Sideroads of Halton Hills Magazine

"It's a cruel, cruel summer..." Bananarama

Hello my loyal followers! Gotta love the heat!
Well, it's been a while, hasn't it?! To tell you the truth, I haven't been blogging because I haven't been cooking much. Such hot summer days call for simple salads and anything that can be quickly prepared on the grill. Luck is on our side though followers, because the summer issue of 'Sideroads of Halton Hills' magazine has come out and with it, my three latest recipes (and if you look closely, you'll see that I made the cover! Yay!)! I really hope that these recipes will make up for my absence! And with the promise of rain and some cooler weather on the horizon, I promise to get back on track developing new recipes and blogging more often! I already have my next adventure planned for you... Let's just say that it's time to introduce you all to our tiny garden! Till then my followers, please stay cool and have some summer fun!
P.S. So fresh and explosive with flavour, my chimichurri recipe knocked my socks off when I first made it! It's my fave steak condiment ever!

Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Thai dipping Sauce

Flank Steak with Chimichurri

Barbecued Fruit Gallette

Stewed Ontario Rhubarb

 "It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is." Mark Twain

 

Good day, my followers!

Well, I might as well fess up and admit that I too have spring fever! Yee ha! I got it so bad that I have to tell you, I am finding it hard being inside to write this blog... When it isn't raining you'll find me working in our lil' garden or simply sitting outside flipping through a cooking mag. This spring has had it's ups and downs and I feel the need to take full advantage before it ends! Last week I told you about Andrew's Scenic Acres in Milton, where my sweetie Kev and I have been picking our own asparagus. Well, we have been picking our own rhubarb as well! Rhubarb seems to be one of those things that people either love or hate. Unfortunately, Kev claimed that he hated rhubarb, until I made today's recipe and won him over! Stewed rhubarb is a seasonal treat that is so easy to make and is most popular in my family. Though we traditionally eat our stewed rhubarb over custard, I enticed my sweetie by offering it up over ice cream. Definitely a different experience for me, but none the less delicious!

Simple and Tasty Recipe:

Stewed Ontario Rhubarb
(serves 4)

4 cups rhubarb, chopped (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla or 1 vanilla bean

.place all ingredients in a pot, simmer on medium low for about 15 minutes until the rhubarb is soft and it has thickened slightly, enjoy!

Didn't I tell you it was easy?! Now, I prefer my stewed rhubarb a bit tart, so please feel free to adjust the sugar to your own taste. Not only delicious with custard or ice cream, this stewed rhubarb would be delicious served over cake as well (look for Pound Cake on my 'Simple & Tasty Recipes' page). Also, I just had some over plain Greek yogurt for my breakfast and it was fantastic! I swear, this recipe with win anyone over to the rhubarb loving side!
Well, my followers, I will not be posting a blog next week for I am going on a road trip! Yippy! My cousin Marie is visiting from England and a gang of us are taking her to Montreal, Mont Tremblant and Ottawa for a week! It will be mine and Marie's first trip to Montreal and I suspect we are going to love it! Then once we are back, I am off for a three day camping trip with Kevin's family. Talk about fun! I have a feeling that both trips will be full of new and exciting culinary adventures and I promise to document each and every one of them! Enjoy these lovely springtime days my followers and I will be back soon! Au revoir, mes amis!

Link:
Andrew's Scenic Acres, http://www.andrewsscenicacres.com/

Ontario Asparagus, Arugula and Cheese (with Ham) Frittata

"Farmers feed cities!"

Hello followers, enjoying the weather?!
Well, spring is finally in full swing! It feels like our new season is long overdue, so it is a race to get back on track. Last weekend, my sweetie Kev and I took full advantage of this time of year and got out into the countryside. On our trip we had some great experiences, including something that neither of us had ever done before... We went asparagus picking! How exciting! We jumped in the car and took the easy drive along #10 Sideroad out to Milton's Andrew's Scenic Acres and Scotch Block Winery. I'd driven past the sign pointing the way dozens of times but had never ventured out. Well, I'm so happy that we did because Andrew's is my new fave haunt! With over 600 acres, the busy farm produces a variety of fruit, vegetables and flowers, many of which are 'pick your own.' Some of the harvested fruit is used to supply the Scotch Block Winery. The on site winery boasts 28 fruit wines and I must say, the ones we sampled were delicious! I had never tried fruit wine before and found it very flavourful and refreshing. We bought a bottle of blackcurrant and gooseberry wine. Yum, yum! Leaving the farm, we noticed a sign on the side of the road that advertised brown eggs and maple syrup. Why not?! We turned off #10 Sideroad onto RR#3 in Georgetown and wound up at an exciting farm owned by Doug and Diane McPhail. We bought 2 dozen farm fresh, extra large eggs and noticed the all of the birds. The McPhail's have a large array of exotic birds and foul and Diane said we could have a look. From a distance we could see a peacock with his feathers up and I was lucky enough to snap a picture! So, with our newly picked asparagus and farm fresh eggs, I decided to make one of my staple meals... A frittata. A frittata is an Italian omelette which can be made with just about any ingredient you have in your fridge and it only takes minutes to make. Let's get started!

Simple and Tasty Recipe:

 

Ontario Asparagus, Arugula and Cheese (with Ham) Frittata
(serves 4)

2 tsp olive oil
1/2 bunch asparagus, rinsed well and sliced
handful of arugula
handful of chives, chopped
*3 to 4 slices ham, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup grated cheese (I used asiago)
8 eggs, beaten
sea salt
fresh ground pepper

.heat a non-stick pan on medium, add the oil and toss in the asparagus with a pinch of salt and pepper
.fry until the asparagus is cooked through (about 5 mins)
.meanwhile, beat the eggs in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and pepper and turn the oven on to broil
.add in the chives, arugula and ham (if using) to the pan and stir until the arugula is wilted, turn the heat down to medium low
.pour in the eggs, sprinkle the cheese on top and cook until the bottom and sides are set, about 3 to 4 mins
.place the frying pan under the broiler and cook until the eggs have completely puffed up, are fully cooked and the top has lightly browned, another 3 to 4 mins (use this timing as a guideline, everyone's stove tops and ovens vary in heat)
.serve from the pan or run a heatproof rubber spatula around the edge of the frittata and release it onto a plate or platter, sprinkle with a little extra cheese and pepper if you like and enjoy!

Now, if you have a plastic handle on your non-stick pan that will melt under the broiler, do not worry! There is a trick! Simply wrap the handle in tin foil, shiny side out, et voila!

 I like to serve this frittata at any meal, with any side. At brunch with potato latkes, at lunch or supper with salad and a yummy vinaigrette (check my 'Recipes' page for my 'House' and 'Balsamic' dressings). I also like to serve my frittata along side grilled bread with extra virgin olive oil. I simply broil thick slices of fresh bread at the same time as the frittata, brush the slices with good quality extra virgin olive oil and serve. I hope you try out this recipe and enjoy it as often as Kevin and I do! Alrighty my fun loving followers, get out there and enjoy spring and I will be back with another recipe featuring more seasonal ingredients next week!

Farmers Feed Cities, http://www.farmersfeedcities.com/

Norfolk County, ON

"The city has a face, the country a soul." Jacques de Lacretelle

Good day, my spring loving followers! Well, you might have noticed that I haven't written my blog for the past two weeks... The reason is simple: I wasn't feeling inspired. Last spring started early and was so full of activity and vigour. This spring had lost it's sprung and I felt as dull as the weather outside. But, I am very happy to announce that I am now embracing our new season and my first visit up to 'the land' helped! For those of you who do not know what 'the land' is, allow me to explain... Four years ago, my parents bought a 10 acre plot of land in Norfolk County, about a 50 minute drive from our family home in West Hamilton. Five acres are forest and five acres were a soy bean crop, which we have converted into a large meadow. We put down a few hundred pounds of different grasses and clover to do so! My Dad got in touch with the local arbour association and had 500 indigenous trees planted and I am happy to say that some of them are already taller than I am! Three years ago, my Dad planted four fruit trees and put in an 80'x80' garden. And let me tell yah, it has all been a labour of love! Our garlic has done well over the winter, as well as our asparagus patch. My Dad planted peas a few weeks back and they are coming up! Yippy! Some purchases have also been made in the last four years, all equally important in helping us city folk while out in the countryside. An R.V., circa 1972 (our shag carpeted home away from home!), a pair of good ol' Wellies for all, a silly hat for everyone and our little John Deere mower. We all love our ten acres. And not just satisfied with a day of gardening or an occasional bonfire anymore, my parents have plans to build a home. I truly think that we have a little piece of heaven out there in Norfolk County and it will around for all of us to enjoy for the years to come! Being up there last week got me excited about spring and after you see my pictures, I hope you feel the same way! So what if it's rainy out?! Our gardens are growing and fresh Ontario produce is slowly starting to appear in grocery stores and markets! Please enjoy the pictures I've posted and I'll be back next week with my first springtime culinary adventure! Bye for now, my loyal followers!

Pound Cake

"Looks can be deceiving." Unknown

Hello, my spring loving followers!
Wasn't it lovely out yesterday? Spring flowers in bloom, buds on the trees and birds chirping in the warm sunlight. As soon as I got in from work, I opened up the windows, got out my KitchenAid mixer and pulled a recipe from my pocket. The recipe was for pound cake, written out by a girl I work with named Amber. Like me, she has never really done much dabbling within the realm of baking, but has started to experiment. She knows she has the skills, but not much practise. Encouraged on by the many Chefs she sees on television that make baking look so easy, she has discovered that it ain't as daunting as she thought! When I asked her what her fave item is that she has baked, she surprisingly replied "Pound cake." Pound cake?! I thought that was a bit odd... So simple! So plain! I don't think I've ever made a pound cake and I can't even remember the last time I had a piece. Curiosity made me ask Amber for her recipe and I also decided to look up the history. First made in England in the 1700's, the name represented the amount of each ingredient that was used in the original version: one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. The French also have a version named 'Quatre Quarts,' translated into 'four quarters.' Certainly a recipe that would be easy to remember for anyone who could not read or write! Over the years, the recipe has been changed to suit our modern needs, including changing the proportions to lighten the cake up and using artificial leaveners such as baking powder/soda. When Amber gave me her recipe, I was happy to see that she had stuck to more the of traditional route! Yippy!

Simple and Tasty Recipe:

Pound Cake
(makes 1 loaf)

1 cup butter, unsalted
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
11/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg

.bring butter and eggs to room temp
.preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease a 9x5x3 loaf pan (or insert a paper pan liner, pictured at top)
.in a bowl, stir together the flour, salt and nutmeg, set aside
.in the mixer bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until creamed, gradually add in sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy (about 5 to 6 mins)
.add vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, allow to beat about 1 min between each egg (scrape the bowl frequently)
.gradually add the dry ingredients into the mixer bowl and beat until just thoroughly blended
.turn the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 60 to 65 mins, until the cake tests as done (a skewer or pick is pulled out of the centre clean)
.cool in the pan or on a wire rack, enjoy!

Man, is my quote ever right!! Looks are deceiving when it comes to pound cake! So rich, dense and flavourful, yet modest in appearance. Amber's recipe, just like the traditional, depends on the air in the batter for it to rise (rather than baking powder or soda), so do not rush the beating of the ingredients. To switch it up a bit, almost anything can be added! Berries, cherries, nuts or dried fruit, just to mention a few options. Citrus flavours can also be added, simply omit the nutmeg and add 1 tbsp of zest and 3 to 4 tbsp of freshly squeezed juice (lemon, orange, grapefruit or lime would be delicious!). Now, I can see now why Amber's Dad requests her pound cake often. I too would love to munch on a slice while at work! But, not only for Dads, this recipe would also make a lovely treat for any Mum!! Mother's Day is on Sunday and I would like to wish all Mothers (especially my own!), a wonderful day! Whether our Mums are here with us today, or not, I would just like to say thank you... Happy Mother's Day and we will catch up next week! Bye for now, followers!