Bella
I’m Bella, 25 year old girl from Toronto, Canada.
♥♥♥: Sunshine, blue skies, sandy beaches & crystal clear waters, Tulips, Starbucks & bubble tea, Quality handbags, Mineral Makeup, Vintage, Fashion, Clothing & shopping, Cats, Birds, Cake, Lemons, Shoes, Period dramas, adventures and travel! My signs are Virgo (rising leo/moon in cancer) and fire Tiger.
I’m a food photographer for the most part and a very serious foodie. I try not to take life as seriously though ;)
Posts
May 20, 05:30 PM
May 16, 06:42 AM
Though these may look like mini cheesecakes, they're actually not ... these creamy little frozen lemon treats are just as rich but light at the same time and PERFECT for summer!
I've tried my hand at curd once before and it ended up a nice dessert when incorporated with freshly whipped cream and fruit, as you see here in my citrus curd with raspberries however this version is MUCH nicer as I love the frozen element to it, really brings out the citrus flavour and transforms the whipped cream into something else entirely!
Start with the lemon curd, which is the easiest thing in the world to whip up especially with this recipe that only uses 3-4 ingredients and trust me in 10 minutes you'll have a luscious citrusy sweet curd with very little effort.
Easy Lemon Curd
- 6 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
Instructions:
1. Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a small saucepan and set aside.
2. Add lemon juice plus zest to the eggs/sugar mixture and cook egg mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick. Should take 10 minutes to get to a gravy-like consistency. Pour the mixture through a fine strainer and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the curd and and refrigerate overnight or up to 4 hours.
If you'd like to enjoy it as is you can add a tsp of butter at the end as it's cooling and swirl it in for a nice sheen and richness but as it will be incorporated with heavy cream in this recipe we're using it as is.
Creamy Frozen Lemon Dessert
The following day or after 4 hours of lemon curd chilling ...
Prepare a muffin tray lined with 6-8 paper cupcake/muffin liners.
Whip 2 cups of heavy cream (35%) with a few drops of vanilla (and I added 1 tbsp powder sugar) until soft peaks form, stop at this point.
Using a whisk beat the curd as to break up the stiffness until it's pale and creamy. Using a spatula add half the curd into the whipped cream and gently fold in incorporating. Add the rest and at this point you can fold it in again or just gently swirl it in.
Fill your muffin cups and tap the pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles from the little desserts.
Chill in the freezer overnight or up to 4 hours again.
Blueberry sauce:
2 cups fresh (or frozen) blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
- Add blueberries to a small saucepan, add lemon juice, sugar, as well as lemon zest. Heat on high and simmer for 5 minutes. Crush half of the blueberries (just using the back of a fork to create more of a sauce)
Allow to cool, then cover and refrigerate until needed.
To assemble dessert remove frozen lemon whips from freezer and gently remove the paper (it comes off easily, don't worry)
Set on plate and top with blueberry sauce! You could add lemon slices to the plate if desired for presentation.
Courtesy: Thanks to dieter's downfall for the recipe, she added ginger to her lemon curd which sounds AMAZING and I was super tempted but not everyone here likes ginger so next time I make these I'm going to be adding some spicy zestiness for sure!
May 12, 06:56 PM
Photos of yesterday's road trip to pickup my Illinois Everbearing Mulberry tree ... it involved homemade marble butter cake for the road, a little thrifting in guelph where I found some fun items including a severly tarnished footed silver tray, and other little kitchen items.
Through today's strong winds, rain and hail we put the tree in the ground. It was a lot of work but also a lot of fun, this little robin perched up on the fence of tree watching the entire time, I think he was excited seeing the earth being turned upside down with all the yummy june beetle grubs so I collected them for him on the deck and sure enough he was courageous enough to come down and fill up his beak taking them back to his little ones in a nearby tree.
I'm SO excited about this fruiting mulberry, been trying to track this variety down for a while now and happy to have found it at the Green Barn Nursery in Elora, Ontario which is just north of St.Jacob's and Elmira which we frequented quite a bit already this year for farmer's market trips and the maple syrup festival. These guys at the nursery have a fabulous variety of fruit trees as well as tropical ornamental indoor fruit trees which I was tempted to buy but perhaps in the future!
So here's a cake recipe for you!
Marble Butter Cake
Courtesy of Miss Tam ChiakYield 1 8-inch round 3-inch high cake in this preparation
Cooking time 1 hour Prep time 30 minutes
Ingredients:
8 large eggs, separated
250g castor sugar
340g unsalted butter (3/4 lb or 1 1/2 cups butter)
250g all purpose flour
1 1/2teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons good quality cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon lemon juice
Method:
1. Preheat oven at 160°C (325 F) with a wire rack in the middle. Use a spring form pan, do NOT butter or flour it though.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Cream butter in the bowl till light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the 100g sugar till light. Gradually add this into the butter and beat on medium speed till just incorporated. Add in all purpose flour into the mixture in 3-4 batches.
3. Whisk the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add in lemon juice and the remaining 150g of sugar until stiff peaks form. With a spatula, fold in the meringue into the egg yolk mixture in 3-4 batches. Add in vanilla extract until incorporated.
4. Divide the batter into two, 3/4 in one batch and the rest in another bowl. Sieve cocoa powder over the lesser batch and fold to mix well. Pour batter into tin, alternating between the two mixtures, starting with the yellow batter. Rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles. With a long skewer, swirl around the batter to create the marble effect. Bake for 40-55 minutes or until a tester inserted into the middle of the cake come out clean.
5. Cool on wire rack completely before serving. Cake keeps at room temperature up to three days and can be frozen up to 3 months.
NOTE: PLEASE don't be foolish (like me!!) and use a kitchen aid/kitchen blender/mixer, it's not worth doing it all by hand :((((
... and finally here's a fun silver cleaning technique.
Wrap your piece of silver/silver plated loosely in foil and set it in a bucket big enough to hold it. Sprinkle with baking soda (1 cup baking soda per every gallon water) and pour hot boiling water overtop. Eventually the tarnish will begin to gravitate to the foil and it will turn black... after soaking remove the silver from the water and polish with a paper towel or soft cloth, as the cloth gets black use another corner or another clean piece of paper towel and eventually you'll have some pretty shiny silver! I had to do this 2 times with the foil/boiling method and polished with silvo the following day. It's getting there...
May 10, 03:00 PM
Middle Eastern Okra & Lamb stew (Bamia)
- Lamb shoulder (as much as you'd like, I only had a few uncooked pieces leftover from the poutine the other day)
- 1 bag frozen okra, thawed
- 4-6 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp Oil & 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt & blackpepper
- Passata tomato (strained tomato, or canned, or tomato paste, or fresh chopped tomatoes)
It's very simple!
1- Heat the oil and brown the pieces of lamb shoulder, season with salt and pepper. Add a couple of cloves of garlic and water to cover. Simmer on medium low until tender (about 1 or 2 hours)
2- In another saucepan add some olive oil and the remaining cloves of garlic (roughly crushed) then add tomato paste or Passata or chopped tomatoes (strain water and set aside) On medium heat just turn using a wooden spoon until all the raw flavour of the tomato is released and it smells nice and caramelized. Season with a tiny bit of salt.
Add the tomato to the lamb soup as well as the okra, bring it up to a near boil and then simmer again for another 30-40 minutes until okra is tender.
RICE:
- 2 cups golden or Sila basmati (parboiled basmati, easily found in an Afghan store)
In a large pot bring water to a boil, add a drizzle of oil and enough salt to season water (as if making pasta). When it's boiling strain the rice from it's soaking water add to the boiling water, boil until al-dante and drain in a fine colander. Splash with cool water to cool it down (at this point you can just leave it until you're ready to cook it an hour before serving time.
You can either drizzle with oil in a baking dish and bake covered with foil OR do it stove top, today I've done it stove top and experimented with a bit of Tah dig (crispy layer Persian style... it didn't turn out that dark but I'm trying!!! )
If you want to steam the rice and not worry much layer the bottom of your non stick pot with pieces of thinly sliced potato.
Using a non stick pot I add a drizzle of oil (and a tsp of butter) to the bottom and a sprinkling of water (add the potatoes at this point OR not) a tiny sprinkling of salt (just because!) and then I add the rice from the colander (it should be seasoned enough from boiling but if not add a sprinkle of salt to it and even a drizzle of oil to the colander and then using a slotted spoon move it gently into the pot
You do not want to mix up the rice in the colander as to break up the grains so be gently.
Once it's all in the pot create a dome shape and use the back of a spoon to push down a couple of places in the rice to create "steam holes" (I added a knob of butter to the top too as to melt down while cooking)
Adding a few tbsp of water over the rice and covering with a lid wrapped in a kitchen towel I set the pot on medium high for 3-5 mins and then to low for 45 mins - 1 hour.
When it's done you can remove the lid and flip it onto a large serving plate (if it worked out you'll get a nice crispy golden "crown" on top) and all your guests will be impressed!
Enjoy! (while I continue to work on my crispy tah dig technique!)
May 12, 04:48 PM
This is my first time purchasing Kumquats and wanted to do something special with them so after a bit of research I happened upon this recipe by Scrumptious South Africa and here they are... Half-Candied Kumquats Dipped in Dark Chocolate !!
500 g kumquats, washed
water
2 cups (500 ml) white granulated sugar
a little extra sugar for dredging
a slab of good-quality dark chocolate
The whole process takes quite a while and a couple of days are involved if you're not using an oven to dry them out (which still takes up 12 hours on a low setting) I'm just writing this up front so you know ahead and plan a good time to start this "project"
I'm just going to break it down as I have in my notes step by step below:
1 - Wash kumquats and slice lengthwise, remove seed (for me sometimes the entire middle/pulp came out and I tried to avoid this but they were quite full of seed)
2 - Add them to a sauce pan, cover with water and boil for 24 mins or so. Drain kumquats and add back into the pot.
3 - Add three quarters of the sugar called for in the recipe (not 3/4 cup!) and just enough water to cover the fruit, melt the sugar slowly on medium heat heat until dissolved and simmer on low for another 35 minutes.
4 - Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 3 hours.
5- Back on the heat and add the remaining sugar (quarter of the initial amount called for) and stir gently until dissolved into the syrup.
6- Remove from heat, cover and let stand overnight.
Day 2:
7- Drain syrup for 30 minutes in colander, and reserve liquid/syrup for other uses.
8- Arrange fruit cut side up on a parchment lined baking sheet and allow to dry for 2 days in a warm place in your home OR set your oven on the lowest temp (mine was 175 convection with the fan running) for 12 hours.
9- Dredge the fruit with white sugar (or not?) I did half and half ..
10 - Melt your dark chocolate on a double boiler and dip the fruit half or fully (depending on your taste) using your finger or a small dipping fork. Allow the chocolate to set and serve!
There you have it! 500 grams of Kumquats, some sugar and 10 steps later you've got yourself some elegant candied fruit!
May 07, 10:15 AM
I've been trying to get my hands on these almonds forever! Ever since I've moved from Northern Iraq to Canada I haven't seen them here. When I was little in Kurdistan (the northern region of Iraq) these fleshy fresh pale green almonds would show up in the market place at spring time... they weren't something we grew up with and my mother had no idea what they were but our guards would lay them on a flat tray and serve them with a heaping pile of salt which you'd then dip them into.
That's a lot of salt! We ate many other green foods like this, tiny little sour green plums and other rhubarb like stalks which were dipped in salt. As an adult now I can feel my blood pressure elevating as I think about the pile of salt, no doubt it's not healthy at all to be eating that much salt (and for children too!)
Salt balances out the sour taste and makes it palatable and delectable incase you were wondering why... so now when I got my hands on these (found them by surprise at T&T Asian supermarket in Markham) I was puzzled just looking at them and trying to figure out what I'm suposed to do with them.
I suppose you could enjoy them like Edamames and wash, dry and sprinkle with a bit of salt, just enough to season.
After a lot of searching I happened upon a blog post from Israel mentioning a salad with just a little bit of salt, good olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice, even a few shavings of red onion if desired! The recipe seemed so perfect so I busted out my mandolin and began shaving these guys (a medium slice is good, nothing too paper thin because you want to keep the delicate almond in tact in the middle)
Spring time Green almond Salad
- A handful fresh green almonds
- Sprinkling salt
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- Thinly sliced red onion (optional)
Shave the almonds using a mandolin - careful of your fingers! I shaved a bit of my thumb :((
Add the almonds to your serving bowl and drizzle lemon juice over (these almonds oxidizer and go brown very quickly so work as quick as you can and as close to serving time as possible)
Add olive oil and sprinkle a good sea salt overtop
Toss and enjoy!
May 06, 08:00 PM
I bought a bit of lamb shoulder so it just seemed fitting to make "Sheppard's poutine" opposed to regular poutine, even though my regular poutine is always made with beef gravy with tender chunks of stewed beef on top.
Picked up fresh Gun's Hill cheese curds and baked up a batch of my favourite oven fries (peel, slice, toss potatoes with oil and salt, lay flat on a baking parchment and bake on convection or convection roast 400-425 degrees F and both sides will roast without having to flip them over)
Picked up fresh Gun's Hill cheese curds and baked up a batch of my favourite oven fries (peel, slice, toss potatoes with oil and salt, lay flat on a baking parchment and bake on convection or convection roast 400-425 degrees F and both sides will roast without having to flip them over)
Of course the cheese and fries are last minute elements, but let's start from the beginning and that's the lamb that was started several hours ahead.
Earlier in the day I pulled out my chunks of lamb shoulder ...
Earlier in the day I pulled out my chunks of lamb shoulder ...
- 2 lbs lamb shoulder
(I bought half the shoulder and the butcher cut it into pieces and removed some fat)
(I bought half the shoulder and the butcher cut it into pieces and removed some fat)
- 1 tbsp butter (and drop of oil to prevent burning)
- Salt & black pepper to taste
Final ingredient: ..... Fat, lots of fat
Final ingredient: ..... Fat, lots of fat
Now start in a small but heavy bottomed saucepan set on high heat. Divide the meat between the pieces with lots of meat and the fatty/bone pieces.
Add the butter to the pot and when it's hot brown the meaty pieces well on all sides. Add the rest and keep turning until it's all pretty browned. Season with salt and black pepper.
Now for the fat part. The lamb fat will melt down but I added another 2 tbsp butter as well as enough olive oil to just cover the meat.
Allow the oil to heat up then reduce the heat to low and simmer for a couple of hours until all the meat is tender and falling off the bone.
---------
Couple of hours later
Remove the meat from the fat with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate. When it's cool enough to handle without burning your hands remove ALL the tender meat from between the fat and off the bones. There is quite a bit, so don't be discouraged, some is even hidden in between the fat.
Set the meat back into the pot of fat until ready to use.
When ready to assemble poutine, which is as follows: A nice bunch of fries in the bowl or plate, topped with yummy cheese curds and a big ladle of hot gravy over top to melt all the cheesy goodness (chicken/meat... turkey gravy.. whatever you prefer)
---------
Couple of hours later
Remove the meat from the fat with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate. When it's cool enough to handle without burning your hands remove ALL the tender meat from between the fat and off the bones. There is quite a bit, so don't be discouraged, some is even hidden in between the fat.
Set the meat back into the pot of fat until ready to use.
When ready to assemble poutine, which is as follows: A nice bunch of fries in the bowl or plate, topped with yummy cheese curds and a big ladle of hot gravy over top to melt all the cheesy goodness (chicken/meat... turkey gravy.. whatever you prefer)
Simply heat up the fat and remove the pieces of lamb meat and serve it on top of the poutine.
Enjoy!
May 01, 11:36 PM
Grilled veggie salad
Skewer your favourite sliced veggies, or grill whole drizzled with some olive oil until charred and slice afterwards.
I like to do all colours of peppers, red onion and tomato. Those are the basics.
Today I did zucchini and garlic cloves too. Keep a close eye on everything so it doesn't burn.
The dressing: In a bowl add some salt, black pepper, grated garlic, olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar (or lemon juice) If you're using white wine or regular vinegar add some honey because balsamic already has some sweetness.
For the eggplant (which I do not like roasting the same way) I cut into even rounds and salted until the moisture came out and squeezed/drained after 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 and toss the eggplant with olive oil (no salt because it should still taste salty) And let them roast flat on a baking sheet lined with parchment, flip them from time to time as they brown. They'll end up like eggplant "chips" Super yummy and used to garnish the salad.
Toss it all together and enjoy, it can be served warm or can even sit for a while.
May 01, 11:21 PM
I had the most amazing afternoon decorating eggs, it's been a while since I've done some art/crafting but every moment was amazing !
I know it's a little late, Easter has passed but maybe it'll give you some inspiration for next year, and on the positive side you'll have some time to scout for nice paper napkins or tissue paper. The issue I've had was trying to find paper napkins, I looked everywhere but nothing was suitable so finally I stumbled on this set and it had enough variety to make a few eggs to showcase.
To begin: Hard boil your eggs, set them in a saucepan covered with cool water and a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil and immediately cover and set aside for 10 minutes.
Drain, soak in cold water and then drain and put them in the fridge, this can be done the day ahead.
Dying/Decorating:
Start by cutting out all the shapes you'd like to use from your napkin(s) and set aside.
You could skip the dying and go straight to decorating with the napkin, but I happened to have some dye already mixed in mason jars so I used and combined both the napkin art with the dyed egg, I'm pleased with the result.
To stick the napkin to your egg you just need the white of 1 or 2 eggs, whisk it with a fork until it loosens up and looks a bit frothy. Now with a dyed (and dried) or undyed egg simply brush the egg with a little bit of egg white and stick your napkin to the egg gently, smooth it but don't fuss with it too much. Start brushing (or dabbing with finger - sponges work well too) using more egg white to seal the napkin to the egg like a varnish.
Once it's stuck, set it aside somewhere to dry, it'll take about 30 minutes to an hour. They're ready when the surface is very dry (it's ok if some clear bits flake off) but it shouldn't be moist at all.
If the napkin looks a little lumpy don't worry because as it dries it sticks to the egg, but don't make the pattern too lumpy by overlaping/pleating it.
I hope you give this a try because not only is it super easy but it's fun and you end up with some super elaborate looking decorated eggs with very little effort (no painting or anything!)
April 28, 09:21 PM
With the Red Leicester CheddarI purchased from the SLM on friday .. I made a grilled cheese this morning :)
To make 2 sandwiches
4 slices of Rye or Marble Rye bread (pumpernickel works too or any bread you like!)
4 slices of cheddar (using Leicester Cheddar here, check out that COLOUR!)
2 small knobs of butter (butter the outsides of each sandwich, both sides)
1 frying pan set on medium heat, add a drop of oil if you're worried about the butter burning.
Assemble sandwiches and place in the pan until browned on one side. Flip over to the other side and brown, at this point the cheese should melt inside.
Slice and serve with celery!
Enjoy!
April 28, 08:59 PM
As you all probably know that I love to cook Kurdish/Iraqi food (my culture from my father's side of the family) but I always find Iranian food to be a whole different world, and a fascinating one. We share some similarities and a;though the two countries are side by side the cuisine is still quite different.
I tried my best to make this stew, following both the blog recipe from Turmeric and Saffron as well as watching this very educational youtube video by Persian Chef KShar.
Along with the stew I made a plain rice. The rice was soaked for a few hours before hand then boiled in lots of salted water (and a drop of oil), strained (kind of like when I make biryani or an Afghan rice) but then steamed in a new (smaller) pot for an hour. (I put potatoes at the bottom so it doesn't burn)
Very different than the normal Arabic method where it all cooks in one pot with water and some oil/salt on low heat for 20 mins maximum time.
To make the stew you need fresh or dry herbs on hand, there seem to be a lot of recipes out there but instead of getting overwhelmed I'd suggest going with the recipe here to begin with because it is really quite easy to follow. I've added a handful of spinach to it as well but pretty much followed it exactly.
It was awesome being able to use up those dry limes that have been kicking around here for the last year or more, if you remember I bought keylimes a while back and didn't know what to do with the rest so I dried them and now they've found their purpose :D
Some ingredients to source and buy (from a Persian/Arabic and Indian store) before attempting the recipe:
- Fenugreek (fresh or dry) Persian or Indian/Pakistani store (sometimes called "methi" dry leaves or fresh leaves, NOT seeds!)
Regular supermarket items:
- Dry kidney beans
- Turmeric
Once you've got all your ingredients it's pretty easy, just a few steps and once you've got it going you can step away and let it do it's thing for a couple of hours! Maybe try a crockpot?
Just make sure to soak the beans the night before!
Once you've got all your ingredients it's pretty easy, just a few steps and once you've got it going you can step away and let it do it's thing for a couple of hours! Maybe try a crockpot?
Just make sure to soak the beans the night before!
..Thanks to my sister Dessert was taken care of.
April 27, 07:09 PM
My day started early in beautiful Toronto! I had a warm tea at starbucks and spent the early hours strolling through the St.Lawrence market discovering all the interesting food finds, I picked up some things and by noon headed towards Whole Foods in Oakville... the day ended with my sisters and I making an ooey gooey Croque Monsieur casserole, so much fun!
May 03, 10:56 PM
Two of my favourite juices in the world are sugar cane and carrot juice! My dad brought a juicer home one day and I remember my mother making carrot juice for us. Vibrant orange, sweet, frothy thick and refreshing with a hint of earthiness, I drank every drop of the stuff!
In my teens I did some juicing, introducing beets, celery and ginger to my favourite orange drink for health benefits. Lately (as in the last couple of years) I haven't done any juicing, and I don't know how good it is (other than a treat) because I've been reading about some controversial studies but after dusting off the hamilton beach juicer and on a gorgeous day like today it seemed like the perfect project!
I ran over to the supermarket, picked up a bunch of goodies and here you see them all set out onto my kitchen table, then the juicing began!
Some new ingredients that I tried today were Kale & Spinach, alone they were so strong but mixed into the rest of the juices like a cocktail it was really quite delectable!
I can't believe I drank 4 glasses of the stuff though, haha.
Incase you're wondering about the pumpkin seed oil, it's a product that was recommended to me by the shop owner while I spent yesterday morning at the St.Lawrence Market in downtown Toronto. I got to taste a sample before buying, and it tastes AMAZING! Not for cooking but cold applications of just taken by the teaspoon before bed to replenish vitamin supply in the body. If you're interested read up more under "Austrian Pumpkin seed oil" or "Styrian gold" and check out the photo sequence of my day yesterday as well here
So if you've been inspired today to get back into juicing (like me) or try it for the first time then how about making an event out of it? Throw a juicing party and have an array of fresh fruit and veg so that your guests can choose fun combinations that you (or they) can run through the juicer and make fresh juice on the spot!
I think it totally makes the cleanup worth it!
April 25, 08:42 PM
I've never been a fan of ice cream, and even less a fan of froyo since I prefer my yogurt balkan, full fat, natural meaning PLAIN not VANILLA (no sugar) - Once I sent someone to the store to get me plain yogurt and ended up with vanilla, didn't realize that most people don't actually eat plain yogurt, which is the only way we ate it in the Middle East (and for thousands of years I'm sure!)
Give me a piece of bread, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt over my yogurt (strained yogurt- Lebnah) and I'm a happy girl!
With all that said I still like to try something new from time to time and since ci gusta! advertised gelato I went in there and found out that it was soft serve, so I chose the salted caramel which was delicious!
Earlier in the week I ventured over to one of the newly opened Menchie's. They offered tons of varieties of flavours and toppings. I can see why the place was packed with kids, they must love it! A little overwhelming but I liked it just as much if not more than Yogurty's (sorry :( it's just their yogurt tends to melt so quickly which I don't like) Menchie's watermelon was yummy! Didn't like the chocolate or red velvet though.
April 25, 08:28 AM
Nigella's Blackberry Orange Marmalade Trifle
Super easy and tasty dessert from Nigella that whips up in seconds. Nigella used pound cake, but I'm using a store bought day old angel food cake for this variation.
The steps on her television show were as follows, but I copied the recipe from foodnetwork star for you guys below, although it's slightly different on there and does not use the marmalade.
2 pound cakes or one angel food cake, sliced and layered on a plate
Marmalade mixed with some hot water into a syrup and drizzled over.
Zest of 1 orange, thicker longer zest pieces and reserve juice of orange to drizzle over cake either mixed into the marmalade or overtop.
Top with soft clouds of whipped cream (whipped into soft peaks and not any more - heavy cream/vanilla extract/1 tbsp powder sugar)
Garnish with blackberries and orange zest.
Tastes great the following day too if covered well in the fridge
Garnish with blackberries and orange zest.
Tastes great the following day too if covered well in the fridge
Source: Food network
Ingredients
1 store-bought pound cake
1/3 cup orange liqueur (recommended: Cointreau)
1 orange or 2 clementines
1 cup heavy cream
10 ounces blackberries (about 2 cups, or blueberries if blackberries can't be found)
Directions
Cut the cake into slices and arrange them on a plate or a wide, shallow dish. Drizzle with the orange liqueur.
Zest the orange or clementines into a bowl and set aside. Squeeze the juice from the orange or clementines, over the liqueur-soaked cake.
Whip the cream in a small bowl until thick but soft, and spoon it unfancily over the top of the saturated, not to say gloriously sodden, cake.
Arrange the blackberries over the top of the whipped cream, then scatter with the reserved zest before serving.
April 21, 10:58 PM
April 21, 08:28 PM
A childhood favourite and probably one of the first recipes I made on my own!
While watching an episode of the Big Band Theory I was shocked to hear that it's Sheldon Cooper's favourite meal too, he mentioned wanting spaghetti with little slices of hotdogs in it ^_^
This is such a tasty recipe for all ages but kids love it!
As always we do things from scratch around here (but don't let that discourage you because it is as easy as 1-2-3, or opening a jar of premade sauce!)
- 1 pack hotdogs (one large frankfurter per person or two per person of the smaller hotdogs)
- 2 tbsp plain oil
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 jar passata (italian strained tomato puree)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 jar passata (italian strained tomato puree)
(OR use a can of whole tomato, strain from liquid and puree until it's a smooth tomatoy sauce)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp sugar (I use coconut sugar to keep it healthy)
- 2 cloves garlic, just crushed
-1 slice of green bell pepper (optional, it adds a nice flavour if simmered in the pasta sauce and removed later)
Chop your hotdogs into rings, I used shopsys all beef. Place saucepan on heat with oil, sautee hotdog rings on both sides until golden.
Remove and set aside.
Now in the same saucepan over medium high heat add olive oil, crushed garlic and let it sautee until fragrant a few seconds (don't let the garlic burn!). Add in your passata (it's an italian pureed tomato that comes in a tall glass jar) Sautee on medium heat in the oil until it smells good, this is to get the sugars caramelizing in the tomato and remove that "raw" flavour.
Cover at this stage with a lid because it will splatter all over your kitchen. It takes about 3 minutes.
Season sauce with salt and pepper, add sugar and piece of green bell pepper (optional)
Season sauce with salt and pepper, add sugar and piece of green bell pepper (optional)
Now cover and simmer on low until your pasta water is boiled and you've boiled your pasta too.
Strain and keep some of the pasta water, add the pasta back into the pot with the 1/3-1/2 cup pasta water and add your sauce + hotdogs Let it heat for about 30 seconds on the same heat you were boiling the pasta then cover, turn heat off and let it stand until it meddles (about 3 minutes - Can straighten up the kitchen at this point and get the plates out)
Now serve and enjoy! It doesn't need any cheese or anything, perfect as is!
April 22, 09:46 AM
What did we do with all that maple syrup we bought back with us from the festival? Make french toast, pancakes, waffles... so many goodies, of course!
And bread pudding!!! I think bread pudding is probably one of my favourite things in the whole world... I know, it's not fancy but it has that yummy french toast taste and there is zero slaving involved to fry up each piece of toast.
There are endless possibilities when it comes to bread puddings, from the type of bread used to the custards that soak up all that yummy bread... variations of things to throw in from chocolate to dry fruit, and all kinds of compotes and fruit syrups to drizzle over top when serving
I love a good cinnamony bread pudding casserole with a sugary crunchy topping but today I kept it simple (sometimes simple is best)
I used about 6-8 slices of rye bread (ideally it should be more stale but I only had fresh)
Chop bread into large cubes and dump it into the pan (9x13 or smaller, lightly greased)
Now the second part, the custard:
- 1/2-3/4 cup Milk- 2 or 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
-1/4 cup melted butter + 1 tsp oil
- 1 tsp vanilla- 1 tbsp sugar (I used a product I recently discovered called coconut sugar to keep this healthy!)
Whisk it all up, pour over bread.
Toppings with:
-Tiny cubes of butter (about 1 tbsp worth)
-A handful of slivered almonds
-A handful of very coarse sugar
Each dotted or sprinkled evenly over the top.
Pop into a 350 F preheated over and it's ready in 20-25 minutes or when the liquid has dried up and the edges are a little brown, to test you can remove a piece from the centre and it should be nice and custardy like and no more raw egg.
Serve with sugared slices of fresh strawberries and a drizzle of maple syrup!
Enjoy!
April 21, 07:35 PM
I love this chicken because it tastes very similar to those big smoked bbq turkey legs you get at the fairs and festivals! No smoking involved and it's super easy, just requires some prep the day or two ahead of time.
Start brine by mixing 2-3 tbsp salt in a large vessel, a steel pot is ideal, add hot boiling water to dissolve the salt. Allow this to cool. The water should taste very salty to be able to flavour the chicken right down to the bone!
Add 1 tbsp sugar, or honey or maple syrup
1 large head of garlic, sliced horizontally, with peel and all
1 lemon, cut in half (wash skin and dunk right into the bath)
1 tbsp black whole peppercorns
1 tbsp black whole peppercorns
1 tbsp vinegar (white wine, regular white is fine!)
(You could add herbs like dry thyme, rosemary...)
(You could add herbs like dry thyme, rosemary...)
It must marinade at least 1 day in the fridge, when ready to cook remove the chicken from the brine and set it somewhere to drain well. Let the skin dry up a bit so it's not "soaked" and rub the top with olive oil.
Heat the grill to medium low as this whole chicken will take about 20 + minutes to cook so you want a lower flame. Allow it to cook flipping from time to time so both sides are roasted. You can brush it with some maple syrup as a glaze if you like towards the end of cooking.
It's done when it registers to the proper chicken temperature on your thermometer OR you can slice the area where the leg is and the juices should run very clear, there should be no more redness near the bone either.
And here's a glimpse of our trip to Elmira for the Maple Syrup Festival earlier this month, it was fun!
April 13, 09:50 PM
For my sister's 22nd birthday we had the most amazing cake! She requested something with both banana and strawberry and so this is what we came up with: four layers of sponge cake with an alternate filling of custard/banana and strawberries and whipped cream, this was so fresh yet satisfying and oh so high we weren't sure if it could stand on it's own!
While it may look complex it really isn't, it's simply assembly work and specific elements. We used a Japanese sponge cake recipe and a homemade custard and the rest is super easy (bananas, strawberries and freshly whipped creme Chantilly which is just a fancy word for whipped cream!)
Japanese Sponge Cake (makes 2 cakes, cut each in half to yield 4 layers)
Credited to lafujimama
Credited to lafujimama
Makes one 7 or 8-inch layered cake
For Noriko’s sponge cake:
4 large eggs, white and yolks separated
4.2 ounces (120 grams, 9.5 tablespoons) granulated sugar, sifted once
3 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4.2 ounces (120 grams, 14 tablespoons) cake flour, sifted 3 times
1.2 ounces (22 grams, 2.3 tablespoons) butter, melted
To make Noriko’s Sponge Cake:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (170 to 180 degrees Celsius). Line a 7 (18cm) or 8-inch circular cake pan with parchment paper, or grease the cake pan with butter, then lightly coat the pan with flour.
2. Add the sugar to the egg whites, and beat the egg whites until they are stiff and glossy.
3. Add the egg yolks to the egg white mixture, and gently whisk until the yolks are incorporated.
4. Add the milk, vanilla extract, and flour (in that order) to the batter and gently fold them into the batter with a spatula. Fold in the melted butter until it is well combined.
5. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan, and get rid of any air bubbles in the batter by dropping the pan on a counter once or twice. Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes. The cake is done when it is golden brown and springs back when pressed lightly. Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack. Run a blade around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake, and remove.
For the custard ...
Luscious Pastry Cream
2 1/2 cups milk
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup sifted corn starch
3 1/2 tbsp butter, chopped in cubes and at room temperature
Directions:
In a heavy bottom saucepan bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat.
Meanwhile in another heavy bottom saucepan whisk your egg yolks, sugar and corn starch together until you get a creamy yellow mixture.
When the milk simmers at the point just before boiling remove from heat, get your whisk ready and pour a bit into your egg mixture whisking to temper it..... now it's safe to add it all and whisk.
Set the pot back onto the heat (medium-medium low) and whisk until it thickens.
Have a bowl and a strainer ready (the strainer just for a smoother finish but mine had no lumps or anything) Once it thickens strain it into the bowl (scraping the strainer to get it all through)
Wait 5 mins then begin stirring in your butter cubes, little at a time until it's all incorporated, luscious, smooth and shiny.
Cover with a cling wrap to avoid a film in the top of your custard and let it cool, then you can set it in the fridge. Or put it in a pastry bag and set it in another container in the fridge to avoid the extra step on your big day.
For the whipped cream
1/2 pint of heavy 35% cream whipped with about 1-2 tbsp powder sugar and a splash of vanilla
Fruit
Fresh strawberries, sliced, saving the nice pieces for the top and rim of the second layer and using the remaining pieces to fill in the middle of the second layer (where it isn't visible)
2-3 bananas, sliced in thick 3/4 inch slices
Fruit
Fresh strawberries, sliced, saving the nice pieces for the top and rim of the second layer and using the remaining pieces to fill in the middle of the second layer (where it isn't visible)
2-3 bananas, sliced in thick 3/4 inch slices
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tbsp lemon juice
Dip the banana slices in the orange juice and shake excess liquid off before setting on the cake to preserve them and prevent them from browning.
April 09, 06:36 PM
- A pinch of authentic saffron strands (let stand on the counter soaking in about 2 tbsp water overnight)
- Milk
- Sweetener (honey/sugar/agave/ your choice!)
Heat the milk in a small saucepan, or the microwave and sweeten to taste once it is warm. Add soaked saffron threads and water it was soaking in, at this point the water should be so intense in colour, stir it all into the milk.
If you want to make a milk tea (chai tea) then here is the alternative method:
If you want to make a milk tea (chai tea) then here is the alternative method:
Heat milk in a saucepan and add to it 1 or 2 teabags (good quality orange pekoe) as soon as it's just about to come to a boil and the milk begins to rise up remove from the stove and stir, steep just about 2 minutes, remove teabags and sweeten.
Now add your saffron threads soaking in water right in and serve!
Feel free to strain the saffron threads out but they're so healthy (and expensive!) I'd rather just consume them.
Now add your saffron threads soaking in water right in and serve!
Feel free to strain the saffron threads out but they're so healthy (and expensive!) I'd rather just consume them.
Serve and enjoy!
April 03, 06:19 PM
Before everyone freaks out about the recipe below not being vegan, have a look at the yummy vegan recipe Lush Cosmetics posted HERE
I was inspired to make my own since I had a couple of Medjool dates laying around from the holidays that were all nicely diced up and ready to dive into a recipe! I did alter the recipe so it's no longer vegan, but it's still super delicious. So if you want the vegan recipe click the link above and start baking and if you want to give this version a try then here you go...
Carrot Cake
Mix together dry ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cardamomMix together:
Fine lemon zest, from one fresh lemon
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 tsp pure vanilla extract1 tbsp yogurt
1 egg
3 tbsp oil
6 tablespoons real maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
Add:
1 cup peeled, grated carrots
1/2 cup of pecan pieces
Directions:
Grease 1 8X8 square pan, add a strip of parchment for easy removal of cake. Preheat oven to 350 F
Mix dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients together, add dry to wet and blend.
Pour in prepared pan, sprinkle nuts over top and bake for 30 minutes.
Adding the cardamom was my touch, since it was in the same bag as my other baking spiced I figured why not throw some in there! I also forgot to incorporate the pecans so I just put them on top before baking. What makes this recipe super special is the GINGER so DO NOT LEAVE IT OUT, use FRESH ginger and lots of it. I probably put in close to 1 1/2 tbsp!! Ohh it's just soooooooo good.
Adding the cardamom was my touch, since it was in the same bag as my other baking spiced I figured why not throw some in there! I also forgot to incorporate the pecans so I just put them on top before baking. What makes this recipe super special is the GINGER so DO NOT LEAVE IT OUT, use FRESH ginger and lots of it. I probably put in close to 1 1/2 tbsp!! Ohh it's just soooooooo good.
Carrot Cupcake recipe is coming soon as soon they get frosted and a photoshoot :)
Some cats enjoy laying in the sun while I do the baking..
| ... and the other collects all here "babies" (stuffed animals) by carrying them downstairs one by one in her mouth and spread them across the kitchen floor to "sun" along side her.. |
