Tick Cooks

One of the reasons I wanted to go to New Orleans last year was because of the food. (Another reason is that I just love it there so much!) And I knew that when we were there, we would attend a cooking demonstration at the New Orleans School of Cooking. Which we did, accompanied by the fabulous Sudee Sweeney Campbell, whom I have known since high school sometime back in the dim dark days of last century. She happens to live near New Orleans, and yes, that too played a role in our decision to visit the Crescent City. Anywho, our demonstration included gumbo and jambalaya, the two most famous New Orleans dishes, as far as I am concerned. And of course that is why I picked that particular course. We were so inspired by the cooking, and more importantly, by the way the things tasted, that we have adopted those two dishes and now make them fairly often. In fact we served gumbo at Norbert’s family birthday celebration this year. Our recipe for gumbo is more or less...

The incredibly delicious Sprinkle Cookies having mysteriously all disappeared, it was time to bake again. This time my choice fell on another old stand-by favourite, Chocolate Chip Muffins. You may notice that chocolate plays a big role in my baking.... I found this recipe online many years ago, and knew right away it sounded like a great idea. I make it fairly regularly, and in fact try to keep a supply of dry mix on hand for easy baking. To make the dry mix: mix the dry ingredients together and put in a labeled zipper bag. I then jot down on a 3x5 card the remaining wet ingredients and baking instructions. Frankly, it doesn't save all that much time -- how long does it take to measure out flour, sugar, etc. and throw it in a bowl? -- but it just seems so handy and useful, that I take advantage of it. Anyway, here is the recipe. It is supposed to make 24, today it turned out to be 28. This is actually the double of the original recipe, because what good is only 12 muffi...

Today's subject is cookies. Chocolate cookies. And what could be better than that? Way back in the early 1950s, Mom copied a recipe out of a magazine. It was for Sprinkle Cookies, and they became the family favourite. And I am glad to say that the tradition has continued. Both Norbert and Lucas love them too. Although we still have most of a strawberry shortcake left, I decided to bake some cookies too. The cake is good. Considering how the weather has been here, I was a little wary of the strawberries, but they were good. Anyway, back to cookies. This is what they look like. I warn you, though, they are addictive! They are nice and soft and chocolatey, everything I want in a cookie..... Sprinkle Cookies 1 ½ cups butter 2 cups sugar 2 eggs ½ tsp salt 4 oz baking chocolate, melted 4 TBSP milk 1 tsp vanilla 4 cups flour Preheat oven to 375°F. Cream butter. Beat in sugar. Add eggs, salt, chocolate, milk, and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour. Chill dough in...

Diets and meal planning and stuff like that Long gone are those carefree days when we could eat whatever we want and not worry about it. Fortunately, neither Norbert nor I particularly need to count calories, but there are other significant factors which I have to consider. And since I am the cook, my needs come first. I inherited my mother’s high blood pressure and high cholesterol, what fun. I am on medication for both but diet can – allegedly-- help too. Plus I have nasal congestion/post-nasal drip problems which might or might not be helped or hindered be diet. Cutting out milk and most dairy products helped the nose problem, and surprisingly, I have had little-to-no problem with my arthritis since then. I am now also drinking less coffee (I simply cannot give it up entirely!) and am trying an herbal and ginger tea, which not only tastes good but is supposed to help with the nose. So far I am under the impression that it helps. The diet for all of the above nee...

Brownies!!!! This week I made a pan of brownies. I think there is still one left, because my husband and I are both leaving it for each other. I do cake brownies, as compared to fudge brownies. For one thing, Norbert and I both prefer them; they are quicker to make; and they have less fat from using cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate. Brownies are best eaten plain, in my opinion. I have never cared for frosting on them, it is not necessary. However, if one feels the need, one can put a brownie in a bowl, top it with ice cream, chocolate syrup and whipped cream. Not bad! Also good is a brownie trifle. Crumble up a pan of brownies. In a bowl (usually clear glass so you can see and admire all the levels), layer brownie crumbs, chocolate pudding and whipped cream. Repeat. Then dive in. I usually want to just attack this face first. If there is any left over, it is even better the next day when it has had a chance to all sink in together. I must admi...

Vegetable Lasagne And here directly the first recipe! We are not religious but follow the tradition of not eating meat on Good Friday. This is not a problem as we try to eat meatless at least once a week anyway. Usually, on this day we would eat fish, but we had invited guests who are not fish fans. So I went with my old stand-by, vegetable lasagne. There is no real recipe. First I sauté a chopped onion in olive oil. Then I make a thick white sauce and for the liquid use half low-sodium vegetable broth and half skim milk. When it starts thickening up, I added some purchased Béchamel sauce, to thicken it up and add a little flavour. For veg, you can use whatever you want. I used broccoli (frozen, I cooked it first), fresh celery, fresh red and green bell peppers, and a can each of peas, diced carrots and corn. Cauliflower would also be good, I think. I made a huge portion. So huge, that my biggest post was nearly not big enough! Preheat oven to 400°F. Put a ...

Tick cooks! Having nothing better to do - ha ha ha - I have decided to start a cooking blog. This is in addition to my sadly-neglected personal blog, and a possible pro cycling-related blog. I have so much fun these days with cooking and baking, and have the time for it, too! So I thought I would share some of my fun and recipes.