Spring fling

I baked this week....twice!  Unusual I know...the first episode was for a work potluck (yes, another one - two last week, and another one tomorrow!). I tried Ina Garten's (The Barefoot Contessa) Lemon Yogurt Cake. Unfortunately, I neglected to take any photos of my final product, but never you mind, I will be making this puppy again! I'm a big fan of lemon flavoured anything, and this cake was loaded with sweet  (but not too sweet) lemony goodness.  The only change I made was cutting the amount of oil to 1/4 cup (thanks for the tip Dara!). Trust me, it was SO moist. It was also a tremendous pot luck success, so much so that I've been pre-signed-up to make this cake again at the next potluck. Try it ok!?

My baking extravaganza continued with a somewhat yummy Rhubarb Walnut Loaf.

It probably won't be back for a repeat performance, but I think I made good use of my local, seasonal rhubarb from the Wanigan delivery. Rory and my dietitian coworkers gobbled it up!  I used a Canadian Living Recipe as inspiration.  Maybe I should stop using baking recipes as 'inspiration' and just flipping follow them eh?  I feel like a substitution addict when it comes to baking...but the first step is knowing I have a problem right?

The one part of the recipe I did follow was for the topping - butter, sugar, and cinammon - after spending almost an hour in the oven, it was like caramel topped rhubarb loaf.  I can see myself using this topping for many a cake in the future.

Maple Mustard Chicken, Sauteed Fiddle Heads and Quinoa

A simple healthy meal. Looks a little boring I admit...should have styled the plate a little better! The quinoa was prepared as per the package instructions (and I used my leftovers for hot ceral in the morning with milk, honey and strawberries!).  The chicken was topped with a quick little sauce, and baked at 350F for 20 minutes, brushing a couple of times while baking with extra sauce.  Fiddleheads were sauteed in butter for about 10 minutes, and sprinkled with s&p. 

Overall, an o.k. meal - the chicken was moist and flavourful., the fiddleheads were a little undercooked, and the quinoa was simple.

I LOVE fiddleheads, but the ones I got with my delivery were not very fresh.  It didn't help that I undercooked them either. If you like asparagus, you would probably like fiddleheads, and you can cook them the same way.  My preference is steaming for 7-9 minutes.

Maple Mustard Sauce

- 1.5 Tbsp of maple syrup

- 1 Tbsp lime juice (fresh lime juice is better - this was leftover from a recent margarita party :) )

- 1.5 tsp dijon mustard (any mustard will do)

- a pinch of cayenne pepper

Burger Night!

We had some PC Angus burgers left over from a bbq a few weeks back.  I don't love hamburgers all that much, in fact I prefer a hotdog to a hamburger any day, but I do occasionally have a craving.  We served ours with local Wanigan tomatoes, and a side 'salad' of blanched brocolli and asaparagus (both Wanigan), tossed in a red wine vinaigrette. 

sooo pretty.  The 'salad' was o.k.  Broccoli hangs on to a lot of water when it's blanched (boiled for 90 seconds), which diluted the flavourful vinaigrette a little.

Simple Egg Salad - using the perfect hard boiled egg.

Ok folks, here is a recipe for the perfect hard boiled egg. Follow these instructions exactly: 

- Cover your eggs in a sauce pan with cold water

- Bring water to a boil over high heat

- As soon as the water starts boiling, remove the pan from the heat, cover with a tight fitting lid, and set your timer for exactly 10 minutes

- Run cold water over the eggs for a minute to halt the cooking process

- Peel and enjoy!

- Use them for egg salad, deviled eggs (my FAVE!) or cobb salad

TIP: don't use super duper fresh eggs if you want to be able to peel them.  An egg with a little maturity under it's belt will shrink slightly in it's shell, allowing for easier peeling.

You want eggs that look like this....

For the love of god stop overcooking hardboiled eggs! Have you ever a notice a grey film that surrounds your hard boiled egg's yolk? It means you've overcooked the poor little thing!

My egg salad sandwich is simple...2 eggs, 1 stalk celery (Wanigan), 1 Tbsp Miracle Whip, a few grinds of fresh black pepper and 2 slices whole grain bread.

Here's a shot of my latest delivery.  I have to say, I have not been impressed with the quality of the produce.  Again, I received lettuce that was already browing and was completely wilted within 24 hours in the crisper.  The asparagus was dry (as in not picked recently), and many of the fiddleheads were flacid, and I had to throw some of them out.  The fruit has been consistently tasty, but for the second time, three of the bananas were so bruised I had to toss them.  Wanigan's got one more chance to make me a believer :)

This weekend, I'm headed to Vegas baby!!!!  I'm looking forward to some superb meals and will try to remember and document them!  Have a wonderful first long weekend of the 'summer'!!!!