Easter Sunday Brunch

Instead of a big dinner tomorrow, my family is doing brunch. I love brunch because most of it can be prepared in advance. Like the baked French toast (recipe follows) that I’ll make tonight, put in the fridge, and pop in the oven tomorrow. I’ll also serve locally made, organic breakfast sausages, a fresh fruit platter, applesauce cupcakes, and coffee and tea. And mimosas.

Make-ahead Baked French Toast

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
8 one-inch-thick slices French bread
4 eggs
1/2 cup light cream (10%)
1/2 cup milk
1/ 4 cup orange juice

Spread the melted butter in a 9" by 13" baking pan. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle half the mixture in the pan. Arrange the bread slices in the pan. You might have to squish them a bit, but make sure they don’t overlap.

Beat the eggs, then add the cream, milk and orange juice. Slowly and carefully pour this mixture over the bread, being sure the bread is evenly coated.

Sprinkle the remaining brown sugar/cinnamon mixture over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, remove the plastic wrap from the pan, and bake the French toast for about 25 minutes. Delicious when served with maple syrup and fruit compote.

I hope you have a wonderful Easter!

Until next time,
Lee

Friday Food for Thought—Cooking with Fire, Part I

This Christmas my family received a pair of hot stone grills as a gift. They’re for tabletop cooking, and each grill consists of a flat piece of actual stone, a stainless steel stand, and two refillable burners, like the ones you’d use under a fondue pot. Last weekend was our first foray into hot stone grilling, and everyone declared it a success!


The stones and stands go into a 450-degree oven for fifteen or twenty minutes, then they need to be transferred to the table. The grills are quite heavy and at this point they’re very hot, so have to be handled with care.

We grilled strips of rib eye steak in a balsamic-rosemary marinade, garlic lime prawns, veggie kabobs and asparagus spears.


We steamed the asparagus for a couple of minutes, then lightly brushed it with olive oil and lemon juice before grilling. How’s this for mouth-watering yumminess?


Hot stone grilling is fun and social, and it's an economical alternative to going to a restaurant for a special occasion. We’ll definitely get more use out of our grills. I’m on the lookout for new ideas and recipes so if you have any, please share!

Until next time,
Lee

PS: As today’s title implies, there’ll be more cooking with fire this month. Keep checking back!

Pomp and Circumstance

Yesterday my son Joe graduated from Vancouver Island University with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies, and he made the Dean’s List. What a thrill to see him cross that stage in his regalia!


From the time he won first place in a piano competition at the age of five, we’ve known he was musically gifted. He moved on to the trumpet and played in his school band. After high school he taught himself to play the bass and auditioned for admission to VIU, which culminated in yesterday’s achievement.

There isn’t a prouder mom on the planet!

Until next time,
Lee

Friday Food for Thought—Spinach & Strawberry Salad

I’m doing salads this month because, well, I like salads and it seems like a perfect way to round out the summer.

I've never been a fan of cooked spinach, but I love it fresh. When my kids were little they decided they didn’t like spinach, period, so devious Mom that I am, I invented Christmas Salad. And really, nothing could be simpler. Colorful fresh spinach and tomato wedges give the salad it’s name, and it was topped with a simple vinaigrette. Once my kids acquired a taste for spinach, we expanded their repertoire.

This spinach and strawberry salad is now an old standby—great for family dinners but also perfect for larger potlucks and buffet dinners.

1 pound fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and thinly sliced
1 8-ounce bag fresh spinach, washed and stems removed

Dressing
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons grated or finely chopped onion
1 to 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Put the sliced strawberries and spinach in a salad bowl. Combine the dressing ingredients and mix well. Just before serving, pour the dressing over the salad, toss and serve. Delish!

Until next time,
Lee

Holiday Wishes from My Home to Yours!

My favorite day of the year has arrived, and so did Santa, judging by the pile of gifts under the tree. In about an hour my parents will arrive for our gift opening and Christmas morning brunch, and then dinner preparations will begin.

I love Christmas dinner! Turkey with traditional bread stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy. We serve two kinds of cranberry sauce - the homemade kind made from fresh berries that my husband likes and the jellied version that my kids prefer. The latter is slid out of the can, sliced into rings and garnished with fresh parsley.

There will be carrots, buttered and parsleyed, and brussels sprouts because my mom likes those. Creamed corn for my dad, although almost everyone else turns up their nose at that. I made a jellied fruit salad, just like my grandmother's, and I'll serve it in the pink depression glass bowl I inherited from her. We'll also serve sliced buttered beets - those were one of my grandfather's favorites. Although my grandparents are no longer with us, I like to keep their traditions alive.

My son, who is a jazz musician and also works as a baker, has contributed dinner rolls and, as I post this blog, he's in the kitchen, baking a pie for dessert. Believe it or not, it's banana cream. That'll probably be the least traditional part of our meal, but it's hands down my father's absolute favorite.

For me, holiday celebrations are all about tradition, about bringing families together to share old memories and create new ones. I hope you and yours will have as happy a Christmas as mine.

With warmest wishes for the happiest of holidays,

Lee

Brothers & Sisters

I really, really like this show. I watched the season premiere on Sunday and have been wanting to say something constructively critical but the truth is, I simply like the show. Not so much because of the writing or the acting, but because of its premise, theme or whatever you want to call it. Family.

No matter what choices our parents or siblings or even aunts and uncles make, they’re family. We love them and because of that we’re there at their side, helping them work through whatever decision they made. In Brothers & Sisters, I love that Nora, their mother, is at the core of the family. Whatever happens to one of her children happens to her because she’s right there with them, sharing their joy and disappointments. It doesn't matter that they're adults because they'll always be her children.

I love that Nora assembles her family to celebrate special occasions and family dinners. It reminds of my grandmother. From the tiniest kitchen you can imagine, she could serve up a feast to three generations, and make it look easy. Although she’s no longer with us and everyone has spread themselves across the continent, I still love family dinners. In fact I’m already planning Thanksgiving dinner for this weekend. Yes, Canadians celebrate in the early fall, maybe because harvest has to happen before the snow flies! Although Thanksgiving Day is October 8, we’ll have dinner on Sunday because Monday will be a travel day for some.

Hm. Family dinner on Sunday evening. Must remember to tape the second episode of Brothers & Sisters!

I’ll be back soon!

Lee