Happy Thanksgiving!

No matter how long I live in Canada, I'm not sure I'll ever get used to Thanksgiving before Halloween. In the U.S., Halloween to me is kind of a pass-through, while Thanksgiving is the holiday I really look forward to. A few weeks before, I like to start menu planning, fantasizing about my dream holiday table (a.k.a. fretting over my insufficient serving platters and lack of sparkly napkin rings, adorable place cards and 10-seat solid wood rustic-modern dining set), and starting my Christmas gift brainstorming. Halloween means it's officially Fall, and November begins to really feel like the holidays.

However, there are a few nice things about celebrating Thanksgiving in early October with the Canadians. First, you can enjoy planning and prepping without the looming thought that as soon as it's over, it's time for the Christmas rush. There's a nice little breathing period where you can savour your leftovers in gluttonous peace while casually compiling Christmas lists, trying to decide which creative creature your little one should dress as while she goes scouting for candy, and periodically hitting the checkout button on your smart phone's web browser from your couch, pie fork in hand.

The other great thing is that I get to try new recipes and share my favorites in time for my American friends and family to actually put them to good use, instead of filing them away for next year! Since there were only three of us at our Thanksgiving table this year - one a pescetarian, one who thinks turkey is relatively dry and flavourless, and the third a 2-year-old, a large celebratory bird wasn't in the cards. Instead, my husband made a brined and roasted chicken, which he declared one of the best ever and which he and Lena heartily devoured. My menu planning resulted in maple glazed carrots (we are in Canada, after all) with crispy sage, pan roasted brussels sprouts, butternut squash risotto and pecan crusted scallops, which my favorite chef prepared to perfection.

Holidays in my family always include a cheese plate and onion dip

No keeping this girl from glazed carrots!

Pecan crusted scallops over butternut squash risotto

For the past 10 or so Thanksgivings I've made the world's best apple pie, which I can only take credit for having the foresight to rip out of an old Bon Appetite magazine while my parents were packing to move across the country. There is cheddar cheese in the crust, loads of fresh vanilla bean, and the apples stay fresh and slightly crisp. I don't change a thing in the original recipe but, because it varies slightly from the version you will now find online if you Google it, I feel like I have a secret. Everyone who has ever tasted it loves it, including my husband who hates cooked fruit.

Bon Appetite Apple Pie with Cheddar Cheese Crust, circa 1990-something

However, since there would only be one pie this year, I thought I would aim to perfect the classic pumpkin pie. 12-hour poultry and perfectly cooked scallops - that's all Randall. But anything pumpkin is my domain. I'm the girl who orders everything pumpkin or pumpkin spiced that I can find, for as long as the season allows.

It has become our tradition to start every fall with a trip to Westham Island Herb Farm, which is an amazing place on a tiny agricultural island near the US/Canada border. They sell a ton of seasonal fruits and vegetables plus homemade jams and such, and have lots of animal friends to visit like cows, bunnies, donkeys, chickens, and Lena's favorite, pygmy goats. We sloshed through the pumpkin patch and picked a fresh beautiful white one to take home for decoration, because it was fun. Then we chose a sugar pumpkin from the farm stand to turn into pie. 

Hi Cows!

There are several theories online for roasting pumpkins: cut side up, cut side down, covered with foil, under temperatures varying from 325F to 400F, at times from an hour to an hour and a half. Most importantly, cut it open and scoop out all the seeds and strings! I cooked mine uncovered, cut side up because we guessed that would be the way it would get the most roasty flavor. When it was soft all the way through, I removed it from the oven, allowed it to cool, pulled the skin off, chopped it into large pieces, and pureed it in our Vitamix. Then I scooped the puree into a chinois and allowed the water to drain for a couple of hours. Since I was not making the pie immediately, I transferred the puree into a container and put in the refrigerator, then poured off the water that had collected on top when I pulled it out the next day.

I came across this "easy, all-butter flaky pie crust" recipe by Inspired Taste that sounded unlike anything I'd seen before, so I gave it a try. I'm so happy I did, and it will be my go-to pie crust from now on! I love the feeling of making dough by hand, and have to restrain myself when making pie crust. Even though I know it makes the butter melt too fast, it's oh-so-satisfying to squeeze it through your fingers! So I didn't even consider the suggestion of using a food processor and opted only for the pastry cutter. I really prefer a sweetened crust so it doesn't end up tasting like a biscuit, so I also opted for the added sugar.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbl sugar
1 c cold unsalted butter
8 Tbl ice water

Set aside 1 cup of flour. Combine remaining 1 1/2 c flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl.

Cut butter into 1/2" cubes and scatter over flour mixture. Turn mixture with rubber spatula until butter is fully coated with flour .

Cut butter into flour with pastry cutter to combine.

Add remaining cup of flour and use pastry cutter to evenly distribute the butter throughout the flour, creating a crumb-like texture.

Sprinkle ice water over the flour mixture and turn flour with rubber spatula until the dough comes together.

Turn out dough onto clean flat surface and work quickly into a ball, making sure all the flour is incorporated. Separate dough into two equal pieces and flatten into discs. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for one hour to 2 days.

This is enough dough for two pies or one double crust. If you are only making one single-crust pie, you can freeze the other half for emergency pie at a later date. However, if you aren't going to be diligent about sealing and freezing, and are going to find it a few weeks later in the back of your fridge growing mold like I did, for goodness sake cut the recipe in half! I'm still crying.

To make the filling, I referenced this recipe from Simply Recipes, called Suzanne's Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie. Obviously, I used fresh pumpkin puree but I'm sure it's also great with canned. I used a smaller 8 oz. can of condensed milk and supplemented it with 4 oz. of heavy cream. I really appreciate that she incorporates the entire arsenal of spices in her recipe. A lot of people leave out the cloves and most people don't think of cardamom at all, but I always use all the spices listed here, regardless of the recipe. However, I think it's the combination of heavy spice with lemon zest that really makes this recipe shine. It adds a freshness and sophistication that takes this classic to a new level.

2 eggs plus 1 yolk
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/3 c white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 cups pumpkin puree
8 oz condensed milk
4 oz heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425F. Beat eggs in a stand mixer or bowl. Mix in sugars, salt, spices and zest.

Continue adding pumpkin puree and gently stir in condensed milk and cream until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.

(I am always happily surprised at how fast a pumpkin filling comes together!)

Take dough out of refrigerator and let sit for a few minutes. Roll it out on a floured surface until it is approximately 1/8" thick. If you are working on parchment paper, place a buttered pie plate upside down on top of the dough, then turn the whole stack over so that the plate is right-side up and the parchment is on top. Gently peel off the paper and press the dough into the plate. If you are working on a counter top, use a very flat spatula to gently peel the dough up from one side while turning it onto your opposite hand and transferring it onto the prepared plate. Press the dough into the bottom of the plate and piece together any tears. Fold the overhanging dough over or under itself to create a thicker crust edge on top of the pie plate, and pinch with your fingers to create an artful, rustic look.

A good step for eager little helpers!

Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350F and bake for approximately 50 minutes more, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. I checked the pie after 45 minutes on 350 and it wasn't ready. I left it in for another 10 minutes and it came out fine, but really probably only needed 5-8 minutes more. Remember to keep an eye on your crust, and have a pie protector or foil ring ready for when it browns before the center is set, about half-way through.

Save some room to finish your Thanksgiving meal with a large slice topped with fresh whipped cream and fresh grated nutmeg!

And don't forget to share some with your favorite pie buddy! 

I'll be celebrating American Thanksgiving through all of your photos (and hopefully a FaceTime call or two) this year, so please enjoy!

Shoot! I'm hungry.

Banana Bread

My daughter isn't bad, or intentionally not listening or making me crazy. She's like a puppy; she needs a job or else she's going to terrorize the house. I love that she jumps excitedly off the couch because it's "her turn" to use the vacuum; that she's eager to help with the laundry, reveling in the satisfaction of the spin. I know the days are limited that housework is yet another adventure in her day, and I do want to encourage that desire to be a helpful and useful person.

Do you know an even more fun job than cleaning the house though? (Everything!) Baking! And for some reason, it's one of the few messy activities that don't make my fussy side silently scream. The messier the better when it comes to baking. Flour-covered clothes are battle scars worn with pride. Batter-splattered walls are just part of the experience. Baking is methodical and precise with a margin for creativity and critical thinking, it insists you get your hands dirty, and gives you something wonderful to show for it in the end. It's kind of my perfect thing.

So when I see a bunch of bananas in my fruit bowl turning brown, and my daughter seems like she needs a job to do, it must be baking day! Simply Recipes says this banana bread has been their most popular recipe for over a decade. It's a perfect project for a kid helper too. It's one bowl, no electric mixer. We made it on the floor.

She smashed the bananas with a potato masher while I prepared the other ingredients. She stirred in the butter and salt, then delicately and expertly sprinkled the baking soda across the top of the batter. The entire 1/2 cup of brown sugar unfortunately went on the floor NEXT to the bowl. Meh, learning experiences, right? Plus, cleaning up the sugar turned out to be a very happy surprise, as she licked her sugar coated hand. We just put it all back in the cup and repeated that step, in the bowl this time.

She poured in the beaten egg and mixed it with the vanilla. We tried out the measuring cups again with the flour and had (a little) better success. Can't say there isn't some flour off the floor in that bowl  too though! (If you're ever at my house and squeamish about eating food off the floor, you should ask if Lena helped.)

We smelled and named all the spices before adding them and then I made sure everything was well mixed. We tasted the batter (yum) and poured it in the pan. And then she backed waaaaay up while Mommy put it in the oven.

She did such a great job on her first real helping-from-start-to-finish cooking project. Baking is great for learning all sorts of things: where food comes from, what kinds of things - like the oven - are just for grown-ups, hand-eye coordination, combining flavors, following instructions, cleaning up, and of course, being silly and having fun!

A 13 year-old I know looked at me like I was speaking Russian when I quizzed her on 1/2 minus 1/4, so also, yeah, measuring cups are awesome for those basic math skills that may or may not be getting taught in our schools.
         

For our project, I used 3 and a half (smaller) very ripe bananas, because that is what was sitting on my counter. I'm not sure whether the original recipe is calling for salted or unsalted butter but I used unsalted so just a pinch of salt seemed a little sparse. I poured some in my hand, probably closer to 1/8 tsp. I went with the lower end of the sugar measurement spectrum, but used light brown sugar for extra character. I don't think it needs to be sweeter. I also added a few shakes of cinnamon and cardamom, and some freshly grated nutmeg, plus a handful of chopped pecans. It is fall, after all. I tested it at 50 min in the oven and it was still a bit under, so I left it in for the full hour. I probably should have split the difference, but with some cream cheese on top and a cup of coffee, you won't hear me complaining. It's delicious.

3-4 small-medium very ripe bananas
1/3 cup melted unsalted butter
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 c light brown sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp high quality vanilla extract, such as Simply Organic Madagascar Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 c chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 325F and butter a loaf pan.

Peel bananas and mash into a large bowl. Stir in melted butter.

Stir in baking soda and salt. Mix in sugar, egg and vanilla. Stir in flour and spices until well blended. Mix in pecans.

Spoon batter into pan. Bake 55 min or until top is slightly browned and tester inserted into center comes out clean.

Waiting is hard but it's a great time to clean up (and lick the bowl)!

Remove from oven and cool. Turn out onto board. Slice and serve.

Lena's taking her one nap for the week and my coffee is ready. Shoot! I'm hungry.

I'm Full

When I was pregnant with my daughter in 2014, of course I thought about how my life would change. What would it be like to be at home instead of at work or looking for a job for the first time in my adult life? How would I spend all that inevitable free time? Exactly how long should my list of #supermom #goals be? I envisioned that this blog would organically transform into a mom-life musing and tip-sharing forum of brilliant homemade baby gourmet and fun photo shoots I would sneak in while my little person napped soundly for hours on end. 

I’ll pause while we all wipe our tears of laughter at my wishful naivety.  

For the record, we did make a lot of our own baby food and I did quickly photograph exactly ONE such brilliant baby puree, capturing it’s glorious green swirl with mommy pride. 

Puree of apple, spinach and...

I can’t remember now what it was... but I can guarantee she loved it. This girl is definitely our child. She has eaten everything that’s crossed her path since she first started on solids. We skipped baby rice because of the arsenic concerns, and did only oats and ancient grains, swirled with various fruits and sprinkled with spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. We made purees of fruits with orange and green vegetables to make sure she got all her vitamins. Apples and pears can make almost anything taste good! I continued drinking the smoothies my husband made me every single morning of my pregnancy until I finished breastfeeding, and started sharing them with her – plain yogurt, frozen berries, bananas, peanut butter, coconut oil, fish oil, and vitamin D drops. I once described them to my mother-in-law, glowing with gratitude at the good care her son took of me, and her response was “Ew.” I promise they’re way more delicious than they sound. And sometimes they had chocolate chips.

I credit four things for Lena’s food love: a varied pregnancy diet of world cuisine complete with all the traditional spices; our mostly whole food and zero fast food philosophy; a chef for a father; and either good genes or luck. Whatever the reason, I’m grateful. I hear stories of children who won’t eat vegetables or try anything new, whereas two of my daughter’s first words were "brocci" and salmon. If you give her chicken fingers, she will pick off the fried breading and eat only the meat. Her favorite summer snacks are blueberries and raw peas out of the shell. She loves Japanese, Indian, and anything you wrap in a tortilla and call a taco, especially if it includes avocado and beans. If it's on your plate, she would like a bite, please (aka I hope you were finished with that). And, like her mama, her favorite foods are always whatever Daddy makes her. In fact, I say it was Daddy's cooking that enticed her to come into the world! 

We thought for sure she would come early but as her due date came closer, I woke up morning after morning with no baby. We started trying a different ethnicity each night to test the theory of certain foods being catalysts for labor. For my mom, it was Mexican, which is one of my favorites, so of course I tried that. The next night was Thai. I guarantee there was Italian in there. But I should've known it would be my husband's homemade Indian food that would do it. I woke up at 6am the next morning with the beginnings of labor pains.

Lena at 8 months, the day of the green puree

I never imagined how full my life would be with my daughter in it – not just full of love but completely lacking free time or the energy to fill it on the rare occasions it appears out of the tornado that is my two-year old. I never imagined I would have the world’s most active child, although the abundance of movement in the womb, in hindsight, should have been a clue. I do think we had some foresight when we made her middle name Pepper! I wish she would sleep more but given the choice between having a great sleeper and a great eater, I would choose the latter. This little girl’s boundless energy, curiosity and zest for life are (exhausting) things to be admired. I can’t wait to see how her life unfolds and who she grows to be. But I know that our time together will be earmarked by time spent in the kitchen and around the dinner table. There will never be negotiations over vegetables or threats of no dessert until she tastes what's on her plate. And as I sit reflecting and writing for the first time in two years, drinking cappuccino and eating avocado toast drizzled with honey, I’m actually full.

Small Victory (this post, AND the name of the coffee shop)