garlic

Quick French Dip Sandwiches

By Cheri in Beef, Main Dish 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Quick French Dip Sandwiches

I’ve made many a homemade beef dip. Mostly from scratch. I’ve thrown it in the slow cooker, cooked it on the stove top, but nothing ever turned out quite right. My hubs is a huge fan of beef dip so, even though I failed, I had to keep trying. Wouldn’t you know, the simplest and easiest of recipes turned out to be just right. And, I won’t complain about that. :)

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.

Chickpea Garlic Dip

By Cheri in Appetizers, Thanksgiving 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , ,

Chickpea Garlic Dip

I couldn’t really share an awesome cracker recipe with you without also sharing a dip to go with it. As good as they are on their own if you want to serve them to company you’ve gotta have some yummy toppings.

I personally love bean dips, my hubby on the other hand is not such a fan. I’m always a bit nervous sharing a recipe that only I’ve tasted because it tastes great to me, but what if I’m crazy? Although I usually like getting a second opinion before I share a recipe with you, I found this dip to be quite addicting and my son gobbled it up with his crackers, so I’ll take that as my second opinion, “it’s good”. :)

This is not only a great dip to serve with crackers but would also be great as a dip for veggies, pitas or even spread on the base of a sandwich. It’s reminiscent of hummus and could be used in any of the ways you would usually enjoy hummus.

It’s quick, it’s easy and the cumin and garlic have me coming back for more. I think this would probably be good a little chunkier too. Next time I might mix things up and only puree half of the chickpeas, then pulse the rest just until they’re broken up. I can always puree the heck out of it later right?

Happy dipping!

Chickpea Garlic Dip

I found 4 cloves of garlic quite overwhelming so I would start with two and add more to taste.

  • 1 can (19 oz) chickpeas, drained (reserving 2 tablespoons of liquid)
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 2-4 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

Makes: 2 cups

Adapted from Kraft Canada.

Sun-dried Tomato, Feta and Basil Bruschetta

By Cheri in Appetizers, Sides, Valentine's 17 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

Sun-dried Tomato, Feta and Basil Bruschetta

Last week I put the call out on Facebook for some trusted company-worthy eats. There were many delicious suggestions but this one from Natasha (a fellow Canadian ex-pat living in Switzerland) really stuck out to me because a) there was a link to the recipe and b) it contained sun-dried tomatoes, which I love and James hates.

Being the bad wife that I am, I like to make at least one dish that James doesn’t like when company comes over because I know that I’ll have someone to help me finish it. After all, I’m cooking for them not him, right? (Although it sounds more like I’m cooking for me.)

James, being the good husband that he is, usually tries a piece anyways, and I couldn’t believe when he reached for seconds, thirds and fourths of this dish.

I wouldn’t have needed to make anything else, because this was really all we wanted to eat. Even Max was unhappy with his bowl of usually pre-occupying spaghetti and kept reaching for the plate full of bruschetta.

Who could blame him? A crusty slice of baguette topped with a pungent and robust Sun-dried Tomato Tapenade. Such simple ingredients melding together to make one mouthwatering bite.

This would be a great appetizer or side dish to serve alongside a summer barbecue. You could even keep the house cool by popping it on the grill once the meat is done and resting. I have some leftover tapenade in my freezer and I have a feeling it’s going to make it’s way onto some homemade pizza very soon.

I know we’ll be having this often, to the disdain of all those within a five mile radius of our breath. Goodbye friends, it’s been nice knowing you.

Sun-dried Tomato, Feta and Basil Bruschetta

inspired by Natasha Kay

  • 1-9 inch baguette
  • olive oil, to drizzle
  • sun-dried tomato tapenade (1/3 of recipe below)
  1. Slice the baguette into 1 inch pieces at a diagonal. Brush or drizzle lightly with olive oil. Top with tapenade.
  2. Bake at 350ºF for 6 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves: 4

Sun-dried Tomato Tapenade

adapted from allrecipes

  • 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil)
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
  • 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 6 ounces feta cheese
  • 2 tablespoons dried basil (or 6 tablespoons fresh)
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  1. Remove the tomatoes from oil (reserving 1/3 cup oil) and chop finely.
  2. Stir together tomatoes, 1/3 cup reserved oil, red pepper, and garlic. Crumble feta over top and add remaining ingredients. Stir to combine.
  3. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Can be made a couple of days in advance. Stir before using.

Makes enough for 3- 9 inch baguettes

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Make sure to check out Natasha’s blog Domestica. She did a disturbing yet intriguing “McMold” experiment with a McDonalds Cheeseburger and Fries. You may be surprised by the results.. or not.

Two Tasty Ways to Use up Dry Bread

By Cheri in Breads, How-to's, Ingredients, Sides 14 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

Two Tasty Ways to Use up Dry Bread

Nothing is more frustrating to me then wasting food. Whether it be because I burnt something, forgot about it in the back of my fridge, made something less then stellar, or simply bought too much of it. Whatever the case, I hate to throw away food.

One of those foods that seems to always go bad before it’s eaten in our house is bread. One of my largest hinderances to baking fresh bread is knowing that it will probably go stale before we are even halfway through it. And, since I don’t like anything to be a hinderance to me in the kitchen, I got to work figuring out ways to use it up without having to gag on the dryness.

Two of my favourite ways to use up those bread scraps are to make homemade croutons and breadcrumbs. Not only does it save us money, but since they are things that we use on a regular basis, it’s nice to know that they are much healthier being made at home. Not to mention extremely easy.

Below are instruction on how to make both croutons and breadcrumbs as well as recipes for Parmesan Garlic Croutons and Italian Breadcrumbs. Here are a few tips on how to go about it.

  • Do not use already stale bread. If you don’t like to eat stale sandwiches you won’t want to eat stale croutons either.
  • If  you find yourself with lot’s of little scraps that don’t seem worth the effort to turn into something else, freeze them. Once you have a larger collection, pull them out and get to work.
  • If you do freeze your bread, this will probably mean you have a variety of breads stored away. The combination of breads will add a more complex flavour as well as some pizzaz to both the croutons and the breadcrumbs.
  • If there is any moisture in either the breadcrumbs or the croutons, they will not be able to store at room temperature without going mouldy. If you would like, you can store them in the freezer. If they regain any moisture, simply give them a short toast to perk them up.

Making Croutons
  • To make croutons: cube some bread, toss it with oil and herbs, and bake at 375ºF until golden and crisp (15-20 min).
  • If you use only olive oil and no other perishable ingredients you can store these sealed at room temperature.
  • If you use butter in place of oil, or fresh herbs or garlic, you must store the croutons in the freezer.
  • Some topping ideas: oregano, garlic, parmesan, thyme, basil, onion powder, parsley, rosemary, flavored oil.
  • One slice of bread will yield approximately 1 cup of croutons, depending on the size of loaf.
  • A standard recipe for croutons is: 2 cups cubed bread, 1.5 Tbsp oil, 1 tsp. dry herbs.
The Process

Parmesan Garlic Croutons

  • 4 cups bread cubed
  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. oregano
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. parsley
  • 1 Tbsp. finely grated parmesan cheese
  1. Toss the bread cubes in oil until well coated. Sprinkle on spices and cheese. Toss until evenly distributed.
  2. Spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 375ºF for 15-20 min. until browned and dry, stirring halfway through cooking time.
  3. Allow to cool completely before storing in a plastic container (or bag) in the freezer.

Print Recipe and Tips

Making Breadcrumbs
  • In order to achieve the crispy breadcrumbs you purchase at the store, you will want your bread to be completely dried out and toasted. To do this, place slices of bread on a baking sheet, in a single layer, and bake at 300ºF for 10-15 min. until dry, flipping halfway through cooking time.
  • If your bread is already quite dry and you are only making a small amount you can rather toast it in the toaster until dry.
  • Once the bread is toasted, allow it to cool completely and then chop it roughly and place it in a food processor. Process until fine crumbs are created.
  • If you are not able to achieve fine crumbs then the bread still has too much moisture. Place the crumbs onto a baking sheet and bake again until completely dry.
  • Always allow to cool so that no moisture can build up, then process again until you are able to achieve the texture of crumbs that is desired.
The Process

Italian Breadcrumbs

adapted from cdkitchen

  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp. onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp. sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. oregano
  1. Mix all ingredients together and store in a sealed container in a cool, dry place.

Print Recipe and tips

Do you make homemade croutons or breadcrumbs? If so do you have any tips to share? What’s are your favourite flavours?

Garlic Shrimp Pasta for Two

By Cheri in Main Dish, Pasta, Seafood, Valentine's 13 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Garlic Shrimp Pasta for Two

When I was first married I made every possible situation into a celebration. That first year of marriage we celebrated every monthly anniversary along with every romantic holiday in between. I love setting aside a special time to spend with the ones you love with no distractions. That first year gave me ample opportunity.

Things have changed a bit since we had Max and especially since we moved halfway around the world with no free babysitters to call upon. Now, a lot of the romantic days are spent together as a family. But honestly, I really don’t mind.

I know that my son will only be little for so long. In the blink of an eye I will be suffering from empty nest syndrome and will be missing the pitter patter of his little feet. That’s why I don’t mind this stage that we’re in. I get to set aside special days to spend time with my two loves. And, once the sonny goes to bed we get that much needed time to ourselves.

That is where this Garlic Shrimp Pasta is perfect. It’s so simple and fast that it won’t make for added stress. But, with it’s creamy garlic infused sauce and plump pink shrimp, it will definitely feel like a special occasion. You can whip this up in a jiffy once the kids are in bed. Just don’t be the only one eating it and make sure to keep some mints handy. :) Let the romancing begin!

Garlic Shrimp Pasta

  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 tsp. parsley
  • 1/4 tsp. dill
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • pepper, to taste
  • 5 oz (142g) spaghetti
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup small cooked shrimp (depending on preference)
  1. Melt butter in small saucepan. Add garlic and cook just enough to get rid of the raw edge. Do not brown.
  2. Add cream and spices. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower heat and simmer 15 minutes to reduce.
  3. Meanwhile cook spaghetti in salted boiling water. Drain.
  4. Add cooked shrimp to cream just to warm through. Poor over spaghetti and stir to combine.

Makes: 2 servings

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Roasted Mashed Potatoes

By Cheri in Fall, GF Sides, Gluten Free, Sides, Thanksgiving 11 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

Roasted Mashed Potatoes

I have a confession to make. I am not so great with potatoes. Don’t get me wrong, I love potatoes. In fact, they are one of my favourite vegetables. But, my husband does not appreciate their texture or lack of flavour so making potatoes is a little foreign to me.

When I saw some Roasted Mashed Potatoes on Hot Garlic I knew I had to give them a try. Mashed potatoes that are loaded with flavour and no fuss? Count me in! You know what my husband said after digging in? “These are pretty good for mashed potatoes.” Score! I probably still won’t be making them very often because I enjoy cooking for other people rather then myself, and pretty good just doesn’t cut it for me. But, as a potato fan I have to say, these had an excellent roasted garlicky flavour.

This is the beginning of my countdown to Thanksgiving. I am a Canadian living in Norway so I won’t be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family and friends, which makes me a little sad. So, I thought it would be fun to spread out our Thanksgiving meal over the next couple of weeks so that James and I can enjoy the food without a ton of leftovers. Plus, I was hoping to help inspire you if your Thanksgiving Meal Planning Well was running dry. :)

Anybody have any great potato tips they would like to share?

Roasted Mashed Potatoes

Roasted Mashed Potatoes

I served these potatoes with Basil & Prosciutto Chicken Cordon Bleu, so I added a tsp of dried basil to the mix. Feel free to use whatever herb will compliment your dish.

  • 1/2 onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 6 potatoes
  • 1 tsp. basil (or other herb), optional
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 2 -4 Tbsp. cream (or milk)
  1. Peel and chop onion into large chunks. Peel garlic, leave whole. Chop potatoes into quarters or smaller, depending on the size.
  2. Lightly grease a baking pan with olive oil. Place onions, garlic, and potatoes inside and drizzle with more olive oil. Sprinkle on basil, salt and pepper.
  3. Bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for 50 min-1 hour, until potatoes are tender.
  4. Place in a food processor, mixer, or bowl and mash. Add butter and cream to preference and beat until smooth. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

Serves: 3

*My mom’s rule of thumb was always 2 regular sized potatoes, per person, when mashing.

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