About Chatty Kathy

Living in the beautiful Okanagan Valley in BC, we have an abundance of fresh food to cook with, and believe me, I do! We have 5 daughters, 3 grand daughters, and lots of honorary daughters ...I love cooking for family and friends and they all keep me busy in the kitchen. Here is hoping that this blog will allow my entire family to access those recipes they ask for, and maybe even enjoy a few travel photos!

Energy Balls

Posted on August 31, 2019 by Chatty Kathy

Nailed it! These energy balls are perfect for a bite on the go, or if you just realized you forgot to eat today …… (Hello Hayley). This is the perfect recipe for a little creative flexibility. We don’t like raisins, so you won’t find any here but they could easily be used in place of cranberries or the dried cherries. The only thing that matters is that you use 2 cups of dried fruit – use any combination you like. With all the peanut allergies in schools and restrictions with it (Hello Liv), you can easily replace the peanut butter with any nut butter you like.

A big part of the success story is your ingredient source …. Rancho Vignola has amazing nuts, seeds, and baking products. Make sure you have great quality supplies. Nope, this isn’t a sponsored post, I just love their products!

1 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1 cup toasted sesame seeds
1 cup oats (I use a combination of quick cooking and large flake oats)
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup dried cherries (chopped)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 cups toasted coconut flakes

Combine all dry ingredients together in a large bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands.
In a separate small bowl stir peanut butter and honey together until smooth and well incorporated.
Stir into dry ingredients, and mix well. Again, I find your hands the best tools you’ve got. Make sure you mix well …. those pesky little sesame seeds like to hide in the bottom of the bowl.
Once you’ve got it all mixed, form balls and roll in the toasted coconut. I find it helps to put a little coconut in my hands too and that really helps it to adhere.

Store in the fridge for up to a week, or keep them in the freezer for a couple of months (if they last that long).

Asian Style Salmon

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Chatty Kathy

In just a few minutes you can pull this together, serve it with a salad and it is a simple easy dinner that you will want on repeat!

This is the most delicious dish – and the simplest! A few minutes to prepare, a few more to cook and you are done! The flavour is just exquisite! I used parchment instead of foil tonight – either works well.

3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon Sriracha, optional
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 pounds salmon
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

Whisk these few ingredients together and everything is ready in minutes.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, Sriracha and pepper, to taste.
Place salmon onto the prepared baking sheet and fold up all 4 sides of the foil. Spoon the honey mixture over the salmon. Fold the sides of the foil over the salmon, covering completely and sealing the packet closed.
Place into oven and bake until cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.* Open the packet and broil for 2-3 minutes, or until caramelized and slightly charred.
Serve immediately, garnished with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.

This recipe came from “damndelicious” and it certainly is!

The Best Peach Shortbread

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Chatty Kathy

1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup room temperature unsalted butter
1 large egg
2 -3 peaches, pitted and thinly sliced (between 1/8 and 1/4-inch thick)

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Butter a 9×13 inch pan, or spray it with a nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, stir together sugar, baking powder, flour, salt and spices with a whisk. Use a pastry blender, fork or your fingertips, blend the butter and egg into the flour mixture. It will be crumbly.

Pat 3/4 of the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan, pressing firmly. Tile peach slices over crumb base in a single layer. Scatter remaining crumbs evenly over peaches and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until top is slightly brown and you can see a little color around the edges. Cool completely in pan before cutting into squares.

I like to whisk the spices with the sugar first, then the flour. It helps to make sure everything is well distributed.

Press 3/4 of the flour/sugar mixture into your baking pan, reserving the rest for topping.

These peaches are really the star here, but that buttery crust plays an amazingly delicious supporting role.

Not so much topping that the peaches are hidden, and for a little extra crunch, sprinkle the top with a little raw sugar.

OOOHHH, the smell of sweet peaches and buttery crumb can’t be beat.

It might be difficult to wait, but they cut so much better if you let them cool.

This recipe came from smitten kitchen.com, so if you want to go one more step towards deliciousness, head over to her blog …. Deb Perelman …. she also browns the butter for a nutty flavour that apparently really comes through. Today, I just didn’t have time, as I wanted to get these slightly cooled bars out to the workers to enjoy the fruits of their labours with peach picking, sorting and packing!

Pork Carnitas

Posted on August 17, 2019 by Chatty Kathy

A homemade corn tortilla, some pickled onions, avocado served with the tender pork and you have a perfect taco.

On our Mexican travels we have had some amazing carnitas, both in Michoacan, which is renowned for carnitas, but also at a Saturday mercado in Mexico City. Once you have had great carnitas, that is something you will dream of when you get home! Finally I’ve figured out how to do it at home, and it is the method as well as the recipe that is important.

Ingredients

2-2.5 lbs. pork shoulder
1 orange
1 lime
1/2 onion
1 jalapeno
4 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
freshly cracked black pepper (approx. 1/2 teaspoon)
2-3 tablespoon oil

For serving:

12-16 corn tortillas
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
freshly chopped cilantro
3-4 limes, quartered

For the brine:

1/2 cup sea or kosher salt
2-3 quarts water

Instructions

Add 2 quarts cold water to a mixing bowl along with 1/2 cup kosher or sea salt. Stir to dissolve. Cut the pork shoulder into 2″ chunks. Add the pork chunks to the brine, cover, and store in the fridge for an hour. If the pork isn’t completely submerged just add a bit more water.
Once brined, remove the pork chunks and pat them dry. Add them to a clean mixing bowl along with: 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder (optional), 1 teaspoon salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and 2-3 tablespoons oil. Combine well.
Add pork pieces to a casserole dish along with the juice of 1 orange, the juice of 1 lime, 1/2 onion cut into chunks, 1 jalapeno sliced in half, and 4 peeled garlic cloves. I usually put the leftover orange pieces in the pan as well. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 300F for three hours.
After three hours give it the fork tender test. If you can insert a fork into the pork with no resistance then it’s done. If the chunks are still firm give it another half hour.
Remove the pork and set aside. Strain the resting liquid into a bowl and be sure to give it a taste! As it sits the fat will rise to the top — you can remove some of the fat if you want but I use most of it.
To crisp up the Carnitas we’ll put the shredded pork chunks under the broiler (approx. 525F). You can use the same baking dish, just be sure to remove the leftover fruit and veggie chunks. Add the pork back to the dish and shred with two forks. I usually give it a partial shred, leaving it chunky, but you can always shred finer if you want.
Drizzle some of the resting liquid over the pork and broil for 5 minutes. Take a look and broil for another 5 minutes if you want it crispier.

For serving you’ll need corn tortillas, 1/2 cup finely chopped onion, some freshly chopped cilantro, the Salsa Verde, 3-4 limes, and cheese (optional). You can warm up the tortillas in the oven but you’ll get happier faces if you crisp them up in hot dry skillet first. I usually put a large skillet over medium high heat and crisp up 3-4 at a time, storing them in a tortilla warmer or tea towel.

If there are Carnitas leftovers, store in an airtight container in the fridge. I usually store the resting liquid separately. To re-heat, simply add pork to a saucepan along with some of the resting liquid, cover, and simmer over medium until heated through.

Chop the pork into 2 inch pieces and coat all over with the oil and seasonings.

Nestle all the pork in with the onion, jalapeño, garlic and squeeze the orange all over. Tuck the orange pieces in, then cover tightly before slow roasting.

Three hours later this pork is tender and your house smells amazing.

I drizzled the pork with a little bacon fat just to add to the porky goodness. Yum.

Put the pan under the broiler, and watch carefully – you only want a few crispy bits.

Stir the pork back into the cooking liquid and garnish with cilantro.

Fragrant and juicy tomatoes make a fantastic base for this refreshing Pico de Gallo.

What a fantastic bite! Reminiscent of eating carnitas on a street corner or mercado in Mexico, we loved every morsel.

I’ve found this amazing new website (new to me anyway), and this recipe is courtesy of Mexicanplease …. check out that website, everything I’ve tried has been perfect …. including the flour tortillas made with bacon, delicious.

Creamy Cucumber Herb Salad Dressing

Posted on August 16, 2019 by Chatty Kathy

Smooth, creamy and absolutely delicious – this will make you crave a salad.

We used to love going to a small restaurant in Mexico City, no name on the building and just a few wooden chairs and tables on the sidewalk … but oh … the food! For 99 pesos we received an amazing set menu with four courses and it was always fantastic. The chef moved on … (we spotted him at another place finally). If I could remember the name of his new spot I’d definitely give you a recommendation to try it! Anyhow … what was I saying … oh of course … this is a salad dressing recipe. He made this incredible creamy cucumber salad dressing that was divine. I asked him the recipe and he gave me the basic idea but claimed the key was the sea salt he used. We walked miles looking for the store he told us to go to, without success. Eventually, on another trip we found the salt (from Cuyutlan), and have continued to pick it up every time we go to Mexico City! I’ve finally hit the right ingredients here and this is delicious.

1 cup chopped cucumber
3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
handful of fresh herbs (I used basil, parsley and oregano)
1 garlic scape
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp white pepper

Roughly chop the herbs and cucumber and place in blender, then add the rest of the ingredients. Give it a really good whiz until smooth and creamy. Depending on how juicy your cucumber is, if needed you can thin it out a bit with milk or buttermilk.

My trusty little bullet whipped this up in no time.

My herbs are so happy this year!

Here it is, the infamous salt I had Grant, Wilson and Vivian trekking all over Mexico City looking for. Was it worth the effort? You bet.

Zucchini Ricotta Galette or Tomato Galette

Posted on August 15, 2019 by Chatty Kathy

Got a plethora of zucchini in your garden? Here you go, you are very welcome. Even if you don’t, head to the grocer or market and buy some because this galette is just that good.

This photo is gorgeous …. but even that doesn’t do it justice. Oh, the crispy puffy pastry, the creamy rich base …the fresh from the garden (or market) zucchini …. and the aroma as it bakes. This is a sure winner, and certain to be on repeat.

Incredibly delicious as a tomato galette also.

Serve this with a salad for a great vegetarian meal or cut into small pieces for an appetizer, either way it’s fantastic!

For the pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, chilled in the freezer for 30 minutes
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chill again
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup ice water

Filling:
1 large or 2 small zucchinis, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium garlic clove, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup (about 1 ounce) grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded mozzarella
1 tablespoon slivered basil leaves

Glaze:
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Glazed and ready for the oven – they already look and smell fantastic.

Make dough: Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Sprinkle bits of butter over dough and using a pastry blender, cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with the biggest pieces of butter the size of tiny peas. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add this to the butter-flour mixture. With your fingertips or a wooden spoon, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Pat the lumps into a ball; do not overwork the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Make filling: Spread the zucchini out over several layers of paper towels. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and let drain for 30 minutes; gently blot the tops of the zucchini dry with paper towels before using. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil and the garlic together; set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, and 1 teaspoon of the garlicky olive oil together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare galette: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet (though if you line it with parchment paper, it will be easier to transfer it to a plate later). Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the bottom of the galette dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Shingle the zucchini attractively on top of the ricotta in concentric circles, starting at the outside edge. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of the garlic and olive oil mixture evenly over the zucchini. Fold the border over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Brush crust with egg yolk glaze.

Bake the galette until the cheese is puffed, the zucchini is slightly wilted and the galette is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with basil, let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

See …. not quite enough cutting in yet, those butter cubes are too big.

Small, pea sized bits now and the liquid added.

Do not over mix, just get it together and wrap it to put in fridge for at least 30 minutes).

Salt, and allow to sit for a bit in order to draw the liquid out.

As you can see …. I’m not the best at an exact “12 inch” circle …. but I’m working on that!

Mix all your cheeses with the olive oil & garlic blend … adjust to taste with salt and pepper.

WHAT?? Already I’m crazy about this and it hasn’t even hit the oven yet. Yes, I need to work on my even edges … ha ha

Tonight we had enough people celebrating Stella turning 6 that I needed to make 2 …. so I did a tomato galette as well as zucchini. Both were delicious.

Be as inventive as you like with the cheeses, using the amounts as your guidelines. With the tomato galette I used aged gouda as well as the ricotta and parmesan. With the zucchini, tonight I had old white cheddar on hand …. What won’t change is how amazing your house smells! Go ahead, invite the neighbours in …..

Absolutely full credit (as well as the copy/paste feature) for this recipe – IN TOTAL – goes to Deb Perelman at http://www.smitten kitchen.com – one of the very rare recipes I didn’t play around with at all …. okay except I used a couple of patty pan squash because I had them….

Lemony Greek Chicken Thighs

Posted on August 11, 2019 by Chatty Kathy

So delicious – olives, caper berries, sweet onions and tender chicken thighs …… you will be licking the pan, at least Leah did!

This is one of those “guideline” recipes. I’m going to go ahead and give some amounts, but feel free to adjust to whatever you have on hand, or whatever your taste buds are asking for!

vegetable or peanut oil
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 large lemon, halved, then sliced
4 garlic cloves, smashed lightly then halved
1/2 large sweet onion, sliced
1/2 cup mixed olives (I used kalamata, stuffed green & caper berries)
2 tbsp of sliced sun dried tomatoes
generous handful of minced herbs (today I used parsley, oregano & thyme)
Salt & pepper to taste
Splash of good dry white wine

Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper.

Bring cast iron skillet up to a moderate temperature, add just enough neutral oil to generously coat the pan. As soon as it starts to shimmer, add chicken thighs. Try not to overcrowd the pan as you want to get a nice sear on the chicken pieces.

Turn once they release easily from the skillet. Once the second side has seared, remove from the heat.

To the same pan, add a splash of white wine and the onions, garlic, lemon & sun dried tomatoes. Saute until the onion is translucent and just starting to soften. Add the herbs and nestle the chicken back into the skillet. Scatter olive mixture in amongst the chicken and put the whole skillet into an oven at 375 for 30 minutes. Watch carefully and if you think the chicken is browning too quickly – cover with tinfoil so it cooks through.

Remove from heat, if desired finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a splash of your best olive oil.

Bang Bang Shrimp

Posted on July 11, 2019 by Chatty Kathy

This is delicious, which makes it a winner in my books! The biggest bonus is that the whole dish comes together very quickly with ingredients that you likely have in your kitchen anyway. The dipping sauce is a bit sweet, a bit spicy and a bit tangy from the yogurt.

Grilling these outside would have been perfect, but the rain changed that plan!

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
1 tbsp minced chives
1 pound shrimp (raw, peeled and deveined)

Mix together the first four ingredients and set aside.
Thread shrimp on skewers (if using wooden skewers soak in water for 30 minutes first).
Brush the shrimp with some of the sauce and leave the rest for dipping after they are cooked.
Grill shrimp until just cooked through – it only takes a few minutes so watch carefully to be sure they are’t overcooked.

I’m sure you have all these ingredients on hand, and the dipping sauce is amazing to just keep on hand so make enough for leftovers.

Smooth, creamy and absolutely delicious.

Grill just until cooked through – today it had to be on a grill pan because it was absolutely pouring out there!

If you’ve had these at a Chinese restaurant they are usually deep fried in a light batter, and the dipping sauce is a lot heavier – made with mayonnaise. I prefer this version made with greek yogurt, and I bet you will too!

Cheesy Zucchini Herb Loaf

Posted on July 8, 2019 by Chatty Kathy

I love the way the herbs stay fresh and green, and the cheesy tender dough is delicious.

Cheesy, crispy on the crust and so tender inside. You are going to want to try this one out!

1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
4 cups flour
6 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp white sugar
3/4 cup cubed cheddar cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup herbs, chopped finely (today I used parsley, chives, oregano and basil)
1 tsp salt

Toss together, and set aside.

1/2 cup melted butter
3 beaten eggs
1/2 cup minced fresh herbs
2 cups milk

Whisk together.

Pour wet ingredients into flour/zucchini mixture and mix together lightly. DO NOT OVERMIX. That leads to tougher dough.

Pour into parchment lined loaf pans.

Sprinkle a little flake salt over top.

Bake at 350 for 45 – 60 minutes. Start testing at 45, and as soon as the tester comes out clean remove from the oven.

The herbs are vibrant, the eggs are free run and the flavour is out of the park!

Once you have everything ready, the final assembly is pretty quick!

Using parchment means it is easy to lift out, and helps to get such a crispy exterior. This recipe makes two loaves.

Golden crust, with craggy cheesy bits and Maldon sea salt adding a bit of crunch on the top.

Roasted Potato Fennel Soup

Posted on July 7, 2019 by Chatty Kathy

During the cold of winter these vegetables are always available, and make the most comforting winter dinner. When summer vegetables arrive however, with fresh new potatoes, leeks and fennel from your own garden or farmers market, this soup is the perfect meal on a cool, rainy spring – early summer night.

I love rich, creamy soups, but what I really love …. is the toppings. Every pureed soup needs something to create texture and bacon with fresh herbs does the job.

4 pounds red potatoes, quartered
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp freshly ground pepper
3 cups chopped yellow onion
1 cup sliced leek
3 cups sliced fennel bulb
3 quarts chicken broth (or vegetable broth for a vegetarian option)
1 cup cream (omit if you want it to be vegan)

GARNISH

fresh chopped chives, parsley, basil and fennel fronds
crispy bacon bits

Preheat oven to 400

In large bowl toss the potatoes with olive, garlic, salt and pepper.

New potatoes, tossed with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Yum whatever you do wth them!

Spread on baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, until cooked through. (use 2 sheets if necessary, you don’t want them crowded)

Saute onions, fennel and leek with 2 tbsp olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat until translucent. (I like to cook my bacon in the pot first in order to use the fat …. but for vegan or vegetarian options just omit the bacon and it’s fat).

Season every step of the way!

Add chicken or vegetable stock to onion mixture and bring it to a boil. Add roasted potatoes, turn to a gentle simmer and cook until all vegetables are soft.

Puree until all vegetables are creamy … this is the point to add fresh minced herbs and the cream, if using.

Taste, and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.

Mince up a handful of fresh herbs ….

Toss the herbs in and stir well with the blended soup.

Prep your garnish … today I liked the idea of crunchy bacon (well honestly most soups love crunchy bacon) … as well as chives, basil and fennel fronds.

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