Pump It Up

A few months back, our friends Pete & Kim invited us to their place for dinner.  We had a beautiful steak dinner that would have easily rivaled some of the best steak houses in the city.  Over dinner, I had commented on how strange it was that not only did Kim serve steak, but she was also eating it.  I have known Kim for over fifteen years and during the majority of this time she had been a vegetarian.  She told me that that during her last few years as a vegetarian she had felt run down, lethargic and was prone to being victim to every flu/cold/virus that was going around.  She made the personal decision that she needed to incorporate meat into her diet but wanted to do it in a healthy way. 

She said that she won't eat any meat that comes from a supermarket, nor will she eat it from a restaurant where they do not publish where it is sourced from.   She will only consume meat from a butcher’s shop – ideally from an organic butcher shop, but since they are so few and far between, she will buy from a regular butcher shop.  “Meat from a supermarket is not the same" she said.  "When we buy from a butcher shop, you can actually taste the product.  It’s even visually different – the steaks are not that horrible red colour and the chicken breasts are much larger”.  I was intrigued…

A few weeks ago I was diagnosed with anemia – which is a common blood disorder in which you have decreased levels of red blood cells and the normal quantity of hemoglobin (a protein that contains iron and transports oxygen to your cells and tissues).  I am now currently on iron supplements prescribed by my doctor to rectify the immediate iron deficiency problem. However, this is only a short term solution.  Not only do I have to incorporate more iron into my diet, it is evident that it needs to be the “heme” form of iron.  Heme iron is found in animal based foods and is absorbed better than the nonheme variety.  Nonheme iron is found in grains and vegetables and is the form of iron that is added to iron fortified foods.  Since my main source of dietary iron is nonheme and my body is unable to absorb a sufficient supply to keep me healthy, I need to start to chow on some cow to pump up my blood.

It’s not that I am a vegetarian – my weakness for bacon and chicken wings confirms this fact -- but I only eat meat occasionally.  I thought back to the conversation that I had with Kim.  With her in mind, I proceeded to think of how to eat more meat but in a healthy, sensible manner.  So, I trekked to “The Healthy Butcher” on Queen Street West in Toronto (www.thehealthybutcher.com).   I was a little taken aback by the young, cute butcher behind the counter (in my mind I was expecting someone who looked like Sam the Butcher from the Brady Bunch with a red and white stripe-y apron) who was happy to educate me on the various lean cuts of meat (my head was exploding holding back my cheap and tawdry comments – think about it, a young cute boy and a plethora of meat jokes running through my mind!).   I happily left with a bag of barn yard animals.  Kim was right – the chicken breasts that I bought were obviously from a Jane Mansfield style bird – they were naturally enormous!

Here is the first recipes that I made from this visit.

Bison & Lamb Moroccan Meatloaf

½ pound ground bison  

½ pound ground lamb

3 slices whole wheat bread

2 eggs

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp hot paprika

1 tsp turmeric

¼ tsp cinnamon

¼ cup chopped mint

1 medium onion diced

4 cloves of chopped garlic

1 tsp olive oil

Salt & pepper

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan.  Add the chopped onion and three of the four cloves of garlic (I like the different flavour of both the mellow cooked garlic and the raw).  Add the cumin, turmeric, paprika and cinnamon.  Cook until onions are translucent.  Let cool.

In a food processor finely grind the slices of bread.  Add to a bowl and combine with the remaining clove of raw garlic, mint, bison, lamb, eggs and cooled onion mixture.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  Combine well.

Press into a lightly greased loaf pan and cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes.  Cool for 10 – 15 minutes before removing from pan.

 

I still had A LOT of meatloaf left over, so I used the remains in a chilli recipe.

Moroccan Chilli

Bison & Lamb Moroccan Meatloaf leftovers – chopped

1 tin tomatoes

1 tin tomato sauce

1 tin lentils (rinsed)

1 tin black beans (rinsed)

Corned Beef Cabbage in Guinness

I know that I am Scottish and I know that St. Patrick’s Day is more of a North American celebration in honour of a saint that I know nothing about because I am a heathen…. but I do love preparing a corned beef and cabbage dinner at this time of the year.

The Fella was working, but my ma came over on Saturday for dinner.  The Fella is lucky that we saved some for him – he is not so lucky that Saturday night concluded with an evening of beer consumption on top of the cabbage which made for some nasty Dutch ovens at his expense (nothin’ says lovin’ like a Dutch oven).

Corned Beef Cabbage in Guinness

1 package of corned beef brisket

1 can Guinness

3 onions – quartered

1 head of cabbage - quartered

1 dash of ground cloves

Salt & Pepper to taste

Water

Quarter onions & place in a large stock pot.  Open the package of corned beef and place on top of the onions.  The package directions on the corned beef instructs you to boil it in the bag - but then you miss out on the Guinnessy goodness.   Be a rebel and thumb your nose at those who tell you what to do.  

Pour in the can of Guinness  and then add enough water to cover the top of the corned beef.  Add cloves, salt and pepper. 

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook for 50 min per pound.  Skim fat from the top of the stock every hour. 

Add the quartered cabbage during the last hour of cooking.   I put the corned beef on a cookie sheet and place in a 350 degree oven for the last twenty minutes of cooking.  Serve corned beef, cabbage and stock over mashed potatoes.

Forgo the usual green beer and try Well's Banana Bread Beer - it is not sweet tasting as it sounds - it is a full body beer with notes of banana and nut.

Northern Comfort

Did everyone survive the deep freeze this past week?  Bloody hell I hate the cold.  I am yearning for the dog days of summer.  I’m not a sun worshipper – one look at my pale blue Scottish skin will tell you that – but I love the heat and no matter how stinking hot it gets in July and August I will never complain.  

These redonkulous frigid temperatures have caused me lose my mojo.  I have literally done NOTHING all week except wake up – go to work – come home – put my jammies on.  I have a tonne of things to do but when it gets this cold I lose all motivation.   Time for some comfort food to nourish the soul.

I have read that men tend to prefer savoury comfort foods like soup, stews and casseroles and that women lean toward sweet foods such as chocolate, ice cream and cake.  Yet again my theory that I am a drag queen trapped in a woman’s body holds true, because comfort to me is all about the savoury….with a side of boozy. 

So tonight's menu was designed was designed to test these gender theories and to lift the spirits featuring comfort foods...with a twist.  Yes, the twists are kind of creative, but they are rooted in unabashed laziness.  Lack of mojo is the mother of invention I say.  Also, I am in the middle of moving, so all baking utensils and pretty glassware have been packed up already (sorry for the boring photos).
 

Turkey Pot Pie Soup

1 cup cooked turkey (I used turkey to finally use up the frozen left over Christmas turkey, but you can sub with chicken)

2 cups frozen vegetable mix

1 can condensed cream of potato soup

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

2 cups skim milk

Pepper (to taste)

Dried sage (to taste)

Poultry seasoning (to taste)

1 pre-made frozen pie crust

Combine turkey (or chicken), vegetables, soup mixes, milk and seasonings in a large sauce pan.  Simmer on low until it comes to a boil.  Note that the soup will be thin but this is what you want - the pie crust will thicken the final product.

Meanwhile, cook pie crust as per package directions.  Let cool and crumble with a potato masher.  

Ladle soup into bowls and top with crushed pie shell.

 

Chocolate Cake Martini

1 part Cake Vodka

1 part Chocolate Vodka

Pour into shaker and shake well.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year and all the best to you in 2013.  How I remember 2012 like it was only yesterday (well, it was!).

The Fella and I had a great time at our friend Greg's annual New Years Eve soiree.  This year Greg kept it low key - just a few friends and family.  They say that how you spend New Years Eve is how you will spend the year ahead.   I don't particularly believe this theory, however, if it is true, I welcome 2013 as a year spent with people who truly matter, enhanced with cocktails, music and good food - pretty much what I try to keep The Free Spiritz based upon.  I am also not a believer in New Years resolutions, but I am an obsessive list maker.  So, no 2013 declarations for me - just a few things on my to do list.

1. MOVE!  --  I have outgrown my veal pen in the sky.  I need a bigger place (or I need to stop buying shoes....like that is going to happen!).  This is taking priority number one and starting tomorrow I will beginning the search for a bigger fab place to put down my roots.
2. Home Decor -- I will begin a year long preoccupation with paint colour combos as I jazz up my future new abode.
3. Make more wine -- I really got into wine making the later part of last year and I will be making another batch of white and red within the next few weeks.
4. Drink more wine -- This goes without saying....I mean why else would I be making it.
5. Photography -- Despite being a major Instagram geek, I know absolutely nothing about photography.   This year I will make an attempt to learn more about it and hopefully develop a new skill.
6. Spend more time with friends -- I need to be less obsessed with work and spend more valued time with my spesh mates.
7. Go back to the gym -- Since my appendectomy five weeks ago, I have been restricted from going to the gym.  I have one more week on my ban.  I usually work out every lunch hour and I have felt totally lethargic since I stopped going to the gym.  I know that I won't be able to handle my normal routine so I plan to ease back into it.  I'll start with a few yoga classes and work my way up from there.  Let's just say that after six weeks of not working out and indulging in the four holiday food groups of cheese balls, marzipan, gravy and chocolate, that first downward dog will not be pretty.
8. Going with the flow -- I plan to live in the moment and not sweat it when things don't go as planned.  For example, I would usually I would obsess about making this list an even ten. So, to go with the flow I will end it here at unusual number eight.

   Me and The Fella in our tiaras

                                                                            

                                                              The fab host, Greg

                                          Baby Maggie and her first New Years Party

Boxing Day Fry Up

Hope that everyone had a great Christmas!

Thank crunchie for yoga pants - they are the perfect attire during the holiday season with marathon meal sessions.  I plan to pry myself away from the telly and my tin of Roses chocolates to make a Boxing Day Fry Up.

I love to cook, but my commute and ten hour days puts a damper on meal preparation.  When I come home during the week I want something FAST!  So when I get the opportunity to spend time making a meal, I like to make an event out of it (as you can see from some of my previous blog posts) complete with cocktails and music.

On Christmas Day, I pretty much make enough food to feed a small army.  Yesterday I cooked a turkey AND a ham, plus all of the trimmings and I loved every minute of it. 

However, if I'm totally honest, the meal that I really look forward to during the holiday season is the annual Boxing Day Fry Up.  I fry the left over ham and make a big, heaping batch of "Bubble and Squeak" out of left over mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts.

Every U.K. resident, descendant and ex-pat has their own take on Bubble and Squeak, but the main ingredients are always potato and cabbage.  The name is suppose to refer to the sound that the ingredients make when they are being fried - however, I think it suppose to refer to the sounds that you make after digestion.

The Lassie's Boxing Day Bubble and Squeak

Leftover mashed potatoes
Leftover brussel sprouts - chopped
Leftover stuffing (optional)
Leftover vegetables (this year I threw in roasted parsnips)
1/2 onion chopped
1 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp butter or margarine

Heat 1 tbsp of butter (or margarine) in a large frying pan or skillet.  Add chopped onion and brussel sprouts for one - two minutes.  Remove from pan and place in a large bowl.   Add the mashed potatoes, paprika and stuffing and misc. left over vegetables (if using) .  Mix until thoroughly combined.   Heat remaining tbsp of butter (or margarine) until very hot.   Add mixture turning occasionally. 

Serve with HP Sauce and fried ham.

To accompany our fry up, we had a lovely Kahlua Peppermint Mocha latte.

Now you have a good base in you to go out and hit the Boxing Day sales!  Myself, I plan to return to the telly and my Roses.

Walking Dead (S3) Mid-season finale

Ooh, big night tomorrow!  It’s the mid-season finale of The Walking Dead.  Let me tell you NOTHING will be getting done in my place tomorrow night between 9pm – 10pm when it airs.  How juicy will the cliff hanger be this year?  Last year's mid-season finale ended with the walkers being let out of Hershel's barn..and the big reveal of Sophia's whereabouts. 

I had a lovely themed meal planned for me and The Fella for the occasion. Unfortunately, my surprise emergency appendectomy put a wrench into the plan. Really not up for red meat & alcohol just yet. 

Here was the menu.  Since I did not make it, there are no pictures to share. 

The Walking Dead Menu

Main Course

“Ghoul”ash

2 ½ pounds stewing beef

2 onions chopped

2 cloves chopped garlic

10 mushrooms chopped

¾ tsp sea salt

Pepper (to taste)

1 tsp paprika

Dash hot sauce

1 cup beef broth

1 cup tomato juice

1 cup red wine (1 tbsp reserved)

½ cup flour

1 tbsp olive oil

Heat olive oil in a pan.  Dredge the beef in the flour and brown the beef on all sides.   Place beef in a slow cooker.    Use the reserved tablespoon of red wine to deglaze the pan and add drippings to the slow cooker along with all other ingredients.  Stir ingredients and cook on low for 4 – 6 hours.  Serve on top of noodles or mashed potatoes.

Cocktail

Dirty Governor Martini

2 shots of vodka

1 shot of tomato juice

2 tbsp olive juice

1 tbsp vermouth

2 olives

In a cocktail shaker combine vodka & tomato juice. Shake. Add olive juice & vermouth and olives. Shake.   Pour & Serve.
 

Dessert

Walkers shortbread (the joke is so obvious). OK, I will indulge on a wee slice of this as a treat.

But I am up for getting glammed up for the event....
 

Shoes

I love these Iron Fist shoes.  Seriously, for me they are very versatile.  Unfortunately I can only get away with wearing them once a year to the office at Halloween.

 

 

Outfit

I will be cracking out my "I like you for your brains" shirt that I bought at K-Mart on a cross border shopping trip.   I love this shirt but it sheds glitter everywhere.   My sofa will end up looking like I just had a house party with The Village People.

 

Now we have to wait how many weeks for Season 3 to resume?

Baby Love

Our friends Rachel & Shaun are having a baby.  Rachel is due any day now so by the time this posts, the wee bairn may have already made his/her entrance into the world.   I had asked Rachel a few months back if we could do something to celebrate the occasion.  I thought maybe the girls could get together and go to a restaurant for a nice, civilized lunch.  

Let me pause right here to offer up an apology as I know what I am about to say will offend - So here’s the thing – I am not into baby showers.  If I have attended one of yours it is because I REALLY like you.  

When our friend Rich  suggested that we should actually throw a baby shower for Rachel I was a little taken aback.   He really had no clue about what he was getting into – the cucumber sandwiches with no crusts, the inane party games, etc.  

Then I realized that Rich’s lack of knowledge of what a traditional shower entails was the beauty of the plan.  We could make it our own and totally nontraditional!  It would be potluck (cucumber sandwiches forbidden), BYOB (spirits are always a great idea) and everyone would contribute towards a gift certificate (no gift breast pumps being passed around to feign interest in). 

As for shower games – well, the fellas were quite fascinated with tales of the "nasty nappy" game.   This is the game in which chocolate bars are melted  and then smeared in a diaper.  The diaper is then passed around and the object is to guess what chocolate bar it is.  The fellas insisted that we should play this game - so that we did - we made them play as we sat back and watched the hilarity ensue.  

Here’s the other beauty of this shower.  No one at the shower has kids.  It usually turns out that I am the only person at a shower who is childless.  There is usually one or all of the following types of mom in attendance:

Milking-it Mom - The mom who publicly breastfeeds the child who is old enough to take a bus to school and who is old enough to chew steak.

Prodigy Mom – This mom has a child that does everything better, smarter and faster than any other child on the planet.  The day their child uttered their first word, Mensa knocked on their door saying that they would waive their membership exams for this wonder child.

Graphic Birth Story Mom – Usually these moms tend to be in groups.   Within five minutes of meeting you, they have you cornered telling you horrific stories about childbirth.  I have heard stories ranging from the forty stitch episiotomie to an unfortunate clotting incident in which said clot was the size of a porterhouse steak.   You know, the kind of real life facts they neglect to tell you in health class because the human race would cease to exist.

and the most annoying of all:

Disney Birth Mom – This is the mom who tells you that her birth(s) were fast and painless.  On the day she gave birth, her sheets were turned back by Disney bluebirds and chipmunks, she gave three pushes that took no more effort than squeezing out a loud fart and voila the child arrived looking like a Gerber baby (if she is also a Prodigy Mom, the president of Mensa was waiting in the delivery room to admit the Disney Gerber baby upon entry into the world).   And of course her make up and hair were perfect for the entire event.

Thanks to everyone for such a fun night.  I am still full from the potluck buffet.  A shout out to my friend Robin who introduced me to the dish that I brought.  Here's the recipe below. 

BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

2 cooked chicken breasts (if you are lazy like me, you can buy them cooked at the rotisserie section of your grocery store)

3/4 cup of chicken wing sauce (my fav is President's Choice Buffalo wing sauce - it comes in both mild and hot)

2 - 8oz. packages of reduced fat cream cheese (you can use regular, but I tried to keep the calories down)

1/2 cup ranch dressing (I used President's Choice 3-cheese ranch)

1/2 cup blue cheese dressing (or you could skip the ranch dressing and add one cup of blue cheese)

crumbled blue cheese (optional)

shredded cheese of your choice (I used white cheddar - but you could use regular cheddar, mozzarella, fontina, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Shred chicken breasts and toss with the wing sauce.   Layer mixture in a square casserole dish.

Place the cream cheese, ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing and crumbled blue cheese (if using) in a bowl.  Mix with a beater until blended.  Layer mixture on top of the chicken .   Cover with the grated cheese (use as much or as little as you desire).

Place dish in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.  Allow dip to sit before serving. 

Serve with nacho scoops, carrots and celery. 

Although trying to keep it as low-cal as possible, I found that there was still a lot of grease that seeped up on top of the dish.  Simply wait until the cheese has cooled and dab the top with a paper towel to absorb the excess grease.

I made this dish the night before.   Once it had cooled I wrapped it in foil and reheated it in the microwave for five minutes prior to serving.  

What's so funny 'bout eats, love & understanding?

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of spending the day cooking with my mom. Did we make haggis?  Stovies?  Nope--cabbage rolls. Not terribly exotic at all, but it is for my mom.

To say that my mom is unadventurous in the world of cuisine is an understatement.  My mom grew up in World War II Britain in  small rural Kilsyth, near Glasgow.  She was two years old when Scotland entered the war and eight when it came to an end.  Her earliest memories include being awoken from her sleep and carried out of the house into an air raid shelter.  Air raid drills were part of her early school life and along with her school bag, she had to carry a gas mask--hers was shaped like Mickey Mouse.

In order to weaken the U.K., the Germans limited the supplies going into the British Isles. Every household was issued a ration book to ensure each person received their fair share of the available supplies. I believe it was growing up on rations with a limited breadth of food that has made my mom a picky eater.  The trend now is to eat locally and think locally.   My mom, her parents, and everyone else in the country had to adopt this lifestyle out of necessity.

Living in Kilsythe with the proximity of small farms meant that there was never a shortage of meat and milk.  My grandfather, a miner who was never drafted as his job was considered an essential service, also had a chicken coop which allowed for a steady supply of chicken and eggs. 

Although the war ended in 1945, rationing did not stop until 1954. My mom finished school in 1952 and started working at Mateer's Grocery Store.  Mrs. Mateer was often able to source luxuries for her best customers.  She would somehow be able to procure tinned goods such as salmon, pineapple rings and ham. These goods would be hidden under the shop counter and only sold to the special customers of her choice.   She would however make these luxuries available to her staff and my gran would always be thrilled to have access to these treats.

My mom & her parents came to Canada in December 1956. They were awestruck by the Canadian grocery stores and the selection available. They were also slowly introduced to new & very different cuisines.   Although she did try all sorts of new food, mom never really developed a palate for them.

The year I was born, my parents lived in a small three story walk up that was owned by a Ukrainian lady. It was this woman who introduced mom to perogies and cabbage rolls to which she developed a taste for.  I enjoy making cabbage rolls with my mom every fall.

CABBAGE ROLLS
Two heads of cabbage
1 package of ground beef
1 package of ground veal
1 package of ground pork
1 cup of brown rice (cooked in beef broth)
2 cloves garlic
1 large onion chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large jar of sauerkraut
2 large cans of tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Core cabbage and boil one head at a time.  Peel full leaves off as they soften.  Put aside and let cool.

Meanwhile, mix the beef, veal & pork together by hand in a large bowl.  Cook the rice according to the package directions using beef broth instead of water.  Allow to cool and set aside.  Heat the vegetable oil and add the chopped onion and garlic.  Cook until translucent and allow to cool. 

Add the cooked rice and onion/garlic mixture to the meat and work slowly and gently through the mixture by hand.  Scoop 1/4 cup of mixture and place in the centre of the cooked cabbage leaves.  Roll and place by row into a roasting pan.  Continue to bottom of ban is covered with cabbage rolls.  Cover layer with tomato sauce and a layer of sauerkraut.  Continue layering ensuring that last layer is covered with tomato sauce and sauerkraut.

Cook for 2 hours and 20 minutes.

SPIRITS

Enjoy with this light and refreshing Ukrainian beer - Lvivske 1715 (LCBO $2.50/500ml bottle).