lemon muffins

I’m home on my second week of mat leave. But no baby yet. To take my mind off the discomforts of the last part of pregnancy, I have been baking and freezing up goods for quick breakfasts and snacks when we’re too busy and tired after the baby arrives.

So far, I’ve baked banana bread, rhubarb apple muffins but the best so far are these lemon muffins!

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I was inspired by a friend who tested this recipe on her blog, Pat’s Plates. They looked adorable and so I set my mind to make some too.

They were super easy to make and taste great. They make a great afternoon snack with tea or coffee. The Husband loves all things lemon so I don’t think these will last long enough to bother with freezing

Check out the recipe on Pat’s Plates!

 

bears in the woods

“Do bears shit in the woods?” This is one of the Husband’s favourite rhetorical questions and I thought of that when I found this fabric.

But of course that’s not what I’ll tell our kid. I’ll just tell him that bears LIVE in the woods.

I found this super cute fabric on our “babymoon” in Oregon. When you’re seven months pregnant its hard to get excited about tax free shopping because you can’t fit any normal clothes and shoes anyway. So I bought fabric instead.

It was hard to resist this not-your-regular-bears themed fabric. It went perfectly with the wood-grained flannel I found at another store.

It was a simple project that involved sandwiching single yards of fabric and batting. I love it and I hope the baby does too!

baby’s first quilt

I don’t have a crib yet. Or a car seat. Or a bassinet….or much of anything really. BUT, I have finished a quilt for the baby!

I have been pecking away at this project for quite some time and now it is finally done. It took a while to finish, not because it was difficult, I just didn’t have much energy so I worked on it here and there. It’s really satisfying to finally complete it.

  Here are photos of the front of the quilt.

Some of my favourite finishing touches are the Prairie Points a coworker taught me to do. Thank you Dinah! These cute little triangles around the corners of the quilt help frame this whimsical blanket all together.

Here is what the back looks like.

This time I completed the binding by hand. It looks much nicer than some of the machine stitched bindings I’ve done in the past.

Angie’s Test Kitchen – Conclusion

It’s been so long since I’ve updated this blog. I almost forgot how to log in.

When I started my Test Kitchen experiment, I had full intention of taking it to the full 52 weeks. But somewhere along 40 weeks, I just couldn’t cook anymore. It was only meant to be a break but I just fell so behind, I felt discouraged and unmotivated to pick up where I left off.

While I may not have been cooking, I have been working on something else. I suppose you could call this “something else” a “bun in the oven”.

Here is the little guy we are expecting in mid May. I am currently 7 months along and this is a dated 3D ultrasound photo of him at 19 weeks.

The Husband and I are very excited and scared out of our wits at the same time but I guess we’ll just figure it out as it comes.

Not that I have been intentionally hiding this news, I’ve just only recently felt ready and at a point where I am comfortable openly sharing this

Thank you to all the readers who followed me for 42 weeks during my Test Kitchen adventures. While 2011 is over, I will continue to keep cooking and experiment with new recipes!

I will keep you posted on new cooking and future crafting adventures

Angie’s Test Kitchen – Week 42: California Turkey Chilli

I have been MIA for the last two weeks. I was not feeling well on Week 40 and Week 41 was so hectic that I just didn’t feel like cooking or thinking about making up for lost time. So instead of worrying about making up for the past two weeks, I chose to just plow forward.

This week, I made a California Turkey Chilli for a work potluck on Friday. We call these occasional team socials, “Food Fridays”.

I followed it pretty much to the “t” but did not include poblano chillis. I couldn’t find them and some people don’t like it hot. I used a bit of chilli flakes instead. Despite all the spices, I still found the final result a little bland. I ended up adding a little more salt, about a tbsp more of brown sugar and the juice of quarter of a lemon.

For the purpose of this blog, I scooped the husband a little bowl to sample. I thought it tasted pretty good when it was finished with a dollop of sour cream, some chopped fresh tomatoes and a sprinkle of cheese.

I cooked everything in my Dutch oven the night before then transferred everything into my slow cooker to bring to work the next day. I plugged the slow cooker in at a spare desk and it smelled pretty good by lunch time.

It was a fun Food Friday and I look forward to many more.

California Turkey Chili

Source: Food Network, Giada De Laurentis

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 large cloves garlic, smashed, peeled and chopped
• 2 large poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded and diced
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey (dark meat)
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons (packed) dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, crushed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 cups low-salt chicken broth (preferably organic)
• One 15 to 16-ounce can cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
• Assorted garnishes, such as chopped onion, shredded white Cheddar, chopped tomatoes and/or sour cream

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy, large pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, poblanos, celery and onions. Saute until the vegetables soften, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the turkey and saute until no longer pink, breaking up the turkey with the back of a spoon, about 7 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over and stir to blend. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, sugar, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, cinnamon and cloves. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring to blend. Add the broth and beans. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the flavors blend and the chili thickens to desired consistency, stirring often, 20 to 30 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper.

 

Angie’s Test Kitchen – Week 39: Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Cornbread

My apologies for these delayed postings. I will try not to make this a habit.

Friends with kids came over on Saturday for dinner. I was really excited to be able to host them for dinner at our place for a change. Our friends Will and Kim are always inviting me and The Husband over for dinner. They have two adorable little girls and its easier for us to go to them than it is for them to come to us. But none the less I’m so happy they are able to make it out here once in a while.

If it isn’t special enough to have Will, Kim and the girls over, my friend Cindy and her hubby Ryan were able to make it out with their one year old boy in tow.

I wanted to make a kid friendly dinner and opted to make pulled pork again. Unlike the one I made in the slow cooker for Week 6, I used a Memphis Blues Pulled Pork recipe that involved a 5.5 hour oven roasting method.

Results? More “bark” since the 4.5 lb pork shoulder roasted in my Dutch Oven uncovered for the first 3.5 hrs. For the last 2 hours, the pork was roasted with the lid on, ensuring the juices did not escape. It was great!

I did cheat as I ran out of time to make Memphis Blue’s special barbeque sauce from scratch. But just as delicious, I used a Budwiser BBQ sauce fit for any form of roasted bbq.

What pulled pork dinner is complete without homemade cornbread?

Yes I have been experimenting with gluten free options but it doesn’t hurt to live a little either. At the suggestion of my friend Chef Steve, I made cornbread for the first time using this Grandma’s Buttermilk Cornbread recipe.

The meal was completed with an optional side of (store bought) coleslaw and fresh Portugese Buns from the local Italian bakery in the neighbourhood.

Good friends. Good eats. I couldn’t ask for anything more!

Angie’s Test Kitchen – Week 38: Gluten Free Breakfast Bars

Whoops where has the time gone? Better late than never though. I can assure you these were made on Sunday, well within the range of Week 38. I simply lost track of time and did not have time to post it until now.

I have been experimenting with my diet lately. Some friends at work have eliminated gluten along with other things from their diet and feel great. While I was well aware it would not be easy giving up bread, rice, sugars etc, I really wanted to try it anyway.

I knew I’d be weak at times so I roped The Husband into supporting me through this experiment by making him eat gluten free as well.

It was a lot of mental toughness trying to tell myself I couldn’t eat something. As soon as I made something off limits, it was all I could think of and CRAVE.

But managing the cravings aside, the other challenge was finding new ways to incorporate a balance of good fats, protein and veggies into my meals. Healthy snacks were hard to think of.

My friend, Kim found a great gluten free recipe and made these breakfast bars. She knew I was really hurting for some treats and was kind enough to share some with me. They were soooo good! I knew I had found my weekly challenge.

Sadly mine did not turn out as great as hers. She made some modifications with adding bits of dark chocolate and coconut oil instead of grapeseed oil. I had forgotten about her recommendation for the coconut oil and sadly it did not taste as great. Next time, I will give it another go with a few modifications that Kim made

Here are my gluten free breakfast bars.

 

Angie’s Test Kitchen – Week 37: Pear Galette with a Lemon Thyme Crust

There is a bake sale taking place at the office tomorrow to raise funds for a colleague who is dealing with cancer. The funds raised will allow her to hire services to help her around the house and thus granting her the time to rest and spend with her three children.

When I heard there was a possibility of a bake sale, I jumped at the opportunity to help organize. It was a natural fit. I want to help and I love to bake.

Tomorrow, myself and about 13 other bakers will be showcasing our goods and pushing sales. I will be contributing not one, but TWO Pear Galettes.

The motivation was obvious. But what to bake? Finally the inspiration came together. The addition of lemon and the thyme into the crust came from Week 35′s Peach Pie. The inspiration for the pear filling came from Patricia, a loyal blog reader’s comments during my Week 26 Strawberry Galette.

I’m beginning to feel more comfortable cooking and baking outside the defined perimeters of one specific recipe. For this week’s recipe, I made some modifications to a past recipe documented little tips and tricks to rolling dough I have learned along the way.

While The Husband will not be critiquing this one, I hope this week’s Pear Galette will taste good. There is some fierce but friendly competition out there. There will be fudge, chocolate coffee cookies, ginger chews, toffee bars and so much more!

But there you have it – my spin on a rustic Pear Galette!

I have pieced together the recipe for your convenience:

Angie’s Pear Galette with Lemon Thyme Crust

 

Short Crust Pastry Dough:

1  1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp white sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into little cubes, chilled

1  1/2 tsp fresh thyme removed from sprigs

zest of half a lemon

1/4 cup iced water

 

Filling:

2 cups of anjou or bosc pears

1/2 cup white sugar

zest of the other half of lemon

pinch of cinnamon

dash of vanilla extract

1  1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour

Directions:

To prepare the crust, place flour, salt, sugar, fresh thyme and lemon zest in a food processor to mix. Add butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal. While the machine is running, pour in iced water slowly. The dough should hold together when pinched. Add a little more water if necessary.

Gather dough onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Shape it into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to chill.

Remove the dough from the fridge on to the parchment paper used earlier. Place another sheet of parchment on top of the dough and begin to roll on top until the dough is approximately 3mm thick.

Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and discard. Lift the bottom layer of parchment with the pastry on and transfer it to a baking sheet. Keep it in the refrigerator while preparing the filling.

Now preheat oven to 400F.

Next, combine the peeled and sliced pears, lemon zest, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract and flour in a large bowl. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator. Place the filling in the middle of the pastry, leaving about 1.5-inch border around the edges. Fold up and seal the pastry edges, leaving the center open.

This part is completely optional, but a light egg wash to the crust, sprinkled with granulated sugar before placed in the oven can give it a nice golden colour during baking time. This is completely up to you.

Place baking sheet on the center rack. Bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the juice is bubbling. Remove from oven. This can be serve with the option of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

 

Angie’s Test Kitchen – Week 36: Beet & Cabbage Borscht

The conversation went like this:

Me: So what do you want for dinner tomorrow night?

Husband: Borscht.

Me: Ok. That’s just a soup but what else would you like?

Husband: Borscht.

Me: So you just want soup for dinner? Nothing else like a main to go with it?

Husband: Borscht.

And that, ladies and gents, is how I decided to make borscht this week. But unlike The Husband, I like to have more than just soup for dinner so I also made a Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken.

The Beet & Cabbage Borscht was good although, I think I may have been a little heavy handed with the salt. In hindsight, I think I could have just made soup for dinner because this borscht was FILLING. The two chopped up potatoes and six beets made it a very hearty meal. In fact, I probably didn’t need to make that chicken after all.

The Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken is not a new recipe to our home but definitely a favourite. I especially love the blanket of bacon that’s placed on top of the chicken for the first hour of baking. It gives it a nice smoky flavour. After the first hour, the bacon is removed and the chicken is popped back in the oven for another 20 mins to half hour until the skin crisps up and the juices run clear.

(blanket of bacon on the chicken before it goes in the oven)

(the cavity of the chicken is stuffed with garlic and lemon. Once cooked, the chicken is enjoyed with the roasted garlic extracted from the cavity and round the sides)

Hmmm. I have a full belly right now but thinking about the chicken juices has me salivating again.

Anyway, it was probably not the best day to boil up soup and oven roast a chicken at the same time because my house became this sweat box as I prepared tonight’s meal.

But if its what makes The Husband happy, I would slave away and make borscht any day.

The ” I cook, you clean” policy still stands though.

Beet and Cabbage Borscht

Source: Bon Appétit

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 pound russet potatoes, peeled, chopped
• 2 1/2 cups chopped green cabbage (about 1/4 of small head)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 8 cups (or more) canned vegetable broth
• 6 2-inch-diameter beets, peeled, chopped
• 1 cup drained canned chopped tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Low-fat sour cream
• Chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add potatoes, cabbage and onion and sauté until cabbage softens, about 5 minutes. Add 8 cups broth, beets and tomatoes. Bring soup to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Working in small batches, puree 4 cups of soup in blender; return to remaining soup in pot. If desired, add more broth by 1/2 cupfuls to thin soup. Add lemon juice; season with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into bowls. Top with dollop of sour cream; sprinkle with parsley. Serve, passing lemon wedges separately.

Yogurt Banana Bread!

These blackish bananas were calling out to me.

They were tired of sitting there, wasting away. They feared the passage of turning to The Dark Side.

So I did what any compassionate baker would do – I mashed them (in the most human way as possible) and baked banana bread.

So you’re thinking…yeah. Banana bread. Big deal, everyone makes “the best banana bread ever”.

Ah! While I do think my banana bread is tasty, I’m not here to boast. I’m writing to tell you about a successful experiment where I substituted one ingredient for another.

My Martha Stewart Baking Handbook’s Banana Bread recipe asked for buttermilk but I didn’t have any. I didn’t even have any milk which I often replace the stinky buttermilk with. So….ready for it? I subbed it with YOGURT!

Forgive me if this is old-hat stuff for some of you. However, for a novice like me, baking with yogurt seems so ground breaking!

The inspiration came from a conversation I had with a fellow bridesmaid at last weekend’s wedding. Sherie had brought some homemade blueberry scones for breakfast while we all got ready for our friend’s big day.

While everyone was focused on getting their make done and hair curled, I sat there stuffing my face and marveling at the scones. These were the moistest scones I had ever tasted. Her secret – full fat Balkan style yogurt! (Sorry Sherie! The cat’s out of the bag)

I happened to have lots of this yogurt in my fridge so I scooped an equal measurement of yogurt in replacement of the required buttermilk!

Voila! It turned out great! In fact I think the results were lighter and fluffier than usual!

Yay for yogurt! Yay for Sherie’s secret ingredient!