Would you believe me if I told you there was 3/4 of a box of spinach, 6 stalks of kale leaves, 1 head of broccoli, 6 Brussel Sprouts and 1 Green Jalapeno Pepper in this 2.50 Quart Dish?

Would you believe me if I told you I took over 100 photos of these vegetables before and after cooking? First, so I could believe myself it actually fit in the dish and second, because well I’m still learning about my camera… Practice takes perfect right!

Would you believe me if I said this meal lasted through dinner, but the leftovers never lasted long in the fridge, if they even made it there at all.

Would you believe me if I said I could eat this again and again and again? Especially right now since I’m feeling a little under the weather and those green veggies are just calling out to me.

Believe every bit of it.

I spotted this recipe over at Bon Appetit and was very curious to try it.  With a few substitutions and additions I am very very happy with the result.

It started out following the recipe, then realized I simply did not have enough kale, so rummaged through my fridge and pulled out every other green vegetable we had on hand.  Noticed some bacon and feta and decided that would give some nice flavor.  The first time I made it, I used 6 strips of bacon and it was tasty.  The second time I used more garlic and less bacon and I liked that flavor better.  More garlicky, less bacon-y.

I think either chunky or fine breadcrumbs would work nicely.  I had some chunky ones leftover from the holidays so used them, and loved that they soaked up some of the sauce.

A great dish for a main, or a side. Thinking it will be a nice addition to Easter Dinner this year.. or maybe dinner again tomorrow night.

Greens Gratin with Bacon and Feta

2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 bunch of kale, about 6 stalks, torn into large piece, stem removed
1 11oz Box of Fresh Spinach, or just under
6 Brussel Sprouts, quartered
1 Head Broccoli, chopped
2 Cups Chunky Breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, Grated
1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
1 Green Jalapeno, membrane and seeds removed
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Cup Whole Milk
7 Garlic Cloves, minced
Salt and Pepper
4-6 Strips Bacon
1/2 Cup Feta, Crumbled

Lightly butter a 2.5 (or 3) quart baking dish and set aside.

Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Working in batches, blanch kale and spinach until bright green, softened and wilted, about 1 minute. Remove with slotted spoon to colander.  Let cool and squeeze to drain excess liquid. Continue with broccoli and brussel sprouts until bright green and tender.  Remove and repeat as above.  Give veggies a good chop and add to baking dish.

Over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy.  Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.  Chop and add to baking dish.

Melt butter in pan over medium heat, add bread crumbs and toast lightly. Remove and let cool.

Pour milk, cream, thyme and garlic to pan and bring to a boil.  Season with salt and pepper and let simmer about 5 minutes.

Heat oven to 400.

Stir cream mixture into baking dish and mix together well.  Cover mixture with feta cheese, then with bread crumbs.  Cover dish with aluminium foil and bake for about 25 minutes.  Uncover and cook an additional 5 minutes, but watch the bread crumbs don’t burn. Remove and let cool 10 minutes.  Serve and enjoy.       

Hello 2013!

This is my first post for 2013, and to start the year off I thought I would share our mornings with you. They are very simple, easy going and luckily not usually rushed.  Mornings I will miss and dream of when I start working days again, which right now has no set date yet.  It never occurred to me we had a morning ritual until I came across a post on apartment therapy that got me thinking about it. I realized I was taking for granted this nice, comforting and enjoyable time of the day when we know automatically what happens next.

A typical morning for us starts around 6:30am.  Somedays 6am (or earlier), which thankfully means play time with dad.  Some days 7am, but not usually later.  First stop is getting Calla changed and freshened up.  Then she’ll help me feed Cliff and let him out.  We’ll start coffee and in my somewhat sleepy state, stare at the fridge for breakfast ideas.  If Calla’s really hungry, I’ll put her in her highchair with some of her favorites; greek yogurt, frozen berries and a few other pieces for her to choose from, while I rummage up something more substantial. The mornings when I have prepped breakfast the night before are the best.  It’s really something that should be mandatory for me to ensure of every night.  And if that’s something I’ve done, instead of having Calla in her highchair, I’ll lay a blanket out, which I’ve now named our ‘snack blanket’ and we’ll have a morning picnic on the kitchen floor. Breakfast goes painless and effortlessly from the fridge to the oven, and we sit, I wake up, and Calla plays while we wait. Every morning I am thankful to Scotty for putting heated floors in, he’s my saviour. The rest of the day gets busy and varies from errands and grocery shopping, kids activities, gymnastics, cross country skiing, playdates, coffee dates, or staying home and doing chores. But the mornings, those are nice.

Baked oatmeal is quickly climbing to the top of my favorite breakfast options and should really be implemented into our morning ritual, or night time prepping ritual (every couple days). The flavors are endless, it’s quick, easy, hearty, warm, tastes delicious and so much more incredible than stove top oatmeal. This morning we ate it warm with a little milk and maple syrup.  It’s perfect for grabbing a cold snack throughout the day, and one batch will usually last a few days.  Which means no prepping for a couple nights, no sleepily trying to sort out breakfast in the morning, and just enough time to think up a new combination once this batch is gone.

I’m very interested to see how our morning rituals will change over the next 6 months, even a year. I know they will, I know they’ll still be nice, and I’m sure we’ll still eat Baked Oatmeal.

I love this flavor combination.  Having the apples layered throughout is a nice change from just lined on top.  The almond milk with slivered almonds gives such amazing flavor, but feel free to change for regular milk as well.  And with just a little maple syrup it’s not overly sweet allowing you to add more after if you so desire.

Enjoy

Baked Apple and Almond Oatmeal

2 Tbsp Butter, Melted and Cooled

2 1/2 cups Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
1/4 Cup Slivered Almonds
1 Tsp Baking Powder
12 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/3 Cup Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
2 Cups Almond MIlk (or milk of your choice)
1 Egg

2 Apples, Peeled and Sliced
Maple Syrup, Milk, Yogurt or topping of your choice

Grease an 8-inch square baking dish.

Melt butter and set aside to cool.  In a small bowl, whisk together oats, almonds, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine butter, maple syrup, milk, vanilla and egg.  Whisk together.  Combine the two mixtures in one bowl and mix together.  Pour half the mixture into prepared dish, line with half the sliced apples and push down gently.  Pour remaining mixture over apples, then line with remaining apples and sprinkle with almonds.  Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Or cook right away if you like.

In the morning, preheat oven to 375F, remove plastic wrap and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until oatmeal is browned and set. Remove from oven, let cool slightly.  Serve with a little milk, almond milk or yogurt and a light dressing of maple syrup.

As I sit here on New Years Eve, our Christmas tree now down, Calla napping and the house silent, I’m pondering my list of resolutions for 2013.

This list is compiled of the basic resolutions like; Drink more Water, Don’t eat so much sugar (unless it’s dark chocolate, of course), Exercise more, Try not to spend all your money on food props, etc, etc.

It also has a few projects that have been on my to do list for far too long, and some friends can attest to that, like completing photo albums long overdue.

I’d like to start, and finish, either a Project 365 or Project 52 (because I simply do not have enough photos, and would love to watch the progression over the year).

And I’d also like to compile a food list of the meals I would like to try, cooking methods to learn or ingredients to use. Learning some basics like how to make a pie crust or even homemade vegetable stock would be very handy and practical.

Looking back at 2012, it has been another amazing year.  Calla is growing fast and becoming more vibrant and beautiful and fun and incredibly amazing everyday.  Before I had her I swore I wouldn’t be a parent who only ever talked about her child, but now I do, and I can’t stop gushing about her and completely understand why those parents talk about their children.  They’re truly incredible little beings.

This food blog has been a great venture for myself, a great hobby to have both for photography and for cooking and baking. I am truly addicted and know Scotty thinks I have a serious problem when I start baking at 8pm or am constantly looking for new recipes and at other food blogs.  Thank you so very much for visiting, reading, following and commenting.  I love and appreciate the support.

As always this year as passed by in a blur.  We went on a lot of walks, did some boating, saw my sisters (but nowhere near as much as I would have liked to), and continue to do the never ending laundry duty. We read “Go dog Go” over a million times and Calla still chases Cliff around the house but she’s much faster now.

I truly wish this next year would slow down just a little. So another resolution I’d like to make would be to take more time for the important things.  Stay in contact with friends and family near and especially far, take more photos, but also put the camera down to enjoy the moment as well.

Have a wonderful evening, and I’ll see you in the New Year.

‘

Wishing each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas.

I hope you are able to spend it with the ones you love.

May there be good food, flowing drinks, and festive tunes.

Some old traditions or some new ones.

Laughter

Times to reflect and memories to create.

A Christmas how you like it, I wish you only the very best.

xo

jessica

Snow and Soup.  Snow and soup.  And playing.

It’s been snowing so much lately, and I feel like we have barely left the house.  Scotty must have shovelled 4 feet of snow off our deck today from just the last couple days.

There really is something so humbling and comforting about snow.  Especially on days when its snowed all night, tree tops weighed down, the ground clean and white, no errands needed to be done and no reason to leave the house. The perfect kind of day to spend inside reading books, coloring, playing games, dancing, building forts, having naps, and making soup.

I’ve never been one to make soup before.  Was never very good at it, but the same as everything else, it just take some time and practice to get it right.

The first soup I was really happy with was this Butternut Squash one I made last year.

I am happy to say I am very happy with this one as well. So thick it’s kind of like a stew, you could puree the whole batch or none, but I like having both smooth and chunky textures. Topped with a little grated cheese and some sour cream, yum! It would be really great with some tortilla strips, lime juice and cilantro, but I didn’t have any on hand.. so…  guess that just means I’ll have to make it again.

Next on my soup list is a simple Vegetable Broth. I’ve never made one before, and I’m not sure why, but it’s a staple we have in our house all the time, use in many dishes and it only makes sense I should know how to make it.

Chipotle Black Bean & Sweet Potato Soup

Alternatively you could roast the sweet potato first, then mix in with the soup once the quinoa is cooked.

1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 cup Red Onion, diced
1/2 cup Quinoa, rinsed well
1 Medium Sweet Potato, peeled and chopped
About 2 cups Chicken broth, vegetable broth or water
1 19oz can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp ground Cumin
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup Grated Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup Sour Cream or Yogurt, optional
1 Chipotle Pepper, in adobo sauce

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion and saute for 5-6 minutes. Add quinoa and toast until lightly fragrant, about 4 minutes.  Add garlic, sweet potato, black beans, chipotle pepper and spices. Saute for a minute or two. Pour in broth until just covered, you may need more than 2 cups, bring to a boil.

Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook until sweet potato is tender and quinoa is cooked, stirring frequently, about 15-20 minutes.  Add more broth or water if needed.

Transfer half the soup to a blender, and pulse until pureed. Return to pot with remaining soup over low heat. Serve with grated cheese, and yogurt or sour cream.