Cooking: Veggies au gratin

We are swamped with veggies from Mom and Dad which is an excellent problem to have.
The other day before it started getting too hot and muggy to turn on the oven, I made up some Veggies Au Gratin which is basically just veggies baked in cheese sauce. It's awfully hard to go wrong.

I fried up some beans, peas, carrots, zucchini, and a tomato with some garlic and onion. Made up a cheese sauce with cumin, salt, and pepper. Added the two together in a casserole dish and threw some bread crumbs and crumbs that I made from stale nachos. The nachos were 'salsa' flavour which didn't quite work but it was still all very yummy.

I only took one picture but trust me that it tasted good.

Cooking: Potato crust quiche

Since we have so many yummy veggies, I decided a new way to eat all the greens we have would be to put them in a yummy quiche. Also, I wanted to use up the old potatoes as the new ones are finally ready so I made up a potato crust. The other incentive for the potato crust was that I'm horrible at making pie crusts.

I combined two recipes from the "Simple in Season" cookbook (excellent if you eat a lot of seasonal veggies).

Potato crust: 3 cups grated potatoes + 3 Tbsp oil pressed into a pie dish and baked for 15 minutes at 425 or until brown and slightly dried out.

Filling: You can obviously use whatever you want for the filling but I did: beet greens (a bunch), a handful of snowpeas, some shelled peas, the rest of the beans we had (maybe a cup?), green onion, and garlic. I fried everything up briefly with some oil ahead of time. I like the veggies to still be crispy so I didn't fry them too long but that's a personal preference thing.

Add to 4-5 beaten eggs (depending on how big your pie plate is and the size of the eggs), 1 cup milk, 1 cup grated cheese, salt, pepper, and cumin (because I love cumin).

Pour into pie plate and bake for 15 min at 425, reduce heat to 350 and bake for 10-15 more minutes until firm but not too browned. Let it rest for 10 minutes otherwhile you'll burn your mouth on the veggies.

Enjoy!

Potato crush pre-baked.

Yummy filling!

Potato crust, post-bake, pre-fill. The bottom is still soft, it's hard to get everything evenly browned in my oven.

Filled and baked and ready to be enjoyed.

Cheddar/Caramel Popcorn

I've been introduced and subsequently gotten addicted to caramel/cheese popcorn. The unfortunate part is that my new addiction is cutting into my bank account. So I decided to make my own and while it's not quite the same, it's still delicious enough that I've been devouring two bags of popcorn a night. The good part is that it's helping with my weight gain project. I'm up 10lb from all the weight I lost from the surgery/hospital stays. Only 15lb left to go! More popcorn and sugar for me!

Popped the popcorn, coated it with caramel, and baked for an hour.

I cheated and used this stuff instead of making my own caramel sauce.

For the cheddar ones, I sprinkled 'White Cheddar' seasoning on top. This is the short-cut version.

And then I ate it all. It's so addictive.

Cooking: Pizza-inspired spaghetti squash.

When Mom and Dad were up over Easter, they brought with them a giant spaghetti squash for us to enjoy. I must admit, I had never before had spaghetti squash but it was delicious. We tried to make a 'pizza' from it as instructed from some recipe online but it turned out to be more like a quiche as the egg didn't mix together and it never turned crisp. Regardless, it was delicious and I have now bought more spaghetti squash to feast upon.

Monster of a squash!

Baked for an hour.

All the yummy bits were scooped out.

We mixed the squash with a egg, oil, mozza cheese, salt, and pepper and spread it on a tinfoil-lined cookie sheet and baked for 15 minutes. The recipe said to flip it to make an even crispiness, so we flipped it with much difficulty but seeing as it never crisped up, it wasn't worth the struggle.

Topped it with green pepper, feta cheese, tomatoes, and chicken.

Baked again for 15 minutes and yum!

Queen of Puddings #3

I tried the queen of puddings dessert one more time when Mom and Dad were visiting and it turned out! Third time is a charm!

This time I added the breadcrumbs and didn't bake the custard which meant it set on its own. I guess that's the difference between custard mix and making it from scratch. I also put on loads of sauce which surprisingly didn't run everywhere. Success!

Set custard with loads of rhubard-strawberry sauce.

Fresh from the oven!

A sign it turned out is that it disappeared in minutes.

Queen of Puddings: Attempt #1 and 2

I tried to make a "Queen of Puddings" after I saw it being made on the Great British Bake Off. It looked like one of the few desserts I could actually recreate as it's basically a layer of custard, jam, and meringue. It also helped that we had a ton of leftover jam from all our visitors that we weren't likely to use up anytime soon.

However, my confidence that it would be super easy to make turned out not to be true as apparently I can not make proper custard even though I was working from custard powder. Version number one was also way too sweet as I went overboard with the jam layer.

Version One:

It's suppose to be fail proof!

Added the milk and it's okay so far.

And then I overbaked it. There are suppose to be breadcrumbs to mix in with the bottom layer but we were out of bread that day so I just eliminated it. 

And then I added way too much jam. When they say 2-3 Tbsp, they mean it. I think warming the jam before trying to spread it on would've helped.

Added meringue and baked again, It looks so delicious!

And then I cut a piece off and realize I had made jam soup. This is why you only use the 2 Tbsp of jam.

Once it had cooled it was less of a mess but still way too sweet.

Attempt #2.  Pretty much the same thing except I decided that I should substitute the breadcrumbs with ground almonds. It was a good theory but didn't work at all. It did cut the sugar but added a weird texture. I also overbaked the custard again. Stupid custard. Now I'm thinking it might actually be easier to make it from scratch.

This time I made up a rhubarb strawberry sauce and used the proper amount. That part turned out well.

It held together so well and looks so pretty! If only the bottom layer wasn't so weird tasting.

I may try again for Easter dinner and force the family to choke down version #3. I'm not sure why I want to keep making it except for the fact that it seems way to simple for me to be messing up the custard. It's bothering me.

Recipe: 
(Although you should probably use a one from a blog that doesn't also have examples of two failed attempts.)

Bottom layer: Custard and a cup of bread crumbs. Don't substitute the breadcrumbs with ground almonds. Bake at a low heat until slightly wobbly. Best not to overbake. Cool slightly before adding jam.

Middle layer: 2-3 Tbsp of jam. On the show they used strawberry but realistically, just use some from that old bottle of jam in the back of the fridge. Or is that just me...

Top layer: 3 Egg whites. Whip until soft and then add about 3 Tbsp of sugar to help hold the whites together. Whip again until you can turn the bowl upside down over your friend without the whites falling on their head. Or there are firm peaks, whichever description you prefer.

Bake at 350ish until the egg whites are meringue-y, cool for a bit before eating otherwise you may end up with jam soup.  Good luck!

Cooking: Pumpkin Spice Latte or Squash Spice Cappuccino

Yesterday while Jason was still here, I put him to good 'support person' use by asking him to cut up a squash for me (because cutting up squash is the worst). I'm sure that is exactly what he had in mind when he asked if there was anything I needed done.

While I had some of the squash for supper, I cooked up a bit of it early to try to make a pumpkin spice latte. Since I've seen it advertised everywhere, I figured I should see what the fuss is about. After 10 seconds of Internet research, I discovered that most of the 'pumpkin spice' items are basically just cinnamon and ginger with no actual pumpkin flavouring. It's basically the same as Gingerbread flavouring with slightly less ginger. They should really just call it 'Cinnamon and other yummy spices' flavouring.

I wanted an actual pumpkin flavor so I perused the Internet for recipes that used pumpkin and mixed what I thought sounded the best and then tweaked it as I went along. 

Alley's Pumpkin Spice Latte or, realistically, Squash Spice Cappuccino (trademark! I'm sure that name will be just as popular as PSL) for 2:

• 3 Tablespoons cooked squash (I guess you could use actual pumpkin but squash has way more flavour)
• 2-3 tsp of pumpkin spice, adjust to taste
• Pumpkin spice(makes more than necessary for 2 drinks): 4tsp cinnamon, 2 1/2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp all spice, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ground cloves, adjust to taste 
• 2-3 Tablespoons water
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups milk
• 2 shots espresso
• Whip cream

Step 1: Stir squash, spices, and water over low-medium heat in a small pot until smooth. I added the water just so it wouldn't burn to the bottom. This may not be necessary if you used canned pumpkin or have runnier squash than I did. It should make a smooth mixture.

Step 2: Add sugar and stir for a few minutes until it's bubbling and thick. If you are like me and tasted it at this point and were slightly overwhelmed by the strong flavor, it's okay. It will be diluted with all the liquids.

Step 3: Add vanilla and milk, and stir until warm but not boiling. Basically, don't burn the milk. I now always take the pot off the burner for a second before adding the milk because I've ruined too many white sauces by adding it while the pot was too hot.

Step 4: Froth the milk. If you have a milk frother thing, it would be best to take out some of the milk mixture and froth it separately. I tried frothing the entire pot and it didn't work very well. A smaller portion would have worked better. If you don't have a frother thing, you can use a wire whisk and your muscles. Or one of the techniques here (I have not tried these, they may all be horrible).

Step 5: Pour espresso into mug, add milk and frothy bits, top with whip cream, and sprinkle with more pumpkin spice. Enjoy!

Note: If you're thinking "wait, where did the squash go, shouldn't you strain it out? I don't want to drink squash chunks." I had the same thought. There are some recipes that suggest straining out the squash which I was prepared to do initially. Until the entire thing seemed to just dissolve into the milk leaving no squash chunks to strain. The squash was clearly still there as there were a few squash bits at the bottom of my mug with the leftover cinnamon but it weirdly just dissolves into the liquid.

Pumpkin Spice Mix. I have enough for a weeks worth of drinks!

Squash.

Milk mixture.

Espressos ready to go!

Some lovely whipped cream courtesy of Jason. I make all my support people whip cream for me.

And voila! Served with some toasted squash seeds. The seeds were a flop but the idea was good! Also, yes, we had Starbucks after physio an hour earlier. It was a two-fancy-coffee-drinks type day.

Cooking: Waffles

I made delicious 'get better' waffles. Ok, well honestly, Isaiah made them. They were fantastic. Fresh fruit, NB maple syrup, whipped cream. Yum!!

Cooking: Blueberry Peach Quinoa Salad

Last night, we went to see Shakespeare in the Park in High Park. As there is limited seating, we had to go super early to get good seats so we made a picnic supper to enjoy during our wait. Since Mom is never one to just grab a takeout pizza or pre-made salads from the store, we made a delicious quinoa salad.

The perfect meal to go with the bloody murder-fest that is Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus. Spolier: Everyone dies.

Filling: cucumbers, blueberries, peaches, cubed pork, and green onions

2 cups of cooked quinoa (it's the weird red kind that was on sale at Bulk Barn)

Dressing: Olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice. Yum!

Mom also whipped up some biscuits. I ate half of them.

The actors warming up.

Despite what was on the ads, there were no raccoons in the play.

Cooking: Caramel Syrup

Most days after physio I make myself a version of a Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino. There is a Starbucks in the hospital lobby that I walk past while leaving all thirsty, hot, and tired. The only way to avoid giving them all my money, was to start making the drinks at home. I usually buy their caramel flavoring but since I'm almost out, I decided to try making my own syrup. After combining a bunch of recipes online, I decided the easiest way to make the flavoring is to make the caramel and then dilute it further into the actual flavour syrup. 

It worked pretty well but I cooked it for too long so it turned into more of a toffee instead of a caramel. As a result, my first attempt at turning it into syrup was still too thick but my second batch turned out great. I froze it into caramel flavor cubes I could just pop in the drink so I wouldn't have to worry about it going bad (as I do not have any preservatives laying around). It's not as sweet as the Starbucks option or as strong (from the double diluting) so I think next time I'll add a bit more sugar and not cook it as long. 

Caramel Recipe: 
3 tbsp butter
3/4 cup brown sugar 
1/2 cup cream 
1 tsp vanilla 
pinch sea salt  
- Heat sugar and butter, whisk vigorously. Add cream, simmer on low heat for 5 min (no longer!!), stir frequently. Add vanilla and salt. 

Sugar and butter mix.

When I should have stopped simmering it as it really thickens up when it cools (for some reason I didn't believe the other blogs on how much it thickens as it cools, be warned!).

Caramel Flavoring: 
3/4 cup sugar 
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup caramel sauce 
- Heat on medium and mix together.

Caramel syrup!

Frozen syrup! The cube on the bottom left was after I diluted it for a second time. The other one was too thick and turned gelatinous instead of freezing.

My frapps: 
1 espresso or 3/4 cup coffee 
1/4 cup milk 
4 coffee cubes (I freeze coffee into ice cubes so the drink doesn't get watered down)
2 caramel cubes or Starbucks Caramel flavoring 
whipped cream 
- Blend together first 4 ingredients. Add whipped cream on top.

Caramel cubes ready for their debut.

Yum!

Crepes

We had crepes the other night with fresh veggies and hollandaise sauce. It was delicious and in the morning we still had some batter and sauce leftover so I made a delicious breakfast crepe. Bacon, fried egg, and cheese. Yum!

Cooking: More Crackers, Almond Crackers.

I made more crackers and they turned out just as well as last time. I cooked them all on stoneware and it seems to be the trick in having them crisp evenly.

I made a third of the original recipe and for this batch, I added about 1/4 cup of almonds as I can always use more calories and protein in my food. Plus they are delicious. I ground the almonds with the magic bullet and added them to the dry ingredients (the flour and salt). I think I like this batch better than my first one. I bet almond spinach would be good as well. I wonder what other flavor combinations I could try. Any ideas?

The magic bullet is surprisingly good at grinding up food.

A sample of the end result that turned into my lunch. Yum!