Happy Shrove Tuesday! I just happened to catch a tweet about Mardi Gras starting soon and realized that Lent is almost upon us… which meant that buttermilk pancakes would soon be gracing my table for dinner.

While I admit that I often make pancakes from a premade mix, occasionally, I go the extra step of preparing my own batter.  Enjoy!

Buttermilk Pancakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1 whole egg
2 teaspoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

In large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, butter and vanilla; pour over dry ingredients and whisk until combined.

Lightly brush large nonstick skillet or griddle with some of the oil; heat over medium-high heat. Using 1/4 cup per pancake, pour batter onto griddle.  Cook until bubbles appear on top, about 3 minutes.  This is the part that always makes me impatient.  I always flip the first one or two pancakes too early LOL  Flip and cook until bottom is golden brown, about 1 minute.  Top with maple syrup and butter and serve.

Note: I haven’t mastered making my own gluten-free pancake mix yet but when I do, I’ll be sure to share it with you.

Kitchen Table Talk…

Will you be serving pancakes today? If you like this post, share it with your friends and family through your favorite social media service.

I’ve always been interested in nutrition and health.  It started back in high school, long before I ever picked up a pot or pan and started experimenting in the kitchen.  My mom had a subscription to Prevention magazine which I would read cover to cover the minute it arrived. The health section of the newspaper was also a great source of daily information on health and wellness topics.  Plus I had a few wonderful mentors who I loved dearly and from whom I learned by example: they all ate well and were very well versed about what they put in their bodies and the things to do to live an optimal life.

Around the same time, I also became a gym rat, joining my first gym when I was 16 and starting a daily exercise habit which I’ve kept up over the years.

But sometimes life gets in the way, as it did this past Fall, and I fall off the healthy wagon.  As a result, I started to eat poorly, started to sleep badly, and stopped exercising.  I tend not to beat myself up about these things because… life happens!  And I know that I usually get back on track once things settle down.

Or sometimes I stumble across something online that sparks my interest and gets me excited about getting back to my healthier habits!

That’s what happened earlier this year.  One of my Facebook friends “liked” a page and it grabbed my attention: Eat Stop Eat.

I’ll admit, it’s not my first experience with intermittent fasting.  When I used to work with the creator of the Body Enlightenment System, I used to fast for 24 hours every time we ran the 30 day cleanse program.

But I never really bothered to learn much about the science behind fasting.  I did it because it was part of the program and the person who designed the program is someone I know and trust.

When I stumbled across Eat Stop Eat, I was ready to learn more about why intermittent fasting works, not to mention use it as a way to get back on track with my healthy habits.

And it worked!  It took me about an hour to devour the 144 page ebook and by the end of it, I was ready to give intermittent fasting a try.

I’ve been following a plan of intermittent fasting for about a month now and I can honestly say that I am pleased with the results.  I find that on my fasting days, I am more focused and alert and approach my work with renewed passion and love for what I do.

I’ve also lost a few inches around my waistline and while I haven’t stepped on a scale yet, I’m certain that I’ve lost a few pounds.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the results so far and will definitely keep you posted about my progress.  And best of all, the program is so simple, it’s a no-brainer that anyone can follow this lifestyle.

I encourage you to check out the Eat Stop Eat lifestyle today.  You’ll be glad you did.

Happy Valentine’s Day! I know I’ve been absent from the kitchen for a while and thought it would be great to come back today and share a few recipes that will be emerging from my kitchen today.

What I love about preparing food on Valentine’s Day is that it’s one of the rare times of the year where I pay attention to color and incorporate red into the food, as well as my table.  I’m hoping that I will be treated to a night out for dinner but you will find today’s breakfast and lunch below.

Enjoy!  And Happy Valentine’s Day!

Lovely Raspberry Smoothie

I always start my morning off with a smoothie… of one kind or another. Today’s smoothie will be a lovely pink, the perfect way to start my Valentine’s Day.  This makes enough smoothie to share with someone you love.

2 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen)
3/4 cup low fat yogurt (I usually use plain or vanilla flavored yogurt)
1/2 cup almond milk

Whiz up all three ingredients in a blender or Vitamix. Pour into a glass (or two) and serve.  Note: You will likely end up with seeds in your smoothie.

I Heart Rice Salad

Lunch will have a touch of red in the form of peppers and dried cranberries.  Tossed with a homemade lime dressing, it’s yum!  Again, this recipe makes enough to share.

1 cup long grain brown rice, cooked
1/2 whole English cucumber, thinly sliced
1 whole red pepper, chopped
2 whole stalks celery, chopped
1/8 cup green onion, chopped
a handful dried cranberries

For the Lime Dressing

2 tablespoons lime juice (1-2 limes depending on their freshness)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
1/2 tablespoon sweet chili sauce (you can find a variety of Thai or Asian sauces in most major grocers)
1/4 tablespoon vegetable or other cooking oil (experiment… there are some great light oils that can add a different layer of flavor)
1/2 clove garlic, minced

Put the salad ingredient (the first six listed above) in a large bowl.  Toss together.

To make the lime dressing: Combine all ingredients in a glass mason jar.  Fit lid and secure tightly.  Shake well…. have a little fun with this.  You can turn on some salsa music and shake along to the beat! Drizzle over the salad.  Toss well and serve.  Makes about 3 cups of salad.

Kitchen Table Talk…

Will you be dining in or out this evening? Feel free to share your creations in the comment area below. Or if you like this post, share it with your friends and family through your favorite social media service.

For personal reasons, I wasn’t much in the Christmas spirit this year.  I didn’t send out Christmas cards, didn’t really do much Christmas shopping (just for the kids) or even put up lights outside the house.  I just didn’t feel like celebrating though I did keep up a few of our family traditions.

As Christmas drew closer, I started to think of different ways to celebrate the season.  I usually get excited shopping for gifts and it’s usually pretty easy.  I have a good memory so if you tell me in July that you started a new business or that you broke your favorite tea mug, chances are you’ll find a replacement mug under the tree or even business cards to promote yourself.

That’s why, when it came time to select gifts for my sisters-in-law this year, I thought I’d do something a little different and make them food gifts.  They both meet a few times a year to enjoy dinner at Milestones Restaurant and typically have a mixed greens salad with goat cheese, strawberries and honey dijon dressing.  I opted to make them food gifts this year: a jar of honey dijon dressing and toasted pecans (actually, they ended up being walnuts as the grocery store was out of pecans!).

Don’t they look yummy?

Honey Dijon Salad Dressing

1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large glass mixing bowl. Whisk vigorously until emulsified (or pulse it in a Magic Bullet!).  Can be stored for several weeks in an air tight container in fridge.  Shake well before serving.

Candied Pecans Recipe

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup pecans
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter and sugar in frying pan on medium heat. Add pecans and heat until toasted (some of the sugar may not dissolve, that’s okay!). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract (carefully! it will fizzle and bubble when you add the liquid). Pour onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and spread out flat. Cool. Store in air tight container in the pantry for up to two weeks.

I don’t know about you but I get all turkey’d out over the holidays.  So when I passed one of the local restaurants when I was Christmas shopping and recalled the yummy dinner that my friend had the last time we dined there, I knew what I’d be making for dinner on the eve of Christmas Eve: Korean BBQ Short Ribs. 

I quickly Googled for a recipe, just to get the basic idea of what I needed, and eagerly headed to the grocery store to pick up what I needed.  This is the first time I’ve made short ribs, never mind Korean style short ribs, but they turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. 

I know what I’ll do differently next time (mainly, not listen to the advice of the other ‘chefs’ in the family, as it’s true what they say, too many of them do spoil the broth!) but for the first time out, they were tasty and reminded me of summer.  Once I’ve perfected the recipe, they may just become a new Christmas Eve Eve Tradition!

Koren BBQ Short Ribs

3/4 cup good quality, reduced-salt, gluten-free soy sauce
3/4 cup water (I might try a sweet rice wine next time)
3 tablespoons white vinegar (I might try rice vinegar next time)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/4 cup garlic, minced
1/2 large onion, minced
3 pounds short ribs

Pour soy sauce, water, and vinegar into a large glass bowl.  Whisk in brown sugar, white sugar, pepper and sesame oil until the sugars have dissolved.  Stir in minced garlic and onion.  Grab a large zip lock freezer bag and pour in marinade.  Submerge the ribs in the marinade zip lock bag, squeeze out all the air and seal (you may need to split ribs and marinade between two zip lock bags or use a glass dish and cover with plastic wrap).  Refrigerate 12 hours or over night.  The longer you marinade the ribs, the more tender they will be.  I would occasionally take the ribs out of the fridge and rotate them inside the zip lock bag to evenly distribute the marinade.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat).  Remove ribs from zip lock back, shake off excess marinade and discard marinade.  Working in batches, grill ribs until browned and cooked to medium-rare (about 4 to 7 minutes depending on your grill).  You can also broil your ribs in the oven if you’re unable to BBQ.  Serve with cooked chopped spinach or kimchi (Korean cabbage).

Kitchen Table Talk…

Have you ever been inspired to recreate a meal you have enjoyed when you dined out? Feel free to share your creations in the comment area below. Or if you like this post, share it with your friends and family through your favorite social media service.

This is the first Christmas Eve in recent memory where I will have the entire day to prepare dinner.  The past few years, Christmas Eve has fallen during the work week and I’ve had to rush through dinner prep in a few hours (which isn’t easy when you’re planning for 20!).  Luckily, I work from home so I have the luxury of being able to fit my Accidental Chef duties around my client commitments.  But it’s nice to have a day where I can just focus on being in the kitchen today and reliving the memories of my childhood as the smells and flavors of the dishes come alive.

My kitten is pretty happy too.  She’s sitting patiently beneath the Christmas tree, waiting for the samples of people food she knows are coming her way (once she’s start her cute dance… she’s napping right now LOL).

Christmas Eve was always a special time in my house growing up and I’ve tried to carry on that tradition into my own home.  My mom would be up all night on the 23rd, making the most amazing vegetarian lasagna.  She would roll out the dough by hand until it was paper thin and layer thousands of delicate (okay maybe it was only about six or seven) layers of pasta, her amazing sauce, ricotta, spinach, paper thin strips of zucchini and the best bechamel sauce that added a special touch to her finished dish.  Then she’d roll out enough gnocchi verdi to feed an army (and with five kids, we ate like an army) and make a little Christmas Tree out of strufoli (Italian Honey Balls).  Mmm yum!

When we awoke on Christmas Eve, we’d find her still at her post in the kitchen and open the fridge to peek at what she’d been up to all night.  As a child, my main job on this day was to keep my siblings entertained and out of the kitchen so mom could continue whipping up her amazing feast.  The five of us would head down to the basement and plan our Christmas show.  We had a trunk full of costumes that mom had made us for Halloween and we’d all work on the after dinner entertainment.

Mom would still be busy in the kitchen making a radicchio salad and tiramisu.  She’d pile oranges and grapes and apples in two large bowls on the table that would serve as our centerpiece and our dessert (for some reason, we never got to eat the tiramisu LOL).  One of my sisters would head upstairs at some point to help hold the pot while mom stirred the polenta and help peel the chestnuts and then we’d all be called for dinner.  Oh and did I mention she’d also make fish for my dad… usually a seafood salad and trout.

As we grew older, the menu expanded a bit.  She’d make breaded chicken or chicken saltimbocca and steamed mussels for my sister and would always ask our boyfriends and girlfriends who started to join us for dinner what their favorite dish was and she’d make sure that it was also on the table.  I don’t know how she did it!  My mom is amazing!  Christmas was truly her favorite holiday.  She was happiest when everyone was eating and laughing around the dinner table.c

As if that wasn’t enough, the best part came after dinner, when we were allowed to open one of our Christmas presents: our Secret Santa present (we’d draw names at the table at Thanksgiving).  Then we’d all head downstairs and it would be showtime.

So many happy memories.  Today I will be reliving them fondly as I prepare dinner for my family.  Where ever you are today, I hope that you’re able to enjoy the day with your family and I wish you all the best for the holiday season.

Hugs!

Gnocchi Verdi

2 pounds fresh spinach, washed and cooked or 2 packages frozen spinach (10 ounce boxes)
1 cup ricotta
2 large eggs
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons all-purpose gluten-free flour (or you can use regular flour if you don’t have any food allergies)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons butter

Grease an oven proof baking dish.

If using fresh spinach: Wash the spinach well, making sure no sand or soil is left on it. Place in saucepan, cover and cook till tender, a few minutes, without the addition of water. The water clinging to the spinach leaves from washing will be enough to cook the spinach with a minimum loss of flavor and nutrients.

If using frozen spinach: Cook spinach according to package directions.

Drain spinach well and let cool. My mom used to squeeze the spinach dry and then leave in the fridge in a colander over night to dry out even more. Squeeze spinach very dry. You can wrap it in a clean tea towel and twist the ends to squeeze as much water as possible from the spinach.

Once sufficiently dry, chop spinach very fine. If you’re using frozen chopped spinach, run your knife through it the few times to chop it more finely. Place in medium bowl.

Stir in ricotta cheese. Again, you can leave this to drain in a cheese cloth over a bowl in the fridge for a few hours or over night.

Add eggs and mix well.

Add 1/3 cup of the Parmesan cheese and 3 tablespoons of flour, the salt, pepper and nutmeg; stir to mix very well.

Refrigerate covered 1 hour. If you’re pressed for time, you can start to roll out your gnocchi and pop into the freezer for 10 minutes before you start cooking.

Sprinkle some additional flour in a shallow baking pan. You may need about half a cup. Lightly roll the gnocchi into round balls (as you would meatballs) and dust lightly with flour. Continue until all the spinach mixture is used.

If you did not chill the spinach mixture before starting, pop your rolled gnocchi in the freezer for 10 minutes. Remove your tray and slip 8 to 10 gnocchi into a large pot of boiling salted water. Return the gnocchi to the fridge or freezer to continue firming while the first batch cooks.

Once you’ve added the gnocchi to the pot of boiling salted water, reduce heat to medium. Cook uncovered until gnocchi are slightly puffed and start to float to the top (about 3-5 minutes). They should be medium firm to the touch. Remove gnocchi with a slotted spoon and transfer to a colander or a paper towel-lined plate; then transfer immediately to greased broil proof shallow baking dish.

Reheat water to boiling. Continue cooking and draining gnocchi in batches until all have been cooked.

Arrange gnocchi so that they are in a single layer in the baking dish.

Heat broiler. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Spoon butter over gnocchi; sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Broil gnocchi, 5 inches from heat source, until cheese topping is light brown, 2-3 minutes. Serve at once.

You may have seen this email hit your inbox in the past few weeks. My sister-in-law forwarded it to me last week and as I read through the different tips, I was amazed by how clever some of them were (hello… storing linens in their pillow cases… brilliant!). I can’t tell you how many times I said “Why didn’t I think of that?!?!?” I know that many of them don’t have anything to do with food but I thought I’d share them with you. After all, we can all use a little help outside the kitchen too. Enjoy!

Thanks to whomever put this email together. I will definitely be giving some of these ideas a try!

25 Clever Ideas

1. Hull strawberries easily using a straw.

2. Rubbing a walnut over scratches in your furniture will disguise dings and scrapes.

3. Remove crayon masterpieces from your TV or computer screen with WD40 (also works on walls).

4. Stop cut apples browning in your child’s lunch box by securing with a rubber band.

5. Overhaul your linen cupboard – store bed linen sets inside one of their own pillowcases and there will be no more hunting through piles for a match.

6. Pump up the volume by placing your iPhone / iPod in a bowl – the concave shape amplifies the music.

7. Re-use a wet-wipes container to store plastic bags.

8. Add this item to your beach bag. Baby powder gets sand off your skin easily – who knew?

9. Attach a Velcro strip to the wall to store soft toys.

10. Look up! Use wire to make a space to store gift wrap rolls against the ceiling, rather than cluttering up the floor.

11. Gotcha! Find tiny lost items like earrings by putting a stocking over the vacuum hose.

12. Make an instant cupcake carrier by cutting crosses into a box lid.

13. For those who can’t stand the scrunching and bunching: how to perfectly fold a fitted sheet.

14. Forever losing your bathroom essentials? Use magnetic strips to store bobby pins (and tweezers and clippers) behind a vanity door.

15. A tip for holiday packing. Store shoes inside shower caps to stop dirty soles rubbing on your clothes. And you can find them in just about every hotel!

16. A muffin pan becomes a craft caddy. Magnets hold the plastic cups down to make them tip-resistant.

17. Bread tags make the perfect-sized cord labels.

18. Bake cupcakes directly in ice-cream cones – so much more fun and easier for kids to eat. Definitely doing this!

19. Microwave your own popcorn in a plain brown paper bag. Much healthier and cheaper than the packet stuff.

20. Brilliant space-saver: install a tension rod to hang your spray bottles. Genius!

21. Win friends at breakfast with this heart-shaped egg tutorial. Aww shucks!

22. Turn your muffin pan upside down, bake cookie-dough over the top and voila – you have cookie bowls for fruit or ice-cream.

23. Freeze Aloe Vera in ice-cube trays for soothing sunburn relief.

24. Gutter garden: Create a window-box veggie patch using guttering.

25. Use egg cartons to separate and store your Christmas decorations.

I love soup. I honestly think I could live on soup alone (and probably did my first few years of University). Here is one of my favorite soups. I usually make it in the fall when zucchinis and tomatoes are overflowing in the garden. But the tomatoes looked particularly beautiful at the grocery store today so I whipped up a batch this evening. Enjoy!

Tomato Zucchini Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced onion
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
28 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 medium zucchini, chopped
1 cup corn
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Heat olive oil in large saucepan on medium. Add onion. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring often, until caramelized.

Add vinegar, sugar and pepper. Heat and stir for about 1 minute until sugar dissolved.

Add next four ingredients. Stir. Bring to a boil on medium-high. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is tender.

Add basil. Stir and serve.

Kitchen Table Talk…

Do you love soup as much as I do? Feel free to share your creations in the comment area below. Or if you like this post, share it with your friends and family through your favorite social media service.

I was in the mood for something a little different tonight for dinner so I opened my fridge and stared at the contents and put my Accidental Chef hat on.  I had some leftover chicken and some rice as well as some new gluten-free wraps that I wanted to try so I decided to make wraps.  I turned on the iPod and cranked some tunes and Diana Krall appeared singing “Peel Me A Grape.”  I was wrapping chicken so hopefully this will do as a substitute for her.  This recipe makes a great dinner or lunch (tastes great with cold leftovers too).

Wrap Me A Chicken

1 whole boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 medium onion, chopped
1 cup romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup cooked brown or white rice
2 whole gluten-free tortillas (or whole-wheat tortillas)
1 tablespoon fat-free salad dressing (optional)

Spray medium-sized pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Place over medium heat.  Add onions and garlic and sauté until slightly browned, being careful not to burn the garlic.  Add raw chicken and sauté until browned and no pink remains in center of each piece.  Remove pan from heat.  Place tortillas on plates.  Put half the lettuce on each tortilla, followed by half the chicken, half the dressing, and half the rice.  To assemble wraps, roll tortilla around contents, securing each with a toothpick if necessary.  Makes 2 wraps.  Note: If you don’t have wraps, you can use whole romaine lettuce leaves or large bibb salad leaves as wraps.  Omit the lettuce from inside the wrap if you do.

Kitchen Table Talk…

Have you ever tried to make a grocery store favorite? Feel free to share your creations in the comment area below. Or if you like this post, share it with your friends and family through your favorite social media service.

I was at the grocery store last week and saw some Peanut Butter Fudge Cookies so I picked some up for my honey man.  A quick look at the ingredients and I could see that there were oats in it.  I’m gluten intolerant so always need to check labels before I eat something or I’m in for a world of pain!  I can tolerate a small amount of oats but I stick to Bob’s Red Mill which are certified gluten-free.  My man, however, could enjoy the entire package himself, which he ate in a little over a day.  That inspired me to make my own so I could enjoy them too.  Note: Anyone with Celiac Disease may not have the same tolerance of oats so this recipe may not be appropriate for them.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Fudge Cookies

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cocoa
pinch salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal

In large saucepan, combine sugar, milk, cocoa, salt, and butter and mix well.  Bring to a boil.  Be sure to wash sugar crystals down sides of pan (covering the saucepan for 30 seconds will allow steam to aid in this task).  Stir mixture and bring it to a boil for 1 minute.  Do not stir mixture further.  Remove from heat.  Stir in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.  Add oatmeal and mix well.  Be sure not to use regular or instant oatmeal.

Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to let the oatmeal absorb some of the liquid.

Drop mixture by spoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Let cool slightly so that mixture can be handled.  Reshape the cookies to make them more ball shape (this step is optional).  Let cool for another hour then gobble them up or store tightly covered at room temperature.

Kitchen Table Talk…

Have you ever tried to make a grocery store favorite? Feel free to share your creations in the comment area below. Or if you like this post, share it with your friends and family through your favorite social media service.