by Lisa Bishop-Spencer on September 1, 2010
In my last blog posts, I’ve been talking about how we’ve been feeding our baby foods that we prepare ourselves, so that we can better control what our little guy is consuming and so that we can introduce him to new varieties of food.
Now that he’s a little older, we can experiment with even more flavours and textures! These are exciting times!
A little later – 8-10 months
Well, now we’re in a great place, where the baby has some teeth, can chew (or mash) food, can use his thumb and forefinger to grasp things, and likes the idea of feeding himself. We’re still offering him some homemade pureed foods, but more and more, we’re offering him things that he can grip himself. I chop up the chicken now and put it on his high chair tray. The broccoli is chopped into mini-trees that he can pick up. Blueberries are cut into little quarters that he can grab, and little bits of whole grain bread are given to him so that he can keep tuning his fine motor skills. Be careful to cut up the food into little pieces that he can manage – and always, always be with your baby, supervising him when he eats.
We still puree many things, though, to make sure that he gets some sustenance. While he likes to grab food and feed himself, he also likes to drop it and is now learning to throw.
He’s loving his chicken, beef and pork, still, which we’re preparing in new ways, too. And he’ll also eat some fish. Who could ask for more?
Now we’re introducing new things to add to his food. He’s a big fan of hummus and tatziki, for example. We still rely on breastmilk and yogurt, too, but now we’re trying sour cream and things like that.
We’re also trying things like whole grain pasta stuffed with cheeses, meatballs, lentils and other legumes, egg yolk omelettes and more. I’ve even given him some baked goods (without egg whites or nuts, mind you) made with breastmilk! He loves those!
A rule I like to go by is to taste what I prepare myself – if I wouldn’t eat it (I have to get past the mushy texture thing, but if the flavour’s right, I mean), I won’t serve it.
by Johanne Neeteson on September 1, 2010
Everyone loves to see kabobs on the grill, and these colourful skewers couldn’t be more inviting! Remember when making kabobs you want to cut everything to the same size to ensure even cooking. Also feel free to use two wooden skewers if you’re finding it hard to stabilize the ingredients. You also don’t want your tomatoes too ripe in this recipe as they might turn into mush and overcook while on the grill. Cherry tomatoes work great on kabobs, so feel free to use those instead. Marinading overnight is always best, as it ensures you maximize your flavours. You can even reserve some of the marinade beforehand and brush it over the kabobs while cooking to infuse even more flavour! While your kebobs are grilling, you’ve got more than enough time to prepare the fresh mint potato salad, the perfect complement to the flavourful main course.
What’s your favourite kabob combo? Tell us all about it in the comments section.
Egyptian Chicken Kabobs with Mint Potato Salad
by Elyse Ferland on August 30, 2010
We try to keep up with as many Canadian food bloggers as we can, and these are just a few of the mouth-watering posts we came across this month. Enjoy!
This elegant dish looks like it will soon be a dinner party favourite. Rock Recipes includes make-ahead instructions for a fuss-free, flavourful meal. Savoury fresh herbs and tangy roasted tomato jam make this a perfect late-summer recipe.
Closet Cooking’s Tequila Lime Grilled Chicken will hit the spot on hazy evenings just begging for a barbeque. Loads of lime and jalapenos make this a spicy-sweet, versatile Mexican-inspired dish.
Chow Times’s step-by-step chicken ratatouille easily walks you through this variation on the traditional French dish. Loaded with tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and zucchini, it’s the perfect way to use up some farmers’ market bounty.
If you have a Canadian food blog, or know of one that we should be reading, let us know about it in the comments!
by Elyse Ferland on August 27, 2010
It’s one thing to maintain a great food blog, but writing cookbooks, hosting a radio and television food, and writing a nutrition column while maintaining a great food blog is another feat altogether. We talked to Julie from Dinner With Julie, and asked her how she does just that.
You’re a food author, stylist, journalist, tv personality and blogger – what started the passion for food that has obviously influenced your career?
Really, I’ve just always loved to eat. I figured out early on that if I could learn how to make cookies and cupcakes by myself, I’d have an inexhaustible supply. My parents were impressed, and I was allowed to bake whenever I liked. Also – I’ve just always had a thing for recipes. My mom likes to tell the story of 3 year old me asking when I can cook by myself. She said when I could read a recipe by myself, I could cook by myself. So I went off and came back soon after to ask what a “tbsp” was. What’s a tbsp of sugar? So I learned to read using cookbooks, and learned math -fractions, mostly- with measuring cups and spoons. And in grade 3 I told my class I wanted to be the food editor of Canadian Living magazine when I grew up. I even tried to dye my hair white and cut bangs to look like Elizabeth Baird. I guess it has always been my thing.
Who taught you to cook?
No one person in particular – I learned some things from my mom, of course, and my Grandma – I remember watching her mix, roll and trim pastry with her capable gnarled hands. She taught me to keep it cold and not handle it too much. Then I learned by reading cookbooks and magazines – but mostly just by doing it. Like anything else, the more you do the better you get. People are afraid to waste the time and ingredients it may take to experiment, but that’s how you learn! Kids get that, but adults forget. They tend to want to do it right, not play around.
What is the most important thing home cooks should know?
Like Julia Child said – never apologize! (Say in a high-pitched French accent.) They should know that even the best chefs screw up – that just because you burn something or something turns out terribly doesn’t mean you can’t cook. I know a lot of really great chefs and food writers and everyone flops more than you know! everything is so perfect on TV, but that’s not real life. Real life is far messier. They should know not to put too much pressure on themselves to perform in the kitchen. Life’s too short. They should know not to worry about what people think and invite them over anyway. That most convenience foods are not all that convenient, and taking a bit of time to make something from scratch is well worth the effort. They should know how good beans (legumes) are for them and to cook with them more often (soaking dried beans really isn’t that big a deal). They should also know that potlucks are making a comeback, which makes entertaining a lot easier (and less scary) for a lot of people.
How do you start creating a new recipe?
It depends on what it is. Sometimes I just turn something I’ve been making for ages into something new – like adding chunked peaches and vanilla to scones to make vanilla-peach scones. No biggie. If it’s something specific I want to make that I’ve never made before, I usually read through cookbooks and look online to see what the basic ingredients are and how other people approach it. And often I’ll just be winging it in the kitchen, and have to run and write it down while it’s fresh in my mind.. I always have scraps of paper and notes all over the house!
What is the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten?
I just figured out how to make crumpets from scratch, and just ate one warm with butter and a neighbour’s fresh raspberry jam… and another drizzled with Lyle’s Golden Syrup. They were pretty fine. I’ve had a lot of really great food, and thought to myself hundreds (thousands?) of times that this is the best thing I ever ate. But you can’t compare a warm summer cobbler with sour cream ice cream to a pizza in Italy or roast chicken at a friend’s house after a long walk home in the rain. I don’t think I could choose one thing that sticks out in my mind above all others. Although I do remember when I was about 16 and dieting for a couple days finding a bag of M&Ms in the car that were warm from the sun. I hadn’t eaten sugar for two days and I still remember how good they tasted. It was then that I understood the saying bon appetit – that having a good appetite elevates any food to new heights!
Every month, we feature a new Canadian food blogger that we like to read. If you have any suggestions for bloggers you’d like to see interviewed here, leave them in the comments.
by Johanne Neeteson on August 25, 2010
If you’re looking for a different spin on chicken salad, than look no further than our spiced chicken, spinach and brown rice recipe. Your family is sure to come running with as the exotic spices of this recipe perfume your entire kitchen! Served hot or cold, this salad also is a great way to use up that leftover cooked chicken from last night’s dinner. With all the herbs and veggies, this salad is filled with vibrant colours making it look as appetizing as it tastes! Cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and cumin are known for rich but intense flavours, so keep an eye out while cooking if you’re new to them. Crushing these herbs just before cooking also ensures that you’re maximizing the flavour potential, by releasing all those aromatic flavours.
Do you have a favourite way to use freshly ground or crushed herbs? Post a comment and tell us your favorite ways to use rich aromatic ingredients!
Spiced Chicken, Spinach & Brown Rice Salad
by Johanne Neeteson on August 25, 2010
Sometimes it can be a little difficult to mix it up when it comes to roast chicken, but this Mediterranean-inspired roast chicken is a delicious variation on the dish. Briny olives give it a mouthwatering, unique flavour that pairs wonderfully both with the sundried tomato rub and the couscous served alongside.
This dish is perfect for a late summer weekend dinner that calls for a new take on comfort food, and the leftovers – if there are any – are perfect in a greek salad or wrap for lunch the next day.
What’s your favourite modern take on classic comfort food? Let us know in the comments!
Roast Mediterranean Chicken with Olives and Herbs
by Lisa Bishop-Spencer on August 23, 2010
In my last blog post, I talked about how we’ve been feeding our baby foods that we prepare ourselves, so that we can better control what our little guy is consuming and so that we can introduce him to new varieties of food.
Here’s how it started:
6-7 months:
I bought whole vegetables, like broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, potatoes, asparagus, green beans, etc. They were then steamed up until very soft, then pureed in a small food processor. Then I froze them, sometimes mixed, sometimes not.
I have these delightful little freezer, microwave and dishwasher safe (also BPA-free) cubes that I store them in, but you can use ice cube trays to freeze your servings, then transfer them to a freezer-safe storage container or bag. Be sure you label your cubes, though, as broccoli, asparagus and green beans can all look the same when frozen – as can butternut squash and carrots.
When we started introducing meat, we were amazed at how this little guy loved their flavours and textures. I’d roast a chicken, or poach some chicken pieces, mix them with some chicken stock and puree them. I did the same with pork and beef. They freeze beautifully. I’m so glad he likes chicken, though – after all, it’s his bread and butter, so to speak.
The same story applied for fruit – only know that there are some fruits and veggies, like bananas and avocado, that don’t freeze well. Better to mash them up right before serving.
When it was time to serve a meal, the baby would get a few tablespoons of cereal, a few tablespoons of pureed meat and vegetables and a few tablespoons of fruit. To improve taste and texture, I’d mix in breastmilk, a little high fat yogurt, some stock or even a little water.
Our “friend in food”, Theresa Albert, introduced us to something called a Baby Food Mill. It’s a delightful little tool – compact and portable, and works like a charm. It reminds me of a potato ricer, but it’s even easier.
It has a hand crank in it, which grinds the food to the correct consistency that works for the baby. It’s easy to clean, too. It can be used anywhere – and comes with us wherever we go. For example, we went to a little Vietnamese place, and realized that the baby was probably hungry, too. So, we pulled out from our soups some vermicelli (rice noodles), some well-cooked pork and some chicken stock. A little basil, a few turns of the crank, and presto! The baby was delighted. It’s a great tool to get a great meal for the baby when you’re on the go! I highly recommend it!
by Ryan Anderson on August 20, 2010
Most Canadians eat chicken at least once a week, but what do you REALLY know about chicken? Here are a few things that might surprise you.
They’re secretly dinosaurs.
Like most birds, chickens share a great deal of DNA with their thunder lizard ancestors, however, according to a July 2010 story in the Times & Transcript, recent DNA analysis shows that T-Rex and chickens are such extremely close cousins biologically that “science has no choice but to acknowledge that birds are, in reality, dinosaurs, not just critters evolved from them.”
In fact, these genetic ties are so strong that one scientist (who was also the prime science advisor for the movie Jurassic Park) is currently working to get funding to create a brand new dinosaur, starting from a chicken embryo, that he has dubbed a “chickenosaurus.”
They came before the egg.
Sorry, Eggs. British scientists, who evidently have far too much time on their hands, used a supercomputer and over 5 million core hours of computer simulations to answer the question. Studying the proteins only found within a chicken’s ovaries and its effect on creating the hard shell of an egg overnight, they determined that only a chicken could produce a chicken egg, and therefore, it had to have come first.
There are hundreds of breeds of chicken.
In North America, there are only a few breeds raised for food, and a few raised for eggs, but across the world there are hundreds of breeds – some that look very much like the iconic chicken we all know, and some that look like vultures, some that are different colours, and even one called a Silkie, that has dark skin and looks oddly like a poodle. Then again, chickens probably think humans all look the same, too.
Chickens are omnivores
It’s true that chickens raised in Canada are entirely grain-fed, but it’s also true that while they love their veggies, chickens are meat-eaters as well. In fact, without proper protein in their diet, chickens will look to supplement their diet wherever they can – even if it means attacking one another. On the farm, chickens get their protein from their feed either in the form of grain or bone meal, while also snacking on the occasional bug wherever they can find it.
Canadian chickens are not raised with hormones.
Hopefully, if there were any facts here that you already knew, this was the one. Sadly, this is a question that we still find ourselves answering, even though feeding, injecting or otherwise administering hormones to chickens has been illegal in Canada since the 60s. So, if you see a label on chicken that reads “Hormone Free,” it doesn’t mean that the others are not. All chicken in Canada is hormone-free.
by Ryan Anderson on August 18, 2010
Craig Flinn’s cookbook Fresh Canadian Bistro offers a delectable snapshot of Canadian cuisine from east to west. In compiling recipes for the book, Flinn spoke to chefs across Canada, all with a similar philosophy of using local and seasonal flair to put their own stamp on traditional bistro dishes and Canadian fare, such as Gratineed French Pumpkin Soup, Foie Gras Poutine, and Bison Hump and Saskatoon Berry Perogies.
These recipes have been adapted for use by the home chef, but the cookbook does assume a certain level of experience in the kitchen. These aren’t 30-minute meals, nor are many of the recipes particularly wallet-friendly, with ingredients such as duck, foie gras, and lobster appearing in many. The book seems expressly meant for cooking to entertain, and with most of the dishes written to serve six to eight people, the recipes will certainly do justice to a dinner party meant to impress.
Because the book is a compilation of recipes contributed by different chefs, there are often idiosyncrasies in writing style from recipe to recipe. For instance, some recipes only give a time as an indicator for cooking, while others only offer visual cues. The Corn Cob and Aged Cheddar Souffles, for example, needed an extra 5 minutes at 350 in my oven to fully set, and the Herb-Stuffed Chicken recipe would have benefited from more detailed explanation of how to pipe mousseline into a chicken breast. Making things more difficult was the fact that the Corn Cob and Aged Cheddar Souffle recipe did not indicate that the meringue should be folded into the custard. Rather, I had to rely on my own limited knowledge of souffles to know when this should happen.
An enthusiasm for improvising in the kitchen will serve you well if you are interested in working with this cookbook. While most of the dishes are meant for intermediate to advanced home chefs, the extra effort will readily come through in the food served, as both of these recipes were delicious.
Because each chef involved in Fresh Canadian Bistro takes pride in highlighting local, seasonal fare, there is a seasonal index at the back of the book, indicating which ingredients are best found in which season, including a listing of recipes that work well year-round. This is a great help in sourcing of some of the produce involved but as this cookbook features recipes from restaurants whose job it is to tempt you with flavour and decadence, some ingredients will take extra effort to locate, such as the black summer truffle required for Paul Rogalski’s French-Pressed Chicken and Herb Broth with Fresh Black Summer Truffles, or sorrel for Ross and Simon Fraser’s Strawberry Crisp with Honey Sorrel Ice Cream. Whether or not an ingredient substitution is offered depends on the chef, and the book would benefit greatly from a resource index indicating where across Canada to source harder-to-find ingredients.
Overall, Fresh Canadian Bistro is a strong cookbook showcasing the best of Canadian flavours. The resulting dishes are delicious, and while not everyday fare, most are well worth the effort required. In addition, this cookbook provides a comprehensive list of bistro-style restaurants worth trying across the country. The skilled chefs who penned the recipes in Fresh Canadian Bistro have a keen eye for flavour combinations that highlight key ingredients, making for a wonderful dining experience. A few weak points aside, this is a cookbook I am happy to have in my kitchen.
by Johanne Neeteson on August 16, 2010
Everyone loves a great big pot of chili, and this recipe for killer chili is sure to your next go to favorite. Have it on it’s own for comfort in a bowl, or use this recipe as a springboard for other great dishes. Try pairing it with whole wheat tortillas, light sour cream and some grated cheese for a healthy, Mexican inspired feast, or even place a few spoonfuls over crisp romaine lettuce and tomatoes for a substantial salad. By browning the ground chicken before hand with your veggies and herbs, you lock in a great smoky flavour. Our secret weapon is adding in a touch of honey for taste at the end – it just the right amount of sweetness to bring out all the rich exotic flavours that have been stewing.
This killer chili allows you to be as “killer” as you want to be by adding in your own customized amount of heat. If you like it hot, feel free to play with the cayenne or substitute with other chili powders like Morita and Ancho for your own personalized amount of kick. What’s also great about this dish is that it freezes so well, which means you’ve got handy ready made portions when you need to whip up a quick meal.
Do you like your chili spicy or are you more of a mild conisseur? Tell us how hot you like it in our comments section!
Killer Black Bean Chili
Chicken Farmers of Canada
