Urban Vancouver

On Sunday night, I walked out in the middle of a blizzard to see The Exiles. The movie was great, but as no buses were running because of the weather (heavy, wet snow), I walked back home with soaking wet boots and a wet coat. When I got home, I could wring out my socks. Not good. I woke up the next morning with a sore throat and a fuzzy head. Since I'll be in Victoria tomorrow, I had to come up with a couple of cold remedies quick. So I looked in my pantry and made a couple of drinks that I found online. I can't remember where these were found, so I apologize in advance to whoever created them.

I can't say they work since my head feels like a balloon this morning, but I'm giving them the ol' college try. I know I promised banana bread, but that will have to wait until I return. Instead of yummy banana bread you'll get 2 cold remedies. These aren't guaranteed at all, but they're worth a shot. And they don't taste bad at all. In fact drink #2 is actually super delicious. Really. If you've got some secret family cold-fighter cure, let me know in the comments! Cuz baby, it's time to HEAL.

cold remedy #1
2 c hot water
1 inch knob ginger, sliced
4 dashes cayenne pepper
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
1-3 T honey

Boil water in a small pot along with the ginger, garlic and cayenne pepper. Pour into mug and stir in honey and lemon juice. Sip don't gulp. Seriously. Makes 2 mugs worth.

cold remedy #2
2 c hot water
2 T apple cider vinegar
2 T lemon juice
1 T honey

Boil water and add in the remaining ingredients. Pour into mug and sip. Makes 2 mugs worth.

I love simple meals and this is one of the simplest. A few days before the holidays struck, I realized that I had a half loaf of some very delicious olive & rosemary sourdough in the fridge. Unfortunately, I had let it get stale and hard. Completely my bad. I hate letting things go to waste, but instead of making bread crumbs or croutons with it, I decided to try my hand at making bread soup. It turned out wonderfully and a friend who had unexpectedly stopped by happily ate 2 bowls of it. It's hearty and it definitely warms the bones and with all of this crazy snow and cold weather that we Vancouverites have had to put up with this winter, it definitely hits the spot.

An aside, I will be in Victoria, BC for a couple of days this week, so please send me your list of favorite restaurants and fun things to do in that city. Gimme your best tips!

bread soup
1 T olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, diced
1 t dried hot chili flakes
1 t dried oregano
4 c vegetable stock
1/2 small loaf of stale bread, cubed
1 small can of diced tomatoes
1 bunch spinach
2 T Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Saute the onion, garlic and celery in the oil over medium-high heat. When softened, add in the chili flakes, oregano and some salt and pepper. Add in vegetable stock and tomatoes and simmer over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add in bread and spinach, stir and cover pot. When bread is soft and spongy and the spinach is wilted, throw in some cheese. Taste adding more salt or pepper if necessary. Serve with more cheese, if that's the way you wanna go.

Today is my husband's birthday and while I didn't go out and make him a cake (we've had enough baking and sweets for a while), I do have some very delicious banana bread to share as a birthday treat. The recipe will come soon in the next few days as this banana bread is just plain lovely.

I did a recap last January and I'll start off this year with the same thing. These are my some of my favorite recipes from last year and most have been made again and again. They're that good. Enjoy these old favorites and look forward to lots of exciting new ones. Onwards and upwards 2009!

Braised cod with chickpeas and corn

Red ale and chocolate cake
Ham & cheese spoonbread

Broccoli, chickpea & millet salad

Orange crumb cake

Beets, feta & pecan green salad with balsamic dressing

Buttery raisin biscuit

Raspberry limeade

Feather drop biscuits

Raspberry, black currant, nectarine galette

Apple, onion & cheddar pizza

Apple & cheddar omelette

Wine braised short ribs

Date & raisin squares

Oh, the holidays...so much going on, lots of parties, and way too many sweets! But c'mon, this rich chocolate cake is way too pretty to ignore. I spied this recipe on the Gourmet website and fell in love with the photo immediately. This cake screamed holidays and glamour and it's nice to end a holiday meal with a bit of a spectacle. I made this as our dessert on Christmas day and the cake was moist but it was the bittersweet ganache that stole the show. Be sure to use a good chocolate for the frosting...I used a dark bittersweet chocolate from Callebault and it was amazing.

A chocolate cake shouldn't be fussy and this one is simple as it is stunning. The red dotty sprinkles helps to make this cake festive and gives everyone a reason to celebrate. And have I got a reason to whoop it up a little. The CBC has listed me as one of the "best of the food blogs". Huzzah!

glazed chocolate cake with sprinkles
(adapted from Gourmet)
1 c all-purpose flour
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 tn baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1 c packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 t pure vanilla extract
1/2 c yogurt
1/2 c skim milk

for ganache:
1/4 c half & half cream (+ additional)
3 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate (not more than 60% cacao if marked), finely chopped
2 ts light corn syrup
sprinkles

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a round 9x2 cake tin or bundt pan and set aside. In a large small bowl, sift together dry ingredients (flour to salt). In a large bowl, mix together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Combine the milk and yogurt in a small bowl. Add flour and milk mixture alternating in batches, beginning and ending with the flour.

2. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

3. While cake cools, bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add in chocolate and whisk until smooth. If the chocolate is too thick, add in a touch of extra cream. Stir in corn syrup and set aside to cool. Using a spatula, spread glaze over cake and decorate with sprinkles.

Wishing everyone the best of the holidays!

When I was little, my mom had her standard dessert recipes. She made a really fantastic chocolate chip cake (always in a pretty bunt pan) for birthdays and every summer to make use of the pear bounty from our 2 trees, she made pear crisp. During the winter though, the date square ruled. It seemed healthy since it was full of oats and dates but with all that butter and sugar, this square isn't really fooling anyone. Despite the fact that I would have rather snacked on something chocolate, I really did love my mom's date squares. With a glass of cold milk and a crumbly still-slightly-warm square, it was the perfect treat.

My mom isn't doing very well health-wise and she's currently in the hospital. I wanted to do something extra special in my holiday package to my parents. Of course I packaged off my dad's favorite cookies along with trying to recreate her date square. Despite having only half the amount of dates needed and subbing in raisins for the balance, I think I surpassed her version. My friend who ate a square thought they were the most flavourful date bars she had ever eaten and some friends of Cornelius who lucked into a couple of squares immediately wanted the recipe. So here it is. Sweet, buttery, oaty goodness. Pure and simple. I know my mom will love them.

Oh, and please stop by the Canada's Food Network blog to read my latest post on my brunch experience at a new local neighbourhood restaurant, 2 Chefs and a Table.

date & raisin squares
oat mixture:
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 c butter, room temperature
1 c brown sugar
1 1/2 c rolled oats

filling:
1 c dates, cut up
1 c raisins, cut up
3 T brown sugar
1 T sour cherry jam
1 T amber rum
zest from 1 lemon & 1 orange
1 c orange juice
1 t lemon juice
1 t cornstarch mixed with a little bit of cold water to create a slurry (optional)

1. Add flour, baking powder , soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Mix in butter, sugar and oats and combine well. Press half of the mixture into a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.

2. To make filling, combine all ingredients except for the cornstarch in a small saucepan. Cook until thick and smooth. If it's not thick and smooth, add in the cornstarch slurry and cook for 3 more minutes until thick. Set aside and cool.

3. Pour cooled date mixture over the oats and spread evenly. Cover with remaining oat mixture and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Cut into squares while still warm and cool in pan.

I was super excited when I saw Gourmet's favorite cookie guide. Cookie recipes from 1941 to 2008...amazing!!! The first cookies that really caught my eye were the brown butter cookies from 1961 and when Cornelius needed to make some cookies for a work party on Friday, I suggested those. Now, I don't want to blame my husband for the outcome of these cookies. True, cooking let alone baking are not his strong suits, but there were factors against his control. Mainly, we were out of white sugar. I figured brown would be an easy substitute. Uh, maybe not. Somehow these cookies didn't come together like I thought they would. They are super fragile and sandy and they're not very sweet at all. Whatever. I stuck them in the freezer because I'm sure (like all shortbreads), they'll taste better when frozen and eaten at midnight as a snack. Try the recipe out if you like, otherwise, just dig into some tried & true holiday goodies from my archives below.

Fleur de Sel Caramels

Rum Balls

Chocolate-Covered Caramel Crunch

Mint Melties

Sponge Toffee

Spicy-Sweet Glazed Pretzels & Nuts

Chocolate Mint Cookies

Ginger Gems

Ginger Syrup for homemade ginger ale

Snowballs & Buckeyes

Candy Cane Chocolate Bark

Really Easy Chocolate Walnut Fudge

Cherry Oat Bars

Chocolate Shortbread

Salted Honey Caramel

Icebox Peppermint Yule Log Cake

When I was little, there was one cookie that signified the start of the holidays: the pfeffernusse. Translated, they mean peppernuts which is because they have ground pepper in them (spicy!) and they look like walnut shells (I'm guessing). My dad would bring home a small bag or two of these round and frosted cookies from the German market and I'd immediately dig in. These cookies were slightly soft, a little bit dry and not as sweet as the cookies I was used to. And oh boy, they were spicy! I loved them.

For my dad, they were cookies that I'm sure reminded him of the cookies of his youth in Eastern Europe. Cookies that tasted like his mother's own baking. For me, they were slightly exotic. They came from a deli that had dried sausages hanging from the ceiling, jars upon jars of sauerkraut, and my dad only brought them home at Christmas. This cookie was definitely something special for the both of us.

I've never tried making these cookies before. In fact, I blindly assumed that these cookies could only be purchased at ethnic markets. How wrong on so many counts! These cookies are alive and well in the same old crinkly plastic bags at a neighbourhood Italian market and then I last night I spotted a recipe in Martha Stewart's Cookies. Instead of being labour-intensive as I had assumed, they're so easy to whip up! And of course, they taste better coming from your oven than ones shipped over seas. I've packed up a container and am shipping them to my dad for Christmas. They're not only delicious, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, but they pack a whole wallop of good memories. I know he'll love them.

pfeffernusse cookies
(adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies)
2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 t freshly ground pepper
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground allspice
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t baking soda
1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c molasses
1 large egg
1/2 t vanilla
1 1/4 c confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line sheets with silpat or parchment.

2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, spices and baking soda. In a large bowl, beat molasses, brown sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Slowly mix in the flour mixture and beat until just combined.

3. Roll about a tablespoon of dough into balls and arrange on prepared baking sheet about an inch apart. Bake for 14 minutes or until the tops of the dough are firm to the touch and have cracked slightly. Place cookies on wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.

4. Working in batches, add a few cookies into a high-sided bowl (or paper bag) filled with confectioners' sugar. Roll about or shake until cookies are well coated. Place back on wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container.

It's finally starting to feel like winter here which is rather lovely. All we need is snow and I'll be running about throwing snowballs with glee. Snow is pretty rare here and the fact that forecasters are predicting the white stuff has me all excited and is definitely helping things feel more like the holidays.

The other night we put up our tree and listened to a few of our favorite Christmas records on the hi-fi. To help us get a little more festive, I decided to make a nice hot chai to warm us up and get us in the holiday spirit. Since it was well into the evening and the lighting in our apartment is in a sorry state, I couldn't get a good photo, so a quick drawing will have to do. Pretend it's scratch n' sniff.

I made a very similar tea a couple ago but consider this a tweaked version (although both versions are rad). Instead of using honey, I used piloncillo, which is a Mexican unrefined brown sugar made from sugar cane and shaped into a cone. This is a lovely spicy warm drink that tastes as cozy and sweet as we all should be. Let the holidays begin!

Want other holiday beverages? Try these winter warmers from my archives.
Chai Tea
Hot Buttered Rum
Vegan Peppermint Hot Chocolate

hot spiced tea
3 c water
1 3" piece of ginger, cut into large discs
4 black tea bags
2 cinnamon sticks
10 whole cloves
5 green cardamom pods, slightly crushed
1/2 t black peppercorns
2 c milk
2-3" chunk of piloncillo, chopped (or a 2 T honey)

In a large covered saucepan, bring the water and ginger to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add in tea bags, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom pods, and milk and continue to simmer on low heat for 20 minutes until fragrant and dark. Taste. If not strong enough for your liking, let simmer longer. Strain to remove solids and whisk in piloncillo or honey and return to heat so that the sugar melts into the tea. Divide into mugs and serve hot.

There's a raw vegan cafe in town called Gorilla Foods. I like 'em and I love their Root Down juice which basically contains whatever you want to juice up. My standard juice order contains beets, carrots, lemon, orange, and ginger and it's so so so very tasty. So when I had some big ol' beets and some lovely multi-coloured organic carrots on hand, I decided to do a root down version in salad form. This isn't all raw since I'm using mustard and I think mustard is cooked...but I'm not a raw food fantatic so that doesn't matter to me anyway.

This salad turned out lovely. And I'm not talking about how pretty it looks in the bowl. I mean, look at it! Stunning! Ruby, purple, orange and pink...it's a visual masterpiece! For this recipe, I pulled out my Benriner Japanese Mandolin Slicerso everything is perfectly julienned, but you can use a food processor or just grate everything up by hand. Despite the time spent grating/julienning, it's a very simple salad to put together and there's a sweetness alongside a nice spicy bite. Oh yeah, and it's very healthy. Perfect for this time of year.

One more thing...I've been nominated for best food blog in Vancouver by the Best of 604 blog, so if you'd vote for me (before this coming Wednesday at midnight PST), that would be swell. Thanks!

raw beet & carrot salad
1 large beet, julienned
3 large carrots or 5 med-smallish carrots, julienned
tangerine or orange zest
juice of 1/2 tangerine or orange
lemon zest
juice of 1/2 lemon
2-4 T olive oil
1 T dijon mustard
1 T maple syrup or honey
1/2 t fresh grated ginger
salt & pepper

Combine the beets and carrots in a bowl. Mix the zest, juice, olive oil, mustard, syrup, ginger and spices in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Taste adding in more olive oil if you find it too sharp or add in more lemon juice to make it more tart. Toss with salad and let marinate for a few minutes before serving.