White Bean and Chorizo Soup

I love soup. If I didn't feel obligated to feed Ryan something a little more substantial once in a while, I would just make soup after soup after soup. Soup and I could run away together and have delicious soup babies.


Ok, maybe I'm going a bit overboard. Normally I don't get obsessive about one type of food. In fact, I often get bored of things quickly and I rarely make the same dish twice. But soup is so versatile! And this one especially, I'd make again and again because it is just. that. good.

And simple. As soup should be.

Ingredients:
1 medium sized onion
3 cloves garlic
2 dry chorizo sausages (pre-cooked)
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp smoked paprika*
1/2 tsp thyme leaves
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups chicken stock
28 oz canned dinned tomatoes
14 oz canned white beans**
2 handfuls fresh spinach***

*Paprika comes in "hot" or "sweet". If you want a little more spice, go for the hot. That's what I like to use.
**I used canellini beans for this. But you could just as well use white kidney beans or even chick peas.
***You could use any cooking greens here. The greens you see pictured are actually beet greens which were nice...kale would work too!

In a large, heavy-bottom pot, saute onions and garlic until tender.
Slice chorizo into thin rounds and add to pot.
Saute sausage until starting to brown, about 5-7 minutes.
Add herbs and spices and saute about 1 minute.
Add chicken stock, tomatoes and beans.
Let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Before serving, add chopped spinach. Mix until greens are wilted.

Enjoy with some crusty bread or a homemade biscuit!

Let It Snow

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It may seem strange, especially to those who are up to their eyeballs in a frozen fortress of the stuff, but I really want it to snow here in Victoria.  And really, even I am starting to doubt my own sanity because, it is beautiful here right now. The sun is shining, there is barely a cloud in the sky and it is just cool enough to wear a cozy sweater - more like fall than winter. But, the Decembers of my childhood were in a snowier climate and that's still what I expect around this time of year. I'm one of those people that still gets all fuzzy and weird about Christmas and it's just not the same without the snow.

I keep hoping that it'll be like in the movies, when that California family wakes up on Christmas morning to see the Christmas! Miracle! of Snow! Of course, if that does happen, the entire city will shut down because in places like Victoria they just don't know how to handle a little white fluff. People literally start driving off the roads. And I just revel the hell out of it.

Snow just makes everything look pure and pretty. It makes the city quiet and the indoors seem even cozier. I'll admit, come February, snow is gross. It's grey and slushy and we are all sick of it by then. But, in December, snow is fresh and new and needed to know we're in another season.

Saturday Breakfast: Rosemary Sage Biscuits with Easy "Baked" Eggs

Despite the countless number of breakfast restaurants in Victoria, it often seems to silly to pay for one of the simplest meals of the day. I've been making practically the same Saturday breakfast for months now - poached eggs, pan-fried hashbrowns, store-bought toast and bacon - so last weekend I was ready to mix it up a bit.


This time, I tried my hand at zucchini-potato pancakes, rosemary-sage biscuits and a new twist on the sunny-side up egg. I did stick with the bacon because, um...it's bacon. I have to say that it was 80% successful, which isn't too bad for the weekend, am I right?


Right off I'll admit the pancakes were a fail. I have a serious lack of skill when it comes to making things crispy in a frying pan. Combined with my lack of time spent squeezing the cheesecloth and my laissez-faire attitude about using the right potatoes, that recipe was doomed from the start.


But, I like to think the eggs and biscuits more than made up for my less than perfect pancakes. Oh, the biscuits! Crispy all over with slightly flaky and flavourful insides. I could have just eaten three of these for breakfast, but that wouldn't make a very balanced meal now would it?


The eggs I came up with on a whim as a way to incorporate some veggies into the meal without going the old omelette route. I found out later that Smitten Kitchen had the same idea some time ago. And here I thought I was being so creative! At any rate, they were an easy and delicious success.


So without further ado, here are two players in a beautiful weekend breakfast:

Rosemary, Sage Biscuits
(adapted from this Smitten Kitchen recipe)

Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1tsp baking soda

3/4 cup cold butter cut into cubes.

2-3 stems fresh rosemary (or 2 tbsp dried)
2-3 stems fresh sage (or 1 tbsp dry)

1 1/2 cups milk (I used almond milk)
2 tbsp vinegar.


Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F). Remove rosemary and sage leaves from the stems and chop finely. If you want to get fancy you could add in some feta cheese, chopped fresh spinach, cheddar, olives...anything really! 


Combine dry ingredients and herbs in a large bowl. Add in cubed butter and combine with a pastry mixer, two forks or your hands. Mixture should be coarse and crumbly. Mix in milk and vinegar until just combined to get a sticky dough.

Drop spoonfuls of your preferred biscuits size onto an oiled or buttered cookie sheet.
Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until your biscuits are golden brown.


Easy "Baked" Eggs - Mediterranean Style

4 large eggs 
1 small red onion, diced
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
3-4 white button mushrooms, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 tsp dry oregano
Salt and pepper to taste


Saute onions on medium heat in a pan big enough to hold 4 eggs. When onions become soft and translucent, add spinach, peppers, mushrooms, cheese, herbs and spices (everything but the eggs). Saute until spinach is just becoming limp (about 1 minute), then make little wells in the mixture where the eggs will go. 


Crack eggs into the 4 wells you've made, being careful not to break the yolks. Cover with a lid, remove from heat and let sit 2-3 minutes for soft yolks, 4-5 for harder yolks. Then, voila! You're ready for breakfast. So much easier than baking them in the oven, eh? 

Christmas Wish List

Let me just say that there a lot of things about Christmas that I dislike. For one thing, the consumerist drive to spend, spend, spend on cheaply-made trinkets that none of us really need. But, every year, I can't help but get all tingly when December approaches and twinkling lights start appearing all over the city. Now, that I live in the temperate climate of the West Coast, I find myself craving a snowfall like we had in the good old days back east.

And, although I hate the idea of me or anyone I love trolling a busy, over-heated holiday mall looking for gifts,  I still have a wish list. Doesn't everyone? Some things you just can't get at a thrift store, and since I find it difficult to shop anywhere else, those are the things that mostly make up my wish list.

For me, Christmas still feels as special as it did when I was a kid. It's not about presents, it's about the sights, the smells, the time spent with friends, the laughs shared with family...openings presents is just the whipped cream on the pumpkin pie.

So here is my Christmas wish list: 

Dear Santa, I have been a very good girl this year and wouldn't mind getting...

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a sweet vintage kitchen scale that works

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a cool set of measuring cups to replace my sad, sad current set.

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a wide silver ring, like this gorgeous one made from a spoon

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a food processor so I can make my own mayonnaise!

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An 8 oz travel mug, because I just can't drink 12-16 oz of coffee

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some new measuring spoons that come in cool colours and wont crack or fall apart .

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Oh, how I wish someone would win the lottery and buy me a professional level DSLR camera

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A lemon zester. Yup, I want to zest some lemons.

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a pair of cozy, hand-made slippers without leopard print, fur or pink designs on them (why are women's slippers always  so hideous?)

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a sweet pair of hiking boots so, come spring, Ryan and I can rock some overnight hikes.