Dear Olive, Orchids are for admiring, not for eating.

Dear Olive,

I am writing to you today to inform you of an unhappy aspect of our living arrangement, which, it is my hope, we can rectify.

I get it that you have hairballs. I mean, I see you constantly grooming, and understand that what goes in must come out. I also understand that along with the spring weather, comes a spring purge, so to speak. I have been obligingly cleaning it up, as a matter of fact, for the past few weeks. I haven't complained, (ok not very much) about the amount of fantastic that I have gone through, or the number of trees that I have killed to make the wads of paper towel needed to cushion my hand to clean up what you have projectiled all over the floor in each room, my duvet, rugs, the window ledge, or my comfy chair by the window. I try to show you that even as my adoped daughter that I still love you...almost as much as Ripley and April. We even joke as a family about how you love to occasionally munch on the pretty flowers that auntie Lizzie sometimes brings, or the silk plant that lives by the tv, which is now, in some places chewed down to nubs. But, now, my furry little friend, I have to draw the line at my orchids. I get it...you have hairballs. Maybe if I had them, I too would be crazily chewing on everything in sight. In fact, I had been displaying similar behaviors this past winter with pasta, crackers, cheese, and bread products of any kind. But I thought that we had compromised this week with my purchase of that BIG pot of cat-grass that I can see you have been voraciously mowing down on, and that has, over the past week, dwindled down to a level that golfers would envy.

So let this now be standing written notice that my orchids are *off limits*, and if I find the remnants of your feast again there will be consequences to your actions. I may even have to get cousin Lola to kick your a** when she comes to visit next. And if I were a betting woman, I do believe that she can...since she does pack a mean bite.

Sincerely,

Jen

Recipe: Baked Halibut Over Minty Mushy Peas

Ok so here I go trying to eat more healthily and not lose my passion for food. I went to my favorite supermarket yesterday (T&T) and acquired a very large halibut steak for dinner from my favorite fish guy (he is the one who puts everything down the second that he sees me. He is also the one who pulled out an *entire* side of tuna from the back - As in a 75 lb half of tuna, to cut me a select steak that I wanted) I was trying to get inspired and find a way to cook halibut other than deep fry it with panko crumbs (my all time fav preparation)

So here is what I came up with. And I have to tell you folks, it is pretty awesome - Fresh, light, flavorful, and good for you! And don't not try the minty mushy peas. They do not in any way taste like baby food. They are minty and really fresh tasting!

For the Fish (two portions):

1 halibut steak or fillet no more than 1 inch thick. Mine was pretty big and equalled two portions. For the purpose of calorie counting I assumed 5 onz per portion which is a generous amount.
1 small glass baking dish - Just big enough to hold the fillet and a bit more
1 large tomato chopped (approx 1 cup)
zest of half a lemon
juice of half a lemon (please don't use bottled - Spend the $.50 on a real lemon - I promise it is worth it)I handful of fresh mint leaves chopped
1 green onion chopped
1/4 tsp of tarragon (I only had dried)
salt & pepper
1 tbs Presidents Choice Memories of Portugal sauce. This sauce is fantastic on chicken, salmon, shrimp too. You never have to use a lot of it, and just a bit packs quite a punch.
1 tsp good olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Put 1 tsp of olive oil in the dish and then the fish. Roll the fish around until it is covered with oil. Liberally season both sides with salt and pepper. Cover the fish with the 1 Tbs of Memories of Portugal sauce, mint, tarragon, lemon zest. Sprinkle the green onion and tomatoes on top of the fish and around it.
Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes until the fish is cooked all the way through and begins to flake with a fork. Serve on top of minty mushy peas and drizzle ~1 tbs of pan juices on top. A side salad would round the dish out nicely.

For the minty mushy peas (2 portions):

2 cups of frozen peas
1 tsp salt for the cooking water
1 med handful mint
2 tsp fat free cream cheese
1 good squeeze lemon
salt & pepper to taste

Boil the peas in salted water for about five minutes. Just before you are about to pull it off of the heat, throw in the mint. Strain peas and the mint and blitz in a blender ( I used my magic bullet) until smooth. Add in the tsp of fat free cream cheese and the squeeze of lemon and blitz until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in a shallow large bowl with fish on top. For two people, double this recipe.

Approx Calories – 433 per portion. And this assumes that you are going to consume all of the broth that accumulates around the fish. If you don’t – then the calories will be less.

1 five once filet of halibut -160
½ large tomato chopped - 15
Lemon Juice -30
Mint - 10
1 green onion - 3
1 tbs Presidents Choice Memories of Portugal sauce -25
1 tsp good olive oil - 40
1 cup peas -125
1 tbs fat free cream cheese - 25
Total Calories = 433

Spring time Weigh-In Blues

Ok so now that we are into spring I know that my body SHOULD be starting to kick this carb addiction and begin to crave leafy salady type things (right?!). We are hopefully over this cold weather that makes me want to hunker down under my synthetic duvet and store up energy for some unforeseen grain shortage. I mean, let's be honest here...I won't be able to justify that this extra poundage is just "winter weight", like I do for my little porky yorkie, Ripley, who like myself has put on a pound or two (or ten - for me not her) over the winter. So here I am on this fine spring morning digging through my plethora of cookbooks, as well as the net, in search of a few core recipes that I will be able to use and recycle into new variations in the weeks going forward.

There has been one that has been a standout for me over the past little while that even my veggie-resistant spouse has asked for on more than one occasion. I don't think that it ever came from any one recipe - more like the mother of invention when I was stuck for a meal one night. It does require quite a bit of chopping, but I swear that it is worth it, because it can sit in the fridge for at least a few days, and the flavors meld and are better the second day.

Jen's Healthy Spring Salad

1 Pepper of your choice roughly chopped (red, yellow, orange or green)
1 large tomato that you have taken most of the seeds out of and chopped
1/2 English cucumber chopped

1 large handful of fresh flat leaf parsley chopped coarsely
1 large handful of fresh mint chopped coarsely
1 tin of chickpeas drained and well rinsed (you can also use other types of beans but this is my fav)
1-2 green onions chopped (you can also use red onion or shallots)
Any other veggies that might be sitting around in the crisper that you enjoy including broccoli florettes, cauliflower florettes, cubed zucchini etc.
1/4 cup Kraft fat free Italian dressing (or any other low-cal dressings of your choice other than ranch or anything "fruity". I have also added a combination of good olive oil and white wine vinegar. If you do this, you want to make it more vinegary that you probably normally would.

Serve over a bed of any of your favorite lettuce-like greens or eat on its own.

Variation # 1: add in one cup of cous cous that has been "cooked" by adding in one cup of boiling water and allowed to rest covered for five minutes.

Variation # 2: add in one cup of any other whole grain that has been cooked according to package directions including barley, wheat berries, millet, etc.

Variation # 3: Top with a cooked and sliced chicken breast or a grilled piece of tuna.

If you wanted to make the core salad stretch even farther I would start off on day 1 with the core salad, day 2 I would add in the grains and day 3 I would top with the chicken/tuna.

Cheers and happy eating!

What the f*#$% is TVP?

I wasn't really prepared for the question: "What the f*#% is TVP?" when I served up my first vegetarian chili of the season, proudly announcing that the chunks of "beef" weren’t really beef at all. Now I know that not everyone embraces healthier concoctions. There was a whole series of pasta adds that I recall from a year or two ago featuring a family whose wife did everything from running the tap to making loud noises while describing the dinner's ingredients to her husband. "You know what that leads to don't you? Socks and sandals!" was a favorite tagline used by the husband to describe people who eat whole wheat pasta.

I can buy into the fact that one "likes what they like". However, often has been the case where people in my life have eaten foods that they couldn't necessarily identify at the time, proclaimed they liked, and then upon discovering what it was changed their mind. Case and point with the food program at an alternative school where I used to teach. After being disgusted by the food given to our kids on a daily basis, I made a pitch to the principal to fire the caterer and allow me to cook for the lunch program of around 60, mostly inner city kids. Now at the time I had been vegetarian for a number of years, so I wasn’t prepared to cook meat of any kind. Plus we had many Jewish children who required Kosher preparations and who consistently received substandard meals.

Letters went out to all of the parents informing them of the proposed change. I had literally DOZENS of parents come in to discuss with me the fact that their children would *never* eat vegetables of any kind, never mind tofu or beans. All that I asked for was a shot at two weeks to try the program out and see if it would fly. Almost every parent agreed (I believe partially for the fact to prove me wrong) and away we went.

The menu was diverse and included at every seating included a vegetarian protein source, a side of veg or whole grain carb, fresh cut veggies with a bean dip of some kind, as well as small portions of whole grain bread acquired from a local bakery. Fruit was always served for desert. The cut veg and dips and bread were placed communally around the table with serving spoons to share and children were encouraged to take what they wanted and try the different tastes.

On the first day I came into the dining room and promised them that I would never serve anything “gross”. All that I asked was for a “three bite rule” – If after three bites they hated the food they didn’t have to eat it – But there was nothing else for them to have. Lunchroom staff were told to support this, and kids who were resistant were seated next to children who were more willing to try new things.

I think on the first four days I had a half dozen or so holdouts. They wouldn’t even try one bite. By the end of the second week plates were coming back completely clear and children were eating bigger portions and more fruits and veg than they ever had before. Parents came to talk to me in droves and asked how I managed it. My response was simple: Picky parents with picky tastes make for picky children. When food was presented with no pretense other than we were trying something new, and I promised that it would not be “gross” there was no emotional “stuff” around it. So even the most stubborn kids ended up trying the food when nothing else was offered. And much to everyone’s surprise they consistently wanted seconds of “chicken” and “yummy dips”

Growing up in our family when we asked what was for dinner we were told "fried toads on toast" or "Iffits". It is only later in life that I discovered that this meant "If it's on your plate, you're gonna eat it". We ate everything from Indian cuisine, Japanese and Chinese food, to every type of offal, and varying cut of meat, as well as every vegetable and fruit under the sun. So, in credit largely to my mother for cooking, and my father for shopping, I have developed a broad palate, and love a variety of ethnic cuisines, tastes, and textures. And my spouse is slowing coming around. Instead of just pretending that the eggplant tacos are ground beef (whoops, sorry) I now say that they are what they are. And although right now I have to field fun questions like “What the F#$* is TVP?!”, I know that in time, like the fact that she can now eat hotter Indian food than me, that she too will eventually come around.

Lamb jerky likely won't make a Bonacini restaurant menu any time soon

So last night my sister called me from the supermarket, basket in hand, looking for accoutrements for the frozen half price lamb chunks that she had found. Woohoo! Half price. Way to go! I quickly scanned through the mental rolodex of appropriate accompaniments, taking into account this week's food restrictions (my sister, from time to time goes on cleanses, or has food intolerances that creep up and strike her gastricially in a terrible way) So of course, thyme, rosemary, garlic, mushrooms, parsnips, quartered lemon to replace the vino she can't have, carrots, zucchini came to mind. Since her plan was to crock-pot-it, provided that either the veg would stand up to the slow cooking, or contributed in some way to the sauce, all was good. I hung up the phone and made a mental note to speak to her in the morning and find out how it was. I also wrote it down to let her know that next time she should try adding sliced fennel, since that would add a nice mild licoricy flavour too.

So I spoke to her this morning and asked how the lamb was. "Lamb Jerky" didn't sound like a particularly appetizing response, and definitely not the one I was expecting. "How was the zucchini?" I asked. "pulp?" Apparently what we hadn't discussed was how long to leave a slow cooker on, and I suppose this was learning the hard way after ten hours of anticipated cooking. Although it was still tasty in a doggy treat, chew till you choke kind of way I am sure, I don't think that lamb jerky will make it onto a Bonacini restaurant menu any time soon.

So, in typical Sagitarian fashion, I thought that today I would dedicate this blog to her, and do a quick slow-cooker 101 for those who may need to be reminded of the basics.

Jen's Crockpot 101:

Pretty much any meat can be made in the crockpot. Here is a basic guideline if you don’t want to follow a recipe.

Add in any meat that you have on hand (beef, pork, lamb, chicken breasts, chicken legs, chicken thighs). This is also your chance to use those tougher cuts of meat such as:
Beef: round, brisket, flank, plate, shank, shin, leg, and chuck Flank steak (beef)
Pork: shoulder or butt
Lamb: shank or shoulder

If you have time brown the meat first in a skillet. If you don’t have time don’t worry just throw them in. You can even pull frozen meat and throw it in – Just add in a couple of hours more cooking time.

If you have any “sturdy” vegetables on hand throw them in if you want (potatoes, whole or cut up, carrots, celery, mushrooms, parsnips, rutabaga, cabbage in chunks). Any other veg are still fine to add, but keep in mind that they will contribute more to the sauce, and will not likely remain whole. Good choices include: tomatoes, zucchini

Add one can of any kind of any condensed soup (mushroom, chicken, celery, broccoli and cheddar etc.) Alternatively, if you have “packet sauces” like beef gravy, dried soup mix etc. these can be used in place. But boost up the liquid to the max amount in the next section.

Add ½ cup – 1 cup (or so) of any liquid (beer, wine, water, apple juice, tomato juice, chicken broth, beef broth,) You can also pitch in ½ to a whole cut up lemon in there too if you want a more acidic taste (perfect for lemon chicken, or greek lamb)

Add about ¼ tsp each of salt and pepper

Add ½ - 1 tsp of any seasoning you have on hand in any combination (oregano, basil, steak seasoning, garlic powder, onion flakes, real garlic, Italian seasoning etc).

Cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 5-6

Serve with any combination of rice, pasta, potatoes, salad, other veg.

It's the staff that make the store

My favorite grocery store is actually a Food Basics in St James Town, also known as "The Hood". The clientele is mostly a combination of East and West Indian, and as a result the store has a great "International" section where I can find everything from three kinds of jerk seasoning, to easily reheatable Punjabi curries, to tinned Turkish vine leaves, and dips. And even though in a poorer district of the city, the produce is consistently better than many other supermarkets I have been to. There is always lots of selection, and stock is replaced regularly. And when there is an advertised special, regardless of whether it is the last day of the sale or not, there is always stock to be found, which cannot be said for many other stores (one of my big bones to pick with Shoppers Drug Mart who consistently runs out of advertised product specials on the first day)

Being located in a poorer part of town, there have been times that I have run into an assortment of questionable characters, either street people who are wandering about the aisles looking for warmth in the winter, people with questionable personal hygiene, or mental health issues, or even families who have no control over their children and scream relentlessly at them as they chase them through the aisles. But the reason why I love this store the best is because of the staff, most notably the produce guy. Every time I go to the store he is the first person to great me with his friendly crooked smile. He asks how my week has been, and lately whether I have been able to find another job yet. If I am shopping on a Tuesday, as opposed to my regular Friday, he will note my change in schedule. He is always quick to tell me about the store specials, and has on numerous occasions gone to the back in search of fresher produce for me. If I can't find a particular product he has even stopped what he was doing, and not only taken me to the aisle, but also to the actual product on the shelf. He is not a conventionally good looking guy, or a smart guy, or would even be considered articulate by any stretch of the imagination. To most people he would appear shy, and maybe even a bit strange, and I can’t remember the exact moment when we went from being strangers to being familiar. But I would have to say that he is a big reason why I look forward to shopping there since he makes each visit memorable. Don't get me wrong, I also love the sterility of the upscale mega marts found throughout the city. I just don't get the same level of interraction from the pony-tail girls with the impeccable french manicures who honestly don't care if I find the antipasto in aisle 3.

Today I also had the pleasure of spending about five minutes with our check out gal, who, with great animation, told us a story of the lady who tried to steal a huge box of tide by placing it in the bottom of her grocery cart and swiftly pushing it through the cash, hoping the cashier wouldn't notice. She also told us the story of a guy who tried to steal over $ 200.00 worth of meat by pretending it wasn't in his enviro bag. Her head bobbing side to side with a noticeable Jamaican accent she decreed: "I'm not gonna risk my life for some guy who wants to steal meat. How much do you think they pay me here?!?!" I am sure that the line-up behind us wasn’t impressed since she actually stopped scanning the items to enthusiastically tell us the story. But my guess was that no one was going to mess with a big Jamaican woman waiving her arm about in the grocery store in the hood. And it SO made my night, and once again confirmed for me that it is in fact the staff that makes the store!

The holy grail of stain removal

If you have seen the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" then you will recall the father who used Windex as the cure-all for diseases as well as cleaning. Well, I feel the same about Pine Sol. Let's face it - It smells pretty nasty. Even the lavender version smells toxic. However, I have to say that it is by far the BEST grease remover for clothing that I have ever found. I have a spritz bottle filled with Pine Sol that accompanies me to the laundry every time. Simply spray the affected stain and launder as usual. The great thing about it is that you don't have to rub or scrub the stain whatsoever, which may damage the fabric. AND it doesn't harm even your finest silks. Don't believe me? Try it for yourself...I swear it's true. AND...it often goes on sale for $.99 a bottle at your grocery or drug store, and as you know, I love a deal. That is at least $1.99 cheaper than I have ever found a bottle of spray and wash :)

The ultimate trifle

Trifle has been a regular at all family special occasions for as long as I can remember. Back when I was a little girl my mother used to use syrupy tinned fruit salad, day-glow jello, and Byrds custard as filling. Today, I have modified the version to take advantage of fresher, lighter ingredients, while staying true to my mother's legacy.

Choose any clear deepish bowl-like container for the trife. (I used a shallow vase for Easter to accomodate a smaller portion)

Ingredients:

I package of small jelly rolls (usually six to a package) left open for one day (they work best when they are slightly stale)
I tin of President's Choice custard
1 half bag (approx) of any frozen berries that have been defrosted and strained (I prefer Europe's Best Raspberries of Blueberries) Alternatively fresh berries rock too. I would plan for at least two pints or a quart.
1 package of jello (I use diet raspberry but feel free to use regular)
1 small container of whipping cream (seasoned with a bit of sugar and Grand Marnier or Rum)
Cream sherry, (such as Harvey's Bristol Cream) and Grand Marnier (or substitute any other liquor such as rum, amaretto,)
Any combination of fruity gums, shaved almonds, silver dragees, sprinkles, shaved chocolate, marachino cherries, or candied fruits for decorating the top

Cut the jelly rolls into fours and layer along the bottom and a quarter of the way up the sides of the container. You will likely have some left over. Freeze in a zip lock bag until you need them next. Sprinkle LIBERALLY with cream sherry and Grand Marnier (or chosen liqueur)

Prepare jello in a separate container at half strength (1 cup hot water only) and stir until completely combined. Pour over jelly roll, completely saturating each piece. Put in fridge until set.

Once set pour the fruit onto the set jelly rolls and then top with the tin of custard. Whip the cream with a teaspoon or so of sugar as well as a sploosh of grand marnier or alternatively rum and spread over custard. Right before searving top with jellies/almonds/toppings of choice and refrigerate until serving.

The whole thing can be prepared the day before and kept in the fridge

An old fav in Chinatown

I remember when my dad first took my mom and I to Kings Noodle in Chinatown at Dundas and Spadina, over twenty years ago . In the car ride there dad warned us that it wasn't like eating in a western restaurant and that we just needed to approach dinner with an open mind. We were seated around a large round table with four, maybe six other diners. Menus were all in Chinese, and we were the only caucasion diners in the place. Dad ordered swiftly and I can remember the order by heart: House special chow mein, chicken with seven kinds of mushrooms, and a plate of rice with glistening barbequed duck and pork. I remember the food arriving so quickly that we couldn't believe it. I recall looking around the table at our fellow diners who were slurping away happily on congee with intenstines and fish balls, and steaming plates of noodles and sides of gai-lan. My mother, mortified I am sure at having to dine communally in a less than immaculate setting, never let on that anything was less that perfect. I knew that I was hooked at the first bite, and still regularly crave the salty, slightly crunchy, savory noodles. The restaurant was spruced up a number of years ago (including their loos thank god) and the place has a new, almost hip vibe. Prices have increased, and portions have shrunk over the years, but the product has remained consistently good. It is also nice to be able to look in the kitchen at the back and not cringe like I did in the early days. I even saw Susur Lee dining at a nearby table just a month ago. New favs also include their yummy spring rolls and wonton soup. Warnings: Some clientelle over the years have been observed to treat the restaurant like their private quarters. Just tonight we observed a mother clean out her daughter's nasal cavity at the table next to us. Try to keep your eyes on your own table and you should do fine. Four or more people sharing can expect to pay no more than $15 a piece and leave the table stuffed.