Hummingbird Cupcakes

I used this Hummingbird Cake recipe from Joy of Baking, and turned it into a cupcake. I made a few changes:

Substitute 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour for whole-wheat
No pecans in the frosting
Pineapple tidbits instead of crushed (because J got the wrong can from the store!)
Made 21 cupcakes instead of 2 round cakes

Healthy, moist, and delicious! What a great recipe.

Pink Pickles!

Anyone who's been to a Korean BBQ all-you-can-eat bonanza knows of those delicious little pickled radishes. I love them so much that I found a recipe online and made some myself. It's very easy, and though they're not pickles in the sense that they have a lengthy shelf-life, they probably won't last that long anyway. You'll have eaten them all.

3 bunches of radishes, washed and trimmed
1 c. of white vinegar
1 c. of warm water
1/2 c. of sugar
1 tsp. salt

Cut the radishes however you like - I quartered mine. Then place the cut radishes into two large mason jars. Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt until everything is dissolved. Pour the mixture into each jar until the radished are covered. Screw the lids on the jars, and store in the refrigerator for several days until the red skins have bled out and turned everything pink! They should keep for about two weeks in the fridge.

You can also use an Asian radish, also known as a Daikon. They are much larger. The Daikon is what is actually used for the KBBQ side dish.

Blog: The Quest for Local Meat

Easter is coming up - and that means eggs, ham, lamb, chocolate, pascha, sauerkraut ... gosh this list goes on. I've taken on the delightful task of having J's immediate family over for Easter dinner. I am very excited! I love entertaining. I also want to make extra-sure J's family loves me to bits, so I had to plan the perfect menu. I decided on some of my favourites: bone-in leg of lamb roast, cold-smoked ham, mashed tubers, veggies, and some kind of pie (I have requests for apple and pumpkin) ...

Now, I grew up in the Big City, and relatively recently moved out to a lovely spot in rural Ontario. Not recently enough to be a "newbie," but enough to still not quite have the inside scoop on local farm products. Where on earth am I going to be able to buy some lamb from "the farm gate"? And even more head-scratching was my cold-smoked ham conundrum: How am I supposed to purchase a cold-smoked ham if all of the butchers I phoned don't even know what it is?! (Apparently they are more familiar with the term "smoked country ham" as I found out later.)

I spent days scouring lists of pork- and sheep-farms in my area. Not that there were many, but it was difficult to get phone numbers. What would a person do in my situation years ago, when they didn't have the glorious internet at their fingertips? I whittled my list down to a few in the area, and I got to phoning. The pork farmers only sold fresh meat, and none of them could tell me of a local smokehouse operation. The sheep farmers were all sold out of meat, except for two: Fairdale Farms, which was just too far a drive for me. However the owner, Kim, was very kind and helpful. She had just recently started her farm a few years ago, and was starting to advertise her organically-grown, all-natural lamb, beef, and chicken. Do call her if you are in the Orillia area, she just did a fresh lamb slaughter.

The other farm was one much closer, and I was referred to her by a good friend. She had the perfect bone-in leg of lamb: 6.5 lbs, organic, natural, frozen. Naturally, I decided that would be the lamb roast for me. Then my darling Dad went out and kindly bought me a lamb roast elsewhere - so I'll be cooking that one for Easter. But, at least now I know where to go when I need a piece of lamb, or half, or whole.

I then tap-a-typed in "cold smoked ham Ontario" into my trusty Google toolbar, and found a forum pointing me to The Trading Post in Port Perry. It's a longer drive than I had hoped, but it's worth it for the spectacular $2.99/lb price. And apparently, the ham is so good that they sell it year round. Hmmm. I had been there before, and was impressed by the size of the place. They have all kinds of neat preserves, meats, spices, and so on. They also take care to only sell very local, organic, free-run, natural meats. So I phoned in an order for a 10-pounder, and now all I have to do is wait!

While I was getting the meat ordeal sorted out, I was running desperately out of honey. You see, I put a spoonful into every cup of peppermint tea I drink - and I drink it often. My last tub was from the Giant Tiger, and I was pretty impressed that it wasn't imported from New Zealand or something - it was a modestly-distanced Quebec honey. But I know that bees can thrive just about anywhere - including the Big City - and produce lovely honey. So I called a friend and she referred me to a guy literally just down the road. He sold me a pint of his spectacular honey for $4, and showed me his bee hives, chickens, geese, emus, Highland steers, ducks, and Huskies. He then told me to call him a few days in advance if I ever needed chicken and duck eggs.

All in all, I think I'm doing a pretty good job sourcing out local farm products. Maybe one day, just maybe, I might never have to go to the grocery store again ...

Honey Glazed Pork Tenderloin

My dad gave me a lovely little pork tenderloin the other day. I wasn't sure how I would season it. I'm not a big fan of pork, so I wanted a marinade strong enough in flavour to help me "overcome" the pork thing. On the other hand, J loves pork (and just about any other meat in existence), so I had to make something that would delight his palette as well. This is what I came up with. Adapted from a Canadian Living recipe. Serves four.

A tenderloin is a long, skinny, and (as the name implies) tender cut of meat from an area between the animal's rump and ribs. For those of you who are scientifically inclined, Wikipedia states that "the tenderloin refers to the psoas major muscle anterior to the transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae, near the kidneys." Since it is the least-used muscle in the animal's body, it is the most tender. It literally melts in your mouth. You might even be able to cut it with a butterknife after it's cooked. If you're counting pennies, watch your local grocery flyers, and scoop up a few of these when they're on sale. They keep in the freezer very well.

2 pork tenderloins
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
1 - 2 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger, to taste
1 - 2 Tbsp. fresh minced garlic, to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a large Ziplock baggie. (Alternatively, mix marinade ingredients in a small bowl separate from the pork, and use two-thirds to marinate the pork and save the other third for serving.) Marinade the tenderloins in the fridge for at least half an hour, and up to a day.

Preheat a flame- or electric-grill to medium-high heat. Place marinated tenderloins on the grill - save the marinade juices for basting. Grill for at least ten minutes per side, or until desired doneness is reached. Baste tenderloins for the first few minutes of cooking. When tenderloins are done to your desire, remove them from the grill, place them on a cutting board, and tent them with foil. Let the meat sit for 5 minutes to calm down before slicing the tenderloin in thin, 1/2-inch slices. Serve with skin-on mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus (and the extra marinade you might have set aside).

I wanted to speed up my cooking time because I was using an indoor electric non-stick grill. So I "butterflied" my tenderloin - that is, I sliced it along its entire length, about halfway through, and opened it up, thus making it flatter. It quickened my cooking time, and it was just as juicy, tender, and delicious! Plus, the marinade settled into the "V" formed by butterflying it - and made it extra saucy. Drool.

Easy Yummy Lentils

This makes a wonderful side dish for an Indian dinner night. It can be vegan - just substitute syrup, sugar, or agave nectar for the honey! My friend and I just ate these for dinner tonight. I couldn't get enough of them! What got me going was the addition of salt and honey - otherwise this would have been quite plain. The spices and oil combine to make a delicious pasty coating! This dish serves four.

1 c. dry lentils
4 c. water
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. turmeric
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. sea salt (we used Celtic salt)
1 Tbsp. honey
2 cloves garlic, minced

Bring water and lentils to a rapid boil in a saucepan or medium pot, and boil these for 10 minutes. Reduce to a simmer, and cook for an additional 15 - 20 minutes. Drain lentils. Over low heat, stir in oil and spices. Simmer for a few minutes, and stir in the honey. Stir in the minced garlic and simmer for another few minutes. That's it! Serve this dish over rice, or on its own, to accompany your favourite Indian meal.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Isobel requested this one! This is a dead easy recipe. I can't really take credit for it, and I'm not sure who can, as it is on the label of just about every peanut butter jar you buy. It's almost stupefying in its simplicity - there's no flour, no soda, no added oil ... just pure goodness. If happiness took on cookie form, this would be it.

1 c. peanut butter (crunchy or smooth, your choice)
1 c. granulated sugar
1 egg
Optional: 1/2 package chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Arrange a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie pan. Stir first three ingredients together until they are well-combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop tablespoonfuls of batter onto the parchment paper, and flatten with the tines of a fork. Bake for 6 - 8 minutes, and don't overbake! These cookies are by far at their best when chewy.

Adventures in Curry

I have never been a huge fan of curry. This is probably because I've always been served a pungent, strong, spicy dish that always seemed to overpower the main ingredients. I went to a dinner at the CN Tower last year for a prix-fixe experience. They offered a salmon curry dish, and I loved it simply because it was so mild, and the curry flavour was subtle.

Recently I've been hearing a lot about the health benefits of curry (thank you Dr. Oz!) - specifically turmeric. Can you say anti-cancer?! Just take a look at this. So I went to my local Bulk Barn and grabbed some spices. They have a pre-made curry powder, as well as the individual components of curry (cumin, coriander, turmeric). I took the pre-made powder, because I assumed it'd be a good jumping off point for someone who has never made a curry before!

The few times that I have truly enjoyed a curry dish, coconut milk has always been an ingredient. So I snatched a can of coconut milk, and I felt I was all ready to make my very first curry dinner! I had some chicken thighs that were on special, arranged them in a casserole dish, dumped in a can of diced potatoes and some frozen veggies. Then I made my curry sauce.

Now, I've been sick for the past number of days - heavy chest congestion. Just simmering the curry sauce cleared me up! I couldn't believe it. I heated up some oil, grated in a bunch of garlic, and that started the aromatic wonder that helped my congestion. Then I added ginger and about a tablespoon of curry powder. Pow! Right in the kisser. At this point my eyes were burning. It felt good. Simmer, simmer. Dumped in the coconut milk, and some chicken broth. Simmer, simmer. By then the house was filled with the aroma of this wonder spice. I poured the sauce over the chicken in the casserole, and baked the dish for an hour and a half in a 375 F oven. In the meantime, I cooked up some rice.

And you know what? For all that pungent smell, the curry was so mild, so subtle, I could hardly taste it! It was still very pleasant. If it were too strong, however, I don't think I would ever have made a second attempt at this "curry" business. But wouldn't you know it, I can't wait to try again, and to reap the benefits of adding turmeric to my diet.