Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Ok, so you know that you're starting to become a foodie when getting a cookbook for your birthday excites you, but I have to say that I'm so excited about this! I recently got the Joy of Cooking and couldn't WAIT to try one of the many soup recipes in there! I tried the Roasted Red Pepper soup and was pretty darn pleased with it. It has a little bit of tang, and that sweet red pepper flavour. Also, when I know I've had a fairly carb- or protein-heavy week, I can have this soup and get a few servings of my veggies for the day! Oh, and it fills you up too! I hate nothing more than having a bowl of soup, and being starving 2 hours later... this one has not been like that at all for me. Have a couple of crackers or croutons with it, and I can have it for lunch, and be good to go until dinner time!

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Adapted from the Joy of Cooking

Serves about 8

6 large red bell peppers

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup diced celery

6 cups chicken stock (I used homemade)

3 tablespoons uncooked brown rice

2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried rosemary

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 cup milk (I used soy)

3 drops balsamic vinegar

Salt & pepper to taste

1) Roast bell peppers in the oven: Place whole (washed) peppers on an aluminum foiled lined baking sheet. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, and place under the broiler (about 6 inches from heat). Roast for about 7-8 minutes until pepper looks blistered (it will look black)... rotating until the whole pepper is equally blackened. Once done, place peppers in a resealable plastic bag, seal closed and let stand for about 10 minutes (the peppers will steam, and help the skin to come off). Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove, peal and remove stems and seeds. Make sure not to rinse them at this point, as the smoky flavour lies in the surface. Cut into long strips and set aside.

2) Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat, and cook onions, carrots and celery until tender. About 10 minutes or so.

3) Stir in the roasted peppers, chicken stock, rice, basil, rosemary and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until rice is tender, about 30-40 minutes.

4) Once cooked, remove the soup from the heat and puree until smooth. I pureed mine in a blender in batches (since I *gasp* don't have a hand-held immersion blender), which works just fine... just be careful when putting hot liquids in the blender, you don't want to fill it all the way up! It'll go everywhere if you put too much in at once.

5) Once smooth, return the soup to the pot and stir in the milk. In order to make sure the milk doesn't curdle since you're adding cold milk to hot soup, I actually ladle a couple of ladle-fulls of the warm soup into the milk first, in order to bring it up to temperature. Once warmed, I then add it into the full pot of soup.

6) Add the balsamic vinegar and season to taste. Yum.

Beef Chili

Do you ever have one of those days where you're just not thinking clearly? Well, did I ever have that day last week... It was probably 30 degrees (celsius) outside, and that was the day I decided to make homemade beef chili. You see, not only did I decide to make the chili, but it was also the same day I made the blueberry crumb bars. Ridiculous. The chili itself was incredible, but my goodness, was the house ever hot! Not that I'm complaining about the nice weather, but lets be honest, this could have been saved for a cooler day now that we're getting more of them. Oh well, I have to say it was worth it. The chili was probably one of the best beef chili's I've ever had. The chili had the perfect amount of spice and heat, and was the perfect ratio of beef, beans, veggies and sauce. We served it with homemade cheddar baking powder biscuits, and admittedly had it again the next day for dinner too. Same dinner day two doesn't happen very often around here, and so that's saying a lot about this chili. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Beef Chili

Adapted from For the love of cooking

Serves: 8 or more

2 pounds ground beef

1 tsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1/2 bell pepper, diced

1/2 jalapeno, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp cumin powder

3 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp black pepper

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp sugar

1 796mL can diced tomatoes

1 398mL can tomato sauce (I used the no-salt added)

1 7oz can diced green chilies, undrained

3 14oz cans kidney beans, undrained

1 Tbsp white vinegar

1 bay leaf

1) Heat olive oil and cook onions, celery, bell pepper, and jalapeno until just tender (about 4 minutes). Add garlic, and cook another minute or so.

2) Add ground beef to vegetable mixture and cook until mostly browned (note - only do this if you have the time to let the chili simmer on the stove for awhile, otherwise ensure that the ground beef is thoroughly cooked).

3) Add all the spices, stir and cook for a few seconds.

4) Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chilies and beans. Stir in vinegar and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer, cooking on low heat for at least a couple of hours (Cook it all day if you can - I let it simmer for about 2 hours or so).

5) Remember to remove the bay leaf when you're ready to serve. Enjoy!

Heavenly Blueberry Crumb Bars

These blueberry crumb bars are so delicious! They are simply... well... heavenly. They are perfectly sweet, just enough blueberry, a hint of lemon, and the perfect amount of crumbly topping. Every time I make these they have only lasted a few days in our house before they are gone, and quite frankly I would happily eat the entire dish to myself, if I didn't know any better. My most recent excuse to make them (and really, who needs an excuse!), was to make them for my wonderful assistant at work, who has shown me so much love and support over the last 10 months. She is always so thoughtful, and was always checking in on me to see how I was doing, and so the least I could do was make these for her. Let me tell you, they were a huge hit.

I actually came across a variation of this recipe on several sites (For the love of cooking, One Perfect Bite, Smitten Kitchen, and I hear that it actually originated on Allrecipes.com), however I ended up adapting the version off Smitten Kitchen. Really though, I'm positive any one would be good.

Blueberry crumb bars
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Makes 24 medium size squares


3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup cold butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Zest and juice of a lemon
4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp cornstarch

1. Preheat oven to 375F; Grease a 9x13 inch pan.

2. Mix together flour, baking powder, salt and 1 cup of sugar. Stir in the lemon zest.

3. Using a fork, cut in the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture is in pieces about the size of pea. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Don't worry the dough will be crumbly! Pat about half to 2/3 of the dough into the greased pan, and set the rest aside for the topping.

4. In a separate bowl, stir together 1/2 cup of sugar, the cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently stir in the blueberries. Once combined, pour the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust.

5. Crumble the remaining dough over the berry layer.

6. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until top is slightly brown. Let it cool completely before cutting into squares.

These bars are easiest to cut and eat when cooled, and so we keep them in the fridge. If you are to impatient to wait like we were for the bars to cool completely before devouring, they are equally as good hot! They just fall apart quite easily when they are fresh out of the oven hot... consider it a type of blueberry crisp if you're going to eat them that way :)

Zucchini Bread

I learned this summer that when you are introducing "Zucchini Bread" to some new and unsuspecting 20-something, that it's best not to call it just that. I know it tastes delicious... you know it tastes delicious... but the response I heard back was a polite "No thank you - We can't see how some bread that tastes like zucchini will taste good". After an equally polite, well forcing him to try at least one piece, he now sees the light and realizes just how good it is. Maybe I should call it "Super Moist and Delicious with the perfect amount of Spice, Raisin and Walnuts Bread"... um, maybe a bit too long, but it would sure market better with the teens and 20-something's.

Well, I'm not kidding. It's delicious. We loved it. AND, it passed the hardest test of all around here (well in my mind)... Gram fell in love with it. She had me make her 4 loaves last week to store in her freezer. I always say that if Grandma likes it, it must be good! I always make this bread in loaves, but you could also do equally delicious muffins - how perfect would that be for having readily portioned sizes to take with you to work as a breakfast or mid-day snack?

Zucchini Bread
Source: Smitten Kitchen

Makes 2 loaves

3 eggs

1 cup olive or vegetable oil (I've tried both in this recipe, and both work equally good)

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 cups grated zucchini

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts + a few more to sprinkle on top

1 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350F; Grease and flour 2 loaf pans.

2. I like nice moist raisins in my zucchini loaf. To help achieve this, place them in a bowl of warm water for a couple of minutes to plump up (this can sit while you're preparing the rest); set aside. You will drain the water before you add the raisins to the mix later.

3. In a large bowl, wisk the eggs. Once beaten, mix in the oil and sugar. Mix again, then add in the grated zucchini and the vanilla.

4. Combine the dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the walnuts and the (fully drained) raisins.

5. Stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined (don't overmix!).

6. Equally divide the batter into the 2 loaf pans. For something a little bit extra, I sometimes sprinkle some of the chopped walnuts on top just before putting into the oven.

7. Bake for approximately 60 minutes, or until the tester comes out clean. If you were to do the muffins, they would bake much more quickly - probably 20 minutes or so. Enjoy your Super Moist and Delicious with the perfect amount of Spice, Raisin and Walnuts Bread!

Parmesan Baked Zucchini

It's August here in the lower mainland, which means lots of gardens and farms out there are overflowing with zucchini! I love it though, and so keep buying them. That said, I realized that we are getting a bit tired of the same old BBQ grilled zucchini, and so I decided to try something different this time. A couple weeks back I discovered these delicious looking Baked Zucchini Sticks at For the Love of Cooking, and what I loved about them was not only that they were baked not fried, but also that they looked super easy to make!! Let me tell you, they were fantastic! Not too cheesy, but had enough to make it a little bit crunchy; and the zucchini itself was perfectly cooked... nice and firm! Mmmm... delish.

I served these as a vegetable side dish, but it could easily serve as a mid-afternoon snack or appetizer.

Parmesan Baked Zucchini

Source: Adapted slightly from For the Love of Cooking

Makes 2 servings

1 small zucchini (Our zucchini was massive, so it ended up being 1/3 of a large one!)

1 egg

1/4 cup regular bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Dash or 2 of garlic powder

Dash or 2 of dried basil

Salt & pepper to taste

Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil, and spray with cooking spray.

2. Beat the egg, and season with salt & pepper.

3. Combine the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, dried basil, salt and pepper.

4. Cut the zucchini into thick spears. Dip into the egg mixture, and then into the parmesan cheese mixture, coating the zucchini.

5. Place coated zucchini onto a baking sheet; spray the tops with the cooking spray. Cook for approximately 10-12 minutes, flipping them over after about 8 or 9 minutes. Serve.

Roasted Anaheim Pepper Corn Chowder

I first tried corn chowder only about 2 years ago, and I think I fell in love with it immediately! How could I have missed out on such a delicious soup for so long? This summer, I have tried at least 3 or 4 different corn chowder recipes now, and have yet to be disappointed... well except for the chipotle pepper version that was just WAY too hot! I do really love a corn chowder with a bit of spice in it though, and so when I saw this recipe for a Poblano Corn Chowder over at The Other Side of Fifty, I knew that it would be delicious. Poblano peppers seem to be very difficult to find around here, and so I've used Anaheim peppers instead, which worked perfectly!

This recipe also called for creamed corn, which I did include since I knew it would add a bit of creaminess, without too much of that fat. Next time however I think I'll leave it out the creamed corn, since you could probably achieve the same effect by just blending up half of it (while leaving some unblended for a bit of a chunkier texture that I love!)

Roasted Anaheim Pepper Corn Chowder

Adapted from The Other Side of Fifty

3 anaheim peppers, seeds removed

1 red bell pepper, seeds removed

1 onion, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano

Salt & pepper to taste

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

6 cups chicken broth (I used homemade)

2 medium potatoes, peeled & diced

2 10 oz cans creamed corn

2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)

1/2 cup milk or heavy cream (I used soy milk)

1. Roast anaheim and bell peppers in the oven: Place whole (washed) peppers on an aluminum foiled lined baking sheet. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, and place under the broiler (about 6 inches from heat). Roast for about 7-8 minutes until pepper looks blistered (it will look black)... rotating until the whole pepper is equally blackened. Once done, place peppers in a resealable plastic bag, seal closed and let stand for about 10 minutes (the peppers will steam, and help the skin to come off). Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove, peal and remove stems and seeds. Make sure not to rinse them at this point, as the smoky flavour lies in the surface. Dice and set aside.

2. Heat some olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat, and add onions and celery. Season with cumin, oregano and salt & pepper. Saute until onions are soft (about 5-7 minutes). Add garlic, and saute for another 60 seconds.

3. Sprinkle flour over onion mixture, and stir to combine. Cook for about 2 minutes. Slowly add chicken broth to pot.

4. Bring to a boil, and add potatoes, creamed corn, and diced roasted peppers. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add corn kernels, and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and stir in milk. In order to make sure the milk doesn't curdle since you're adding cold milk to hot soup, I actually ladle a couple of ladle-fulls of the warm soup into the milk first, in order to bring it up to temperature. Once warmed, I then add it into the full pot of soup. Taste and re-season if necessary.

6. If you like a smoother soup, puree in a blender or with an immersion blender. For a chunkier soup, serve as is. I served this with a garden salad for lunch. It also freezes really well. Enjoy!

Light and Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes

Blueberry season here in the lower mainland is in full swing, and I am LOVING trying out all of the fabulous blueberry recipes out there. This weekend I drove out to one of the blueberry farms that are nearby, and bought three huge flats of blueberries (of which most will be frozen for future enjoyment!). With my fridge stocked with fruit, we've been eating the berries by the handfull, but I also wanted to make something else with them. I recently discovered this recipe for blueberry pancakes on Sidewalk Shoes, and I knew I had to try them. The pancakes were light and fluffy, and the blueberries added a bit of extra sweetness... YUM! Let me tell you, they were nothing like the heavy, dense pancakes that I remember having as a kid. My husband and I both enjoyed them so much, that we actually had them two days in a row - something that doesn't happen very often in our house! We will definitely be making these again.


Blueberry Pancakes
Makes approximately 10 pancakes (or if you like really big ones ~ about 5)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk (I used 1%)
2 Tbsp melted & cooled butter
1 cup blueberries (Next time, I'll probably even use 1 1/2 cups!)

1. Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

2. In a separate bowl, wisk together the eggs and milk. Stir in the melted butter.

3. Gently stir the milk and egg mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix only to moisten the flour; don't worry about lumps, since over mixing will cause it to loose its light fluffiness.

4. Gently fold in the blueberries.

5. Ladle the pancakes into a preheated non-stick skillet (I used a bit of olive oil for cooking). Cook for about 2-4 minutes in order to brown the bottom of the pancakes (when the bubbles start to appear it's time to flip!). Flip, and cook on the other side until brown. Enjoy! You'll be coming back for seconds, that's for sure :)

From small beginnings come great things

I think I'm obsessed with finding the perfect recipe. Have a good soup recipe? I want to try it. My husband jokes that if I'm not watching a cooking show, flipping through a cookbook, or reading one of the fabulous food blogs out there, I'm probably writing down a new recipe that I've found. I love to bake, but love to cook even more. Nothing fancy, just simple, home-style family cooking. A year ago, I spent my days and nights working, and quite honestly was the queen of reheating frozen prepared meals (I know, I know... seems crazy now). Today, I can't even bring myself to buy a carton of chicken stock from the store, when you can very simply make your own (which, honestly, the homemade version tastes a million times better)!

Creating my own blog has been on my mind for awhile now. Since I've started to build up a small collection of so many delicious recipes, I had to share them! At the very least, this is a simple way for me to foster my love of cooking and to document each of the delicious recipes for all of our family and friends. Enjoy!