A Hit and a Miss

It happens to all of us. You decide to try out a new recipe, and for some reason you decide to do it when you are having company. You figure the recipe looks pretty good, and you've never BBQ'd ribs before, but it can't be that hard right? So you go and pick up all the ingredients, and it seems like they're going to make an awesome marinade and sauce. Beer, sugar, molasses, dates...

And so you follow the recipe, exactly as it describes, and even when it's cooking and you think it might be on too long, you keep following the recipe. You make the sauce, and boy does it smell good simmering on the stove top. Adding the super sugary, smoky sauce to the ribs is going to be so great.

And here's where it all goes wrong...

We realized soon after brushing the sauce on both sides, turning the heat to medium-high and cooking 15 minutes (as directed) that there was something wrong. See, they burned. And they burned bad. Like pretty much inedible bad.

Our friends were good sports, and we all actually ate them (well, what was left of them). At least we had a salad.

But there was a redeeming factor to the night. I had taken the time that afternoon to make a strawberry-rhubarb lattice pie. And I'd made some vanilla ice cream to go with it. So while eating the warm pie with ice cream, and having a great time catching up with friends, I realized that sometimes it does all balance out.

Lessons learned:

First, even though I've heard this a million times, read your recipes closely! And think about how things cook and react to temperature and other factors. I've heard somewhere that cookbooks and recipes have a 10% margin of error. It could be a typo. And if you ever doubt a recipe, don't doubt yourself. Try it your way; it can't be worse than burning the ribs to a crisp!

Secondly, sometimes it's not a good idea to try a new recipe out with guests, if it's something you've never done before (ie. BBQ ribs). We're going to try that recipe again, but this time we're going to add the sauce to the ribs after they come off the BBQ!

Blueberries and Muffins

The blueberries are finally out in BC, but due to an increase in bears and aggressive cougars, I would not really recommend picking wild blueberries right now. Luckily, the berry farm where I went for Strawberries and Raspberries also has Blueberry bushes. Now these are way different than picking wild blueberries, but the fruit is still as sweet. I went out last weekend and picked myself one bucket, but now I'm thinking I might need to go back again!

After freezing half of them, and just munching on almost the rest, I decided to make some muffins. I thought about making my standard Lemon Blueberry muffins - a staple at the Cavanagh house (and very good!), but decided to look around online and see what was out there. And of course it was the Canadian Living website that brought me what I can only describe as an incredible new blueberry muffin recipe. I made a dozen last night, and there are only 3 left (and yes, that was just myself and Brent eating them!).

Maple Blueberry Muffins

- 2 cups flour

- 1/4 cup sugar

- 1 tbsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 egg

- 1/2 cup maple syrup

- 1/2 cup milk

- 1/4 cup butter, melted

- 1 cup fresh blueberries

Streusel topping:

- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar (I used what I had, dark)

- 2 tbsp slivered almonds (I didn't have any, and instead used some granola, crushed)

- 1 tbsp butter, melted

- 1 tsp cinnamon

Streusel: Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and set aside. Try not to eat it!

In large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. In separate bowl beat egg. Blend in maple syrup, milk and butter and pour over dry ingredients. Sprinkle with blueberries. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Spoon into prepared muffin tray, dividing batter among 12 muffins. Sprinkle with streusel. Bake in centre of 375 F oven for 20 - 25 minutes, until tops are firm to the touch and toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Let cool in pan on rack for 5 minutes. Transfer to rack and let cool.

Try to eat only one. I dare you.

Strawberry Rhubarb Turnovers

We were heading to a friends place for dinner and I said I'd bring a simple dessert. With so many strawberries, and some rhubarb left over, I decided to make some turnovers. These were great out of the oven, in the morning for breakfast, and of course after a great dinner with friends.

Strawberry Rhubarb Turnovers

- 1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed

- 1 egg, lightly beaten

- 2 cups diced strawberries

- 1 3/4 cups diced rhubarb

- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 1/4 cup cornstarch

Mix the strawberries, rhubarb, vinegar, sugar and cornstarch together in a bowl.

Roll out each square of puff pastry to a 12x12 inch square. Cut each piece into 4 (for 8 total). Brush edges with egg. Using a slotted spoon (to avoid excess liquid) spoon mixture onto half of each square. Fold over to create triangle, crimping edges with a fork. Make three slits on top with sharp knife. Brush with egg and sprinkle with sugar (coarse sugar if you have it).

Arrange on parchment lined baking sheet and bake in 400 degree oven until golden and puffy (about 15 - 20 minutes).

Strawberries

The fresh strawberries have been out in full force at the Markets for a few weeks now, and after hearing on the radio that the U-Pick season was wrapping up, I rallied the troops and we headed out to Farm country Saturday for some berry picking at Driediger Farms. I'm not really that good at estimating how much I have, so when we went to pay, turns out we'd picked 12 lbs of berries!

With that many strawberries I decided I would be making two batches of jam, and since the farm had some fresh rhubarb, the decision was easy. One batch of strawberry jam and one batch of strawberry-rhubarb. Now I can't decide which I like better!

Still, we had a ton of strawberries left, so I needed to freeze some of them. The best way to freeze them is to place on a cookie sheet in a single layer, in the freezer for at least 5 hours, then bag them. That way when you go to grab some, they are not all clumped together.

Now for the raspberries...that's next weekend!

Bulgur and Mushroom Burgers

While these burgers do take a bit of time to prepare,they are another great alternative to beef burgers. For those vegetarians at your next BBQ, these are a nice treat.

Bulgur & Mushroom Burgers (courtesy of Canadian Living)

• 3/4 cup bulgur
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1/4 minced fresh parsley
• 8 oz mushrooms
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme

In heatproof bowl, pour 1 cup boiling water over bulgur; let stand until doubled in bulk, about 20 minutes. Mix in egg, bread crumbs and parsley.

Meanwhile, roughly break mushrooms into pieces and pulse in food processor until finely chopped.

In skillet, heat oil over medium heat; fry onion and garlic until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, wine, salt, pepper and thyme. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until liquid is evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown, about 8 minutes.

Mix into bulgur mixture. Now here you can shape in four patties, or as I did, make a bunch of mini burgers for sliders.

Grill on greased grill over medium heat, turning once until heated through and crispy, about 15 minutes. We topped ours simply, with bread and butter pickles, ketchup and mustard.

Sunday Night Dinner - Market Ribs

What a full weekend! We hit up the new North Shore Green Market Friday night at the Shipbuilders Plaza before going to see Super 8. Saturday was work, a friends film preview, and watching Teen Wolf on TV while bbq'ing some steaks. Today was a whirlwind, highlights included a hike at Lynn Canyon Park, and dinner, put together from Farmer's Market finds. We had ribs courtesy of Gelderman Farms, picked up at the Main Street Market on Wednesday, mashed potatoes with new potatoes, and an awesome salad with fresh cucumbers, strawberries, and fabulous microgreens found on Friday night.

For the ribs we went with a super easy recipe, adapted from one of Michael Smith's. One of my favourite things about Michael Smith's recipes is the disclaimer:

A recipe is merely words on paper; a guideline, a starting point from which to improvise. It cannot pretend to replace the practiced hand and telling glance of a watchful cook. For that reason feel free to stir your own ideas into this dish. When you cook it once, it becomes yours, so personalize it a bit. Add more of an ingredient you like or less of something you don't like, try substituting one ingredient for another. Remember words have no flavour; you have to add your own!

Such good advice!

Oven-Baked Ribs

- 1 or 2 racks of pork baby back ribs

- 1 can tomato paste

- 1 cup orange juice

- 1 cup brown sugar

- 1/4 cup dijon mustard

- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar

- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

- 1/4 cup Tamari

- 2 heaping tbsp's chili powder

Cut ribs into 2-3 rib portions. Place in large roasting pan. Whisk together all ingredients and pour over ribs. Cover with foil and bake until ribs are tender, about 2 hours.

Nanaimo Bars

Now, I wasn't always a huge fan of Nanaimo Bars. I used to find them too rich, and a little artificial. However, once I started making them myself, that all changed. I've made a few different recipes, and they are usually pretty similar.

A couple of things I've noted over the years:

1 - make sure to take the butter out of the microwave right after you've melted it, or you might forget to add it!

2 - do not under any circumstance attempt to make these with margarine, the consistency is not the same.

These ones are courtesy of Canadian Living, and are fantastic. I cut them into bite-sized pieces for a party, although it's hard to eat just one!

Classic Nanaimo Bars

Base:

- 1 cup butter, melted

- 2/3 cup cocoa powder

- 1/2 cup granulated sugar

- 2 eggs, lightly beaten

- 3 cups graham cracker crumbs

- 2 cups shredded coconut

- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Filling:

- 1/3 cup butter, melted

- 1/4 cup milk

- 2 tsp vanilla

- 4 cups icing sugar

*I also added 2 tbsp custard powder

Topping:

- 8 oz semisweet chocolate

- 2 tbsp butter

Grease 13x9 inch metal cake pan and line with parchment paper, leaving 1 inch extending over long edges for handles.

In large bowl, whisk together butter, cocoa powder, sugar and eggs; stir in cracker crumbs, coconut and walnuts. Press evenly into prepared pan. Bake in centre of 350˚F oven for 10 minutes. Let cool in pan on rack.

Filling: In large bowl, stir together butter, milk and vanilla; beat in sugar until thickened and smooth. Spread evenly over cooled base. Refrigerate for about 45 minutes or until firm.

Topping: Chop chocolate; in heatproof bowl over saucepan of hot (not boiling) water, melt chocolate and butter. Spread evenly over filling. Refrigerate until set. Using parchment paper handles, lift out of pan. Peel off paper and cut into bars.