We Have Come Full Circle with Julie Powell, The 50 Women Game Changers, and a Quiche Lorraine with Potato Crust

Quiche Lorraine with Potato Crust

As with all challenges, last June when Mary of One Perfect Bite asked bloggers to join her in recreating dishes from Gourmet Lives list of 50 Women Game Changers, those of us who rose to the challenge were oblivious to the amount of information we would amass in almost a year of blogging, the new cooking techniques we would discover, "new to us" foods,  and a whole new respect for those women (and men) who make their living in this industry.  It has been a challenge to post a recipe each and every Friday but we did it!!! We have checked out books from the library, borrowed cookbooks from friends, surfed the Internet and browsed our own cookbook collections seeking that one recipe that would highlight that weeks outstanding woman. I have eaten Caesar salad with my hands, braised and slow roasted lamb shanks, made a show-stopping voluptuous tomato sauce using 3 simple ingredients, learned the secrets of soufflés, discovered a new way to make my favourite comfort food macaroni and cheese, made the best bran muffins in the history of More Than Burnt Toast as discovered by one of our members, absorbed a world of knowledge and been introduced to so many new woman on "the list". You can revisit all of the wonderful recipes recreated by our group over the past months from my compilation of their creative recipes. 

A Classic Lemon Meringue Pie from Irma S. Rombauer and The Joy of Cooking

Lemon Meringue Pie

Accordng to their website, "Seventy-five years ago, a St. Louis widow named Irma von Starkloff Rombauer took her life savings and self-published a book called The Joy of Cooking. With very little cooking experience recipes were given to her from her friends and family and she created the very first Joy of Cooking in 1931 with the small insurance payout she received after her husband committed suicide during the Great Depression. Her daughter Marion Rombauer Becker tested recipes and made the illustrations, and they sold their mother-daughter project from Irma's apartment. Suddenly, society wives who used to enjoy a kitchen staff no longer had the money to employ them and began cooking for themselves. The instruction "stand facing the stove" was a bit more pragmatic than we realize. In 1936, the first commercial edition was published."

"Invite a Blogger to Your Table." We Made Pasteis de Belém (Portuguese Custard Tarts)

Pasteis de Belém (Portuguese Custard Tarts)

 I think I missed my calling as cruise ship director or party planner since I am always cooking up something here on these pages at More Than Burnt Toast as well as in my life. This time around I am bringing you along for the ride if you wish. I don't know about you but I love to challenge myself.  Your assignment, if you choose to accept it, is to "Invite a Blogger to Your Table"! This is a fun event and an outlet for us each to challenge ourselves and create stronger bonds within the blogging community. Nothing is more intimate, or more effective at creating friendships than cooking and sharing meals together, even it is virtually. But hey, if you live in the same area as another blogger what's to stop you from gathering in your own kitchen for this challenge.

Amazing Butter Tarts for the Culinary Olympics

Butter Tarts

After years of anticipation today is the day!!!!  For the past few months here in Canada we have felt the momentum and enthusiasm grow as the Olympic Torch wound it's way throughout Canada travelling 45,000 km and visiting over 1,000 cities. The torch has reached it's final destination in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada today!!!!!!! Tonight will be the opening ceremonies. Vancouver is hosting  the 2010 Winter Olympic Games from February 12th – 28th. Canadians across the country are not only sharing in the pride of being the host country but looking forward to seeing all of your countries around the world participating in winter sports. We'll all be cheering on our athletes who have trained so vigorously and are set to represent their respective countries. Let the games begin!!!!!!!

We Give Thanks for a Recipe for Cinnamon Streusel-Nut Pumpkin Pie

Even if you are not celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend take a moment to think of those less fortunate than ourselves. Today is dedicated to the holiday that encourages us to step back and give thanks for all the blessings we have.

I am grateful that I have done all that I can to guide my daughter in spreading her wings and become the beautiful woman she is today. She is loving, kind and considerate of others. On this day she has taken on the challenge of preparing the feast...yes she has learned to cook in true foodie style...sometimes a little by osmosis and sometimes by sheer talent and intuitiveness. She is attending university to become a dietician so has plenty to teach her mom as well.

Today I am sharing with you my favourite pumpkin pie recipe. I don't recall where the recipe came from after a number of years, but I can attest to the fact that it adds a welcoming end to any holiday feast. For L'il Burnt Toast it just wouldn't be October without pumpkin pie somewhere along the road. You can find my recipe for Cinnamon Streusel-Nut Pumpkin Pie in a past post.

Let me share these other pumpkin recipes with you:

Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting
Pumpkin Creme Brulee
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Walnut Topping
Thanks for the Memories Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pumpkin Pots de Creme Three Ways Foodie with Family
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake My Cookbook Addiction
Pumpkin and Chocolate Layer Cake Baking Bites
Chocolate-Pumpkin Tart Martha

Strawberries and Cream Cheese Tart

Strawberries and Cream Cheese Tart

May 22 is the Blogiversary of I'll Eat You. This site, which is the creation of Lauren along with her husband Paul, is turning one!!! For her Blogiversary she has chosen to host a virtual Bake Sale. Let's share our favorite desserts and hopefully raise some money for charity along the way.

Lauren has chosen The World Food Program, which runs international anti-hunger campaigns as her charity of choice. There is still a day to submit your favourite bake sale item. You don't have to worry about the practicalities of transporting it and making the portions small because it is a virtual bake sale. Post about your recipe and this event on your blog. All of the monies raised will be collected by Firstgiving for her at this link. Next ask all of your readers (or family, friends, co-workers, dogwalker) to donate, and mention your blog or recipe. Vote by May 22!!!!

Saskatoon Berry Pie

Saskatoon Berry Pie

Finally after a week of celebration there is actually something brewing in my kitchen. It has lay dormant and too easily forgotten in the past week of visiting wineries, fine restaurants and beaches. In my travels yesterday I visited one of the myriad of fruit stands along the valley corridors and came away with some Saskatoon berries.

The saskatoon is a fruit bearing shrub that is native to the southern Yukon and Northwest Territories, the Canadian prairies and the northern plains of the United States .It is extremely adaptable and grows under a wide range of environmental conditions. It is sometimes known as the serviceberry in the States.

Cherry Mascarpone Cheese Tart

Cherry Mascarpone Cheese Tart

I need an oblong shaped tart pan. As simple as that. I made do with my round tart pan with removable bottom but the rectangular shaped pan would have been a nicer presentation....so thinks I. (Insert picture of Valli with fingers and toes crossed when she used a round pan instead). As it turned out I just baked the round tart for the maximum amount of time in the recipe and it turned out fine.

Top 10 Pics MEME

The very talented and sweet Rosie of Rosie Bakes a "Peace" of Cake tagged me for a MEME "Top 10 Food Pics". The MEME consists of choosing 10 favourite food pictures from my own collections and in return tagging 5 others to do the same.

I don't profess to be a professional photographer but it was a jaunt down memory lane to when I was preparing these dishes and memories of my travels as well. Maybe I am biased by the flavour of some of these dishes and that is why they are my favourite pics!!

Daring Baker Challenge #2 - Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie

When I saw this months challenge for the Daring Bakers it was with mixed feelings. Lemon Meringue Pie is one of my all time favourite desserts...but making pie crust is always a source of great frustration for me. Being the Daring Baker that I am it gave me the opportunity to rise to the challenge...I may have been shaking in my new boots. Bring on the pie crust!!!

New Years Countdown....Top 10, 9, 8........HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

Here it is the last day of 2007. It is hard to believe that 11 months of More Than Burnt Toast have gone by let alone another year. Blogging has become a small part of my life which I thoroughly enjoy. Through these months I have met a good many interesting and warm individuals from all over the world. I have appreciated all your comments, encouragement and little tidbits each and every day. It always starts my day off right.

Now how does one commemorate the end of another year? There is always partying and booze!!! I haven't ruled it out...hic!!!

I started this post with high expectations of myself to post about the 10 best for the year of 2007. I could do a post about the 10 best recipes I have found out there in the blogosphere..but how does a person do that with so many choices. The 10 best Blogs? Too many choices once again. The choice was easy really and just count the number of comments and choose the 10 posts that had the most.

The votes are in...not that anyone really voted...but these are the top 10 recipes that generated the most interest in 2007 on More Than Burnt Toast. Not necessarily in order.... there even seems to be a lot of garlic lovers out there!!!

I wish you all the best in 2008. Health...happiness... LOVE... contentment. I hope that the new year is all that you hope for and more!!!!!! Keep all those creative and delicious posts coming!!!!! It really does make my day!!!

Oh..and in case you're wondering about the photo it was taken in Greece of course on the island of Naxos. The restaurant/bars along the waterfront all served their drinks with sparklers. I thought it to be a great advertising ploy....it got us in...but my daughter and I are gullible....

Strawberries & Cream Cheese Tart

Spiced Chicken Skewers with Raita

Prime Rib with Two-Mushroom Gravy & Herbed Yorkshire Pudding

Cheddar English Muffin Loaves

Garlic Shrimp Fettuccine

(this post will not move over.......wink..wink..3 rd time unlucky. It wants to stand out in the crowd)

Gilroy Garlic Festival Dip

Garlic Smashed Potatoes

Chicken with Lemon Caper Sauce

Tortilla Crusted Chicken Rellenos

Butternut Squash Risotto

We Give Thanks for Health, Happiness , Family and...Cinnamon Streusel-Topped Pumpkin Pie!!!.

Streusel Topped Pumpkin Pie

This weekend here in Canada is the Thanksgiving long weekend. It is a time to celebrate and get together with family and friends to give thanks. What you give thanks for is an individual thing.

I am thankful that my daughter is coming home from university for the weekend!!!Yay!!! She is bringing home some Australians who can't be with their families during the holiday long weekend. Our own family lives on the other side of the country, so, we have always created our own Thanksgiving traditions. Over the years I have given up spending days preparing a lavish meal of turkey and fixings to create a more simplified, relaxed and enjoyable meal.... OUT!! I know it's not the same, but this cook thoroughly enjoys this family tradition!!! Now don't get me wrong, I love to cook a juicy aromatic turkey and all the fixings, but, it is a lot of work for just a few people! At Christmas I spend days cooking up a storm!!!(there is that "C" word again before Hallowe'en. Will there be a plague of locusts or massive flooding....) In our household we do not hold Thanksgiving on the holiday Monday but on Sunday when the restaurants are open. Wink...wink...Monday I will go for a hike if weather permits and enjoy a beautiful fall day.

If at First You Don't Succeed.....

Strawberries and Cream Cheese Tart

My daughter was coming for dinner tonight and I wanted to make it a little special. Like the Greeks I make dessert only on special occasions...so, I think this qualified. I was browsing through all the wonderful blogs on the network and came across a pretty looking little tart. I had strawberries..I had chocolate...I had cream cheese..I had a plan. One thing you may have noticed of my blog there are very few sweet "thangs". I think baking requires exacting skills and I am more of a "throw it in and see what happens" girl. I don't get much practice at baking and am also trying to a be a good girl and keep away from too many sweets.