chili con carne and cheesy garlic bread

Have I told you that I go to school on the weekends? I'm in an MBA program at the University of Windsor that supplements my time away from work. Yah! Busy. Last Saturday while intently listening to my fascinating accounting prof discuss the new IFRS accounting standards, I glanced out the window and noticed the snowflakes. In my brain (or stomach) the first sign of snow, means the first chili should be made. And, what better to way to complement chili than with gooey-cheesy garlic bread (and I mean stupid-gooey-cheesy garlic bread)?

Pioneer Woman's Firecracker Shrimp Appetizer

Pioneer Woman's Garlic Cheese Bread
~I substituted Mozzarella for Monterrey Jack cheese~

Jamie Oliver's Chili Con Carne

~I used a cinnamon stick instead of ground cinnamon and added a small can of tomato paste~

The evening ended with us playing Taboo by the fire. Almost as cheesy as the garlic bread...I know.

the key to the good life...

The key to the good life is having a friend who bakes. A friend who is an extraordinary bake. A friend who happily brings over a fresh challah. A friend who graciously offers to contribute pumpkin chocolate chip loaf to Thanksgiving dinner. A friend who is not offended when you send her a recipe at 2:30 p.m. on a Friday and suggest that she bring it over for dinner that same night.

Last-Minute Menu

Guacamole & Blue Corn Tortilla Chips

Paprika and Worcestershire Marinated & Grilled Top Sirloin
Roasted Fennel
Roasted Potatoes with Grainy Mustard & Shallots
The [gooiest-yummiest] Maple Pear Upside-Down Cake

*Recipes from Bonnie Stern's Friday Night Dinners except dessert which hailed from the Bitten Blog in the New York Times...and Julie's kitchen.

Sunday dinner: braised short ribs

A few years ago Sharon and I went to a cooking class at the local LCBO (government-owned liquor store, for my American friends). The class was taught by Erik Peacock, from Niagara's Wellington Court Cafe. He showed us how to make Asian-inspired beef short ribs. We left the class and Sharon's been making those sweet, gingery short ribs ever since. It's taken me almost five years to attempt short ribs and I decided to try a more traditional recipe.

Braised in red wine and Port, short ribs can be started in the afternoon and left to cook over the next several hours. What wonderful comfort food for a cold Sunday night!

My Sunday Night Menu from Bonnie Stern's Friday Night Dinners

Hummus with cilantro pesto

Braised beef short ribs on red-skinned smashed potatoes
~I added roasted garlic and a couple of spoonfuls of caramelized onions for fun~

When I mentioned on Twitter that I was making comfort food for dinner, Meg from Maker's Table sent links to two of her favourite recipes: Beef Stew with Zinfandel and Mama Lorette's Rice Pudding. I will be sure to try both of these recipes soon!

Do you have a recipe that you'd like to share? What's your favourite, go-to, homemade comfort food?

a not so traditional rosh hashanah dinner menu

Years ago, when my then soon-to-be hubby and I were negotiating my move to Windsor, I requested that we spend the first night of the Jewish holidays with my family. So on Friday, hubby and I drove four hours to spend the first night of Rosh Hashanah in St. Catharines. Luckily, his CTS has an input for our iPod so we were able to chill and prepare ourselves for this:

Appetizers included cheese plate, smoked oysters, chopped liver and hummus

World's best chopped chicken liver (made by my mom, of course!)

Aunt Shelley's Greek salad

Challah

Kinnereth Cookbook chicken

Brisket

Scalloped Potatoes

P.S. Like usual, the more wine I consumed the less focused the photos! :) Sorry.

booze required

I came from work to a husband who is totally annoyed with the pace of our renovations. Our #1 trade is tied up with another job and the floor refinishing dude is on the wrong schedule. That said, hubby wanted to drink tonight; in fact, he actually want to go out for dinner to drink tonight.
However, we've already eaten out twice this week (shawarma on Tuesday and pizza on Wednesday) so I couldn't let it happen. Instead we had homemade pita chips, hummus, a messy-sans basil-Caprese salad, top sirloin kabobs and local green beans. Plus, a bottle of western Australian Shiraz. We needed it.

Detroit, MI: Bourbon Steak

Duck Fat Fries Trio

Some restaurants remain on my "celebrations only" list. Honestly, you shouldn't eat at Michael Mina's Bourbon Steak Detroit on a regular basis. The food is just too rich; in both taste and price. However, it's perfect if you want to do something decadent for a special occasion...like my mother-in-law's 65th birthday! For me, the best part of Bourbon Steak is not the steak. It's the "amuse bouche". Explain to me why all restaurants don't offer duck fat fries to start a meal?!?! In addition, I absolutely adore the appetizer menu. In fact, next time I would be inclined to order only the little plates.

Romaine hearts with white anchovy and black olive tapenade Lettuce cup with crab and spicy louie sauce Kobe beef tartare
~I didn't think I'd like raw meat but now this is one of my favourite apps~ American Kobe rib-eye Side of "magical" mushrooms
~a throwback to my mother-in-law's earlier years (just kidding!)~ Side of blue cheese potato gratin

Late-breaking news: I just noticed something enticing on Michael Mina's The Eating Sweetie blog. You can now enjoy Bourbon's Burger Bar in Detroit, Miami and Scottsdale. The burger bar is complete with beef, lamb, turkey or falafel burgers and milkshakes (with or without alcohol). Sounds like the perfect reason to head to Bourbon without a momentous occasion in mind.

Niagara: Treadwell's Farm-to-Table Cuisine

Disclaimer: I apologize for the photography. During the meal, the shots looked great. Must have been the wine goggles. Now, I can see that as our evening progressed, the photo quality significantly declined.

Dining al fresco by the water was an absolutely perfect way to celebrate our five year anniversary. Even better, Treadwell's Farm-to-Table Cuisine is my favourite restaurant in Canada. I supposed if Rob Feenie was still at Lumiere, it would be a close second but I definitely enjoy Treadwell's more than I ever liked Susur's in Toronto or any other number of restaurants in Ontario's capital! The service is impeccable but friendly. James Treadwell, the sommelier/owner, is young, knowledgeable and one of the Ontario Hostelry Institute's top 30 under 30. The food is fresh, mostly local and carefully prepared without being pretentious! Not unlike so many other evenings, we began with a glass of 13th Street Cuvee 13 Brut. This one was complimentary -- thanks James!

Amuse Bouche: "Strawberry Kool-Aid" - pureed strawberries strained through cheesecloth and topped with fennel pollen

Bread: Fred's Bread with local canola oil and blueberry vinegar (must remember to find and buy this vinegar for home!)

My Menu

Appetizer: Cured Lake Huron Trout with a Rosti Potato, Hard-boiled Quail Eggs and Sauce Gribiche
Glass: 2008 Riesling "Featherstone Vineyard" Twenty Twenty-Seven Cellars

I kid you not, this is now my #1 favourite appetizer of all time. For the past two years, Craftbar's White Anchovy Bruschetta, Soft-Cooked Egg, Braised Leek was at the top of my list but it's been bumped. Treadwell's dish was the perfect blend of textures (soft, crunchy, chewy) and fresh flavours like capers, mustard and gherkins. I'm in love.

Main: Seared Lake Erie Pickerel with Mushroom Duxelles, Smoked Bacon, Chanterelles and Tarragon Foam
Glass: 2007 Pinot Noir "Red Paw Vineyard" Coyotes Run
Dessert: Selection of cheeses with raisin nut bread, homemade quince preserve and homemade truffle honey/honeycomb. Truffle honey is not on the menu, but our story about the cheese guy at Langdon Hall caused Treadwell's to rise the occassion! My favourite cheese was the Tiger Blue from Poplar Grove in British Columbia.

Hubby's Menu

Appetizer: Goat Cheese Ravioli with Local Asparagus, Fried Free Range Egg, Asparagus Veloute
Glass: 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Nyarai Cellars
Main: 60-day aged Cumbrae Farms Beef Rib-eye with Asparagus, Pomme Frites, Green Peppercorn Sauce
Glass: 2007 Cabernet Franc, Lailey Vineyard
This steak was remarkable. It tasted like a cow (go figure!); unlike some of the meat you find at some large supermarkets. Cumbrae's cattle graze on fresh grass and alfalfa hay and are finished on grains for flavour and marbling. Also, they are patiently aged to allow for tender, flavourful beef.

Dessert: Homemade ice creams...no surprise here! (4 flavours: strawberry-lavender, strawberry-balsamic vinegar gelato, sour cream, honey)
An enormous thank you to Sharon & David and Elaine & Howard + all the girls for treating us to a wonderful anniversary dinner! We had an amazing time and loved every moment. xoxo