Pumpkin Trifle

Hello! I'm back! Are you shocked? I did not abandon my blog. Just been taking a hiatus. To be quite honest I haven't even been cooking all that much the last six months. It's quite sad and pathetic actually. I hope to post a few recipes over the next month, then I will be taking another short break while I move houses.

This lovely holiday dessert recipe comes from my cousin. I made individual portions for Thanksgiving and it was a huge success. There is nothing healthy or natural about this recipe. It's the holidays... let's live a little!

The base of my trifle is spice cake. If you live in the USA you can buy packages of Gingerbread mix, which is what the original recipe called for. In my area of Canada all we have available is Spice Cake mix and it did the trick just fine!



Pumpkin Trifle

- (USA) 2 (14oz) packages gingerbread mix or(Canada) 1 box Spice Cake mix (Duncan Hines - available at Save On Foods)
- 1 large box instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 30oz can pumpkin pie filling
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/3 tsp ground cardamom, cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- 1 12oz container Cool Whip, thawed
- 1/2 cup crushed ginger snaps, optional

1. Bake gingerbread mix or spice cake mix according to package directions. Cool completely.

2. Meanwhile, prepare pudding. Stir in pumpkin pie filling, brown sugar and spices.

3. Crumble half the gingerbread or spice cake into a large trifle bowl, punch bowl or other pretty glass bowl*. Pour half the pudding mixture over top, then add a layer of Cool Whip. Repeat with remaining cake, pudding and Cool Whip. Sprinkle crushed ginger snaps on top to garnish.

4. Refrigerate overnight.

*You could also use individual dessert bowls as I did. Portion the ingredients according to the number of servings you require and layer according to directions.

Enjoy!

Sautéed Wild Mushroom Crostini

Baby Shitake mushrooms and garlic cheese bread from the farmers market.

Over the holidays I co-hosted and self catered a cocktail party. I spent weeks planning the menu, and then three days preparing the appetizers. The food was definitely the centrepiece of the party. One of my favourite creations was sautéed wild mushrooms on a piece of toasted and mozzarella topped baguette. The recipe itself was inspired by a similar one seen on Oprah a few years ago. As with most of my cocktail party appetizers, I wasn't able to get a photograph of the finished dish. Instead, enjoy a snap of some of my haul from the farmer's market today.

Sautéed Wild Mushroom Crostini

This dish can be served as an appetizer, snack or even as a main dish. If serving as a snack or main dish, consider using a loaf of French of Italian bread, instead of baguette.

Ingredients:

1 baguette, cut into thin slices
olive oil
1/4 cup butter (1 stick)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound mixed mushrooms (button, crimini, shitaki, oyster, porcini, etc.), cleaned, stems removed and chopped fine
1/4 cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc & Pinot Grigio work well, but use whatever you have!)
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley, plus 2 tablespoons, reserved
sea salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste
mozzarella cheese (fresh or firm; cut into 24 thin slices, approx. 1"x2" or to fit baguette slice)
1/4 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese (Shredded NOT grated!)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees (F). Arrange baguette slices on a baking sheet. Lightly drizzle with olive oil. Bake bread for 8-10 minutes until lightly toasted. Remove from oven and set aside. Leave oven turned on.

2. Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and sauté for a minute until fragrant. Add chopped mushrooms. Increase heat to medium and sauté mushrooms in butter for 5-8 minutes, until starting to reduce and brown.

3. Add white wine and increase heat to high. Cook, stirring often, until wine has reduced and most of liquid has evaporated, approximately 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add fresh chopped parsley and mix together. Remove from heat.

4. Arrange mozzarella slices on top of each baguette slice. Top each with approximately 1 tablespoon of mushroom mixture. Don't be afraid to use your fingers to ensure mushroom mixture is evenly spread over bread slice. Top with a light sprinkle of shredded Parmesan.

5. Once all bread slices are topped with cheese and mushroom, bake in oven for 8-10 minutes until cheese has melted and edges of bread starting to brown. Remove pan from oven, place crostinis on a serving plate, lightly sprinkle additional chopped fresh parsley over everything and serve immediately.

Oysters on the Half Shell with Pickled Shallot Vinegar

It's week four of my online cooking class, Surf & Turf at Cheeseslave. This week, Ann Marie taught us how to pick fresh seafood and we learned several recipes for uncooked seafood dishes, like ceviche and sashimi. She also showed us a great way to shuck raw oysters.


Oysters are extremely good for our health and are listed in The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth. According to author Johnny Bowden, a 1 cup serving of oysters supplies more than 100 percent of the recommended daily value of Zinc. Zinc is important to healthy immune function and fertility, among other things. Oysters are also a mood elevator as they are rich in the amino acid tyrosine, which the brain converts to dopamine. Before dealing with raw oysters at home, make sure you read up about how to buy and store fresh shellfish. Raw oysters are safe to eat, if handled properly.


A few weeks ago, I ordered an oyster knife online from Golda's Kitchen, in anticipation of this lesson. Yesterday I picked up 8 small fresh oysters from the market and today I got down to business! I was pretty apprehensive about the process. Not sure if any of you have seen Bob Blumer's Glutton For Punishment? He participated in an "Oyster Shuck Off" in one episode. Let's just say there was a lot of blood. As it turns out, oyster shucking is not that hard, or that dangerous! Actually, it's incredibly easy. I made it through my eight in under 10 minutes, and had only minor difficulties with two of them. But... this post isn't about how to shuck oysters. I am certainly no expert. There are loads of videos on YouTube that can help you out. All I can tell you is to make sure you have a proper oyster knife, a sturdy wooden cutting board, a clean dish towel and a steady hand! And DON'T STRESS! And if someone tells you a butter knife will work just fine to shuck an oyster, DO NOT BELIEVE IT. You need an oyster knife. You can pick one up at most any kitchen supply or speciality shop for about $10.

OXO Good Grips Oyster Knife
I love topping my raw oysters with a squeeze of fresh lemon, a dash of Tabasco, a little bit of grated fresh horseradish or pickled shallot vinegar - but not all together! I made the Pickled Shallots during week three of the Preserve the Bounty Challenge. French Food at Home does a pickled shallot on fresh oysters. My favourite seafood restaurant, Rodney's Oyster House also serves their fresh oysters on the half shell with a pickled shallot vinegar. It's delicious! Pickled shallots are also a great condiment for many other things, like salads, sandwiches, antipasti platters, meat and poultry!



Pickled Shallot Vinegar

2 large shallots
1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 sprig fresh thyme

1. Peel shallots and slice thinly.

2. In a medium saucepan, mix together vinegar, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring often to dissolve sugar. Add shallots and stir.

3. Bring to a simmer and cook for one minute. Add thyme sprig. Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature.

4. Transfer mixture to a glass canning jar. Cover and refrigerate for at least one week before using. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two months.

Alternatively - if you want to heat process your canned shallots for shelf stable storage, complete the directions up to step 3, but do not let the mixture cool. Pack shallots into cleaned and sanitized jars with a small sprig of thyme. Fill with hot vinegar mixture to 1/2 inch below the rim. Cap your jars and process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.

Lobster Bisque

A "bisque" is a smooth, creamy, soup with French origins. Bisque is broth left after simmering shellfish with aromatic vegetables, straining, then mixing with cream. According to Wikipedia, the name "Bisque" is thought to either be derived from The Bay of Biscay (on the West side of France and the North side of Spain), or from the term "bis cuits", which is a Spanish/French jumble, meaning "twice cooked".

This soup an involved and long process, especially when you factor in the lobster dinner required in advance of the soup making, but in the end, it is well worth it.

From this:



To This:



Serves 2 entrees or 4 appetizers

left over parts of 2 cooked lobsters (legs & bodies)
4 tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic crushed
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup brandy or sherry
1/4 cup sweet white whine
2 tomatoes, chopped
few sprigs of thyme
6 cups water
salt
pinch cayenne
1 1/2 cups cream (I used Half & Half Coffee Cream!)
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp warm water
1/2 cup cooked lobster meat, in chunks (reserved until end)
A few springs of Italian parsley, chopped (reserved until end)
sour cream (optional)

1. Chop the lobster remains into smaller pieces and place in a bowl.

2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over high heat. Add onion, carrots, garlic and bay leaf to pot. Stir until veggies are translucent.

3. Add tomato paste and stir together for a couple minutes. Add lobster pieces, then add brandy and white wine and mix well. Add tomatoes, thyme, cayenne and salt. Give it a quick stir. Add water and stir again. Let cook, uncovered, for about 1 hour, until volume is reduced by half.

4. Once soup has reduced, place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Strain the soup by ladling it into the strainer. Press the liquid out using the back of a large spoon. Discard the solids. Pour the liquid from the bowl back into the saucepan.

5. Stir in cream and simmer for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with warm water and add to soup. Simmer for two minutes, and stir, until slightly thickened. Remove from heat. Skim off any fat from the top of the soup, then whisk quickly for a few minutes so the soup is frothy. This will help incorporate any remaining fat into the soup and incorporate air into it, making it lighter and creamier. Let soup stand for a few minutes so the froth subsides slightly.

6. Drop a spoonful of lobster meat into each bowl. Ladle bisque into bowls over top of lobster. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and sour cream. Serve with a warm Cheddar Bay Biscuit.

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Brown Butter Sauce

When butter is melted and left to cook, the milk solids separate from the fat and sink to the bottom of the pan. There, they begin to caramelize and turn a light brown colour. The resulting liquid is very aromatic and has delicious nutty flavour, which is why the French refer to this as "Beurre Noisette" - hazelnut butter. The butter can be used as is, poured over vegetables, pasta, fish, poultry and meats, or mixed with other ingredients to create a rich, flavourful sauce.

1 bunch fresh asparagus, ends trimmed
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
6 tbsp butter
2 tsp soy sauce*

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Arrange asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lightly spray with olive oil cooking spray.

3. Roast asparagus in oven for 10-12 minutes, until tender.

4. While asparagus is cooking, add balsamic vinegar and honey to a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until reduced by half.

5. Melt butter in another small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook until colour turns light brown. Careful not to burn the butter.

6. Once butter is a light caramel colour and has a nutty aroma, remove from heat and add 2 tablespoons of the reduced balsamic and the soy sauce. Stir together. Spoon off and discard any foam from the top. Pour into a glass measuring cup or other glass cup with spout. Stir together well so mixture does not separate. Sauce should be a dark and rich with a thick, syrupy consistency.

7. Remove asparagus from oven and place into a serving dish. Pour Balsamic Brown Butter sauce over top of asparagus. Serve immediately.

*Use Gluten Free, if required.

Clams Provencales

While in North Carolina, we had a huge seafood feast one night of blue crab, jumbo shrimp, fresh tuna and clams. I had the task of preparing the clams. Initially I thought we would have mussels as well so I planned to make my Moules Provencales. Unfortunately mussels aren't in season in the area we were visiting so we only had clams. I figured, why not use the Moules Provencales recipe on the clams?!

Clams Provencales turned out very well! The only difference in the recipe is that clams take longer to cook than mussels. They need 8-10 minutes of steaming before they open up. Some took even longer.

If you would like to make Clams or Mussels Provencales, check my post here!

Crème Caramel

The other night I had a friend over for dinner and was feeling rather ambitious so less that half hour before she was due to arrive, I "whipped up" a batch of Crème Caramel. I've made it once before and I remember it being fairly easy. I found a recipe online and followed it exactly, except for using skim milk because that was all I had. It turned out great, although my caramel sauce could have been a little more caramelized. I got rather impatient. It takes quite a while for the sugar/water mixture to reduce then caramelize. Despite this, the Crème Caramel turned out well and tasted fabulous!

Recipe from Christine Cushing Live at FoodNetwork.ca

Crème Caramel:

Makes 6 individual custards or one large

Caramel:
2/3 cup sugar (150 ml)
1/3 cup water (75 ml)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine the water and sugar in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pot. Gently stir to mix and start the sugar dissolving. Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Tilt pan to ensure that sugar is dissolved. Do not stir the mixture once the heat is on or the sugar will crystallize. Increase heat to high and cook until sugar turns amber in colour. *WHEN IT SAYS DO NOT STIR, THEY MEAN IT. Once sugar mixture starts to boil, leave it alone. It will take at least 15 minutes for the sugar to start to caramelize. Be patient!

3. Pour liquid caramel into six 3-inch (6 ounce) ramekins, dividing equally and tilting ramekins to cover the bottoms with the caramel. Caramel will harden but don't worry, it's only temporary.

Custard:
2 cups milk
pinch salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 egg yolk

1. Over medium heat, bring milk just to a boil in medium saucepan with salt and vanilla. Remove from heat and cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Add the sugar and stir with a wooden spoon until dissolved.

2. Stir together eggs and egg yolk in a medium bowl until well blended. Slowly pour warm milk into egg mixture a little bit at a time, stirring continuously. Do not pour the milk in all at once or you risk scrambling your eggs! Ladle custard mixture into the awaiting ramekins.

3. Transfer ramekins to a baking pan. Add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake in preheated oven until a tester comes out clean when inserted in the centers and the crème caramel jiggles as one, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove ramekins from bath. Let cool to room temperature.

4. When cooled, run a knife around the inside edge of each ramekin and invert each onto a serving plate. Tap bottom of ramekin and gently lift ramekin up, leaving the custard behind on the plate with caramel sauce covering the top and running down the sides! Pretty and yummy!

Baked Basque Eggs

The Basque region is an area that borders Southwest France and Northeast Spain. Basque Eggs take on the culinary traditions of both areas. Traditional Basque Eggs include bacon or Serrano ham (Spanish version of Prosciutto) and is often scrambled instead of baked. I opted not to use ham to cut some fat, but if you wanted you could add ham to the bottom of the dish before adding the veggies and eggs.

Serves 2

Baked Basque Eggs:

4 eggs
1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs or freeze dried herb blend (parsley, basil, thyme, rosemary etc. Whatever you've got!)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 red pepper, diced
1/4 yellow pepper, diced
1/2 small onion, diced
1 Roma tomato, diced
1/2 tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup milk
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly oil the inside of 2 individual casserole dishes or ramekins.

2. Add half the diced veggies (peppers, tomatoes and onions), half the garlic and half the herb blend to each dish.

3. Mix together the melted butter and milk. Add half the mixture to each ramekin.

4. Place each ramekin on a baking sheet and place in pre-heated oven for 4-5 minutes.

5. While ramekins are in the oven, crack two eggs into a small dish, careful not to crack the yolks. Remove the ramekins from the oven and gently slide the eggs into the ramekin. Repeat the process with the other two eggs and second ramekin.

6. Sprinkle salt and pepper and more herbs over both ramekins and return to the oven. Bake for another 8-10 minutes. Eggs will be slightly runny. Cover with foil or place the lid on the casseroles and let sit for a couple minutes while you prepare toast or make tea, or whatever it is you do in the morning! If you prefer your yolks firmer, bake for a couple extra minutes.

Moules Provencales (Mussels Steamed in White Wine)

Mussels were on sale at the market today and I have been wanting to try making them at home for a long, long time so I decided to go for it. When I got home I did some extensive 'net research to ensure I prepared the mussels in the healthiest and most sanitary way possible. One of the things I came across was this hilarious YouTube video of a French Chef preparing "Moules Provencales". I based this recipe on his tutorial and it turned out great.

The video is here.

extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced (THE MORE THE BETTER!)
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 cup white wine
1 to 1.5kg (3 lb) live mussels, washed and beards removed
2-4 tbsp butter
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, or 1 fresh tomato, seeded and diced
sea salt & fresh cracked pepper

1. Here is a great article on picking, storing and preparing mussels. If you are not already familiar with mussels, make sure you read up before you begin.

2. Keep mussels refrigerated until ready to use. When ready to cook, pick through your mussels to ensure all are tightly closed. If any are open, follow Chef Jean Pierre's instructions in the video above and lightly tap on the shells and set aside for a few minutes. I found almost all of mine closed after this "tapping" process. Out of the whole batch, I only had to throw out three, two of which had broken shells. The rest were perfectly fine after a bit of tapping and resting - as Chef Jean Pierre said, they really were just sleeping with their mouths open. :)

3. Place mussels in a colander and rinse under cold water. Remove beards (if they are present - mine didn't have beards) and scrub off any barnacles or grit. Mine were "cultivated", or "rope grown" so the shells were very smooth and clean. Wild mussels will likely need a bit of gentle scrubbing.

4. While mussels are resting in the colander, heat olive oil in a saute pan (with a lid) over medium heat. Add onions and sweat for a minute or two then add garlic. Stir until onions turn transcendent.

5. Pour in wine and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Now, as Chef Jean Pierre said, CRANK UP THE HEAT and pour in the mussels. Immediately put the lid on the pan and gently shake the pan a bit. Watch the clock. Two minutes was the perfect amount of time for my mussels, which is just about when the steam started to come out of the pan.

6. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove mussels from the pan and place into a covered serving dish. Gently sort through mussels and discard any that did not open (they only need to open 1 cm, minimum).

7. Strain cooking juices into a bowl. Take the strained liquid and pour back into the saute pan. Discard the onion/garlic mixture. If a few onions sneak into the juices, that's a-okay.

8. Turn the heat to medium and simmer the wine for minute. Add the butter and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Let reduce for about 5 minutes. Add parsley, sea salt and cracked pepper and stir together.

9. Pour liquid over the mussels. Serve with crusty bread for dipping into the juice!

A+ - This is definitely a fave. I shared the dish with my mom for dinner. Between the mussels and half a baguette, it was all the food we needed.

Steamed Vegetables with Beurre Blanc

Beurre Blanc, translated directly to french, means "white butter". In culinary terms, Beurre Blanc is a butter sauce made with a reduction of white wine, shallots and melted butter. Despite being a rich sauce, it is best severed over lighter fare such as vegetables and fish.

This recipe is adapted from Christine Cushing Live.

Ingredients:
1 large shallot, very finely chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

*It is important that your butter is COLD. Room temperature or melted butter will not work.

Directions:

1. Add shallot, wine and vinegar to a small saucepan over high heat. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce mixture to about 2 tbsp. Do not let the sauce over reduce!

2. Remove pan from heat. Start whisking the wine/vinegar mixture. While whisking, add the cold butter a little at a time. Make sure the butter melts slowly into the sauce. If the butter melts too quickly, the sauce will separate. When all the butter is emulsified into the sauce, season with salt and pepper.

3. Serve immediately over assorted steamed vegetables, or fish (I spooned some over a salmon steak as well as my vegetables).

Note: FYI - This sauce does NOT do well as left overs. If you try to re-heat in the microwave, the sauce will separate and you will end up with an oily mess.

Brie En Croute with Cranberry Apple Walnut Compote

Another appieI created for my Aunt's 50th birthday bash. Another appie with no photo. C'est la vie! This was another hugely successful and popular dish. My cousin remarked that it tastes like Christmas. That's always a bonus!

Cranberry Apple Walnut Compote:

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 apples - peeled, cored and diced
Zest of 1 small orange (or half 1 large)
1/2 cup apple cider
1/2 cup cranberry sauce
1 tbsp agave syrup or honey
2 cinnamon stick
pinch nutmeg
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1. In saucepan combine cranberries, apple, orange rind and juice. Bring to boil, stirring.

2. Reduce heat to simmer; add agave syrup, cinnamon stick and nutmeg and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until cranberries have popped and apple is tender.

3. Remove from heat and stir in chopped walnuts. Let cool to room temperature. Remove cinnamon sticks.

Brie En Croute:

1 pkg frozen puff pastry, thawed and rolled out to 1/4 inch thick roundish shape
1 cup prepared Cranberry Apple Compote (more as needed)
1 medium wheel of french brie (or whatever size you need)

1. With a sharp knife, slice brie wheel in half horizontally (into two round slices, like a bagel).

2. Scoop half the Cranberry Apple Compote onto the bottom half of the brie wheel. Place the other half of the brie wheel on top and scoop more Cranberry mixture onto it.

3. Place pastry dough on a floured surface and roll to desired size and thickness.

4. Place the brie wheel in the centre of the rolled dough. Fold the dough up over the sides of the cheese, pleating the upper edges to fit snugly around the cheese. Pinch the dough together in the center to seal.

5. At this point, you can freeze your Brie En Croute for when you are ready to use it. Wrap the pastry tightly in plastic wrap and place in a zip lock bag. Freeze for up to two weeks.

6. To bake, lightly grease a cookie sheet and pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

7. Make an egg wash (1 egg beated with a bit of water) and brush the dough evenly and thoroughly with the wash.

8. Bake for 40-50 minutes until pasty is lightly browned. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

9. Transfer brie to a platter and serve with crackers or sliced baguette. Serve the remaining compote in a small dish beside the platter. Be sure to include a sharp cheese knife!

Red Wine Sautéed Mushrooms & Spinach

I merged my Red Wine Sautéed Mushrooms recipe with 10 Cent's Mushrooms Sautéed with Red Wine and Spinach recipe to come up with the perfect side dish for roasted pork tenderloin. Major delicious.

Red Wine Sauteed Mushrooms

About two months ago I was addicted to mushrooms. I ate mushrooms with every meal for about 8 days in a row. Wine sauteed mushrooms turned out to be my favourite dish and is now a "must have" when serving steak. This batch was served alongside a medium rare NY strip loin, roasted sweet potato and steamed green beans and carrots.

1 lb white button mushrooms
3 tbsp unsalted butter (or more if you think it's needed)
pinch salt
splash of olive oil (to keep butter from burning)
1/3 cup dry red wine
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste
handful fresh parsley, chopped

It's sinful, but these mushrooms taste best when cooked with LOTS of butter - the more butter, the better. I used a tad bit more than the 3 tbsp called for in the recipe.



1. Brush mushrooms to remove any visible dirt. Cut mushrooms in half, or into quarters if they are very large.

2. Heat butter and olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat.

3. Add mushrooms and salt and saute until reduced, browned and tender.

4. Add red wine and continue to stir until wine reduces, about 8 minutes. (I reduced mine to low and let simmer for 15 minutes while I prepared other dishes).

5. Add lemon juice, parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

Variation:

Try adding fresh baby spinach to your saute. Use two large handfuls of spinach (1/2 small bag) and add it near the end of cooking and stir until it wilts. Omit the lemon juice and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately. Courtesy 10 Cent Diet.

Grilled Chicken with Roasted Beet & Sweet Potato Pies

There is no recipe for this dish.

Last night I had a Roasted Beet & Sweet Potato Salad for dinner. This time, I topped it with a bit of grilled chicken (quickly marinated in lemon juice, olive oil and Epicure Herb & Garlic Dip Mix). I made some extra veggies and chicken so I would have lunch for today.

This morning while looking through the fridge, I found left over puffy pastry from when I made Turkey Pies.

Et voila!

Roll out your puff pastry into a rectangle. Place beets, sweet potatoes and shredded chicken on half. Add some feta if you have it. Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold over, pinch closed to seal, cut a few slits in the top, brush with egg wash, and bake in oven at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. Everything inside is already cooked so it was just the pastry that needed a quick bake & brown.

These pies (as well as the Turkey Pies) freeze well too so they make a quick and easy re-heatable dinner.

Turkey Pies

The worst part about a turkey holiday is dealing with the turkey left overs. One can handle turkey soup and sandwiches for so long! The inspiration for Turkey Pies came from the Dear Food Network Thanksgiving day special. One of the hosts used pre-made puff pastry and created turkey pot pies. Initially I tried to make pot pies as seen in the episode, however puff pastry is not as easy to work with as I thought it would be. Instead I ended up making "strudel" style pies - much easier with beautiful results. The filling was concocted with the veggies I had available in my fridge. This isn't the healthiest meal but it sure is tasty and and is a quick and easy way to use up those dreaded left overs. You can also make the pies smaller to serve as appetizers.

Turkey Pies:

1 pkg frozen puff pastry, thawed at room temp
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced celery
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup diced sweet potato
1/2 cup diced zucchini
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 can low fat cream of chicken soup
left over turkey gravy
salt & pepper to taste, if needed
egg wash (1 egg, lightly beaten mixed with 1/4 cup water)

1. Heat oil in a saute pan. Saute onions, celery and carrot until translucent.

2. Add other veggies and continue to saute until mushrooms have reduced slightly.

3. Add soup and gravy. Stir well to mix. Let simmer on low for 15 minutes.

4. Add salt & pepper if needed. If your gravy was well seasoned, additional S&P probably won't be necessary.

5. Roll out puff pastry on a flour covered counter top. Cut dough into squares to suit your pie size (for example: 3 inch square for appies, 5-6 inch square of entree).

6. Spoon turkey mixture on half of a pastry square, leaving a 1/4 inch on each side.

7. Fold pastry over to cover mixture. Press down sides with finger tips to form a tight seal. Ensure your seam is sealed otherwise tasty juices will leak out while baking!

8. Slice 3-4 slits across top of pie to let steam escape.

9. Brush tops and sides with egg wash.

10. Bake on parchment lined cookie sheet in 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. Pastry will be puffed up, flaky and browned lightly on top.

Wine Poached Salmon & Asparagus in Honey Mustard Sauce

A quick, easy, delicious and very healthy dinner for my last night off before heading back to work. I'm also co-baby sitting my neice tonight so quick and easy was necessary when you have an almost one-year old in the other room waiting to play.

Serves 2

Wine Poached Salmon:

2 small fillets of wild salmon, skin removed
2 cups dry white wine
2 sprigs of any fresh herb of your choice (I used basil. Last time I used thyme.)

1. Pour wine into a deep saute pan over medium heat. Add fresh herbs. Bring to a low simmer.

2. Reduce heat to low. Add salmon fillets. Cover and let simmer on low for 10-15 minutes until salmon is cooked (should all be light pink & flake away with a fork). Salmon is one fish that is better when cooked to medium but since it's poached in liquid, it will be tender regardless.

3. Remove salmon from the pan and arrange on plates. Discard the cooking liquid and herbs.

Asparagus and Honey Mustard Sauce:

Medium bunch fresh green asparagus
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed (or any herb you like)
1/2 small shallot, diced
pinch salt
two twists fresh ground pepper

1. Wash and trim asparagus.

2. Steam asparagus over stop top or in microwave until cooked.

3. For the sauce, add the last 6 ingredients to a small bowl and mix well.

4. Place asparagus on plates with the salmon.

5. Top asparagus and salmon with a generous drizzle of honey mustard sauce.