mediterranean eggplant and barley salad.

I know, I know...it seems like forever since my last post! It's not like I haven't been cooking! My memory card is FULL of pictures of food that I've been dying to put on the blog, but my problem lately is finding the time. For those of you who know me, and know that I'm currently only working part time, I'm sure you're shaking your heads right now. And no...I don't have kids to take care of either. So really, I don't have a good excuse. I'm just starting to understand the phrase "there just isn't enough hours in the day". Being a wife and running a home is a lot more work than I ever imagined! Cook, clean, laundry, repeat. I feel like I have a list of things that I'd like to do (maybe not "like to", but should) and just when I get through my list, the fridge needs to be cleaned again, so I start right back at the top of my list. Props to all of you who are doing this all while you take care of your kids and work full-time...or even run your own business...wow!

I was expressing this sentiment to a co-worker just the other day. My friend Helen and I have been lucky enough to be working together the last couple of months, and during one of our daily rants, we were discussing how we felt like we can't keep up with our own lives. Helen is one of those people that just can't say no, and thus works two jobs, always makes time for friends and family, and shows up to work everyday with AMAZING lunches!!!

Helen is a vegetarian and loves to experiment with recipes from various vegetarian food blogs. She brings something new and exciting to work everyday and I'm always amazed at the colours and smells packed into her Ziploc containers. Sadly, Helen had plans to move on to bigger and better things, and so we planned a little vegetarian potluck goodbye party for Helen. While my plan was to make something from her favourite food blog 101 Cookbooks I couldn't pass up the chance to make this recipe. I discovered this recipe on one of my favourite foodie blogs Smitten Kitchen and I followed it to a T (something new for me). My initial reaction when I read the ingredient list was that there was WAY too many flavour combinations going on, but somehow...it just works! A shout out to Deb at Smitten Kitchen for this amazing recipe...it was a hit!

Mediterranean Eggplant and Barley Salad
Makes 4 (main course) or 8 (side dish) servings

- (1 1/2) lb eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- (3/4) lb zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- (10) tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- (1) teaspoon salt
- (1) teaspoon black pepper
- (1) cup chopped green onion (from 1 bunch)
- (1 1/2) teaspoons ground cumin
- (1/2) teaspoon ground coriander
- (1/4) teaspoon cayenne
- (1 1/4) cups pearl barley (8 oz)
- (1) 14-oz can reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth (1 3/4 cups)
- (3/4) cup water
- (2) tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- (1) garlic clove, minced
- (1/4) teaspoon sugar
- (1/2) lb cherry tomatoes, quartered
- (1/3) cup Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and halved
- (1/2) cup thinly sliced red onion, rinsed and drained if desired
- (1) cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- (1/2) cup chopped fresh mint


Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut up the eggplant and zucchini into small cubes. Toss with 5 tablespoons of oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Spread evenly into 2 oiled large shallow baking pans. Roast vegetables in oven, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden brown and tender, 20 to 25 minutes total. Remove from oven and combine vegetables into one pan to cool, reserving other pan for cooling barley.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add green onions, cumin, corriander and cayenne, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add barley and cook, stiring until well coated with oil, 2 minutes more.

Add broth and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until all of the liquid is absorbed and barley is tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for another 5 minutes. Transfer to the reserved baking pan and spread to quickly cool, uncovered, to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

Now it's time to put together the dressing. Whisk together lemon juice, garlic, sugar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon of pepper,  and 3 tablespoons of oil in bowl. Set aside.

To assemble the salad, combine cooled barley, roasted vegetables, tomatoes, olives, onions, mint and parsley into a large bowl. Pour the dressing on top and toss until combined well.

Feel free to make this salad a day a head of time, this will give all the flavours a chance to mingle. Cover and chill overnight, but make sure to bring it up to room temperature before serving.

Enjoy!

cheesy potato pie.

Sometimes I feel like I get stuck in a rut when it comes to side dishes. White rice, brown rice, boiled potatoes, roasted potatoes, fried potatoes, mashed potatoes...blah! I feel that guy from Forrest Gump... lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad...haha! But it's true! It's always the eternal question...what do you want to eat with our fish?...or chicken?...or ribs?...or whatever's for dinner that night! You can only eat sooo much white rice.

So when I saw chef Michael Smith making a delicious looking cheesy potato pie the other day on TV, I had to try it. While his theory is "My favourite recipe...cooking WITHOUT a recipe", I'll leave that to the professionals. I followed his recipe as well as I normally follow a recipe...taking general suggestions and rough measurements. It turned out amazing! It's like a delicious slice of crispy, cheesy, potatoey goodness! I would probably describe it as deconstructed scalloped potatoes...or a big cheesy hashbrown...or as my brother referred to it, as a cheese "latke". Whatever it is...it's GOOD!!!

Cheesy Potato Pie

- (7-10) Yukon Gold potatoes (depending on the size), scrubbed clean
- (1) onion, grated
- (2) cups 35% whipping cream
- (1) teaspoon ground nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
- (1 1/2) cups Gruyere cheese (Medium Cheddar works as well), grated

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Choose which pan you're going to be make your pie in. An oven-proof skillet or cast-iron pan work great, but a baking dish will do the trick too. Once you decide on your pan, lay your potatoes inside to fill the pan. This will give you an idea of how many potatoes you actually need to use, since potatoes come in all different shapes and sizes. My frying pan fit about 9 potatoes.

 
Remove the potatoes from the pan and grate them all into a large pot using the largest holes on your box grater. Follow by grating the onion and the cheese. Be sure to avoid your fingers (which I unfortunately did not). Add the grated potatoes and onions into the large pot and reserve the cheese til later.

 
Add the cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper to the potatoes and bring the mixture to a simmer. This preheating step really speeds up the oven time and evenly heats the potatoes.

While your potatoes are brought up to heat, heat your baking dish in the oven for at least 5 minutes. This will make sure you get a nice brown crispy edge to your pie. Once you remove your dish, lightly oil a towel or folded paper towel with vegetable oil and evenly rub the hot pan, coating it with oil just before using. You can also line your dish with parchment paper if you're using a standard baking pan.

Once your potatoes begin to simmer, stir in the cheese and pour the entire mixture into your preheated pan. 

 
Bake your potato pie for approximately an hour, keeping an eye on it as oven cooking times will vary. You're looking for your pie to have a deep golden brown crust. Loosen the eges with a paring knife and invert onto a serving platter while it's still warm. Cut into slices and serve.

ooey gooey.

My sister Jen isn't exactly what you'd call a "Suzy Homemaker". Her idea of cleaning her bedroom is usually throwing everything into her laundry hamper, and her idea of a good meal is generally filet-o-fish. It's funny because as far as sisters go, we are VERY different. She's blonde, I'm a brunette. She's a vegetarian...I love me some meat. Jen reads literary masterpieces...I read cookbooks. My favourite past time is strolling the aisles of the grocery store (don't judge)...Jen avoids cooking JUST to avoid the grocery store. And in the kitchen...I make cookies...Jen eats my cookies! Love you Jen!!!

I do have to give her a little credit though. There are a couple things that Jen makes really well, and this is one of them. I actually had to steel this recipe from her! Jen got this recipe for buttertarts from the family of a client she used to care for, and boy are they good! They're the type of dessert that looks like you've spent the whole day in the kitchen when really...it's been an hour! I used store made tart shells, but if you like to make your own pastry, more power to you. Fill them with raisins, pecans, walnuts, or just leave them plain. Go ahead...impress your friends and family!

Jen's Buttertarts

- (2) eggs
- (1) cup of packed brown sugar
- (1/2) cup of corn syrup
- (1) tbsp vinegar
- (1/2) cup butter, softened
- (1/2) cup of raisins (optional)
- (1/2) cup of chopped walnuts or pecans
- (1) tsp vanilla
- (~18) tart shells (about 1 1/2 boxes)



Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Beat eggs slightly in a medium sized bowl. Beat in the sugar, corn syrup, vinegar, vanilla and butter.

Whether you're using pecans, walnuts, raisins (or a combination), stir them into the buttery mixture. If you're leaving them plain, you're ready to fill your tart shells!

Lay your tart shells out on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. This way if your tarts overflow ever so slightly, you won't be cleaning up a sticky mess! If you arrange the shells strategically, you should be able to fit about 18 tarts on your baking sheet. Spoon your butter mixture into the shells, filling them about 3/4's of the way (as seen in the pictures below). If you want to make the entire two boxes of shells, fill the shells with slightly less filling to stretch it out.

Slide your baking sheet into the oven and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, until just golden brown. Keep an eye on them as each oven is different and your tarts can turn from pale to nicely tanned fairly quickly.

Let the tarts cool and then serve. Your tarts will stay fresh for quite a few days and can also be frozen for another day. Enjoy!