Congratulations Michelle! Your cookbook is on it's way!
Showing posts with label The Gourmet Pregnancy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Gourmet Pregnancy. Show all posts
Monday, June 7, 2010
The Gourmet Pregnancy - Giveaway Winner!
And the winner is.... *drumroll*....
Congratulations Michelle! Your cookbook is on it's way!
Congratulations Michelle! Your cookbook is on it's way!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Book Review & Giveaway - The Gourmet Pregnancy
I was contacted a little while ago by someone I follow on twitter and she asked me if I would be interested in reviewing a cookbook. I was absolutely flattered that someone would want my opinion and so I jumped at the opportunity. I was told the cookbook was called The Gourmet Pregnancy, which was perfect considering my belly has reached epic proportions!
Seriously? I'm only 22 weeks along, this is scaring me!Pregnancy is a time you battle with food. Either it's making you queasy, or you just can't get enough of it. You crave the weirdest things and hate your usual favourites. And then there's the "forbidden" list. The foods you just shouldn't eat, which inevitably, makes you want them for the whole torturous nine months. (I'm dying for a sushi roll and a caesar!) The author of The Gourmet Pregnancy, Leah Douglas, struggled with what to eat when she was pregnant also. She found that there were so many conflicting opinions on what was safe and what wasn't that she wanted to create a cookbook that would make meal planning easy and worry-free. She partnered up with a doctor to make sure that the recipes included were not only tasty, but met the nutritional needs and restrictions of pregnant women.
Now, just because it's called The Gourmet Pregnancy doesn't mean that everyone won't enjoy these recipes! There is something for everyone in this cookbook from soups and sandwiches to burgers, pizzas and seafood dishes. And the desserts... oh lord the desserts, I read over each recipe like I was studying for the SATs! There is a picture with every recipe which is always something I look for in a cookbook (we eat with our eyes first!) and the photography is gorgeous.
I received the cookbook in the mail the day before the Canadian May Two-Four Weekend (or as it's officially know, Victoria Day Weekend) and we had guests coming to visit. I thought it was a perfect opportunity to make some of the recipes for my guests and treat them like guinea pigs. We flipped through the book and picked out a few recipes we wanted to try.
So here are the judges:
Phil - my husband's best friend, he's a Doctor (bonus!) and a health nut/runner
PJ - Phil's wife, a now stay-at-home mom to their adorably impish son Kieran who is also very health conscious
Jason - my husband, a lover all things junk food and picky eater when it comes to "green stuff"
and Me - pregnant, stay-at-home mother of two who will eat just about anything these days!
We tried 3 recipes which I will share in separate posts along with our reviews. We graded them on my patented cupcake scale:
White Peach Bellini
Mild Curry Chicken Pizza on Naan
Cherry and Fresh Mint Tart with Rustic Vanilla Shortbread Crust
And now for the GIVEAWAY!
The good folks over at Wiley and I would like to give away a copy of The Gourmet Pregnancy to one of my luck readers. To win, simply leave a comment telling me either
a) What your biggest pregnancy craving was/is, or
b) if you've never been pregnant, what your favourite food is.
The Rules
1.) Open to Canadian and continental USA residents only.
2.) One winner will be chosen on 05/06/10 by using random.org.
3.) Make sure that I have a way to contact you when you leave a comment; either through your blog or an email.
4.) I will contact the winner via email or commenting on the winner's site.
6.) You have until 05/06/10 to claim the giveaway, or I will have to choose another winner.
enjoy!
White Peach Bellini - The Gourmet Pregnancy
For our first recipe we tried from The Gourmet Pregnancy was the White Peach Bellini. A simple drink using fruit, ice and a bit of flavouring. It was so good on a hot spring morning alongside our eggs. This will be a repeat recipe in my kitchen for sure!
Print this recipe
White Peach Bellini
2 ripe, white peaches
1 lemon, juiced
2 tsp grenadine
1 c crushed ice
1 tsp pure orange extract
Instructions:
1. Peel peaches and remove the pits. Chop into quarters and place in a blender.
2. Add the lemon juice, grenadine, ice and extract and blend until smooth.
3. Pour into a large wine glass and enjoy!
Review: Phil and PJ both said it was refreshing and not too sweet which they loved. Jason didn't have any cause he hates peaches. I loved it, peach is one of my favourite fruits and I thought it was a great summery drink. We gave it 4 cupcakes!
Print this recipe
enjoy!
Print this recipeWhite Peach Bellini
2 ripe, white peaches
1 lemon, juiced
2 tsp grenadine
1 c crushed ice
1 tsp pure orange extract
Instructions:
1. Peel peaches and remove the pits. Chop into quarters and place in a blender.
2. Add the lemon juice, grenadine, ice and extract and blend until smooth.
3. Pour into a large wine glass and enjoy!
Review: Phil and PJ both said it was refreshing and not too sweet which they loved. Jason didn't have any cause he hates peaches. I loved it, peach is one of my favourite fruits and I thought it was a great summery drink. We gave it 4 cupcakes!
Print this recipe
enjoy!
Mild Curry Chicken Pizza on Naan - The Gourmet Pregnancy
For our 2nd recipe from The Gourmet Pregnancy, we tried the Mild Curry Chicken Pizza on Naan for lunch. The recipe calls for you to pan sautée chicken breasts, but the night before I was making chicken breasts for the girls for dinner on the grill so I threw a few extra on for the pizza. It was excellent! I also cooked the pizzas on the grill (it was far too hot to turn on the oven!), as the toppings were already hot all it needed was 5 minutes on low for the cheese to melt and the naan to heat through.
Print this recipe
Mild Curry Chicken Pizza on Naan
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cloce garlic, minced
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp mild indian red curry paste
4 pieces naan
1/2 c fresh spinach, finely chopped
3 1/2 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
1. Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
2. Add chicken, browning one side for about 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Flip chicken and add the onion and garlic and continue to cook until the other side is browned.
4. Remove the chicken from the pan and cut into thin slices then return to the pan to finish cooking.
5. In a small bowl, combine the tomato paste and curry paste. Spread on the naan.
6. Top the naan with the chicken & onion mixture, spinach and cheese.
7. Place on a baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
8. Sprinkle with the pepper and enjoy!
Print this recipe
Review: We all thought this was delicious. We wanted a light lunch as we had early dinner reservations and this was perfect. Phil and PJ loved the curry flavour and Jason was too busy eating for me to get anything more than a thumbs up out of him. I loved the chicken and onion and monterey jack combination. I also loved how quick and easy this recipe came together, the whole lunch took me about 15 minutes to make. We gave it a score of 4.5 cupcakes!
(It would have been a 5 but Jason never gives out a perfect score... he's weird!)
enjoy!
Print this recipeMild Curry Chicken Pizza on Naan
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cloce garlic, minced
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp mild indian red curry paste
4 pieces naan
1/2 c fresh spinach, finely chopped
3 1/2 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
1. Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
2. Add chicken, browning one side for about 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Flip chicken and add the onion and garlic and continue to cook until the other side is browned.
4. Remove the chicken from the pan and cut into thin slices then return to the pan to finish cooking.
5. In a small bowl, combine the tomato paste and curry paste. Spread on the naan.
6. Top the naan with the chicken & onion mixture, spinach and cheese.
7. Place on a baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
8. Sprinkle with the pepper and enjoy!
Print this recipe
Review: We all thought this was delicious. We wanted a light lunch as we had early dinner reservations and this was perfect. Phil and PJ loved the curry flavour and Jason was too busy eating for me to get anything more than a thumbs up out of him. I loved the chicken and onion and monterey jack combination. I also loved how quick and easy this recipe came together, the whole lunch took me about 15 minutes to make. We gave it a score of 4.5 cupcakes!
(It would have been a 5 but Jason never gives out a perfect score... he's weird!)
enjoy!
Cherry and Fresh Mint Tart with Rustic Vanilla Shortbread Crust - The Gourmet Pregnancy
For our final recipe from The Gourmet Pregnancy we enjoyed the Cherry and Fresh Mint Tart with Rustic Vanilla Shortbread Crust. The title is a mouthful and so was the dessert! The crust was heavenly, so light and crumbly and buttery and it was the perfect base for the minty cherry filling. I can see doing this recipe several times and switching up the fruit to strawberries, raspberries or peaches.
Print this recipe
Cherry and Fresh Mint Tart with Rustic Vanilla Shortbread Crust
Crust
1 c butter
1 tsp pure vaniall extract
1/2 c icing sugar
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
Filling
1/4 c chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 c water, boiled
3 c cherries, halved and pitted
1/2 c granulated sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
Instructions:
1. To make crust, cream the butter and vanilla. Add sugar and blend well.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and cornstarch and add to the butter mixture and whip with a hand blender until well blended.
3. Transfer dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet and press with your hand to make a relatively flat and even 8 x 12" rectangle.
4. Roll up the edges to about 3/4" for a rustic-looking crust.
5. Prick base all over with a fork and bake in a preheated 325˚F oven until just golden, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
6. To make filling, place mint in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over top. Muddle the mint with a spoon or pestle crushing it into the water. Let stand for 10 minutes.
7. Once the water is cool pour the mint mixture into a saucepan and add the cherries, sugar, cornstarch and vanilla and mix well.
8. Cook stirring often over medium heat until the cherries soften and the mixture becomes thick and glossy.
9. Spread cherry filling evenly on the crust. Let cool completely and serve.
Print this recipe
Review: Once again my husband didn't have any because cherries "aren't his thing" but Phil, PJ and I weren't sad about it, more for us! We all agreed the crust was amazing, definitely the star in this recipe. Phil and PJ both liked the cherry/mint combination and liked how impressive the dessert looked for how easy it was to make. The mint/cherry combination left me a little perplexed. I've never had minted fruit and I wasn't sure if I loved it. I think the next time I make this I will take the muddled leaves out of the water before making the cherry filling as I personally found the leaves to be over-powering in the tart. But the bites I had without any of the mint leaves were excellent! We gave this recipe 3.5 cupcakes!
enjoy!
Print this recipeCherry and Fresh Mint Tart with Rustic Vanilla Shortbread Crust
Crust
1 c butter
1 tsp pure vaniall extract
1/2 c icing sugar
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
Filling
1/4 c chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 c water, boiled
3 c cherries, halved and pitted
1/2 c granulated sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
Instructions:
1. To make crust, cream the butter and vanilla. Add sugar and blend well.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and cornstarch and add to the butter mixture and whip with a hand blender until well blended.
3. Transfer dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet and press with your hand to make a relatively flat and even 8 x 12" rectangle.
4. Roll up the edges to about 3/4" for a rustic-looking crust.
5. Prick base all over with a fork and bake in a preheated 325˚F oven until just golden, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
6. To make filling, place mint in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over top. Muddle the mint with a spoon or pestle crushing it into the water. Let stand for 10 minutes.
7. Once the water is cool pour the mint mixture into a saucepan and add the cherries, sugar, cornstarch and vanilla and mix well.
8. Cook stirring often over medium heat until the cherries soften and the mixture becomes thick and glossy.
9. Spread cherry filling evenly on the crust. Let cool completely and serve.
Print this recipe
Review: Once again my husband didn't have any because cherries "aren't his thing" but Phil, PJ and I weren't sad about it, more for us! We all agreed the crust was amazing, definitely the star in this recipe. Phil and PJ both liked the cherry/mint combination and liked how impressive the dessert looked for how easy it was to make. The mint/cherry combination left me a little perplexed. I've never had minted fruit and I wasn't sure if I loved it. I think the next time I make this I will take the muddled leaves out of the water before making the cherry filling as I personally found the leaves to be over-powering in the tart. But the bites I had without any of the mint leaves were excellent! We gave this recipe 3.5 cupcakes!
enjoy!
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