Historian in the Kitchen

Historian, writer and social media marketer. Join me as I take on the kitchen and try new things. Enjoy!

[historianinthekitchen]

The Lightest Shortbread Ever

I had the best shortbread cookies in the world this Christmas and they were made by my friend Jenna. I generally think shortbread is just okay but these cookies were so so light and perfectly flavoured. She shared her recipe with me and it was one of her grandmother’s. It is something I’ll be making every year!

1 pound soft butter

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 cup icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Beat all ingredients until light and fluffy. This shouldn’t take long if you’re using a KitchenAid mixer.

Drop by teaspoon onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Garnish with coloured sugar, dragees, chocolate chips, etc.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Yields 6-7 dozen.

[historianinthekitchen]

Sesame Chicken Lunch Bowls

My new obsession is meal prepping lunches for the work week. Yeah, it’s annoying to do a giant cookfest on Sunday afternoon and not even get to eat any of it, but it’s beyond convenient when you have lunches ready to go for the entire week. It helps me make sure I have an healthy and filling lunch for work and it prevents me from spending money on buying lunch. It’s a win-win situation for me. I’ve realized that most of my big-batch work lunches I’ve prepped so far have actually been from the same amazing blog, Sweet Peas and Saffron, and you can find the original recipe here (I have adapted the proportions for my needs). 

Here’s What You’ll Need:

Honey Sesame Sauce:

¼ cup chicken stock or water

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup honey

1 tablespoon sesame oil

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Chicken Lunch Bowls:

1 cup uncooked rice

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 heads of broccoli, chopped into small pieces

2 large chicken breasts, cut into small pieces

salt & pepper

sesame seeds (garnish)

Combine the ingredients for the honey sesame sauce in a small bowl with tightly fitting lid and shake until combined. Set aside for later.

Cook rice according to the package instructions. If I have leftover chicken broth, I just use that to cook the rice in to make it more flavourful. When rice is done, divide between four lunch containers.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and cook broccoli for about 5 minutes or until it’s bright green and a little tender. Add it to each of the four containers that already has the rice in it. 

In the same pan, add extra olive oil and add the chicken to the pan. You can season it with salt, pepper, and chili flakes if you’d like. Cook until completely done, around 7 minutes.

Add the honey sesame sauce to the pan and simmer for 2 minutes, until sauce starts to get thick. Divide chicken between the four lunch containers and drizzle the remaining sauce over each one. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Stores in the fridge for 4-5 days so you can reheat them when you’re hungry at work!

Enjoy!

[historianinthekitchen]

Rice Bowl with Fried Egg and Avocado

If you’re looking for a filling, easy recipe for lunch or a light dinner, this is it. I found this recipe from Bon Appetite magazine’s Facebook page and have now made it several times. This recipe will make four servings and it’s very easy to cut down to make enough for one or two, which is what I usually do. The recipe originally called for 3 tbsp of olive oil but I find that to be excessive so I just use enough to coat the pan and ensure the eggs won’t get stuck.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

1-2 green onions, thinly sliced

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Sea salt, freshly ground pepper

1tsp olive oil

4 large eggs

1 avocado, chopped

Hot sauce (for serving)

Mix green onions, rice, salt, pepper and vinegar in a small bowl.

Heat oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Crack eggs into pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook until whites are set around the edges, about 1 minute. Flip eggs and cook to desired doneness, about 30 seconds for a runny yolk.

Divide rice among bowls; top with eggs, avocado, and hot sauce.

Enjoy!

[historianinthekitchen]

How to Perfectly Poach an Egg

I learned this quick and easy way of poaching an egg from an episode of the Chew. It's worked out very well every time I've tried it. It eliminates the need for vinegar and the complicated process of stirring the boiling water and dropping the egg in exactly the right place. All you'll need to poach the egg is just an egg (duh) and a pot of boiling water.

Fill a pot with water and bring to a rolling boil.

Meanwhile, crack an egg into a small bowl.

When water is boiling, remove from heat.

Quickly plop the egg from the bowl into the water.*

Set a timer for 6 minutes.

When time is up, use a slotted spoon to remove the egg from the water and transfer to a paper towel.

*This part is the key to the perfect egg. The first time I tried this trick, I plopped one egg in really quickly and poured one in very slowly. The egg that went in quickly turned out perfectly while the egg that I slowly poured didn't turn out as well.

[historianinthekitchen]

Thai Coconut Rice with Ginger Peanut Sauce

I love a good rice bowl, the type of dish that starts with rice and is loaded up with whatever you have on hand to make it delicious. I found this recipe on Pinterest and it appealed to me because of all the fresh veggies in it. I also love a good peanut sauce and this recipe delivers. The coconut rice is also amazing so this recipe is one I’ll definitely be making again. It works as a great side dish but I ate it as the main course. I think it would even be a great thing to bring to a potluck, especially one in the summer. 

For the Coconut Rice:

1½ cups dry jasmine rice

1 (15 oz) can unsweetened coconut milk

1 clove garlic, minced

Pinch of salt

1 cup water

For the Salad:

2 red bell peppers, finely chopped

1 red cabbage, shredded

1½ cups shredded carrots

1 small red onion, finely diced

1 cup cilantro, chopped

¾ cup green onions, thinly sliced

1 cup cashews, finely chopped

For the Ginger Peanut Sauce:

⅓ cup peanut butter

2 tablespoons honey

3 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 teaspoon sesame oil

Water to thin

Lime wedges

In a medium-sized pot, mix together the rice, coconut milk, garlic, salt, and water. Cover and bring to a boil.

Once the pot reaches a rolling boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, turn off heat and let sit (with lid on) for an additional 10 minutes.

As you wait for the rice, chop the veggies and then n nmake the peanut sauce.

In a small, microwave-safe bowl, combine the peanut butter and honey. Microwave for 15 seconds, or until the peanut butter thins. Stir well. Add the ginger, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Stir again. Thin as desired with water.

Fluff the rice and combine it with the chopped vegetables and cashews (if you’re using). Drizzle however much of the Ginger Peanut Sauce you prefer (I prefer lots!). Serve with lime wedges.

Enjoy!

[historianinthekitchen]

Fat Witch Brownie Recipe #6: Original Witches

Considering this is the sixth recipe I’ve made from my favorite cookbook, I’m shocked that I’ve never posted the original recipe that made its creator famous. This is now my go to recipe for brownies because it turns out very well every time. I topped it with my new favorite chocolate icing and then with the coolest discovery I’ve made in awhile: pre-crushed candy canes from the Bulk Barn.Here’s What You’ll Need:

14 tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp bittersweet chocolate chips

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp flour

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-inch by 9-inch pan.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a small pot over low heat, stirring frequently. Set aside to cool.

Cream the sugar, eggs and vanilla together. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and mix until well blended.

Sift the flour and salt into the chocolate mixture and mix the batter gently until no trace of the dry ingredients remains. Do not over mix.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared baking pan and bake for 33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with crumbs on it (no batter!).

Remove from oven and cool for an hour before serving (if you can wait that long - hence the scarce pictures!)

Enjoy!

[historianinthekitchen]

No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

These crumbly peanut butter bars are insanely easy to make and taste better than Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Seriously. I can’t tell you how simple the recipe was but so delicious. It would be the perfect food to bring to a party, event or even bake sale since it will make people think that you put a lot of work into it! I found this recipe online and cut it in half, which was perfect for my 9”x9” pan. I’ve included the full recipe, so you’ll need to put it in a 13”9” pan.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

1/2 cup butter (or margarine, whatever you have)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups peanut butter

2- 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips (and about 1 tbsp butter)

Melt the butter and peanut butter in a pot over medium heat, remove from heat and stir in vanilla, brown sugar and icing sugar. The mixture should be thick enough that it is coming away from the sides of the bowl, like in the below picture.

Spoon the mixture into an ungreased pan and set aside.

Melt the chocolate chips in a small saucepan over low heat and stir in the tbsp of butter (makes it taste better and smoother!).

Pour the melted chocolate chip mixture over the peanut butter mixture in your pan and refrigerate until the chocolate hardens.

A piece of advice: I put mine in the fridge and left it for a couple hours, which made it very difficult to cut through. Next time I will cut, or at least score, the chocolate after 15 minutes in the fridge.

Enjoy!

[historianinthekitchen]

Roasted Tomato Crostini

Here is another Christmas appetizer that I made from Canadian Living but that I didn’t put up in time! This one turned out very well too and is a great alternative to buying those frozen appetizers at the grocery store. This appetizer was like a Caprese salad served warm, which was perfect for the cold weather season!

Here’s What You’ll Need:

2 cups halved cherry tomatoes

1 tbsp EVOO

1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

1/4 tsp dried basil

24 slices of baguette, about 1-inch thick

150 g bocconcini of any size

1/4 cup prepared pesto

In a large bowl, toss together tomatoes, EVOO, salt, pepper, basil. Spread in single layer on a parchment paper-lined pan and bake in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Stir them once in this time and you’ll know they’re definitely done when they are shriveled.

On a separate baking sheet, arrange the baguette. Broil until golden, about 2 minutes, flipping them over after one minute.

If you bought large bocconchini, cut them into 24 thin slices, or slice the small ones in half and divvy them up like I did. Top each slice of baguette with 1/2 tsp of pesto and cheese. Spoon the tomato mixture over top. Bake in 425 degree oven until the cheese is slightly melted, about 5-6 minutes.

Sprinkle with fresh basil, if you have it, and serve warm.

Enjoy!

[historianinthekitchen]

Curried Lentil & Goat Cheese Spread

Here's What You'll Need:

1 tbsp butter

1 leek (white and light green parts only), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp ground corriander

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp dried red lentils

60g goat cheese, softened

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (I didn't have this)

In a small frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat; cook leek and garlic, stirring until leek is softened, about 5 minutes. Add curry powder, coriander, salt and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Stir in lentils and 1/2 cup water and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the lentils and are tender and no liquid remains, about 10-12 minutes.

Scrape into a bowl and let cool completely, about 30 minutes. I popped mine in the fridge for awhile. Stir in goat cheese and 3 tbsp of the parsley. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Put some plastic wrap on the counter and spoon the mixture into centre. Wrap and shape the mixture into a log shape, or really, whatever shape you prefer. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

Unwrap the log and roll it in the remaining parsley. You can make this ahead of time and store it in the fridge for 2 days, covered in plastic wrap.

Enjoy!

[historianinthekitchen]

Spinach and Ricotta Naan Pizza

Here's What You'll Need:

1 tbsp EVOO

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fresh ginger

1 tsp cumin

1 onion, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 package baby spinach, coarsely chopped

2 tsp lemon juice

4 garlic or plain naan

2 plum tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup extra smooth ricotta cheese

In a large pan, heat EVOO over medium heat, cook garlic, ginger and cumin for about one minute. Add onions, salt, pepper, cook, stirring occasionally until onion is softened, about 4 minutes.

Stir in spinach, cook, stirring often, until wilted and no liquid remains, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and remove from heat.

Arrange naan on baking sheets and divide spinach mixture among the four naan. Top with tomatoes and dollop ricotta cheese over top.

Bake at 425 degrees oven until bottoms are golden, about 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

[historianinthekitchen]

Classic Shortbread

Here's What You'll Need:

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup icing sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp granulated sugar

Beat the butter, icing sugar, vanilla and salt until light and fluffy. Stir in flour until just combined.

Press the dough into a parchment paper lined 9-inch square pan. Use the palm of your hand or your knuckles to flatten the dough and make a smooth, even surface.

Sprinkle the sugar over the surface. Use a knife to score the surface of the dough into however many pieces you'd like to cut and prink each cookie several times with a fork.

Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

Bake in a 300 degree oven until the shortbread is pale and golden, about 55 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and then cut through the score lines. Let cool completely in pan.

You can store this in the fridge for one week or in the freezer for one month.

Enjoy!

[historianinthekitchen]

Peanut Butter Frosting

This peanut butter frosting is a serious crowd favorite and I’ll admit that it’s slightly addictive. It’s easy to make, fluffy and makes everything taste that much better. I love using it to ice chocolate cakes and cupcakes and think it would be a great topping for some cookies too. This recipe is all my own so I hope you enjoy!Here’s What You’ll Need:

1/2 butter, room temperature

1 cup peanut butter

2 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp cream

3 cups icing sugar

In a large bowl beat the butter and peanut butter together. Beat in the vanilla, then alternate adding the icing sugar and the cream until you reach your desired consistency.

Frost your favourite cakes, cupcakes or even cookies with this delicious recipe.

Makes enough to ice around 18 cupcakes.

Enjoy!

[historianinthekitchen]

The Ultimate Chocolate Cake

The February 2014 issue of Canadian Living is probably one of the best. There are tons of yummy stew recipes in it but best of all is this recipe for chocolate cake. It’s unbelievably easy to make and is probably the best cake recipe I’ve ever tried. I’ve made it several times now so I can say it’s practically foolproof. This is one of those recipes that once you find it, you will never need another chocolate cake recipe again.

This recipe can be made in cake pans of any size and you’ll see the specific baking instructions for each pan below. Also note that using cooled coffee in this recipe really deepens the chocolate flavor and makes the cupcakes taste that much better. However, I’ve also made them with water when I don’t have time to brew the coffee and they’re still very tasty!

Here’s What You’ll Need:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups cooled brewed coffee or water

1 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp cider vinegar

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Stir in cooled coffee, vegetable oil, vanilla and apple cider vinegar.

Divide into two greased 9” cake pans, a greased 9”x13” pan or into 24 paper-lined muffin cups.

For 9” cake pans: Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean or with crumbs clinging to it.

For cupcakes: Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean or with crumbs clinging to it.

For a 13”x9” slab cake: Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean or with crumbs clinging to it.

Let whatever type of cake you made cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. When the cake is completely cool, ice it with your favourite icing!

Enjoy!

[historianinthekitchen]

Apple Cheddar Bread

Here’s What You’ll Need:

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/3 cup butter, softened

2/3 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 cup diced, cored, peeled Granny Smith apple

3/4 cup grated Granny Smith apple

2/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9”x5” (2L) loaf pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese.

In a separate bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in sugar and beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in diced apple, grated apple and milk. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and top with the remaining cheese.

Bake until cheese on top is melted and golden, and cake tester inserted comes out clean, about 50-55 minutes. Let loaf cool in pan for 10 minutes then turn out onto rack and let cool completely.

Enjoy!

[historianinthekitchen]

Pumpkin Cheesecake with White Chocolate Ginger Almond Bark

This was one of Canadian Living’s Thanksgiving dishes and since we were having some family over for the holiday, I figured I’d make the dessert. I’m not a big fan of pumpkin but it looked so beautiful in the pictures that I thought I’d give it a try. It was easy to make and turned out very well. I’m happy to report that I actually even enjoyed this cake despite my strong dislike of pumpkin. The pumpkin flavoring in this cheesecake is definitely there but it isn’t overwhelming in the same way that pumpkin pie is. I think the combination of cream cheese and sour cream in the batter helps neutralize the strong pumpkin taste that we’re used to and I think it is great like this.Here’s What You’ll Need:

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup + a couple tablespoons ginger cookies, ground up (about 2 cups not ground up)

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

3 tbsp butter, melted

2 regular-sized bars of cream cheese, softened

3 eggs

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp nutmeg

A pinch each of ground cloves and salt

3 cups sour cream Whipped Topping:

2 cups whipping cream (35%)

1/2 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp icing sugar White Chocolate Almond Bark:

6 oz. white chocolate, melted

The remaining few tablespoons of ground ginger cookies (or almonds, nut or anything else you can think of)

In a bowl, stir together in the ground ginger cookies, 1/4 cup of the sugar and the butter until moistened. Scrape the mixture into a 9-inch greased springform pan and press into the bottom and about 2cm up the side of the pan. Bake in 350 degrees oven until set, about 12-15 minutes. Let cool.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in remaining sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl twice, until light and smooth, about 3 minutes.

On low speed beat in the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, just until smooth. Beat in pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, cloves and salt. Beat in sour cream. Pour over crust, smoothing the top.

Bake on a rimmed baking sheet in a 300 degree oven until top is no longer shiny and edge is set but centre is still a little jiggly - about 2 to 2 1/4 hours.

Turn off the oven and run a knife around the edge of the cake. Let the cake cool in the oven for an hour. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely. Refrigerate until chilled, about 4 hours.

White Chocolate Bark: On a parchment paper-lined baking sheeting, spread all but 3 tbsp of the chocolate in a 2mm thick layer. Sprinkle the cookie crumbs over top and drizzle with the remaining chocolate. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. Break into 2-inch chunks and set aside.

Whipped Topping: Whip cream, vanilla and sifted icing sugar in a medium-sized bowl, until stiff peaks form. Spread over top of cheesecake and arrange white chocolate bark on top.

Enjoy!

[historianinthekitchen]

Almost-Classic Potato Salad

Here's What You'll Need:

2 pounds of white potatoes (or red or yellow)

1 tbsp red wine vinegar (or apple cider or white wine vinegar)

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayo

1 tbsp Dijon mustard (or yellow or whatever kind you like)

2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup fresh herbs (like dill, parsley, chives, tarragon or cilantro were all suggested in the original recipe - I used coriander)

Salt and pepper to taste

Cut potatoes into bite-sized pieces and place them in a pot and cover them with one inch of water. Bring to a boil and let simmer until they are cooked, firm but not mushy. Drain potatoes and let them cool while you prepare the other ingredients.

Stir together the sour cream, mayo, mustard, vinegar and spices.

Spoon the dressing over the potatoes (use as much or as little dressing as you prefer) and toss to combine. Add the eggs and onion and continue to stir until combined.

This salad can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Enjoy!

[historianinthekitchen]

Cilantro-Jalapeno Grilled Tofu

I love tofu a lot even though I'm a meat-eater. If there's ever the option to order it at a restaurant, I'll usually try whatever it is because I like to see how it's prepared. Usually it's marinated in something so when I came across a recipe in Canadian Living that had a tofu marinade component, I was excited to try it. I think the original recipe put the tofu on a bed of greens for a vegetarian dinner salad, but I wanted to try it over a noodle dish. This tofu was some of the best I've ever had, and I can only imagine how much better it would be if you let the tofu marinate for longer than the 10 minutes that I did. Grilling it on the BBQ gives it a perfect crispy texture and I think that even the tofu haters in your life would enjoy it!

Here's What You'll Need:

1 package of firm tofu (about 450g), drained

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup lime juice

4 tsp liquid honey

Half jalapeno, seeded and minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 green onions, moinced

1/4 cup EVOO

Cut tofu into 1-2 cm thick slices. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, honey, jalapeno, garlic, chili powder, pepper and remaining salt. Stir in the cilantro, green onions and EVOO.

Put a couple of spoonfuls on the bottom of a shallow dish, then place the tofu in the dish, covering with the remaining marinade. The longer you can let the tofu marinade, the better, but I only let mine sit for around 10 minutes.

Put the slices of tofu on a greased grill over medium-high heat. Reserve the leftover marinade. Close the lid and grill, turning once, until golden and heated through, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Put the tofu slices over a salad or udon noodles and top with the remaining dressing from the shallow dish.

Enjoy!