It is cold outside!!!

Since there is more time inside in anticipation of a huge snow base for skiing,some braised beef short ribs were in the house.  I cooked these covered with tomatoes, tomato paste,onions, spices and SALT at 250 for about 3 hours.  Took them out of the oven, and while letting them cool took the drippings from the roasting pan and placed them in a pot, added maple syrup and a little sambal oleck (red chili sauce) and reduced.   Once the short ribs were cooled,(to room temperature and feel hard from the fat cooling) they were covered in the reduction, salted and placed back into the oven at 300.  I like 300, it takes longer to cook but the golden brown candy like coating is worth the wait!  I found some Blue Gouda and it is to die for.  A perfect addition to the ribs with a salad OF COURSE!

Short ribs are a cheaper cut of meat and delicious.  What cheaper cuts of meat to you like to buy and cook with, share your meals please!

Get kids to eat REAL food.....The Begining!

How do parents do it??   I don't have kids so "treading on thin ice" is what I may be doing but am up for the challenge.
One of the first things I hear parents with "picky eaters" say is how their children won't eat vegetables.  Then I see the vegetables they give them and have an understanding for the kids and the parents frustrations.  So here is what I am going to do.  Lets go back to the basics and try a different method to getting our kids to eat vegetables.
First, steaming seems to be the rage. It is quick easy and steamers are readily available and are great attachments with rice cookers.  My issue is there is no flavour being put into the vegetable, unevenly cooked, mostly over cooked and who wants to eat mushy flavourless broccoli...?
So the next time you have veggies to steam and picky kids to feed, try this and let me know how it goes.

Get a pot, fill it with water, salt the water (and make it salty don't be shy here as this is the time to add salt, not at the table).

THIS IS GOING TO WORK FOR VEGETABLES SUCH AS BEANS, ASPARAGUS, BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOUR, SMALL CHOPPED CARROTS (I know carrots are a root veggie but if they are chopped small this is a great way to have them a little soft on the outside and still crunchy on the inside therefore retaining most of their nutritional value.) AND OTHER GREEN OR DELICATE VEGETABLES.  THEY ARE ADDED TO BOILING WATER.  ALL ROOT VEGETABLES ARE STARTED IN COLD WATER AND BROUGHT TO A BOIL AND COOKED FOR A MINIMUM OF 10 MINUTES BUT YOU WILL HAVE TO DECIDED ON THE READINESS OF YOUR VEGETABLES BY THE SIZE, QUANTITY IN THE POT VERSUS WATER.
Put the pot on the stove and bring the salty water to a boil.  Cut up your vegetables into nice small bite size pieces for a child.   Once the water has been brought to a boil drop in your veggies.  The water will stop boiling as you have added new ingredients and they are at a different temperature.  Wait for the water to come back up to a boil, let it boil for about 30 seconds and then remove from the stove, drain the water (or lift the veggies from the pot with a strainer to use the water again for the next vegetable)as fast as you can and serve immediately or run under cold water and reheat later for dinner.  By cooking your vegetables like this,they are still crunchy on the inside therefore holding some of the nutrients, they are a little salty and that brings out the true flavour of the vegetable.  My favorite is broccoli and finish it with some toasted and ground sunflower seeds they make broccoli taste great and just made the dish better for you. 
Kids seem to like everything in small pieces, separated on the plate with nothing touching nothing. So give them that, broccoli slightly cooked with a pile of sunflower seeds the kids can sprinkle on themselves.
One the of biggest things that I can't say enough about from my personal observations over the past few years of watching my friends have kids is the importance of FAMILY DINNERS.  I will get into more of this later but everyone in my life who honours the practice of family dinners doesn't have the food issues with their kids that I see other families struggle with.  But that is another day of thoughts and discussions.
Please let me know how cooking for your child goes for you.  I am here to help with new ideas and answer any questions you have and try to dispel some myths that I have come across with the excuses I hear parents give me about why their kids won't eat and the excuses kids give about why they don't want to eat what is on their plate.
It is all about change and being open to some new ideas of change for the healthier lives of the children that are near and dear to our hearts!

What about the children????

Now that the opportunity to work in town is here, I am working in my favorite kitchen......mine!!!
As the organization of all this comes together the writing might be sporadic but will still appear.   I have a few ideas where I am going to need the help from people in the form of you sending me ideas!!
I am thinking a lot about children and what they eat, how they like to eat, what are the parents involvement in the nutrition of their children, tricks of the trade, problems, help needed, etc.  Please send me your ideas and I am going to work on them to dedicate something (still in the development stage) to the kids in the world.  Whether they are your kids, neighbours kids, children from a different country, where ever they are!  I want to get children eating healthy, enjoying food, learning about the food they eat and most importantly to me, get them in the kitchen and COOKING!!!
Lets see where this takes us!!!

Here are a few things that were made this week!!!

Duck Confit and a roasted beet salad with buffalo mozzarella, avocado and fresh delicious yellow tomatoes.   No sauce was needed for the duck as it was super juicy and delicious!!

Sunday brunch quiche with friends.  Filled with some left over vegetables, sausage and of course cheese..........don't forget the cheese!

MMMMM one of the favorites around here, Pate Chinois or Shepard's Pie, you choose.  This one is made with ground buffalo and for the potato topping, a twice baked potato was the thought.   I sauteed vegetables (onions, leeks, kale, bacon, rosemary, basil, salt and pepper to taste.  Mashed the potatoes then mixed them together.  Combining the ingredients together in the pan and then topped it with cheese!  I love these dishes because they last for a few days and are good for lunches, snacks, dinner the next night.  Having dishes like this allows for a break from the kitchen to do other things, knowing there is something delicious, nutritious and made with love in the fridge!

Have a magically delicious day!

Ravioli

With vegetables to eat and a craving for pasta, let the games begin!

The eggplants were sliced in half, lengthwise, salted, patted and placed in the smoker with some cherry wood chips and allowed to absorb their sweet scent.
Once that was finished a ratatouille was prepared for a topping on the pasta.  Onions, zucchini, peppers, garlic, tomatoes, all from the (or a local) garden were cooked with oregano, fresh rosemary and a little molasses to cut the acid of the tomatoes (I do this every time a tomato or roasted pepper based sauce is made and it is delicious, make sure to taste the sauce for the right flavour and use a little at a time.)  The ratatouille was left to simmer on low heat for as long as it took me to get the rest together.....I like to make the sauce first and let it cook as the pasta needs my full attention for making, shaping and cooking.

Time to make the pasta.  As usual Spelt flour was used, the pasta was made and left to rest in the fridge for about 6 hours.  You don't have to let it rest that long but I like to........Usually I will make the pasta in the morning and leave it for the day.

The filling for the ravioli was a mixture of unpasteurized old Cheddar cheese, Pine and Chantrelle mushrooms, which grow in abundance and were picked in the wonderful valley that I live in.  They were cooked with garlic, salt and some butter and then put into the food processor to become the filling for the ravioli, the cheese was grated and added at the end and once the mixture was cooled.  Using my "guns" aka. Kitchen-aid mixer, the pasta was made into long sheets and then into the ravioli that became dinner.

Of course cheese was added to the mix and then dinner began!!!

What is your favorite pasta??

Have a magically delicious day!

Foraging in the woods

A friend stopped by the other day to deliver some fresh picked pine mushrooms and chantrelle.  Apparently in some parts of the world these are items that are very expensive and here they grow abundantly and are delicious.  
This pasta was purchased with the idea of stuffing it and baking it with cheese.  So that is what was done!
I sauteed the mushrooms, leeks, fennel, garlic and bacon.  Put said items in the food processor and proceeded to stuff the blanched but slightly cooked pasta.  It was placed in a pan covered with a fresh tomato sauce and CHEESE.....some local organic nostrala and brie.  Baked in the oven for about 10 minutes and 1 minute under the broiler and then onto the plate with salad, wine and smiles to share.

What grows naturally in your area?  Do you like to forage for your food? 

Have a magically delicious day!!!

Harvest time and a garden raid!!!!

 

Once upon a time there was a 1.5 acre garden with food that was going to waste. Step in two wonderful ladies to harvest the garden and I was the lucky girl who was included on the split (as I was not around for the harvest).
Beautiful ladies,some wine and a three way of these amazing vegetables.  Peppers, leeks, carrots, eggplant, jalapenos, cayenne peppers, parsnips, beets, zucchini, greens and now it is time to eat!!!
I also found some pasta that will be dined on tonight to accompany these delicious veggies as well as some local pine mushrooms and chantrelle mushrooms.

The next step with the veggies is storing them for the winter and a little gardening will be done for that as well as making space in the basement for a root cellar.  Some day I will learn how to can and have a cellar full of wonderful food but until then, I will learn how to preserve what has been given!
What are the gardens like in your town?  Are there people with too much food to harvest?  Do you have a program to make sure that food doesn't go to waste.....like a volunteer program to pick the food and crop share?????

Have a magically delicious day!

 

The last turkey standing.

A week has past with many turkey dishes, good friends, renovations, beautiful weather and smiles galore.  The leftovers were abundant from the 20lbs of delight that came out of the oven.  So what to create???
Turkey sandwiches were a hit the next day as we went on a hike to the top of Idaho peak in New Denver.  Turkey tacos, I will use any excuse to make a taco night and the leftover turkey meat was inspirational.  Turkey poutine also blessed our stomachs as friends brought real cheese curds from Quebec.

Turkey salad and finally turkey stew which is just being finished off today!  It was a good turkey fest this year and I look forward to another one soon.
What did you do with your leftovers???  

Have a magically delicious day!