I’ve baked bagels twice in the last week. They are a family favourite and nice to have in the freezer. First batch  Two dozen poppy seed bagels. Sliced Moe had to test one,  still warm, with butter. And we had bagels, cream cheese and smoked salmon for dinner. Second Batch Twenty four bagels Eight Sesame,…

A few recent meals. Mexican Chicken Rice Soup. Caldo Tlapeno If I could only eat one soup for the rest of my life it would be this one. RECIPE Mexican Chicken Rice Soup (Caldo Tlapeno) I love the Tequila House’s chicken rice soup and after having itthe first time, I came home and made my…

Tried a new cookie this past week. It is half chocolate chip and half brownie. A little bit of a PITA to make because basically you are making two different cookies, four dozen each and then joining them to form one cookie. I baked half and refrigerated the other half for a day.  I found…

I’ve been using the same recipe to make bagels since 1981. Now that I am making all my bread by hand, I adapted the recipe. These bagels are just about perfect.   Crust has that chewy texture that you expect from a bagel. Moe had one while they were still warm. Buttered. I waited until dinner…

January 1st Crumb ~~~ * ~~~ January 4th One medium size Boule and a pizza. Crumb Mushroom and Sausage Pizza.Dough was given a long fermentation.Been in the fridge since January 1st. Rim ~~~ * ~~~ January 6th Eight Small BaguettesThe dough was made on the 5th. Really love the crumb on these breads. ~~~ *…

Escargot have always been a favourite. And I have a number of ways that I like to serve them. Haven’t been able to find them fresh so I use canned. Some brands are better than others. But I can recommend M’Lord Escargot I’ve used this brand for a while and they are always tender. For…

It had been a while since I made Perogies. So at  6:40 one  morning last week, I decided that I wanted perogies. It was a workday  so I started the dough immediately so that it would have at least 30 minutes in the fridge to rest. Then put the potatoes on to cook and fried the…

Cabbage Rolls Greek Style. Filled with a rice and pork filling seasoned with lemon and dill.  Rather than small cabbage rolls I made two large dome shaped Cabbage Rolls.And with the extra filling I stuffed three small zucchini. We shared one of the cabbage rolls and a stuffed zucchini. Sides were roasted lemon potatoes and…

Whole Veal Shank Roasted and served over polenta. With Stuffed Zucchini Tambourines. Roast Veal Shank or Osso Bucco Based on Roasted Veal Shanks from Lidia’s Italian Table Whole Veal Shank orVeal shank cut into pieces 1 1/2 inches thick.6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil1 large carrot, chopped1 small onion, sliced2 cloves of garlic, crushed2 tablespoons…

I promised Matt and Dana a Greek dinner while they were here.   I had to work Sunday so I started prepping for dinner in the morning.  More of the Cowichan Valley free range lamb. Dana, put it in the oven mid afternoon so it would be almost cooked by the time I got home from…