Little Italy - Erie Street, Windsor ON.

Recently the Food Network published my article about Windsor's Little Italy. It was written over a year ago, and unfortunately a few restos in that area have closed down since then. I encourage Windsorites to support local eateries and Erie Street is a great area to begin!

Gourmet Emporium - Windsor, ON

If you are in Windsor and are looking for a cozy place to warm up with a drink and a bite to eat, Gourmet Emporium in Olde Walkerville is a great choice. Read my article on the Food Network Canada for more details about this resto/cafe/store.

Jack's Gastropub

I thank the person(s) that came up with the idea of the gastropub. Great quality comfort food is one of my favourite styles of grub. Jack's in Kingsville is an great gastropub in Kingsville, ON. For more details, read my article on the Food Network.

Paesano's Article

Paesano's is a market/cafe located in Lakeshore, ON. They sell yummy cupcakes.

Take a look at my article on Food Network Canada's blog for more details.

Naysa

Naysa is a, somewhat, hidden gem on Windsor's west end.

Read more about this on the Food Network Canada's website.

We test it, you eat it.

Coney dogs, yum! Check out the latest article on the Food Network Canada site about my adventures in taste testing.

Food Network Canada Articles

Over the weekend, Food Network Canada's blog posted two of my most recent articles on Essex County Wineries and The Chatham Street Grill. Check them out!

My recent culinary adventures...

...and not one of them has to do with me cooking anything!

Over the summer I intended to cook every recipe from a particular cookbook. Sort of like the Julie and Julia Project. It was a romantic notion -- it never happened.

Some things that have occurred - food wise - this summer, besides our trip out West.

1. My husband and I took a day to compare the Coney dogs of four different diners.

Look for my upcoming article about the amazing Detroit Coney Dog on the Food Network Blog. In the meantime check out this article about the competition between the original American and Lafayette Coney places.

2. I ate at friend's and family's houses. They served pear and watercress vichyssoise, seared lamb chops, mango chicken stir fry, barbecues chorizo and one of my favourite indulgences - party potatoes (so gross and SO GOOD!)

3.My husband brought home every local fruit and veggie he could find from stands on his way home from work. What a good boy.

4. I experienced my sister's baking. She is not a cook, just has no interest, yet she concocted these two gorgeous cakes for her step-daughter's birthdays. I am utterly impressed.

Food in the News

Salt, I have so many varieties but not a clue as how to use them all properly. Chowhound explains - CHOW

If you are one to buy most of your fresh food as organic, here are 12 in which that may not be necessary - Food Network Canada

Foolproof ways to let your guests know when it is time to go! - CHOW

Restos in Toronto are starting to grow their own produce, that's as local as it gets - Toronto Life

Remark Farms

Windsor has a variety of markets throughout the city. Some focus on fresh produce or foods from specific ethnic backgrounds, Remark Farms is a place that tries to serve its customers through great customer service and good quality products. Please read my article on the

Food Network's Website for more details.

Detroit's Eastern Market

If you haven't been to Detroit's Eastern Market, drop everything and go! If you can't make it there, reading my article on the Food Network is a close second.

Rock 'N Roll Sushi

Last week the Food Network posted an article, written by me, about Oishii's most popular night - Thursday's Rock 'N Roll Sushi.

I'll take a cone

In case you have not noticed I am a bit obsessed with ice cream at the moment. My favourite source, other than my own ice cream maker, is London Ice Cream Company. I recently discussed my adoration for this place in an article for the Food Network.

Taloola Cafe

In the town of Olde Walkerville is a quaint area that houses a fantastic cafe called Taloola. They specialise in eclectic decor, live music, delicious bites and organic coffee and teas. Recently I discussed Taloola in an article for Food Network Canada.

...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.

Battle of the Hors D’oeuvres for Big Brothers/Big Sisters

Windsor, ON - Canadian celebrity chef and cookbook author, Christine Cushing, will lead the critics’ panel at the 22nd Annual Battle of the Hors D’oeuvres on Friday, May 2, 2008. For the past two decades, local chefs have competed for the title of best hors d’oeuvre. This year’s competition will be enhanced by an all-new “Critics’ Choice Award” as well as the fan-favourite “People’s Choice Award”.

“We are incredibly excited to have Christine Cushing, one of Canada’s most distinguished chefs, join us to help determine Windsor & Essex County’s best hors d’oeuvre,” says Mary Vincente, committee chair. “However, celebrities won’t be the only judges; guests will be asked to vote for the People’s Choice award. It will be interesting to see if guests have the same palate as our critics’ panel.”

Besides Christine Cushing, the critics’ panel includes:

· Ted Whipp, food writer and blogger, Windsor Star
· Mike Deibert, editor of Ontario Restaurant News
· Ahron Goldman, president, Culinary Guild of Windsor
· Pina Ciotoli, food blogger, Windsor Eats
· Danielle Piche, food blogger, Maple Syrup and Poutine

· James Treadwell, sommelier and owner, Treadwell Farm-to-Table Cuisine

Guests can mingle with all of the celebrity judges during the wine tasting and food sampling reception that kicks off the evening. After the reception, the food competition begins and guests will be treated to 10 hors d’oeuvre-style courses created by local chefs, a dessert extravaganza, a diamond raffle, a silent auction and the sounds of the Detroit Pistons’ house band, the Sun Messengers.

The 22nd Annual Battle of the Hors D’oeuvres is a food competition fundraiser where all the proceeds benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters Windsor Essex. The 2008 event would not be possible without generous sponsorship from Flood Chiropractic, Sutts, Strosberg, LLP, Unique Tool & Gauge, Valiant Machine, AM800, The A-Channel and The Windsor Star.

Tickets are $100 or $900 for a table of ten. Tickets are available by phone at (519) 945-6232 ext. 13 or ticket order forms may be downloaded from http://www.bigbrothersbigsisterswe.ca/

Walkerville Brewery

Walkerville Brewery makes beer that should be a source of pride for Windsor, Ontario. For more details on its history, please read my article on the Food Network website.

Harvest at the Homestead Article

Autumn is such a gorgeous time of year in Essex County. It reveals a new bounty of local food products that our area has to offer. Take a look at the Food Network for my article about the Harvest at the Homestead Festival.

Molecular Gastronomy

I have been fascinated with this subject ever since I saw a documentary of Anthony Bourdain's visit to El Bulli in Spain on the Food Network. Lucky for me, a friend of mine bought me a cooking course about this very subject for my birthday.

To find out more information about the course, take a look at my Food Network article

- which talks further about things like Mango "Caviar" (pictured above).

Cooking Club - Comfort Food Done Light

This month's cooking club theme was Comfort Food Done Light. Take a look at my Food Network article for more details.

Mulled Cranberry Guava Toddies - Melanie
Low Fat Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip - Melanie
French Onion Soup - Dana
Thyme Chicken with Pumpkin Dumplings - Danielle
Scalloped Potatoes - Rosemary
Chai Latte Spelt Brownies - Jillian

Danielle's Thyme Chicken with Pumpkin Dumplings (inspired by a Weight Watcher's recipe)

1 t fresh thyme - chopped

1 t pepper

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts - cut into large pieces

4 skinned, boned chicken thighs - cut into large pieces

1 T olive oil

1/2 c diced cooking onion

3 c sliced, shiitake mushrooms

2 3/4 chicken broth + 1/4 c

1/2 c white wine

2 garlic cloves, minced

2/3 c flour

1 t salt

2 T fresh parsley, minced

1/2 t baking powder

1/4 t baking soda

3/4 T shortening

1/4 c mashed cooked pumpkin

1/4 c low fat buttermilk

3/4 c fat free sour cream

1. Sprinkle thyme and pepper over chicken pieces. Heat oil in large pot and add chicken, cooking until browned on each side. Remove chicken from pot and set aside.

2. Add onions to pot and saute for 5 min. Remove onions from pot and set aside.

3. Add mushrooms and 1/4 c chicken broth to the pot and cook until liquid has almost evaporated. Return chicken and onions to the pot and add the rest of the broth along with the wine and garlic. Bring to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes.

4. Place 1/4 c of flour and 1/2 t salt in a small bowl. Gradually add 1/4 c of broth and whisk until fully blended. Add flour mixture to pot, stirring well. Cover the pot and simmer for 20 min. - stirring occasionally.

5. Combine the rest of the flour, a pinch of pepper and salt, 1 T parsley, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl. Cut shortening into mixture using two knives until it resembles coarse meal. Add the pumpkin and buttermilk to the mixture - stirring until moist. Set aside.

6. Stir sour cream into chicken mixture. Drop dough onto chicken mixture to form 6-8 dumplings. Cover and simmer for 20 min. Remove from heat and serve.

Makes about 6 servings.

372 calories, 9.5 g of Fat (2.5 g saturated).

Lower-Fat Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

40 minutes total (20 minutes prep)
Makes 40 servings (2 1/2 cups)

(12 ounce) package light silken tofu
2 tablespoons reduced fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 (15 ounce) can artichoke quarters in water, drained, rinsed, and
chopped
1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or 4-cheese blend)
1 teaspoon horseradish (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2. Puree tofu, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, onion and horseradish (if using) in blender or food processor until smooth. Transfer to bowl.

3. Stir artichokes, spinach, and cheese into tofu mixture.

4. Place into an 8-inch glass pie dish or casserole.

5. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve immediately with whole wheat pita bread or fresh vegetables.

Some nutrition facts (per 26 g serving):

Total fat: 0.9 g (saturated fat = 0.3 g; polyunsat. fat = 0.2 g; monounsat. fat = 0.2 g; trans fat = 0 g)


Mulled Cranberry-Guava Toddies

2 litres of President's Choice light cranberry juice cocktail
1/4 cup sliced, peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons whole cloves
16 (1/4 inch thick) slices orange (about 4 oranges)
1 litre guava juice
2 cups dark rum (optional)

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large saucepan.

2. Bring to a boil.

3. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Pour through a sieve and discard ginger and cloves. Reserve oranges if desired.

5. Stir in rum and serve while still warm.

Rosemary's Scalloped Potatoes

8-10 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and washed
1 Spanish or sweet onion (size depends on how much onion you like)
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
3 cups 2% milk
2 cups low fat grated cheese (of your choice)
Salt and pepper to taste.

1. Cut potatoes and onion into thin slices. Arrange in baking dish in layers.
2. Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour and stir for a couple of minutes, making a roux.
Slowly add milk. Stir constantly on medium heat until sauce is thickened.
Add grated cheese to sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir until cheese is melted.
3. Pour sauce over potatoes.
4. Bake covered in 350 degree oven for 1.5 hours or until potatoes start to brown.

Jillian's Chai Latte brownies

1/4 cup skim milk
5 cardamom pods, crushed
5 cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 chai tea bag. opened
1 stick cinnamon
4 oz dark chocolate
1/4 cup butter
2 egg whites
1 1/2 cup spelt flour
6 packets stevia
1/2 cup cocoa
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine first 7 ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let stand 15 minutes. Strain milk and discard solids. Add chocolate and butter; microwave to melt. cool slightly, add eggs, stir with whisk.
3. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stirring until just combined. Spread evenly into a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until centre is set.