The other night while having a SYTYCD marathon, we did a potluck dinner at Janine's house. I brought grilled vegetables and a crab appetizer and Janine made chili salmon and a zesty mint limeade. I can't tell what was better: the show or the food!
The potato salad was just right for a hot summer's night and the dill and lemon just added that lift that a boring potato salad is always desperately in need of. The mint limeade was a little tart but a perfect non-alcoholic accompaniment to a summer's night dinner.
Here's the recipe for the zesty lemon potato salad (thanks Victoria!)
Ingredients:
600g of fingerling potatoes (sliced),
50g shredded rocket (arugula) leaves
Dressing:
2 tbsp chopped preserved lemon rind,
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard,
1/2 cup whole egg mayonnaise,
2 tbsp lemon juice,
sea salt and cracked pepper.
Place the potatoes in a saucepan of boiling water and cook until tender (usually about 8 minutes). Drain and rinse under running water. toss the potato with the rocket.
To make the dressing, place the preserved lemon rind, mustard, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk to combine. to serve pour the dressing over the potatoes and rocket and toss gently. serves 4.
Note: we dropped the arugula from the recipe (thank God) because I find the green a little too bitter for my liking.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Monday, October 12, 2009
Meatball Bonanza!
When Sacha and Kat had their baby Lukas, two years ago, I had the privilege of going to the baby shower at Diana's house. She had these AMAZING meatballs that I just couldn't get enough of. Here's her recipe share:
1 cube vegetable bouillon
1 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups ketchup
2 tbsp worcestershire
1 tsp dried mustard
1 tsp dried onion flakes
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 squeezed lemon
1/2 cup honey
4 cloves garlic
1 bag of italian meatballs from M&M meatshop
Mix the bouillon and water together. Then mix all ingredients and boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
She served it in a slowcooker, which always makes me think that you have to slow cook this recipe, when in fact it's actually super simple and super fast. I have made it twice now (both times, served in a slow cooker for ease of transport) and have always received compliments! Thanks Di.
1 cube vegetable bouillon
1 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups ketchup
2 tbsp worcestershire
1 tsp dried mustard
1 tsp dried onion flakes
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 squeezed lemon
1/2 cup honey
4 cloves garlic
1 bag of italian meatballs from M&M meatshop
Mix the bouillon and water together. Then mix all ingredients and boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
She served it in a slowcooker, which always makes me think that you have to slow cook this recipe, when in fact it's actually super simple and super fast. I have made it twice now (both times, served in a slow cooker for ease of transport) and have always received compliments! Thanks Di.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Cranberry Bonanza
Nica worked an event a couple weeks ago where some guy had a cranberry stand. At the end of the night, he decided it was too much of a hassle to take all the cranberries back so all the techs took a box home. Nica, bless his Chinese-influenced-soul, decided to take 2 boxes. I don't know why because I never ever cook with cranberries and these were honking huge boxes. I gave one to my sister and the other to work for all to take for Thanksgiving. I did keep a few, since all my colleagues started coming up with cranberry recipes. Here's one that I tried:
Cranberry Orange Loaf
By The Canadian Living Test Kitchen
33 people added this to their Recipe Box
Tested Till Perfect
The combination of cranberry and orange makes this loaf from food writer Carol Ferguson absolutely delicious.
Servings: 1 loave, 16 slices
Ingredients:
1 orange
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1 cup (250 mL) chopped cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup (50 mL) butter, melted
Preparation:
Grate rind from orange. Squeeze juice into liquid measure; add enough water to make 3/4 cup (175 mL). Set aside.
In large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and orange rind; stir in cranberries. In small bowl, whisk together egg, butter and orange juice; stir into flour mixture just until blended. Spread in greased 9- x 5-inch (2 L) loaf pan.
Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes; turn out onto rack and let cool completely. Wrap and let stand for 12 hours before slicing. (Make-ahead: Store at room temperature for up to 2 days or overwrap with heavy-duty foil and freeze for up to 2 weeks.)
I made this recipe for my family Thanksgiving dinner and it was a little bread-y but it was nice and moist and not too bad! It was a little crumbly though. Would definitely try it again and maybe add another egg to try and bind it better.
Cranberry Orange Loaf
By The Canadian Living Test Kitchen
33 people added this to their Recipe Box
Tested Till Perfect
The combination of cranberry and orange makes this loaf from food writer Carol Ferguson absolutely delicious.
Servings: 1 loave, 16 slices
Ingredients:
1 orange
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1 cup (250 mL) chopped cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup (50 mL) butter, melted
Preparation:
Grate rind from orange. Squeeze juice into liquid measure; add enough water to make 3/4 cup (175 mL). Set aside.
In large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and orange rind; stir in cranberries. In small bowl, whisk together egg, butter and orange juice; stir into flour mixture just until blended. Spread in greased 9- x 5-inch (2 L) loaf pan.
Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes; turn out onto rack and let cool completely. Wrap and let stand for 12 hours before slicing. (Make-ahead: Store at room temperature for up to 2 days or overwrap with heavy-duty foil and freeze for up to 2 weeks.)
I made this recipe for my family Thanksgiving dinner and it was a little bread-y but it was nice and moist and not too bad! It was a little crumbly though. Would definitely try it again and maybe add another egg to try and bind it better.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Broccoli Salad Recipe
For the Love of Bacon! My sister gave me this recipe today after dining at her house and enjoying her broccoli salad. It has bacon so of course it's yummy-licious. She says she's had lots of requests for the recipe and I can taste why!
Fresh Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
* 2 heads fresh broccoli
* 1 red onion
* 1/2 pound bacon
* 3/4 cup raisins
* 3/4 cup sliced almonds/cashews
* 1 cup mayonnaise
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Directions
1. Place bacon in a deep skillet and cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Cool and crumble.
2. Cut the broccoli into bite-size pieces and cut the onion into thin bite-size slices. Combine and mix with the bacon, raisins, almonds and cashews.
3. To prepare the dressing, mix the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar together until smooth. Stir into the salad, let chill and serve.
Can't wait to try this out myself and will have 'Beano' on hand due to the raw broccoli. ha ha!
Update June 4, 2010:
Well, I tried making this and I followed it exactly as the recipe stated except I only used slivered almonds. The result? WAYYYY too sweet! I would totally cut back on the sugar next time. changing the rating from 9 out of 10 to 7 out of 10. Although when Jen makes it, it's definitely a 9.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Cooking website
After months and months of wanting a pasta maker, I finally bought one last week. I'll put a separate review of my experience with that.
In preparation for my first pasta-making experience the geek in me decided I would try and learn how to do it online first. I ended up stumbling upon this website:
http://rouxbe.com/?l=t
TOTALLY awesome instructional videos with lots of different 'how-to's'. I only browsed through it as a guest but they have everything!!! What's great is that they actually show you both what you should look for and what you shouldn't. Most places only show you what you should see, so you never know if you've done something wrong.
Maybe one day I'll buy the full subscription but for now I'm satisfied with all the free videos that they offer.
In preparation for my first pasta-making experience the geek in me decided I would try and learn how to do it online first. I ended up stumbling upon this website:
http://rouxbe.com/?l=t
TOTALLY awesome instructional videos with lots of different 'how-to's'. I only browsed through it as a guest but they have everything!!! What's great is that they actually show you both what you should look for and what you shouldn't. Most places only show you what you should see, so you never know if you've done something wrong.
Maybe one day I'll buy the full subscription but for now I'm satisfied with all the free videos that they offer.
Thai Food: Mango sticky rice
Who says Men can't cook?
Again, another male colleague of mine, Will, said that he and his girlfriend took this cooking class when they were in Thailand. They made a few dishes and one of them was this (according to him) and easy one called Mango Sticky rice. He says it tastes pretty good, as you would have it in a restaurant. I've never had it ever so it would be a complete first for me.
I copied the recipe from him because I was suppose to go to a Thai-themed dinner party at my friend Ali's, but she had a cranky baby that day so cancelled it. My loss but I figure I can still try this recipe out one day. Here's the recipe from Will's Thai Cook book:
For rice:
1 cup glutinous (sticky) rice
1/2 cup thick coconut cream
4 tablespoons white sugar (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt.
Topping sauce:
4 tablespoons thick coconut cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1 tablespoon corn flour dissolved in 4 tablespoons of cold water (my guess is corn flour is the same as corn starch)
Accompaniments:
1 large ripe sweet mango
1 teaspoon deep fried mung bean seeds or tasted sesame seeds.
Directions:
1. Make the rice in a rice cooker.
2. Mix the sauce ingredients together and combine with the cooked rice.
3. Make the topping by mixing the salt, sugar, coconut cream and corn flour mixture in saucepan and heating on medium until the sauce thickens
4. Peel mango and slice into 12 pieces discarding the stone. Arrange on plates with the rice and dribble sauce on top and then sprinkle with seeds.
Again, another male colleague of mine, Will, said that he and his girlfriend took this cooking class when they were in Thailand. They made a few dishes and one of them was this (according to him) and easy one called Mango Sticky rice. He says it tastes pretty good, as you would have it in a restaurant. I've never had it ever so it would be a complete first for me.
I copied the recipe from him because I was suppose to go to a Thai-themed dinner party at my friend Ali's, but she had a cranky baby that day so cancelled it. My loss but I figure I can still try this recipe out one day. Here's the recipe from Will's Thai Cook book:
For rice:
1 cup glutinous (sticky) rice
1/2 cup thick coconut cream
4 tablespoons white sugar (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt.
Topping sauce:
4 tablespoons thick coconut cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1 tablespoon corn flour dissolved in 4 tablespoons of cold water (my guess is corn flour is the same as corn starch)
Accompaniments:
1 large ripe sweet mango
1 teaspoon deep fried mung bean seeds or tasted sesame seeds.
Directions:
1. Make the rice in a rice cooker.
2. Mix the sauce ingredients together and combine with the cooked rice.
3. Make the topping by mixing the salt, sugar, coconut cream and corn flour mixture in saucepan and heating on medium until the sauce thickens
4. Peel mango and slice into 12 pieces discarding the stone. Arrange on plates with the rice and dribble sauce on top and then sprinkle with seeds.
Show me dem Mussels!
About a week and a half ago, Nica and I took this one-day French cooking course at this place called "Cookshop" in City Square. All Summer long they had 2 for 1 classes so for the two of us, it only cost $99. http://www.cookshop.ca/store/
So essentially what happens is that you're in the class with a bunch of other people. There's a demonstration area at the front of the class, and a series of tables in front of that. Each table has a portable stovestop on it, with the ingredients for whatever dish you're going to make. In our class, we were going to learn how to make 7 different dishes from the French Brittany region. I initially thought that we were going to make all 7 ourselves (just Nica and I) but I learnt that each couple would prepare one of the dishes, and then we'd all share together at the end of it.
It was a bit of a gong show. The chef was good in coming around to each one of our tables and showing us the cooking technique for our own dish. Sometimes he'd call everyone over to watch what he was doing but since you were cooking for everyone, you didn't want to abandon your station and ruin the food. So I did miss a few demonstrations. I didn't leave with the comfort of knowing how to cook the other dishes so I probably wouldn't do a participation class again.
My review aside, we have put to use some of the recipes he gave us. Last night we enjoyed the Steamed mussels with White Wine, Shallot and Parsley. In the class my friends Janine and Cam made this. They said it was super simple so we thought we could give it a try too. I picked up a bag of mussels from Costco and had enough to make this dish twice: once for ourselves and again last night with another couple, Flo and Scott.
Here's the recipe:
4 1/2 pounds of mussels, scrubbed with the beard removed
1 1/2 ounces butter
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1/2 chopped celery stalk
2 garlic cloves
1 2/3 cup white wine
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Discard any mussels that are open already and don't close when tapped on the work surface. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and cook the shallots, celery and garlic, stirring occasionally, over moderate heat until the onion is softened but not browned.
Add the wine, bay leaf and thyme to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the mussels, cover the saucepan tightly and simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Use tongs to lift out the mussels as they open, putting them into a warm dish. Throw away any mussels that haven't opened after 3 minutes.
Strain the liquid through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan, leaving behind any grit or sand. Bring to a boil again for 2 minutes. Add the cream and reheat the sauce without boiling. Season well. Serve the mussels in individual bowls with liquid poured over. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with plenty of bread.
My notes: Both times we made the mussels I forgot to buy the celery and thyme so we did it without. Also we used half-and-half cream instead of cream. The first time it separated when we added it to the broth because it was boiling and we added the cream too quickly. Plus we used our Gustav Adolf Schmitt as the wine which was far too sweet. The second time we used a Pinot Gris by Coppermoon and Nica let the broth cool a bit before adding the cream slowly as he stirred. It was a 100 times better the second time and Flo gave it a great review.
My changes for next time? I don't think I'll buy mussels from Costco again. And I'll probably use celery and fresh thyme to see if it makes a big difference.
So essentially what happens is that you're in the class with a bunch of other people. There's a demonstration area at the front of the class, and a series of tables in front of that. Each table has a portable stovestop on it, with the ingredients for whatever dish you're going to make. In our class, we were going to learn how to make 7 different dishes from the French Brittany region. I initially thought that we were going to make all 7 ourselves (just Nica and I) but I learnt that each couple would prepare one of the dishes, and then we'd all share together at the end of it.
It was a bit of a gong show. The chef was good in coming around to each one of our tables and showing us the cooking technique for our own dish. Sometimes he'd call everyone over to watch what he was doing but since you were cooking for everyone, you didn't want to abandon your station and ruin the food. So I did miss a few demonstrations. I didn't leave with the comfort of knowing how to cook the other dishes so I probably wouldn't do a participation class again.
My review aside, we have put to use some of the recipes he gave us. Last night we enjoyed the Steamed mussels with White Wine, Shallot and Parsley. In the class my friends Janine and Cam made this. They said it was super simple so we thought we could give it a try too. I picked up a bag of mussels from Costco and had enough to make this dish twice: once for ourselves and again last night with another couple, Flo and Scott.
Here's the recipe:
4 1/2 pounds of mussels, scrubbed with the beard removed
1 1/2 ounces butter
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1/2 chopped celery stalk
2 garlic cloves
1 2/3 cup white wine
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Discard any mussels that are open already and don't close when tapped on the work surface. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and cook the shallots, celery and garlic, stirring occasionally, over moderate heat until the onion is softened but not browned.
Add the wine, bay leaf and thyme to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the mussels, cover the saucepan tightly and simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Use tongs to lift out the mussels as they open, putting them into a warm dish. Throw away any mussels that haven't opened after 3 minutes.
Strain the liquid through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan, leaving behind any grit or sand. Bring to a boil again for 2 minutes. Add the cream and reheat the sauce without boiling. Season well. Serve the mussels in individual bowls with liquid poured over. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with plenty of bread.
My notes: Both times we made the mussels I forgot to buy the celery and thyme so we did it without. Also we used half-and-half cream instead of cream. The first time it separated when we added it to the broth because it was boiling and we added the cream too quickly. Plus we used our Gustav Adolf Schmitt as the wine which was far too sweet. The second time we used a Pinot Gris by Coppermoon and Nica let the broth cool a bit before adding the cream slowly as he stirred. It was a 100 times better the second time and Flo gave it a great review.
My changes for next time? I don't think I'll buy mussels from Costco again. And I'll probably use celery and fresh thyme to see if it makes a big difference.
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