Let’s Eat!

Chantal Cornwall

I’ve been busy working on a special Mother’s Day menu to feature in Let’s Eat and I’ve also had fun researching when Mother’s Day celebrations began.   

Here is a brief overview of Mother’s Day. Egyptians, Romans and Greeks always honoured and celebrated their goddesses.  However, it was not until the 1600’s when Mothering’s Day was established in the UK for its women.  This annual celebration allowed many servants and trades people to visit their home towns and to see their family.  The mother of the house was the guest of honour and bestowed cake and flowers.    

By 1870, famed Julia Ward Howe set a Mother’s Day Proclamation which was to celebrate peace and motherhood.  Howe also urged mothers to come together to protest the Civil War and to essentially stop sons killing sons.    Anna M. Jarvis also continued the plight of peace and motherhood after Howe’s death, but disapproved of the commercialism and exploitation that Mother’s Day celebrations were leading to.    She had good reason. Today, Mother’s Day is a billion dollar industry with huge increases in postal service, long distance phone calls not to mention the highest sales at the florist shops.     US restaurants claim that Mother’s Day is the busiest day of the year and the retail industry claim this day is their 2nd busiest shopping day  - Christmas reigning in first place.       

Today, Mother’s Day is celebrated in many countries around the world, each offering a unique celebration and honouring the mothers’ of their country.    Canada officially added Mother’s Day as a national holiday in 1909. 

Here are a few suggestions to serve mom on Sunday (May 13th) said with a knowing “mom” smile and hug.  

Cereal – (with milk and semi healthy)
Toast (preferably not burnt)
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (crust on)
Favourite cookie (with no bites and not licked)
Strawberries with cream (hold the rainbow sprinkles)
Kraft Dinner with or without ketchup
Scrambled eggs (no shells)
Chocolate
And More chocolate

In case you do want to make mom a nice breakfast.   Serve these scones with homemade or a good quality jam with fresh coffee or tea.   Dandelions (sans bugs) can be a nice decorative touch.  

SCONES
(From the kitchen of Joanne Trask and which she brought to Oona River for the girls weekend)

2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
5 tbsp butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 cup milk (or half and half)
1/2 cup currants (optional)

Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.  Cut in butter until
mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add currants.  Stir in milk with fork until
dough begins to form.  Knead dough until it comes together.  Cut scones into
wedges and bake in 400 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

Variations:
*glazed scones - brush tops of scones with milk or cream and then sprinkle
with 1 tbsp sugar just before baking
*cakey scones - reduce butter to 4 tbsp butter, milk to 3/4 cup, and add 1
large slightly beaten egg
*ginger scones - substitute 1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger for currants
________

 Raspberry Spinach Salad
A great girlie – girlie salad and perfect to serve for  lunch or as a side salad for mom. From the kitchen of my friend Heidi H.  

Almond topping
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp water

Dressing
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbsp poppy seeds
1/4 tsp paprika and Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp onion, finely diced
1/2 cup vegetable  or olive oil
1/4 cup raspberry vinegar

Salad
1 lb fresh spinach
2 cups fresh raspberries

Combine topping ingredients in a large frying pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar melts to a golden brown and coats almonds – about 5 minutes.  Turn out onto a square of greased foil.  Cool, then break up into small pieces.     Combine all dressing ingredients in a container with a tight fitting lid.  Shake well to blend and then shake before using. Wash and dry spinach and place in a large bowl with raspberries.  Add dressing and toss – add almonds.  

Until next time; Let’s Eat!    Join us at the Let’s Eat website at www.letseatwithchantal.ca and the Let’s Eat Facebook page.   

JOIN me at the Let's Eat virtual kitchen table for a great read!

Check out the Let's Eat FACEBOOK PAGE for amazing links to other food bloggers around

the globe and links to gardening, pets, kids, books and more! Contests and giveaways!

I  would like to warmly welcome Dorothy Avery of Mother Knows Best Inc.  to Let’s Eat. 

Dorothy is the Chief Instructor at Mother Knows Best Obedience School which operates facilities in the downtown Toronto and Scarbourough area.  She also holds a certificate in Emergency First Aid For Pets.  Dorothy is a member of the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) and the Canadian Association of Professional Dog Trainers (CAPPDT).  Dorothy has also made guest appearances on CTV's 5:00 O'Clock News and their two hour Breakfast TV show.  Dorothy has published articles on dog obedience and held interviews with the Toronto Sun, the Toronto Star, EYE Newspaper, and City Dog Magazine.  Adding to her long list of accomplishments, Dorothy is also the Founder of Canine Connections – teaching Autistic and Down Syndrome children and their dogs interactive ways for developmental therapy.   Please check out their website at www.motherknowsbest.ca for other great links and training tips ~  Chantal

 
OBESITY – A Cat and a Dog Epidemic!

By Dorothy Avery

Dogs and cats so often emulate their human companions.  Unfortunately, weight control is a common example.  Although lack of exercise is often a communal problem, the real culprit is FOOD!!!!!

With a few medical exceptions, such as hypothyroidism, obesity is simply caused by too many calories being consumed versus the calories being expended.  Dogs, and especially cats, get most of their energy from protein and fat, not carbohydrates.   Carbohydrates are converted to fat and unfortunate weight gain.

Treats are often sugar laden disasters.  An average 10 kg. dog (22 1bs.) requires approximately 700 calories of food daily.  Many large dog biscuits will contain over 100 calories.   A regular human cookie, which you share with your dog, can have 200 calories and a Quarter Pounder will contain over 500 calories!!!  It may seem appetizing and drool-inducing yes, healthy NO!

Try avoiding those empty calories in high carbohydrate diets and offer carrots for a treat instead.  Remember to  read those labels!!!!!

Although the majority of pet owners are ever so well meaning in what they feed their dog, they often are not aware of the human foods which just do not sit well with our canine friends.  In fact, there are many healthy foods consumed by humans which can kill your dog or, at the very least, make your pet very ill.   The worst of these are raisins, being highly toxic and having the potential to induce renal (kidney) failure.  Other highly toxic foods to most dogs include;

Grapes, avocadoes, raw garlic, raw onion, chocolate (the darker the chocolate, the higher the risk

Dogs love peanut butter!!!!  But as is true with many things in life, moderation is the key.    The best way to indulge your dog’s taste for peanut butter is to include it in a treat rather than as a major part of his diet.  Just remember that no animal should be seated at the dining room table unless he is sure he can hold his own in conversation. Here are two of my favourite treats to make for dogs – and yes, my dogs likes them too!

Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Biscuits

2 ½ cups of whole wheat flour
2 eggs
½ cup of canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons of peanut butter
½ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C).  Whisk together the flour, eggs, pumpkin, peanut butter, salt, cinnamon.   Add water as needed to help make the dough workable, but the dough should be dry and stiff.   Roll the dough until it is approximately ½ inch thick and cut into ½ inch pieces.   Bake until hard (about 40 minutes). 

Makes approximately 25 biscuits.

My dogs Haley and Simba Love them!

Apple-Cranberry Treats

1 cup Cranberries
1 cup Apple Sauce
2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/4 cup Milk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Puree cranberries and mix with apple sauce. Once combined add milk, cinnamon and whole wheat flour until dough is well mixed. Knead dough into ball and roll onto a heavily floured surface 1/4 inch thick and cut with cookie cutter of your choice. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until browned at the edges.
Cool and refrigerate.  

Makes 24-36 healthy treats.

I almost forgot, my dog Simba says “there’s always someone else to blame” as you will see by checking out my video:

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk
/2012/02/20/bird-
feeds-dog-noodles-
cockatoo-video_n_
1288511.html    Enjoy!  

“Jewel” with her owner Jeb, an ASL client, learning the “sit” command in canine hand signals at one of the classes at Mother Knows Best Inc. 

I would like to introduce you to my extended foodie family (aka my CC Sista) at The Canadian Cookies an amazing talent of food bloggers from across Canada.

We search and share some incredible recipes for you to try. Join us on our FACEBOOK PAGE today!

Featured guest blogger -  Cathy Bray of The Hungry Hollow

I’m very excited to introduce my next featured blogger at the Let’s Eat table  ~ Cathy Bray of The Hungry Hollow.  I “met” Cathy online via Real Women of Philadelphia cooking contest last year.  I was instantly charmed and drawn to Cathy’s fun personality,cooking talent and loving nature.

    
For the love of Canada.  Cathy’s  great grandparents came from England to Toronto, and then to Milton, Ontario in the early 1900’s. Being an Easterner is in her blood! Cathy started to bake when she was in my early 20’s, which she considers “very late” as her mom was a baker.  Cathy states that she did not actually like pastries and pies when she was younger since she always surrounded by them!  Her skinny days she claims and since she started baking she’s “plump!”  When asked if her husband and children like to cook - Cathy’s admits her husband has never cooked a meal “unless grilled cheese counts” and he hates cooking and won’t eat three quarters of what she makes because he is such a picky eater! Cathy adds it’s okay more for her :) Cathy’s children have no interest in cooking either. Although they do eat everything she makes and absolutely love the pies and cookies she bakes. The ultimate meal her mom made when she was a kid was fondues. 

Cathy Bray and her family live in an 1850's log home on a 12 acre hobby farm called Heritage Hollow, which is located in Erin, Ontario.  You can follow Cathy and her family’s adventures at www.heritagehollow.ca and enjoy some great photos, video, recipes and more. 

Cathy has a great feature on food sustainability including ; getting back to basics, gardening, raising your own meat, eggs and canning. 

Last year, Cathy and her best friend Colleen were on Food Network’s Dinner Party Wars and won!   She includes her winning dessert recipe she featured on Dinner Party Wars which received the ultimate compliment by celebrity chef and host Corbin Tomaszesk’s as one of the best pumpkin pie’s he has ever had !   PIN this recipe for your next autumn and Thanksgiving dessert! You can find this recipe at http://www.foodnetwork.ca/ontv/shows/dinner-party-wars/recipe.html?dishid=11985&titleid=255588&type=specialshow

Tune into Cathy’s fun and challenging adventures as a hobby farmer at www.heritagehollow.ca and her blog at The Hungry Hollow and Facebook Page.  Make sure to check out her fabulous online store at “Little Sexy Apron Store.”   http://www.thehungryhollow.com/sexy-aprons/  Great gift ideas for Mother’s Day this year.  All aprons are hand crafted at the Heritage Hollow’s farm

At Cathy’s hobby farm, Heritage Hollow, their family is totally into food sustainability from canning, to growing their own vegetables and raising chickens for eggs and meat.   We asked how Cathy got started.   “I got that passion from growing up the way I did.  My parents had 3 vegetable gardens, chickens, goats, rabbits, pigs and even a peacock!  It was “normal” for me to see cupboards full of preserves and a freezer full of home grown meat like chicken or deer.  We picked foods in the forest and made our own tomato and grape juice.  I could go on and on…….It makes me incredibly proud that my mother and father passed on to me the dying art of food self reliance.  I thought everyone lived that way…..I didn’t realize it wasn’t the “norm” anymore until I was 17 and I moved to a different community!”

If you are in the Milton area, you can purchase produce and other products from Heritage Hollows at the Milton Farmer’s Market (downtown Milton, ON)  which operates Every Saturday from May to October from 7 am to Noon.

You can also visit Cathy's Blog, at http://www.thehungryhollow.com      

GARDEN HERBED & CHEDDAR TOPPED BREAD POPOVERS FROM VALENTINA'S KITCHEN

Preheat the oven to 425° F and grease (thoroughly, but not heavily) a 12-muffin tin;

INGREDIENTS
1 cup 1% milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large whole eggs
½ tsp. iodized sea salt
½ tsp. dried, ground rosemary
¾ cup sharp (orange), cheddar cheese, grated

Blend all of the ingredients above (except the cheddar cheese) and in the order listed, with your mixer, until smooth and everything thoroughly mixed. Pour enough batter to fill each muffin cup about half full. Then sprinkle the tops of each with the cheddar cheese. Bake in your preheated oven for 22 minutes and voila! Hot, fresh, melt-in-your-mouth delicacies! Enjoy for breakfast, lunch or even with your supper!!

VIOLET'S CARAMEL CHEESECAKE

Caramel Cheesecake:

Bottom:
Graham wafer crumb mixture:
1 1/2 c graham wafer crumbs
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c butter (melted or softened)

Middle:
1 Large Tub cool whip
1 Large Pack cream cheese
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Top:
Brown 1 cup coconut (to sprinkle over the top)
1/2 cup almonds (optional)
Then drizzle with Caramel Topping

Keep frozen until ready to serve