Thursday, December 28, 2017
Golden Sunset Recipe • An Elegant after Dinner Drink! | Club Foody
Holiday season or not, when you are hosting a dinner party, you want to make sure your guests have a fantastic time! From start to finish, you planned which appetizer to serve followed by your main course as well as your dessert. You probably chose your wine carefully so it pairs well with the menu.
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
Soft Boiled Eggs
Probably the only time I have breakfast almost every day is when I’m on vacation. When I’m at home, I might have a decent breakfast on the rare occasion but my “every day” breakfast consists mostly of liquid… specifically “coffee”. Please don’t start to lecture me… I know that it is supposed to be the most important meal of the day.
As I mentioned many times, I DO love breakfast food! They’re fun to eat and there’s such a wide variety to choose from. Cereals, bread, pastries, eggs, fruits, smoothies and even seafood & meat, breakfast time is sure to please anyone!
Now back to when I do eat breakfast. When I stay at a hotel and they have either Eggs Benedict or Soft Boiled Eggs on the menu, I’ll definitely order some. Interesting enough, a few years ago (that was before I met my handsome partner), I went on vacation with Mary, a friend of mine, to an “all inclusive” resort in Puerto Vallarta – David and I are going there next week… can’t wait! When her and I went for breakfast, there was so much to choose from but – yes there’s a “but” – my favorite breakfast items were nowhere to be found.
One morning Mary and I decided to venture outside the resort (finally… I can’t stay in one place) and enjoy breakfast somewhere else. Well what a nice surprise when I saw a restaurant downtown that was serving Soft Boiled Eggs! We sat down and both ordered the same thing. While enjoying our eggs, Mary confessed that it was her favorite as well and only orders them when she goes out for breakfast or brunch. I assumed that she was like me, not a breakfast person but what a shock when she explained to me that she had never been able to successfully make them at home!
Soft Boiled Eggs are very “technical” but not difficult! 15 seconds can make a big difference on the end result. Not enough cooking time and your eggs will be way too runny. Too much and you’ll end up with harder yolks making it impossible to dip your piece of toast in. With the Holidays around, this is a great and elegant recipe to make when you have guests staying over. With the right technique, you can enjoy this classy breakfast anytime at home…
Happy Holidays!
For ingredient amounts and more info, visit http://clubfoody.com/recipe/soft-boiled-eggs/
Thursday, December 21, 2017
Clams Casino Recipe • A Delicious New England Appetizer! | Club Foody
Who doesn't remember their first car? I sure do! Mine was a 1981 Dodge Colt that I purchased in 86. This hatchback meant everything to me. It gave me the freedom that my adventurous side was craving. When I put the key in the ignition, I felt like there were no borders and no limitations on how far I could go - what stopped me was my disposable income... Nonetheless, I planned many road trips with my friends. Because I was living in Montréal, going down the American East Coast was the right choice although my true dream was to drive along the West Coast which I finally did a little over 20 years later...
That year, with two of my girlfriends, we went to New York City during Canadian Thanksgiving. For an inexperienced driver, it was quite a challenge to drive in the big apple! I think that if it wasn’t the fact the three of us were so cute, we would probably have received more profanity from the taxi drivers. Besides that issue, the trip was a lot of fun. We had a great time exploring the city, shopping a little and going out to great restaurants. That is when we all discovered the classic Clams Casino! It was so good, we all ordered a second one. I don’t remember what else I ate during that trip except this lovely appetizer.
The other times I had the chance to savor this appetizer was when I was travelling to the US - I don't recall having Clams Casino here in Canada. Anyhow, I made them a couple of times and for no particular reason, I just forgot about them. Last summer we had our friends Louise and Tim over for dinner and suddenly we started talking about classic food from the 80s that just disappeared from the restaurant menus 0 Clams Casino was on the list. I remembered how flavorful they were and decided to remake them again...
In this video, I’ll show you my version of the classic Clams Casino appetizer. As I said, it’s my “version” of it! I’m not too sure if there’s cheese in the classic one but I sure do enjoy mine with some! It is an easy recipe to make and the beauty of it is the bacon mixture can be prepared the day before so when you are ready to serve them, the only thing you have to do is to steam the clams, spoon the mixture on top and broil them… tada! So for your next dinner party or soirée, be sure to keep this delicious appetizer in mind!
Bon Appétit!
Here are a few other seafood/fish appetizer recipes for you to try…
– Crab Artichoke Pepper Dip
– Sausalito Smoked Salmon Dip
– Sardine Cups
– Prawn Saganaki
– Ceviche de Pescado ~ Fish Ceviche
– Vietnamese Summer Rolls
and for even more appetizer recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Appetizers
For ingredient amounts and much more, visit https://clubfoody.com/recipe/clams-casino/
Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking on this link… Club Foody YouTube
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Spicy Gingerbread Cookies Recipe • A Great Holiday Treat! | Club Foody
I love the Holidays and I always will. It brings out the little girl in me. The Holidays are so flamboyant and magical! The houses, stores and restaurants are decorated with beautiful colored lights and Christmas trees. It seems there’s something in the air, some electric energy or perhaps it’s because of all those lights around us… lol!
What is great about this time of the year is that I can find more excuses to bake… hey it’s the Holidays, right? I love the aromas of baked food in the oven floating in the house while traditional music is playing in the background. It makes the Holiday experience so enjoyable.
Each year, there are so many dishes that I just have to make for the occasion such as Stuffed Buns,Tourtière, Ragout de Pattes de Cochon, Thumbprint Cookies, Snow Balls, Sucre à La Crème – Sugar Pie, etc. These dishes represent my childhood and bring back lovely memories and the same applies to David as we have similar backgrounds. Of course since we’ve been together, I added a few more items to the menu that really represent us as a couple and one of them, believe it or not, is my Spicy Gingerbread Cookies!
I made them before when I was much younger but this is not something I had when I was a child. There were other sweets baked instead of these cookies which were equally good but now that David and I have started our own traditions, I like to bake these little guys every year. Last year I started to dress up my Spicy Gingerbread Cookies a little – they were kind of naked – but by no means is my skill perfected, au contraire! Did someone once say that practice makes perfect? I need a lot of practice but I’ll get there eventually!
We enjoy these Spicy Gingerbread Cookies! I don’t care if my little guys have one eye bigger than the other. It’s just fun to decorate them with Christmas music playing in the background, me sipping on a nice hot cocoa or some Mulled Cider I made in my slow cooker and having the Christmas lights twinkling all around me…
Merry Christmas!
Check out these other yummy recipes…
– Biscotti
– Energy Berry Bites
– Spicy Holiday Chocolate Bark
– Pumpkin & Spice Cream Cheese Muffins
– Ooey-Gooey Cinnamon Buns
– Bounty Chocolate Bites
and for even more dessert recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Dessert
For ingredient amounts and more info, visit https://clubfoody.com/recipe/spicy-gingerbread-cookies/
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Dinner Rolls Recipe • Great for your next Dinner Party! | Club Foody
I like baking desserts but what I really love to make is bread… any kind and shape as long as it’s bread! In the Summer time when it’s hot, there’s not many people who like to bake. To me baking is more something I enjoy doing when it’s cooler outside. The smell of fresh dough baking in the oven is my ultimate weakness… like my Dinner Rolls, my French Baguettes, my Tomato Rosemary Focaccia, Arepas, Mediterranean Olive Bread, and many more!
From a visual perspective, the beautiful golden color helps give that slight push over the hill to remove any willpower left in my body. It doesn’t matter if I’m hungry or not, when fresh baked bread comes out from the oven, I need to eat some right away unless it’s for dinner when we’re having company over… then I have to admit, it’s simply torture as I have to restrain myself and wait for the appropriate moment…
With many celebrations ahead, baking homemade bread is something that everyone will really appreciate! There are some bread recipes that can take days before you see the final results and also others that take a few hours to complete such as my Dinner Rolls. This is a simple recipe. It doesn’t take days to make and the results are delicious. Of course everyone can always buy them at the supermarket but come on… nothing beats the smell and taste of fresh homemade bread!
This extra touch will make your dinner party a success when you serve these Dinner Rolls to your guests because of the freshness, tenderness and just because you took the time to make them… Enjoy!
Bon Appétit!
Check out these other great bread recipes…
– Hamburger Buns
– Cheesy Breadsticks
– Cheddar Biscuits
– Mexican Cornbread
– Indian Naan Bread
– Popovers
and for even more bread recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Bread
For ingredient amounts and much more, visit, https://clubfoody.com/recipe/dinner-rolls/
Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking on this link… Club Foody YouTube
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Boeuf Bourguignon (Beef Bourguignon)
The influence of French cuisine has always been very predominant in my culture. Although in Québec we have our own traditional recipes, it wasn’t uncommon to eat classic French dishes such as Escargot au beurre à l’ail, Pain au Chocolat, Vichyssoise, Chateaubriand, Coquilles Saint Jacques, terrine, Crêpes Suzette, Rillettes, Navarin d’Agneau, Chocolate Eclairs, Bourride and so on…
One dish my mother made every year that was well received with so much enthusiasm was her Boeuf Bourguignon (Beef Bourguignon). Oh my! The aroma floating in the air from the beautiful cubed beef slowly cooked for hours in a dark rich wine sauce with fresh herbs and spices, made everyones mouth water with anticipation! In our family we loved to serve this scrumptious dish over creamy mashed potatoes with crusty bread…
Every year it seems that David and I entertain more and more. There are soooooo many recipes that I created with or without his input and nonetheless I love to go back to my roots and serve what means the most to me… my family’s own traditions! Growing up in the suburbs of Montréal, I had a pretty good life as a child. The only missing link was that we were so far away from the rest of our family. Both of my parents grew up in the region of Québec city. Back then, the 3 ½ hours of driving seemed like a 5 day trip. For some reason, going to visit family was an adventure. When I was younger, I remember going often but as years went by, we barely went there therefore my brother and I never really connected with our cousins … we were the “outsiders”! Although some of them tried slightly to bind over the years, the “deep” connection won’t ever be there… sad to say!
But let’s not drift away from the initial subject… Boeuf Bourguignon! Oh lala! My mother served this dish on very special occasions and the Holidays were one of them. One time, we went to Québec (okay it was Lévis which is on the South shore of the capital city) to visit the family. My grandmother Juliette (on my mother’s side) was an incredible cook as well as a talented musician and an extremely smart woman. She had us over for dinner and served her Boeuf Bourguignon. I was surprised about the taste as it was slightly different from my mother’s version. When I had a chance to ask my mother why hers is not quite like my grandmothers, she replied that hers needed a little improvement. Was she cocky? Maybe or maybe not … I did the same with her recipe… lol!
If you compare my recipe to my mother’s, many ingredients have been added. Now if you compare mine to my granny, it might be a little closer but at the same time pretty far apart when it comes to ingredients. I believe the recipe hasn’t changed much until three generations ago… thanks to a few stubborn women who thought their way was the better way… mine included!
With a few changes (or maybe more than I think it is), here’s a recipe from my family’s ancestors who brought their culture to the “New World”. Leaving France and crossing the very big pond separating Europe to Canada, my ancestors brought something very important along with them… their traditions! Because of them, I’m sharing a part of “me” with you, somehow bringing my culture and traditions to you during this special time of the year which is the Holidays! From the bottom of my heart, please let me pass on a very precious piece of me… my roots!
Happy Holidays!
For ingredient amounts and much more, visit http://clubfoody.com/recipe/boeuf-bourguignon-beef-bourguignon/
Thursday, December 7, 2017
Candied Fruits Recipe • A Homemade Baking Essential! | Club Foody
During the Holidays, we bake a lot more especially when we are hosting a dinner. Many baked goods can be great to bring to a party or to give as a gift. The list of baked recipes is almost endless and can be hard to choose from…
Since I’ve been living on my own, I always loved having dinner parties at my place and more so during this time of year. Having people around, laughing and telling stories while music is playing in the background with flavorful aromas of cooked food floating through the air, makes the entire evening a beautiful memory to cherish!
Like everyone else, I obviously bake more during the Holidays. There are cookies, cakes, breads, pies everywhere… no wonder I gain weight! It’s all good because it wouldn’t be the same without the baked goods… and I’ve heard that Santa has a sweet tooth!
I particularly remember my second Christmas when I was hosting a large group for dinner. I wanted to start ahead of time and make my cookies, pies, Stollen, fruitcakes, panettone, and so on. When I went to the supermarket, after adding all the ingredients I needed to my shopping cart, there was one item I couldn’t find… Candied Fruits! I went to other stores with the same scenario… no candied fruits. I started to panic! I was going to make a fruit cake and a Panettone but without the fruits, there’s no “fruitcake” let alone that Italian bread! As soon as I returned home, I called my mother to tell her about the situation. To my astonishment, she told me over the phone how to make them. After all the running around, the frustration along with the stress, I discovered how simple and easy it was to make candied fruits!
This recipe is for all you bakers…
It is such a simple method to make them and in my opinion, they taste better than the ones from the store. This is an ingredient that you need to have around especially when there’s a lot of baking involved. Thanks to my mom, I was able to make my fruitcake and my Panettone plus learn another recipe. After preserving them and storing them in an airtight container, I can enjoy them for a whole year and there’s no need to go to the supermarket…
Happy Baking and… Bon Appétit!
P.S. To use the fruit segments for another recipe, click here – Winter Citrus Salad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neT43hmtNQ0
Check out these other great baking recipes…
– Christmas Stollen
– Chocolate Éclairs
– Spicy Gingerbread Cookies
– Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake
– Tiramisu
and for even more dessert recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Dessert
For ingredient amounts and much more, visit https://clubfoody.com/recipe/candied-fruits/
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
Tourtière (Meat Pie) -
It doesn’t matter where you are from, we all grew up with recipes from our cultures, our nation and of course from our family circle. This is how traditions are made… with simple little things like favorite foods and recipes!
In case some of you don’t know where I’m from originally, I was born and raised in Montréal. I was in my early 20s when I first moved to Ontario, returned briefly to Québec and then moved back to Ontario again. I’ve been living outside of the province of Québec for most of my life (almost 30 years) and yet, I still carry on my traditions. This is who I am… a French lady from Québec.
All the kids in my neighborhood grew up eating almost the same foods. When the Holidays were around the corner, we were anticipating all the dishes that would be served during those “special occasions”. Besides the traditional turkey dinner, there were other food staples that hit most Québécois family tables during that time of year and ours wasn’t any different!
Tourtière was always on the menu… tourt… iere… what? Yes tourtière! What is it, you ask? It’s simply a meat pie packed with flavor. Cooked with different types of meat and added spices, herbs and other ingredients, this dish is such an important staple in Québec during the Holidays! It has been around for 400 years in our French Canadian culture… now that should tell you something about tradition…! If there’s no tourtière on the menu, then something quite important is missing from the dinner table. I personally prefer to have tourtière over turkey and I’m sure I’m not the only one.
Of course from one family to another, everyone adds their own personal touch. I’m sure mine can be slightly different than someone else’s. For an example, my mother and I don’t cook the same tourtière. I add potatoes to mine while she doesn’t. The taste and texture of mine is different but not to the point that our tourtières are far apart.
Just a quick story here… I was telling our friends Nitsa and Les about the Holidays and that I’d love to have them over for dinner. Right away Les asked me if I knew how to make tourtière. I was shocked that he’d even heard about it. I had a smirk on my face when I said – “Of course I know how to make it! ” – and before he continued, I had the feeling that he would ask me to make some for him…! Sure enough, he requested that I make him a few pies. There’s also other friends of ours, Louise and Tim, where the same scenario repeated – Tim loves tourtière and wanted some as well… perhaps there’s a business opportunity here…lol!
Anyway, this just tells you how much people enjoy the taste of it and just like the French Canadians, this is a well anticipated dish that everyone loves! It is a delicious Holiday staple to have on your table during this time of year. It freezes well so it can be enjoyed later on during the year. This is a dish that is served along with turkey and can be relished with gravy or ketchup… seriously! I love mine with a couple dollops of ketchup. So if you want to add a new taste sensation to your festive menu, this is the perfect choice…
Happy Holidays!
For ingredient amounts and much more, visit http://clubfoody.com/recipe/tourtiere/
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Tuna Melt
I like to look back and see how much I’ve improved in the kitchen through the years. When I just moved out on my own, I cooked very little. My cooking knowledge was frightening! If it would be possible, I would’ve been able to burn water… silly but not too far from the truth… lol! I knew that I had to start somewhere and then eventually with practice (a lot), I would get better… thanks to my positive outlook…
Back then I was “trying” to come up with a lot of canned sardines as well as canned tuna recipes which were not always a success, trust me on that one! Then one day after mixing a few ingredients together that I found in my empty pantry, I thought I just created an amazing recipe until I realized later on that it was the barebones of what is called a “Tuna Melt”. Nonetheless, that recipe gave me enough courage to continue cooking and eventually create my own recipes.
Here are the reasons why I’m sharing this recipe with you today. It has a great combination of ingredients that makes it delicious and it is a very quick meal to put together.. Also this Tuna Melt can be served as a canapé (it means bite-size hors d’oeuvre in French that it's served during an event or a soirée). All you have to do is to make it fancier by spooning the tuna mixture on miniature pieces of bread of your choice and then garnish it with fresh chives… Voilà! Either as a meal or “amuse-gueule”, this recipe is simply tasty and quick to make… all great reasons to keep it in your recipe binder!
Bon Appétit!
For ingredient amounts and much more, visit http://clubfoody.com/recipe/tuna-melt/
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
Pomegranate Molasses
I’ve been quite fortunate all my life. I’ve met great people from different backgrounds as well as very well-known people throughout my life… a long list of them! One of them became good friends of mine and it all started when I was studying to become a reporter. One late afternoon I went to a bar-lounge in downtown Montréal and sat at the bar. Not far from me maybe 3 to 4 stools away, was sitting a man in his 30s’. He was loud, funny and quite interesting. When he noticed me, he bought me a drink and then we started talking about a bunch of things with one of the topics being my desire to become a reporter and taking it as my major. He looked at me, and burst out laughing… “What’s so funny?” I asked. “Is it really what you want to do young lady?” he replied. “Of course!” I said. He then said “Because I work at the Gazette!
That night he told me about himself and his friend, who worked at the same place as a sports editor, and about a board game they both invented and were hoping to get a big contract for. After telling me more about it, talking more about nothing and everything, exchanging phone numbers, we left the bar then he kissed the top of my hand and we both took off in different directions. Only years and years later I ran into him through another friend of mine who was a member at a private golf course – The Devil’s Pulpit in Caledon, Ontario.
I remembered sitting at the bar of the Club House with my friend “Big Richard” also known as “Red Dog”, a few stools away from that very loud man. He turned towards us, greeted Richard and suddenly my mouth dropped. It was that man from that bar… it was Chris! At first he didn’t recognized me and didn’t for a while until maybe a month later, he played golf with Richard and told him “Yep I remember her now… she wanted to become a reporter… Did her dream ever come through?”
No my dream never came through although I ended up working for a short period in the newsroom of Radio-Canada before the budget cuts which laid me off. The next time I went back to the Pulpit, Chris and I sat together and he told me how well Scott (the sport editor) and he did with their board game… Trivial Pursuit! He also introduced me shortly afterward to his fiancé Hiam. Unfortunately I don’t remember exactly where she came from but she and I got along very well. She was so sophisticated and well-educated. She spoke many different languages with French being one of them. She was absolutely incredible!
One night Richard and I were invited to their place and on the kitchen island was a jar with a handwritten label of “Pomegranate Molasses”. I asked Hiam what this condiment was for and she said she uses it to enhance the flavor in many of her recipes. After tasting it, I was “hooked”! It was an “OMG” reaction. I couldn’t believe how amazing this molasses was. That night she cooked a lovely meal using this condiment and before I left (Richard was staying there), she gave me the recipe.
Through the years, I was lucky to spend more time with Chris and his lovely fiancé Hiam but sometimes circumstances – or just life – separate people. I got busy with my event planning company until 9-11 and then my life took another turn. Unfortunately I saw them less and less to the point that years went by. Next thing, I met David and moved to the West Coast. The year after I got here, I sadly found out about Chris’ death and although I tried to find Hiam, I couldn’t.
Because of this lady, I’m sharing this fabulous Pomegranate Molasses recipe with you! I’ve been using it in so many dishes and one of them will be posted next year in 2018 – I haven’t decided which month yet but please pencil it in… It is called Moroccan Chicken Thighs with Dates & Pomegranate Molasses. I also use the molasses as a Balsamic Vinegar substitute. I’m also working on creating a dessert with it – I know I shouldn’t spill the beans. After you make this condiment, you’ll be happily surprised by how incredibly versatile it is and how you can use this molasses in many of your favorite recipes.
This recipe means a lot to me. Not only is it a fabulous condiment that EVERYONE should have in their kitchen but it is also a reminder of these two great human beings I was fortunate to have in my life… Chris and Hiam!
Bon Appétit!
For ingredient amounts and much more, visit http://clubfoody.com/recipe/pomegranate-molasses/
Monday, November 27, 2017
Roast Beef with Fresh Herbs
This coming weekend, many countries around the world will have Easter as a public holiday. Many places will be closed on “Good Friday” as well as on Easter Monday. I’m not sure how other nations enjoy this particular holiday but I’m sure all those will have a couple things in common: a long weekend to rest and an occasion to get together with family and friends.
If you are hosting dinner over this weekend, you might want to make something easy, delicious and doesn’t require that much attention… after all you want to spend time with your guests. The best answer that checks all the boxes is a roast!
When it comes to this particular cut of beef, there are many options to choose from. The prime rib with bone-in, also known as rib roast, is the best cut you can get. It has nice marbling and some fat. The next best one is a top sirloin roast which the cut is from the butt and is absolutely tender. Both of them are quite pricey but definitely worth every penny. You can also go with cheaper cuts but if you are hosting a dinner, spend the extra money and get a nice tender one!
Prepping a roast is definitely not complicated. To make it tastier, you’ve got the right recipe right here! With fresh herbs, this roast will turn out to be not only juicy but also flavorful. To me Easter is pretty much a holiday that welcomes spring and summer and by adding fresh herbs to this recipe it’s a good teaser for all the freshness ahead of us.
Bon Appétit!
For ingredient amounts and much more, visit http://clubfoody.com/recipe/roast-beef-with-fresh-herbs/
Thursday, November 23, 2017
Carrot Soup with Mashed Potatoes Recipe • Incredibly Tasty! | Club Foody
