Sewing with knits - An adventure

I know I’ve said that sewing with knits is hard and that I didn’t want to open that can of worms any time soon. But then I read this fantastic tutorial on Prudent Baby, which explained how to deal with knits. Yes, they stretch, but you can use a walking foot to help minimize the problem! This made a world of difference to me, and also helps in quilting projects, as it moves the fabric along from the top (while the machine’s feeder dogs move it along from the bottom). A serger would help for hems, as would twin needles, but as far as I know, I can’t do that on my machine (and I don’t have a serger). I also don’t have the option to do a stretch stitch (nor do I have a good basting stitch, really, but that’s another issue entirely), so I used a zigzag stitch. I did, however, buy ballpoint needles, which help because they can sew knits without tearing through the fibers.

I installed the walking foot and ballpoint needle and decided to practise a bit by upcycling some old knit t-shirts into trivets. I made two 9-inch squares ones, for each of which I used a piece of 9-inch square Insul-Bright (which acts as heat-proof padding), a 10-inch square of scrap fabric (I used a woven one), three 4”x10” strips of knit t-shirts in coordinating colors, and bias tape (made from the woven scrap fabric). All of this assumes ½” seams. Of course, keep in mind that if you want to actually use your trivets, your fabric has to be heat-resistant (everything I used was 100% cotton, so I’m fine, though linen would work too). I started by sewing the strips of knit fabric together on the long side, then I put them right-side-together with the woven backing and sewed along three sides. I flipped the pouch so that the right side was out, inserted the Insul-Bright, folded the edges in and sewed the last seam. Then I added the bias tape on the perimeter, though it’s optional. You could also use it to make a loop on one corner of the trivet. A walking foot was really a godsend for this project!

That had gone well, so I took the plunge. I bought some knit fabric and polyester thread (which has more stretch than cotton thread and therefore more appropriate than the latter for sewing with knits) and practised. It took me a while to adjust the tension properly, but I finally got it right and was able to sew seams that lay flat. So I used this free pattern to make a skirt. I started by adding an interlining of the same fabric, since I had read that it was recommended for skirts. I ended up with fabric that was too heavy: when the skirt was upright (as opposed to laying flat on the table), gravity pulled the 8 panels of fabric down and made them droop at the seams. I had enough fabric to make a 6-panel skirt without an interlining, so I did that, all the while thinking that I would have to make an additional lining or wear the skirt with a half-slip, but the same thing happened again! I think perhaps the knit fabric really wasn’t meant for this pattern (regardless of the fiber content).

I didn’t want to throw all of it away, so I recycled the interlined skirt into two pleated scarves seen on Make It And Love It. It was an easy project, was good to practise sewing with knit fabric, and gave me something I can use out of this whole thing; the scarves were still cheaper than the store-bought equivalent. I since bought fabric that was better suited for the skirt, using the recommendations directly on the pattern’s website, so I’ll report back on that! I haven’t figured out what to do with the fabric from the 6-panel skirt, so it’s going in my stash for now.

Transformation de vêtements: Robe

Voici mon plus récent projet de transformation de vêtement. J’avais une camisole licou verte, dont j’aimais la couleur et le style, mais je trouvais qu’elle était trop courte. J’ai décidé de la transformer en robe en utilisant mon premier patron pour la jupe. J’ai donc apporté ma camisole au magasin pour trouver un tissu qui s’agencerait avec elle, et je suis tombée sur le bon! J’ai acheté ce qu’il me fallait, ainsi qu’une bobine de fil, et je me suis mise au travail.

J’ai donc fait la jupe à partir du patron de la robe, en laissant tomber carrément la fermeture éclair, et j’y ai cousu la camisole. Puisque celle-ci s’étire, je n’ai aucun problème à enfiler ma nouvelle robe! J’ai essayé de faire une ceinture avec le même tissu, mais en fin de compte, elle ne me sied pas (je crois qu’il faudrait soit une ceinture faite avec du tissu de tricot, soit une large ceinture en simili-cuir). Le projet a été relativement rapide, et pas très cher : 4,5 verges de tissu à 4,90 $ la verge, plus le fil, donc environ 24 $ en tout. Je n’avais pas besoin d’autant de tissu, mais j’en avais prévu pour la ceinture (qui, finalement, ne servira pas). Il me reste assez de tissu pour me faire autre chose, sûrement une camisole; j’ai un patron à l’œil, mais je vais attendre à après Noël pour me mettre au travail. Sinon, j’ai une belle robe d’été à mettre!

Drew's American Grill

The Engineer and I had dinner at Drew’s American Grill last night and were both extremely pleased. We’d had out eye on this restaurant for a few months, having noticed it open after our arrival. It’s a relatively modern place, somewhat upscale, though casual attire is fine. It’s divided into a few sections, with some more casual than others (think greasy-spoon menu with bar-side seats for a late-night craving versus a place to celebrate your anniversary, with family dining in between); we were in the quieter central section which was somewhat like a glasshouse, with windows into the rest of the restaurant and a beautiful mobile hanging from the ceiling. The food seems more “New York” than “Texas”, but with so many places that cater to local cuisine around here, that’s not a bad thing. Service is prompt and attentive (let’s just say your water glass won’t ever be empty).

The dinner menu fits on one legal-sized sheet, which I’ve come to like if only because it makes decisions easier! There are pizzas, salads and sandwiches, but also some specialty main courses (which I refuse to call “entrées” because I know what that word actually means). We started with the slider trio as an appetizer: a pulled chicken with pesto on brioche bun, braised short rib with garlic aioli on onion bun, and lamb with mint and feta on pita bun, all three of which were delicious. The Engineer then had the Sunny Side Up pizza, which had bacon, gruyere, mozzarella, arugula and eggs; he really liked it, and was particularly fond of the dough. I loved the bite I had, though, the arugula was too cooked for my taste (but I don’t like wilted lettuce, and when I have arugula on my pizza, I put it on at the last minute). As for me, I was in heaven with the chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese, apricots, dates, and almonds and served with creamy polenta and green beans. It was fabulous! And worth the Lactaid. I’m told that the chefs can tweak the menu to satisfy those with food restrictions (like vegans or people who are gluten-intolerant), though I didn’t ask for myself. We were too full for dessert after that, though I was pleased to see that there were several lactose-free options, like the zeppole and the sorbet trio. (The flavours are up to the chef, but they are from a nearby gelateria and look much more interesting than what you’d get at a grocery store. Plus, Drew’s molten chocolate cake isn’t served with plain vanilla ice cream, but with Mexican vanilla gelato!) However, we were absolutely delighted that the bill came with free cotton candy! There’s always room for a sweet blue cloud after a full meal.

A monthly outing roundup

I mentioned a few months ago that since we got back from our summer in Montreal, the Engineer and I now try to do or visit something in or around San Antonio once a month. I figured I’d give you a roundup of what we’ve done so far.

In August, we went to the farmers’ market at the old Pearl Brewery. I love going to the brewery, as the stores there are all interesting, the restaurants are great and it’s a beautiful place (especially if you take a stroll down the path by the river and go see F.I.S.H. under the bridge). Unfortunately, we got there late in the day and some vendors were already packing up. We did get to extensively check out Melissa Guerra, though, a nice shop which sells kitchenware, with an emphasis on local cuisine and tools. We were disappointed that they did not have a few basics that we were looking for (like a 1-cup Pyrex measuring cup and a 9-inch springform pan, both of which we had to replace in our kitchen), but they did have a lot of other nice stuff.

In September, we visited the McNay Museum, which I talked about here; I definitely recommend it to visitors. In October, in an effort to get inexpensive one-of-a-kind furniture to help decorate our house, we went to Bussey’s Flea Market (the one with a giant armadillo in the parking lot). That was a bust, though, as there was very little furniture there, and we came back empty-handed. We’ve since had more luck at Hats Furniture Haus; you’ll see the results here eventually.

In November, we decided to visit one of the many caves in the area; we settled on the Cave Without a Name (a young boy won the contest to name the cave, after declaring that it was too beautiful to have a name). We both really enjoyed the visit. The cave had some beautiful, colourful rock formations, and it was a comfortable 66 degrees down there (the temperature remains steady year-round, as does the almost 100% humidity). We’ll consider seeing Cascade Caverns and Natural Bridge Caverns on future outings.

Finally, this month, we went to Gruene (pronounced “green”) on the weekend of their Christmas Market. The town itself is historic; it was originally settled by Germans who built a cotton mill there. It is also home to Gruene Hall, believed to be the oldest dance hall in Texas (today still fully in use as a bar, venue and occasional movie set). I loved walking through the town itself, and had a lot of fun walking through the stores, the antique mall and the market set up for the occasion. We bought some art and a Christmas decoration, as well as some food items that you’ll be hearing about quite soon.

We’ve got the gist of our outing planned for February already, but January is still up in the air – we’ll see what we come up with!

Carrot and Rolled Grain Galettes

These were originally carrot and rolled barley galettes, found on Chocolate and Zucchini, but I couldn’t find rolled barley at my grocery store (all they have is medium barley, stashed in the soup aisle instead of with the other grains). I used rolled oats instead, and the result was quite good. You could use something other than carrots, too, like sweet potato or zucchini, but keep in mind that it doesn’t get cooked much in the galette, so you might have to cook it beforehand. I also messed with the proportions a bit, so I ended up using an egg to help the galettes hold their shape in the end; however, the four I had cooked without egg were still really good, and vegan to boot. The Engineer thought it was a riff on latkes, but I found them a bit heartier. With a salad, it would be a good lunch, but I used them here as a side to some marinated pork. This recipe makes about 8 galettes.

200 g (7 oz) grated carrots, from 2 medium carrots
200 g (7 oz, about 2 cups) rolled barley or other rolled grain
1 small shallot, grated or finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
3 ½ Tbsp ground flax seeds (from 2 Tbsp whole flax seeds; this works as a binder to help the galettes hold their shape)
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast (or a grated hard cheese like parmesan)
1 cup water
olive or canola oil
fresh cilantro and/or hot sauce, as a garnish

Combine all ingredients from carrots to nutritional yeast in a medium mixing bowl. Add water and stir well. Cover and let stand for at least 1 hour or until the next day (refrigerate if you let it stand for more than 1 hour). The mixture will gradually become more cohesive; the longer it rests, the easier it will be to shape.

Pour a bit of oil in a skillet and place over medium heat. Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions (of about 85 g/3 oz each). Wet your hands lightly, scoop out a portion and shape it into a patty between the palms of your hands. You can make the patties thicker or thinner depending on your preference. Repeat with as many portions as you want to cook. Transfer the patties to the hot skillet and cook for 3 minutes on each side, or until golden.

Serve immediately, with a sprig of cilantro and a dash of hot sauce. The raw mixture will keep for about 2 days in the fridge, tightly covered. (I made all the patties the first night and just reheated them later, though, and they were none the worse for wear.)

15-Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta

This is so good, you can’t imagine it. We just had contented, blissful looks on our faces as we were eating this... It’s an unusual use for an avocado, at least for me, but it works wonderfully to make a thick and creamy sauce. Throw in the garlic and lemon, and you’re in heaven! I used tubetti because that’s what I had in the pantry, but long pasta would be great, too. The downside is that this doesn’t keep well, because of the avocado, so don’t count on any leftovers. The following makes 2 servings.

2 servings (6 oz) of your choice of pasta
2 or 3 small garlic cloves, to taste (I used 2 and it was quite garlicky, but if you are not a big fan of garlic, use only 1 clove)
½ lemon, zested and juiced
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sized ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced
¼ cup fresh basil (I used some from the mammoth basil bush in our garden)
½ tsp kosher salt, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Bring several cups of water to a boil in a medium sized pot. Add in your pasta, reduce heat to medium, and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing the garlic cloves, lemon juice, and olive oil into a food processor. Process until smooth. Now add in the pitted avocado, basil, and salt. Process until smooth and creamy.

When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse in a strainer and place pasta into a large bowl. Pour on sauce and toss until fully combined. Garnish with lemon zest and black pepper. Serve immediately.

Seared Asian Steak and Mushrooms on Mixed Greens with Ginger Dressing

As you know, I try to follow recipes as written the first time I try them, especially when it comes to meat, because I don’t know as much as I’d like to about beef cuts and steak cooking and the like. So when I made this recipe from Bon Appétit, I did as the recipe said and used rib-eye steaks. In retrospect, I don’t think it’s the right cut. Some people might like them, but I feel they contain too much fat and other miscellaneous bits for my taste. While I do think beef steak are a good idea, I recommend that you use whatever kind you want. On the whole, though, this recipe is a keeper; the mushrooms came out perfectly, and the dressing was bright and tasty. It’s also a pretty easy recipe! It serves 4 people as written.

2 Tbsp soy sauce (or wheat-free tamari sauce)
2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
4 ½ tsp vegetable oil, divided
1 Tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
½ tsp Asian chili-garlic sauce (or equivalent; I think I used some sriracha and garlic salt)
1/8 tsp plus 2 tsp sesame oil, divided
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 12-oz steaks (don’t feel limited to rib-eye)
2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
8 oz crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, quartered
8 cups mixed greens

Mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, 1 ½ tsp vegetable oil, minced ginger, chili-garlic sauce, and 1/8 tsp sesame oil in small bowl. Add cilantro and stir to blend. Set dressing aside.

Rub ¼ tsp sesame oil over each side of each rib-eye steak. Sprinkle steaks with salt, pepper, and toasted sesame seeds; press firmly to adhere.

Heat 2 tsp vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté until browned, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer sautéed mushrooms to plate.

Add 1 tsp vegetable oil and 1 tsp sesame oil to skillet; heat over medium-high heat. Add steaks; cook to desired doneness, 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to cutting board and let rest a bit. Slice steaks. Toss mixed greens with dressing in large bowl; divide greens among plates. Top with steak slices and mushrooms and serve.

Strawberry Basil Sorbet

I’d been meaning to make this for a while, because strawberry and basil are two flavours that complement each other very well. I also love herbal simple syrups in sorbets, as I find the refreshing taste both delicate and adding in depth. I remember making a green apple and mint sorbet that I really liked, as well as a blueberry verbena, and last summer, my friends Rob and Jen served me this wonderful watermelon and mint sorbet that reminded me I should make desserts like that more often. I used my rosewater strawberry sorbet recipe as a base to come up with this one, which I loved as well. I used a liberal amount of basil, as the basil bush in the backyard isn’t showing any signs of slowing down! Have fun experimenting with your own flavours!

1 ¼ cups sugar
1 ¼ cups water
a few big handfuls of fresh basil leaves
2 lbs strawberries, washed and hulled
a splash of lemon juice

Put the sugar and the water in a saucepan and heat, stirring, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Take off the heat, throw in the basil, cover and let the simple syrup come to room temperature. Discard basil leaves.

Put the strawberries and lemon juice in the food processor and process until smooth. (You may strain the mixture to remove seeds if you wish.) Add the simple syrup and process again. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s directions.

Poulet à la gelée d'abricots

Je sais ce que vous allez me dire en voyant cette photo. « Mais Amélie, tu viens juste de parler de cette recette, dans ton billet l’autre jour. » Mais je vous jure que c’est une recette différente! Celle l’autre jour, c’était du poulet cuit avec des haricots blancs et des tomates. Le poulet d’aujourd’hui est adapté d’une recette de Coup de Pouce, et j’ai décidé de le servir avec du quinoa où j’ai mélangé des haricots blancs, des tomates et du parmesan, parce que ce sont des goûts qui vont bien ensemble et que l’Ingénieur et moi aimons tous les deux. Là, en plus, il y avait des céréales entières et un peu d’umami avec le parmesan, que vouloir de plus?

Les changements que j’ai apportés à la recette sont les suivants : enlever la peau du poulet (car toute la saveur y était concentrée, ce qui était d’autant plus dommage que nous ne mangeons pas la peau) ainsi que modifier le temps et la température de cuisson (au lieu de 30 minutes à 350 °F, ce qui n’était nettement pas assez, j’ai calqué ça sur l’autre recette de poulet). Et puis aussi, j’ai utilisé du thym frais au lieu de l’estragon, car c’est ça que j’ai dans le jardin.

2 c. à soupe de gelée d’abricots
1 c. à soupe de moutarde de Dijon
½ c. à thé de jus de citron
1 c. à thé d’estragon ou de thym frais haché
4 à 8 hauts-de-cuisses de poulet, sans la peau
sel et poivre, au goût

Préchauffer le four à 425 °F.

Dans un petit bol, incorporer ensemble la gelée, la moutarde, le jus de citron, l’estragon, le sel et le poivre.

Déposer les hauts-de-cuises de poulet dans un plat beurré allant au four et assaisonner. Badigeonner les pièces de poulet du mélange et cuire au four environ 35 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que les jus de cuisson soient clairs. Continuer de badigeonner les pièces tout au long de la cuisson.

Servir (par exemple avec du quinoa et une salade verte).

Freestyle Ham and Egg Crêpes

The Engineer loves dishes with baked eggs, so I knew this one would be a hit. However, as always, my crêpes turned out a little too thick and therefore didn’t spread enough. They're still good, just smaller and thicker than they were meant to be. The original recipe, however, called for cracking an egg in the middle of a 12-inch crêpe, folding the sides over in a square shape, then baking it. My crêpes were closer to 9 inches, though, so I knew the egg might run off, and the sides would never stay folded closed. I remedied the situation with ramekins, by putting a crêpe in each before filling it. It was a great solution, since there was no mess, and they unmolded very easily once they had been out of the oven for a bit.

I did have a little trouble with the baking time: I started by following the recipe and baked the cups at 350 °F for 12 minutes, but even the whites were still runny and totally liquid (the cups were shaped differently than the squares from the original recipe, though). I followed that with 10 minutes at 400 °F, at which point the crêpes started to burn, but the eggs were still jiggly, so I ended with 5 minutes at 350 °F. Next time, though, I would try 12 to 14 minutes at 400 °F. Keep that in mind if you make a cup version, but use the original recipe’s instructions for the square version.

The crêpe recipe itself is definitely a keeper, as they were delicious! I used canola oil instead of butter in the recipe, but the rest was unchanged. We had some of the baked ham and egg crêpes for dinner, and ate the rest of the crêpes with breakfast on following mornings. That being said, it would be a good dish for brunch, too, perhaps with bacon instead of ham (or turkey bacon, for the more health-conscious and those who aren’t crazy about ham). Keep in mind that the proportions below make a little over 4 servings (if you serve 2 crêpes per person); I made the full recipe of crêpes, but used only 4 to make my ramekins, so 4 slices of ham and 4 eggs (apart from those in the batter) were enough.

1 cup flour
1 Tbsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ cups lactose-free milk
4 large eggs
3 Tbsp melted butter (I used canola oil)
9 thin slices ham
9 eggs
chopped fresh parsley

Combine flour, sugar, salt, milk, four eggs and the melted butter in a blender and blend on high for 30 seconds. (I did this by hand, though I’m sure a food processor would work, too.) Let rest for 15 minutes. (I poured the batter through a sieve at this point.)

Heat a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat and lightly coat with butter. Add 1/3 cup batter and swirl to completely cover skillet. Cook until underside of crêpe is very lightly starting to brown, about 2 minutes.

Loosen edge of crêpe with spatula and then either using large spatula or your fingers, lift it up and flip it over. Cook another minutes and then slide out of skillet onto wax paper. Repeat until all crêpes are done. You should have about 9 12-inch crêpes when you are done.

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Place crêpes on a rimmed baking sheet (you can fit 3-4 per sheet). Place ham slice in center of crêpe and carefully crack egg onto ham. Fold edges of crêpe toward center, using the egg white as a kind of glue. Season with salt and pepper and bake until egg white is set, about 10-12 minutes. (If your crêpes are in ramekins, like mine, consider setting your oven to 400 °F and baking the crêpes about 12-14 minutes.) Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve at once.

Peanut Butter Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

I got this recipe from Bon Appétit, and I really liked it because the addition of pecans to peanut butter cookies gives them more depth than by relying only on the peanut butter. The downside, though, is that they aren’t very filling at all, so you might be tempted to keep eating them since you’re still hungry. Keep that in mind if you make them!

1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1/3 cup pecans, toasted, cooled
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp kosher salt
½ cup sugar
½ cup (packed) light brown sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature (or cold margarine)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
½ cup old-fashioned oats
¼ cup quick-cooking oats

Combine peanut butter and pecans in a food processor and purée until almost smooth.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.

Using an electric mixer, beat both sugars and butter in a large bowl until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add peanut butter mixture and vanilla; beat to blend well. Beat in egg. Add dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Add both oats. Continue to blend at high speed for 1 minute. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 375 °F. Line 2 baking sheets with foil. Scoop rounded balls of dough (2 tsp each) onto cookie sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake until light golden, 10–12 minutes (rotate baking sheets, top to bottom and 180 degrees, halfway through baking).

Linguine with Lemon, Garlic and Thyme

This pasta recipe is from my friend Jen, who published it on The Littlest Crafter. It was created by Nigella Lawson, but I changed it slightly by using less oil and more parmesan; that’s the version I’m giving below. Also, since there’s nothing but the heat of the pasta to cook the mushrooms, I’ll cut them quite small the next time I make it. All in all, though, this is a really great pasta dish that’s very easy to make!

8 oz (4 cups) finely sliced/chopped mushrooms (such as chestnut or cremini)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp kosher salt or Maldon sea salt (or 1 ½ tsp table salt)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
4 sprigs fresh thyme, stripped to give 1 tsp leaves
1 lb linguine
1 bunch fresh parsley, leaves chopped, to give ½ cup
1 generous handful of freshly grated parmesan (or to taste)
freshly ground black pepper

Put the mushrooms in a large bowl with the oil, salt, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and gorgeously scented thyme leaves.

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box and drain loosely, retaining some water (I used about ¼ cup of pasta water). Quickly put the pasta into the bowl with the mushroom mixture and toss together well. Add the parsley, cheese and pepper before tossing again. Serve immediately, with some extra grated parmesan on top.

Emerald City Salad

I found this recipe on Tea and Cookies, a blog I really like. This salad is full of healthy stuff, but has enough variety to be interesting and hearty. While I believe in sticking to a recipe the first time I make it, I had to improvise a little here, as I couldn’t find fennel. I ended up using half a sweet onion, soaked in water, instead; it still had more bite than it should have, but all things considered, I’m glad I didn’t let the lack of fennel stop me. I also threw some spiced pumpkin seeds on top of the salad at the last minute, because I had some already made, and they worked really well with this salad. I’ll be adding this to the repertoire of kale salads I like!

4 cups mixed greens (mix of dino kale, curly kale, chard), coarsely chopped; don’t make this from one type of green, the mixture is important
3 green onions, sliced thin
¾ cup red pepper, diced
1 Tbsp parsley, chopped
1 cup fennel bulb, sliced thin (or, at worse, a sweet onion soaked in water overnight and sliced thin)
1 cup wild rice
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp salt

Cook the rice according to directions. Set aside to cool.

Prep the greens and other vegetables. Toss is a large bowl, adding the wild rice when it is cool. Drizzle with olive oil and mix. Add the lemon juice and salt and mix again. Serve chilled.

5-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

I got this recipe from an unlikely place: New Dress a Day (which I had mentioned before). You can make this cake in a mug by baking it for 5 minutes in the microwave, and you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry already. I like the fact that it makes just one serving (or two small servings in our case, since we split it) for those nights when you just want a little something sweet to end a meal, but you didn’t have time to plan anything. That being said, the consistency of the cake is a little spongy (in a “squeaky” sense), so it’s not the best thing ever. Which is just great, because if it were, it’s so easy to make that you’d probably be having it too often. (If you have an hour instead of a few minutes, consider chocolate mink cakes, which I suddenly remembered existed.)

4 Tbsp flour
4 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa
1 egg
3 Tbsp lactose-free milk
3 Tbsp canola oil
3 Tbsp chocolate chips (optional, but why would you omit them?)
a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (microwave-safe)

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly before pouring in the milk and oil in. Keep mixing. Add the chocolate chips next (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again…

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don’t be alarmed! (This didn’t happen to me, though.) Allow it to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate. Split it if desired.

No-Knead Bread

I probably should have tried this bread before I got over my issues with kneading! I finally got around to making it based on the version of the recipe published on The Kitchn. Be warned that it’s not fast to make, as it requires time to rise (overnight in the original recipe, 6 to 8 hours in this version). It didn’t rise as much as I thought it would, and next time, I would use bread flour instead of white whole wheat flour. That being said, it was good bread!

I served it with a squash-corn-lemongrass soup topped with spiced pumpkin seeds, which I liked, but the Engineer said there was something about the mix of flavours that was offensive to him. He likes them all individually, though. I personally thought it was a bit bland, which I fixed with my “chickn” broth powder made from nutritional yeast (of course, I’d write “broth” instead of “water” in that recipe, myself). Given the Engineer’s reaction to the soup, I won’t be making it again, but the spiced pumpkin seeds are keepers, as is the no-knead bread, obviously!

I recommend reading 20 tips, tricks and ideas for no-knead bread, which rounds up different versions of the recipe, as well as flavour variations and recommendations for making it into a sandwich loaf or a baguette instead. Here’s the recipe!

3 cups white flour or bread flour
¾ tsp yeast (ideally instant yeast, though active would work too, apparently)
1 ¼ tsp salt
1 ½ cups slightly warm water

Put the flour in a bowl. Add the yeast and salt and stir thoroughly. Measure out 1 ½ cups of barely warm (tepid) water, pour into the bowl and stir thoroughly. The dough will look rough and shaggy.

Spray the top of the dough with cooking spray, or lightly oil the top of the dough with olive oil. Spread a thin layer over top with a paper towel, then turn the dough in the bowl so the whole ball of dough is coated with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Throw a towel over top of the bowl and set it in a warm corner. Leave it alone for 6 to 8 hours.

After at least 6 hours have passed, the dough will have risen and will look rather bubbly and stretched out. Lightly oil the countertop and turn the dough out onto it, folding it over on itself at least once. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it sit for another hour.

About 20 minutes before the hour is up, turn on the oven to 450 °F. Place an oven-safe Dutch oven or pot in the oven. When the rise time is up, the dough will have risen and nearly doubled in size. Quickly shape the dough into a round ball and drop it into the pot. Even if you can't get it into a good ball, that's OK. Just try to roughly shape it. I recommend using parchment paper in the bottom of the Dutch oven to facilitate cleaning up; it’s even easier to transfer the dough into the hot pot directly on the paper. (If you’re afraid of burning yourself, try placing the dough to rise in a cold oven which you later turn on for the baking, as suggested in this version.) Slash or cut the top of the dough with kitchen shears or a sharp knife. Place the lid on the pot and put it in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the lid from the pot and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. You can be extra-sure that the bread is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted in the top or side reads 210 °F. Remove the bread from the oven. If you wish to keep it warm for serving, you can wrap it in a clean kitchen towel. Slice and serve!

Chicken with White Beans and Tomatoes

This recipe, from Real Simple, was particularly great because it is a super easy one-pot meal. I love one-pot meals because it frees me from having to not only come up with, but also make, a nutritious side dish. In this case, the Engineer and I have both become quite fond of cannellini beans; they happen to go quite well with tomatoes and garlic, so this was a hit. I used herbs from my garden, too, so it was particularly satisfying!

2 15.5-oz cans cannellini beans, rinsed
1 pint grape tomatoes
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh oregano, plus leaves for garnish
2 garlic cloves, smashed
¼ tsp crushed red pepper (I used Korean pepper)
2 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup dry white wine (entirely optional, I didn’t use it)
kosher salt and black pepper
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 lbs total)

Heat oven to 425 °F. In a 9-by-13-inch (or some other large) baking dish, toss the beans and tomatoes with the thyme and oregano sprigs, garlic, red pepper, 1 Tbsp of the oil, white wine (if using), ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper.

Pat the chicken dry and place on top of the bean mixture, skin-side up. Rub with the remaining 1 Tbsp of oil; season with ½ tsp salt and ¼ sp black pepper.

Roast until the chicken is golden and cooked through, 35 to 45 minutes. Sprinkle with the oregano leaves.

Lactose-free macaroni and cheese, finally

As some of you might know, I had been looking for a good Kraft-style mac&cheese recipe that I could eat. I found a pretty good store-bought substitute, but I wanted to make one. And it was trial and error all the way.

I started with this recipe from Taste of Home. While it wasn’t bad by any means, I felt that it wasn’t anything close to the taste that I was looking for. The texture was also quite oily, and I found the sauce more grainy than creamy.

Then I tried a lactose-free but dairy recipe from The Kitchn. I ended up making it on the stovetop, since cooking pasta in the microwave as the recipe suggested quickly turned to disaster. I used less salt, and I used orange Tillamook extra sharp cheddar, which I can digest without a problem. I ended up using more cheese than the recipe called for, though, because the sauce wasn’t creamy enough and I felt that it needed some sort of binder. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite achieve the consistency I was looking for, and the taste of the sharp cheddar overpowered the dish. That being said, it was good, and I felt I was getting closer to the right dish with that recipe.

It was on The Kind Life that I finally found THE recipe. The color is relatively close to the orange I wanted, thanks to some tomato paste, and the sauce is quite creamy, even though it’s vegan. It doesn’t taste exactly like cheese, but it’s really good! The secret ingredient, I think, is nutritional yeast, which can taste a bit like cheese with the right seasonings. The recipe below makes 4-6 servings and freezes well.

1 lb elbow macaroni
¼ cup vegan margarine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups soy, almond, or rice milk
½ cup nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp agave syrup

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook according to package directions. Drain and return to pot.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, make a roux by whisking the margarine and flour over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add non-dairy milk, yeast, tomato paste, salt, and garlic powder to the saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Reduce heat to low and let simmer until the sauce thickens. Adjust seasoning to taste and stir in lemon juice and agave.

Toss the cooked noodles with the sauce and serve immediately.

Poudre pour bouillon de simili-poulet

J’ai récemment fait une poudre de bouillon végétalienne avec un produit que je voulais essayer, la levure nutritionnelle. Cette levure (nutritional yeast en anglais) est inactive et a la particularité de prendre un goût de volaille ou de fromage, selon les épices que vous choisissez d’y mélanger. C’est donc un assaisonnement pratique quand on est végétalien, entre autres! De plus, il ne contient pas de gluten, contient peu de sodium et est considéré comme un aliment santé, avec une forte teneur en fibres et en protéines. Pour en savoir plus, je vous recommande cet excellent billet d’Estomac sur deux pattes (qui est d’ailleurs le plus populaire du blogue).

J’ai acheté de la levure alimentaire de marque Red Star en gros flocons. Normalement, tout bon magasin d’aliments naturels en a en stock, et c’est vendu en pot. Par contre, nous avons acheté la nôtre en vrac, ce qui veut dire qu’il y a eu risque de contamination croisée (gluten, noix, arachides, etc.), donc nous en tiendrons compte en cuisinant pour des gens qui ont des restrictions alimentaires.

J’ai décidé d’utiliser une partie de ma levure alimentaire pour faire de la poudre pour bouillon à goût de poulet, après avoir terminé ma base de bouillon de poulet du commerce, en suivant à peu près la recette donnée par Lucie sur Estomac sur deux pattes. J’ai dû changer les fines herbes, car je n’avais ni persil séché, ni marjolaine, ni aneth (dont je ne raffole pas). J’ai quand même utilisé ¼ c. à thé d’origan, que je rajoute plus bas. J’ai aussi utilisé des flocons d’oignons déshydratés au lieu de la poudre d’oignons, ça passe au robot de toute façon. On peut toujours diminuer la quantité de sel un peu. Et j’ai trouvé cela très bon! C’est pratique d’en avoir un contenant sous la main dans le garde-manger, je trouve, et ça facilite la vie quand on veut rendre certaines recettes végétariennes.

1½ tasse de flocons de levure alimentaire Red Star
3 c. à soupe de sel
1 c. à soupe de poudre d’oignon
1 c. à soupe de paprika
2 c. à thé de poudre d’ail
1 c. à thé de flocons de persil séché
½ c. à thé de curcuma
¼ c. à thé de thym séché
¼ c. à thé de marjolaine séchée
¼ c. à thé de feuilles d’aneth séchées (ou d’origan séché)
¼ c. à thé de poivre

Combiner tous les ingrédients. Idéalement, passer au mélangeur ou au robot culinaire pour réduire en poudre fine uniforme. Se conserve assez longtemps à la température de la pièce, dans un contenant hermétique. Donne environ 2 tasses de mélange si non réduit en poudre ou environ 1¼ tasse si réduit en poudre.

Pour faire le bouillon : pour chaque tasse d’eau, ajouter 2 c. à thé de mélange non moulu (ou 1½ c. à thé si réduit en poudre), ou plus ou moins au goût. Le mélange peut aussi être utilisé comme assaisonnement en poudre.


Pour ceux et celles qui préfèrent la base de bouillon en pâte (à garder au frigo), vous pouvez en faire vous-mêmes avec des légumes. Je recommande d’essayer la recette publiée sur 101 Cookbooks, qui est également végétalienne et sans gluten. Ça se garde moins longtemps, par contre, et je trouve que la version avec la levure alimentaire est plus simple à faire!