aware that “Tales From the Vienna Woods” has no actual lyrics, but that didn’t stop the performance.)

4. We sang songs from The Sound of Music on our way to the photo op at the von Trapp gazebo. Amazingly, no one kicked us off the bus.

5. We posed for a picture together in the Netherlands wearing traditional Dutch costume. Ruth looks adorable. I look like a tourist posing in an ill-fitting Dutch costume.

I’m not posting that photo, but we’re both in the photo above, in a loft in Switzerland. (I’m third from the left, Ruth is second from the right, and Jennifer, who lives in B.C. is on the far left.) And here’s a photo from this week.

The other thing we’ve always shared is a love of sweets. Ruth, I’m dedicating these Skor Bar Squares to you and to memories of Europe!

Skor Bar Squares (Caramel Crunch Bars)
(From Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours)

For the base:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 ounces premium-quality milk chocolate, finely chopped

For the topping:

6 ounces premium-quality milk chocolate, finely chopped

3/4 cup toffee bits or chopped Skor bars

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter a 9 x 13” pan or line with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

Beat the butter at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the sugars and beat for another 3 minutes, or until the mixture is light and creamy. Beat in the vanilla, then turn off the mixer. Add dry ingredients and stir by hand, just until they are almost incorporated. Add the chopped chocolate and mix only until the dry ingredients disappear. You’ll have a heavy, sticky dough. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan and spread it into a thin, even layer.

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes. Remove from oven and turn off the heat. Scatter the 6 ounces chopped chocolate evenly over the hot base and put the pan back in the (still warm) oven for about 3 minutes, until the chocolate is soft. Remove from the oven and immediately spread the chocolate over the bars, using the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the toffee bits over the chocolate and press down lightly with your fingertips. Let cool to room temperature, then remove from pan and cut into bars.

Thursday's Child: Vigeland Park, Oslo

2012-02-02T17:19:00.000-05:00

We've visited some great museums on our travels, but we've also seen beautiful art in unexpected places. This month I'm going to share some of the wonderful outdoor art we've seen.

Perhaps the photo I led with today can't be described as beautiful. Angry Boy is just one of the dozens of sculptures that populate Oslo's Vigeland Park, the world's largest sculpture park designed by a single artist. In the 1920s, noted sculptor Gustav Vigeland was granted a studio in exchange for his promise to donate all of his future work to the city, and Vigeland Park was the result.

The bridge that leads from the main gate to the fountains is lined by nearly sixty sculptures. Angry Boy is the most famous, his hand honed to a shine by the passersby who touch it for luck. (Anyone who has known a two year old is likely familiar with this pose.) Two of my favourite sculptures were Little Laughing Girl and Man Lifting Girl With One Arm, both pictured below. In this section of the park, Vigeland depicted people in relationships and showing emotions.

But the bridge was just the beginning. Once we crossed it, the park opened into an enormous fountain surrounded by more sculptures depicting the stages of life: childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age.

The monolith behind the fountain is a 57 foot (17.4 metre) high statue carved from a single granite block. Vigeland took a year to carve a full-size replica in clay before tackling the granite. This sculpture depicts a writhing mass of humanity, all apparently struggling to get to the top. No Happy Little Girl here.

Almost as striking as the sculptures were the gardens and small fountains scattered throughout the park.

We spent a couple of hours strolling through this glorious park, admiring Vigeland's artwork. It was truly one of the highlights of Oslo!

Healthy Eating

2012-01-29T14:12:00.000-05:00

If you've been reading my blog all month, you'll notice that the recipes have been a little healthier lately. With the exception of last week's teenager-produced chocolate cake (and how could I not have written about that?), this month's output has consisted of three soups and a vegetarian pot pie. And today I'll be rounding off January with roasted vegetables served on barley.

I hope that January kicks off a year of healthy eating in the Pollock house. Although we do try to eat well, you wouldn't know it from the cornucopia of dessert recipes I post. And my promise for 2012 is this: at least as many non-dessert recipes as sweets.

Let me leave you with this delicious and healthy recipe for Balsamic Roasted Vegetables and Barley. This has everything that a healthy recipe should, including the most important thing: great flavour. If you eat this, you won't feel like you're giving anything up.

Balsamic Roasted Vegetables and Barley

(adapted from Brick Kitchen)

For the roasted vegetables:

2 – 3 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch thick half moons

1 small red onion, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices

1 large red pepper, chopped

8 ounces button mushrooms, halved

For the dressing:

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

For serving:

1 cup pearl barley

3 cups vegetable broth or water

handful of basil leaves, cut into chiffonade

crumbled feta

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine broth and barley in a medium saucepan. Cook according to package directions. Drain any excess liquid, if necessary.

Meanwhile, whisk together dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Add vegetables to bowl and toss to coat. Using a large slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a baking sheet, reserving remaining dressing. Roast for 20 minutes or until tender.

Arrange vegetables and barley on plates and sprinkle with basil. Serve with remaining dressing and feta.

Thursday's Child: Blue Mosque, Istanbul

2012-01-26T13:44:00.000-05:00

How do you outdo the Hagia Sophia?

Last week I wrote about this stunning building in Istanbul, which began its life as a church, was converted to a mosque, and was finally changed into a museum. But in the 17^th century, Sultan Ahmet I was determined to build a mosque that was even more beautiful than the Hagia Sophia. And in a further show of fearlessness, he had it built right next door.

Maybe it was his youth that gave him the fortitude to try. He was only 19 years old when he commissioned the building in 1609. The first architect was executed for a lack of vision, which provided plenty of incentive for his successor. One of the most stunning features of the mosque is the presence of six minarets, or towers, that grace the exterior of the building. Generally, mosques have four or fewer minarets, and it caused some consternation in Mecca, where the holy mosque also had six. To avoid political problems, the sultan sent his architect to Mecca to build that mosque a seventh tower.

The Sultanahmet Mosque (or the Blue Mosque, as it’s commonly known) is still a functioning mosque, and it closes five times a day for prayer. We planned our visit for mid-morning when it was open to the public. When we arrived, we all removed our shoes, and the girls and I covered our heads with scarves as a sign of respect. The interior was incredibly light and airy, probably because of the 260 windows that let in so much light. The intricate tile work was breathtaking: over 20,000 tiles line the walls and ceilings.

Which place of worship is more beautiful? I couldn’t choose a favourite, but I will say this: Istanbul is far richer for being home to both of them.

Thanks to Sacred Destinations, which helped to fill in some of the details I had forgotten.

Bulk Barn cake

2012-01-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

Last night, my youngest daughter and her friends came over after school to bake a cake. Like mother, like daughter, right? Well, sort of. My ingredients don’t normally include a cake mix – not to mention an icing mix. (I’ve never even heard of that.) On the other hand, I rarely have as much hilarity in the kitchen as they did.

And I’d never criticize anyone for using a cake mix. I was about her age when I first started making cakes, and they were always from a mix. Once or twice, I remember taking them out of the oven as soupy as when they went in. Perhaps I wasn’t the most accurate of measurers. (Alas, I’m still not.)

The photo they took of the cake is priceless. The lighting is poor, the plate is half-off the counter, and the cake is surrounded by dirty dishes. In other words, it’s a lot like the first photos I posted on this blog.

The Bulk Barn Chocolate cake

Bulk Barn cake mix

Bulk Barn icing mix

6 eggs (!)

Water

Roses and sprinkles from the Bulk Barn

Simple Chocolate Icing (see below)

1. Stop at the Bulk Barn on the way home from school. Buy everything you need to make cake and icing, and to decorate the cake.

2. Mix 800 grams of cake mix with 1 1/2 cups of water and six eggs. Stir. Divide among three cake pans and one cake-pop tray.

3. Bake cakes at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Bake cake pops according to directions.

4. Meanwhile, mix one bag of icing mix with some unmeasured amount of water. Decide it’s a) too runny and b) the worst thing you’ve ever tasted in your life. Other than the cake you and your friend made last fall.

5. Get your mother’s icing recipe:

Simple Chocolate Icing

(from Company’s Coming: Cake)

6 Tbsp softened butter

2 1/2 cups icing (confectioner’s) sugar
1/2 cup cocoa

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

Beat butter in mixing bowl until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients, stirring until combined, then beating until smooth.

Frost your cake once it’s completely cool. Take photos with your friends and divide the cake in three, so everyone gets some to take home.

Thursday's Child: Hagia Sophia, Istanbul

2012-01-19T08:20:00.000-05:00

Have you ever seen pictures of a building and been amazed by its beauty, but assumed you’d never see it in person? That’s the way I used to feel about the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Years ago I read a National Geographic article about this glorious church that was converted to a mosque, and later converted to a museum, and I wondered what it would be like to visit. Istanbul was the ultimate romantic destination for me: the city where east meets west, the culmination of the Orient Express. But I never imagined I’d go there myself.

In 2010, this fantastic dream came true, and my family and I were fortunate enough to visit Turkey. It’s a wonderful country, and we saw enough amazing sites to write a book about, let alone a blog post. But there was nothing I looked forward to seeing more than the Hagia Sophia.

The Hagia Sophia (also known as Ayasofya) was built on this site in three different incarnations. In the fourth century, Constantine the Great (for whom Constantinople was named) built the original church here. After its destruction, a second church was immediately built, which was burnt down in riots in the early sixth century.

Following that destruction, the church was built in a Byzantine style by Emperor Justinian. The stunning architecture and the intricate mosaics made it one of the greatest Byzantine churches ever built. For 1000 years, it was the largest Christian church in the world until St. Peter’s Basilica was built in Rome. (It’s big enough to house Notre Dame Cathedral three times over.)

Despite being sacked during the Crusades and many of the riches being carried away to Rome, the Hagia Sophia continue as a functioning church until the Ottomans seized power in 1453. Sultan Mehmet, leader of the conquering forces, was struck by its beauty and turned it into a mosque. The mosaics were plastered over due to the Muslim prohibition against having figurative imagery in a place of worship. In their place, beautiful geometric designs were fashioned, reflecting the Islamic worship experience.

In 1934, the mosque was turned into a museum, and it was then that some of the mosaics were uncovered. This has allowed the beauty of the Christian and Islamic art to shine side by side. The Hagia Sophia, because of its enormous size and glorious artwork, is one of the most impressive buildings in the world.

And I discovered that sometimes, places you dream about visiting are even more beautiful than you can imagine!

Photo used courtesy of Turkey Vacation Places

Winter

2012-01-15T16:18:00.000-05:00

Depending on whether or not you like cold weather and snow, this has either been a great winter in Toronto or a terrible one. Personally, I’m not a big fan of winter. Bone-numbing temperatures and slippery sidewalks are something I’d gladly do without. So I’ve really been enjoying the mild weather over the past couple of months.

This week, a sudden drop in temperature and a snowfall meant that it felt like winter again. And with spring three months away, it’s time for me to start thinking about the things I do love about this time of year:

1. There’s nothing more beautiful than a fresh snowfall. Even if you’re the one who has to shovel it.

2. No pesky mosquitoes to swat away or sunscreen to get in your eyes.

3. Ezra Pound’s excellent parody of the 13^th century poem “Sumer is icumen in”.

4. Cold weather is soup weather.

This potato, ham and cheddar soup was made for winter. It’s filling enough to be a meal on its own, and delicious enough to make you want seconds. And it will give you the energy you need for shovelling that driveway.

Potato, Cheddar and Ham Soup
(Adapted from: http://www.dairygoodness.ca/recipes/potato-cheddar-ham-soup-with-chive-yogurt)

3 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 onion, diced

1 stalk celery, diced 

1 carrot, diced 

2 cups chicken broth  

1 cup water 

2 bay leaves 

Salt and pepper 

1 Tbsp all-purpose flour 

1 cup milk 

1 cup cheddar cheese , diced or shredded

1 cup cubed lean Black Forest ham

1/3 cup sour cream  (optional)

1 Tbsp chopped chives  (optional)

In the bottom of a large pot, melt butter over medium high heat. Add onion, celery and carrot, and stir until softened. Pour in chicken broth, water and bay leaves, and bring just to a gentle boil. Add potatoes and cover, cooking until potatoes are just tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove and discard bay leaves. In a measuring cup, stir together flour and milk until no lumps remain, and add to soup. Cover and stir occasionally until slightly thickened (about 5 minutes).

Add cheese and ham, reduce heat and simmer until heated through (3 to 5 minutes).

If desired, combine sour cream and chives. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with a dollop of sour cream mixture.

Thursday's Child: Sagrada Familia

2012-01-12T13:45:00.000-05:00

One of the most unique places of worship we’ve visited is Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia. 130 years after it was first commissioned, it’s still under construction, and years away from being done.

This basilica, known in English as the Church of the Holy Family, was begun in 1882, with the idea that it would be finished in a decade. However, a year later, the great architect Antoni Gaudi took over the project, and the scope of the building as well as the timelines of the project were radically changed.

I’ve written about Gaudi before (here and here); in this project, as well as others, his originality and vision are breathtaking. He often changed his plans partway through a project, which was one of the reasons for the delays in finishing. Once, when asked why it was taking so long to complete the basilica, he answered, “My client is not in a hurry.”

When Gaudi died in 1926, the building was only 25% finished. For a while, the project slowed down or stopped completely, due to both the Spanish Civil War and the drying up of private donations. It was assumed that the Barcelona skyline would forever be dominated by this half-finished place of worship.

However, the Barcelona Olympics and the entry of Spain into the European Union renewed interest in this glorious city and its unusual basilica. Now, construction is being funded by entrance fees, and completion is once again possible. Some critics say it could be finished in 2026, the hundredth anniversary of Gaudi’s death. Other estimates say it’s as far off as eighty years in the future.

As in his other buildings, Gaudi shunned flat surfaces and straight lines, using curves, circles and elaborations nearly everywhere, inside and out. Sculptures range from the crude and primitive to extravagant and ornate. Columns twist and turn, and change shape completely as they rise.

Opinions about the basilica have been mixed, to say the least. When dedicating it in November 2010, Pope Benedict described it “as a hymn of praise to God carved in stone”. On the other hand, George Orwell once called it “one of the most hideous buildings in the world”. Whatever you think of it, Sagrada Familia truly is a one-of-a kind church.

Leftovers

2012-01-08T06:40:00.000-05:00

“The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.”

- Calvin Trillin

Sometimes I feel like Calvin Trillin’s mother. I love both serving and eating leftovers. There’s nothing better than pulling already-made food out of the fridge, to be reheated and replated, and served a second time. It’s less work for the cook, I enjoy the sense of thrift from using something again, and often leftovers just taste better the second day. I’m lucky that everyone else in my family likes them too.

However, I might have overdone leftovers this week. I had three healthy new recipes I wanted to try, and I made them three consecutive nights for dinner. Which means we’re still working our way through the leftovers.

I found this recipe for Chickpea Pot Pie on the wonderful blog Eats Well With Others. The good news is that I loved it, and I’ll definitely make it again. Unfortunately, the rest of my family wasn’t so sure about chickpeas taking the place of chicken. So I’ve been enjoying these leftovers by myself for a few meals.

Here’s what I’ll do next time: I’ll follow the recipe as printed, but in the third step, I’ll divide it in half. I’ll prepare the first half with chickpeas (which I will share with no one), and the other half with cooked chicken (for the rest of my family).

And you know what that means – more leftovers for me!

Chickpea Pot Pie with Cornbread Curst

(Adapted from Eats Well With Others)

1 cup chopped sweet potatoes

1 cup chopped potatoes

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups canned chickpeas, drained (OR 1 cup chickpeas and 1 cup cooked chicken)

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 tsp kosher salt

dash of Tabasco sauce

3/4 cup cornmeal

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 1/2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup skim (nonfat) milk

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 large egg yolk, slightly beaten

Instructions

Boil sweet potatoes, potatoes and carrots until tender but not soft and set aside. Butter a 2-quart casserole or 8 ramekins. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

For the filling, heat oil in a large saucepan and add onions. Cook until they are soft, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the 1/4 cup flour and mix. Slowly pour in the vegetable broth, stirring well. Still stirring, cook the mixture over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add 2 cups chickpeas, peas, cooked potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots, salt and Tabasco. (Alternatively, divide the mixture into two saucepans, adding 1 cup chickpeas to one pan and 1 cup cooked chicken to the other.) Cook on medium heat until the mixture is heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn into the prepared casserole dish or divide evenly among the ramekins.

For the crust, in a bowl combine the cornmeal, 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. In a small bowl, combine the milk, oil and egg yolk. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until uniform. Spoon the batter evenly over the filling.

Bake until the top is golden brown, about 22 to 25 minutes for a 2-quart casserole and 12 minutes for the ramekins.

Thursday's Child: St. Peter's Basilica

2012-01-05T18:06:00.000-05:00

One of the wonders of travelling is getting a glimpse into how another culture worships. Whether I visit a church, synagogue or mosque, it gives me a little insight into the country and its people. Often these buildings were erected by renowned architects and enhanced with the most treasured art, allowing us to witness the glories of a civilization. This month I’ll be recalling my visits to some of the loveliest places of worship we’ve seen on our travels.

It’s hard to imagine what I could write about St. Peter’s Basilica that hasn’t already been written. So let me start with the size. It’s one of the largest Christian churches ever built, with an interior size of almost six acres. And if required, it can hold 60,000 people. Ironically, it’s located in Vatican City, the smallest country in the world.

The best-known and most precious piece of art held in the Basilica is Michelangelo’s Pieta. Carved when he was only 24, it’s a depiction of Mary holding Christ after the crucifixion. Pieta is the only sculpture Michelangelo ever signed.

St. Peter’s Square is equally enormous. If the crowds are larger than the 60,000 that the basilica can handle, then the piazza holds an additional 300,000. The obelisk in the middle of the piazza was brought from Egypt and the colonnade is lined with the statues of 140 saints. The photo at the top of this post portrays the statue of St Peter, who was allegedly crucified here.

As with most things that are huge, it’s truly difficult to get a sense of size. To give you a better idea, the photo above shows St. Peter’s Basilica; the photo below is a close-up of the columns.

Soup

2012-01-01T09:33:00.000-05:00

This is a great time of year for soup.

After eating the Christmas turkey, we love to use the bones to make soup. And this is a meal that I get to delegate to someone else. Twice a year Andrew is in charge of meals, and that’s after we’ve cooked our Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys. He makes the soup slightly differently every time we eat it, whether it's with potatoes or rice, or another grain, and with some combination of vegetables that he pulls together from what's in the fridge. It’s always a treat for me to smell the aroma of turkey soup coming from the kitchen, and to know that someone else is making dinner!

But that’s not the only reason to eat soup at this time of year. Over the holidays, we don’t want to spend a lot of time fussing with meals, and soups are usually quick to put together. They’re warm on a cold winter day. And, after a holiday of eating excess, they’re the simple kind of food that I crave.

I have two soup recipes to share today. I’ve been making the first one nearly as long as I’ve been married. I cut it out of a newspaper years ago, and later found it in Bonnie Stern’s More HeartSmart Cooking. Her HeartSmart books were among the first healthy cookbooks I bought, and I still use them all the time.

The second soup is a more recent find, from the perfectly titled Whining and Dining cookbook for serving picky eaters. It’s very simple, but so appealing with the alphabet pasta that you might make it even for the people who will eat anything.

Chicken Soup with Rice

(from More HeartSmart Cooking)

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

2 cups homemade chicken stock or 10 ounces chicken broth plus water

2 cups milk

pinch dried sage

pinch dried thyme

pinch dried savory

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 cup diced cooked chicken breast

1 cup cooked rice (I use brown rice or wild rice)

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in large saucepan. Add onion, celery and carrot. Cook on low heat for a few minutes until tender but not brown.

Sprinkle flour over vegetables and cook gently for 3 to 4 minutes. Add chicken stock and milk. Bring just to boil.

Add sage, thyme, savory and Worcestershire. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add chicken and rice. Cook for 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. (The soup will thicken on standing. Thin it with additional milk or water when reheating.)

Alphabet Soup

(from Whining and Dining)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 chopped onion

1 cup chopped carrot

1 cup chopped celery (about 2 stalks)

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

½ cup alphabet shaped pasta

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery; sauté for 5 minutes or until softened. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add pasta; simmer rapidly for about 8 minutes or until al dente. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Recipes inspired by musicals: White Christmas

2011-12-24T09:36:00.000-05:00

You probably know the story already: Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) is part of a two-man entertainment act with Phil Davis (Danny Kaye). Betty Haynes (Rosemary Clooney) is part of an act with her sister, Judy (Vera-Ellen). They all end up at the same inn in Vermont; great music and romantic hijinks ensue.

What isn’t there to love about this movie? Here are my top five favourite things about White Christmas:

5. The dancing. Vera-Ellen was a former Rockette, and she lights up the screen every time she performs, from the perfectly titled “The Best Things Happen When You’re Dancing” to “Mandy”.

4. The scene where the General walks into the dining room on Christmas Eve and – well, if you’ve seen the movie, you know what happens. If you haven’t, watch it.

3. Mary Wickes as housekeeper Emma. Even if you think you don’t know her, you do. She made several appearances on I Love Lucy. She played Bette Davis’s nurse in Now Voyager. She played Aunt March in the 1994 version of Little Women. She even had an ongoing role in TVs The Father Dowling Mysteries. (Yes, I watched The Father Dowling Mysteries. If there’s any sentence I could type that would make me less cool, please don’t let me know.)

2. The musical number “Sisters”. It’s sweet when the Haynes sisters sing it and funny when Bing and Danny sing it. My sister Gwen and I still sing it sometimes, without the props.

1. I watch it every December. I make my family watch it with me, and there’s generally an assortment of complaints as we make our way downstairs to the family room. Then the movie starts and, for two hours, they are as enraptured as I am.

You’re wondering how this relates to food?

Betty and Bob meet in the inn one evening, both unable to sleep, and Bob offers to serve her a sandwich. She tells him that she doesn’t care what kind he makes:

Bob: Tell me what you want to dream about and I'll know what to give you.

Betty: What's that?

Bob: I got a whole big theory about it. Different kinds of food make for different kinds of dreams. If I have a ham and cheese on rye I dream about a tall cool blonde. Turkey, I'll dream about a brunette.

Betty: What about liverwurst?

Bob: Oh, I dream about liverwurst.

When I made these chicken salad sandwiches, I’m pretty sure I dreamed about chicken salad. Many of my favourite recipes come from The Barefoot Contessa and this recipe, simple as it is, is up there with the best.

Later in that scene, Bob went on to sing “Counting My Blessings Instead of Sheep”:

“When I'm worried and I can't sleep

I count my blessings instead of sheep.

I fall asleep counting my blessings.”

To my family, friends, and faithful readers, I wish you a very happy holiday season, and a New Year full of blessings.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

(from Barefoot Contessa at Home)

4 split (2 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on

good olive oil

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup good mayonnaise

1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon leaves

1 cup small-diced celery (2 stalks)

8 to 10 slices seven-grain bread

1 package mesclun salad mix

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chicken breasts, skin side up, on a sheet pan and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside to cool.

When the chicken is cool, remove and discard the skin and bones and cut the chicken into 3/4 inch cubes. Place the chicken in a bowl and add the mayonnaise, tarragon, celery, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper and toss well.

To assemble, spread a little butter on half the bread slices, top with the chicken salad and mesclun mix, and cover with the remaining slices of bread. Cut in half and serve.

Thursday's Child: December at The Beach

2011-12-22T06:55:00.000-05:00

Admit it: when you read the title, you thought I was taking you to the Bahamas, didn’t you?

No, this week I’m writing about the Beach in Toronto, admittedly not the first Christmas destination that comes to mind, but a great local area for a beautiful walk and some shopping.

If we’d visited this area in the summer, we’d have battled crowds. The Beach is justifiably popular when the weather is warm, with volleyball players, dog walkers, cyclists and sunbathers all looking for space. But in December we had the boardwalk almost entirely to ourselves. The sun sparkled on the water and the sand stretched out untouched as far as we could see.

After a brisk walk we made our way up to Queen Street. There were a lot of cute independent stores, but we had our hearts set on one – The Nutty Chocolatier. They have the most amazing selection of specialized chocolates and imported food I’ve ever seen. Homemade chocolate bark, Star Wars Pez dispensers, British chocolate bars that one of us recognized from her childhood, German marzipan, tinned goods from Marks and Spencer – the hardest part was making a decision.

What did I buy? I can’t say until after the stockings have been opened!

Recipes inspired by Musicals: Yellow Submarine

2011-12-18T19:05:00.000-05:00

Most of the musicals I’ve written about are from the 1950s and 1960s, the heyday of Hollywood musicals. Singin’ in the Rain, Oliver!, and Guys and Dolls fit into that time span. They also sounded the way people expected a musical to sound.

This week’s entry is a little outside the norm. Although it was released in the same year as Oliver!, Yellow Submarine blazed its own path. The plot is equally as psychedelic as the animation, and the Beatles’ music shocked traditionalists. I can’t say it’s one of my favourites, but the girls loved this movie. What child wouldn’t be amused by the Blue Meanies or thrilled by the idea of travelling in a submarine?

The words to “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” may or may not have been inspired by drugs (Paul said yes, John said no). But to me they always sounded like a beautiful daydream in a stunning landscape, from the “marmalade skies” to “cellophane flowers of yellow and green”. And didn’t you envy those rocking-horse people who ate marshmallow pies?

I loved this lime marshmallow pie. The lime filling was so good that another time I’d make more (maybe increasing the recipe by one half, or even doubling it). And the marshmallow topping was delicious enough to tempt even the girl with kaleidoscope eyes.

Lime Marshmallow Pie

(adapted from David Liebovitz's Ready For Dessert)

Graham cracker crust:

1/3 cup butter

1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 Tbsp sugar

Filling: (for even more lime flavour, double this!)

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1/2 cup sugar

pinch of salt

3 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Grated zest of 2 limes

Topping:

1 envelope unflavoured gelatin

1/4 cup cold water (first amount)

1/3 cup cold water (second amount)

1/3 cup corn syrup

1/2 cup sugar

3 large egg whites

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

To make the crust, melt 1/3 cup butter. Add graham cracker crumbs and 1 Tbsp sugar, and stir to combine. Press firmly into a 9” pie plate.

To make the filling, combine the lime juice, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, eggs, egg yolks, 6 Tbsp butter and the lime zest in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and the edges just barely begin to bubble. Pour the mixture through a mesh strainer into the crust. Bake for eight minutes, until the filling is just set.

Remove the pie from the oven. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees.

To make the topping, in a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the 1/4 cup cold water and allow it to soften and swell for 5 minutes.

In a small saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer, heat the remaining 1/3 cup water with the corn syrup and 1/2 cup sugar over medium-high heat. When the sugar syrup reaches about 210 degrees, start whipping the egg whites. When the egg whites are frothy and the syrup temperature has climbed to 245 degrees, remove the pan from the heat. Increase beater speed to high and, with the mixer running, slowly dribble the syrup into the whites, being careful to avoid pouring hot syrup on the beaters or side of the bowl.

Scrape the softened gelatin into the still-warm saucepan used to make the sugar syrup and stir until melted. With the mixer running, slowly drizzle the gelatin into the egg whites. Add the vanilla and continue to beat until the mixture is cooled to room temperature, 5 to 10 minutes.

Using a spatula, spread the topping over the foiling, creating swirls and billowy peaks. Bake until the topping is golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Thursday's Child: The Toronto Christmas Market

2011-12-15T14:44:00.000-05:00

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ll remember that last December I wrote about the wonderful Christmas markets in Europe and how I’d love to visit them someday. But we’re lucky to have our own Christmas market in Toronto. It doesn’t have the history of the European markets but, only two years in, it’s one of my favourite things to do in December. This market features everything you’d want in an old-fashioned Christmas – an enormous tree, choirs singing Christmas carols, and several small streets lined with stalls featuring gifts and food from around the world.

I visited on one of the few cold days we’ve had this winter, but the hot apple cider kept me warm. (Another time, a visit to the Beer Gardens might do the same.) Artisan cheese, poutine and Oktoberfest sausage were just a few of the many delicious food items for sale.

The stalls were adorable with a great choice of gifts and personal items. I loved the carved wooden ornaments and fabric decorations. Another stall sold beautiful Christmas greenery, any of which I’d have gladly brought home. I couldn’t resist the soft wool mittens made from old sweaters, and they’ve kept me warm ever since.

I visited last week when my friend’s daughter was singing with her choir. These super-talented teenagers gave a short but brilliant performance of Christmas music. Their lovely voices brought shoppers from all directions to hear their Christmas message: "Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy".

Recipes inspired by Musicals: Singin' in the Rain

2011-12-11T11:59:00.000-05:00

I think everyone would agree that Singin’ in the Rain is Gene Kelly’s movie. There isn’t a song and dance routine more iconic than “Singin’ in the Rain”. I could watch it every day and still be charmed. Gene Kelly was a notorious perfectionist who pushed himself and his fellow actors to give the best performance possible. According to imdb.com, Kelly had a temperature of 101 degrees while this number was being filmed, but kept going until it was perfect.

However, there are four minutes in the middle of the movie that belong to costar Donald O’Connor. In the amazingly energetic “Make ‘Em Laugh”, he does just that as he pays homage to comedy in the movies:

“Now you could study Shakespeare and be quite elite,

And you can charm the critics and have nothin' to eat,

Just slip on a banana peel, the world's at your feet,

Make 'em laugh,

Make 'em laugh.”

“You start off by pretending you're a dancer with grace,

You wiggle 'till they're giggling all over the place,

And then you get a great big custard pie in the face,

Make 'em laugh,

Make 'em laugh.”

These lyrics could only have inspired a banana cream pie. Which is why it's fortunate that my mom was here recently, and brought with her a determination to turn me into a pie crust expert. Although I make the occasional pie crust, I do so seldom and reluctantly, and it's her fond wish that I live up to a long-standing family tradition of excellent pie-making. Four pie crusts later, some small progress may have been detected. In the meantime, with my mother's able assistance, I was able to bake this pie.

I’m delighted to say that I neither slipped on a banana peel nor got the pie in my face at any time in its making. And my family was far too busy enjoying the pie to laugh at anything I may have been doing.

Banana Cream Pie

(adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours)

For the custard:

2 cups whole milk

6 large egg yolks

1/2 cup packed brown sugar, pressed through a sieve

1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

3 ripe but firm bananas

one 9" pie crust, fully baked and cooled

For the topping:

1 cup cold whipping cream

2 Tbsp confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 Tbsp sour cream

To make the custard:

Bring the milk to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, whisk the yolks together with the brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt until well-blended and thick. Whisking without stopping, drizzle in about 1/4 cup of the hot milk (this will warm the yolks so they won't curdle). Then, still whisking, add the rest of the milk in a steady stream. Put the pan over medium heat and, whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a boil. Boil, still whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes before removing from the heat.

Whisk in the vanilla extract. Let stand for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until the custard is smooth. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the custard to create an airtight seal and refrigerate until cold.

When you are ready to assemble the pie, peel the bananas and cut them on a shallow diagonal into 1/4" thick slices.

Whisk the cold custard vigorously to loosen it, and spread about one quarter of it over the bottom of the pie crust (it will be a thin layer). Top with half of the banana slices. Repeat, adding a thin layer of custard and the remaining bananas, then smooth the rest of the custard on top.

To make the topping:

Beat the cream until it just starts to thicken. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat until the cream holds firm peaks. Gently fold in the sour cream.

Spoon the topping over the filling and spread it evenly to the edges of the custard.

Thursday's Child: St. Jacobs, Ontario

2011-12-08T14:48:00.000-05:00

St. Jacobs, Ontario is a village about an hour outside of Toronto, worth a trip any time of year but especially festive at Christmas. St. Jacobs was originally settled by Mennonites in the mid-nineteenth century and their influence is strong, from the horses and buggies that we passed, to the quilt shops throughout town. I wasn’t sure of the ethics of photographing a local driving a horse and buggy and posting it online, so instead I'm sharing a road sign that’s common in St. Jacobs:

In town, a set of silos has been restored to hold a pottery shop and other studios. Along the main street, businesses include antique shops, a stained glass purveyor and a corn broom maker. And regardless of whether you’re visiting in December or in June, you can drop in at the Christmas shop.

One of the loveliest attractions was a mural painted on the side of a gift shop, portraying the Mennonite way of life.

We ended our visit with a visit to the Stone Crock bakery. We did ask about photographing the bakers here, and were granted permission. In addition to running a wonderful café, these women were hard at work baking mince tarts and fruitcake, among other sweet Christmas treats. We knew the food had to be great judging by the number of locals sitting in the café, and we weren’t disappointed. The beef and vegetable soup was almost chunky enough to be a stew, and the meat and vegetables were absolutely delicious. And it was only through strict will power that we didn’t come home with a dozen cinnamon buns or lemon meringue tarts.

Andrew and I loved our peaceful, midweek visit to this village. Although it turns into a bustling little town on the weekends and in the summer, it has retained enough of its heritage to be an appealing place to visit.

Recipes inspired by musicals: The Wizard of Oz

2011-12-04T10:19:00.000-05:00

Back by popular demand, it’s a month of recipes inspired by musicals! I first did a musical month in July, when I wrote about meringues inspired by the show Wicked, and four other recipes from musicals that I love. I'll be starting this month with one of the most beloved musicals ever.

Did anyone else watch The Wizard of Oz every year at Christmas? That movie had it all – an orphan hero, a quest to return home, fantastic sidekicks and an over-the-top evil villain. No matter how many times I watched it, there was always something new. Thanks to Judy Garland's lovely voice, Roy Bolger's graceful dancing and Margaret Hamilton's amazing portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West, it really has stood the test of time.

Despite all the great songs from this show, the one everyone remembers is "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". When Dorothy wistfully sang about travelling over the rainbow, she spoke to all of us who wanted to make our dreams come true:
“Someday I’ll wish upon a star

And wake up where the clouds are far

Behind me.

Where troubles melt like lemon drops

Away above the chimney tops

That’s where you’ll find me.”

These dreamy lyrics inspired me to bake Lemon Drop Cookies. I love lemon desserts, and these cookies are one of my favourite new finds. If you bake them, your troubles truly will melt away.

Lemon Drop Cookies

(adapted from One Lovely Life)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

zest of 2 lemons

1 egg

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cup four

1 cup lemon drop candies, crushed (some bigger pieces, some smaller)

1/4 to 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine sugar and lemon zest. Cream sugar mixture with butter. Beat in egg, lemon juice and vanilla. Stir in flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add crushed lemon drops and stir until just combined.

Chill dough in the refrigerator about 30 minutes.

Place powdered sugar in a shallow bowl. Form cookies by rolling heaping teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and rolling in powdered sugar.

Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (Note: these cookies spread, so don’t crowd the cookie sheet.) Bake at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes, or until edges are set and centres are just slightly soft. Allow cookies to cool on cookies sheets for about 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Makes 24 cookies.

Thursday’s Child – Montgomery’s Inn, Toronto

2011-12-01T21:32:00.000-05:00

Often in my Thursday posts I write about locales that are far away. But sometimes I like to remind myself of the amazing places close to home. So for the month of December, I’ll be writing about the city where I live, Toronto, and some fun Christmas activities in the area.

Montgomery’s Inn is a local museum that was not only an inn, but also a bar, a farm and a homestead. Established in a rural area in 1830 by Thomas and Margaret Montgomery, it’s now a busy city intersection. From the kitchen through the bar and ballroom, the curator has compiled enough information to keep any history student fascinated. For example, tenants generally shared their room with strangers, and those rooms would have been unheated. The most popular drinks in the bar were beer and whiskey, but Montgomery also sold meals, cheese, crackers, tobacco and pipes. And according to the inn brochure, “chairs were occasionally broken” in the bar. Sounds like a lively place.

Although staff doesn’t decorate the inn itself (at the time, Christmas decorations weren’t in vogue), the tearoom is decorated. And the range of activities over the next month is unbelievable: Visitors to the inn can take part in gingerbread workshops or participate in an evening of singing 19th century carols. "A Christmas Carol" is being performed later this month. And if you want a more mobile activity, the Twelfth Night Dance Party on January 7 is not to be missed. (No chairs will be harmed in this activity.)

Montgomery’s Inn has been targeted for possible closure by the city to save funds. In addition to being a great landmark (and possibly the best place ever to attend a Twelfth Night Dance Party), it’s a true part of the community. We have friends who rent the dining area every year to host a community potluck and when we go we’re reminded of how fortunate we are to live in a city that celebrates its history. Let’s hope this history isn’t forgotten, and Montgomery’s Inn is saved.

School Newspaper

2011-11-27T13:30:00.000-05:00

It's been a few years since my daughters have attended the same school. So what a blessing that, with one in her final year of high school and one in her first, they're finally together again.

I didn't know how they'd react to being in the same school. They get along well at home, but it might have played out differently in front of their friends. Would their friendship make the transition? I told them I didn't want either of them telling me every time she saw her sister talking to a boy, and I (mostly) meant it.

I needn't have given it a second thought. Not only are they getting along great, they're both part of the school newspaper. My oldest daughter joined in ninth grade, and since then the Beacon has been a big part of her high school memories. My youngest daughter appears to be following in her footsteps.

This past Wednesday was Production night. They stayed after school into the evening to get the papers ready to hand out Thursday morning. The students ordered pizza for dinner, and the girls took in a batch of cookies to nibble on.

So I'd like to dedicate this week's post to my lovely daughters, who work hard in their classes and their extracurriculars. They love these cookies and, with the combination of chocolate and toffee bits, I can't think of anyone who wouldn't.

Chocolate Toffee Cookies

(adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt or sea salt

16 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup (half a stick) unsalted butter

1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar

4 large eggs

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

6 - 7 chocolate-covered English toffee bars (Skor or Heath), coarsely chopped

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl; whisk to blend. Stir chocolate and butter in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool mixture to lukewarm.

Using electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs in bowl until thick, about 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla.

Stir in flour mixture, then toffee pieces. Chill batter until firm, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper. Drop batter by spoonfuls onto sheets, spacing two inches apart. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, then let cookies cool on sheets.

Thursday's Child: Bavarian Music

2011-11-24T05:31:00.000-05:00

Five years ago, we spent a night in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. Partenkirchen originated as a Roman town almost 2000 years ago, and it amalgamated with Garmisch in anticipation of the 1936 Olympics. Partenkirchen is a beautiful old town with frescoed buildings, one of which was the Gasthof Fraundorfer where we stayed the night.

It wasn’t just the physical beauty of the building that encouraged us to stay there. The hotel restaurant offered local specialties like sauerkraut, dumplings, and schnapps served on a plank. And to complement the food, local Bavarian entertainers performed throughout the evening.

The entertainment started with an accordion player. The accordion has a fabulous trajectory in North America, from Lawrence Welk through Weird Al Yankovic and Arcade Fire. It’s more of a mainstream instrument in Bavaria, and was clearly fuelled by the large glass of beer on the table in front of the musician.

Next up were the Bavarian Slap Dancers, who did exactly what their vocation promised. The action consisted of a fast-paced dance that involved slapping their thighs in rhythm to the music. In the picture below, note the beautifully-embroidered lederhosen, and the complete lack of interest accorded the dancer from the patrons at the table behind. I guess if you’ve seen one Bavarian Slap Dancer you’ve seen them all.

And finally, how could an evening of Alpine music be complete without a yodeler? This is everything I know about yodeling: a) My sister and I used to laugh ourselves silly at Slim Whitman album compilation ads on TV; b) the first time I remember seeing yodeling was in “The Silly Song” from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; and c) the best yodeling song ever is “The Lonely Goatherd” from The Sound of Music. (Did you really think I was going to write about Alpine music and not mention The Sound of Music?)

At the end of the evening, we were all invited to join in the yodeling. Let’s just say that was a short, uncomfortable exercise in activities that bystanders should never try. Yodeling, like Bavarian Slap dancing and accordion-playing, is best left to the experts. And after watching the experts perform, we felt very fortunate to have witnessed this exceptional group of entertainers.

Confirmation

2011-11-20T06:08:00.000-05:00

My youngest daughter is getting confirmed today.

In our congregation, confirmation is a year-long process that begins in the winter of eighth grade and finishes the following November. In addition to two weekend retreats and bimonthly group meetings, an important part of the process is being matched with a mentor. The mentor is an adult member of the congregation who enhances his or her partner’s spiritual experience, by being both a sounding board and a spiritual advisor.

Our daughter was fortunate to be paired with our friend Catherine. Together, they’ve prepared meals for our two families and met on several other occasions. Their discussions have ranged from international politics to music to, of course, their faith. Catherine’s friendship and guidance played a big part in my daughter’s enthusiasm about joining the church.

We all met at the church on Friday night – teens, their families, mentors, and Michael, the youth minister – to celebrate the end of the program and the beginning of our children’s membership in the church. We marvelled at how tall they were and recalled when they were small children getting to know each other in the Sunday School. And we celebrated with that great church tradition of a pot luck meal.

In addition to taking a plate of cookies (it seems I rarely leave the house without a plate of cookies in my hands), I made a couple of salads that Catherine could eat. She can’t eat wheat flour, so I wanted to ensure that some of the food would be safe for her. That gave me a great excuse to make this recipe again.

I try a lot of new recipes, and this dish is one of my favourites. It’s so easy, and so beautiful, and so delicious, that it’s hard to believe it’s healthy, too. This salad came from The Brick Kitchen blog, where I find lots of great, healthy food ideas. Don’t let the ordinary name of this recipe fool you into thinking that it’s anything less than sensational.

Have a great week!

Warm Brown Rice Salad

(adapted from The Brick Kitchen)

1 cup dry brown rice

1 Tbsp olive oil (first amount)

2 medium carrots, in small dice

1 stalk celery, in small dice

1 medium zucchini in small dice

1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries

kosher salt

1 tsp oil (second amount)

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Cook brown rice according to package instructions. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add carrots and celery and cook for 3 – 4 minutes. Add zucchini and cranberries, season with a pinch of salt and continue to cook for another minute or two, or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat, and stir in prepared brown rice, vinegar and remaining tsp of oil. Serve warm.

Thursday's Child: Wedding Music in Helsinki

2011-11-17T10:45:00.000-05:00

Sometimes we might be unaware of another nation’s musical preferences. This may be the only way of explaining what happened when we visited the Rock Church in Helsinki, Finland.

The Rock Church (also known as Temppeliaukio Kirkko) is truly a one-of-a-kind building. Most of the church is below the surface of the ground; upon approaching, all you can see is the copper roof, a bit of granite wall and a concrete entrance. This area originally consisted of a bed of pure granite, and the church was built by quarrying into that granite. In other words, the congregation worships in the space that remained after excavation, and the walls are the original rock. The church is lit by a skylight that runs the perimeter of the building between the ceiling and the walls, and which contains 180 panes of glass.

Because of its extraordinary appearance and world-renowned acoustics, it’s not surprising that the Rock Church is a popular place to get married. And if you were getting married in that spectacular location, you’d likely choose the most stirring music ever created. Perhaps Jeremiah Clarke’s Trumpet Voluntary, Beethoven’s Ode to Joy or Handel’s Hornpipe.

As we walked through the crowded church, we noticed a gentleman making his way to the organ. We’d heard the church was hosting a wedding that afternoon, and assumed he was there to practice in advance. We held our breath, anticipating the glorious music that would flow out of the organ.

What we heard was definitely not classical. The jaunty little ditty was nothing we’d ever heard in a church before, yet was oddly familiar. Curiosity got the best of us, and we went over to the organ to see what he was playing.

The organist, obviously a serious musician, confirmed unhappily that this was indeed the processional for the wedding at which he was performing that afternoon. The piece of music? The theme song from the TV show Murder She Wrote.

Can one of my readers help me out here? Is the theme from Murder She Wrote a popular wedding piece in Helsinki? Or was this choice of song a little ominous?

For anyone who isn’t familiar with the song, or who wants a refresher, check out this link.

Cooking with Peanuts

2011-11-13T19:02:00.000-05:00

We aren’t a family who likes a lot of nuts in our baking. We all agree that chocolate chip cookies and brownies are much better when they’re chewy throughout, with no crunchy nuts in the mix. And when I bake for others, I’m always worried about nut allergies. So if I’m taking food out for a group, or if I’m baking for a family whose allergies I’m not familiar with, I would never make anything that contained nuts.

At first glance, then, this recipe might not seem like a natural choice. But for some reason, these Honey Peanut Wafers jumped off the page at me. Andrew and the girls love peanut butter in their baking, and honey-roasted peanuts are just a small step away from that. The recipe looked quite easy, but the honey-roasted peanut base was unusual enough to pique my interest. Plus, the recipe was from Nick Malgieri’s book The Modern Baker, where I discovered one of my new favourite recipes, Caramel Crumb Bars. (Seriously, if you haven’t made Caramel Crumb Bars yet, do it right now. They are amazing.)

I’m thrilled that I tried this recipe. We all loved these cookies, whether I served them plain or with a little drizzle of chocolate on top. They just might be enough to change the minds of a family who thinks they don’t like nuts.

Honey Peanut Wafers
(from Nick Malgieri's The Modern Baker)

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 large egg
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups honey-roasted peanuts, finely chopped but not ground
semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, melted (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir the flour and baking soda together and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, honey and egg together until just mixed, avoiding making a foamy mixture. Then whisk in the melted butter. Stir in the flour mixture and the chopped peanuts.

Drop tablespoon-sized pieces of the batter onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, keeping them about 4 inches (10 cm) apart on all sides. Moisten a fingertip with water and slightly flatten each mound of cookie.

Bake cookies for about 10 minutes, or until they have spread and are evenly golden.

Optional: melt a little semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate to drizzle over cookies.

Classical Music in Mont St Michel

2011-11-10T08:19:00.000-05:00

Before we visited France a couple of summers ago, I had no idea what a big tourist attraction Mont St Michel was. I had seen photos and knew it looked glorious. We specifically drove that far west, just so we could see this beautiful abbey on an island.

Basically built on a mountain of rocks that juts out of the water, MSM was built in the eleventh century and served as an abbey for hundreds of years. And over that time, it was often used as a pilgrimage site by the wealthy until the abbey was closed during the French Revolution. Converted to a prison, it wasn’t until the mid-nineteenth century that a group (which included writer Victor Hugo) petitioned the government to declare it a national monument.

What I also learned is that it’s an incredibly popular tourist site. In France, only the Eiffel Tower draws more visitors. The difference is that the Eiffel Tower is in the middle of an enormous city, is served by a number of local Metro stops and can easily be walked to from any number of places in the city. MSM is in the middle of the countryside, on an island that can only be reached by a single causeway. So yes, it’s busy. In fact, the advice that I kept reading was, don’t even try to visit during the daytime. Plan your visit for earlier than 8 am or after 5 pm, and you’ll minimize the elbow-to-elbow nature of your visit. You’ll also get a parking spot without a one hour wait.

True to form, we showed up a little past 5:00. The car traffic reminded me of Disneyland. The line-up to get one of those parking spots was only surpassed by the stream of cars passing us on the way out. It was hard to believe that there were that many people in France, let alone at the abbey.

But we found a parking spot and started the half-hour walk across the causeway. It rises so imposingly from the water that we were constantly stopping to take another gorgeous photo. When we arrived at the island, it was still packed with tourists. Rather than rushing to the abbey, we decided to meander through the crooked streets, check out the shops, and have dinner first.

So by the time we arrived at the abbey at the top of the mount, we were doubly blessed. Yes, the daytime crowds had thinned out. We didn’t have it to ourselves, but rather than marching in lockstep from room to room with a legion of determined tourists, we could enjoy the serenity with just a few others.

The true gift, though, was that during summer evenings, Mont St Michel engages a few young classical musicians to play their instruments. Not only were we seeing this gorgeous monument when it was less busy, but the music of Bach and Vivaldi made it truly magical. As we walked through the ancient corridors, we would first hear faint strains that gained in strength as we neared the musician. We approached each room to find a soloist on the flute, harpsichord, cello or violin.

We paused in one room, watching the light magically stream through the side windows. The thousand-year-old stone walls were cool to the touch, belying the heat of the day. The music was simple and haunting, as if it had been written for the abbey itself. And the pensive melody wafted through the air, filling our hearts with the miracle that is Mont St Michel.

Let's Bake Bread

2011-11-06T06:43:00.000-05:00

I planned to start baking bread again this fall.

I used to love baking bread. I started when I was a twelve-year-old in her first 4H club. If you aren't familiar with 4H clubs, the H's represent head, hands, health and heart, the four ways in which we could serve our families and our community. I remember waiting impatiently until I turned twelve; with a birthday late in the year, I had to wait an extra term until I could join my older friends in the club. There were two clubs a year, one each in the spring and fall, and they generally alternated between cooking clubs (which I loved and excelled at) and sewing or craft clubs (not so much).

That fall when I turned twelve, the club was based on the theme "Let's Bake Bread", and that's when I started my first recipe file. I still have the member's pamphlet that I received when I joined, and I was surprised at how well it stands up over time. It's full of common sense advice:
- "To make dishwashing easier, soak pots and pans immediately after use."
- "Avoid touching hair or face when working with food."
- "Recipes should be selected carefully and only those which the club member and her family would enjoy, or which are popular for entertaining, should be included in the recipe file."

My love of cooking and baking first came from being in the kitchen with my mother and grandmother, but being a 4H member helped me branch out and learn new recipes and techniques. And none have stayed with me longer than the first club I took, when I learned to bake bread.

Having said all this, I haven't been baking yeast bread this fall. For one thing, I've been back at my writing, and I really want to focus on that. But I did discover this easy recipe for bread that doesn't require yeast or risings, and that tastes absolutely wonderful. Savoury Cheese and Chive Bread is so simple and quick to make that it's hard to believe how great the flavour is. It would do any 4H alumnus proud!

Savoury Cheese and Chive Bread
(from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table)

1 3/4 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 generous cup (about 4 ounces) Gruyere or cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
2 ounces Gruyere or cheddar cheese, cut into very small cubes (1/2 to 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup minced chives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8" x 4 1/2" loaf pan.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl for 1 minute, until foamy, then whisk in the milk and oil.

Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and gently mix until moistened. Stir in the grated and cubed cheese and the chives to form a thick dough. Transfer to the loaf pan and spread to make the dough even on top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the bread is golden and a slender knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 3 minutes, then run a knife along the edges of the pan to loosen the loaf. Turn it out and let it cool right side up before cutting and serving.

Thursday's Child: The Edinburgh Royal Military Tattoo

2011-11-03T08:47:00.001-04:00

When we travel, we come home with a camera (and eventually an album) full of gorgeous photos that remind us of what we’ve seen. But sometimes our most vivid memories are those that we don’t see, but that we hear. This month I’ll be sharing some of our musical memories from our trips.

One of the first overseas trips we took with the girls was to Scotland. They were ten and seven at the time, and we liked the idea of visiting an English-speaking country. With activities that ranged from seal-watching to visiting a scotch distillery, there really was something for everyone.

But we’d all agree that one of the highlights of the trip was our last night in Scotland, when we were fortunate to hold tickets to the Edinburgh Royal Military Tattoo. The Tattoo is a musical celebration held in the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle for three weeks every summer.

According to the Tattoo website, the word "tattoo" comes from the Dutch phrase "Doe den tap doe", or "turn off the taps". When the British army was fighting in the Netherlands in the 17th century, drummers would signal that it was closing time for the pubs by marching through town drumming. This developed into a skill display, which then turned into a mass event featuring performers of all kinds, for entertainment purposes.

We joined other festival-goers in the late afternoon in a huge crowd outside the castle, waiting to get in. We took our seats with great anticipation and, when the show began, we were treated to a wonderful display. Military regiments from around the world and, of course, bagpipers filled the stadium with gorgeous music. As the evening went on and the sky darkened, the sturdy castle in the back was illuminated by floodlights.

Toward the end of the show, all of the performers (numbering about a thousand) returned to the esplanade for a massed performance. Then the crowd hushed, and everyone’s eyes were drawn to the Lone Piper, spotlighted atop the castle, playing a haunting number.

And just when we thought the evening couldn’t be topped, it concluded with a group singing of Auld Lang Syne. Not from the performers on the field, but from the nearly 8000 attendees in the stadium. We all held hands with our neighbours as we sang in unison.

And as we marched out of the stadium to the strains of Scotland the Brave, we knew we’d been part of a very special evening.

Photo used courtesy of Best of Edinburgh

A week in review

2011-10-30T13:56:00.000-04:00

As I wondered what to write about today, I drew a blank. Although I had a great week, nothing seemed big enough to base a blog post on. So instead, I decided to write a quick recap of the past seven days. It was a week full of blessings:

n We attended the wedding of my youngest daughter’s church choir leader, a beautiful small wedding at our church.

n With my friend Trish, I went to an International Festival of Authors event on Monday night that featured Governor-General nominees reading from their books.

n I took my oldest daughter to a university open house, the third that we’ve visited this fall. It’s hard to believe that in a few months she’ll be committing to one of them.

n I watched game 7 of the World Series with my husband. Is there anything better than Game 7 (even if Game 6 was the one no one will ever forget)?

n And, best of all, I’m writing again! After spending most of this fall with no ideas and little motivation, I’m finally feeling inspired.

I’m also blessed to have discovered another Pear Crisp recipe that I love. Those of you with long memories will remember that last fall, not only did I publish an Apple Pear Cherry Crisp recipe, I actually called it The Ultimate Fall Dessert. But when it comes to food, I never leave perfection unchallenged. When I tried the new recipe, I knew I’d found another winner. The crystallized ginger gives this dessert a gentle warmth that plays beautifully against the cool pears. Although Bon Appetit calls this dessert a crumble, to me it’s a crisp all the way.

How was your week?

Pear Crumble with Crystallized Ginger

(from Bon Appetit, October 1998)

For topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup old-fashioned oats (not instant)

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

dash of kosher salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

For filling:

3 pounds firm but ripe pears, peeled, cored, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup sugar

2 Tbsp minced crystallized ginger

1 1/2 Tbsp unbleached all purpose flour

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 13” by 9” glass baking dish (mine was a bit smaller and it worked fine).

To make the topping, mix first five ingredients in a medium bowl. Add butter and incorporate until moist clumps form.

For the filing, combine pear slices and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss to blend.

Transfer filling to prepared dish. Sprinkle topping on top, and bake crumble until pears are tender and topping is golden brown and crisp, about 45 minutes. Cool at least 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Thursday's Child: Two dinners in San Gimignano

2011-10-27T07:22:00.000-04:00

I’ll finish my month of writing about special meals with two memorable dinners in San Gimignano, Italy. When we were in Italy two summers ago, we spent a couple of nights in a lovely farmhouse in Tuscany, just outside of San Gimignano. I’ve written about this beautiful medieval village and its stately towers here.

On our first night in town, we decided to eat at Trattoria Chiribiri. Because it's a tiny restaurant, we’d been warned to arrive early or be prepared to wait, as hopeful diners greatly outnumber the few tables. Fortunately, we got there before the crowds, and enjoyed one of those rare meals where everyone was thrilled with what they ordered. From the fresh gnocchi to the wild boar, the food was uniformly delicious.

But what made the evening truly unique was our effervescent waiter. Shortly after we arrived, he told us in confidence that he’d just proposed to the cook the previous night. He even invited her out of the kitchen so we could congratulate her in person. How exciting, we thought, for us to share in their happiness.

Our meal was so memorable, in fact, that we decided to return the following evening. Our waiter greeted us with a joy reserved for long-lost friends. We had just placed our order and were chatting amongst ourselves when we heard him talking to the diners at the next table. “This is a very exciting time for me,” he said, “because I just proposed to the cook yesterday evening!” He beamed as they applauded, and gave us a wink on his way back to the kitchen.

Is it any surprise that the country which inspired Romeo and Juliet could encourage our waiter to propose to his co-worker every night?

The happy couple

Chicken Casserole for the Soul

2011-10-23T05:02:00.000-04:00

I wasn’t feeling great yesterday. In fact, I felt lousy from the time I dragged myself out of bed. I spent much of the morning lying on the family room couch, and in the late morning I croaked out to the girls what they could make themselves for lunch. I vaguely heard them bustling around in the kitchen and, the next thing I knew, the two of them were standing over me. “We made you lunch,” they said.

It turned out they had made me chicken noodle soup. From scratch. Without a recipe. Is it any wonder that within the hour I was feeling 100% better? Chicken soup under any circumstances is completely restorative. Chicken soup, homemade by your daughters without even asking, has miraculous healing tendencies.

I don’t have a chicken soup recipe for you today, but I do have a chicken recipe. This Roasted Garlic and Cheddar Orzo with Chicken and Broccoli is absolutely wonderful. I found the recipe on The Brick Kitchen blog. Despite my sweet tooth, I really try to eat healthy food, and Tasha always has amazing recipes that make it easy to do so. It’s the next best thing to having someone else make you chicken noodle soup.

Roasted Garlic and Cheddar Orzo with Chicken and Broccoli

(from The Brick Kitchen)

Note: this recipe serves 2 – 3, and can be doubled

1 medium-sized head of garlic

1 Tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1 cup uncooked orzo

1 large head of broccoli, cut into small florets, about 5 cups (I used frozen)

1 Tbsp butter

1/2 small red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 Tbsp flour

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup chopped cooked chicken

Remove the outer papery skins from the head of garlic. Trim off a little from the top of the head, so that all of the cloves are partially exposed. Drizzle with a little olive oil, wrap in foil and roast at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Squeeze garlic cloves from skins and mash with a fork to make garlic paste. (This step can be done ahead.)

Cook orzo until al dente, according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Saute broccoli for 10 – 12 minutes, or until tender-crisp, stirring frequently. Using a slotted spoon, remove broccoli and set aside.

Add butter to pan. Once melted, add garlic paste and bell pepper. Cook for 1 minute. Whisk in flour, stirring constantly until flour mixture turns golden brown, 1 – 2 minutes. Pour in broth and, stirring frequently, simmer until slightly thickened, another couple of minutes. Add cheese and stir until smooth; allow to thicken slightly.

Mix in broccoli and chicken, and cook until just heated through. Add cooked orzo and toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve warm.

Thursday's Child: Lunch in St. Petersburg

2011-10-20T08:28:00.000-04:00

This summer, I had the joy of visiting one of the cities I’ve always dreamed of seeing – St. Petersburg, Russia. Since I returned, everyone has asked what my favourite memory was. The Hermitage museum, the Church on the Spilled Blood, and Peterhof were all amazing, and hopefully someday I’ll write about them all. But without a doubt, the most special experience in St. Petersburg was our borscht lunch.

We visited St. Petersburg as part of a Baltic cruise. In most of the ports, we toured independently. But it’s not that easy in St. Petersburg. Legal restrictions make it difficult to even get off the ship without having a prearranged guide who has organized a tourist visa for your stay.

We had hired a guide and driver through SPb Tours, but I must admit I was still nervous about disembarking. I had given my family precise and lengthy instructions about how to behave while passing through Russian customs. (For Seinfeld fans, think of the Soup Nazi with legal control of your passport.) Then there was the fear of what we’d do if our guide didn’t show up, since we weren’t legally permitted in the country without her.

Our lovely guide Elena, did show up, though. Since the cost of a private tour was only incrementally more expensive than taking a group tour, we had her to ourselves. Elena also works as an English teacher, and her facility with the English language was only surpassed by her knowledge and love of the city. Surprisingly, our driver Max also spoke perfect English. (We found out later that they’re a couple.)

After a full morning of sightseeing, they took us to an out-of-the way café for lunch. We knew the food had to be good, based on the amount of Russian we heard spoken there. And it was good – sandwiches and the best borscht I’ve ever eaten. (Okay, the only borscht I’ve ever eaten. I can’t believe I’ve spent my whole life thinking I don’t like borscht. It was fantastic!)

But what made this the highlight of our time in St. Petersburg was the chance to sit down and talk to two locals. The six of us crowded around a table meant for four, and we listened as they painted a picture of life in Russia today. I didn’t know, for example, that if you smile a lot, the Russians will think you’re an idiot. (I later realized that as I flitted around the city, beaming my perma travel-grin, I was probably close to being hospitalized.)

As a driver, Max had driven a number of Russian hockey players who previously or currently played in the NHL. This was big currency with Andrew, who knows every player who’s ever played professional hockey and most of their statistics.

We talked about ladas, and the health care system, and the arts. We listened quietly as Elena told us about her father’s failing health. The borscht was great, but it was the company that made our lunch in St. Petersburg unforgettable.

Elena and Max

Raisins

2011-10-16T07:05:00.000-04:00

Here’s a formula for perfect cookies: take a Dorie Greenspan recipe for cookies based on the ingredients in carrot cake, and top it with a luscious cream cheese frosting. Who in the world could possibly resist such perfect cookies?

For starters, both of my daughters.

I love raisins, both on their own and in nearly any kind of cake, muffin or cookie. I don’t know how it’s possible for me to have raised two children who don’t care for raisins in baked goods. And, in this case, “don’t care for” is a euphemism for “loathe”. I’ve seen them pick raisins out of hot cross buns, cinnamon rolls and oatmeal cookies. Not to mention carrot cake.

So I save this recipe – and others like it – for times when I’m baking for someone else. This week, I volunteered to take baked goods to my writers’ association meeting. Only after checking the fine print did I realize that would entail about ten dozen cookies. So among other treats, I whipped up a batch of these wonderful cookies, iced them and saved a few for Andrew and me. (Yes, he likes raisins too. How can this odd recessive gene have been passed on to both of our kids?)

I will say this. My oldest daughter may leave her hot-cross buns looking like a moth-eaten blanket, but she decorated some of the cookies with little icing carrots before photographing them for me.

In the end, I guess we can’t easily influence the taste buds of our loved ones. I’m just grateful that we passed on our dominant genes for loving chocolate chip cookies.

Gingered Carrot Cookies

(adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours)

For cookies:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground ginger

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup shredded carrots (about 3, peeled and trimmed)

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

1 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt and ginger.

Beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. Add white and brown sugar and beat for 2 minutes or so, then add the egg and vanilla and beat for another minute.

Add the dry ingredients and stir until mixed. (Dough will be thick.) Mix in the carrots, coconuts and raisins.

Spoon the dough onto the baking sheets in heaping tablespoonfuls leaving an inch between them. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes. Carefully transfer the cookies to racks to cool to room temperature.

For frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 1/2 to 4 cups icing sugar

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Beat the cream cheese and butter together until creamy. Gradually add icing sugar and continue to beat until smooth. Spread on cookies and sprinkle the coconut on top.

Thursday's Child: Dinner at Taverna San Trovaso

2011-10-13T13:27:00.000-04:00

Venice is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It's one of the most visually stunning, and romantic, places on earth.

Also, in the middle of August, it is one of the hottest.

We visited Venice two years ago in a summertime heat wave. Generally on holidays, I carry on despite the weather. If it’s raining or snowing, if it’s hot or cold, I know I’m still unbelievably blessed to be travelling. I’m not interested in hearing complaints from myself or from others about the weather.

But this was the kind of day that could make you forget that notion. The heat was overbearing, and we had spent a long time that afternoon shopping at the Rialto Bridge. My oldest daughter wanted to buy a mask, and the final decision was a while in coming. The Patient Mother in me battled it out with the Prickly Non-Shopper, and barely held on to win. By the time the purchase was finally made and we were plodding back to the hotel, both sides were soundly defeated by the Sweltering Globetrotter. The heat of the sun struck like a hammer and every step I took seemed like a scientific experiment in inertia.

By the time we reached our hotel, I never wanted to leave again. But, as usual, the rest of my family was hungry. I knew that the Taverna San Trovaso was a half-minute walk from our hotel, and had been well-reviewed. Frankly, I’d have eaten in a silo if it was a half-minute walk from the hotel, so we decided to give it a try.

I was so hot that I literally didn’t care what I ate. (Note: That hardly ever happens.) I asked the waiter what he recommended, and he urged me to try the beef with arugula and parmesan. Roast beef when my overheated body could barely sit up at the table? It didn’t sound promising, but I didn’t see an alternative that interested me. Roast beef it was.

I nearly wept with joy when he brought me a plate with a cool roast beef salad, served in the way that only the Italians could. Three simple ingredients of the highest quality made this salad perfectly refreshing. Suddenly I could eat again. In fact, I was so restored that I had a bite of the meringue my youngest daughter later ordered, and actually considered ordering a second one for myself.

We returned to Taverna San Trovaso three times on that trip, and I ordered the same meal every time. I’ve tried to duplicate this salad at home and, although I’ve had great results, nothing has ever been as perfect as the roast beef salad served in a Venetian tavern in a heat wave.

Canadian Thanksgiving

2011-10-09T20:33:00.000-04:00

We’re enjoying a picture-perfect long weekend in southwestern Ontario. I know my American friends celebrate Thanksgiving in late November, but our early-October celebration allows us to enjoy harvest weather and the beauty of leaves as they change colour.

It’s hard to believe that just last weekend I posted a recipe for hot chocolate cookies because the weather was so cold. Yesterday, Andrew and the girls had a spirited game of football. (I'm not sure how three people play football, although I'm told that my oldest daughter quarterbacked both teams.) Today it was warm enough to sit out on my mom’s back deck in our short sleeves. My sister and her family visited too, and we all enjoyed a fabulous meal of turkey and the trimmings. I’m pretty sure we won’t need to eat again until Tuesday.

At least, all of us except my youngest. After our enormous noon meal and a few hours of chatting, my mother specially prepared her some leftovers before we drove home. On the way back, my daughter asked what we were going to have for dinner. When I said that none of us really needed more food, she asked in alarm, “You’re going to send me to bed without dinner?” For the record, I made my famished 14-year-old a bacon and cheese sandwich when we got back. I trust that will tide her over until breakfast.

So, among many other things, I’m thankful for the love of good food. I’m also thankful that my husband was able to photograph my butternut squash salad while I was helping my mom put a turkey dinner on the table.

Warm Butternut and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Dressing

(from smitten kitchen)

For salad:

1 medium butternut squash (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

1 medium garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp ground allspice

2 Tbsp olive oil

salt

one 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (1 1/2 cups)

1/4 of a medium red onion, finely chopped

For tahini dressing:

1 medium garlic clove, finely minced with a pinch of salt

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 – 4 Tbsp well-stirred tahini

2 Tbsp water

2 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the butternut squash, garlic, allspice, olive oil and a few pinches of salt. Toss until squash pieces are evenly coated. Roast them on a baking sheet for 25 minues, or until soft. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.

Meanwhile, make the tahini dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic and lemon juice. Add the tahini and whisk to blend. Add the water and olive oil, whisk well and taste for seasoning. The sauce should have plenty of nutty tahini flavour, but also a little kick of lemon. Add more tahini to taste, or more water to thin out.

To assemble the salad, combine the squash, chickpeas and onion in a mixing bowl. Either add the tahini dressing to taste and toss carefully, or you could serve the salad with the dressing on the side. (Note: I used the dressing sparingly and had quite a lot left over. Next time I’d either cut the dressing recipe in half or save the remainder for another salad!)

I prepared everything ahead, because I knew the turkey would be dominating my mom’s oven this morning. I simply reheated the squash mixture for 15-20 minutes at 325 degrees right before the meal, added the dressing and served.

Thursday's Child: Breakfast at the Fox and Anchor

2011-10-06T08:53:00.000-04:00

Photo used courtesy of Philip Wilkinson

One of the pleasures of travelling is enjoying the food of our destination. Visiting France as a poor, young student, I picnicked on bread and cheese every day. I remember thinking I couldn't possibly be eating better, and I was right. Regardless of my budget, I remember the meals I've eaten on trips as much as any of the sights I've seen. This month I'm going to share some of my favourite trip memories as they relate to food.

A contender for my most memorable meal was breakfast at the Fox and Anchor pub in London, England. We had arrived in London the night before and were predictably jet-lagged. Andrew’s relatives graciously served us an elegant gourmet meal with a different wine at every course. The meal went well into the night.

All of it was fine, except for this: Andrew’s cousin had made us breakfast reservations at the Fox and Anchor the next morning. When the alarm went off at 6:30, I thought there was some kind of mistake. Yes, judging by the glimmer I spied through the window, the sun had risen and logically it must be daytime. Logic aside, there was no reason to believe I was even living.

At a time like that, this is what I might enjoy for breakfast. Two slices of toast, lightly buttered. Half a grapefruit. A pair of sunglasses to keep out the extra light.

Here is what I received: a generous plate of fried eggs, two slices of toast covered in baked beans. And a side dish of black pudding. (If you’re not sure what that is, know that it’s a near relative of the aptly-named blood pudding. And weep.)

I am nothing but a good sport. I scraped the baked beans off my lightly buttered toast and ate the toast as cheerfully as possibly. This left a plate that still appeared completely full. I remember looking at that plate, and the black pudding looking back at me. I stared it down; I was not admitting defeat. I managed to pick away at my fried eggs and baked beans. The black pudding remained untouched. (My victory lay in staring it down. You didn’t expect me to eat it, did you?)

The Fox and Anchor is one of London's iconic pubs. It serves a range of British food from scotch eggs to game pie, from mince and tatties to goose fry chips. I'm thrilled to have eaten there and if I ever go back to London, I'd love to visit the Fox and Anchor again. For lunch.

Hot Chocolate

2011-10-02T14:22:00.000-04:00

I was all set to post a salad recipe, but that will have to wait for another week. In Toronto today, it’s 6 degrees Celsius (that’s 42 degrees Fahrenheit for my American friends) and it’s teeming with rain. We're all wearing our winter coats – and it’s only the second of October! The salad will have to wait; I need to post something that makes me feel warm, just looking at it.

I need to post Hot Chocolate Cookies.

That’s not what they were originally called, but with all the important ingredients of hot chocolate (chocolate, marshmallows, best served on a miserable day), I can’t think of anything better to call them. And they are comfort cookies at their best. So even if you’re reading this in sunny Texas (currently 29 degrees Celsuis, 84 Fahrenheit), you’ll enjoy them as much in shorts and a T-shirt as we do in our winter coats.

Hot Chocolate cookies

(aka Martha Stewart’s Surprise Cookies)

For the cookies:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup skim milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

About 15 marshmallows, halved crosswise

For the frosting:

3 cups confectioners’ (icing) sugar

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tsp cocoa powder

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp skim milk

3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

To make cookies, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl.

Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk and vanilla. Mix in flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, until combined.

Drop dough onto baking sheets (either non-stick or lined with parchment paper), about 2 inches apart. You should have about 30 cookies. Bake until firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately press a marshmallow half on top of each cookie, then bake until marshmallows begin to melt, 2 minutes more. Let cool completely.

To make frosting, put icing sugar in a medium bowl. Melt butter with the cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add butter mixture to the icing sugar. Whisk in milk and vanilla.

Spread about 1 Tbsp of frosting on top of each cooked cookies to cover marshmallow. Let stand until set, about 10 minutes.

Soccer

2011-09-25T13:07:00.001-04:00

We’ve had kids in soccer for years. My oldest started playing thirteen years ago when she was four, and just hung up the cleats a couple of years ago. And my youngest has been playing for ten years. With all those collective soccer teams, all the hours spent on the playing field (them) and the sidelines (us), our family had never brought home a trophy.

Until yesterday.

The soccer teams are named by country, and this year my youngest daughter was playing for Team Spain. Following a rocky start in the early season, the team slowly strengthened with great coaching and hard play. Two weeks ago, they took on the challenging Brazil team and won with a goal in the last ten minutes for a nailbiting 1 – 0 win. Last week they bested the dynamic Italy team, making an early goal count as they played through a rainstorm that would have made Noah seek cover. The result was a nailbiting 1 – 0 win.

Note the trend.

Yesterday’s game was played on a sunny, warm day against Team America. Athletic and obviously well-drilled, USA took control of the ball early. They were a force to be reckoned with, having one of the best goalies in the division as well as a forward whose prowess made us gasp. (Fortunately, our defense, including my daughter, shut her down brilliantly.)

But Team Spain hung in bravely until halftime. I don’t know if our coaches brought Knute Rockne in for an inspiring halftime speech, but the tides turned in the second half and suddenly we were in control of the play. But one potential goal after another was turned away by their goalie, and we watched the clock tick down, knowing that we were within minutes of having the final go to a shootout.

With thirty seconds to go, a sudden flurry around their net brought all the parents to our feet. And remarkably, this time the ball went in. Joy on the field, joy on the sidelines! And the Pollock family brought home their first soccer trophy.

Whether or not you’ve had a recent win in your family, if you make Dorie Greenspan’s Snickery Squares everyone will feel like a champion. They’re a little bit of work, from caramelizing the nuts to making the dulce de leche (if you choose to use homemade rather than store bought). But they are fabulously decadent and well worth the extra time. Just cut them into small squares, and promise yourself you won’t eat the whole pan.

Snickery Squares

(adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From my home to yours)

For the Crust

1 stick (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar (icing sugar)

1/4 tsp salt

1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

For the Filling

1/3 cup sugar

3 Tbsp water

1 1/4 cup peanuts

1 cup dulce de leche (either store-bought or using the directions posted here)

For the topping

3 ounces semi sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped

1/2 stick (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square pan or line with parchment paper, and put it on a baking sheet.

To make the crust, beat the butter until smooth. Add the flour, sugar, confectioners’ sugar and salt, and beat or stir just until smooth. Add the yolk and beat just until mixed. Turn the dough into prepared pan and press it evenly across the bottom. Prick the dough about a dozen times with a fork. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature before filling.

To make the filling, have a parchment-lined baking sheet beside the stove. Put the sugar and water into a medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the sugar dissolves. Keeping the heat fairly high, continue to cook the sugar, without stirring, until it just starts to deepen in colour. Throw in the peanuts and immediately start stirring. Keep stirring, to coat the peanuts with the sugar. Within a few minutes, they will be covered with sugar and turn white. Keep stirring until the sugar turns back into a caramel colour. Remove the pan from the heat and turn the nuts out onto the baking sheet, using the wooden spoon to spread them out as best you can. Cool to room temperature. When they are cool enough to handle, separate into small pieces. Pour the dulce de leche over the baked crust, then sprinkle about 2/3 of the nuts over the dulce de leche.

To make the topping, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Remove the chocolate from the heat and gently stir in the butter. Pour the chocolate over the dulce de leche. Finely chop the remaining nuts then sprinkle them over the chocolate. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Thursday's Child: The Trip Journal

2011-09-22T08:41:00.000-04:00

This month I’ve been writing about some of our traditions that relate to travel. Today I’m going to share one of my favourites – our family trip journal.

We started keeping a trip journal the year the girls were 6 and 3 and we spent a week in New York state. We’ve taken it on every trip since, and it’s a wonderful way to both record our trip memories and measure our changes in artistic prowess.

For example, here’s some artwork from an early trip to Vancouver Island, British Columbia to visit my father-in-law:

This illustration is from the same trip. My youngest drew the picture of a totem pole. On the page beside (not photographed), I wrote a description of the totem pole that she dictated to me.

Their artwork has matured to these recent entries:

Even their dad is an amazing artist, as witnessed by this portrait of a day in St Petersburg:

No need to photograph my entries as they are text-heavy. Does that surprise anyone?

Goodbye to Summer

2011-09-18T12:48:00.000-04:00

I love the summer and everything associated with it. Barbecues, swimming, camp for the girls and a family trip for all of us – it doesn’t get better than that.

But there’s one great thing about the end of summer, and that’s the beginning of fall. As much as I love the fresh fruits and vegetables that I buy all summer, I love the flavours of autumn at least as much. Apples, pears, pumpkins and squash are just the beginning.

But how do you make the seasonal transition? Do you go from Raspberry Buttermilk Cake one day to Apple Pear Cherry Crisp the next? You could – and I’d never argue with that – but if you’re looking for a more gentle transition, try this recipe for Upside Down Peach Gingerbread. It sounds like a bit of a mismatch; gingerbread is perfect for fall and winter, while peaches are the epitome of summer. But please don’t let that prejudice you against it. I can’t tell you how awesome this dessert is, or how often I went back for just another quarter-inch slice. The peaches and ginger played perfectly off each other, like the beautiful September day that has August’s bright sun and October’s cool, clear air.

Upside Down Peach Gingerbread

(from King Arthur Flour website)

Topping:

4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp water

3 cups peeled, pitted, sliced fresh peaches

Cake:

6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1/3 cup molasses

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup buttermilk or yogurt

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" square cake pan.

To make the topping: Melt the butter with the sugar and water, until butter is melted. Spread into the prepared pan. Top with the peaches, placing the slices side by side in a neat single layer.

To make the cake: Beat the butter, brown sugar, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt together until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth. Beat in the molasses. Gently stir in both flours, then the buttermilk or yogurt. Spoon the batter (it will be thick) into the prepared pan, atop the peaches. Gently spread it to reach the edges of the pan. Bake the cake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove it from the oven, wait 1 minute, then invert it onto a rack. Lift the pan off, and place any peaches that remain in the pan back atop the cake. Serve warm or at room temperature, with ice cream, whipped cream, or just as it is.

Thursday's Child: Christmas Tree Ornaments

2011-09-15T13:47:00.000-04:00

Although we don't shop much when we're on holidays, there's one item that we search for every time we travel. One of my favourite parts of any trip is choosing a Christmas tree ornament to bring home with us.

It's added new joy to the Christmas tradition of decorating our tree. As I unwrap each ornament and hand it over to be hung, we talk about where we bought it and our memories of that trip. Remember when we visited The Mouth of Truth in Rome? We'll never forget it, but it's fun to have the ornament to remember it by, too:

Sometimes we search and search, and end up with something different than we expected. When we couldn't find an ornament commemorating the entire Von Trapp clan in Salzburg, Austria, we had to settle for a rocking horse:

Like many of the best traditions, this one was handed down from my parents. When we visited Santa's Village in Jefferson, New Hampshire in the 1970s, my parents were clever enough to pick up two elf ornaments. Now Gwen and I each have one on our tree!

First Day of School

2011-09-11T19:29:00.000-04:00

And now I am the mother of two high-schoolers.

My oldest is in her final year. The next few months will be full of applications, and campus visits, and decisions. Next fall, her first day of school will be celebrated on a university campus yet to be determined.

My youngest is in her first year. Her next few months will be full of meeting new friends and getting used to a challenging new routine.

For one last year, I had two girls bursting in the front door to tell me about their first day of school. So it’s no surprise that I marked the occasion with a plate of fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies. Unable to decide which was a better back-to-school choice, chocolate chip or peanut butter, I settled on both. These peanut butter and oatmeal chocolate chipsters were a perfect way to ease into the fall.

I remember first days of school when either of them had missing front teeth, and when I held their hands to meet their teachers. I remember my oldest daughter’s first day of grade one, when she marched confidently into the school without looking back. I remember my youngest daughter’s first day of junior kindergarten, when she proudly walked onto the playground, finally one of the big kids. Her JK teacher, retired for five years, attended her grade eight graduation in June to watch her former students graduate.

Whether or not you have kids, and no matter how old those kids are, these cookies are perfect for the first day of school, first day of a new job or first day of the rest of your life.

First day of school, September 2005

Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters

(adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From my home to yours)

Note: This is the recipe for a half-batch of cookies; the original recipe can be found in her cookbook.

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup chocolate chips or 4 1/2 ounces chopped chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Beat the butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the egg, beating for one minute, then beat in the vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients, just until blended. Mix in the chocolate. If you have time, cover and chill the dough for about two hours.

Form the dough into balls and place on cookie sheets. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes.

Thursday's Child: The Trip We Didn't Take

2011-09-08T07:30:00.000-04:00

I always enjoy writing about the trips I’ve taken and sharing them with you. But in honour of the upcoming tragic anniversary, I’d like to write about a trip we didn’t take.

Ten years and one month ago, Andrew and I were scheduled to travel to Vienna and Prague, to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary. I’d seen Vienna as a backpacker in my early 20s and was looking forward to showing Andrew one of my favourite cities in the world. And seeing Prague had been a dream for years.

And then the unthinkable happened. Many have written eloquently about the horrible events of September 11, and there is little that I can add. I’ll simply say that I was at home with my then-four year old, and I couldn’t turn on the TV with her there. I relied on phone calls from my mother and Andrew to tell me what was happening. Despite their updates, when I finally watched the coverage at lunch, I literally couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

And so we cancelled our trip. The idea of being an ocean away from our children that fall was unthinkable. Some of our friends asked if we were disappointed to miss out on our holiday; I could only answer that other people’s losses were so enormous that any disappointment on our part was trivial.

Today and this weekend, my prayers are with the families and friends of the victims of September 11, 2001.

Late Summer

2011-09-04T10:42:00.000-04:00

Labour Day weekend is often a time of melancholy. A time when people lament, “Where did the summer go?” and “How can it be fall already?” A time when people close their cottages, and line up at the mall for back-to-school clothes.

Here’s my big secret: I actually love this time of year.

Not because the girls are going back to school and our schedule is about to ramp up again. I’ll miss the quiet days of summer when we just hang out. But at this time of year, I’m grateful for every warm day, for every minute of sunshine, for every fruit or vegetable I’m still able to buy at the farmers’ market.

When I picked up my blueberries on Friday, the vendor told me it was the last week they’d be available. So there was no question that I’d be making individual peach and blueberry cobblers again. I’ve already made them twice in the last two weeks and will make them again today to take to a friend’s house. These cobblers are the best way I can think of to use the juicy peaches and tart berries that are still available in September.

I’m embarrassed that I didn’t take a photo of a partially-eaten cobbler so you could see how great the fruit looks inside. What can I say? The minute I started eating it, I apparently went into a trance from which I didn’t awaken until I was done. Despite my best photographic intentions, the same thing happened every time I ate one (including one mortifying episode when I ate one for breakfast). You’ll just have to make them yourself to find out.

Individual Peach and Blueberry Cobblers

(adapted from Martha Stewart)

4 ripe peaches, cut into eighths

1 cup blueberries

2 Tbsp sugar (first amount)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp cornstarch

1 large egg

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/4 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

pinch of kosher salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp sugar (second amount)

1 Tbsp sugar (third amount)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine peaches and blueberries in a bowl. Whisk together 2 Tbsp sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch. Add to fruit and toss to combine. Set aside.

Combine egg, melted butter and cream in a bowl and whisk with a fork. Set aside.

Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and 1 Tbsp sugar. Make a well in centre of dry ingredients, and pour egg mixture into well. Slowly draw dry ingredients into wet ingredients, and work dough until just mixed together. (The dough will be quite sticky.)

Divide fruit mixture amount four 8-ounce ramekins. Divide dough into four sections and gently spread each section over the fruit in a ramekin. After placing, sprinkle dough with remaining 1 Tbsp of sugar. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake 15 to 17 minutes. Serve warm.

Thursday's Child: What I've done on my Summer Vacation

2011-09-01T13:02:00.000-04:00

With my sister Gwen, by our tent trailer. I'm the one wearing the groovy pants.

Given the family I was born into, it was almost a foregone conclusion that I’d love to travel.

My mother journeyed to Europe with her sister and best friend in 1958. In those days you didn’t fly to Paris for a week; you sailed there and back and spent two to three months seeing the continent. Not only did she save for this trip on a secretary’s budget, she also drove out west with a friend in 1956, and later visited Jamaica with my aunt.

As a young man, my father drove to Florida with his soon-to-be best man. Although that was the extent of his travel, he longed to see more of the world. One of the things he loved about my mother was her spirit of adventure and interest in visiting new places.

Once my mom and dad got married, they realized that they wanted to make travelling a key part of their lives, and of their family’s life. Early on, they bought a tent trailer, and most of our family trips were taken by trailer. Every August we took two weeks' holiday and saw a new destination – generally in central and eastern Canada and the U.S. What a dream childhood to have visited both the Anne of Green Gables house in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island and Louisa May Alcott’s home in Concord, Massachusetts! (Really, how could I have become anything but a writer?)

And my dad was always the trip planner. He spent hours in the basement, poring over maps and guidebooks that he picked up at the Automobile Association. It was from him that I learned the importance of having something for everyone in the family to look forward to. The year we visited Ohio, for example, he may not have enjoyed the doll museum, but he certainly loved the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

So now when I sit hunched over the computer, poring over reviews on tripadvisor.com, trying to find a holiday that everyone will like, I know that I’m following in very distinguished footprints.

Paul, Gwen, Beth and Joyce Baker

In Praise of Simple Recipes

2011-08-28T06:06:00.000-04:00

Sometimes the best recipes are the ones that are so simple, they’re easy to overlook.

This recipe is a great example. I’ve flipped through Ina Garten’s Barefoot in Paris many times, but I didn’t even remember seeing it. For one thing, avocados and grapefruit aren’t an intuitive combination. But I think it’s the simplicity of the salad that made my eyes glaze over it. Avocados, grapefruit and a vinaigrette. A tiny photo at the side. Most days I’ve just turned the page.

But this week I was having lunch by myself and felt like eating something that I could whip up in a few minutes. Something that would let the natural ingredients of the flavours shine through. Something that the rest of my family would never eat.

It’s true: I wouldn't serve this salad to the rest of my family. Andrew has shunned avocados since an unfortunate encounter with one in (appropriately) Paris, and the girls have taken their father’s side on this issue.

But for me? I'll make this simple, and delicious, recipe again and again.

Avocado and Grapefruit Salad

(from Barefoot in Paris)

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup good olive oil

3 ripe avocados

3 large red grapefruits

Place the mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until the vinaigrette is emulsified.

Before serving, cut the avocados in half, remove the seeds and carefully peel off the skin. Dip each avocado half in the vinaigrette to prevent it from turning brown. Use a large sharp knife to slice the peel off each grapefruit (be sure to remove all the white pith) then cut between the membranes to release the grapefruit segments.

Arrange the grapefruit segments on four small plates. Cut the avocados in wedges and arrange them with the grapefruit. Spoon a little vinaigrette on top and serve.

Thursday's Child: Destination Copenhagen

2011-08-25T08:23:00.000-04:00

Destination: Copenhagen, Denmark

When we visited: August 2011

Why to go:

A beautiful city in its own right, we stayed here a night before and after a cruise of the Baltic region of Europe.

What to see:

The Little Mermaid is internationally known as the symbol of Copenhagen. This statue represents the famous story written by Hans Christian Anderson, on which the Disney movie by the same name was based.

Tivoli Gardens is almost as well-known as the Little Mermaid. Founded in the mid-19^th century, this combination amusement park and garden is both photogenic and fun. Helpful comments from the girls about the rides: The Demon was the wildest, craziest ride. The Star Flyer had a great city view. And the Odin Express was “quaint” (their favourite adjective, used to describe slow roller coasters and their mother’s childhood).

The Star Flyer, from the ground up.

Nyhavn is a beautiful area with a canal running through it that’s lined with 18^th century homes. Originally the sailors’ section of town, now it’s full of trendy restaurants that overlook the canal and the boats.

And our first night in Copenhagen, we went to the Ice Bar. Everything in the bar (tables, shelves, glasses) is made of ice. They gave us parkas and mitts in the entry area. Then we entered the bar to order drinks. I had the Delicious Pink, Andrew had the Rough Diamond, and the girls each had a non-alcoholic fruit cocktail. Management had thoughtfully provided blankets on the ice benches, which made sitting a little more comfortable. It was a lot of fun, but even with those blankets, not necessarily a place you’d want to linger. Oh, and in case you’re curious, I had to ask the bartender why we could drink from glasses made of ice without our tongues getting stuck. Apparently, at a constant temperature of minus 5 degrees Celsius, it isn’t cold enough or dry enough for that to happen.

Ice chandelier

Where to stay:

Copenhagen, like many Scandinavian cities, is very expensive. I spent a lot of time searching in vain for an inexpensive, centrally-located hotel. What I did find was the Clarion Hotel Twenty seven. Although the rooms were tiny (smaller than those on the cruise ship!), the hotel was less expensive than most and situated in a fantastic location, just a block from City Hall and five minutes’ walk from Tivoli. And to seal the deal, breakfast and an early dinner buffet were both included in the price.

Where to eat:

On the recommendation of our hotel clerk, the day we went to Tivoli we had lunch at Grøften. It was our only chance to try Danish food, and my potato soup with bacon was filling and terrific. This restaurant was also where we saw Roger Moore, who was at a table about fifteen feet away from us. The thrill of seeing him left me shaken, not stirred.

The Andersen Bakery can be reached from either inside or outside of Tivoli. Their gorgeous baked goods make a wonderful breakfast or mid-day snack.

And our splurge meal was at Relae restaurant. This is where we ate the pickled seaweed, which was served with baked celeriac and black olives. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautifully presented starter than the leeks, served in mustard breadcrumbs.

Home again

2011-08-21T21:10:00.000-04:00

It's great to be blogging again! After a two-week holiday with limited Internet acess, I'm back. Today's entry is a short one, as I'm jet-lagged beyond belief, but I promise to write about our trip at a later date. To pique your interest, I'll tell you that we saw Roger Moore (yes! my favourite James Bond!), stumbled across the Copenhagen Pride parade, and ate pickled seaweed. And that was all just yesterday!

Sunday is normally the day I share a recipe, so I'll pass along this one that I made earlier this summer. I baked it once with frozen cherries and once with fresh blueberries. They were both fantastic, although I might give a slight edge to the sour cherry version. I freeze cherries in the summer so I can enjoy wonderful recipes like this all winter long. Not that winter is coming any time soon, right?

Cherry Crumb Bars (or Blueberry Crumb Bars)

(adapted from smitten kitten)

1 cup white sugar

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

zest of one orange (note: if using blueberries, substitute lemon rind)

1 cup (two sticks) butter, room temperature

1 egg

4 cups frozen cherries, thawed and drained (fresh or frozen blueberries can be used instead)

½ cup white sugar

4 tsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp juice freshly squeezed from an orange (if using blueberries, substitute fresh lemon juice)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.

In a medium bowl, beat the butter, then add the egg and beat until well blended. Stir in 1 cup sugar, both flours and baking powder. Mix in salt and orange zest. Pat two-thirds of the dough into the prepared pan.

In another bowl, stir together 1/2 cup white sugar, cornstarch and orange juice. Gently mix in the cherries. Sprinkle the cherry mixture evenly over the base. Crumble remaining dough over the cherry layer.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Everybody in my Family Likes this Salad

2011-08-07T05:53:00.001-04:00

Everybody in my family likes this salad.

In most houses, this wouldn’t be worthy of a title. In my house, it’s practically cause for a ticker-tape parade.

Let’s just say that we have diverse tastes, and some of us like fewer things than others. We all like spaghetti and meatballs and, well, I’m pretty sure there’s something else I’m forgetting.

But everybody in my family liked this salad!

It’s such a simple recipe that I’ve flipped past the page many times. It’s the perfect time of year to make it, as the corn couldn’t be any better. I bought all the ingredients at the local farmer’s market, and the freshness of the vegetables made it a real standout. As an accompaniment to barbecued chicken, served in the backyard, it was unbeatable.

Give it a try, and I’ll bet everybody in your family will like it too.

Fresh Corn Salad

(from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)

5 ears corn, shucked

1/2 cup small-diced red onion

3 Tbsp cider vinegar

3 Tbsp good olive oil

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the corn for 3 minutes until the starchiness is just gone. Drain and immerse it in ice water to stop the cooking and to set the colour. When the corn is cool, cut the kernels off the cob, cutting close to the cob.

In a small bowl, combine the cider vinegar and olive oil.

Toss the kernels in a large bowl with the red onions, vinegar and olive oil, salt and pepper. Just before serving, toss in the fresh basil. Taste for seasonings and serve at room temperature or cold.

Thursday's Child: Destination Marrakech

2011-08-04T18:30:00.000-04:00

Destination: Marrakech, Morocco

When we visited: March, 2007

Why to go:

After visiting a number of European destinations both as a backpacker and with my family, I truly felt like we’d stepped into an exotic and breathtaking city when we entered Marrakech. We were fortunate to have a guide, Youssef, to show us around and share its fascinating history with us.

What to see:

Marrakech is a cornucopia of sights, sounds and aromas. Among the moments I’ll never forget: the scent of orange blossoms at the ruins of Palais el-Badi; the cacophony of merchants and onlookers at any of the city’s incredible souks, or markets; the hissing snakes (tended carefully by their owners) in the central square, Jemaa el Fna; and the fresh beauty of the pools, flowers and greenery at the gorgeous Jardin Majorelle.

Where to stay:

We stayed three nights at the lovely Dar Karma. A “dar” is a house built around a courtyard. Dar Karma was simply but beautifully appointed, from the painted ceilings to the orange trees and fountain in the lobby. The final night we stayed in Marrakech, we enjoyed dinner at the dar. Sitting in a candlelit room off the courtyard, we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful final evening.

Where to eat:

We had a lovely lunch at the Café des epices, overlooking the spice souk. And we enjoyed refreshments in the Jemaa el Fna. But our splurge meal was at the gorgeous Dar Moha. Tables were arranged both inside and outside around a pool, and rose petals were scattered across our table. Small courtyards with trees, fountains and flowers enhanced some of the most delicious food I’ve ever eaten.

Recipes inspired by Musicals: Wicked

2011-07-31T06:57:00.000-04:00

One of the blessings of living in Toronto is that we get some terrific theatre. An amazing number of shows are put on every year – new shows, revivals, long runs, short runs, popular and obscure. There really is something for everyone.

But one of the drawbacks is that, with so much great theatre, it’s easy to miss something good. That’s what happened to us with the 2005 tour of Wicked. Shortly after it left town, the girls went to summer camp and came back singing the songs from the show that apparently everyone else their age had seen. “Never mind,” I thought. “When Wicked comes back to town, we’ll go.”

Year after desolate year passed, with no Wicked. I began to think my unborn grandchildren would be at camp before it came back to Toronto. Then last year came the announcement that Wicked was returning in the fall of 2010. A witch on broomstick couldn’t have snapped up tickets faster than I did. The five-year wait was worth it to see this magical production. The showstopping piece, "Defying Gravity", took my breath away.

These meringues defy gravity too. (You were wondering when I’d get around to the recipe?) I love meringues – hence my blog title – and I’m not sure how I blogged for a year before posting a recipe for them. Like Wicked, these meringues were worth the wait, the perfect mix of crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. The slightly tart raspberries and fluffy whipped cream were the ideal complement. As Elphaba sang to Glinda, “Together we’re unlimited/Together we’ll be the greatest team/There’s ever been.”

Meringues Chantilly

(From Ina Garten’s Barefoot in Paris)

Makes 12 meringues

For meringues:

6 egg whites, at room temperature

¼ tsp cream of tartar

kosher salt

1 ½ cups granulated sugar, divided

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

For raspberry sauce:

1 half-pint fresh raspberries

½ cup sugar

1 cup good-quality raspberry jam

1 Tbsp framboise liqueur (optional; I didn’t use this)

For whipped cream:

2 cups cold heavy cream

2 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 pints raspberries

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a small glass and a pencil, draw six 3 ½ inch circles on each piece of paper. Turn the paper face-down on the baking sheets.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and a large pinch of salt on medium speed until frothy. Add 1 cup of the sugar and raise the speed to high until the egg whites form very stiff peaks. Whisk in the vanilla. Carefully fold the remaining ½ cup of sugar into the meringue. With a large star-shaped pastry tip, pipe a disc of meringue inside each circle. Pipe another layer around the edge to form the sides of the shells.

Bake for 2 hours, or until the meringues are dry and crisp but not browned. Turn off the heat and allow the meringues to set in the oven for 4 hours or overnight.

For the raspberry sauce, place the raspberries, sugar and ¼ cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the jam and framboise. Pour through a sieve to remove some of the seeds. Chill.

For the whipped cream, beat cream until it starts to thicken. Add sugar and vanilla and whip until the cream forms peaks.

To serve, fill each shell with whipped cream, top with berries, and serve on a puddle of raspberry sauce.

Blogging anniversary

2011-07-30T08:58:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all of you for your kind comments on my new blog format. I wanted a new look to celebrate my one-year blogging anniversary. The actual anniversary was July 8, but hopefully it’s not too late to celebrate by sharing some of my favourite posts of the past year.

The post that had the most comments was Raspberry Buttermilk Cake. Maybe that’s because I gushed about it so much. It’s incredibly simple, but definitely my favourite cake recipe. If you love desserts where the fruit is the star, give it a try!

My most popular travel post was La Pedrera, Antoni Gaudi’s wonderful masterpiece in Barcelona. It had over 500 page views, more than double any other post. Maybe a lot of you are traveling to Spain this summer; if so, I promise you’ll love this amazing building.

The posts I had the most fun writing were The Top Ten Reasons, The Alcazar (the words aren’t mine, but the inspiration is), and any of this month’s recipes inspired by musicals.

And, at risk of sounding like I peaked early, my favourite recipe is still the first one I posted, my Grandma Baker’s ginger cookies (pictured at the top of this post). Try them – I promise you’ll love them.

Most of all, I’ve enjoyed becoming part of the blogging community and getting to know some of my fellow bloggers. Whether you follow me through Facebook or Twitter, through your own blog, or by checking in every couple of weeks to see what’s new, it really means a lot to me when you read my words. You’re the best audience any blogger could ask for!

Thursday's Child: Laguardia, Spain

2011-07-28T12:04:00.000-04:00

Laguardia, Spain is a bit off the beaten path. Unlike the other towns I’ve written about this month, it isn’t a major tourist destination. But it’s well worth a short detour to visit this tiny village in the La Rioja region of Spain.

Laguardia is a medieval walled town that has changed very little over the centuries. In the tenth century, a castle was built on the site, two towers of which remain today. In the thirteenth century the town was settled and the city walls were built. Many of those original walls and buildings still survive.

In the Middle Ages, villagers built tunnels under the city to store their food and as refuge during sieges. However, this created instability and for that reason no cars are allowed within the town. Now those tunnels are used as wine cellars. But because the grape harvest has to be carried on people’s backs, only two bodegas currently operate in town.

The medieval walls and cobblestone streets would be a good enough reason to visit Laguardia. But it’s also home to the beautiful Church of Santa Maria de los Reyes. Usually kept locked, the church is opened once a day for a Spanish-speaking tour. Although we don’t speak Spanish, we took the tour for the chance to see the stunning carved gothic portico that leads into the church. In the seventeenth century, a façade was built around it for protection, and that’s why much of the stunning colour has survived.

Laguardia is small enough that you can easily walk it completely in an hour or so. But if you pause to admire the wonderful architecture and the beautiful views, you’ll be captivated for much longer.

Recipes inspired by musicals: Oliver!

2011-07-24T07:46:00.000-04:00

One of the first non-animated musicals I saw was Oliver! In the days before DVDs or even videos, my local school hosted movie nights as a money-maker. The principal set up a projector, and a gym full of families watched the movie of the month. As a child, I found this movie terribly sad, but the music is wonderful. “Consider Yourself”, “I’d do Anything” and “Reviewing the Situation” are just some of the songs I can still sing all these years later.

You’d probably guess that I’d use a recipe inspired by “Food, Glorious Food”. I must admit, that song gave me lots of options, from gruel to pease pudding to cold jelly and custard. But inspiration led me to perhaps the most famous line from the show. It’s mealtime at the workhouse, and Oliver dares to ask the officer in charge:

“Please, sir, I want s’more.”

(Yes I know, he actually said “some more”. Grant me a little poetic license here.)

Oliver would have thought he’d died and gone to heaven if he’d eaten this S’more Pie. It’s surprisingly easy, even if you make the marshmallow topping from scratch like I did. You could easily substitute store-bought marshmallows; it probably would have been more practical, given the heat and humidity on the day I made the pie. The weather cost me some volume in the marshmallows, but the taste more than made up for it. Also, as a family we prefer sweet to bittersweet chocolate, but I used equal amounts in this recipe to counteract the sweetness of the marshmallow topping.

This pie is a grown-up version of my favourite childhood camp treat. Food, glorious food, indeed!

S’more Pie

(adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

For crust:

¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 cup graham wafer crumbs

½ tsp sugar

For chocolate cream filling:

7 oz (about 200 grams) good quality chocolate, finely chopped (I used half milk chocolate and half bittersweet)

1 cup heavy cream

1 large egg, at room temperature for 30 minutes

For marshmallow topping:

1 tsp unflavoured gelatin

½ cup cold water

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup light corn syrup

½ tsp vanilla

vegetable oil for greasing

Special equipment: a candy thermometer

For the graham cracker crust, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the crust ingredients and press into the sides and bottom of a 9” pie plate. Bake 10 minutes, then allow to cool for at least 45 minutes.

For the chocolate cream filling, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put chopped chocolate in a large bowl. Bring the cream just barely to boil in a heavy saucepan, then pour hot cream over the chocolate. Let stand 1 minute, then gently stir until the chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Gently whisk in egg and a pinch of salt until combined and pour into graham cracker crumb crust. The crust will be about half full. Cover the pie with foil and bake until filling is softly set and trembles slightly in the centre when gently shaken, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool pie to room temperature on a rack (filling will firm as it cools) about one hour.

For the marshmallow topping, sprinkle gelatin over ¼ cup cold water in a large, deep, heatproof bowl and let stand until softened, about one minute. Set aside. Stir together sugar, corn syrup, a pinch of salt and the remaining ¼ cup water in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then boil until thermometer registers 260 degrees. When it reaches that temperature, remove from heat. Immediately begin beating the water and gelatin mixture with an electric mixer at medium speed, then carefully pour in the hot syrup in a slow stream, beating continuously. Avoid hitting the beaters and side of bowl with the hot syrup. When the syrup has all been added, increase beater speed to high and continue beating until mixture is tripled in volume and very thick, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until combined, then immediately spoon topping onto centre of pie filling; it will slowly spread to cover top of pie. Chill uncovered for one hour, then cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap or foil, oil side down, and chill at least three more hours. At this point, pie can be chilled for up to one day.

Just before serving, brown the topping. Preheat broiler. Cover the edge of the pie with foil. (I forgot this step, and the sides of the crust got a little dark.) Broil pie 3 to 4 inches from the heat, rotating pie as necessary, until marshmallow topping is golden brown. Don’t leave the pie to go and do anything else, because it will darken in a hurry. Serve immediately.

By the way, after you've made the marshmallows, you'll find baked-on crystallized sugar in the saucepan, which will seem impossible to remove. After the marshmallow has been poured on the pie and it's been set aside to cool, simply pour some water into the saucepan and put it back on the stove at high heat. If your beaters got crystallized sugar on them too, put them in the saucepan at the same time. As the water boils, the crystallized sugar will dissolve. Clean as usual.

Thursday's Child: Trinity, Newfoundland

2011-07-21T08:38:00.000-04:00

What’s not to love about a village where you can see both a pageant commemorating local history and an iceberg?

Trinity, Newfoundland was first settled in the sixteenth century, and later became an important centre for the fishing industry. Today, it’s a major attraction for its summer theatre. Rising Tide Theatre puts on a full array of shows, but none is more popular than its annual pageant. This show is staged throughout the town, and the audience follows the performers to the church, the fishery and the harbour, sharing in moments both comical and tragic from the town’s history. The girls loved the pirate invasion; Andrew and I were moved by the tale of the fishermen who were frozen to death just off the shore. More than anything, the pageant demonstrates the perseverance and courage of the local community through years of hardship.

And that iceberg? May is the time to visit Newfoundland if you’re looking for icebergs, but we managed to see a smallish one just outside of Trinity when we visited in August 2007.

We spent two nights in Trinity. Much of its charm was simply in exploring – there are plenty of trails and historical buildings to discover. And for all the excitement of a town pageant and an iceberg, the part I loved most about Trinity was walking in and around this tiny, well-preserved village.

Recipes inspired by musicals: Oklahoma!

2011-07-17T07:08:00.000-04:00

You’ve got to love a musical that has an exclamation mark in its title.

When I was growing up, my parents bought my sister and I a couple of Reader’s Digest compilation records. (Sadly, I will have lost many of my younger readers already. I suggest you google “record”, and continue by googling “Reader’s Digest”, and you’ll have some idea of what I’m talking about.)

Our favourite four-album collection was called “The Wonderful World of Music for Children”, and the record we played the most was “Songs from Great Shows”. All of the songs were great, but none was more magical than “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top” from Oklahoma! How can you not love a song with lyrics like these:

“Chicks and ducks and geese better scurry

When I take you out in the surrey

When I take you out in the surrey with the fringe on top!

Watch that fringe and see how it flutters

When I drive them high-steppin’ strutters

Nosy folks’ll peek through their shutters and their eyes will pop!”

Yes, more exclamation marks.

The story revolves around a box social dance. Each of the girls in the neighbourhood prepares a box lunch, which is auctioned off to raise money for the schoolhouse. The successful bidder gets to eat the lunch with the girl who prepared it. The tension surrounds Laurey (played by Shirley Jones, in her first movie role), whose lunch is bid on by both cowboy Curley and the cruel farm hand Jud.

Curley would have loved finding Pasta, Pesto and Peas in his box lunch. The recipe is taken from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa Parties! (Yet another exclamation mark!) If you take it on a picnic, just keep the salad chilled in a cooler until you’re ready to serve it. I think you’ll enjoy it so much, you’ll find it earns an exclamation mark of its own.

Pasta, Pesto, and Peas

(from Barefoot Contessa Parties!)

3/4 pound (about 340 grams) fusilli pasta

3/4 pound (about 340 grams) bow-tie pasta

1/4 cup good olive oil

1 1/2 cups pesto

10-ounce package (300 grams) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry

3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/4 cups good mayonnaise

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups frozen peas, defrosted

1/3 cup pine nuts

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Cook the fusilli and bow ties separately in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 to 12 minutes, until each pasta is al dente. Drain and toss into a bowl with the olive oil. Cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree the pesto, spinach and lemon juice. Add the mayonnaise and continue to puree.

Add the pesto mixture to the cooled pasta, then add the Parmesan cheese, peas, pine nuts and salt. Mix well and season to taste.

Thursday's Child: Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

2011-07-14T08:55:00.000-04:00

Sometimes visiting a beautiful village can be a mixed blessing.

The town of Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic was such a blessing. There’s no doubt that it’s one of the prettiest towns we’ve seen. Like San Gimignano, Cesky Krumlov is protected by UNESCO as a world heritage site because of its lovely medieval buildings. However, unlike San Gimignano, we visited Cesky Krumlov before we knew the cardinal rule of travel – never visit a “charming village” on a day trip. That’s because everyone else in the world is also visiting it on a day trip. The town was blanketed with crowds, and we surged up the hill to the castle like a family of salmon desperately swimming upstream with their five hundred best friends.

We didn’t regret visiting. Our favourite part of the day was eating lunch on a terrace overlooking the castle. We enjoyed our Pilsner Urquells while the girls sipped orange Fanta beside us. In the serenity of those moments, we could imagine what it might be like to visit Cesky Krumlov when it was quieter.

Miraculously, our pictures reflect the charm of the town rather than the maelstrom of the crowd. And I’d still recommend you visit this lovely village. Just promise me you’ll spend a night there or see it in the off-season. That way you can enjoy the cobblestone streets, the red roofs and the medieval buildings without the presence of those five hundred best friends.

Recipes inspired by musicals: Guys and Dolls

2011-07-10T07:17:00.000-04:00

Sarah: These are delicious. What did you call them?

Sky: Dulce de leche.

Sarah: Dulce de leche. What’s in it, besides milk?

Sky: Oh, sugar, and a sort of natural flavoring.

Sarah: What’s the name of the flavoring?

Sky: Bacardi.

Sarah: It’s very good. I think I’ll have another one.

Guys and Dolls is a musical that unites the worlds of small-time gambling and the Salvation Army. Sarah Brown is the earnest leader of the Save-A-Soul Mission, which is about to be closed unless she can convert some sinners. In the meantime, Nathan Detroit made a bet with Sky Masterson, challenging Sky to get Sarah to accompany him to Cuba. Sky succeeds by promising to deliver “one dozen genuine sinners” (the other gamblers) to her mission later that week to prevent it from being closed.

While in Havana, Sky introduces Sarah to the delightful flavour of dulce de leche. My version of this recipe isn’t spiked with Bacardi, but it doesn’t need to be. The caramel sweetness of the dulce de leche plays perfectly against the cocoa brownies. I’d happily travel to Havana myself for a taste of one of these. I've used Alice Medrich's wonderful Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter recipe and David Lebovitz's dulce de leche. You could buy the dulce de leche already made, but this is an easy and inexpensive way to make it yourself.

If you aren’t familiar with Guys and Dolls, listen to the soundtrack from the brilliant 1992 Broadway revival of this show. “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat”, sung by one of the gamblers pretending to be saved, is possibly the funniest and most inspiring musical number ever written.

And how were the brownies? They’re very good. I think I’ll have another one.

Dulce de Leche Brownies

(adapted from Countless Calories, with recipes from David Lebovitz and Alice Medrich)

Ingredients

10 Tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter

1 ¼ cups sugar

¾ cup cocoa

2 tsp water

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt

2 large eggs, chilled

1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup dulce de leche (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 8 x 8 x 2 inch metal baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang.

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form at bottom of pan, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; immediately add sugar, cocoa, water, vanilla and salt. Stir to blend. Let cool five minutes (mixture will still be warm). Add eggs to hot mixture one at a time, beating vigorously to blend after each addition. When the mixture looks thick and shiny, add flour and stir until blended. Beat vigorously (mixture will be quite thick).

Transfer half the batter into the prepared pan. Drop half of the dulce de leche, evenly spaced, over the brownie batter, then drag a knife through to swirl it slightly. Spread remaining brownie batter over, then drop spoonfuls of the remaining dulce de leche in dollops over the top of the brownie batter. Use a knife to swirl dulce de leche slightly.

Bake until a toothpick plunged into the centre emerges slightly moist with batter, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting.

Dulce de leche

1 can (400 g) sweetened condensed milk

pinch kosher salt or sea salt

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Pour sweetened condensed milk into a glass pie plate or pyrex baking dish. Stir in salt.

Set the pie plate inside a roasting pan and add hot water until it reaches halfway up the side of the pie plate.

Cover the pie plate snugly with foil, tucking it in around the sides at the top. Bake between 1 ¼ tand 1 ½ hours. (While baking, check occasionally and add more water to the roasting pan if necessary.)

Once the dulce de leche has browned, remove from the oven and let cool. Whisk until smooth. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

Thursday's Child: San Gimignano, Italy

2011-07-07T09:07:00.000-04:00

Although we often plan our trips around big cities or spectacular sights, sometimes it’s the small villages that capture our hearts. This month I’ll be writing about four of them that we’ll never forget.

Tuscany is full of beautiful towns, but none are lovelier than San Gimignano. This medieval village has been recognized by UNESCO for its towers. Fourteen still remain, but at its peak of power (in the 13^th and 14^th centuries), over seventy towers dominated the skyline. San Gimignano is set on a hill, and views of the countryside are breathtaking. It’s worth a visit just to watch the sunset. Listening to the church bells tolling in the background as the sun faded behind the hills and rolling fields is one of the loveliest moments I’ve experienced.

We deliberately stayed just outside the town when we visited. Because of its beauty, it’s an enormously popular day trip from Florence and other Tuscan towns, and tiny villages can quickly be overwhelmed by big groups. So we enjoyed our Tuscan days elsewhere, and came back to San Gimignano in the evenings when it was practically deserted and we could enjoy the golden buildings and the sunset in peace.

A Month of Recipes Inspired by Musicals: The Sound of Music

2011-07-03T06:48:00.000-04:00

In earlier posts, I’ve mentioned my love of old movie musicals. And it’s surprising how often food pops up in these musicals. So what could be better than posting a month’s worth of recipes inspired by those wonderful shows?

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you already know how much I love The Sound of Music. Most of you will know the story of Maria, the nun-turned-nanny who won the hearts of the seven von Trapp children and their father, with her loving nature and beautiful voice.

For my Sound of Music recipe, I considered making a cup of tea (a drink with jam and bread), but that seemed uninspired. Instead, I remembered the scene where Maria comforts the little girls during a thunderstorm. Soon, all of the children end up in the room (either from their own rooms, or from a date with Rolf) and Maria sings about her favorite things to cheer them up. “Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,” she sings. And, for the purpose of today’s blog, “crisp apple strudels”.

Apple strudel is the ultimate Austrian dessert, so I chose a recipe developed by the Austrian chef that I know best, Wolfgang Puck, and his pastry chef, Sherry Yard. It has a flaky phyllo crust and is packed with fruit. I’m not sure that my strudel reaches the heights of the one I ate in Mondsee, Austria on the Sound of Music tour. But for a Canadian replica, it ranks right up there with bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens.

Apple strudel (makes two strudels)

(recipe adapted from Wolfgang Puck and Sherry Yard)

Ingredients

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced feather thin

1/4 cup lemon juice (1 lemon)

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup dried cherries or raisins

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 Tbsp butter, melted (for cooking bread crumbs)

2 Tbsp butter, melted (for brushing phyllo)

Optional: extra sugar and cinnamon to brush along the top of strudel

10 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed, about 17” x 12” each

In a medium bowl, toss together the apples and lemon juice. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon and cherries or raisins. Add to the apples and set aside.

Stir bread crumbs in butter until coated and golden brown and crispy. Set aside to cool completely.

Place one sheet dough on a piece of parchment paper. With your fingers, gently brush dough with melted butter. (Don’t use a pastry brush as that will rip it.) Repeat until you've laid down five sheets of dough, each with butter.

Spread half the bread crumbs along the long (17”) side, in a two to three inch line, one inch from the bottom of the dough.

Place half the prepared apple mixture on the line of bread crumbs. Using the parchment paper to get started, roll up the dough jelly-roll style. With a knife, trim ends and tuck end of dough. Brush dough with melted butter and place on a cookie sheet. If desired, sprinkle with extra cinnamon and sugar. Before baking, score the top of the strudel about 2” apart to help with cutting it after baked.

Repeat with second half of ingredients.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes. Turn cookie sheet around in the oven and cover with foil. Continue to bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Local produce

2011-06-27T09:53:00.000-04:00

I’m a day later than usual posting my recipe. June is always busy, but this weekend was especially full. Friday was my youngest daughter’s graduation from middle school, and I spent Saturday and Sunday at my mom’s place, helping her prepare for a family get-together with our relatives, the Woolners, Keirs and McNerns.

My Woolner relatives live on farms, and I spoke with two of my cousins about their enormous gardens. Although the gardens are a lot of work, Carol and Ruth Anne are both justifiably proud of the wonderful produce they grow themselves. As someone who grew up on a farm, I know there's nothing like eating food that you've grown yourself. We always had the most delicious fresh fruit, with jam and canned and frozen fruit to get us through the winter. And vegetables too. Don't even get me dreaming about my mother's asparagus patch.

We didn't have a peach tree, but relied on local orchards for our peaches when I was growing up. And now that I live in the city, I love visiting the farmers' market for great fruit. When peach season comes along, I'll definitely make these bars again. I was seduced by the notion of combining browned butter shortbread with the sweetness of peaches, and it proved to be as delicious as I'd imagined. I was a little short of peaches when I made it, so I covered the remainder of the base with peach jam, and that was terrific too. I did find the shortbread a little crumbly and would probably use a bit less flour next time.

Peach Shortbread

(from smitten kitchen)

1 cup white sugar

1 tsp baking powder

2 3/4 cups plus 2 Tbsp flour (next time I make the recipe, I’ll use a little less)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup cold unsalted butter

1 large egg

2 – 3 peaches, pitted and thinly sliced (between 1/8 and 1/4 inches thick)

Brown your butter: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, and as soon as it starts to turn brown remove from heat. Freeze until solid. (For me, this took about an hour.)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9 x 13 inch pan or line it with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, stir together sugar, baking powder, flour, salt and cinnamon with a whisk. Use a pastry blender, fork or your fingertips to blend the solidified brown butter and egg into the flour mixture. Pat 3/4 of the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan, pressing firmly. Arrange the peach slices in tiles over the crumb base in a single layer. Scatter remaining crumbs evenly over peaches and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until top is slightly brown. Cool completely in pan before cutting into squares.