Dreaming of Paris........

Beef with Harvest Vegetables En Croute

So far for me Paris has only been a dream. My husband and I were considering going to Paris back in 2003 but decided instead that our 4 year old daughter needed a sibling.With only so much money to go around, Paris would have to wait. Instead, we decided if we had a girl, her name would be Paris! We did have a little girl…who's name is Kaity LOL….lets just say there was a scandal around the same time with the aforementioned name and thought it would no longer be the romantic choice we had originally thought it would be LOL! 

We still have never found our way to France, yet I feel I have a sense of France. I often wonder where this sense came from?  Possibly movies or books, but in my heart I believe a certain attraction binds creative people to Paris.  Beauty is seen everywhere, in the art, the fashion and most certainly in the food. French food is beautiful! it's a proud part of French culture. It's something to be respected, admired and enjoyed. Food is an everyday indulgence, meant to tantalize the senses and enrich your life. Paris for me is fresh cut flowers on every corner, an old bike complete with a basket fastened to the front, filled with fresh cheese, a baguette and some produce from the market. It's tiny bistros scattered throughout the narrow streets that are alive with a joie de vivre that only the French have.

 I came up with this recipe one rainy Vancouver day, dreaming of an afternoon in Paris. Perhaps they were serving a dish just like this at one of those quaint bistros? Why not turn my dream of a Parisienne afternoon into a reality right here in my own home? Within a few minutes I created "Beef with Harvest Vegetables En Croute" and it's been a family favourite ever since! Maybe your family would like to escape to Paris too? Give it a try, it's quick and easy, yet still looks impressive. Not to mention a lot less expensive than a plane trip LOL!

 Enjoying the liquid sunshine in Vancouver,

                                                      Angela St. Cyr

INGREDIENTS

• 500 grams Top sirloin steak (cut into bite sized pieces)
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp regular yellow mustard
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 tsp herbs de provence
• 1 salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1 red pepper (cut into bite sized pieces)
• 1 onion (cut into bite sized pieces)
• 3 carrots (peeled and diced into bite sized pieces)
• 2 medium sized white skinned potatoes (washed and diced into bite sized pieces)
• 1/2 a container of Philadelphia roasted garlic cream cheese
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 package of Phyllo dough (thawed)
• 4 long pieces of green onion (to use like twine)

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the first 11 ingredients in a large bowl and toss until the steak is evenly coated.
2. cover and let sit in the fridge for at least an hour or as long as overnight.
3. Remove from fridge. Add carrots and potatoes and brown in a large non-stick skillet.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
5. Now stir in the Philadelphia roasted garlic cream cheese and milk.
6. Re-season with salt and pepper if necessary.
7. Set aside while you prepare the Phyllo.
8. I'm lazy so I don't bother buttering between the layers of Phyllo but it you want to fuss with that feel free, but in my opinion it tastes just as good without all the extra fatty butter LOL!
9. All I do is lay out 3 pieces of Phyllo and put about 1/4 of the of the steak mixture in the centre.
10. Now take each corner of the Pyllo and gather to the centre (like a pouch)
11. Tie off with a piece of green onion, cut off any excess Phyllo dough and artfully fluff up the remaining Phyllo top of the pouch
12. Repeat until you've made 4 pouches.
13. Place pouches on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
14. Bake on the centre rack for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
15. Remove from oven and serve warm with a side salad.

Quick Dark Chocolate Pudding

The perfect after dinner treat to have on a busy week night...my family loves it when it's still slightly warm and served in a mug.

2 1/2c milk

1 1/2c cream

1tsp vanilla

1 egg (beaten)

3/4c sugar

7tbsp coco powder (approx. 1/2c)

3tbsp cornstarch (dissolved in a little water)

Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium sized pot and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly for about 7 to 10 minutes until mixture begins to thicken. Be sure not to bring to a boil. When slightly thinner than your desired consistency pour about ½ a cup of the pudding into each bowl and let cool to desired temperature before serving.

If you prefer to have cold pudding simply cover the top of each bowl with plastic wrap and press onto the surface of the pudding. This will prevent a skin from forming on the top.



Makes 4 half cup servings.

I'm dreaming of a...white kitchen

OK, I know it's getting close to Christmas and I should be dreaming of a white Christmas...but I'm not! I'm dreaming of a white kitchen. I've lived in my current house for 2 1/2 years and although I knew the kitchen was small with little storage and prep space, I thought I could make my peace with it. At least temporarily. After all, everything else about this house was just what we were looking for. We have a huge yard, we can walk to shopping and the beach, the girls school is a hop skip and a jump away...really I should be pinching myself to have found such a little gem in our price range!

 But no, instead I find myself swearing like a longshoreman every time I have to make something for dinner. Surely any one of you who have had the misfortune of trying to live with a dysfunctional kitchen will know exactly what I'm talking about. I have to pull 5 things out of the cupboard to get out the one thing I was looking for!!!!!!! Not to mention the safety concerns of precariously perching hot pans over the sink because I don't have any counters to put them on. Thank goodness I have very little in the way of canned foods or prepackaged goods...I can't even begin to think of where I would store them, as it is now my platters are stored in my broken dishwasher! It broke a year ago and I refused to replace it because I couldn't bear to give up my newly discovered storage space LOL!

Well I've had it. I sound like I have turrets syndrome or some weird swearing tick every time I'm cooking and I'm not the swearing type. What has this kitchen done to me? Something has got to change. So the walls are coming down, the cupboards are being ripped out and a new kitchen will emerge along with a new attitude for me. Cooking once again will be a joy to share with my friends and family, not a secular frustrating annoyance!

Right now I'm in the planning/ dreaming stage, getting price quotes for some of the construction that we are not able to do ourselves and scoping out high end looks for a budget friendly price. Here are a few of the kitchens that I love:

Check out this new TV series on HGTV

Hey everyone, sorry I know it's been a while since I've posted. I went back to work...summer fun with the kids and just taking a little time to relax! I will start posting again in the next week or so. School lunch ideas will be my top priority.

In the mean time I wanted to let everyone know about a great new show on HGTV called Urban Suburban, my family and I had the honour of being chosen for the first episode!

Check it out. http://www.facebook.com/UrbanSuburbanTV?sk=wall

Looking forward to get back in the swing of things...soon,

                                                                                        Angela

A Quote For The Day.

Why not go out on a limb, isn’t that where all the fruit is.

(Frank Scully)

Tropical Seafood Salad (Re-make)

A delicious way to use up any left over salmon you have after making Salmon with Citrus Vanilla Sauce http://marthakindof.blogspot.com/2011/07/salmon-with-citrus-vanilla-sauce.html  If you don’t have enough salmon feel free to toss in a few grilled shrimp and/or grilled scallops.

1 piece left over grilled salmon (left whole or cut into bite sized pieces)
toasted sesame seeds
tomato
cucumber
green onion
coleslaw mix
baby salad greens
pineapple
orange
*use whatever quantities you want and cut however you like.

Toss all the fruit and veggies together on a serving platter, and then place the salmon (prawns, scallops) pineapple, orange and toasted sesame seed on top and drizzle with dressing (recipe below)

Dressing:

2tbsp                 left over citrus vanilla sauce                 
2tbs                   vinegar
1tsp                   sesame oil
3tbsp                 oil
1/4tsp                salt
1/2                    crushed dried red chili

                                                     1                       clove garlic(minced)

Whisk together in a small bowl or simply emulsify in the blender for a few seconds.

A Quote For The Day

A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers but borrowed from his children.

(John James Audubon)

Scented Play dough

I can think of no better way to get kids interested in cooking than teaching them how to make their own play dough. This recipe is particularly cool because it gets its color and scent from Kool- aide! I especially like homemade play dough because it’s not as messy as the store bought stuff and it’s so cheap to make.

1c flour
1c water
1/2c salt
2tbs cream of tartar (really cheap in the bulk section!)
1 pack Kool- aide (unsweetened) 2tbs vegetable oil


Mix all the ingredients together in a medium sized pot and cook over medium low heat until mixture becomes gummy. Store in an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag.

*The Play dough will be whatever color the Kool- aid crystals are.

A Quote for the Day

I believe the art of living consists not so much in complicating the simple things as in simplifying things that are not.
(Francois Hertel)

Salmon with Citrus Vanilla Sauce

Sounds complicated I know, but I promise this is so quick and easy! The hint of Vanilla is an unexpected addition that adds warmth to this refreshingly light dish.

* tastes equally good on any firm fleshed white fish.

 2            oranges (juice and zest)
 1/2c       orange juice

 1            lemon (juice and zest)                   
 2tbs       vanilla
 1tbs       Louisiana hot sauce
 1/4tsp    fresh grated ginger
 1tsp       salt
1/2c        brown sugar

                                                                 
1tbs        butter
 1/3c       heavy cream
 1           lime(juice only)
 1           large salmon filet
 1            handful cilantro (chopped)

Mix first 8 ingredients together in a bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved. Now divide mixture in half, pour half of the mixture over the salmon filet (skin side down) to marinate in the fridge for as little as 1/2hour or even over night.

Pour the remaining half of the mixture into a small saucepan and simmer until reduced by about half, now add the heavy cream and simmer until it has thickened. Turn off the heat and whisk in the butter. Continue to whisk until butter is melted and totally incorporated into the sauce. Now whisk in the lime juice. Set aside until ready to serve.

Grill the salmon on medium for about 8 minutes (depending on thickness) or you can simply broil in your oven on low for about 8 minutes. Drizzle with sauce and garnish with cilantro.

* If you have any leftovers make this tomorrow http://marthakindof.blogspot.com/2011/07/tropical-seafood-salad-re-make.html

A Quote For The Day

If we do not permit the earth to produce beauty and joy, it will in the end not produce food either.

(Joseph Wood Krutch)

A Quote for the day

Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present and future. We make discoveries about ourselves.
(Gail Lumet Buckley- The Hornes: An American Family)



We all need a little food for thought to keep us heading in the right direction... I like to do that by reading inspiring quotes. So, I've decided rather than keeping them to myself I'd share them with you. I'll be regularly posting a quote for the day. If you have any with special meaning to you and would like to share them, please e-mail them to me. I'd be happy to include them.

A Pink Paris Bedroom...what more could a little girl want!

It was my youngest daughter Kaity's 7th birthday the other day. After a lot of planning, sneaking around and bargain hunting I managed to pull off re-decorating her bedroom as a surprise! I'd been hiding everything in the garage under a tarp for about 2 months LOL!!!

2 days before her birthday we had her stay at her Avo and Grans (grandma and grandpa) and the fun began. Me, my daughter Emily and my husband Mike repainted her room and all her furniture the first night. Then the night before my girlfriend Marlene...the worlds most talented women... came over to play with me, um, I mean help me set everything up.

We had so much fun, I'm not sure if the room was for Kaity, or if it was for the little girl in me that always wanted a room like this LOL! Here's a few pics...let me know what you think.

 I managed to pull the whole room off for less than $300...that was including the gorgeous Louis IV chair...upholstered in hot pink pleather of course!

Now my oldest daughter wants her room re-done for her birthday in January...can't wait to see what we come up with and for how little we can pull it off for!

Bunk bed draped with white sheer fabric, complete with a french poodle pillow...hand made by the talented Marlene.
I had to include a black and white zebra rug!

What French fashion designers room would be complete without a dress maker dummy, some fabric remnants and a magnet board to tack all your ideas to? I just attached a wall paper remnant to an existing magnetic board. I think I've played in the room more than she has LOL!

Of course I had to have a fancy chandelier.... our old kitchen light. Simply repainted and gussied up with crystals, feathers and pink glass branches.

The pink and black cubes were a steal at $15 each...great to use as  memory boxes. So cute with the lids switched so each was pink and black

Ginger Orange Chicken Skewers

1c          orange juice
1tbs      cornstarch (dissolved in water)
1/4c      soy sauce
1tbs      honey
1”         piece of fresh ginger (minced)
1/2tsp   sesame oil
1/4tsp   each salt and pepper
1          dried red chili (crushed)

*Mix together in a bowl and reserve ½c for basting.

 Now add:
 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite sized pieces) or 6 boneless skinless thighs and marinate.

2         peppers- any color (chopped into bite sized pieces)
2         oranges with the skin cut off (chopped into bite sized pieces)
1         onion peeled (chopped into bite sized pieces)
1/4c    toasted sesame seeds (for garnish) optional

8        skewers (if wooden, soak in water for at least an hour)

Toss the first 8 ingredients into a bowl, reserve 1/2c of the mixture for basting. Now add the chicken to the marinade. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour to overnight.

Remove from fridge and thread the chicken onto skewers alternating with the green peppers, oranges and onions. Sprinkle with a little salt and grill on the bbq or broil in the oven for about 3 to 4 minutes per side or until the juices run clear. Be sure to baste periodically with the reserved liquid.

 Garnish with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and serve with New Potatoes with Lime and Cilantro http://marthakindof.blogspot.com/2011/07/new-potatoes-with-lime-cilantro.html.

New Potatoes with Lime & Cilantro

These are a nice accompaniment to my  Ginger Orange Chicken Skewers http://marthakindof.blogspot.com/2011/07/ginger-orange-chicken-skewers.html. Simple, fresh and delicious!

12                red and/or yellow skinned new potatoes

2tbsp           butter
1/2tsp          salt
1                   lime (zest and juice)
1/2              dried red chili(crushed)- optional
1                  clove garlic(minced)

1 handful cilantro (chopped)

Boil potatoes in a pot of salted water until tender. While waiting, put the next 5 ingredients into a small saucepan on low heat until butter is just melted. Turn off heat and let sit until the potatoes are ready.

 Drain potatoes and put in serving bowl, pour butter mixture over the potatoes, sprinkle with cilantro and toss together. Serve immediately.

Fresh Tomato Salsa

This is the first thing I got my daughters to help with when they were younger. They were in charge of stirring and tasting it to see if it needed more salt. They thought it had to be stirred a certain amount before it was ready, something only they could decide…so cute! I can’t eat the jarred stuff since I started making this,it’s amazing to me that they’re even supposed to be the same thing! This is so fresh and delicious; it really is worth the effort. You can use this just for dipping chips, or along side grilled meat and fish.

8            roma tomatoes (any tomato will work but these have less seeds and juice in them)
3            large onions
1            bunch cilantro (finely chopped)
1            lime (juice)
1            garlic clove (crushed)
salt to taste

Dice tomatoes and onions into equal sizes, I like mine quite small, but some prefer a larger dice. Then toss into a bowl with everything else and stir. Taste and adjust the amount of salt if necessary.

*Tip- When using this as a condiment with meat or fish I'll often add fresh fruit. Mangoes and strawberries are a favorite in our house.

If we're making nachos our meal, I'll add some black beans and some corn to make it a little more filling. I just toss the beans in right from the can (drained) and the corn is added right from the freezer. Just let it sit for about 10 minutes or so before serving.

Chinese Dumplings on a Bed of Crisp Veggies (Re-make)

 This is a recipe that's so simple it’s almost embarrassing to call it a recipe! But it’s unbelievably healthy and delicious so I had to include it. If you feel the need to make it more difficult in order to satisfy your inner chef, feel free to make the dumplings from scratch.
http://www.realage.com/tips/what-to-eat-to-live-longer-cruciferous-vegetables

Here's the recipe:

1 package         Frozen Asian dumplings called Gyoza (pork or chicken)

*Trader Joes sells them MSG free!
Click on the advertisment on the side of the blog for locations.





2-3            chicken bouillon cubes  (enough to make a strong chicken stock)
4c             shredded coleslaw mix  (or thinly sliced asian veggies)
1               red pepper(cut into thin strips)
1               can cut up baby corn

2              green onions thinly sliced
4              dried red chilies
4tbs         toasted sesame seeds
sesame oil- just enough to drizzle
left over bits of chicken of pork if you have it (diced)


Bring water to a boil in a medium sized pot, and then toss in the frozen dumplings. When they float to the top  drain about 1/2 of the water and stir in your bouillon cubes until dissolved.

Put 1 cup of coleslaw mix in each of your four personal sized serving  dishes. Sprinkle equal portions of red pepper, baby corns, green onions, sesame seeds, crushed dried red chilies and sesame oil in each dish.

Now place an equal amount of dumplings on each plate of veggies and spoon over some of the broth. I like to serve additional broth in a small bowl on each plate for dipping the gyoza. Serve immediately. The veggies cook just ever so slightly in the hot broth...quick and so yummy!!!!

Summertime...and the livin is easy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIDOEsQL7lA&feature=related



Summer is about easy entertaining. Jazz playing, friends and family popping in unexpectedly and alfresco dinners that stretch into the wee hours of the morning. So for me nothing says summer more than the flicker of candle light on a warm summer evening! Here are a few pics to inspire you to create a little backyard ambiance for your next gathering.

 A few empty glass jars in different shapes and sizes, some treasures from the beach... and you're be ready to sit back and enjoy everything a warm summer evening has to offer.

                            

Make your own custom napkin rings with rope or ribbon and interesting objects found at the beach. Not only are they pretty, they stop the wind from blowing your napkins away! Another great idea is to use stones from the beach as name tags. Simply write on them with a permanent marker. If you don't want to have such a formal table setting...use the rocks as table decor and write words of inspiration on them.

  

                                        

Instead of tossing your empty bottles into the recycling bin, why not fill them with flowers to create an interesting display. Maybe suspended from a few tree branches or strewn through the center of your table to create a casual centerpiece?

            

To add even more ambiance to your backyard gathering, try making your own fire bowl. It's ridiculously easy and very inexpensive...if you're resourceful you can make one for just a few dollars. All you need is a large fire safe container... a metal, concrete or ceramic plant pot works great... a few cans of gel fuel, some mesh and rocks from the beach.

The process is ridiculously simple. Place a few open cans of gel fuel inside the planter, cover it with a cut metal mesh and rocks. That’s it...your done!. Clear a few of the rocks away from above the gel fuel cans so you can light the gel fuel. The gel cans last for about 3 hours, if you’d want to stop the flame earlier, just place something non flammable over the cans of gel fuel to snuff out the flame... the lid from the can works great, I just hot glue a long skinny rock to the lid to use as a handle. The gel cans can be re lit over and over again.


* The gel fuel is sold almost anywhere during the summer months. I've recently seen it at Walmart and Home Depot. They also sell refill fuel, so when your can runs out you won't have to take your fire pit apart, just top up the can.

*Depending on the depth of your container, you may have to raise up the cans of gel fuel...sands works great for this.

***Check with your local fire department for burning restriction that may be in place!