The long waited for post.

Hello everyone! So terribly sorry for the lack of updates. It has been an incredibly hectic return from my vacation...not a single minute of downtime. Now, finally I have the time to sit down and write out all the fantastic summer recipes I've gathered! So this post is going to be a long one :)
In any case, today is a beautiful day and I am so happy to be relaxing. I am however going away another trip next week; I will have the means to update my blog while on vacation, but probably will not have the time to do so... it's quite an eventful trip I have planned. So, please bare with me because once I get back I will have the time to update every day again! And I will bring back loads of delicious new recipes or at least fun stories.
Now, let's get to the main part-the recipes.

Summer is a season of out door activities, BBQs, pools, and cocktails. I have gathered up some delicious new rubs, marinades, and plenty of foods that will be sure to receive many praises from your friends and family.

First on the list is the Gazpacho, this sassy appetizer is sure to bring a punch of summer flavour to any meal.

Summer Gazpacho:

Ingredients:
1  English cucumber
4  tomatoes, quartered
Half  sweet green pepper, coarsely chopped
Half  red onion, cut into wedges
2.5 cups  low-sodium vegetable cocktail
1  small hot pepper, seeded and minced
2  cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons  red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon  hot pepper sauce
Half teaspoon  each salt and pepper
Fresh chives and parsley (optional)

Method:

1. Cut the cucumber in half crosswise; chop 1 half and set aside. Scoop soft core out of the remaining half; chop coarsely and set aside.
2. In a food processor, in 3 batches, pulse chopped cucumber, tomatoes, green pepper, onion and vegetable cocktail until slightly chunky. 
3. Transfer to a bowl. Add hot pepper, garlic, vinegar, hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper. 
4. Pour into chilled glasses. Garnish with reserved chopped cucumber, chives and parsley (if desired). 

**You can skip out on the hot sauce or the hot pepper if you don't really enjoy spicy foods**

Now, time for the BBQ marinade recipes! 

Tandoori Yogurt Marinade:
Really mellow with exotic spices gives a kick of Indian flavor to lamb or chicken.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup 2% plain yogurt
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsbp grated fresh ginger
1tbsp garam masala
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper

Method:
In a bowl whisk together yogurt and all the spices.

Lemon-Herb and Garlic Marinade:
A fantastic flavor- perfect for seafood. But be sure to not let the delicate fish or seafood stand in the marinade for any longer than 30 minutes, otherwise the acid will start to "cook" the fish.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tbsp each chopped fresh thyme and fresh oregano
4 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp each salt and pepper

Method:
In a small bowl combine all the ingredients and whisk together until well blended.

Apple Cider and Shallot Marinade:
This marinade is perfect for pork. If you can't find apple cider you can use apple juice. This marinade also works well with ribs and turkey.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup apple cider
2tbsp apple cider vinegar
4 shallots, sliced
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp whole allspice
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Method:
In a small bowl whisk together all ingredients until combined.

And now we are getting closer to the last part of this entry, just after the spice rubs! These are a sure fire way to spice up any BBQ meat.

The Spice Rub (universal rub for any meat):
This simple all-purpose rub is great fora  last-minute flavor boost.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp packed brown sugar
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Method: Mix all together and keep in a cool dry place and airtight container. Can stand for up to 3 months.

Caribbean Seasoning:
This seasoning is phenomenal on mild-flavoured fish or chicken. Add a squeeze of lime juice just before serving to bring out all the flavor.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp dried thyme
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Method: Mix all together and keep in a cool dry place and airtight container. Can stand for up to 3 months.

The basting sauces, the last but most important part of all cooking.

Honey Ginger Basting Sauce
Perfect for wings, ribs, or salmon.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp veg oil
6 shallots, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup liquid honey
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes
2 tsp cornstarch

Method:
In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; cook shallots, garlic and ginger, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and golden, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the hoisin sauce, honey, 1/4 cup water, vinegar, sesame oil, and hot pepper flakes; bring to boil. Boil until thickened slightly, 2-3 minutes.
Whisk cornstarch with 1/4 cup water, whisk into sauce and simmer until thickened...about 1 minute.
Then use as basting sauce for you dish.

Sweet Smoky Tomato Basting Sauce:
This sauce mellows out quite a bit when used as a basting sauce. However, used as a side sauce on the table it packs a lot of flavor.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp veg oil
1 small onion, minced
1 cup bottled strained tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 tbsp apple cider or water
3 tbsp cider vinegar
3 tbsp fancy molasses
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
1 tbsp adobo sauce
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp liquid smoke (it's a bottled product most grocery stores carry)

Method:
In a small saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; cook onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 3 minutes.
Add strained tomatoes, tomato paste, apple cider, vinegar, molasses, chipotle peppers, brown sugar, adobo sauce, mustard and liquid smoke; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until thickened...about 15 minutes.
Transfer to food processor; puree until smooth.


Bitter mood makes bitter food. So fucking smile! :D


P.s. No pictures this time because it is quite a long post. Sorry!

Eastern Marinade

Well I finally found my routine again! So hello everyone! Today is a good day because I get to do absolutely nothing :) haha!
I am going to share with you one of the recipes that I learnt on my trip! It's super simple and super versatile...its just awesome on all spectrums!
Here it is..

Eastern Marinade Veggies

Ingredients:

Eggplant

Tomato

Cabbage

Sweet peppers

Celery

Carrots

*Any mix of vegetables you like*

Marinade: Must be hot when pouring over the veggies!

1 L water

2 tablespoons sugar 

1 tablespoon salt

Black pepper corns, cloves, bay leaf 

Garlic (whole cloves-about 5-8 or how ever strong you want the garlic flavour to be)

Dill

Method:

1. Place the washed and sliced vegetables in a canning jar, pour hot marinade over the vegetables. Let stand until completely cooled. 

2. When cooled, cover with the canning lid and place in the fridge at least over night

I hope you like this recipe as much as I did!


Bitter mood makes bitter food, so fucking smile! :D

Ciao for now!

First post after vacation

Hello everyone! I'm finally back in town...I had a phenomenal vacation and frankly I didn't want to come back, but who does right? In any case I would love to present to you all a wonderful dish that I had my first night back in town. I will upload more recipes from my travels in a couple days, enjoy!

Lobster Ravioli

Ingredients:
2 C. Lobster meat, cooked and chopped
1/4 C. Ricotta cheese (Fat free)
3 Oz. Goats milk cheese
1/3 C. Pine nuts, toasted and chopped
1.5 Tbs. Parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tbs. Scallions, minced
1 Tsp. Parsley, minced
1 Tsp. Dill, minced
1/2 Tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 Tsp. Tabasco
Dash of salt
1 Pkg. Wonton wrappers

Preparation:

1. Place all ingredients except for wonton wrappers in a bowl. Mix by hand until well combined. Place a layer of waxed paper (or non-stick aluminum foil) on counter to use as your work surface. 
2. Place one wrapper on work surface and place one rounded tablespoon of filling on center of wonton. 
3. Take a second wonton wrapper and brush one side with water. Place watered side down over filling making sure to line up wrappers. 
4. Seal edges all the way to the filling, removing as much air as possible. At this point you can leave as is, or take a round biscuit cutter (I use a small mouth mason jar lid) to cut edges away and make rounded ravioli.. 
5. Place completed ravioli on another sheet of waxed paper. Bring a 6 quarts of water to boil. 
6. Place ravioli in water and allow to boil gently for 9 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon. 
7. Can be served with a basic Marinara, or cream sauce, but be careful of overpowering the flavors of the ravioli. Vodka marinara sauce works great with this dish! 

Bitter mood makes bitter food! So fucking smile! :D


Ciao for now!

My pre-vacation post

Well this is my last blog post for the next 3-4 weeks. I am going on vacation to visit some family very far away...I wish I could use their internet but unfortunately it sucks out there. So please do stick around and come back in a few weeks to read on more recipes, I will have some great ones for you  once I'm back! For now enjoy these:

Lamb with Smashed Veggies- Jamie Oliver style:  

Ingredients:

for the lamb
• 500g lovely greens, such as white cabbage, Savoy cabbage, Brussels tops or cavolo nero, leaves separated, stalks finely sliced
• a large bunch of fresh rosemary
• 1 x 2kg shoulder of lamb
• olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bulb of garlic, unpeeled, broken into cloves

for the smashed veg
• 750g peeled potatoes, cut into large chunks
• 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into small chunks
• ½ a large swede, peeled and cut into small chunks
• 75g butter

for the sauce
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 500ml good-quality hot chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 heaped tablespoons capers, soaked, drained and chopped
• a large bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Method:

1. In this recipe I’m going to show you how utterly incredible a slow-roasted shoulder of lamb can be. In exchange I’d like you to buy quality local lamb that’s had the appropriate amount of hanging time. I’m going to let the meat speak for itself and not add much to it, just a simple sauce made from all the goodness in the tray. You can make this at any time of year served with any seasonal veg.
2. Preheat your oven to full whack. Slash the fat side of the lamb all over with a sharp knife. Lay half the sprigs of rosemary and half the garlic cloves on the bottom of a high-sided roasting tray, rub the lamb all over with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place it in the tray on top of the rosemary and garlic, and put the rest of the rosemary and garlic on top of the lamb. Tightly cover the tray with tinfoil and place in the oven. Turn the oven down immediately to 170°C/325°F/gas 3 and cook for 4 hours – it’s done if you can pull the meat apart easily with two forks.
3. When the lamb is nearly cooked, put your potatoes, carrots and swede into a large pot of boiling salted water and boil hard for 20 minutes or so until you can slide a knife into the swede easily. Drain and allow to steam dry, then smash them up in the pan with most of the butter. If you prefer a smooth texture, add some cooking water. Spoon into a bowl, cover with tinfoil and keep warm over a pan of simmering water.
4. Remove the lamb from the oven and place it on a chopping board. Cover it with tinfoil, then a tea towel, and leave it to rest. Put a large pan of salted water on to boil for your greens. Pour away most of the fat from the roasting tray, discarding any bits of rosemary stalk. Put the tray on the hob and mix in the flour. Add the stock, stirring and scraping all the sticky goodness off the bottom of the tray. You won’t need gallons of gravy, just a couple of flavorsome spoonfuls each. Add the capers, turn the heat down and simmer for a few minutes.
5. Finely chop the mint and add it to the sauce with the red wine vinegar at the last minute then pour into a jug. Add your greens and stalks to the pan of fast-boiling salted water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes to just soften them. Drain and toss with a knob of butter and a pinch of salt and pepper. Place everything in the middle of the table, and shred the lamb in front of your guests. Absolutely delish!

Mediterranean Stuffed Eggplant:

Ingredients:

2 eggplants
1 cup minced onion
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 stalk celery (minced)
14 cup sunflower seed
2 12 tbsps olive oil
2 12 cups brown rice (cooked)
1 12 tsps mint (dried or fresh)
1 lemon juice
14 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
salt
pepper
crumbles (feta to taste)

Method:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. Cut eggplants in half lengthwise and bake, facedown on oiled tray for 20-25 minutes.
3. While eggplant bakes: Heat olive oil in medium saucepan, saute onion, garlic, celery and sunflower seeds. Saute until onions are soft and transparent.
4. combine remaining ingredients in medium bowl and add onion mixture.
5. Remove eggplant from oven and scoop out a hole from each half. Add insides to rice mixture.
6. Scoop mixture into hole in eggplant halves and serve.

Greek Rice Pilaf:

Ingredients:

1 onion (chopped about 1 12 cups)
2 tbsps olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 tbsp mint (dried)
18 tsp black pepper (ground)
4 cups spinach (fresh, chopped)
3 tbsps fresh lemon juice
4 cups rice (cooked)
1 cup green peas (fresh or frozen)
2 tbsps fresh dill (chopped)
1 cup feta cheese (crumbled)

Method:

1. In a heavy skillet, saute the onions in oil on medium heat until they begin to soften.
2. Add the garlic, mint and pepper and saute for 2 more minutes.
3. Stir in the spinach, lemon juice, rice and green peas.
4. Add the dill.
5. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. When the spinach is limp and the rice is hot, top with the feta and serve immediately.

Pineapple Dessert:

Ingredients:

2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Filling
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
dash salt
1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple with juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Method:

1. Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla; beat until foamy. Gradually add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition, Beat until stiff and glossy. 
2. Spread on bottom and sides of buttered 9-inch pie pan. Bake at 275° for 1 hour. 
3. Cool away from drafts.
4. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually stir in crushed pineapple, lemon juice, and butter. 
5. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Gradually add a little of the hot pineapple mixture to eggs, then return egg mixture back to hot mixture in saucepan. 
6. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Refrigerate and chill until cold. 
7. Fold into whipped cream. Pour into meringue shell. 
8. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Bitter mood makes bitter food! So fucking smile! :D

Ciao for now!

P.s. I will be back with some outstanding recipes in a few weeks; check in and see what's new late May! 

Oh nom nom

I always order Udon soup when I go out for Japanese food, and as does my friend. It's delicious. He suggested that I share a recipe for this soup with my readers, I thought it was a wonderful Idea. So here it is!  :)

Ultimate Udon Soup:

Ingredients for Dashi:

4 1/2 C water
1/4 C loosely packed kezurikatsuo (shaved bonito flakes)
3″ piece of dried dashi kombu (optional)

Ingredients for Udon:

200g dry udon or 300g fresh Udon
4 C dashi
2 Tbs oyster sauce
1 Tbs mirin
2 tsp sugar
salt to taste
2 scallions cut on the bias
4 slices of naruto or kamaboko cut on the bias (Japanese fishcake, one with a pink spiral)


Method:

1. For the dashi, bring the water to a boil in a pot. Once it boils, turn the heat down to maintain a gentle simmer (boiling makes the stock cloudy). Put the kezurikatsuo into a disposable tea bag, or wrap it in cheese cloth and tie the top. Drop the satchel in the water along with the kombu if you are using it. You can also just put the kezurikatsuo straight into the water and strain it when the stock is done. Let this steep for about 15 minutes, then discard the tea bag, or strain the stock into another pot and discard the solids.
2. Boil a large pot of water and boil the udon for the length of time specified on the package. Make sure the noodles are al dente as they will be sitting in a bowl of hot broth and you don’t want them to go soggy before you’re done eating them. When they’re done, rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking.
3. To finish it all off, put the dashi, oyster sauce, mirin and sugar into a pot and heat until it comes to a simmer. Taste it and add salt if you feel like it needs more. Add the noodles to heat through, then divide them into two bowls. Top with scallions and naruto then pour the broth over everything. For a little extra color and kick, you can serve this with shichimi togarashi (Japanese 7 spice chili flakes).

Bitter mood makes bitter food! So fucking smile! :D

Ciao for now! 

Clouds of Joy

Fantastic, fluffy, soft, and sweet marshmallows. Without any additives and just infinitely better than store bought. These are little clouds of happiness from our childhood that will always make us grin like a kid when we take eat them. Enjoy being a kid again! 

Fluffy Homemade Marshmallows:

Ingredients:

1 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting
2 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 1/4 cups water, divided
4 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Directions:

1. Dust a 9x9 inch square dish generously with confectioners' sugar.
2. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together white sugar, corn syrup and 3/4 cup water. Heat to 250 to 265 degrees F (121 to 129 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a rigid ball.
3. While syrup is heating, place remaining water in a metal bowl and sprinkle gelatin over the surface. Place bowl over simmering water until gelatin has dissolved completely. Keep in a warm place until syrup has come to temperature. Remove syrup from heat and whisk gelatin mixture into hot syrup. Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites to soft peaks. Continue to beat, pouring syrup mixture into egg whites in a thin stream, until the egg whites are very stiff. Stir in vanilla. Spread evenly in prepared pan and let rest 8 hours or overnight before cutting.

Bitter mood makes bitter food! So fucking smile! :D

Ciao for now!

Not your traditional Nanaimo bars!

OMG! This recipe bellow will blow your mind. No further talk...just ...make these. 

White Chocolate and Pecan Nanaimo Bars:

Ingredients:

White Chocolate and Pecan Nanaimo Bars

1/3 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces

6 ounces white chocolate, chopped

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup pecan pieces

peanut butter icing

melted white chocolate topping

melted unsweetened chocolate topping

Directions:

1. White Chocolate and Pecan Nanaimo Bars
2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment.
3. Over a pot of simmering water start to melt butter. Add white chocolate and stir until melted. Allow to cool to room temperature.
4. In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip eggs until creamy. Add sugar and vanilla and continue to whip until pale and thick. Reduce speed to medium and add cooled, melted white chocolate.
5. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt and stir into egg mixture, by hand. Stir in pecan pieces and spoon into prepared pan. Bake 45 minutes.
6. When cooled make peanut butter icing: put 1 tablespoon soft butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla, ¼ cup peanut butter and 1/8 cup skim milk in mixing bowl and cream together. Add 1 cup confectioner's sugar and mix until thick and creamy. Ice Brownies and chill.
7. When chilled melt 150g white chocolate with 1 tablespoon butter and 100 g unsweetened chocolate with 1 teaspoon butter (separately!). Cover chilled peanut butter icing with layer of white chocolate and chill, then cover white chocolate with melted unsweetened chocolate. Chill. Cut and serve when top layer of chocolate has hardened.

Bitter mood makes bitter food! So fucking smile! :D

Ciao for now!