Category Archives: Friends Food Fun

Friends Food Fun

FFF EP – 36 OH MY, PAD THAI!!

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EPISODE 36: OH MY, PAD THAI!!

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWI43dpMyyg

Hey, Foodies,

Look at us in our new digs!

It was one year ago when I started publishing a blog on http://brianupward.com
Even though Helenka and I started filming in January, I wanted to ensure we were ahead of the game so I didn’t start publishing until March 2010.

Now, one year later, we are kicking it up a notch with a brand new website (same great content). We’ve picked a new theme that matches our personalities (“We Love Playing With Our Food”) plus are throwing in some … umm … “special” characters.

I’m keeping my name as a site as well, though I will be transforming it soon into something else and it will be used to showcase some of my photos and other adventures I’ve been on.

Helenka will be taking on a bigger role in the writing ‘cause that is what she does best (besides editing my blurbs [Helenka gloats quietly: Yay, I have the power!] ). I’ll be spending more time on the other “creative” aspects of running the blog, including the video editing, shopping, cooking, etc. [Helenka figures that means exclusive use of sharp implements too.]

For this episode, I tried my hand at making a version of Pad Thai. Lucky for me, the box of noodles I bought just happened to have a packet of sauce included (okay, for my first time, I thought I should be able to get away with a ready-made sauce 😛 ).

I’ll leave the rest to Helenka to describe (take it away, me dear!).

Have yourselves a great week and don’t forget to have fun with your food, too!

Enjoy!
B&H =;)
PS. If you are a science fiction fan, the title is a play on the words that George Takei is famous for and the way he says them.

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Helenka’s Notes:

Hello, everybody!
Are you excited?
I’m overwhelmed because we moved and I didn’t even have to pack a thing.

So, with our brand new … uh … brand comes a brand new maturity. NOT! Nope, ‘cuz I even went younger with my new Shirley Temple curly locks (with giggles to match). And Brian was equally silly, too (despite trying to maintain a chefly (chefish? chefesque??) decorum.

For this episode, as I was positive there were no old boxes or jars hanging around our shiny studio kitchen, Brian went out and bought something interesting. It was a kit for Original Pad Thai containing stir-fry rice noodles with sauce (Thai Kitchen brand). We’ve both eaten lots of Pad Thai at various Thai restaurants around Toronto and elsewhere, so this was not a new experience for us.

However, as we’ve learned during the cooking of other dishes, it’s fun to experiment by adding or substituting ingredients to make it ours. For this recipe, we had the latitude to include shrimp or chicken or tofu with our choice of veggies. Actually, according to the box, the veggies were also in the “OR” category, but I’m glad Brian didn’t pay any attention to that exclusion! From the tags (and watching the episode), you’ll see the veggies that were used and that meant that Brian could omit one ingredient that was on the box recipe, namely bean sprouts. That was just as well, as bean sprouts – in my opinion – have to be purchased and used on the spot … a bit difficult to do when mixing a working day with filming later. I’m thrilled though that he did include cilantro and lime wedges (listed as optional garnishes along with fresh chilies). And crushed walnuts stood in for peanuts.

If you’re curious as to what was in the packet of sauce, the primary ingredients were (in decreasing order): sugar, water, rice vinegar, preserved radish, tomato paste, anchovy fish sauce, chives, soy oil, red chili, tamarind paste, salt, garlic, shallot and, finally, paprika (for colour). When Brian gets around to making his own the next time (for surely there must be a next time), we’ll be sure to see what variations there were from the commercially available kind.

Okay, so I’ve mentioned how much fun we had not only with our food but also just with our normal (for us) banter. But … ::wonders out loud:: what else am I going to write about???

+++brain gets a flash of inspiration+++
Okay, I’m going to indulge in a wee bit of nostalgia about growing up in Toronto and how lucky I consider myself to be living in what has been identified more than once as the most diverse city in the world.

You already know about Brian’s past … growing up on The Rock and mine in a Polish neighbourhood in TO. When I was young, I didn’t know what pasta was, except for having the occasional broad egg noodles or fine nests, usually in a broth. But pasta, that was what Italian families ate … in the next neighbourhood to the north. I don’t even think I ever ate any at my school cafeteria (where the norm was chicken or beef (fish on Fridays), a scoop of mashed potato, veggies, buttered bread, dessert and milk). Yes, that was a very long time ago when school lunches managed to override and even out our unique ethnic backgrounds.

So … where am I going with this? Right here. I never considered that noodles could be made from anything other than wheat. Rice? Really? Well, it’s not unrealistic to think of how limited my world view was, especially knowing how important and prominent wheat is as a crop on the Canadian prairies. But now, being older (and I hope wiser), I can understand how people around the world would use ingredients at hand (so … Asian rice fields) to create noodles. And then I think of what I read in high school, namely the popular interpretation that it was Marco Polo who introduced spaghetti into Italy from China. Made with hard wheat. Which I’ve just read was available in Asia, as well as rice flour.

To further confuse me, I’ve just discovered where my fave noodles (called glass or cellophane) come from. They’re a product of … starch (as in mung bean starch, yam, potato starch, cassava or canna starch) and water. Doesn’t sound so glamorous, does it … but I love the taste and look of these translucent noodles (and can usually get a dish from a Korean take-out counter downtown … and occasionally Thai restaurants as well).

My meandering point is that sometimes, because of limitations of geography and cultural homogeneity, we can miss out on spectacular tastes from around the world. Despite my (slightly idiosyncratic but well-fed) Polish childhood, I’m so glad I grew up into being eager to try new taste sensations, no matter what their origin. [Though, shhhh. It’ll be our little secret that I will never learn to appreciate natto, aka fermented Japanese soybeans!]

I’m even tempted to opine that food was one of the instrumental factors in bringing people from different backgrounds together to live in harmony in Toronto. Though I do remember being made to feel like an outsider once or twice (and recall having to reassure a nervous restaurant owner that, yes, I knew exactly what “variety” meat was (and trotted out a very specific list, lol), but that was many years ago. Since then, it’s been my experience that most people living here believe there’s no point in regulating strict food boundaries that correspond to specific neighbourhoods, as if to indicate that nobody anywhere without a heritage other than theirs could possibly appreciate their cuisine as a whole or discern its finer nuances. And I believe it means a lot to see one’s food respected by those who didn’t grow up eating it only because it was what was placed before them. And, for newcomers to international cuisine, imagine getting closer to people even if you can’t speak a word of their language. Except that food itself is a language that doesn’t require an interpreter, merely the willingness to share in the experience.

I’ve just thought about another cultural relic from my past. Toronto used to have a yearly food/culture festival called “Caravan”. Its purpose was to provide opportunities for exposure to food and other integral activities even beyond the wealth of what was already available in so many diverse communities (so, yes, I’ll admit to beer drinking at the Tranzac Club – a home away from home for Australians and New Zealanders living in TO). Many of Caravan’s “pavilions” were housed in religious, cultural and community halls around the city and provided an easily accessible and affordable way to fill one’s “passport”. The idea has spread to and been successful in other cities near Toronto. ::cheers:: Now I don’t want people to come to the conclusion that Toronto is the perfect city ::pouts off camera:: but I really do believe that our diverse neighbourhoods and their food, not to mention an open curiosity within our population, has made us the urban and urbane centre we are today. Okay, I guess that’s enough geopolitical introspection into Toronto and its food.

But, before you go to sleep tonight, think about something you’ve read about or seen but never eaten. And resolve to go ::giggles:: where no one has gone before (oh, I just had to use that line). And may your own food discoveries bring you much satisfaction and joy!What about this one?

Friends Food Fun

FFF EP-35 TANDOORI CHICKEN VINDALOO (A FUNNY FUSION)

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httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz9EqWrF08M

Hey, Foodies,

We had to bump up the release of this episode as I am heading out of town on business and won’t be able to properly post during the week due to expected complete and utter exhaustion (I’m sure Helenka is going to insert something witty commenting on my predicament [And Helenka does not disappoint: Oh, poor Brian, see him jetting off and having lovely meals and, yeah, meetings all day long, so he’ll be a very tired camper by the end of each day, I’m sure! With a side order of yadda-yadda-yadda.]).

So, we are collaborating as I write this while she is sitting next to me on the couch, making wise-ass comments on what she is going to write in conjunction with what she believes I am actually putting down in this document. [Helenka sees Brian’s lips moving and fingers flying, but hears only, “Wah, wah, wah.” If you’ve seen any episode of Charlie Brown, it’s how the adults sound to the gang.]

Truth be told, this is all a game for her amusement (hmm, note that she’s not disagreeing), but now I shall return to our show….

I love Indian food (well, it’s no secret that I love many different kinds of food), so I thought I would make something quick by using a prepared cooking sauce, one that I personally find excellent, namely Patak’s Vindaloo Sauce which is quite spicy. Normally, one would use plain and boring chicken breasts with it, but that was not to be the case; when I went shopping, looking for said plain and boring chicken breasts, I found a box of frozen Tandoori chicken breasts which were cheaper (on sale) than the plain and boring chicken breasts. So, I said to myself, “Self! Perhaps we should try a variation and see what happens when I use these as a replacement for the PaBCB™.” I’m going to use this acronym from now on, as her Editorialshipness has stated that I am in danger of going over the word count for this post.

We decided to call this dish Tandoori Chicken Vindaloo – a funny fusion! Of course, I do hope that we do not annoy any food purists out there who believe that only PaBCB™ should be used to make Chicken Vindaloo.

At the end of another post, I just wanted to remind our viewers:
We love playing with our food.

Have yourselves a great week and don’t forget to have fun with your food, too!

Enjoy!
B&H =;)

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Helenka’s Notes:

Wasn’t it only yesterday (okay … 30-odd episodes ago, in fact) that Brian was clearing all sorts of jars and packages out of his kitchen cupboards and cooking with whatever he found? Yes, indeed. But the jar of Vindaloo Sauce must have been hidden really well (most likely by those mischievous kitchen pixies). Because … Brian found this jar recently. And, then, I found my jar of home-made Lime Pickle Relish, so we just had to (really had to) make something up.

First of all, I was confused at the beginning of the epi (if you remember, I had no recipe in front of me), as I couldn’t see Brian playing with the chicken, so I actually thought he had bought both kinds of chicken, the PaBCB™ and the Tandoori. I loved seeing the deeper colour of the raw meat and couldn’t wait to taste the final result, further transformed by the cooking. I was not disappointed. One of the best side effects of eating Tandoori chicken cooked in a moist heat was the fact that it was so amazingly tender. The other thing that amused me was that this was such a meat-and-potatoes (and don’t forget those peas) dish and yet the swirling flavours made it anything but predictable!

I’m also struck by how over-indulgence prior to cooking (aka Brian’s eye-balling measurements) doesn’t necessarily lead to an unpleasant outcome. In this epi, Brian went to town with the amount of chopped garlic (he really, really did); and, yet, when I tasted the dish, there was no in-your-face garlicyness. During the simmering process, the garlic was able to disperse among all of the other spices (from both the Tandoori and Vindaloo sources) so that we couldn’t even tell the difference that we’d gone overboard (if there even is such a thing between the two of us) with one of our fave flavour-enhancers. But, despite the splendid taste of the dish, oh, how I missed being in an Indian restaurant and crunching Indian pickles. [Stern note to self: Self … find Indian pickles in a specialty shop … and stop whining already!]

Variations:
I’m not going to suggest variations to the dish itself, as it was already a fusion to begin with. Though, yes, one could add all sorts of other ingredients such as chickpeas or lentils to up the fibre content while remaining true to Indian cuisine (and beans are terrific for absorbing all that lovely sauce). Or slicing okra or baby eggplant to add different textures. But I’d like you to look at these and other similar cooking sauces in a different light – and not only as the foundation for a traditional “Indian” dish.

Brian’s not the only one with a way-back-in-the-pantry situation. When I moved last summer, I kept finding all sorts of jars of stuff (so … not only the jams and jellies from antiquity). Many of them were Asian-influenced. Such as the spicy peanut sauce that found its way onto my plate of scrambled eggs. And, then, wanted to make friends with a whole bunch of other foods. Gee! Even my food is sociable!

Apparently (because I had so many jars of it, lol), one of my fave Patak’s sauces is Korma Cooking Sauce, a mild curry sauce full of delicate spices as well as coconut, ginger and coriander flavours. I’ve used it with different shapes of pasta (including delightful radiattore), potatoes or veggies, so you don’t even need to use a meat product with it.

There’s also nothing wrong with preparing your fave dish the traditional way (no matter what its heritage is) and then incorporating a sauce from the other side of the globe. Exercise your imaginations and pique your taste-buds. It’s especially fun to do during the winter time, when your mouth can feel as blah as the weather. We’re doing our best to banish boring winter eating and encourage you to do so, too. Happy fusions, everyone!

Tandori Chicken Vindaloo 1

Friends Food Fun, Recipes

FFF – EP 34 WALDORF SALAD

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httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs2wDEntEbc
There won’t be a Desserts are Fun episode this month as I am working on something exciting (at least it is in my mind). Stay tuned for more details. Desserts are Fun will be back soon.

I love Waldorf salad. My first time eating it was at Helenka’s when she gave a dinner party for four at her place (I think it was a birthday party several years ago). I was so taken aback by this salad that I just had to recreate it (it just took me a few years). The freshness of the fruit and nuts along with the mayonnaise dressing made it such a joy to eat.

The version I’m using was modified (of course) from a recipe I found.

Stay Warm!

Enjoy B&H =:)

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Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil mayonnaise
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 Fuji apples — peeled, cored, and chopped
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice and salt.
2. Stir in the apples, celery, walnuts, grapes and raisins. Chill until ready to serve.

Helenka’s Notes:
I believe I may have already mentioned that one of the spectacular parties I’ve hosted (and the one to which Brian alluded above where he had his Waldorf christening) was this one, held in March of 2007. I called it “Honouring Titans” (as I’d cast the four of us as real life heroes from the Titanic). And, yes, I definitely was Margaret (not Molly) Brown. For my source cookbooks, I used Last Dinner on the Titanic, Dinner at Buckingham Palace as well as Paul Burrell’s book, In the Royal Manner, on Royal entertaining. [Right … as if I were ever going to be preparing a casual luncheon for 300!]

I also pored through my all-time favourite and eminently reliable source of recipes, namely The Joy of Cooking which is where my recipe originated. The guest of honour had always wanted to eat certain dishes and I did my best to fulfill that request, even though I’d never made any of them before in my life (okay, with the exception of asparagus)! You know how traditional advice says to never present dishes at a party that you’ve never made before? Ha! That’s never deterred me from venturing forth full of confidence. Though, now that I think of it, I believe I reduced the cubed bacon for the roast sirlion sauce down to nothing (hey, I didn’t know I could do that) and even burned my wooden fork; so it’s a good thing I had extra bacon and could start all over. Whee! Isn’t live cooking exhillirating?

This is the final menu I served:
Mushroom and Cheese Puffs,
accompanied by a sparkling rosé wine;
Mary Tudor Aspic (tomato aspic, flavoured as a Bloody Mary);
Waldorf Salad;
Vichyssoise;
Roast Sirloin with Sauce Forestière (lots of wild mushrooms),
Fresh Asparagus with a Lemon and Herb Sauce,
accompanied by a Merlot Cabernet;
A pink frosted chocolate cake decorated with maraschino cherries and pink pig sprinkles; the cake was doctored up with rum, walnuts, chocolate chips and the maraschino cherry liqueur, accompanied by a titch of Grand Marnier.

One of our guests made the soup, Brian made the cake and I made everything else (!!!) with the exception of the appetizer which was courtesy of President’s Choice. I was very proud of pulling off such a grand party. The only regret was that I decided at the last moment to drop Yorkshire Pudding off the menu. Just too few arms, too many ouchies and not enough time. Isn’t that usually a fact of life?

Anyway, I’m sure you can guess what my first comment will be about this dish. Yep, what did I know from Waldorf Salad (despite my frequent visits to NYC in the past), considering my Polish background. So I was really surprised to see how quick and easy it was to make (taking into account how long some of the other dishes needed). Combine celery, apples, walnuts and grapes, glomp together with mayonnaise … and I’m done? Really? So I was both impressed and happy to know that I could include a dish that was prepared in advance. And tasted yummy. And is so refreshing to anticipate eating on a sweltering day. So I’m thrilled that Brian remembered it over three and a half years later and wanted to make his own!

Variations:
The recipe on which Brian based his salad contained raisins, while mine had grapes; so we had both. And my taste-buds danced from the inclusion of lemon juice, salt and sugar (or, in this case, Splenda). Brian’s recipe already gave suggestions for other substitutions (cranberries or craisins in place of grapes) and the addition of rotisserie chicken to make the dish more substantial (as an entrée rather than side dish). I piped in with my usual cold roast beef option. And, just now, I thought of using cold shrimp (perhaps broiled first with lime juice and black pepper). I always like the idea of serving a non-leafy salad on a large leaf of contrasting colour (such as boston or radicchio) and think it would be unique presented as an appetizer stuffed into endive leaves.

Even though this dish has a revered origin, there is no disrespect in making changes and trying out new combinations (as long as the core ingredients remain as the foundation). So I hope you will use our recipe as the template for your own unique creations. It’s so much fun!

Friends Food Fun, Recipes

FFF – EP 33 ‘ONOLICIOUS BANANA PANCAKES (WITH A BANANA LIQUEUR SAUCE)

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httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYjlXKt9uoA

Helenka got a request for a recipe for pancakes. Not just any pancakes, of course, but special ones from Hawaii. I, being curious and all that, had to do some research first on what was a Hawaiian pancake? I found the main difference was the sauce poured over the pancakes (a Macadamia nut one). Well, in our typical fashion and not to be outdone by the absence of Macadamia nuts (cause they are expensive), we tried to find a recipe that met most of the requirements. I got the bright idea of “How about we combine two recipes into one!” We had French Toast on the show before and the sauce was just incredible; plus it had bananas in it. Coincidence? I think not. The original used a vanilla bourbon and caramelized banana sauce (but we did the old switcheroo for this recipe by replacing the bourbon with a banana liqueur). I’m posting the macadamia nut sauce recipe, too. Who knows: if we find a good source for this wonderful nut, I may just make it the original way.

For the pancakes, I found a recipe that fit the bill quite nicely. (link) They were so fluffy and delightful; plus, with the sweet banana sauce, we knew that once we finished we would be in a state of sugary bliss (I think we both slept really well that night [Helenka concurs, wazzz verrry sleeepy]).

This was a fun exercise and we’d like to do it again. So, if you have a request, give us some details and we’ll see if we can whip up something special … just for you.

Till next time,
Enjoy!
B&H =:)

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Helenka’s Notes:

Yes, we love requests, but this one threw us for a loop because what do we know about Hawaii (except for those amazing Macadamia nuts)? But, hey, I think we ended up with a fabulous result. And … and … we got to have ::adopts that happy, little-girl voice:: “breakfast for dinner again”.

In all honesty, I can’t contribute too much to this blog post because, as I mentioned during filming, pancakes weren’t a part of my upbringing. But I’m willing to learn. So, I asked myself, “Self, what other fruits and goodies would make yummy pancakes? The bananas were perfect for incorporating into the batter, as the fruit is fibrous and doesn’t release excessive moisture. But that shouldn’t mean that you can’t use other fruits. You’ll just have to exercise a little care.

Variations:
If you follow the original directions and mix the ingredients without any fruit, then I could see the following being folded in gently:

  • blueberries (I know, so traditional), with slivered almonds and a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream instead of a cooked sauce
  • chopped apricots (because they’re dense-fleshed, too), with pecans and rum
  • chopped fresh peeled figs (either green or black), with hazelnuts and hazelnut liqueur
  • chopped not-quite-ripe nectarines (lightly dusted with flour first to prevent sticking), with cashews and orange liqueur
  • plumped raisins and cranberries with nutmeg, cinnamon and brandy

and, to end on a silly note, chocolate chips, with a mint and chocolate liqueur sauce and garnished with sprigs of fresh mint

 

I just realized that I’ve gone the “Let’s have breakfast for dinner FOR DESSERT route!” Do I feel guilty about that? ::shakes head:: I thought you all knew me better than that by now.

Anyway, this recipe is for Mary. I hope you enjoy making it (uh … them … considering the substitutions and variations). I’m just sorry we couldn’t provide you with matching Hawaiian weather!

Our source for the banana pancakes (with a slight modification of using buttermilk) came from polynesiankitchen.blogspot.com

Banana Pancakes

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 cup milk (we substituted buttermilk)
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed (place bananas in Ziploc bag, zip and squish!)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • dash of cinnamon, if you like

1. Combine flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk, vegetable oil and bananas.
2. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture; batter will be slightly lumpy. [Evil editor missed the “in a separate bowl” part and Brian mixed everything in one bowl. It turned out just fine!]
3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook until pancakes are golden brown on both sides; serve hot.

The original recipe for the sauce we used came from the “Cook This Not That” book with a modification from us (using banana liqueur).

Vanilla Banana Liqueur and Caramelized Banana Sauce
(We dare you to say that 3 times fast!)

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons banana liqueur
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup crushed walnuts
  • 2 ripe but firm bananas sliced into ¼ inch rounds
  • ¼ cup 2% milk

1. Heat the butter in a medium pan (nonstick if you have it) over medium heat. Add the banana liqueur, then stir in the brown sugar till dissolved. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes until you see bubbles.
2. Add in the walnuts and cook for another 2 minutes; gently add in the banana slices and heat through.
3. Stir in milk, then turn heat down to low and keep warm.

Macadamia Nut Sauce (optional to the sauce above and original to the banana pancake recipe)

  • 1 cup macadamia nuts
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup cream
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ¾ teaspoon lemon juice

Grind macadamia nuts in a food processor until fine. Place nuts into a medium saucepan and fry over medium high heat for 5 min or until fragrant. Remove from pan, and set aside. Lower heat to medium and add the butter, stirring until melted. Stir in flour and cook 1 min. Slowly pour in milk and cream, constantly whisking the whole time. Add sugar, salt, vanilla to the pan. Cook 5 min or until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in lemon juice. Pour sauce into a serving dish. Serve warm and sprinkle the Macadamia nuts on top of each serving.

Friends Food Fun, Party Tips, Special Videos

FriendsFoodFun! Christmas Special 2010

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httpvhp://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=DBA6612F073488CA

Christmas Celebrations, Past and Present

For me, while growing up in Newfoundland as one of a pretty big family (seven including my parents), Christmas was always something of a huge event for us. Usually it started with Mom grocery shopping which, to feed a family of this size, was an event all on its own. Upon her return home, all five kids would have traipsed to the car several times to retrieve the many bags she had brought back. Still, those almost never-ending multitudes of bags of food would not last long and barely made it past New Year’s.

Over the years, I also remember friends of my parents coming to visit, dressed as “Mummers” – people who would disguise themselves with old articles of clothing. I remember some pretty weird costumes they made, using whatever they could find to cover their faces to keep their identities hidden. It would be a game to “discover” just who those costumed folks were; being from a small community helped tremendously. 🙂 I think alcohol may have been involved, but you didn’t hear that from me.

My paternal Grandparents who lived just next door would come over on Christmas Eve to spend time with us. My Dad and my Grandfather would sit talking over some fine whiskey. I am sure the rest of us, being a noisy bunch, entertained everyone. Oh … getting us to bed was another chore, though we finally would settle in.

The next day, we would open our presents (at the crack of dawn no less) and Mom would busy herself preparing the turkey for cooking or checking on it if she was having a lunch as it would have been cooked overnight. A traditional Newfoundland Christmas dinner consisted of turkey, potatoes, peas porridge, carrots, turnips, salt beef and doughboys. Except for the turkey, it would all be boiled together for what seemed like hours (and the best meal you were sure to have).

This was a traditional Newfoundland boiled dinner (sometimes called Jiggs Dinner) and also served during Thanksgiving and Easter as well (at least it was in our family). Occasionally, there would be a ham thrown in (not boiled). When I was a teenager returning home from boarding school, Mom would always ask what I wanted her to make for Christmas and my response was always bread pudding with raspberries. It was divine. Mental note: “MOM, can you make it again this year … please???” Trying to describe it would probably not do it any justice and using Google led me to many recipes for it (of course, there IS Mom’s version, too).

Helenka and I have added our own traditions when it comes to Christmas and this year was no exception. [Well, there was one: I filmed it all!] It all started many years ago as we used to celebrate what we considered pretty fine dining by choosing something from that year’s President’s Choice Insider’s Report (Winter issue). Then, one year, when it didn’t inspire us, we set out to cook for each other (this is the shortened version of a long story). Part of that deal was that we would host each other and decorate our respective places: I’d do it usually before Christmas and she in the New Year. [Devious editor snickers. Pretty smart of me, eh?]

I always loved going overboard and, as I lived in a very small place, that was quite easy to do. I always had Christmas lights attached around the perimeter of my apartment (like a Christmas disco). [The still-stunned editor reminds Brian that he’s forgetting to mention that the lights were at the really high ceiling!] One year, I decorated my fridge with wrapping paper and a huge bow, then plunked a 4-foot Christmas tree on top of it … and off we went.

Another year, I wanted to pretend I had a fireplace; so I took my desk and put my Commodore 64 monitor (my TV back then) under it and, along with a plastic brick tablecloth with a hole cut out for the monitor, created my own version of a fireplace complete with stuff one normally puts on a mantle. But it didn’t just have to look right, it had to sound real. And it did, with Fireplace in a Box (VHS tape of a real fire) and surround sound. [Very impressed editor adds, “With all those speakers, I heard every crisp snap and crackle.”]

Nowadays, I have my own fireplace and mantle which I got to decorate in our Christmas Special. My friend Mary from work started me off, over a year ago, for my first party in my new place. It was fantastic plus everything I was hoping for. Mary left me with all the decorations you see here so that I could recreate it myself (and this was my first time doing it all on my own).

One thing I set out to do for our Special was to present some tried and true recipes we have used over the years and occasionally adapted (the roasted chicken for example was originally substituted with Cornish hens – yummy!). The Brussels with bacon is a new dish and inspired by the cookbook “Cook This Not That” while the stuffed tomatoes were invented on the spot from our own creative minds (though based upon the dish I made many years ago for Helenka).

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all our loyal viewers as we complete this fantastic year of celebrating great friendships, fantastic food and, of course, we cannot forget the fun!

Presented here is the special journey that Helenka and I take you on in our Friends Food Fun! Christmas Special. And we’re so proud to share our recipes with you.

Happy Holidays,

Peace and Long Life,

See you in the New Year!

Cheers!

B&H =:)

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Recipes are below Helenka’s post 

Helenka, on finding the true meaning of Christmas, even if it took me a while

I believe that my approach to (and recognition of) Christmas is unique. And I’m not just saying that for effect, either.

When I was growing up, there was absolutely no religious connotation to December 25th at home. In fact, there was no celebration of any kind at home that day. Instead, we piled into a car and drove to a family friend’s house where long tables were set up in the basement for dozens of people in the Polish community to gather and enjoy a huge meal. Everybody knew everybody else. Included was the daughter of the house, one of my childhood girlfriends to whom I wasn’t that close … simply because she lived too far away for us to have any regular interaction. [OTOH, she was Sharif Ali to my El Aurens (Laurence of Arabia) when we were riding our pretend camels to the well in the desert … um, okay … on her uncle’s raspberry/strawberry farm. And we did get to go real trail riding nearby (on real horsies) once. When I say I have a really good memory, you’d better believe me … because those particular ones are over 40 years old!]

Instead, the traditional Christmas celebration took place on Christmas Eve at home, with the table set in a specific manner (straw underneath the tablecloth to represent hay in the manger and an empty chair just in case Jesus stopped by … or an unexpected guest), as well as a completely meatless 12-course dinner. My fave courses were the pickled herring with sliced onions and carrots with rye bread and the tiny piroszki (miniature pierogi) with a dried Polish mushroom/cabbage filling served in a meatless beet soup. So, it was a balancing act, going from a semi-religious celebration to an ethnic one overnight. However, one of the unique bonuses of not celebrating Christmas Day itself was that I got to open presents legally ::giggles:: a day earlier!

However, all of that changed when my father died before I turned 16. No more Christmas. I couldn’t do anything about it because I was just a kid and an only child at that. So it wasn’t until I moved out on my own at 23 (after getting my university degree) that I was able to start to assemble my own Christmas traditions.

Over the decades, I’ve participated in several types of Christmas Eve/Christmas Day celebrations:

  • casual aka running off in bone-chilling cold with a friend’s boyfriend (?!?) who was away from his home and family, to catch the umpteenth viewing of Star Wars IV (as we had an unofficial competition going on), then returning to my place to warm up with hot tea, seedless green grapes, cookies and to play Scrabble.
  • work-related, with a colleague inviting me to spend it with her daughter and herself (and gifting me with an exquisite black satin caftan which I accepted with glee) before driving me to the subway station at the end of the line where I managed to miss the final train and had the unique experience of taking the night bus across town.
  • with a variety of close friends over the years with whom I spent very satisfying Christmas Days and usually prepared some festive or extravagant dishes (can you say lobster?).
  • after deciding that there was something missing in my life in 1990, I attended my first Christmas Eve church service ever and discovered a church home and acquired a chosen family to which I’ve been adding (and, sadly, subtracting from as well) for the last 20 years.
  • interestingly enough, spending a happy Christmas Day alone after that church service when I did a lot of equally happy crying. All I had to do was glance through the order of service, remember the way I felt surrounded by thousands of people and feel warm all over. So it’s important to realize that one can have the capacity to celebrate even when alone … if such are the circumstances.
  • continuing a church tradition of offering a warm and inviting place in our Social Hall for Christmas Day dinner, decorations (including my menagerie of pigs – because they insisted on being included), music and games to people who had no place else to go (and hosting it for more than a decade). In fact, last Sunday I approached Mum (of Mum & Dad renown, as they were a couple who accepted all of us without hesitation – we who were biological, situational or emotional orphans from our families, to the extent that we were proud to call them our “Mum & Dad”) to reminisce about the year when her own aunt died (a charming yet feisty, down-to-earth lady in our congregation) and they didn’t feel up to doing their own Christmas dinner, so asked if they could join us. What a question! It was my honour to have them be with us. Not only did they come and relax, they brought lots of little gifts for me to add to the raffle draw (because all I could usually afford from a few monetary donations was to get everybody a fancy Christmas cracker – and I always thought we all looked quite grand in our tissue-paper crowns).
  • bringing close friends even closer into my chosen family, most of them drawn from my church and giving them official designations (I had lots of uncles, brothers and sisters, as well as fairy godmothers).
  • falling in love (more than once, lol) and having intimate, romantic Christmas dinners that I cooked from scratch, even if the menu wasn’t exactly traditional. There may have also been a Christmas pizza … once or twice.

The only thing I never did was to volunteer at a Mission, serving Christmas dinner to the homeless, though I do have one close church friend who’d done that year after year, but first stopped in at the church to share ours before heading out and I always felt both grateful and humbled that she got to have Christmas while being of service to those in need.

In years past (though not forgotten), I managed to combine the Christmas Eve service, Christmas Day dinner at church and then stagger home to prepare my own romantic Christmas dinner. Is it any wonder I needed to sleep for a week after that? Or didn’t even want to think about food?

But, you know, whatever the form of your Christmas (or other religious or non-denominational) celebration, the food and decor aren’t the important things: it’s the willingness to reach out, to share even with those to whom you have no family ties at all. Hey, I created my own chosen family and so can you.

Brian’s mentioned some of the highlights of hosting me at Christmas, in terms of decor and food. I was so awed by his creativity, I tried to match it. When he had the fake fireplace arrangement, I responded with Aquarium in a Box and transformed my place into an outer space underwater research station. I met him at the door carrying a pewter lantern, as the light levels had to be diminished so as not to disturb the fish ! Whenever he created something spectacular, I was inspired (resulting one memorable time in my three-hour masterpiece of velvety cream of asparagus soup). The year he made the original stuffed tomatoes, I countered with a tomato/bread/onion pudding as well as quail legs. Another year, I made my own mushroom butter as well as Tequila-marinated shrimp. Even when something threatened to be a disaster (crème brulée refused to firm up). I poured it into my ice cream maker and turned it into exquisitely rich ice cream. Another planned and far more healthy dessert that did turn out was mango sorbet with a scoop of mango purée in the same cut-glass bowl. As for trees, I think one year I outdid even myself when I put 800 lights on my tree, had the programmable multi-coloured lights wound around my 19-foot long balcony railing and even around the base of my glass and black steel coffee table. Hey, I did say Brian inspired me!

The way we’ve played off each other has been one of the cornerstones of our nearly two-decade long friendship that blossomed even though we had so many differences even beyond our ages (he came from a large family and had living grandparents; I was an only child who never knew my grandparents). It just makes it even more precious to me.

In celebration of togetherness, I lift my glass. And dedicate this blog entry to “Mum”. “Dad” will have to excuse himself for a moment from his pals amid heavenly surroundings to know that he’s being equally honoured. Cheers, “Dad”!

And, oh, I guess I should say something about food, so I will admit that we may have gone a titch overboard with the red pepper flakes in the Brussels sprouts. Just a tad. So I took special editorial liberty to adjust the amount stated in the recipe. And, even then, you should use a gentle hand.

I hope everyone will enjoy a serene holiday season and a joyous New Year. See you when the calendar page is flipped over!

Recipe: Roasted Chicken in a Fig and Clementine Glaze

Ingredients

Main Ingredients:

  • 1 whole roasting chicken
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small cooking onion, finely sliced
  • 1 oz Brandy or orange liqueur (we used Cointreau)
  • 6 dried figs, halved with stems removed
  • 6 clementines, peeled and segmented

Marinade:

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tbsp Spanish paprika (or regular paprika)
  • 1 tbsp course black pepper
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh thyme and oregano, combined
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • salt, to taste
Orange Glaze:
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 cup orange juice, good quality (like Tropicana Grovestand)
  • ¼ cup sugar (or Splenda)

Directions

  1. To prepare marinade, whisk together all ingredients. Pour over chicken and marinate 4 hours, or overnight, in refrigerator.
  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (for crispy skin). Roast chicken, about 90 minutes (depending on size of chicken).
  3. Meanwhile, prepare orange glaze. In medium saucepan, over medium heat, combine all ingredients, cooking slowly, about 5 to 8 minutes, or until reduced by half.
  4. In large skillet, over medium heat, sauter onion in 1 tbsp of olive oil about 3 to 5 minutes, or until brown. Add Brandy or Cointreau and deglaze skillet. Add orange glaze and dried figs and continue to cook until slightly reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes. Add clementines until just heated through. Cut chicken into pieces, arrange on plate or platter, then pour glaze over chicken.

Variations

For a more spicy orange sauce, try some of these variations:
Fresh ginger slivers, chopped cilantro, crushed garlic, dried hot peppers.

Recipe: Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients

  • 4 medium to large tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs (increase up to 1 cup for larger tomatoes)
  • ⅓ cup fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
  • ¼ tsp dried basil (fresh is better, if available)
  • 1 tbsp chopped garlic
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F
    Cut tops off tomatoes; scoop out pulp and seeds and reserve. In a bowl, mix Parmesan cheese, Panko breadcrumbs, parsley, basil, garlic, salt and pepper and reserved pulp and seeds.
    Spoon mixture into each tomato, then place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Depending on size, time may have to be adjusted.

Recipe:  Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients

  • 12 small red potatoes, quartered
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 1-½ tbsp dried rosemary
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss all ingredients together until potatoes are lightly coated with olive oil. Place potatoes on a baking pan, and roast for 25 – 35 minutes until lightly golden.

Recipe: Brussels with Bacon

Ingredients

  • 4 strips precooked bacon
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp chopped garlic
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes (adjust to taste according to desired amount of heat)
  • 1 pound Brussels sprouts, bottoms trimmed and cut in half
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp chopped walnuts

Directions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add garlic, pepper flakes, Brussels sprouts and a pinch of salt; sauter until sprouts are lightly browned on the outside and tender but still firm 10 – 12 minutes. Add the walnuts and sauter for another minute or two. Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe: Cookies’n’Cream

Ingredients

  • Whipping Cream:
    1. Begin with thoroughly chilled cream.
    2. Chill mixing bowl and beaters beforehand.
    3. Whip the cream on medium speed.
    4. Add sugar (2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup granulated) and any flavourings like Framboise, Rum, etc. I used Butter Ripple flavoured liqueur (Schnapps).
    5. Cream is whipped when soft peaks form.
    6. For vanilla-flavoured whipped cream, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Directions

  1. For this recipe, you can use either canned whipped cream (which can be fun and fancy – sprayed in swirling patterns) or make your own (see above). Use a good-quality favourite cookie (once again, store-bought or home-made), studding them around the perimeter of the dessert dish and then artfully arrange some fresh fruit over the top in the centre. Voilà: an instant dessert using your own variations and imagination.