I talk about food, you read it.
Appetizer
Coconut Chicken Strips
0I sure hope that some of you were able to sit by a window today or have the day off to enjoy this gorgeous sun we had. I sure did! My puppy decided that I was not allowed to sleep in today because it was going to be a fun filled day. We went for a long walk, had a bath (well he did, after running through mud), ate treats and napped. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my day off.
When it is sunny out your going to want to eat food that stretches that warm feeling way after the sun goes down. Coconut is the perfect way to trick you into thinking the sun is going to stick around and warm up. This is such an easy recipe and I am pretty sure kids will like it too.
Ingredients
- 3-4 chicken breasts cut into strips
- ½ cup flour
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup Panko
- ¾ cups shredded , sweetened coconut
- Salt and pepper
- 1-2 tbsp canola oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Put flour into onto a plate, lightly whisk eggs and put them into a shallow bowl and combine panko, coconut, salt and pepper into a third shallow bowl or plate. This is your assembly line to dip and dredge the chicken.
Take a strip and dredge in flour patting off any excess. Then dunk into egg and let extra drip off. Lastly you’re going to roll it into the coconut mixture. I like to press the coconut slightly to make sure it sticks and there is a lot on. Set aside on another plate.
Heat a large skillet or cast iron pan with canola oil on medium high heat. Add chicken strips but don’t over crowd the pan, you might have to do this in 2 batches. Cook for 3 min per side, remove and place on a lined baking sheet.
Once all chicken has browned then place baking sheet of chicken into the oven and cook for 10 minutes or so, until no longer pink.
I served mine with a sweet chilli dipping sauce but it’s good on its own too. The coconut toasts and creates this amazing aroma in your kitchen. Your mouth will be drooling while you make these chicken strips. Its light tasting, sweet and oh so good. If you like coconut then this is a MUST!
French Toast
0A few weeks ago my parents came over for dinner and my mom brought me a special present along with her. Not just any old special present, but a present she knew would make me a very happy girl. She brought me food. Oh Mom you know me so well.
She brought me and J some fresh homemade (from a bakery in Chilliwack) cinnamon apple bread. I am sure she could make this bread with her eyes closed but sometimes seeing this type of yummy delight in a farm fresh market would make the best of us break down and buy it.
My first thought was to just go nuts and eat the stuff, but my Mom suggested French toast. Of course, French toast would be fabulous! I used a super simple basic French toast recipe but omitted the cinnamon since the bread itself had a lot of cinnamon.
Ingredients
(Serves 2)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
- butter or vegetable spray
- 4 slices day-old bread (baguettes work great too)
Whisk together eggs, mill, and cinnamon together in a shallow bowl.
On medium heat, melt a little butter until it starts to slightly bubble. Dip a slice of bread in egg mixture and let some excess drop off. Place slices in hot pan and cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and cook again for another 2-3 minutes, again until golden brown. Repeat until you’re out of egg mixture.
I haven’t had French toast in a while and what an amazing treat to have it made out of this specialty bread. It was absolutely amazing. Thanks Mom!
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What was I blogging about last January? Lemon Meringue Pie
Red Pepper Dip
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Just when I thought I had Christmas under control, the presents wrapped, the house decorated and family gatherings planned and confirmed, I remembered that I had agreed to bring an appy to Christmas dinner. How could I have forgotten such an important job! I started to imagine a warm gooey artichoke dip, bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers, cheese plates with cured meats, spicy mixed nuts or crostini topped with yummy rich goodness. In my mind I was stuffing myself silly and realized I would definitely run out of room forTurkey. Good thing it was just a dream! To keep my day dream from coming true and wanting something a little on the lighter side I opted for a roasted red pepper dip.
Ingredients
- 2 red peppers, instructions to follow
- 1 can of white beans (not chick peas)
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 ounce of goat cheese or cream cheese
- ½ lemon squeezed
- Salt and pepper
To roast red peppers you can either throw them on a baking sheet and cook on 400 until soft and mushy. You’ll then core them and peel the skin off once cooled and they’re ready to use. If you have a gas stove or bbq throw them right on the flame or grill and char them until they’re soft and basically black. Throw them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 10 min or so until cooled, then you can peel and core them. Cooking them in the oven will result in a less smoky flavour but it’s not too noticeable in a dip.
In a food processor mix together all ingredients until nice and smooth. You can always add a tablespoon or so of olive oil if it looks too thick, it will thicken up in the fridge as well so don’t worry if it looks too thin.
I topped mine with crumbles of goat cheese and chopped chives but it’s good on its own as well. I wasn’t actually going to blog about this dip, but it was really good and I am pretty sure I ate almost all of it, so I had to share. This dip is slightly reminiscent of roast red pepper humus but the consistency is much different. It’s a little creamier and smoother; I also fine the red pepper the true star in this dip as its more the runner up in humus. Everyone really enjoyed it, even my 2 and 4 year old nieces!
Latkes
0Oy vey, can you believe that I have never had a latke before! Most people know latkes as a Jewish dish enjoyed during Hanukkah. The oil for the latkes is a symbol of the oil in the Hanukah store about a long lasting flame keeping the second temple of ancient Israel lit. I am personally not Jewish but any excuse to enjoy foods fried in oil is okay with me!
I have been dying to try to make them for myself for a while now but I didn’t attempt for the simple reasons of not owning a proper cast pan and that most of the recipes I found seemed like glorified hash browns. My lovely sister got me a fabulous cast pan for Christmas which I immediately seasoned and have used several times now. Hanuka is over so my latkes are a little late for the party but they’re delicious and oh so yummy. Using parsnips and potato for the pancake and topping with a horseradish sour cream really takes these to the next level.
Ingredients
- ½ pound russet potato (about 1 large)
- Half of a lemon, juiced
- 2 large parsnips
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ pepper
- Oil for frying
Dip
- one cup sour cream
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 1 tbsp horseradish
- 1 tbsp chopped dill ( I added more)
- salt and pepper
Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees, line a baking sheet with foil or parchment and keep in oven until needed.
Peel vegetables and grate them on the large holes of a box grater or a food processor. Transfer shredded vegetables to a lint-free dishtowel or square of cheesecloth, and wring out as much liquid as possible. Let stand for two minutes, then wring again. Wetness is the enemy of crisp, light latkes, so we want to get rid of as much as possible.
Transfer wrung-out vegetables to a large bowl. In a tiny dish, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and any herbs or additional seasonings. Add lemon juice to vegetables and then sprinkle on the flour mixture. Toss, evenly coating the strands. Whisk your egg and then stir this into the vegetable-flour mixture, evenly coating the strands.
Heat a large, heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. Once skillet is hot, add 3 tablespoons oil and heat oil until shimmering. To test, flick a droplet of water onto the oil; if it hisses and sputters, you’re good to go.
Using a fork or your fingertips, letting the eggy batter drain off, gather spoonful-sized mounds of battered vegetables and drop them onto the heated skillet. When golden underneath, 3 to 4 minutes later, flip pancakes. Cook on the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes or until browned, and transfer to paper towels briefly to drain pancakes, then onto the tray(s) in warm oven.
Add more oil if needed (I didn’t until the third batch). Repeat with remaining batter.
Mak sauce: Mix sauce ingredients in a small dish. Adjust seasonings to taste.
I don’t if it’s the oil or the parsnips in the oil but something gives these a slightly sweeter taste. The dill refreshed them which is great since things fried in oil can often get really heavy and the sourcream mixture gives them this tangy goodness that goes so well with that slight sweetness that is there. If only these were healthier I would want to eat them every single day.
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This time last year, I was blogging about Finnegan’s Pub
Soft Pretzels
0I am pretty sure that I have told you all a million times that I am not a baker. I am happy to say that I have finally mastered pizza dough and now pretzels. If it wasn’t for the show Chopped I don’t think I would try baking ever again. The chefs on the show have both cooking and baking under their belts which completely amazes me. The can literally make anything right there on the spot with such weird and limited ingredients. How can someone be artistic and scientific all at once? Perhaps one day I too can be a jack of all kitchen trades.
A long time ago came across a recipe for soft pretzels and filed it away under the “I will make this one day” folder on my computer. I think it’s been in there for 2 years among other pastry and bread recipes that I have purposely ignored. Then not too long ago I came across another pretzel recipe and another and another with most of the reviews saying how delicious they are and how easy pretzels are to make. When I decided to make beer and cheddar soup I caved.
SOFT PRETZELS adapted from an Alton Brown recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
- 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
- Vegetable oil, for pan (I skipped this step)
- 10 cups water
- 2/3 cup baking soda
- 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- Pretzel salt (I used sea salt)
Directions
Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. (omit this, it works better without the oil) Set aside.
Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.
In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.
Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Just like the reviewers said, pretzels are easy and also delicious. J took one bite and said “I love you” which means that I once again stole his heart through his stomach. How pleased am I? Extremely.
With this particular recipe lots of reviewers were saying that their pretzels were sticking to their parchment paper. Mine didn’t stick at all and maybe thats because I didn’t oil my parchment paper. Once I took them out of the oven I immediately put them on a cooling rack and had zero issues.
I don’t have pretzel salt so I used chunky sea salt to top a couple pretzels with just so I could make them look more official but J and I both don’t like crunchy salt on our soft pretzels. We both pick off the salt when eating them at hockey games or ball parks. The water bath you first boil them in has enough baking soda to give them a nice subtle hint of salt but if you’re a salt lover then knock yourself and salt away. Just remember, if you spill the salt it’s your left shoulder you throw it over.
FYI-These are best the same day but if you have leftovers don’t put them in Tupperware or an airtight container or they’ll get soggy.
Garlic Bread
1I have a serious obsession with carbs. I can’t start my morning without either a bagel or cereal that has at least has some sort of carbohydrate to kick start my day. For lunch a sandwich is more than likely on the agenda and for dinner we usually have a starchy side. We also usually have pasta at least 1-2 times per week. I know this is terribly bad for you but I can’t stop and I refuse to cut back. Carbs are brain food and quite frankly carbs warm the cockles of my heart. Some people like chocolate, I like bread.
One of my favourite types of bread is garlic bread. It goes with so much and the crunch baguette just adds so much texture to any meal. Usually I just slather a sliced open baguette with garlic butter and roast it but the other day I decided to try something new. I wanted something a little lighter.
Ingredients
- Baguette
- Olive oil
- Garlic chopped
- Fresh herbs (I used thyme and oregano)
- If you don’t have fresh herbs use dried, no problem
- salt and pepper
Slice the baguette down the top lengthwise but not all the way through. Then slice vertically about 2 inches apart again not all the way through. Drizzle as much olive oil as you like all over the top and inside of the baguette, try not to saturate it. Chop garlic and put that all over and inside baguette and the same with the herbs, chop and put inside and all over.
Bake in the oven for about 10-15 min on 350.
I actually forgot about mine and left it in for 30 min. It wasn’t burnt but my baguette did turn out rather crunchy. I am sure this would be a million times better if you were to make your own dough. I didn’t have time for that but perhaps on day I will give it a shot. This was the easiest garlic bread I have ever made and it tasted delicious! I definitely want to try this again!
Oysters Casino and Parmesan Lemon Oysters
1Even though the sun has been shining hotter than ever, I still can’t help but feel that summer is coming to an end. School has gone back in full swing, the evenings are getting dark earlier and cooling off much faster which has told my mind that fall is just around the corner. Or maybe it’s the fact that I just purchased some Halloween decorations from Wal Mart last week. Either way, I feel like I need to squeeze in a few more bbq sessions in before all the propane runs out and the cover comes on for the winter.
One of my last bbq sessions was last Friday when I had a craving for bbq’d oysters. Oysters are apparently better in months that include the letter “r” so why not fulfill this craving now that we’re in September. Last time we bbq’d oysters I made these grilled oysters in a spicy lime vodka sauce and fell in love with preparing them on a bbq. Typically we eat our oysters raw with horseradish or hot sauce but the concept of adding ingredients to them is not only fun, but also extremely tasty.
The first type we made were Oysters Casino, adapted by Tyler Florence.
Ingredients
- 4 strips bacon
- 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped shallots
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped red bell pepper
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped celery (I omitted)
- 2 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves picked
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest and juice
- 1/4 teaspoon dried red chilli flakes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 dozen large (approximately 4 inches) West Coast oysters on the half shell
- 1/4 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped for garnish
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Lay bacon out on a roasting pan in a single layer and bake for 10 minutes until just crispy — remember they will be going back into the oven with the oysters so you don’t want to finish the bacon just yet.
While the bacon is cooking, place the butter, garlic, shallots, bell pepper, celery, lemon zest and juice, oregano, thyme, and chilli flakes in a food processor; pulse until well combined, but still has texture. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Remove bacon from oven and cut up into pieces.
Lay oysters in their half shells out on a large tray. Place 1 tablespoon of the casino butter mixture on top of each oyster and place a piece of bacon on each. BBQ oysters medium high heat, approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Finish with finely chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley and serve.
The second type of oysters we made was Parmesan Lemon Oysters.
- 12 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
- 6 tbsp. finely grated Parmesan
- 2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
- Dash of Tabasco or Franks per Oyster
- juice of 1/2 lemon
Lay Oysters in their half shells out on a large tray. Place 1/2 tsp of butter on each oyster, approx 1 tsp lemon juice per oyster, dash of hot sauce, small pinch of fresh chopped parsley and 1 tbsp of parmesan per oyster. BBQ oysters on medium high heat, approximately 10 to 12 minutes, until cheese bubbles and browns.
Both of the oysters were absolutely delicious. We ate them with some rustic bread to soak up any briny butter left in any of the shells. This fulfilled my craving for oysters more than I expected and I can’t wait to do this again! There are many more months with the letter “r” ahead of me!
Tomato Tart with Goat Cheese
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One of my Dad’s favourite vegetables is a tomato. I am pretty sure he could eat them every single day for the rest of his life and never get sick of them. With all the different tomato varieties out there I can definitely see why he loves them so much. They can be sweet, tart, and tangy and even complement numerous dishes that would otherwise be rather boring.
My parents grow multiple tomato plants and by the end of summer my mom is scrambling to use them up or find recipes that require tomatoes so they don’t go bad. She does can a lot and makes different salsas or even gives a lot away. Well, mom, a tomato tart is definitely something you’re going to want to try. It’s delicious and uses up tomatoes in the most wonderful way!
Ingredients
- One chunk of phyllo dough
- 4-5 heirloom tomatoes or tomatoes of your choice
- ½ pint of grape tomatoes
- 1 once of goat cheese
- ½ cup shredded mozza
- Bunch of chopped basil
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
If you make phyllo dough, then make it. If you bought it, then roll out a chunk of thawed dough to fit a parchment lined baking sheet. Cook as per directions, I believe I just tossed mine in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Keep oven on.
The dough will puff up, so if you have pie weights then you could use those. I just pushed mine down with a cloth.
Slice tomatoes ¼ inch thick. Set aside. Top cooked dough with goat cheese and mozza and then arrange your tomatoes on top of the cheeses. Fill in the blanks with the small grape tomatoes and using a pastry brush, lightly coat tomatoes with olive oil and add salt and pepper. Cook for 15-20 min.
Keep an eye on the dough because the tomato juice will go under the dough and potentially can burn it. Pull it out of the oven and top with chopped basil. Cut and serve.
I don’t think my dad is a huge fan of goat cheese per say, but I know he would absolutely love this tomato tart. I enjoyed every last morsal of this and I know J loved it as well as our company who came for dinner. The tomatoes sweeten up even more when they’re baked liked that and over a flaky crust of cheese you really can’t go wrong. I can’t wait to make this again!
Grilled Oysters with a Spicy Lime Vodka Sauce
1My family and I were relaxing at the family cabin a few weeks ago when my parents mentioned that the store had oysters on sale. We went down to the market picked up 9 fresh oysters and then came back to the cabin trying to figure out what we were going to do with them. We didn’t have a schucker so my dad ended up taking an axe to them. We didn’t know how to grill them and all we had was hot sauce. In the end they tasted great but it made me want to have easy grilled oyster recipe in my head so next time this happens I will be more prepared.
Fast forward a few weeks. I found a recipe for grilled oysters with spicy lime butter. I couldn’t wait to try there so we got some fresh oysters to give them a go. While I was making the sauce I also added some vodka as well since it was on the counter and seemed like a good idea. Well, I am glad I did because these were amazing.
Ingredient
- Oysters on the half shell
- 1/5 cup of butter
- 1 tsp Sriracha sauce (or a spicy chilli sauce)
- 1/2 – full lime juiced
- 1 tbsp vodka
- 1 small shallot minced
- 1 tbsp minced cilantro
- Salt
Mix the butter, shallots, salt and cilantro together. In a separate dish mix Sriracha, lime and vodka together. These won’t mix together, you can try, I did, but it doesn’t work.
Heat grill or BBQ to high. Grill should be very hot.
Top each oyster with a dollop of butter mixture and drizzle of lime mixture. I reserved some of the lime mixture as well to top when they were cooked.
Grill for 3-4 minutes. Careful when you eat them, the shells will be burning hot. Do not overcook.
J and I both absolutely loved these. We usually eat our oysters raw with horseradish and I think we’re going to have grill them more often. The actual oyster flavour isn’t lost at all and is only enhanced by the topping. I can’t wait to make these again; this recipe is definitely a keeper.
Pizza topped with Prosciutto, Goat Cheese, Carmalized Onions and balsamic reduction
0Say prosciutto.
Go ahead, say it………………Prosciutto.
Prosciutto sounds like a delicious Italian word. It sounds Italian because it is. It’s Italian for ham. It’s a rich tasting cured ham that is sliced thin and can be eaten uncooked. You can wrap it around fruit, eat it with cheese, set it out for appetizers, put it in pasta, cook it with asparagus or do what J and did on a Saturday night. Put it on a savoury pizza with goat cheese, caramelized onion,
Prosciutto
Mmmmmmm, prosciutto!
I also decided to top our pizza with a slight drizzle of a balsamic reduction I made earlier. Our pizza was delicious! I would definitely make this again and think cutting it up into smaller pieces for an appetizer with friends would be outstanding!
