The Bests...

With 2008 almost wrapped up the "best of" and "top 10" lists are aplenty. Here are some that I find quite interesting:


Best Wines Under $10 - Toronto Life

Top 10 Wines for the Holidays - Toronto Life

Best Cookbooks of 2008 - Epicurious

Dave Lebovitz's Cookbook & Recipe Favourites - Dave Lebovitz

Recipe Review

For those final local root veggies, Honey Mint Glazed Carrots - Seasonal Ontario Food

Tailgating recipes for the sports fan (or food fan) in you! - Epicurious

Wicked good caramel apples - CHOW

Cooking Club - Local, Seasonal Food

It is almost every chef's mantra to use the best quality, local and seasonal ingredients in their cooking. Our group of amateur cooking club members decided to join them in this.

Our menu included:

Imogen - Tomato "Burgers"

Tomatoes from Essex County are simply the best

and are only enhanced with basil right from the garden.

Danielle - Cumin Scented Beet Latkes with Canadian Horseradish Goat Cheese &

Carrot Latkes with Gingered Michigan Applesauce

Beets and carrots from the backyard, doesn't get more local than that.

Dana - Pasta with Five Fresh Herbs

Rosemary - Roast Pork Stuffed with Chestnuts and Apple

The ingredients were very seasonal, maybe not so local.

Jillian - Roasted Fingerlings with Red and Yellow Piperade

Melanie - Fabulous Fall Fruit Crisp

All of this was served with Walkerville Brewery beer and Pelee Island wines.

Recipe Review

I heart poutine - blog's name kinda cements this. Here are some of Bonnie Stern's latest recipes for the cheesy, gravy covered Canadian concoction - National Post

I am at work every day, which must mean the kids are back in school. Some ideas for fantastic lunches - Epicurious

Recipes for breaking the fast during Ramadan - Epicurious

My mother adores chutney. She uses it as some would ketchup. Here are some recipes to add to her arsenal. - Seasonal Ontario Food

Food in the News

Besides the Detroit Coney Dog, here are 5 hot dogs that will make you keel over - Al Dente

A debate, should you hide the veggies or just teach your kids healthy eating habits? - Epicurious

What makes a perfect taco, burger, pizza or pad thai? - 7x7 San Francisco

With only 1 weekend left before Labour Day, here is the perfect cottage meal - National Post

Something I want to join in on, an Underground Dinner Party - Globe and Mail

The gourmet comfort food trend is not over - rethinking the corn dog - National Post

Recipe Review

I usually save cauliflower for the fall, but I can't resist this fried recipe - Seasonal Ontario Food

Sliders are the best way to eat ground beef - period. Here's Chowhound's recipe - CHOW

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times - ice cream is my weakness and having an ice cream maker helps not at all. Here 947 recipes from Epicurious - Epicurious

Summer is time for canning all those gorgeous local fruits and veggies. The Globe shows you how - The Globe & Mail

...Those That Understand Teach

My profession is teaching. I teach Special Education to elementary school children. But last week I decided to broaden my spectrum and deliver a lesson to my colleagues about cooking. As part of our "Wellness Committee" initiative I presented a class about Quick and Easy Meals. It was great fun and the participants were great. Everyone worked together to create the meals and, in general, seemed to enjoy the food. I am hoping to get another class in before the end of the school year.

The menu included:

Mango Lassi

Baked Sausages with Fennel, Potatoes and Asiago

Mediterranean Turkey Burgers Stuffed with Feta Cheese

Ziti with Honey Roasted Salmon and Creamy Mustard Sauce

Mango Lassi (http://www.epicurious.com/)

3 cups yogurt
1 cup mango purée, fresh or canned (Mr. Goudas is a good brand)
1/3 cup honey or granulated sugar1 tray ice cubes


Put all the ingredients in an electric blender or food processor and blend until the ice is crushed and the liquid is frothy. Serve immediately in tall glasses. (The drink will keep, covered, for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Whip again before serving.)

Makes 4 servings.

Baked Sausages with Fennel, Potatoes and Asiago (Food & Wine Magazine)

2 T olive oil

1 lb sausages

1 onion, sliced thin

1 bulb of fennel, sliced thin

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 t fennel seeds

2 large potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes

S&P to taste

1/3 dry white wine (vermouth, beer or apple juice can be used)

1 – 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes, drained and chopped

1 ½ c grated Asiago

Heat the oven to 450 F. In a large, deep pan, heat 1 T of the oil over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook until browned and cooked through (about 10 min.). Remove from pan and slice when cooled.
Add the remaining oil in the pan and heat pan on medium. Add onion, fennel bulb, garlic and fennel seeds and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in potatoes and S&P and cook until vegetables begin to soften (7-8 minutes).
Stir in the wine and simmer until evaporated. Stir in tomatoes. Raise the heat and simmer until most of the liquid evaporates (5 minutes). Stir in the sausages and transfer to a baking dish.
Bake the sausage mixture for 10 minutes. Top with the cheese. Bake for about 10 minutes longer.

Mediterranean Turkey Burgers Stuffed with Feta Cheese

1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey

6 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

2 teaspoons dried dill1

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

½ c feta cheese, in large chunks

6 whole wheat, hamburger buns

2 c baby spinach

6 slices tomato

6 slices red onion

1 c tzatziki sauce (recipe below)

Combine turkey, breadcrumbs, lemon peel, dill, salt and pepper in large bowl. Mix well. Divide turkey mixture into 6 equal portions. Form 1 portion into two 4-inch diameter patties. Place 1 tablespoon feta atop 1 turkey patty; place second patty atop cheese. Seal patties at edges to enclose cheese. Repeat with remaining 5 portions. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Prepare barbecue or indoor grill (medium-high heat). Grill burgers until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Toast buns. Place turkey burgers on bottom half of buns. Top burgers with tomatoes, spinach, onions and tzatziki.

Tzatziki Sauce (http://www.foodtv.ca/)

You can buy drained Greek yogurt at some grocery stores. Substitute fresh dill or parsley for the mint if you like

2 cups whole milk yogurt, drained (500 ml)
1 medium English cucumber, peeled and grated
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced
Handful chopped fresh mint, optional
Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Add the yogurt to a colander lined with cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Drain for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. If you don’t drain the yogurt, the tzatziki sauce will be looser.

Drain the grated cucumber and squeeze out the excess liquid. Mix yogurt with remaining ingredients. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and stir in the chopped mint. Makes about 1 ½ cups.

Ziti with Honey Roasted Salmon and Creamy Mustard Sauce

1 lb salmon fillet

1 T honey + 2 t honey

1/2 t fresh-ground black pepper

1 T olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1/3 c dry white wine

1 t grainy Dijon mustard

3/4 c heavy cream

S&P, to taste

2 Ts chopped fresh parsley

3/4 lb ziti



Heat the oven to 400 F. Put the salmon in the pan, skin side down. Spread 1 T of honey over the salmon and then sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Roast the salmon until just barely done, about 15 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the fillet. Remove from the oven.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the ziti until just done, about 13 minutes – drain.

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until about 1 tablespoon remains, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the mustard, cream, remaining honey and S&P. Turn off the heat. Flake the salmon and stir with the parsley into the sauce. Toss pasta with the sauce.

I scream, you scream. We all scream for Ice Cream!

I have been wanting an ice cream maker for ages because yucky, cheap ice cream is just that - yucky and cheap. I am happy to say I received an ice cream maker as a gift recently. I have big plans for that machine and have already used it to make Banana Ice Cream which I snuck between 2 big chocolate chip cookes to make a sandwich. I am mildly obsessed with ice cream sandwiches right now so I was overjoyed to find this article, as well as a recipe for Cinnamon Toast Ice Cream. Can't wait to try them all out.

Photo courtesy of www. YumSugar.com

Food in the News

How to deal with those chronically late people in your life (admit it, we all have one) - Chow

Malcolm Gladwell discusses ketchup and mustard - Epicurious

How restaurants are failing Canadian children - Globe and Mail