Lilac Wine

Gonna be trying a few new recipes this year and this is...

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 18:31:00 +1300

Gonna be trying a few new recipes this year and this is definitely on the list!! I’ve changed the recipe up a bit to fit my own tastes. The original was more vegan and had some stuff like crushed corn chips which I’m not a huge fan of

Sweet Potato Soup
serves 1-2

1 cup mashed sweet potato (from a baked sweet potato - all sticky and sweet)
1/2 cup+ Chicken Broth (or substitute vegetable broth) — add more to thin out to desired consistency

1/2 cup soy milk*, original or plain or unsweetened flavors
*ordinary milk will work too

5 strips of lean bacon

Add to taste (you can actually add anything to your preference):
* chilli powder
* salt or chicken salt works nicely (3 pinches)
* paprika powder r (1/2 tsp)
* ground black pepper

Garnish:
1/4 cup diced avocado
2-3 bread crumbs crushed
dash of seasoned chili salt
A generous amount of coriander always adds some nice flavour

lower sodium note: salt is very important for this recipe! It brings out all the flavors of the sweet potato base! If you need to go light on sodium, however, give lime or apple cider vinegar a try to perk things up..

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Bake your sweet potato until tender.
3. Remove potato skin, add to blender along with the broth and non-dairy milk. Blend on low until smooth. Taste a drop to see that it is slightly bland at this point. 4. Head the soup mixture up in a saucepan and when ready add the salt and spices to taste.
5. Serve with garnish or avocado and bread crumbs over top.

Pumpkin or Butternut Squash Version: You can use the same recipe, subbing out the sweet potato. You may need less liquid to thin out this version of soup. You will need more salt since the pumpkin and squash are both very bland on their own.

Perfect description of the person sitting beside me =/

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 18:16:47 +1300

Perfect description of the person sitting beside me =/

I’ve had quite a few potatoes sitting in my fridge for a...

Sun, 16 Dec 2012 13:13:59 +1300

I’ve had quite a few potatoes sitting in my fridge for a while now that really need to be cooked so this is what I’ll be making tonight ^^

Grilled Potato Skins

Ingredients

4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed

8 ounces bacon, chopped fine

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup minced fresh scallions

1/2 cup sour cream

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Procedures

Light a chimney 3/4 full of charcoal. While the charcoal is lighting, thoroughly prick the potatoes with a fork. Microwave the potatoes on high for 8 minutes, turning them over after 4 minutes.

When the charcoal is fully lit and covered in gray ash, pour the coals out and arrange them on either side of the charcoal grate, keeping the middle empty. Transfer the potatoes to grill, placing them in the middle of the grill, not over the coals, cover, and cook until a paring knife glides easily through the flesh, about 20 minutes. Remove from the grill, slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and let cool.

While the potatoes are on the grill, cook the bacon in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate and set aside.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, use a spoon to scoop out and discard the flesh, leaving and 1/4-inch layer of potato on the inside of each skin. Brush the potatoes inside and out with the melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Move the potatoes back to the middle of the grill, cover, and let cook until they’re light golden brown and crisp, about 7 minutes.

Sprinkle the potato skins evenly with the cheddar cheese and bacon, cover, and continue to cook until the cheese is bubbly, about 7 minutes more. Remove from the grill, let cool for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with scallions and dollop with sour cream and serve.

I really miss my husky. Sometimes I wonder if she had a good...

Sun, 16 Dec 2012 13:10:50 +1300

I really miss my husky. Sometimes I wonder if she had a good life with the family my dad sold her to and if she’s still alive…

My cutie pie

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 23:42:30 +1200

My cutie pie

Photo

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 22:59:57 +1200

Lost

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 04:55:17 +1200

I don’t know how to pull myself back up out of this slump I’ve fallen into. I can’t stop these gloomy feelings. I’ve forgotten how to laugh and smile. That feeling that you’ve been abandoned, I just can’t shake it.

Beef Pasta I love Italian food and a personal favourite of both...

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 00:47:00 +1300

Beef Pasta

I love Italian food and a personal favourite of both mine and Sean’s is the beef pasta I make. I always make it on a lazy day because it’s so simple yet so delicious and healthy at the same time.

Premium Beef
1 Capsicum - I sometimes use 2
Chillies or Chilly powder - Either will work fine
Penne Pasta
Coriander
Salt
Cooking Wine
1/4 Cup Water
Pasta Sauce - I use Leggo’s Bolognese Sauce in Tomato, Garlic and Herbs flavour
Garlic
Tomato

1. First off, slice however much beef you’re using into thin slices. How much meat you want depends on how much meat you usually eat. I don’t eat a lot of meat so I only use 1/4-1/2 a packet of beef. You want thin slices so the flavor sinks in easily. Marinate in cooking win and salt and leave on the side while you prepare the other ingredients.

2. Now for the capsicum, push the stem in and rip the whole thing in half. Pull out the core and give the inside a rinse to wash away the seeds. Slice up each half vertically into thin pieces and cut those pieces in half. You can chuck these into a pot now you’re done with them.

Cut a tomato in half and I usually only use half of the tomato and slice it up into triangular slices and add them to the pot.

3. Next dice up some garlic and cut up some coriander. I usually use around 3 big garlic cloves and 4 coriander stems including the leaves.

4. Fill a pot up with half a packet of penne pasta and fill with water until the water level is 2cm above the pasta.

5. Now that everything is done, chuck all the other ingredients (beef, capsicum, tomato, spices etc.) into a pot and add in 1/4 cup of water and add in a teaspoon of chilly powder or dice up a single red chilly and add that in. Let it all cook for around 5 minutes then add in half a jar of pasta sauce and continue cooking on medium heat until it comes to a boil. Once it boils, let it simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes.

When your pasta is done, drain it and to serve, first pour some sauce into a plate and serve the pasta on top of the sauce, then top it with the rest of the sauce and meat. This way, the sauce mixes in easier with the pasta.

Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Nutella 7 oz. (1 2/3 c.) hazelnuts, toasted...

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:55:59 +1300

Dark Chocolate Nutella

7 oz. (1 2/3 c.) hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
9 oz. dark chocolate
1, 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
A pinch of sea salt (Not necessary)
Evaporated milk - Room temperature

1. Once your hazelnuts have been toasted, skinned, and cooled, toss them in your food processor and process them until they turn into a paste that resembles peanut butter. This will take a while, and may require you to stop and scrape the sides of your bowl a time or two.

2. While that’s all being taken care of, melt your chocolate in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until smooth and shiny. Add to that your sweetened condensed milk and sea salt, if desired, and mix thoroughly. Then mix in your hazelnut butter.

3. At this point, the mixture will be quite thick. That’s where the evaporated milk comes in. Stir in milk, a little at a time until you get the consistency you like, then add a bit more, because it will thicken more as it cools. Use about 12 oz. can of evaporated milk.

4. While it’s still warm, pour into airtight containers. Once cool, you should store it in the fridge and remove it a couple of minutes before you want to spread it so it has a chance to soften up.

Found the recipe here

Enjoy guys!

Portobello, Broccoli, and Red Pepper Melts Great recipe for when...

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 10:01:13 +1300

Portobello, Broccoli, and Red Pepper Melts

Great recipe for when you have guests over, simple too!

Serves 4

1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 portobello mushrooms, stems removed and sliced 1/2-inch thick
2 red bell peppers, ribs and seeds removed and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 small garlic clove, minced
4 thick slices country bread
4 ounces Gouda cheese, thinly sliced

Move oven rack 4-inches away from upper heating element and preheat broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and toss broccoli with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Broil, tossing once, until broccoli begins to char slightly, 4-6 minutes.

Add mushrooms and peppers to pan and season with salt and pepper, tossing to combine. Broil, tossing once or twice, until vegetables are tender, 8-10 minutes. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Spread mayonnaise mixture on bread sliced. Top with vegetables and cheese. Place on baking sheet and broil until cheese is melted and lightly browned, 2-4 minutes. Serve immediately.

Salami, Olives and Chilli Garlic Cheese I find that if you...

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 14:11:34 +1300

Salami, Olives and Chilli Garlic Cheese

I find that if you don’t like the extremely strong taste olives have, a good way to neutralize it is to eat it with some cheese. Since cheese has more of a creamy taste rather than salty or strong, olives compliment it perfectly.
I usually buy this gourmet cheese that’s Chilli, Garlic and Herbs flavour and it’s absolutely delicious. I don’t actually like plain cheese so this one has a bit more flavour and a bit of a punch with the spice.

Try this snack out sometime =]
Enjoy!

Just-Like-Panda-Express Orange Chicken I always run out of ways...

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 22:29:08 +1300

Just-Like-Panda-Express Orange Chicken

I always run out of ways to cook chicken and this seems like a lovely way.

1 1/2 lbs (680 grams) chicken breast
3 well beaten eggs
2 Tbsp milk
1 cup Cornstarch
Salt & Pepper

1. Slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces and dip the chicken pieces in egg mixture, coat in cornstarch, then dip it again in egg mixture. What’s really important here is the order as doing so creates a tempura-like batter.

2. Fry in oil heated over a medium or medium-high stove, until lightly browned on both sides. Remove and allow to cool on a paper towel before transferring to a baking sheet. To bake, make sure chicken pieces are in a single layer on baking sheet, coat with orange sauce and bake according to directions below.

Orange Sauce
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. catsup
1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. orange juice concentrate
2 T. white vinegar
1 T. dried chives
1 T. red pepper flakes
1 T. sliced almonds

1. In a medium saucepan, combine soy sauce, catsup, honey, orange juice concentrate, chives and red pepper flakes. Stir together over medium heat and bring just to a boil.

2. Drizzle sauce over fried chicken. Bake in an oven preheated to 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, stirring often to coat the chicken with the glaze. Remove from oven when glaze is no longer puddled around the chicken, it should be sticky and fully coating the chicken.

3. Garnish with chives or chopped scallions, red pepper flakes, orange zest, and sliced almonds. Serve immediately over sticky rice.

An alternative to this recipe is instead of using orange concentrate you can use lemon. I personally prefer lemon chicken since I think it as distinctive taste.

Enjoy!

Weekend Wine Frothy This recipe looks amazing. Although I find...

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 22:13:46 +1300

Weekend Wine Frothy

This recipe looks amazing. Although I find it funny how I never drink anymore and yet love searching up cocktail recipes.

1. Wine - white, rose or red. Sparkling is okay too, but be careful of the fizz when blending
2. Frozen fruit
3. Frozen Juice Ice Cubes - You can also use ginger ale or coconut water ice cubes
4. Fresh banana - The banana adds a creamy frothiness, similar to how bartenders like to use egg whites. Only the banana is much healthier and tastier in my opinion
5. Optional ingredients can include spices (ginger or cayenne) herbs (mint) sweeteners (maple syrup) and other accents like lemon juice or zest.

Give a frothy a try and have fun creating flavor combos. Try..

Mint Grapefruit Juice Chardonney
Blueberry Pinot
Spicy Ginger Frozen Peach Rose
Apple Lemon White
Raspberry Cabernet

Tropical Ginger Pineapple Frothy

8 ounces white wine
1/2 cup frozen pineapple
1/2 banana
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp maple syrup
1 cup ginger ale ice cubes

Have fun experimenting with these choices. I know I will!

The Nutrition of Peaches I found this beautiful picture and I...

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:20:14 +1300

The Nutrition of Peaches

I found this beautiful picture and I thought I might reblog but with some facts about the nutrition of peaches.

Back in the day, peach pits were often used for medication by the Chinese. The Chinese also had a saying “longevity peach”, believing that eating peaches would extend your life.

This delicious fruit is a good source of many vitamins and minerals and potassium. Potassium is where the Chinese were right, Potassium does indeed help extend your life. Peaches are a high source for the mineral and it has been discovered that a shortage of potassium will lead to fatigue, anxiety, muscle weakness, skin problems, poor memory, hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia, congestive heart failure or heart deterioration and vibration in ears.

Another health benefit is the quality o beta-carotene peaches contain. The body changes beta-carotene into Vitamin A, an essential in bodily functions. Recent study shows that people with higher amounts of Vitamin A in their diet had less risk of developing cataracts.

The succulent fruit also contain lycopene and lutein, both carotenes. These two substances can help prevent macular degeneration, cancer and heart disease.

Peaches are also high in fiber, containing two types of fiber. Insoluble fiber and soluble fiber. Insoluble fiber is heart healthy because it collects water and increases the bulk of the stool. Your stool then acts like little scrubbers along the intestines and removes the build up of waste. This helps prevent colon cancer. Cleansing the intestinal wall also increases the amount of nutrients your body can absorb and rids the body of toxicity. Insoluble fiber also helps to lower cholesterol levels.

Peaches, just like oranges are also high in vitamin C. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps fight cancer by improving the immune system and preventing cellular change.

So if you’re feeling like a snack next time, instead of reaching for crisps, try munch away on a peach. You’ll feel lifted and won’t crave sugar and best of all you get these boosts without adding any extra calories.

Mint Strawberry Iced Tea Just something really simple to make...

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:31:27 +1300

Mint Strawberry Iced Tea

Just something really simple to make for a nice refreshing drink at home. I usually stick to water at home but on days when I don’t feel like water I tend to drink tea or juice. Something I really love is strawberry tea and I love fresh strawberry tea. So this recipe will take no time at all and all you need is:

Mint leaves
1/3 Cup of Sugar
Fresh punnet of Strawberries
Ice
Water

It’s so simple I’m not even going to bother writing steps. All you need to do is fill a pot up with water and pour your sugar into it. Place on the stove at medium heat.

While that’s heating up, slice up your strawberries. Don’t slice them too thick or too thin. After 5 minutes of heating up the water and sugar, place your strawberries into the pot and let it heat up in the water. By now the sugar should have dissolved into the water, yum yum! Rip up some mint leaves and throw them in as well.

Let the yummy mix come to a boil and quickly remove the pot from the stove. Pour into a jug or whatever container you want to keep the tea in and let it cool before placing in the refrigerator to chill. Keep in mind that if you’re using a plastic container, don’t pour the tea in until it’s cooled or you risk your container melting.

Serve with ice when the tea’s chilled and ready to drink!

Enjoy!

Mango and Watermelon CocktailI’m a huge fan of fruity...

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 02:29:00 +1300

Mango and Watermelon Cocktail

I’m a huge fan of fruity cocktails and I don’t know about most people but I prefer it when I can’t taste the alcohol. I have nothing against alcohol but I just don’t fancy the taste of it very much. Back a few years my mother took a course in cocktail making though I was always more of a bucket cocktail maker, I just used whatever I thought would taste nice together instead of making traditional cocktails.

So this cocktail is my own creation (It probably won’t turn out looking like the picture but it’s the closest I could find). The recipe makes plenty for a big jug.

1 Carton of Mango juice or cordial - I prefer a strong and nice tasting mango juice
1 Mango
1/4 of a Watermelon - Or a half if you’re feeling greedy
1/4 cup of Sugar
1 lime
1/4 cup of Water
1/4 cup of Vodka

1. Start off by dicing the mango and watermelon into small pieces and either juice it up in a blender or if you’re feeling like more of a chunky thick cocktail you can mash it all up with a fork.

2. Mix together the mango and watermelon juice along with the whole carton of mango juice, water and add in 2 tablespoons of sugar. Pour the mix into a pot and add in plenty of lime slices. Bring to a boil and let it simmer on medium heat for around 10 minutes. This will help the lime flavor really set into the drink.

3. Now remove the mix from the stove and pour into a big glass jug. Remember to remove the lime slices. If you want a smooth drink, sift it through a sieve while pouring into the jug. Leave it to cool before placing it into the refrigerator to chill. Before placing it into the fridge however, add in some fresh lime slices.

4. Once the concoction is chilled, pour the amount you want into a cocktail shaker along with the vodka and shake until well mixed.

5. Crush some ice up (make sure it’s crushed very well) and scoop a generous amount into a glass. Finally, pour the shaken cocktail into the glass, over the ice and serve.

You can also rim the glass with sugar if desired. Or if you’re feeling fancy, cut some watermelon slices and place them on the rim of the glasses.

Enjoy!!

Notions & Notations of a Novice Cook: Making Roasted Peppers in Oil

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 02:03:24 +1300

Notions & Notations of a Novice Cook: Making Roasted Peppers in Oil:

peegaw:

Nothing big, I had time to kill so this is just something I decided to make when I saw that I had a couple of peppers and chili in the fridge that I’ve forgotten about. Oh and also with some basil leaves that I left out (and forgotten about) that dried up quite beautifully.

Wonderful idea.

I hope you don't think I'm rude D:, but your strawberry things are macarons, people often get confused but macaroons are these things baked with shredded coconut, flour and some condensed milk D:, sorry if I seemed rude..

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 01:58:14 +1300

Good eye ;)
Wasn’t rude at all
Thanks for correcting my mistake

Strawberry MacaronsI did some digging and found a recipe for...

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 00:54:00 +1300

Strawberry Macarons

I did some digging and found a recipe for some delicious Strawberry Macarons. I’m actually not a huge fan of Macarons, I more like looking at them… but I am a huge fan of strawberry.

Anyhow you’ll want:

1 Cup Almond Flour
1 Cup confectioner’s sugar - Normal sugar is fine in my opinion
2 egg whites - leave them in an open container overnight in the fridge or 2-3 hours at room temperature before using
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1-2 Tbsp of strawberry essence
1-2 drops pink food coloring - Natural would be best

1. So you can use a food processor, blender or just your mighty strong arms to mix together the almond flour, confectioner’s sugar. Do note that if you’re using a food processor or blender it will come out finely ground and much smoother than if you’re using your strength. A way you could make it more finely ground if not using any electronic equipment is to crush the ingredients up very well first before mixing.
Now sift the mixture around 4 times.

2. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they foam. Again something electronic would make it considerably easier.

Gradually add the granulated sugar little by little until all the sugar is dissolved. Keep beating the egg whites until it’s thick and glossy. Then stir in the strawberry essence and food coloring.

3. Add in about half of the almond mixture to the egg white mixture. Start stirring as you add in more of the almond mixture until you get a thick, glossy, grainy mixture.

When you tilt the bowl, the mixture should slowly slide down the sides or when scooped up, the mixture It should fall in a thick ribbon that holds its shape on the surface of the mixture for a second or two, and then slowly “melts” back into the bowl.

4. Grab a pasty bag fitted with a round tip and fill with the mixture, and pipe 1 inch circles, 2 centimeters apart on lined baking trays.

Allow the macarons to set a bit at room temperature for 2-3 hours. This is the most important part in order to achieve a smooth top and ruffled bottom.

5. Set your oven to 250°C and bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Keep checking because you don’t want them to turn brown.

6. When they’re done, let them cool completely on the baking sheets. Gently twist each cookie half to release it from the baking sheet. Fill cookies with strawberry cream or anything else to your preference.

Strawberry and Cream Pancakes Another good way to eat your...

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 19:32:25 +1300

Strawberry and Cream Pancakes

Another good way to eat your pancakes, with cream, strawberries and mint leaves on top!