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Friends Food Fun, Special Videos

Friends Food Fun Christmas Special – Reinventing Tradition

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httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNLrWGx1TFQ

In last year’s special, Brian and I gave you a heaping helping (a mountain, even) of variations on some of the traditions that have been a part of our lives separately and together. However, this year, it appears that Brian went out (waaaaay out) to create an amazing Christmas dinner that speaks to some of today’s values.

Most of the traditions we grew up with involved a lot of physical exertion (food shopping, storing, prep work, cooking, keeping the finished product warm or cold, then washing a mountain of dishes and putting leftovers away, before finally collapsing) as well as staying on top of individual cooking times and temperatures. So … a lot of work, a lot of worry, and a lot of exhaustion. Sound like a lot of fun? Nope, not in any dictionary I know.

So … today’s values, huh? Indeed. Such as the value of being considerate by not overburdening one person (or a few) with the necessity of conforming to the stringent preparation of oh-so-many recipes, simply because that’s the way it was always done. I’m constantly amazed (though I do admit to being guilty of the practice in the past – is this where I promise never to badger Brian for stuffed tomatoes again? ::squirms uneasily:: Uh … maybe) when people pout because you’re not planning to include Great Grandma’s Ultimate whatever-it-is, even though it needs to be started three days in advance, requires storage space you don’t have and three burners on your stovetop. See, the thing is that Great Grandma could make it because there were usually lots of young’uns hanging around the kitchen (a large space full of good smells and – if you were lucky – you got to lick the spoons or nibble on the cast-off ends that weren’t pretty enough to serve to company) to help with the prep work. Storage space? Lots of it in a large pantry or summer kitchen. Three burners? On a six-burner stove, it might mean a bit of crowding, though it wasn’t impossible. But, somehow, the meaning of the season turned into a rigid requirement with the added emotional layer that, by not making Great Grandma’s Ultimate whatever-it-is, you were either disrespecting Great Grandma or her memory. Shouldn’t the value and memory of Great Grandma instead be one of her warmth, her generosity and hospitality rather than GGU-w-i-i? I would certainly hope so. And I believe Great Grandma would, too.

Or what about the value of not having a closed mind where it comes to any experience, food included? Brian and I both grew up in more tightly knit communities where there weren’t many opportunities to eat foods from around the world. But that has changed and it’s marvellous. Shouldn’t that be reflected even in our holiday meals? Rhetorical question, obviously.

Or what about the value of diversity? Where we can invite people into our lives, homes and dining rooms who may bring foods that we may have never associated with the way we’ve always observed a particular holiday. Actually, that used to happen to me at the Christmas day dinners I hosted at church for a decade. With the exception of a turkey or two – compliments of a generous local butcher – everything else was potluck where I tried valiantly to make sure there would be enough variety of foods rather than five versions of coleslaw or, more likely with our congregation, 25 different desserts. ::gets distracted:: Oh … those yummy desserts. Actually, I think I was even a bad influence one Christmas when I brought a President’s Choice Bread Pudding, knowing that I could heat it up there. But, then, I had a valid excuse, having to be there hours in advance – as the host – to start decorating and setting up.

What about the value of allowing a holiday observation to be relaxed, of making the recipes conform to the whims and activities of the guests rather than forcing the guests to observe a nearly military-minded agenda. The danger of having such a rigid schedule is that, if any little thing goes wrong, then everything is thrown off. Not only that, there are identifiable health risks of eating too much food in too short a time, especially if so many dishes have high salt, sugar or fat content. It’s not just a matter of the dead air around the table as its overly-stuffed celebrants sink into a stupor.

Finally, there’s the value of having the host also be a guest at the celebration. That can only happen if we all embrace the concept of opening ourselves up to new experiences. Including the variety of exquisite nibbles that Brian served during our celebration (some prepared in advance and one where I joked I wanted to be alone with it in the bedroom because it was such a sensual eating experience) and culminating in a very relaxed Raclette for the main course supper (during which we could and did decide we’d had enough) was definitely a sign of modern-day thinking.

It really felt terrific to know that we could eat however much we wanted and whatever was left over, Brian would be able to have the next day. Nor would it be half a turkey carcass!

Even though our holiday celebration was for only two people, you could recreate the supper with more guests sharing the electric Raclette and grill combo, though the relaxation factor would be reduced due to the necessity of switching out the little pans more quickly. It may not sound like a huge factor but, over the course of supper, it would place the focus on keeping track of time instead of the conversation and laughter. In an ideal setting, I would have one Raclette (or other suitable appliance that could sub for one) for every two people. Even if you’d need to borrow or rent multiples, it would be so worth it.

The other joy of cooking at the table is the conviviality factor. Guests talk and laugh more. The conversation seems to sparkle. And all that merely from being involved, even in something as nominal as elementary tabletop cooking. Of course, in my opinion the queen of the tabletop cooking appliances is the Fondue pot, whether flame or electric. You know where my allegiance lies. Hint: it’s not the one with the flame. [I know it’s heresy, but I’ll even take fake over real when it comes to fireplaces? Why? Because of all those summers up north when the real (though utterly gorgeous) fireplace sent the heat up the chimney instead of out into the huge and chilly great room.] Another possibility would be a Korean-style BBQ. I’m sure you could come up with more portable variations of recipes that could be cooked very easily and quickly at the table, adding to the entertainment factor.

Friends Food Fun Christmas Pictures
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The final menus that Brian presented are shown here:

Late Lunch Appetizers

Prosciutto Wrapped Dates with Goat Cheese
Cocktail Shrimp with Seafood Sauce
Chipotle Hummus
Baked Brie with Red Hot Pepper Jelly
Pork Pâté
Boursin Cheese
Assorted Crackers

Supper

Electric Raclette
cooked sausages chorizo
gherkins and cocktail onions
broccoli
baby corn
small roasted potatoes
grape tomatoes
aged cheddar cheese

Dessert

Trifle

Variations on Raclette

While we were making huge inroads into the bowls and plates of veggies, potatoes and meat awaiting being sizzled with cheese under the Raclette broiler, I let my imagination go wild. And you can, too. Any vegetable or fruit that would work on a skewer would work here, too. By happy coincidence, we learned how luscious the whole grape tomatoes tasted, especially when we bit into them and were rewarded with a juicy splash. I’d like to see preserved artichoke hearts and flame-broiled red pepper strips, as well as grilled or marinated mushrooms under the cheese. It might be a little more demanding, but thin strips of chicken or beef could be grilled first, then given the cheesy treatment. If you love seafood, then you could use chunks of lobster tail or marinated octopus rounds or squid rings. Okay, okay, you can leave the octopus and squid. [More for me, yay!] This recipe usually calls for a Raclette cheese. Well, Brian used aged Cheddar. If you don’t want to use either of those, then you could use Brie (that reminds me of the Brie and Vegetables from many episodes ago) or a flavoured Goat cheese (hmmm, Pizza episodes, anybody?). Or Feta (imagine the ingredients for a Greek salad, except heated up). The only cheese we felt couldn’t work would be Cream cheese, because it’s not dense enough to withstand the intense and close heat source. It would just melt away.

Speaking of pizza, you could translate the recipe to start with a pre-cooked pizza dough or any other kind of commercial flatbread. Using the little trays as a guideline, you could cut the dough or bread into exact shapes in advance, then keep them from drying out by placing in a covered basket until dinner was ready to be made.

If I’m really allowed to go wild (and, as the editor of this frivolous adventure, I give myself permission [Self, you have the power!]), then I could see this Raclette idea being used as the ultimate dessert following a barbecue in the summertime. After all, if it’s perfectly acceptable to use a grill even in the hottest part of the day, then it’s just as suitable to use a Raclette grill for dessert when the sun has gone down. For this variation, I would suggest pre-baked pie pastry (brushed with a bit of sweet butter or margarine) cut to fit into the little trays, then covered with a variety of your favourite summer fruits (sliced peaches, pears, strawberries, seedless grapes … anything that has a skin to maintain cohesiveness). Top with the cheese of your choice and await to be yummed! You could grill the sliced fruit first to release more flavour. Well, as long as I’m already way out, I’ll propose an ultimate apple pie Raclette. Using pre-cooked pie pastry, spoon on a bit of applesauce before layering on sliced grilled apples. Before topping with some extra-aged Cheddar, grind some Cinnamon/Sugar/Chocolate sprinkles (the kind I gave Brian last year, IIRC). But, wait! That’s not all. When you remove each portion from under the Raclette broiler, add a scoop of decadent Vanilla ice cream. Swoon-worthy. Definitely swoon-worthy. And most likely something no traditional Raclette user has ever imagined.

Well, I can’t believe I’m about to write this, but I think I’ve written enough. Wow! The editor can show moderation, too. I hope everyone will enjoy a serene holiday season and a joyous New Year. See you when the calendar page is flipped over!

And I think it’s fitting to (mostly) reuse our closing words from 2010.

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

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

Happy Holidays,
Peace and Long Life,
See you in the New Year!

Cheers!
B&H =:)

Christmas at Allan Gardens
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English Trifle (the original)
Ingredients
2 marble pound cakes
2 pints fresh strawberries
1/4 cup white sugar
1 pint fresh blueberries
2 pints raspberries
2 bananas
1/4 cup orange juice
1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds
12 maraschino cherries
Directions

Slice strawberries and sprinkle them with sugar. Cut the bananas into slices and toss with orange juice. Combine pudding mix with milk and mix until smooth. Cut the cake into 1 inch cubes.
Use half of the cake cubes to line the bottom of a large glass bowl. Layer half of the strawberries followed by half of the blueberries, and then half of the bananas. Spread half of the pudding over the fruit. Repeat layers in the same order.
In a medium bowl, whip the cream to stiff peaks and spread over top of trifle. Garnish with maraschino cherries and slivered almonds.

* This recipe is amazing when you substitute marble pound cake for the plain, and add chopped brownies (cause Helenka told me to 😉 ).

Prosciutto Wrapped Figs with Goat Cheese
Ingredients
12 figs
1 small package of mild goat cheese
1/4 pound prosciutto
Honey
Directions
Remove stems from figs. Using a small sharp knife open up the fig from the top to about the middle with an X-cut. Place a small amount of goat cheese into the opening. Wrap the fig with a piece of prosciutto and secure with a tooth pick. Place figs on a baking sheet, drizzle honey over them and put under the broiler just until prosciutto starts to sizzle. You only want to warm these up and melt the cheese just a bit. These are sweet and salty, creamy and gooey.

Obviously, we used dates in place of figs. When substituting dates for figs, omit the honey.

Decorating a Mantle
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JrbboxUaE8

Music for both videos provided by Kevin MacLeod

Friends Food Fun

FFF EP-29 PORK CHOPS WITH A GRILLED FRUIT & CHEESE DRESSING

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httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGH5Tyf4u0g

Hey, Food Friends!

Interesting episode this week in that perhaps I should have shown it before Halloween as it has a suspenseful introduction. I won’t ruin it here, but I did something to Helenka – then again, I’m always doing something with Helenka [Helenka rolls her eyes]. Oh, well, you will just have to watch it to see what I mean. 😉

We filmed this just before the summer was completely over, so we are calling it our last gasp of summer, hence all the tropical plants you will see cluttering up the counter and, just to the left of the screen, you may catch a glimpse of Helenka’s designer purse which is also quite colourful (I’m mentioning it because she purposefully brought it on set as a festive prop to use).

On the food side, we are featuring pork chops. I had a tough time, though, choosing which fruit to use (peaches or nectarines) and choosing between our favourite Goat cheese or Blue cheese; so, in our typical fashion, we chose both fruits and both cheeses to create a completely different dish than the one we were following – and quite yummy too. I also swapped out pine nuts for almonds too (just to be completely different, of course). For the salad, we used Romaine hearts with baby spinach, red pepper, grape tomatoes drizzled with a honey mustard dressing. It was very good.

Well, that’s it for this week for notes because I’m sure the video portion will prove how easy and yummy-tasting this recipe was. So, until next time, have more fun with your food and invite some friends to join in, too!

Enjoy!
B & H =;)

P.S. We are working on a Christmas special, so stay tuned. We hope that it will be our best show to date!

Please note: We try and review the recipes in the cookbook. However, in an effort to respect copyright, we are not able to reproduce the actual printed recipes here. If you do have the book, please follow along with us.

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Insight on: Pork Chops with Grilled Fuit

Notes from the Chef’s Sidekick (Helenka)

Oh, my stars. Brian wasn’t kidding about the other-worldly aspects of this episode. We had {duh-duh-duh, cue creepy music and creaking doors} mystery (what), suspense (where) and panic (um, obviously me). But, luckily, the missing ingredient ::giggles:: was found just in time to proceed with the show.

So, yes, we were intent on celebrating the tastes, textures and colours of summer … dragging them out beyond the date on the calendar to enhance our pleasure. And Brian was right: I did want my handbag to be a part of the set decor; I also wore a designer scarf (uh … different designer). The funny thing is that yellow and especially orange are not my colours, but they certainly are most reminiscent of summer. [Moreover, curiously, my native spirit colour IS orange.]

Okay, enough with the extraneous details. It’s time to talk food. One of the many surprising changes during my long existence on this planet is what’s happened to pork. When I was growing up, pork chops had quite a lot more fat in them. I remember being banished to the small stove in the basement when I wanted to fry a couple. Which did take some time and were very messy with fat sputtering all over (like me!). But the taste was sensational. I’m mentioning this because, nowadays, lean pork is more likely to be cooked in the time it takes to grill a steak. If you’re not careful, you end up with dried-out cardboard. And that’s one memory I’d like to forget, thank you very much.

Variations

If you’d rather avoid the need to provide such attention to cooking time for individual chops (and especially if you’d like to make this stunning dish for a crowd), I would highly recommend getting a boneless, rolled and tied pork roast that you can prepare in the oven. I happen to love making pork roasts because the meat is so amazingly tender from the controlled indirect heat source.

If you prefer something other than pork, then I believe boneless chicken breasts would be your best choice (perhaps even the ones for the barbecue that come with skin attached … more unique tastes of summer). For plating and presentation, I would suggest slicing on the diagonal and laying across the salad in a rough approximation of the original shape before adding the fruit/cheese adornment – perhaps in a ) shape alongside the chicken. And, although I do often suggest variations in fruit, I wouldn’t change a thing this time. Peaches and nectarines are luscious fruits, both in their raw state and when grilled to perfection.

By now, I’m sure you must be getting used to me assessing the authors’ finished product with an intense focus (yup, picky, picky, picky me). This time, I believe that chopped peaches/nectarines would have been easier to mix (er … glomp) than sliced. I would also like to have tried to smush the cheese(s) together with the balsamic to create a more cohesive paste before adding it to the chopped fruit.

In any case, though we may have begun the episode with a scary mystery, the end result was a very satisfying conclusion (Whodonit? Who else but the Chef!). At the end of which, we were most pleased to take our final bows (before scurrying off to enjoy our simply sensational dinner).

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Friends Food Fun

FFF EP – 27: SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH ASPARAGUS, GOAT CHEESE AND SMOKED SALMON

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[thttpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyRyfy5HgeY

Hey, Food Friends,

I kept surprising Helenka for a few weeks in a row by not letting her know in advance what we were having for dinner. I was perusing the book looking for something interesting and, seeing as we both love goat cheese and smoked salmon, I thought why not try the scrambled eggs recipe.

Now, scrambled is not my favourite way to prepare eggs (I just love my poacher), but I learned a trick which was to not let the eggs fully cook as that tends to leave them either burned or rubbery. So, when you remove them from the heat just before that point of perfection, they will continue to cook but won’t be ruined (because who wants ruined eggs for dinner, especially when serving guests).

We broke into the salt chest during this episode and used New Zealand Gourmet sea salt which is number 10 on the list (for reference, you can check out this episode ).

Something else that made this meal great was the combination of smoked salmon (how decadent) and goat cheese [Editor adds: decadent-tasting but good-for-you] which gave the eggs a lush creamy texture. Plus, we didn’t forget our veggies by including crisp asparagus.

As we were filming this during the summer months, after we signed off, we would sit outside on my balcony and enjoy the lake view. I find the setting where you eat your meals can make them all that much more special and sharing them with a friend is a huge bonus! [Helenka adds: if you don’t have a lake view … or any kind of a nice view, put up a picture next to your kitchen or dining table!]

So, till next time, have more fun with your food and invite some friends to join in, too!

Enjoy!
B & H =;)

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Insight on: Scrambled Eggs

Notes from the Chef’s resident Archaeologist um.. Sidekick (Helenka)

Okay, by now, I’m sure you must all be aware that when I moan and mumble around a mouthful of food (and wave my hands expressively) at the end of each episode, I think the outcome is terrific … and could I please have some more? ::practises puppy-dog eyes:: As well, yay, we’re having breakfast-for-dinner again!

What can I say about this exquisite and – as Brian pointed out – decadent combination of ingredients. Yet it’s not something that is outrageously priced. Goat cheese is widely available nowadays. And you don’t have to buy a side of smoked salmon (though it’s mighty tempting); there are these teensy packages for just a sandwich … or an eggyliscious adventure.

Variations

You’re probably wondering how can Helenka have ANY variations on this dish? Well, Helenka can do just about anything. In her head anyway … and speak in the third person which, as everybody knows, is just SO pretentious!

So, what about changing the texture of the eggs (which, to be honest, were divine with both goat cheese and smoked salmon in the mixture melting on the tongue). But, still, I could see this being made more like traditional Eggs Benjamin (which are the smoked salmon version of Eggs Benedict). You’d start the base with toast, then a slice of smoked salmon (given a brief kiss of heat in a frying pan), followed by the egg-cheese-asparagus mixture. The great thing is that the eggs would still have lively colour from the asparagus. And I’m thinking the smoked salmon would provide its own unique flavour as a separate layer. As you can see, my tongue likes the prospect of distinguishing (::giggles:: um … excavating?) layers in food. [Hey, Brian, can I be the show’s resident Archaeologist, instead of the Chef’s Sidekick (in more than one language, lately)?]

Now, if asparagus is not in season, you could try green beans, green onions, fresh or frozen (NOT defrosted) peas, green pepper, green zucchini (definitely NOT peeled). If you want a little more oomph, then I’d recommend some diced vidalia or red onion as well as your choice of green veggie. And, oh, it’s been at least a few episodes since I mentioned The Galloping Gourmet. I remember watching him toss peas into scrambled eggs (and I’ve never been the same since; right, Brian?). Oh, well, I believe Brian’s not going to touch that question with two-of-me (aka a 10-foot Pole).

Anyway, go fly, my lovelies and have breakfast for dinner, lunch or – what a shock – even breakfast!

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Friends Food Fun

Ep – 21 A Trial of Two Quiches!

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

Hey, everyone! Well, I hope you are enjoying your summer. I know I am! The weather this summer has been fantastic (it’s really humid where we are, but I’m not complaining). Helenka and I have had two BBQs thus far (which I’m still in the process of editing, so they will be shown at a later date).

For this week’s episode I am unfortunately on my own as Helenka had to move her castle. So I took some creative leeway and cooked up a story about her being abducted by aliens, because how else would you explain why she was not around? 😉 Other than being foodies, we are sci-fi fans, too! Hey, it all fits … somehow.

Getting back to the show … using a recipe I found in the book as a guide, I made two quiches for this episode. The first was the original and the second an experiment where I replaced the ingredients before sampling them both to find out which was the better of the two. I also had some taste testers from an upcoming series I’m doing who gave me some additional feedback.

Keep in mind the book we are reviewing and learning from is based upon the idea of being able to cook better and healthier meals than those found in some American restaurants by using reduced fat substitutes such as turkey sausage along with artichoke hearts and feta cheese in their version of the quiche. My version may not be the healthiest or lowest in fat, but I can say that it did receive a slightly better review. I think the goat cheese had something to do with it; hmm, seems to be the magic ingredient … again. I also replaced the turkey sausage with Pancetta (Italian bacon) which I thought added a very nice flavour and complemented the artichoke hearts and goat cheese (chèvre).

This is not the first time I made a quiche and you shouldn’t be surprised to know there’s a story….

I remember the first time which was not a long time ago or in a galaxy far far away. I was making a spinach quiche for lunch as my sister and her boyfriend were coming over so that they could drive my other sister and me off to the airport (on our way to a brother/sister vacation).

I was a bit nervous as I thought it would be a hard thing to do. It was messy but not hard. I think I had a recipe to follow and also used one of those frozen pie crusts which come in handy if you are making a cheater pie (I’m saving this topic for another blog) or, as in this case, a quiche.

It would appear that there is a conspiracy going on with the size of these pie crusts and quiche recipes (so as to increase sales, me thinks) as they never seem to be the correct size nor have enough depth to be able to take in all the egg mixture. I ended up making two, with even extra left over. As it was my first, I was pleasantly surprised that it was very good and my guinea pigs … umm … family enjoyed it as well (experimenting is fun with them — the family — not guinea pigs).

Thinking I was a bit smarter this go round, I bought deep dish pie crusts and the conspiracy held true again (i.e., not deep enough or big enough for all the egg mixture). So for the second quiche, I got smart and cut down some of the milk but kept the same number of eggs (using double yolks – another experiment – instead of extra large eggs). It was weird to see … though the results were still yummy. The reduction of the milk didn’t hamper the taste or quality of the quiche. I’m getting the idea that quiche would be a hard type of dish to really screw up unless you started using weird ingredients – but, then again, if you like it who’s to say that it’s good or bad.

Why don’t you take a crack [Evil editor groans at the pun] at it and let us know if you’ve found a particular combination of flavours you liked. You never know: we may just recreate it on our show!

Thanks again for watching. Have yourselves a GREAT week and keep sending in your feedback. We love hearing from you!

Enjoy!

B&H =:)

Pictures below are of the two that I had made – very hard to tell the difference though the first two are my creation the last two are the book version (making me hungry just looking at them).

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Please note: We try and review the recipes in the cookbook; however, in an effort to respect copyright, we are not able to reproduce the actual printed recipes here. If you do have the book, please follow along with us!

Review: Quiche Two Ways

Notes from the Chef’s Sidekick (Helenka)

Helenka declined to critique the quiche offerings because of the physical stress and strain of moving her castle. However, she was extremely happy to have portions of them in the fridge to nourish her. Okay, that’s the official press-release reason. The real reason is that She. Was. Abducted. By. Aliens who also decided to coerce Brian to include them on the show in her place.

::sighs:: It’s tough when two little green guys made of plush can try to replace *moi*! There also appeared to be a ransom request of cookies. Well, ::huffs in indignation:: *moi* is most certainly upset as I gave Brian a fancy cookie gun from Williams-Sonoma absolute ages ago and to think that he would have used it to guarantee my freedom ,,, um, wait a minute. ::pauses to ponder:: Okay, fine. Everything’s okay. Especially as I’m out of their tiny, green clutches! Those two greedy l’il green guys weren’t satisfied with only asking for cookies, they wanted CAKE too by the end of the show – as well as demanding the rights to all episodes (in lolcat speak to boot)!!!

It’s too bad Brian didn’t turn the tables on them by asking the canonical alien question that always pops up in SF, namely, “Cake or death?” On the other hand, it was gratifying to see how I was missed. After all, with me you get scintillating colour commentary (and sparkly accessories in scarves and jewellery). But they just sat there and were … green!!! [Brian pipes in : Those evil creatures make a come back too! – but that’s another story for another day]

Number of servings (yield): 8

Meal type: supper

Culinary tradition: USA (General)

My rating:5 stars: ★★★★★

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Friends Food Fun

Ep 18 – Grilled Chicken Salad

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httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaQiVR_YL-k

When the video starts to play click on the triangle to make a video quality change depending on your Internet speed (360P, 480P, 720P HD or now 1080P HD — our default is 720P HD).

We found a salad that I think will become a real favourite (because I know I’ll be making it a lot) – so much so that we were bowled over by it. In fact, during a recent saladoff at work (kinda like a bakeoff but with salads instead), I made this for my competition dish. It did get a lot of compliments but, alas, I didn’t win. 🙁 [Sympathetic editor’s pat on the shoulder: “Well, you know you’re a winner every Thursday in my books, no matter what.”]

Here are some pics from that competition. The winning salad (the one with strawberries and candied walnuts) was really yummy. See if you can spot it.
I’m trying something new as the pics are posted via twitpic so I embeded the website event into this one (yes it is complicated I just hope everyone can see it). If not try this link twitpic.com/e/9mb

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Lately, we have been finding multiple uses for rotisserie chicken using the current cookbook and this was yet another one of them. We will have more episodes featuring this yummy bird in the coming weeks. [Helenka claps her hands in glee.] Putting a great meal together using foods prepared fresh daily from the supermarket or your favourite warehouse club can be a real treat. Yes, I admit I’d love to make my own rotisserie chicken, but why not let them do all the work for you and then enjoy the benefits.

Goat cheese makes another guest appearance here and I’m thinking there is more to this cheese than meets the eye, especially when it comes to adding flavour. It’s now a favourite of mine and I like to have it around in my refrigerator … just in case. [Helenka approves wholeheartedly of this crucial contingency plan!]

Another ingredient that I don’t get to use all that often is dried cranberries. I didn’t really know where in the store to find them but, using some creative sleuthing skills (umm, walking up and down each aisle until I found them – lol, not really), I did manage to locate the proper ones (otherwise, gummy bears with added fruit juice would have had to suffice and I really doubt my sidekick would eat that, even if I made it a secret ingredient). [Sidekick sighs in relief that I didn’t have to be subjected to the horror. Besides, gummy bears are meant to be enjoyed all on their own. Oh, great. Now I have a craving for gummies.]

Cooking for myself before was already a real joy but, nowadays, I’m loving it even more as I am discovering there is a whole world of flavours out there that I never tried myself. It’s really got me thinking of how far I could take this adventure and, seeing as we gots to eat [Helenka asks, mock-incredulously, “We does?”], it can only get better from here.

Have yourselves a great week and enjoy!

B&H =:)

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Please note: We try and review the recipes in the cookbook; however, in an effort to respect copyright, we are not able to reproduce the actual printed recipes here. If you do have the book, please follow along with us!

Review: Grilled Chicken Salad

Notes from the Chef’s Sidekick (Helenka)

What do you get when you combine amazingly tender store-bought rotisserie chicken, sliced avocado, crumbled herbed goat cheese, chopped walnuts, dried cranberries, an exquisite mix of salad greens, as well as our added enhancements, namely halved sweet cocktail tomatoes (from Sapori) and sliced red onion? All moistened with a home-made honey-mustard vinaigrette? Uh-oh. I’m going to be using a particular word again. You guessed it: utter perfection. Seriously, I could not believe how incredible this salad was. Every bite Brian and I took of it gave us a different combination of ingredients on the fork. The most impressive thing about it was how well the goat cheese brought cohesion to the salad. In fact, its presence reduced the tartness of the mustard and red wine vinegar in the dressing. We also agreed that rotisserie chicken was the only way to go, because of the superior flavour (we surmised it could have been from a saline/brine bath prior to roasting). I can’t believe I nearly let this blog post be revealed without any nostalgia. But I just remembered because of what Brian wrote about wanting to make it himself. Hey, Brian, I used to make my own rotisserie chicken. At my old place on Prince Arthur, the stove/oven had an overhead rotisserie unit. And I used it a lot in the really, really old days (even before I met Brian). Of course, the taste was out-of-this-world with super-crispy skin and tender flesh. The only drawback was one of time because it took 30 minutes per pound. So … a three-pound chicken (which is not exactly huge) meant 90 minutes of going swirly-twirly (and that’s only my thumbs, lol). By the time the chicken was done cooking, I was usually too tired to eat. Also, washing out the drip pan was so not fun. But, still, I remember!

Variations

We found it rather confusing that The Book’s recipe did not contain sliced red onion, even though there were thin rings in the accompanying picture. [Yes, yes, I’m nitpicking about the stylists! You think that’s bad, you should see what grief we gave our fave department store one Christmas when they made major use of BLUE lights but, oh no, they didn’t have any to sell. Stylists, could you please be more consistent???] Also, Brian added the halved tomatoes to the salad as we especially enjoy the festive appearance of all that red amid the mixed greens. The other change that Brian made was to use an herbed goat cheese rather than a plain one. As the cheese had been removed from the fridge immediately prior to taping, it refused to crumble, so Brian chopped it up. While we were busy with another episode, the salad ended up waiting and mellowing (or, as Brian would call it, “festering”). The delay caused the inevitable softening of the cheese so that it combined extremely well with the very ripe avocado. [And, yes, the evil editor acknowledges and thanks Brian for showing her how to scoop an avocado half out of its shell.] The original recipe already contains several key components to crafting a successful salad: a protein, an avocado (which I think should always be in every salad, but I’m biased – as if you couldn’t tell), a cheese, chopped nuts, dried fruits, salad greens and a dressing. With some judicious planning and unrestrained imagination, there are many other ingredients that could be substituted. I can already see cold tofu cubes (for an alternative vegan source), avocado (again), Asiago cheese, slivered almonds, dried cherries, salad greens as well as julienned red cabbage and an Asian salad dressing of one’s own making. Just think of how many different types of salads you could invent! Because, as always, good food should be fun. Hmmmm. Where have I heard that before? Our verdict – when we weren’t moaning and comparing what combination was on our forks – was that this was a winner and should be made as often as possible! Also, it had been a dreadful day outside (with sudden cold downpours); but, inside, we felt as if summer was just around the corner. It’s pretty amazing when food can make such a huge improvement in mood. And I’m thrilled that it does have that power.

Cooking time (duration): 60

Number of servings (yield): 4

Meal type: supper

Culinary tradition: USA (General)

My rating:5 stars

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