Cake, Coffee Morning, Spanish,

The other night I scanned and emailed a document for a friend in the building and she gave me a piece of carrot cake as a reward. We had a taste that night and finished it Tuesday night for supper. I christened it Poison Cake. It was absolutely delicious and just the kind of cake I should stay well away from. I could feel the inches piling on as I ate it.

Been a pretty quiet day today, sunny weather but of course fairy cold although maybe not that cold for this time of the year. I was told it was 8°C which isn't too bad. Or as I said to ladydog, a balmy summer's day. I did my Spanish this afternoon, I am beginning to get beyond stuff  that I learned some 50 years ago. Now my brain is really working overtime.

Well, being Wednesday, I am supposed to meet some or all of the Alzheimer Group, but as I haven't had any kind of reply from any of them, I guess I could be sipping coffee all alone. I am a little annoyed that nobody has bothered to reply. If something doesn't happen I will abandon the whole thing.

Amongst the many hundreds of recipes I am getting for Thanksgiving, this is a simple little appetizer or hors d'oeuvres.

Goat Cheese-Stuffed Roasted Figs

Simple, sweet, and totally indulgent, these figs will be the talk of your party... even though they will

be the easiest appetizer to make!

12 figs
Goat Cheese
Warmed honey

1. Quarter 12 figs, cutting three-quarters of the way down. Stuff the figs with goat cheese. Roast in an oiled pan at 425° for 12 minutes, until softened. Serve drizzled with warmed honey.

Yield: 12 figs

Source: Food and Wine

Have a great day
 

Shopping, Turkey, Dry Aging,

Busy day, went shopping first of all and spent a lot of money, some of which was for Christmas. Actually, although my bill totalled over $200, I had 50,000 points so got $50 knocked off the bill and then earned 26,000 more points. I love this point system. I have been looking at turkeys and was talking to a local market about fresh ones, they are somewhat expensive, but when I looked at the ones in the grocery store today, they were not cheap either and one had a choice of a Butterball which has synthetic basting in it, or a two stuffing turkey which could be stuffed with who knows what. So when I got home I ordered the more expensive fresh turkey. I had never been on the website for the market store, called Victoria Street Market, and when I did I was amazed to find that they do dry aged  meats. We have been buying the odd thing from them for a while, particularly sausages, but now I am going to try their beef. It will be expensive, but better than Matt throwing stuff away because he says it's too tough. The picture shows their dry aging room which is visible from the store.

I have been searching for a Carrot Cake recipe for ever. It was first published in the LCBO (lquor board) magazine Food and Drink but I didn't know when. I did know I had blogged about it once many years ago. I even asked the LCBO if they could find the recipe. However, I was looking for straight carrot cake - it turned out the title was actually Honey Butter Carrot Cake with Toasted Pecans and Citrus Cream Cheese Icing. which explains why I couldn't find it. The picture of the cake was on the cover of that issue of Food and Drink but the picture they have that I can find online, only shows a slice of the cake. I am hoping they can provide me with the cover picture.

When we got home, the bug man had been for the ants. Couldn't see anything. Eventually I found

little bubbles of something all round the apartment. Clear liquid but obviously thicker than water. Not touched it though. Hope it works. Not my hand, but I wanted to show you how tiny these things are. I am not even sure the ones in the picture aren't bigger than ours. I gather they are sugar ants, but, in that case, why the heck are they in the bathroom?

After lunch I was too knackered to go to exercise class so we hung around until it was time to go get my CPAP machine replaced. That didn't take very long at all. The rest of the afternoon we just relaxed. Forgot, picked up The Santa Clause, one of my favourite Christmas movies. Watched it in the evening and Matt said he couldn't understand why I liked it so much. Not sure whether he is a Scrooge or a Grinch. Tomorrow we are joining the Travel League for lunch and then bowling. First time for a while. Not joined them for a couple of months.

Being Christmas time I thought a nice easy dessert might be useful. I love Tiramisu and this looks like a pretty good substitute.

Brownie Tiramisu

Coffee, raspberries and sweet cream cheese take brownies to an even yummier level in this easy-to-

make tiramisu.

6 brownie squares (2-1/4 inch)
1/4 cup brewed strong MAXWELL HOUSE Coffee, cooled
4 oz (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups milk
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided

1. Cut brownies into bite-size pieces; place in 6 dessert dishes. Drizzle with coffee.

2. Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in milk. Add dry pudding mix; beat on low speed 2 min. Add 1/2 cup COOL WHIP; mix well. Spoon over brownies.

3. Top with remaining COOL WHIP, berries and grated chocolate.

Servings: 6

Source: Kraft

Have a great day

Balconies. Bowling, Desserts,

Not a lot happening today. They have finished building the scaffolding, but I still have no idea how and what they are going to do with it.

Bowling was somewhat disappointing, but what else is new, it's a league day. I got one reasonable score. So did Matt. We started late because there were school parties taking place. Matt and I got to the alley whilst they were still bowling both downstairs and up. What a noise. Don't know how the owners can stand it. Maybe they hear the sound of chinking dollars I guess. Would drive me bonkers.

After that we went to the store for a couple of things Matt couldn't get this morning and I decided to buy a proper carrot cake. Haven't had any for a while. We cut it and put it in the freezer. I don't really know why I don't try and make one. I might have some trouble avoiding it of course. As it is, I will allow myself one piece a week, on Saturday. Matt's favourite is Cheesecake, perfectly plain with nothing on it at all. So I bought one of those too. Roll on Saturday. No idea what we are going to have first mind you. I have a recipe I would like to try with steak and asparagus, maybe that's what I'll do. Then share it of course.

So, not a very exciting day.

I have never actually tried this recipe, I guess, as I have been posting it every year for a while, I should do so. I must confess that grilled asparagus is not my first choice, much prefer it boiled or steamed.

Grilled Asparagus with Pepper Zabaglione

3 large egg yolks
1 large egg
3 Tbs vin santo or other lightly sweet dessert wine
2 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
1 Tbs heavy cream
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
Kosher salt
2 lbs large asparagus
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbs freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Light a grill or heat a grill pan. In a heatproof medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the egg and vin santo. Set the bowl over a medium saucepan of simmering water and vigorously whisk the eggs over moderate heat until the sauce holds firm peaks, about 5 minutes. Remove the bowl of sauce from the heat.

2. In a small bowl, mix the butter with the heavy cream and pepper. Whisk the cream mixture into the sauce, 1 tablespoon at a time, until incorporated. Season the zabaglione with salt and keep warm.

3. In a large bowl, toss the asparagus with the olive oil and season with salt. Grill the asparagus over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until charred all over and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer the asparagus to plates.

4. Set the bowl of sauce over the saucepan of simmering water and whisk over low heat until thick and just heated through, about 1 minute. Spoon the sauce over the asparagus, sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve.

Servings: 6

Author: Mario Batali


Have a great day
 

December, Carrot Cake, Rent Cheques.

Well here we are, the last month of the year. All of you Americans having been stuffing yourselves stupid for the Thanksgiving holiday whilst here in Canada we have been bombarded by ads for Black Friday sales and now Cyber Monday ones. How can a sale denominated by a day last all week? I did take advantage at Amazon.ca though, bought 12 Years a Slave for $7. Not a bad price.

We indulged slightly on Saturday, eating a slice of my much touted carrot cake. Maybe I should have tried it in the restaurant first (if it was available) we were very disappointed. The cake part was excellent but I DO NOT buy a carrot cake for the cake. The frosting was very mediocre. Considering how good their mincemeat tarts are, I am very surprised. It looked so good too. I am toying with the idea of making some more frosting to put on it. Theirs was very bland and very uninteresting.

One thing I got round to doing was printing our 12 rent cheques. We have an old fashioned realtor company who don’t do business by direct deposit etc. so we have to write cheques. I have always done 12 at a time but got fed up with writing them by hand so a few years ago I ordered cheques for my programme (Quicken) which makes it a lot easier. I have had a bit of trouble over the years getting them to print quite right, but this year I was more successful. Considering I only do it once a year, I don’t get much practice. It’s not as easy as one might think. All my Christmas cards have been mailed with the exception of those for Canada so I am feeling pretty well organised right now.

Particularly for my Mexican dragon friend, who has apparently never heard of a carrot cake, I thought I would publish a recipe today. Maybe this is the frosting I will use. This is voted one of the best recipes ever apparently.
 

Canada's Best Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Our most popular recipe ever! This moist carrot cake is welcome at birthdays, weddings, reunions and all special occasions.

By The Canadian Living Test Kitchen
Portion size18
 

Ingredients

• 2 cups 2cups(500 mL) (500 mL) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp 2tsp(10 mL) (10 mL) baking powder
• 2 tsp 2tsp(10 mL) (10 mL) cinnamon
• 1 tsp 1tsp(5 mL) (5 mL) baking soda
• 3/4 tsp 3/4tsp(4 mL) (4 mL) salt
• 1/2 tsp 1/2tsp(2 mL) (2 mL) nutmeg
• 3/4 cup 3/4cup(175 mL) (175 mL) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup 3/4cup(175 mL) (175 mL) packed brown sugar
• 3 3eggeggs
• 3/4 cup 3/4cup(175 mL) (175 mL) vegetable oil
• 1 tsp 1tsp(5 mL) (5 mL) vanilla
• 2 cups 2cups(500 mL) (500 mL) grated carrot
• 1 cup 1cup(250 mL) (250 mL) drained crushed canned pineapple
• 1/2 cup 1/2cup(125 mL) (125 mL) chopped pecans

Icing:

• 1 8 oz (250g) package 18 oz (250g) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup 1/4cup(60 mL) (60 mL) butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp 1/2tsp(2 mL) (2 mL) vanilla
• 1 cup 1cup(250 mL) (250 mL) icing sugar

 

Preparation

Grease and flour 13- x 9-inch (3.5 L) metal cake pan; set aside.
In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. In separate bowl, beat together granulated and brown sugars, eggs, oil and vanilla until smooth; pour over flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Stir in carrots, pineapple and pecans. Spread in prepared pan.
Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven for 40 minutes or until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Let cool in pan on rack. (Make-ahead: Cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days. Or ovenwrap with heavy duty foil and freeze for up to 2 weeks; let thaw before continuing.)
Icing: In bowl, beat cream cheese with butter until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Beat in icing sugar, one-third at a time, until smooth. Spread over top of cake. (Make-ahead: Cover loosely and refrigerate for up to I day.)

Have a great day. As it’s actually still Sunday whilst writing, I am off to have my Sunday fizz.

Our Wednesday, Travel League.

What an exhausting day we had yesterday, we had to be at training for Matt at 9 a.m. then we dashed back after a 2 1/2 hr. session and had a fairly quick lunch then headed off for my doctor’s appointment in Cambridge (next town) having told her, my doctor, my sad tale of woe, she sent me off for X-rays so, as I only really know a lab in Kitchener, we came home and first went to the lab for Matt’s blood test (they close at 3) and then on to get my X-rays. All done by about 3:30. I was now worrying because we didn’t have the cell phone and I had promised to visit a friend as it was her birthday. Finally got to call her from home and apologize for not dropping by. We had a quick, and early supper and off to another elections training session. We have now decided to swap jobs and Matt will be the Information Assistant (meeter and greeter) and I will be the Revision Assistant. Caused a bit of confusion, but we sorted it out in the end. Finally got home about 9 to collapse in heaps.

For those of you who might be taking part in the Provincial elections, by the way, you do NOT have to show photo i.d. this year – I think that’s ridiculous, but who am I?

Re the doctor, I had a bad fall a week or two ago and may have given myself spinal stenosis because I fell on my coccyx jarring my spine badly. I have major pain in my neck, back and shoulders. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Today its lunch at Benny’s in Waterloo and then the first bowling for our Travel League. This one takes place at our home bowling alley.

I am really annoyed with Amazon.com, we just bought their Kindle and now they have introduced a much better version as well as a cheaper version. Grrr. If you are interested, go to this page and you will find all their new Kindles  including the Kindle Fire which is apparently intended to compete with the iPad.

Carrot Cake

Source: © EatingWell Magazine

16 servings (by who’s count?)

An old favorite with an updated nutritional profile, but still as moist and delicious as ever.
INGREDIENTS

For the Cake:

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour (see Ingredient note)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk

1/2 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained, juice reserved

2 cups grated carrots (4-6 medium)

1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

For the Frosting:

2 tablespoons coconut chips or flaked coconut

12 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Ingredient Note:
Whole-wheat pastry flour is milled from soft wheat. It contains less gluten than regular whole-wheat flour and helps ensure a tender result in delicate baked goods while providing the nutritional benefits of whole grains. Available in large supermarkets and in natural-foods stores. Store in the freezer.

DIRECTIONS

To prepare cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Toast walnuts in a small baking pan in the oven until fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes.

Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, sugar, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and 1/4 cup of the reserved pineapple juice in a large bowl until blended. Stir in pineapple, carrots and coconut. Add the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until blended. Stir in the nuts. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly.

Bake the cake until the top springs back when touched lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

To prepare frosting & finish cake: Place coconut in a small baking pan and toast in the oven at 300 degrees F, stirring several times, until light golden, 5 to 10 minutes.

Beat cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with the coconut.

Have a great day

Funnies, Dinner.

A friend on Facebook posted a link to these amended signs which I think are funny and so I thought I would share them with you. Some people have a wonderful sense of humour and the Mail Online has collected a bunch of these signs. It brings to mind the time I was teaching in the Borstal in England (a Borstal was a young person’s prison) and I went to the ladies loo one day – the doors were the type which didn’t reach the floor. Someone had scratched on one “beware of limbo dancers”. I thought it was very funny.

We had friends over for dinner last night and served them Indian Spiced Cold Tomato Soup, I posted the recipe on July 25, followed by Pork Tenderloin “Rosa di Parma”, recipe on April 6. For dessert I bought a carrot cake from M & M Meats. I guess I should learn how to make carrot cakes, only trouble being, as usual, most of it would end up on my hips. Matt enjoys it, but not like I do. I should mention we served flat beans and baked potatoes with the pork. Something Europeans may not be aware of, North Americans tend to eat crackers with their soups, but what they do is crumble lots of crackers into the soup so, in effect, they end up with cracker soup. I think this is a bit of an insult to the chef. Of course I don’t serve crackers anyway so they don’t get a chance. Best I ever do is crusty bread.

I thought this was a fun dessert particularly in barbecue season. Something the kids could make.

Grilled Banana Split

Directions

Cut a small piece off the curved side of 4 unpeeled bananas so they'll sit level, then make a deep slit down the center of each through the peel; place on separate sheets of foil. Open the slits and brush the inside of each banana with melted butter, then sprinkle with sugar and 1 ounce chopped semisweet chocolate; fold up the foil. Grill the packets over high heat until the chocolate melts, 6 to 8 minutes (don't worry if the peel turns brown). Open the peels and top the bananas with ice cream, whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry.

Photograph by Kang Kim

Have a great weekend

H1N1, Books I'm Enjoying.

IF YOU ARE IN NORTH AMERICA DON'T FORGET YOUR CLOCKS TONIGHT We have now had our shots. Talking to the doctor, even she doesn't really know who should or should not have the shot. Basically she understands that people with chronic conditions need them, people working in the medical field, obviously, and children, but whether or not people over 65 need them, she cannot say and according to her, the advice changes almost day to day, so she has come down to "if you ask, you can get". Matt is in the 'don't really know' category as he doesn't have a chronic condition; he had one anyway. The warning is that one is likely to get a very sore arm, the secretary warned us and the doc confirmed it and asked if we were right or left handed, giving it to us in the opposite arm. It seemed to me that she was drawing fluid from three different bottles for this vaccination. Not being a pharmacist, I don't know what all three were. No doubt you will now hear me crying for a while because I have a sore arm. I haven't told you about the books I have been reading lately, through a newsletter I take, I got a recommendation for these books of Maria V. Snyder, the first one is Poison Study which I read and now Magic Study which I am half way through. I am really enjoying them. The first book is about a young woman in prison for murder who is given the opportunity to either be executed or become a food taster for the Commander of the country. Death by execution or death by poison. Her first job is to learn to recognise all the poisons - one of which is a real killer and not many survive. If you enjoy spec fic (there's lots of magic) you will enjoy these books. I am racing through them and have the third book on order from the library - Fire Study. I also see she has other books which I will check into next. Looking for cover art to show you, I find there are several different versions. I chose the one's I saw. I have also been reading, but not yet finished, Washington Square by Henry James. It is the book from which the play and movie, The Heiress, were adapted. It is slowish going as it was written in the 1800's and the prose is very flowery and not all that exciting to read although I am enjoying it more than I thought I would. The characters in the book are really not quite as portrayed in the play, it makes me want to be involved in producing the play again just to get it right. One of the other foods (chocolate and lobster being two) I will sell my soul for is Carrot Cake. I have already posted at least one recipe for a full on luscious cake, this recipe from Eating Well is a healthier version than usual, but I still don't think its that free of calories. I'm not too sure about 16 servings either, not in my house. Carrot Cake From EatingWell Carrots give carrot cake a health-halo effect—people think it's health food, but it's usually very high in fat and calories. But our version has about 40 percent less calories and 50 percent less fat than most. First, we use less oil in our batter. Then we skip the butter in the frosting (don't worry, it's still light and smooth). To ensure the cake is moist, we add nonfat buttermilk and crushed pineapple. 16 servings Ingredients Cake * 1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple * 2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour, (see Ingredient Note) * 2 teaspoons baking soda * 1/2 teaspoon salt * 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon * 3 large eggs * 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar * 3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk, (see Tip) * 1/2 cup canola oil * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract * 2 cups grated carrots, (4-6 medium) * 1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut * 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (see Tip) Frosting * 12 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, (Neufchâtel), softened * 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted * 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract * 2 tablespoons coconut chips, (see Ingredient Note) or flaked coconut, toasted Preparation 1. To prepare cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. 2. Drain pineapple in a sieve set over a bowl, pressing on the solids. Reserve the drained pineapple and 1/4 cup of the juice. 3. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, sugar, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and the 1/4 cup pineapple juice in a large bowl until blended. Stir in pineapple, carrots and 1/4 cup coconut. Add the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until blended. Stir in the nuts. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly. 4. Bake the cake until the top springs back when touched lightly and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. 5. To prepare frosting and finish cake: Beat cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with toasted coconut. Tips & Notes * Ingredient Notes: Whole-wheat pastry flour, lower in protein than regular whole-wheat flour, has less gluten-forming potential, making it a better choice for tender baked goods. You can find it in the natural-foods section of large super markets and natural-foods stores. Store in the freezer. * Large thin flakes of dried coconut called coconut chips make attractive garnishes. Find them in the produce section of large supermarkets or at melissas.com. * Tips: No buttermilk? You can use buttermilk powder prepared according to package directions. Or make “sour milk”: mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk. * To toast chopped walnuts and coconut chips, cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 5 minutes. Have a great weekend.