turkey taquitos

I’ve been trying to be better about using my leftovers.  I don’t know about you, but I can easily make a meal, have enough leftover for a few meals…but I get bored.  I have a hard time eating oh let’s say turkey three days in a row.  I mean there is only so many turkey sandwiches you can eat right?

Knowing that I should finish up the turkey my mom sent back with me when I last visited her.  I thought I would serve it up in a pretty different way (for me any ways).  I’ve never made taquitos before.  A favourite neighbourhood restaurant here in Vancouver is Las Margaritas. We love their taquitos.  So into the kitchen, rummaging into the cupboards and fridge looking to see what was on hand. It’s getting sparse since I am getting ready to head to Mexico for two weeks, so I wanted to make due with what I had…and I have to say, the result was tasty tasty!  A yummy dinner with a side of guacamole and some salad.

Ingredients:

2 -3 cups turkey shredded, obviously you could substitute with chicken
3 Tbsp water
3 Tbsp grated cheddar cheese
2-3 pinches Mexican chili powder
1 pinch cumin
salt and pepper
6 medium sized corn tortillas

vegetable or canola oil for frying (!)
6 toothpicks or small skewers.

Directions:

1. Mix turkey, water, cheese, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper together.
2. Take 6 corn tortillas and wrap them in a tea towel, place in microwave for 45 seconds to soften them for rolling.  (NB if you don’t do this step, like I forgot to do the first time, you crack your tortillas and they don’t stay rolled up.)
3. Place2-3 tablespoons of the mixture and place about an inch or two from the edge in a straight line.
4. Roll into the shape of a cigar, secure into place with a tooth pick.
5. In a large dutch oven, cover the bottom of the pot with about 1/2 inch canola oil – I couldn’t find my thermometer, so I heated for about 5 minutes on medium-high/high and then put a little piece of tortilla in the hot oil to see at what point it would be ready. To know, it will have browned.
6. With metal tongs, place 3 tortillas across the bottom of the pan, rotate/roll them over, allowing 2 minutes per side.  Watch it carefully you don’t want the oil to smoke and burn it.
7. Remove taquitos after 4-6 minutes to a plate covered with a paper towel or two.
8. Season taquito with a little chili powder and salt (optional, but if you choose to do this be sure to do it when fresh out of the oil)
9. Allow oil to return to temperature, and repeat process with remaining 3 taquitos.
10. Serve with fresh guacamole.

Serves 2-3.

 

“daily” catch soup

Wet winter nights in Vancouver call for hearty and delicious dinners.  Soups hit the spot for me, more often than not.  The flavours simmer, develop and merge.

I love that you don’t have to have an exact recipe. You can use whatever you have in your fridge, freezer and cupboard.  As long as you don’t mind sampling along the way I think you can create simple pleasures in a big pot of soup. I loved the freshness of this soup.  Truth be told, it was anything that would even come close to a “daily catch” as I had everything in the freezer, but you gotta use what you gotta use.

As this came together (before I added the seafood) I thought it needed a little “thickening” up, so I threw in about a handful and a half of rice, just to add to the body of the soup.  Be sure to make some big croutons or crusty bread to sop up all the goodness. You won’t want to leave any behind in the bowl – I guarantee it.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, diced
6 cups chicken broth
bay leaf
1/2 cup short grain rice
1 cup frozen calamari rings
8-10 prawns
1/2 cup small scallops
4 oz red snapper, cut into 2 cm wide strips (be sure it is deboned!)
dash hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste
parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat up the EVOO, once hot add the thinly sliced fennel.  Allow to soften as it begins to sweat, add garlic.
2. Allow garlic to saute for about 3 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, this will bring out a little more the natural sweetness of them.
4. Add broth and bay leaf – bring to simmer.
5. Add rice, simmer for about 20-25 minutes until cooked threw.
6. Add snapper, 2 minutes later add the rest of the seafood.
7. Season with hot sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
   
8. Garnish with parsley (optional)
   

 

avocado + tomato salsa

I’m back!  It’s been almost six weeks of no posting.  Life has thrown some curve balls at me this past month, but here we emerge, at the end of January, ready to move forward.

I’ve been away for the last ten days in Maui for a good friend’s wedding.  It was stunning.  I’ve never been to Hawaii before, and after this trip, know I will have to go back.  There is something to be said to escape reality. To leave the grey and the rain. To relax in the sun, lie on a beach and have a good time with friends. It was hard to come home, but if nothing else, it reminded me of the importance of holding onto the zen that is vacation. To not get hung up on the little things. To look for that which you are appreciative of and express gratitude for it.

A group of six of stayed together for the first week on the island.  It was tight quarters, but still an excellent time with friends.  We opted to not eat out for every meal.  We all enjoy the same sort of fresh and delicious foods and thought that we might as well cook together and enjoy the stunning view from our lanai.

My friend T has been making this super fresh avocado and tomato salsa for a long time now. I believe her mom made it for her (hope she doesn’t mind that I post it).  As it rained outside this afternoon I thought I would make a little bowl of fresh goodness to chow down on.  The key to this is the creamy avocado, fresh lime and seasoned with salt. Don’t leave out the salt – you can be tempted to, but instead start slowly, it will not only pull out the moisture from the tomatoes but also intensifies all the flavours.  Oh, and this salsa, best served with a big lime margarita…

Ingredients:

5 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
salt to taste
1/2 sweet yellow onion, minced
2 perfectly ripe avocados
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 jalapeno finely minced
juice from 2 limes

Directions:

1. Combine tomatoes and salt, set aside as you chop the rest of your veggies.
2. Once everything is chopped, mix and then squeeze lime juice over top.
3. Mix and taste, does it need a little more salt?  Enjoy with tortilla chips.

 

photography 101 – my thoughts on jackie connelly’s intro to food photography class

A few weeks ago I attended a food photography workshop presented by Jackie Connelly, guest blogger here at Bakergirl Creations.  My digital camera is a Canon SD750, a seven megapixel compact model.  It’s handy and simple to use.  But I have to be honest, as I was getting ready to head out the door to the class I was stressed out thinking to myself that I so didn’t belong there.

Shyly I entered into the back of Campangolo Restaurant on Main Street.  Unsure of what to expect and hugely self-aware of my lack of training and knowledge of even basic functions on my camera, I decided I needed to suck it up and do the best with what I had.  Even though Jackie has been writing photography overviews on this site for a few months now, we had never met, so this class was also our first introduction.  Funny how that can work out eh?  She was relaxed and knowledgeable.  She shared real tangible suggestions for the participants.  Regardless of your skill level, or equipment prowess she tried her best to support and encourage.

I enjoyed the opportunity to just play.  Because I really just take photos of the food we eat, I am usually just rushing through the set up and picture so I can eat moderately warm food.  I use the basic indoor/foliage macro settings on the camera.  It doesn’t really allow for any adjustments for exposure to any specificity.  Depth of field doesn’t exist, or so it seems.  And the camera, as best as we all could tell automatically chooses a focus, so that really is out of my control.  But I got to play with light source, using reflectors to fill in light, or adjust.  I got to “play” with the food, stage it, arrange it.  Shoot from the side, from the top.    I got to watch how others set up their shots.  Suggestions were made and support was given.

Using "Indoor Light" Setting

Using "Auto White Balance" Setting

An example of the playing are the two shots above.  Nothing changed but one setting.  Yes they could have a better focus and they could have more DOP. But even learning about a simple function that makes the picture even a little more interesting and lively was a nice perk of the experience.

Strawberry Ice Cream in Natural Light

Another shot that I had fun playing with was this strawberry “ice cream”.  I say it with quotation marks because it really was a combination of lard, corn syrup food colouring and icing sugar…how crazy but at the same time, cool is that?  Jackie’s recipe for this can be found here.  The light for this was entirely natural.  I was pretty happy with it, but could have tried in some way to have warmed it up I am sure.  I loved the textures of the shot.  The rough scoop marks on the ice cream, the smooth class. The tiled and wood background, there is clear definition.

I played around with different angles, light sources.  I played with exposure, got to know my tri-pod better and truly just got more familiar with my camera.  Looking back at some of my first blog posts and pictures I took (with the same point and shoot that I have now) I was pretty pleased with the development and approach I am starting to use.  For a walk down memory lane, check out some of my not so “hot  shots”:

Almond Roca
Pantry Chili
Lemon Drop Cupcakes

…kind of makes me want to go back, make the recipe exactly as is, and then re-shoot…looking forward to keep working on it now as I start to know a little bit more of what to look for!

Jackie is having another workshop in January.  The details for it and how to sign up can be found on her site.  If you are interested to see some pretty phenomenal shots by a much more advanced photographer take a look at Oana’s post re: the class and be sure to click through to her photo link.

 

chocolate covered almond clusters

It’s cookie season.  It’s cookie exchange time. I love seeing what everyone makes.  I love that there are twelve days of cookies on Foodtv.com.  Ironically I don’t even love cookies.  I just love the opportunity to get into the kitchen.  I love trying something new.

My mom and my brother’s girlfriend get together every year around this time to spend a whole day in the kitchen and make winter goodies.  It’s the winter equivalent of “putting up” the harvest by canning in the fall/summer I suppose.   This is one of the recipes they had tried together.  My mom was telling me that I “had to try” to make them.  That they would be so easy and you just couldn’t go wrong with them.  Perhaps she was right…but it took me way longer to make these than it would have taken me to make regular cookies, and in my oh, so humble opinion they were waaaaaaaaay more labour intensive than drop cookies.

That being said, they aren’t really cookies.  They are more of candies.  Almonst a chewy Almond Roca.  I thought my mom had created these, but upon some internet searching, I believe it was Giada De Laurentis’ recipe.  As usual, I reviewed and looked at ways to put my own spin on them.  I opted to roll them in chopped up toasted almonds.  Building on the almondy goodness.

As I munched on my one tester.  I think I would do them differently next time.  I think the idea is right, but the texture needs a little work.  The caramel centre is a little confused.  It is kind of chewy, and kind of brittle.  I feel like it needs to be one or the other…otherwise my jaw might need strengthening if I was to eat these on a more regular basis…come to think about it, perhaps it is a good idea that you can only eat one or two at the most at a time.  IF I was to make these again, I think I would make my own caramel.  I would add the almonds to the silicone liners and then ladle in the almond roca caramel mixture into the cups, cool and set, and then dip in the choclate and roll in the crushed almonds.  Basically creating little Almond Roca bites, rather than the bark I made a few years ago.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (about 3 ounces) toasted slivered almonds
24 individually wrapped caramel candies (about 6 ounces)
1 cup (about 6 ounces) bittersweet chocolate chips
4 to 6 tablespoons cream, room temperature, divided
1 cup (about 6 ounces) white chocolate chips

1 cup toasted chopped slivered almonds

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lightly grease the mini-muffin tins with vegetable oil spray. If you have silicone mini muffin liners or the pan, use that instead and you won’t need the oil.
3. Place 1 teaspoon of slivered nuts in each of the muffin cups. Unwrap the caramel candies, cut each candy into quarters and place 2 quarters (1/2 candy) in each of the muffin cups, in the bottom, add the nuts and then add the other 2 quarters on top of the nuts in a single layer. Bake in the oven until the caramel is just melted and beginning to spread, about 8 minutes. Be careful not to over melt the caramel or it will bubble, burn, and become too hard. Place the mini muffin tins in the refrigerator for 5 minutes to cool. Remove the nut clusters from the tins and set aside.
4. Meanwhile, melt the bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler over low heat. Whisk 2 to 3 tablespoons of cream into the chocolate to slightly thin the chocolate for coating the clusters. Dip half of the nut clusters in the bittersweet chocolate , remove exand place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Return the clusters to the refrigerator to harden, about 30 minutes.
5. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler over low heat. Wisk 2 to 3 tablespoons of cream into the chocolate to slightly thin the chocolate for coating the clusters. Dip remaining half of the nut clusters in the white chocolate and place on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet with the other chocolate-covered clusters. Return the clusters to the refrigerator to harden, about 30 minutes.

 

espresso chocolate dipped shortbread snowflake cookies

Cookies, cookies, cookies! A few weeks back, I attended a cookie exchange, hosted by non-other than the lovely Ms. Jackie Connelly. A sunny (albeit, blustery) Sunday afternoon, armed with two dozen cookies, and a bottle of wine, I spent the afternoon with some fantastic foodies.

Cookie exchanges are a fantastic way to expand your horizons. Sometimes we, and by we, I really should really say, I get into ruts in the kitchen. I tend to default to the tried and true. As a kid, my mom made THE best chocolate chip cookies. Undoubtedly there was always cookie dough in the freezer to thaw and have cookies at your finger tips. That tends to be my go-to cookie.

A cookie exchange means you can stay within your comfort zone, if you really want, but sample the wonderful selection brought to the table from all the other participants. You could always make your usual, but why not try something new? There are so many options out there, it can almost become overwhelming. Narrow it down, do you want chocolate? Chewy? Traditional? Maybe you don’t even want a cookie, but perhaps a truffle…be daring!  For a handful of great recipes from this cookie exchange, you can find them on Jackie’s site.

In my adult life, access to cookies was/is not as important. I prefer savoury to sweet. But, it is the holidays, there are guests, and little home-baked packages to be dropped off…and so, into the kitchen we all head.

As usual, I started with a base recipe, tweaked it, and made it my own. I was inspired to put a little wasabi salt on the chocolate as it set to counter the sweetness of the chocolate, and compliment the buttery-ness of the shortbread. It’s all about exploration right? And in this case, I thought it paid off!

Ingredients

3/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp instant coffee
1 Tbsp hot water
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
500 grams bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
Wasabi salt to top, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine the instant coffee and water, combine until all crystals are dissolved. In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt; then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and roll shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 2-inch snowflake-shaped cutter. Place the snowflakes on an ungreased sheet pan – place in fridge to chill – this will help the cookie retain its crisp edges.. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Melt chopped chocolate over a water bath. Once nice and smooth (achieved with a whisk), dip each cookie into the melted chocolate, place on a cookie rack to set. Once the chocolate has cooled, but not fully set, add a small sprinkle of wasabi salt.

However you choose to celebrate, may you enjoy the beauty, warmth and tradition of this holiday season…hopefully with a little sweetness in hand! ~ bakergirl

Adapted from Ina Garten’s Shortbread Hearts Recipe.

 

crushed purple velvet sundae

I had a moment.  A moment when I looked at TB and knew exactly what I had to make.  The desire, the spark, came out of nowhere.  And yet at the same time I knew not only I wanted it, I knew I had to do it right then.  Call it a craving.  Call it crazy, but I called it inspired.

Okay, so I know that maybe was a little melodramatic, but I tell you, this really was good.  The berries, the dark chocolate “ganache”, the nutty almonds and toffee bits…rich vanilla ice cream and it was a spectacular unexpected addition to our cozy night at home.  A few summers back I was on a sundae kick. I love rummaging through the cupboards and fridge, looking for toppings to add to the basic, yet elegant vanilla ice cream.  It is about alternating textures.  Tantalizing flavour combinations: sweet and sour; rich and sharp.  It’s about a unique bite every time.

This name came together fromTB and I pretending what we would name this for a menu – smooth from the chocolate, white chocolate and icecream, crushed from the nuts and toffee, and the blackberry/raspberry combination contributes to the purple…and if you don’t mind me saying, I think it was a good choice .

oops…we forgot to take the picture before we devoured it…next time?!

Ingredients:

vanilla ice cream
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
2 Tbsp cream
1/4 cup frozen berries, thawed (throw them into the microwave for about 20 seconds)
3 Tbsp toffee bites
2 Tbsp slivered almonds
2 tsp white chocolate chopped

Directions:

Make your chocolate ganache by combining the chocolate chips and cream together in a small bowl.  Place in microwave for25-30 seconds.  With a fork, whisk until smooth.

Now, with reckless abandon make layers with your ice cream, fruit, nuts, toffee bite, chocolate ganache, top with a little of the white chocolate and a few almonds.  Enjoy!
Serves two.

 

Guest Post by Jackie Connelly: food sensitivities + alternatives

I’m sorry, say again, you can’t eat cheese???!!!

Gluten free eating was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to change about my diet (…oh, excuse me, that shouldn’t read past tense; I continue to eat gluten free and it continues to be a challenge). When I say ‘Oh, thank you, but no, I can’t eat cheese’ I get the common response “What??!!” followed by a series of loud gasps and hands over mouths, as if appalled. When I say “I’ll have the veggie burger please, I don’t eat red meat” I get a toned down response compared to that of cheese, but still, there’s a response and it’s usually part shock or part confusion.

Just like when I had to stop eating wheat, most people are confused about how to remove wheat, gluten or dairy products out of their diet, and it certainly was an overhaul of what I used to eat.
And to take this one step further, eating gluten free or vegetarian at home is one thing, while eating the way you want to at a restaurant is entirely another. Restaurants in Vancouver like The Foundation and Nuba , as well as Mo:Le and The Joint Pizzeria & Deli in Victoria, offer options that are gluten free (and many that are also vegan or vegetarian as well). Thankfully they’re all pretty darn tasty too.

The next question I usually get after telling people these things that I can’t/don’t eat, is what the heck do I eat?! Here’s a little insight into what I used to eat, and why I stopped, and what I eat now.

Dairy products – I used to eat dairy in almost every meal and snack: milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, and all the time. Then I unknowingly ate under cooked chicken from a chain restaurant (the one I was working at, no less, and shall remain unnamed) which destroyed the lactose digesting enzymes in my system. At least one year of sickness after every time I ate dairy, one trip to the doctor and a couple of tests, and dairy was out of my life. That was 13 years ago and I haven’t looked back.

What I eat instead: goat cheese (by the bucket full if I had my way), I switched to soy based products for a while, and then to rice after researching the issues with processed soy products. Up next: I’d like to make my own rice milk.

Red Meat – I consider myself, at this point in my life, half way to vegetarianism. About two months ago I cut red meat out of my diet, and white meat is already in process of getting the cut.

What I eat instead: I’m still trying out different ways to keep iron and B12 in my diet since not eating red meat…but I love chick peas, and I still eat eggs and fish, so I think I’m doing ok.

Wheat – Same as dairy, I grew up eating a lot of wheat: toast, sandwiches, bagels, pasta – wheat, wheat, everywhere. Then when I was mid-way through my University degree and I got 5 sinus infections in 1 year. After the third one, my doctor wanted (again!) to send me home with a prescription for Penicillin and I said forget it, and found myself a Naturopath. In the first ten minutes, she said “Do me a favour – stop eating wheat, and come back and see me in 2 weeks.” Solved that problem!

What I eat instead: honestly I hardly eat bread anymore, but when I do it’s rice and spelt mostly, sometimes kamut.

I’d love to hear if any readers here have food sensitivities, or are trying to find certain food alternatives and how it’s working for you!

Guest post by Jackie Connelly for Bakergirl Creations.

 

spicy guacamole

I am one of those impatient people who has a hard time waiting for an avocado to reach the perfect ripeness for guacamole.  I pick up the avocado from the store, usually knowing that it will need another 3 days or so to become that almost butter like consistency.  But then I get home and I see it sitting on the counter…eying me.  Tempting me to give it a try.  I mean, if you through it in the food processor for long enough it should get smooth like peanut butter right?  Wrong.  It just gets lumpy and is nowhere near the right flavour or of course, right texture.

The other day I was in the store and looked at the avocados and they called to me.  They were sinfully soft without being overripe.  They begged to be whipped into a smooth and tasty guacamole.  I mixed and matched what we had in the fridge to come up with this and I loved it.  I think it was the extra kick of the Mexican Chili powder and the smokeyness of the cumin.  When an avocado calls to you…whip this up, you won’t be disappointed!

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados
1/2 sweet yellow onion
1 clove garlic
handful of cilantro or parsley
3 Tbsp spicy salsa
juice from one lime
1 tsp Mexican chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to flavour

Directions

Through it all into a food processor and blend.  Then let sit in the fridge for a couple of hours to let the flavours mingle.  To prevent browning keep the avocado pits in the guac and then remove.  Enjoy!

 

Food & Beverage Photography 101: A Workshop for Food Bloggers! (and other creative types!)

Prior to your holiday baking & hours spent in the kitchen preparing gorgeous looking and tasty treats and back by popular demand is:

Food & Beverage Photography 101: A Workshop for Food Bloggers! (and other creative types!)

A 2 hour, hands on workshop taught by Jackie Connelly and hosted by Campagnolo Restaurant designed to answer the food photography questions commonly asked by food bloggers.

Why is this a perfect workshop for food bloggers?

I continually get asked how to shoot better in restaurants with low lighting, or at home in natural light, and without spending wads of cash on equipment. That is exactly what this workshop is all about:  simple and affordable solutions that will improve your photographs.

Not a food blogger? But love shooting your kitchen creations and want to learn a few techniques? That’s ok – you’re more than welcome too!

To Register

Email Jackie (info@jackieconnelly.com) with ‘Register me for Food Photo 101 Workshop‘ in the subject line. I will send you some info immediately, as well as a PayPal link to confirm your spot.

The Details

• Workshop: Saturday December 5th, noon-2pm at Campagnolo Restaurant 1020 Main Street

• Q&A with Jackie: following the workshop, from 2pm-3pm over lunch (cost of lunch not included)

• Guaranteed 1-on-1 time for everyone

• I will teach you step-by-step how to set-up your shots using some specific food & beverage examples, using your camera’s manual settings

• We will shoot in a variety of set-ups including natural light, restaurant lighting, and a commonly used softbox lighting setup

• I will be sending out some refresher notes before-hand, and will be giving you some workshop notes to take away from the session

• Cost is $45 (gst included) and there are only 10 spots available = the most personal attention from me during the workshop (this does not include the cost of your lunch). *As of November 23rd there are only 2 spots left!

• All you are required to bring is your camera, it’s manual, a tripod, and your appetite!

• Danno, our trustee volunteer from a previous workshop, took some photos; you can see them all here

©2009 Danno