What you callin' jerk?

Another new recipe I've tried also comes from my neighbour Tammy. It is for Jerk Chicken! It isn't too spicy the way I make it, so I don't know how authentic it is. Either way, it is really tasty! Most of the ingredients are common staples in the kitchen, at least in my kitchen they are. I use boneless, skinless chicken, but any cut would work and doesn't have to be boneless. I imagine you could jerk up just about any protein. The nice thing about this recipe, is that all you really need is a blender! So dust off that blender and get jerking!

In your blender (a food processor would also work), blend all of the ingredients. Here is what you need:
5 green onions/scallions
1 tbsp fresh or 1/2 tbsp dry thyme
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp all spice
1 tsp each nutmeg and cinnamon
2 red chillies (Thai?)
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp neutral oil (vegetable, canola, etc)
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 onion
1/2 cup orange juice
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp grated ginger

A few notes:
For less heat, remove the seeds and ribs of the chillies. I used fresh.
Rough chop the onions and garlic before putting in the blender.
One large navel orange squeezed yields about 1/2 cup of juice.
Ginger keeps amazingly in the freezer. Peel it with a spoon and store in a zip-top bag. Just grate what you need from frozen!
This recipe makes enough to marinate four or more pieces of meat, depending on size. It makes quite a bit!
You'll want to marinate 6-8 hours, but when in doubt, overnight is good. I left my chicken in for three days, and it was awesome.

I grilled the chicken on indirect heat in the bbq. Cook until the juices run clear and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing or serving.

We absolutely loved this recipe, and currently have some marinating in the fridge! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Got MoJo?

I live in a neighbourhood of people who love food. It is awesome! I was talking with my neighbour, Tammy, and she gave me a few of her recipes to try. Oftentimes, I just want to try something new. Those who really know me, know that I am not easily swayed to try new things. Let me tell you! If you like bbq chicken, you will love this!

The recipe is called MoJo Chicken. You can make it as spicy as you want. It doesn't have anything scary in it. Just make sure to plan ahead! I didn't, and it led to the chicken hanging out in marinade for three days in the fridge.

Here is the recipe:
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce (I used sriracha)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
bone-in, skin-on chicken

In a zip-top bag, make the marinade. I juiced an orange since I didn't have OJ on hand. One navel orange makes enough juice. If you want a spicy chicken, add more hot sauce. The 1/2tsp doesn't make it spicy. Add the chicken to the bag, swish it around, and put it in the fridge for 6-8 hours. "When in doubt, leave it overnight" as Tammy said.

Remove the chicken from the bag, and pour the marinade into a small pot. Bring it to a boil for about a minute. I left this step out, and it still turned out great.

Heat your bbq to medium heat. Cook the chicken over INDIRECT heat until the juices run clear. Takes about 30-40 minutes. If you want, baste with the boiled marinade once or twice.

For crispy skin, grill the chicken on direct heat for the last 5 minutes of cooking.

The chicken comes out nice and tender. Usually, I don't go for chicken breast because it dries out too much, but not with this recipe. I cooked off three breasts with this recipe, so you have an idea of how much this marinade stretches. It had a nice, subtle flavour. I forgot about the garlic, so feel free to leave it out if you aren't a fan! Definitely a repeat recipe!

We really enjoyed this recipe, and I hope you do too!

Enjoy!
Lisa

I know I'm not alone

It is nice to know that I'm not alone in my struggles with food. I knew this, but when meeting with other people with a similar problem, it became more real. You know how it is, you think you're the only one who struggles until you see it for yourself.

Apparently, I am a compulsive eater. At least that is what I'm told. I can see that when I look back at my weaker times. It never occurs to me until after the damage is done. Thankfully, I've been good this week and have not experienced problem eating. Okay, maybe just a small slip when I had two granola bars... and when Kerri brought cupcakes. They are gone, so no more temptation!

I learned at Craving Change that perfectionists often are the ones who experience problematic eating. Because we've gone off the wagon, we figure "since I've already messed up today, I'll just eat what I want and try to be good again tomorrow". Hello! That is often what happens to me.  I have to break that cycle. I do seem to follow the 80/20 rule of eating well most of the time and having the indulgences infrequently. Unfortunately, I need to do closer to 90/10 if I want this weight to come off. After visiting with the family, I tend to take almost two weeks to lose what I gained in two days. Maybe that will change if I can get my weaknesses under control. I know it isn't their fault. They aren't forcing me to eat things that I shouldn't have. I don't have to eat a huge chunk of meat or gobs of potato. They are comfort foods, they taste good, they are also large portions.

I am also trying to put my hunger on hold. If I am still hungry after half an hour, then I'll go ahead and eat. I need to focus more on stomach hunger than the I-just-want-to-eat hunger. Sometimes it is just the idea that makes me want to eat and not that I need to eat. That is a time I get in trouble. Unless my stomach is on the verge of growling, I'll try to wait.

I've been a bit hard on myself lately, because the weight hasn't been coming off very much. A small consolation is that I've had more endurance. I guess muscle is building since I've been working hard in the garden and zumba is easier. My feet don't feel like lead half way through now.  Also, Joe and I went for a bike ride and I made it the approx. 5km without thinking I was going to die. It got close going up a small hill, but I made it. That was the first ride of the season, too.

I also haven't been using MyFitnessPal like I was before. I figured if I was eating within my set portions outlined by my nutritionist, I'd be fine. That doesn't seem to be working. I haven't been weighing or measuring what I eat, so my eying of portions must be off. I know I haven't been drinking enough water, so I am trying to be aware of that. I either eat too many calories or not enough. I'm always afraid of going over. Really, it is just a ballpark, so I don't know why I am so worried.

I have overcome a huge hurdle, so I should be nicer to myself. I haven't been craving real sugar. I've finally found a sugar substitute that works in my lattes. I had tried stevia, truvia, cane sugar, and decreasing the amount of sugar. None really worked as well as I had hoped. Until I tried the Starbucks Sugar-free caramel syrup. One and a half pumps of that seem to do the trick. Sometimes it even tastes like a mocha. I don't remember the last time I put sugar in my coffee. That was the only place I was using white sugar except when I had tea at mom's.

One new change that we have made is to only have the skinny cow ice cream on weekends instead of every day. Usually right after dinner, we'd grab an ice cream sandwich. Now we either don't have anything, or eventually have fruit or yogurt. Soon, maybe both when the fruit starts coming in season.

I'm learning more and more about myself with this program. I hope that there is another one after so I can continue to find ways to help myself. The change isn't easy, but every step is a step in the right direction.

My admission

In my efforts to lose weight, I enlisted the help of a nutritionist. She suggested a group called Craving Change that is run by her and a social worker. This is a four part program that meets at the hospital that helps us to understand why we eat what we eat and when.

After the first meeting, I learned something about myself that I am not proud of. I am a lonely eater. I eat when I am alone, and it is hard to make wise choices when I do. I've done this for a long time. When no one is around, I will sneak the foods that are usually had in moderation. As a child, when my mom was busy, I'd sneak cookies, snack cakes, chips, or any other snack food. I'd hide the wrappers, or take just enough for no one to really notice at first glance. This problem behaviour still haunts me. I'll buy junk food and eat it without my husband knowing. I've thrown out the bags on my next pass by a public trash can or hid them in our garbage can right before collection time. I'm not proud, but I am working on it. I am weak when it comes to food, I know this.

When snacks are put near me, I lose all control. No matter what kind of food, if it is there, I'll eat it unless it is something I don't like or can't have for painful reasons. I don't have the power in me to remove myself from the situation. I don't have the power in me to just say no. Food is my drug, and I admit to being a sugar/carb junkie. I crave the crunch. I crave the endorphins.

If I am able to keep myself occupied, I can sometimes avoid the problem eating. This isn't something I am good at. When I am motivated enough, I can keep busy, but I first have to feel motivated. The lack of motivation is when things can potentially snowball for me.

When looking through the list of triggers that lead to problematic eating, I always find that being alone is the worst. I can't say that it is my only trigger, but it is the strongest. I'm not strong when I am alone. I don't notice until it is too late and the eating has already begun. The damage is done. I feel the guilt, I feel remorse, I feel disgust.

I'm really hoping that Craving Change will help me to kick my bad habits. I need help, I want to change, and I want to do better. 

Mushroom Pot Pie

Yet another recipe that I've put my own spin on. This recipe is from In The Kitchen With Stefano Faita. The main thing I changed was using my own dough recipe instead of puff pastry to try and save on some of the fat.

If you decide to make your own pie dough, you'll want to start by making your dough since it needs to sit for about an hour. My go-to dough for this recipe is 10 oz all purpose flour, 5 oz margarine/butter, about 1/2 tsp salt, and water.

Combine the flour and salt in a bowl and with a pastry cutter, work in the margarine/butter until it is evenly distributed. Slowly add enough water to form a dough. The amount of water needed is never the same because of humidity, so add a bit then you can always increase it. If you find your dough too wet, just add small amounts of flour. When your dough is formed and feels wet enough, wrap in plastic wrap or a produce bag, and put in the fridge for about an hour so the gluten does what it does. Now to make the filling. You will need the following:

- a medium onion, chopped
- a clove or two of garlic, minced
- a few kinds of mushrooms (shitake, cremini, king oyster, button, portobello, etc)
- one or two carrots
- one or two parsnips
- 1 cup frozen peas
- about 1 cup cooked lentils or 1-14oz can rinsed
- 2 cups stock (I use mushroom and vegetable cubes- one of each)
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- salt and pepper
- thyme and rosemary either dried or fresh
- 2 tbsp oil (evoo, canola, etc) 

The ingredients I didn't use are: 1/2 cup red wine, diced potato, brussel sprouts, leek, and puff pastry. The real recipe is found at http://www.cbc.ca/inthekitchen/2013/03/mixed-mushroom-pot-pie.html.

So, first you need to heat the oil in a stock pot. Add the onion, celery and garlic and cook until softened. Add the mushrooms and start to brown them. In a few minutes, you house will smell awesome. This is when I add the stock cubes minus the water, the salt and pepper, and thyme and rosemary. Now add the flour and tomato paste and stir until the flour disappears and you can smell the tomato paste. Slowly add the water or actual stock, soy sauce, lentils, carrots, parsnips and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the veg is softened. Add the peas and turn off the heat.

I spray my ramekins with non-stick spray and add about two laddles of the mixture into each. I place them on a baking sheet for ease of movement in and out of the oven. Roll out your dough, and cut rounds that fit your ramekins. Place on the top of the filling and pierce the dough for air vents.

I find this recipe usually fills five ramekins. Cook in a 425F oven until your dough is golden.

There are a few reasons why we love this recipe. It is portioned out in the ramekins that are easy to store and take for lunch. I LOVE mushrooms, so I can go nuts and add a ton of them. This recipe is tasty, and tastes even better the next day when warmed up. It is full of vegetables and lentils and is a meatless main.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

Lisa

Easter isn't Easter without Figolli!

Even though we weren't home for Easter, we still had figolli. We tried three different ones, and they were all different. They were quite different from the ones we make. The flavours varied quite a bit.

For those of you who don't know what Figolli are, they are traditional Maltese Easter treats. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some of the shapes started as symbolic, like a fish, a lamb, a bird, a rabbit, etc. Malta is a very religious country, so the shapes would reflect that. Now a days, less traditional shapes have emerged, like a car, a boat, a butterfly, etc. Some people coat them in chocolate and others in icing. My family enjoys the icing. I personally find it easier to ice figolli with icing-it is more forgiving. The cookie is similar to a butter cookie with an almond paste filling. In Malta, you see figolli made with blanched almonds, but that is a lot of work! We just use the almonds with the skins on, and it really gives a better flavour in my opinion. What also makes these "cookies", is the use of almond extract. I've searched high and low in Canada for a good one, but nothing compares to the pure almond extract you get in Malta. The smell and flavour it imparts is out of this world. We bring it home from Malta and a little goes a long way. The real stuff can't be stored in plastic jars because it will eat through the plastic.

Since we are celebrating Easter as a family late this year, I couldn't show up without the traditional treat! What kind of Maltese family member would I be?

I started making my own figolli a few years ago. I'd send one to Joe's work for the office, usually in a Firefox/Mozilla theme. Here are a few pictures of ones I've made:

My dad helped me decorate this one. We were basing the picture from a t-shirt.

When Firefox for Android came out, I thought the Android robot was appropriate.

Because the company is Mozilla, I tried the mozilla dinosaur.

The last few years, I just made my figolli in square pans and decorated them in a scene of some sort. That is really taking the easy way out as figolli go. This year, I made shapes! Traditionally, huge metal cookie cutters are used, but as I learned from my mom, you can save a ton of money by making your own with cardboard. In case it isn't obvious from my pictures, these are BIG cookies. If you try to eat one of these in one sitting, you are certain to go into a diabetic coma. Luckily, they freeze really well, so you cam pace yourself if you choose not to share.

Because it is a family tradition, I don't feel right giving out the recipe that we use. There are many variations of the recipe online. It all comes down to preference after trial and error. I don't think there is a bad recipe, just a texture and/or flavour difference. If you see my mom's recipe box, she has about 10 or more different ones all labeled as "<insert name>'s". Everyone has their own recipe!

Once iced with a mixture of icing sugar, water, and we add a little almond extract, they are a blank palette. You get to choose the colours and designs. I use gel food colouring because a little bit gives great colour.  I usually end up with a bunch of bowls with different colours by the time I'm done. A sugar high also accompanies from licking my fingers. I did my best to not eat a lot of the sugar this year.

The shapes I attempted this year, are a bunny, butterfly, and egg. My artistic skills are next to nonexistent, but I think they turned out okay. As Joe says, I am my own worst critic, so I see my amateur flaws. I should have baked it more or should have taken it out of the oven sooner, the details didn't turn out how I wanted, etc. Here are a few pictures of the figolli I made this year.

I rather enjoy making these for my loved ones. Traditions are important to carry on, which is why I started to make my own figolli. There will come a day when my mom doesn't want to or can't make them, and I'd like to be able to step in when needed. Figolli are part of my heritage, and future generations need to know how to carry along the tradition. Baking and cooking are in my blood, and it is a fun skill to have!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!
Lisa

Oh so tasty

While in Malta, we have been eating a fair bit of produce. I've written about the cauliflower and lima beans, but let me tell you, the strawberries are AMAZING. We were in Ta' Qali for a bit today, and there was a huge farmers' market in a parking lot. We stopped in to see what they had, not thinking about the season we were in and if apples even grow here. The produce that was available was jaw dropping. There were 0.65€ cauliflowers. They were the size of a basketball! There were different kinds of squashes that you buy by the piece that were the size of the largest watermelon you could find or a small ottoman. There were bunches of fresh garlic, onions of many varieties, Maltese zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, carrots, artichokes the size of pepper squash, chard and spinach, lima beans, eggplant, cabbage, sweet potatoes that were as big as a baby's head, and the best strawberries we've tasted outside of Ontario.

The shear sizes are mind blowing. My jaw was dragging on the ground while we walked to the different vendors. I felt like I was walking through the award winning vegetable section at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. And the prices! They were dirt cheap! If our prices were that good, my grocery bill would be a quarter of what it is now. Everything looked like it was picked this morning, and at the peak of freshness. We've been spoiled with the availability of fresh local produce daily. I can't wait for Ontario's growing season.

Last night, we took my aunt and new uncle out for supper. The food was good, but I enjoyed dessert the most. Joe had a seafood risotto that had muscles, prawns, cuttle fish, and octopus and I had a chicken breast dish with mushroom and asparagus gravy. Holy portion size! We shared a "salad" of sauted mushrooms, asparagus, and bacon. I found the chicken needed more salt, and the "salad" less. There was a dollop of cream cheese on top, so if I had used that, it might not have been so bad. Instead I used some of the bread to cut the saltiness. Joe had a fig ice cream that was quite interesting. I had a lemon sorbet that was light and refreshing. If it wasn't for all the sugar, I'd make it all the time. Our new uncle insisted on Joe and him having a liqueur. They chose sambuca. I tried a minute amount just to see what it was like. It smelled awesome. I love black jelly beans and suckers, and that is what it smelled like. It wasn't that bad, but then again, I only touched it to my lips a few times.

Tonight we are eating in with my parents since it is our last night in Malta. We're having stuffed eggplant and zucchini- a Maltese kind of supper. We picked up all of the veg for it at the market this afternoon. I love the Maltese way of life where you go out and get fresh produce each day. You can go to a butcher or fish monger close by, the produce trucks are around almost every street corner, and you can smell the bread from the bakery when you walk in the street. The only thing I'd want different is to have more availability of whole grain and/or whole wheat breads. There are so many pastizzi vendors, that you can just walk past them without a second glance. Everything you need is a few minutes walking distance in most areas.

Tomorrow night we will be back in our own kitchen. No more restaurants for us for a while!