Christmas Cake for one (or maybe three)

Ok, I know I said I wasn’t going to make a cake this year because I’m the only one who ever eats it, so even using the smallest tin I owned, there was still a lot going to waste, but how could I not? Specially when I found an even smaller tin (15cm) on Ocado. So, I made cake again this year, going back to the loving arms of Nigella, after cheating disastrously on her last year, going over to Rachel Allen, which had the misfortune of being the most disgusting Christmas cake I have ever made (whereas you can never go wrong with a Nigella Christmas cake).

This year I went with her Nigella Christmas recipe (lurve that book!), which is a little different from her How to be Domestic Goddess and Feast recipes, but not too different, in fact I have every confidence it’ll taste even better, it certainly smelt amazing as I was making it and it’s in the kitchen cooling down as I type and . . . I . . . want . . . to . . . eat . . . it . . . right . . . NOW! Having said that I generally want to eat my Christmas cake straight away, I should learn and massively bulk buy on dried fruits and simultaneously cook Jane Brocket’s delicious fruit cake at the same time, just to satisfy my fruit cake urges right now, as Jane Brocket’s fruit cake is most definitely fruit cake, as definitely as it is not Christmas cake (hmmm, a quick check through the blog and I see that I did end up making both last year, as I’d brought too much dried fruit, shame that upon making a significantly smaller cake this year, I managed ok on smaller packets of dried fruit and don’t have any left over, reading that blog post though, so that Allen cake had dried apricots in it, dried apricots in a Christmas cake? Much as I love dried apricots, no wonder it was disgusting! I should have known better!)

So, I’m in a very happy kitchen-y mood right now, me and my kitchen have not been getting along recently and I’ve done hardly any proper cooking since Girl Lacer’s birthday back at the end of October and I’ve missed it. It’s always amazing how contented a spot of baking can make you, all those delicious smells wafting through the flat!

The cake was ready to come out of the oven just before bedtime, Boy Lacer was hanging round the kitchen and he sees me take the cake out of the oven,

“What you make?”

“Cake.”

“Who’s birthday is it?” (see that’s how infrequently I bake these days).

“It’s nobodies birthday, it’s a Christmas cake.”

“Who’s birthday is it?”

“Well, um, I suppose some people would say it’s Jesus’ birthday. Do you know who Jesus is?”

“No.”

At which point Girl Lacer, who is in the bath, in the next room, chips in “I know who baby Jesus is.”

“Ok, who is baby Jesus?” I ask.

“THE SON OF GOD”

“Very good and do you know who Mary is?”

“Jesus’ mummy.”

“And who’s Joseph?”

“Jesus’ daddy.”

“But I thought you said God was the daddy?”

“Yes, but Joseph has to be daddy to, as he’s married to Mary, so he’s got to be.”

There you go, morality according to a six year old.

Boy Lacer on the other hand was more concerned about who was going to eat the cake.

“Mummy, daddy, Girl Lacer not eat all the cake ok?”

[Via http://lacer.wordpress.com]

SPADA (Spaghetti Ied Adha)

dinamakan spada (spaghetti ied adha) karena meraciknya di Hari Raya Ied Adha

Bahan-Bahan :

Spaghetti La Fonte 250 gram

Saos Bolognaise 350 gram

Bawang Bombay 1 buah

Kornet

Sosis Keju

Daging asap

Keju parut

Garam gula secukupnya

Mentega

Minyak Goreng

Cara Penyajian :

1. Rebus spaghetti dalam wajan yang ditambah sedikit garam dan mentega
2. Sambil nunggu spaghetti matang, buat saos spaghetti
3. Panaskan minyak goreng yang ditambah sedikit mentega
4. Tumis bawang bombay hingga harum
5. Masukkan kornet, sosis keju dan daging asap
6. Masukkan saos bolognaise, tambahkan sedikit garam dan gula
7. Tiriskan Spaghetti, masukkan dalam wadah
8. Siram racikan saos spaghetti diatasnya
9. Taburi dengan keju parut
10. Horeeee Spaghetti siap disantap

Selamat Bereksperimen

[Via http://dianice.wordpress.com]

Sour Dough Bread

This is good stuff!

There is nothing better than fresh bread cooking in the oven.  The aroma will drive you crazy.  I love making this sour dough bread.  It taste great  and  makes your kitchen smell so good.    The first time I made it I also baked a ham .  When I took this bread out of the oven I could not resist putting mayonnaise on the fresh hot bread along with a piece of baked ham.  It was heaven.  I ate the whole loaf!!!

I have been making this for years.  But it is addictive so I can’t make it every week like I did when The Athlete was in high school. It’s one of those foods that goes straight to your hips.  Now it only shows up for special occasions .   Make this and give it to your friends.     They are going to love you!!!

Sour Dough Starter

• 1 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 pkg. yeast
• 3 T of potato flakes (level spoon)

Place the starter in a glass jar.  Do not use metal and stir with a wooden spoon.  Leave the mixture on the counter for 3 days.  Feed the starter and let it sit on the counter for another 8 hours.   It is going to bubble.  Below is the food for the starter.  After 8 hours refrigerate for 3-5 days.  Now you are ready to feed again and make bread.

In the morning take out the starter and feed it and sit on the counter.  You will be ready to make your bread in the evening.  Here’s what you add each time you feed this hungry little thing.  This starter can  be fed every day, but has to be fed at least once every 10 days to keep it from dying.  Another note :  Don’t keep alot of starter.  It will be too weak to rise.  Only keep 2-3 cups and give the other away to friends or pour it out. 

Food for the starter:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 T potato flakes
• 1 cup warm water

In the evening make the dough and let it rise overnight.  I have halved the original recipe so that I could use my bread machine .  The next morning I knead the dough, put it in pans to rise and bake it that evening.   Feel free to double it and make three large loaves of bread. 

Here is the recipe for the dough:

• 3 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 t salt
• 1/2 starter ( stir it up to get some of the potato flakes)
• 1/4 cup oil
• 3/4 cup warm water

Sometimes I will cheat and add 1/2 t of yeast.  Why?   The starter is ornery.  Sometimes it does not act right.  If the temperature is too cool it will not rise like it should.  In the summer it does much better.  

liquid in first then dry ingredients

 

I use the dough cycle on my machine and let it knead for 5-8 min.  Let it rise 4 – 8 hours until double in size.  Punch down dough.  Knead lightly for about  5 minutes on a floured board.  You will have to add in extra flour.  Dough will be sticky. 

This is after about 8 minutes in the bread machine.

Overnight it has doubled

Knead dough for about 4 minutes

Divided dough into four equal pieces

Place into 4 greased pans

Dough in pans

Doubled in size

Divide the dough into four pieces.  Place in small greased bread pans. Let the dough rise in the pans until doubled.  I use the proofing cycle on my oven and it will take about 4-5 hours. 

 Bake at 325 degrees for about 20 – 25 minutes.  Butter the top and cool on a cooling rack.  This bread freezes well.  But with bread this good mine rarely gets to the freezer.

Happy cooking,

The Teacher Cooks

[Via http://theteachercooks.com]

Chilli Chicken Ramen

So I was craving something spicy and virtuous so I looked for a recipe for Chilli Chicken Ramen.  I eventually found one that checked all my boxes and had a bash.  When I was making it though, I had to make a few changes to suit my tastes better, but you can find the original recipe here.

Serves 2

Syns per serving:  1 1/2 syns to be safe on EE

Ingredients:

150g beansprouts

150g dried noodles

2 Chicken breasts

1 tsp teriyaki sauce – 0.5 syns

1 litre chicken stock

2 spring onions – chopped

1 red chilli – deseeded and sliced

1/2 red onion sliced

1/2 lime – quartered

1/4 tsp sugar – minimal

1 tbsp malt vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp hot sweet chilli sauce – 2 syns

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

 

So here are the ingredients I used:

Okay so first make the ramen sauce. Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar over a low heat. Allow to cool and combine with the chilli and soy sauce.

Cook the noodles in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes or until tender.

Heat a griddle pan until hot and almost smoking. Spray the chicken with frylight and cook for 3 minutes each side or until cooked through. Remove from the griddle and brush with teriyaki sauce. Cut into thin slices.

Heat the chicken stock and add the ramen sauce once hot.

Divide the noodles between two bowls and add the beansprouts, red onion, spring onions and chilli slices.  Place the chicken on the top and spoon the stock over the chicken until the bowl is nearly full.

I hope you make this, it is wonderful and I definately recommend it!

[Via http://hopefulslimmer.wordpress.com]

The Halogen Oven

Once solely found on late night shopping channels, the Halogen oven has become increasingly popular in many homes with word spreading across the internet as to their usefulness. Not only do they save space, they can do everything a normal oven does – boiling, roasting, baking, steaming and even defrosting – but in one pot.

These ovens were developed with halogen elements, converting electrical energy into intense heat. Using infrared waves and a built-in high performance fan to circulate the heat, they are much smaller than their traditional oven rivals, and are available at a fraction of the cost.

Despite their compact size, they can accommodate a surprisingly large amount of food; a medium-sized chicken can be surrounded by vegetables in the bowl. The bowl of the halogen oven itself is clear, allowing you to watch the food cook and adjust cooking times accordingly. Fats from food drain away, meaning the cooking method is particularly healthy, and some superior models even feature a self-cleaning function, thereby reducing the washing up required.

The more popular models come with racks or shelves – these let you cook food on multiple layers, preparing the entire meal that much quicker. Thanks to the circulation of air, there’s no need to turn the food or swap shelves around – all the food cooks evenly without any interference required from the chef, unlike traditional ovens.

The halogen oven accessory market is also becoming popular, ranging from lid stands and extra specialist shelves to a range of cookbooks.

Whilst the halogen oven may not be ready to send traditional ovens the way of the Dodo, they can certainly make a big difference in a busy kitchen. And with the energy savings a halogen oven brings to the home, I think it’s safe to presume that the halogen oven will become a standard item in many homes.

[Via http://homeandgardenproducts.wordpress.com]

Pets de Nonne

As promised, here is the recipe for making delicious Pets de Nonne (thank you, Google, for coming to my rescue again as I had no idea how to spell this yesterday!)  This is traditional French Canadian fair and a very tasty way to use leftover pastry. 

Begin by rolling out your leftover pastry scraps into a rectangular-ish shape.  (Just in case you start to wonder if there is something wrong with my camera, I use a whole wheat pastry dough, so the darker colour and brown flecks are just a part of this pastry’s character.)

Then butter the pastry with softened butter and sprinkle on brown sugar and cinnamon (like making cinnamon toast).  I also added a sprinkle of cloves to mine, just because I love the taste of cloves!

 

Starting at the bottom, roll up your pastry.

Slice into rounds.  

Place on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven until the sugar has caramelized and the pastry is cooked – about 15 minutes?  Remove from the pan and enjoy!    (Tip: the melted sugar will make a mess of your cookie sheet, but I find it no problem to clean up with a little hot water)

When I gave one to my husband yesterday he said that they caused “a flavour explosion in his mouth.”  Can’t go wrong with that!

Here is a fun fact:  My French Canadian Grandmother says that translated, “Pets de Nonne” means “Nun’s Farts.”  So there you have it.  Now you can make tasty and delicious farts anytime you want. 

[Via http://laundryontheline.wordpress.com]

Early Thanksgiving

We’re having a pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving dinner at my apartment tonight. Everyone who was invited was asked to bring something to share. So we’ve ended up with a pretty good menu. I’ve made pumpkin pie and pumpkin tartlets (they were just supposed to be tartlets, but the recipe made enough for a pie too). I’m also doing the turkey, which is currently in the oven. My roommate made dressing, cornbread, apple pie, and chocolate macaroons (the macaroons were made in a ploy to use up the egg whites left over from the dressing).

Others are bringing:

mashed potatoes and gravy

broccoli

corn and peas

apple cider

cupcakes

sweet potatoes

cranberry sauce

rolls

It was all very spur of the moment, but I’m glad we’re doing it. It’ll be fun to have Thanksgiving with friends and it’s kind of neat to be doing a holiday dinner for the first time (hopefully the turkey will turn out well).

[Via http://bysinginglight.wordpress.com]

Pick of the month: November

Ruby Chard

At a time of year when everything seems drab and grey, the scarlet stems of ruby chard backlit by the winter’s sun are like a tonic to the soul.

Also known as rhubarb chard, this is the most beautiful thing on my allotment at the moment. Sometimes I take a detour over to the bed where it’s growing just to look at it and drink in those sumptuous colours. The burnished coppery red of the leaves, shot with glowing fiery veins of blood, warms me like a little furnace against all that winter chill.

In fact I use it in my ornamental garden at home as well as at the allotment, since it’s just as good as any purple-leaved heuchera and because you just pick a few leaves at a time, it’s got a presence for most of the winter. Plus the pigeons leave it alone (except when it’s really tiny and tender) and so do the slugs, mostly. 

Chard is one of the few vegetables you can have in the garden all year round. I make two sowings: one in spring, to grow through the summer, and one in about August to give me a second crop which takes over just as the summer stuff is getting tired. Funnily enough, it’s this sowing – for a winter crop – which does better: I think it’s because the temperatures are cooler and the soil is more damp - all the spinach family, even easy-going chard, struggle if it gets too dry.

And if I had to give up one or the other, I’d give up the summer crop. In summer, there’s loads to eat: you can have your pick of beans, peas, carrots, tomatoes, salads, real spinach…. (better stop there, I’m making myself hungry, not to mention nostalgic). But now, it’s basically brassicas all the way: cabbage, kale, cabbage, sprouts, cabbage, and if we’re lucky some broccoli come March (and then some more cabbage).

So light, crunchy and leafy greens in winter are something akin to manna from heaven. And what leafy greens: with overtones of the delicate, slightly peppery flavour of spinach, ruby chard has an earthy, rich, almost beetroot-like flavour all its own.

Like all chards, it’s a heavier vegetable than spinach – the leaves are thicker and hold their shape better on cooking, though like spinach they do collapse in volume (so I pick a whole bagful and it’s still only just enough for supper for four). But the great thing about chards are the stems: with ruby chard these are blood-red, so they look great on the plate, and they’re as fresh and crunchy as celery. The secret is to strip the leaf from the central stem and then put the stems in the steamer first, adding the leaf after five minutes have passed. Serve stems and leaf mixed in together for a side vegetable that combines colour, textures and flavour. It steals the show every time.

[Via http://kitchengardenblog.com]

Pear Butter Pork Chops

I’ve been dying to use the pear butter I made last weekend in our crock pot. Huzzah! Thanks to Tracy for the apartment-warming gift.

Pear Butter

I modified a basic pork-chop-and-fruit recipe from the Canadian paper Metro News. The author of the recipe is affiliated with a massive blog, but I don’t know whether the post appeared in the newspaper or online first, so I decided it would be OK.

Pear Butter Pork Chops

Serves 2

• 1 tbsp. olive oil

• 3 thin-cut bone-in pork chops (original recipe calls for 4 inch-thin chops)

• 1/4 cup pear butter

• salt & pepper

1. Season chops generously with salt and pepper.

2. Set a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat and heat one tablespoon olive oil.

3. Add chops and cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.

4. Transfer chops to a cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm.

5. Plate meal. Pour pear butter on top. (This is the part I modified! Can you tell? )

Pear Butter Pork Chops

The pork chops were juicy, the pear butter was ginger-y and amazing, and the crackers with brie made for a nice side. Seeing as how we have 14 cans of pear butter, we’ll probably be making this again.

###

[Via http://clippedanddiced.wordpress.com]

Pears Poached in Red Wine

I’ve eaten a few poached pears in my life, but none like the one I ate in Napa Valley while on vacation with my husband.

The hotel we stayed in offered brunch every morning, and it was there where I discovered the beauty of fruit mixed in wine.

This is a simple recipe.   Play with it.

Next time, I will experiment with cloves.

I used a Merlot for the red wine.

Pears Poached in Red Wine

Adapted from “How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman

Time: Overnight , largely unattended.

A light simple and classic dessert.  Use not-quite-fully-ripe Bosc Pears if at all possible.

4 Bosc pears, ripe but not mushy

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups red wine (I used Merlot)

3/4 cup sugar

1 lemon, sliced

1 cinnamon stick

1-  Peel pears;  use a melon baller to remove the core from the blossom end, leave the stem on.  (I did not, I halved the pears and removed the cores.  I preferred halves to wholes.)

2-  In a medium saucepan. Bring water, wine, and sugar to a boil.  Turn heat to med-low and add the lemon slices, cinnamon stick, and pears.  Cover pan, simmer until pears are very tender, at least 20 minutes.

3- Remove pears to a bowl and continue to cook the sauce, over med-high heat until it reduces by half and becomes syrupy.  Strain syrup over pears and refrigerate overnight.

4- Serve chilled pears whole, with little of the syrup poured over them.

These would be excellent for the holiday table.

Last night's dinner...

American Fritatta

• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• ½ medium onions, sliced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 8 large eggs, beaten
• ¾ cup wegmans brown Sugar Cured Ham with Natural Juices, cubed
• salt and pepper to taste
• ¾ cup Cracker Barrel Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft.

Stir in eggs, drained potatoes, ham, salt and pepper. Cook until eggs are firm on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Top frittata with shredded cheese and place in preheated oven until cheese is melted and eggs are completely firm, about 10 minutes.

A simple frittata for the whole family. You may substitute your favorite sausage for ham in this recipe if you wish.

Apple, Pear and Walnut Fruit Salad

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons orange juice
1 orange, zested
1/2 cup raisins
4 apples, preferably use 2 to 3 different kinds
2 pears, preferably red and green
2/3 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
In a large bowl whisk together vinegar, orange juice, zest, and raisins. Core and cube apples and pears. Add fruit and walnuts to a bowl and drizzle with oil. Toss well to combine. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

Serves 6

Mozzarella with Tomato Jam

Mozzarella, tomato, and basil is a classic Italian flavor combination. In this version, the tomato is in the form of a jam, which concentrates the natural sweetness of the tomato.

Mozzarella with tomato jam on basil leaf

Here’s a recipe for the tomato jam

2 pints cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup simple syrup (1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup sugar brought to boil)
1 tbsp juniper berries, ground in spice grinder or mortar & pestle
pinch salt
a couple basil leaves, thinly sliced
1 ounce vegetable stock or water

In a small pot, mix the ingredients and bring to a fast simmer (don’t boil). Simmer until the mixture reduces down to a jam-like consistency.

To serve: slice a ball of fresh mozzarella into three or four slices and shingle on left half of plate. On right half of plate, lay down one whole basil leaf. Spoon some tomato jam on top of the leaf. Sprinkle a little sea salt and black pepper over the mozzarella, and serve.

The Weekend That Was

I made a decent enough Sunday roast today. We don’t usually have them in my family, or at least not as people from the UK or the US would expect. For some time now I’ve wanted to try myself at this, and today was the day. A chicken was put in the oven, together with a trayful of vegetables, and all were left to their own devices for the next two hours.

It turned out nicely, if I do say so myself. One minor snag, though, was that the time given in the recipe wasn’t long enough even though I bought a smaller chicken–(not funny, Jamie Oliver!) –I had to pop it back in for another half-hour. After that, it was finally done, and everything tasted fantabulous.

In other news, I started a new short story yesterday, which Steve will be happy to hear, since this is one that we plan to submit for an anthology. The due date for subs is January 15, so we can’t afford to wait much longer if we want to give it our best shot. Anyway, what I want to record for posterity is my realisation that I need to write my way into a story. I’ve never given it much thought before, but it sort of hit me today: the first 500 or so words only serve to home in on the characters and their threads. Knowing this, cutting the beginning will be much easier, since I no longer believe everything is essential.

This story is another example of the way Steve and I work best together: taking a story that’s easily separable into two threads, so that we can write simultaneously. It’s no accident that this applies to all our published stories so far.

And now you’ll have to excuse me. I want to get back to reading the magnificent An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears.

Classic Steak Side Dish: Twice Baked Potatoes

We had these delicious twice baked potatoes with our first steak from White Flower Farm.

The recipe, as written, takes a while but I took a few shortcuts to save time.  I cooked the potatoes in the microwave.  Perhaps the potato skin would have been a tad crisper but I didn’t have an hour to just bake the potatoes.  I also bought a bag of broccoli florets.  Instead of blanching them, I steamed them in the microwave for a minute less than the bag called for.  Lastly, I forgot to buy sour cream so I just added some milk to the potato filling.

The smoked gouda adds a delicious flavor to the potato filling.  You may want to consider it as an addition to your Thanksgiving mashed potatoes.  A nice twist on a classic side!

I’ll definitely be making these again!

Neelys Twice Smashed Baked Potatoes
Pat & Gina Neely

• 4 large russet potatoes, each about 3/4 pound each, well scrubbed
• 1/2 pound broccoli florets, blanched
• 4 tablespoons softened butter
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar, plus extra for topping
• 1/2 cup shredded smoked Gouda, plus extra for topping
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Butter, for serving, optional

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Pierce potatoes with fork. Place on center rack of oven and cook for 1 hour.

Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Using a paring knife, cut a canoe-like top out of the potatoes. Scoop the flesh into a large mixing bowl, leaving a 1/2-inch thick wall around the skin.

Add the blanched broccoli to the potatoes. Stir in the butter, sour cream, Cheddar, Gouda, and salt and pepper; and mash until creamy.

Using a small spoon, scoop the filling back into the potatoes. It will be a nice mounded pile of filling. Sprinkle with more of both cheeses on top of the potatoes.

Set the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until heated through and cheese in melted and gooey. Serve with butter, if desired.

Spiced Apple Cake & Baking Tips

This is the first cake recipe I ever tried when I started baking. Spiced Apple Cake is easy to make and super delish! It’s perf to make during the holiday season, or any season, really. As you can see, I’m no cake decorator, but it sure tastes good! I tweaked the recipe by adding a teaspoon each of ground nutmeg, ground ginger, and vanilla extract. I also used plain cream cheese frosting instead of the one included in the recipe. Here’s the recipe for the cake and the recipe for frosting (use 8 oz. of cream cheese instead of just 4, it’ll be more creamy and less cloying).

Here are my fave baking tips.

1. If a baking recipe (like this one) calls for vegetable oil, use unsweetened apple sauce instead. It cuts out a ton of fat without changing the flavor and still makes the cake, or whatever else you bake, moist.
2. Have a diabetic in the family or just want to cut out sugar? Splenda works great as a substitute, BUT use only half the amount the recipe calls for. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of white sugar, use only 1/2 cup of Splenda. If you use the same amount of Splenda, whatever you bake will be so sweet that it will be inedible. Trust me on this one.

If you try this recipe, I’d love to know how it turns out. You can even send me pics!

Ready, Steady, Bake

You are only allowed to use ingredients that you already have …. and you haven’t done a proper weekly shop for months…

if you can bear to use some of your cheese ration you can make …

CHEESE STRAWS

but you need to ensure that they don’t all get eaten while they are cooling

there’s an old tin of cocoa here – what can I do with that?

you could substitute it for some of the flour in fairy cakes.

ooh ooh! – I’ve found some flaked almonds

well bung those in as well

chocolate and almonds – nothing weird about that

18 chocolate almond fairy cakes

that’s 9 each

shall we have one now to see if they are OK?

maybe we need another notice?

papas

this is a dish i make variations of pretty frequently. the last time i made it was the morning after my birthday party, when three of us were still there and had gotten heineken and wild turkey and needed some food to balance those out. it got rave reviews

papas

i start by cutting raw, washed potatoes in half lengthwise, then slicing the halves pretty thin (this is important or it will take a while to cook them). iput them in a frying pan with olive oil (in my case, the only thing i have large enough is a wok). i sprinkle on some garlic powder, ground cumin, and black pepper, then i cook them over medium high heat, stirring pretty frequently but not constantly, until the potatoes are starting to look a little more translucent. then i add in some chopped onions and continue stirring occasionally until both the potatoes and onions are pretty well cooked. if the potatoes are still a little too raw, you can cover the pan for a little while to steam them.

then, i turn off the heat and quickly stir in some salsa and salt right at the end. while the potatoes are still hot, grate some cheese on top, and garnish with whatever. today i used sour cream and a fried egg (the egg looks retarded because i didnt’ dry the pan before cooking it so it stuck more than usual…)

Hidden blessings

Yesterday I picked all the tomatoes that were still on my dying tomato plants. I had 5lb of tomatoes – and the vast majority of those were green. I’ve had very few ripe tomatoes this year, considering that I grew twenty plants – there just hasn’t been enough sun.

So I took the 4 1/2 lb of green tomatoes and made green tomato chutney. It’s one of my favourites – great with cheese and cooked meat and all the usual things that chutney is good with. I also like it with lentil dhal and rice.

Here’s the recipe – because I had more tomatoes I made half as much again – this makes about 3lb.

1lb cooking apples
2 onions, peeled and grated
3lb green tomatoes, thinly sliced
8 oz sultanas
8 oz demerara sugar
2 tsps salt
3/4 pint malt vinegar
4 small pieces dried root ginger
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or a fresh chilli, deseeded and finely chopped, if you like it spicy)
1tsp mustard powder

Peel, quarter and core apples and grate finely.
Put into large pan with all ingredients.
Bring slowly to boil stirring occasionally to make sure sugar dissolves.
Simmer for about 2 hours until reduced and no excess liquid remains
Discard ginger
Spoon into warmed sterilised jars. Once cooled, cover, with vinegar proof tops.

Because I had cherry tomatoes, I left some of the smaller ones whole – this gives a lovely texture to the chutney. I also didn’t realise that I had almost run out of sultanas, so I had to use mixed dried fruit that I’d bought for my Christmas cake. I picked out the cherries and dried pineapple, and it seems to be OK. I was worried about the peel, but it’s not detectable.

So, from lack of sunshine I get lots of lovely chutney. Truly a silver lining to the many clouds we’ve had this year.

Soup and leftover-day

Today we were supposed to go out for dinner. Him and me. It’s been a long time.

But he decided he didn’t feel like going out for dinner anyway, so I had to face the fridge and whip something up. I decided to make a vegetable soup with bread and some baked potatoes with mushrooms and cheese (leftovers from gourmet-day yesterday).

The soup turned out really nice, especially with some grated Emmentaler cheese. Yummm!

This is how I made it:

1 packet of julienne vegetables (250 grams)

400 grams of canned tomatoes

1,5 liters of water

2 cubes of beef stock

pepper, salt, harissa and tabasco

 

Put some olive oil in a deep pot. Add the vegetables and tomatoes. Stir for five minutes and add the water. When the water is at a boil add the beef stock. Keep the soup boiling and add the spices. Turn off the heat and mix everything into a smooth soup. Done!

 

 

Waiting for the advent of TACN

Everyone at the Gazebo is really excited to hear a few pearls of wisdom from TACN – they’ve seen him whizzing past on a Sunday going for a fast and furious run while they are all guzzling down schooners and carafes of wine.  Who is he and why does he run so regularly instead of boozing?  What drives him and how can they get some of that energy for healthy living?  Stay tuned for some answers!

Chicken Cider Stew

Currently in the crock pot is my favorite fall stew.  It’s a “stoup,” really, colored with the palate of autumn and the hearty aroma of chicken soup and savory cider.  It’s sweet, savory and hearty at it’s best.  I recommend it for a brisk, fall day.  It will make you smile.

Chicken Cider Stew

Ingredients:

2 c. apple cider

3 T catsup

2 slices bacon (or a few oz. of hearty sausage)

1 1/2 t salt

1/4 t dried savory, crushed

1/8 t pepper

2 lbs. chicken breasts, cut up

couple bouillon cubes (optional, to taste)

4 carrots, thinly sliced

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 onion, finely chopped

3 celery sticks, chopped

1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

Directions:

Throw it all together in a large pot.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer about an hour or until vegetables are done.  Note: If you think more liquid is needed, you can either add more cider, water or chicken broth.  The vegetables and apples, especially, will give some extra liquid.  The apple will fall apart and the sweet potato is likely to, as well.  I’m trying it in a crock pot today.  Of course, it’s going to take much longer, but it looks pretty much the same.

A Shared TV Experience, Even Better

A coworker of mine told me today about a TV show called “Three Sheets” on the Fine Living Network (FLN).  It is about a guy, Zane Lamprey, who goes around the world to learn about different drinking customs.

As she talked about it, I could see how this TV show has a shared experience from people all over who like different kinds of adult beverages or even world travel.  Anyone who likes Brandy, Vodka, Wine, Beer, Rum, Scotch, etc, would love to go traveling with him.  But instead must live vicariously through him.

This shared experience could be even better.   Imagine a UPS box being delivered two days before the show aired with the drinks that will be on the next show.  You get two days of anticipation until air time.  When you watch “Three Sheets” you can learn about the cultures and see how it is made.  Then you finally get to sample the drink with the host and everyone else who watches with the “sampler plan” when Zane looks at the camera, raises his glass and says, “…” (Actually I don’t know what he says so I’ll make up something.) “Bottoms up.”

Literature could also be in the box about each drink or country along with personal surveys about each drink, and a small 3 ring binder in the first box.  Then after you watch, you can put the next week’s customs and surveys in your binder.  Remember the recipe cards that used to be mailed out every month?  People would collect them and put them in the little binder that came with it.  This would be the same type of thing.

But, why stop there?  Cooking shows can also have pre-measured ingredients so when the TV personalities cook, so can you.  The “Cooking package” could also come with a DVD of that episode.  Chapters on the DVD can be set up to skip to the next step after your cooking timer dings.  Above the counter DVD players, portable DVD players, laptops, and kitchen computers are becoming more common these days.

Travel shows can have postcards from the country they are visiting signed by the host.  The postcard pictures could be unique with the host or the same exact ones you could get in the country but with the hosts writing on the back.  They should be mailed with that countries stamp and post mark on them, not mailed from within the US.

Any of these would be a great gift to give.  Or as a great gift to get.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Caramel Sauce

Once again it has been a long long time since I have made an entry. Life has just been so busy and there hasn’t been much time for cooking or posting!

I made this sauce weeks ago, I can’t remember what prompted us to make it. Probably just weekend munchies.

1 tbs butter
1/2 cup of caster sugar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
water
vanilla essence
cream / ice cream

melt butter in sauce pan, add sugar and a little water.
simmer until mixture is getting thick almost like toffee.
remove from heat. add vanilla extract. and cream or ice cream about two heaps spoons or 1/2 cup.
I used ice cream as I don’t usually have cream and it worked really well! Serve poured over ice cream and bananas…

Spaghetti a Gamberetti

A signature dish - yummy!

I love cooking. It’s how I switch off. Last night i made what is probably my signature dish – spaghetti a gamberetti.

Ingredients:
Spaghetti
King prawns
Red chilies
Sun-dried tomatoes
Garlic
Lemon
White wine
Rocket

Method:
Boil the spaghetti. Finely chop a few clioves of garlic and de-seeded chilies. Juice and zest a lemon. Place the sun-dried tomatoes in a blender for a few mins.
Add some extra virgin olive oil to a large oan and gently fry the garlic and chilies. After a minute or two add the prawns and gently fry untlil they turn pink.
Add the wine (about a glass) and the sun-dried tomato paste and simmer for a fdew minutes.
Meanwhile drain the spaghetti and add to the pan. Turn off the heat throw in some roughly chopped rocket, lemon juice and zest. Mix it through a little before serving.

I like to use a Pinot Grigio with this dish – it also goes down rather nicely with it. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Bon appetito!

I must admit my partner, Emma, loves this dish. We’ve some fond memories of candle-lit dinners in the kitchen – very romantic.

Little things

One of the pleasures of backpacking is the little things that work well. For some reason these give a disproportionate amount of pleasure. Things that worked well this trip:

Bivi boots: these were not strictly necessary as the weather was very mild with a low of 12c. However, they are a bit of luxury in the tent. Mine are Needle Sports own fibre pile bivi boots. They may not be as warm or light as down but they have one big advantage: damp is not a problem. On Thursday night I spilt some tea on one of my socks (doh!). No problem, I put the bivi boots on, my feet were warm and within half an hour the sock was dry. At 160g, they are nice and light and are water resistant enough for short excursion outside the tent.

Lakeland Soup ‘n’ Sauce bags: these are really tough self seal bags and ideal as rubbish bags. I’m always concerned that normal plastic bags might burst, but there’s no chance with these.

MYOG camera case: I’m really proud of this one. It works perfectly. It’s easy to access the camera and there’s no fear of the camera getting damaged by a knock or getting wet. A stroke of genius.

Clip lock boxes: I know this is a bit controversial and some think it’s a bit over the top, but I like to keep my food in a plastic clip lock box. It just means that everything (apart from the freeze dry meals) is in one place and can’t get damaged etc. I use a second small one for little electronic bit and pieces as well.

Primus windshield: whoever thought of this is a genius. What can you say about it? It’s simple and it works. No wonder they sold out.

Outdoors Grub pouch cosy and plastic spoon: again, so simple but effective. It keeps your food warm until it’s hydrated and ready to eat. The spoon is the best I’ve used as well. The handle is the right length and the bowl is larger than other spoons I’ve used. Highly recommended.

Cup cosy and lid: the cosy may not be the neatest, but it keeps my tea warm until I’m ready to drink it. It also makes the cup fit perfectly inside my Snow Peak Solo cook set. For a lid I use a plastic top from a fruit salad container, which is slightly oversized. It keeps the drink hot and cost nothing (apart from the fruit salad, obviously!).

Some of my cooking bits and pieces