The Jewish New Year is approaching on September 18! The holidays are a time for friends, family and, of course, good food! Norene Gilletz, known as the “Jewish Julia Child”, has written a fabulous book called Norene’s Healthy Kitchen (Whitecap Books, 2007). This book is perfect for every type of cook, or non-cook, from singles to families, novice or experienced cooks, there is something for every holiday occasion! 

The recipes also work well for those who keep kosher, so you can enjoy Norene’s lean versions of Jewish favorites such as latkes and Matzo balls.  There are also recipes for easy entertaining during Rosh Hashanah, as well as Shabbat dinners.

This Rosh Hashanah, give Norene’s recipe for Pomegranate Chicken a try! Also, be sure to check her out on the Martha Stewart Radio Show on Tuesday, September 8 at 2pm EST. You can listen here on the Sirius website: http://www.sirius.com/freetrial/register

POMEGRANATE CHICKEN
According to ancient lore, the amount of seeds in the pomegranate is exactly the same number (613) as the mitzvot (good deeds) found in the Torah (the Jewish Bible). If you’re curious, count away! This fragrant dish also contains honey, carrots, and apricots—traditional foods served with hope for a sweet and fruitful New Year.

2 medium onions, sliced
2 cups baby carrots (or 2 cups peeled and
sliced regular carrots)
2 whole chickens (31/2 lb/1.6 kg each),
cut into pieces
1 tsp dried thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup dried whole apricots, loosely packed
1 cup pitted whole prunes, loosely packed
2 tsp sweet paprika

Marinade:
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
(or juice of 1 pomegranate)
2 cloves garlic (about 2 tsp minced)
Juice and rind of 1 lemon
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp honey

1. Spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray. Scatter the onions and carrots in the bottom of the pan. Rinse the chicken well and pat dry with paper towels. Trim the excess fat. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and sprinkle—under the skin and on top—with thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Tuck the apricots and prunes between the chicken pieces.
2. Whisk the ingredients for the marinade together in a bowl. (If using the juice of a whole pomegranate, reserve some of the seeds for garnish.) Pour over the chicken and sprinkle with paprika. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or for as long as 2 days.
3. When the chicken is marinated, preheat the oven to 350°F. Cook the chicken, covered, for 11/2 hours or until tender. Uncover and cook for 30 minutes longer, basting occasionally, or until the skin is golden. Remove from the pan from the oven and let cool before refrigerating overnight.
4. About 30 minutes before serving, remove and discard any congealed fat from the chicken. Reheat, covered, for 25 to 30 minutes at 350°F. Transfer the heated chicken to a large serving platter and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.

Yield: 12 servings. Keeps for up to 3 days in the refrigerator; reheats well. Freezes well for up to 4 months.
315 calories per serving (without skin), 25.9 g carbohydrate, 2.8 g fiber, 31 g protein, 10.0 g fat (2.4 g saturated), 90 mg cholesterol, 103 mg sodium, 526 mg potassium,
2 mg iron, 43 mg calcium

Chef’s Secrets
• Pomegranate Power: See Pomegranate Power Smoothie (page 434) for information on pomegranates. One pomegranate
contains about 3/4 cup seeds and yields 1/2 cup juice.
• No Pomegranates? Substitute either bottled pomegranate or cranberry juice. If desired, sprinkle with toasted pumpkin or sesame seeds at serving time.

One of B.C’s favourite getaway resorts has just released their brand new cookbook, Island Lake Lodge: The Cookbook by writer Keith Liggett. Recently added to National Geographic’s “Stay List 2009”, Island Lake Lodge is known for its stunning scenery and incredible skiing and hiking trails; now experience a book that melds the elegance of the lodge’s surroundings with your favorite gourmet meals written by lodge’s creative chefs!
Bring the comforting food of the lodge into your kitchen with great appetizer, entrée and dessert ideas…now you can enjoy Island Lake dishes all year round.
Here is a fun dessert recipe I plan to try this weekend:

Tangy Lemon Squares
Recipe by Chef Kerri Maier
Makes about 24 squares

Base
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
Topping
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp grated lemon zest

Base: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 13- × 9-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy and pale. Stir in flour and salt just until dough is crumbly. Pat dough evenly over base of prepared pan. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Topping: In a medium bowl, beat together sugar and eggs until well combined. Beat in flour, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Pour topping over crust. Return pan to oven and bake for a further 20 minutes or until topping sets. Let cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares.

I recently read an interesting article from Canwest News Services. It states Neilsen Canada has reported that canning accessories were up nearly 70 per cent this past May compared to the same month last year. In June, the sales were up 88 percent compared with the same period in 2008!
This shows that canning is back in! Despite the quick and easy options we have available to us, people are being more conscious about what they are eating and what chemicals are going in their foods; they are turning to canning which allows them the preserve fresh fruits and vegetables, eat healthier and control what goes into their jams, chutneys and sauces.
Try the recipe below from Well Preserved: Small Batch Preserving for the New Cook by Mary Anne Dragan to get you started with some preserving fun!

Ruby Red Raspberry Jam
Makes about four 8 oz (250 mL) jars
The fragile raspberry must be handled carefully. Vulnerable to mold once picked, they should be refrigerated and used as soon as possible.
4 cups    raspberries    950 mL
3 cups    sugar    720 mL
1/4 cup    lemon juice    60 mL
•    Prepare the preserving jars.
•    In your preserving pot, gently crush the raspberries with a potato masher. Add the sugar and let stand for 1 hour.
•    Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; stir in the lemon juice. Boil rapidly, stirring often, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it starts to thicken. Test for set if desired.
•    Remove from the heat. Stir and skim off the foam if necessary. Pour the jam into hot, sterilized jars, leaving a 1/4 inch (6 mm) head space. Wipe the rims clean. Seal according to manufacturer’s directions. Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Blackberry Jam. Simply replace the raspberries with blackberries for a mouth-watering jam.
Always follow safe canning procedures for sterilization and sealing when making any kind of preserve. Look to manufacturers of canning supplies as well as trusted websites such as homecanning.ca or freshpreserving.com for more information.

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting on the website, but it has been down for the past week and now we're back online!  

I’m always on the lookout for new munchies to dazzle my friends when I have them over for drinks or when I need to bring something for a picnic. When I was flipping through the new and updated version of Julie Van Rosendaal’s bestseller Grazing: A Healthier Approach to Snacks and Finger Foods, I found so many yummy sounding recipes I can’t wait to try.
Whether you are looking for a healthy snack or a gourmet appetizer for a party, Grazing is chock full of mini snacks and finger food recipes! I thought I’d give you guys a little peek at the delicious recipes in this revised and updated version of Grazing. Here ya go! Enjoy.

Balsamic Mushroom Crostini

1 thin baguette, sliced diagonally about 1/4 inch thick (you’ll need only 20 or so slices)
1 large clove garlic, cut in half lengthwise
1 Tbsp olive or canola oil
1 Tbsp butter
6 cups sliced fresh mushrooms—button, portobello, shiitake, or a combination
1/3 cup dried cranberries or chopped dried cherries
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar or red wine
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary or thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1/2–1 cup grated aged Gouda, Asiago, fontina, or old white cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Place baguette slices on a baking sheet (if you like, brush them lightly with olive oil before baking) and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes, until barely golden. Remove from the oven and rub each with a cut clove of garlic.
Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan set over medium-high heat. When the foam subsides, cook the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until the moisture has evaporated. Continue to cook until the mushrooms are golden. Add the cranberries, balsamic vinegar, and rosemary and cook for another minute, until the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon the hot mixture onto toasts and sprinkle with cheese. Return to the oven for 5 minutes, until the cheese melts.

Makes about 20 crostini.

Dadburger DeluxeWell, he's done it! Western Canada's favourite barbecue champion, Rockin' Ronnie Shewchuk, has produced the essential outdoor cooking handbook in his latest cookbook Barbecue Secrets DELUXE!

I generally leave the grilling to the men in my life because I know how much they love it, but as I was flipping through the pages of Ron's new book I suddenly found myself considering purchasing a smoker because I was so inspired reading one of Ron's essays about his road to barbecue enlightenment. This book is not only full of mouth watering recipes, but Ron also gives it this amazing personal touch with his stories, learnings and observations about barbecueing, tips and tricks as well as playlist suggestions.

I cannot stop thinking about hamburgers since this book landed on my desk because of the incredible cover photo of a very delicious looking hamburger. So, here's a little sneak peak at the book and Ron's Classic Dadburger Deluxe recipe:

Makes 12-16 patties, depending on how big you like them

This recipe will feed a crowd, or four teenagers. You can easily halve the recipe. If your kids are like mine and don't like bits of onion and garlic in their burgers, substitute 1 tsp (5 mL) each of granulated onion and granulated garlic for the fresh variety.

Burger patties

* 6 lb (2.7 kg) ground beef (or combine equal amounts of ground beef and ground pork)
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped
* 1 head roasted garlic, cloves squeezed out and mashed with a fork
* 1 Tbsp (15 mL) toasted sesame oil
* 2 Tbsp (25 mL) dark soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce or a combination
* 1/2 tsp (2 mL) freshly grated nutmeg
* 1/4 tsp (1 mL) cayenne (or more, if you like more heat)
* lots of freshly ground black pepper
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup (125 mL) cold water


Fixin's

* barbecue sauce
* 12-16 cheese slices (optional)
* 12-16 hamburger buns


Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

Gently combine the burger ingredients in a large bowl with your hands, taking care not to overwork the meat. Wet your hands in cold water before you form the mixture into chunks the size of tennis balls. Flatten them into patties, placing them on the baking sheet. Each patty will be about 1/2 lb (250 g) before cooking. Place them in the freezer for 1 hour to firm them up.

Preheat your grill for medium direct heat. Take the burgers out of the freezer and grill them for 6 minutes per side, or until they are springy to the touch, glazing them on both sides with barbecue sauce. Top each patty with a slice of cheese for the last couple of minutes of cooking. Serve the burgers on buns with your favorite condiments.

Ron also provides a bunch of topping suggestions, but I'll let you use your creativity on this one. I'd be happy to come over and test your version - just let me know. Oh, if you live in the Vancouver area, make sure you come out to Ron's event at Johnstone's Barbecues and Parts (165 Pemberton Ave.) in North Vancouver May 9.