Thank you so much Heena of Tiffin Tales and Niya of Destiny, Domesticity and Dirty Secrets, who organized the fabulous Toronto Bakes for Japan Bake Sale.  As Japan was hit with several disasters in a row, Heena determined to help in any way she could.  In answer to why we should have this bake sale, she eloquently and succintly wrote:

Because we can.  We must…. Japan had been hit by a massive 8.9 earthquake. Over the next few days, I watched as the country was hit by one disaster after another.  My heart broke a little each time I saw the images of death and destruction, of kids being scanned for signs of radiation, of rescue workers searching for the bodies of victims, of survivors trying desperately to find their loved ones.  I sent up a silent prayer each time, but I wanted to do more…. I bake almost every week, and I know so do hundreds of passionate food lovers all over Toronto. If we all put our efforts together, can we make a difference? I really believe we can.

…continue reading Toronto Bakes for Japan

The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.

After discovering our October challenge, I decided I’m in love with Lori of Butter Me Up.  You see, I have had a life-long love affair with doughnuts.  Perhaps it has something to do with being Canadian (as Lori pointed out in her write-up, Tim Horton’s are liberally sprinkled throughout our fair country), or perhaps it has to do with my working at Dunkin’ Donuts when I was sixteen (what can I say, I was hooked on the free doughnuts!), but whatever it is, doughnuts and I go way back.

…continue reading Daring Bakers- Ode to Doughnuts

Today, in theory, I was cooking for myself.  Chris was away, but with my Sunday free, I still wanted to make a Sunday Dinner.  The past couple of weeks have been really hectic, so I turned to The Joy of Cooking to give me some of that joy back.  I selected Becker Quick Miso Soup (p.125), Johnny Marzetti Spaghetti Pie (p.95), and Baked Figs with Ricotta (p.227).  Of course, my camera chose today to conk out so I only had pics of the miso soup (I start a photography class next month.  Then when these things happen, I’ll give a throaty laugh and magically fix said camera to take the most beautiful pictures ever).  However, two friends decided to pop by, so not only did I have lovely company, but one of them contributed an additional two pictures using his phone.

The meal was a success, as any with the word “joy” should be, although I preferred the soup and pasta pie to the ricotta recipe.  The Johnny Marzetti pie was “made famous at Marzetti’s restaurant in Columbus, Ohio,” Joy explains.  I added mushrooms and adjusted timings, but otherwise stuck pretty close to the original.

The miso soup was incredibly salty, probably because they used a broth base instead of water, so I added an additional cup of water to balance.  I’ve written the recipe as per my experiment, but I recommend you recreate it using 2 cups of water instead of 2 cups broth plus 1 cup water.  The soup paired perfectly with my creamy glass of milk, and would be tasty with some small shrimp thrown in.

With fig season just past, I used delicious, plump Medjool dates instead of the specified figs.  I’m not a huge fan of either the ricotta mixture or the marsala sauce, although they did pair nicely together.  The cheese blend called for equal parts cheese and cream, and I scooped in additional ricotta to thicken the soupiness.

All recipes adapted from The Joy of Cooking.

Becker Quick Miso Soup

2 cups chicken broth

1.5 tbsps miso/ soybean paste (I used white miso)

1 cup water (or to taste)

3- 5 sliced mushrooms, optional

1 green onion, chopped

1 thin slice of lemon, to garnish

(the Beckers also suggest a dash of hot pepper sauce to garnish, as desired)

miso/ soybean paste

Bring the broth to boil.  Stir in miso paste, and add water to taste.  Add sliced mushrooms and green onions.  Continue boiling 1 minute.  Garnish with lemon.

soup boiling away

finished miso soup

Johnny Marzetti Spaghetti Pie

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

salt and pepper

1 green pepper, chopped

1 small container mushrooms, chopped

1 28-oz can tomatoes, with juice

1 15-oz tomato-based spaghetti sauce

1 tsp oregano or pizza spice

1 bay leaf

1- 2 handfuls whole wheat spaghetti (or other pasta as desired), cooked and drained

2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, separated

1 cup breadcrumbs

Place ground beef, onion and garlic in large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook, breaking up beef with a spoon, until beef is mostly browned.  Add green pepper and mushrooms, cook 3- 5 minutes, until vegetables have softened.

Add tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, oregano and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low and simmer 25 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.  While simmering, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove bay leaf.  Stir in spaghetti and 1 cup cheddar cheese, letting cheese melt into beef mixture.  Transfer to 9 x 13″ baking dish.  Sprinkle remaining cheese over top, followed by bread crumbs.  Bake until top is lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

spaghetti pie

Dates with Ricotta and Marsala Sauce

1/3 cup sugar plus 3 tsps sugar, separated

3 tbsps water

1/2 cup Marsala wine

20 Medjool dates

2/3 cup ricotta

1/3 cup heavy (35%) or table (18%) cream

Cut slit lengthwise in each date and remove pit.

In small saucepan, bring to boil 1/3 cup sugar and water, stirring to dissolve sugar.  Remove from heat and add Marsala.

Mix together ricotta, cream, and 3 tsps sugar.  Spoon cheese mixture into center of each date, and drizzle with marsala sauce.

dates with ricotta and marsala sauce