Previous wrap storage

I started the New Year out with some organization projects.

My pantry is always an ongoing project. Last year we put shelves on the inside of the door. I kept my food

New wrap shelf

wraps there (plastic, aluminium, parchment, etc.) but they often come flying off when the door moves. So yesterday we installed a shelf just for them inside the pantry, inside the wall it shares with the kitchen (so you have to go in and look behind to see it).  This not only contains the wrap and prevents it from falling on my head, but it also opened up two whole shelves for me on the pantry door. I moved rice, broth, and pasta sauce to take up the space. It’s given me some breathing space inside the pantry itself.

In other organizing projects, I did all the filing that had piled up and put away some paperwork for finished projects. Then I did a major sort of books. I have a huge collection of textbooks I use for some textbooks I co-author and I went through those and purged the ones that are now old. I also went through my regular bookshelves and got rid of some duplicates of my own books and created a giant donation box for the library.

I sat down with my cooking notebooks and filed all the recipes I’ve ripped out of magazines or printed from web sites in the past year. While I was doing this I made a list of some to try, so I’ll have some dinner ideas for the next week or so.

I started an accordion file for travel information I’ve ripped out of magazines or printed. I used my P-touch to label each section and then filed it all alphabetically.

I still need to pull out all of the bills and receipts from my files and get them organized for taxes. It’s a job I don’t look forward to at all!

I started the New Year out with some organization projects. My pantry is always an ongoing project. Last year we put shelves on the inside of the door. I kept my food wraps there (plastic, aluminium, parchment, etc.) but they often come flying off when the door moves. So yesterday we installed a shelf just … Read more →

As you can see from the photo, this dip was very popular at a recent family Christmas party! By the time I made it there with my camera, the hungry hoards had devoured it. I found this recipe in Taste of Home magazine (where, honestly, I don’t find too many recipes I like and was just about to let my subscription lapse). I made half of this recipe for a party of 14 people where we had two hors d’oeuvres.

1 jar (32 ox) sauerkraut, drained well

10 oz deli corned beef, chopped

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

1 cup mayo (I used light)

3/4 cup Russian dressing

1 tsp caraway seeds

Mix the first six ingredients then stir in the seeds. Transfer to a greased 13×9 baking dish and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until bubbly.

I cooked mine at home and reheated in the microwave at the party. I served it with rye bread cut into quarters and some gluten free crackers (for me).

It was fantastic! I ate some leftovers the next day on celery and that was good too. It tastes just like a reuben sandwich. It was a snap to put together. I’m adding this to my “easy” file!

As you can see from the photo, this dip was very popular at a recent family Christmas party! By the time I made it there with my camera, the hungry hoards had devoured it. I found this recipe in Taste of Home magazine (where, honestly, I don’t find too many recipes I like and was … Read more →

I love getting books for Christmas, since it gives me something to enjoy for weeks to come. This year, received some very nice books:

The Southern Foodie: This books looks like it will be great fun. It’s recipes, as well as descriptions of great places to eat in the South.

The 10 Best of Everything: This is a great travel resource covering great locations, amazing food, hotels, activities. I can’t wait to dive in!

Fodor’s Carribean: I’m hoping to head south soon, and this book will help me figure out where I want to go! (confession: this one wasn’t under the tree, but I was hoping to get it, so I ordered it for myself when I realized Santa forgot it!)

I also got a copy of Veranda and Traditional Home, which I am saving for a quiet afternoon in front of the fire. I’ve been on a kick lately where I have been ripping pages out of home design magazines and putting them in an inspiration folder (a paper version of Pinterest, I guess!).

Did Santa leave any books under your tree?

I love getting books for Christmas, since it gives me something to enjoy for weeks to come. This year, received some very nice books: The Southern Foodie: This books looks like it will be great fun. It’s recipes, as well as descriptions of great places to eat in the South.           … Read more →

I made this festive little salad for Christmas dinner. Arrange lettuce in your individual salad bowls (I used Boston lettuce). Quarter a pear and core it. Then take each quarter and slice it, but leave it attached up at the top of the section. Place a quarter on each salad plate and fan it out. Sprinkle some dried cherries or dried cranberries over it. Drop dabs of goat cheese around the salad.

For the dressing, I mixed up a simple vinaigrette. I make my salad dressing in a jelly jar. I add oil (here I used about 1/2 cup) then I add balsamic vinegar to total about 1/5 of the oil amount. In this dressing I also added a dash of orange juice. Add 1/2 tsp of sugar, salt and pepper, some dried Italian herbs, one small minced clove of garlic and 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard. Shake it up and dress the salad.

I made this festive little salad for Christmas dinner. Arrange lettuce in your individual salad bowls (I used Boston lettuce). Quarter a pear and core it. Then take each quarter and slice it, but leave it attached up at the top of the section. Place a quarter on each salad plate and fan it out. … Read more →

I was in charge of dessert for Christmas dinner and decided to try to replicate the lemon cake we had in Sorrento, Italy, that is a local specialty. Googling did not help me find a recipe. Then I talked to my hair stylist who lived in Italy until he was a teen and frequently visits the Amalfi Coast. He suggested two cookbooks – Sophia Loren’s cookbook (now out of print: she is from the Amalfi Coast area) and The Silver Spoon, which he described as Italy’s The Joy of Cooking. I was able to get both books at the library. Sophia did not help me, but the Silver Spoon has a recipe called Lemon Delight. It sounded like it was at least close.  Here’s the recipe:

Cake:

5 eggs

1/2 cup superfine sugar

1 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

zest of 1 lemon

Chantilly Lemon Cream:

4 1/4 cups milk

1/2 vanilla bean, silt lengthwise

zest of 6 lemons

6 egg yolks

1 cup superfine sugar

scant 1 cup flour

3 tbsp cornstarch

1 drop lemon extract

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

Bergamot syrup:

3 cups superfine sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 1/2 tbsp bergamot extract

3 drops lemon extract

To make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 inch cake pan with wax paper and brush with butter (I used a silicone pan I sprayed with cooking spray). Whisk the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Sift flour and baking powder and stir in lemon zest, then fold into egg mixture. Spoon into cake pan and bake 30-40 minutes (mine took 25 minutes), until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool, then cut the cake in half horizontally.

To make the lemon cream:

Pour milk into a pan. Scrape seeds and pulp from vanilla bean into the milk and add all but 1 tsp of lemon zest. Bring to a boil over low heat. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks, sugar, flour and cornstarch together in a heatproof bowl. Remove the milk from the heat as soon as it begins to boil and gradually add to the egg mixture, constantly stirring. Pour it back into the pan and bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and pour into a bowl and let cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. (Note: I strained this through a fine sieve since it was full of lumps, then I covered it with plastic wrap to prevent the skin). When it is cool, whisk until smooth, adding remaining zest and lemon extract. Stiffly whisk the cream in another bowl then gently fold into the lemon mixture.

To make the syrup:

Pour 4 1/4 cups water into a pan and add the sugar, bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Boil, without stirring for 2 minutes until thick and syrupy, remove from heat and let cool (see my note below about this). Measure 1/2 cup of the syrup into a bowl and stir in the lemon juice bergamot syrup, and lemon extract. Pour the syrup into a large shallow dish (I used a round platter).

To assemble:

Soak each round of cake in the syrup. Put one round on a serving dish and spread with half the chantilly lemon cream, then top with the other round, using the remaining cream to cover and decorate the cake.

My notes:

Now, there are a few problems with this recipe. You’ll notice that it tells you to use 4 1/4 cups of water to make the bergamot syrup, but then you are only supposed to use 1/2 cup of it. I think there is a mistake in the translation here. So, instead, I boiled the water down for a lot longer until it was thick and syrupy. It had some crystallization of the sugar, which actually ended up being a really nice touch – having a bit of crunch when you bite into the cake.

The other issue is the bergamot extract, which I could not find. So in place, I used a few drops of lemon extract and orange extract. It worked out well.

I used gluten-free flour in this recipe and it was not a problem. I also used lactose free milk without issue.

I found the filling/frosting to be very runny and there was simply far too much of it. So I served the excess in a bowl and some people added some to their cake on the side, but it really wasn’t needed.

Overall, this was a very delicious cake with a very strong lemon flavor, but it is NOT the cake I had in Sorrento. That cake had almost a meringue on it – much lighter and fluffier than this cake was. This cake is a lovely soft sponge with intense lemon flavor with a creamy sauce on it.

This recipes was a lot of work, but it was very different than anything I’ve been served stateside, so in that respect it was a success.

I was in charge of dessert for Christmas dinner and decided to try to replicate the lemon cake we had in Sorrento, Italy, that is a local specialty. Googling did not help me find a recipe. Then I talked to my hair stylist who lived in Italy until he was a teen and frequently visits … Read more →

One of our holiday traditions is to take a

The welcome sign

drive to see holiday lights. The best place in our area is Niagara Falls, Ontario, where they have lots of animated displays near the Falls. There is an entire little park with scenes from Disney movies, that little kids love. The nicest part though is in a park called Dufferin Islands. This is a little park near the falls that has a pond and some small islands on it. The CAA sponsors the display (and collects donations). It’s a lovely little drive and the lights are reflected in the pond water, where ducks swim around. This year was better than ever. We were greeted by the Dufferin Islands sign with a beaver with a wagging tail. One of the first displays was a Buffalo meeting a moose,

Moose and buffalo meeting

symbolizing the friendship of Buffalo with our neighbors in Canada. The displays in the park are all animals. Dinosaurs, polar bears, a beaver cutting down a tree, a dolphin jumping over a whale, raccoons and other Canadian animals. Most them move. A bird lands on a pond, a polar bear swims next to an umiak, two rams clash horns. It is great fun to see it all. A section of trees are wrapped with red and white lights, turning them into candy canes. My obsession this year was the big lit balls hanging in a section

Beaver cutting down tree

of tree. I’d love to have some like that in my trees next year!

The Falls are lit with holiday colors as well (although it was too cold to get out and walk through the mist to see them up close!).

Enjoy the beautiful lights and Happy Holidays to you!

Dinosaurs

The Falls

Balls of light

Candy cane forest

Polar bear and umiak

Noah’s Ark

One of our holiday traditions is to take a drive to see holiday lights. The best place in our area is Niagara Falls, Ontario, where they have lots of animated displays near the Falls. There is an entire little park with scenes from Disney movies, that little kids love. The nicest part though is in … Read more →

It was cookie night at the Sember household. Even though my kids are 20 and almost 15, they still look forward to it. This is our first year with gluten free cookies and everything turned out well. I used Cup4Cup flour and made chocolate chip, sugar cookies, and gingerbread cookies with my usual recipes. I made all the dough one night, refrigerated it and baked it another night. Then last night we decorated. I got gluten free natural (plant-based) food coloring for my birthday and used those to make different colors. Last year we tried putting each color frosting in a squeeze bottle, but we don’t make enough to fill the bottles and it ended up not working well. So this year, we went back to the tried and true method of a butter knife for each color. We have quite a collection of decorations we use. It was a fun night which ended, of course, with everyone having a cookie!

It was cookie night at the Sember household. Even though my kids are 20 and almost 15, they still look forward to it. This is our first year with gluten free cookies and everything turned out well. I used Cup4Cup flour and made chocolate chip, sugar cookies, and gingerbread cookies with my usual recipes. I … Read more →

I’m always on a quest to find great recipes for leftovers. My latest is a delicious combo of chicken and rice with a creamy sauce. No one will know you used leftovers to make this!

Chicken and Rice Casserole

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, peeled and diced

2 tbsp flour (I used gluten-free)

1 cup milk

1 cup chicken broth

2 slices Swiss cheese, broken into small pieces

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups diced cooked chicken (about 2 breasts)

4 cups cooked rice (I used a combo of white and brown)

1 cup frozen peas (or cooked, leftover peas)

2 tbsp breadcrumbs (I used gluten free)

Preheat the oven to 400 and spray an 8×12 inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Melt butter and olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat and add onion. Cook until starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for one minute. Whisk in milk and broth and cook until it thickens.

Stir in cheese, thyme, salt, pepper and mustard, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in chicken and peas.

Spread rice in the baking pan. Top with chicken mixture. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top and spray with cooking spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbly. Serves 6.

SOO easy and yummy!

I’m always on a quest to find great recipes for leftovers. My latest is a delicious combo of chicken and rice with a creamy sauce. No one will know you used leftovers to make this! Chicken and Rice Casserole 2 tbsp butter 1 tbsp olive oil 1 small onion, peeled and diced 2 tbsp flour … Read more →

Often during the holidays, I need to pull dinner together, but I’m crunched for time, tired and also just overwhelmed by all the holiday food. I need something fast, tasty, healthy, and something that will not contribute to my food fatigue!

I often make this simple glaze for chicken, fish, or pork:

2 tbsp apricot jam

1 tbsp tamari sauce

1 minced garlic clove

1 tsp Worchestershire

Sometimes I marinate my protein in this, other times I brush it on near the end of the cooking process.

This turns into a nice pan gravy as well once you take your protein out. Add 1 1/2 cups chicken broth and use Wondra, cornstarch or gluten free flour to thicken it over medium heat.

You can use peach jam if you’d rather as well.

Often during the holidays, I need to pull dinner together, but I’m crunched for time, tired and also just overwhelmed by all the holiday food. I need something fast, tasty, healthy, and something that will not contribute to my food fatigue! I often make this simple glaze for chicken, fish, or pork: 2 tbsp apricot … Read more →

I recently received this cookbook as a birthday gift. The authors, Jilly Lagasse and Jessie Lagasse Swanson, are Emeril Lagasse’s daughters. Definitely intriguing. One of them has celiac and the other is gluten intolerant. They grew up with their dad’s food, but then had to learn to make their own gluten-free versions.

The book is broken down into appetizers, salads, soups, sides, entrees and desserts. It begins with some explanation about gluten, gluten allergies, and food that contains gluten.

There are several things I like about this book. First of all, it’s not one of those books that just takes old favorites and changes them to gluten-free. These are recipes anyone would make, not just people with gluten issues. Many of the recipes have nothing to do with gluten (salads, veggie sides, etc.). It’s just good food that happens not to have any gluten. This makes you feel like you’re eating real food and are not so restricted in your diet.

Secondly, what I really appreciate is that the recipes rely on all-purpose gluten free flour. I am not a fan of cookbooks that have you using 5 ingredients to compose the flour part of the recipe. I want to buy one good all-purpose GF flour and be able to use it in everything.

The recipes are a nice mix of creative with traditional. Wilted Chard with Walnut Pesto and Balsamic Reduction  and Baked Halibut with Creole Tomato and Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette  are included as well as Spaghetti Bolognese, Carrot Cake, and Crab Cakes.

The book has lots of photos and each recipe has a little note from the authors describing it.

I recently made:

Stewed Butternut Squash with Apples and Smoked Bacon

4 strips bacon, diced

1 1/2 cups small diced onion

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp butter

1 apple, peeled, cored and diced

1 butternut squash (about 2 lbs), peeled, seeded, diced

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 cups chicken stock

Set a medium sized saute pan on medium heat. Add the bacon and render, stirring until crisp, about 6-8 minutes.

Add the onion and cook until slightly caramelized, 4-5 minutes.

Add garlic, butter, apple, and cook, stirring until the apple is tender, about 5 minutes.

Add squash and increase heat to medium high. Cook undisturbed, about 3-4 minutes then stir in nutmeg, thyme, salt and pepper.

Cook another 3-4 minutes and add the syrup and stock. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook until squash is tender and most of the liquid evaporates, about 15 minutes.

Remove the lid, stir gently and re-season as needed.

The authors suggest serving this as a stand alone stew. I served it with rice. It has a nice rich flavor and is a great alternative to a meat-based stew. Very hearty and perfect on a cold night.

This is a great book for someone recently diagnosed with a gluten issue, or for someone who has been cooking gluten free for a long time.

I recently received this cookbook as a birthday gift. The authors, Jilly Lagasse and Jessie Lagasse Swanson, are Emeril Lagasse’s daughters. Definitely intriguing. One of them has celiac and the other is gluten intolerant. They grew up with their dad’s food, but then had to learn to make their own gluten-free versions. The book is … Read more →