So, have you guys had a chance to check out the CSN Stores website yet? If you're like me, you have and you're drooling over every single product they offer, and they have quite the selection! As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I got the opportunity to review their products and services. This took a little longer than I expected because I couldn't decide what to order! Is there such a thing as too many choices? In any case, I finally chose a gorgeous Le Creuset casserole. I placed my order and was pleasantly surprised to be offered a free gift! Cool right? Included in my order was a Le Creuset oval dish, in the color of my choice. The ordering process is very easy and all the information is clear and accessible. The shipping on the item I choose was free but being in Canada, I had to pay some international charges. These charges include duty fees so you don't get a surprise payment to make when your purchases are delivered. I received my packages within a week of ordering and I was quite satisfied with the service. And, most of the packing material was recyclable; no packing peanuts here! Bottom line, I would order other products at CSN Stores in a heartbeat. I'm also pretty excited to say that I'm working with CSN Stores again soon for a giveaway, so stay tuned!!!
Of course, the first thing I wanted to do when I got my beautiful new toys was to cook up something to showcase them! I made a humongous beef stew in my casserole dish and it was incredibly delicious. Unfortunately, photogenic, it was not. So I made a small recipe of shepherd's pie and used my cute little gratin dish! I won't bore you with my shepherd's pie recipe, but I will tell you I use both regular potatoes and sweet potatoes in my recipe. It adds color, flavor and vitamins!
The recipe I want to give you today is for Tomato Chutney, or Homemade Ketchup as we call it here in Québec. It is delicious served up with shepherd's pie or any dish that needs a little pizazz. This is a perfect recipe to use up those tomatoes from your garden or farmer's market. And the mix of fruits, veggies and spices makes it colorful and comforting. I made up this recipe to suit my tastes but you can change the ingredients as you wish to make it all your own.
Homemade Ketchup/Tomato Chutney
1 large green bell pepper, diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
2 medium onions, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
8 to 10 large Roma tomatoes, blanched, peeled and diced
4 peaches, blanched, peeled and diced
4 apples, peeled, cored and diced
3 pears, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
8 whole allspice berries
1 bay leaf
1 star anise
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp salt
In a large pot, heat a little olive oil and add the bell peppers, onions, celery, garlic cloves and sauté, over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, peaches, apples, pears, vinegar, brown sugar and all the spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the chutney simmer for about one hour. By then the juices will have reduced and concentrated and it will smell fantastic! Remove the allspice berries, bay leaf and star anise. Let cool, divide in convenient portions and freeze in ziptop bags.
Please Note: I was offered a 100$ coupon code from CSN Stores in order to do a review of their products and services. Shipping and international charges were not included and I was not paid for my opinions.
I love getting up on Sunday morning and taking my time deciding what to make for breakfast. I'll let the kids play their video games so I'll have time to make myself a cup of coffee, browse through my many, many bookmarks or magazines, and try to find THE recipe I feel like making that morning. Or perhaps I'll settle for a tried and true breakfast favorite like crêpes, scones, muffins or waffles. But some days, I feel like having more of a savory breakfast, something I usually make as "breakfast for dinner". Those most often involve eggs, bacon and some type of bread. We so very rarely have bacon for breakfast that once the bacon aroma started wafting through the house, my son walked into the kitchen with this surprised and happy look on his face and actually said: "Are you making BACON for breakfast?!?" He was one happy kid.
I also had a bunch of gorgeous grape tomatoes from the market which I turned into a nice little salsa to serve alongside some eggs cooked in a bagel nest. The bagels are from Bagels Tradition'L in Québec, where you can get pretty much THE best bagel in town. They're baked in a wood oven which gives them a distinctive taste, and they are very, very hard to resist! All in all, a great Sunday breakfast. Now, what to make for dinner... ;)
Oven Cooked Bacon
Once you start cooking your bacon in the oven you will never go back to making it in a pan. You can use the time the bacon is baking to make the rest of breakfast! Cool, right?
Preheat your oven to 400F. Lay the bacon slices down on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, depending on how thick your slices are and how crisp you like your bacon. Once cooked, place the slices on a piece of paper towel to absorb some of the fat. You can keep the bacon warm in a low oven, if you need to.
Fresh Tomato Salsa
Olive oil
About 20 small grape tomatoes (you could also use cherry tomatoes)
1 small red onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of fresh basil, chopped
Salt and pepper
In a pan, over medium heat, pour a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and let them warm up and get soft, again, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and let it cook for another 5 minutes. Add basil at the very last minute and keep the salsa warm until serving time.
Eggs in a Bagel Nest
Ingredients for each serving:
Butter and olive oil
1/2 a bagel
1 egg
Sliced green onions
Grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper
Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add a little butter and olive oil and heat until the butter is melted and bubbly. Place your bagel half, cut side down, into the pan and let it warm up for a few minutes. Crack the egg into the bagel hole. The white will stream down the side and that's OK. Cover the pan and let the egg cook for a few minutes, depending on how done you want the yolk to be, check on it often. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan, salt, pepper and green onions. Serve with bacon, fresh tomato salsa and make sure you don't forget the coffee!
As I sit here with this cool breeze coming through my kitchen window, I can't believe it's really Summer, which means almost half the year is gone already and I feel like I haven't seen it go by. Always hurrying to do one thing or another, and of course, not being able to do everything I want to do. Is it just me?
If you do have time to sit down and enjoy a meal, as we did this past Sunday, on Father's Day, this would be the dish to prepare. So easy and adaptable, you might just be able to squeeze in a walk to your favorite park, all in the same day!
Broiled Salmon with Fresh Tomato Salsa
This is a great recipe if you're like me and you just can't follow a recipe! Adapt the quantities and spices and herbs as you wish and make this perfect for you.
Salmon fillets, bones removed
Olive oil
Lime juiceGarlic cloves, minced
Coriander powder
Salt and pepper
Tomatoes
Red onions, chopped
Olive oil
Lime juice
Parsley, chopped
Preheat your broiler and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place your salmon fillets, skin side down on the prepared sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and lime juice, then sprinkle with the chopped garlic. Add as much coriander powder, salt and pepper as you like. Broil the fillets for about 10 minutes, until the salmon is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
While the salmon is broiling, prepare your salsa. Chop up a large tomato, or a few smaller ones, removing some of the seeds so it's not too watery. Add some chopped red onions, a drizzle of olive oil and lime juice and some parsley. When the salmon is cooked, remove it from the oven, scatter the salsa on top of the fillets and put it back under the broiler for a few minutes, just to warm the salsa. Serve with some rice and a crunchy green salad on the side.
