Pre-made vs. Homemade - Lasagna

Frozen lasagna is one of many memories from my childhood dinners, usually when my mom was away and dad had to cook. Although frozen lasagna is easy and just needs to be thrown in the oven for about an hour, it is not all that difficult to make yourself and it is definitely worth it! If we are to look at Stouffer's frozen vegetable lasagna we can see that it is full of chemicals as well as 28% sodium and 29% fat.

                            VS.

Vegetable Lasagna

Tomato sauce - see below for recipe (if you want to cut corners use a jarred sauce)

9 lasagna noodles

1 Pack of dry pressed cottage cheese

1 (size) brick of mozzarella

portabella mushrooms, sliced

about 2 tbsp sherry

italian eggplant, sliced

baby spinach

Once you have your sauce ready, start off by sauteeing your mushrooms - first heat the pan, add a little oil and garlic and let it simmer for just a short amount of time. Then add the mushrooms and some sherry and stir. once the mushrooms are basically fully cooked take them off the heat and set aside. Then cook your noodles until al dente, strain and run cold water over them. Lastly shred your brick of mozzarella and set aside.

Now you are ready to start building your lasagna, start by spreading a little tomato sauce over the bottom of the pan. While you are building your lasagna, start preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Now add your layers accordingly:

noodles

sauce

eggplant

mushrooms

spinach

cottage cheese

mozzarella

Do this three times, and make sure to save some extra mozzarella for the top layer so you have a nice thick layer of cheese on top! Now throw your lasagna in the oven and let it bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is golden and melty! 

Take the lasagna out of the oven and let it sit for about 5 minutes, then cut it into big hearty pieces and serve either on its own or with a nice little salad. Enjoy!

Now, if you are feeling ambitious and want to take this lasagna to the next level try making this homemade sauce:

Badass Tomato Sauce

This sauce is an absolute favourite of my family and friends and although it may take some time it is so very worth the wait!

olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small-medium onion, diced

1 beef short rib

1 can tomato paste

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 bay leaf (if you have it)

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp basil

big splash of red wine

Start by putting a big pot on medium heat with a good coating of olive oil on the bottom. Once the pan is hot add the garlic and onions and let them cook for a minute or two - before they brown. Now add the short rib and brown it on all sides, then add the tomato paste and stir it around for 1 minute. Now add both the crushed and diced tomatoes and give it a stir. Lastly add your herbs and wine and give it another good stir. Once the sauce starts bubbling turn the heat down to low and let simmer for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Once the sauce is done, feel free to eat the beef short rib as a pre-dinner snack. Now your sauce is ready for lasagna or even just some plain old spaghetti and meatballs!

Pre-made vs. Homemade - Caesar Salad

Nowadays you can buy all types of frozen or pre-made dinners. What some people don't seem to realize is how easy and rewarding it is to make these meals for themselves. You can get almost anything you want frozen, canned or pre-made. For example you can get bottled dressings, frozen dinners, pre-made salads, frozen appetizers and much much more. This week I am going to give you five different frozen foods - one for each workday - and show how to make it yourself. Monday's dish is Caesar Salad:

Day 1 - Caesar Salad

 

Now normally restaurants and bottled dressings usually use a creamy Caesar however this recipe is more of a Caesar vinaigrette, making the salad less rich and a bit healthier. I think the reason this dressing is not as common is because it has a raw egg yolk which is more finicky in that it can spoil easily. However this recipe is really lovely and worth the small amount of effort.

Dressing:
salt and pepper
1-2 Cloves of garlic
1/2 tbsp of Dijon mustard
1 egg yolk
juice of half a lemon
3 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
splash of balsamic vinegar

Salad:
1 head or 2-3 hearts of romaine lettuce
a big handful of spinach (optional)
2 strips bacon
small handful grated parmesean cheese
PC lightly buttered croutons


To start slice the bacon into small strips and throw them into a pan to make bacon bits. Then wash the lettuce and set it to dry. Now for the salad dressing, make it in the bottom of the bowl, so to start throw in some salt and pepper, next peel and crush the garlic into the bowl - if you're a huge garlic person like me then use two cloves but if you don't like a strong garlic flavour just crush one clove into the bowl. Next add the dijon mustard, egg yolk, lemon juice, oil and vinegar.

Now mix the dressing together and give it a taste, if it needs something feel free to add it and if not then tear up your romaine lettuce and throw it in the bowl. Add your croutons, parmesean cheese and bacon bits on top. If you really want to take it to the next level garnish your salad with some bright colourful lemon zest and serve.

Enjoy this delicious fresh salad!

Fish, Get Into It!

As most of you probably know, fish is a very healthy meat, we all hear that it is full of omega 3 fatty acids blah blah blah. What does that even mean? According to the Washington State Department of Health, it is good for your heart, it is an anti-inflammatory, aids healthy brain function and can decrease the risk of some mental health disorders. It is also a high protein, low fat meat full of vitamins and minerals. Lastly, it can be super quick and easy! One of my favourite ways to eat fish is just pan fried in a little butter and salt with a squeeze of lemon like my dad always did. However, if you want something with a little more decoration and a more pleasant presentation, this recipe for rainbow trout is ridiculously easy and quick!

Quick and Simple Rainbow Trout

1 filet of rainbow trout

1 lemon

a few sprigs of dill

First, set your oven on broil at 450 then line a pan with tinfoil and set your filet on the pan.  Rub about a teaspoon of dill on the fish and salt and pepper to taste. Then slice the lemon horizontally and lay about three pieces across the fish. 

 squeeze a little more lemon juice on top then toss the fish in the oven on the middle rack for about 10 minutes or until the flesh of the trout is no longer translucent. Lastly use a spatula to pick up the fish and plate it (if you can, slide the spatula between the flesh and the skin - it should separate quite easily.) 

Lastly cut a couple lemon wedges, serve with whatever sides you desire and enjoy!

Finnish Buttermilk Crepes

This weekend it was my roommate's birthday so we decided to have a nice brunch after a night out. I made everyone an old family favourite, Finnish buttermilk crepes. I recall Sunday mornings at my house growing up, always the sound of my dads favourite classic rock blasting through the speakers and the smell of butter frying in the kitchen. Feeling nostalgic, I decided to bring this tradition to my new house. This recipe is simple (no extravagant, rare ingredients or methods), delicious, and definitely impressive. It can also be versatile, served with the traditional butter and maple syrup or you can throw some fruit and whipped cream on there for extra flavour!

Finnish Buttermilk Crepes

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 cups milk

1 cup (aprox.) flour

Directions:

1. Combine and whisk the vanilla, salt, eggs, sugar and melted butter, then add the milk and flour and beat until smooth (but not too much)

2. Let the batter rest for at least 10 minutes (longer is better - or sit in fridge overnight).

3. Heat pan (cast iron if you have it) to medium hot (butter should smoke after about 5 seconds)

4. Test the batter in the pan first, if it is not thick enough, slowly whisk some more flour in until it is at the desired thickness

4. Place a little butter in pan, pour in a thin layer of the batter just so it covers the bottom.

5. Once it is golden brown on one side, flip and cook the other - this shouldn't take long so keep an eye on it.

Set on the table with your favourite pancake dressings - such as butter, maple syrup, fruit, nutella, whipped cream and/or icing sugar 

and, of course, enjoy!

Simple But Delicious Mussel Pasta

Today my roommates and I were enjoying a relaxing Sunday and I decided to make something special for dinner. I went to Zehrs Market and it just so happened mussels were on special - $3.99 for 2 pounds! So I decided to make a simple but delicious mussel pasta. The nice thing about this dish is that the broth from the mussels is added to the pasta sauce itself to complete it adding incredible flavour. What I  like about this recipe is that it is elegant and yet rather simple to make and therefore it's impressive even though it doesn't take all that much effort on your part. One key thing to remember when cooking mussels: if the shell is not open, do NOT pry it open, just throw it away!

Creamy Mussel Pasta

Mussels:
1 lb of mussels
2 shallots, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp of dijon mustard
1/2 a lemon, squeezed
3/4 of a bottle of wine
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tomato, diced

Pasta:
2 small handfulls of linguine
olive oil
1 clove of garlic, chopped
2 cups of cream
mussel broth
a nice big handful of spinach

We start with the mussels. Combine everything but the mussels in a nice big pot and bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes. You may notice there is not a lot of liquid in the pot but that is how its supposed to be. After cleaning the mussels (in cold water) toss them in the pot and put the lid on. Let them steam for about 5 minutes then take the lid off and give them a little stir, then cover and let cook for another 5 minutes. Now they should be open and cooked, take them off the heat and separate the mussels from the broth.

Now you can start the pasta, put a pot of water to boil, then cook the linguine until al dente (still firm). Once you have the water on, you can start the sauce, coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of olive oil and put on medium heat. Add the garlic and let it cook. Turn the heat down and add the cream. Then add the peppers, shallots, and tomato from the mussel broth and then add the pasta. Mix in the pasta then slowly add the mussel broth until you have your desired flavour. Toss in the spinach just until it wilts. Now plate the pasta and fan the mussels on top, garnish with a little salt and pepper and some chopped fresh parsley if you have it. And there you go! A delicious, quick, and elegant dish!

King Street Trio - Review

This afternoon I decided to pamper myself a little bit, so I decided to have a nice lunch with a friend. We were walking down King St.and stopped in a lovely little restaurant called King Street Trio and I was pleasantly surprised! I ordered the oysters as my appetizer and they were great! I mean, its not difficult to have great oysters as long as they're fresh, but what I enjoyed about these oysters was that the dressings (chillies, grated horse radish and cucumber mignonette) came on the side so you could add as much as you like. It was a lovely combination, however, I did not anticipate the strength of the ingredients which caused me to overdress my oysters. They were obviously still great but a little too strong. Next was my main - a mushroom risotto with manchego cheese, rapini, and pearl onions. It was absolutely gorgeous. The presentation was beautiful and the flavours were inspiring. It was a lovely gooey creamy risotto which came with a side of baby broccoli. The broccoli could have been great but there was a clear lack of attention. This is something I have often noticed with a majority of fine dining restaurants - the main dish is wonderfully done but the sides are given little to no attention. What would bring these restaurants to the next level is for them to put in enough care for the vegetables as they do for the meat. I mean, I love meat as much as the next carnivore but I love vegetables just as much and I would love nothing more than to enjoy the side dish as much as I enjoy the main course.

Service is another important part of fine dining. Of course we pay for delicious food but we are also paying for excellent service and King Street Trio had wonderful service. We were checked on frequently, but not too much that the server was pestering us, and most of all, we felt taken care of. Overall it was a great meal. Going out for a luxurious meal is one of my favourite ways to pamper myself and I definitely felt pampered! I will gladly visit King Street Trio again!

Brunch

After a long unforgettably forgotten night, my roommates and I woke up ready for a big hearty brunch to get ourselves up and start the day. Instead of going out for brunch, which is one of our favourite things to do after a night out, I attempted something new. Usually we will have either a plate of bacon and eggs or a breakfast sandwhich but I decided to do something inbetween. It is similar to Eggs Benedict - I would even go so far as to say better - and most importantly, simpler. The nice thing about this recipe is that it is your whole breakfast platter but presented in a pretty, tall stack.

The Leaning Tower of Brunch

1 English muffin (toasted)
2 Eggs
1 tomato
4 Slices of bacon
1/4 cup of Extra old cheddar, grated

Start by putting the English muffin in the toaster and throwing some bacon in the frying pan.Once the bacon is partly done bring a pot of water to boil. When the bacon is done set it aside and start the eggs. Lightly poach the eggs (if you don't know how - start by cracking the egg into a small bowl, make sure the water is simmering, not boiling too vigorously, make a little whirlpool and then drop the egg in, let it boil for a couple minutes then scoop it out and put it in a small bowl). Now take the pan you cooked the bacon in and dump the majority of the bacon grease leaving behind a light layer. Put the pan on med-high heat and cut the top off the tomato and put it on the pan, face down. Let it sear until it is brown then take it off. Cut it into a nice big thick slice then repeat. Now that everything is ready you can stack it! take the english muffin, put a sprinkle of cheese, then the bacon, the tomato, the egg and then top it off with some more cheese and voila! An awesome, elegant, delicious breakfast!

Hope you like it,
Try it out and let me know what you think!

It Doesn't 'Gotta Be KD'

My name is Anna and I am a 20 year old university student with an interest in food, and therefore an interest in cooking! Apparently today no one has time to actually make their dinner, everyone just buys something pre-made and throws it in the oven (like my brother). Everyone thinks students live off of frozen pizzas and Kraft Dinner.. while some do, they don't have to! I do the cooking for myself and two of my other room mates and we always joke that we're probably the best fed university students. Unfortunately, I don't think we were too far off in saying that. All of these pre-made dinners are now so readily available no one needs to be able to cook but what a lot of people don't know or realize is how easy it is to make these dinners themselves - without all the added salt and chemicals! For example I looooooove pasta and I make it all the time, but I refuse to use a bottled or jarred sauce because it's too easy to make my own and it's simple but delicious! So having said that, today's recipe is linguine with tomato olives and spinach


Linguine with Tomato, Olives, and Spinach

This is one of my favourite pastas which is why I chose to make it for lunch today. Its a nice light pasta and the spinach makes you feel healthy!

olive oil
a handful of linguine
1 clove of garlic, chopped
4 basil leaves, chopped
1 large tomato (or two small tomatoes). diced
4 capers, finely chopped
a handful of olives, pitted and sliced
red wine

 Start by putting some water to boil to make the linguine. While you are waiting for the water to boil prep everything for the sauce. Pour about 2-3 tbsp of olive oil into a medium hot pan. First add the garlic, once it is slightly darker add the basil, olives, and capers.

Give it a quick toss then add the tomatoes. Add a splash of red wine then leave it to simmer for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes soften to a sauce-like consistency. Once the water is boiling add some salt and a little olive oil to keep the noodles from sticking together then throw the linguine in. Once the noodles are basically cooked, throw a big ass handful of spinach into the tomatoes. When the pasta is cooked drain it and throw it into the pan with the tomato.

Mix everything together and serve! You can opt to grate a little parmesan cheese on top or serve it with a garlic crostini but I often just eat a nice big heaping plate of pasta for lunch! Hope you like it!