The holidays are coming . . .

In getting ready for the holiday season, I begin my baking in November. Over the years I have gathered many favourites; including traditional Scottish shortbread.
My favourite recipe involves just four ingredients: flour, brown sugar, cornstarch and butter.

Try this recipe for a fool proof delicious cookie that is sure to impress your family and friends.
http://www.robertsplace.ca/recipes/shortbread.htm#
It’s not the one I used, but it a very easy one.

This dessert has been a family favourite since I was a little girl. I always loved how the hidden fruit could be perfectly presented after baking.

I decided to check on the history of this dish today. Lo and behold - look what I found from http://www.kitchenproject.com/

The History of Pineapple Upside Down Cake

This cake has a fascinating history :It was invented because several other convenience items were developed that gave the housewife time to make a cake pretty as well as delicious.

The idea of cooking a cake upside down, is an old technique that started centuries ago when cakes were cooked in cast iron skillets. It was easy for cook to add fruit and sugar in the bottom of the pan and a simple cake batter on top and put it over the fire to cook. Then flipping it over onto a plate was a natural way to show the pretty fruit and let it run into the cake as well.

The idea of the pineapple soon after 1911 when one of James Dole's engineer had invented a machine to cut his pineapples into nice rings. Soon the convenient and pretty rings were used in this age old technique of the skillet cake. The invention of the maraschino cherry added the necessary color needed to make this cake stunning.

The first recorded recipe for Pineapple Upside Down Cake According to John Mariani's ( The Dictionary of American Food and Drink , Revised Edition, 1994), "The first mention in print of such a cake was in 1930, and was so listed in the 1936 Sears Roebuck catalog, but the cake is somewhat older." In Fashionable Food: Seven Decades of Food Fads (1995), Sylvia Lovegren traces pineapple upside-down cake to a 1924 Seattle fund-raising cookbook...While rooting around in old women's magazines I found a Gold Medal Flour ad with a full-page, four-color picture of Pineapple Upside-Down Cake--a round cake with six slices of pineapple, candied red cherries, and a brown sugar glaze. The date: November 1925." --- American Century Cookbook: The Most Popular Recipes of the 20th Century , Jean Anderson (p. 432)

Barbeque'd Pizza

On a hot humid day, at the end of summer - one may be craving good ol' homemade pizza, but not wanting to endure the heat of the kitchen oven.

I had always wanted to make (grilled) barbeque'd pizza and had the opportunity this weekend.

Using fresh bakery dough, I added my own seasoning to the crust.

On a hot, oiled grill, the base was cooked on one side, and then flipped.

Topping the pizza in the traditional manner, I cooked it on a medium hot grill.

it was just a matter of time, before dinner was ready.

I am looking forward to enjoying pizza year-round now.

What a treat!

Buon appetito!!

Sunday brunch - an oldie but goodie.

Sunday mornings can be as easy and as lazy as you want.

I tended to the garden on the balcony, I read some magazine articles and I played Scrabble online.

I love eating al fresco, admiring the rewards of my gardening efforts, and sitting out in the fresh air listening to the sounds on a lazy Sunday; lawnmowers, kids playing in the street, dogs barking. Later the smells of weekend barbeques will fill the neighbourhood air.

Today I had a craving for something my Mom used to make for us kids; Soft boiled eggs and Toasted Soldiers. I believe this was some British nickname for the meal. Yes, this was comfort food from the 60's! How simple yet delicious and nutricious! Brunch can't get any better than this in 5 minutes flat preparation.

Easy Rice n Beans

Dinner began two nights ago when I prepared a side dish of rice with sauteed onion, garlic and vegetables.

Tonight's dinner, was a complete meal, that simply began with my leftover rice dish.

I simply heated some canola oil in the fry pan and added my leftover rice. Then I picked some fresh herbs from my balcony garden; basil, chives and parsley.
I chopped these finely and added to the rice.
Lastly, I tossed in one-half cup of chickpeas.

Easy rice n beans. Dinner in one pan. Delicious!

Shrimp - yes please!

Every once in a while, I buy those shrimp rings - you know, the cocktail shrimp in a ring? On sale, one can snag a package for under four dollars. Pop into the freezer for when the urge hits and voila - easy gourmet dinner can be yours tonight!

This decadent treat can be served as an appetizer or as a main meal alongside stir-fried jasmine rice.

I purchased the ready-made puff pastry shells at a steal of a deal; 6 for $1.25.

Then, I prepared a basic white sauce and added sauteed onions, garlic and diced red and orange pepper. At the end of the cooking stage, I added the shrimp.

A spoonful of the creamy shrimp filling was placed in the shell and topped with garden fresh chives and parsley.

Sunday

Sunday morning and a lazy one at that.
But, since breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I try to keep on top of putting some healthy food into my body. (alongside coffee of course)

A simple breakfast today; I prepared an open faced fried egg on a thin toasted and buttered bun, topped with garden grown chives.

Courtesy of www.getcracking.ca
The protein in eggs can help you lose weight by controlling the rate at which your body absorbs calories. A recent study compared an egg-based breakfast to a bagel-based breakfast, each containing the same number of calories. Those who ate eggs for breakfast consumed 163 fewer calories at lunch, felt less hungry and ate 418 less calories over a 24-hour period.*
When managing your weight, choose foods that provide the maximum amount of nutrition for the least amount of calories. Eggs are great nutritional value for those trying to lose or maintain weight. A large egg contains 14 essential nutrients, but just 70 calories.