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!

Honey Mustard Chicken

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Chatty Kathy

I love using chicken thighs (either boneless, skinless or bone in, skin on!!) for this – they are so full of flavour – and don’t take very long to cook!

12-14 small chicken thighs (bone in tastes great, but boneless if you prefer)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

3 tbsp melted butter
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp each: dijon mustard and grainy mustard
1 tbsp yellow deli mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Place chicken in baking dish, and combine the rest of the ingredients in small bowl. Stir well and drizzle over chicken – rubbing and turning the chicken to coat well. Finish with bone (or under side) up. Roast for 20 minutes, turn chicken and roast for a further 20 minutes, basting with the honey mustard mixture again for the last 10 minutes. Depending on the size of the chicken thighs, they might take longer to cook. It is important for them to cook long enough to get this delicious bit of carmelization on the chicken – yum yum yum.

If you have used skinless, the chicken will still get a nice roasted, browned finish to it, but if you have kept the skin on, it will be irresistible!!

Hand made Gnocchi

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Chatty Kathy

These delightful little mini pillows of deliciousness are so fluffy and simple to make – easily ready to become your new favorite recipe!!

Bake 3 russet potatoes until tender all the way through and allow to rest until cool enough to handle.

When cool enough either put them through a potato ricer, or grate them into a large bowl. Add 1/2 tsp sea salt and 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper and toss lightly with 1 3/4 cups flour and a grating of fresh nutmeg. (don’t worry if you don’t have fresh nutmeg – use 1/8 tsp of ground)

Lightly beat 2 eggs with 2 tbsp olive oil, and then stir into flour/potato mixture. Mix gently until all is blended, and knead in another 1/2 cup flour. Your dough should be soft and supple, easy to work with and not too sticky.

If you have trouble either way – just add either a bit more flour if it is too sticky, or a bit of oil if it is too dry.

Divide this mixture into 4 balls. Roll each ball into a long skinny rope (snake if kids are helping!). Cut along length into pieces about 3/4 in each. Dust lightly with flour.

Keep a bit of flour handy – continue dusting your hand with it so the gnocchi doesn’t stick. Take a fork, and dust it with flour. Turn it upside down in your hand and roll the gnocchi down the tines of the fork. Set aside until ready to cook.

When you have all the gnocchi rolled out – and remember that they don’t need to look perfect – you are ready to cook them.

Hand made gnocchi – they don’t have to be perfect – just delicious any shape you get – neither Joe Bastianich or Mario Batali are going to criticize your form!!

Boil a HUGE pot of water – when it comes to a boil toss in a generous amount of salt.

At this point drop the gnocchi in the boiling water – it will return to the top when it is ready – let it bounce around for a moment and you are ready.

Really the gnocchi is great to eat just as is – toss it with melted butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper – delish.

HOWEVER …. if you really want to kick it up a level:

In a heavy bottom pan (like cast iron) heat 1 tbsp each butter and olive oil – stir the white parts of 2 leeks, and 2 garlic cloves until just tender. When the pot is really hot, push the leek mixture to one side, and drop the just boiled gnocchi onto the hot pan in small batches. As they crisp up push them over into the leek mixture and toss in the pan – using your hot spot to continue crisping up small batches of the gnocchi. Sprinkle with fresh herbs, salt and pepper and I guarantee you will love it!

Barbacoa (Mexican Beef Tacos)

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Chatty Kathy

If you love beef tacos, don’t look any further than this recipe. We have enjoyed more than our fair share of Mexican street tacos, and these fit right in there.

6-8 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp mexican chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup cider vinegar

3 chipotle chiles, in adobo sauce

1 tbsp mexican oregano

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2-3/4 cup chicken stock

Blend all ingredients together in food processor – be sure to taste it and adjust seasonings. You really want it tangy and full of taste – if you are cooking this the next day put roast in a ziplock bag with the adobo sauce and marinate overnight.

Taste the sauce before putting it over the beef – if necessary you may have to adjust a bit – keep tasting for balance of flavour!

3 pound bone in chuck roast – MAKE SURE YOU USE A CUT WITH SOME FAT RUNNING THROUGH IT – a leaner cut of beef won’t give the same result!

Put roast in the bottom of a slow cooker, and then pour adobo sauce over. Add enough water to come half way up the roast. Put lid on and cook on slow for 6 hours.

Remove liquid from cooker and reduce in saucepan until sauce has thickened and is deliciously rich. Shred beef with two forks. When liquid has reduced by about half, return liquid to meat.

Serve with fresh tortillas, cole slaw, pickled red onions, and slices of avocado. You will think you are on the streets of Mexico City!

Pickled Red Onions

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Chatty Kathy

Cebollas en Escabeche

Makes 1cup

INGREDIENTS

1 small red onion, peeled
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
Salt

You really need to use fresh squeezed lime juice for this – nothing in a jar!

DIRECTIONS

With a knife or food processor, thinly slice the onions. Scoop into a non-reactive bowl. Pour boiling water over them, count to 10, then immediately pour the onions into a strainer. Shake off all the water, pour the onions back into the bowl, pour on the lime juice and stir in the 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

These will last for a week or more in the refrigerator. (I usually make a big batch and they last weeks)

Pumpkin Scones

Posted on October 14, 2012 by Chatty Kathy

pumpkin scones

Pumpkin scones just scream fall. You can either use your own pumpkin flesh or canned pumpkin – whatever you have works with these incredibly moist and pumpkin filled, spice laden muffins.

Preheat oven to 425°.

2 c flour
7 TBSP granulated sugar
1 TBSP baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup cooked or canned pumpkin

6 TBSP cold butter
3 TBSP half-and-half cream
1 large egg

Baking Class – one of Sloan and Stella’s favourite activities in Nana’s kitchen. (Nana’s too!)

White Glaze:
1 cup plus 1 TBSP powdered sugar
2 TBSP whole milk

Spiced Icing:
1 cup plus 3 TBSP powdered sugar
2 TBSP whole milk
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch ground ginger
pinch ground cloves

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, 1/2 t cinnamon, 1/2 t nutmeg, 1/4
t cloves 1/4 t ginger in a large bowl.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half-and-half, & egg.

Cut cold butter into cubes then add it to the dry ingredients. Use a pastry knife or
a fork to combine butter with dry ingredients. Continue mixing until no
chucks of butter are visible.

Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, then form the dough into a ball.
Pat out dough onto a lightly floured into a round shape.

Cut through with a large knife, or a pizza wheel to make 6 wedges.

Bake for 14 to 16 minutes on a baking sheet that has been lightly oiled or
lined with parchment paper. Scones should begin to turn light brown.

While scones cool, prepare white glaze by combining ingredients Mix until smooth. When scones are cool, use a brush to paint a coating of the glaze over the top of each scone.

If you are as careful as Stella, the scones will get good coverage.

As that white glaze firms up, prepare spiced icing by combining
ingredients in another medium bowl until smooth.
Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone & allow the icing to dry before
serving (at least 1 hour). A squirt bottle works great for this, or you can
drizzle with a whisk. Our other trick is to just fill a ziplock bag, and cut a tiny hole in one corner.

Sloan likes using the ziplock bag to drizzle – I think she likes the feel of the icing in her hand….

Doukhobor Borscht

Posted on September 23, 2012 by Chatty Kathy

We spent 2 years living in Castlegar, BC – Doukhobor territory – and I was determined to leave there with the best authentic borsch recipe I could. Here it is – written out in this format so that you follow each step exactly. This is a very rich, creamy and delicious version of Borscht – nothing at all like the beet borscht.

It is a labour of love to make, but you will be so glad you did it. Perfect for a rainy or cold day when you are going to be inside anyway!

Boil 2 ½ quarts of water in large stock pot. Add ½ can tomatoes. When water is boiling, add 1 tbsp salt, drop in 5 or 6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in half. Add ½ cup each of grated carrot and beet, and 1 medium onion, finely chopped.

While this is cooking, get yourself another large pot or cast iron pan – melt 3 tbsp butter and add ¾ cup finely chopped onion and let sauté for a few minutes until very soft and translucent – but DO NOT brown. Add 3 cups of canned tomatoes, and let simmer until it becomes a thick sauce. (Cooking this well removes the acid from the tomatoes so your cream won’t curdle)

Into yet another frying pan melt 3 tbsp butter and add 2 cups shredded cabbage. Saute but do not brown. Allow to cook until cabbage is soft and tender. Shred another 2 cups of cabbage to add (raw) to the borscht later.

When potatoes are tender, remove them to a large bowl, add 2 tbsp butter and mash well until they are nice and creamy – slowly adding 1 small carton of cream. Mix well and set aside.

Add 1 1/2 cup diced raw potatoes to stockpot and ½ of the tomato sauce mixture along with 2 tbsp butter. When diced potatoes are tender add the uncooked shredded cabbage and bring to boiling point, but DO NOT BOIL!! When cabbage is tender, add the fried cabbage, the rest of the tomato sauce and mashed potatoes. Add ½ cup chopped fresh green pepper and black pepper to taste.

The finishing touch is stirring in some chopped fresh dill.

Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream and a dill sprig for garnish. We like this with piping hot biscuits right out of the oven.

Salsa

Posted on September 11, 2012 by Chatty Kathy

Ringo En Orchard started as an apple orchard, and as times change, so does the land use! We are so lucky to live here – beautiful apples, peaches and nectarines on the trees along with amazing fruit and vegetables growing right out the back door.

Eaten fresh all through the late summer and fall, this is a superb way of producing that delicious taste right through until they are fresh again.

16 cups peeled tomatoes (blend 4 cups, dice 12 cups)
9 cups mixed mixed colored peppers, finely diced
6 cups finely diced onions
2 cups jalapeno peppers, diced (if you like it spicy, leave the seeds in)
6 cobs of corn, corn removed

I chop some of the vegetables in the food processor, (i.e., tomatoes, jalapenos and onions) but a lot of the peppers, and some of the tomatoes I like to do by hand so I can see the little bits of peppers in my salsa!

4 cups cider vinegar
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans 5.5 oz tomato paste
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp kosher salt
4 tsp smoked sweet paprika
2 tsp oregano

Use a large, heavy saucepan so things don’t stick.

Combine all ingredients in pan and bring it to a boil, stirring enough so it doesn’t stick. Once it does you will have a hard time keeping it from getting worse! Once it comes to a rolling boil, turn it down to a simmer and allow it to simmer for about an hour – this will allow it to thicken up a bit.

Put into hot sealing jars and process in hot water bath for 20 minutes.

If you aren’t working with your tomatoes right away, lay them out to have a little bit of air around them, don’t leave them in a bucket or box, or they won’t last nearly as long!

These peppers, picked straight from the field and washed are so flavourful! You just can’t even compare with store bought ones the rest of the year.

Seriously, Ringo En has the best produce! Come pick whatever you need – it’s delicious and so fresh. These beautiful fall days are ideal for picking produce.

Every Mexican I’ve served this to, tells me corn doesn’t belong in salsa, but I love it! Such a bright pop of freshness.

Corn Salad with Mint, Parsley and Cilantro

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Chatty Kathy

In a word – Yummy!!! I have tried this with leftover steamed corn on the cob or grilled corn – either way it is so fresh and delicious you will love it. Serve as a side dish/salad/grilled meat or fish topping or even try it served over greens for a change to your green salad.

4 cobs of corn – grilled or steamed

Remove corn from cob, and if you want a warm dish, mix everything together and serve. If you are looking for a cold or room temperature side, just allow corn to cool first.

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Combine the onion and lime juice – let stand for at least 10 minutes – this will mellow out the flavour of the onions

1 tsp maple syrup

1 jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced

3 tbsp each of minced or torn mint, parsley and cilantro leaves

Combine all of the ingredients – and taste. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

Sundried Tomato and Almond Pesto

Posted on August 18, 2012 by Chatty Kathy

Such a great taste, easy to have on hand and in the freezer. You can use this in a variety of ways – toss with pasta, use it for a burger topping – blend it with mayonnaise for a quick dip – spread on baguette – blend with cream cheese to serve with crackers – top grilled meat … really, so amazing to eat in so many ways. Have fun trying, and let me know if you come up with more creative ways to get that taste of sun drenched tomatoes!

Don’t you just want to taste this?

1 cup slivered almonds, toasted until golden

4 cloves garlic

2 cups dry pack sun dried tomatoes (soak in very hot water for a few moments, then drain)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2/3 cup olive oil

This is easiest if you use a food processor, but possible in a mortar and pestle … just be prepared to work hard!

In food processor, pulse roasted almonds and garlic until a coarse grind. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper. Pulse until a smooth paste. With the motor running add the oil in a slow, but steady stream. Finish with any leftover tomato water from soaking them.

This can be used within a few days in the fridge, or frozen in smaller containers to use all year long.

If you can’t get the dry pack sundried tomatoes, just use the oil packed ones but drain well.

Cilantro, Jalapeno and Sunflower Seed Pesto

Posted on August 18, 2012 by Chatty Kathy

You are going to love this! So versatile, you can use it to toss with pasta, spread on baguette or bun for sandwich or burger topping, or even mix it with some freshly chopped tomatoes and onions for salsa. Try it on top of grilled meat for an extra bit of flavour.

1 small – medium jalapeno pepper, depending on your taste for spicy food

1 cup roasted sunflower seeds

Pulse until coarsely chopped

5 cloves garlic

2 cups fresh cilantro leves

1 tsp grated lime zest

juice of 1/2 lime