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Happy Hallowe'en
Hallowe’en is the perfect holiday to go over the top with decorations and party food. It’s probably the only time of year when poor taste and “grossness” are preferred, or at least tolerated.
If you’re planning a Hallowe’en menu, you can go all out and spend lots of time, money and energy on creating a “terrorific” atmosphere at the dinner table. Or you can unleash your imagination and stir up little home-brewed ambiance by simply renaming favorite foods.
Need some inspiration?
Why not serve worms and eyeballs and dried bones (spaghetti and meatballs and biscuits) for supper? Or how about witch’s fingers and slime sauce (chicken strips and ranch dressing or plum sauce dyed green) or barbequed bat wings (chicken wings) or witches’ brew and dracula diggers (chili and tortilla chips)?
Wild and whacky side dishes might include grass and weeds with sliced toadstools and witch’s teeth (salad greens with mushrooms and sunflower seeds), maggots (rice), rotting teeth (corn) or lizard tongues (sautéed red pepper strips or carrot sticks).
Pond scum (jello with gummi worms) or bones (meringue cookies) make delicious desserts, and swamp water (frozen lemonade concentrate, lemon-lime pop and lime sherbet) will wash the meal down.
Sounds tasty, doesn’t it?
Here are a couple recipes for dried bones. Bon Appetit!
Breadstick Bones
(Makes 6 breadsticks)
1 can refrigerated breadsticks
Melted butter or margarine
Italian seasoning, Tex Mex seasoning or grated Parmesan cheese
Open can and unroll dough; separate into 6 strips. Carefully stretch each strip until about 12 inches (30 cm) long. Loosely tie a knot in both ends of each breadstick. Place breadsticks on an ungreased baking sheet.
Brush melted butter over breadsticks. Sprinkle seasoning or cheese over top.
Bake in a preheated 375F (190C) oven until golden brown, about 13 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.
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Meringue Bones
(Makes about 2 dozen cookies)
5 egg whites
1/4 tsp (1 mL) cream of tartar
1-1/4 cups (300 mL) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 mL) vanilla, orange or lemon extract
Line 1 or 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Prepare a piping bag with a round tip (about 3/8 inch/1 cm diameter).
With an electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, a couple tablespoons (about 30 mL) at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until stiff peaks form and meringue is shiny and smooth. Add extract and beat just until combined.
Fill piping bag with meringue. Pipe a log about 3 inches (8 cm) long. Pipe two balls on both sides of the ends of the log. Repeat with remaining meringue. You can smooth any peaks that occur with a wet finger.
Bake in a preheated 220F (105C) oven for 30 minutes. Turn off heat. Leave cookies in oven for 8 hours or overnight. Store in an airtight container.
Tips:
* Let egg whites stand at room temperature for 20 minutes after separating; they will beat to a greater volume if they aren’t cold.
* Stirring a drop or two of yellow food colouring into the meringue mixture before baking will give the bones an aged look.
* If you don’t have a piping bag, use a sturdy ziplock bag. Cut off the tip once you have filled the bag with meringue mixture.
Chocolate Chip Cookies and Mars Bars Rice Krispie Squares
A few weeks ago I attended the opening of my artist friend Carol Wiebe’s first art quilt show. (The show is on until the end of October at the Greenwood Quiltery in Guelph if you want to see some unique and visually stunning art pieces.)
Prior to the show, Carol had mentioned the gallery would be providing refreshments at the opening. I enjoy baking so I offered to bring a plate of ‘something’. The days leading up to the opening were particularly busy so my contribution ended up being something fast and easy, NOT an example of fine baking skills!
I had picked up a box of Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate cookie mix from Costco a few weeks earlier, curious to see how a cookie mix branded by a reputable chocolatier stacked up to homemade cookies. A batch of these cookies proved easy to whip up. (My assessment: the cookies tasted fine, but were thin and crisp/somewhat chewy – depending how long you baked them. My personal preference is a thicker, chewier chocolate chip cookie.)
I also brought Mars Bars Squares – a chocolatey version of Rice Krispie Squares. The recipe goes together very quickly and is always well received. An added bonus – it requires few ingredients – crisp rice cereal, margarine, chocolate chips and Mars bars (known as Snickers in the U.S.). I keep a well stocked pantry of baking supplies so I’m usually 3 for 4 on the ingredient list for these squares. I picked up a 4-pack of Mars bars on the way home from work one day, and was able to make these squares in minutes.
Here’s the recipe.
Mars Bars Squares
(Makes 36 squares)
The recipe calls for 50 g Mars bars, but Mars in Canada are 58 g bars. I made the squares without noticing the size difference (Has it changed recently? How unusual that the bar got bigger instead of smaller??) until I was just about to combine the melted bars and margarine mixture with the cereal so I tossed in another 1/2 cup (125 mL) cereal to balance out the ingredients. The squares turned out fine. You could do the same or reserve half of one of the bars for nibbling later – or while you’re baking!
I think the squares are chocolatey enough but for visual effect you could also drizzle white chocolate over top of the layer of melted chocolate chips.
4 (50 g/1-3/4 oz) Mars bars, sliced into 1/2-inch (1 cm) pieces
1/2 cup (125 mL) hard margarine
3 cups (750 mL) crisp rice cereal
1 cup (250 mL) semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup (60 mL) hard margarine
Heat Mars bars and 1/2 cup (125 mL) margarine in a large saucepan on low, stirring constantly, until melted and combined. (Mixture may look greasy initially but keep whisking until it blends together.) Remove from heat.
Add rice cereal. Stir to combine. Pack evenly into a greased or foil-lined 9 x 9-inch (23 x 23 cm) baking pan.
Heat chocolate chips and 1/4 cup (60 mL) margarine in a small saucepan, stirring often, until smooth. Spread over top.
Let bars cool. Cut into squares.
Recipe Source: Adapted from Chocolate everything by Jean Pare, Company’s Coming Publishing Limited, 2000
Mars bar - an energy bar, not a chocolate bar
Did you know…?
Mars bars are called “energy bars”, not chocolate bars as we typically refer to them and other similar snacks in Canada, or candy bars as I hear Americans call them.
Interesting!
The Lee Valley Early Christmas catalogue arrived this week. Yikes! A sign of the season, I guess.
It’s not that I’m surprised to see a Christmas catalogue. After all, Christmas is just a little over two months away. It’s just that there’s too much on the calendar between now and then. No doubt it will – as usual – be a mad race to meet the festive season deadlines (i.e. Dec. 25th!) and still remain sane.
Okay. So I just took a time-out to do some deep breathing and relaxation exercises. The thought of the impending arrival of Christmas had the heart rate and blood pressure up for a minute, but I think a few deep breaths and mental images of lying on a white sandy beach in Mexico have brought things under control. I think. Now, where were we? Ah yes, the Lee Valley catalogue…..
As I paged through the catalogue, an item sandwiched between a finger wrench and a tea ball infuser on an insert between pages 16 and 17 caught my attention. Called a Rimroller, the gadget promises to “effortlessly unroll rims on paper cups”. It was invented by Paul Kind of Ottawa, Ontario as a tool to roll up the rims of the gazillions of cups of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, etc. purchased at Tim Hortons during their RRRoll Up The Rim To Win contests. The Rimroller reveals whether you have won something or are invited to “Please play again” with a quick push down and a pull up motion, and more importantly, without chipping a tooth or breaking a nail (as one might do if performing this task manually!).
Although Tim Hortons provides tips on unrolling cup rims, or as their web site calls it – becoming a master roller, I invariably fight with the rims of my empty hot chocolate or hot smoothee cups to reveal the hidden message that will tell me if it’s my lucky day. The Rimroller, which conveniently doubles as a keychain, sounds like it would be a helpful gadget. Since there will likely be another RRRoll Up The Rim To Win contest in 2009 and the Rimrollers are just $2.50 each, you really can’t go wrong picking up one for yourself and some to give as stocking stuffers. (The catalogue price drops to $2.00 each if you purchase five or more.)
You’ll find more information about the Rimroller on the Rimroller website and in this CityNews report. Look for it here in the Lee Valley catalogue. Oh, apparently you can buy it at Zellers too.
Pumpkin pie with whipped cream and maple syrup
Sure, Thanksgiving is over, but I’m still thinking pumpkin.
Pumpkin pie, actually.
Pumpkin pie ranks as one of my favourite kinds of pie. I like to dress it up with a dollop of whipped cream and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Maple syrup adds an extra touch of sweetness and flavour and makes for a pretty plate presentation. (Whatever you do, please don’t substitute table syrup or pancake syrup. It’s just not the same!)
Enroute to London from Kitchener a few weeks ago, I drove the back roads to escape the crush of traffic on the busy Hwy 401, and also (and most truthfully!), to enjoy the fall beauty of Ontario’s rural landscape.
My journey took me past a couple fields of pumpkins. A pumpkin patch is one of my favourite autumnal scenes. All those orange globes of varying shapes and sizes dotting the landscape seem like a vast field of creative dreams and artistic possibilities.
The pumpkins in the fields I saw that day were most probably destined to become Hallowe’en decorations, hollowed out and carved into smiling or scary faces.
Pumpkins best suited for cooking are small to medium pie pumpkins. They should feel heavy for their size and not be bruised or cracked.
Pumpkin can be cooked in a variety of ways.
* To bake, cut pumpkin into large chunks. Remove the seeds and fibre. Place the pieces in a baking dish with a little water, cover and bake at 325°F (160°C) until tender, about 50 minutes. Scoop the pulp from the rind; mash or purée.
* To boil or steam, cut pumpkin into large pieces. Remove the seeds and fibre. Cut pumpkin into cubes. Boil in lightly salted water or steam until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove cubes from the water and let cool slightly. Scoop pulp from rind.
* To microwave, cut pumpkin in half. Remove the seeds and fibre; peel. Cut the flesh into 1-1/2 inch (4 cm) chunks. Place in an 8-cup (2 L) casserole. Cover and microwave on High (100 % power) until tender, about 15 to 18 minutes, stirring several times during cooking.
Once cooked, puree the pumpkin pulp in a food processor, blender or food mill or mash it in a potato masher until smooth. Let the pulp drain in a strainer for 15 minutes; discard the liquid or reserve it to use in soups and stews. Season the pulp to taste with salt and pepper or pack it in airtight containers and either refrigerate for up to three days or freeze for up to six months.
One cup of cooked pumpkin (250 mL) will yield about the same amount of mashed pumpkin.
Cooked pumpkin can be used to make pies, muffins, breads, cakes, cookies, soups and stews or served as a side dish. Of course if you want convenience, canned pumpkin is readily available on grocery store shelves. Just remember to look for pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
Don’t forget about the seeds! An average-sized pumpkin will contain about one cup (250 mL) of seeds. The seeds are edible and contain protein and iron. To prepare them for roasting, first wash them, removing any clinging fibres. Then spread them on a clean baking sheet. Let them dry overnight at room temperature. Toss with 1-1/2 teaspoons (7 mL) vegetable oil. Bake at 250°F (120°C), stirring occasionally, until they are golden brown and crunchy, about 1-1/2 hours.
If you haven’t had your fill of pumpkin pie from Thanksgiving celebrations this past weekend, here’s an easy pumpkin pie recipe worth trying!
Butter Pecan Pumpkin Pie
(Makes one 9-inch/23 cm pie)
1 9-inch (23 cm) graham wafer pie crust (purchased or recipe of your choice)
2 cups (500 mL) slightly softened butter pecan ice cream
1/2 cup (125 mL) brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) ground ginger
1 cup (250 mL) canned or cooked pumpkin
1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream
In pie crust, carefully spread ice cream.
In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger. Stir in pumpkin until blended.
With an electric mixer, whip cream until stiff; fold into pumpkin mixture. Spread over ice cream.
Cover and freeze pie until firm, at least a couple hours.
Honeycrisp Apples
Have you tasted a Honeycrisp apple yet? You’d remember if you had.
If you bite into the cream-coloured flesh of a Honeycrisp, you’ll find a very crisp, very juicy texture and a tart/honey-sweet flavour. Developed from a 1960 cross of Macoun and Honeygold apples by the University of Minnesota and introduced to consumers in 1991 (how come I didn’t discover them until last year??), this mottled red and yellow coloured apple has become a favourite eating apple with many consumers, including me!
Want to learn more about Honeycrisps and other types of apples? Check out the Ontario Apple Growers’ web site.
I spent last weekend in New York visiting my sister Loreen. To make this trip I usually drive or fly from Toronto to New York City (NYC), but this time my parents and I drove across the border to Buffalo, then took the train to NYC’s Penn Station, and a train to Huntington on Long Island where Loreen picked us up to drive the short distance to her home.
A rainbow appears over La Casa Cafe on Crab Meadow Beach in Fort Salonga, Long Island, New York.
It was Loreen’s birthday last Sunday and we marked her special day with a dinner at La Casa Cafe, a beachfront restaurant in Fort Salonga. La Casa is one of the few restaurants right on the beach on the North Shore of Long Island. (It is Zagat-reviewed and you can read Zagat members’ reviews online.) The night we were there was apparently the last night the restaurant was open for the season. (I’m not sure when Las Casa re-opens again.)
While the restaurant’s interior is somewhat dated, if you get a seat at a table by the wall of windows, the view of the beach and Long Island Sound will easily distract you from any decor issues you might have. You can see some images of the area surrounding the restaurant by clicking on La Casa Cafe above. I snapped the image to the left mostly to get a picture of the rainbow although I should probably have been concentrating on getting a good picture of the restaurant. In addition to Loreen’s birthday we were celebrating the end of a couple days of rain!
A heaping serving of lasagna for the birthday girl! The generous portion could feed 2 to 3 people.
The menu is Italian and the portions are huge. You will not go home hungry! The four of us each left with at least half of our meal wrapped up and ready to reheat and enjoy again the next day.
Restaurant portions have been increasing in size for some time. Just think of the mammoth muffins served with uber-sized cups of coffee, the seemingly bottomless portions of soft drinks fast food restaurants offer up, and the mountains of french fries that often accompany burgers and sandwiches. Of course, in the long run, excessive portions mean more calories and fat in your diet than you need. This can lead to serious weight gain and health problems.
If you’ve wondered about serving sizes and just how much food should really be on your plate, consider the advice about portion sizes recently offered by dietitian Leslie Beck.
Here’s what she suggests are some ways to help visualize what a Canada’s Food Guide serving looks like:
- 3 ounces meat, fish, chicken = 1 deck of cards
- 4 ounces tofu = 1/2 baseball
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter = 1 golf ball
- 1.5 ounces cheese = 3 dominoes
- 1/2 cup pasta or rice = 1/2 baseball or a small fist
- 1 pancake or waffle = a 4-inch CD
- 1 small muffin = a large egg
- 1/2 cup cooked vegetables = 1/2 baseball or a small fist
- 1 cup salad greens = 1 baseball
- 1 small baked potato = size of your computer mouse
- 1 medium-sized fruit = 1 baseball
- 1 teaspoon butter or margarine = tip of your thumb
To avoid ‘portion distortion’, keep these visuals in mind when you sit down to eat.
