Recipe #38 Refrigerator Coleslaw

Ingredients:

1 head of finely shredded cabbage (red or green or a combination)

1 finely sliced onion (vidalia or red onion)

1 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup white sugar

Dressing:

1 cup oil

1 cup white vinegar

1 tsp Keen's dry mustard

1 tsp celery seed

1 tsp salt

In a large, non-metallic bowl or container, layer cabbage, carrots and onion with sugar.

In a saucepan, combine oil, vinegar, celery seed, dry mustard and bring to a boil. Pour over cabbage and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Makes about 8 cups and keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Summer time picnics and more......

This week we have been enjoying record breaking warm temperatures and its only May - and we are making a quick change in our clothing - wearing shorts, t-shirts and even bathing suits.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, everyone's thoughts are moving to summer salads or what to make with the newest local produce like strawberries. Our local farmers market are quickly attracting customers with its attractive rows of fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers. We are truly lucky to live so close to St. Jacobs market - in fact I can see the market from my back deck.

For me, hot summer weather triggers many memories like the first time I had watermelon at a birthday party. Going to the beach is one my fondest childhood memories - our family would always pack a huge picnic lunch and walk to the beach on hot, summer days. My favouite was cucumber sandwiches and ice cold orange kool-aid. And I never wanted to the day to end - just one swim please.

Presenting Keira Mai Anh Nguyen - our Asian Princess

Our little granddaughter Keira has melted our hearts, especially when it comes to eating. She loves broccoli and all types of Asian vegetables. At only 21 months old, she has mastered the art of eating rice and absolutely loves it.

The influence of international cuisine is not new to our house. Many years ago, Kern and his younger brother Dennis took a cooking course in Elliot Lake, learning how to make egg rolls and won ton soup from a local expert. The ingredients used in this cuisine are often healthy choices such as fresh ginger, fresh shrimp, and even the broth can be homemade. The art of Asian inspired cooking brings variety and spice to everyday cooking.

Keira keeps me aware of how her favourite foods can bring joy to everyday meals. I hope you will add some comfort food to your dinners this week!

Recipe #37 Won Ton Soup

Preparation time: 40 minutes + 30 minutes soaking
Total cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4-6


4 dried Chinese Mushrooms (Shitake or a mixture)
250 gm (8 oz) raw prawns (or shrimp)
250 gm (8 oz) very lean minced pork
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 spring onions (green), finely chopped
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp chopped canned water chestnuts
8 oz packed won ton wrappers
1.5 litres (48 oz) chicken or beef stock
4 spring onions, very finely sliced, to garnish


1. Soak the mushrooms in a bowl of hot water for 30 minutes. Drain, then squeeze to remove any excell liquid. Discard the stems and chop the caps finely. Peel the prawns and pull out the dark vein from each prawn back, starting at the head. Finely chop the prawn meat (or shrimp) and mix with the mushrooms, pork, soy sauce, sesame oil, spring onion, ginger and water chestnuts in a bowl.

2. Cover the won ton wrappers with a damp tea towel to prevent them from drying out. Working with one wrapper at a time, place a heaped teaspoon of mixture on the centre of each.

3. Moisten the pastry edges with water, fold in half diagonally and bring the two points together. Place on a tray dusted with cornflower.

4. Cook the won tons in rapidly boiling water for 4-5 minutes. Bring the stock to the boil in another pan. Remove the won tons with a slotted spoon and place in serving bowls. Top with spring onion. Ladle the stock over the won tons.

Recipe #36 Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

INGREDIENTS
• 1/4 cup light olive oil
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups pistachio nuts or sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix together oil and sugar until well blended. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts, then beat in the eggs. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder; gradually stir into egg mixture. Mix in cranberries and nuts by hand.
3. Divide dough in half. Form two logs (12x2 inches) on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Dough may be sticky; wet hands with cool water to handle dough more easily.
4. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until logs are light brown. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
5. Cut logs on diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay on sides on parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until dry; cool.

This recipe is one my daughter Andrea makes for parties and everyone just loves!

Treats are for sharing.......

Everyone loves treats and sharing them is the best part of it. We create, buy and even bake special treats as a way of saying "thank you", "get better soon" or "have a nice day". I think its in our nature to share the things we love with friends and family.

One of my sharing treats is Biscotti - its one of those special treats that everyone enjoys. I made these treats for my class mates when I took a travel literature course at UW. For my presentation, I choose to talk about my cooking travels to Italy. So, I made biscotte for everyone. Of course they all loved the treats - including our Professor Stan Fogel. He is going to be retiring soon, and we will all miss him. He makes learning a joy and not a chore.

So, I might not do the cooking in our home but I do the baking - my Canadian cook prepares all the main courses and I dabble in the desserts - the fun part!

Recipe #35 Antipasto Platter

Suggested Ingredients:

Salami

Mortadella

Prosciutto or Cappicola

Mixed seasoned olives (kalamata)

Artichoke hearts

Mozzarella cheese sticks

Aged Cheddar

Monterey Jack Cheese

Crusty rolls, crackers or your favourite fresh bread

This platter is really about choosing your favourites - this is just a sample of what we might choose and it changes each time.

We would serve this platter for lunch - it is a fun way to share our homemade salamis with family and friends!

The process of making salamis

In January of this year, we took an extended long weekend and travelled to Sault Ste. Marie. At the home of our very good friends, Livio & Marilyn Ubaldi, we made 64 salamis from scratch. It is a labour of love and you must be patient because the product is not ready to eat until September. You also need the perfect cold room to store the salamis while they age.

Everyone has their job to do to make this weekend happen. Marilyn and I (as you can see from the picture above) have the chore of preparing the skins the night before. And the next morning, the process begins for Liv and Kern. It consists of cutting, seasoning and grinding the meat. Then we have the cooking and tasting to check the seasoning - and oh my what fun that is - the kibitzing begins - too salty, too hot, too this, too that. In the end, a fun time is had by all with lots of pictures as memories.

This year, Liv's twin sons, Marco and Stefano came over to help out. In the earlier years, it was a chore to babysit these boys and now they are helping us out. Now we have more memorable moments to share.

Hope you enjoy the pictures - the faces tell the whole story!

Thank you Liv, Mare, Marc & Stef for a truly remarkable weekend!

Recipe #34 Linguine with Baby Clams and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients:

142 gm Whole Baby Clams
3 to 5 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup clam liquid
pinch of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
1 tbsp butter or Becel
1.5 tbsp flour

1 box Catelli Smart Pasta

In large skillet heat olive oil, add garlic and saute 2-3 minutes, try not to brown the garlic. Add wine, clam juice and pepper. Simmer 8 - 10 minutes adding a bit of water each time the liquid reduces. You want to have about 3/4 of a cup of liquid when you are finished. In a bowl mix the flour and butter to make a smooth paste. Using a wisk, remove the sauce from direct heat and wisk in a bit of butter at a time until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon. Return to the heat and add the clams. Heat the clams in the sauce a few minutes before the pasta is done.

Oven roasted yellow cherry tomatoes

Cut tomatoes in half, sprinle with sea salt and drizzle with olive oil. Bake on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper at 350 for 30 to 45 minutes. I usually make the roasted tomatoes the night before and store them wrapped in the parchment paper in the fridge. I take them out about a half hour before cooking to warm them to room temperature.

Cook pasta according to your taste (al dente if you like). Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat, then add the oven roasted tomatoes and a splash of extra virgin olive oil. Toss lightly and serve. You can also add chopped parsley and parmesan cheese if you want.

Serve with garlic toast or a fresh baquette