Pasta with Yellow Pear Tomatoes

Pasta with Yellow Pear Tomatoes

When we purchased 4 cherry tomato plants last May, we never expected to pick these little yellow pear shaped tomatoes from those plants.  To our surprise, these tomatoes are so juicy and full of flavour.  Their branches are full of fruit and just when we think we've picked all the ripened tomatoes, we wake up to an even bigger batch the next morning.  

While these tomatoes are so tasty on their own or in a salad, we're having a lot of fun discovering different ways of cooking with them and enjoying the rich flavour these tomatoes are adding to each dish.  

Tomato Sauce

Tomato Sauce

Every year we make our annual batch of tomato sauce.  

A traditional recipe with a modernized technique that we've simplified with the use of our electronic tomato press and a mini chopper for the garlic and onions.

We pressed a total of 6 bushels of Roma Tomatoes and broke down the recipe for each pot of sauce we boiled as follows:

Guest Post at Mess Makes Food

Tomato & Rice Soup

This past Wednesday, I shared my Tomato Soup Recipe over at Mess Makes Food and just noticed that my post here at Ellenbcookery got lost in cyber world.  It never got published and is no longer in my drafts. I wonder if I pressed the delete button rather than publish?  For recipe details on this soup, please visit  Mess' blog.

I was so thrilled to be able to share one of my family recipes with her friends and now I'm so sad that my post didn't go through on this blog.  

Miss Messy is on holidays in Vietnam and it is my absolute pleasure to be able to guest blog for her. I  am a big fan of Mess' blog and really enjoy her baking skills most of all.  She's quite comical and for those who aren't familiar with her site, I would  like to take this opportunity to introduce her to you and strongly recommend you pay her a visit at http://messmakesfood.blogspot.com.  You can connect with her via Google Friends Connect, Facebook,  and Twitter.   

Salmon and Avocado Wrap

Salmon and Avocado Wrap

Are you ever looking for a quick and easy appetizer to serve while enjoying a fine glass of wine on your patio?  Well, this is as quick to make as it is to open a bottle of wine and serve. 

The glory of these little appetizers is that you can make them a couple of hours in advance, store in a sealed container and pull out of your refrigerator when ready to serve at your next cocktail party.

Ratatouille (Olivier)

Ratatouille (Olivier)

While our friend Olivier was visiting from Poitiers, France, he made us his family's 7 Hour Slow Roasted Lamb and his family's famous Ratatouille.

Olivier claims it's very important to add the ingredients in the same order he did in order to get all the flavours into this ratatouille.  Boy oh boy, he wasn't kidding!

This has got to be the BEST ratatouille I've ever had.  The adding of the ham is his own twist on his momma's recipe and after trying this dish, I must say the added flavour is definitely there for a good reason.

7 Hour Slow Roasted Lamb

7 Hour Slow Roasted Lamb

Last week, we had a houseguest.  Our friend Olivier came to visit from Poitiers, France.  

Upon his arrival, I made a Marinated Lamb Roast for dinner and while enjoying our meal, Olivier spoke of his family's lamb roast recipe.  

Imagine, a family recipe from France!  Can this get any better?  It was such a neat idea that I asked Olivier if he would make this for us prior to his return home so I could share his recipe on my blog.  He agreed and also shared his family's ratatouille recipe which I'll also be sharing on my blog ;) 

This recipe took 7 hours to roast the lamb at a very low temperature, however, the end result was ever so worth the time and because of the low temperature, the house never got extremely hot.  The meat was so tender, full of flavour and delicious.  Preparation was very quick and all he had to do is turn the lamb upon each hour and slowly raise the heat.  

Marinated Lamb Roast

Marinated Lamb Roast

The other day, I was at Costco and they were putting out these roasts of lamb.  They looked so good that I bought two.  I decided that no matter what the weather was like outdoors, I was turning on my oven and cooking a roast over the weekend. (Fortunately, the weather had cooled off that day).

In this particular recipe, I put the roast into a large ziploc bag and poured a marinade into the bag so that it covered the roast.  I let it sit for 2 hours and turned the bag over after 1 hour so that the juices could penetrate from both sides of the roast.

The meat was so juicy, tender and full of flavour and it tasted even better the next day.

Eggplant Bake

Eggplant Bake

Are you ever in the mood for something that is meatless and down right filling?  If you've answered yes, than you will love this very quick and easy to prepare eggplant bake.

All you need to do is salt the sliced up eggplant in order to remove it's toughness and bitter taste, slice up some tomatoes, and bocconcini and layer in a baking dish.  Season with some fresh cracked pepper and drizzle with a little olive oil, cover with foil and bake.

Vegetable Stuffed Peppers

Vegetable Stuffed Peppers

Whenever I think of a stuffed pepper, I think of the red Shepherd peppers my mother would grow in her garden and stuff with ground meat and rice as posted here, but sometimes, all I'm really in the mood for is this open faced vegetable surprise.  

This recipe calls for asparagus tips only.  Go here to see what I did with the remainder of the spears.

This is a recipe I stumbled upon while living in Belgium several years ago.  It was printed in one of the Belgian TV guide magazines.  I've also shared this recipe on Laurie's Cravings.

Ratatouille , the Ellenb Way

Ratatouille

The other day I was visiting my aunt and she gave me some eggplant from her garden.  She also provided me with a care-bag containing the best Moussaka I've ever tried.  My mouth waters just thinking about the taste.  

At first I thought I'd make a moussaka of my own with the eggplants she gave me, but then I decided I'd just go over to her place the next time she makes it and blog about her recipe, step-by-step.

I wasn't sure what I was going to make with these eggplants and thought I'd just wing it as I went along.  That's how I came up with this Ratatouille, the Ellenb-Way :)

Banana Muffins

Banana Muffins

Why is it that muffins seam to be the go-to comfort food?  Is it the smaller size of the cake muffin that allows us to indulge in the pleasure of sugars without the guilt?  Or is it because they're simply quick and easy to make?

Peach Cake #2

Peach Cake #2

Yesterday, I posted a peach cake I made using Simply Romanesco's recipe and an 8 x 8 pan, resulting in a taller cake than Dana's.  (My pan was simply too small).  Nevertheless, the cake was delicious.  Light, fluffy and oh so full of flavour and the house smelled amazing as it baked away for 50 minutes!

After tasting this delicious recipe, I just knew that I had to remake this cake with an Ellenbcookery twist.  Ultimately, my goal is to buy a 10 x 14 pan and make a cake that resembles Simply Romanesco's, but right here and now, all I have is an 8 x8 pan.

What did I do differently this time?  Well, I can assure you, I didn't change the recipe because Dana has already perfected that.  I only changed the process.

I poured half the batter into a well-greased and floured pan.  Then I added a layer of sliced peaches (skin removed).  I covered the peaches with the remaining batter and topped it off with more sliced peaches.

This cake turned out even better than the first.  The additional slices of peaches made this cake ever so much more delicious!  

I thought the first cake was incredible, but this version is out of this world!    

Peach Cake

Peach Cake

Last month, I stumbled upon a recipe that I knew I had to try.  It was posted by Dana at Simply Romanesco and called Baking with Stone Fruits.  Dana's recipe calls for a 14 x 10 pan, which I don't have, so my cake is thicker than hers.  Nevertheless, this cake turned out moist and delicious.  

Of course, I had to make this cake again and made some changes to accommodate my small pan.  Come back tomorrow and I'll show you what I did.

Barbecued Peppers, Pepper and Tomato Salad

Roasted Peppers

Whenever I think of my childhood and summer, I think of my mom working in the garden.  She had quite the green thumb and would grow peppers like nobody else. ~ Green ones, red ones, hot ones, sweet ones, and they'd come in all different shapes and sizes.  

I can't believe that here I am today, doing the same thing.  I never in a million years would have imagined myself with a vegetable garden, particularly one with peppers.  This is mainly because I hated the task of peeling them after they'd get barbecued especially come fall when there was an abundance of them that she'd freeze for use in the winter.

My mom's favourite way to eat peppers was to grill and peel them as a whole, then season with garlic powder and a drizzle of olive oil (as illustrated above).  This was so yummy, especially with a fresh loaf of Italian bread that was conveniently delivered to our home back in the day.   

My mom would also do something similar with that frozen supply of peppers come winter.  She would lay these peppers out on a baking dish, season, drizzle with olive oil and add some diced up pieces of garlic before sticking them into the oven.  The house would smell amazing as these peppers would bake!

Another thing we'd do with our peppers is create a salad with the tomatoes from our garden.  Talk about yummy!

Cornish Hens with Belgian Endives

Cornish Hens with Belgian Endives

The first time I had this dish, I was in Belgium, dining in the restaurant portion of Hotel Les Eleveurs.  Today, this hotel is 115 years old and run by the 4th generation of the DeBrouwer family.  If you're ever visiting Belgium and happen to be near a town called Halle, I highly recommend you take the time to dine here.  You won't be disappointed.  If you're lucky, and Pierre is still around, he may even make you his specialty dessert; crepes au pommes.

Pesto and Zucchini Flatbread

Pesto & Zucchini Flatbread

If there's one thing I don't like, it's a messy and overfull refrigerator.  For this reason, I don't purchase food on impulse.  ~ It's so easy to go to the grocery store and buy more than needed, but this is something I have under control.

The way I taught myself to keep my refrigerator neat and clean is by using up all food, including leftovers before my next trip to the grocers, which also means my refrigerator gets a good wipe down with disinfecting cloths before new food enters.   If I don't see myself cooking a certain item within the next couple of days, I simply don't purchase it.

On the other hand, I like making my own preserves and keep certain staples on hand, but this is also limited since I don't like cluttered refrigerator doors.

The other day, I was making pesto sauce using up a whole bunch of basil from my garden.  I basically spent the day making this sauce and freezing it into muffin tins that were later transferred to freezer containers.  By the time I was done, I wasn't in the mood to cook a fancy meal for dinner.  

I had some pita flatbreads and leftover grilled zucchini sitting in the refrigerator as well as the fresh basil pesto sauce I had just made.  Here's what I came up with, using these ingredients:

Niagara on the Lake and Niagara Wineries

Last week, my husband and I went to Niagara on the Lake and spent the day picking fresh fruit and wine sampling. We had a lovely late lunch and spent the next two hours driving back home to Toronto.  We were so busy enjoying our time together that capturing photographic moments was not a priority.   

Yesterday, my daughter and her boyfriend had the day off from work and volunteered to join me as I went back to Niagara to capture some beautiful photos for me to share with you.  It was such a lovely day, I got to sit in the back seat and enjoy the ride while my daughter's boyfriend drove.

We went to Jackson Triggs and enjoyed some wine sampling.  This is my all-time favourite winery! 

Yes, Mike Hall, from JT in Oliver, BC.  You've educated me well on this winery! 

I like the Gold and Silver series Chardonnays.   My daughter favours their Grand Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, and her boyfriend goes more for the reds.  He likes their Gold Series Pinot Noir.  What can I say, he's got fine taste! He is dating my daughter, after all :)

Then we set off for Stratus. Do they ever have an awesome Semillon!

Pellar Estates was breathtaking!

...we will return as a family to enjoy their dinner and wine tasting!

As for Inniskillin, they have a pretty good Pino Noir Rose ...

...and let's face it, everyone knows they make an awesome Ice Wine!

Just before returning home, we took a final tour of the area and drove along the Niagara Lake.  Next time we head out this way, we'll go take pics of the falls ... Niagara Falls. 

Cherry Pie

Cherry Pie

There are some things that are worth turning your oven on during this summer heat, especially when you get to enjoy a piece of pie with a scoop of ice cream on the side.

This is my mother-in-laws homemade cherry pie recipe that she often made for us when she'd come and visit during the summer.  We used to go over to my parents' to pick our own fresh supply of cherries from their backyard cherry tree.

Oh, the smell of cherry pie baking...

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies

Every now and then, I like to take a break from making family recipes and try out notable recipes I've found through my network of foodie friends.  When I saw these Oreo Cheesecake Cookies posted on On Sugar Mountain, I just knew that my daughter and I had to make them.  They're eggless and made up of Oreos and cream cheese.  Perfect!

In case anyone isn't familiar with On Sugar Mountain, I highly recommend you take a look at Jess' blog.  Especially if you've got a sweet tooth.  You will not be disappointed.  She is full of awesome recipes that make me drool!  In my opinion, I think she's got what it takes to open her own bakery :)  

Cherry Jubilee

Cherry Jubilee

The first time I had Cherry Jubilee was in Belgium while on my honeymoon trip throughout Europe,  but whenever I think of Cherry Jubilee, it brings me back to the time we lived in Kelowna, BC during the mid 90s.  We used to frequent a restaurant called William's Inn and this was their specialty dessert.  The waiter would make it at your table side and put on such an impressive show.  Oh, the good old days... the beach, boating on the Okanagan Lake, ski to sea competition, the wineries, William's Inn...

This is also one of my husband's specialty desserts.  The other night, while reminiscing about our time in British Columbia, we started craving Cherry Jubilee.  So, ... Guess what he made?