Now, when I’m making somewhat elaborate dinners I like to prepare things ahead of time and get all my ingredients ready so I’m not scrambling around looking for the white wine while the garlic burns in a pan. First, I sliced the pork loin and laid it out on a piece of plastic wrap. For a video on how to butterfly a pork loin go here. Next, on another piece of plastic wrap, I made a lattice with the bacon by first laying down six strips vertically and then lacing bacon horizontally through the strips. The other thing I made several hours ahead of time was the creme brulee as that needed to chill in the fridge for at least four hours. And if you’re like me and don’t own a fancy brulee torch, then remember to bring out the creme brulee to sit for a few minutes at room temperature before broiling it in the oven.

Ok, Ingredients:

Stuffed Mushrooms:

6 to 8 white mushrooms

oil, I used canola

about 6 cloves of garlic, more or less depending on your taste

1 8oz pkg of cream cheese, softened

about 3tbsp Parmesan cheese

fresh ground pepper, to taste

cayenne pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350F. Carefully remove the stems from the mushrooms but don’t throw them away – finely chop the stems and set aside. Mince the garlic and heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Throw the garlic and mushroom stems into the oil and cook for about 5 minutes and remove from heat. Add the cream cheese to the pan and stir until smooth and then add the Parmesan cheese, ground pepper, and cayenne pepper. With a small spoon, stuff each mushroom with the filling – there will be a lot of filling, don’t worry, the rest will be in the pork. Dab a bit of softened butter on the bottom of the mushrooms and place them on a baking sheet. Pop the mushrooms in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until juices are flowing.

Pork Loin:

I used a 760g/1.6lb pork loin

approx 12-16 strips of bacon

Leftover cream cheese filling from stuffed mushrooms

Kitchen twine

A generous splash of Guinness to keep the pork moist while cooking.

Turn oven heat up to about 400F. With the pork all ready to go, all you need to do is spread the cream cheese mixture over the top and then roll it and tie it with string. Place the pork in the centre of the bacon lattice and with the help of the plastic wrap, carefully cover the pork and press the bacon down. Place it in a baking pan (one preferably with a lid) pour some Guinness around the sides and put it in the oven for about 40 minutes to an hour. You can remove the lid halfway through, depending on how brown you want your bacon to be. I think we may have overcooked our pork – the bacon was a little crispy but the meat was amazing inside.

The sides:

2 russet potatoes, unpeeled, washed, and quartered

a bunch of asparagus – sadly our local store did not have artichokes

Hollandaise sauce

While the pork is doing its thing in the oven, boil the potatoes. And while that’s happening you can make the Hollandaise sauce. I would rather just tell you to Google Hollandaise sauce because one recipe and instruction may work for one person but it may not for another. The first and only time I successfully made Hollandaise sauce I used Laura Calder’s recipe but when Jay tried it, he wasn’t as successful. Last night, he used Julia Child’s version and the sauce turned out really well. In Jay’s opinion, it helps if you have another person reading out step by step instructions while you work on the sauce.

For the asparagus, place the stalks in a steamer basket and then over the simmering pot of potatoes. When the pork is ready to be cut, the potatoes will be ready and so will the asparagus as the stalks only need about 5 minutes or so to steam.

Creme Brulee:

For recipe and ingredients go here. As I mentioned before, I don’t have a torch so I used the broiler to burn the sugar coating. Unfortunately my broiler takes FOREVER to heat up and time was a-wastin’ so the sugar did not fully melt and did not have that crackly effect. However, the custard…oh the custard. Please make this. You don’t even really need the crackly sugar on top – the custard is like heaven in a ramekin.

This turned out to be a happy coma-inducing dinner where all we could do was say, “Wow, that was amazing.”

And in case you’re wondering – the non-alcoholic wine tasted like almost unsweetened grape juice. Oh the sacrifices we make.

Today is one of those days and for lunch I’ve made a super easy and quick pizza.

Ingredients for one pizza:

Thin pita bread – if you prefer to make dough then go for it but I wanted a pizza “NOW”

Tomato sauce, store-bought or homemade

Buffalo mozzarella, cut into slices

Tomato, sliced

Fresh basil

Spread the tomato sauce over the pita bread and then arrange the basil leaves on top and then the tomato and finally the cheese. Pop it in the oven for a few minutes just until the cheese melts and there you have a gorgeous and tasty lunch.

Last night I used a recipe from Jean Pare’s The 30 Minute Pantry (is there anyone out there who loves the Company’s Coming series as much as we do?). The instructions are simple and easy to follow and dinner was ready in 30 minutes. Of course it does help if you prep all the ingredients ahead of time like I did.

To prep rinse the pork chops and pat dry with a paper towel and set aside. Mix together about 2 or 3 tbsp of flour with 1/2 tsp of oregano, 1/4 tsp salt and black pepper to taste in a shallow dish (I used my pie plate which unfortunately suffered a fatal accident during the night – for some reason it felt the need to hop off the drying rack and plummet to its death on the floor). Set that aside. In a small bowl combine about a tsp of lemon rind and 2 cloves of chopped garlic. In another small bowl squeeze about 2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice. You will also need a cup of chicken broth. For the asparagus I cut the ends off and then chopped another two cloves of garlic.

To cook the pork chops heat a skillet at medium high heat with a tbsp of butter and a tbsp of  olive oil. Press the the pork chops into the flour mixture to coat both sides then place them in the skillet and cook until the meat is not pink in the middle – about 2-4 minutes on each side depending on the thickness. Reserve the leftover flour mixture. Place pork chops on a plate and cover to keep warm. In the same skillet add the leftover flour and then add the lemon rind, garlic, and lemon juice. Slowly stir in the chicken broth and continue stirring until it thickens. Drizzle over pork chops and serve.

To cook the asparagus heat a pot with butter and olive oil on medium high heat. Throw in the garlic for about 30 seconds then add the asparagus and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper if you want. Cover and let it cook for about 10 minutes if you want them tender. If you want them much softer then cook another 10 minutes. I sort of burnt the garlic and was afraid it would ruin the asparagus but I kept moving it around and it turned out amazing, especially with the lemony gravy on top.

Crack open a bottle of red wine and enjoy!

This has got to stop. Last night I broke out of my restricted Rachael Ray Rolodex of recipes and I made her Turbo Classics Rosemary Lemon Chicken with Pesto Mashed Potatoes. I really can’t explain why I never made this before as it was ridiculously easy to make. I think I have an aversion to buying fresh rosemary because I never use it all and it ends up going bad.

Anyway, please do make this for dinner if and when you want something warm, comforting, and most importantly absolutely delicious. The smell of the chicken as it comes out of the oven is mouth-watering. And where did she get the idea to mash potatoes with pesto? Genius!

Recipe for the chicken can be found here. The potatoes recipe can be found here.

Note – I used chicken thighs instead of chicken breast as I find breast a bit too dry for my taste.

Overall the instructions in the book were clear and shown in order of preparation and cooking, which I like because it means I don’t have to go searching for a step or a missing ingredient. If you’re not crazy about the taste of cloves, like Jay is, you can omit them or just put in very little. The recipe calls for crushed cloves for the chicken rub (called baharat) and later whole cloves for the entire dish. I only added the cloves to the baharat and it was more than plenty. Originally this was supposed to be a chicken and almond pilaff but guess what, I completely forgot about the almonds and I even have a whole stash I meant to use for cooking. No matter, it was still amazing. Unfortunately, once it was cooked it looked like a huge pot of slop. I don’t know what it is about me and slop these days. But, do try it out.

Recipe can be found here on Google Books.

I’ve made a few modifications to the soups:

Shrimp Bisque

serves 4, 3 points per 1 cup serving

3/4 lb medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined (reserve the shells)

1 bouillon cube dissolved in 3 cups of water (chicken or vegetable would work, I used mushroom flavour) or 3 cups of broth

2 1/2 cups water

2 tsp unsalted butter

2 shallots, chopped

1/4 cup long grain rice

1 tbsp tomato paste

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt to taste

Place the shrimp shells in a large pot and cover with the broth and water. Cook and bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes to allow the flavours to blend. Strain the broth and discard the shells. Set aside the broth. Melt the butter over medium heat and then add the shallots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved broth, the rice, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in the shrimp, salt, and cayenne pepper and cook until shrimp are ready, about 3 minutes. Scoop out 8 shrimp or so from the pot and place on a cutting board, chop and set aside. Let the soup cool about 5 minutes and then puree in batches in a blender or food processor. Return to heat and simmer until heated through. Serve with chopped shrimp on top and a dollop of home made salsa for an added kick.
Check out this other recipe too:

Shredded Beef and Potato Soup with Chimichurri

serves 6, 5 points per 1 cup serving

1 pound boneless bottom round steak, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

Salt

3 cups beef broth or 1 beef flavoured bouillon cube dissolved in 3 cups water

14oz diced canned tomatoes

3 or 4 pickled jalapeño peppers, chopped.

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Juice of half a lime

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cups diced potato

Heat a bit of oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and add the beef and salt. Cook and turn the beef until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, tomatoes, and jalapeño peppers. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for one hour. Scoop out the beef to a cutting board and let it cool. Set aside the broth and tomato liquid. Shred the beef with two forks or do what I did and use your fingers. To make the chimichurri, combine the cilantro, lime juice, garlic, a dash of salt, and the crushed red pepper and set aside. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the onions, stirring until softened. Add the potatoes and the broth-tomato liquid and bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add the beef and simmer for another 2 minutes. Serve with chimichurri on top.

Pizza, makes 6 servings

1 tsp olive oil

1 onion thinly sliced

Salt

2 tsp butter

8 plum tomatoes, chopped (about 3 1/2 cups) I used about 2 cups of canned crushed tomatoes

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 pound prepared fresh or thawed frozen pizza or bread dough

4 oz goat cheese, crumbled

10 black olives, pitted and chopped

1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried

First start the pizza dough and follow preheating instructions. About a half hour before the dough is ready to be baked, start caramelizing the onion by heating the oil in a skillet/pan, then adding the onions and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the onion is golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside. In the same pan melt the butter and add the tomatoes and sugar. Stir frequently until most of the liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes. Add the vinegar and simmer about a minute. When the dough is ready, spread the tomato mixture over top along with the onions and the rest of the toppings. On my pizza I added crumbled feta cheese, fire roasted red peppers, and roasted tomatoes. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the goat cheese looks slightly toasted on top.

A while later our stomachs are rumbling again. Still feeling groggy, I am not in the mood to make anything but somehow Gabo gets both Jay and I excited about making gnocchi. Thankfully we have all the necessary ingredients and after a quick look online for a recipe, we get down to work.

First, we boil 3 lbs of potatoes until they’re soft and tender. We leave the skin on the potatoes for more flavour and once they’re cooked, we peel them. We let the potatoes cool down a wee bit before mashing them and then we add one egg and two cups of flour. We have to use loads of flour for dusting because the dough is super sticky. We separate the dough into four sections and then we roll each section into a long thick strip, which we cut into about 1 and 1/2 inch-sized pieces. Each piece is shaped by rolling it over the back of a fork, allowing a tiny pocket to form on one side while impressing the fork tines on the other side. They look like larva to me. Yum.

Once the gnocchi is shaped it goes into a pot of boiling water to cook for a few minutes. You know they’re ready when they start to float up. But keep an eye on them because they may stick to the bottom.

Gabo cooks up a sauce for the gnocchi with Classico pesto, mild blue cheese and bacon. The aroma is amazing and it tastes like soft chewy potatoes in delicious pesto and cheese sauce. This recipe makes enough for plenty of leftovers which is fine by me because I cannot wait to have some more!

Gnocchi dough rolled out and ready to be cut.

Jay cutting the dough into 1 and 1/2 inch pieces (approx)

Gabo shaping the dough into gnocchi.

Amazing gnocchi!