Januari 2014 | A space for recipes

Jumat, 31 Januari 2014

CR Gibson Bon Appetit Deluxe Kitchen Binder

CR Gibson Bon Appetit Deluxe Kitchen Binder

This deluxe recipe binder is sized to conveniently organize and store recipe cards, clippings, and print-outs. The refillable three-ring binder has pocket pages which each hold 2 5"×7" recipe cards, full-sheet protector pages for newspaper or magazine clippings, and a tie-clasp storage envelope for small items. The red faux leather cover has a cut-out with a raised plate/fork/knife/spoon.
Includes 12 PVC-free transparent pocket pages, 12 PVC-free sheet protectors, 24 5"×7" design-coordinating recipe cards, and 12 recipe dividers.
The binder is capable of holding approximately 60 pocket pages. Refill packs of 20 pocket pages and 40 recipe cards are sold separately.

Price: $32.00

Click here to buy from Amazon

Hong Shao Rou

Hong Shao Rou Red Braised Pork

Little known outside the Asian Community, Hong Shao Rou, (红烧肉) literally, red braised pork, is succulent morsels of pork belly simmered in an aromatic, rich soy-based broth until tender. I first experienced this dish in Macao, where the softened, anise-infused pork was nothing short of a revelation. Hong Shao Rou belongs to a class of very traditional Asian dishes known as red cooking, which employs a range of ingredients, including beef, chicken, vegetables and dou fu (See Fuscia Dunlops excellent red cooked recipes in her Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook).

Recently, the dish has gained some cache on the Mainland because it is known to be one of the late Chairman Maos favorite dishes, and according to an article in the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald, he considered it "brainfood." (see Malcom Moores article),

Since the unctuous pork belly has weaseled its way into the Western fine dining scene, Red Cooked Pork should find an enthusiastic audience in the U.S.; however, one will rarely see Hong Shao Rou offered at stateside Chinese restaurants. This is a bit baffling, since it is very easy to make, and irresistibly tasty.

2 lbs pork belly, lean and fat, skin on, cut into sections approx 4" x 4"

3 round Tab sugar

3 cups chicken stock, low sodium

2 - 2" x 1/4" pc cinnamon

2 star anise

2 cloves garlic, smashed

3 1" x 2" slices of ginger, skin on.

1/3 cup soy

1/4 cup Shao Xing wine or dry sherry

1 TAB dark soy

In enough water to just cover the pork, poach belly in simmering water (“cuan” 汆) for 4 minutes or so, then remove. When the pork has cooled enough to handle, cut into cubes appx. 1 1/2" x 2" and in two batches, brown in a hot wok or cast iron skillet with 3 or 4 Tab peanut oil or lard. Be careful, this entails lots of spattering…Remove and set aside. In the same pan, on med heat, add the sugar and stir until melted and beginning to caramelize. Add back in the pork belly pieces, and toss until coated and further browned with caramelized sugar.

Transfer the pork and residual oil/sugar mixture to a 3 -4 quart sand pot or sauce pan; add the chicken stock to cover pork pieces, cinnamon, star anise, garlic, ginger, light soy, wine, and dark soy. Bring to a gentle boil, and simmer for approximately 1 hour, until pork lean layers are tender but still moist. As soon as meat is done, remove meat and boil to reduce sauce. When liquid has reduced to desired consistency, turn off heat. Return pork belly to the pot and mix to coat; serve in sandpot or plate with garnish of cilantro and carrot or red pepper slivers

RASBERRY SHORTBREAD BARS

Everyone loves these raspberry bars, they have an ultra-buttery shortbread crust topped with cooked raspberries and a streusel topping.They are very sweet, buttery, tender AND they cut nicely...perfect for gift giving (these will definitely be in my cookie gift boxes this Christmas). Yes, you heard me correctly...it is never too early to start planning your holiday baking!!.

Raspberries grow well in Alaska, so if you are lucky enough to have some in the freezer, this is a wonderful recipe for them; Im not so lucky, so I used a 12 ounce bag of frozen raspberries.

Put the berries (no need to thaw) in a heavy saucepan with ¼ cup of water and one cup of white sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium high and simmer the berries until they thick (I turned mine down to a medium low heat and simmered them for about 15 minutes). Set aside to cool (they will thicken even more as they cool).

SHORTBREAD CRUST

21 tablespoons of butter, melted and cooled to room temp.

This seems like a lot of butter, but it makes an upper and lower crust

¾ cup of white sugar

2 large egg yolks

3 cups + 3 tablespoons all purpose flour

No need to use an electric mixer, I did it all with a wooden spoon. Mix the sugar into the melted butter and whisk in the egg yolks. Stir in the flour to make a very stiff dough. Remove two cups of this dough and pat evenly into a foil lined 9 x 13 pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or put in freezer for 7 minutes). Set the rest of the dough aside.

Bake the 9 x 13 chilled pan of dough, on the middle rack of your oven, for 20 minutes at 325.

After 20 minutes, the dough will still be very pale in color and will not have any golden color on the edges. Remove it from the oven and spread the cooled raspberry filling evenly over it.

To the reserved shortbread dough that you set aside, add ¼ cup of granulated sugar and use a fork to break up the dough into crumbs (I use my pastry cutter).

Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the raspberry layer. Bake on the TOP rack of a 350 oven for 25 minutes (mine took 32 minutes). Watch the crumbles towards the end of the baking time so they dont get dark.

Cool baked bars on a wire rack for at least an hour or until completely firm. You can speed set them in the fridge. When the bottom of the pan is completely cool, lift the bars out of the pan by pulling on the flap ends of the foil. Cut into 2" bars. These will keep at room temperature for a week.

NOTE: The butter measurement of 21 tablespoons is not a typing error

NOTE: Line your 9" x 13" baking pan with foil and leave the ends of the foil a little long, so you can use them as handles to lift the cooled bars out of the pan. You dont have to grease the bottom of the pan because theres so much butter in the shortbread, but DO spray the sides of the pan/foil with cooking spray so the jam doesnt stick to the sides.

NOTE: Pay attention to baking temperatures. The first crust pre-bake is on the middle rack at 325. The final bake is on the TOP rack at 350. The recipe says it is baked on the top rack so that the bottom of the crust doesnt get too dark.

NOTE: If you want to take a shortcut, I am fairly certain you can just use raspberry jam instead of cooking the berries. I have not tried it this way, but I dont know why it wouldnt work (although Im fairly certain that the cooked berries taste "brighter".

Kamis, 30 Januari 2014

Pasta chicken salad

Pasta chicken salad

Ingredients

Chicken breast 2 boiled cut in cubes
Macaroni boiled 2 cups
Capsicum 1 cut in tiny cubes
Sweet corn ½ cup
Tomatoes puree 3 tbsp
Ketchup 3 tbsp
Chili sauce 1 tbsp
Sugar 1 tbsp
Salt ½ tsp heaped
Cream 2 tbsp
Mayonnaise ½ cup

Method

Mix altogether. Serve over bed of salad leaves, serve chilled.

The Best Raw Flax Seeds Crackers Recipe

I started about 2 years ago learning about raw foods. These became my favorite snack crackers. I made with my favorite seeds and spices.
Flax seed is high in most of the B vitamins, magnesium, and manganese, but this little seed is just getting started. There are three additional nutrient groups which flax seed has in abundance, and each has many benefits.
Flax Seed is Rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Omega-3 fatty acids are a key force against inflammation in our bodies.
Flax Seed is High in Fiber: You’d be hard-pressed to find a food higher in fiber -- both soluble and insoluble -- than flax. This fiber is probably mainly responsible for the cholesterol-lowering effects of flax. Fiber in the diet also helps stabilize blood sugar, and, of course, promotes proper functioning of the intestines.
Flax Seed is High in Phytochemicals: Flax seed is high in phytochemicals, including many antioxidants. It is perhaps our best source of lignans, which convert in our intestines to substances that tend to balance female hormones.

For this recipe you will need a Dehydrator and Non-Stick Dehydrator Sheets.

Ingredients for main recipe:
2 cups golden flaxseeds
2 cups sunflower seeds
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup walnuts
Sea salt to taste
Dash of ground coriader
Dash of ground cumin
1/2 cup liquid aminos or soy sauce
1 large sweet onion
3 tablespoons cold-pressed olive oil
1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Fresh Basil leafs
Water enough to cover seeds

Recipe #2 :
1 cup flax seeds
1or 2 red bell peppers
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes (optional)
Juice of ½ lemon (optional)
1 clove of fresh garlic +/or ½ large onion, chopped
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup sliced almonds
Sea salt to taste
1/4 cup liquid aminos or soy sauce
1 or ½ tsp paprika
2 tablespoons cold-pressed olive oil
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Fresh Basil leafs
Dash of ground coriader
Dash of ground cumin
Water enough to cover seeds

Another recipe with carrots in the crackers.

There are 2 types of flax seeds brown and golden. I like the taste of golden flax seeds better.

Water has to be about ½ inch above the flax seeds.

Cut nuts into small pieces.

Soak all nuts for a few hours. Then pour the water out before mixing it with all the ingredients.

Cut onion into small pieces.

Cut basil and cilantro into small pieces. Or use a food possessor.

After about 1 hr flax seeds will be sticky.

Put all the ingredients in the bowl.

Add flax seeds and mix well

It will look like this.

Spread about 2 cups of the mixture to a ParraFlex sheet on a dehydrator tray thinly with a spatula until the mixture stands only a few millimetres tall.

Cut the size of crackers you’d like with a spatula before dehydrating.

Dehydrate around 115°F - 125°F for 3-4 hrs flip over once top side is dry.
Take off the non stick sheet.

Put back into the dehydrator for another 5-7 hrs or until crunchy enough.
Raw flaxseed crackers are an excellent snack on their own, or served with a salsa, guacamole, hummus or cream cheese.

The Friday Night Fish Fry

I’m not exactly sure how it became such a staple of Western New York’s regional cuisine, but every Friday night, all over this part of the Empire State, countless hundreds of restaurants feature what’s simply called a “fish fry.”

It’s a boneless fillet of haddock, usually dipped in some type of beer batter and served humbly with tartar sauce, fries, baked potato, or as you see here, mashed potatoes. I enjoyed this fine example at Countryside Family Restaurant, a few miles from my mom’s home, and it was awesome.

I really want to do a demo for this recipe, especially since I’ve had hundreds of requests for “fish and chips,” which I assume this is a direct descendant of, but to do it properly you really should use a nice big deep-fryer. I may get a turkey fryer in anticipation of the holiday season, and could break it in with this fabulous fish dish. If you have any “fish fry” memories, please feel free to share!

Spinach with Yogurt Yoğurtlu Ispanak

Most of my friends when we were kids ate spinach only because of Popeye. I did not. I ate spinach because my mom made delicious spinach and I never understood how spinach that comes out of a can could be tasty or powerful, especially without yogurt. Heres my moms recipe; almost her recipe, because I made a few moderations in years.

1 1/2 pound (app. 700 gr.) spinach, fresh or frozen - baby spinach would be good, too!
1 big onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 tbsp tomato or pepper paste (or half/half)
1/4 cup olive oil or for a tastier spinach 3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup rice, definitely white
1/3 cup milk or yogurt (milk helps with that weird taste on your teeth after eating spinach)
1 cup hot water
1/2 tsp (or as much as you want) black pepper
salt
pepper flakes

-Heat the oil in a pot and add onion and garlic. Stir for 10 minutes or until theyre cooked and add tomato/pepper paste. Stir on medium heat for an other 3-4 minutes.
-If its fresh, add spinach in small portions, not all at once, and stir for approximately 10-15 minutes until spinach changes into a darker green.
-Pour first milk or yogurt, cook for a minute or two, then water, and then salt-pepper duo.
-Add rice when it starts boiling
-Cook on low heat until rice is cooked (approximately for 30 minutes).
-Serve with yogurt. Spinach means nothing to me if I dont mix it with yogurt, yet again there are a lot of people who like it plain.

PS: To digress from the Turkish recipe towards an Indian touch, replace tomato/pepper paste with curry.

This recipe is for Weekend Herb Blogging which is founded and hosted by Kalyn of Kalyns Kitchen.

Rabu, 29 Januari 2014

Corn Kara Boondi

Boondi is a fried Rajasthani snack which is prepared from Besan or chickpea flour. Kara Boondi is a savory version of Boondi. This weekend I prepared boondi with a twist used corn and this does not need a special boondi ladle.

This snack is an easy and simple where corn is binded with besan and riceflour. I love corn and this snack is perfect to me!! I enjoy a lot. I used frozen corn so I didnt add any water when mixing. I learnt this recipe from my mom.

Ingredients:

Corn -1 cup

Besan – ½ cup

Rice flour – ¼ cup

Corn flour – ¼ cup

Baking Soda a pinch

Salt As Required

Jeera – ½ tsp

Red Chilli Powder As Required

Curry leaves – 10 leaves

Oil for deep frying

Preparation

In a pan add oil and fry curry leaves and keep aside.
In a mixing bowl take besan flour, rice flour, corn flour, baking soda, salt, jeera powder and red chilli powder.
Mix well without any lumps
Add corn to it and mix well till the flour’s bind properly to corn.
Make sure that corn is well covered with flour’s.
Now drop corn into oil and deep fry.

Remove and drain
Mix with salt, red chilli powder, fried curry leaves.
Corn Kara Boondi is Ready!!

Sending this to Bookmarked Recipes hosted by Priya, Any One Can Cook hosted by Umm Mymoonah

Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers and some Halloween fun!

This was a great simple recipe with lots of flavor. I think stuffed bell peppers are fun, and luckily my kids thought so too! This recipe has a lot of great southwestern flavors - cilantro, jalapeno, tomatoes, chili powder, etc. These are meatless, but you could easily add some cooked ground beef or turkey to the mix if you prefer. I fancied these up a bit this week by carving little jack-o-lantern faces in a few. They were a hit! Happy Halloween!!

Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers

4 large or 6 medium bell peppers (any color is fine)

2 1/2 c. cooked brown rice or quinoa

2 T. olive oil

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 - 1 jalapeno, minced (you could also sub 4 oz. can green chiles)

1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 c. frozen corn kernels

2 green onions, sliced

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. salt, more to taste

1/4 tsp. black pepper, more to taste

1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes

1/4 c. shredded cheese, for topping (whatever you like)

1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare bell peppers by washing them, slicing tops off and removing seeds and membranes. Either boil them in a large pot of water for 3-4 minutes, or microwave them on high for 2-4 minutes, until they begin to soften.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, garlic, and jalapeno, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add corn, black beans, green onions, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Stir until corn and beans are heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in rice, diced tomatoes, and cilantro until well incorporated. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Place peppers in a baking dish. Scoop an equal amount of the the mixture into each pepper. If there is some leftover, just pack it around the peppers in the dish. Top with cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Source: Adapted slightly from Our Best Bites

CHICKEN WITH WALNUT

CHICKEN WITH WALNUT

Ingredients:

Chicken Breasts 4
Bread crumbs 1 cup
Egg whites 2
Crushed black pepper 1 tsp
Soya sauce 1 tbsp
White vinegar 1 tbsp
Flour 1 cup
Salt to taste
Walnuts ½ cup
Oil 2-3 tbsp
Salad ½ bunch
Cucumbers 2

Method:

Hammer the chicken breasts and then add in 1 tbsp white vinegar and some salt. Marinate it for some time. Add in 1 cup bread crumbs, ½ cup chopped walnuts, 2 tbsp flour, 1 cup corn flour and 1 tspcrushed black pepper in a mixing bowl. Dust the chicken in the dry mixture, dip it in two egg whites and then again cover it with the dry mixture. Heat the frying pan or grill pan and grease it and cook the chicken on a low flame. Cook it from both the side till they are golden brown. Serve it with chili garlic sauce.

HOME MADE PANKO CRUMBS

Panko (breading) crumbs are the absolute best for many, many recipes. I recently used them to turn "ho-hum" shrimp into "Wow, these are GREAT" shrimp. Ive heard of people using Panko in meatloaf and meatballs (I havent tried that yet) as well as a ton of other recipes.

My biggest problem with panko bread crumbs is that they can be expensive AND they are NOT something I routinely keep in my pantry. Thats why I was thrilled to make this discovery!!

Panko bread crumbs are different from standard bread crumbs because they are a made from SHREDDED bread, not bread crumbs. With that in mind, I FROZE 4 slices of regular (cheap) sandwich bread. I then cut the crusts off and cut the resulting "squares" of sandwich bread in half. I then stacked them up and fed them through the SHREDDER in my food processor. This is what they looked like:

They were light and fluffy, just like
commercial Panko crumbs!!

I then sprinkled them evenly over a dry cookie sheet, gently spreading them as thin as I could and baked them in a pre-heated 300° oven for about 10 minutes. Actually, they were dry in 8 minutes, but I let them stay in their for a couple more minutes to be sure. Just dont let them turn color.

This "recipe" will make about 1½ cups of crumbs, so if you double the recipe, make sure you bake it on two cookie sheets so the crumbs can spread out and dry properly.

Im thinking of making whole wheat panko crumbs next!!

Selasa, 28 Januari 2014

Chili chili sandwich

Chili chili sandwich

Ingredients

Chicken (boneless) ½ kg (4 breast boneless cut in thin strips)
Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
Salt 1 tsp
Red chili (crushed) 1 tsp
Lemon juice 1 tbsp
Oil 2 tbsp
Chili garlic sauce 1 tsp
Onion (chopped) 2 tbsp
Ketchup 3 tbsp
Hot dog buns 4
Capsicum 1 thinly sliced
Curry powder 1 tsp
Butter as required
Mayonnaise as required

Method:

Marinate chicken with 1 tsp garlic paste; 1 tsp crushed red chili, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp, 1 tbsp lemon juice. Leave for ½ an hour.Heat 2 tbsp oil in a fry pan, add onion, sauté for a minute, and add garlic paste along with marinated chicken.
Fry for 5 minutes till the chicken is tender. Add ketchup, chili garlic sauce, curry powder and capsicum.Cook for 2-3 minutes and remove.
Cut the hot dog buns lengthwise. Spread butter on one half followed by the mayonnaise.Spread the chicken filling lavishly, cover with the other bun and serve immediately

Adana Style Stuffed Eggplants and Zucchinis Adana Usulü Patlıcan ve Kabak Dolması

Years ago, my mom went to Adana--one of the "kebap" capitals of Turkey--to visit her cousins. In stead of kebap, she brought back this eggplant + zucchini dolma recipe. In Adana, they usually use sundried eggplants and zucchinis; however, in the northwestern part of Turkey its not easy to sundry vegetables as it is in the southeastern part, so we modified the recipe by replacing sundried vegetables with fresh ones.

With the following ingredients I stuffed 12 big dolmas (6 eggplants + 6 zucchinis). If youre not planning to stuff so many of them, use half of it.

6 small eggplants (as seen in the picture)
2 huge zucchinis (I cut each in three equal pieces)

for stuffing:
1/2 pound ground meat
2 cups of white rice (never use basmati rice)
3 onions, chopped
2-3 tomatoes, grated or 1 can of diced tomato
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1 bunch dill, chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped or 1/3 cup dried mint flakes
1 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt

for the sauce:
8 cloves of garlic, minced
6 tbsp olive oil or butter
2 tbsp dried mint flakes
2 tbsp hot pepper paste
1 tsp or more pepper flakes

juice of two lemons

-In a big bowl mix well all the ingredients for the stuffing
-For the eggplants: cut the tops off, peel them in striped pattern, and carve them with a potato peeler or a spoon. After carving, put the eggplants in a bowl filled with salty water to prevent darkening. Make a little cut at the bottom or on the side of eggplants and zucchinis with a knife so that they can cook thoroughly
-For the zucchinis: I picked 2 huge zucchinis to make carving easier. The zucchinis were from farmers market and organic, so I did not peel them. I cut them into three equal pieces and carved them with a potato peeler and it was very easy. In the end they looked like weird coffee mugs
-Stuff the eggplants and zucchinis with the stuffing and place them in a big wide pot facing up. Add water to the pot. It shouldnt cover the dolmas; the water level should be 1 or 1 1/2 inches below the top

-Cover and cook on low to medium heat (boiling vigorously would crack the dolmas) for 40 -45 minutes
-In a skillet heat the oil and stir in garlic. After a a couple of minutes add the paste and mint flakes. Stir for another 1-2 minutes. Pour in lemon juice, stir, and turn offthe heat
-Pour the sauce on dolmas with a spoon at the end of 45-minute cooking and cook for another 10-15 minutes.

4 Delicious crackers spread recipes for your next party

When it comes to entertaining friends and family at various get-togethers going that I every year host...I like prepare recipe s just for the delicious taste. Just like my party guests I have my party to enjoy and not 2 or 3 days to spend all of the food. With that said the 4 recipe-s super easy to prepare and make great appetizer spreads, served with a variety of your favorite crackers.

Three of these 4 crackers spread serve to allow you the flavors infuse recipe-s for a few hours before, must be refrigerated. The fourth recipe is warm fresh best served out of the oven.

To spread green pepper crackers recipe

2 large eggs, beaten

1 Tablespoon butter, soft

2 TABLESPOONS granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons white vinegar

1 (8 Ounce) block cream cheese, soft

1 green pepper, chopped

A bath Pan combine the eggs, butter, granulated sugar and vinegar and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the burner cool and then to let pour mixture into a mixing bowl. Stir in the softened cream cheese and chopped green pepper and stir until well to the other ingredients in are mixed. Covering Bowl and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving.

Artichoke cracker spread spread recipe

1 (16 Ounce) can artichoke

1 Cup low - fat mayonnaise

1 Cup of grated Parmesan cheese

1 Teaspoon garlic powder

Artichokes, flush drain and then cut in the quarter-finals. Combine sliced artichokes in a medium mixing bowl, mayonnaise, parmesan cheese and garlic powder until mixture is creamy. Spread mixture into the bottom of a 9 "Round Cake Pan and bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 35 minutes or until the top is lightly browned." Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. If Left-Overs, cool you immediately in an airtight container.

To spread cream cheese cracker recipe

1 (8 Ounce) block cream cheese, soft

1 Cup walnuts, removed from shell and crushed

1 to 1 1/2 cups plump raisins

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese softened pieces and the raisins with a rubber spatula crushed walnut, to combine all three ingredients. Serve refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours before.

Cheesy spinach crackers recipe to spread

2 Boxes frozen chopped spinach

2 Cups low - fat mayonnaise

1/2 Cup onion, finely chopped

1 (8 Ounce) bag cheddar cheese, shredded

Remove spinach from freezer 30 minutes before preparation. Once it has thawed, rinse, drain the water way and place it in a medium size mixing bowl type. Stir in the low - fat mayonnaise, chopped onions and cheddar cheese. Cover the bowl and serve in the refrigerator for 2 hours before.

Shelly Hill life in Pennsylvania, cooking, baking and hosting parties is a mother and grandmother for your friends and family members. Shelly is the owner of the popular foodie blog called shakin n Bakhin in the kitchen at http://wahmshelly.blogspot.com find free party ideas, cooking tips and free recipes.

Hassleback Potatoes

This is such and easy and elegant looking side dish. Its a great alternative to a baked potato or roasted potatoes. Try adding some chopped herbs of your choice for a little pop of color.

Hasselback Potatoes

Adapted from Sunny Anderson on The Food Network.

Ingredients:

Yukon Gold Potatoes

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt, pepper and garlic powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Using a wooden spoon as a cradle, place each potato in the spoon and make several parallel slits into each potato top making sure not to slice completely through. Toss in a medium bowl with olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and garlic. Bake until tops are crispy and potatoes are cooked through, about 1 hour.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

Senin, 27 Januari 2014

Coconut Drops coconut cake Kókostoppar og kókoskaka

Coconut drops
These little drop cookies are more like sweets that cookies, especially if you dip them in melted chocolate. This recipe makes about 20-25 cookies.

2 eggs
150 g sugar
225 g desiccated coconut

Whip together the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Fold in the desiccated coconut. Drop by the teaspoonful on a greased cookie sheet, and bake at 200°C until light golden brown (approx 10-12 minutes). Serve as is, or dip the bottom half of cooled cookies in melted chocolate.

Coconut cake
This cake is delicious by itself (especially when made with chocolate chips), or you can layer it with jam/jelly and decorate with whipped cream.

200 g margarine or butter
200 g sugar
2 eggs
200 g flour
180 g dessicated coconut
1 tsp baking powder
chocolate chips to taste (optional)

Beat together softened margarine and sugar, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one and mix well. Mix together flour, coconut and baking powder, and chocolate chips (if using). Add to sugar-egg-margarine mixture. Dough will be very thick. Spread into 3 round cake tins and bake at 180°C, until done (coconut will take on a light golden colour).
Layer with fruit jam or preserved fruit and cream.

Good Morning America!

How my big break on ABC’s morning show turned into tips for applying mascara!

I received an email from ABC’s Good Morning America asking permission to use my Tandoori Chicken clip for a feature they were doing on YouTube’s “How to” channel on Thursday. Wow, I was so excited! This was going to be my big break. I called the contact person at ABC and told her they had permission to use whatever they wanted. She said she had seen the site and really liked it and thanked me for my cooperation.

Well, I was driving my mom to an appointment, so I wasn’t able to see it live, but I had friends and relatives taping it for me. This was going to be great!! I rushed home to watch the segment, which was also posted on the GMA website. Needless to say I wasn’t exactly the star of the show. First, George Stephanopoulos introduced the segment as “Beauty Secrets on YouTube.” Hmmm, that’s not a good start. Then, Deborah Roberts, who did the feature, went on to show all these great beauty tip channels on YT. Hey, where’s Foodwishes??

Finally, near the end of the segment, George asked her about other helpful info available on the site. She said that there were also cooking tips, among other things…OK, here we go!! This must be where they’re going to talk about my recipes, and channel, and amazing food blog. Ahhh, not exactly. They basically showed a 2 second, long distance shot of the page on YT where my Tandoori Chicken was the featured recipe. And just like that it was over. Oh well, at least I saw a great tip on thickening my eye lashes.

If you want to watch the clip, here is the link. I shall be contacting them soon asking (begging) for a feature on the “Chefs of YouTube.” All kidding aside, I appreciate them showing my recipe, if only for a few seconds, and hopefully they will listen to my pitch for an in-depth foodie feature. Stay tuned!

CHICKEN AND VEGEATBLE CURRY

CHICKEN AND VEGEATBLE CURRY

Ingredients:

Chicken ½ kg
Potatoes 2
Carrots 2
Capsicums 2
Onions 2
Green chilies 4
Crushed black pepper 1 tsp
Red chilies 4
Yogurt ½ cup
Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Margarine 1 tsp
Oil 2 tbsp

Method:

Take 2 tbsp oil in the pan and add in 2 chopped onions fry till it is golden brown. Take out the onion and put it in ½ cup yogurt. Grind it. Add in ½ kg chicken pieces, salt and 1 tbsp chopped ginger garlic paste in it. When the water of the chicken dries add in yogurt, onion, 1 tsp crushed black pepper, 4 green chilies and 4 red chilies. cook it. Then add in 2 boiled potatoes. Add in 1 tsp margarine sauté potatoes and carrots. Add in chicken and simmer it at a slow flame. Vegetables with chicken curry would be ready in 10 minutes to serve.

Chicken Lasagna

Chicken Lasagna

Ingredients for filling

Boneless chicken ½ kg cut into ½ inch cubes
Onion 2 tbsp chopped
Capsicum 1 sliced
Garlic paste 1 tsp
Salt 1 tsp
Black pepper powder 1tsp
Mushrooms 2tbsp thinly sliced
Flour 1 tbsp
Fresh cream 4 tbsp
Oregano leaves 1tbsp
Oil 3 tbsp
Lasagna strips boiled 6
Cheddar cheese ½ cup
Parmesan cheese 1 tbsp

Ingredients for cheese sauce

Butter 3tbsp
Flour 2 tbsp heaped
Milk 1½ cup
Cream ½ cup
Water ½ cup
Salt ½ tsp
White pepper ½ tsp
Grated cheddar cheese 4tbsp

Ingredients for tomato sauce:

Oil 1 tbsp
Onion 2 tbsp chopped
Garlic ½ tsp
Tomato paste ½ cup
Salt ½ tsp
Crushed red Pepper ½ tsp
Oregano leaves ½ tsp
Sugar 1 tbsp
Orange color pinch

Method for filling

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till they turn soft.Add garlic paste with chicken and fry for 2 minutes.Add flour with salt and pepper, oregano leaves, mushrooms ,cream and half cup water. Stir continuously and cook till the sauce thickens .

Method for tomato sauce:

Heat oil in a separate pan. Add the onions and fry for 2 minutes. Then add garlic paste along with the tomato paste and cook until the mixture begins to sizzle.Add half cup water and cook till the tomato sauce thickens.

To assemble:

Grease rectangular dish ,spread 3 lasagna strips then spoon half of the chicken filling followed by half of the cheese sauce and half of the tomato sauce .Repeat layers of lasagna strips, chicken and sauces.Top the lasagna with grated cheese and grill for ten minutes.

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