September 18th, 2009
My mom and dad came to visit for a few days… cooking for people you don’t usually cook for can be a challenge. For example, my dad is lactose-intolerant and my mom doesn’t eat spicy food and has some issues with her teeth and jaws so her food can’t be too big, too chewy or too crunchy. Here’s a menu that worked for both of them, used seasonal and simple foods, and was enjoyed by everyone! I twittered about it last week, and recipes were requested, so here they are!
Crockpot hot chicken sandwiches with onion and roasted garlic gravy (my mom’s favourite)
1-2 onions, sliced
1 head of garlic
1 whole chicken (1.5-1.8kg)
Fresh thyme or sage
Bread to serve
Place the sliced onions in the crockpot. Cut the top off the head of garlic, wrap the bottom it in foil, pour a little olive oil over top, wrap the foil up over the garlic and twist the top closed.
Place the chicken on the onions, and sprinkle thyme over top. You don’t have to take the thyme off its stems. Place the wrapped garlic in the crockpot wherever it will fit.
Do NOT add any liquid. The onions will brown slightly on the bottom of the crock, then the chicken juices will drip out on top of them, so they won’t burn.
Cook on low for 5-7 hours.
Remove the chicken from the crock – it will fall apart, so tongs work well for this. Place the chicken in a bowl to cool. Remove the garlic package and the thyme stems from the crock, too.
Meanwhile, use a potato masher to mash the onions and chicken juices, right in the crockpot. If you want a really smooth gravy, you can puree it in a smaller pot.
Open the top of the garlic package and squeeze out the cloves into the crock, holding the head using the foil wrapping.
Pour onions, garlic and juices into a smaller pot to make gravy. Stir about 2 tablespoons of quick-blend flour into ¼ cup water and whisk this mixture into the juices.
Remove meat from chicken bones – it will be really easy, the crockpot makes the chicken sooo tender!
Place slices of bread on a plate, top with chicken and gravy. Serve with peas or any other seasonal vegetable (I used green and yellow beans from Rosie’s roadside vegetable stand on Renaud Road)
Peach Rhubarb Crisp (Dad’s favourite)
2 cups chopped rhubarb
3 large peaches, peeled and chopped
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
Put all in a large bowl and stir to combine; pour into baking pan (7×11 or 8×8 inch, or whatever pan works to be filled 2/3 of the way up)
Topping:
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup melted butter or margarine
Combine flour and sugar and mix well (I use my hands for this). Add oats and combine, then pour butter in and stir with spoon or hands until butter is evenly mixed in.
Pour topping over fruit and spread evenly.
Bake at 350°F for 20-30 minutes until topping is browned and fruit is bubbling.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream (I top Dad’s with soy or rice “ice cream” or maple syrup)
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September 1st, 2009
Cherry Pie is a Fresh and Delicious networking event for women in business who mean business. Recently listed as the 4th biggest business organization in Ottawa (Ottawa Business Journal, 2009) and endorsed by the Ontario Minister of Small Business & Entrepreneurship (Minister Takhar) as an excellent networking tool makes Cherry Pie sweeter than ever!
On Sebptember 22, 2009, 7pm at Lago Restaurant (Dows Lake-Queen Elizabeth Driveway) CHERRY PIE proudly presents “SHOWTIME”.
A woman’s event without giving back is like a pie without filling and to this end Cherry Pie has chosen The Canine Rescue Team as the recipient of our fund-raising initiatives. This women operated business is currently overwhelmed right now with the amount abandoned animals in the Ottawa region)
For more information on this fabulous networking opportunity please contact:
Catherine Landry
catherineknows@videotron.ca
819-776-5161
www.cherrypieottawa.com
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April 2nd, 2009
Don’t miss Evening in the Maritimes, the fundraiser event critics are giving two big claws up.
Evening in the Maritimes is back for its 15th consecutive year—and it’s bigger and better than ever.
Last year’s fundraiser dinner was a sell-out. With this year’s production featuring a 5-course lobster dinner accompanied with live music from Newfoundland’s Celtic rock band Rawlins Cross and a new location at the Hilton Lac-Leamy, we think tickets will be snapped up faster than photos of Tom Cruise’s daughter Suri.
All proceeds help support Citizen Advocacy of Ottawa, a United Way agency that matches people with disabilities in one-on-one relationships with volunteers from
their community.
Call 613-761-9522 or visit
LOBSTERSareCOMING.com to
reserve your tickets today.
Wednesday,
May 27, 2009
at 5:30 p.m.
Hilton Lac-Leamy
Tickets $125 each,
Corporate Tables $1500
613-761-9522
events@citizenadvocacy.org
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March 7th, 2009
On Sunday afternoon, March 29, I will be one of two chefs from The Magic Fridge who will participate in Capital Cupcake Camp, a charity event supporting Women Alive/Femme Active, a program of the City of Ottawa.
Attendees, known as “tasters”, will pay $5 for access to the Jack Purcell Community Center on Elgin Street, and can taste one or several of over 1000 cupcakes (and counting) made by Ottawa’s best professional and amateur bakers.
Leila Richard is a part-time chef with The Magic Fridge and a student in the Baking and Pastry Arts at Algonquin College. She will be making Chocolate Cupcakes filled with Mint-Chocolate Ganache, frosted with Mint Buttercream.
Julie Broczkowski, owner of The Magic Fridge, will stray off the beaten cupcake path with her entry of Swedish Meatloaf Mini-Cupcakes with Lingonberry filling, topped with Dill Mashed Potatoes.
About the Cause:
The Woman Alive Program provides affordable physical activity programs to women on limited income in order to increase their capacity to care for their own health.
Woman Alive/Femme Active offers fitness classes for a low cost of one dollar and lends a hand with many of the peripheral aspects that would normally add up in cost, including transportation to classes, fitness gear and childcare. The program also equips women with a wealth of valuable health information, helping them generate the capacity to care for their own health at home.
Developed in 1999, the Woman Alive/Femme active program was initially launched at the Kanata Leisure Centre, with a mission to create a physically active environment where no woman is judged on what she can do or what she wears. The program is a result of a collaborative effort between the City of Ottawa’s Public Health and Parks and Recreation Services, Partners in Healthy Living and the commitment of community agencies. Its success has led to Jack Purcell Community Centre, Plant Recreation Centre and Foster Farm Community Centre adopting the program.”
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January 13th, 2009
Welcome and thank you for visiting The Magic Fridge Blog!
In my own life, I have dealt with weight issues and severe food allergies. I have researched extensively into grocery shopping, cooking and nutrition and after 8 years of cooking professionally and over 20 years of cooking for my family, I feel uniquely qualified to Blog about food and nutrition.
Please visit often for healthy recipes, expert advice and feel free to leave comments and participate as your comments are always welcomed.
Julie Broczkowski
The Magic Fridge
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