Valentine's Day Table Setting & a Recipe

I know some people may think it's a tad early for a Valentine's Day post but oh well!

We had friends over for dinner on Saturday night and I opted for simple yet pretty place settings.

 

 

I bought the cookies from Longo's. They aren't very good but they're cute.

 

 



 

The wine glass shown here were apart of the swag bag from Blog Podium. I think I've used them more as vases then I have to drink out of.

 

 

 

Unfortunately we've broken almost all of our wine glasses so I had to use stemless glasses. I really need to buy some more!

 

 

My menu on Saturday had a bit for everyone. One of things we made for the first time was flank steak. I don't know a lot of people who have made this but I found a great and simple recipe on Canadian Living.

 

 

Here is the recipe from Canadian Living:

Ingredients

• 1 tsp grated lemon rind - Note: I just grated the rind of a whole lemon
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 tbsp minced fresh oregano
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 lb beef flank marinating steak 

Note: I didn't really go by those measurements, I eyeballed it based on the piece of meat I had. It was rather large so I increased my portions.

 

Preparation

In shallow glass dish, whisk together lemon rind and juice, oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper; add steak, turning and patting to coat. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or for up to 4 hours.

Place steak on greased grill over medium-high heat; close lid and grill until medium-rare, about 6 minutes per side. (Or broil for about 4 minutes per side.)

Transfer steak to cutting board and tent with foil; let stand for 5 minutes before carving thinly across the grain.

Note: It was delicious and super easy to make. The piece of meat I bought was large and took about 22 minutes to BBQ to medium-rare. The mister told me yesterday that he added a bit of soya sauce before he bbq'd the meat.

Also, we didn't tent with meat after it came off the bbq, we just cut it and served it.

 

Now tell me, do you like Valentine's Day themed tables and two, do you have a good flank steak recipe to share?

 

Tomatoe Recipes

YAY we made it to Friday! This week started off slow for me so I'm thankful it's the weekend aka time to relax.

We're having friends for dinner tomorrow night and I have no idea what I'm making. Over the last few months foods I used to like I can't stand anymore which has made cooking more difficult then you'd think.

I came across these tomatoe inspired recipes on Chatelaine and fell in love. Here are my top three favourites:

Heirloom Caprese Salad

Pesto Penne Rigate w/ Buffalo Mozzarella

Fried Green Tomatoe Salad

For the recipes please follow these links: 1 / 2 / 3

Which of these tomatoe recipes has you drooling? Caprese salads are my weakness. I must of ate 20 of them on our honeymoon in Italy. I just can't get enough!

Have a safe and great weekend!

Fall Soups

Are you a soup lover? On a gloomy day like today who wouldn't love a hot bowl of soup for lunch? I came across these 31 recipes on Chatelaine and had to share them.

I've actually never made a big pot of soup from scratch but it's something I plan on doing this fall and winter more then once.

Here are a couple soups I'd love to tackle.

French Country Chicken Soup

Ingredients

• 6 bone-in chicken thighs or 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
• 2 900-mL cartons chicken broth or 8 cups (2 L) chicken bouillon
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) Dijon
• 2 tsp (10 mL) dried tarragon
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) each ground nutmeg and white pepper
• 6 baby potatoes
• 4 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 3 leeks 

Squash Soup with Smoky Bacon

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash or 5 cups squash pieces
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 plum tomatoes
• 1 large onion
• 5 thick slices of bacon, preferably double-smoked
• 1/2 tsp each dried sage leave, oregano leaves and salt
• 900 mL carton chicken broth or 2 284 mL cans undiluted chicken broth
• 1/3 cups shredded fresh basil (optional)

How delicious do these soups look? For the full list of recipes click here.


Fancy Potatoes

I'm back! I can't promise I'll be back to posting every day but I'm back.

It's been a while since I feature some tasty eats and thought I would today. Potatoes are very fall to me and I love fall, if you haven't already notice. There are so many different ways you can cook a potatoe that will make your guests ohh & ahh.



Gwyneth Paltrow's No-Fry Fries



Jamie Oliver's Perfect Roasted Potatoes

Potatoe Dominos

How delicious are all of these!

Are you a potatoe lover? Are you thinking about adding any of these to your next dinner party?

Apple Treats

I know it's not offically fall and it's supposed to be 30 degrees today but after labour day it's fall in my mind. If you haven't heard, fall is by far my favourite season. It's not too cold and it's not too hot, it's just right!

I came across these delicious apple treats and thought they'd be perfect for your next dinner party or gathering.



Easy Baked Apples

Click here for the full recipe and directions. 

Salted Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Click here for the recipe & directions.

 



Mini Twig Caramel Apples

 These are my favourite. I love the little branch.

 

Apple Pie Caramel Apples

Are you an apple lover? Do you have a favourite apple dessert? Which is of these has your mouth watering?

Artichoke Pesto Zucchini Bites

This summer I have fallen in love with zucchini. I've never liked it but something changed this summer and now I can't get enough of it.

We're having a dinner party on Sunday and I plan on making a new recipe my mom got that I'll be sure to share next week.

In the meantime, how amazing do these zucchini bites looks. We're also having people for dinner on Friday night (yes, two dinner parties this weekend) and I think I'm going to try these.

Via

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs zucchini (about 2-3 large zucchini)
• 9 oz package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and squeezed of excess water
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• the leaves of half a bunch of parsley (about a cup)
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 oz parmigiano reggiano, grated (about 1/2 cup)

Directions:

1. Cut the stem off the zucchinis, then use a mandolin to slice them into long thin ribbons. They should be about 1/8 inch thick, if they're too thin they won't stand up on the own, but if they're too thick, they won't be flexible enough to roll. Give each one a little sprinkle on both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the grill to high, and do a quick sear of the zucchini. Since they are really thin, they should only be on the grill for about 30-60 seconds, just enough to take the raw edge off and give them some pretty little grill marks. Remove the grilled zucchini ribbons to a plate.
3. In a food processor, throw in the artichoke hearts, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, walnuts, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Let the food processor run for a good 20 seconds, until everything is chopped up, and be sure to stop and scrape down the sides from time to time. With the food processor running, stream in the olive oil. Scrape the pesto out into a bowl, and stir in the grated parmesan. Taste it to check for proper seasoning.
4. Place a spoonful of artichoke pesto into each zucchini ribbon, and roll it up into a little roll. The artichoke pesto is sticky so it should stick together well. Serve and enjoy!

For a play by play with images click here.

Is there a new vegetable you're loving this summer? What's your favourite vegetable dish?

Raspberry Sorbet In Lemon Bowls

Holy moly this week took a long time to end, too long! We have a very busy weekend but thankfully nothing on the schedule for tonight. I need a night to decompress.

I came across these the other day and thought they'd be perfect for a hot summer's day. I know it's raining and gross right now but imagine how perfect these would be at your next bbq!

You'll need to make sure your lemons are a decent size and not too small.

Via

What do you think, something you'll be adding to your next menu?

Have a great weekend!

DIY Sprinkle Rim

The husband is big on cappuccinos and lattes. We have one of those big machines and he loves it. Whether we're by ourselves or have 30 people over he's always making an espresso or something.

It's the Italian in him!

When I saw this on Hey Gorgeous I knew this was something I'd have to show him. She's doing it with shot glasses which would be perfect with Bailey's at a party. I'd also rim out latte glasses and serve them. How cute would a latte with sprinkles be!

Via

I'm always looking for ways to add a wow factor to any party and this would be a great way.

What do you think, would this wow you?

Chocolate Filled Strawberries

A few months ago I blogged about delicious cheesecake stuffed strawberries. I've had them twice since then and let me tell you, they're heavenly.

I recently came across chocolate filled strawberries and think they're too amazing to keep to myself. I don't know about you but I have a serious love affair going on with Ontario strawberries right now. Scoop some chocolate in them and I'd be one happy lady!

How freaking amazing do these look!!

Ingredients
15-20 strawberries (the larger the better)
1 bag of Milk Chocolate chips (I use the 11.5 oz Guittard milk chocolate chips)

Directions
1. Cut the stems off your clean strawberries and carefully scoop out the top of the berry. The deeper you scoop the more chocolate it will hold. I used large strawberries so I scooped about an inch down.

2. Pour the entire bag of chocolate chips in a glass bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 second intervals. Make sure to take your bowl out every 30 seconds to stir the chips. Continue until all chips are melted.

3. Place your strawberries in an egg carton so they sit straight up. You could also use little Dixie cups. Now you can either spoon your melted chocolate into the berries or use a funnel or piping bag. I used a little baby spoon and it worked fine. Your choice.

4. Place in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes until they harden a bit. Enjoy!

Note: As someone noted there is a small chance that salmonella could be found in an empty egg carton so if this concerns you it is safer to use an ice cube tray or mini muffin tin to hold the berries while the chocolate hardens.

And there you have it, chocolate filled strawberries! We're having a party on Saturday and I think these are being added to the menu.

The recipe and picture came from here.

BBQ Salmon...

Do you love salmon as much as I do? I didn't used to be a big salmon lover but it's something that's grown on me over the last year. I try and make fish, usually salmon, once a week. It's light, easy and goes with almost any vegetable.
I came across this recipe on the Food Network site. It sounds delicious and something I must try ASAP!

BBQ Salmon on a Plank with Foccacia & Grilled Veggies

In total this will take you about 20 minutes of prep time... easy peasy!

Ingredients

• 1 Untreated cedar plank
• 1 red pepper
• 1 small onion
• 16 stalks asparagus
• 2 large mushrooms
• Cooking spray (Pam)
• 1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Seasoning
• 2 pounds (900 g) salmon filets, boneless skinless
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt (try kosher)
• 1 teaspoon Mrs.Dash Original Seasoning
• 1 teaspoon rosemary leaves
• 1/2 cup grainy Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• bottle Squirt bottle of water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 loaf foccacia bread

 

Directions

1. Take out equipment and ingredients.
2. The night before: Soak your plank in water until you are ready to cook with it.
3. When you get home for dinner: Preheat BBQ to med (approx 350º F).
4. Cut pepper and onion into large chunks, heaping into center of veggie basket as you cut.
5. Snap off bottom node of each asparagus stalk and discard.
6. Break remaining asparagus stalks into 2 or 3 pieces and quarter mushrooms. Place all in basket.
7. Spray veggies with cooking spray, sprinkle with spice and place on lower rack of BBQ.
8. Rinse the salmon thoroughly under water, then pat dry with a paper towel. On one side only, smear salmon with the salt, spices and mustard then sprinkle on the brown sugar.
9. Place the presoaked plank on the grill. Close the lid for a few minutes but keep checking until you see smoke.
10. Turn the plank over and place the salmon, rub side up, on top of the plank.
11. Move the veggies to the top rack or on one side of the BBQ with reduced heat. Toss often.
12. The salmon will be ready when it flakes off easily with a fork (approx 10-15 minutes).
13. Squirt the edges of the board if they catch on fire. You will have to keep lifting the lid to check.
14. Drizzle olive oil and vinegar in a small bowl for dipping.
15. Toss foccacia bread on top rack of BBQ for just a minute while serving up the plates.

What do you think, something you'd try? Are you a salmon lover too?



Guacamole Grilled Cheese

I have a seriously love for grilled cheese and basically any toasted sandwich. Does it really get much better than a toasted tomatoe sandwich? I made one on the weekend with tomatoes from the farm, it was heavenly!

Via

Ingredients:

To make the guacamole:
2 ripe avocados
1/2 small onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small jalapeño, stems and seeds removed, minced
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
A dash of freshly grated black pepper
1 Roma tomato, chopped
4 slices crusty white bread
4 slices Cheddar cheese
Butter, for buttering bread

Directions:

1. To make the guacamole-cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avacado from the peel, put in a large bowl. Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Stir until well combined. Add the chopped tomato and stir.
2. Heat a pan or griddle to medium-high heat. Spread desired amount of guacamole on both slices of bread then top with cheese. Butter outer slices of bread and grill on one side for about 2 minutes or until golden and crispy. Flip the sandwich and grill until golden brown. Make the other sandwich the same way and serve warm.

Click here for other delicious grilled cheese recipes.

What We Call.... White Pizza

Some may call it pizza, some my call it foccacia, we call it white pizza. I posted this recipe over a year ago but I get questions about it often so I thought I'd share it again. Here it goes!

Here's the Bigioni family white pizza recipe that I've tweaked a bit!

• Depending on the size of your pan, use 1 or 2 doughs. I've used two with mine.
• Spray you pan with Pam and then drizzle olive oil on the pan. Make sure you rub the oil all over the pan and don't forget the corners.
• You want to spread the dough hours (I say minimum 4 for best results) before you're ready to cook it so it rises enough.
• To spread 2 doughs place one dough on top of the other. Drizzle a little oil on top and begin needing it. It will continually shrink into the middle of the pan, that's ok. Spread the dough for 2-5 minutes.

Cover with a piece of Parchment Paper and let rise. If you're in a rush and have a gas fire place put it in front of the fire for a couple hours, it helps the dough rise faster.

Here are the ingredients that I usually use for my white pizza: Onions, Pitted Black Olives, Bocconcini Cheese, Rosemary, Oregano, Salt, Pepper, and Olive Oil.

When you're ready to dress your pizza here's the order using the above ingredients:
1. Pre-heat your oven to Convention Bake 475 degrees.
2. Cut up the onion and bocconcini cheese
3. Drizzle olive oil on your pizza and spread around with your hands
4. Place the onions, cheese and olives on the pizza (I forgot to buy olives so I didn't use any this time)
5. Sprinkle a little bit of salt, rosemary, pepper and oregano

When your oven has pre-heated put the pizza in for 16-18 minutes depending on your oven and watch it so it doesn't burn. To make sure the bottom has cooked lift up a corner of the pizza with a spatula. Once the bottom is a nice golden brown colour your pizza is done.

Take you pizza our and let it cool for a few minutes before cutting it.

Make sure you cut your pizza with scissors and not a knife to ensure you don't scratch your pan.

Serve warm and your guests will love ya!

This pizza is best served as an appetizer any time of year; with a salad for dinner; or basically for any occassion!

Grilled Peach, Mozzarella & Arugula Salad

I know this post is coming a lot later than usual but I was out last night and have had a crazy busy day. I haven't posted a solid recipe in a few days and thought today would be a good day for it.

Every Thursday in Stouffville there's a farmers market from 2pm to 7pm and this salad made me think of it.

Via

How amazing does this look! For the recipe and directions please click here.

On a personal note, two fun things this week! Last night when I got home I found this on the counter waiting for me!

I mentioned to Michael earlier this week that this would be the perfect EARLY birthday present. Side note, my birthday is in October - basically I just wanted it now and was justifying spending the moula! Anyways, all he said to me was don't worry about it, I'm on it. I figured that meant maybe in September he'd come home with one - not the next day. I haven't had a chance to use it yet (damn work) but plan on exploring tonight.

Secondly, people may think I'm nuts but little Charlie is 3 months old today. Before Charlie I wasn't a dog or animal person but now I'm hooked and couldn't love the little guy more if I tried.

Happy Thursday :)

Honey-Lime Chicken Skewers

Sorry I've been MIA for a few days. With a very busy long weekend and trying to get back into the swing of things, I need a few days to re-group. I hope everyone had a fabulous long weekend! I love that it's already Wednesday.

I took chicken breasts out of the freezer this morning for dinner tonight and am feeling a new, summery recipes. When I came across these honey-lime chicken skewers I thought they sounded too delicious not to share with you.

Via

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• juice of one lime
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-2 teaspoon Siracha
• red pepper flakes, to taste
• 2 tablespoon cilantro
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine your ingredients, through the cilantro. Mix thoroughly.
2. Pour marinade over chicken breasts and turn to coat. Cover and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour.
3. Grill on medium high heat for 6 to 8 minutes per side, until juices run clear.

Amazing, right? I'm going to buy the ingredients after work and this will be dinner tonight.

Have a sunny day :)

Backyard Smores Bar

Happy Hump Day!

Can you believe that 1. It's summer and 2. It's almost the first long weekend of summer! Where the heck is this year going?

When I came across this backyard smore idea I immediately fell in love. If you've ever been to a cottage with me you know I have a serious love for roasting marshmellows. This smore idea has me giddy with excitment!

Via

How amazing is this? I need to have this in my backyard now!

So tell me, are you a smore / roasting marshmellows lover like me?

Strawberry Shortcake Popsicles

In keeping with the long weekend / Canada theme I thought these Strawberry Shortcake Popsicles would be perfect.

Via

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup pureed strawberries
• ½ cup crushed vanilla Oreos
• 2 cups vanilla yogurt

Instructions:

1. Puree strawberries. Place Oreos in a food processor and pulse until cookies become fine crumbs. Alternatively, place Oreos in a Ziploc and using a rolling pin to crush cookies. Add crushed Oreos to the yogurt and mix until combined.

Assembly:

1. To assemble as the seen in the picture, layer the yogurt portion first and let freeze for 30 minutes before adding the strawberry layer, let this second layer freeze for 30 minutes and then add the last yogurt layer. For a quick assembly, pour each layer on top of one another without any freeze time in between and then use a skewer or fork and gently swirl for a swirled Popsicle look.

What do you think -- something worth trying this weekend?

Chocolate Filled Strawberries

I love fruit. I eat pineapple almost everyday. You'd think I was a pregnant lady with weird cravings because I'm constantly asking  sending M to the grocery store to buy me pineapple. Add strawberries to my bowl of cut up pineapple and I'm in heaven.

When I came across these chocolate filled strawberries I thought they were too good to be true.

Ingredients15-20 strawberries (the larger the better)
1 bag of Milk Chocolate chips (I use the 11.5 oz Guittard milk chocolate chips)

Directions
1. Cut the stems off your clean strawberries and carefully scoop out the top of the berry. The deeper you scoop the more chocolate it will hold. I used large strawberries so I scooped about an inch down.

2. Pour the entire bag of chocolate chips in a glass bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 second intervals. Make sure to take your bowl out every 30 seconds to stir the chips. Continue until all chips are melted.

3. Place your strawberries in an egg carton so they sit straight up. You could also use little Dixie cups. Now you can either spoon your melted chocolate into the berries or use a funnel or piping bag. I used a little baby spoon and it worked fine. Your choice.

4. Place in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes until they harden. Eat or continue to store in the fridge.


Amazing, right?

The pictures and recipe are from here.

Have a great Monday!

How To Use Herbs

Do herbs you've never tried intimidate you?

Sometimes I worry I'm going to completely ruin a dish if I add something I'm not 100% sure about. Other times I take the risk.

Last night for example I made a rack of lamb for dinner and seasoned it with a bit of olive oil, salt, rosemary, thyme and herbs d'provence. It was delicious, if I do say so.

Cooking is about taking risks and not being afraid to order a pizza if you ruin whatever you were attempting to cook.

Here's a great tool to help with herbs.

Via

Enjoy your day!

Not Your Typical Bruschetta

Give me a loaf of bread, some olive oil, tomatoes and garlic and I'm a happy person but I like change. I'm always on the look out for delicious, fun, trendy appetizers. I came across these various types of brushcetta that I have to share.

Via

 How wonderful does this look for summer. Strawberry & Goat Cheese Brushcetta.

Via

 I'm sure I've mentioned it before, my love for guacamole. I plan on making these VERY soon, like Saturday soon.

Via

 Ricotta, strawberry & pea shots

Via

I've made these a couple times and they're delicious. The flavours of the peaches and tomatoes together is amazing.

Are you a brushcetta person? Do you have a delicious recipe? Please share it!

Strawberry Vodka Sparklers

It's a long weekend here this weekend and I couldn't be more thrilled especially since the weather is supposed to be amazing!

Being that it's the first long weekend of spring I thought a fun cocktail would be a suitable post for today.

Via

Recipe
2 oz. strawberry infused Svedka vodka | 2 oz. simple syrup | 2 oz. fresh lemon juice | Top with sparkling wine | Garnish with strawberries and mint

Are you a mixed drink lover? Is this something you'd try?

Have a safe & fun weekend :)