Summer is on its way - are you ready?

Here's a clever way to add flexibility to your outdoor seating scheme. Hampton Bay’s new Westbury set ($699 from Home Depot - shown below) has adjustable arms, so it can be configured as a love seat or couch. For even more flexibility, Westbury’s adjustable table ($249) has four moving panels that transform it from a basic coffee/conversation table into a low-profile dining table. There’s also a  holder in the centre that can serve as an ice bucket, making it perfect for sipping summer wine while nibbling snacks and chatting.

If space for a table is teeny tiny, or if you want to add affordable extra seating to create conversational settings in the backyard, choose a colourful three-piece bistro set, also from HD ($80).This one's also perfect for a postage-sized balcony. Are you listening, condo-dwellers?

When the sun goes down, count on  solar lights to cast a soft, eco-friendly glow.

Keep watching this space over the next few weeks for more decor/entertaining and recipe ideas. Because summer will come - I promise - and you do want to be ready, don't you?

 

 

 

How to seriously snub mosquitoes, blackflies and their ilk

Mozi Q reduces the frequency of bites. The ones you do get hurt less. It's safe for kids. And yes, you may have a glass of wine or two when you take the tiny tablets, which should be about a half hour before you go out.

This piece was supposed to start with a brilliantly written ode to glorious late spring weather. Ahem - hold that thought. This too shall pass.

In the meantime, be aware that cooler, damper weather may encourage mosquitoes and pesky black flies. Both can be a buzzkill - as the youngsters say - at any outdoor get together. Mozi-Q is a new a homeopathic, chewable pill that reduces the frequency and severity of insect bites. More soon on this - just wanted you, dear reader, to have the website link now. 

An afternoon of cooking with Kenwood

This week’s Hot Home column in the Saturday Toronto Star is all about test driving the Kenwood Cooking Chef with Sandra Bellomo, the company’s North American training and demonstration manager. Here are the recipes we made. They’re written for those lucky enough to own this $2,000 machine, but a competent home chef could easily adapt. Look at the post below for a separate gallery of shots from our afternoon of cooking.

Drunken Snowman Cocktail

Ingredients

• 2 scoops vanilla ice-cream
• 1 cup ice
• 3 oz. vanilla vodka
• 3 oz. Bailey’s Original
• 3 oz. Peppermint Schnapps

Combine ice-cream, ice and spirits and blend for 2 minutes. Serve in glasses rimmed with crushed candy cane.

 

Rim cocktail glasses with crushed candy cane for a festive touch

Chestnut Soup

Ingredients

• 15-20 chestnuts, preferably fresh, pre-boiled and peeled
• 2-3 shallots
• 2 garlic cloves
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• ½ cup water
• Sea salt
• Fresh black pepper

Using the chopping blade on the food processor, finely mince garlic and shallots. Set aside. Insert the Stirring attachment. Warm up the bowl and season with olive oil. Keep temperature between 70º and 80ºC.

After 3 minutes, add the shallots and garlic, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Adjust temperature to 110 ºC. Set timer for 24 minutes.

Add chestnuts and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook for 2 minutes, then add 1 cup of stock and cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining cup of stock.

Note: It’s normal for induction heat to lose temperature when a cool liquid is added. During the next 4 minutes, the temperature will increase to between 99˚ and 108ºC. The best temperature for cooking soup is 100º and 105ºC. Use the splash guard to contain heat.

After 12 minutes, add water.

Chestnuts will soften as the soup cooks and mixes. When cooking is complete, pour soup into blender. Add heavy cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend for 2 minutes.

Cranberry Relish

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 1 date
• 1 orange
• 1 small piece of ginger (optional)
• 2 Tbsp of agave syrup

Using the citrus press, extract juice from the orange. Reserve. If you use ginger, grate it. Add the chopping blade to the food processor and add the cranberries, date, orange juice, (ginger if using) and agave syrup. Pulse until just incorporated.

Chocolate Mousse

 Ingredients

• 4 tsp butter
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 7 egg whites
• 6.5 ounces dark chocolate

Melt the butter and chocolate in bowl,keeping the temperature between 60º and 70ºC.  This should take under 6 minutes. Pour into bowl and set aside. Attach the Power Whisk to clean bowl, and add the sugar and egg whites. Whisk on max speed until it forms stiff peaks. Using the fold function, gradually add the melted chocolate and butter. Don’t mix too hard or you’ll knock the air out of the mixture. Pour into small glasses or chocolate dessert cups. Chill for 4 hours.

 Cranberry Apple & Walnut Risotto

Ingredients

• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 2.5 cups vegetable stock
• 2.5 white wine
• ½ white onion
• 2-3 gloves garlic
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup walnuts
• 2 apples (Sandra likes Golden Delicious or McIntosh)
• 2 green onions
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• ½ tsp chili powder
• Sea salt
• Fresh black pepper
• Olive oil

Using the Mini Chopper Mill, chop the walnut coarsely.

Peel apples and pulse in food processor into medium sized pieces.  Set aside. Thinly slice the green onions in food processor and set aside. Chop garlic and half an onion.

 Add the Flexi Beater to bowl. Warm up bowl and season with a drizzle of olive oil. Set the temperature between 70º and 80ºC.

After 3 minutes, add onion and garlic. Let cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Add rice and cook for one minute before adding wine.

Increase the temperature to 120ºC. Adjust the timer for 24 minutes, and set the machine to stir.

When liquid is absorbed, add in one cup at a time of the vegetable stock. Use the splash guard to retain heat.

When the timer gets to 17 minutes, add cranberries and walnuts, and set mixing speed to 1. At 14 minutes, add apple. In the last 5 minutes, add butter, Parmesan, green onions, chili powder, sea salt and black pepper.

Love having all the appliances function from one hub

 

 

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Kenwood Cooking Chef now available in the U.S.

REPOST: Artichoke and Parmesan Soup from Patricia Wells

One cup, many views

Consumers are favouring simple to use one-cup coffee makers over more conventional makers, such as this vacuum model from Bodum

My faithful readers (that would be my kids, my husband and Bill Chow, who helps run the bench on my son’s hockey team and may just be my biggest fan), know how I feel about one-cup coffee makers. I think the plastic pods are wasteful (yes, yes, I know you can recycle some of them, but really, reduce comes before recycle, remember?), that they make dreadful tea** and that the beverage doesn’t stay hot for as long as conventional coffee makers. Which is why, btw, I sometimes heat the milk and or the cup when I test single serve makers.

 

The hordes, however, appear not to be with me on this one, as one-cup coffee makers, last time I checked, were the fastest growing segment of the coffee appliance category. I have to admit  too, that when the Man of the House (MOTH) took the pretty little Tassimo we tested to the staff room at his school, it was a smash hit. Teachers loved having fresh, hot coffee without a trip off the grounds, and MOTH said many were delighted by the discs that gave them a “latte”.

In fairness, I must also add that there are now companies
selling compostable single-serve coffee. Take Oakville-based Reunion Island. It boasts other sustainable practices — harvesting only from farms certified as green and fair, investing in local economic development in countries like Nicaragua and Tanzania, and partnering with organizations like Coffee Kids. Coffee is roasted at a local facility powered entirely by renewable Bullfrog Power. They also have some great recipes for cooking with coffee — Espresso Bourbon Caramel Sauce, anyone?

Reunion Island has teamed with Bunn, whose first made-for-home coffee maker works with pods. You can buy both the coffee and the maker at the website. That sounds a lot better. But I’m still not drinking the tea.

So it’s not news that lots of folks like these one-cups. What is news is that it manufacturers are now trying to differentiate themselves by creating signature blends — sometimes in partnership with brands with lots of heft.

Tassimo, for example, is promoting exclusive Tim Horton’s coffee disks. They’ve also launched a sweet holiday contest — inviting Canadians to nominate a “Tim” (or Tina, or Tom or Uncle Ted) they would like to reunite with for the holidays. Nice. Check it out on Facebook 

Nespresso has a sexy new machine, called the U, which has a lovely, tiny footprint and is super-easy to use. As per usual, it’s small and cute, but my complaints still stand (see above). New flavours from Nespresso include Hawaii Kona, which is grown on the side of volcanoes on Hawaii. In coffee geek terms, it’s fruity, subtle, nutty and silky. I’m not generally a fan of flavoured coffees, but I do make the odd exception – especially at this time of year, when I might mix it with hot chocolate for a sweet treat. So I did enjoy  Nespresso's naturally flavoured Coconut, Hazelnut and Macadamia nut. Very nicely flavoured.

Speaking of sexy, Nespresso just nabbed Penelope Cruz as the face of its marketing campaign in North America. Watch for her in an ad campaign that launches nationally in Canada on Dec. 3rd.

 

 

 

Penelope Cruz and I agree to disagree on one-cup coffee makers.

 

 

My fave way to make just once cup of coffee? A French press, preferably from Bodum.

** If you love tea, you need to visit the House of Tea, preferably in person. If that won’t work, check it out online 

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Who has great BBQ tips? Naz haz.

BBQ Naz says it's all about the prep, baby

Barbequing is supposed to epitomize easy summertime living. So why do so many home cooks approach with a touch of trepidation? Weber's grilling expert Naz Cavallaro (AKA BBQ Naz) has a few suggestions for grilling without groaning.

First of all, says Naz, preparation is key. "Get it all ready before. Chefs call that mise en place – putting everything in place. If you’re doing skewers, do them beforehand. Prep the veggies and have it all ready to go.”

Good prep takes food safety into account, he adds. “People overlook it. You need to keep your proteins in a shaded area and on ice until you are ready to cook them. Don’t cook it all at once and let it sit on the table for too long – it’s better to grill some, have people eat it and throw more on as you need it."

 As with any kind of cooking, timing is everything, says Naz. “Time your cooking, and don’t get sidetracked and start chatting too much. It’s easy when you’ve had some practice. You could, say, start with sausages and then move them up to the warming rack before cooking chicken. When the chicken is almost done you can tent it and throw on the next item.”

The only situation in which a little inattention is appropriate is when you are cooking something low and slow. “Every time you open your grill, it takes 20 minutes to get temperature back up. Leave it!”

Chef Tom to the rescue with summer menu ideas

One of my bestie foodie friends - Chef Tom

Chef Tom Filippou, executive chef for President’s Choice Cooking Schools  thinks busy home cooks often need a little inspiration for putting together menus for summertime suppers with friends and family. So he and his team have come up with some easy–to-assemble suggestions using, naturally, the President’s Choice product line, which seems to be growing ever bigger, and ever better.

One zesty suggestion - pair Jalapeno cheese burgers with Corn Relish on Round Pretzel Buns, with a side salad dressed with Avocado Dressing, Lime and Jalapeno. Or top a chicken burger with the Zucchini Relish and Monterey Jack with Jalapeno Pepper mini cheese slices. I also like the Sofrito, which is, typically a mix of flavour-rich ingredients indigenous to various regions. PC’s entry is tomato-based with onions, green, red and jalapeño peppers with notes of cilantro, garlic and lemon. It makes for a great burger dressing, but also works with cheese on crusty bread for a vegetarian option, or as a zingy compliment to perfectly scrambled eggs.

They also have a few dozen suggestions on the website for topping their mini burgers and sausages.

I think sandwiches make great summer fare, and Chef Tom agrees. That’s why he suggests putting a little bit extra on the grill to be used for sandwiches the next day. Think about pulled pork, or hot Italian sausages, made with the new PC baguettes. Add roasted pepper or eggplant, portebello mushrooms, sliced raw red onion or caramelized onions.

I happen to like the red pepper rounds buns with almost anything, but especially with fresh LOCAL tomatoes and crisp lettuce, and Formaggio di Bufala Fresh Soft Cheese. For a fun side to a bun-less burger, try roasted beets, sliced very thin and served with toasted walnuts, goat cheese and a drizzle of flavoured olive oil. The magnificent Lucy Waverman turned me on to serving these with chive oil (combine ½ cup chives with ½ cup chives and 2 tablespoons chopped green onion. Bring to a simmer and then sit for 2 hours. Strain).

An easy way to serve an elegant dessert is to pile ice cream — say, the Loads of White Chocolately Raspberry Treats — into a waffle bowl and heap it high with fresh LOCAL raspberries. Peanut butter and jam ice cream, is pretty delish with fresh cherries, imho -  I keep a bag of mixed frozen berries in the freezer for the times I run out of fresh, LOCAL (I think I've made my point, no?) seasonal fruit. You could also dress a Dulce de Leche cheesecake with fruit and/or toasted nuts which you would serve, of course, in very skinny slices.

I'd like to know what you're smoking...

Weber's Fireside kits lets users find their faves

Smoking is in. That is, as in cooking foods slowly over low heat using various types of wood, not as in inhaling toxic chemicals that lead to a slow and painful death. Experts tell me that tastes in wood chips are as subjective as tastes in wine. For example, i hate Chardonnay and I don't care who knows it. If you want to experiement with smoking on the barbie, but aren't sure which kind of chips to use, try it out, consider picking up one of Weber’s Trial smoker kits, with four trays with hickory, cherry, apple, and  beech chips ($13) or  a six-pack of  mesquite, cherry,  apple, hickory, and  pecan, and beech  ($18) In Toronto, you can find them at Deer Park,  Dickson and  Sunnybrook Home Hardware stores, www.homehardware.ca, Sobies BBQ , Ontario Gas Barbeque , The Sign of the Skier  or online at  Weber. Never used chips before and don't have a smoker? Here's an easy how-to from Canadian Living.

 

Perfect for beach picnics, park or porch parties

Famously laid-back Vancouverites are not letting a cool and rainy start to summer diminish their enthusiasm for outdoor recreation and entertaining. In fact, says Fiona Wilson, who works at one of the Home Depots in the city, portable grills that folks can easily take to the beach or the park are big sellers this year. Those include Weber’s Q series. (Shown below at right.)

Speaking of portable, Canadian Tire has a sweet little portable propane grill/oven from Coleman that looks like it would be just the thing for gourmet campers who want to eat mroe than weiners and smores (although there's nothing wrong with that menu, imho).  It has two 6,000 BTU stove burners and a 3,000 BTU oven that will fit a 12-inch pizza, and which will run for about 90 minutes on high. Windscreens shield the grill from gusts.

The Quattro from Stok  (shown below) is also drawing attention from folks who “like toys”, says Reid, as it has special pull-out grills in which pizza stones, veggie baskets and other accessories can be inserted. Full discolsure - I have one of these and like it a lot - mostly because I can cook the entire meal on it including, if I do say so myself, a great little appetizer pizza with tomato, goat cheese and basil-infused olive oil. Served with rose wine, natch.

 

 

Hamilton Beach gets its grill on

 

 

Small appliance maker Hamilton Beach has ventured into the BBQ category, with two new grills that are available exclusively at Sears. The five burner Grillstation has  598 square inches of cooking surface, with four main burners (10,000 BTUs, or British Thermal Units) and one side burner with 13,000 BTUs. The three-burner model has three 11,000 BTU burners. Both (shown above) have rotisserie functions. Grates are cast iron coated in porcelain. It also features an extra large temperature gauge that displays temps for cooking zones, and interchanegable trays and baskets.  It's all designed to enable consumers to customize the culinary experience, which HB has identified as a significant foodie trend this year.Prices start at  about $400.

 

Everything you always wanted to know about — raising chickens?

Raising chickens in the backyard probably isn’t the top item on your to-do list. But that doesn’t mean a quaint little book about how to do so isn’t a terrific read.

In municipalities that allow small-scale residential farming of chickens, the slim copy of Minnie Rose Lovgreen’s Recipe for Raising Chickens that recently crossed my desk will have definite educational value. But for the average cityslicker, it will be Lovgreen’s oddly compelling, down-to-earth voice that’s the real appeal of this book —without a doubt the most delightful and engaging piece of writing I’ve read in a very long time.

Lovgreen probably never thought of herself as a fascinating person. But consider her life story. Born in 1888 in England, Lovgreen was the eighth of nineteen children. In 1912, she and her brother decided to set off for Canada on a ship called the Titanic. But Lovgreen got bored waiting for the ship to be sail-ready, and hopped instead onboard another Montreal-bound ship. Those details alone were enough to make me place my order for Lovgreen’s other book, As Far As I Can Remember; Minnie Rose’s Story, also available at Trillium Press. 

By 1920, Lovgreen had made her way to Washington State, where she met and married Danish-born Leo Lovgreen.  They worked together for 30 years, creating a 170-acre dairy farm, where Lovgreen also learned all about rising chickens. After some 60 years, she decided to collect her wisdom in a simple, hand-lettered 31-page booklet, which was illustrated by Elizabeth Hutchison Zwick.

If you do want to raise chickens the old-fashioned way, this is probably an excellent primer. If not, it’s full of wonderful insights from Lovgreen, and delightful gems of wisdom, such as:

You’re much better off with a broody hen, even if you have to borrow one.

One or two white eggs in a box bring out the value of the brown ones… they look real pretty.

If two roosters get fighting hard, the only way I can do (sic) is to take a board and slap one of them in the face.

A quick read, this is the perfect book for the cottage — as bedside reading or, in a comfy chair in the shade.  But while it’s tempting to characterize it as charming anachronism, it’s worth remembering that Lovgreen lived in a time and place when connections to the land, and to the food chain that sustains us, were much stronger and more visible.

Lovgreen and her husband probably got just about everything they needed to survive from the land, or the local community. When I compare that with the fact that my husband, who’s an elementary school teacher, regularly encounters kids who don’t realize that apples come from a tree, I worry about what we’ve lost by becoming increasingly removed from the realities of food production. Makes you wonder about the nature of our progress, doesn’t it?

And if you read and enjoy this book, you must look for a copy of Betty MacDonald’s The Egg and I, about a young newlywed— also in Washington State ­ — who finds out that her husband has plans to start a chicken farm. The book was made into a sweet and funny little movie of the same name, released in 1947, and starring Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray.