Buttermilk Quick Bread

Mar 7, 2012 by lovelypantry

I’m quite fond of quick breads. I love how easy they are to make and the wide variety and variations of each recipe that I come across. I have yet to make a quick bread that I did not like. Granted, I scrutinize the ingredients very carefully before I decide to make it. Please allow me to formally introduce you to Buttermilk Quick Bread. A very simple bread that I have been making on the weekends if I have any buttermilk in the fridge. I found this recipe on one of my daily sources of inspiration: The Kitchn, and knew as soon as I saw it, that I was going to make it. I’ve made it 4 times already – twice plain, once with raisins and this past weekend, with blueberries. Versatile little quick bread, isn’t it? The original post, has a few other variations that look interesting to try too – like Pesto Loaf. (Are you imagining a green quick bread?)

I love that this plain bread is like a canvas. You can tweak it to your liking and chances are, it will turn out great.

 

The consistency of the batter is quite thick, so you have to gently spread into the corners with a spatula.

 

 

Ah! Perfection!

 

 

It’s best to use a serrated knife to cut this bread since it is a bit delicate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I like that because the batter was so thick, the raisins didn’t have the chance to sink to the bottom of the pan 🙂 For some recipes with a batter of thinner consistency, like the Ginger Carrot Bread, you have to toss the raisins (or small fruit like blueberries) in flour before folding them into the batter. So nice that I was able to skip that step.

 

 

Finally, with Blueberries. I wanted to cut the loaf to take a quick photograph however, I was entertaining so I did not want to cut it before we were ready to eat it. Everyone loved it!

 

 

Happy Wednesday! I hope the week has been off to an awesome start! I’ll be back soon.

Cheers for now.

Lyn

 

 

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Chicken, Linguine and Crimini

Mar 2, 2012 by lovelypantry

I’m getting to like this business of freestyle cooking (cooking without a recipe). It adds a little mystery to meals. It’s kinda cute when my husband asks “whats cooking?” and I say “Oh, you’ll see *bats eyelashes*” when what I really mean to say is “Honey, I have no idea!”. I’ve always been pleasantly surprised at how great the meals turn out. I LOVE it. One of my recent freestyle meals was Smoked Paprika Chipotle Chicken with Spirali Pasta and Kale Pesto. I had ingredients that I wanted to use and I ran with it.

My ingredient for today’s post is Crimini Mushrooms. I can’t say that I’m a big fan, however I wanted to be adventurous and incorporate it into a meal. It’s a great thing to challenge yourself. I knew I wanted pasta, and I knew I wanted it creamy. I just wanted a quick way of doing it, while utilizing items in my Pantry. So anyway, the idea was born on a recent trip to the grocery store. Crimini Mushrooms were on sale so I grabbed a pack and here is what I came up with.

 

 

I will say, that when I am preparing a freestyle meal, I get really focused and sometimes I don’t get to take photographs of the process. So I only have the finished result today. It tasted great and I got my little man to eat it! He only questioned the mushrooms half way through, but he ate everything in his plate. You should have seen him slurping the pasta. The things that bring mothers joy. *insert big smile here*

 

 

Hows that for dinner in a jiffy?

Have a great weekend!!!

 

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Meatloaf & Smashed Potatoes

Feb 29, 2012 by lovelypantry

Have you ever had meatloaf before? It may sound strange to ask. But when I had meatloaf for the first time, I knew I was missing a great deal! I saw the recipe on Everyday Food and decided to give it a go. Of course, I made changes to their recipe. I generally do. Ha! I enjoyed preparing it but found that it’s really a lot of meat! I may have to find a way to prepare it differently or make mini meatloaves or something. All in all, it tasted great and the family enjoyed it. I chose to mix the meats to get the most flavour. Originally I was going to use the usual ground turkey but felt the flavour would not be rich enough. I’m sure there are many variations of meatloaf so if you’re a food blogger, and you happen to come across my version, please leave a comment and a link to your recipe. I’d love to see.

Oh, and as for the smashed mini potatoes – I saw Laura Calder do it and I thought it was hilarious! But after the first few times I did it, I found them to be cute little things. And I LOVE the taste of baked mini red potatoes. LOVE.

I have to tell you guys that my son ate his dinner with no fuss. Knowing that he would not eat meat for so long, and finally he’s eating like a “big boy” really makes me happy. My daughter is now going through this meatless phase, so I’m being patient with her but I look forward to when she can eat just like her brother. She might even start asking for broccoli or string beans with her dinner, just like her big brother! It’s a daily task, offering her different veggies, and foods, but she’s just 2 and still trying to figure it all out. I’m here to help and show her by example. A mother’s work is truly never done.

I’m proud of my first attempt at meatloaf. Here’s the recipe and photographs.

 

 

 

 

While taking into consideration the fact that some ovens are hotter than others, I wanted to ensure that the loaf was cooked through. You can never be too sure.

 

 

It looked great, and smelled wonderful. I couldn’t wait to cut it into slices.

 

 

The tomato sauce was so sweet… a perfect combination.

 

 

When will you be making meatloaf for your family?

 

 

Take care folks! See you again soon 🙂

 

 

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Chicken And Dumplings

Feb 27, 2012 by lovelypantry

I seemed to have developed a strange attraction and liking to dumplings. But not the dumplings that my mom or grandmother made. These dumplings are not the Caribbean way! But I just love them! I also love the way the chicken is cooked down into a stew. My husband loves how fluffy the dumplings are, and I totally agree.

This Chicken and Dumpling meal truly makes me happy. No leftovers whenever I make this 🙂

I know you guys loved the Chicken Soup With Dumplings. But THIS is where the party is at! LOL Yes, I love it that much.

 

 

Adapted from Everyday Food

 

 

This is a definite favourite for me. I just need to win the kids over and then this could be a weekly item. Too bad they are going through that funny texture phase.

 

 

Okay, I need to back away from the computer. I’m getting hungry for dumplings.

Have a great week, everyone!

 

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Banana Berry Smoothie

Feb 23, 2012 by lovelypantry

I haven’t posted a smoothie to The Lovely Pantry in a while. My first (and only) smoothie post thus far was the Banana Nutmeg Smoothie. I think its safe to say that every smoothie that I make will have a banana in it. Everything else is purely optional. For  the past week, I’ve been eating soft foods and so smoothies almost became mandatory – which is great. I’ve been whipping up smoothies for me and the kids, and even allowing them to choose some of the ingredients. Great!

 

 

I generally keep smoothies pretty simple. Occasionally, I’ll add vegetables or a flavoured protein powder (if I’m making just for me).

 

 

 

Frozen berries are always in my freezer specifically for smoothies. That way I have them on hand throughout the year and also I don’t have to add ice. I’ll use frozen bananas too if I don’t have fresh on hand. Whatever works, right?

 

 

My cousin told me that she adds spinach to her smoothies. I’ve been putting it in my smoothies ever since. You don’t even know it’s there. But I let my son put it in the blender so that he knows there is goodness his smoothie.

 

 

 

 

 

And here you have a healthy and refreshing breakfast drink!

 

 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! Take good care of yourselves 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

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