Tag: eggs

Tomatoes, and More Tomatoes…What Next?

September is tomato-canning month. After putting up dozens of jars of diced and ground tomatoes, salsa, and sauce, we still had more tomatoes that needed to be used. We were incorporating them into breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Here, some tasty huevos are nestled in a spicy tomato stew – a great way to add some zip at the start (or end) of your day.

Lightly saute a diced onion and a couple of hot peppers (we got these ones from our garden, but the selection is wonderful these days at local farmer’s markets). Then dice 2 or 3 large, juicy tomatoes and add them to the pot. Reduce the heat and simmer until the onions are soft. Crack in a couple of eggs for each serving, cover the pan, and continue to cook until the eggs are just set.

We at ours with a side of homemade multigrain toast.

It's Raining Bread. No, it's Raining: Bread.

When you’re stuck inside and the weather is cooling, it’s a great time to bake bread. Our bread-baking definitely falls off in the summertime, so we relish the cool wet days that occasionally appear.

We made this batch of spelt-buckwheat loaves on Friday. One has pumpkin seeds throughout, and on top; the rest are plain. All of them have an almost spicy flavour, even though we didn’t add any cinnamon or other spices to them. They make spectacular toast, and we even used some as the foundation for eggs benedict when our friend Rob came to visit.

Ultimate Summer Coleslaw

No time for food styling, it’s coleslaw time! This is an ultimate summer dish because it’s cool, crunchy, and fast to make on a hot day. Given that we’ve been having record high temperatures for weeks on end, that’s vital!

Moreover, the great thing about coleslaw is that it only takes a few ingredients, usually easily available. In our case we went to Kelly’s Fruit Market and Plank Road Market for a cabbage and some carrots. We could have hand-grated, but in this case we used a food processor to shred them together. Then we mixed in a generous dollop of mayonnaise. (Disclaimer alert: the mayo wasn’t walkable, exactly. We walked to a store in France and we walked it home in our suitcase. It’s from Maille, the famous mustard people. And it’s full of egg-y goodness, just like mayonnaise you’d make yourself, if you had time. We also gave a good splash of white wine vinegar, and a liberal shake (probably a teaspoon, for a bowl this size) of celery seed. That’s it. Stir it all together, let it stand for a few minutes in the fridge (or longer if you’d like) for the flavours to develop. We served it with the amazing halibut in yesterday’s blog, and it was a big hit.

Walkable Poached Eggs

Sunday morning, feeling lazy. We had a meal plan but it was organized on a day when we weren’t overtired, and were feeling extra energetic. Sunday came, and we just wanted to chill. What to do?

We had some great organic whole wheat English muffins in the cupboard. We also had some delicious Green Valley eggs from Rowe Farms (we got them at Better Bulk). There was an end of some ash-coated cheese from Montforte Dairy.

So, we toasted the muffins. Sliced the cheese thin and put it on the hot muffins so it could wilt a little. Meanwhile, we poached the eggs. We sprinkled the whole thing with some French tarragon, which was growing in the urban farm. (We didn’t start it from seed – we bought it from Mimi’s convenience, around the corner).

That, and a hot cup of coffee will get you Sunday morning heaven. (Okay, that and church – which we had plenty of energy for, after a breakfast like this!)

Thyme for Simplicity

We like Eggs Benny as much as the next guy. But sometimes you want simple and delicious. With all the fresh herbs popping up in the urban farm, this is a tremendous breakfast, full of flavour. If you’ve just baked a batch of bread to be used for toast, more’s the better.

Start with some great eggs – we like the Rowe Farm ones from Better Bulk. Chop up a couple of tablespoons (30ml) of thyme, and add a splash of milk. Whisk the whole thing together with a fork.

Cook with a dab of butter over medium low heat, stirring, stirring, and stirring. (It’s that patience thing again!) Serve with a tomato, because it just looks (and tastes) great.

What to Eat When the World Didn't End Yesterday?

Well, I can’t say I was surprised that the world didn’t end yesterday – too much advance warning. And I’m pretty sure The Book says we won’t get any of that.

So before heading out to Church we ate nature’s perfect food, dressed up a bit. Starting with toasted whole-wheat English muffins, we topped each slice with a slice of fresh hothouse tomato. Can’t wait until the “outdoor” local crops are in the market.

On top of the tomato, some Herbes de Provence Sheep Camembert from Fergus (by way of Leslieville Cheese Market).

Top this with a poached egg, which will melt the cheese. A sprinkle of cayenne, and you’re set!

Salade Huron-coise

So what did we do with the remaining Glazed Lake Huron Char? We made a delicious Salade Nicoise – that is, Salade Huron-coise!

There was a leftover red potato, so we cut that up, along with the remaining fillet.

Some greens, a few steamed haricots verts, a boiled egg, some capers and olives, and we were nearly set. For the dressing, a tablespoon each of lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, and a sprinkle of lemon pepper.

So good!

Easter Bunny Cake

Bunny CakeFor our family, it wouldn’t be Easter dinner if there weren’t a bunny cake.  Long after kids aren’t really kids any more, they aren’t willing to dispense with this cake, in all its ’50’s style glory.

It starts as two round cakes (8 or 9 inches in diameter). Make a carrot cake (traditional) or use a mix – any flavour will do.

One cake is cut into sections, with two ears, leaving the centre of the circle to make the bow tie.

The whole thing is iced with Italian Meringue Frosting, tinted appropriately. Each year there’s an argument about whether the bow tie should be pink, or mauve, or green, or yellow. Mauve or pink are easiest, since the pink frosting for the ears can be prepared, and then a little blue food colouring added as necessary.

The candies are Smarties(TM) but other small round candies such as M&Ms (TM) would work as well. The whiskers are made of shoelace-style red licorice. The fur is coconut, preferably the long-shredded variety.

Are you Egging me On?

Everywhere we walk, we’re seeing eggs. Real eggs. Wooden eggs. Easter eggs. Wreaths of crazy-coloured plastic eggs. Tis the season!

I used to struggle with egg-making, but a couple of wise women taught me everything I needed to know about boiled eggs. First, a disclaimer: I know that some people are not too keen on soft-boiled eggs. We grew up eating them, and we’re a-okay. But if you have a compromised immune system, or you’re pregnant, or elderly, or feeding eggs to a child under six, food safety experts suggest hard-boiled eggs are safest.

For a soft-boiled egg, place the egg in a pot of boiling water, and cook 6-7 minutes until the whites are completely set and the yolk is soft but heated through. (Sorry, if I could figure out how you could tell without sacrificing an egg, I’d let you know). For hard boiled, ten minutes should do the trick. Store cooked, hard-boiled eggs in the fridge for up to a week.

When The Weather Outside is Frightful…

A few days ago we were meandering down the street, coming up with new walkable feasts. The weather was mild, though windy. It seemed like spring was finally on its way. When we arrived home we raked up the garden and started prepping for the day when our urban farm will be ready for transplanting.

Then, overnight, pow! Cold, gray drizzle. Bitter winds. Wetness all around. The walkable part didn’t seem quite so tempting. On top of that, we had a meeting to attend, so we needed dinner in a hurry! When that happens, Piperade to the rescue. Whether you need a quick meal with ingredients you probably have on hand, something to feed unexpected brunch guests, or a substitute for your meal plan when it’s suddenly no longer barbecue weather, Piperade is a great choice.

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