Baked Ham – A Low-Fuss Dinner Roast That Gives Busy Home Cooks Delicious Leftovers Throughout The Week!

Posted in Holiday Meals, Roast, Side dishesLeave a comment

Baked Ham was a meal we frequently had on Sundays at my Irish grandparents’ house.  It was always delicious and served with Nanny’s tasty creamy coleslaw. (Although I typically prefer coleslaw with oil and vinegar, my Nanny’s creamy coleslaw was a delicious treat!)  My Mom also made baked ham for us from time to time and she baked it with a mustard / brown sugar glaze and pineapple slices attached. As kids, we all sure loved those pineapple slices!!

For me, (and probably for lots of people), food definitely generates memories, feelings and notions of family history.  As I wrote in a previous post, when I started to do my own cooking, I concentrated on making dishes that my mother and grandmothers did not make.  So baked ham was not something I made. However, as my grandmothers left this world and I later moved hours away from the family, I was not close enough to benefit from Mom’s home cooking on a regular basis, so I’d try a few of Mom’s classics.  Cooking them for only two people was not always satisfying, so I left the baked ham out for many years – and it was certainly not a dish that was ‘en vogue’ for young home cooks at the time.

This past New Year’s Day, I was looking for a less fussy option for an intimate family dinner that would be hearty, comforting and would not keep me tied to the kitchen.  So, I decided to resurrect the baked ham idea. Friends had talked about spiral ham for years. I had never done one, so I thought it was a good time to try it. The spiral ham made me fall in love with baked ham all over again!  I did the ham with Mom’s signature pineapple slices and served it with parboiled potatoes that I finished up by roasting in the oven, along with sauteed Brussels sprouts and carrots. It was a big hit and we had tons of leftovers, which made it an economical meal.  And, it was certainly a time saver because it gave us other dinners through the week, and was added to breakfasts and also generated a delicious pea soup! Baked ham is a low-fuss dinner to make because it’s already cooked and just needs to be reheated – no need for a meat thermometer and no concerns about cooking it to the correct doneness!

You can cook and prepare the Brussels Sprouts ahead of time and simply reheat them a few minutes before dinner is served.  Prepare the potatoes and ham following the instructions below and place both dishes in the oven about 45 minutes before you plan to serve dinner.

Here’s what I did to create this delicious and low-fuss dinner:

 

 

 

Potatoes:

 

  1. Peel potatoes and parboil them for about 10 minutes until slightly fork tender.  You can leave the skin on if you prefer
  2. Drain and place them in a baking dish.  Coat with ⅛ to ¼ cup pineapple juice, a splash of olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper
  3. Place in oven with the ham for 30 to 40 minutes.  (I like doing this to crisp up the outside of the potatoes, as opposed to simply boiled potatoes)

 

fullsizeoutput_4b5Ham:

  1. Make a paste of Dijon mustard and brown sugar and coat the top and sides of the ham with it
  2. Attach canned pineapple slices all over the ham with toothpicks
  3. Pour the pineapple juice from the can into the bottom of the roasting pan
  4. Place the ham on a rack in the roaster and heat at 325 degrees until hot (likely 30 to 45 minutes depending on size) 
  5. Reserve the sauce at the bottom of the roaster and serve in a gravy boat

 

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts and Carrots

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  1. Wash Brussels sprouts and remove ends with a knife.  Slice Brussels sprouts lengthwise. Wash and scrub large carrots and slice into 1-inch pieces.
  2. Heat about 3 tbsp olive oil in a pan.  Toss in Brussels sprouts and carrots and stir to coat
  3. Add a little salt and pepper
  4. Cook on medium heat until Brussels sprouts are bright green and fork tender (usually not more than 8 minutes).  If the pan is drying up, add a splash of water rather than olive oil to continue cooking. You can also cover with a lid in the last few minutes to speed up cooking time.  **Suggestion: If you are not eating them right away, undercook them slightly and they will finish cooking as you reheat them.
  5. Reheat when ready to serve

 

Ideas for Leftover Ham

You can always have the same meal again in a few nights, but here are a few other things you can do with the ham:

  • Sandwiches for lunch (of course!) – the spiral ham is already nicely sliced so just bag up those slices and freeze in individual portions for easy sandwiches throughout the week
  • Chop the ham and any leftover potatoes, Brussels sprouts and carrots.  Create a frittata by adding 6 eggs, scrambled to the chopped ham and cook in a medium heat pan on both sides.  You may also transfer to the oven to evenly cook the middle. Serve with a salad for a quick and delicious weeknight meal
  • Add the chopped ham to your scrambled eggs for what is known in our family as a “ham quickie”….a blast from our past!
  • Add the chopped ham to your weekend omelette
  • Make a ham, onion and vegetable quiche.  (Asparagus would be a great addition at this time of year!).  Maybe try a cauliflower crust to make it gluten-free.  Serve with a salad and enjoy it for lunch or dinner
  • Save the hambone and make delicious pea soup.  Look for that recipe in an upcoming blog!

So, if you want a homey dinner without a big fuss, give this all a try and you may fall in love again with baked ham as I have recently!

Enjoy, and feel free to drop me a note to share your tips or let me know how you liked mine!

Happy Cooking friends, and Happy Easter!

Make Classic French Onion Soup at Home

Posted in Soup, Uncategorized2 Comments

If memory serves me correctly, I started cooking somewhere between 18 and 20 years old – definitely much later than the ‘Top Chef Kids’ we see today!  I was going to college and university and still living at home with my parents and younger siblings. (Going away to school was not a popular thing to do at that time where I lived since it was a major city with a number of high-quality universities close by.  In fact, from what I know, it is still very similar today).

As a tween and teen, I was interested in what my Mom was doing in the kitchen and always wanted to help.  My Mom was not keen to have us help in the kitchen. She used to say “go play”. When we asked her why she always said we’ll have plenty of years to cook when we are grown.  My Mom is a great cook and always made wonderful meals and desserts. We had lots of variety and ate nutritious, delicious, homecooked meals just about every day. At the same time, I later understood that a part of her found cooking tedious and wanted to get it done as efficiently as possible.  Teaching your young children to cook alongside you is definitely not efficient, as many of you know! Fortunately, when I did start to cook, my Mom was available and eager to answer questions on how she did things. I’m lucky to still have her as a resource today – and as years went on, she now sometimes calls me to ask me cooking questions or advice.  I take that as a real compliment!

When I started to assert myself in Mom’s kitchen and make parts of meals or whole meals, I always made things my Mom didn’t make.  It wasn’t because I was dissatisfied with her cooking, rather, I knew I couldn’t make her meals as well as she did, so I tried out recipes that were new for our family or things we had eaten occasionally in restaurants or at family and friend’s house.  Eventually, my Mom and the rest of the family grew to like the dishes I made and they became part of our rotation….(truthfully, my brother didn’t like anything I made!!! But, he was quite a picky eater as a kid. As an adult, he learned to love many more foods and he is also a very good cook!  I’ve learned a few good recipes from him too!)

One of the first dishes I made was soupe a l’ognion gratinee.  I enjoyed it in restaurants when I occasionally went out with friends and thought I’d like to try it out at home.  (And, now that I’m remembering, Mom did make this a few times in the ’70s…remember those brown onion oven safe onion soup bowls!!)  My first attempt at creating this recipe worked out well and I’ve tweaked it as the years went by to become the version that is listed below.  It’s a pretty easy recipe to make even though there are a few more steps than your average pot of homemade soup. fullsizeoutput_4deBut, it is worth the treat! The only issue for me is that it’s so filling that I always have difficulty deciding what to pair it with…when I started inviting friends for dinner in my early cooking years, I would usually pair it with my homemade Caesar salad.  Of course, all these years later, I realize that more protein is needed, so adding some grilled chicken to that Caesar would be a good option. Go to my June 19, 2018 blog to read the story of an unforgettable homemade Caesar dressing. Click here for the recipe.

Whether you decide to try this onion soup recipe as a meal on its own, or as the starter to a bigger meal, I am sure you will impress your friends and family with this one and make it again and again.  Let me know how it goes!

Happy cooking, friends!

Onion Soup au Gratin

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: medium
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 1 large sweet Vidalia onion, or 4 to 6 medium cooking onions
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • 1 litre best quality low salt beef stalk (or homemade beef stock)
  • Splash of cognac (optional)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Dried or toasted French bread slices, about 1 inch thick
  • Approximately 4 ounces of strong white cheddar or gruyere cheese, sliced
  • 2 heaping tbsp quality parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. Thinly slice onions and set aside
  2. Melt butter in pot
  3. Add onions and garlic and saute until onions are translucent and soft
  4. Add wine (and cognac if you are using it) and combine
  5. Next, add beef stock and seasonings
  6. Combine and simmer 20 to 30 minutes
  7. Preheat broiler
  8. Pour hot soup into oven/broiler safe bowls
  9. Cover top with dried or toasted French bread
  10. Cover toast with cheddar or gruyere, sprinkle parmesan on top
  11. Place bowls on baking sheet covered with foil and broil until cheese is melted and slightly browned

Tips:  Serve with a napkin around onion soup bowl handle because bowl will be very hot!

posted by: everydayhomegourmet.blog/  

 

March is Organizing Month – 10 Tips

Posted in organizing, Uncategorized2 Comments

Once the calendar turns to March, my thoughts turn to the coming of spring and organizing the spots that need attention in our house.  I’m certainly not an expert on this subject, but I know that an organized space brings me peace, calm and helps me be more efficient. I enjoy reading articles and watching shows on organizing to see if I can get some new tips.  What you will read in today’s blog are things I’ve learned or come up with that have helped me be more organized in all areas of my home.

Over the years, I have come to believe that an organized home is not something that you can do once and be done with it.  Our needs, activities and lifestyle change over time, so you need to spend time organizing each week, or each month so that the task is not overwhelming and everything has a place.  What helps me is to pick a little spot every couple of weeks – say one drawer that’s become overstuffed – and deal with that. Larger spaces like closets, garages, basements demand more time, but you can also do those little by little if you don’t have large amounts of time available for organizing. The key is to spend a little time as you are able, and you will reap the rewards.  Remembering that organizing is not a “one and done” kind of task helps me be kind to myself and have realistic expectations that my closets don’t need to look like magazine pages to be organized and well planned.  It’s all a work in progress!

Here are 10 tips that have worked for me:

1. Understand your space and storage preferences:  I like to have things in closed cupboards, and when I open the cupboard I want to be able to easily see what is in there.  In the kitchen cupboards, I use clear storage canisters whenever possible and I label the container or cut off the part of the box that has the cooking instructions and place it in plastic wrap and put it in the container.  The clear container helps me see the quantity we have left of pasta, rice, legumes, etc. without having to take the box out and look into it.  Nothing worse than thinking you’ve got a full box of pasta and realizing just before making dinner that there are only a few strands left!

2.  Keep a running list on your fridge so you can add items you need as you use them.  This will help you be more organized for grocery shopping and will minimize over buying or forgetting something you really need.  Don’t forget to take the list with you when you go shopping! Recently, my husband and I have been using electronic shared lists on our phones and that works too.  It’s all a matter of preference!

3.  Buy just what you need and can use in a few months.  Sales on staples and non-perishable food items may be attractive, but take a look at what you can reasonably store and use in a few months.  There will be more sales coming!  (And, this is another thing that I learned through experience!!)

4.  Label everything!  I purchased a label maker more than 10 years ago and I use it in all areas of my house.  If you don’t have the budget for a label maker, you can simply use tape and a permanent marker.  It doesn’t have to be ‘magazine worthy’ to be organized! In the kitchen, I label refillable spice bottles, canisters, and even shelves to help everyone put the right glasses in the right spot.  We entertain a lot, so it’s much easier when the family and guests can open a cupboard and know where to find the glass they need.  And, then everyone has a much better shot at putting everything back in the same space that you organized for it!  No more re-sorting!  In the linen closet, I label the shelves to indicate where each type of towel goes (i.e., bath towels, face cloths, hand towels), and also the various sizes of bed sheets. That way all family members and guests can help themselves to whatever they need very easily.

5.  If it’s going in a box for later, label the box with the contents.  Everyone has stuff that they don’t use and want to keep…those things usually end up in boxes in basements or closets or under beds to be dealt with later.  If you label the box with the contents, even those hidden boxes will be organized to some degree, and you’ll spend less time searching for things.

6.  Organize your gift wrapping paper, gift bags, etc. in one spot.  Those wrapping rooms you see in magazines are really cool, but most of us don’t have space for that in our homes.  Instead, try to find a shelf or two where you can put wrapping supplies in bins and label them so the items are easy to find.  Recently, the dollar stores in my area have been carrying many sizes of clear bins with lids that are super affordable and visually appealing. fullsizeoutput_639

Here’s a cool idea I saw in a magazine years ago for organizing spools of ribbon. It’s a paper towel holder!  It’s very easy to use without having to take off each spool.fullsizeoutput_631

7.  Have a spot for everything.  Clutter happens when you don’t know where to put things.  Once you’ve got a space for everything, be sure to put it back in the spot, or you’ll end up with clutter again!  You might want to have a medium sized bin to put things in that don’t yet have a spot and get to it when you have more time.  Don’t make the bin too large or let it get too full, or you may have created another overwhelming spot to take care of later! I say this from experience!

8.  Every couple of months, pick a shelf or two in your kitchen pantry and bathroom cupboards and go through it to get rid of unused or expired items.  If you set the goal of doing a small area once a month or every few months, it won’t become a huge chore.  If you are really pressed for time, try to be sure to do it once a season or once a year! Again, do what you can manage…perfection is not the goal!  Celebrate small wins!

9.  Go through your clothes every season and be realistic about what you are not wearing anymore.  A group of women I met through work last year said that once a year they have a clothing swap get together.  They gather at someone’s house and bring all their gently used clothing and exchange it with each other. I thought that was a wonderful idea for all involved.  Definitely a money saver! Of course, you can also donate to good causes. Many organizations have drop off bins and some will also come to your house.  This year, I am trying a new tip I picked up on a local home show…they recommended turning all your hangers backwards and then put them forward after you’ve worn the piece.  By the end of the season, you should be able to see what was not worn and make a decision to keep or toss!  Hopefully, that will help me!

10.  Organize appliance and electronics manuals in one spot.  As soon as I get a manual from an appliance or piece of electronics, I date it and put it in a plastic sleeve that goes in a binder.  I used to put them in file folders, but I’ve found that the binders are more effective. I label the binders by the room in the house where the equipment lives (i.e. kitchen, living room, basement, outdoor stuff).  Having your manuals handy helps you troubleshoot minor problems with your appliances and gives information on replacement parts. Many manuals are also available online these days, and that’s a great resource too. I have used the online ones as well.  I find the efficiency of having the hard copy of the manual in front of me is a time saver and allows you to see more information at once. Of course, it’s a matter of personal preference! So, do what is easy for you!

I hope you find these tips useful and that they inspire you to tackle a small section in your home that will bring you more peace and efficiency.  Be kind to yourself and celebrate small successes! Let me know how it goes! And, please share any tips you have that work for you. I’m always looking for new ways to be more organized!  Next blog post, I’ll be back to sharing recipes! Stay tuned!

Veggie and Meat Fondue delivers a low prep and delicious dinner!

Posted in Easy Entertaining, Fondue4 Comments

The last weekend of the holiday season is here.  Kids will be back to school on Monday and pretty much all operations return to regular schedules.  Perhaps you have one last weekend of hosting a dinner and are looking for something a little lighter than you have been eating over these past two weeks.  Why not try a fondue? I don’t do fondues often, but when I do, I’m reminded of how easy they are to prepare and how different and fun they are to enjoy. Guests can cook their own food at their own pace and enjoy the feeling of controlling how much they eat.  It’s naturally gluten-free for those guests who require that type of meal.  And, after this season of eating, you and your guests might find this a refreshing change.

Our parents introduced us to fondue in the 70’s.  It was quite a trend then (especially in Montreal where my family grew up) and I think my Mom was interested in it because it seemed like easier prep and she was always looking for fresh ideas to get us to eat a variety of foods.  She did chunks of chicken and beef cooked in peanut oil, served with rice and salad. We always had some dipping sauce for the meat. We liked it a lot, although my Dad was a bit impatient with it and always wanted multiple forks to use so he didn’t have to wait as long to eat!!  We used to tease him about that!

In the 80’s, our parents introduced us to Chinese Fondue.  This is one where you have paper thin slices of beef that you roll onto your fondue fork and cook in a delicious broth.  You also cook vegetables in this broth. We grew to love this version because it seemed less stressful than cooking with the hot oil and also you got to incorporate lots of veggies in the dinner.  We still served it with rice and salad and dipping sauces. Cooked shrimp that are warmed up in the broth can also be added. Once you are done with all the cooking, the broth will have great flavour.  So, crack a fresh egg in it and whisk it up and then you can serve little bowls of egg drop soup at the end of the meal. It’s so tasty, but don’t forget to let everyone know you are doing this so they save some room to enjoy it!

When I was in university, friends were also into this dinner.  It was a great dinner to serve because it wasn’t all that expensive and you didn’t need any cooking skills!  One of the things that can happen is that the items fall off your fork and into the broth. No worries, there’s a tool for that!  Keep one of these small basket tools handy and you’ll rescue the items quickly and easily. Most kitchen stores would have them.unnamed

 

(Or if you are like one of my university friends, turn it into a game and if you lose what’s on your fork, you have to drink the contents of your glass!!  He thought that was funny back in the 80’s, but of course, only a handful of people were that adventurous!!)

 

 

Truthfully, I’ve always wondered whether this fondue is really Chinese, or was just a marketing thing back then.  So, when my husband and I decided that’s what we’d do for New Year’s Eve this year, I took to the internet to see if Chinese Fondue was a real thing…I looked it up and found that it is also referred to as Chinese Hot Pot cooking.  In Montreal, this meat is readily available in grocery stores in the frozen section and at the butcher counter. We try to bring some home when we visit family because it’s not readily available at our grocery stores where we live. You can get it, but need to ask the butcher to pre-order it.  That’s because they freeze it slightly to get it sliced very thinly. And, because it’s a specialty item, it’s more expensive than I’m used to paying in Montreal. So, for our New Year’s Eve fondue this year, we substituted stir-fry strips and it worked well too.

Here’s what you need to do to put together the fondue dinner:

  1. Heat up about 2 litres of good quality chicken broth on the stove.  Transfer to your fondue pot and light the flame beneath your pot. (You can make your own broth or use best quality low salt broth available at your grocery store).  Follow directions and cautions on your fondue pot for using fuel correctly
  2. Cut vegetables in large enough pieces to stay on the fondue fork.  I use mushrooms, peppers, and broccoli. (Cauliflower and Brussel sprouts would also work)
  3. Arrange meat and vegetables on a platter.  (I also add large cooked shrimp that can be heated up in the pot). Budget about a half pound of meat per person and 3 or 4 shrimp each, depending on the size of shrimp.  (Some will eat less, and some more but these amounts will ensure you don’t run short!)
  4. Serve with dipping sauces:  Two favourites are two parts steak or BBQ sauce with 1 part mayonnaise and a teaspoon of honey, and cocktail sauce if you are having shrimp.  Be creative with your sauces and make up your own recipe…we also like Asian sesame, ginger or peanut sauces…use spicy sauces if you like it hot
  5. Prepare your favourite rice and salad to serve with the meal, and perhaps some fresh bread (regular or gluten-free)
  6. At the end of the meal, crack an egg in the pot.  Whisk for 1 minute and serve small bowls of deliciously flavoured soup, thanks to all the meat and veggie cooking!

 

And for dessert???  Chocolate fondue, of course!  (That may be a future post!)

Preparation and clean-up are a breeze for this meal, so relax and enjoy!  And, if you’ve got leftovers, just turn it into a stir-fry for the next day!  Drop me a note to let me know how you enjoyed it!

 

Must-try Breakfast Casserole

Posted in Holiday Meals, Make ahead breakfast, Meal planning4 Comments

Happy last day of 2018, and happy first anniversary to this blog!  I began everydayhomegourmet in mid-December of 2017 because I have a passion for creating and sharing good food.  My goal is to make great food that is simple to prepare as well as healthy and tasty. Creating this site and it’s accompanying Instagram account has been a retirement project for me that incorporates my passion for cooking and my interest in taking photos with the need to keep challenging myself to learn new things and feed my need for creativity.  I have been cooking since my late teens and have always loved taking photos. I received my first camera on my 10th birthday. My cooking and photo skills have definitely improved over these many years and hopefully will continue to get better for years to come! I am still learning!

Although I have used technology in my work for many years, the whole blogging and social media world are quite new to me and I was keen to take a dip into that world and see where it took me.  Learning the technical side of creating this site has taken more time than I anticipated and it is definitely still a work in progress! My goal was to post once a week and as I started learning the ins and outs of creating the posts and recipes I was surprised by how much time it took.  But, as my husband says, “Anything worthwhile degenerates into hard work”. So, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the desire to create something of quality will take hard work, learning and focus! I will continue to work on that in 2019 and hope to always be able to bring quality content and a great reading experience to those of you who read and follow this blog.

As I reflect on this year I am reminded of many things.  Among them, that New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day have always been fun events in our family and we continue the gathering, hosting, and sharing of love, fun, and food.  So, here is a recipe for a great brunch dish that my Mom has been making for over 30 years. It’s easy to prepare and is always a hit. My Mom received this recipe from a friend and has been making it for Christmas morning ever since.  

IMG-3875I have made it a number of times for Christmas brunches and even cottage get-togethers with friends in the summer. It is a versatile dish and definitely open to interpretation. The nice thing about it is that you prepare it the night before and then bake it in the morning.  It also reheats well, so you could bake it a day ahead and reheat it when you want to serve it. If you’ve got overnight guests for New Year’s Eve, or you simply want to have something to throw in the oven as you enjoy your coffee the morning after a night out, give this a try!  Enjoy!

Christmas Morning Time Saver

  • Servings: 8
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

This may look like more ingredients and more steps than my usual recipes, but if you remember that you are basically making a ham and cheese sandwich with an egg mixture poured over, it will seem simpler than it looks!  The picture shows white bread, but I have used whole wheat bread many times and I prefer it because it keeps you full longer! Serve with fruit.

Ingredients

  • 16 to 18 slices of whole wheat bread, crusts removed
  • 8 thin slices of lean cooked ham
  • 6 to 8 slices of sharp cheddar cheese
  • 6 eggs
  • 3 cups milk
  • ½ to 1 tsp dry mustard
  • ½ tsp ground pepper (black or white)
  • 1 to 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • Dash of Tabasco sauce
  • about ¼ cup minced onion
  • about ¼ cup finely chopped green pepper
  • Cornflakes or Special K
  • ¼ pound butter

Directions

  1. Layer a 9×13 inch buttered glass baking dish with bread.  Cover dish entirely. Place ham and cheese over bread and top with another layer of bread, as if making a sandwich
  2. In a bowl, beat eggs.  Add milk and beat briefly to combine
  3. Add pepper, Worcestershire, Tabasco, onion, and pepper and stir to combine
  4. Pour mixture evenly over the sandwiches.  Cover and let stand in refrigerator overnight
  5. In the morning, melt butter and pour over top.  Cover entire dish with the cornflakes
  6. Bake uncovered for 1 hour in a preheated 350-degree oven.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving
  7. Drizzle with maple syrup (optional)
  8. Serve with fruit

 

Tips:  When I’m pressed for time, or just making this for hubby and me, I do not cut the crusts off.  It doesn’t look as neat, but I find the heartiness of the crusts satisfying and more filling.

Variations:  use whole wheat or white bread; use Swiss cheese, or your favourite cheese; omit ham for a vegetarian version

 

posted by: everydayhomegourmet.blog/  

A Quick, tasty and colourful side dish for your turkey dinner…

Posted in Holiday Meals, Side dishesLeave a comment

The countdown clock to Christmas day is certainly running down.  If you are looking for a fresh, great tasting side dish to complement your turkey, stuffing and gravy, I have a great suggestion.  A colleague brought this dish to a potluck a number of years ago and I begged for the recipe after tasting it. I always try to have a variety of veggies and serve them in a simple, tasty way that compliments the star of the meal…In this case, turkey!  Brussel sprouts with prosciutto and pine nuts is a fresh, tasty and colourful side dish that has become a hit with many people in my family. We serve it with our Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys, but you can certainly serve it as a side dish any time. You can make it hours before you serve dinner, or even the day before.  If you choose to cook it the day before, I would suggest undercooking the brussel sprouts so that when you reheat them, you can still retain that bright green colour.

When we started making this dish, we used 20 brussel sprouts and it was gobbled up in no time.  We’ve now increased to 40 brussel sprouts for the same size group and it still all gets eaten. I think no matter how much we make, it would still all be gone!

With only 5 ingredients, this is a healthy and clean tasting dish!  It’s also pretty quick to make. I love making and eating this dish because it’s another example of how to turn every day ingredients into what looks like a gourmet dish.  Give it a try and let me know how you liked it.

Brussel Sprouts with Prosciutto and Pine Nuts

  • Servings: 8 to 10
  • Difficulty: very easy
  • Print

IMG_1239

A colleague brought this dish to a potluck a number of years ago and I begged for the recipe.  This is a fresh, tasty and colourful side dish that has become a hit with many people in my family.  We serve it with our Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys, but you can certainly serve it as a side dish any time. No matter how much we make, it gets eaten up.  With only 5 ingredients, this is a healthy and clean tasting dish!

Ingredients

  • 40 medium to large brussel sprouts
  • 10 slices cured prosciutto, sliced paper thin
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ to ⅓ cup pine nuts
  • ⅛ tsp, or less, ground pepper

Directions

  1. Toast pine nuts in a non stick pan over medium heat until golden brown.  (You could also do it on a baking sheet in the oven). Remove from heat and set aside
  2. Wash and dry brussel sprouts.  Trim end and slice in half, lengthwise
  3. Heat olive oil in non stick pan.  Add brussel sprouts to pan. Stir to coat and cook until bright green and fork tender.  (If pan is drying out as brussel sprouts are cooking, add a splash of water rather than adding more olive oil).  Stir frequently
  4. Slice prosciutto into pieces and add to pan, along with pine nuts.  Stir to combine and heat through.

 

Tips:  1) Watch pine nuts closely if doing them on the stove…they can go from golden to burnt quickly!!  2) Cover brussel sprouts with a lid before adding prosciutto and nuts to speed up cooking time slightly

posted by: everydayhomegourmet.blog/  

 

Slow Cooker to the Rescue! Pork Chops with Apple, Potato, and Kale (Gluten Free!)

Posted in Meal planning, Slow CookerLeave a comment

A slow cooker is a fantastic tool for anyone interested in creating time-saving healthy dishes.  My Mom first bought one in the late 70’s when she went back to work part-time after being home with three kids for many years.  She made a great beef pot roast with this tool and I’m sure she appreciated coming home to a fully cooked, warm, nutritious meal after a busy workday.  As an adult, I did not own a slow cooker until about 12 years ago when I inherited one. Since this appliance takes up valuable kitchen real estate, I thought I’d better figure out more recipes than Mom’s pot roast if it was going to be worth it to keep the slow cooker in my house.

I did figure out a number of recipes to make in the slow cooker and it has become an important tool in our house to help with weekday meal planning.  Many of the published slow cooker recipes call for searing the meat ahead of time and I never did that because I didn’t want to have another pan to clean…it seemed to defeat the purpose of the ease of using a slow cooker.  So, when my slow cooker broke a little more than a year ago, I investigated slow cookers with a sear option…I found this one with a stovetop-safe cooking pot that is very easy to clean…..I totally recommend this unit and would never again buy one without this option.  When I made Mom’s pot roast recipe with the new cooker, the increase in the depth and intensity of the flavour was amazing! 

So, this fall in my quest to create a new recipe for my slow cooker, I came up with this pork chop recipe that was cooked with apples, potatoes, carrots, onions, and kale.  Whenever I use the slow cooker, I always want to make sure that the dish is a balanced meal in itself so that there is nothing else you need to do for that meal. (Of course, adding a salad is always a good plan!)  We loved the flavours in this dish! It was slightly sweet because of the apples, which was a nice departure from my usual savoury cooking. There were four servings in this dish, with leftover veggies and broth. After the four servings were enjoyed, I didn’t want to throw away the remaining broth and veggies, so I pureed them with my hand blender and now had a lovely soup to enjoy for a few lunches!  You have to love it when your efforts limit waste and also provide easy extra meals!  The picture on the left is the pork chop dinner and the picture on the right is the leftover veggies, apples and broth blended into soup.  (If you are not into soup, use 6 pork chops and that would use up all the veggies).

Here’s what it looked like in progress:

Try this recipe out and let me know how you liked it!  Also, I’d love to hear about your favourite slow cooker recipes. Happy cooking friends!

Chicken Piccata Pasta anyone?  Fast and easy…looks fancy!

Posted in Pasta, Uncategorized1 Comment

As a person growing up in an Italian / Irish family, pasta was definitely part of our weekly meals once or twice a week.  Although I loved the sauces and ingredients, as a kid, I did not enjoy pasta itself very much…I know – odd for a kid, and definitely odd for a kid with an Italian-Canadian Mom!  I think it was a texture thing for me…I didn’t like soft foods much. (Rice and mashed potatoes were also in that category for me). Interestingly, my Mom still doesn’t like pasta…she said they ate it so much as kids because money was scarce and they were a very, very large family.  Pasta went a long way towards feeding 12 hungry mouths every night! My Dad became a passionate pasta lover when he joined my Mom’s family, always telling us that he never ate real Italian pasta until my Italian grandmother made it for him.

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As I got older, I did learn to enjoy pasta (and rice and mashed potatoes too!).  When I make pasta for myself and my family and friends, I like to include a number of ingredients and make it colourful.  This light tasting chicken piccata spaghettini is full of flavour and fast and easy to make. I have labeled the recipe as medium difficulty only because if you haven’t made pasta without just pouring tomato or meat sauce over it, this takes a few steps to learn.  Once you’ve done it, you will think it’s quick and easy to make. It’s a dish that will make people think you spent more time in the kitchen than you actually did. Serve it for family or for company. If you have gluten-free diners, use gluten-free pasta and dredge the chicken in seasoned cornstarch instead of flour.  Here’s the recipe…Give it a try and let me know what you think.  

Chicken Piccata Spaghettini with Sundried Tomatoes and Capers

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: medium
  • Print

This is a fast, light tasting and hearty dish for all seasons!  It’s not hard to make, just takes a few steps and some confidence if you haven’t made pasta without the tomato sauce.  Make it gluten-free by dredging chicken in cornstarch instead of flour and use gluten-free pasta)

Ingredients

  • about 450 grams of spaghettini
  • 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • ½ cup flour
  • 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter (for cooking chicken)
  • About ¾ cup chicken broth
  • Splash of white wine (about ⅛ cup)
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • About a half cup of sliced sun-dried tomatoes packed in seasoned oil
  • About ¼ cup capers
  • Grated parmesan cheese
  • Chopped fresh Italian parsley

Directions

  1. Boil salted water for pasta in large pot
  2. Slice chicken breasts lengthwise and then in half or thirds if the breast is very large
  3. Place flour on a plate and season with salt and pepper.  Dredge chicken in seasoned flour
  4. Heat butter and olive oil in frying pan until hot
  5. Place chicken in pan and cook until golden brown, then turn over and do the same on the other side.  (Butter and oil together will prevent the chicken from getting too brown)
  6. Remove chicken to a plate and cover
  7. Add pasta to the boiling water and cook until ‘al dente’ (about 5 or 6 minutes)
  8. Add sundried tomatoes and capers to the pan juices and sautee for about 3 minutes while stirring
  9. Add wine, lemon juice, chicken broth and about a tablespoon of the seasoned oil from the sundried tomatoes to the pan.  Stir to combine.
  10. Return the chicken to the pan.  Cover and cook until pasta is done.
  11. Remove pasta from pot.  Reserve about ½ to 1 cup of pasta water
  12. Add pasta and pasta water to pan.  Stir to combine. Cover and cook for another minute or two to combine flavours
  13. Serve in heated bowls sprinkled with parmesan cheese and Italian parsley
  14. Enjoy!  (I didn’t want to end on 13 steps!!)

Tip:  Using pasta water and heated bowls will allow your light sauce to stick to the pasta

recipe by: everydayhomegourmet.blog/  

 

Turkey Tips to Reduce Your Stress in the Kitchen

Posted in Holiday Meals, Meal planningLeave a comment

Canadian Thanksgiving is coming up this weekend and many of us have turkey at this time.  Lots of people think that cooking a turkey is complicated and stressful, and I get that.  But, if you’ve ever roasted a chicken, you can roast a turkey!  It’s just a lot bigger!!  To be honest, I get why people are stressed about it.  It takes time and there’s a lot of mess that goes along with it.  The only way to avoid the time and the mess is to find a restaurant that serves turkey dinner, or order the pre-cooked turkey and sides from your local grocery store.  Those may be perfectly good options for many families at times, so don’t hesitate to go for it if that’s what you need.  Being together is what’s important!  Chances are if you are reading a food blog, you are not going to choose those options, but you are looking for ways to make a great dinner and to simplify it where you can.  One way to do that is to opt for a potluck.  If you are hosting, perhaps you’ll do the turkey, stuffing, and gravy and ask the rest of the friends and family to bring the appetizers, side dishes, and dessert.  This is perfectly acceptable and I’ve found that friends and family are always happy to contribute in this way.

If you choose to do it all yourself, you’ll need some stress saving tips!  The biggest suggestion I have is to make your turkey a day ahead.  Yes, you read that correctly.  If you’ve read my post What does cooking ahead at Christmas look like at our house?  you’ll recognize some of the information below and you’ll know that we’ve been doing this in our family for many years. It’s been a great success and a stress reliever.  To be honest, we thought it was a terrible idea when my Mom suggested it way back then, but it works like a charm.  The turkey is tender and delicious every time.  (Keep reading to find out how we keep it from drying out).  My husband and I even do all the side dishes (except for one) and gravy the day ahead and reheat them before the dinner.  It’s not actually a time saver because it takes the same amount of time to do it ahead, but it’s definitely a stress reliever!

Here are the benefits:

  • You can prepare everything at your own pace without worrying when the guests will arrive
  • You can be free to chat with your friends and family because you don’t need to spend all afternoon in the kitchen getting things ready
  • You’ll have more energy on the day you are hosting because you haven’t been cooking since the early morning
  • The very messy parts of dealing with the carving of the turkey and cleaning all the greasy pans gets done the day before your guests arrive.  You simply warm up all the dishes in your oven and pull them out when it’s time to serve!

If you haven’t heard of making your turkey a day ahead, you should really give it a go the next time you are roasting a turkey.  Here’s how you do it:

  1. Stuff and roast the turkey as you normally would
  2. Once the turkey is fully cooked, as indicated by the meat thermometer, take it out of the oven and let it rest for about 15 minutes
  3. Remove the skin from the breasts and underside of the turkey and set aside
  4. Carve the turkey into slices, remove legs and wings
  5. Place your turkey slices into an oven safe dish and cover completely with the skin of the turkey.  (The skin is what will keep the turkey moist when you reheat it).  Place the legs and wings on the sides of the dish.
  6. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight
  7. The next day, bring the dish to room temperature before placing in the oven at 275 degrees for about a half hour to 40 minutes.  Keep the dish covered.  (Time will vary depending on the amount of turkey you have as well as your oven temperature)

 

turkey a day ahead
Moist and tender turkey, roasted a day ahead!

 

Our turkey always comes out moist and tasty when we do it this way.  The biggest tip I have for making this a success is to use a meat thermometer.  It is virtually foolproof and takes the guesswork out of wondering if your roast is done.  I have used that same meat thermometer for almost 30 years now and it works like a charm on roasts of all kinds.  If you don’t have a meat thermometer, get one today!  It’s a great way to be sure your meat is done properly and an efficient way to monitor the cooking progress.

I don’t eat a lot of things with gravy anymore, but I do love gravy with my turkey!  I find it very stressful to make gravy once the roast is done and you’re trying to get everything to the table while it’s still hot.  So, one day a few years ago, I searched the internet to see if there was a way to make gravy without drippings and I found a great recipe that I have been using ever since for any kind of roast.  I follow the directions and just add my own drippings to it at the end.  It’s not quite as good as Mom’s, but it is very tasty and cuts down on the last-minute stress.  Here’s the link:

Gravy without drippings recipe

My husband and I also like to do all the side dishes ahead of time and reheat them too.  I never thought that reheated mashed potatoes would be good, but they have worked for us when we reheated them in the microwave.  I like to make sure I have vegetables of different colours. It’s nutritious, tasty, interesting and looks great on the plate.  So, we have done a combination of potatoes (mashed or roasted), squash, glazed carrots, green beans (steamed or roasted), mashed cauliflower, and brussel sprouts with prosciutto over the years.  (We do the brussel sprouts and prociutto only about an hour before serving to keep the bright green colour…I’ll post that recipe in a future blog post). 

We always choose one white, one orange and one green vegetable.  We put all of the cooked side dishes in separate oven-safe dishes and then reheat them in the oven along with the turkey, or microwave if we need more space than we have in the oven.  Of course, doing it this way means you use most of the oven-safe dishes you own!  But it’s still easier and less stressful clean up compared to doing everything from scratch on the day you are hosting.  So, give it all a try and reduce your stress…If you’ve got any questions or suggestions, drop me a note in the comment section or at everydayhomegourmet@gmail.com

Happy cooking, happy hosting, and Happy Thanksgiving!

*some of this information was previously posted by everydayhomegourmet in What does cooking ahead at Christmas look like at our house?

Apples and Broccoli – a recipe that emerged from looking in the fridge

Posted in Side dishes, Summer cook aheadLeave a comment

One of the things I like to do best is look in the fridge to see what’s available and try to combine ingredients in a way I haven’t done before.  About a year ago, I had a ton of broccoli on hand and we’d already eaten it a few different ways that week, so I was looking for some way to use up the broccoli and create something new for us.  That was the birth of the Broccoli Apple Salad with red onions and pine nuts.  I love the colours together and the flavours work well too.  Typically, I use red or white wine vinegar in my salad dressings, but I thought the slightly milder, sweet flavour of rice wine would work here and I really like how it comes out.  I’ve done this salad with broccoli that was already steamed and also with raw broccoli.  I prefer the raw version, but I know that some diners would prefer more tender broccoli…so, as always, choose what’s best for you!  I also like leaving the skin on the apple…it adds fibre and nutrients, it looks nice – and, it saves time!

*Drop me a note to let me know about dishes you created with ingredients on hand…I’m always looking for new ideas!  Happy Cooking, Friends!

Broccoli Apple Salad

  • Servings: 8
  • Difficulty: very easy
  • Print

Broccoli, apple, red onion, pine nuts, rice vinegar (1)

I came up with this recipe when I had lots of broccoli and wanted to use it in a different way.  I checked the fridge to see what was there and this is what I created…try it with grilled or roasted meats of any kind, as well as burgers.  It could also be a great accompaniment to a traditional quiche or frittata.

Ingredients

  • 6 to 8 cups chopped broccoli
  • 1 apple, skin on, cut into about one-inch pieces
  • about ⅛ cup thinly sliced red onion (the thinner, the better!)
  • about ⅛ cup toasted pine nuts (optional)

Dressing:

  • a little less than ¼ cup olive oil
  • about ½ cup rice vinegar
  • about ½ tsp salt
  • about ¼ tsp ground pepper

Directions

  1. Toast pine nuts until golden brown, about 4 minutes in pan on the stove on medium.  Watch carefully so they don’t burn. Set aside to cool
  2. Combine broccoli, apples, onions and nuts in a serving bowl
  3. Add oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and combine well
  4. Let sit for at least 15 minutes to allow dressing to absorb into broccoli, especially if using raw broccoli

Variations:  Use raw or lightly steamed broccoli.  Use walnuts or pecans instead of pine nuts, or make it nut-free.  Keeps nicely in the refrigerator for 4 or 5 days

recipe by: everydayhomegourmet.blog/