Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Husband's favourite cookie of all time is Oatmeal Chocolate Chip. He scours the grocery store looking for them in the bakery section but almost never finds them. Oatmeal Raisin abound but the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip seems to be forgotten or unwanted by the population according to the grocery store's bakery. Personally I don't much care for cookies at all, but Husband is a fiend for cookies. - I feel like there's a sexual inuendo there....moving on.

I haven't made cookies in a VERY long time due to this whole pregnancy thing. My baking has fallen to what may be an all time low for me and actually my cooking activity is pretty low on the charts too. Even though I woke up feeling like I weigh 800 lbs and achy as hell at 27 weeks pregnant I really wanted to make Husband these cookies. Going for a swim made me feel a lighter for an hour today which gave me some energy, oh and my 2 hour nap this afternoon also gave me a little get up and go. So by the time the heat of the day had mostly passed at 9pm I was ready to make these cookies.

They really were very easy to make, well from the voice of someone with a Kitchen Aid mixer. But if you're used to stirring by hand I'm sure this will be no big whoop. I find cookies very simple to make though, I mean you just toss everything in a bowl, mix and pop in the oven, not exactly rocket science. If you have trouble baking you're probably not reading the proportions correctly. Baking is really just chemistry. Do the formula as you're told and the reactions will look after everything else for you. And for the record I only passed highschool chemistry by 2% I think it was so if I can get it correct you really should be able to too.

Anyhow, Husband thought these were the cat's meow so if you're one of those people scouring the grocery store for some decent Oatmeal Chocolate Chip here's your answer.

Enjoy!

1/2 c butter
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 c quick cooking rolled oats
1 c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 c chocolate chips

Add your ingredients in a bowl in the order I've listed them. Start by creaming your butter and stir in each ingredient as you add it. You may want to add the flour/baking powder/cinnamon all in one go.
Bake in the oven for 13 min approx @ 350F or until the edges of the cookies are browning.
For the love of God use a good cookie tray or at least a silpat if your tray is shit. If you don't have a good tray your cookies will burn and stick every time - there's no blaming that on the recipe!

Pie and Tart

It's no secret that I love pies and tarts. They are by far my favourite desserts. I think the only thing that can rival I slice of pie or an amazing tart for me is a cappuccino and croissant combo. God, if I had to choose....well, I don't even want to think about it.
Anyhow, I wanted to make sure that everyone knows about the existence of this cookbook. It really and truly is an amazing book. Every recipe I have had from it has been fantastic and actually if I were to cook my way thru another cookbook this would be a great choice - except that I'd weigh 50 lbs more at the end of it all. It just might be worth it though. It has all the classic pies you'd ever want to make, and *%$@ they are good!!!!!!!!!!!
If you're a baker or know someone who is a baker get your hands on this book if you haven't already. I'm sure that if you give this as a gift to someone you can convince them to make you a pie or two from it's pages =)

Happy Eating!

Spring Pasta Salad

So, yeah I've been slacking with the posts. I have a great reason though, I'm pregnant. That means that my energy level is pretty low. I'm in my 6th month and yeah, don't have tons of energy to blog these days. You may have noticed.....
Anywho, yesterday I was watching Food Network and happened to be watching "Sandwich King" and he made this delicious looking super healthy pasta salad. I looked an Husband and said with much elation , "That's what I'm going to make for lunches this week!". It looked really easy to make and had a nice variety of veggies that I thought would be great for my little fetus. After a trip to the grocery store and many a household chore it was 930pm and I just started to make the salad. It was really easy to make, I'll give Sandwich King that, but today at lunch even in my pregnancy induced state of famished hunger I wasn't a fan of this salad. I would even go so far as to say that had I not been so incredibly hungry I probably wouldn't have eaten this. True is was full of vitamin filled veggies for baby K but my taste buds were not feeling this. I still have 2 more lunches worth of this salad too....
I give this recipe a fail and I'm also going to fail the Sandwich King too because I'm so disappointed.
Boo Sandwich King, Boo.

Apples and Peanut Butter

Who would have thought??? Apples and peanut butter are actually really effing good together! Sometimes all it takes for a little treat is some creative thinking. I was not the creative thinker in this and I'm sure plenty of people out there are already aware that apples and peanut butter are a delicious combination, but I have been living the dark for 32 years of this fact. No more though friends, no more. I am gloriously enlightened.
I have this thing where I like to watch cartoons even though I'm 32 years old. So I'll admit that I am a fan of Sponge Bob Square Pants. Maybe you find this to be a little creepy or a little terrifying but I assure you this show is hilarious. I've even turned Husband into a fan. Last weekend I was watching Saturday morning cartoons (why stop a good thing I say) and once Sponge Bob was over they cut to a little cooking segment for kids. They were making peanut butter and apple sandwiches and I immediately wanted to try it. All you do is slice your apple nice and pretty and then put some peanut butter between two apple slices. Voila! Amazing snack and great for your kids!!
See watching cartoons can pay off after all!
Oh and don't judge my appearance, it was early!!

Afternoon Tea!!

I think that Afternoon Tea is becoming En Vogue again. Personally I've been enjoying this little gem of a treat for quite sometime. I love to be pampered and waited on hand an foot, I mean who doesn't!?! Afternoon tea for me at least is just as good as a day at the spa. It's relaxing and it makes me feel rejuvenated and it's a little slice of luxury. I've been to quite a few places to have this wonderful experience, usually offered a luxury hotels so I fancy myself a bit of an expert at afternoon tea. Really that's just me patting myself on the back though. The truth is I'm just too much of a junkie for this kind of thing and I love stuffing my face! Even though tea is a variety of petite items you really do leave quite full.

I decided a while back that I would host afternoon tea at my house to welcome Husband's grandmother to our neighbourhood. Grandma is the coolest 89 year old I know and I hope one day to be as cool as she is at that age. I thought that afternoon tea would really be the ticket to make her feel welcome to our neighbourhood and let her know we are glad to have her even closer to us now. I invited all the ladies in Husband's family that live in the neighbourhood and did my best to recreate an afternoon tea at a fancy hotel. I didn't do too bad a job if I do say so myself!

I made petite breakfast scones served with devonshire cream and jams. Open-face cucumber sandwiches, toasted asparagus rolls and petite lobster rolls. For dessert I served shortbread cookies, mini strawberry cheese cakes, and mini chocolate mousse cakes. Now don't feel you have to make this all yourself. I certainly didn't. I made the scones the night before and I prepared the sandwiches the morning of. The sandwiches really are very, very easy to make. The desserts I purchased from a local grocery store with a great little bakery inside.

Afternoon tea is all about presentation, so break out your fancy dishes. I'm lucky enough to have gotten some amazing serving dishes and beautiful china as wedding gifts. If you don't have fine china you needn't worry. Just use your best dishes or if you're feeling like putting a little money into it you could go to your local second hand shop and and buy some shabby chic tea cups etc give them a good scrub and voila, your table is set. One piece of serving ware that you will need to make this a traditional afternoon tea is a tiered serving tray. A few years ago these were very hard to come by, but as I said afternoon tea is making a come back and I've noticed you can't walk into a Winners or Homesense without seeing these nowadays. The last thing you'll need is some high quality tea to serve your guests. This is all personal preference but don't be afraid to spend a little extra on your tea choice if you can afford it.

Everyone really enjoyed the experience I believe and it's a great little afternoon party that's out of the ordinary so people really enjoy this unique experience. If you're looking for something a little more quirky but very IT to do, I think this is your ticket to success! Enjoy!

Neuhaus Chocolates

I know it's been a while since I've done a post. And yet here even though I'm posting I'm still not even cooking. Well, I'm lazy. It's February after all. My worst month of the year. I'm always so tired and sick of winter in February. I just want to hibernate. February for me feels like a month I have to make it through. One thing that does help get me through it is thinking about vacations that I will be taking in the coming year and vacations I have taken in the past. This February I find myself thinking about our trip to Europe last fall because it was the best vacation ever. I'm thinking about all the fun things we did and all the yummy food we ate. Sometimes I try to re-create the thrill of vacations past by re-creating a food item I enjoyed while on vacation. Right now I'm thinking of Neuhaus Chocolate. I hadn't heard of Neuhaus until maybe 3 years ago. It's not readily available in my corner of the world and to be honest it's not exactly cheap. I did discover Neuhaus while in Paris with my mother and now that I know about it there simply is no going back.

I guess I could describe Godiva as being the poor mans Neuhaus. And anyone who has shopped at Godiva knows they don't exactly give the chocolate out for free there either. That' s also not to say that I don't enjoy Godiva because believe me I do. I really, really do. But I feel like why have just champagne when you could have Dom Perignon? Have you had Dom? If you have you know what I'm talking about. Neuhaus to me feels like the Dom of Chocolates. I insisted Husband and I have Neuhaus chocolate while in Europe and I think Husband spoke well when he said he felt like a kid again when he ate the Neuhaus Chocolate. It just tastes that amazing. And the fact that they had a Smurf line out at the time helped out too!

Now, it's not easy to get your hands on a box of Neuhaus Chocolates in Canada. The only place I have ever seen them sold is a high end grocery store in Toronto called Pusateri's. And the cheapest box was $50. If anyone can tell me of another retailer I'd be glad to hear it. If you find yourself in Europe pick up a box. You will not regret it. You should be able to find a box in the airport shops. You will be turned and I have been, and how I turned Husband into a Neuhaus fan and find yourself daydreaming of those wonderful truffles!

Vegan Chili

For quite some time I've been wanting to try the Vegan Chili that I saw made on The Ellen DeGeneres show. Ellen is a well known vegan and this was a recipe that, if I do recall correctly, her personal chef made on the show. I thought this might be expensive to make but was pleasantly surprised that most of the ingredients were things that I already had in the cupboard. I really only had to pick up a couple things. My grocery store did not offer the brand of "Ground Beef" listed on the ingredients list,which is Smart Ground, so I went with Yves Original "Ground Beef". Which is actually tofu that looks just like a cooked ground beef.

Not only is this recipe super easy and super fast to make but it is also SUPER delicious!!! I made a plate of hot nachos for Husband and I and served it with this vegan chili as a dip for the nachos and both Husband and I really liked it. I highly recommend this recipe. And seriously if you're thinking of cutting down on the amount of red meat you consume but hate to give up your meaty favourites, think of this recipe as having your cake and eating it too. You can still enjoy and nice bowl of chili honouring your inentions of lessening the red meat in your diet. I beseech you to try this recipe whether your vegan or not. Delicious, delicious, delicious!

RECIPE: http://ellen.warnerbros.com/recipes/vegetarian_vegan/vegan-nachos-vegan-chili-nacho-cheese-0205.php

Italian Dinner!!! featuring Amalfi Baked Lemons, Amalfi Salad and Lone Linguine with White Truffle Oil

Last Friday I decided to make a bit of a fancy meal for Husband and I for dinner. My sister bought me "Jamie's Italy" for Christmas and I've been wanting to try some recipes. I chose 2 recipes from the aforementioned book and one recipe from Nigella's "Kitchen". The Jamie Oliver recipes were the 2 Amalfi recipes and the linguine belongs to Nigella.

The Amalfi Baked Lemons really intrigued me. It's just so different than anything I've ever had before or tried to make before so I was really looking forward to trying it. I decided to serve my dinner in courses and to prepare each course fresh for serving. I thought "What's the rush it's Friday? Right!?!" Husband wasn't to fond of that approach. I think he was looking for a massive plate of food all in one shot, but as the chef for the evening it was my opinion that mattered!! The ingredients for the baked lemons are easy and straight forward. And while you might be thinking "Who wants to eat baked lemons???",I have good news for you. This is actually a cheese dish. The only part of the lemon you use is the rinds, which you fill with buffalo mozzarella and a couple other items. Then you bake until the cheese is ooey and gooey and infused with a subtle but fantastic lemon citrus flavour. I thought this dish was a really nice change from the ordinary. Husband found this dish passable.

So, round one I hadn't won Husband over and he was making it known that he was still quite hungry. I forbade him from snacking on cookies between courses. I'm not sure Husband is familiar with the adage patience is a virtue! Round 2 was Amalfi salad. No greens for this salad. It's an uncomplicated dish, but very fresh and refreshing. Everything is very thinly sliced and tossed in an oil & vinegar dressing then at the last moment you add in orange. The orange is quite vital I feel because it balances the strong flavours of the radish and onion. I liked this dish as well, Husband liked it better than the baked lemons but still he was not satisfied.

My last and final chance at impressing Husband was the Lone Linguine with Truffle sauce. Now I know that husband loves pasta and I know he likes truffle so I was feeling pretty good about this one. Sure it doesn't have any meat (always a negative for Husband) but still I held out hope. Even though this dish is really quite quick to prepare I still couldn't keep husband's hands out of the cookie jar which was disappointing but apparently he was on the verge of starvation and the only thing between him and certain death was a chocolate chip cookie. Anyhow, this recipe calls for white truffle oil but as I had black truffle oil in the cupboard that's what I used. The sauce is made with raw egg and the trick to the dish is stirring the sauce into the still hot pasta over your still warm element but not having the egg "curdle" for lack of a better term. What you do get if you can avoid that scrambled egg effect is a gorgeous and velvety truffle cream sauce that is to die for. I thought this dish was amazing! Husband found it to be good but he thought it was more of a base of a sauce and there should be more to the dish. I have to tell you though I could not disagree with him more. This dish is like a little black dress. Uncomplicated, simple, classic and stunning. The pasta acts as a canvas for that amazing and unmistakable flavour that is truffle. I feel like this dish is a piece of culinary artwork. Maybe not everyone is going to get it but if you truly do love food and flavour then you simply cannot ignore that this dish is nothing short of an Ode to the truffle.

In the end, even with Husband's lack of enthusiasm for the meal, I managed to quite enjoy this culinary expedition. What better way to armchair travel than through the kitchen?

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

I have to say I first fell in love with pumpkin soup while on my honeymoon. Husband and I went to an all inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic and one night we ate at the French a la carte restaurant on the resort. I ordered the pumpkin soup and it was amazeballs. It had a beautiful puff pastry crowning the bowl and once you poked thru to the soup it was rich, delicious, creamy and heavenly. What more do you want in a soup? I've been chasing that pumpkin soup ever since. When we were in Amsterdam this past fall I had another great pumpkin soup, but if I'm having to cross oceans to get a pumpkin soup I love I won't be having the stuff very often will I? That is until today!

I have been looking for a really good pumpkin soup recipe for a while now. I had some pumpkin puree to use up in my fridge so I was looking for a recipe again tonight. I found a Jaime Oliver recipe that looked okay - but it was made with butternut squash and chestnuts...not pumpkin. So I made an impulsive decision to try a recipe of my own design. A bold move, I know, but I just happen to be feeling bold tonight. I have to tell you, I'm pretty effing happy with how my soup turned out. Previously, I wasn't able to find what I wanted in a pumpkin soup. So I guess perhaps the old adage applies here, necessity is the father of invention. Or maybe in this case we can say that cravings are the mother of recipes.

So with these clouds of want all around my head I started to build my pumpkin soup with a very specific idea of what I wanted. A velvety texture, rich and subtle undertones and I wanted this soup to make me feel like I had just crossed an ocean to get to it. I wanted this soup to make me feel like I could be eating it in the fanciest of restaurants of Paris or in the coziest corner of a Swiss ski lodge. I have to say I think I have achieved this. Well, for me anyway. I share this recipe with you because you deserve a vacation in a bowl too!

2 tbsp butter

1 medium onion chopped

2 stalks celery chopped

1/8 cup ice cider

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

620g pumpkin puree

1 cup 18% cream

3 bay leaves (fresh)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 tsp cinnamon

Bolivian rose salt

pepper
Fresh Parsley (optional)

In a large pot over medium heat melt butter. Add onion and celery and saute until soft. Add ice cider and let this cook off. [If you don't have or can't acquire ice cider (this is a liqueur) you could use apple juice.] Add chicken stock, pumpkin puree and cream. Stir until blended and allow to come to a soft boil. Add a good grinding of both salt and pepper, followed by bay leaves and cinnamon. Stir to blend. Add Parmesan cheese and stir until melted in. Let simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes. Remove the 3 bay leaves and puree the soup with blender (either conventional or immersion blender). Portion to bowls and garnish with freshly chopped parsley if desired.