Roasted Garlic

I came across some firm and nice looking garlic heads on sale; 4 for $1, a bargain for sure.

When I prepared them I noticed most of them were getting ready to sprout, but they turned out fine regardless. The house was filled with a lovely fragrant aroma while I had them in the oven roasting.

Several cloves found their way into my garden.. I couldn't resist planting them.

An Easy Chocolate Cake

 (one 8" cake)

A number of years ago a friend gave me this recipe. She referred to it as a "flourless" chocolate cake, which it isn't, as it does contain one tablespoon of the stuff. She couldn't remember exactly where she had gotten the recipe, but seemed to think it might have come from the New York Times.

In any case it's a very easy cake to make, so easy, I have never written down the ingredients until now. One pound of chocolate, 1 stick of butter, 4 large eggs, 1 tablespoon each of sugar and flour.

You can use semisweet chocolate if you prefer. I used bittersweet chocolate for both cake and frosting this time because I served it with a caramel sauce which was a tad on the sweet side.

It's dense, rich  and very chocolatey; an 8" cake is plenty  for 10 - 12 people.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

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(10-14 wrapped scallops)

This is an easy appetizer to make; combining the sweet tasting and juicy marinated sea scallops with the salty crisp bacon. Finger food at one of it's finest moments.

I used a one pound bag of defrosted sea scallops which turned out to be an assortment of sizes. Determined to have my appetizers portioned equally, I wrapped two and even three scallops together with the bacon. This worked quite well.

Scallion Seedlings

Every morning with coffee in hand,  I check on my vegetable and herb garden. I get almost giddy with excitement when another seedling emerges from the ground.

Pictured are Tokyo Long White Scallions; Japanese heirloom seeds I found at a local organic nursery. If all goes well, I'll be able to harvest them in about 65 days. I will be doing successive weekly plantings for the next month or so to ensure a continuous supply for a while.

Among a  number of things I planted were purple carrots with orange centres ; they have just begun to sprout, but aren't photo worthy...      yet.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

(1 small cake)

A few days ago while waiting in the doctor's office I was flipping through some magazines. One of them was showcasing various lovely looking layer cakes.

Needless to say, I've had cake on the brain since then. I wasn't prepared to make a layer cake which struck me as too time intensive for this weekend, so I settled on this delicious, moist coffee cake instead.

Semmel Knödel; German Bread Dumplings

(about 10 small dumplings)

My mum sent me a wonderful German cookbook. One of the first things I checked out were the dumplings. I made some last year to go with my Rouladen, and failed miserably. They had fallen apart during the cooking and I wasn't sure why.

It appears I used too much milk, not enough eggs and no flour. I have made the necessary adjustments, and the dumplings turned out great this time around.


4 cups bread or rolls, torn apart or cubed
1/4-1/3 cup milk
1-2 slices of bacon, diced
1/2  large yellow onion, chopped
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper
a pinch of nutmeg
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour, give or take

Place the bread in a bowl and pour the milk evenly over it. Use less milk if the bread is fresh. Set aside.

Place the bacon in a skillet and fry until it's crispy. If there's too much fat, then remove some of it.

Add the onions and fry until they become translucent and change to an amber brown. Remove from the heat and cool.

Add the parsley, salt and pepper (to taste), nutmeg and eggs to the bread mixture. Add the cooled onions and bacon.
Combine the ingredients well. I find hands work best here.

Starting with about 2 tablespoons of flour.. work that in.. adding a bit more if necessary until the mixture feels like a sticky dough.

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil.

Form about 10 small dumplings with wet hands and drop into the boiling water. Reduce the heat so the water simmers gently and cook for about 15 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked through. They will usually begin to rise to the surface a few minutes before they are actually done.

Leftover dumplings are great sliced up and fried in a small amount of butter.

Braised Pork Loin with Prunes

(3-4 servings)

It's been a few years since I last made a pork roast, and when I came across some great looking small ones at the butcher, I took one home with me.

This recipe creates a nice roast with enough juices to make a small amount of gravy.

I decided to have another go at German bread dumplings which were great with the pork. I will post that recipe separately.

Greek Salad

(2 servings)

It's hard to believe another year has passed so quickly..  heirloom tomatoes are already back at the market!

Sweet Potato & Pecan Pancakes

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(about 4 servings)

 

These pancakes have a lovely colour, are fluffy and very delicious! 

Red Onion Relish

(about 1 1/2 pints)

This stuff is great on steaks, burgers, chicken, pizza...   sandwiches....   lots of things...  yum!