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Outdoor Fun

ODF – EP 5 BBQ SWEET POTATOES AND MINI-SLIDERS

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BBQ SWEET POTATOES AND MINI-SLIDERS (SHOT ON LOCATION, BRIAN’S BALCONY, OVERLOOKING LAKE ONTARIO)

httpvh://youtu.be/dBEJF_ry6ME

Hello, Culinary Playmates:

It is I, Helenka, your fearless advocate of gustatory creativity (aka I eat weird but really tasty food and think you should, too). Normally (as if anything Brian and I do is normal) we would have released this outdoor episode during the cold winter months. But, as we had a mild winter this year, we didn’t need the psychological boost. However (and that’s a really BIG HOWEVER), we are now in May … so why am I still wearing my winter coat? [Weather update: it warmed up by the afternoon so I’ve been able to upgrade to my spring coat.] Uh … hello? Universe, dear? [It’s always best to be polite with the old thing.] It’s May in the Northern Hemisphere: a time when we should be heading into summer. Not only that, but we who live in North America will be celebrating two long weekends (Victoria Day in Canada and Memorial Day in the U.S.A. at the end of the month). It would be really nice if we could get rid of some of the layers. Perhaps we can remind the universe by unveiling this episode a few weeks in advance. ::crosses fingers; toes, too::

What could be an easier time to combine some unusual flavours than during a barbecue? Indeed! As barbecues are designed to be a casual form of dining, you can take chances with your marinades, herbs and spices. Food choices, too. After all, considering how many times I’ve moaned about my special barbecued yams, it was high time for Brian to recreate the taste sensation. What was most special was mixing sweet (maple syrup) with savoury (garlic and mustard). There are so many cuisines where this is considered to be routine. [I sometimes indulge in buying frozen Sweet’n’Spicy Thai chicken wings.]

What are some other ways you could follow the same principle? I know many people are trying to cut down on beef consumption, so what about barbecuing turkey or chicken burgers, slathering on mango-chipotle sauce on one side and honey mustard on the other? I’d give that combo two thumbs up (and I can see Brian sticking his thumbs into the picture, too). It’s also important to remember that, if you’re using commercial sauces, a salad dressing can be a marinade and a marinade can be a salad dressing. Don’t get boxed in by labels.

If you’d like to move away from burgers and do a fancier meat, what about marinating pork tenderloin in apple cider, olive oil and crushed cloves before barbecuing and serving with barbecued apple and onion chunks. Or a beef tenderloin in pomegranate juice and olive oil and serving it with a glaze of reduced pomegranate juice, balsamico and a few artfully scattered fresh pomegranate seeds. You may as well toss a few of the seeds onto a colourful side salad, too. Or lovely thick salmon steaks onto which you’ll place a slice of chilled rolled cilantro butter. [You can tell my imagination is working overtime just about every waking moment of the day.]

As for sides, you can see what fabulous success we had with sweet potatoes (and yams, previously). You can do the same thing with other root veggies as long as you slice them thinly enough, so that the outside will be crispy and the inside creamy and tender. I still can’t believe how amazing the baby eggplant slices were that we had on a previous episode. So don’t let the otherwise long cooking times for whole veggies derail you from enjoying them outdoors. Slice them thinly enough and they’ll be done very quickly.

The other thing you can do is enjoy the bounty of summer fruits on your grill or barbecue. We’ve already done peaches, bananas and pineapple (if memory serves) indoors and there’s no earthly reason not to savour the best of summer with a touch of heat, altering texture, consistency and taste. That’s what I call practical chemistry!

Well, I hope we’ve given you enough of an inspiration to zoom out of your comfort zone when it comes to barbecues (as if we didn’t do that often enough with indoor cooking, too). Just remember: it’s all supposed to be … (can you guess what the magic word is?) FUN!!!

Enjoy!

B&H =:)

Outdoor Fun

ODF – EP 4 GRILLED SHRIMP AND VEGGIES

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(SHOT ON LOCATION, BRIAN’S BALCONY, OVERLOOKING LAKE ONTARIO)

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0hB9jJxlT4

Hello, Culinary Playmates:

It is I, Helenka, your fearless advocate of gustatory creativity (aka I eat weird but really tasty food and think you should, too). Though, to be perfectly honest, the only weird thing about today’s special outdoor episode is that we were using my INDOOR electric grill OUTDOORS (or semi-outdoors, as was the case on Brian’s balcony overlooking Lake Ontario). Otherwise, the food was a mix of vibrant fresh veggies, yummy shrimp, some non-traditional spices and glazes. And us as the ever-eager samplers.

I know I could talk (or, more likely, moan) about how scrumptious the food tasted, because it did. It really did. But that would be nothing new where Brian and I are concerned. So, instead, I want to introduce you to the concept of Embracing The Fake.

What do I mean? Are Brian and I not all about REAL food, GENUINE friends and OODLES of fun? Well, as you could really tell from the background (and ::growls in irritation:: foreground) sounds of traffic, we were outdoors all right. Or … somewhat outdoors, since we were on Brian’s covered but otherwise open to the elements balcony. Also, even if you can’t tell because of the glare behind us, there IS a lake there.

Though we were technically outdoors, we were able to access and use the amenities available to us, such as electricity to power the indoor grill! Yay! As much as I love various outdoor locations for barbecues and picnics (and have been known to cajole people to stick a metal rack in their trunks so that we could use a firepit as a handy instant bbq grill), indoors is mighty convenient when you don’t feel like packing all that STUFF and lugging it from home to what feels like the ends of the earth.

In previous years, Brian and I have had barbecues at my place and, even if we only had to carry stuff a short distance, it took several trips from his car and my kitchen. So I was relieved that we didn’t have to do any of that arduous lugging this time. Mind you, Brian’s lucky that he has a balcony. So many condos have been built without any outside access, because developers think that a sun-killed (oops, I meant sun-filled … /sarcasm) solarium will suffice, even one without windows that open. ::sighs:: What a way to keep people from actually enjoying the outdoors (whether it’s sunny or raining or foggy, but at least you can feel it).

Therefore, the trick is to try to recreate the essence of outdoors while inside. And that’s where Embracing The Fake comes into play. Let’s pretend that you do have a large solarium or just a very bright set of windows in your living room. You can turn that into a pretend patio very easily. How? Well, the first thing is to estimate how much space you can devote to your patio. When you’ve done that, you divide the “patio” from the living room with a row of several ficus trees or pruned standards in pots. Then you can accentuate the boundary by hanging those shortish Japanese cloth doorway panels from the ceiling. To allow light to pass during the day, you can use clips to pin the inner corners to the outer.

The easiest (and most convertible) way to define the walls of the patio is to staple bamboo mats to the two walls facing each other. If you’re feeling especially ambitious, you can also do this on the ceiling and have bamboo poles holding up the ceiling. [BTW, this is not my original idea. I had a lovely friend in my life who did this in his first condo many decades ago.] Lay down sisal mats on the floor. Then add plants (both flowering and bushy that you can replace as often as needed) in uniform pots throughout the space as well as a garden table and chairs, perhaps even a loveseat or park bench. Add some hanging plants from the ceiling. If your ceilings are especially high, then you may want to use artificial plants so that you won’t have to worry about watering or drowning them. Line the window area with a row of trays holding various herbs. Just imagine how exquisite the scent will be. [I’m partial to rosemary and basil, myself.]

But wait. I’m not finished yet. Whether you’re living right next to a lake or are miles away, you can recreate that soothing water feature with a fountain. You can get carried away with a large one (really affordable if you build your own pond using a special liner, surrounded by plants) or the smaller portable ones you can find in specialty, hardware and even supermarket chains. Some even have lights. I’ve had my share of many fountains. Right now, I only have two sound machines (and, of course, my fave sound is that of a running stream which lulls me to sleep every night). Brian’s partial to water sounds, too, and occasionally has hooked up his sound machine to portable speakers so we can sit out on his balcony with the amplified waves lapping at the shore as we gaze at the lake. It’s incredibly soothing and reminds us of places we’ve been.

Finally, add some summer type lanterns, including the ones on a cord that are supposed to be suspended. Put some small floodlights at the base of the row of shrubs. You can also get the latest solar-powered lights (intersperse their stakes amid the herbs by the windows) that will come on at dusk, allowing you to enjoy your evenings in a lush but insect-free atmosphere.

I remember going way overboard (if you haven’t figured it out yet, that’s my default setting) in December of 1996. I wanted to impress someone from my past, so bought three white 4×8-foot lattice panels. I suspended two on either side of my 20-foot long windows, while the third went across my TV nook. Then I strung up clear mini tree lights before adding tons of artificial vines and leaves. It felt especially magical at night. With the addition of several fountains, I could forget that it was winter outside. Once again, this was not an original idea of mine, but one I copied from a fancy reception I’d attended, where each table had a rectangular latticed column covered with leaves and twinkling lights. You know, it never hurts to be aware and to remember what others have done that you can try to recreate in whole or in part.

I hope the message you take away from this episode is that, even though it’s marvellous to be outdoors (and authentic), it’s also fun and practical to bring the outdoors inside. Why don’t you take a look around to see if you can transform some of your space to maintain the illusion of terrific weather and liven up your mood.

Surprisingly, Brian and I didn’t need to maintain any illusions this week. It’s continued to be unseasonably warm (late spring-like weather, though a friend in South-West Ontario mentioned it had been incredibly summer-hot; but, then again, she doesn’t live on the shore of a lake). We hope you’ve enjoyed watching us as we played with our shrimp and veggies and know that it’s an easy meal to prepare. Until next time, have yourselves a great week and think about what kinds of outrageously imaginative ideas you can come up with to create your own indoor garden haven. If necessary, you may blame the blonde!

Enjoy!

B&H =:)

Friends Food Fun

FFF EP-48: CORNED BEEF HASH

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

Hello, Culinary Playmates:

It is I, Helenka, your fearless advocate of gustatory creativity (aka I eat weird but really tasty food and think you should, too). Guess what? It’s a brand new year (Brian and I are pleased to wish a Happy New Year to ALL of you), but we’re still the same old zany duo. Um … I think it’s called tradition or something.

In any case, tradition does play a role in the choice of this week’s dish. Brian decided to surprise me – yes, AGAIN – this time with a dish (corned beef hash) from his childhood in Newfoundland. I had no idea what actually went into it, but I certainly found out. And enjoyed it immensely. Well, I am brave, after all. ::watches Brian sputter in disbelief, as if a dish from the Rock could faze even moi::

In many ways, this dish is similar to many other combined casseroles that incorporate potatoes, meat and savoury vegetables. Off the top of my head, I can think of Shepherd’s Pie (with its top layer of mashed potatoes covering ground beef into which have been mixed corn niblets) or Moussaka with its lovely ground lamb and eggplant. But this was certainly one of the easiest we’ve presented to you, mostly because of that everyday can of corned beef that could only be opened with a key. [Oh, I could tell you stories of my own non-working key experiences, such as when the key stops turning half-way through and is stuck, but you still can’t open the lid wide enough to get at the contents OR when the strip already wound on the key breaks off and there’s not enough of a leader to hook the key onto. People, we’re talking about real foodie emergencies here!]

But, hey, the key worked ::praises the key’s compliant nature:: and we had a down-home comfort food type dinner. Brian added spicy ketchup to his portion, but I declined (even though I’ve been known to add spicy ketchup to Shepherd’s Pie when I make it at home). I wanted to savour the various ingredients. Well, you should know about me and my ::hand waves:: focus on multiple layers of tastes and textures by now. So … roasted garlic? Exquisite. The same for the onions. My verdict is a satisfied two thumbs up.

Variations:
Even while I was being giddy (but it comes so naturally to me ::giggles::), I was still imagining different taste sensations. Between the two of us, we already added – in our heads, at least – peas, corn and/or pickle relish to the smushed and glomped meaf-potato-onion-garlic mixture. I could also see adding bits of flame-broiled red pepper to the mix. I thought it would have been a different texture sensation not to mash the corned beef together with the potatoes, etc. I could easily see mashing the potatoes separately before folding in the meat, garlic and onions. Or putting the meat, garlic and onions into an oven-proof dish, smoothing a layer of mashed potatoes on top, perhaps dotting with wee dabs of mustard and butter and broiling for a few minutes. Hmmm. Crunch, colour and more flavour. I like the idea. Well, of course I would: I thought of it. Or, going in a different direction, not frying a raw onion but using pickled onions instead, perhaps cut in half or quarters, sautéed briefly to enhance their flavour. In that case, I would avoid smushing the onions with the corned beef entirely, so they would retain their integrity and distinctive crunch.

Helenka’s Nostalgic Meanderings:
This episode brought back memories of something I have not made myself for a long time. And I really, really should. One of my childhood faves was peppers stuffed with rice (sometimes mixed with a little ground beef), then oven-baked in a pan filled with a tomato juice-water broth. Yummmmmmm. For a variation, adding a can of mushroom soup to the rice mixture brings out different flavours. Of course, switching to different coloured peppers changes the flavour, too. I could see serving this dish to guests at an informal dinner, bringing to the table a platter that had assorted coloured peppers. Festive, yes? Definitely. Because flavour without colour is a lonely concept. And the world is blah enough without us being assimilated into it. Ohhh, now that I’m getting carried away (again), if I didn’t want to have full-sized peppers as a main course, I’d use those adorable miniature peppers with a rice-only stuffing, but serve them with wee shishkabobs of chicken, beef, or lamb, along with more veggies (mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, baby corn, etc.) on the skewers. Definitely fun food.

Well, that’s a wrap for our first episode for 2012. It’s been raining outside and I’d rather stay indoors with some cozy comfort food. And you can, too, just with a few simple ingredients. So, why don’t you meander down your own personal memory lane to experience a food that was important to you when you were growing up. Whether you use potatoes, rice, pasta, couscous, beans or buckwheat as a base, there are lots of ingredients you can add to create your own unique quick comfort food. So, until next time, have yourselves a great week and don’t forget to have fun with your food, too!

Enjoy!
B&H =;)

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Friends Food Fun

FFF Ep – 46 GREEK INSPIRED SALAD

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httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmAp9zxhxD8

Hello, Culinary Playmates:

It is I, Helenka, your fearless advocate of gustatory creativity (aka I eat weird but really tasty food and think you should, too). So you may be wondering just what could be weird about a Greek inspired salad? Well … Brian decided to throw in a whole bunch of other colourful ingredients. Greek, according to Brian? Or Mediteranean, according to me? In any case, I’ll stop pouting about the fact that there was no chopped green bell pepper included. Or being jealous that Brian went away on a lovely Mediteranean vacay and is reminiscing through food. But does it really matter if it ends up tasting so good? I’m sure you know the answer to that question. Though I’m equally sure Brian will laugh (or groan) when I mention that my church brunch bunch used to frequent a Greek restaurant on Sundays. Its Greek salad contained the usual ingredients, but also lettuce (well, it was a cheapo place). That wasn’t the truly weird thing, though; it was the garish, yellow salad dressing poured too liberally over the entire plate. Um … waiter, could I have tzatziki instead?

We both considered our version of this salad to be a brilliant reflection of the bounty of summer. Amazingly enough, even though it’s the first week of November, we’re still enjoying mostly bright and sunny days in Toronto. And, when there are clouds in the sky, they’re more likely to be the cute puffy kind instead of the dishwater dreary why-don’t-you-take-over-the-entire-sky kind. Mind you, it’s a bit chilly to think of al fresco dining. So, let’s just eat this healthy and hearty supper indoors!

Two of the ingredients that made this salad very satisfying and filling were the proteins, namely the rotisserie chicken (often featured in our recipes) and the garbanzo beans(which you may know better as chickpeas). We’ve used beans before in a couple of recipes. The most notable use was in Episode 22 (Seared Scallops with White Beans and Spinach). We also used beans as a side dish in Episode 30 (Grilled Steak with Chimichurri Sauce and Pinto Bean Side Dish).

Beans are extremely nutritious and cheap, with so many varieties, sizes and colours, that it’s worth taking several trips through your grocery aisle to test the various kinds that you may find there. If the only beans you know are the kind found in cans (and served in a three-bean salad at what most restaurants present as a sorry excuse for a salad bar ::rants for a moment::), then you don’t know what you’ve been missing. I used to eat canned beans … years ago, including a tasty (but overly oily and preservative and sodium-laced) canned Italian bean salad. I would end up dumping the beans in a colander and rinsing them thoroughly. So I thought to myself: Self, what’s the point of buying canned if you’re just going to rinse off the gunk anyway? [I love it when I make sense, I do.] Even if the beans were pretty much unaltered (as plain chickpeas are), I gave myself the challenge to … cook my own.

Currently, I have three large packages (kept in sealed outer bags) of lima (or butter), red kidney and the ever-popular chickpeas. I soak them overnight and cook them separately. Yes, the prep and cooking routines take up space on your counter and stovetop, but the taste is so worth it. Not to mention that a portion costs only pennies. When I’ve cooked all three, after draining and rinsing with cold water, I combine them, add chopped tomatoes, thinly-sliced shallots, some home-grown crushed whole basil leaves and a bit of red wine vinegar. I don’t even bother reaching for the olive oil, because the beans themselves are so full of moisture … of vitality! Though, if I have to be honest with myself, I don’t do such a good cooking job with the red kidneys. ::sighs:: Too mushy with a loss of colour. The easiest to cook are the very firm chickpeas. Yay! And the trick to cooking the lima beans is that you have to salt the water (as opposed to the directions for cooking the other beans) in order to keep their delicate skins intact. But it’s fun to test my skills in new and different ways.

I do, however, succumb to buying one variety in frozen form. My fave supermarket private brand (::giggles:: do the letters PC sound familiar?) offers shelled edamame (a preparation of immature soybeans in the pod). The frozen kind are already shelled, green, resemble small lima beans, and they are just scrumptious. They’re offered usually as an appetizer in Japanese restaurants, either boiled or slightly dried in their pods, or as a side dish, with – tuning into the Homer Simpson channel – buuuuutttttttter. Yummy! I’ll heat up a bowl in the microwave and will usually dispense with both salt and butter. I leave those flavourings for when I want a treat, either at home or at the wee Japanese restaurant a block away. But they are so healthy and make me feel fabulous. Who would have thought that a small, otherwise insignificant ingredient could have such an impact?

Of course, the other most familiar dishes where one can find beans are chili and baked beans. There are so many recipes for both that one could get really dizzy. Well, I definitely could. I was never much into baked beans (or cornbread, for that matter) until I had both at a local steak chain. I’m now a big fan, even if I don’t have them often. As I’ve said, one can have many different learning opportunities to expand one’s vocabulary of taste sensations. I’d encourage you to try new beans and new dishes, too!

Helenka’s Nostalgic Meanderings:
One of my oldest memories of eating beans in a unique fashion was in the mid 80s. I’d usually walk up Bay Street to Dundas and end up in a hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant on the North side (between Bay and University), the kind of place that had the presto-changeo multiple plastic tablecloth layers to be whipped off between customers. My treat every week would be to order the whole lobster cooked in black bean sauce … and to eat it with chopsticks! Now you know why those plastic tablecloths were necessary. The lobster was cheap and delicious, though gloriously messy. [::sighs:: I think I’m too old to partake in anything that messy any more. But at least I can remember it.]

Well, that’s a wrap for another fall episode for 2011. Until next time, have yourselves a great week and don’t forget to have fun with your food, too!

Enjoy!
B&H =;)

Please note: We prepare, taste 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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Friends Food Fun

FFF EP – 44: BASIL PESTO PASTA

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httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRSLck7UhcQ

Hello, Culinary Playmates:

It is I, Helenka, your fearless advocate of gustatory creativity (aka I eat weird but really tasty food and think you should, too). As my entirely unwanted throat problems were being quite persistent (and embarrassingly noticeable on camera ::sighs::), I believe Brian was doing his utmost best to try to shock them out of my system with as much garlic and other intense flavours as possible. This was another such episode. [Aw, Brian, you were being so helpful. ::pats Brian on the head::]

The recipe was simply smashing and the changes Brian made were very much appreciated. As you know, garlic is our friend and we think it should be yours, too. If the dish weren’t evidence enough, there was also garlic bread to accompany the pasta. Yay, more garlic!

We’ve mentioned more than once before that, when you reduce fat, salt and sugar, you must-must-must replace those appetite-enticers with strong flavours. [Well, you obviously wouldn’t replace the sugar with garlic (though I’m sure someone in Gilroy, Ca., the capital of garlic, has), but that’s why you have cinnamon and nutmeg, as well as extracts, in your spice rack, too. Right?]

I’ve always loved pasta (well, after I grew up, moved from my Polish neighbourhood, and actually discovered and started eating it) and cannot imagine not having it as a part of my personal culinary repertoire. The terrific thing about this dish is that, along with the marvellous merging of garlic, pesto and chili garlic sauces, there were all those primavera style veggies tossed in with abandon. I definitely believe that, if you’re going to try to eat healthier, it’s easier to create a tasty pasta dish that uses a titch of oil (as this one did), rather than trying to reproduce a cream-sauced dish (can anyone say Alfredo nemesis?) using low-fat substitutes. I’m sure it works … on some other planet, but not on Earth (or not without a whole lot of convoluted prep of the low-fat ingredients, thereby defeating the desired goal of simplicity). So I’m a big fan of olive oil or, if you only need a sheen in the skillet, an olive oil spray.

Variations:
If you’re not keen about any of the veggies we used, then come up with your own combination. You could incorporate any number of the following: green beans, sugar snap peas, baby corn, water chestnuts, asparagus, cauliflower, zucchini, a medley of colourful bell peppers, or anything else that grabs your attention while you’re walking through the produce section.

If you want to move beyond using plain olive oil (ooh, adventurous), you could experiment (there’s another of my favourite words) with flavoured oils such as roasted garlic (so NOT a surprise for us to recommend it), hot pepper or basil, etc.

If you think that angelhair pasta is too fussy (and don’t care to do all the twirling, either Roman-style or with a pasta spoon), go for penne or rotini. I could even see this dish being transformed into a vegetarian lasagna, layering the broad noodles with a mixture of sautéed veggies and the pesto/garlic/chili sauces. [Oh, Brian, I just made myself hungry. Could we try making this as a lasagna? Pleeeeeease? ::sighs in defeat:: Brian’s ears are apparently in OFF mode.]

Helenka’s Nostalgic Meanderings:
In the episode, I said that angelhair was my favourite type of pasta. But that wasn’t quite truthful. I happen to enjoy so many different styles of pasta because each has its own unique personality and texture (not to mention shape). After all, if there’s anything I can’t stand, it’s a food that is boring. Blech. ::shudders::

Angelhair is definitely a delicate delight. But, then again, I also remember how often I would make linguine with clams in a white wine and garlic broth that included many veggies. I think that was my signature dish during the 1980s. In the summer of 2010, I got into the habit of cooking up a pot of fusilli, draining and cooling the pasta before I’d toss it with kalamata olives, chopped tomatoes, sliced shallots, a spritz or two of red wine mist vinaigrette, and a finishing sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese. On a hot day, it made for a very refreshing and quick’n’easy dinner. Considering how unbearably hot it was last year, this dish helped to cool me off. Mind you, the glass of white wine was also nice.

And that’s another bonus for cooking with pasta. As long as you avoid any butter or cream sauces, you can usually serve it cold. It’s a versatile dish, a comfortable carbohydrate to which you can add a variety of protein, be it chicken, beef or sensational seafood (crab, lobster or shrimp are all yummy enhancements), making more expensive food purchases go a long way.

Well, that’s a wrap for another fall episode for 2011. As the weather gets colder (except for the lovely though totally anomalous warmth and sunshine we’re enjoying in Toronto this pre-Thanksgiving week), we’re sure this dish will definitely warm you up, inside and out. Until next time, have yourselves a great week and don’t forget to have fun with your food, too!

Enjoy!
B&H =;)

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Please note: We prepare, taste 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.