Nuts !!!

Literally... and figuratively .....

When a recipe says roast nuts in a 350F oven for 15 minutes...and alarm bells go off??.... listen to your alarms!

This is where the first batch ended up...

If it looks like a garbage can... that's because it is.

Walnut halves are like gold.  A big bag was $14.99....on sale.  Oooooooooohhh.... that burns me almost as much as it did the darn nuts.

I was going along so well too.... this is how amazing they were just after I added a splash of my real Quebec Maple Syrup from a friend of a relative.... just brought all the way across the country.  Wasted Maple Syrup is an absolute crime!!  Anybody who has ever had the real thing will tell you that. Then...a generous grinding of lovely black pepper.  These are spicy glazed nuts. Mmmm... well, they would have been mmmm...

... but, then... the recipe called for putting them in the oven.  So.. I set my timer for 12 minutes..not even the required 15... but... too late..... they were already past tasting burned when I grabbed for the baking sheet.  There were some "french words" as somebody used to say..... who was that now?  I forget.  Anyway.....it was disheartening to say the least because it was just the beginning of my plan for an amazing salad for supper.

Onward.... second batch.  Never quit when you are behind.

You can bet your bottom hard earned dollar that I was watching like a hawk this time around..... my eyes were glued to that oven.  Don't even walk out of the kitchen.... cuz you know how fast nuts can be ruined!

Ahhhhhh.... that's more like it.  I had the oven at just over 300F this time...and it only took about 6 to 8 minutes really.... ....

Then....I poached my lovely pear.  In wine and cinnamon infused syrup....

It was a thing of beauty.... well....to my eyes at least it was.  It stayed firm... soaked up the wonderful flavours...and was absolutely the nicest pear I have ever seen or eaten.  Including the creation by the chef at the restaurant where I first had this salad... and now... I've copied it to the best of my recollection.

Pear and Goat Cheese Salad with Glazed Walnuts......

I used some peppered goat cheese and instead of just crumbling on the bits...I wanted to figure out a way to cut the soft cheese into rounds.  Looked on Google...and found a few suggestions.  Love Google.

Dental floss.  Yep.  You can saw it across it if you like...as in the video I saw... but, if you just lay it under the roll of cheese...then draw up each side of the floss and cross them over each other...it slices straight through the cheese as easy as can be.   Even very thin slices come away so cleanly it is amazing. I did put the cheese roll in the freezer for just a few minutes (watch that too... you don't want to ruin a lovely little log of cheese) .. so that I could cut away the packaging without damaging the roll.  Why can't they make it easier to get the roll of cheese neatly out of the packaging material?

A vinaigrette with a few tablespoons of the poaching syrup finished it off. YUM....

Take that Chef Kevin....

Chocolate Cake in a Ramekin

Yesterday Mr. BV was searching around the kitchen... hoping for some tasty morsel.  But...the eggnog cookies were all gone... no biscotti in the jar and even the freezer was bereft of muffins.  I felt sorry for him....so while he watched a period of hockey I whipped up a little chocolate goody.  He was totally surprised and it was fun to see the smile....

Originally it was called 5 Minute Chocolate Cake. ...and, it's usually made in a mug in the microwave.  But, when another blogger made it she changed things a bit... using butter instead of oil and also, divvy-ed it up between 2 ramekins and baked in the oven instead of the microwave.  Much better.  It's just like real cake when baked...not the rubbery microwave version.

I'm giving you the original recipe......but you, too, can change it up anyway you like.  Next time I think I'll even add some toasted nuts.  A person could really go crazy and toss in a caramel chocolate and have some gooey goodness in the middle.  It's such a cute little taste of yummy cake ... and, who really needs a huge cake when just a few mouthfuls will do the trick when you just HAFTA have some chocolate?

These are a bit deeper ramekins that I needed...but, I just bought these new little chocolate coloured babies and wanted to use them.  I have a "thing" for ramekins....I have a drawer full of them.  All sizes, shapes and colours..... love the little guys!

5 Minute Chocolate Cake In A Mug

4  TBSP flour
4  TBSP sugar
2  TBSP cocoa
1  egg
3  TBSP milk
3  TBSP oil  (I used melted butter)
3  TBSP chocolate chips (optional..I used less)
small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (MICRO wave safe!)

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well.  Add the egg and mix thoroughly.  Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.  Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.  The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!  Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.  Makes 1-2 servings.

OPTION::  I smeared a bit of butter in two ramekins (they do tip out easier if you want to serve them on a plate... perhaps with a spoonful of ice cream?) and divided the mixture between the two of them.  I also substituted butter for the oil.  Bake in the oven at 350F (180C).. for about 20 to 25 minutes.  Watch them carefully... don't want to burn chocolate!  The tops will begin to crack when nearly done...and I just checked with a toothpick at about 18 minutes..... when it comes out clean...they are done.   Unless you happen to put the pick into a chocolate chip or morsel...then just check in another spot... and enjoy!

Ranch bread...

I got the recipe from Carson's 7MSN Ranch... so I'm calling it Ranch Bread when I write up the very simple recipe.

She blogged about it here ...and here . I made some the other day along with several of her followers.  I kind of snickered when some of them mentioned making mistakes...because really, it is so simple, who could do that? Check there for the actual ingredients and measurements as well as her "how to"...

Well...I made a little boo boo too that could have been soooo much worse than it was. Thankfully I like to watch any of my breads for the first few minutes.  You know ...just because it's such fun to see how it begins to rise immediately.  Thank goodness I did peek in there... because I left plastic wrap on the dough!!  Aacckkk!!. what a stupid thing to do!

I whipped open the oven door and tore off the wrap... taking some dough with it and leaving a few little peaks on top of one loaf.  Who cares?  I was just happy it didn't melt totally and burn and make a helluva mess.  The oven was at 425 F....methinks it soon would've been a major disaster.

This bread is an easy no knead loaf... and like all good rustic, artisan loaves ..has lots of lovely air pockets.... it's supposed to.

One day....mix up the ingredients.... cover it with that dreaded plastic wrap...and leave it for about 18 - 24 hours on your counter top.  I was a bit worried that perhaps my bowl was a bit small..but, no..it stopped at a few inches from the top.

next day it looks like this..... lots of tiny air bubbles... and quite sticky...

Gently scrape it out of the bowl onto a well floured surface... and, as Linda says... lift it skyward with a spatula a few times.  Gently form it into a loaf with hands well floured... or two smaller ones...and let it rest while the oven is heating.  Here was where I caused my own problem...I put that stupid plastic wrap back on top of my loaves while they were resting, and then... didn't even notice it and slid the loaves into the oven.  DON'T DO THAT.
As Mr. BV said...why didn't you use a tea towel like you do all the other times with bread? At least you would have noticed that.
D'uuhhh .... who knows? ...

See my little spiky thingies? ... caused from ripping off the plastic wrap.

Here's the perfect one.

and.... even more perfect hot with butter melting on a slice.... MMMMMMMMM......

Easy Stuffed Peppers

I had some leftover rice...a mix of white, brown and wild... two leftover chicken thighs...and...

I spied a red pepper in the crisper.

Okay then...stuffed peppers it is.

Gently saute some finely diced carrots.  I like to do them in a bit of butter to give them flavour.   As soon as they begin to soften... add onions, celery and anything else you like to add to your mix to make it interesting.  This day I had some broccoli and I like to chop the stems into any dish to give us more veggies... so, in went a bit of broccoli stem.  I don't leave the vegetables too long as I like mine a bit crunchy.  Adjust your own cooking time as you like.  All of this should go very quickly.

Just before I added the rice, I minced a clove of garlic and stirred that in as well.  I don't like to leave my garlic to cook too long either .. or worse, to burn ... it gets bitter tasting then.....

Add the leftover rice immediately ... stir it all together well and drizzle on some Sesame Oil...it imparts a wonderful flavour and I love the aroma...you don't need much... just enough to make it tantalizing.  I added some broccoli tops (sometimes I add peas or beans) and tossed in the chopped chicken, a few chunks of pepper, a crushed chili pepper and a spoonful of tinned tomatoes.  Stir and leave just a bit longer to warm it all through.

Cut pepper in half... rub oil along the cut edges with a finger to prevent drying out and burning.  Mound the rice mixture into the pepper halves... smear a bit of oil on bottom of baking pan and place pepper halves into it.

Bake at about 350 for 20 to 25 minutes....

If you like... sprinkle on some grated cheddar and mozzarella at the end of 20 minutes or so.. bake a bit longer...then turn oven to broil and bronze the top.  Beautiful.
Mm..... whoops... no photo of the completed dish!  Acckkk!!  It looked so wonderful too...but, we got carried away admiring and eating .. and can't believe I didn't think to capture it for posterity!  Maybe next time.   This weekend.... cabbage rolls.......

I've been abroad....

..... ahahha.... oh, yerh...... sure I have.

Just messing with your head. Of course I'm fibbing.  It was just summertime.  All I could manage was one blog and some golf and gardening and playing about.... we don't have long summers up here.... so we make the most of it.

The fall has actally been better than some of the summer months...it is beautiful, warm, dry and we are having lovely blue sky days.  If I hadn't had surgery on my wrist I would have got in a great last month of golf.  The courses are closed now for the winter months... somehow I have to keep in shape to be able to swing a club by spring... but that is easier said than done with a foot that is now bad.... sigh.. it's been a few bad weeks...

This is what happened to my baking prior to the wrist surgery...

Even with greasing and flouring the pans... disaster!

The only good thing was... it tasted very yummy...

Italian Plum Loaf.  You may remember it from last year.  Only enough plums for two loaves and this had to happen.  Darn it.

But... this is already in the stores...

Oh....sorry.....

Here's the English version....

And... here's the perfect bottom of a perfect Eggnog Loaf !!

Aren't glass loaf pans wonderful?!  I'm saving the others for bread.  They seem to do bread loaves just fine....

Bread doesn't stick... why on earth did the plum loaves do so poorly I wonder...