Maple Oatmeal Cookies

We have made these cookies many times since they appeared in the  March Issue of Everyday Food....I highly recommend trying them!http://www.marthastewart.com/891975/maple-oatmeal-cookies

Menu Planning

Menu planning helps to get one's cooking life in order.  When you come home at the end of a busy day and know what you are going to cook for dinner plus have all the food in the house it is like walking into a magically clean house.  A sense of calm prevails.
Not that I do this every week, but I sure wish I did!

This is a too cute video - from Better Together BC website to get you through the week.

Winter Cold = Comforting Soup

There is time for everything.

                                       Thomas A. Edison

.....plus cooking!

Comforting Lentil Soup
serves 4
2 teaspoons oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large carrot, chopped
1 1/2 cups lentils, rinsed
1/3 cup brown rice
4 cups chicken stock
4 cups water
2 springs thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
In a medium-size pot, heat oil at medium high heat.  Add onions and garlic, saute until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add carrot, lentils, rice, stock, water, thyme, basil and oregano.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 45 minutes.  Add soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste.  Serve passing Parmesan cheese.

January 2012- What Is Your Cooking Challenge

Planning meals, organizing our cooking life so that it is interesting, easy, and tasty.

What's Yours cooking challenge for 2012?

......Here is another recipe from the Fall Newsletter that is posted on the website

risotto with loads of

veggies

Serves 4
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil
1 leek, tops removed, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 zucchini diced
12 asparagus stalks, ends removed and cut into 2“ pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (optional)
1 ½ cups Arborio rice
1 larger or two smaller tomatoes, diced
Pinch red pepper flakes
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
½ cup white wine
4 cups chicken stock, heated thoroughly
1 ½ cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter and oil in a medium-sized sauce pan.  Add leeks and garlic and sauté two minutes.  Add zucchini, asparagus, red bell pepper, carrot, jalapeno pepper and sauté until soft, about five more minutes.  Add rice and coat well.  Add tomatoes, red pepper flakes, basil leaves and wine. Stir until the liquid has been completely absorbed.  Add one ladle of hot stock and simmer, stirring until it has been absorbed.  Continue to add hot stock one ladle at a time, stirring after each spoonful and adding more once it’s been absorbed.  Cook until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender but still firm (al dente) about 18-20 minutes.  Add Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Recipes To The Rescue Newsletter

The Fall Newsletter is out!  Here is a sampling of what you can taste.

chocolate upside down cake

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
 ½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 oz square unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping
1/3 cup cocoa
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 ½ cups boiling water
whipping cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease an 8 x 8 inch cake pan. In a bowl combine flour, white sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.  Place chocolate and butter together in a very small saucepan and heat at a very low heat, stirring often until all melted. Stir into dry ingredients with buttermilk, egg and vanilla.   Pour into the greased pan.  Mix cocoa, brown sugar, white sugar in a small bowl.  Spread over top of cake batter.  Pour boiling water over all. Bake 45 minutes or until cake is set.  Serve with whipping cream or ice cream.

Summer Folds Into Fall

Yes, September completely passed me by - whoosh!  I secretly did not want summer to end so I refused to recognize September.  However, one can not avoid October.  The air smells of autumn, the leaves are thinking of turning colour, and the Halloween decorations are appearing in doorways. 
As we head indoors (for what I hope is not a never-ending rainfall), here is a fun treat for all.

Brown Sugar-Coated Popcorn
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Pop corn kernels in a hot-air popcorn maker.  Mix butter and brown sugar together.  Toss butter mixture with popcorn, season with salt.  Spread on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 8 minutes then serve.

Is My Chicken Cooked?

The best way to tell if your meat is cooked is to buy a instant-read meat thermometer........once meat is out of the oven check the internal temperature in the thickest part of the meat......if undercooked put it back in the oven.....don't forget to pull out the meat thermometer before you put the meat back in.........trust me....they melt if left in the oven.

Check out the Food Inspection Agency Website