Dill Pickle Soup

by Julie

IMG_20160129_184605Hello everyone,

Months ago, my cousin Lori and I were out for her birthday, and we chose to dine at The Continental for the occasion. The Continental restaurant is an Eastern European restaurant that has been around for decades in Edmonton. During our visit, we enjoyed such classics and beef stroganoff with spätzle, goulash, perogies  and a multi-layered tort.

However, for Lori and I, the most surprising dish had to be the dill pickle soup!

The idea of dill pickle soup sounds weird, I know. So we were amazed how delicious it was when we tried it. I think it’s kind of the same idea as deep fried pickles if you have ever had those – they sound really strange but are super delicious and addictive in reality.

We complimented the soup to the server and she let us know that we could email the restaurant for the recipe! This was a lovely surprise. However, we never got around to it.

Months later, Lori surprised me and sent this link, containing an article featuring the soup! I immediately had her over for soup and it was great.

The beauty of this soup is that it is embarrassingly easy and very low calorie. It makes a light meal for two, but I would suggest serving it as an appetizer for your dinner guests as well.

So try something new – dill pickle soup!

Bon appetit,

Julie

Click here for printable Word version of recipe:
Dill Pickle Soup

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Dill Pickle Soup
Inspired Helena Browka
Click here for original articls

Serves 2 for a meal or up to 4 for an appitizer

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups vegetable broth
1 stalk celery
1 medium carrot, grated
1 medium potato
3 large dill pickles, grated
¼ cup pickle brine
¼ cup whipping cream
1 tbsp flour, dissolved in water
Freshly chopped parsley
Freshly chopped dill

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Heat broth in pot
  2. Cut potato into small cubes, grate carrot, and thinly slice the celery stick. Throw vegetables into pot.
  3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes, until potatoes are cooked.
  4. Dissolve flour in about ¼ cup of water.
  5. Add dill pickles, brine and flour solution to put. Heat for a few minutes until soup thickens.
  6. Add whipping cream and herbs.

Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

by Julie

photo 1Hello everyone,

Growing up, one of my favourite dinners was the classic roasted chicken dinner, featuring some sort of green vegetable such as peas (usually ignored), and always my precious mashed potatoes. Yes, I know this blog features a roasted chicken dinner, but mashed potatoes were the highlight for me, my truest of true loves. I even remember going to my Nana’s house and she would serve me mashed potatoes and gravy for lunch, and nothing else. This was heaven for my 8 year old self.

There is something about winter that just makes me want to eat mashed potatoes. But as an adult, I understand that mashed potatoes with gravy isn’t the most nutritionally balanced meal all on its own, high in carbs and fats, and low in protein and fibre. That’s where the roasted chicken with vegetables comes in.

So I suppose this roasted chicken meal is really just an excuse to eat mashed potatoes.

Either way, this dish is very simple and delicious. The preparation is quick – place everything in a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with herbs and let the oven do its work!

The chicken is flavourful and juicy, and the vegetables turn out so good, roasted in the olive oil and chicken drippings.

Spring is still a ways away, and nothing warms the soul like some homemade comfort food!

Bon appetit,

Julie

Click here to view printable Word version of recipe:
Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

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Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

INGREDIENTS:

1 whole chicken
1 lemon
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Your choice of herbs, fresh or dried:
– Thyme
– Rosemary
– Sage
– Herbs du provance

Vegetables
Shallots or onions
Carrots
Celery
White fleshed sweet-potato
Whole garlic cloves

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 475 F
  2. Peel and chop vegetables, keeping them in large chunks. Spread vegetables at the bottom of a baking pan. Mince herbs if using fresh. Drizzle veggies with oil and sprinkle with herbs.
  3. Cut lemon into wedges and stuff into chicken.
  4. Baste chicken with olive oil. Rub chicken with salt, pepper and herbs.
  5. Place chicken on top of vegetables.
  6. Place roasting pan in the oven uncovered.
  7. Lower heat to 400 F and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
  8. Baste chicken occasionally. If vegetables are dry, add some water.

 

Use drippings to make gravy and serve with mashed potatoes!
Use the leftover chicken carcass to make a soup!

 

John’s Buffalo Chicken Pizza

by Julie

To view the more aesthetically pleasing web version of this post, click here: http://www.julieskitchenadventures.com

Buffalo Chicken PizzaHello everyone,

Have you ever tried honey and hot sauce on your pizza?

I know, this combination sounds strange. But you will be surprised at how nicely the spicy sauce and the sweet honey accent your pizza.

I first tried this years ago with John in Santa Cruz where we visited a great pizza-by-the-slice place called Pizza My Heart. Not only is the name exceedingly clever, but the pizza happens to be phenomenal as well!

Since then, I have enjoyed honey and hot sauce on my pizza from time to time. John and I prefer Louisiana style hot sauce for this (NOT FRANK’S! If you’ve been following my blog for a while, by now you should know how John and I feel about Franks…)

One of our favourite homemade pizzas is John’s buffalo chicken pizza. He starts out by making his homemade buffalo sauce. He fries the chicken in the sauce until cooked, and tops the pizza with the chicken, banana peppers and onion. John grills his pizza on his Komado BBQ, but it’s great finished in the oven too!

To serve, we drizzle with extra buffalo sauce and honey. Honestly, we can’t get enough of that buffalo sauce.

You can use any buffalo sauce you want, but John’s homemade buffalo sauce really is the cherry on top of this creation.

Try this pizza for a special addition to any pizza night, a real crowd pleaser!

Bon appetit,

Julie

Click here for printable Word version of recipe:
Buffalo Chicken Pizza

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John’s Buffalo Chicken Pizza

INGREDIENTS:

Pizza crust – fresh dough or pre-made
Cornmeal or flour
Olive Oil
Boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
Buffalo sauce – try John’s homemade version
Grated mozzarella cheese
Pizza Sauce
Pickled banana pepper slices
Onion, thinly sliced
Garlic, thinly sliced
Honey

PREPARATION:

Season chicken with salt and pepper.
In a pan, with oil, sauté chicken pieces in buffalo sauce until chicken is cooked.
Roll out dough on using flour and cornmeal so it doesn’t stick (for fresh.) You can also use your hands to stretch and shape your crust.
Baste crust with olive oil and season with salt.
Apply pizza sauce and buffalo sauce.
Sprinkle with grated mozzarella.
Top pizza with cooked chicken, banana peppers, and sliced garlic and onion.

BAKING:

Baking will depend on your oven and what kind of pan you are using, thickness of crust and amount of toppings.  Try baking for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees C for thin crust pizza, and for more time if needed.

SERVING:

Drizzle with honey and extra buffalo sauce to serve.

 

 

 

Mediterranean Chicken Stew with Artichokes

by Julie

Med Chicken StewHello everyone,

I love artichokes!

John and I will buy a couple of fresh artichokes, steam them and dip them in balsamic vinegar. Not only are they delicious, but they are fun to eat too. I enjoy peeling layer after layer off, with the vegetable on each leaf growing more and more ample, until you reach the delicious goldmine that is the artichoke heart in the middle.

So I made it my mission to cook something with artichokes. And no – I didn’t use the fresh ones, but canned instead. But the tangy vegetable offers some real flavour even in its preserved form.

I made a chicken Mediterranean stew, with mushrooms, potatoes, peppers and fresh basil simmered in broth, wine and herbs. I like to cut the canned artichoke hearts into quarters and add them right at the end. Just delicious!

This stew is very healthy and easy to make. Warm enough for a cold day and light enough for a warm one!

Did I mention for the life of me I can’t figure out how to spell “Mediterranean”? Don’t be fooled – I use spell check every time!

Bon appetit,

Julie

Click here for the printable Word version of the recipe:
Mediterrenean Chicken Stew with Artichokes

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Mediterranean Chicken Stew

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into pieces
1 red onion, sliced
12 baby potatoes, cut in half, or 4 medium potatoes cut into cubes
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 mushrooms, sliced
1 red pepper, diced
1 large tomato diced
¾ cups white wine
¾ cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 tsp thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can artichoke hearts, drained
A handful of basil leaves

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat dutch oven.
  2. Cut chicken thighs into pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. In oil, brown chicken. Remove.
  4. Add onions and a little more cooking oil. Cook for a few minutes.
  5. Add potatoes and garlic, cook for 3 minutes.
  6. Add mushrooms. Cook for 3 minutes.
  7. Add tomatoes and red pepper. Cook for a minute or two.
  8. Add thyme, salt and pepper.
  9. Add wine and broth. Add chicken. Bring to a boil.
  10. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked.
  11. Add artichoke hearts, simmer for another 3-5 minutes.
  12. Turn off heat, add fresh basil.

Best of 2015

by Julie

Hello everyone,

It has been one fabulous year of food for me, with so many tasty memories! From my Indian cooking class, to my French cooking series, to camping food and some excellent barbecues, I’ve truly been spoiled in 2015. I wonder how I haven’t doubled in weight…

To bring in the new year, I thought I would share my favourite posts of the year with you!  Here are my top 7, just because I think they all deserve to be in the top 5! They are listed below in chronological order:

Plate

  1. Garam Masala Spice Blend and Indian Cooking Class

As an anniversary gift, John surprised me with an Indian cooking class hosted by my fellow blogger Michelle Peter-Jones. In her kitchen, the three of us had a blast making some of the best Indian food I have ever eaten.

Beurre Blanc with Halibut

  1. Julie, Julie & Julia – The French Cooking Chronicles: Beurre Blanc

Julie & Julia is a movie about a writer named Julie who decides to cook every recipe in Julia Childs’ cookbook,  and blog about it! The film follows Julie’s cooking escapades as well as the life of Julia Childs. As a blogger named Julie, I was inspired to do my own French cooking. This beurre blanc is the third installment of my four part series document my French cooking adventures, a recipe to die for!

Khao Soi

  1. Thailand Part 2: Chiang Mai and Khao Soi

John and I travelled to Thailand this year, a trip that inspired my three part Thailand blog series. This installment has to be my favourite. Not only does the post document some of our adventures in Chiang Mai, but khao soi is a delicious curry soup native to Northern Thai cuisine. Elephants, temples and food all come together in this post.

Poppers 2

  1. Campfire Roasted Thai Sweet Chili Jalapeno Poppers

I had a dream to make Jalapeno poppers. John improved my dream by wrapping them in bacon and roasting them over the campfire in Squamish BC. Enough said. Try these and you too will find yourself dreaming about them!

Burrito

  1. Vegetarian Sweet Potato Burritos

This recipe has to be one of my favourite vegetarian creations. The key is the sweet potatoes cooked in cinnamon, brown sugar and butter. Trust me, you won’t even miss the meat!Blue Spring

  1. Yellowstone National Park, The End of The World, and Mushrooms with Balsamic Vinegar and Foil

Ok, I admit it. I went a little overboard in this post. Yes, I think I did a fine job documenting my trip with my mom to Yellowstone National Park. Yes, the mushrooms are a nice addition to my camping recipes. But if you’re in a mood for some non-food related reading, please see my essay about Yellowstone’s supervolcano and the end of the world at the bottom of this post! Yeah, I got a little geeky this time.

Buffalo Wings with Sauce

  1. John’s Buffalo Sauce and Chicken Wings

Whenever John busts out the deep fryer, magical things happen. This time, he made homemade buffalo sauce.

I hope you enjoy reading these posts as much as I enjoyed writing (and eating) them!

Happy new year, and I wish you a tasty 2016!

Julie

 

Homemade Egg Nog

by Julie

Egg NogHello everyone,

Over the Christmas break last year, Cody and Jackie spoiled John and I with a wonderful fesive dinner. Cody was the man, serving up a delicious roast beef with mashed potatoes, gravy, yorkshir pudding, and roasted root vegetables. To top things off, he made a homemade black forest cake which was to die for (I couldn’t stop eating cake so was eventually cut off.)

So I have to apologize to Cody as the feature of this post is none of the above, but rather Jackie’s contribution, a fantastic homemade egg nog, with rum and brandy to boot!

I told my brother about this wonderful egg nog creation, and he was completely on board with making it for Christmas. The two of us made it together and had a blast, blending eggs with sugar, milk, cream, brandy, rum and of course freshly grated nutmeg.

We made the egg nog and let it sit overnight to allow the flavours to blend. Steve and I were really excited to try the Christmas nog, but it was like pulling teeth to get my mom to try it. She said she didn’t like egg nog as it was too rich for her. But we insisted, and after my mom tried it she admitted how delicious it was (and not nearly as rich and filling as the store-bought kind), and we all enjoyed a glass of Christmas cheer together.

This extraordinarily simple egg nog recipe will make any holiday party a hit.

TIPS

– Try making your nog the day before so the flavours infuse nicely, although making it the day of in a pinch works great too
– Make sure to use freshly grated nutmeg, and the nutmeg garnish just before serving is key
– Serve in chilled glasses

Special thanks to Jackie for introducing me to this wonderful delight and sharing the recipe, and to my brother for making egg nog with me! We are planning to make it again this year on Christmas day, and I see this is quickly becoming a Christmas tradition in my family.

Bon appetit,

Julie

Click here to view printable Word version of recipe:
Homemade Egg Nog

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Homemade Egg Nog
By Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Makes 4 servings

2 large eggs
¼ cup superfine or berry sugar (we used regular white sugar and it worked just fine)
½ tsp freshly-grated nutmeg
2 oz brandy
2 oz spiced rum
¾ cup whole milk
½ cup heavy cream or whipping cream

Beat eggs in blender for one minute on medium speed (low if you have a powerful blender). Add sugar, and blend for an additional minutes. While blender is still running, add nutmeg, brandy, rum, milk and cream until combined. Chill before serving. Serve in chilled wine glasses, grating additional nutmeg on top before serving.

Try making a day in advance

 

Christmas Baking: Soft Ginger Cookies

by Julie

Ginger Cookies PlateHello everyone,

My cousin Lori and I started a Christmas tradition a decade ago when we were only 18 years old (still teenagers!) We started doing our Christmas baking together, and this year is the 10th anniversary of this tradition!

Back when we started this, we seriously lacked baking efficiency. Our cookies always turned out great, but we would spend hours upon hours in the kitchen tediously making our dough, placing our cookies on the pan and baking them in a very disorganized fashion.

Today, Lori and I are a finely tuned cookie baking machine. We have our craft down to a science, determining the order in which we make the cookies by bake time, bake temperature and if refrigeration is required. We divide the wet and dry ingredient duties, and tag-team the rolling of the cookie dough. We have taken something that used to take us an entire day and got it down to an afternoon.

Once we have baked all our cookies, we divide them up and put them into tins to share with our friends and family.  Every December I look forward to baking cookies with my cousin!

All CookiesEvery year, we have made the same three kinds of cookies: shortbread, mint chocolate chip and ginger cookies. Last year, we did Nanaimo bars as the fourth.

So to celebrate our 10 year cookie anniversary, I decided to share our ginger cookie recipe with you, just on time for your Christmas baking!

Why are ginger cookies delicious?

Because they are soft and full of butter! Some cookie connoisseurs may be the fan of the classic ginger snap, but Lori and I prefer the soft ginger cookie full of spices and buttery goodness.

Why are ginger cookies Christmas-y?

It could be that these ginger cookies are reminiscent of the gingerbread men and gingerbread houses that are a Christmas tradition for many. But really, it’s likely because they look like reindeer poop sitting on the pan before they are baked.

So if you need a cookie for your Christmas baking, or even a nice cookie to snack on all year round, these ginger cookies will do the job just right!

Bon appetit,

Julie

To view printable Word version of recipe, click here:
Soft Ginger Cookies

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Soft Ginger Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

2 and 1 / 4 cups flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
3 / 4 tsp cinnamon
1 / 2 tsp cloves
1 / 4 tsp salt
3 / 4 cup butter
1 cup white sugar (sub half for brown)
1 egg
1 tbsp water – sub tbsp orange juice
1 / 4 cup molasses
2 tbsp white sugar – for rolling – try brown sugar and cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. In a medium bowl, sift flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt.
  3. In large bowl, cream together butter, sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Mix in the water and molasses.
  4. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.
  5. Let batter sit for 1 hour in fridge or 20 minutes in freezer.
  6. Shape cookies into walnut sized balls. Roll in remaining sugar. Place on pan and flatten slightly.
  7. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan.

 

Chickpea Chipotle Burritos

by Julie

Burrito Wrapped and FriedHello everyone,

Don’t get me wrong. I love meat. Sausage, ham, bacon, pulled pork – I love to eat many different kinds of animals!

But for some reason, I tend to prefer my burritos vegetarian. Weird, I know. I think the combination of all of the beans and meat tend to sit very heavy in my stomach. I find that removing the meat creates a much lighter and pleasurable burrito experience.

I’ve already posted my recipe for vegetarian burritos, featuring black beans and sweet potatoes. I thought I would try something different this time – chickpeas!

I usually make my Mexican food with ancho and achiote chili powder, two that I have handy in my spice rack. But recently, I picked up some chipotle chili and really wanted to try it out. I decided to use it in my chickpea burritos, and it turned out very nicely!

Burrito OpenTIPS:

  • Garnish your burritos with anything you like. I used sour cream, sliced avocado, grated cheese, grated carrots, cilantro and of course, my favourite Mexican hot sauce, Valentina’s!
  • Once your burrito is wrapped, try quickly crisping it in a hot pan with oil. It’s a nice change!

So if you’ve gotten the meat sweats one too many times and want a change, these very satisfying spicy chickpea burritos will satisfy you – you won’t even miss the meat!

Bon appetit,

Julie

Click here to view printable Word version of recipe:
Chickpea Chipotle Burritos

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Chickpea Chipotle Burritos

INGREDIENTS:

1 onion, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 mushrooms, sliced
1 red pepper, diced
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tomato, diced
½ a zucchini, diced
3 tsp chipotle chili powder
1 tsp salt
Pepper to taste

Garnishes

Sliced avocado, salted
Sour cream
Grated carrots
Grated cheese
Cilantro
Valintina’s hot sauce

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Heat a large pan. In oil, sauté onion until tender. Add jalapeno and garlic, sauté for a minute.
  2. Add mushrooms, cook for a few minute.
  3. Add red pepper, and cook.
  4. Add chickpeas, cook for a few minutes.
  5. Add chipotle, salt and pepper. Cook for one minute.
  6. Add tomatoes, mix well and cook for about 5 minutes.
  7. Add a splash of water and mix well. Add zucchini. Sauté until zucchini is done and turn off heat.
  8. On a flour tortilla, spread sour cream and sliced avocado. Top with chickpea filling, grated carrots, grated cheese, cilantro and hot sauce. Wrap burrito, closing both ends.
  9. Heat a new pan on medium heat. In oil fry both sides of burrito to crisp.

 

Cookie Dough Hummus

by Julie

Cookie Dough HummusHello everyone,

Despite the warnings of a salmonella threat, I have no second thoughts when it comes to snacking on some dough while making cookies. By the time the cookies are on the tray and in the oven, there is a good chance I’ve already eaten a few cookies worth of dough. The problem with the cookie dough snacking is that I usually go on to eat a few cookies fresh out of the oven, and then another cookie or two later once they have cooled off. The dough plus all of these cookies is usually bad news.

But there is something so magical about cookie dough. You just can’t resist it despite the alarm bells going off in your head.

My friend Nellie is a registered dietician, and she is great at making delicious and healthy food. So I was very excited when she passed this recipe on to me. Her cookie dough hummus satisfies both your desire to be healthy and your uncontrollable urge to snack on cookie dough!

Of course, this recipe does not match the sheer decadence of cookie dough, but it is a darn good substitute. Yes, the idea of chickpeas as cookie dough seems kind of strange, but it’s surprising how when blended, it rivals the consistency of your cookie dough. The honey and peanut butter really mask the chickpea flavour.

With ApplesTIPS:
– Try adding anything you like to make your cookie dough hummus. This recipe is Nellie’s, but you could add dried coconut, other types of nuts, or even cocoa powder or Nutella to make it chocolatey. Get creative!

Special thanks to Nellie for this recipe and allowing me to share it with you. It’s very satisfying to dip some apple slices in my cookie dough hummus for a snack that is much healthier for you than cookie dough!

Bon appetit,

Julie

Click here to view the printable Word version of recipe:
Cookie Dough Hummus

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Cookie Dough Hummus
By Nellie Wong

INGREDIENTS:

1 can chick peas drained and rinsed
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup maple syrup or liquid honey or a little more if you want it sweeter
3 tbsp almond milk or 1% milk, more if you want to thin out a bit
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 mini chocolate chips or more if you wish

DIRECTIONS:

Put chickpeas in food processor. Mix until grainy. Add peanut butter, honey, milk, vanilla, chopped walnuts. Mix until a nice smooth consistency. Fold in chocolate chips.

Eat with celery sticks, apple slices, plain crackers, or sliced cucumbers.

Keep in fridge for up to a week. Tastes better when it has been chilled.

John’s Seafood Pasta

by Julie

Salmon Pasta IIHello everyone,

If you’re not aware already, John is half Italian. His grandparents on his mom’s side were born in Italy and came to Canada when they were young.

As a result of his heritage, John has had the privilege to grow up eating fantastic Italian cooking courtesy of both his mom and his nonna (his Italian grandmother.) I myself have been treated to their cooking as well, and I can tell you that you’re better off eating Italian cooking in their kitchens then in any Italian restaurant. Generations of mastery have helped these women create the perfect pasta sauces.

Today’s recipe is John’s own method to make a seafood pasta. Inspired by the Italian cooking of his mother and nonna, this recipe takes only minutes with little prep work. It is simple and quick, using ingredients you will likely have around the house. You can make it with fresh prawns, but this time John used some leftover salmon we had in the fridge.

Salmon in SauceTIPS:

  • John likes to use a pasta that will absorb the sauce nicely, such as spaghetti or angel hair pasta.

So next time you have some leftover fish in the fridge, this is a great way to create a lovely new meal!

Bon appetit,

Julie

Click here for the printable Word version:
John’s Seafood Pasta

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John’s Seafood Pasta

Great way to use leftover salmon or fresh prawns

INGREDIENTS:

Cooked salmon or fresh prawns
Olive oil
Minced garlic, 2 or 3 cloves
Salt
Pepper
1-2 tbsp of butter
White wine
Vegeta or vegetable stock.
Lemon juice (optional, if you’re using prawns)
Chopped parsley
Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Pasta of choice (cooked el dente) (John likes a pasta that soaks up the sauce, such as a spaghetti or angel hair)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add garlic. Once the garlic starts to sizzle, add seafood and butter. Salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Cook seafood halfway, (or until heated if using leftovers)
  3. Add additional olive oil and white wine. For every 1 part olive oil, add 2 parts wine. Add enough to create the volume of sauce desired.
  4. Add vegetta to taste. Cook to reduce the wine a little. Add a spritz of lemon juice if desired.
  5. Add cooked pasta, cook for another minute or two, while mixing to coat the pasta in the sauce.
  6. Serve with chopped parsley and freshly grated parmesan cheese