September 1st, 2010 by Paige
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With my new job comes a new challenge: box lunches. I’m now working across town at our shiny new branch library, as opposed to being a quick walk from the downtown library. This spells the end of dashing home for lunch and tossing something together from scratch. I’ll be packing my lunch to take with me every morning which means a complete overhaul of my lunch process. I’ve been scavenging for grain and bean salad recipes, reading the Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special cookbook for soup ideas and trying to make sure I hit all the food groups with whatever I end up tossing in my lunch bag.
The lunch idea that has made me happiest came from The Kitchn, over at Apartment Therapy:
Simple Mason jar yogurt cups. This one is has blackberries on the bottom, smothered with 2% yogurt and sprinkled with almonds. Next up: blueberries with toasted walnuts. Then maybe some pineapple and coconut, or applesauce and raisins. Endless possibilities and endless lunchtime smiles.
August 19th, 2010 by Paige
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Today marks my sixth blogiversary. I started up this site on August 19th, 2004. It began under the name “Paige’s Kitchen” and was basically just a way to archive my recipes and share them with friends. With the addition of WordPress and some splashy colour photos, the blog became what it is today. It’s been quite the adventure, and I look forward to seeing where I go with it in the future.
Now go make some peach pie.
1 cup white flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter
4-5 tbsp icy cold water
2 peaches, peeled and cut into chunks
2 nectarines, cut into chunks
4 apricots, cut into chunks
1 cup raspberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup white flour
1 tsp ginger
In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt.
Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the largest pieces are the size of small peas.
Add the cold water and toss together gently with a fork.
Turn the pastry out onto a floured counter and gently knead into a ball.
Roll the pastry out into a rough circle and slip into a pie plate.
In another bowl, stir together all the fruit and filling ingredients.
Dump the filling into the pie crust and flip over the edges, leaving the middle of the pie exposed. (see below)
Bake for 40 minutes at 375º or until edges are golden brown.
Let cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving with ice cream.
August 16th, 2010 by Paige
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That, right there? My new favourite dinner. One of the things I wanted to try as soon as I got the barbecue figured out was a grilled pizza. I’d heard it’s a good way to replicate the flavour of a pizza cooked in a wood-fired oven, and as a bonus, it doesn’t heat the house up during the summer.
The method is fairly simple: you roll out the dough to the size you want, toss it on the grill – beside the lit burner, not above it – and then flip it once it starts to get crisp and toasty. Add the toppings, close the lid, cook until the cheese gets melty, and you’re done. I topped this baby with a super thin layer of tomato sauce, ham, artichoke hearts, green olive and fresh basil leaves. I also skewered some cherry tomatoes from the market and let them roast over the flames until they started to burst. Beautiful stuff.
August 9th, 2010 by Paige
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A bit of an update on the things I’ve been making recently:
I finally bought my very own barbecue! Last night, I threw down a thick little steak and a couple of portobello mushrooms. Great stuff.
My summer veg pots are coming along nicely. My tomato plants are crammed full of little green babies, and my lettuce is finally far enough along to pick. The raspberry bushes are producing a bumper crop – along with some goat cheese from the market, I can pull together a nice little lunch from the yard.
Before my parents left for the coast (maybe they’ll bring me a salmon…) my mom made a big batch of borscht, my favourite summer soup. This batch was made using the recipe in the Rebar cookbook, with lots of white beans and fresh dill. Probably the most amazing version I’ve ever had.
July 28th, 2010 by Paige
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Two days a week, I work an evening shift at the library. This means I work from 1:oo – 9:oo pm, with an hour off for supper. Thankfully I live close enough to my work that I’m able to zip home and throw together some proper food for dinner.
This is fast becoming one of my go-to dishes for just such a time. It’s fast, easy and has lots of flavour.
1 handful of egg noodles (or other bite-sized pasta)
1 handful of fresh spinach
1/3 cup pasta sauce
2 eggs
salt & pepper
Boil the noodles in a small pot of water.
One minute before they are finished cooking, stir in the spinach.
Drain the spinach and the pasta, then return to the pot and stir through the tomato sauce.
Put everything in a bowl.
Make a well and crack in two eggs.
Cover the bowl with a plate and microwave for a minute or two, until the eggs are cooked to your liking.
Grind on some salt and pepper and devour.
Note: If I weren’t in a rush, and it wasn’t the middle of summer, I might use the oven instead of the microwave to cook the eggs. Then again, that seems like a lot of energy and heat for a single-person dish.
