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Jill Amery

Jill Amery is a mom of 2 small boys and the Publisher of UrbanMommies, a stylish digital lifestyle magazine filled with fitness, style, health, recipes and savvy mom advice to help you through pregnancy, birth, and raising your kids.

Dried Cranberry and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

EAT, holidays By December 28, 2012 Tags: , , , 1 Comment

Are you looking for something new to brighten up your holiday cookie plate? The Old Farmer’s Almanac Everyday Baking cookbook is bursting with recipes that will satisfy a sweet tooth, cookie exchange or dessert for a holiday gathering.
Everyday Baking features 118 original recipes by celebrated baker and longtime Almanac collaborator Ken Haedrich. A winner of the Julia Child Cookbook Award, Haedrich may be best known as the author of Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie, which was recently named one of the best baking books of the past 25 years by Cooking Light magazine.

Everyday Baking, with its handy reference section and time-tested advice sprinkled throughout, demystifies the art of baking and will inspire home bakers of all skill levels to make delicious breakfast treats, after-school snacks, and impressive desserts. The easy-to-follow recipes in Everyday Baking don’t demand unusual ingredients or abstract cooking techniques, but rather just a desire to make delicious home-baked goods completely from scratch.

Everyday Baking is available online at Almanac.com or wherever books and magazines are sold.

From The Old Farmer’s Almanac Everyday Baking cookbook (page 48)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
Optional: Fleur de sel or sea salt, just a few pinches

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat in the sugars and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the vanilla. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Stir the dry mixture into the creamed ingredients, half at a time, until evenly mixed. Stir in the cranberries, white chocolate chips, and nuts. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours (or overnight).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly butter two large baking sheets or line them with parchment paper. With lightly floured hands, shape the dough into 1-1/2-inch-diameter balls. Place the balls on the baking sheets, leaving about 2-1/2 inches in between. Optional: sprinkle a tiny pinch of fleur de sel over each ball, literally just about 5 granules on each cookie. Bake one sheet at a time on the center oven rack for about 17 minutes (this sounded like a long time to me, but because the dough was cold, it was perfect!). When done, the edges of the cookies should be golden brown and the centers much less so. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Makes about 30 cookies.

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Champagne Shrimp and Angel Hair

EAT, family meals By December 28, 2012 Tags: , No Comments

Shrimp, the number one consumed seafood in North America, lends a most elegant flair to holiday meals.  The traditional holiday favourites of turkey and beef tenderloin are being joined by delicate and delicious, elegant shrimp.  It’s not the holidays without cakes and cookies, Menorahs and mistletoe, parades and parties, Santa and… SHRIMP!

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Goat Cheese and Fig Crostini

EAT, snacks By December 28, 2012 Tags: , , , No Comments

This fig and prosciutto hors d’oeuvre uses dried figs- cheaper than fresh and available year-round. You can make the baguette toasts earlier in the day and store them in an airtight container at room temperature.

Serves: 14 (2 per person)
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 6 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy Wow

1 Baguette, cut in 28 slices each ½-inch (1 cm) thick
6 tbsp (90 mL) extra virgin olive oil
1 pkg (300 g) Soft Unripened Goat’s Milk Cheese
3 tbsp (45 mL) 35% whipping cream or milk
½ tsp (2 mL) freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
¾ cup (175 mL) finely chopped dried figs (about 7)
1 pkg (125 g) Prosciutto

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Place baguette slices on baking sheet. Brush both sides with 3 tbs (45 mL) of the olive oil. Bake in centre of oven for 6 minutes, turning once, or until slightly crisp. Cool on baking sheet.

2. Meanwhile, in large bowl, stir together goat cheese, cream, pepper and salt until softened. Stir in figs.
3. Spread goat cheese mixture evenly over baguette slices, using about 1 tbsp (15 mL) per slice. Drizzle crostini with remaining 3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil. Tear each slice of prosciutto into four pieces; arrange one piece decoratively onto each crostini.

Makes 14 servings

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Mint Chip Semifreddo

EAT, family meals By December 26, 2012 Tags: , , No Comments

Semifreddo is an Italian frozen dessert that is served frozen hard on the inside but softened on the outside. Freeze the whole bowl and scoop it out as you would ice cream, portion it before freezing, or pack into a loaf pan lined with plastic wrap and cut into slices after it’s frozen. Any way you serve it, let it temper (stand at room temperature for a few minutes) to soften a bit before serving.

Serves: 10
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Chill time: 6 hours
Difficulty level: Easy Wow

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) PC Mint Chocolate Chips, roughly chopped
1 can (300 mL) PC Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 cups (500 mL) 35% whipping cream
½ cup (125 mL) toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

1.Place half of chocolate chips in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 20 seconds; stir. Repeat until chocolate has completely melted. Stir in sweetened condensed milk. Set aside.

2. In bowl and using electric mixer, whip cream until stiff peaks form. Fold into chocolate mixture. Add hazelnuts and remaining chocolate chips; gently fold just until combined. Cover and freeze for 6 hours. (You can portion into individual serving dishes before freezing.)

Makes 10 servings

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Creamy BC Spot Prawn Chowder With poached egg and Smokey Chicharon

EAT, family meals By December 26, 2012 Tags: , , , , , , , , No Comments
On 22nd Nov, the Vancouver Aquarium was transformed into a culinary battleground as 12 of Vancouver’s top chefs competed to create the best sustainable chowder before a crowd of hungry seafood lovers. After the last bowls of chowder were sampled, a panel of esteemed judges crowned Chef Chris Whittaker of Forage Restaurant the 2012 Vancouver Aquarium Ocean Wise Chowder Chowdown Champion. In a surprising sweep, Chef Whittaker’s chowder was also chosen as the winner of the People’s Choice Award.
Chef Whittaker won over the celebrity judges and the crowd with his irresistible recipe for Creamy Spot Prawn Chowder with Poached Egg and Smokey Chicharon, featuring white wine, leeks and bacon.

And here is the recipe Creamy BC Spot Prawn Chowder With poached egg and Smokey Chicharon:

1/3 cup Salted Butter
¾ cup bacon (cut into batons)
2 cups Diced Celeriac
2 cups Diced Tomato
2 cups Diced Onion
1 cup Diced Carrots
1 cup Diced Leeks
¼ cup Flour
½ cup White Wine
3 cups Spot Prawn Stock
1 ½ cups Cream
1 ¼ cups Diced German Butter Potato
1 tsp Finely Chopped Italian Parsley
1 tsp Finely Chopped Thyme
½ tsp Riesling Vinegar
20 piece Wild BC Spot Prawns (split in half)
Salt and White Pepper to taste

Heat sauce pan over medium heat and add bacon and butter. Once melted and bacon has begun to render, add celeriac, onion, leeks and carrots. Saute until vegetables become translucent and add flour and mix until incorporated. Cook for about five minutes on low hear and then deglaze with white wine. Once alcohol is cooked off (about 1 minute) add prawn stock and turn heat back up to medium. Add heavy cream and diced tomatoes and potatoes. Cook for an additional 30 minutes on a gentle simmer and then add riesling vinegar, parsley and thyme. Stir in the raw prawns and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper.

Serves 4 – 6

For the Chicharon

1 pound pork skin (fat removed and diced)
3 cups water
1 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in pot and bring to boil. Cook for at least 30 minutes. Strain and dry in 180f oven for 6 hours or until completely dry. Place in 350f frying oil until they puff nicely. Remove and season with salt. At this point we lightly smoke with applewood chips for 10-15 minutes.(optional)

Place chowder in bowl of your choice and garnish with soft poached egg and chicharon.

Try these salmon chowder bread bowls next.

Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise™ Program

The Ocean Wise symbol next to a seafood item is the Vancouver Aquarium’s assurance of an ocean-friendly seafood choice. With over 3,100 Ocean Wise partner locations across Canada, Ocean Wise makes it easy for consumers to make sustainable seafood choices that ensure the health of our oceans for generations to come. www.oceanwise.ca
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10 Ways to Save Money During the Holidays

FAM, self By December 20, 2012 Tags: , , , , , , , , No Comments

January is all about new beginnings – thinning out, simplifying and looking forward to longer daylight hours.  So why do we continually sabotage ourselves in December?  According to new research released by Mobilicity, Canada’s smart mobile phone carrier, 58 per cent of Canadians say they spend more than they should during the holidays and a further 59 per cent find themselves making impulse purchases. This overindulgence may lead to feelings of guilt, remorse or the ‘holiday shopping hangover’.

Unfortunately, it’s often parents of young children who are at greatest risk for this holiday overspending phenomenon.  We’ve put together a few tips so that you can start your new year early (and not hide under the covers when your bills come in).

1.  Buy e-books as gifts on Kindle, iBooks or Kobo. They are much less expensive (and environmentally-friendly) than the paper versions.

2.  Utilize the apps on your smartphone to save money.  Some of our favs include: Shopcatch, Groupon, Living Social, Hotels.com, Kayak, AirBNB, and Hipmunk.  In today’s economy, it is perfectly acceptable to gift a daily deal voucher provided you have put careful thought into the desires of the recipient.

3.  Set limits for gifting to family.  Drawing names and setting a $50 limit can be fun and won’t break the bank.

4.  Dropbox is a free service that saves you printing costs and allows you to access your documents and photos from any computer or smartphone.

5.  Flipboard is a fabulous alternative to buying paper magazines.  Big Oven or Food Network Canada house thousands of recipes and can help save money on Hard copy recipe books.

6.  Amazon has a great app that allows you to scan bar codes in stores in order to compare prices to what the item sells for on Amazon.

7.  Shop all year.  Seriously.  When you see a great sale, keep the December holidays in mind and consider buying gifts for friends and family early.  Black Friday sales have also come to Canada and stores like the Bay, Future Shop and Apple are offering deep discounts.

8.  Make sure you research your big purchases.  Tripadvisor, Yelp and Auto Trader are great apps with which to research big ticket items.

9.  We have lots of Homemade Holiday Gift ideas.  Especially when received from children, they are filled with love and sentiment for special people in the kids’ lives.

10.  Give experiences instead of ‘things’.  Offer to babysit for close friends and supply movie tickets.  Take a friend’s children to the zoo.  Make coupons for the kids for extra screen time or a date with Mommy.

There is no need for guilt or remorse due to overspending if you consider the needs of others and plan ahead. (Goodness knows – parents are hard enough on themselves!)  Using technology to make life easier (and cheaper) will help you to embrace your January goals and limit the January holiday shopping ‘hangover’.

 

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Liberia – The Trip of a Lifetime

charity, FAM By December 18, 2012 Tags: , , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

And then there was the week that I didn’t really sleep.  Olympian Kaylyn Kyle and I were behind in votes.  I called in a ton of favours and spread the message in creative (and largely annoying) ways.  Friends knew how important Liberia was to me and would ask daily about vote count.  As I had an emotional drop-off of one of my kids at school, a mom embraced me and encouraged me to share about my children and my life.  During our conversation I shared about “Level The Field” and her eyes lit up.  She had worked for the Swedish Olympic team for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and is very familiar with the organization and the benefit of sports for kids.  Rocking her newborn in the stroller, she mentioned that she had a few friends in the sports field (that was a pun..) and would reach out to them to help our cause for Health in Liberia.

Fast forward.  Several days after the contest closed I was practicing square breathing and coaxing myself to carry on with life.  My friends and colleagues didn’t want to ask too much.  I was clearly distracted.  I got the email indicating I would go to Liberia while headed to the gym and became one of those people on her phone during an hour of cardio I hadn’t really noticed.  (I joked with Kaylyn that if we were to travel together she’d put my abs to shame).  Could it be true?  Could Liberia have won – when George Weah, one of Liberia’s most famous humanitarian athletes was a footballer as well?  Liberia needs so much support after recent years of civil war.  200,000 people have died and it ranks amongst the poorest nations on the planet.  Inequality.  Sexual crimes.  Disease.  The women, children and the handicapped youth need the teachings of inclusiveness that Right To Play can offer.

A few days later I was on a press trip to Ottawa and was about to tour the Canadian Parliament Buildings when I got another email announcing the voter who had won the chance to accompany the group on our expedition.  Her name is Lori Harasem and she lives in Alberta.  With three kids she finds time to work as the Recreation and Culture Development Manager for the City of Lethbridge and volunteers too.

Apparently Lori and I had a mutual friend.  Could it be?  I sent a covert text to my friend from my sons’ school to see if she knew Lori.  Apparently they were childhood friends and Lori was described as an extremely special, caring and loyal woman with a true believe and love of sport and play.  I tingled head to toe.  And then I toured the crucible of Canadian law and government feeling the importance of community, integrity and outreach.  The stately building made me realize even further that our position as Canadians allows us to help other nations – other children.  I am so honoured to be an ambassador for Right To Play.  To represent my country and to help children smile.  Somehow my kids’ Christmas lists don’t seem very pressing.

As I expressed to the other parent ambassadors when we were simultaneously told the news, I have been humbled just to be chosen to participate in the Level The Field program.  The prestigious group of parents who participated did a stellar job, and I still marvel at the work put in and the exposure that was given to the organization.  The true winners are the kids that we will be able to support through awareness and future donations.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all 6 West African nations could have oodles of funds flowing in?  I know that Right To Play is dear to all of our hearts now and hopefully in time we will all be able to help all of the 6 countries. In the Level The Field program and the 20 countries Right To Play works in across the world.

I told my schoolyard mom friend the news and the next day she cornered me as we waited for the bell.  Her son wants to start raising money to send soccer balls with me to Liberia.  He has a plan.  He’s 7.  And clearly very special.

Let the journey begin!

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Ronald McDonald House Vancouver

charity, FAM By December 14, 2012 Tags: , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Thank goodness I have friends with older girls.  If not I wouldn’t have known about One Direction.  And when I met Emma, a resident of the Ronald McDonald House Vancouver, I wouldn’t have been able to connect nearly as well.  I always end up at RMH around the Christmas season.  Last year the boys and I delivered new unwrapped toys and my kids refused to leave for 2 hours after having an extraordinary time playing with the other children.

This year, I was drawing on mugs to wrap for the house so that families would have something handcrafted, homey and festive for the holidays.  And wow.  Totally appropriate!  These parents devour coffee.  Of course they do.  Many don’t sleep much between their childrens’ treatments, and with going to the hospital and giving attention and education to siblings also living in the house, there’s not much free time.  I, too, am a coffee addict (with apparently no good excuse) and jumped at the chance to try the new McCafe take-home coffee at this event.  Little did I know I’d be transformed by positive, loving children at the same time.

A new arrival from Powell River was among the most polite boys I have ever met.  “Please”, “thank you”, smiles and an artistic talent that made me stare.  He was wearing a Ronald McDonald House shirt and decided to draw the logo on his mug.  (I drew a bunch of sunshines and happy stuff as it was the only way my heart wouldn’t break – especially when I made eye contact with the other moms there.)  If I could have purchased his mug, I would have.  He was so proud.  With shining eyes and meticulous wrapping, he joined me by the Christmas tree for a photo.  One little girl took her place snuggled under the tree.  Yes – she was definitely a gift.  Cute as a button I think the expression goes.

I didn’t want to leave.  I wanted to teach a dance class.  Cook a meal for the families.  Lead the kids in a theatre sports game.  The experience just solidified my affinity with the charity and I know I will be back shortly.  There is so much good that we can all do and when I visited the house in London, Ontario I realized what families with severely ill children might need.  You can always drop the following to your local RMH.  (There are 317 houses in 31 countries throughout the world and in 2011 , there were 513 families served worldwide.).

– Tupperware to transport leftovers to the hospital so parents don’t have to leave the bedside of their children
– Toys for Christmas and the holidays – often parents cannot get away to shop – even for siblings staying at the houses.
– A hot meal for the house (you can book a date, buy groceries and cook)
– Volunteer to teach a yoga class, fitness training, do a craft or share one of your talents.
– Drop off some treats or baked goods for families to enjoy between hospital visits (label the ingredients).
– And then there’s coffee… but now that McDonald’s has launched it’s McCafe Premium Roast take home coffee, the need will be much less great.

I was so happy to learn that McDonald’s supplies so much (besides the beds and positive atmosphere for families in need) to the houses.  Even suppliers and staff run frequent dinner-cooking nights.  Pretty cool.  And seriously?  After meeting the happy kids and being with the parents?  No better place on earth.  Unless you’re not a visitor.  As volunteers at the houses say “It’s the best place ever that you hope you never have to stay in.”

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Crock-pot-Vegetarian-Lasagna

Slow Cooker Quinoa Vegetarian Lasagna

EAT By December 6, 2012 Tags: , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Give a cheer for the slow cooker! This recipe is great for those hectic days when you are driving one child to hockey practice and the other to a music lesson. Leftovers are fabulous the next day; it’s a great big pot of love.  This recipe by Linda Reasbeck, PHEc and other fabulous vegetarian dishes can be found in the new Vegetarian’s Complete Quinoa Cookbook (Whitecap Books).

NOTE: Catelli’s Healthy Harvest line features whole-grain lasagna noodles. Be sure to choose a pasta sauce that lists tomatoes as the first ingredient.

1 can (19 oz/540 mL) mixed beans, well rinsed and drained
2 2/3 cups (650 mL) pasta sauce
2/3 cup (160 mL) canned diced tomatoes
3/4 cup (185 mL) quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 tsp (10 mL) Italian seasoning
1 tsp (5mL) dried oregano leaves
8 uncooked lasagna noodles, preferably 100% whole grain
1 cup (250 mL) sliced white or cremini mushrooms
2 cups (500 mL) cooked chopped spinach leaves, well drained (or 10 oz/300 g frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained)
2 cups (500 mL) fat-free cottage cheese
2 cups (500 mL) grated mozzarella cheese

Method:
Grease a 6­quart (6 L) slow cooker with canola oil.

In a medium bowl, combine the mixed beans, pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, quinoa (yes, it’s uncooked!), Italian seasoning and oregano. Mix well and set aside.

Place one layer of noodles on the bottom of the slow cooker, breaking to fit.

Top with half of the bean–pasta sauce–quinoa mixture.

Top with half of the mushrooms, and half of the spinach.

Top with half of the cottage cheese.

Repeat the layers: noodles, bean–pasta sauce–quinoa mixture, mushrooms and spinach, cottage cheese.

Top with all of the mozzarella cheese.

Cover and cook on Low for 5 hours. (See photo 6.)

To serve:

Let sit for 5 minutes, then scoop out servings. Serve with a mixed green salad.

Makes 10 servings

One serving = 1/10 of the lasagna

Nutrition per serving

322 calories, 17 mg cholesterol, 7 g fibre, 3 g saturated fat, 47 g carbohydrates, 22 g protein, 6 g total fat, 579 mg sodium, 7 g sugars

Excellent source of folate, vitamin D and iron.

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