January » 2012 » Living Lou

French Canadian Pancakes

I don’t know if these are considered a “traditional” French Canadian Pancake but this is an old family recipe. My Dad has been making these pancakes for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, he used to roll them up, almost as you would a crepe. While I do love the thicker, fluffier pancakes, these ones will always hold a special place in my heart. As you can see, they are thin, not as thin as crepes, but thinner than you typical, fluffy pancake. The texture is a little bit chewy and magically, they soak up all of the maple syrup on the plate. My favourite part is when they get this delicious browning on all sides which adds a nice texture and sweetness.

There’s just something that is so much fun about eating a big stack of pancakes for dinner. It’s as if you’re beating the system or rebelling against society. I can just imagine a little kid stamping their feet saying, “I want pancakes for dinner, not salad.” After a long, exhausting and defeating day, pancakes are the perfect dinner to shine a little light on your day. You might even say that these can cure a case of the Mondays.

Man, Mondays are not my favourite.

French Canadian Pancakes (serves 2-4)
Old family recipe

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp white granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
3 tbsp melted butter + more for frying
2 cups milk

Directions

In a large bowl, sift dry ingredients together. Beat in remaining wet ingredients. The mixture may be a little lumpy.

Heat butter over medium heat in a large frying pan. Ladle the thin batter into the pan. Cook for one to two minutes or until bubbles appear, flip and repeat until fully cooked.

Who is going to beat a case of the Mondays with these pancakes?

- Lou

Shrimp and Vegetable Skewers

So we’re nearing the halfway mark for our award show countdown and the Oscar nominations are finally out – yay! Who’s surprised? Disappointed? Excited? I have to say that I’m a little surprised that Michael Fassbender wasn’t nominated for Shame. I’ve yet to see the movie, but I’ve heard his performance was one of the best of the year. I’m off to see My Week With Marilyn today and am really looking forward to it, having heard great things. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is also on my radar.

Onto the food – this next dish for our Oscar spread are these easy and flavorful Shrimp and Vegetable Skewers. Shrimp for the meat-eaters and vegetables are a vegetarian option, which means that there will be something for everyone at your party. These are also pretty substantial so your guests won’t be hungry. What I love about these skewers is that you can serve them warm, but they also taste amazing when cold. Since both skewers are made with the same marinade, they are really versatile and delicious. My favourite part is the deep flavor of the tomatoes, mmm.

[Have you been keeping up with our Oscar Party recipes? Check out the Olive and Mozzarella Breadsticks and the Seafood Salad.]

Skewers (serves 8 – about 14 skewers.)

Ingredients

Marinade
6 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp melted butter
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 dried basil
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp thyme

Skewers
1 lb bag of raw, deveined peeled shrimp
8 New potatoes
8 pearl onions, peeled
8-10 asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
12-14 cherry tomatoes

Directions

Preheat oven to 325.

Skewer shrimp onto half of the skewers, and then skewers the vegetables onto the remaining half of the skewers.

Combine the ingredients for the marinade and brush over all skewers.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Flip skewers and bake for another 15.

These taste great served warm or cold, happy Award Season.

- Lou

Roasted Sweet Potato Soup

I can’t think of a better way to start the week other than with this Roasted Sweet Potato Soup. It’s utterly packed with vitamins and goodness and of course, flavour! It’s a dark and gloomy morning as I sit to write this post, and all I can think about is enjoying a warm and bright bowl of this soup when I get home tonight.

Sometimes, I get bored of soups – actually I get bored of most things at some point. However, I think I get bored more easily by soups and sandwiches. I don’t really know why since there are hundreds of flavor combinations to enjoy, but sometimes they’re just dull. Not this soup though – packed with rosemary and a touch of natural sweetness; it’s quickly become one of my favourites. This soup was my Mom’s idea – we both love sweet potatoes, and were craving soup, so, this soup was developed. It’s perfect for Meatless Monday and any weeknight in general. Here’s the thing people, soups are so easy to make and nice and healthy. This one is vegan but if you wanted to add a little cream or milk, I don’t see why not.

Roasted Sweet Potato Soup (serves 4-6)

Ingredients

3 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 large carrot, chopped
1/2 stalk celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp dried rosemary
3 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 – 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400.

Place chopped vegetables and garlic in a roasting pan – toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and 1 tsp of rosemary.

Roast for 20 minutes.

Remove from pan and add to a large soup pot. Cover with broth and add the remaining rosemary. Bring to a boil and simmer for 40-45 minutes.

Puree with the soup with an immersion blender or a regular blender. If using a regular blender, puree the soup in batches.

Stir in lemon juice and cayenne pepper.

Well I’m off to battle the gloominess outside but am eagerly awaiting this bowl of this sunshine when I get home!

Here’s to a great week,

Lou

Olive and Mozzarella Breadsticks

Am I the only one who was slightly surprised when The Descendants won best drama in The Golden Globes the other night? Am I also the only one who was very underwhelmed by the gowns worn? What about Ricky Gervais, I wanted to see more of him! Am I alone here, people?

Before we get into the recipe for Olive and Mozzarella Breadsticks, let’s talk about what I did love from The Golden Globes. I loved Martin Scorsese’s win for Hugo. Have you seen this movie? Not only is it a visual masterpiece but it’s a tribute to Georges Melies and the beginnings of film. Having studied Melies and his films throughout my studies meant that I enjoyed this movie that much more – seeing the the history was brought to life. I highly recommend it for everyone, especially families – I feel like children would find it fascinating as well.

Alright, so you now that I have convinced you to see Hugo it’s time to talk about food. I think that breadsticks are a great appetizer for any event whether it be a dinner party, Oscar party or Superbowl party. These breadsticks are different from your typical Parmesan ones; the tang and saltiness from the olives pairs perfectly with the melted velvety mozzarella. These really hit it out of the park and are so easy using frozen puff pastry – I can’t wait to make them again.

Olive and Mozzarella Breadsticks (makes 24)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

2 sheets of frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg + 1 tsp water
1/2 cup chopped stuffed green olives
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the puff pastry and brush with egg wash.

Leaving a 1/2 inch border, sprinkle the puff pastry with green olives, cheese and black pepper.

Brush egg wash on the second sheet of puff pastry. Place the second sheet of puff pastry on top of the first sheet. Pressing around the edges to adhere the sheet.

Using a knife or a pizza cutter cut the sheets into 24 thin strips. Picking up by each end, twist the breadsticks and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Be sure to press down the ends of the dough onto the cookie sheet so that the breadsticks keep their shape.

Repeat with remaining dough and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes.

Who’s ready for the Oscar nominations to be announced? I know I am! Check back next week for my third Oscar Party recipe – we’re getting close.

- Lou

Roasted Red Pepper Dressing

I go through phases, you could even say obsessions with certain things. Sometimes it’s a movie, or a song, maybe it’s a band or a photographer, perhaps an ingredient or a food is grabbing my attention, but there’s always something. For instance, I’ve had a long time love affair with the films of Wes Anderson and roasted red peppers. Recently, I’ve become obsessed with The Devil Wears Prada.

I caught it on TV the other night, and let’s just say that I watched it at 9:30 and then again at 12. Yep. Officially obsessed, and I want to watch it again tonight. I feel like my film teachers would shake their heads in disgust if I said that I was obsessed with this movie. And my fellow classmates, I don’t even want to know what they would think. I don’t care though because I love it. The best part is that a couple of months ago I was lucky enough to attend a Q&A session with director David Frankel, and perhaps hearing him talk about the process of making The Devil Wears Prada (among his many other films) just made me fall even more in love with the film. Whatever the reason, I’m obsessed. You can’t deny that Meryl’s delivery of Miranda Priestly is just perfect, how she remembers all those lines and delivers them so quickly and with such a frosty demeanor. Love Meryl. Have I mentioned that before?

This salad dressing is packed with flavor. The roasted red pepper adds a nice sweetness and makes the dressing creamy without adding any sour cream or yogurt. I feel like Miranda Priestly would approve of this salad dressing, at least I hope she would!

Roasted Red Pepper Dressing (makes 2/3 cup)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 roasted red pepper
1/2 clove garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp basil

Directions

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until combined.

Now that is a delicious salad dressing that is perfect for Meatless Mondays.

Do you think Miranda Priestly would approve?

- Lou