Food in the Time of Quarantine Holiday Issue!! + Grand Marnier Truffles!

Food in the Time of Quarantine Holiday Issue

We are living in difficult times. As the holidays roll around and it is looking unsafe to visit family, we must try to connect as best we can and find joy wherever we can. Hopefully we can spark a bit of goodwill with a few food ideas to treat yourself and those in your bubble. 

The hope is, as the song says "may your days be merry and bright" 

If you are looking for some extra goodwill or want to cook yourself a festive meal, we can offer you our recipe magazine, free for everyone to download. In it you will find mains, sides, appetizers, desserts, cocktails and even homemade gifts!

Download a free .pdf here: Food in the Time of Quarantine Dec 2020

Grand Marnier Truffles

This holiday season, why not give your loved ones the gift of chocolates to show them how much you care? It is surprisingly easy. Instead of Grand Marnier, you can customize these truffles by steeping tea leaves in your cream mixture before pouring it over the chocolate. To temper your chocolate, melt 3/4 of the chocolate reserved for the shells and bring the temperature of the melted chocolate quickly down by removing the chocolate from the heat and adding the remaining 1/4 chopped chocolate

Grand Marnier Truffles

3/4 cups cream

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and clarified

3 Tablespoons Grand Marnier

8 ounces good quality (70% or better) semi sweet dark chocolate, chopped

5 ounces good quality milk or dark chocolate, chopped

1. Create the ganache: heat cream over low heat and add orange zest, allowing it to steep for 5 minutes (if you’re not planning to use orange zest. Bring cream up to a low boil and turn heat off immediately. Add Grand Marnier and clarified butter to cream and whisk to combine.

2. Place your 8 ounces chopped dark chocolate into a stainless steel bowl and pour hot cream and butter mixture through a sieve into the chocolate.

3. Stir to melt chocolate with the heat from the cream and butter mixture. When everything has been combined and all chocolate has been melted, set aside in a dry, cool place to come to room temperature.

4. In roughly 30 minutes, when the ganache has set, form into Tablespoon sized balls. Cover tightly and set briefly in the fridge while you melt the remaining chocolate.

5. Fill the bottom of a double boiler with about 3 inches of hot water and bring to a temperature just below a simmer. Put 5 ounces chopped chocolate in the top layer of the double boiler and melt, stirring frequently to avoid burning.

6. Take melted chocolate off of the heat and dip ganache balls into it one by one, balanced on the tines of a fork. Shake excess chocolate off after each truffle is dipped. Set covered truffles on a parchment lined sheet tray to cool. Store in an airtight container in the fridge, or package in cute boxes to give out as gifts.

Thanksgiving Issue of Food in the Time of Quarantine + 2 Classic TDay Sides

 Hello all! I'm so pleased and excited to be bringing you the Thanksgiving issue of our free recipe Magazine, Food in the Time of Quarantine with double the recipes! Whatever your Thanksgiving looks like this year--even if it's a vegetarian celebration--we've got you covered!

Download your FREE .pdf here: Food in the Time of Quarantine Nov 2020

The two recipes of mine included in this issue are my Scratch Made Green Bean Casserole

And my Sour Cream & Green Onion Mashed Potatoes

Sour Cream & Green Onion Mashed Potatoes

October Issue of the Magazine & Apple Spice Bread!!

 Hello everyone! I'm so thrilled to be brining you the October issue of Food in the Time of Quarantine, our free recipe magazine! This month's issue aims to help you while you "homeschool" with quick meals or recipes that are fun to make with your children.

It's "hot off the presses!" Download it here: https://tinyurl.com/y57nx88l

Apple Spice Bread

I am eating this bread as I type this. It is moist, with a warmth from the spices and an unmistakable apple flavor. This bread is low-fat to keep it on the healthy side and there is fiber from the whole wheat. Adding applesauce alongside the oil in this bread not only cuts down on fat but also makes the bread taste even more of apples. One of my favorite things about this bread is how versatile it is. You could add a cup of nuts or dried fruit or both. If you wanted to make it more decadent you could top it with a crumb topping. A gluten free version made all or partly with oat flour would be delightful (if you've ever had sauteed apples in your oatmeal you'll probably be of the same mind). And if you'd like to make it a bit more healthy you can sub out the oil with another half cup of applesauce and cut down on the sugar. I made this bread with fuji apples, which are more sweet than tart, so if you'd rather use tart apples like granny smith, adjust your sugar accordingly.

Of course, my absolute favorite thing about it is that this recipe makes two loaves. One to enjoy immediately and one to freeze. Freeze it in slices wrapped in cling wrap, then store wrapped slices in a zip top freezer bag. The fresh made bread will keep for up to 4 days, wrapped in cling wrap (slice as you go) and the frozen bread will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Apple Spice Bread

Makes 2 Loaves

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup neutral oil
1/2 cup applesauce
2 cups (grated) apples

Method:

stir flours, spices (cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg), baking powder and salt together. Mix in sugars, eggs, applesauce and oil. Mix will feel a bit dry. Peel and grate the apples and add the juice as well as the fruit. The juice from the grated apples will bring the bread to the correct consistency. Divide between two greased 9 x 13" loaf pans. Bake at 325 for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

The September Issue of Food in the Time of Quarantine is here! Click on the post to download a free .pdf

 I am pleased and excited to be bringing you a special edition of Food in the Time of Quarantine featuring fun budget recipes you can cook in *anyone's* kitchen in honor of my fellow evacuees, many of whom are cooking in a borrowed kitchen or having to rebuild their own.

Download a free .pdf here

Grilled Caesar Salad with Anticuchos Camarones

 For our Facebook live Savour the Flavour event we decided to each put our own spin on caesar salad. Since I've learned so much about tasty food from my husband's Peruvian family I decided to take inspiration from Peru with a dish called Anticuchos, which are meat skewers cooked on a barbecue. Since seafood is really popular in Peru I decided to use shrimp and make Anticuchos de Camarones. 

These skewers are brushed in a delicious spicy-tart-salty sauce and grilled so I thought why not compliment them with a grilled caesar salad? The smokey taste of charred romaine lettuce complemented the spicy, smokey Anticuchos really well.

Caesar Salad with Anticuchos de Camarones

Serves 4

For the Salad:

2 romaine hearts washed, dried and split down the middle lengthwise

1 teaspoon olive oil

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

Cotija cheese, crumbled, for serving

For the dressing:

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

3 anchovy filets

3 large cloves of garlic

1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1 teaspoon aji amarillo paste

1/2 cup olive oil

3 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup finely grated parmesan

1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

For the Anticuchos:

1/2 lb tiger shrimp, peeled & deveined

Marinade:

1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon mirin

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic

½ teaspoon ground or 1 teaspoon fresh ginger

Method: combine the marinade ingredients in a small baking dish. Thread shrimp onto skewers and lay in marinade. Meanwhile, make the dressing: at the bottom of the mixing bowl toss a layer of coarse salt. Using the back of a fork, mash the garlic into a paste with the salt. Mash the anchovies into the salt and garlic late. When everything is well combined add the egg yolk and whisk to combine. As you continue working, add the mustard and aji paste, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil. The dressing should be thick. Whisk in vinegar, then Parmesan. Add pepper to taste. Set aside. Remove shrimp from marinade. Over indirect heat in a medium barbecue, grill shrimp 1-2 minutes per side, until just cooked through. Set shrimp aside. Brush lettuce with olive oil front and back. Season with salt and pepper. Over high heat, cook for one minute per side. When lettuce and shrimp have cooled you can assemble your salad: with the cut side up pour dressing over lettuce and serve with Anticuchos balanced over. Sprinkle with cotija cheese.

Bacon Fried Rice + New issue of Food in the Time of Quarantine

 

First the big news: the August issue of Food in the Time of Quarantine, our free recipe magazine, has been released! To help ease the mental load we are providing this magazine full of fun budget recipes. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoy sharing it! 

Download a free copy here: tr.im/FitToQ-04 

Admittedly, this dish is a little decadent. We usually eat it no more than once per week. On one hand it is a bit rich, but on the other it is quick, easy and wow is it delicious! It’s also extremely budget friendly. I buy bacon in bulk for my family, then chop it and freeze it in recipe sized portions and I use a frozen diced carrot and pea mix, so it’s possible to mostly make this meal from the freezer and pantry.  Bacon fried rice is versatile: you can use any kind of rice and this is a great dish to use up any veggies you have lying around.

If your kids are picky they will probably still agree on this. Mine are and they will always eat bacon fried rice. So schedule this one in on a particularly hectic night and enjoy.

Bacon Fried Rice

Serves 6

3 cups cooked rice

1/2 yellow onion

2/3 cup diced carrot & pea frozen mix*

4 slices bacon, chopped

4 extra large eggs

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon soy sauce, divided (see method)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Method: 

In a wok or heavy bottomed pan, cook bacon until crisp and fat has fully rendered. Transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate and drain off all but three tablespoons of the bacon fat. Return pan to the heat and add onions. If you’re using fresh carrots add them as well. Cook over heat until tender and beginning to brown.Drizzle sesame oil, and add in ginger and garlic. Cook for one minute, stirring often. Toss in frozen peas and carrot mix. If you’re using fresh carrots, toss in frozen peas at this stage. Add rice, 1/2 Tablespoon soy sauce. Mix and then add eggs, bacon and remaining soy sauce. Mix thoroughly and stir frequently until the eggs have been fully cooked. Best served fresh and hot.

*Or 1/3 cup chopped carrots and 1/3 cup frozen or canned peas 

The June issue of Food in the Time of Quarantine is out now! + Quiche Lorraine

We are living in busy, tumultuous times. So many different issues are vying for our attention and even as a lot of places move toward reopening there are still many families that prefer to try to stay at home to try to manage exposure to the virus. As many of us continue to feed our entire families for more meals than we had previously been prepared for, how do we come up with fresh ideas, to keep our meals interesting? How do we even fit such an idea into our exhausting mental load? If this feels overwhelming to you, worry not! Food in the Time of Quarantine, our free pantry staple and cheap eats recipe magazine is here to help. We are thrilled to be bringing you a second issue of our magazine! You can download a FREE copy of the magazine here: https://tr.im/FitToQ2

I couldn't have done it without my amazing contributing editors:

Angela Amberden

Azlin Bloor of Lin's Food

Jodi Kaplan of single serving chef

Mayuri Patel of Mayuri's Jikoni

Indrani Sen of indrani will teach

Giangi Townsend of giangi's kitchen

Balvinder Ubi of simple gluten free kitchen

You can download the first issue here: https://tr.im/_FitToQ1

Quiche Lorraine

Everyone needs a good quiche recipe in their

back pocket. Quiche is a fantastic way to use up

any vegetables that are sitting around in your

fridge, needing to be added to a dish before they

go off.

This Americanized version of Quiche Lorraine is

an excellent jumping off point. Traditionally

Quiche Lorraine is bacon and onions, fried

together, then used to flavor the egg custard in the

quiche. Even cheese is sometimes considered

sacrilege. In this version I've added spinach, so I

can pretend it's healthy and swiss to help preserve

the richness of the dish.

If you want to riff on this with whatever veggies

you have on hand, try to keep the ingredients to

roughly the same proportions. 5-8 ounces of

veggies, for example and around 1-2 ounces of

cheese. You would be well served to keep the eggs (4)

and cream (8oz) as they are. They create a fabulous

silkiness and are as close to a Parisian bistro

quiche as one can get, short of travel.

Quiche Lorraine

Ingredients

6 ounces chopped frozen spinach

1 store bought shortening pie crust

2 ounces swiss cheese, finely grated

1/2 yellow onion, diced

4 large eggs

1 cup heavy cream

pepper, to taste

Method

Take your shortening crust out of the freezer and

set out at room temperature, in preparation for

pre baking (blind baking) it.. Even if you're using a

homemade crust you want to pre-bake it so it

doesn't turn soggy. For a premade frozen crust:

defrost the crust for 10 minutes while preheating

the oven to 400 degrees.

In a pan over medium heat, cook the bacon slices

until they are thoroughly crispy and all of the fat

has rendered. Set bacon to cool on a paper towel

lined plate and drain all but 2 - 3 Tablespoons of

bacon fat. Saute the onions in the remaining fat

until starting to brown. Add spinach and when it

has defrosted thoroughly and been tossed in the

fat. Set aside to allow to cool.

Meanwhile, Pierce the defrosted crust all over with

a fork and bake for 10 - 12 minutes, until the crust

is barely starting to turn golden. Use pie weights if

you have them to avoid the crust bubbling.

Set crust aside to cool. In a mixing bowl combine

eggs, cream, gruyere, nutmeg, salt and pepper to

taste. Crumble bacon into small pieces and add

cooled bacon, onions and spinach to the eggs.

Turn oven down to 300 and and pour egg mixture

into the cooled pie crust.

Bake for 25 minutes. Turn oven up to 325 and bake

for another 25 minutes, or until top begins to color

and a toothpick inserted into the center of the pie

comes out clean. If it is still undercooked, turn the

heat up to 350 and cook for up to another 10

minutes, checking for a firm center every 5

minutes.

Serve and enjoy! The French like to serve their

quiche alongside lightly dressed spring salad mix.

Ricotta, Zucchini and Parmesan Pasta Bake

Except for the ricotta this is a pantry recipe. In fact, you can sub whatever veggie(s) you have on hand for the zucchini and it will be a delicious way to use up some vegetables. Think of it more like a red primavera pasta bake.

Ricotta, Zucchini and Parmesan Pasta Bake

Makes one 8x8 pan

1 (12oz) box rigatoni*

1/2 onion, chopped

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

16 ounces ricotta

3/4 cup mozzarella, shredded

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1 (15oz) can crushed tomatoes

2 large Zucchini squash, quartered lengthwise, then chopped into 1/2" slices

2 eggs

3 cloves garlic, minced

Method: cook noodles according to package directions, but drain them a minute or two before they are supposed to be done. You want them slightly Al dente. Set them aside to cool. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a medium pan and add onions, zucchini, oregano, basil and salt and pepper, to taste. When zucchini is mostly done add tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook on lowest heat for 5 minutes, then set veg and sauce aside to cool. Into the ricotta mix the eggs, crushed red pepper, Italian seasonings and garlic powder. Preheat the oven to 375. Once everything is cooled, mix together, along with 1/2 cup of the shredded mozzarella and half of the grated Parmesan. Pour mix into greased 8x8" cake pan. Top with the remaining mozzarella and the remaining half of the Parmesan. Cook for 30 minutes. It will be golden and bubbly on top and ready to serve.

*Or pasta of your choice

Cannelini Bean, Spinach and Tomato Pantry Pasta

This pantry staple comes together in 20 minutes or less and can be made with any fresh or frozen vegetables you have on hand. The creamy, thin skinned beans combine with the salty, zesty tomato sauce to create a fabulous, almost cheesy sauce. You can add meat of some kind or keep it vegetarian.

Tomato, Garlic & Bean Pantry Pasta with Spinach

Makes 8 servings

1 lb chunky pasta (such as rotini or orecchiette) 

1 can tomato sauce

1 (15 oz) can of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed

5 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

8 oz fresh or frozen spinach

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Parmesan (opt), for serving

Method: cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, mince the garlic or run it through a press. In a large, heavy bottomed saucepan over the lowest possible heat, cook garlic in oil until fragrant, approx 1-3 minutes. Add beans, dried herbs and tomato sauce. Add in washed spinach and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add pasta and stir to combine. Serve garnished with parmesan (preferably freshly grated).

Shortcut Zesty Chicken Soup

This soup uses two shortcuts: leftover chicken and ready made stock. It is warming and the perfect thing to chase away the mid March chills.

Whenever I buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store or roast my own I usually have a plan for the leftovers. Along with burrito bowls and chicken salad sandwiches a favorite is this zesty chicken soup. I like to serve it with crusty bread ( you'd be surprised how easy crusty bread is to make at home, especially if you have a Dutch oven) or garlic bread.

Shortcut Zesty Chicken Soup

Makes 6 servings

6 cups low sodium chicken broth

1/2 onion, chopped

2-3 slender carrots, chopped

2-3 celery stalks, chopped

3 cloves garlic, rougly minced

1 Tablespoon tomato paste (opt)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 small bayleaf (opt)

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 & 1/2 - 2 cups leftover roasted chicken, chopped

2-3 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup soup noodles or 1/2 lb regular sized chunky pasta or 10 oz egg noodles

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Method:

Set a Dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pot over the heat at medium low. Add olive oil, then onions, carrots and celery. Add salt, thyme and a small amount of pepper. Saute vegetables, stirring frequently to avoid browning, for about 7 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste and bayleaf and cook for 1 minute more. Add 4 cups of stock and 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. In a smaller, separate pot bring remaining stock and 2 cups of water to boil. Salt the water and add your pasta of choice.   Cook according to package directions (yes, it's too little water, but it will leave plenty of starch on your pasta, which will lend an extra flavor to the soup). When the stock in the larger pot has come to a boil, add chicken. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Drain pasta and serve soup with a ladle full of pasta in each bowl.