fettuccine alfredo: so thick you could coat a ghost with it.

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The real Halloween, since it fell on a Sunday, was anticlimactic. Saturday was my 'Sunday'. So the real day of All Hallows Eve became a mellow one with adorable children running around in the cutest outfits.

Stel and I meandered (we didn't have to hurry or huddle because it was sunny!) down to church on Granville Island. It was a lovely, warm morning, filled with kids in frilly silly clothes throwing old bread to quacking ducks in the pond (the very pond I played beside when I was a young child). There were miniature unicorns (my favorite), ghouls, dragons, lions, and pirates running wild among the wooded Vancouver streets. It was lovely.

After, I headed over to Sarah and Meaghan's lovely abode (it's a huge old house with a massive veranda and wood details/cabinets throughout - essentially, the perfect place to reside).

We tempted the neighborhood children with candy.

And scared them off with fireworks.

We scared Brodie with them too.

But, for comfort food (and because Jered requested it), I made fettuccine alfredo. We were also joining together not only in celebration of little kids and copious amounts of candy, but also to watch the premiere of a zombie show on AMC. We definitely needed any kind of culinary safety blanket for the evening.

I hate zombies. Absolutely loathe. So, as everyone else rapturously watched, I consistently turned my head away every few minutes. I guess comfort food and friends is a means of getting over my unfounded fear, let's just hope that making this a weekly ritual will work.

I also did a basic chunky tomato sauce for those who could not eat alfredo sauce (such as me!). A combination of the two was just lovely. 

 Pasta was just the thing for a Halloween meal. Don't you remember going through 'haunted houses' and feeling 'brains'? That was pasta (sorry to shatter all your childhood perceptions. While we're at it - there is no such thing as the tooth fairy or Easter bunny either). An ode to childhood while making our faces 'bloody' with tomato sauce.

Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce

2 c. cream
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. fresh parmesan cheese, grated
salt, to taste,

white pepper, to taste

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried sage

1/8 c. fresh basil, chopped finely

pasta (fettucini, penne or tortellini are great)
fresh parsley, chopped for garnish
extra parmesan cheese

1.Slowly warm the cream in a saucepan until simmering. Simmer until reduced by half.

2. Add all the herbs, butter and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until glossy and thick.

3. Serve on top of pasta, or mixed in to.

4. Pray. Eat. Enjoy. Conquer your fears, but still always watch out for zombies. It could happen. No, seriously.

basil pesto chicken with penne: saturday sharing.

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It wasn't that pleasant a day on Saturday, weather wise. The temperature couldn't decide whether it wanted to be hot or cold, and the sun only occasionally graced us with its presence. Summer is showing us that it is soon going into hibernation and giving its warm throne up to colorful autumn. With the change in the season, comes a change in food.

Josh, Stelna and I felt the chill beginning to creep into the air and were on the same page (Stel literally, while Josh was in contemplative mode) in terms of what food would comfort us against the devastation wreaked with knowing that summer will soon be over - pesto pasta.

 The smell of fresh basil, frying on the stove, is enough to revive any body, and any stomach, from summer-withdrawl.

Digging in was almost a triumph over the weather. And as we gazed out of the window, at a time when we thought the sun should still be up, we wondered what the autumn would bring. I know at least - heartier food. And I look forward to the challenge.

Basil Pesto Chicken with Penne

2 c. dried penne pasta
2 tsp. olive oil

Pesto:
1 c. fresh basil 
1/4 c. grated parmesan
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. pine nuts
1/2 lemon, squeezed and zested
3 garlic cloves
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Chicken:
2 chicken breasts
1/2 tbs. tarragon
1/2 tbs. oregano
1/4 c. parmesan cheese, powdered
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbs. olive oil
2 onions, diced

1. Combine all pesto ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth. Set aside.

2. Put pasta on to boil. Cook until al dente. Drain, add 2 tsp. olive oil, mix well and set aside, covered.

3. Combine all ingredients for chicken breasts together except for the olive oil and onions. Heat the oil in a sauce pan on medium. Add the seasoned breasts and onions; cover. Cook on one side until brown, about 5 minutes, then cook on the other, about another 5, until done. Remove and slice.

4. Pour pesto on pasta.  Add cooked onions to pasta. Stir until everything is coated. Either add the chicken into the mix, or serve on top.

5. Pray. Eat. Enjoy the last vestiges of summer.

spanish sun-dried tomato pasta with spicy ricotta chorizo meatballs: the spanish soccer team's (probable) sustenance for their day of triumph.

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I've resolved to attend as many events as I can in Vancouver this summer. The city has so much to offer - a Jamaican festival, a choir walk in the middle of the woods (sounds ethereal!), and a neanderthal festival. How could I ever be bored? (especially with the last one)

Although Commercial Drive is a lovely place (it even has random swings attached to old, leafy branches along its streets) I felt slightly blasphemous on Sunday, not attending church so that I could partake of festivities that I really have no inclination for (soccer has never been at the top of my sporting list - then again, I don't really have a list . . .). But it is the people, the emotion, their interaction and camradery that comes from all being so moved by one single event that deterred me from my spiritual community that morning. But then again, I think God is found in the most simple of pleasures or encounters.

Although I didn't attend church (though Jeff let me know it was an awkward contemporary/traditional combination service . . . a bit odd), but did attend something akin to religion in Europe - soccer. It was not just a plain event in Vancouver however, it was an epic (on scale, not the game itself, in fact, it was a bit disappointing) soccer game that reverberated in every pub around the world. I cannot imagine being in Spain at the very moment when Andres Iniesta snuck the ball past the Dutch goalie. I bet the cries of joy were heard across the Mediterranean sea in Morocco at least.

To celebrate the soccer win, we teamed up with some friends from Powell River and brought a football (the American kind) to the beach.

It was a jam-packed day. Made all the more memorial, and lucky, a bird decided to poop on my head, yet again. Three in my lifetime - I must just be a walking good-luck charm by now. The first reference to this providential omen is a little over a hundred years old, but I'm pretty sure that even in a more superstitious era than our own, those pooped on were not really thrilled.

After a long day on hot sand, the solution to re-hydration appeared to (logically) be margarita form - the best of which in the city (supposedly - I don't really know, I don't really care for them) is found at Las Margaritas down on W. 4th Ave.

However, I've wrote too many Mexican recipes on this blog. Instead, to commemorate one of the biggest events in the sporting world, I thought that a Spanish dish was in order (this is an old stand-by recipe of mine and I thought it was apt to share it now). Many athletes have pasta before they partake of their games - it is the perfect carbohydrate with a little protein added by the meat. I'm willing to bet my dutch oven that Spain won because they ate pasta beforehand.

Spanish Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Spicy Ricotta Chorizo Meatballs

Meatballs
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 chorizo sausage, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. fresh Italian parsley chopped
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/2 c. parmesean cheese
1 c. ricotta cheese
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

1 tbs. olive oil

3 c. rotini (I'm just making a generalization, depends what your sauce to pasta ratio is!)

Sauce:
1 tbs. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large can plum tomatoes, diced
handful of spinach
2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 tsp. dried thyme
one chicken boullion cube

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Mix the first twelve ingredients (except the breadcrumbs) in a large bowl until well blended. Add breadcrumbs until it becomes stiffer, but be careful not to overdo it.

2. Make round balls about 1" in diameter from the mix. Heat 1 tbs. olive oil in a frying pan, and brown the meatballs all over until cooked (you might have to cover and place on med-low for a few minutes), about five/six minutes.

3. Put pasta on to cook - cook until al dente. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbs. olive oil in a frying pan, and brown onion and garlic until brown.Add the rest of the ingredients for the sauce (except the spinach). Let simmer until the flavors meld together - about 20 mins.

4. Pour the sauce over the pasta. Throw in the meatballs and spinach (not literally, more, just place), toss gently until spinach has wilted.

5. Pray. Eat. Enjoy. In celebration, share some with a few Spaniards.

chicken cacciatore: a grand restoration through a bit of poultry.

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And I'm back. To the world of culinary delights. To the cheering of my friend's tastebuds. Rejoice, for I come to cook!

The weekend was delightful. And for food inspiration (and a meal that is large enough to feed me for several days), we headed over to Sophie's for a lovely breakfast. This local 'joint' in Kits is a mainstay of the yuppie community - it always has a line up outside. But it is worth it to lean on the giant cutlery sculptures outside while waiting (careful not to impale a limb on the giant fork) just to walk into the epitome of comfort - breakfast.

There was also a candy store quite nearby. Jacqui bought Chris some grills. This was such an important part of my day, how could I leave out a photo of it? For about ten minutes, we had some thug life in our apartment. For shizzle my nizzle.

But instead of cooking some ribs with Sweet Baby Rays, I decided to go Italian mobster-esque, considering we seemed to be doing stereotypes that day. A big skillet simmering with herbs, tomatoes and half a chicken - perfetto!  The chicken stays tender because of the copious tomato juice, and the herbs are given time to meld into the sauce. They balance into a perfect blend of flavor, without the time restrictions that would come from frying, baking, or cooking the chicken in other 'dry' ways. The sauce becomes a nice light addition to noodles, and doesn't need to be overly thick and goopy to compensate for dry chicken - overall, it feels like a light fresh meal, even though I consider the heavier dinners generally consist of pasta. The sun-dried tomatoes add this . . earthy quality. They were a staple in Italian cooking as they were used when fresh tomatoes were out of season - they used to be dried on the tile roofs of houses. I found some in the grocery store - didn't want to go too earthy.

And after dinner - jazz! Though we missed the shows, it was still pretty neat to see Gastown dressed in the trappings from the events. Maybe I should have made jambalaya to commemorate the start to such a neat festival.

Mobster Chicken - Pseudo Chicken Cacciatore

1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs. grapeseed oil (or any other oil that does well on high temps - sorry peeps, olive oil doesn't cut it)
1 1/2 chicken, bone-in
1 large can diced tomatoes, juice and tomatoes separated
1 tbs. powdered chicken stock
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tbs. dried basil
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried marjoram
2 tbs. sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed), minced and drained of oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 medium zucchini, chopped
Cooked pasta (I'm not going to explain this one, I'm guessing that everyone who has gone through university has had many interactions with K to the D)

1. Heat a skillet (preferably cast iron) on med. Add oil, onion, and garlic. Fry until the onions start to brown and caramalize. De-glaze the skillet with the juice from the canned tomatoes.

2. Add the 1/2 chicken. Add all the dried herbs and spices, as well as the sun-dried tomatoes and chicken stock. Cook for about 3 minutes on one side, flip and cook for another 3. Add the rest of the tomatoes. Simmer for 10-20 minutes. Occasionally flip the chicken and stir.

3.Cook the pasta. At the same time you add the spaghetti to the boiling water, add the vegetables to the chicken and sauce. If your timing is perfect, the pasta will turn out al dente when the veggies are perfectly cooked and not soggy whatsoever.

4. Serve to friends. Send up a good prayer. Enjoy.