Sweet Start to a Rainy Sunday

Cherry Apple Crisp

Before our recent holiday, we packaged up any fruit we couldn’t finish, and threw it in the freezer. These sweet dark cherries and apple slices came in handy when we wanted a warming breakfast for a gray, drizzly spring day. Brown sugar, rolled oats and butter formed the crisp topping, spiced up with a shake of cinnamon. The addition of some tangy, fat-free yogurt made it just right.

For two:

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a heatproof glass dish, put 3 cups of fruit. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix 2c/500ml large-flake oats, 3T/45ml brown sugar, and 1/4c/6oml melted butter with a shake of cinnamon. Pour this on top of the fruit and bake – 30 minutes if you use fresh fruit, or 45 if you use frozen, as we did.

Top each serving with 1/4c or 60ml of yogurt.

Comfort = Grammy Food

Storm of the year! Here we are, having been tested by snow, ice and wind. Fortunately so far all is intact, we have heat and light, and we have managed to clear a path to the road.

What made us leave our walk-to-the-subway-and-avoid-the-elements existence? Who knows. But the call of this land is strong and the battle of the wind and water seems to actually strengthen our pioneer spirit. What we do know, is that the pioneers knew sustenance when they saw it. Our Grammy was a comfort food expert, and she always made us feel better by serving this: onion gravy pork chops with mashed potatoes and veg (any veg!)

Travel safely wherever you are, and honour your grandmothers. They’re worth it. And while you’re at it, learn to cook the favourite thing they make. Someday you’ll need it.

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Does This Taste Cheesy to You?

3000 steps and 7 km on the rower before 7am, while watching the medals for our Canadians at Sochi. These cheese-and-egg breakfast sandwiches will get us on our way. Whole wheat burger buns, bought on sale and frozen for later use, get a freshening in the toaster. Slather on a little Dijon and a couple of tomato slices. For each serving, cook two sliced mushrooms and pour a beaten egg on top. Add a light grating of sharp cheddar. It’ll wake up your mouth (and the rest of you) and keep you going til lunchtime.

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Fuel Up Fast!

Nearly an hour on the rowing machine and a long day’s work ahead calls for some serious energy. My grandmother used to start us off on cold winter days with a bowl of oatmeal, and she was right. But we don’t need instant oats or the long, slow cooking of her day. Large flake, old fashioned (or steel-cut) oats will cook nicely in the microwave in under 10 minutes.

We dressed ours up with some extra protein (walnuts), dried cranberries and cinnamon, and topped it with half a banana. And we’re off to race through another day!

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Everything's Coming Up…Peaches?

Brrrr! We started the day with the last vestiges of a 3-hour power outage, some of which happened while we were blissfully asleep. By 6ish NS Power had things up and running again. It was interesting that we were the only “powerless” area in the province! We always knew we were special.

Heading outside, we finished clearing the driveway by starlight, then headed in just as the sun was coming up from behind the hills on the other side of the Bay. The sky was a brilliant peach, which got us thinking…what better way to warm up than oatmeal with peaches that we froze at the height of freshness, last summer? Something to be grateful for, we say!

No photo? Apparently it was too good to waste time doing that!

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What to Eat When your Plow Guy Quits and you Shovel for Three Hours

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After the apple walnut oatmeal, you go to work like nothing happened out of the ordinary. I love Canada.

Warmth from Within

Weird weather! We go from snow, to rain, to sleet, from freezing to frigid, and windy to calm, all in a day. To be ready, a warm breakfast is always in order. Hot cereal is a great way to start. This is my apple nut oatmeal breakfast. Shout out to the artisanal mug, which has a family connection – my sister’s cousin-in-law (?) makes beautiful pottery like this turquoise charmer!

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For two:

3/4c or 180ml rolled oats
2T or 30ml chopped walnuts and dried cranberries
Sprinkle of cinnamon
1 chopped apple, skin on

Add about 1-1/4c or 300ml water. Cook on the oatmeal setting on the microwave or 3 mins on high and 5 on med-low.

Serve with milk and brown sugar.

This Pepperoni Tastes Like…Wood?

This stew originated as a recipe from www.cookinglight.com, but has been adapted over time and made our own. Although we frequently can get great chorizo from our friends at Ratinaud, we love the taste that Chris Brothers’ pepperoni adds to the soup. Naturally-smoked, it actually makes us feel like our stew has been cooked over a real wood fire.

For the original, search Chickpea-Kale Stew with Chorizo at www.cookinglight.com

For our version, here’s how we changed it:

15ml/1 T olive oil
3 large onions, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2oz/60g Chris Brothers pepperoni, diced
Stems of one large bunch of kale, reserve and chop the leaves

Cook these ingredients til soft.

Then add

3c/750 ml cooked chickpeas with liquid (we precook without salt and freeze in tubs)
3c/750ml unsalted turkey broth (again, we make homemade and freeze whenever we roast…anything)
Kale leaves
1t/10ml oregano

Bring to simmer, cover, and stir occasionally for 30 minutes.

Delicious!

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How Can We Use this for Lunch?

January is a time of renewal in our family – and frugality of a multitude of sorts. Most of us who aren’t already abstainers (shout out to the in-laws) give up “the drink”. We also usually get back on the horse (or treadmill, bike, road, pool, or trail) if we have been lax of late. In our house we’ve decided to take a tip from our old East Lynn Danforth friends and try not to spend money on non-essentials as well. We were inspired when the Daughter and Son and their loves showed up with a plethora of handmade and homemade things at Christmas.

It calls to mind an old poem, really words to live by in this consumerist age:

Use it up
Wear it out
Make it do
Or do without

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On that note, our lunch quest was, “what have we got in the house to eat that doesn’t require going out for supplies?”

We made this awesomely delicious pasta:

For two:

Cook 1c/250ml multicolour veg pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, dice 2 very ripe tomatoes (ok, ours were VERY ripe) and 1/2 head of broccoli, stems and florets (or either)

Drain a can of salmon.

Chop up a hot pickled pepper languishing alone in its jar (clean and save jar for next year’s canning).

Dig out that 30g/1oz end of herbed goat cheese from the fridge.

Chop a couple of anchovies.

When the pasta is done, strain it. Put the pot back on the stove and dump in the other ingredients except salmon. Stir until the cheese melts in, then add the pasta and the salmon, quickly mixing to coat.

Give thanks for leftovers and good things hiding in the fridge!

What Can You Put in a Pancake?

Well, we managed to get shoveled out after a huge winter storm (thanks Paul, for the plow!) and over to the Parents’ house yesterday to deliver…the Internet! Mom and Dad are easing into the digital age.

This morning all is right with the world – no quakes or anything. So we are continuing on our journey of “use up stuff left in the cupboards and freezer from the holidays”. This morning’s version: Mincemeat Pancakes. We’ve put all sorts of things in pancakes – apple chunks, blueberries, shredded carrots… We’re not talking about things wrapped in pancakes, or piled on top of pancakes (sorry, crèpes and blinis), but actually incorporated into the pancakes. These turned out deliciously cakey and spicy, perfect with just a little maple syrup.

For 6 pancakes…

In a medium bowl combine 3/4 c or 185 ml whole wheat flour with 1T or 15 ml baking powder. Make a well in the centre. Into this put 1 egg, 3/4 c or 185 ml leftover mincemeat, 2 T or 30ml canola oil or melted butter, and 1 c or 250 ml milk.

Cook on a buttered griddle or frypan at 350F, turning as the edges dry and bubbles begin to appear.

Serve with maple syrup and watch others wonder what the secret ingredient could be.

Live gratefully!

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