{scissor variations}

baking by twilight

 

i was reading Jillian's Shop Girl Tour on decor8 a while ago. i have always been attracted to old schools and industrial buildings that have been repurposed into living spaces and studios, retail shops and retreats.

 

i decided to check out Jillian's blog to see if there were other similar spaces she may have featured.

 

i got totally side tracked by her gorgeous food photography and recipes that i soon forgot why i had clicked over in the first place. but quickly came up with a new reason to stay.

fig, pecan + white chocolate cookies

 

i paused at this cookie recipe and with a recently acquired bag of dried figs i had everything on hand to start baking.

 

a warm + quiet evening,  i propped the back door open to let a slight breeze inside to counter the heat from the oven and at the same time to savor the last of the day's light.

 

simplest days are the best days.

 

 

FYI: these freeze really well + are rather enjoyable eaten cold...

 

 

fiery squash chili

 

for me the perfect autumn meal is a steaming bowl of soup or chili with a nice slice of homemade bread or biscuit alongside. there is something very comforting about this combination especially when the chill starts to creep in.

 

this squash chili is one of my favorite one pot dishes. one bowl usually satisfies and i freeze the rest to enjoy at a later time. stir up a batch of biscuits and you have a super quick and easy to make meal--ready in under an hour.

 

be sure and check your squash for doneness after the suggested cooking time--depending on the squash you use you may need to cook for a bit longer. i usually use butternut squash, but i have also used delicata and acorn. i use whatever beans i have on hand and red or yellow peppers. if i have fresh corn i slice it off the cob and add it during the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

this has a nice heat to it--not mild, but not too hot. easy to adjust.

 

Fiery Squash Chili

-adapted from Chatelaine Magazine/ January 2008

 

28oz (796ml) can diced tomatoes

398ml can tomato sauce

1 TBSP (15ml) chili pwder

1 tsp (5ml) each cinnamon + dried oregano

1/2 tsp (2ml) each cayenne + allspice

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 cups (1L) peeled, coarsely chopped squash

2 yellow or green peppers, chopped

19oz (540ml) can black beans, rinsed + drained

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a large, wide saucepan, stir diced tomatoes with tomato sauce, spices and garlic. Bring to a boil over high heat, then stir in squash. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until squash is tender, about 30 mins. Stir in peppers, beans amd frozen corn. Boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until peppers are soft, 10 to 15 minutes more. Stir in cilantro and serve with sour cream if desired. a tbsp of goat cheese on top is a nice option instead of sour cream.

 

Nutrients per cup (250ml) 6g protein, 1g fat, 28g carbs, 7g fibre, 130 calories.

spiral goodness

 

 

i was watching tv one day and came across Anna Olson making these scones. i immediately printed out the recipe and put it in my "to try soon" pile.

i might need to rename that pile of recipes "not soon enough". the scones were absolutely delicious.

she gives a few filling options with the recipe. for my filling i chose crumbled goat cheese, then i drizzled honey over top and finished it off with some freshly ground black pepper. after they were rolled, sliced + brushed with milk, i sprinkled black sesame seeds on top.

the next filling i am going to try is roasted red pepper, grated parmesan and fresh basil. i will report back of course.

tomatoes + thyme

i have been roasting cases of tomatoes as fast as i can to make this luscious homemade soup. i have been freezing it (omitting the cream, which i will add a little bit of before serving in the winter months).

 

roasted tomatoes, onions + garlic, what could be better than that?

 

i found the wonderful, simple recipe on the Naturally Ella blog- here. the original recipe is from The Sprouted Kitchen cookbook by Sara Forte.

 

i used thyme because i love thyme + tomatoes together. maybe you do too?

the best part about making this soup is enjoying a wee bowl hot out of the pot at the completion of every batch. there has to be some quality control during the process, right?

 

favorite summer pasta

 (within 10 seconds of this photo being taken there were many, many missing tomatoes...you cannot stop eating them)

one of my favorite summer pasta dishes is the Summer Garden Pasta from the Barefoot Contessa.  

 

the leftovers served at room temperature are tasty too. sometimes i don't like to eat a warm dish cold. but this one is an exception for me.

 

the pasta comes together in minutes BUT you need to remember to marinate the tomatoes for 4 hours at room temperature beforehand--the garlicky-basil mixture is to die for!

 

 

 

weekend favorite

 

 

 

i made lemon curd using the Barefoot Contessa's recipe + paired it with Anna Olson's lemon ripple ice cream recipe-delicious.

i recently found an ice cream maker identical to the one i have, at the thrift store for $10-i wanted a 2nd ice cream bowl so that i would always have another bowl in the freezer waiting if i was using the original one. 

great savings that will equal more homemade ice cream experimentation.

 

CSA love

 

to help fend off the gardening woes (we're reconfiguring the yard, so no garden this year) we have been enjoying a weekly CSA basket. we're just a few weeks in, but i must say i am enjoying the element of surprise.

 

 

i have been making stir fries, marinating with herbs, having lots of fresh salads and greens in panini sandwiches,  trying different herbs in our falafel mixture, herbing up my hummus + tzatziki + cooking up vegetable soup to enjoy in the winter months.

 

in the fall we will head out to my husband's family farm where we will get lots of potatoes and root veggies and berries that will have been "put up" for us, to enjoy in the winter months-so we definitely have the best of both worlds.

 

the above produce is some of what was in our basket yesterday.

 

this week's menu is looking like basil tortellini salad, grilled chicken with lemon + arugula, spinach salad, steamed broccoli, rice wrapper salad rolls

+

beetniks

 

what is a beetnik?

 these are something from my husband's childhood, i never heard of them before i met him. you take pieces of bread dough, sort of shape them about the size of your thumb, wrap a steamed beet leaf around it, then bake them in the oven.my mother in law makes them by the bagful and freezes them to enjoy during the winter with a nice hot bowl of soup.

they are rather tasty i must admit. sometimes if we're lucky and his Mom has collected wild morels in the spring from the secret patch, we make a simple wild morel cream soup + add the beatniks to the bowl.

5 Star Amazing.

(some of week one's offerings)

 

anyone else participating in a CSA this summer? 

 

whipping up a pizza in 18 hours

Disclaimer: This is NOT a food blog! NEW craft projects are on the horizon. i've been tackling a major craft room makeover/do-over/switcheroo . 'til then we still gotta eat. and for me cooking is creative. so it all fits in here somewhere.

 

i am a fan of Jim Lahey's no knead bread and now his pizza dough has captured my attention.

last month's Bon Appetit magazine had a feature article on his pizza dough-so of course i had to try it.

this was my 3rd time making up a batch of the dough-and every time i have been pleased at how it has turned out.

and 'yes' the dough has an 18 hour 'waiting' period. and then a smidge more time added onto that.

i think the end result is totally worth the wait.

 

we've been freezing the pizzas and have found that they do freeze well. the recipe makes 6--- 10" pizzas, which is a lot for our small household, so freezing works for us.

 

pie shaping has never been my strength. luckily this does not affect the taste.

 

i suggest you tackle this with another person in the kitchen if you are baking all 6 pies in one 'session'. it can be challenging prepping, getting one pizza in the oven, taking a pizza out, waiting 5 minutes in between baking each pie so the oven can heat up again and maneuvering around 6 pizzas that have just come out of a 500 degree oven----no matter the size of your kitchen a second pair of hands is extremely helpful in this case. and given that each pie only bakes for 5-7 minutes this happens fairly quickly--so sign up a sous chef to help!

 

flax seeds + chocolatizing

 

Do not discount the seduction of FLAXSEED! These cookies are delicious. Not too sweet, with a lovely nutty flavor. Perfect with tea.

 

Oatmeal Flax Cookies

adapted from Bonnie Stern (this recipe is not in any of her cookbooks, but appeared in one of our national newspapers about 10 years ago)

Makes approx. 50 cookies

Allow 2 hours freezing time for the dough

 

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup ground flax

2 tsp baking soda

2 cups rolled oats

1 1/2 cups flax seeds, whole or lightly crushed

 

Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Cream butter and white and brown sugars in a large bowl with electric mixer until light. Beat in eggs one at a time. Then add vanilla.

In another bowl, combine flour with ground flax and baking soda. Stir well. Add to batter. (This is a thick soft dough and my KitchenAid sometimes labors when mixing this part.)

Stir in rolled oats and flax seed (see above regarding the mixer...). At this point I sometimes dump the dough into a very large bowl and mix in the loose flour mixture that usually sits in the bottom of the mixing bowl with a large wooden spoon or by hand. It is a lot of dough, but it is not stiff.

Shape cookies into 2 logs approximately 2" x 12" and wrap tightly in parchment paper. Freeze for at least 2 hours.

Slice logs into 1/4" rounds and arrange on cookie sheets in a single layer. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on racks.

I usually can fit about 20 cookies per baking sheet. They do spread a bit while baking, so their sides will touch if putting this many on your baking sheet.

 

My Notes

A coffee grinder can easily grind the flax seeds, but you can also find pre-ground flaxseed at the grocery store. I store mine in the refrigerator.

When I make the cookie logs for freezing I just flatten the logs off on all sides--the dough is soft at this stage and I find it easier to handle and to make the "sides" of the logs flat.

This recipe makes A LOT of cookies -luckily they freeze well.

Keep the cookie logs on hand in your freezer and just slice and bake a few as needed.

 

.....and if you are so inclined

i have been baking these cookies for at least 10 years and today was the first time i decided to 'chocolatize' a dozen. i did not hear any complaints.

 

I own all of Bonnie Stern's cookbooks -- she creates wonderful recipes that are FULL of flavor. She has written several Heart Smart cookbooks and they are some of the best cookbooks I own. The best. And I own a lot of cookbooks.

Bonnie Stern's website.

my, oh, pie

 

so i made this pie. 

 

 

if you look closely at this next photo you can see the flecks of vanilla bean in the filling.

 

i had some extra pie scraps and i placed a TBSP of homemade blackberry basil jam in the center, rolled it up and baked these mini turn-overs when i was baking the coconut laden pie crust. SO GOOD! i would definitely just make the crust to whip up these little turn overs.

 

it takes a while to create this pie from start to finish--although the pastry cream cooks up super fast, it needs some time to cool to room temperature as well as chilling time in the refrigerator. the pie dough, once mixed needs to chill. you need to blind bake the crust and allow it to cool.

 

i did not get out my pastry piping bag and get fancy.

i did not put the shaved toasted coconut on top (this time).

(our patience had already run the gamut by this time)

we just wanted to dig our forks into the pie.

and that we did.

no regrets.