Off to Vancouver Island and Gulf Coast Islands

I am taking a little summer vacation to visit friends in Victoria, British Columbia.  Victoria is on Vancouver Island.  I can hardly wait!  It is a foodie's dream because my friends and their cousin, Meredith & husband are also into good food and good wine!  Meredith will be making a picnic for us!  I can hardly wait!  We are going to picnic on French beach - a slightly rugged ocean beach overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca with wonderful walking and hiking.

I am also looking forward to some cider and eau de vie from Merridale Cider.  It can only be purchased on the island.

I am not taking my laptop with me so you will have to wait until I return for all the reports on the wonderful food we encountered.  We have a heavy schedule of visiting the Saltspring Island Farmer's Market, beaches on Hornby and Denman Islands and also staying in Courtney, which is up island a bit.  It will be a full 5 days and I will have lots of great food pictures to share when I return.

Making Your Own Preserved Lemons

Deana at Lost Past Remembered has a wonderful recipe this week for roast chicken with preserved lemon.  It looks stunning.  I am leaving for vacation in a few days and have a fridge full of lemons.  Rather than do the usual - zest, squeeze and freeze - I thought I would make some preserved lemons and try her dish when I return.  Preserved lemons are commonly used in Moroccan and Middle Eastern foods.

It is so easy.

Preserved Lemons

Cut off the top and bottom stem ends off the lemons.  Cut lemon in half to within an inch of the bottom.  Leave in tact.  Cut again to quarter the lemon and leave the bottom in tact.  Fill your jar with lemons cut like this.  Using a pure salt, like kosher or sea salt, rub about a tablespoon into each cut lemon.  Measure two tablespoons on the bottom of the jar.  Add lemons.  Add two more tablespoons of salt on top of the lemons.  Squeeze other lemons to add juice up to about halfway up the lemons.  Let the jar sit on the countertop for a couple of days.  The juice from the lemons will come out.  If after 2 or 3 days the lemons are not submerged in lemon juice, squeeze more and add to the jar.

Move the jar to the refrigerator and let the lemons sit in the brine for up to 3 weeks.  They are now ready to use.

When you use the lemons, rinse thoroughly and scoop out the flesh.  Use only the peel portion.  Remove the white pithy layer as well.  You can also add peppercorns, bay leaf, coriander seeds, whole cloves or bay leaf to the brine as it cures.

Multigrain Hot Dog Buns

"Actually, the true gourmet, like the true artist, is one of the unhappiest creatures existent.  His trouble comes from so seldom finding what he constantly seeks: perfection."    Ludwig Bemelmans

This pretty much sums up how I am feeling right now.  I had a bad bread day on Saturday.  The bottoms were too dark, the interior too moist and the Farmer's Market was having a slow day so I had 2 loaves left over.   Not every loaf was too moist.  In fact I think there were very few but even one imperfect loaf is upsetting.  I thought my bread career may as well be over.  But I can't quit.  I have a pallet of flour that arrived today and I have people expecting bread so I have to figure this out and improve.

Then I receive a call from my regular bread client, Jennifer.  She is always helping me expand my repertoire by asking for the things she likes and bakes.  First it was pumpernickel bread.  Although I am selling bread at the Farmer's Market, I am really not a baker!  I never expected to be baking bread and selling it...ever!  I make it for myself but am nervous about baking for others.  She is so encouraging and is totally happy with the bread. 

I am so glad I said, "Yes, I can do that!"  I had never made pumpernickel.  I rarely ate pumpernickel.  What was I thinking?  Cocoa powder and molasses...that's it.  That is all it takes to turn rye bread into pumpernickel.  Amazing.  And it is so delicious.  The reason I never ate it before is because I never could buy it fresh.  I had a left over loaf on Saturday so cut it up for myself.   Yum.

Now she has ordered hot dog buns!  Yikes.  Shaping buns, making them multigrain and healthy?  The recipe I am using is from The Joy of Cooking.  I like the flavour of slow-risen breads so that is what I am making.  I love the way Jennifer and her family enjoy their food.  Can you throw in a few herbs?  I have rosemary.  That's great.  On to a new adventure with hot dog buns.  I am feeling better already.

Multigrain Hot Dog Buns             adapted from The Joy of Cooking

2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon warm water
2 cups cold water
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups multigrain flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 cups multigrain flour
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Combine the yeast and water in the bowl of your heavy duty mixer (or a large mixing bowl) and let stand until the yeast is hydrated, about 5 minutes.  Add the cold water, salt, sugar and blend.  Add the flours until they are absorbed by the liquid.

Now place the bowl in your heavy duty mixer fitted with the dough hook.  Blend slowly and add an additional 1 1/2 cups of multigrain and 1 1/2 cups bread flour a half a cup at a time.  Continue to add the flour while the mixer is on until a smooth elastic dough has formed.  Knead with the mixer or by hand for another 5 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a clean, oiled bowl and toss the bread dough around to coat it in the oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 5 - 12 hours.

Remove from refrigerator and let rise until doubled, about 6 hours.  Punch down, shape, let rise, brush with beaten egg white and bake at 400F for 20 minutes.

Day 5 at Kid's Cooking Camp

I don't even know what happened to Day 4!  Day 3 Cupcake Decorating was a very intense day.  Soft buttercream.  Thanks, Marjie at 'Modern Day Ozzie and Harriet' for your input on buttercream.  Apparently shortening doesn't melt so quickly but also does not taste as good.  I opt for taste and health so would still use butter any day.  Just as Marjie does.

This is a display for Canada's Food Guide.  These kids already know alot about nutrition.  I was so impressed.  Day 4 was our junk food day.

I had pictures I didn't even post!  Those amazing Black Forest Cake cupcakes were wonderful and how could I forget to share the picture.

It was crazee!  I had silver dragees scurrying all over my floor and dropping down into my heat vents.  Sugar still crackles beneath my feet!  And the fridge handle.  Wowzer!  Enough sugar there to sweeten my coffee!

I am back in shape now.  Day 4 was a tired day for everyone.  The girls were all sleepy.  They went to the baseball game last night and with the long weekend coming up, had visitors and will be welcoming visitors.  I suggested we start a little later for Day 5 and all agreed.




Everyday someone can cut a flower from my garden for the table centre.  This was the flower for Day 3.

It was so busy in the kitchen that I didn't take pictures!  I was deep frying and didn't dare to even take my eyes off the pot for a moment.  We made onion strings from The Pioneer Woman, french fries from scratch, pizza, cardamom ice cream and Mexican chocolate ice cream.  I can tell you that it is way more work to make junk food than real food.  I will make real food any day of the week before I spend much time on french fries.  We did redeem ourselves by using sea salt, real cream and eggs and no butter today!  Canola oil for frying.  I suggested duck fat (which is as healthy as olive oil) but they were all a little squeamish about it.  No skin off my nose!  I love my duck fat and will enjoy it myself!

So, on to Day 5.  Today is a barbecue!  But before we did that, we had a little chocolate tasting.  It was fun to try a number of single origin chocolates and comparing them to milk and white chocolate.











Barbecues are a favourite way to entertain in this area.   Our summers are short but hot.  We love to get outside.  Everyone is familiar with barbecue.  I thought it would be a fun way to end our wonderful week together.

Yes, our last day!  I am sad to have this end.  It has been a lot of fun and I feel like I am living my dream.  I love to cook and share the love.  What better way than with young 'uns.  I hope they have enjoyed this as much as I have.  I hope they are encouraged to make real food, with real ingredients and think always about the food they eat. 






Cooking School is agreeing with me.  Firstly, I had my 'Adding Flavour to Your Foods with Spices and Herbs'.  That was so much fun.  It was a ton of work to write that class but so rewarding at the same time.  Then it was a BBQ class.  I sent my participants home nicely 'smoked'!  I will work on improving that situation.  And I had my Newcomers Club class.  They were so open and eager and friendly.  It was a delight.  Now I have completed my first 'Kids Camp'.  They are all so much fun for me.  Thank you to all who have participated.  I truly appreciate your support.  I will be coming out with a full program of classes that will begin in October.  I will post the program on my blog and also email everyone on my list.

Cooking Camp Revelations

*  kids are way more afraid to crack an egg than turn on a gas cooktop
*  they are more aware of fats, sugars and nutrients than I thought they would be
*  they mostly have a very adventurous spirit with food then fool you with some little dislike that you would never guess - just like all of us!
*  let them try to make things that seem to be way over their head.  Who knows what their real expectations are anyway.  They adapt and come up with a winner no matter what.
*  next time I would line my floor with plastic before cupcake decorating!  (just kidding)
*  on the first day I should be more cognizant of skill levels.  It took me until Day 2 or 3 before I realized the differing abilities of the participants.  Then, assign duties according to abilities.
*  they love the garden and fresh things - flowers and herbs especially
*  they would naturally reach their fill on what we were doing and take a break in the garden.  Such a great idea that I had never thought about.  I was so task oriented.  A break now and again is wonderful.  It is camp, after all, not school.  Friendship and socializing is just as important.  Plus it gives me a chance to reorganize the kitchen for the next project.
*  all you have to do is ask.  If I am doing all the cleaning, work in the kitchen it is only my problem.  When I ask for help they all jump up and want a job.  So nice.
*  seeing things through the eyes of a child is so refreshing.  You have no idea how many times their questions required me to reframe my thinking.
*  kids love to pose for photos!  It is so cute.  I told them that they were movie stars this week.
*  breakfast is a great time to do the 'teaching' stuff.  I would set the table centre in the theme of the lesson that day.

Day 3 at Kid's Cooking Camp

Finally we are decorating cupcakes!  So many ideas, so little time.  The buttercream they made yesterday was beautiful, but so fragile.  A few minutes in the piping bag with hands on and it was turning soft.  We had to work fast.  Sugared flowers were the favourite.

My kitchen will never be the same!  Blue and chocolate icing in my hardwood floors, sugar here and there and 'who knows what' in my fridge!

It was an intense couple of hours and the gang was ready for a little break.

 Silly faces!

 Happy conversation!

Laughter!

And Greek Salad for lunch.  Only 2 more days...sigh!  It is exhausting (washing aprons and tablecloths every night, setting out the mise en place) but so much fun.  My house will be so quiet when they have finished.

See you tomorrow!

Day 2 at Kid's Cooking Camp

 It was cupcake day!  We baked cupcakes and hey, guess what?  They all turned out!  Yeah!  Tomorrow we will decorate.

Over a breakfast of smoothies and fresh bread, we talked about how to set a table and table etiquette.

 Work station #1.  A very amibitious duo planning to make Black Forest Cake cupcakes!  Yummm

 This was our smoothie work station.  We had frozen fresh picked local strawberries, frozen local saskatoon berries, mango, banana, homemade yogurt, milk and a dash of ground flax or wheat germ.

 Then we put our heads together and started baking.  This was our attempt at chocolate buttercream icing.  I had no idea how I could not help 3 work stations at the same time!  Unfortunately this flopped.  Oh well.  I am making some up tonight so we can carry on tomorrow.  We must have chocolate buttercream icing.

 These are the Black Forest Cake cupcakes.  We are doing it the old fashioned way with 2 big spoons.  I don't have an appropriately sized ice cream scoop.

 And these are vanilla cupcakes with fresh picked raspberries baked into them.  Yum...Yum.  Great idea, girls!  And don't you love that production line?  They know how to move.

And what is making cupcakes without licking off the spoons?

 Now is the time to see how they all baked.  Look at all the smiling faces!  What a bunch of photogenic ladies.

Penny for your thoughts!