I fell in love with Kara Weaves of Kerala when it was featured on design*sponge. More specifically, I thought that maybe one day I could splurge and get curtains there, once I got a job. If I could have picked anything, I would have picked the diagonal or mango pattern in gold. However, I was shopping at Fabricland when I saw a fabric that was very similar to the vertical stripes in gold. The best part: it was $2 a metre!!
Then hanging out in Montreal, I found curtain rods at Zellers that were 40% off. Sweet! The only exception to my "financial luck" was that I wanted grommets. They were $8.99 for 8. I need 3 sets of 8, for the two sets of curtains. I thought it would be ridiculous to have grommets be the most expensive items for my curtains so my mom sewed me curtains with tabs instead. I can add grommets later when I find them on sale.
Window in my Dining Room.
Slowly, but surely, my home is starting to look "finished". Well, the downwstairs anyway; the upstairs is still a disaster!
I don't understand why brussel sprounts are so disliked. I think they're good. But then, I also like cabbage... I was excited to find a recipe with shaved brussel sprouts. I liked the idea of slicing the brussel sprouts.
Sliced Brussel Sprouts and Almonds Adapted from Shaved Brussel Sprouts with Currants and Chestnuts on Epicurious.com. I did not use currants because I wasn't sure my mom would like it. I also did not use chestnuts since there was already some in the stuffing. We threw in leftover pancetta from the stuffing.
* olive oil * ½ onion, sliced thinly * 300 g brussel sprouts, sliced * salt, to taste * pancetta * toasted almonds
Stir fry onion and brussel sprouts in olive oil. Season with salt. Add pancetta and mix. Top with toasted almonds. Tada!
I don't have much experience with blogging. The question is, should I still write about an unsuccessful recipe? I say yes. Someone should gain something from my mistakes. I made another recipe, adapted from Giada De Laurentiis (did I already mention I like her show??). This time it was Garlic and Sun-Dried Tomato Corn Muffin. It sounded awesome because I love sun-dried tomatoes but I think it was rather strong for my mom and her husband H.
Garlic and Sun-Dried Tomato Corn Muffin (makes 12)
I could not use Giada's recipe because it called for corn muffin mix and I could not find any. Instead, I based myself on an allrecipes.com basic corn muffin recipe. If I made corn muffin again, I would skip the garlic and sun-dried tomato, and replace them with jalapeno peppers. The sun-dried tomato was too salty. Also, I did not mix the garlic very well, and one muffin got the bulk of the garlic. Ouch! Finally, I would have added cheddar cheese if I did not have a non-dairy eating mother (I was hoping she would not notice the milk or sour cream...).
* 1 cup cornmeal
* 1 cup flour
* ⅓ cup sugar (I ommitted sugar but that was a mistake!)
* 2 tsp baking powder
* ½ tsp salt
* ⅓ cup canola oil
* ⅓ cup sour cream
* ½ skim milk
* 1 cup frozen corn kernels
* ⅓ cup sun-dried tomato, sliced
* 1 garlic clove, minced
Mix cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Add egg, oil, sour cream and milk.
Add the sun-dried tomato, corn and garlic and mix well!
Spoon batter into muffin pan.
Bake at 375F for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
I did not grow up eating turkey for Thanksgiving or any holiday. My few experiences with turkey were un-memorable. A few years ago, I also made a turkey breast but there was so much leftovers. That's all I remember eating. Since we were only three people this time, my mom thought about just making chicken. But we found a good size turkey breast. I actually enjoyed it this time!
After researching the internet for stuffing recipes, my mom and I narrowed it down to a pancetta & chestnut stuffing. Knowing nothing about chestnut, I didn't realize that 1) it is not chestnut season and 2) jars of roasted chestnuts are hard to find. Luckily, I had my mom with me who knew that we would likely be able to find chestnuts at a Chinese store. She was right! We found some in both dried form and vacuum-packed!
One turkey breast was the perfect portion for four people (with not too much leftovers). Even though pancetta is very salty, the stuffing did not taste too salty. I liked the addition of chestnuts. I think I would re-use this recipe!
* 100 g pancetta, chopped roughly * 1 garlic clove, minced * ½ onion, diced * 1 carrot, diced * 1 celery stalk, diced * fresh rosemary, chopped * 100 g chestnuts, chopped roughly * 100 g day old bread cubes (or toasted dry) * broth or water
For the stuffing Cook pancetta slightly - it shouldn't be too crispy because the remaining fat will help keep the turkey breast moist. Put aside. In the remaining fat, stir fry onion, garlic, carrot and celery until slightly cooked. Add the rosemary - no need for salt because of the pancetta. Mix the pancetta, vegetable mixture and bread together. If the stuffing is too dry, add some broth or water. (We didn't add an egg but it would probably have helped the stuffing bind better.)
Chestnucks from a pack.
Ingredients for stuffing.
For the turkey breast * 1 turkey breast * twine * salt and pepper * garlic powder * fresh thyme chopped * stuffing * maple syrup
Mix the salt, pepper, garlic powder and fresh thyme. Cut the turkey halfway lengthwise but not through. Season the inside with the thyme mixture. Spoon the filling onto the turkey breast. Close the turkey breast and tie with twine. Season the exterior of the turkey breast also. Bake in the oven at 375F for about 1 hour, 15 minutes (or until the juice runs clear). Halfway through baking, coat the turkey skin with maple syrup to help it caramelized. Tada!
Season the turkey breast.
Tying the turkey breast to hold the stuffing in.
Ready for the oven.
The finished product, nice and golden!
Cross-section of the turkey breast. The chestnuts were a good addition.
As I have mentioned on the Thanksgiving post, I have made ravioli with butternut squash and thought I'd try it with pumpkin for Wandering Chopsticks' Weekend Wokking event. I have made this following Giada de Laurentiis' Butternut Squash Tortellini recipe with a few changes. I omitted the ricotta this time because my mom does not like dairy food. The filling was still very good. For the same reason, I switched the butter sage sauce to a tomato sauce.
Pumpkin Ravioli (makes about 50) This recipe is made much easier by using wonton wrappers. You really just have to make the filling and stuff the wrappers. Different sauces can be used. I personally find a butter sauce too rich. I have tried it with cream sauce and it was very rich and yummy. You can also freeze the raviolis and cook them for a quick dinner - freeze ravioli's individually by laying each ravioli on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Then place them in a bag once they are frozen. DON'T skip this step; I've done this before with horrible, clumpy results!
* 1 pumpkin * olive oil * herbs of your choice (thyme, oregano, basil, parsley) * salt and pepper, to taste * 1 small onion, small diced * 2 garlic cloves, minced * wonton wrappers
To make the ravioli Slice your pumpkin into quarters. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle herbs, salt and pepper on each quarter. Bake in the oven at 375F until cooked through (about 45 minutes). Meanwhile, stir fry the onion and garlic. When the pumpkin is cooked, scoop out the flesh. Mix the pumpkin with the onion mixture. Blend in food blender to get a smooth consistency. Season mixture to taste. Lay one wonton wrapper and top it with a teaspoon of pumpkin mixture. (If you want scalloped edges, use a cookie cutter to cut the wrapper first.) Wet the border of the wrapper and fold it in two, making sure it is closed properly.
Starting with a pumpkin.
Slicing the pumpkin. I love the smell!
Baking the pumpkin with seasoning.
Pumpkin Mixture.
A teaspoon of pumpkin onto a wonton wrapper.
Raviolis ready to be frozen.
To cook ravioli
Add ravioli to a pot of boiling water - you don't need to thaw the frozen ones.
It was Thanksgiving (for American readers: in Canada, it is about a month earlier) and my mom made dinner last night. We were three people with my mom's husband H, so we didn't want to over-do it with too much food. I had an idea what I wanted to do, and found inspiration on the internet for the rest.
I just wanted to outline the menu in this post. I will include the recipes in posts coming up.
We decided to have a turkey breast because we were only three people. Three years ago, I made a mushroom stuffing for Thanksgiving. I searched the internet for ideas. My mom turned out a pear stuffing; she didn't like the idea of fruit in her meat! She thought a mushroom stuffing would be ok. Finally, she thought having pancetta be perfect to help moisten the turkey breast.
Turkey Breast with Stuffing.
I have made butternut squash ravioli based on Giada de Laurentiis' Butternut Squash Tortellini recipe with great success. However, I wanted to try to substitue the squash with pumpkin so I could enter in Wandering Chopsticks' Weekend Wokking food blogging event, with the featured ingredient being pumpkin. I topped the raviolis with a tomato sauce because my mom does not eat any dairy. I also saw Giada (I do enjoy her show Everyday Italian) make Thanksgiving sides the previous week, including corn muffins with sundried tomatoes. I thought it was a great idea. Unfortunately, mom and H do not like sundried tomatoes as much as I do...
Corn Muffins and Pumpkin Ravioli.
We needed a vegetable dish and I found a shaved brussel sprouts' recipe on Epicurious.com. I liked the idea of slicing brussel sprouts and gave it a try! Why do people dislike brussel sprouts so much?
Stir fried Brussel Sprouts.
Finally, for dessert, it was not a hard choice. My mom LOVES pecan pie so she took care of that part of dinner!
113 James Street North Hamilton, Ontario 905.972.8288
My mom's husband H joined us in Hamilton and we decided on Chinese for dinner. The Jade Garden is my favourite Chinese restaurant in Hamilton. However, I have to say I do not eat Chinese food very often anywhere. In fact, the last time I ate there was Labour Day of 2007 when my mom, H, my sister and her boyfriend came to visit from Montréal. We were seven people in total (yes, all seven in my little house!). This time, it feels like we ordered as much food, but just for the three of us!
The Jade Garden.
My mom suggested we walk there, expecting to eat a lot. She was right... We ordered fried noodles (what I call chow mein) with black bean sauce because it is one of H's favourite dishes. I asked for the stir fried pea shoots, as I remember really enjoying it last time. For rice, my mom ordered an item that was not on the menu and asked for fried rice with salted fish, one of her favourites. Finally, we also ordered the salt and pepper shrimp, which was one of the day's special for $4.99!!
Complimentary soup: Pork broth with pieces of corn cob and carrot.
We were served the complimentary soup which was a typical broth-based soup. The salt & pepper shrimp and stir-fried pea shoots came out next. There is one thing that most Chinese restaurants (and Vietnamese) do not get right and that's timing. It seems dishes just come out when they're ready without planning; I would have liked to eat the pea shoots with some carbs. The shrimp was excellent - I always love the spicy onion and pepper bits. It was quite a generous portion (at least a dozen) for $4.99 and the shrimps were also a good size. The shrimps come shell on with the head still on, which is how they are best! The pea shoots was our most expensive dish at $9.99, and was disappointing. The shoots were just too tough.
Salt & Pepper Shrimp (shell on), $4.99. Stir fried pea shoots (#670), $3.99.
Next came the fried noodles with beef and the fried rice with salted fish. H very much enjoyed the noodles and beef as he had not had it for a while. Black bean sauce is not my favourite but I liked the fried noodles that are slightly softened by the sauce. The fried rice was also good with specks of very salty fish. There were also large chunks of chicken, as bland as they could be, especially next to the fish. My mom and I enjoyed the leftover rice the next day.
Fried noodles with beef in black bean sauce (#455), $7.95.
Fried Rice with Salted Fish, $7.95.
While we were waiting for our food, my mom was contemplating the day's specials. She was intrigued by the salt & pepper capelin fish for $3.99. I've already mentioned she likes fish and she also liked the price. When she read the description in Vietnamese - cá nhiều trứng, meaning fish with many eggs - and realized what it was, she excitedly ordered the dish. She reminded H that he had mentioned his mother cooking this fish (smelt). They're these little fish with a ridiculous amount of roe that are deep fried, just like the shrimp. Every part of each and every fish seemed to be filled with eggs. My mom observed that Vietnamese and Chinese love eggs in fish, but Westerners will remove the eggs when they find some in fish. Silly Westerners!
Salt & Pepper Capelin Fish, $3.99.
Look at all those eggs!
We were so, so full. We had to bag some food home. We were still brought a complimentary dessert of tapioca and taro. Too bad I was just too full!
Complimentary tapioca and taro dessert.
As I mentioned before, The Jade Garden is my favourite Chinese restaurant in Hamilton. I usually order take-out for myself when I have a craving for Chinese food. Admittedly, I've only ordered a handful of Cantonese dishes, but I think the dishes are good and the prices are right. It is owned by the same owners as the B&T Restaurant close by. B&T is the place for Vietnamese food here. The owners are Chinese Vietnamese; they speak Cantonese and Vietnamese. While the service is abrupt, to say the least, at B&T, it is very attentive here. The Jade Garden also offers dim sum at lunch time. I have never tried it but will have to check it out one day!
When I was in Vietnam, I regularly thought about my house, and more specifically how I wanted to further decorate it. Especially after reading design blogs. I lived on a street with 4-5 fabric stores and was always on the lookout for something out of the ordinary. A print caught my eye on my way to the gym one day. It was beige and white, and there was also a turquoise version (that I also purchased). When I inquired there were 2 metres left of a brown version. I promptly purchased it to recover my chairs.
I've already had a post about my chairs, reupholstered in a leaf pattern. I obvious did not get to use the Vietnamese fabric. I thought it would be perfect as cushions for my couch. So I took advantage of my mom, quite literally, and got her to sew me new cushions. I did take the chance to re-learn how to work the sewing machine she has left me (and that has not been used much...). I really hope to use my newly re-gained skills.
I really like the print and I think the cushions came out very well, especially with the buttons. This just proves that you can find nice fabric in Vietnam, you just have to look really hard!
Like any good Vietnamese person, my mom eats a lot of fish. As we were shopping at one of the Asian supermarkets, she saw blue mackerel that looked fresh and wanted to eat fish. I thought it would be my opportunity to learn how to make cá kho (braised fish). It is very flavourful, and as my mom puts it sadly (for fear of getting fat), requires you to eat a lot of rice. I personally enjoy the chunks of tomatoes.
Cá Kho (Braised Fish)
This dish typically uses caramel (like Wandering Chopsticks' recipe) but my mom just uses soy sauce and sugar. You can use any fish. For a while, my mom used salmon steaks. The key is to allow the flavours to absorb.
* 4 plum tomatoes, sliced * 3 blue mackerels, cleaned and cut into pieces * 1 onion, sliced * 2-½ Tbsp sugar, or to taste * 1 tbsp salt, or to taste * 1 tsp ground pepper, or to taste * 1 tbsp dark soy sauce * dried chilis, to taste
Lay the tomatoes at the bottom of a big pot. Place the pieces of fish next and then the onion slices on top. Add all of the seasoning. Let it sit for a couple of hours (or overnight) to let the seasoning flavour the fish. Cook at low heat. About half an hour into it, turn the pieces of fish. Cook for about an hour (or longer if you did not get a chance to let the flavours sit).
Not my mom's...! I didn't actually grow up with freshly baked cookies. I'm not even sure that my mom has ever baked cookies in her life. Cakes, most definitely. With flavours like pandan leaf... Since my mom is at my place for a visit I thought I would make her something. However, there's not much that I make that she doesn't make better, but I know she enjoys these ginger snaps and... they're a snap to make!
I definitely have a "salty tooth" rather than a sweet tooth. So cakes and cookies are not my thing. However, I am a sucker for freshly baked cookies! My ex-roommie D got this recipe from her friend K, who got it from allrecipes.com. I have never screwed them up because they are so easy. I also have consistently been complimented on them. Most people assume they are store-bought! They were included in my Christmas treats giveaway last year!
Note: The recipe made about 40 cookies and does not have any dairy (or my mom would not enjoy them!).
The cookie dough.
Rolling the ball into sugar.
Ready to be baked!
Ginger snaps to be enjoyed! I especially like the crater-like cracks...
