Hi All.  New Years eve is upon us.  Sorry I have not been cooking much over the past few weeks as I was getting the house ready, unpacked and livable.  I promise to deliver some more zesty recipes in 2010.

Are you excited about the new year?  I am sure New Years Resolutions will be flying everywhere in the coming days.  I never seem to have much luck with my resolutions however this year I am going to make a solid effort to be more organized and time efficient between work, zesty and family.  With that being said I wanted to share with you a pretty yummy pizza if you run out of time for supper anytime or just do not feel like cooking.

The last couple of weeks we have been eating take out every now and again… which is bad but just part of life.  One day last week we brought in Domino’s Pizza…. Hawaiian style and it was quite delicious.

I have a busy day planned today – at the office for a little while, test driving another vehicle, shooting a campbell’s video and preparing for a huge New Year’s Eve food fest at the Zesty In-laws.  I am very excited.

Oh yeah I forgot to tell you – we sold the truck.  We need a 4X4 so we are on the hunt.  I will keep you posted if we get lucky.  Have a great New Years Eve and I will stop in tomorrow with some shots of tonight’s gala.

Take care

zesty

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Lets just say that yesterday was a whirlwind of a day!  We found a vanity for the half bath in Halifax NS that we just had to have!  So I took yesterday off work and drive over 3.5 hours to pick up the vanity.  Along the way, we made a pit stop for a sandwich ( toasted Ham and Cheese- No sauce ) and drove 3.5 hours back.  We better like this “vanity”!

I forgot my cds in the truck and I left the ipod at home – so the music was just fair at best.  Does anyone else hate when they are driving and the radio never really works with the reception fading in and out?  Anyway, we survived and was fortunately home in time for supper.

Scalloped Potatoes… a true classic and it gets me every time.  I am such a potato pig.

It was a traditional meal with a nice pineapple ham roasted in the oven and some bubbly scalloped potatoes on the side.  A fresh batch of homemade biscuits thrown into the mix and some good old fashion H2O.

Ingredients

• 6 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 3 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 Tsp. salt
• 1/4 Tsp. pepper
• 2 1/2 Cups milk
• 1 Small onion, finely sliced

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over low heat until melted. Blend in flour, salt and pepper.
3. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly.
4. Gradually stir in milk, 1/2 cup at a time.
5. Heat to boiling. Boil and stir 1 minute.
6. Arrange potatoes in greased casserole roasting pan in 3 layers, topping each layer with part of the chopped onions and 1/3 of the sauce.
7. Dot the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, broken into little pieces.
8. Cover and bake until potatoes are tender, about 60-70 minutes.
9. Let stand 5 to 10 minute before serving.

Zesty Tip: I think a key tip with scalloped potatoes is to let them sit out on the stove once you remove them from the heat.  This will allow them to thicken and prevent you from burning your tongue.

How often do you burn your tongue? It seems that I do it far too frequently and I think it’s why I’m not a big fan of hot drinks.  I actually took some pictures of the scallop potatoes on my fancy shmancy plate but something happened and they were quite yellow.  I had them under a different light and I think it gimped something up.  I could not even fix it in Photoshop.

Sorry for the short post but I am on my way out of the house tonight (9:00 pm) to go do some clean up at the house.  There is drywall pieces everywhere that has to get cleaned up before the seam fillers.  Have yourself a great day and keep smiling.

Take care

zesty

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Happy Labor Day!  How was your holiday weekend?  Mine was great where I thankfully got a lot accomplished.  My to do list is still as long as my leg but that can be expected.  I spent quite a bit of time working on a project that I will announce later in the week.  I also was at the house on Saturday doing a little clean up and taking a garbage load to the dump.

I didn’t spend a lot of time in the kitchen but I did have time to make my Mom’s crowd pleasing potato salad.  The appearance of this potato salad may not tickle your fancy, however the texture and flavor is where it’s at.

Ever have a potato salad that is sopping wet with mayonnaise?  Ever have one that is covered with onions and you cannot taste the potato?  Ever have one that is mashed to an oblivion and you cannot feel any texture?  I am guessing you said “yes” to at least one of those questions.  With this potato salad, you get a nice combination of texture, very little sauce and no over powering onion flavor.

Before starting the salad, I knew I would pair this with some leftover pineapple glazed ham which is really tough to beat.  Below I’ve explained how I created this salad.  I really suggest you give this one a try in your kitchen.

Ingredients

• 6-8 Medium Size Potatoes
• 5 Eggs
• 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
• Pepper
• Onion Powder
• Salt ( at the table)

Method

1. Boil Potatoes until fork tender and let cool slightly.
2. While still warm, peel and cut potato into small/medium dice
3. Add the potatoes into a bowl
4. Boil eggs for 9 minutes until hard.
5. Cover with ice cold water and let rest for a minute.
6. Peel and chop the egg and add to the potatoes
7. Add Pepper and onion powder.
8. Stir mayonnaise in gently; sample for flavor
9. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours
10. ENJOY!!

Zesty Tip: When making potato salad, it is crucial you add the seasoning and sauce to the potatoes while they are warm.  This will allow the potatoes to absorb all the flavor and make it more enjoyable.

Upcoming on Zesty

• Zesty makes a new Purchase
• Zesty goes on the road
• Zesty hits newsstands
• Zesty house update

I will fill you in on everything new and exciting throughout this week.   I hope you have a great Holiday Monday and I look forward to reading your comments about this killer potato salad.  Keep me posted on anything that is new with you and I will be back tomorrow.

Take care

zesty

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Can you believe it is Thursday already? Crazy I know – the weeks seem to be all a blur.  September is upon us and it is that time of year when things start to get hectic for a lot of families and students.  With that being said, I want to share with you a super simple recipe to glaze a ham.

This is great for a hot meal paired with scalloped potatoes, a cold sandwich, or served chilled with potato salad.  The leftovers are great for a quiche as well as a topping for a quick salad. This ham is very straight forward to prepare and is great to do up in advance.  From a price perspective it is very economical and stays well in the fridge.

Ingredients

• 1 Ham
• 2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
• 1 Can sliced pineapple
• 1 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
• 1 Tbsp. Mustard ( prepared )

Method

1. Boil ham for 20-30 minutes depending on the size
2. Remove from water and let rest
3. Place in roasting pan or on tin foil plate
4. Add remaining ingredients (except pineapple) in a bowl and mix thoroughly
5. Spoon sauce over ham saving some for basting
6. Take the slices of pineapple and place toothpicks through the ham to hold them in place
7. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-45 minutes.
8. Baste with remaining sauce halfway through



9. Remove from oven; let rest and carve once cooled slightly
10. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: For small hams, roasts or chickens, use tin foil plates or tin foil roasting pans to avoid the tough cleanup.  They are a great time saver and great for potlucks as well.

Have yourself a great day! Contact me if you have any questions or would like me to prepare a favorite recipe of yours.

Take care

zesty

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What a weekend!  Lets summarize shall we.  First, I decided to put my Honda Accord up for sale this weekend in preparation to buy a truck to replace it.  I always wanted a truck so now might be the time.  I thought with the new house coming and all the building going on – it would nice to have the ability to haul something when you need to.

On Saturday evening I was treated to a homemade cold plate. It included ham, potato salad, garden tomatoes, cucumbers and homemade bread.  What a treat!  Thanks Nan.

The Black Bomber

In addition, we had a last minute boy/girl wedding shower on Sunday that we had to attend. It was a good time and the desserts were incredible.  I didn’t have my camera which is unfortunate.

So a new week has started and our goal is to make some positive traction on the house.  Survey of the property and soil test is complete.  I am just waiting for the elevation of the plans to be finalized, then move onto the building permit along with temporary electric service.  Once  that is complete, we will be ready to dig the hole a get this party started.

I hope you have a great Monday! I have a real treat for you tomorrow (and Wednesday) so stay tuned for some really creative baking.

Take care

zesty

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Good morning, good afternoon or good evening… depending on when you are reading this and what part of the world you are located.  This week has flown by very quickly which is a good thing since I enjoy the weekends so much.  Even though it’s a weeknight, I am going to a comedy show starring Jeremy Hotz.   I am pretty excited as it will be a nice break from the regular routine.

So I guess you’re wondering about the title, Not your average ham and cheese.  I had some Pita bread that I picked up from the bakery and I always seem to have some roasted turkey breast or deli ham in the fridge for a quick sandwich. As I love to use leftovers, I thought I would share a pita sandwich that I put together.

It is nothing fancy but great as a lunch or even a quick meal on the run.  Another great way to kick this up and add a different texture is to grill it with an indoor grill or even on the barbecue.  Basically grill it until the pita browns and the cheese melts.

Ingredients

• Pita Bread
• Ham Slices
• Lettuce
• Parsley (only if you have any)
• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Parmesan Cheese ( sliced )
• 1 Tsp. Chili Powder
• Mayonnaise
• Mustard

Method

1. Cut the Pita bread in two and create a pocket like opening.
2. Mix chili powder, mayonnaise, and mustard together to make a spread.
3. Smear inside pita bread with some of the spread.
4. Place all other ingredients in the pita (be gentle).
5. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When using pita bread, if you find it is getting stale or simply not as fresh – a quick technique to bring it back to life is to slightly dampen the bread with your wet fingers and then place it in the oven for a few minutes.

Question of the Day:

What is your favorite Deli Meat?

I hope you have a great Thursday and I look forward to hearing all your answers regarding today’s question.

Take care

zesty

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Hey Everyone… Happy Tuesday!  I had a huge family gathering on the weekend and with that came a lot of food.  One of the feature brunch dishes that I chose was a wonderful, yet simple, kicked up quiche.  Talk about an easy recipe that packed a punch.  Over 20 people tried the quiche and everyone of them were raving about both the homemade pastry and filling.

Follow along below and try out this quiche.  I made a couple of different types.  Our feature quiche was ham and spinach with monterey jack cheese.  I also made a traditional bacon, mushroom quiche with cheddar cheese.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 (5 ounce) container process sharp cheese spread
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons water

FILLING:

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup finely chopped ham
• 1/2 cup Spinach chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

OR

• 1/2 cup finely chopped bacon
• 1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Method

1. In a small bowl, cut butter and cheese spread into flour until well blended.



2. Add water and toss with a fork until a ball forms.



3. Refrigerate for 1 hour.



4. Press tablespoonfuls onto the bottom and up the sides of greased miniature muffin cups.



5. In a bowl, beat the egg, milk and salt. Stir in ham and cheese.







6. Spoon a rounded teaspoonful into each shell.



7. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until golden brown. (This is actually a shot of the bacon and mushroom quiche in case you thought I was losing my mind)



8. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
9. ENJOY!

So as always, do tell Zesty what’s your favorite quiche filling.  I can’t wait to hear everyone’s responses.  Hope everybody has a great Tuesday!

Zesty

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