Bonjour from Paris

Yes, it’s true.  Last week while everyone in Canada was celebrating Canada Day, and everyone in the US was setting off fireworks, I was on an airplane … speeding across the lake to another continent. 

And now we’re here

tower in the background, metro in the foreground

We’ve come to Paris before. One of the joys in being married to a non-English speaking husband is that we get to vacation in cool French-speaking places … yes, my French is quite good, I’m about 85% fluent. Which means I can make myself understood, and I can usually understand.  But when I can’t, André is standing there and can fill in the blanks.

Last year and the year before we spent the month of September in Paris – I was working the same as when I was in Montreal, just time-shifted slightly.

This year, we’re starting earlier (July) and staying longer (not sure how long… a long time, I hope!).  So while everyone in North America is still sleeping, I’ll be out running, visiting the museums, and gathering great food ideas to share.

We left last Thursday, but I was right back to work on Monday. We’ve even got the kitchen already set up for filming Just need to test some great, easy French recipes for you …

I’ll post pictures regularly to this blog, but I will NOT spam you with email you every time there’s a new picture … instead, you should bookmark this page and check back often (or sign up for the RSS feed on the right).

OK. Here are a few pictures to get started!

Our apartment is in this building, facing a quiet courtyard 
with no street noise! 

just never get tired of taking this picture on Day #1 when we arrive

 
kitchen counters full of un-packed stuff, but must stop and pour some wine (this is also day #1)


this is our neighbourhood

and wowie, everything is on sale here

I’ll send more news soon.

All best,
Shelley

Dinner Party Disasters

Dinner Party Disasters.  I’m talking about failed meals, disappointments, fire alarms, tears. We’ve all had them. Here’s a good story:

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Submitted by Mariana:

The year was 1984.  I was a young military wife trying to make do on very little income.  I made a ‘new’ recipe for potato salad, and it included Italian dressing and unflavored gelatin.

All would have gone well if I hadn’t adjusted the amount of potato salad I was making from the amount the recipe intended.

But the money was tight, the dinner group was small, and so I tried making half the number of servings.

That meant I needed to correctly adjust ALL of the ingredients.

In case you were wondering, TWICE the amount of Italian dressing gives a substantial ‘puckering’ effect to the faces of those trying to eat the salad.  And TWICE the amount of gelatin makes said salad quite rubbery.  The combination was awful!

My husband convinced me it ‘wasn’t too bad’, and that, since we really didn’t have anything that would serve as a substitute, I should serve the sad salad anyway.

Then he told the arriving guests (out of my hearing) that it was an old family recipe I was very proud of. And even though it was horrible, please pretend to like it or I would be crushed.

Well, they tried.

I didn’t buy it and said something to the effect of ‘You can’t possibly like this!  It is a new recipe and I screwed it up.’  This brought much relief to our poor guests as they realized they (and I) had been played. All they cared about was not having to take a second bite!

story submitted by Mariana Dannelley, San Antonio, Texas

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Are you interested in avoiding dinner party disasters like this one? Then you will want to sign up for my “Beyond the Basics: STOP DINNER PARTY DISASTERS” video cooking class which begins next week.
http://oneroastvegetable.com/beyondthebasics.htm

All best,
Shelley

PS/ Advance registration is open for current members of The Veggie Club only > http://www.oneroastvegetable.com/beyondthebasics-members.htm. Regular registration will begin Tuesday, June 23rd.

Happy New Year … (and a secret)

Happy, happy, happy (and healthy) new year to you

I won’t take up much of your time. Everyone is busy today. There’s wine to drink, resolutions to write, and trees to un-decorate.

First, I’d like to congratulate you for being a subscriber. At some point you decided that you wanted to learn more about eating more veggies. Hooray for you

But I know that life is busy. Could you use a little help, motivation, and cool new veggie meal ideas?

I’ve got just the thing to solve that New Year’s Resolution problem that you’ve probably got. Did you dream up a goal for this year that includes “eat better, eat more meals at home, reduce soda, increase exercise, eat 5-9 servings of fruit/veggies a day like the food guide says I should.”

Let me tell you about The Veggie Club.

Imagine a private members’ only website where you can get access to whacks of recipes with veggies front-and-centre.

The step-by-step recipes save you money, too. Healthy AND inexpensive.

The illustrated recipe for Sausage Minestrone makes a spectacular dinner for $1.35/serving, and it’s 354 calories per bowl, with 18 grams of protein.

The recipe for Homemade Vegetable Soup is $0.88/bowl, with 101 calories and 1 gram of fat.

Anyway, I don’t want to spam you with a long sales letter tonight

(There’s wine to drink and trees to un-decorate, and I must get to both of those right now…)

But if you were perhaps thinking that maybe, probably, you were sort of hoping to ideally eat better this year, get more veggies into your diet, start to reduce your grocery budget, and be in a community of like-minded people… then you must might want to sign up for The Veggie Club tonight.

Do it right now before you make one more resolution. www.OneRoastVegetable.com/02.html.

OK. That’s it from me

I don’t wanna nag you. It’s just that I know that tonight is EXACTLY the right time to be thinking about the year ahead, your goals, how you want to be feeling come mid-June.

If I check back with you in mid-June, will you be able to say that you have been successful in your goals to eat better? I hope so www.OneRoastVegetable.com/02.html

All best, time to tackle that tree.
me

Shelley MacDonald Beaulieu
Owner & Head Tomato
OneRoastVegetable.com / The Veggie Club

PS/ Here’s the secret. Glad you read right to the end

My secret is about the Back to Basics cooking class that’s starting soon … (http://www.oneroastvegetable.com/backtobasics.htm) Since this is the first time I’m holding this class, all of my Veggie Club subscribers will be able to take this class completely F’REE of charge.

So if you were smart, like I know you are, then you’d go RIGHT NOW and sign up for a Veggie Club Membership (I’d take the 3-month one or the yearly subscription if I was you). Then you’ll be a Veggie Club Member when it’s time to register for the Back to Basics class.

And you’ll be able to take the class for F’REE. It’s my New Year’s gift to you You gotta like that! www.OneRoastVegetable.com/02.html

Day #29 Gift > Hooray for 29 days of giving

OK, tomorrow I’ll do a ‘best-of’ for the past 29 days of giving, but first I just gotta tell you what a truly amazing experience it has been for me.

Based on the website 29Gifts.org, the premise is that you are supposed to give something away every day for 29 days.

Most of my gifts were posted here on the blog, and a few others were more quiet.

Some make the house smell great (baking cookies), and other gifts made me feel awkward while I ran away (buying a woman’s lunch in a restaurant and having the waitress nearly give me away in her disbelief).

And then there’s the banana bread.

For yesterday’s gift, I was going to bake 3 banana breads for “Chez Doris,” a Montreal drop-in centre, where you can knit, play cards, watch TV, see the doctor, and get fed three meals a day.

When I suggested that some of you might want to also sponsor a few banana breads, well, I’ve received 12 confirmed sponsors so far …

This afternoon A. went out to a corner store and found somebody with dead bananas for sale… lots of them.  I told him to bring home 36 bananas (i.e. 3 x 12 banana breads = 36).  He instead decided it seemed like a good idea to buy ALL OF THE DEAD BANANAS this store had.  All of them.

Want to know what 52 dead bananas look like?

this is what 52 dead bananas look like

There are so many, in fact, that we’re going to have to store them in a plastic container outside in the snow because I don’t have enough fridge or freezer room.

So that means that I can make a few more if you’re interested in a tiny sponsor?  It’s $2.50 per banana bread (which is $2.05 US).

Don’t feel like you have to buy 4 or 5 of them.  You can just raise your hand for one.  I’ve set up the link here.

Tomorrow I’m going to ask you what your New Year’s Resolutions are, so get ready now …

All best & happy banana bread,
Shelley

Day #28 Gift > Banana Bread for the Homeless

Today I’m making banana bread to take to the women’s shelter in downtown Montreal.

I’ve got the recipe for you below, and I’ve also got a way that YOU can give so I can make MORE than the three I’ve got planned for today.

When I first moved to Montreal five and half years ago, I was searching for a local community shelter where I could do some volunteer work and I found “Chez Doris.” It’s a daytime drop-in place, to get off the street and get inside for meals and company.  I had a tour and was impressed with the sunny inside spaces, the sewing room, the ’shop’ where visitors can pick out clothes, kitchenware, and bedding. A doctor is onsite once a week to answer questions and check on regulars. The day I was there, a group of women sat around a giant old TV set, all of them knitting.

After I made my first cash donation, a newsletter came in the mail. It was around Christmas, and there was a section in the newsletter listing non-perishable gifts we could drop off: deodorant, toothpaste, socks, winter coats. And baked goods and desserts. Really. Did they want donations of food?

I called Chez Doris and spoke with a lovely bilingual receptionist, who assured me that yes, in fact, they did want food. “Our kitchen is very busy,” she said. “We provide breakfast and lunch to over 70 women every day. If you want to donate something, please bring enough for 50-70 people to share.”

I was single then, and new to the city, and happy for a project. I dedicated several Friday nights to making banana bread for Chez Doris. They’re easy to make, with only 6 ingredients, and are easy to package in plastic wrap and then tinfoil before I pop them in the freezer. Once I have 3 or 4 loaves, I pack them in the car and deliver them downtown.

The greeting I receive when I show up at the door with a bag of baking is always the same: “Great! We’ll use these this afternoon for prizes in Bingo… We’ll eat these today. These will certainly be appreciated.”

Today’s gift:

Today’s gift has three parts.  First, I’m BAKING three banana breads this afternoon to donate to Chez Doris. Second, I’m including the RECIPE below so that you can make your own banana bread as soon as you have brown bananas.

And third, if you would like to MAKE A DONATION so that I can make more banana breads, I’ve set up a link here.  For a teeny tiny donation of $2.75 CDN ($2.20 US) I can make, bake, and deliver one whole banana bread that serves 10.

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BANANA BREAD RECIPE

3 medium bananas, very ripe (approx. 375 g)
1/4 cup margarine or butter, softened (75 mL / 57 g)
1 cup white sugar (250 mL / 200 g)
2 large eggs
1½ cups flour (210 g)
1 teaspoon baking soda (5 mL)

Preheat oven to 325°F (190°C / gas mark 5). Peel ripe bananas and place in medium bowl. Beat with electric mixer until completely smooshed.

Soften margarine in microwave at low power in 10 second increments until soft to touch. (Or you can soften at room temperature for 45-95 minutes.)

Add margarine to bananas and beat together. Add sugar and continue to beat until well blended. Add eggs and mix.  Add flour and baking soda. Beat for about a minute until ingredients are well combined.

Spray bread pan (8.5” x 4.5”) with non-stick spray, or coat with a bit of butter.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth out the top and wipe off any drips.

Bake at 325°F (190°C / gas mark 5) oven for 60 minutes, or until brown on top and cooked inside. You can check for doneness with a wooden skewer, a toothpick, or a thin knife. A few moist crumbs are OK, but you shouldn’t see any uncooked batter when you remove the tester.

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If you’d like to make a donation to Chez Doris by contributing to the Banana Bread Fund, click here.

All best and happy Monday
Shelley

Day #26 Gift > Back to Basics: Thirteen Minute Fish & Rice

Thanks to everyone who emailed to tell me about their favourite holiday foods. For Suzi, it’s cinnamon rolls, for Beth it’s gingerbread houses, for Kristina it’s homemade tamales.  I couldn’t have arranged for a better range of answers, could I?  Bruce also emailed that he liked creamed peas and carrots (and he sent along a recipe I’m going to try).  Amber likes homemade fudge, and Lauri’s got a thing for shrimp.

My favourite holiday food is stuffing.  I only make it once a year, for Christmas dinner, and it’s an un-healthy mixture of butter, soft bread, onions, celery, mushrooms and the killer ingredient — ground savoury (it’s like sage, or poultry seasoning). I bake it in a pan with a light lid made out of tinfoil, so that it partly steams and partly gets crunchy corners.  Best mixed into chicken salad sandwiches the next day, with cranberries and mayo.

Now.  Back to the gifts. Don’t forget to post your comments below.

Today’s gift:

In keeping with my 29 days of gifts, today’s gift is a simple trick for a healthy dinner for Fish and Rice.

In January I’m launching a Back-to-Basics class that covers all those things we (maybe) learned in Home Economics in high school, but have since forgotten…

And one of those topics is timing — like how to get the meal on the table so that it’s all ready at the same time — without running around with your head flying off from stress.

So tonight I’m going to share with you my favourite “perfectly timed” 13 minute dinner.

And I’ll give you the trick right up front:  basmati rice cooked on the stovetop and a filet of fish baked in the oven both take exactly 13 minutes to cook.  Add in a bit of time for soaking the rice, and you’ve got dinner in 25 minutes.

Thirteen Minute Fish & Rice
Serves 4, easily doubled or reduced

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup basmati rice (125 mL)
3/4 cup chicken broth (or water) (190 mL)
4 filets of fish
orange marmalade
clove of garlic
grainy mustard
green veggie

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Soak 1/2 cup basmati rice in cool water. Not all rice needs to soak first, basmati does.  Let it soak 5-10 minutes, and up to 25 minutes if you’ve got extra time, but it’s not required.

Drain rice. Plop drained rice into a small pot with a tight fitting lid. Using the same measuring cup you used to measure the rice, add 1.5 measures of chicken broth, veggie broth, or water to the rice in the pot.  If you used 1/2 cup of rice, then you’ll need 3/4 cup of liquid.

Do not start cooking the rice yet.

Line a pan with tinfoil, and place your fish filets on the foil, skin side down. (I love trout or salmon, but other dense white fish would work too).

Mix together a couple tablespoons of orange marmalade with a half clove of garlic and a teaspoon of grainy mustard.  Smear over the fish.

Put the rice on high heat and bring it to a hard boil with the lid off.  AS SOON AS it starts to boil hard, immediately reduce the heat to minimum, and put the top on the pot. Stick the fish in the oven.

Set your timer for 13 minutes.

That’s it

You can add in another pot for a veggie too, like broccoli or brussels sprouts or green beens. Cook them in a 1/2 inch of water, bring to a boil at the same time as the rice, also reduce to minimum and put the lid on. Cook for the same 13 minutes.  If you want asparagus, it cooks faster so start it later, maybe half-way through.

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More to come in January’s Back to Basics course including quiche, chicken broth from scratch, how to store lettuce, and apple crisp with cinnamon ice cream.  If you’d like to be on the list to get more information, you can sign up here > http://www.OneRoastVegetable.com/backtobasics.htm

All best,
Shelley

Day #22 Gift > 3 free one-month memberships to The Veggie Club

Back on Day #12, I had a contest to give away a $25 gift certificate for Amazon.com  (.ca), and the winner was Sally.  Here’s her Christmas story:

A few years ago I had my first Christmas in my apartment. This was a turning point for me as I had always gone home for Christmas. I was living in Montreal Nord on Henri Bourassa Blvd. I am from Nova Scotia and my mother had come to visit me. I had thought of everything, almost. Being 20 years old, on my on and in the big city, I was not completely domesticated. I bought a turkey and all the trimmings. After we opened presents Christmas morning it was time to put the turkey in the oven.

Where was the roasting pan? In my mother’s kitchen in Nova Scotia…at the store…but not in my apartment.

Being a very resourceful person, my mother came to the rescue and we roasted the turkey in the only thing available….a muffin tin. I will tell you that in a pinch it worked great! All the drippings were collected in the muffin cups and we were able to make a nice gravy. And the turkey was very tasty!

Cheers, Sally

Congratulations to Sally for being the 12th person to send in a story that day.  And thanks to everyone who has been following along on these 29 days of giving… It’s been quite an experience for me.  At this time of year we’re often thinking of donations to others, but to continue to ‘give’ each and every day has been a gentle stretch for me that I have quite enjoyed. Some days I can’t think of anything to give… when really, we all have so much we can offer each other…

Today’s gift:

I have 3 free one-month memberships to The Veggie Club (value $9.95/month) to give away to the first three people who write me and tell me what their favourite Christmas (holiday) food is.  For example, Christmas wouldn’t be the same without homemade cranberry relish, or Gramma’s pumpkin pie, or cherry surprises?  So, let me hear from you.  What food tradition is the BEST part about Christmas for you.  Send me an email, I can’t wait to hear what you have to share.

All best,
Shelley

Day #20 Gift > Shortbread Video

Today’s gift to you is a video.  I know you all LOVE the videos.  Well, this one ties in nicely with some previous posts.

Remember when I was at Day #2 of this 29 days of giving thing, that was the day I gave you my recipe for Easy Bar Shortbreads.  I make them every year, only at Christmas time, and they’re easy and very yummy.

Right away, Veggie Club member Suzi tried the recipe, and then she emailed me: “I made your short bread bars for my work Christmas party… and they were a BIG hit.”

On Day #13 I had a preview lesson for the Back-to-Basics class that’s coming up in January.  The little lesson was all about the RIGHT way to measure flour, and there are loads of comments on the blog about that one, thanks!

So today, to tie it all together, I’ve got a video of me making the shortbreads that includes demonstrating the flour measuring part.

I’d be happy if you were to forward this email to anyone you know who might benefit from it, and encourage them to sign up at www.OneRoastVegetable.com to also follow along with the Back-to-Basics lessons (and other great veggie ideas).

Ready to start cooking? Don’t forget to leave a comment below

All best,
Shelley

Day #19 Gift > Free Q&A Call

Well, today I’m going to do something I’ve never done before.  A free Question & Answer.  I’m going to get on the phone, and I’m going to answer your questions.

You, my wonderful subscribers, email me questions every day, and yes, I do my best to answer them one-by-one.

But I was thinking how cool it would be if we could get ‘together’ on the phone.

Like, you ask me about homemade chicken broth (which I’m making right-right now), and then Katie gets to hear my answer to you, then Katie asks a question about roasters versus fryer chickens, and you hear that answer.

Then Jim chimes in with how to ask how I’d make a vegetarian version of chicken pot pie…

You get the picture?

So in about 1.25 hours, I’m going to hop on my bridge line, and I’m going to talk to whoever is there.

Do you have a question about …

• kitchen klutter
• meal planning
• hard boiled eggs
• how to get your husband to help you clean behind the fridge
• packing lunches

Or maybe you have a question about …

• how I run One Roast Vegetable … I’d be glad to share any behind the scenes stuff that might be helpful to you.
• or about a recipe on The Veggie Club
• or when the next Klutter Klass is starting
• and how you can get a dozen cookies mailed to your house
• or what it’s like to be married to a guy who doesn’t speak English…

I’m ready if you’re ready

DATE: Today, Saturday December 20th, 2008

TIME: 5:00 pm Eastern / 2:00 pm Pacific

YOU CALL: 1-605-475-6006
(regular long distance fees apply)

ACCESS PASSWORD:   774307#
(you need to enter the pound key after the number).

I will NOT be making a recording of this available afterward — this is a one-time deal.  Be there or be square.

Talk to you soonly,
Shelley

Day #18 Gift > Homemade cranberry sauce

It’s nearly time for Christmas dinner. People everywhere will be getting up at dawn to put a giant turkey in the oven. They’ll peel pounds of potatoes. They’ll cut Xs in the bottoms of Brussels sprouts. They’ll glaze carrots.

And then they’ll open a can of cranberry sauce.

Now, what’s wrong with this picture? Would you serve canned turkey on this big day? Or canned mushrooms? Probably not. But somewhere along the way we’ve decided that there’s nothing like cranberry sauce alongside a roast, and that canned is fine.

OK. I’m here to dispel that myth Don’t yell at me, I know, I know, canned is quite lovely too. I eat it all the time. But for Christmas dinner? No way! Got to have the real thing. And it’s really simple … you can even follow the recipe that comes on the side of the bag of cranberries, or you can jazz it up a bit with one of my recipes below.

(1) you can turn whole berries into quite a lovely homemade sauce

(2) The cranberries will begin to pop and the outside skin will split open

(3) bring to a boil

(4) as it cooks, it will become quite jammy and most of the berries will explode open

(5) once cooled, it will be thick and lovely

Orange Whole Berry Sauce

One bag of cranberries (or about 3 cups of whole berries)

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons grated orange peel (zest)

Rinse cranberries, pick out and discard any that look very shrivelled or brown. Put all ingredients together into a medium-sized pot. Heat over medium heat. The skins will begin to open a bit and they might spit a bit.

Once it comes to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer about 10 minutes. Most of the berries will pop open and the sauce will be quite jammy. Let cool at room temperature, taste to see that it’s yummy, then put it in the fridge. Can be stored for a week or so. Makes just over 2 cups.

Spicy Whole Berry Sauce

Same recipe as Orange Whole Berry Sauce, but add:

4 tablespoons dried raisins
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

Talk again soon,
Shelley