CookThatBook

Saint Valentine’s Day – the annual celebration of romantic love. This special day dedicated to lovers was first observed back in approximately 500 AD. Obviously today’s festivities are not anywhere near what they used to be back in the good ol’ AD days, when it was more of a religious than romantic celebration.

Yet even during modern times this popular holiday has continued to undergo a steady evolution, with the majority of today’s valentines being mass produced rather than personally handwritten. We have also witnessed the increased involvement of the business world, which has contributed to and capitalized on the pressures of needing to make February 14 an uber special occasion for sweethearts. Simple heart-shaped cards and flowers have given way to desires for expensive jewellery, extravagant flower arrangements, high-end restaurant reservations and even marriage proposal expectations. Poor Cupid!

In our house we like to keep things simple, and with two small children and a lack of unlimited resources we try to focus on being creative rather than spendy. This year’s treats were inspired by ideas from Martha Stewart’s website which is a wonderful resource for all of your crafting, culinary and decorative needs for Valentine’s Day.

First up? Adorable mini chocolate cupcakes with heart cutouts!

These treats are quick and easy, perfect to make with your little ones and would be an instant hit at any Valentine’s Day party or even a bake sale. Simply whip up a batch of your favourite chocolate cupcakes (feel free to use a box mix), slice off the tops and punch thru with a heart-shaped cookie cutter.

For the buttercream icing I added a couple of drops of food colouring to create the perfect pink, and spread the icing on the bottom half of the cupcake before gently placing the tops back on again.

Coffee was the ultimate companion for these cute little cupcakes, topped off with a fun marshmallow cutout!

Take a heart-shaped cookie cutter and press into a marshmallow, placing both pieces into a steaming cup of coffee or hot cocoa. Enjoy!

I’m excited to announce that CookThatBook will be a new featured listing on Beer and Butter Tarts, a great online resource dedicated to Canadian food and drink related websites. It’s basically a one stop shop for people interested in Canadian food blogs, and is a great way of connecting bloggers across the country.

Be sure to visit their website! I have found so many new blogs to follow, including the list of finalists in the 2010 Canadian Food Blog Awards (CFBAs). Voting is currently underway; including the People’s Choice Award (voting open to the public) and will run until January 15th, 2011. Winners in all categories will be announced at the end of the month.

Good luck to all of the finalists!

As a fun way of starting off 2011, I thought it would be fitting to go back to my original list of culinary resolutions from last year. Read on to discover how I made out…

Include Michael Pollan’s idea of Meatless Mondays into my family’s eating habits
So we started the year off strong, but once we moved house it became a slippery slope back to carnivorism. I really enjoyed integrating the concept of Meatless Mondays into my family’s lifestyle and would like to re-embrace this weekly foray into vegetarian food in the New Year. For me the biggest challenges were finding inspiration for meals (I always seemed to get stumped unless I had a particular recipe in mind), and not relying so heavily on pasta dishes as a quick solution for a meatless dish.

I look forward to recommitting to Meatless Mondays for 2011 and would love for people to leave a comment with their favourite vegetarian cookbooks, recipe ideas and websites!

Make the monthly cover recipe of Bon Appétit Magazine for the entire year (and blog about my experiences)
I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this challenge! At first glimpse of a new issue in my mailbox I would eagerly check out the front cover to see what I would be whipping up next. In terms of the recipes themselves, I would have to say the following:

My personal favourite: Eggplant Parmesan Rolls with Swiss Chard & Fresh Mint (March)

Mr. Spock’s favourite: Grilled Cheese & Short Rib Sandwich with Caramelized Onions (February)

Most inspiring: Caveman Porterhouse with Poblano Pan-Fry (July)

Most out of control crazy: Triple-Beef Cheeseburgers with Spiced Ketchup & Red Vinegar Pickles (September)

Worst results: Apple Torte with Breadcrumb-Hazelnut Crust (October)

(NOTE: November and December’s cover recipe results will be posted soon…forgive my tardiness. I blame the holidays).

For the last few weeks I’ve had a poll on my website asking readers to cast their vote for which magazine I should follow next. While the top three spots kept flip-flopping between Bon Appétit, Savuer and Food & Wine, it is the latter publication that came out on top! And you know what? I’m VERY excited as the cover recipe for their January issue features a breakfast sandwich. Does it get any better than that folks?! I think not…I think not.

Review Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child
Okay. Well I bought the book. I have even figured out which three recipes I want to test. What can I say?! She’s an icon and I’m intimidated.

Attempt to make ice cream for the first time ever!
Santa left an ice cream machine under our tree this year, so stay tuned for some exciting ice cream related adventures in 2011…

Go on a cooking vacation
While I did go to Chicago specifically to eat and revel in this amazing city’s food scene, I never actually went on a trip and took any cooking classes. Any suggestions for places I should go this year?

Interview Jamie Oliver
I have a feeling this will be on my list for awhile. (C’mon Jamie…I’m ready when you are baby!)

Find the PERFECT chocolate chip cookie recipe
After conducting numerous taste tests (including Angie Quaale’s addictive Bacon Chocolate Chunk Cookies), I feel that my search has ended. The recipe that emerged as the victor? Alice Medrich’s recipe for My Chocolate Chip Cookies instantly won all of our hearts. It provided everything we were looking for in this American classic; buttery, crisp exterior with rich and chewy center, the perfect amount of chocolate and sweetness.

Beat my friend Crystal in our family’s annual crepe off!
Nope – think I’ll just give up on this one as Crystal’s savoury crepes are just too delicious. Plus she kinda scares me.

Update my family cookbook and print one hard copy to keep on my VIP kitchen shelf
Ugh. While I have worked on this project there is still so much more to do before I am ready to print off a copy. But I am inspired to keep going! My fellow food blogger Shirley Blake recently self-published her book of recipes, entitled My Mother’s Cookbook. It is essentially a compilation of her mother’s recipes – some of which she reinvented and updated – put together in a beautiful book as a keepsake for her family. Shirley, you inspire me to keep going with my project!

Shop more frequently at our local farmers markets
Farmer markets for local cheeses, fresh fruit and veg, local non-medicated meat from our neighbourhood butcher, organic fresh baked bread from the bakery down the street, and superior quality fish from our favourite fish monger. That has been the pattern of our food shopping this past year and it has been amazing! Not going to lie though; shopping this way did increase our food bills rather significantly. I feel so fortunate to be able to afford this luxury and did not mind cutting costs elsewhere in order to make it work within our budget.

[Now as far as 2011 is concerned, the above amended list should keep me busy, but I would also like to add the following goals]:

Explore the food truck phenomenon already well established in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Portland and Austin. My hometown – Vancouver – has a burgeoning food truck scene that I would like to experience. Now if only I can convince Mr. Spock to tag along on my food truck adventure! Somehow I don’t think this will be hard to do…

Take a variety of authentic Asian cooking classes, a style of food I heartily enjoy but have not had much success with in the kitchen.

Make my own marshmallows from scratch! Over the holidays I feel in love with Pink Spatula’s handmade treats and don’t think I can go back to the commercial variety. I have been meaning to make my own marshmallows but have a feeling that my renewed addiction will be ample enough motivation!

Expand my website and invite a number of contributing writers to join my team of cookbook reviewers. (NOTE: this is already well underway…stay tuned for some exciting updates!)

In celebration of the holiday season, CookThatBook will be giving away a copy of Gourmet Magazine’s “The Gourmet Cookie Book: The Single Best Recipe from Each Year 1941-2009” and Alice Medrich’s “Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies”. To enter for a chance to win, post a comment below telling me about your favourite treat to leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve. Be sure to stipulate which of the cookie books you would prefer to receive. On December 14th I will draw two names randomly from the list of comments. A huge thank you to the folks over at Thomas Allen & Son, Ltd. for donating copies of the books for our giveaway!

In our house the month of December is all about cookies. With Christmas carols blasting and holiday decorations perfectly in place, I don my festive apron that almost borders on being tacky and head into the kitchen. Each year I am full of excitement at the possibility of discovering new recipes, but also indulging in traditional favourites that only make an appearance at this time of year.

Followers of this blog will already be aware of my obsession with baking. I love the structure and regimented exactness that is required (can anyone say anal Capricorn?!) which allows me to completely zone out and focus on just one task. But there’s something special about Christmas cookies in particular. They hold an extra dose of magic! Yes they’re fun to make and delicious to eat, but they are prepared with the sole purpose of being shared with family, friends…and of course the big man himself; Santa. In fact, the whole concept of leaving cookies for Santa is believed to have started around the time of the Great Depression. Parents were looking for a way to instil values of generosity and sharing, even during difficult times. Hard to deny that there’s something infinitely uplifting about being the recipient of a batch of freshly baked cookies. They have the power to warm your soul.

As a child I remember leaving out plates of cookies I had baked with my mother and being so excited on Christmas morning when all that was left were crumbs. (Whew – he liked them!) Now when I bake cookies with my own children I see that same excitement in their eyes; the sparkle of holiday magic.

Here are the showstopper cookies that will be featured in our house this holiday season. And yes I realize as he reads this list Mr. Spock is preparing his annual speech about how I always get carried away and make a ridiculous amount of cookies. Bah humbug sweetie! You try cutting down on this list:

Chocolate Mint Cookies
Whipped Shortbread
Butterscotch Cookies
Butter Tarts
Mincemeat Tarts
Gingerbread Cookies
Sugar Cookies

One of the world’s most popular snack foods has an entire month dedicated to its consumption. Yup – October is officially National Popcorn Poppin’ Month, and the folks over at The Popcorn Board (a non-profit organization funded by US popcorn processors) are busy raising awareness and promoting the consumption of this tasty popped snack food. For more than 25 years popcorn has been celebrated during the month of October, and in 1999 the designation became official. Why October? Because this is the time when the popcorn harvest takes place in the Midwest.

Corn was first discovered in South America close to five thousand years ago, and quickly spread to North America where Native Americans introduced it to the English in the 16^th and 17^th centuries. It is the small droplet of water within the corn kernel that causes it to expand and pop when exposed to high heat, turning the kernel inside out. Popped corn was an integral part of Aztec Indian ceremonies, where it was used to decorate headdresses, necklaces and other ceremonial ornaments.

Today, the majority of popcorn comes from the United States where 16 billion quarts is produced each year (52 quarts per person). It has even become the official state snack for Illinois! Popcorn comes in a variety of shapes including; ‘snowflake’ or ‘butterfly’ (looks and pops big) and ‘mushroom’ (used for candy confections due to its round shape and because it doesn’t crumble). It also comes in an assortment of colours such as red or blue kernels, although no matter what the colour of corn all kernels will pop white. Popcorn also comes in a wide variety of flavours, everything from extra butter to chocolate-marshmallow, Cajun and even jalapeño. No matter your taste preference guaranteed there’s a flavour shaker just for you!

Because popcorn is a whole grain, it provides carbohydrates and fibre and is naturally low in fat and calories. Of course like anything healthy, douse it in enough bad oil, butter and salt and suddenly popcorn ain’t so good for you anymore! In fact, a recent study conducted on movie theatre popcorn found that a medium-sized popcorn and soda can pack the nutritional equivalent of up to three Quarter Pounder Burgers topped with 12 pats of butter. Yikes – all those calories for mediocre tasting popcorn that has been sitting way too long under a heat lamp and costs more than the actual movie ticket.

The invention of microwave popcorn in the 1980’s helped catapult this popular munchie to the top of the snack food chain. In fact, popping popcorn has become the main function of microwave ovens with the majority of machines having a specific popcorn setting! However in our household the favourite way to enjoy popcorn is simply to pop it over the stove (click here for the World’s Best Popcorn recipe). Definitely healthier not to mention tastier than movie theatre popcorn, although plain air-popped popcorn is the healthiest way to indulge at 31 calories per cup, with oil-popped corn 55 calories per cup and movie theatre popcorn 60-80 calories per cup.

Want to add flavouring? Why not try Chef Michael Smith’s addictive Butterscotch Popcorn (click here for the recipe) or Gale Gand’s Cheddar Cheese Popcorn (click here for the recipe). Confession? Ever since my trip to Chicago I have been craving the city’s famous Garrett’s Chicago Mix Popcorn, so I ended up mixing the two flavours and making my own version!