EatSavvy Blog

Topic —  Breakfast,

All Fired Up

July 13, 2011
Jan Scott

As you read this, we are preparing for our first camping trip of the summer. We’ve been impatiently waiting since the end of school to pack our gear, strap our bikes to the the van, and take off for a little outdoor rest and relaxation.

While we look forward to the hiking, swimming, game playing and reading that goes with our camping trips, what we’re most excited about is the food. Dinners are typically something that can be grilled or cooked in a foil packet, and lunches are often composed of leftovers or sandwiches. Breakfast is my personal favourite though, as we always wake up and cook a hearty meal when temporarily living outdoors.

While each of the following breakfasts may sound fancy, they are anything but. One rule for campfire cooking is that it needs to be easy, and it can’t require a mile-long grocery list.

What are your favourite camping foods?

Campfire Bacon, Eggs and Potato Hash

You’ll Need:

• 4–6 baking potatoes cut into cubes
• 8 slices of bacon
• 8 eggs
• 2 green onions, sliced
• Salt and pepper

Prep and Cook:

1. Cook potatoes in a large pot of boiling water until fork tender.
2. Drain the water and set aside.
3. While the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon in a cast–iron skillet set over a campfire.
4. Cook until crispy, turning once.
5. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.
6. Add the potatoes to the pan and cook until they are golden brown.
7. Crumble the bacon and add it to the pan.
8. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
9. Crack the eggs into the skillet and stir them into the potato mixture.
10. Add the green onions and cook until the eggs are no longer runny.

Pancakes with Maple-Berry Syrup

You’ll Need:

• 1 pancake in a jar recipe
• 1 Tbsp butter
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 2 cups fresh berries

Prep and Cook:

1. When you’re ready to make the pancakes, add the dry ingredients, the wet ingredients and one egg to a mixing bowl.
2. Add one tablespoon butter to a cast-iron skillet and set over a campfire.
3. Cook the pancakes as you normally would, noting that they will likely cook a little faster over the campfire.
4. While the pancakes are cooking, combine the maple syrup and berries in a pot and bring to a boil.
5. Cook until the syrup is reduced by half and serve over the pancakes.

Breakfast Bannock

You’ll Need:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• Water
• Cooking oil
• 1 cup any combination of the following: dried cranberries, pecans, raisins, blueberries, coconut, walnuts, sunflower or pumpkin seeds.

Prep and Cook:

1. Combine the dry ingredients together and add enough water to form dough.
2. Drop dollops into a hot, well–oiled pan and fry until golden brown.Alternatively, wrap the dough around a stick and roast over the open fire.
3. Serve with preserves or chunks of cheese.

Topic —  Kitchen Tips and Tricks,

Quick and Easy Skillet Jam

July 21, 2011
Jan Scott

Full disclosure: I don’t love to make jam.

I know that as a food-loving mama who gets on board most trendy trains, I should be completely immersed in all things canning and preserving these days.  But, honestly I just can’t do it.

I tried last year. I bought the books and the supplies. I picked and grew my own produce. I worked really hard to turn myself into someone who spent my days jammin’. But the truth is, it just wasn’t me. Having said that, I do get the urge to make food in jars every once in a while, which is why quick pickles and skillet jam are just the thing for me.

The preserves you see in these photos were made in less than fifteen minutes, using only three ingredients. It can’t be left on the shelf for many months like traditional jams, and it should be eaten within two weeks, but it’s homemade, easy and tastes delicious when slathered on a fresh, buttered baguette.

Do you like to can? What are some of your favourite foods to jar?

Quick and Easy Skillet Jam

You’ll Need

• 2 cups chopped strawberries
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• Juice of half a lemon

Prep and Cook

1. Set a cast-iron skillet over high heat and place all three ingredients in the pan.
2. Cook the berries, mashing with back of your spoon or spatula, until the liquid has thickened and you can leave a trail across your pan (in the berries) with your spoon.
3. Remove from heat, pour the berry mixture into jars, and allow to cool.
4. Can be served immediately or store in the fridge for two weeks.

Topic —  Lunch,

Meal Deal-Breakers

August 05, 2011
Jan Scott

101 Cookbooks was the first food blog I ever read.  I’m not sure how I came across it, but I know that I instantly fell in love with Heidi’s vegetarian recipes, in spite of the fact that I’m not a vegetarian and I don’t eat tofu.

Not all of her recipes were family-friendly, and in fact, many of them I could never dream of serving to my flavour-challenged (read: picky) children.  So I set myself up for a challenge: I would learn to make recipes that seemed as though they would be meal deal-breakers (complex ingredients, foods my kids didn’t like, etc.) and make them into something that worked for us.  It allowed me to try many of the great ideas I was reading about, while keeping the peace at our table.

I recently came across a ravioli salad in a new food magazine, and lo and behold, the recipe is Heidi’s.  When looking at the ingredients I made a mental check of what the kids would/wouldn’t eat: ravioli (check), cilantro (not a chance), black olives (no way), pumpkin seeds (possibly) and goat cheese (never).  The old me would immediately discount this recipe because there were way more negatives then positives, but now that I was familiar with being challenged, I decided to make this recipe work.  I kept the ravioli, swapped the cilantro for basil (it’s in season!), eliminated the olives, used almonds in lieu of pumpkin seeds, and parmesan cheese replaced the goat cheese.  Voila—ravioli salad my family’s way.

This meal is now a lunchtime favourite as it tastes great warm or served at room temperature.  It’s ridiculously easy to make, packs well for a picnic and has even found its way into the day-camp lunch box. 

Tell us, what are your meal deal breakers?

Ravioli Salad

You’ll Need:

• 1 package fresh or frozen ravioli
• ½ cup chopped almonds
• 1 cup basil leaves and stems
• ½ grated parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ cup olive oil
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Prep and Cook:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. While the water is boiling, combine the basil, parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, pepper and a splash of the olive oil in a blender or food processor, and pulse until smooth.
3. Slowly add the remaining olive oil until a thick sauce is formed and season with more salt if necessary.
4. Add the ravioli to the pot of water, and cook until the pasta floats to the top, approximately 1-2 minutes.
5. Drain the water and toss with a few spoonfuls of the sauce.
6. Mix well, being careful not to tear the pasta, and add more sauce if desired.
7. Sprinkle with chopped almonds and place on a large platter or in individual bowls or containers.

Topic —  Kitchen Tips and Tricks,

Back-to-School: Knife Skills

August 08, 2011
Jan Scott

Seeing that back-to-school is starting to seep into our minds these days, I thought it would be fun to do a ‘cooking school’ post. We can all use a little culinary refresher once in a while, and what better place to start than with our knife skills.

One of the first things taught in any chef-training program, knife skills are an essential tool for anyone who spends time in the kitchen. And knowing which knives you should keep on hand is just as important as knowing how to use them

I have many knives in my kitchen, but the four I use most often are the paring, chef, santoku and serrated.

The Paring Knife—Use this for task’s when a chef’s knife is too large. Can be used to slice strawberries or dice shallots.

The Chef’s Knife—8–10” in length, a chef’s knife is good for almost anything you need to do in the kitchen including mincing herbs, slicing fruits, chopping vegetables and cutting meats and fish.

The Santoku Knife—This is an all-purpose favourite which can be used as an alternative to a chef’s knife. Chop, dice and mince with a Santoku, a Japanese-designed knife meant for cutting meat, fruit and vegetables. Slightly smaller than a chef’s knife, the Santoku is quickly becoming a favourite for the home cook.

The Serrated Knife—Otherwise known as a bread knife, this one makes for easy slicing of breads and hard-skinned foods like tomatoes.

This summer, I’ve been using my chef’s knife to remove corn from the cob. Normally a messy job, I once read that if you rest the cob on the middle hole of a bundt pan and shimmy the knife along the corn in a downward motion, the kernels will fall down and pool in the bottom of the cake pan. I tried it, it works brilliantly and I’ve never done it any other way since.

Which knives are essential in your home kitchen?

Topic —  Breakfast,

Krazy for Kebobs

August 18, 2011
Jan Scott

The very best thing about this breakfast (besides the fact that it’s delicious and versatile, allowing you to change up the fruit with the season) is the fact that it can be made in advance.

I don’t know about you, but any recipe that can make my mornings flow a little more smoothly is a keeper in my books.

Whenever we have a dinner that calls for a side of baguette, I aim to have extra bread leftover so I can make French toast kebobs. When our dinner is finished, I cut the bread into chunks while I’m cleaning up the kitchen, throw it all into a bowl and cover it with an egg and milk mixture. The kitchen is already a mess, so it really isn’t a big deal to dirty one more bowl.

The bread goes into the fridge where it rests until morning. The next day I heat a skillet on the stove, throw the pieces into a pan and in less than five minutes, breakfast is cooked.

My boys, Ben and Jackson, love anything that comes served on a stick, so I slide the toasts cubes along a bamboo skewer, along with fresh blueberries, and add a small dish of maple syrup for dipping.

French Toast Kebobs

You’ll Need:

• 10” piece of baguette, sliced and cut into 1” chunks
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsps milk
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• Fresh blueberries
• Maple syrup

Prep and Cook:

1. Place the baguette chunks in a medium-sized mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Combine the egg, milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a small bowl of glass measuring cup and whisk well.
3. Pour the egg mixture over the bread and toss together, making sure each piece of bread is covered in the liquid. Cover and place in the fridge overnight.
4. Melt the butter and oil in a skillet set over medium high heat.
5. Add the bread chunks to the pan, cooking each side until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.
6. Transfer the bread to a platter and slide the bread onto a bamboo skewer, alternating the pieces with fresh blueberries.
7. Serve with maple syrup.