RSS Feed

  1. Treat your Mom

    May 6, 2013 by Start From Scratch

    This Sunday, May 12 is Mother’s Day and a perfect opportunity for you to show off your skills! Cook your Mom a brunch, dinner, dessert or snack and make her proud. Here are a few easy recipe ideas for you:

    For every Mom who deserves to be over-indulged:

    Blueberry Cheesecake Overnight French Toast by Julie Van Rosendaal (dinnerwithjulie.com)

    For the Mom who would love for someone else to cook dinner (more than just on Mother’s Day):

    Linguine with Lemon Basil Tomato Sauce by Dan Clapson (dansgoodside.com)

    For the Mom who loves a (healthy) treat:

    Raw, Vegan Nanaimo Bars by Jacinthe Koddo (foodwithpresence.com)

    For the working Mom:

    Soy Chai Latte “Larabars” by Vincci Tsui (cecinestpasunfoodblog.com)

    Category News, Recipes | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments

  2. Quite possibly the world’s oldest hamburger

    April 23, 2013 by Start From Scratch

    Here at Start From Scratch, we obviously advocate for fresh (and a lot of homemade) food because A) it’s delicious, B) good for you and C) not as hard to make as you think. But, we know that everyone gets a craving for fast food every once in awhile and that’s ok! So, here’s a little video for you on world’s (alleged) oldest hamburger. It’s kinda mind blowing…

    Source: Huffington Post

    Category News | Tags: , , , , | No Comments

  3. Get yourself some Tutti Frutti!

    March 31, 2013 by Start From Scratch

    Tutti Frutti is a new frozen yogurt shop that just opened on 17th Ave. Start From Scratch got a sneak peek at Tutti Frutti’s delicious concoctions and we were anything but disappointed. From the soy flavours (the black sesame is divine) to the sugar-free chocolate and creamy peanut butter, there is something for everyone.  Plus the myriad of toppings including Ghiradelli chocolate sauce and the absolutely perfect brownie bites make this a great dessert or snack option after a stroll on 17th. My suggestion: mix a few flavours and top with skor bits! Follow Tutti Frutti at @TFFroyoYYC

     

    Category News | Tags: , , | No Comments

  4. Beignets from Julie

    March 25, 2013 by Start From Scratch

    Julie van Rosendaal is a very good friend of Start From Scratch and I luckily now work only a few blocks away from her house. We always thought that she was joking when she said she would pop in with some delicious just baked goods, but last week it actually happened. Holy. Cow. One of my co-workers walked in with a little movie theatre-like popcorn box filled to the brim with tiny little fresh out of the deep-fryer donuts. After tasting Julie’s heavenly creation, I knew I had to share it with you.

    Cafe du Monde-style Sugared Beignets (courtesy dinnerwithjulie.com)

    1 1/2 cups warm water
    1/3 cup sugar
    2 tsp. (1 pkg.) active dry yeast
    1 cup milk
    2 large eggs
    2 tsp. vanilla
    7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    1/4 cup butter, softened
    1 tsp. salt
    canola oil, for frying
    plenty of icing sugar

    In a large bowl, stir together the water, a spoonful of the sugar and the yeast and let it sit for 10 minutes. If it’s not foamy, toss it and buy new yeast.

    In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs and vanilla. Add to the yeast mixture along with 3 cups of the flour, the remaining sugar, the butter and salt and stir to combine. Gradually add another 4 cups of flour, stirring (or letting your dough hook do the work) until you have a sticky dough. If it’s not too sticky to knead, knead it on a floured surface or with the dough hook; if it’s still pretty sticky, add another 1/2 cup flour. Knead until it’s smooth and elastic, yet still tacky.

    Put the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and let rise for 1 1/2-2 hours.

    When you’re ready to cook, heat a couple inches of oil in a deep-fryer or heavy saucepan until hot, but not smoking (about 350F).

    Roll the dough out to about 1/2-inch thick and cut into 1-2 inch squares with a knife. Carefully drop a few at a time into the hot oil, without crowding it (cooking too many at a time will bring the temperature of the oil down) and cook until golden on both sides, carefully flipping with tongs as necessary. Transfer to paper towels to drain and cool, then douse in powdered sugar.

    Makes about 4 dozen beignets.

    Category News, Recipes | Tags: , , , , | No Comments

  5. We’re famous! Start From Scratch in The Weal

    March 22, 2013 by Start From Scratch

    Start From Scratch was lucky enough to have Giselle Wedemire, lifestyle editor at SAIT’s The Weal, sit down with our very own Vincci Tsui for a Q&A. Here’s a sneak peek but click through for the rest of the juicy article (tee hee!) on how students can cook on a budget.

    NGO helps students start from scratch

    by Giselle Wedemire

    (Left to right). Nina Rojkovskaia, Josie Ryan and Maeghan Archbald expand their culinary knowledge in weekly Start From Scratch cooking clases. The free cooking classes teach basic cooking skills to Mount Royal and University of Calgary students. Photo courtesy Jenn Sieppert/The Weal

    Ramen noodles and boxes of KD are common staples of the stereotypical college student’s diet, despite their lack of nutritional value.

    To help reverse this carb-centred life, one non-profit organization has been making an effort to improve both the culinary skills and the health of university students.

    Founded in Nov. 2010, Start From Scratch is a local, semester-long program that aims to give students a basic education in the kitchen and kick culinary qualms to the curb.

    Held every Tuesday in the community room of Co-op Midtown Market, the free classes give students hands-on experience with three to four recipes each week, with many classes following a theme of some sort. While the classes are currently open to University of Calgary and Mount Royal University students, Start From Scratch instructor and registered dietitian Vincci Tsui hopes that the program will be expanded to include SAIT students in the future because, “cooking is such an important life skill to have, and everyone should be able to learn how to do it.”

    In the meantime, The Weal sat down with Tsui and got the lowdown on how SAIT students can make the most of cooking on a student budget.

    Click here to read the rest!

    Category News | Tags: , , , , | No Comments

  6. Kill it with kale

    March 20, 2013 by Start From Scratch

    Kale. is. everywhere. Not that it’s a bad thing, it’s a nutritional superstar that may just be the healthiest food on the planet.

    Jump on the kale bandwagon and move beyond kale chips with these recipes:

    Kale Spanikopita Trianges from dinnerwithjulie.com – Switch up spinach for kale and try out phyllo dough, it’s not as scary as you think!

     

     

     

    Wild Rice, Artichoke and Kale Salad from dansgoodside.com – Artichokes are one of my favourite foods. This is an easy, no-bake dinner option that would be great as leftovers for lunch.

     

     

     

    Lentil and Kale Sheperd’s Pie with Roasted Garlic Potatoes from sweetsugarbean.com – Just the right amount of utter deliciousness to keep us warm through March.

    Category News, Recipes | Tags: , , , , , , | No Comments

  7. Start From Scratch Homework: Watch Top Chef Canada!

    March 18, 2013 by Start From Scratch

    There are THREE reasons for you to watch the THIRD season  Top Chef Canada.

    1) You’ll be inspired.

    2) After each episode you should vote at foodnetwork.ca for the dish you’d like to see Dan, SFS’s fearless leader, recreate.

    3) There are THREE contestants from Calgary on the show this year:

    From dansgoodside.com:
    Nicole Kammerer

    First up, a lovely lady in Calgary’s culinary world, caterer Nicole Kammerer! Originally trained in fine dining, Nicole is known for her creative dishes she produces with her namesake company, Nicole Gourmet.

    Season two arguably lacked a strong female chef personality in the competition. I’m sure Nicole is going to step up to the plate this season and kick some ass in the kitchen.

    On applying to be on Top Chef Canada: I was going to apply last year, but it wasn’t the right time, but I’ve always wanted to. I just thought it would be fun…I have the skill level to pull off anything that I’ve watched [on the show] in the past. My personality is insane in the kitchen, so I thought: “Why wouldn’t I do this?”

    You can follow her on twitter at @nicolegourmet.

     

    Chris Shaften

    I had never met Chris before finding out about his participation on the show. Shaften has previously worked as the executive chef of Farm on 17th Avenue, as well as at The Ranche.

    He recently launched his own private chef/consulting company, Taste First and is currently helping to open a new restaurant concept in Mission.

    On arriving at the first day of filming for the series: It was pretty nerve-racking, but I was excited to cook and I was excited to be given the opportunity to showcase myself. It’s part of [my] five year plan. Get on Top Chef, get publicity, get investors, get a first restaurant…

     

    Geoff Rogers

    Last, but not least, we have Geoff Rogers. I am excited to watch my friend on television showing the other contestants how it’s done! I have no doubt Geoff’s passionate personality will shine through on the series. I just hope he doesn’t swear too much..Ha, ha, ha. Anyway…

    Geoff’s had a busy past few months after taking on the role of executive chef at the brand new MARKET, but with the Top Chef Canada buzz around the Calgary competitors, he’s bound to get even busier this spring!

    On the types of challenges viewers will see him compete in during the season…Anybody can be watching Top Chef, sitting on the couch and say “Oh, I would have done this instead.”, but when you’re taken out of your comfort zone, put somewhere where you have no idea what’s around you, unfamiliar equipment and what not…Yeah, it’s insanely hard!

    You can follow him on twitter at @chef_rogers.

    Third time’s the charm, right?

    Category News | Tags: | No Comments

  8. Recipe Monday: Guinness Brownies

    March 11, 2013 by Start From Scratch

    First of all: WELCOME BACK DAN! You’re just in time for St. Patrick’s Day! To celebrate your return from the land down under and St. Patrick’s Day, let’s all make a batch of these Guinness Brownies. Slainte!

    Guinness Brownies (courtesy patentandthepantry.com)

    Photo courtesy patentandthepantry.com

    1 cup all-purpose flour

    3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

    1/4 teaspoon salt

    6 tablespoons unsalted room
    temperature butter, cut into cubes

    8 ounces dark bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used 6 ounces of bittersweet and 2 of 70 per cent dark chocolate)

    3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

    4 large eggs, at room temperature

    1 cup granulated sugar

    2 bottles Guinness beer, reduced to 1 1/4 cups

    3/4 teaspoon vanilla

    1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

    icing sugar for dusting (optional)

    Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

    In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.

    In a double boiler set over low heat, melt butter, bittersweet chocolate and milk chocolate chips. Remove from heat.

    In a large mixing bowl, beat together eggs and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. Pour in melted chocolate mixture and beat until combined.

    Add flour-cocoa mixture and beat until just combined. Whisk in cooled Guinness and vanilla. (It will take a few minutes for the beer to incorporate. I used more of a folding technique with the whisk for the first minute or two to keep everything from slopping everywhere.)

    Pour into prepared pan. Scatter over semi-sweet chips.

    Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Note: mine only took 24 minutes; start checking at the 20-minute mark.

    Let brownies cool. Dust with icing sugar if using and serve.

    Category News, Recipes | Tags: , , , , , , , | No Comments

  9. Friday Favourites with Vincci

    March 8, 2013 by Start From Scratch

    Start From Scratch’s instructors are some of Calgary’s and Saskatoon’s finest foodies. They know good food, from where to eat to how to cook it at home. Our instructor’s are also experts on nutrition, food blogging, catering and wine. Needless to say, I love to pick their brains about what and where they are eating. Here are some of Vincci’s favourites in the food world right now:

    Favourite restaurant in Calgary: Szechuan Restaurant! Authentic Szechuan food is hard to come by and the food here is spicy, flavourful and cheap.

    Favourite late-night snack: I don’t usually snack at night, but for something sweet after supper, I like frozen grapes or a small piece of chocolate. We have an air popper, so I like making popcorn; if I’m feeling extra fancy, I like to drizzle it with a tiny bit of truffle oil before sprinkling with salt and pepper.
    Favourite ingredient: Garlic and onion. I also have fresh rosemary growing in my kitchen that isn’t growing quite as fast as I prune it.
    Favourite kitchen tool: A sharp chef’s knife from Knifewear – it makes chopping a breeze, and when the prep is easy, the rest of the meal comes together quickly.
    Favourite place to look for cooking/baking tips: I follow a *ton* of food blogs on my Google Reader, including Simply Recipes (a good starting point for simple, classic food), Smitten Kitchen (all her recipes are well-tested and turn out well) and Appetite for China (for basic Chinese recipes), just to give you a head start. I also have a fairly good-sized cookbook collection that I should probably flip through more often.

     

     

    Category News | Tags: | No Comments

  10. It might be a pasta tuesday…

    March 4, 2013 by Start From Scratch

    Sometimes I think Tuesdays are the forgotten day of the week. Mondays, all you can think about is that it’s Monday and you wish it would be over; Wednesdays give you a bit of pep in your step since you’re halfway through the work week; Thursdays, always have something fun happening on them, and I don’t know anyone who can say no to Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. But, Tuesday — what’s it got going for it?

    Well, this Tuesday has new life as I’m declaring it Pasta Tuesday! So curl up on the couch with a bowl, read a book, watch your favourite TV show or of course, catch up on some studies ;)

    Rigatoni with Spicy Ground Turkey Ragu (courtesy bsinthekitchen.com)

    Photo courtesy bsinthekitchen.com

    (adapted from Bon Appetit)
    Prep time: 
    Cook time: 
    Total time: 
    Serves: 3-4

    Ingredients
    • ½ onion (chopped)
    • 1 carrot (chopped)
    • 1 celery stalk (chopped)
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 1 tsp oregano
    • Dash of red pepper flakes
    • ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley
    • 14 oz. canned pureed tomatoes
    • ⅛ cup olive oil
    • ½ pound (230g) mild Italian sausage
    • ½ pound (230g) ground turkey (or pork)
    • Salt & pepper
    • 1 tbsp tomato paste
    • 3-4 servings rigatoni pasta
    • Parmesan cheese

     

     

     

     

    Instructions
    1. Begin by combining onion, celery, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and parsley in food processor, until evenly chopped.
    2. In a pan on medium heat, add your olive oil.
    3. While pan is heating, remove casing from sausage.
    4. Once pan has heated, add sausage, cooking 4-5 minutes until browned.
    5. Add ground turkey, frying until nearly cooked, add salt & pepper.
    6. Transfer sausage, and turkey to a bowl.
    7. In the same pan, turn it up to medium-high heat, adding vegetable mixture once heated, cooking 8-10 minutes, until vegetables begin to turn a golden colour.
    8. In a bowl, stir 1 tablespoon tomato paste, with 1 cup of water, adding to vegetables (after they have cooked for 8-10 minutes).
    9. Simmering until nearly all liquid has evaporated.
    10. Add sausage, and turkey to pan, along with pureed tomato, and one cup of water.
    11. Simmer until sauce is no longer runny, about 10-15 minutes.
    12. Once sauce is done reducing, add salt & pepper to taste.
    13. Boil pasta for about 12 minutes until desired tenderness.
    14. Place pasta in serving dishes, top with ragu, and sprinkle shredded parmesan cheese to top it off.

    Category News, Recipes | Tags: , , , , , , , | No Comments

Older Entries