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

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 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.

(via gastrogirl)

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 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!

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, 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.

(Source: stronghealthyconfidence, via sanctanimity)

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 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!!

Strawberry Margaritas

Found an awesome recipe for Strawberry Margaritas. Simple and it looks amazing. I decided to change it up a bit for how I would make it because I’m not a huge fan of tequila because of the strong taste. You can find the original recipe here: Strawberry Margaritas 

You’ll need:

• 2 Cups of Frozen Strawberries
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 Cup of Water
• 2 Tbsp Vodka
• 2 juiced limes
• Ice
• Fresh punnet of Strawberries

1. Combine the frozen strawberries, sugar and water in a small pot and place it on medium heat. Bring the concoction to a simmer and continue cooking on low heat for approx. 30 minutes until the strawberries break down and the mixture is left thick. Remove the mixture from the stove and pour it into a container to refrigerate until nicely chilled.

2. Once the mix is chilled, add about 1/3 cup of the strawberry syrup into a cocktail shaker (however much you want according to your own tastes). Chuck in the vodka now too along with the lime juice and ice.

3. Shake the mix well and pour into glasses and rim them with sugar and serve with fresh strawberries.

Enjoy guys!

Salami and Olives on Crackers

Since I love salami I always try and find new ways I can eat it as a snack and this is one way I always love. So simple and do delicious. Just get your favorite crackers, add a very fine slice of salami on it and top it off with juicy green olives.

This snack is tasty and healthy too!

Watermelon and Kiwi Sparkling Wine Sorbet

Here are two different types of sorbet I found. My Mum’s visiting Auckland soon so I thought I’d gather a few sorbet recipes/dessert recipes seeing as she loves that kind of stuff. No doubt you guys will too!

For the Watermelon Sorbet, you’ll need:

• 1 1/2 cups Sparkling Wine (also known as Proseco)
• A tiny bit more than 1/4 cup of Agave Nectar
• 2 cups of fresh Watermelon juice - you can drain it through a sieve if wanted
• 3 Basil leaves - cut or whole

1. Mix the sparkling wine and agave nectar in a saucepan and heat on medium heat until it comes to a boil and stir for 2-3 minutes. Leave it to cool for a few minutes.

2. Once the mix is cooled, add the watermelon juice and basil leaves and give it a good stir. Now either place it in the freezer for a few hours (2-3) and pour the mix into an ice cream maker or place it in the freezer and stir every 30 minutes. Similar to my Vanilla Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe

For the Kiwifruit Sorbet you’ll need:

• 2 cups sparkling wine
• A bit more than a 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 2 cups of fresh Kiwifruit juice - again it’s optional to run it through a sieve

Combine the sparkling wine and agave nectar in a saucepan once again and heat it over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Again stir for 2-3 minutes and then let cool.

Now add the kiwifruit juice and the remaining steps are the same as the watermelon sorbet instructions.

(via gastrogirl)

Spicy Pepperoni Pizza Dip

I’m aware the presentation is a bit weak so next time I’ll try make it better but it still tasted amazing!

Recipe is in my previous post about this dish: Pizza Dip

Snow White dessert at Sushi Room

- Small vanilla ice cream scoops wrapped in Mochi, served covered in Strawberry and Chocolate Coffee Sauce and Macha powder

Grape and Champagne Sorbet

This is a must make!

You’ll need:

• 550g black seedless grapes (Well I guess you can do with seeds but the seeds do taste pretty bad)
•  1 glass of champagne 
• 1/2 Cup Sugar

1. Place the grapes, champagne and sugar in a saucepan and place it on medium heat. Wait for it to boil then let the mix simmer on low heat for around 10 minutes. During this time the skins of the grapes should be floating off.

2. Now drain the mix with a sieve and then press all the grapes with a spoon or fork to so all the juice inside is squeezed out.

3. At this point, you can either leave the mixture to cool in the fridge and then pour into an ice cream maker if you have one

or

You can place the mix directly into the freezer and take it out for a stir every 30 minutes. Similar to my recipe of making Vanilla Strawberry Ice Cream

Now you can serve! 

Pizza Dip

Found this recipe a while back. I might give this a go this week. Will post pictures once I make it.

For 8 to 10 servings

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 cup pizza sauce
• 2 ounces sliced pepperoni
• 2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
• 2 tablespoons sliced black olives

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Spread the cream cheese over the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Top with ½ cup of the shredded mozzarella and ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese.

3. Spread the pizza sauce on top of the cheeses, and then top with the remaining ½ cup of mozzarella cheese and ½ cup of Parmesan cheese.

4. Top with pepperoni slices, chopped green pepper and sliced black olives.

5. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve with toasted baguette slices.

(Source: foodopia)