Jeff came home from Home Depot the other day with a big pot of fresh, green, yummy-smelling mint, scored for $7 {on sale}. He has this male gene that makes Home Depot like catnip, he loves nothing more than to take a trip there, and never, EVER, ever, fails to come home with something after a trip. This time though, it wasn’t another tool or gadget, but this pretty mint ~ yummy! {Wife stamp of approval}.

Into the garden it went, where it sits to await its summertime purpose….Mojitos baby! A summertime favourite around our house, we just adore the refreshing mint-y, lime-y, bubbley & sweet drinks. My honey is the resident bartender ’round here, I’m just the mint picker and the drink drinker {served to me by my cabana boy Jeffrey }.

Generally we go for the classic mojito {though there are some yummy fruity variations too}….don’t skimp on the mint and lime {fresh only please!} and lots of ice. Here’s Emeril’s recipe for a simple & classic mojito, enjoy!

Emeril Lagasse’s Traditional Mojito Recipe {serves 2}

Ingredients

 Happy Summer!

Monday has rolled around and its been a busy one, getting organized and putting the house back together after a busy weekend. Grocery shopping, painting, laundry (oh so much laundry!), and projects galore around here today! Definitely one of those days that call for a quick and easy dinner. Here’s our “cheat” meal we had tonight…

Quick and Easy Pasta with Pesto and Shrimp

1 package fresh angel hair pasta
1 container fresh pesto (deli section at your local grocer)
Cooked Prawns/Shrimp (pan fry with some butter, garlic, a little lemon zest, salt and fresh ground pepper)
Sun-dried tomatoes (soak dried tomatoes in hot water till softened)
Crumbled feta

Cook the fresh pasta according to the package directions (takes very little time with fresh pasta, be sure not to over cook!). Drain pasta, and toss with enough pesto to coat. Add in the cooked shrimp, sun-dried tomatoes, and serve, crumbling some feta over each serving.

Have a good night, back tomorrow

Waaaay back in the day, back when Earl’s Restaurant {a local chain} still had the forno pizza ovens, Jeff was the pizza guy at the White Rock location. Yup, my sweetie made those yummy flat crust pizzas with the gourmet toppings. Although those days are long gone {we’re talking early University days}, I cannot count the number of times I’ve harassed him to PLEASE REMEMBER the recipe for their crust so I can recreate my favorite thin crust pizza at home. But, no luck. Until this week however, when my House & Home subscription arrived in the mail:

Though I was giddy {as usual when receiving the latest issue} about all the design articles, I was particularly excited to see the words HOMEMADE GOURMET PIZZA on the cover. Aha!

So, with my perfect crust recipe in hand and guests coming for dinner, on Thursday I got in touch with my non-existent Italian side. Just call me Mama Karla.

Here is the Perfect Pizza Crust, courtesy of Canadian House & Home {pickup your issue soon for the complete recipes – Classic Margherita Pizza, Mushroom and Artichoke Matzo Pizza, Naan Pizza with Curried CHicken and Asparagus – not to mention some gorgeous homes}

Canadian House & Home’s Perfect Pizza Dough
Makes enough for a 13″-14″ pizza.

1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup warm water
1 8g packet active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 tsp table salt
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp olive oil

Combine 1 tsp all-purpose flour with 1/2 cup warm water in a small cup. Sprinkle yeast overtop and let stand 10 minutes or until foamy.

Meanwhile, combine  1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour and 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour with salt and add 1 cup of flour mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add yeast mixture and remaining 1/2 cup water, and mix with whisk attachment until smooth. Switch to the dough hook and mix in remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time, mixing for at least 30 seconds between additions. Add flour until dough comes away from the sides of the bowl, but still sticks to your fingers a bit. Add olive oil and mix well.

Transfer to a large oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm, draft-free place {such as the oven with the light turned on} until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

NOTE: I do not have a stand mixer, so I used a hand whisk and then my hands to knead in the flour {at the point where they say to use a dough hook}, and it worked just fine. I’m an old-fashioned kind of girl anyhow  

So what kind of pizza did we make with this yummy dough? Classic Margherita {tomato, basil, and cheese}, and my knockoff of Earl’s California Shrimp pizza {pan-fried garlic shrimp, sun-dried tomatoes, sprinkle of mozzarella, feta, drizzle of pesto. Once cooked a wedge of lemon squeezed over the top}

{Before they visited the oven}

{Nice and crisp and bubbly}

So instead of calling your local pizza place tonight, how about a pizza party at your place? Kids and adults alike will love getting a little messy, sprinkling the dough with their favorite toppings.

Buon Appetito!

PS House & Home also has a great recipe section on their site, it’s worth a visit for some mealtime inspiration!

The cake itself is on the denser side, and has that rich old fashioned butter cake taste that boxed cake mixes simply cannot replicate. And as for the peach topping…well, I think we can all agree that putting butter and brown sugar together has never been a bad thing.

I made this on Thursday for some friends who were over for dinner. It was wonderful served with a dollop of whipped cream, or try it slightly warm with some vanilla ice cream. Mmmmm sometimes ignoring our New Years Resolutions isn’t such a bad thing, right?

Mom’s Peach Upside Down Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

For topping: melt 1/3 cup butter in your 9″ cake pan, mixing in 1 cup of brown sugar and evenly spreading mixture over the pan. Arrange drained fruit (one can or equivalent of fresh) over the layer of butter/sugar.

For Cake:

2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk
 

 Cream butter and sugar together, mixing in eggs until smooth. In a second bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a third bowl, combine milk and vanilla. Alternate adding the dry mixture then the milk mixture into butter/sugar/egg mixture in thirds until combined. Gently pour cake batter over your arranged fruit (do this carefully to prevent the fruit from shifting, as you will see mine did in the centre of my cake!).

Bake for 45-55 minutes (knife inserted into middle should come out clean). Once removed from the oven, let the cake stand for 15 minutes before placing your cakeplate on top and very carefully flipping it over to reveal the fruit top. Stand back and admire your Martha Stewart baking skills and then enjoy with your favorite people!

Enjoy your Valentine’s Day tomorrow!

Anyhow, let’s all hope I’m not jinxing the weather or we’ll all wake up to snow outside tomorrow morning…eek. All this rambling is an attempt to explain our rather summery dinner tonight. Roast chicken with lemon and thyme, roast beets, and a tomato and bocconcini salad. This is a wonderful summer meal, one you’re supposed to enjoy on a gorgeous sunny day…picking fresh tomatoes and basil from your garden, etc etc. Regardless, we found some decent on the vine tomatoes and fresh basil at the store when grocery shopping this morning, and they made a pretty amazing salad. So, I had to share our (very very simple) recipe for a fresh tomato and bocconcini salad. Make it tomorrow night and cross your fingers that this mild weather holds!

Tomato and Bocconcini Salad

5 or 6 ripe tomatoes (roma or on the vine ones are much more flavourful than beefsteak or any of the larger ones)

1 container of bocconcini (fresh mozzarella)

bunch of fresh basil

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 small clove minced garlic

1 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (I prefer the grainy type)

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Slice tomatoes and bocconcini into discs. Arrange however you please  in your dish (get as creative as you like!). This is how I like to do mine:

Next, make a chiffonade of the basil. Chiffo-WHAT you ask? If you have no clue what I’m talking about, you can watch this handy YouTube demo below (though note that it totally pronounces chiffondade wrong, but I digress…), OR chop the basil however you like, and sprinkle over the top of your arrangement of tomato and bocconcini.

Chiffonade How-To
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJEQFgfv7iw&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1]

Finally, make the dressing. Simply whisk the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, sugar, Dijon, salt, and pepper together, and drizzle over your salad. Serve immediately.

Cheers,

Salad Ingredients:

1 red pepper (cut into thin slices vertically, then halved)

1 cup (ish) chopped fresh cilantro (bonus points if you pick it fresh from the garden!)

1/4 red onion, sliced very thin

1 or 2 apples, peeled and chopped into chunks (I like MacIntosh the best, but Granny Smith are great too)

1 or 2 mangos

1/2 cup raisins

3/4 cup salted roasted cashews

4 cooked chicken breasts (these can be grilled, baked, or poached*, or even quicker grab a deli roast chicken from your local grocer and chop up enough meat for the dish)

Curried Dressing

Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise (no Miracle Whip please! I like to use Hellman’s Real Mayo, the 1/2 fat version)

1/2 cup Major Grey’s chutney

Juice of 1 lime (fresh only, not the bottled kind)

1 heaping teaspoon curry powder (add more if you like, I prefer mine a little milder)

1 small garlic clove, crushed

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Combine all dressing ingredients, using a blender to get rid of the chunks from the chutney. Mix enough dressing (tailor quantity to the amount of veggies and chicken you are using) into the (cooled) chicken and chill in the fridge until it’s time to serve.

To serve, mix remaining salad ingredients (vegetables, cashews, cilantro and raisins) together with the chicken mixture. I like serve it on a large white platter, spreading a layer of couscous (see note below), then shredded romaine lettuce, and the curried chicken salad on top. Garnish with some extra cilantro and the lime wedges (for squeezing over each serving).

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*To Poach Chicken: place raw chicken breasts in a pot, fill with enough water to cover, toss in a bay leaf or two, and place on the stove, bringing water to boil. Turn off the element, put a lid on the pot, and let them sit until just cooked (doesn’t take long).

For Couscous: make couscous according to directions on your box of couscous, but substitute chicken stock instead of hot water. Add in a teaspoon of cumin to flavour the couscous. Let cool completely before using to assemble salad.