Cooking recipes
Thursday, May 22, 2014
TRICK or TREAT !!
I recently came across this great trick or treat idea through an old friend who found it on feeling crafty.org It obviously doesnt need "instructions" or a "recipe" but I just thought it was so clever and I wanted to share it.

Read More..
I can see a big bowl of these ready for
trick-or-treaters on Halloween!!

Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast for Dinner!

There are only three chapters in this book, you go straight into the Main Dishes after a page of introduction and a double page about ingredients called Getting Started. Many of the recipes also have variations listed as More to try.
Main Dishes includes: Steak Eggs Benedict, Italian Style Stuffed French Toast, Egg & Chorizo Burritos, Cornflake-Crusted Tenders, Huevos Rancheros Tacos, Green Pea Carbonara, Savoury Lentil and Carrot Stuffed Crepes, Polenta Cakes with Shitake Mushrooms, Pizza Over Easy and those gorgeous Sunny-Side-Up Burgers.
Sides and Starters includes: Maple-Glazed Pork Meatballs, Root Vegetable Latkes, Bacon Jam (I am definitely going to make this), Habanero-Cheddar Bread Pudding, Espresso Baked Beans, Mini Zucchini and Pesto Quiches and Bloody Mary Tomato Soup.
Drinks and Desserts includes: Maple Bacon Cupcakes, Mocha Ice Cream Pie with Biscotti Crust, Blood Orange Mimosa Sorbet, Frozen Sunrise Margaritas, Granola Cookies, Chocolate Brownie Waffles with Blackberry Sauce, Earl Grey Panna Cotta, Doughnut Fudge Sundaes and Mint Choc Chip Pancakes.
This is not an exhaustive list of the recipes just the ones that jumped out at me.
Who is it for? Most people would find something in this book that they enjoy, on the whole if you like cooking and eating comfort food, youll enjoy the recipes in Breakfast for Dinner.
Pros
- The book is clearly laid out with excellent photographs and there is almost every recipe.
- There are some step-by-step photo tutorials e.g. Perfectly Poached Eggs, How to Make Ravioli.
- Bacon does seem to feature quite prominently in this book but there are a number of excellent non-meat recipes too.
- Although this book is originally published in the USA, there is an excellent Metric Conversion Chart at the back.
- Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth also have their own website/blog Love and Olive Oil
Cons
- There are some healthy recipes but on the whole, breakfasting like a King at dinner time is for treats rather than every day!
- Most of the main dishes and desserts appealed to me but not so sure about some of the sides and drinks, okay for entertaining but not something I would make regularly.
Green Pea Carbonara
Makes 4 servings
Time 40 minutes
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1 large egg*
2 large egg yolks
1 oz (1/4 cup) Parmesan cheese, grated plus more for serving
1/4 cup heavy (double) cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 oz pancetta or bacon, cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound rigatoni (I used half this amount of pasta as I would normally allow 2oz per person)
1. In a blender or food processor, blend peas, egg, egg yolks, cheese and cream on high speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add salt and pepper.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook pancetta until browned, 6 to 8 minutes (if using bacon, cook for slightly longer or until beginning to crisp then drain excess fat from pan). Add onions and cook until softened, another 5 minutes.
3. Cook pasta according to package direction until just tender and still firm to the bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Add pasta to skillet and toss with onions and pancetta for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, stir in pea mixture, working swiftly and vigorously so egg does not scramble. If sauce is too thick, mix in reserved pasta water, a little at a time. Transfer to serving bowls and top with more Parmesan Cheese. Serve.
*Do note that the eggs in this recipe are not fully cooked; we recommend using farm-fresh eggs from a trusted source. Or buy parteurised eggs if you are worried about bacteria.
I made this recipe on my return from the Marmalade Awards, it was quick and easy to make, tasted delicious and my mother-in-law commented that it was different! She will generally eat whatever I put in front of her, I think it was a compliment, perhaps the colour was not what she was expecting.
Breakfast for Dinner
Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth
Published by Quirk Books, distributed in UK by PGUK
RRP: £12.99
Online bookstore: £8.96
Previously reviewed books by this author: The Cookie Dough Lovers Cookbook by Lindsay Landis
Jan at A Glug of Oil is running a giveaway, so if you fancy your chances of winning a copy of Breakfast for Dinner, hop over to her site and enter.
I received a copy of Breakfast for Dinner to review, I was not paid for this review and all opinions are my own.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Cheese Cutlets
Cheese Cutlets

Ingredients
- Milk 250 ml
- Cottage cheese 1 packet
- Bread crumbs 1 cup
- Onion chopped 1
- Egg beaten 1
- Green chilies chopped 2
- Milk ½ cup
- Semolina 100 gm
- Butter 1 tbsp
- Coriander leaves chopped 1 tbsp
- Flour 2 – 3 tbsp
- Oil for fry
- Salt to taste
Method
- In a pan heat 1 tbsp butter, add 250 ml milk, 1 packet of cottage cheese, 100 gm semolina, 1 chopped onion, 2 chopped green chilies, 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves and salt to taste. Cook well till sauce thickens.
- Remove mixture in a plate, cool and form into small balls.Flatten each ball to make into cutlets shape. Keep aside.In a bowl beat together 1 egg, ½ cup flour and ½ cup milk.Dip each cutlet in prepared batter, roll in bread crumbs shallow fry till golden brown.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Vareniki with Mashed Potato
Dough:
1.5 cups boiling water
3 tbs oil
1 tsp salt
3 cups flour plus more for dusting
For mashed potatoes:
Yellow potatoes is the best
Butter
Mayonnaise
Heavy whipping cream
Vegeta, salt
Enjoy with your favorite salad or ketchup or sour cream. The best way to enjoy it is with the caramelized onions.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Nice Rack of Lamb A Classic Roast Rack of Lamb with Dijon Gratin

If you can swing buying local lamb, more power to you, but for most of us, trimmed rack of lamb will be coming from Australia or New Zealand. The good news is the meat is usually excellent quality, and very consistently sized.
This means you can achieve a nice medium-rare doneness relying mainly on time, and not feel. There is something terrifying to the average home cook when forced to poke meat to tell if its done or not.
The recipe here is a classic fancy hotel presentation; the rack is roasted, topped with Dijon mustard and breadcrumb crust. Since the lamb is "Frenched," which means the fat between the rib bones is trimmed out, this is a very easy to crave roast, as you just cut between the bones and serve. Enjoy!

Saturday, May 17, 2014
Pheasant with Mushroom Wild Rice Chowder
I would offer you more summer grilling recipes, but Rick will have to take care of that for now. I currently do not have access to a grill and my apartment complex is weird about its rules. If everything goes as planned, Rick will finally be out here in a couple months. Hooray!
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Huckleberry, bird dog in training at Pheasant Bonanza. |
Servings: 6-8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 pheasant breasts
- 3 slices of bacon, chopped
- 6 1/2 cups of low sodium chicken broth
- 1 rib of celery, diced
- 3 small carrots, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- half an onion, diced
- 1/2 cup of unsalted butter + 2 tbs.
- 1 package of mushrooms, diced
- 1/2 tsp. of coriander
- dash of paprika
- 1/2 cup of dry white wine
- 1 (4.3 oz) package of instant Rice-A-Roni Long Grain and Wild Rice
- 1/3 cup of all purpose flour
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tsp. of parsley, chopped

Vegetables should be cut like so.

Remove vegetables and set aside.
Remove pheasant and set aside.
Shred or cube pheasant into bite size pieces and return to pot, along with vegetables and bacon bits.
Lower heat to low. Then, slowly stir in 2 1/2 cups of half-and-half. Whisk to get rid of any lumps. Heat through. Then remove from heat.
At the end, stir in the cooked mushrooms and parsley.
Serve with crusty bread.
Upland Hunting with Dogs
For those unfamiliar with upland hunting, heres sort of a taste of what happens. I took this video at a dog trial in Tekamah, Nebraska. At these dog trials, hunters come to compete with their dogs in timed events to see which team can locate and shoot more birds in an open grassland. Its a lot harder than it sounds. From what I remember, only 2 competitors that day completed their rounds with the required 3 birds.
As you can see in the video, the pointer (dog) zig-zags and hops through the grass to cover as much ground as he can in hopes of catching a birds scent, in this case, chukar. Once he does, he (or she) "goes on point" to let the hunter know that a bird is located nearby. Then the hunter comes, tries to flush the bird out of the grass and then shoots. Sometimes, the bird is smart enough to duck down low and escape through the grass without the hunter seeing. Other times, the hunter shoots and misses. And in some cases, the dog loses focus completely and doesnt locate any birds. Dog and hunter must perform well together to win the competition.

Ive always found it so neat and fun to watch hunting dogs work. And when youre hunting with a few people and everyone brings his or her dog, they all run and zig-zag around you like crazy and its an absolute ball!
The dogs name in the video is "Fats." Hah!
(If you steal my picture to the left, Im going to kick your butt. Just saying.)
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Cappuccino coffee
Cappuccino coffee

Ingredients
- Sugar 4 tbsp
- Instant coffee 2 tbsp
- Hot water 1 tbsp+ 1 cup
- Hot milk 2 cups
Method
- In a bowl combine together sugar, coffee, 1 tbsp hot water, beat till very thick and foamy and color change to whitish. In a mug add 2 tbsp of the whipped foam then hot milk mixture from top, then hot milk from top, serve garnish with whipped cream and coffee granule.
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