Kate's Cuisine

1 head cauliflower, cored and crowns removed $2.99
1 1/2 tablespoons lard $0.03
1 teaspoon paprika $0.16
1 tablespoon dried parsley $0.67
1 teaspoon garlic powder $0.07
1/2 teaspoon salt $0.01
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper $0.01

Total Cost   $3.94
Cost per Serving $0.99

1.) Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a roasting dish.

2.) In a small saucepan or in the microwave, melt the lard. In a separate small bowl combine the paprika, parsley, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

3.) Place cauliflower crowns in the roasting dish and pour the lard over the crowns; sprinkle herbs and spices over top. Stir to combine and thoroughly coat cauliflower.

4.) Place cauliflower in preheated oven and roast for 25 – 30 minutes until cauliflower is nicely browned.

5.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the Roasted Cauliflower review here

With everyone seeming to get on the healthy bandwagon with the turn of the New Year, I thought I’d jump on for a stop or two and start off the blog for the New Year with a healthy side dish. Side dishes are usually my favourite at the table, any time of the year; and roasted cauliflower really does have a ton of flavour, without a ton of fat or calories. But why is such a healthy dish cooked in lard?

According to Daphne Oz, Dr. Oz’s super health-conscious daughter, lard is one of the healthiest oils you can use to cook in because it has a super high smoking point and so, doesn’t turn into trans fat as quickly as other types of fat do. Lard is actually second only to avocado oil, which is the healthiest of all the cooking fats – but unlike lard, it will cost you a pretty penny.

1 10 – 20 pound turkey (you’ll need about 1 pound per person) $25.99
1 cup butter $0.89
1 cup coarse salt, plus 1/4 cup $0.50
3 heaping tablespoons black pepper $0.03
1/2 cup sugar $0.10
1 head garlic, divided, cloves peeled and kept whole $0.23
4 bay leaves, divided $0.64

Total Cost    $28.38
Cost per Serving $3.55

1.) If you’re turkey is frozen, make sure it’s completely defrosted in the fridge before you start preparing it. The night before you’re going to serve your turkey, completely rinse it and pat it dry. Fill a very large pot (large enough to fit the turkey) with cold water. Pour in 1 cup of coarse salt and the 1/2 cup of sugar. Add half of the garlic cloves, two of the bay leaves and stir. Completely submerge the turkey in the water, making sure that it stays below the surface of the water. Cover with a lid or Saran wrap and place in fridge overnight to brine. (If your turkey is very large, a cooler filled with ice packs and water also works well.)

2.) Determine how much time you need to cook your turkey; it will take about 20 – 30 minutes per pound. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and move rack to lowest position in your oven.

3.) When you’re ready to start cooking your turkey, remove it from the brine and rinse it thoroughly (you want no salt or other spices  on it.) Then pat dry thoroughly. When dry, rub the cup of butter entirely over the turkey, using only as much as you need, but more if necessary. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place 2 bay leaves and remaining garlic cloves into the cavity of the turkey.

4.) Place turkey in a roasting pan fitted with a roasting rack. Leave uncovered and place in oven. Roast for required time, depending on the size of your turkey, checking it periodically to baste with pan juices and to turn turkey around in the oven to ensure even cooking. If at any time you check on your turkey and it is getting too brown, cover with aluminum foil.

5.) Remove turkey from oven when a meat thermometer registers 165 degrees Fahrenheit, both at the thickest part of the breast, as well as in the innermost portion of the thigh and leg. Place on a cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

6.) Carve the turkey by first removing the legs, separating legs from thighs, and carving into slices. Then, letting your carving knife guide you along the breastbone, completely remove one half of the breast meat. Lay flat on a cutting board, carve into slices, and then repeat with remaining half of breast meat. Arrange all pieces on a serving platter.

7.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the Roast Turkey review here

This is the way I’ve seen my mom make turkey ever since I was little; and you can put all the glazes and exotic spices that you want on a turkey and I’ll think it’s delicious (because I really love turkey a lot!) But it still won’t be as good as just slathering some butter and salt on it and letting that natural roast flavour come through! Roast turkey is a super easy meal to make; it’s usually the sides that are so intimidating. But, keeping a few things in mind definitely makes it that much easier, and tastier!

• You have to brine! No one wants to eat dry turkey, and everyone dreads it. Turkeys are simply so big now, and are raised to their absolute fullest that there’s no longer any way that you can completely cook it without drying it out if you don’t brine it. Michael Simon, one of my favourite new chefs but still one of my faves overall, is dead-set against brining because he thinks it changes the texture. But he does still cover the turkey in salt overnight, to keep it moist and add some flavour.
• Make sure your oven will fit the turkey before you buy it. Trust me, I almost made this mistake last Thanksgiving when I bought a massive turkey and nearly had to squish it in. Ditto for your brining pot. I’m sure people are still cursing me over the dry turkey I served last year because I hadn’t heard of the cooler tip yet, and I didn’t have a pot big enough for my massive bird.
• Let the turkey rest – for a long time – after you pull it out of the oven. Those juices all need to go back to where they’re supposed to be and besides, you need your oven free to put the dressing in and cook all the other sides.
• Don’t ever put stuffing inside your bird. By the time the stuffing is cooked through, you’ve overcooked and dried out the breast – even if you’ve brined it beforehand!

4 salmon fillets, skin on $13.99
3 tablespoons olive oil $0.09
Kosher salt $0.01
Freshly ground pepper $0.01

Total Cost                       $14.10
Cost per Serving         $3.53

1.) Bring salmon fillets up to room temperature. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over both sides.

2.) In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat one tablespoon of olive oil. When piping hot, add salmon fillets to the pan skin-side down. Cook for 7 – 8 minutes, depending on the size of the fillet. Flip and cook other side for 2 – 3 minutes, just until nicely browned. When finished, salmon should be “kissed” with pink in the centre, opaque on all sides, and flake easily with a fork.

3.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the Simply Sauteed Salmon review here

Why is cooking fish so intimidating? Is it because such bad things can happen if you don’t cook it all the way through? Or is it because it’s so easy to overcook? Maybe it’s because so often we simply don’t know what to do with it! Sometimes, you don’t have to do anything at all – as proven with this Simply Sauteed Salmon recipe!

The trick to cooking salmon (I find) is to always buy salmon with the skin on it. If you don’t like the look of it, you can always take it off once it’s finished cooking, but it’s so much easier to cook it when the skin is on, especially if you’re sauteing it. This is because you can (and should!) cook the salmon, skin-side down, for the majority of its cooking time. This way you can let the salmon cook mostly through, without worrying about overcooking it or burning the flesh. Once it’s mostly done, you can then just flip it over to get that nice browning on the other side.

So don’t be intimidated. Cooking salmon is easy, so good for you, and pretty inexpensive too!

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan $0.45
1 1/3 cups blackberries $1.25
1 1/4 cups, plus 2 tablespoons sugar $0.24
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour $0.21
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt $0.01
1/4 teaspoon baking powder $0.01
2 large eggs, lightly beaten $0.40
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract $0.11
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature $0.30

Total Cost                      $2.98
Cost per Serving        $0.33

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly butter a 5″ x 9″ loaf pan and line with parchment, leaving a 2″ overhang on all sides; butter parchment. In a food processor, puree blackberries with 2 tablespoons of sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder.

2.) In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat to combine, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

3.) Transfer half the batter to the pan and dot with 1/2 cup blackberry puree. Repeat with remaining batter and top with remaining puree. With a skewer or thin-bladed knife, swirl batter and puree together, just until beautiful lines of the fruit can be seen interspersed with the batter. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 1 1/4 hours. Let cool in pan on a wire ack. about 30 minutes. Lift cake out of pan using parchment and place on a serving plate. Let cool completely before slicing.

4.) Serve and enjoy!

Read my review on Martha’s Blackberry Swirl Pound Cake here