Oven Roasted Broccoli 

Broccoli from the Italian for little arms sometimes gets a bad wrap. It was even band from Air Force One during George Bush Sr.'s presidency. What is the reason for all this barbaric broccoli bashing (don't you just love alliterations?), I agree with Alton Brown on this one, overcooking and parties. If broccoli is boiled for too long, not only do many of its valuable nutrients escape into the water but it can take on a less than appealing grey colour. You may be wondering how parties have lead to broccoli's downfall, two words: vegetable platter. How many times have we all seen the barely touched vegetable tray at some family reunion? Broccoli is at its best when cooked for a short time under high heat. Although not terrible raw I certainly find it dry without some kind of dressing on it. Also there is a special group called super tasters that have more taste buds then your average person. For these people the bitter notes in broccoli's flavour can be overbearing. Don't worry, there are ways around this problem. Roasting broccoli brings out an incredible nutty flavour that can convert even the most hardcore broccoli hater. I usually just roast broccoli in oil and salt and pepper but the addition of panko breadcrumbs, garlic and cheese was really nice. This goes into the oven at 425F so careful monitoring is necessary. It will go slow at first but once the browning starts don't leave the kitchen, it can go from brown to black fast. I chickened out and pulled mine out a little early, but it was still delicious! What else could you want from a dish, fast (about 15 minutes total to make) and extremely nutritious. A serving of broccoli contains almost as much calcium as milk and more vitamin C then an orange. So give broccoli a chance and you will be rewarded! And broccoli took flight on Air Force One again in 1992 with the election of Bill Clinton.


Oven Roasted Broccoli Recipe

Hot Cross Buns

I thought I would be back in my routine of making at least one recipe a week but that really has not happened, mainly due to Sci Formal at Queen's University. I will not go into much detail but I have had a lot of work to do for it. If you're at all interested here is the website Sci Formal that will give all the information you need. The past years have been pretty cool!

This picture doesn't really do it justice

Hot cross buns have quite a history behind them. They modern notion of the buns were originally made for Good Friday with the cross being a symbol of the crucifixion of Christ. This version was not seen until 1773 while the origin of this bun could date as far back as the ancient Greeks. Saxons were believed to have eaten crossed  in honour of the goddess Eostre of which the word Easter is most likely derived. In the late 1500s it was illegal to sell hot cross buns unless there was a burial, it was Good Friday or Christmas. One final tidbit, English folklore says that a hot cross bun baked on Good Friday will not go stale or mouldy for the upcoming year. Whither you believe that one or not is up to you.

Hot cross buns are not much more than a sweetened and spiced bread with icing. If you have ever made a loaf of bread before this is no different. My recipe comes from the Joy of Cooking and the recipe is good overall, although I needed a lot more flour than the recipe said in order to bring the dough together. Flour is a tricky thing especially when measuring by volume and not weight. Depending on how much the flour is packed in the measuring cup you could end up with a very different result. I say this but I still don't measure by weight, I have never got around to getting a scale. Also depending on the humidity of the day the flour can absorb more or less water. Crossing the buns was a little harder than I thought, my icing was not really the right consistancy. I also had a lot left over so I just decided to pretty much dump the remaining icing on top of the buns. Did not look as nice but tasted so much better!

Verdict: would make again.