Fall Canning

So this year I had decided to can as much of what I grew as possible to see how long I could go with out buying out of season produce. That was the initial goal. Unfortunately I didn't get out to any farmers market to supplement my measly garden. Sigh...with the salsa I made previously my bounty wasn't too pathetic but I guess if I'd used smaller jars it would look like more.

The first batch was spaghetti sauce...boiled for many hours and then put into a blender. I prefer to blend it...that way I can leave the skins on the tomato's and plays to the days when I feel anti-vegetable.

I still will have another batch of something to make with the huge bowl of tomato's I have waiting to ripen...kinda a freebee batch as I just pulled my plants yesterday and found about 3-4 dozen tomato's on them..who woulda thunk it after all this cold weather?

The second batch was pureed pumpkin...not something I see myself using in vast quantities however after peeling an entire pumpkin for 1 pie I had a lot left over and needed to do something with it...so I canned it. We'll see what if anything I create with it.

I think next year I shall try making my own pickles...

Chocolate Cheese Fudge

I know that I usually dedicate my posts to things I myself have created however I think this latest find must be shared. Chocolate cheese fudge!

During my perusal of sobeys the other day I was on a mission to find a new kind of cheese (new to my tummy anyways). My hubbie was going out of town for a few days and I usually try to turn these lonely evenings into a fun foodgasmic time.

I ended up in the soft cheese section and was hoping someone working there would take pity on me an tell what some of the strange cheeses tasted like. I was decidedly overwhelmed when I saw this tiny brick of something dark brown...upon closer inspection I saw the label and knew I was sold!

I thought that if was as good as I was hoping it would be it should be served with some fresh french bread. You see way back when, when I was in paris I remember having this amazing chocolate cheese that was of course paired with bread and served with some bubbly. I had to at least try to recreate the experience.

So after I headed out to Harvest Bakery for a baguette...I've bought them form various grocery stores and as of late have been bitterly disappointed with the quality. Heavy, mushy and dense loaves try to pass for french bread...nasty...it must have something to do with the flour they use...probably cheap stuff. Anyhoo! I must say that the bread from Harvest was exactly as it should have been! Crunchy outside light fluffy inside!

But back to the cheese. To my hubbie the very thought of chocolate cheese was revolting...which made me less confidant in my endeavor, but I still had to try! It was amazing! The first bite of the cheese was soft and melty. Nary a hint of salt (something I've had issues with some cheese in the past), the cheese was wonderful! You could smell the cocoa when you opened it up; It was never sweet , never salty, just the perfect blend of cheese and chocolate.





It reminded me exactly of the cheese I had in paris, I poured myself a glass of pink bubbly to go with and feasted for the rest of the night. The cheese kind of reminded me in taste of the chocolate chip cream cheese I used to get from the great canadian bagel many years ago without the overly cream taste. I now have a new course for my ultimate dinner party!

Yum Yum Yum!

Pork Dumplings w/ red wine vinegar & Spicy California sushi

Following on the theme of playing homage to things created by others we honour superstore sushi. With my hubbie out of town for a few days this was part of the foodgasmic feast. Only a couple of chains have the sushi counter and make it fresh daily.

I haven't graduated to the full on raw tuna/fish deal but I do find the others quite yummy. I'm sure it doesn't compare to the great sushi restaurants but it's fresh and light and makes you feel good about eating it!

Yum Yum!

On the opposite end of the spectrum, greasy pork dumplings! I was introduced to these lovely tasty thing a few years ago by my friend Alison and they are my definitive weakness. They have to be served with the vinegar for dipping though otherwise there's just no point for me.

Pork surrounded by crisp yet chewy dough dipped in a tart red wine vinegar...I tend to eat these until the plate is empty...not at all good for you but when you balance it with sushi that makes it all better doesn't it?

Who am I kidding...I have a dumpling addiction...

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie

So With Thanksgiving this year it was my role to bring dessert and the request was pumpkin pie so I decided to try to make it from scratch. A task that I would later come to regret.

The first task was to gut and peel the pumpkin. I'd never peeled a pumpkin before and god willing hopefully I'll never do it again. It was horrible, it was like peeling a turnip with a spoon. It took over and hour just to peel the thing!

Once the pumpkin was peeled the next step was to cut it up into 1 inch cubes.

This part was easier and more fun! I then mixed the fruit with cinnamon, cloves and ginger and baked it for about 45 minutes until it was soft.

The next step was to blend the fruit in my food processor...a fun time as I rarely get to use this wedding gift...creamy goodness! After blended I added an egg, whipping cream and vanilla and mixed it all together and then poured it into my wheat free pie crust and baked it for 45 minutes.

The final result! The pastry was a little thicker than I would have like but the dough was cold and hard to work with so I couldn't get it as thin as i would have liked. The consensus at the table was that it was really good pumpkin pie...way better than store bought!

The truly sad thing was that after all of that hard work I discovered that I really don't like pumpkin pie...