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Friends Food Fun

FFF EP-51 A BIRTHDAY FIT FOR A QUEEN!

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httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwzp5PnsFtE

Too tired to read then click play on the box below to hear the blog read to you by Brian (and occasional comment by Helenka when I screw it up).

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). Apparently, I am also Queen of Birthdays. And … um … Queen of fabulous things to eat … and drink … and drink some more! ::giggles:: Don’t worry, it’s only a temporary delusion. But the reason this episode is special is because Brian and I celebrated my June 1st birthday (in 2011) in grand style. Well, why not make it a birthday fit for a Queen? After all, it was my 5 million and first. Actually, that’s a wee bit of a fib. I’m well into the 5 millions but I’ve dropped a few hundred years on account of good…. ::reacts to Brian’s stern glare:: Okay, okay, I meant bad behaviour. Besides, I felt it was entirely appropriate to call it 5 million and one as this is our 51st regular episode (not counting specials, desserts, outdoor fun, road trips, yadda with a side order of yadda). I just love synchronicity, even if I have to bang a round peg into a square hole to achieve it. Yes, quite often I’m just five … instead of 5 million.

What I also love is surprises. Well … only good surprises. And Brian delivered oodles of those, right to the dining table. How did he do that? Well, magic, of course. And lots and lots of preparation which was accomplished behind the scenes. All I had to do was show up and be all … surprised! And more surprised!! And I-can’t-believe-what-he-just-made SUPER surprised!!! That was the exquisite birthday cake, if you hadn’t guessed. There was an additional element to the surprise, though. Brian had asked me prior to the celebration to choose either pink or blue. I didn’t know WHY, even though my natural inclination would be to choose pink (not for any stereotypical reasons, but because precious piggies are pink and I certainly do love all of my piggies). So I decided to choose blue instead. That’s also why I wore a blue flower in my hair.

Well, never in my wildest dreams did I expect to unveil (uh … de-napkinate?) that vision of baking wizardry, complete with flowers and butterflies and … and … stuff. Even though it tasted luscious, I’m still wincing that I had to cut into such a work of art. ::ponders:: Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of making something, when it looks too good to eat? Well, somehow I managed to do it and…. Mmmmmmmmm…. Uh-oh. I just got carried away. Time to get back on track and finish the blog.

I’m really thrilled that you got to share in my joy and see exactly how much care and attention Brian paid to making my celebration so special. Hmmm. Since he’s reciting this, I wonder if he’s blushing yet. ::ponders and waits, dragging things out:: Okay, okay, I’ll change the subject. I know Brian tried to get me to use his fancy foreign implement to get at all of the good hidden bits of lobster, but I think I’ll stick to my tried-and-true method of sucking out the meat and juices from the lobster tail fins and shell crevices. Hey, it works for me … and that’s a lesson I took to heart way before I reached 5 million! Hmmm, I wonder what I’ll learn in the next 5 million years. I guess we’ll all simply have to wait and see. But one thing I can tell you with the utmost certainty is that I will never forget how amazingly special this birthday celebration was. Though, somehow, I’m pretty sure that Brian won’t let me!

Normally (or as normal as it gets around here), I’d start reminiscing about previous birthdays in my nostalgic meanderings. But, you know, sometimes there are simply too many memories jammed in my head, so I’m giving myself permission to not go there. In celebration … as it were. Besides, instead of looking backwards, I should be looking forward in anticipation. I believe that’s good advice for everybody, too.

Well, that’s a wrap for another episode. It’s early March, 2012 and I’m keeping my fingers extra crossed (oh, please, can it really be almost spring?) for more warm temperatures. However, the weather’s been unpredictable, to say the least (it rained earlier today which is a lot nicer than snow or hail; and the birds – such optimistic cheerful creatures – have been singing all day through my wide-open windows), so I’m hoping for more meteorological stability. 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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Brian’s Notes and Teaser Recipes:
I wanted to make a special cake for Helenka but, in order to do that, I needed some extra skills. I took a special class on working with fondant at Michael’s, the arts and craft store. Once that was done, the plotting … I mean the planning began.

So … special. Hmmm. As I had been given a Hershey Chocolate recipe book for my own birthday the year prior, I thought I would dig in there and, lo and behold, on page 66 – also available on the Hershey website – was the one I wanted to try.

Of course, knowing me, I wanted something extra special for the icing as well, so I used Nigela Lawson’s version of “Fudge Icing”, though you can use the original version that is provided below.

FIESTA FANTASY CAKE

Ingredients

* 2 cups sifted cake flour or 1-3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup HERSHEY’S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa or HERSHEY’S Cocoa
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups packed light brown sugar
* 2/3 cup butter, softened
* 3 eggs
* 1 tablespoon coffee liqueur or strong coffee
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 container (8 oz.) dairy sour cream
* 3/4 cup boiling water
* CHOCOLATE MOUSSE (recipe follows)
* CHOCOLATE FROSTING (recipe follows)
Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Beat brown sugar and butter in large bowl on low to medium speed of mixer until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in coffee liqueur or coffee and vanilla. Add flour mixture and sour cream alternately to sugar mixture, beating after each addition just until combined. Stir in boiling water until blended. Pour into prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Prepare CHOCOLATE MOUSSE. Split each cake layer horizontally to make four layers total. Place one layer on serving plate; spread with one-third of the mousse (about 1 cup). Repeat layering with two of the remaining layers and remaining mousse. Place remaining cake layer on top. Prepare CHOCOLATE FROSTING; frost cake top and sides. Cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. 16 to 20 servings.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Place 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips in a food processor bowl; cover and process until finely ground. Mix 1/3 cup whipping cream and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar in 1-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is just boiling. With food processor running, pour hot cream through feed tube, processing 10 to 20 seconds or until chocolate is completely melted. Scrape side of food processor bowl. Add 1/4 cup coffee liqueur or strong coffee and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract through feed tube; process 10 to 20 seconds or until smooth. Pour into large bowl; cool about 10 minutes or until mixture is room temperature. Beat 1 cup whipping cream in chilled medium bowl on high speed of mixer just until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream into chocolate mixture. Cover; refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Makes about 3 cups.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Stir together 1-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar and 2/3 cup sifted HERSHEY’S Special Dark Cocoa in medium bowl. Add 1-1/2 cups whipping cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat on low speed of mixer until stiff peaks form, scraping side of bowl constantly. [Mixture will be very stiff.] By hand, stir in milk, one tablespoon at a time, to make desired spreading consistency. Makes about 3 cups.

FUDGE ICING by Nigela Lawson

Ingredients

* 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, minimum 70 percent cocoa solids
* 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
* 1-3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

Melt the chocolate in the microwave – 2 to 3 minutes on medium – or in a bowl sitting over a pan of simmering water, and let cool slightly.

In another bowl beat the butter until it’s soft and creamy and then add the sifted confectioners’ sugar and beat again until everything’s light and fluffy. Then gently add the vanilla and chocolate and mix together until everything is glossy and smooth.

Then ice the top and sides, spreading and smoothing with a rubber spatula.

SEAFOOD PASTA SALAD

(original recipe idea link)
Ingredients

* 1-1/2 (8 ounce) packages tri-color pasta
* 3 stalks celery
* 1 pound imitation crabmeat
* 1 cup frozen green peas
* 1 cup mayonnaise
* 1-1/2 tablespoons white sugar
* 2 tablespoons white vinegar
* 3 tablespoons milk
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; rinse under cold water until cool and drain.

While pasta is cooking, chop celery and crabmeat. Run hot water over peas to defrost.

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, milk, salt and pepper. Add the pasta, celery and crabmeat and stir until evenly coated. Adjust the salt, sugar or mayonnaise to suit your taste. Chill several hours before serving.

Friends Food Fun

FFF EP-49 AFTERNOON TEA

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httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HC3JToUFM4

Too tired to read then click play on the box below to hear the blog read to you by Brian (and occasional comment by Helenka when I screw it up).

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). However, for this episode, I’m almost at the point of recusing myself, precisely because there was absolutely nothing weird about what we had to eat or – more importantly – drink. How can this be? Short answer: Brian prepared an afternoon tea. What a drastic change from our last episode’s homey comfort to an elegant and refined experience. I was impressed.

Well … normally … when one talks about tea, one is not talking about all those newfangled herbal-flavoured, or green or white teas (the stuff I’m more likely to drink nowadays). In this case, it was a Breakfast tea. The food choices for afternoon tea were the kind that are bound by a couple of centuries of tradition. Also, even though I have faint memories of a few afternoon tea parties when I was growing up, it’s not something that stuck with me. Hmmm. ::ponders:: I’m wondering if it’s because it’s not in my genes, as it certainly is in Brian’s (with Newfoundland being the last province to join Confederation in 1949). Besides, he has fond nostalgia working for him too, as this is something important he shared with his Grandmother. More recently, Brian has been indulging with Fiona and Menka in The Tea Room at the historic Robinson-Bray House.

One of the easiest places in which to indulge in afternoon tea is at an upscale hotel. I missed my chance to experience probably the utmost of all Canadian tea ceremonies when I visited Vancouver during Expo ‘86. No, I admit I did not go across to Victoria (on Vancouver Island), even though I would have loved the ferry, too. I had other plans and wanted to spend the time in Stanley Park (a full day of exploring) and Capilano River in North Vancouver where I crossed that suspension bridge so many times, because I didn’t want it to be over and have to leave. Seeing the breathtaking pictures here, do you blame me for foregoing tea? So, what’s so special about Victoria, B.C. (besides its reputation as being one of the last bastions of a British presence in North America, not to forget a very comfortable place to retire)? It’s the home of the Empress (now called the Fairmont Empress) Hotel, where afternoon tea is undeniably a tradition and a huge attraction.

I have to giggle at the way that Brian and I dressed, hats and all, not knowing what the other would be wearing in advance. He’d simply asked me to … uh … wear a hat. Mysterious? Indeed. He was the white hat and his short-sleeved attire would have been perfect for afternoon tea somewhere in Bahamas or Bermuda (due to their ties to Britain). But I went all black hat and more formal, just right for a dramatic Royal tea (at which champagne or sparkling wine is served). Yes, indeed. I’d like a taste of that kind of Royal life!

Mind you, I’ve also had some weird teas in my day. I’d always been a tea-with-lemon type unless I was sick in bed as a child. Then it was always Earl Grey with milk. Don’t even ask how I managed to get English tea into a Polish household where, more often than not, I was subjected to chamomile tea ::shudders in remembrance:: to which I was allergic. I still can’t stand it to this day. On the other hand, Darjeeling was one of those teas that I enjoyed at any time. When I began to branch out, I had a willing victim … er … person to share with. This was my British employer for two summers in the early 70s. I’d buy different teas and subject him to them. We both loved Jasmine (with the dried blossoms in the tin) but the Lapsang Souchong made me … er … high! As that condition was not conducive to getting back to work after a mid-afternoon tea break, I stuck to Jasmine after that. Nowadays, I’ll still buy tea that looks interesting. I remember picking up a box of Anne of Green Gables ginger tea on one of my visits to Niagara-on-the-Lake. And, since I’ve come to love the taste of ginger, I’ve been on the lookout for a good, bracing ginger tea.

In any case, you can see how Brian maintained tradition and I loved every minute of it (though it was impossible for me to raise my pinky while lifting a full mug). So, please follow the easy instructions to have your own afternoon tea party. Simply relax and enjoy having a bit of historic reenactment as well as fun. But – you know – there’s no stopping you from being adventurous. If your roots are as far from British as mine are, use some of your own preferred foods (in miniature form) to see if they play nicely with a cup of steeped tea. Remember that even the grandest of traditions are there for you to use as a launching pad for your own explorations. Besides, there’s nothing more comforting than a nice hot cuppa, especially when the weather is doing everything nasty and unpredictable (snow? ice? rain? all of the above?) so many days in a row … unless it confounds us with a day of clear blue skies and no wind.

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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Desserts Are Fun, Episodes

DRF – Ep 5 eh! Outrageous Brownies

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httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT5_YayCsKc

Hey, Dessert Friends:

It’s Brian, acting as a solo writer this week (though Helenka is peeking over my shoulder, doing her fabulous editing [Helenka agrees it’ll be a snap!]).

The countdown to the holidays has begun, so has the mad dash to complete my annual holiday baking! While going through our archive of unpublished videos [Editor is impressed by the word “archive”], I came across one that I think is fitting for this time of year. I invited my delightful and fun baking friends, Fiona and Menka whom you’ve met before, over for a baking afternoon, and we made the most scrumptious brownies you have ever tried (courtesy of the barefoot contessa). Of course, you will not want to be counting calories while making or enjoying them – as the recipe uses a pound of butter!

Besides great quality chocolate (mine happens to be Ghirardelli Chocolate), one of the secrets I have learned is using coffee to enhance the flavour of chocolate. In any recipe that calls for chocolate – but no coffee – as part of the ingredients, I sneak some in (okay, my secret is now out). The objective is to not add too much but just enough, as you do not want to overpower the chocolate. I typically try a teaspoon or tablespoon depending on the amount of chocolate. This recipe calls for 3 tablespoons as there is a lot of chocolate. I found the type of coffee to be important too so, lately, have been using a Colombian Arabica.

Another recipe that I like during the holidays is a Newfoundland favourite called “Snowballs”. There are two types, with marshmallows and without. The ones I love have lots of chocolate and coconut but noooo marshmallows. I really enjoy making these and have tried three different recipes. Shown below is the one that I use the most often (also with the most chocolate [Editor adds: Coincidence? I think not!]). These also taste great right out of the freezer (as do the brownies)!

Well, I just wanted you all to have something to keep you busy (and baking sure will do that) until our Christmas show is revealed on December 15th, 2011. Both Helenka and I had a great time putting it together, this time without killing ourselves! [Editor’s wry comment: What an unusual concept for us, especially for a significant holiday meal!]

Till next time … “Life’s sweet treats are best enjoyed with friends!”
Dig in and Enjoy!!
B =;)

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Outrageous Brownies

1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
6 ounces bitter chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups sugar
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter and flour a 12 x 18 x 1-inch baking sheet.
Melt together the butter, 1 pound of the chocolate chips, and the bitter chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water. Allow to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.
In a medium bowl, sift together 1 cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture.
Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup flour, then add them to the chocolate batter. Pour onto the baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake! Allow to cool thoroughly, refrigerate, and cut into 20 large squares.
Notes:
Flouring the chocolate chips and walnuts keeps them from sinking to the bottom. It is very important to allow the batter to cool well before adding the chocolate chips, or the chips will melt and ruin the brownies.
This recipe can be baked up to a week in advance, wrapped in plastic, and refrigerated.

Snowballs

In a large saucepan, combine and boil together gently over medium high heat for 5 minutes or until mixture reaches about 230 degrees F on a candy thermometer:
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup melted butter
1-1/4 cups milk

Once mixture begins to boil, it is very important not to stir it at all.

Mix together
3 cups large rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened fine coconut
12 tablespoons cocoa

Add the boiled mixture to the dry ingredients, mix until well combined and chill until mixture is able to be shaped into 1-1/2 inch balls.
Roll the balls in additional coconut. Makes about 4 dozen. These freeze very well.

Brian's Road Trip

BRT – Dinner at Adrian’s

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EPISODE 1: DINNER AT ADRIAN’S

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwVRs7bhyks

Hey, foodies:

I’m guest editing this week (though I am sure Helenka will be keeping a watchful eye on what I do). ::looks around for the evil editor:: [Evil editor does not disappoint as she puts her sticky virtual fingerprints all over this blog entry! I call it my revenge, after my operation and two-night stay in a hospital one week ago where the first 24 hours featured guzzling cold water. As a variation, I got to crunch on ice cubes. The editor was SO not amused. But … back to Brian’s adventures….]

In this episode, I took my camera on a road trip to visit my friend Adrian who is from Singapore (but luckily I didn’t have to go ALL the way there to eat terrific food). He thought it would be a good idea to have a dinner party: he was right. I got to film it and it was fun! We spared the guests from being on camera though one kept trying to sneak on. 😉

I had a great time making dishes from other countries (and eating them was even better). In fact, Adrian went back to Singapore and brought back a cookbook which was the source of a subsequent road trip.

We made several dishes for this party and I have two of the recipes (the mains) represented here.

More adventures to come!

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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Hainanese Chicken Rice (a variation of what we had) from FoodNetwork
You can read more about this dish here
Chile Sauce:

* 2 to 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh red chilies
* 5 cloves garlic, chopped
* Salt

Chicken and Rice:

* 1 (2-pound) chicken
* 1 scallion, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 4 slices fresh, peeled ginger
* 6 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil
* 6 to 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 4 cups long-grain uncooked rice
* 1 teaspoon fine salt

Directions

Make the Chile Sauce: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, mix well, and season with salt, to taste. Set aside

Make the Chicken and Rice: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (enough water to immerse the chicken). Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the scallion and ginger. Add the chicken to the boiling water, breast side-down. Lower the heat to a simmer just under boiling point and cook, covered, until just cooked through, about 40 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to an ice water bath for about 5 to 6 minutes. (This is to arrest the cooking and will make the chicken skin crisp.) Drain. De-bone the chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces. Reserve the chicken stock, and keep hot.

Heat the oil in a wok or saucepan over high heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the rice and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Add enough of the hot reserved chicken soup to reach 1/2- inch above the top of the rice. Bring to the boil, add the salt, and lower the heat to low. When steam holes form in the rice, cover the wok, and steam until cooked, about 30 minutes.

Whisk 1/4 cup of the hot chicken stock into the chile sauce.

Arrange the rice and poached chicken on a platter and drizzle with the chile sauce.

Curried Coconut Chicken recipe from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

* 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
* 1 teaspoon salt and pepper, or to taste
* 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 2 tablespoons curry powder
* 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
* 2 cloves garlic, crushed
* 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed, diced tomatoes
* 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
* 3 tablespoons sugar

Directions

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
Heat oil and curry powder in a large skillet over medium-high heat for two minutes. Stir in onions and garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in centre and juices run clear.
Pour coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.

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.