I recently moved to a new city where the climate is drastically different then my last place. I now live on the East coast of Canada where I get to see the ocean any time I want. However, my dehumidifier is pulling 20 pints of water from the air every day and a half, and I live in the second story of a house! Let's just say my baking has been affected. I hear of people baking french macaroons in tropical places.... But I seriously don't know how.
I've tried making my staple recipes, my breads, my crackers, even simple muffins are totally failing. Everything comes out... blah. I swear adapting to a new city never phases me that much since I've moved a lot, but it's the new kitchen that always makes or breaks my mood. I haven't updated in over two months!!! My kitchen isn't much less spacious then my last kitchen, but it's a square instead of a rectangular space, so it's a little harder to think about organizing a cooking experiment. I've had to build... UP.
I also haven't been inspired to cook and photograph since my camera doesn't do well in low light and so all my food pictures look pretty gross. (I plan of putting up pictures of my little kitchen soon for a post on kitchen organizational systems). I've decided to just stop feeling sorry for myself and update once and for all, flash pictures or not! I hope you enjoy.
I always thought I hated brussel sprouts. My mom tried making them a few times when I was a kid but used frozen and we all thought, including my mom, that brussel sprouts weren't for us. I had them this year at a dinner at a gorgeously fancy house with a private chef. The setting must have helped my food mood, but honestly, the sprouts were delicious so I've decided to have a try at it. For this recipe I decided to keep it simple, and it was really addictive, I made extra and wanted to gobble it all up right away:
Sweet and tangy brussel sprouts and mushroom side dish
A hand full of fresh brussel sprouts equal amount of mini cremini mushrooms
1 TBS of butter
1 TBS lime juice
2 TSP maple syrup
enough black pepper to give it a little kick salt to taste
Cut the end off the sprouts and peel all the leaves off gently. Cut mini mushrooms in half. Melt butter in pan over medium heat. When melted, throw sprouts and mushrooms in pan. Add all ingredients and gently fold in with soft spatula. I gather everything in the middle of the pan for a few minutes at a time, then stir, then scoop all of it in the middle again. I find it creates a nice little steam circle. Sautee until the sprouts have softened. And guess what? I made this again for my mom when she was visiting and she LOVED it! Success!
I also made beautiful kale chips tonight. My friend Lyz, who teaches cooking classes in Halifax and is also a certified chef and holistic nutritionist and cooks a Satisfaction Feast restaurant in Halifax taught me how to take my love of kale to a new level. I TOTALLY over-salted them however. I loved them still, but I'd never serve them to anyone. I'll hold back a bit next time.
Spicy Kale Chips
5 cups of kale leaves
Chili powder
Salt
2-3 TBS of Olive Oil
Wash the kale and cut stems off. Tear into bite size pieces and make sure all the water has dried off (I dabbed mine with a clean tea towel). Put kale in large bowl. I drizzled olive oil on top but don't put too much. Your kale should be coated but not drip! Sprinkled chili powder and salt to taste (honestly, don't put too much, the kale already has such great flavor!) mixed all over, make sure the kale is well coated. Spread on a cookie sheet evenly, don't stack the kale. Pop into a 375 degree oven and bake until the edges are brown. Keep an eye on them, it's easy to over bake/burn!
Enjoy instead of popcorn once in a while, or crumble over a salad, or eat them all straight from the oven.
Brussel Sprouts trivia: These little buds can help prevent colon cancer. Their cultivation has been dated back to ancient Rome and made an appearance in North America when French settlers brought them to Louisiana (Mais oui, le petit choux de brouxelle!), but the sprouts as they are eaten today date back to the 13th century in a place we now call Belgium! They are indeed named after the Belgian city of Brussels.
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