Happy Monday from the camp ground!  The weekend has been a lot of fun minus the damp weather and the lack of propane in both the bbq and oven.  I tried not to let it dampen my spirits and forged ahead.  Needless to say there was no cooking on the first night but the forecast is looking up and I cannot wait.

Despite the weather – I do have a fun little appetizer to share with you and try out next time you need a snack.  This is great for a gathering, nice with some wine before your meal or even great to bring to a potluck if you are in a rush.  This is drop dead simple and requires three ingredients.

Ingredients

• Maple Smoked salmon
• Cream cheese
• Cracker/ Crostini

Method

1. Slice smoked salmon to desired size
2. Get crackers, spread a little cream cheese and top with smoked salmon
3. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: For me I love to serve this chilled as the cream cheese and salmon firm up and make a great combination.

OK, so there you have it guys, a quick simple appetizer that will make you a lot of friends and usually disappear like hot cakes.  I am on my way back to the trailer and looking forward to a fun day!  I will touch base with you on Wednesday and by all means let me know if you thought of anything else to put on the menu.

Take care

zesty

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Let’s chalk up yesterday to just a crazy day that I do not want repeated.  Work was absolutely insane with people upset, deadlines approaching, phones a ringin’ and software not working.  But hey – It’s not the end of the world so just keep smiling and plug away.  Now onto something that automatically makes me smile.  Risotto!

Well do I have a post for you today!  I mean totally sink your teeth in recipe.  Comfort screaming out loud!  You are going to love this post.  If you don’t love this post – then you either do not like Maple, Butternut Squash and Risotto or you may simply not like me rambling on about it.

Regardless of the answer here is the recipe.

Ingredients

• 6 Cups chicken broth
• ¼ Cup sherry
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 Small onion finely chopped
• ½ Butternut squash diced
• 2 Cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 Tsp. rosemary
• 3 Tbsp. wine vinegar
• 1 ½ Cups Arborio rice
• ½ Cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Coarse salt
• Fresh ground pepper

Method

1. Heat broth and sherry until simmering.
2. Cook squash and onion, until onions soft, about 7 minutes seasoning with salt and pepper.
3. Add garlic, maple syrup  rosemary,  and vinegar and cook 2-3 min further till all well blended.
4. Squash should be soft but intact.
5. Add rice and stir to coat and then add first cup of broth mixture, stirring until most of the liquid is absorbed.



6. The broth must be hot when adding to the rice. As broth dissolves add more until rice done, about 30 minutes.
7. Stir in parmesan cheese at the very end.





8. Rice will be plump and slightly firm to the bite.



9. ENJOY

Zesty Tip: Don’t sweat the risotto – it is not as hard as you think.  Just follow these simple instructions and you can pull it off.

Last night was a bit of a hodge podge night with just a bit of lazing around and some TV watching.  Does anybody watch American Idol? I tuned in for a bit last night for a little laugh.  I feel I could be doing so much around the house getting it set up but for some reason the couch continues to call my name.

Hope you have a great Wednesday.  The kitchen people and carpenters are coming this morning to do some fixes and the flooring guys are coming back on Friday to take a look at some blemishes.

Take care

zesty

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Happy Wednesday!  Phew… what a day!  We will get on that in a minute.  I have been working on house decisions what feels like all day yesterday as the builders had made some great progress and had lots of questions as the floor system got underway today.  House Update Below!!!!

On to the carrots!  These babies were amazing.  As part of the huge barbecue feast from yesterday we had some fresh garden carrots that were just aching to be kicked up with some Canadian Maple Syrup.  Now not that this carrot recipe is low in fat… but I really enjoyed them.

Here are the simple step by step instructions on how to spin these carrots for your next dinner.

Ingredients

• Carrots
• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• 1 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
• 1/2 Tsp. Fresh Thyme
• Salt
• Pepper

Method

1. Wash carrots and cut ends off.



2. Cut into pieces and place in pot and cover with water.
3. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender.
4. Drain water, turn off heat and place pot back on the burner.



5. Season immediately while hot, add butter, thyme and maple syrup.





6. Stir and serve.
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: I like to slightly under cook vegetables as I find they taste better than when they are mushy.  So I like to keep a close eye and try to cut them similar in size so they cook evenly.

House Update

So there you have it! Some kicked up carrots and a zesty house update. Have yourself a great Wednesday and I will see you all tomorrow for a very “Beantown” menu choice.

Take care

zesty

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Hi there Zesty readers!  I’m Angie (from www.angiealltheway.com)  and I’m so pleased to be guest posting for Zesty today and sharing with you a dish that I haven’t stopped thinking about since a meal  I had at the Bier Market while in Toronto in June.   I thought I would try my hand at making my own version of it.

Being Canadian (and especially being a Maritimer), there are some things that we love to shout from the rooftops:

You haven’t tried maple anything until you’ve tried Maple Butter. *drool*
I give you:

Maple Walnut Salmon Over Beet & Goat Cheese Greens

INGREDIENTS (PER PERSON)

The Salmon:

• 1 salmon fillet (or however many people you would like to serve)
• Sea salt
• Fresh ground black pepper



• 1 tbsp Maple butter (you can use maple syrup, but maple butter is where it’s at)

The Greens:

• 2-3 Cups of mixed salad greens or baby spinach
• 1 beet, peeled, cut into bite size pieces
• 3-4 tbsp crumbled goat cheese
• 1/4c walnuts



• 2 tbsp maple butter (to candy the walnuts)

The Vinaigrette (Maple Balsamic) – optional:

*this makes about 1c of vinaigrette but is fantastic for salads or roasted root veggies)

• 5-6 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 3 – 4 tbsp Pure maple syrup
• 1/2c Extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Steam the beets until fork tender.
2. Melt a few tbsp of maple butter in a small pan (or in the microwave) and coat evenly over walnuts.  Set aside on a piece of tin foil to set (only takes about a minute).
3. Meanwhile, season the salmon with salt & pepper and baste with the maple butter.
4. Grill the salmon on a grill pan (or bake it in the oven) over medium – high heat being careful not to let the maple butter burn.
5. Plate a few handfuls of greens on your plate, top with steamed beats, candied walnuts and crumbled goat cheese.
6. Serve salmon over the salad and drizzle with the Maple Balsamic vinaigrette (optional).

I know you will enjoy this as much as I did and even more, how easy it is to make even though it looks gourmet!
Enjoy!

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Can you believe it is Thursday already?  It’s the time of year where the weather is cooling off and winter is drawing near.  I thought I would make one more crack at the outdoor grill and whip up a simple salad packed with flavor.

Recently, I have been on a maple kick so I thought I would create a Maple Vinaigrette for this salad.  Salad dressings are so easy to make and have much better flavor than store bought dressing.  Give this one a try and tell me what you think.

Grilling vegetables is a great way to add a fresh flavor compared to the normal run of the mill boiled vegetables that we sometimes get trapped into.  What’s the proper way to grill vegetables?  First, make sure your grill is hot.  Then add oil to both the vegetables and the surface of the grill as you do not want them sticking.  Furthermore, stay close by as they will not take too long.

Maple Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 cup balsamic or sherry vinegar
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns

Method

1. Combine mustard and basil in a small bowl.  With a whisk, add vinegar, maple syrup, lemon juice and garlic.
2. Add olive oil and continue whisking until ingredients are mixed well.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Refrigerate, the dressing will keep for several weeks.

Salad

Ingredients

• 8 Oz Sirloin (grilled to your liking)
• 4 Cups Baby Spinach
• 1 Grilled (sliced) Zucchini
• 1 Tomato (sliced) Grilled
• 1 Red Onion (sliced) Grilled
• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Preheat grill (indoor or outdoor).
2. Season and grill beef to your liking and set aside to rest.
3. Chop all vegetables and place in a bowl.
4. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.
5. Mix and coat evenly.
6. Place on the grill and cook until almost tender (you do not want them to soft).
7. Prepare baby spinach (wash and dry).
8. Using your final salad bowl, place some of the dressing in the bottom.
9. Add spinach and vegetables on top and toss gently to coat.
10. Add the Steak on top.
11. Drizzle with remaining dressing and season with coarse salt (if you like) and pepper.
12. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: To avoid an uneven coating of dressing on the salad, try adding some dressing to the bottom of the bowl before adding the ingredients  – then gently tossing them and topping the dressing off with the remainder.

One note, as I was eating this salad, I realized that some toasted nuts would also be great on here so I went ahead and threw on some walnuts.  It added another dimension of flavor that I suggest everyone tries.  For all the vegetarians out there, by all means just remove the beef and add more of your favorite vegetables.  It is still delicious.

I hope everyone has a great Thursday!

Take Care

zesty

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