Cooking in Pajamas

3 bulbs Garlic 2-3 Tbsp Olive oil 1/2 c. Butter, salted 1 Tbsp Fresh parsley, finely chopped or 1/2 Tbsp Dried parsley flakes (optional) 2 Tbsp Frech Parmesan cheese, grated (optional) 1 French baguette (This recipe makes approximately 1 cup of garlic spread.) Preheat the oven to 350 ˚ F. Slice the tops off of the garlic bulbs to expose the tips of the cloves. Place the bulbs in an oven-safe container (or a baking sheet) and drizzle the top with olive oil. Bake for 35-40 min.  The garlic should be soft and slightly browned. When the garlic is cool enough to touch, squeeze the cloves from their skin into a small bowl.  Reserve the olive oil if you used a bowl for roasting. Mash the garlic with the olive oil.  Then mix in the butter, parsley and parmesan cheese. Cut the baguette diagonally into 1" slices.  Generously spread the garlic butter on one side. Toasting methods: Quick 'n Easy - Heat in the toaster oven for 5 min or until the ed...

2 Butternut squash, peeled and cubed 1 Onion, diced 6 c. Chicken broth, low sodium 2 Bay leaves 2 Cinnamon sticks (~ 3-4 in. long) 1-2 pkg Cream cheese, light Place all the ingredients, except for the cream cheese, into the slowcooker.  Ensure the broth is covering the squash but do not fill it up too high because you will need to save room for the cream cheese. Cook for 10 hours. Discard the Bay leaves and cinnamon sticks. Puree the soup and the cream cheese together using a blender or food processor.  You can add 1-2 packages of cream cheese, depending on how creamy you want your soup to be. Transfer the soup back into the slowcooker to keep warm.  Do not boil.  (Alternatively, you can warm up the soup on the stovetop.) My comment: I've made the Brandy-laced Squash Soup several times and I love it but I am ready to try a different squash soup recipe this year.  I found a really easy squash soup recipe with great reviews and thought I'd...

2 c. Green lentils 1/2 c. Chickpeas, soaked overnight 1 large Onion, diced 6 pc. Chicken thighs 3 c. Chicken broth, low sodium 1 c. Water 1 tbsp Curry powder 1 tsp Ground tumeric 1 tsp Cumin 1/2 tsp Ground coriander 1 tbsp Chinese garlic chili sauce (or chilli pepper flakes) 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp White sugar 1 tbsp Ginger root, minced 4 cloves Garlic, minced 1 pkg Curry paste 1 can Diced tomatoes Plain yogurt (optional) [Vegetarian option: Omit the chicken thighs and substitute in a vegetable stock.] Put everything, except for the chicken, in the slowcooker.  Stir to mix. Place the chicken thighs on top and baste them with a little bit of liquid.  Add more water if necessary. Cook for 4-8 hours. When the curry is done, de-bone the chicken thighs and stir the meat back into the curry. Serve with basmati rice and a dollop of plain yogurt. My comments: I have always been hesitant in making curry from scratch for two simple reasons: 1. I was told ...

2-3 sprigs of fresh basil, leaves picked 4-5 halves of sun-dried tomatoes (in oil), drained 2 cloves of garlic Olive oil 1 c. Parmesan cheese Squeeze of fresh lemon juice Salt & Pepper Coarsely chop the basil leaves, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic.  Pulse in a food processor until the ingredients are minced.  If the ingredients stick to the side of the food processor, add a little bit of olive oil, stir it up and pulse again. Turn the minced ingredients into a bowl.  Add half of the Parmesan cheese and stir. Add olive oil to bind the ingredients together.  The oil in your pesto should ooze a little bit. Do a taste test here.  Add more cheese and olive oil until you get the flavour right.  You can also add salt and pepper to taste. Finally, squeeze a little bit of fresh lemon juice into the pesto and stir. My comments: Mmmmm...this was one delicious pesto!! Easy to make but with amazing result. The thing about this recipe is that...

Vanilla Cream 1/4 c. Sugar 4 tsp Cornstarch 1/8 tsp Salt 1 c. Light cream 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla bean) 2 Egg yolks, beaten In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt together. Slowly stir in the light cream. (If using, split the vanilla bean lengthwise, scrap out the seed into the mixture and then add the whole vanilla bean.) Cook the cream mixture over medium heat, whisking often until thickened and bubbly. Cook for 1 more minute. Gradually whisk approximately half of the cream mixture into the egg yolk. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for 2 more minutes, whisking constantly. Remove the cream from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. (Or discard the vanilla bean.) Place the bowl of cream in ice water and chill for approximately 5 minutes, stirring often to allow the cream to chill evenly. Cover the cream with plastic wrap and continue to chill in the fridge until cold. Strawberry Sauce 1.5 c....

6 Potatoes , medium size 4 Eggs 1/2 c. Red onions, chopped 1/2 c. Sweet pickle relish 2 cloves Garlic, minced 2 tsp Celery seeds 1 tbsp Prepared mustard 1/2 c. Light mayonnaise ( Hellmann's ) Ground black pepper and salt to taste In a large pot, boil the potatoes until tender but firm, approximately 15 min. Drain, cool and cut into cubes. (If you are using large potatoes, halve them before boiling them. Otherwise, it will not cook evenly and you will end up with half mushy and half raw crunchy potatoes.) To cook the eggs, place the eggs in a pot of cold water and bring water to a boil. Then reduce the heat and continue to cook the eggs for another 10-12 min, covered. When the eggs are done, cool the eggs in cold water and peel. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients and add salt and pepper to taste. Chill before serving. My comments: I must admit, I thought adding relish to the potato salad was a bit weird. But the original recipe had really good ratings and I wa...

Dressing 1/4 c. Olive oil 2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegarette 1/2 tsp Thyme, dried 1/2 tsp Rosemary, dried 1 tsp Basil, dried 4-5 cloves Garlic, minced Salt & Pepper to taste Vegetables 4 Potatoes , cubed with skin on 1/2 Onion, sliced 2 Sweet bell peppers , cubed 1 Zucchini, cut into bite-size 8-10 White mushrooms Handful of snowpeas Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Combine the dressing ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix together the pepper, zucchini, mushrooms and snowpeas. Toss them in the dressing until coated. Transfer the vegetables to another bowl and set aside. Toss the potatoes an onions with the remaining dressing. Spray the bottle of a roasting pan with oil. Spread the potatoes and onions evenly on the roasting pan. Bake for 10 min and flip them potatoes. Add the rest of the vegetables. Toss to mix. Bake for 10 min and flip the veggies once. Bake again for another 10 min. My comment: Summer is a great time to include fresh vegetables to your diet. You can get delicious vege...