Thursday, September 30, 2010

Foodies of the World

I think I must have started-deleted-started this post again at least 10 times. I'm so excited, I feel like a kid on Christmas morning and I just don't know where to start! I feel like using exclamation marks everywhere! in! this! post!!! Breathe in... Breathe out... OK, let me start over, yet again.


In March, I was contacted by the Slattery Media Group, to take part in a project involving food bloggers from all over the world. This seemed like such a wonderful and lucky opportunity, it didn't take me long to reply with a resounding YES!

At first I just couldn't believe that my blog was actually selected as part of this project, I mean how many food blogs are there out there? What makes my blog special, worthy of being part of such a project? Was this some sort of a joke? I had so many questions! When the initial disbelief wore off, I started working on the texts, recipes and photos needed for the book. And then once everything was sent in, laid-out and accepted, I waited. It seemed like such a long time to wait and I told so few people about the project, it just seemed unreal. But now, I just can't believe the book is out already! It's real, and isn't it just gorgeous?

The overview from the Slattery Media Group's website reads like this:

"Foodies of the World is a collection of profiles and recipes from the best blogs around the world.

The publication covers an international spread of cuisines, courses and recipe styles, as well as profiles of the bloggers themselves, who come from all corners of the globe.

Containing stunning photography, styling and images, this is a high-quality cookbook with real food from real people."

Real food, from real people. Yes, that's it exactly, isn't it? That's what's blogging is all about, to me anyways. It's about sharing your best recipes with the widest audience possible. Sharing our successes and sometimes our failures and realizing that we are not alone out there. We all need inspiration and that's what a food blog is to me. Inspiration to try something new for dinner tonight or inspiration to make something from scratch that I would perhaps not have attempted before but if someone like me, another blogger, a mother, a home cook could do it, well, maybe I can too.

If you love food blogs and would like to discover new ones or support the ones you know already, you can purchase Foodies of the World by following this link. Get it as a present for yourself or for the foodie in your life. I'm sure you won't regret it! And now, I'm off to make myself a cup of tea, I'm way too excited for my own good!

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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Dark Chocolate Cake

Ever have one of those days when you just feel blue and don't feel like doing anything? I'm having one of those days. And it's raining. I usually love fall but gray and rainy days like today, they just get me down. If anyone knows a more perfect remedy to a gloomy day funk than baking a chocolate cake, please, let me know!

I'm well aware I already have a few chocolate cake recipes around here, but I firmly believe you can never have too many recipes for chocolate cake. Especially when said recipe yields a dark, dense and intensely chocolaty concoction. I think I'm feeling better already!


Dark Chocolate Cake adapted from Baker's Chocolate

4 oz dark chocolate (I use an 80% cocoa dark chocolate)
1/2 cup butter
1 to 2 tsp instant coffee powder
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1 cup boiling water
Icing sugar

Preheat your oven to 350F. Butter and flour a 10-inch fluted tube pan; set aside.

Melt chocolate with butter in a double boiler. Add instant coffee powder; cool. Add sugar, vanilla and salt; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine sour cream and baking soda; mix well. Alternately blend in sour cream and flour 1/3 at a time on low speed of mixer. Add boiling water; blend well. Batter will be thin. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove and finish cooling on wire rack. Dust with icing sugar.

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Friday, September 24, 2010

CSN Stores Review (Homemade Ketchup/Tomato Chutney Recipe)

So, have you guys had a chance to check out the CSN Stores website yet? If you're like me, you have and you're drooling over every single product they offer, and they have quite the selection! As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I got the opportunity to review their products and services. This took a little longer than I expected because I couldn't decide what to order! Is there such a thing as too many choices? In any case, I finally chose a gorgeous Le Creuset casserole. I placed my order and was pleasantly surprised to be offered a free gift! Cool right? Included in my order was a Le Creuset oval dish, in the color of my choice. The ordering process is very easy and all the information is clear and accessible. The shipping on the item I choose was free but being in Canada, I had to pay some international charges. These charges include duty fees so you don't get a surprise payment to make when your purchases are delivered. I received my packages within a week of ordering and I was quite satisfied with the service. And, most of the packing material was recyclable; no packing peanuts here! Bottom line, I would order other products at CSN Stores in a heartbeat. I'm also pretty excited to say that I'm working with CSN Stores again soon for a giveaway, so stay tuned!!!

Of course, the first thing I wanted to do when I got my beautiful new toys was to cook up something to showcase them! I made a humongous beef stew in my casserole dish and it was incredibly delicious. Unfortunately, photogenic, it was not. So I made a small recipe of shepherd's pie and used my cute little gratin dish! I won't bore you with my shepherd's pie recipe, but I will tell you I use both regular potatoes and sweet potatoes in my recipe. It adds color, flavor and vitamins!


The recipe I want to give you today is for Tomato Chutney, or Homemade Ketchup as we call it here in Québec. It is delicious served up with shepherd's pie or any dish that needs a little pizazz. This is a perfect recipe to use up those tomatoes from your garden or farmer's market. And the mix of fruits, veggies and spices makes it colorful and comforting. I made up this recipe to suit my tastes but you can change the ingredients as you wish to make it all your own.

Homemade Ketchup/Tomato Chutney

1 large green bell pepper, diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
2 medium onions, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
8 to 10 large Roma tomatoes, blanched, peeled and diced
4 peaches, blanched, peeled and diced
4 apples, peeled, cored and diced
3 pears, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
8 whole allspice berries
1 bay leaf
1 star anise
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp salt

In a large pot, heat a little olive oil and add the bell peppers, onions, celery, garlic cloves and sauté, over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, peaches, apples, pears, vinegar, brown sugar and all the spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the chutney simmer for about one hour. By then the juices will have reduced and concentrated and it will smell fantastic! Remove the allspice berries, bay leaf and star anise. Let cool, divide in convenient portions and freeze in ziptop bags.

Please Note: I was offered a 100$ coupon code from CSN Stores in order to do a review of their products and services. Shipping and international charges were not included and I was not paid for my opinions.
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Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Chocolate Chip Cookie Lava Cakes

I am so completely addicted to food magazines, I even collect the little pamphlets they hand out in grocery stores. These days, they look a lot more like magazines though, as they're full of neatly styled recipes featuring, of course, said store's products. As most of you know, you don't really need to use the product in question and even when the recipe calls for a ready-made product, you can make it even better by using something homemade.


Case in point? These Chocolate Chip Cookie Lava Cakes. I noticed the recipe while I was "sifting" through magazines and stuff I could get rid of. Yes, I have too much stuff, go figure, and I need to get organized. Anyhoo, I was looking through a pile of Kraft's What's Cooking Magazine and when I spotted those cakes I had to make them right away! Well, first I had to make chocolate chip cookies, then I could make the cakes.

I made my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, used a round cookie-cutter to cut 12 cookies to the desired size and then made the cake batter. Easy-peasy! And when they're finally out of the oven, you flip them onto a plate, and you go to chocolate heaven. First you experience the crisp, crunchy and buttery taste of the cookie, then, as you cut into it, you find a rich, molten chocolate cake swimming in melting vanilla ice cream. Did I mention you have to pair this with vanilla ice cream? Well, you do!


Chocolate Chip Cookie Lava Cakes
adapted from kraftcanada.com

OK, first you have to make some chocolate chip cookies. I suggest this recipe; it contains walnuts, which are a nice addition to these little cakes.

12 chocolate chip cookies, cut into circles with a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter
4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel

Preheat your oven to 425F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Place the cookies, upside down, into the muffin liners. Press them into the bottom, they might be a bit big but don't worry about squishing them in, they're like the crust of these tatin-like cakes! OK, now set that aside while you make the batter.

Place the chocolate and the butter in a large microwaveable bowl, then microwave on high for about 2 minutes. At that point the butter should be melted and a little stirring will get the rest of the chocolate melted too. Alternately, you could do this on a double boiler.

In another bowl whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, confectioners sugar, flour and fleur de sel.
Slowly add the chocolate mixture, stirring as you go, until well blended.

Pour the batter over the cookies in your prepared muffin tin. Bake in preheated oven for about 8 minutes. The cakes will be slightly firm around the edges but still soft in the middle. Let the cakes stand a minute or 2 before serving. Remove each cake from its tin, invert it onto a plate (just like a tarte tatin!), remove its liner and serve with your favorite vanilla ice cream.

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