Sugar Cookies with a Holiday Touch!

By Myra K.

Winter holidays are just around the corner and whether that means going on a tropical Caribbean getaway or simply staying home and enjoying a couple of good reads, seasonal cookies are always a must for this special time of year. Let’s face it: cookies are always a great idea, but Winter Break gives us an extra excuse to indulge! The recipe I am about to share with you is a long-celebrated tradition in my family, and brings with it fond memories of laughter and of happiness. This simple, yet delicious recipe will unite family members with tons of kitchen fun! It will truly completely this most wonderful time of the year. I guarantee that you will savour every bite. But please eat with caution: overdose WILL lead to tummy ache.

Recipe for Sugar Cookies:

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups butter or margarine
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter or margarine and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until just blended. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets and flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned at the edges. Allow cookies to cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

For Reindeer Decoration 

Ingredients:

• Whipped Cream or Vanilla Frosting
• Red M&Ms
• Brown Frosting

Directions:

1. Once the sugar cookies have cooled, cover them with whipped cream or vanilla frosting.
2. Add the antlers and eyes using the brown frosting.
3. Finally, use a red M&M to make the nose of each reindeer. Enjoy!

A New Twist on an Old Fall Classic - Beets

By: Laurie L.

Beets happen to be one of the few vegetables that Canadians manage to grow successfully, or, in other words, in great excess. Other vegetables in the beet family include Swiss chard, which is a stronger tasting beet green, and potatoes. This limited variety provides for a not particularly inspiring assortment. Beets are also one of the few vegetables that manage to last into September and beyond, once out of the ground and inside the fridge.

I had rarely come into contact with beets until four years ago when my parents discovered that they grew several times more successfully than carrots. I felt very unfortunate then, as suddenly, I found myself eating boiled beets every day. I concede that, yes, sometimes it was golden beets, red beets, or the occasional serving of striped beet, but the repetition eventually led me to desperately try and find other methods of consumption; the following recipes are among those that resulted.

Both of the recipes attached use a combination of beets and chocolate, the most popular pairing that I have heard of. It makes sense as well, since chocolate is assertive enough in its own right to stand up to beets. Recipes, other than the ones I have included, can contain beets solely on their own. I have also tried a mille crêpe that introduces beets alongside some more delicate flavors.

I don’t mind the taste of beets now - although candied beets are still a bit beyond me. To be honest, the current issue at hand is the Swiss chard influx (which is the new vegetable that graces the table every evening). Nonetheless, I’m still left with the same lingering sentiments of finding yet another way to eat the infamous beet.

Chocolate Beet Cake

This was the first beet-related endeavor I made, a couple years ago. Neither beet cakes nor chocolate and beets are particularly new ideas. This recipe is loosely adapted from “Golden Layer Cake” recipe from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman.

• ¼ cup butter
• 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup red beet puree (from approx. 4 beets)
• 1.5 oz dark chocolate, melted
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• a generous pinch of salt
• ½ cup milk
• 1 egg white

1. Beat egg white until it reaches firm peaks (but not stiff), and set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar, beat in egg, and then melted chocolate.
3. Ensure beet puree is at room temperature before adding to butter mixture.
4. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt.
5. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk in a few additions.
6. Fold in egg white.
7. Bake at 350°F. Batter fills around 10 cupcakes for around 20 minutes, or one buttered and floured loaf pan or 8” cake pan for around 40 minutes. Check the cake with a skewer; it is done when there are only a few crumbs clinging.

 

Beet Mille-Crêpe

I made this particular favourite of mine last month. Have I ever mentioned I adore my crêpe pan – self-seasoned and all? It is my pride and joy.

This crêpe recipe is slightly adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman, and the pastry cream recipe is generously adapted from Laura Calder (http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipes/
recipe.html?dishid=9013). In retrospect, to ensure the lavender can be tasted, I would sprinkle extra, dried, crumbled, lavender flowers over the occasional layer.


Crêpes (approx. 24)

• 2 cups flour
• a pinch of salt
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 ½ cups milk
• ½ cup water
• 4 eggs
• 4 tbsp neutral oil

1. Sift together flour, salt and sugar. Add milk, water and eggs, beat until mostly lump free, however also trying to avoid beating in air. Let rest, refrigerated, for at least an hour.
2. Skim off foam that rises to the top; this can be used to make the first crêpe to test the temperature of the pan. Mix in oil.
3. Heat a 9” pan, either well seasoned or non-stick over medium heat. Brush with a thin layer of oil.
4. Ladle in enough batter to swirl and cover the bottom of the pan (if there is excess, pour out). Let cook until set and edges are slightly dry. Loosen edges with a spatula, and flip with fingertips. Allow batter to cook until both sides are fully set, remove to a plate.
5. Repeat until all the batter has been used up. If batter browns too quickly, lower the heat, and if the batter takes too long to set, raise the heat.

Pastry Cream

• 3 tbsp cream
• 4 oz white chocolate, finely chopped
• A few sprigs of lavender
• 1 ¼ cups milk
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp sugar
• Scant 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup beet puree
• ½ cup heavy cream, whipped

1. In a small bowl, heat 3 tbsp cream until boiling, and pour over white chocolate, stir until melted.
2. Remove lavender flowers from stem and add to milk in a small saucepan. Heat milk until steaming, and gradually add to chocolate, whisking until smooth.
3. Whisk together eggs, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth.
4. Reheat milk until steaming, gradually pour into eggs in order to temper and prevent curdling.
5. Return to pan, and cook over med-low heat, whisking constantly, until pastry cream is thickened. Transfer to bowl, beat in beet puree, cover, and let cool.
6. Fold in whipped cream. Chill until ready to assemble.

Assembly

1. Spread each crêpe with a thin layer of pastry cream, and stack another on top. Repeat until all crêpes have been used.
2. Chill for at least a couple hours before serving to allow everything to set.

Cookie Column #1

By Amber Peters
I always love trying new recipes, but I’ve found the crème de la crème of cookies lies not in the newest and latest, but in a cookie I’ve known since before I can remember: my grandmother’s recipe for chocolate chip cookies. This is the recipe that brings back those childhood memories of cooking with my sister, Tasha on a Sunday afternoon, eating half the dough before the cookies even get in the oven. Being impatient, I’d always try to eat one before they had cooled, and would burn my fingers and tongue on the hot dough. The melty chocolate left traces on our skin, yet even with our faces covered in chocolate, we’d have just one more. Tasha would always say, “You split, I choose” and pick the bigger half, but she’d still end up begging me for just one more piece of mine. That classic mix of sugar, butter and flour, mixed with oatmeal and chocolate chips, comes together to make the most delightful chocolate chip cookie I’ve had both the chance to eat and the honour to make. And the dough is not too bad either…

Recipe for Nana’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter 
• ¾ cup white sugar
• ¾ brown sugar 
• 1 tsp. vanilla 
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 2 cups oatmeal
• 2 tsp. hot water
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• ¾ cup chocolate chips (approx.)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown and white sugar, and vanilla. Nowadays my Nana just melts the butter and stirs it in, but I personally like to work the butter and sugar together with a pastry cutter. Use whichever method best suits you.
3. Stir in egg and hot water.
4. Mix in dry ingredients and chocolate chips.
5. Roll dough into balls, place on a buttered cookie sheet and press down with a fork.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Source:
Brunner, Rose. Simply Delicious. 1988.

A Common Day’s Lunch

By: Amber P.
For some, it’s whatever they can throw into a paper bag before they run out the door in the morning. For others, it’s a few dollars’ worth of food from the cafeteria. But, for me, it’s a little bit of a ritual. No, it’s not grand or noteworthy, but the truth is that we all have to eat, and if we have to do it, we might as well do it well.

I remember that cold December afternoon when I rushed into the house, searching for the bento box that my parents had bought me for Christmas. It wasn’t exactly a surprise, since I had found the site and the model, and had even typed the order in myself, simply passing the computer over to my mom for her to type in her credit card number. Still, the excitement was not any less. Out of care for the precious contents, I slit through the tape, carefully opened the box, took out the crumpled Japanese newspaper, and opened the box within the box to find, well, another box – namely, a bento box. It was even more beautiful than it had seemed in the pictures. It was sleek and black, with an optimistic four-leaf clover on the lid and an even more optimistic message inscribed in gold letters on the cover: “you can do anything if you try”. Naturally, I had no idea how to read the Japanese calligraphy, but I had read the translation on the website and that was good enough for me.

Of course, it’s not only the box that’s important, but also what goes in it. For me, everything is important, because, honestly, I am a little bit of a perfectionist. And generally the things I do in life are quite far from perfect, but with my lunch each night, if I follow a few basic rules, I can find something so nicely put together and compartmentalized that it’s just perfect enough. For me, lunch presents a beautiful concept. Every night, partly by compulsion and partly by necessity, I make sure to fill up my bento box in its entirety, with something on each of the separate levels. Though, honestly, I don’t always abide by these rules, I generally try to fulfil my hybridized food guidelines. In my much-loved vegetarian Japanese cookbook, Kansha, Elizabeth Andoh describes that in each meal there should be five colours: white, green, red, black and yellow. This serves as a rule of thumb that in conjunction with the Canada Food Guide’s food groups of vegetables, grains, fruits and proteins (I don’t consider dairy to be much of a food group) ensures an acceptable level of healthiness in every lunch. The specific foods I include vary in an almost haphazard way based on the food in the fridge, but this adds to the moral, or lesson, for lunch, where food is not wasted but instead married into a whole as a complete meal. Most commonly, however, I will have a simple lettuce salad on the bottom level with either mustard or pomegranate dressing, and always with an eighth of a napkin carefully folded on top so I never have to finish my lunch with an unclean face or hands. And so, as I chew the last bits of my lunch and wipe my hands clean, before an afternoon exam, I can close the lid and remember the encouraging message: I can do anything if I try.

Mustard Dressing (fast-and-easy style)

• 5 tsps oil (I prefer olive) 
• 4 tsps vinegar (I prefer sherry) 
• 3 tsps mustard 
• 2 tsps honey 
• ½ tsp dried thyme 
• ½ teaspoon herbes de provence (herbs can be changed based on preference and availability)
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a water-resistant container and close with a lid. Shake until combined.

Reference
Andoh, Elizabeth, and Leigh Beisch. Kansha: Celebrating Japan's Vegan & Vegetarian Traditions. Berkeley: Ten Speed, 2010. Print.

Out and About On Seventeenth with Fanster and Roses

Restaurant Review: Tubby Dog
By: Fanny L. and Rose S.

One of the privileges of going to a school located on Seventeenth Avenue, aside from the view of sparkling lights on the trees and the temptation of the shops, is the many amazing restaurants within walking distance from Western. So naturally, after a stressful and busy week, Fanny and I decided that our tummies deserved a treat. Thus, we began our journey down Seventeenth. First, we set out for a café, but after staring with starving eyes at the vanilla scones and banana bread, we agreed that we needed something more filling (and maybe more fatty) than coffee and sweets. I had heard rumors that Tubby Dog has the best hotdogs in town, and I was ready to put this rumor to the test. I was just in the mood for some meaty, cheesy goodness. And so, we headed down the street to Tubby Dog to fill our stomachs and to alleviate our curiosities.

The ambiance was a refreshing break from the uptight world outside: the place exuded a Katy Perry, seventies retro party vibe, with vintage Marvel comics as part of the décor, reflecting all things bad but oh-so-good. In the corner were arcade-style games, and on the walls were pictures of exotic snacks to warm the appetite.

Although the chefs did an excellent job of presenting the hot dogs (which probably takes years of experience, because how else do you turn a wiener on a bun into holy shining glory?), we proved to be far less excellent at the skill of eating them. Most of the toppings didn’t even reach our mouths before sadly falling onto the plates, and unless you’re a whale shark, there are few creative ways with which to fit such a monster of a hot dog into your mouth. However, what did end up in the mouth was delicious: the sausage puts ordinary wieners to shame. Large, satisfying, and juicy, this was by far the most delicious tube steak I’d ever had. Meat lovers should flock to Tubby Dog.

Regardless of which menu item you decide on, it is highly probable that it will cause clogging of the arteries. For instance, the “A-Bomb” hot dog is garnished with mayonnaise, crushed chips, and the other tidbits of grease that could satisfy any fat craving at first bite. However, by the third bite, the body starts to reject this foreign surplus of lipids. The “Cheetah”, perhaps a slightly lighter meal, is topped with sauerkraut and cheese and is a better choice if you still plan on eating dinner later on.

Ironically, even though we really came for the meat, our favourite part of the meal was the yam fries. These aren’t your ordinary, weak, starchy chips; indeed, these slices are large enough to maintain the moist integrity of a yam, while oily enough to permit sufficient flavour. Surprisingly, the sweet chili sauce actually complemented them quite well. We would definitely visit the Tubby Dog again, if only for the fries.

The aftermath: For one who can’t stand food waste, tears may ensue after such a meal. There was a huge graveyard of topping carnage on the table, and a Mount Everest of used napkins. Our hands were smothered with artificial cheese sauce, and our mouths were equally, if not more, dirty.
And just so you can salivate while reading this, here are some pictures:


Verdict : Definitely not first-date friendly, but I guess if someone can stand looking at you eating a Tubby Dog, then you are pretty much set for life.
Rating: 2 heart attacks, 3 strokes and 2 laps around the gym. What does that make, 7/10?

Nana’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

By: Amber P.
I always love trying new recipes, but I’ve found the crème de la crème of cookies lies not in the newest and latest, but in a cookie I’ve known since before I can remember: my grandmother’s recipe for chocolate chip cookies. This is the recipe that brings back those childhood memories of cooking with my sister, Tasha on a Sunday afternoon, eating half the dough before the cookies even get in the oven. Being impatient, I’d always try to eat one before they had cooled, and would burn my fingers and tongue on the hot dough. The melty chocolate left traces on our skin, yet even with our faces covered in chocolate, we’d have just one more. Tasha would always say, “You split, I choose” and pick the bigger half, but she’d still end up begging me for just one more piece of mine. That classic mix of sugar, butter and flour, mixed with oatmeal and chocolate chips, comes together to make the most delightful chocolate chip cookie I’ve had both the chance to eat and the honour to make. And the dough is not too bad either…
Recipe for Nana’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• ¾ cup white sugar
• ¾ brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 2 cups oatmeal
• 2 tsp. hot water
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• ¾ cup chocolate chips (approx.)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown and white sugar, and vanilla. Nowadays my Nana just melts the butter and stirs it in, but I personally like to work the butter and sugar together with a pastry cutter. Use whichever method best suits you.
3. Stir in egg and hot water.
4. Mix in dry ingredients and chocolate chips.
5. Roll dough into balls, place on a buttered cookie sheet and press down with a fork.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Source:
Brunner, Rose. Simply Delicious. 1988.

The Sweetest of Delicacies

By: Amber P.

The lentil is one of the earliest of domesticated plants, and through millennia of careful breeding, it has become a crop suitable for use around the world. Nowadays, there are two main types of lentils: red ones with a softer texture, and green ones that hold their shape when cooked. Generally, green lentils are most common in Europe, while red lentils are most common in Asia and North Africa. They are one of the most drought-tolerant crops and, interestingly enough, Canada is the world’s greatest supplier, producing approximately 1,510,200 tonnes per year.
In ancient times, lentils were often consumed by the peasantry, as they served as a great, low-cost source of protein. Hence, lentils are a great option for vegetarians, being one of the best plant-based protein sources available. Also, as a bonus, they don’t contain the sulphur present in other legumes that causes the unwanted flatulence! In addition, lentils are a good source of fibre, manganese, iron, phosphorous, molybdenum, copper, vitamin B1 and potassium. Furthermore, this virtuous legume is not only valued for its health benefits, but also for its great taste. In the book of Genesis, Esau sells his birthright for a bowl of his brother Jacob’s red lentil soup. As well, Aristophanes, a playwright from ancient Greece, once objected: “Who dare insult lentil soup, sweetest of delicacies?"
Personally, my favourite way to eat lentils is in soup. From east to west, there are as many variations of this dish as there are languages and cultures. Here, I have included two recipes, one for both green and red lentils. These soups can easily be made in large batches and are great to have as leftovers. Enjoy!

Red Lentil Soup Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive, grapeseed or vegetable oil  2 medium onions (white or red), chopped  4 or 5 garlic cloves, minced  1 teaspoon ground cumin  1 teaspoon turmeric  2 or 3 minced dried chillies or ¼ teaspoon cayenne (optional)  2 cups red lentils, rinsed and drained  14 ounces plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped[1] 8 cups water  2 or 3 bay leaves  ½ cup raisins or chopped apricots (optional)  A couple teaspoons salt  Black pepper, ground, to taste  4 tablespoons lemon juice or red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar  Olive oil, to drizzle  Any fresh, leafy herb, to taste (optional)  Cooked rice, as preferred (optional)  Directions: In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Sauté 5 to 10 minutes, until soft and translucent. Stir in chilli, turmeric and cumin, then lentils, and sauté for about 1 minute, until coated. Add tomatoes and sauté 1 more minute. Add water, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 40 minutes, until the lentils break down. Remove bay leaves. Before serving, stir in lemon juice and drizzle with olive oil. Serve over rice and sprinkle with herbs if desired. [1] Either use canned tomatoes or use fresh. To peel fresh tomatoes, cut a cross on the top of the tomatoes and drop them into boiling water. Strain them out and, when cool enough to handle, peel off the skin with your fingers.

Alsatian Green Lentil Soup Ingredients: 3 tbsp. olive or grapeseed oil  2 onions, chopped  3 carrots, chopped  2 turnips or 1 small rutabaga, peeled and chopped  2 stalks celery, diced, or 1 small celery root, peeled and diced[1] 2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced  8 cups water  2 cups green (or brown) lentils, rinsed and drained  1 ½ tbsp. fresh thyme or 1 ½ tsp. dried  3 bay leaves  About 3 tsp. salt  Black pepper, ground, to taste  3 tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar  Directions: In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onions, carrots, turnips and celery. Sauté for 10 minutes.  Add garlic and continue sautéing about 5 minutes, until vegetables are soft.  Add water, lentils, thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper and vinegar. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer about 50 minutes, until lentils are tender. 5. Remove bay leaf. Serve warm.  [1] Feel free to play with the quantities and varieties of vegetables in this soup. Source: Marks, Gil. Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities around the World. Hoboken: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2005. Print.