Nutella Hot Fudge Cake (aka Dummy Pudding)

My husband's family grew up with a cake like this.  Their mom called it Dummy Pudding because any dummy could make it. Think she was trying to tell them something?

I added the Nutella to their basic fudge cake. I've been accused of not being able to leave a recipe alone. Just make it as is, but ya gotta try stuff right?  Sorry, not sorry.

Batter:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsps cocoa powder
2 tsps baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsps vegetable oil
2 tsps vanilla

Sauce:
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2-3 tbsps Nutella
1  3/4 cups hot water (just boiled)

Mix the batter ingredients together, it will be thick.  Spoon and spread it into a 9" pie plate or flan pan that has been greased.

 Next dot the nutella on top of the batter in little blobs. I used 2 tbsps of Nutella...should have used 3!

Combine the brown sugar and cocoa and sprinkle on top.  Pour the hot water on top using a spoon to pour onto so that you don't make a hole in the batter but disperse the water.

You can hold the spoon up alittle over the batter as you do it. I just laid it down for the picture because I don't have 3 hands. Although many times I wished I had : )

Ready for the oven. Don't forget to put it on a cookie sheet in case it overflows.

Bake in a 350 F oven for 30 minutes. 

Hot and bubbly and ready for anything.

Spoon it into a bowl and eat it just the way it is. But like I said....I can't leave recipes alone. Sprinkle some icing sugar on top,

put some blackberries in the bowl too........

Or serve it with ice cream.  Oh darn, I only have chocolate.

Montreal Hot Dog Coleslaw

I don't think there is anywhere else where you can get a hot dog quite like the ones in Montreal. "Steamies" are the best!

Belle Pro, Decarie or Lafleur, but my personal favourite is "Chez Ma Tante" in the north end.
You can't beat it. 

I wanted to re-create it at home, steam the dogs and the buns, but the sticking point was the cabbage topping. It's NOT sauerkraut! And I had always thought it was just plain cabbage, made soggy in hot water or something weird like that.  I tried it.....it's definitely not that!

I tried this recipe and it's pretty good, just might be a keeper.

4 cups shredded cabbage (or bagged coleslaw mix)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped celery

1 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsps vegetable oil
1/4 cup vinegar

Mix the dressing together with the vegetables and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Then top your hot dog with it.

All-dressed please!

Hope you like it and if you don't, well it's always good as coleslaw : )

Tzatziki Chicken

I had about 2 cups of homemade tzatziki sauce leftover after these Kofta I made last week 

http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2015/05/kofta-with-homemade-tzatziki.html

so here's what I did for Tzatziki Chicken. It's much the same as shish taouk.

I took 9 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs and tossed them in the tzatziki sauce, put them in a tupperware and refrigerated them overnight. I forgot to reserve some of the sauce to serve the chicken with : (    Oh well, next time.

Preheat your BBQ to 350-375 F and grill for 35-45 minutes.

And, of course, discard any marinade remaining in the container.
This would also be great using boneless chicken breast.

Colourful Quinoa and Strawberry Salad

I like what balsamic gives to strawberries, but if you want a lighter dressing change up the balsamic for a white wine or apple cider vinegar.

3 cups cooked and cooled quinoa
2 tbsps fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
1 celery stalk and leaves, chopped
1 cup chopped strawberries

1/4 cup lime juice
3 tbsps balsamic vinegar
6 tbsps olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin

Prepare your first 5 ingredients and mix them in a large bowl.

Mix the dressing together and stir into the salad.  
Refrigerating the salad for a couple of hours gives the flavours a chance to blend.

Great as a main or side dish

Planting Potatoes in a Vertical Garden

So I'll tell you up front, this is my first attempt at growing potatoes.  I read online that you could use a laundry basket to grow potatoes in.  I thought I would try using chicken wire.  I formed a length of it into a cylinder and wired the edges together.  Then I stood it in the garden and filled earth in and around the bottom.
Once I had about 2-3 inches of new earth and compost in the bottom I planted the seed potatoes (that's potatoes that have at least 3 eyes in them)

I'm not sure how much room each potato needs.  I probably should have planted only 2-3 in this container, but I think I put in 5-6....oops.

I read that each potato should yield 8-10 lbs of potatoes !?!?
They're growing pretty good right now.

As they grow fill with gardening soil and compost so that just 3 inches of growth is above the soil.

It's surprising how the dirt stays within the chicken wire, although you do have to take care to water slowly or it would probably start running out.  Drainage is essential so the chicken wire is ideal.

This is after only a couple of weeks!  They've grown about a foot as you can see they're as tall as the 1st rung on the fence.
And the soil is staying in place.  Best part is it doesn't take up alot of garden space. Pretty cool !

Will update when I harvest all these potatoes.....hopefully : )

Ok, so here's the update.

The plants grew as high as the 2nd rung of the fence. Then after a few weeks the vines dried up. That's the time to harvest!

Because the soil is nice and loose this was a pretty easy job. Usually when you harvest potatoes you have to dig up the earth taking care not to damage those 'tatoes. But in this case just lift the wire cage away and gently pull the hill down with your shovel to discover your potatoes.

Not bad for a first try I'd say.

Baked Pizza Penne

When you can't decide if you want pizza or penne....

340 g/ 12 oz pkg penne pasta
olive oil
1/4 lb pepperoni (divided)
1 green pepper, sliced
1 tbsp slivered garlic
2 tbsps chopped sundried tomatoes in oil
1/4 cup sliced black olives
14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp dried oregano
2 1/2 cups pasta sauce
  (your own recipe, store bought or this Roasted Tomato, Garlic and Basil Sauce)  http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2013/09/roasted-tomato-garlic-basil-sauce.html)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2  1/2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
parmesan

Cook penne as per package directions. I like this one.

Meanwhile heat 2 tbsps olive oil in a large skillet. Add green pepper, garlic and sundried tomatoes.

Add canned tomatoes and cook a few minutes until liquid reduces and the green pepper is tender crisp. Add the oregano and the fennel, rubbing the seeds between your fingers to release more of it's scent. Chop 2/3 of the pepperoni and put that in too.

Remove from heat. 
Stir in the pasta sauce, olive oil and balsamic.

Spoon a ladle or two of sauce into a 13 X 9" oiled baking dish. Stir the pasta into the sauce pot along with 1 cup of mozzarella and spoon it all into the baking dish.
Top with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of shredded  mozzarella, pepperoni, black olives and whatever else you usually would have on your pizza.
Like parmesan and more green pepper.

Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.

Serves 6
And it makes great leftovers for lunch the next day too!

Kofta with Homemade Tzatziki

I have seen these referred to as Kofta, Kefta, Kafta and Kufta. Not sure if there is a difference or not but anyways, here is my Kofta.

1 lb ground beef/pork/veal mix
3 tbsps minced onion
2 tbsps minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp finely chopped fresh mint
1 tbsp parsley
1  1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp fresh minced dill
12 skewers

If you are using wooden skewers soak them in water for 30 minutes so they don't burn when cooking.  You may need to weigh them down.

Mix the ground meat with minced onion. Use a mortar and pestle to mix the garlic and salt together, then add it to the meat along with the remainder of the seasonings.

I didn't use dill in mine because my daughter doesn't like it. But you should definitely use dill.
Once the meat is mixed and the skewers have soaked, divide the mixture into 12 parts and form the meat onto the skewers covering the tip.

Refrigerate for  at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours.

Grill stovetop in olive oil to brown then transfer to a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350F for
10 - 15 minutes.

Serve on the skewer along with wedgie potatoes,
http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2014/07/potato-wedgies.html

or

wrap in a pita along with chopped tomatoes and sliced black olives.  And don't forget to slather on this homemade tzatziki.

Tzatziki:

1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup shredded English cucumber
1 tsp garlic (use mortar and pestle to purée)
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
pinch pepper

OPA !