I’ve tried many times to recreate both my favourite cheese salsa and the nacho cheese sauce you get poured over your chips at the theatre, but nothing ever came close. I’m proud to say I have finally conquered it! Well technically Kenji conquered it and I’m just reaping the benefits. Every cheese sauce I tried to make ended up grainy, gloopy and not even close to silky. And, the ones that promised to be smooth always had velveeta or some other processed cheese. This is the first one I’ve seen that doesn’t! And, just look at how silky smooth it is. The taste is so close to my favourite cheese salsa, just more real (woot!). And bonus, you can adjust the thickness according to your needs. Thicker for dipping and thinner for drizzling. I’m excited to make cheese fries and cheesesteaks, my mind is reeling with the possibilities of what I can pour this all over.

You can control the heat in many ways. As it is, it’s nice and spicy. For a mild sauce use only cheddar cheese. For super hot sauce add jalapeño peppers. For medium sauce substitute half of the pepper jack for more cheddar.

To be honest, I probably won’t be watching the Super Bowl on Sunday. But if you are, and are in need of a good dip, this is your meal ticket. ;)

Nacho Cheese Sauce

• 4 oz. pepper jack cheese,shredded
• 4 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk, divided
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce
• pinch salt

Toss together cheese and cornstarch, in a medium-sized saucepan, until evenly coated. Stir in 1 cup evaporated milk, the hot sauce and salt. Cook, stirring often, over medium-low heat until thickened, smooth and bubbly. Stir in additional evaporated milk, if needed, until desired consistency is reached.

Adapted from Serious Eats.

I wanted to give her a simple but girly birthday party so I decided to go with the theme of Strawberry & Lime. I know that at this age she really couldn’t care less about her birthday so I tried to keep everything simple and stress-free. After-all I wanted to spend lot’s of time with the birthday girl.

The main star to the show (besides the sweet baby) was the Strawberry & Lime Layer Cake – a white cake sandwiched with coconut lime curd and smothered in whipped strawberry frosting. Fruity, refreshing and girly.

The decoration was extremely easy to do and the result was so precious. Perfect for a little girl’s birthday party. I followed a tutorial from Sockerru, where you pipe big dots of frosting and smooth them out with a spoon (I used the Ateco tip# 808 to pipe on the dots). Seriously, it was so simple and quick, anyone could do it. The key is to make the crumb coat as smooth and flat as possible so that everything looks even (I follow this method to smooth my frosting). The only thing I couldn’t figure out was how to finish it up in the back where the pattern met. The solution I came up with? Put the seam in the back where no one can see it. :D

Happy Birthday to my favourite baby girl!

Strawberry & Lime Layer Cake

White Cake

• 3 cups cake flour*
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk
• 8 large egg whites, room temperature (save the yolks for the curd below)

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Beat butter and 2 cups sugar for several minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Mixing on low-speed, add flour in 3 additions, alternating with milk, starting and ending with flour. Beat just until combined.

In a clean bowl, beat egg whites on low until foamy. Add 1/4 cup sugar and beat on high just until stiff, glossy peaks form when beater is lifted.

Gently fold 1/3 egg whites into butter/flour mixture to loosen batter. Fold in remaining whites.

Divide batter between 2 9-inch round cake pans lined with parchment paper rounds and spayed with cooking spray; smooth tops. Bake at 350ºF for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool 20 minutes before removing from pans and peeling off parchment. Cool completely on wire wracks before wrapping in plastic wrap to store.

*To make your own cake flour place 2 tablespoons cornstarch into a 1 cup measuring cup, spoon in enough all-purpose flour to fill. Sift several times to combine. This makes 1 cup cake flour.

Coconut Lime Curd

• 1 (15 oz) can coconut milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 6 eggs yolk
• green food colouring, if desired

Place 1 cup coconut milk and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until sugar is dissolved. Mix together the remaining coconut milk and the cornstarch. Pour into the saucepan, stirring to combine. Lower heat to medium, add butter and whisk until melted together. Whisk in lime juice and egg yolks. Cook, stirring often, until thick and it coats the back of a spoon. Do not overcook or eggs will start to scramble. Stir in food colouring, if desired. Allow the mixture to cool slightly and then pour into a heat-proof bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd to stop condensation. Allow to cool completely before refrigerating. Beat, to loosen, before spreading on cake layers.

Whipped Strawberry Frosting

• 2 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups icing sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cup strawberry puree (from frozen, thawed berries is fine)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a stand mixer, beat butter for 6 minutes, until pale and creamy. Add remaining ingredients and beat for an additional 6 minutes, until light and creamy.

If not using all of it right away beat by hand with a spatula, to remove any air bubbles, before using.

To Assemble

Trim tops of cakes flat. Carefully cut each cake in half to make 4 layers of cake (here’s a great video to show you how). Place one cake layer on serving platter, spread with some of the coconut lime curd. Place another cake layer on top and spread with more coconut lime curd. Repeat one more time and then top with the last cake layer (you will have leftover curd). Crumb coat the cake to glue the crumbs to the cake and to make sure none of the curd shows through the frosting. Refrigerate 10 minutes to set. Frost as desired. Refrigerate until serving.

White Cake adapted from Martha Stewart. Coconut Lime Curd adapted from Donna Hay Dec/Jan 2012.

I figured this time around I’d leave the cooking of the beef to the experts and make it more of an assembly process. First you top crisp and airy ciabatta rolls with garlic, butter and cheddar cheese, broil till bubbly and then pile on the beef. Serve them alongside a spiced up beef broth and dinner is served. Easy peasy and crave-worthy delicious.

Quick French Dip Sandwiches

These make very hearty sandwiches. For smaller appetites you could easily stretch the meat to 5 or 6 sandwiches. Use your discretion according to your family’s appetites and the size of the rolls.

• 1/4 cup salted butter
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 ciabatta rolls, split
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 can (14.5 oz) beef broth
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 pound thinly sliced deli roast beef

Melt butter in a small skillet, over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds, until softened. Place rolls on a baking sheet and brush or drizzle with garlic butter. Top with shredded cheese. Place under broiler and let bake until cheese is bubbly.

Place broth, salt, pepper and thyme in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower heat and toss in roast beef. Once beef is warm remove from heat.

To serve: Remove beef from broth, place on prepared rolls. Pour broth into ramekins or bowls, to dip sandwiches.

Serves: 4

Adapted from Taste of Home.

This recipe calls for fresh berries and I already had some (surprisingly) delicious fresh blueberries in my fridge (thanks to an awesome sale from my grocer) but since I didn’t have any fresh strawberries I used a bag of frozen ones instead. To my delight the frozen ones worked great, I just needed to add a few minutes to the simmering time. I imagine you could use all frozen berries and have it turn out, as long as you feel comfortable going by sight rather than cooking time. Allow them to thaw first and don’t drain away any of the tasty juices.

One of the big draws to me for this jam was that it uses maple to sweeten it, instead of sugar. By now I’m sure you’ve noticed my love of anything maple. It adds just a little something extra to the jam and it’s not overly sweet like some homemade pectin-free jams seem to be. I also love that it makes such a small amount. It feels like no work and you get delicious results in no time.

We enjoyed it while it was still warm, wrapped up in fresh crepes with a side of bacon. Mmm.

Mixed Berry Jam

• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered (about 4 cups)
• 1 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Place berries in a medium-sized saucepan, lightly mash berries. Add remaining ingredients and bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 50-55 minutes or until the mixture passes the jam test (below). Cool completely before storing, covered, in the fridge for up to 1 month. Freeze for longer storage.

Jam Test:

This applies to any jam that is made without using pectin.

Place a small plate in the freezer while you make your jam. Once you think the jam is ready place a dollop on the frozen plate and return to the freezer for two minutes. Remove the plate from the freezer and push through the jam with your finger, there should be a slight film on top that wrinkles as you push. If it’s not ready yet, boil it for a few more minutes and repeat the test.

Makes approximately: 1 1/2 cups

Adapted from Giada at Home.

I’m a big fan of coffee cakes. They’re not overly sweet and, just like muffins, they’re really just an excuse to eat cake for breakfast. :) This cake is light in both taste and texture. A refreshing break from all the heavy and rich baked goods that are everywhere this time of year.

My hubby isn’t a fan of pears but he loved this (LOVED it). So did I. It’s one of those cakes that’s hard to stop eating. Breakfast. Coffee. Dessert. Too many excuses to steal a little slice.

Pear & Walnut Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Streusel & Filling

• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup cold butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 medium pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

Cake

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter , softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 (8 oz) carton sour cream
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

For the streusel topping and filling: Stir together walnuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl grate cold butter into flour and break up with your fingers to make coarse crumbs. Stir 3/4 cup of the nut mixture into the flour mixture to make streusel. Set remaining nut mixture and streusel topping aside.

This recipe helped me knock off yet another of my 2012 food goals – meatless meals that the whole family enjoys. I’m on a roll! ;) Max did have a little bit of trouble eating a full burrito just because it was a little bit too bean-y for him, so I turned his into a quesadilla and served the “salad” on the side (the guys likes his veggies!) and he gobbled it right up.

It’ll definitely be a regular at our table, especially since I almost always have the ingredients on hand. It’s a perfect last-minute meal when you’ve had a tiring day and just want to get something quick and healthy on the table. I’m planning on serving it with Quick Mexican Rice with Beans (minus the beans) next time, to round out the meal.

Growing up we used to heat up those store-bought spicy bean burritos and top them with salad toppings, sour cream and salsa. I’m planning to make my own version by filling some 6 inch tortillas with this bean filling and some cheese, rolling them up and freezing them for quick lunches during the week. To serve, we’ll treat them just like the store-bought burritos and top them with the sour cream and veggies instead of having them in the wraps. I’m already excited to eat them again!

Spicy Bean Burritos

Don’t throw out the extra chipotles! Put them in a freezer bag and pop them in the freezer. When you need some for a recipe, chop off as much as needed and thaw to use.

Bean Filling

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon minced chipotle in adobo sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• dash cayenne pepper
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 6 tablespoons salsa

To Serve

• tortillas
• shredded cheese
• diced tomatoes
• chopped lettuce
• chopped green onions
• sour cream

Cook garlic in a small amount of oil just until fragrant (30-60 seconds). Add spices, broth and beans. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in salsa.

Spoon bean filling into tortillas, top with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, green onions and sour cream to serve.

Adapted from Pink Parsley via Annie’s Eats.

So you can imagine that it was at the top of my list of things to make when we moved to New York. And, I can now say, it was worth the wait! It was pretty hard to decide which one to make first but I’ve been craving coffee lately (I credit that to the exhaustion of furnishing an entire house from scratch in one week. Whew.) so I decided to go with Mocha Chip. It was a great choice.

On a whim I added a mocha fudge topping because I thought it might pretty it up a bit. In the end I can’t imagine the cheesecake without it. It gave it a much more intense chocolate flavour that I think would have been lacking without it. I don’t think I need to go into much description about how good this tastes. Mocha. Fudge. Cheesecake. Enough said right?

In order to help myself have some self-restraint and not be wasteful (who wants to waste cheesecake?), I decided to slice these into individual servings and freeze them. That way if we’ve got company, or are craving an indulgent dessert, I can just pull out as many as we need, let them thaw and then serve. I love the idea of having something in my freezer to serve guests that doesn’t take any work but is more special than just cookies (although there’s nothing wrong with “just” cookies).

I was a little nervous about making cheesecake again. It had been such a long time that I’d built it up in my head as something difficult. But it couldn’t have been more easy. I hope you try it soon.

Mocha-Chip-Fudge Cheesecake

My springform pan is almost 10 inches and it worked fine for this recipe. I just didn’t press the crumbs as far up the sides of the pan.

Crust

• 2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

Combine cookie crumbs and sugar, stir in butter until evenly coated. Press into the bottom and approximately 2 inches up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan.

Mocha Chip Filling

• 3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

Beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in flour until well combined. At low-speed, beat in eggs just until combined.

Mix together cream and instant coffee. Let sit for 1 minute, stir to dissolve. Add to cream cheese mixture along with vanilla. Stir just until evenly distributed. Stir in 3/4 cup chocolate chips.

Pour cream cheese mixture into crust. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips.

Bake at 325ºF for 50-60 minutes or until centre is almost set. Let cool completely at room temperature.

Mocha Fudge Topping

• 6 oz. (1/2 of 12 oz. package) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Put all ingredients in a bowl and microwave for 1 minute at 50%. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Spread on top of cooled cheesecake.

Cover cheesecake with foil and refrigerate overnight.

To serve: Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Warm a sharp knife under hot tap water, wipe it dry with a clean kitchen towel and cut one slice. Rinse it clean under hot tap water and repeat.

Makes: 14 servings

Adapted from TasteofHome.

I first came up with this idea just before we moved. Our house was becoming more and more depleted of ingredients and we had some leftover pizza toppings and an opened package of tortillas. My hubby was gone on a business trip so I wanted to make something quick for me and Max. This was the first thing that popped into my head and I must admit, I didn’t expect us to like it so much.

This is a great recipe for kids to learn to make on their own – my son had so much fun and was so proud to make a pizza all by himself. And, they won’t be the only ones enjoying it, it makes a yummy quick lunch for us adults too. :)

It’s also a great project to do to when the kids are bored out of their minds, being stuck inside all winter. Take a little extra time on lunch and watch them get excited about making their own creations and then eating every last bite.

A Few Topping Ideas

These personalized pizzas are a great way to use up those leftover scraps of veggies and meat that you’re not sure what to do with. Here are a few ideas.

Sauce:

• pizza sauce
• pesto
• dressing (such as southwestern ranch)
• salsa
• leftover bolognese/pasta sauce
• cream cheese
• refried beans

Meat:

• leftover chicken
• sandwich meat
• taco meat/fajita filling
• leftover ham
• vegetarian: beans

Veggies/Fruit:

• bell peppers
• mushrooms
• green onions/onions
• pineapple
• corn
• spinach

And don’t forget the cheese!

Tortilla Pizzas How-to

A step-by-step guide for the kiddos.

Step One:

Assemble ingredients and place a tortilla on a baking sheet. Top with pizza sauce.

Step Two:

Put on desired toppings – be as creative as you like. :)

Step Three:

Top with cheese. (Mom and Dad – avoid the urge to help them make it perfect.) :)

Step Four:

Place the baking sheet in a preheated oven. Bake at 450ºF (or under a broiler) until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is crisp. Make sure to keep your eye out for the “boiling” cheese! :)

P.S. If you’ve got one, you could make these in a toaster oven to be more kid-friendly.

Step Five:

Remove from the oven, cut into slices and enjoy!

It first started with Grapefruit Cranberry Marmalade, which I instantly want to make again every time I think of it, then I saw a tangerine marmalade in my Christmas issue of Everyday Food and I knew it was time to make another. Plus, I had a crate full of tangerines sitting on my table that I knew we wouldn’t be able to finish on our own.

This is definitely the perfect way to use up any of those tiny oranges you have lying around after Christmas. One of my favourite parts about this recipe is the fact that you don’t have to peel the oranges to remove the pith. Tangerines have such thin skin that, that little bit of pith doesn’t need to be removed, which means it saves a good amount of time. I would only say to make sure that you make very thin slices so you don’t get too much in one bite. I added a spoonful of vanilla bean paste at the end because it gives it a lovely fragrance and rounds out the flavour. And, I love all the pretty flecks it adds to the marmalade.

If you’ve never made marmalade before this is a great recipe to get you started. It’s easy peasy and I think the tangerines make the marmalade just a tad bit sweeter then normal. So, if your new to marmalade it might help break you in to the taste. ;)

Vanilla Tangerine Marmalade

You can substitute the vanilla bean paste with extract or a whole (split) vanilla bean, or you can leave it out entirely. If using a whole vanilla bean, add it along with the sugar, scraping the seeds into the pot before throwing in the rest of the pod.

• 3 pounds tangerines, washed
• 6 cups water
• 4 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Trim the ends off of the tangerines until the flesh is visible. Cut each tangerine in half lengthwise and then into thin slices, removing any seeds as you go. Place in a pot with the water and bring to a boil. Simmer rapidly for 20 minutes, or until peels are tender. Add sugar and allow to boil for an additional 45 minutes, stirring often, until it is thick, has darkened slightly and passes the jam test (below). Stir in vanilla bean paste. Allow to cool a bit before packing into jars or containers. Cool completely before storing in the fridge (up to one month) or freezer (up to six months).

Jam Test:

This applies to any jam that is made without using pectin.

Place a small plate in the freezer while you make your jam. Once you think the jam is ready place a dollop on the frozen plate and return to the freezer for two minutes. Remove the plate from the freezer and push through the jam with your finger, there should be a slight film on top that wrinkles as you push. If it’s not ready yet, boil it for a few more minutes and repeat the test.

Makes approximately: 5 cups

Adapted from Everyday Food.

To say that 2011 went out with a bang would be an understatement. Two months ago we found out we were moving. One and a half months later we were flying across the ocean with our most precious possessions in tow (aka. our children) and headed on a new adventure, starting from scratch, in a new land.

After living in Norway for three years we had mixed feelings. The new move meant we were going to be living much closer to family (yay!), in an english speaking country (yay!), in a city known for its great food (yay!). But, it also meant leaving behind great friends, the only home we’ve known since starting our family and this amazing view.

Anyone else hear angels singing?

We’ve left behind nature for the big city. We miss it tons but are also looking forward to this next chapter in our lives and for the many more visits that we’ll be getting from family and friends.

So let me tell you a bit about our new home.

It’s got a Starbucks on every corner (one right outside our door in fact). It’s got amazing parks like this:

Skylines like this:

And, city views like this:

Have you guessed yet?

We moved to New York City!

It’s scary, exhilarating and… scary. Really, honestly, you can’t compare New York and Oslo. They are totally and completely different. It’s feeling like a pretty big culture shock. It took me a bit just to get used to the fact that everyone spoke to me immediately in english and I found myself having to double check the words coming out of my mouth.

I think the only thing that hasn’t changed is the fact that I have a small kitchen. But, my oven is huge! I am so excited about that. And the new place has an awesome island that will give me tons of workspace.

Being in a new city, with every type of food ingredient available to me, plus it being the new year, has got me thinking about my food goals for the next year. They’re not really health related but more – how I’d like to grow as a cook. I’m sure they’ll morph throughout the year and new ones will be added but these are what are on my mind right now.

1. Teach Max to Cook on His Own

Max loves working with me in the kitchen so I think it’s best that I capitalize on that while I can and teach him how to start taking care of himself in the kitchen. He doesn’t have to love cooking when he grows up but I do want him to be able to know the basics so that he doesn’t have to bach it like the rest of them.

2. Find Healthy Snacks

This is on my list every year but you can never have too many healthy snacks. We most often eat fruit for snack time but I’d love to find more travelling snacks as well, since we have a new city to explore during the day and I don’t want to be tempted to eat out all the time.

3. Find More Substitutes for Store-Bought Products

This has been an ongoing goal for me and one that I find fun to conquer. I’ve got a lot of homemade versions of store-bought products already on the blog, but there’s always a new one to master and pretty much anytime I eat out I mentally break down the dish to figure out how I can recreate it at home.

4. Eat More Meatless Meals that the Whole Family will Enjoy

There are many benefits to eating the occasional meatless meal. It’s cheaper, healthier (usually) and often quicker to make. I’d love for our family to eat a meatless meal once a week but we’ll see how it goes. I’ve got a meat-loving husband and bean-hating son to contend with so it could get tricky. But I’ll be sure to share the successes with you.

5. Do More Canning

Last year I got hooked on canning. It was so much easier than I ever expected. Really, there’s nothing too intimidating about it. This year I hope to do small batches of canning all throughout the year. Because it’s fun and extremely satisfying and it makes you feel like you’re pretty much as domesticated as they get.

6. Decorate More Cakes/Cupcakes & Find the Best Basic Recipes

This one is more on the selfish side. I love decorating and baking cakes and I put it off for a long time after my son was born. But, I’d like to start fiddling with it more again. And, what better place than New York to do that right?

I’ve got a certain little girly’s first birthday coming up in a month so I’m in full brainstorming mode. We may not have many people to invite yet but there will be cake!

I’ve found my favourite chocolate party cake and vanilla frosting but I’m still on the search for the perfect vanilla cake, chocolate frosting and a plethora of other cake basics.

I’ll be sure to keep you updated on these food goals as I find recipes and techniques that help me conquer them.

Do you have any food goals this year? I’d love to hear about them. Maybe there are some that I can help you with? Just let me know, I love a good challenge. :)

P.S. Stay tuned for a new recipe coming up on Friday!