Showing posts with label the. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the. Show all posts
Monday, May 12, 2014
SANDRA’S ON THE RUN BREAKFAST EGG N’ CHEDDAR BLT
 |
| A splendid and hearty morning sandwich to take with you on those busy mornings working, fishing, hunting, or just any time when you and your children are on-the-run - Its great warm, although wonderful at room temperature too... |
Prep: 5 Mins. |
Cook: 5 to 7 Mins.
Posted by Sandra
INGREDIENTS
2 strips of quality bacon, cut in half crosswise, and browned
1 organic whole egg, fried (with yolk broken)
2 lettuce leaves
2 slices of tomato
1 slice of cheddar cheese
Mayonnaise, for spreading on toast
2 slices whole wheat bread, toasted
Fine-grained Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
METHOD
In a small non-stick skillet over medium heat, brown the bacon, and drain on a paper towel lined plate, reserving a bit of drippings. Reduce the heat to low, and gently fry the egg with the broken yolk.
Meanwhile, place the bread in the toaster. When toast is done, spread one side of each with mayonnaise, and layer the bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and egg on top of one slice of toast. Sprinkle fried egg with sea salt and ground pepper, to taste. Add the other slice of toast. – Enjoy!
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Passing on the legacy of Anglo Indian cuisine
Passing on the legacy of Anglo-Indian cuisine
, Bangalore
People like Koramangala-based Bridget White-Kumar prove that you do not have to be an academician or historian to bring the past alive. Instead of simply retiring, she has become a food ambassador.
The recently released Julie and Julia enthralled cinema lovers and foodies equally. The film, in part, shows the determination of an otherwise laidback Julia Child’s (played by Meryl Streep) endeavours to become a Cordon Bleu cook, her resolve to teach American women the art of French cuisine and the difficulties in getting her first recipe book published.
Author of six cookbooks and a blog on Anglo Indian cuisine, Bridget White-Kumar is Karnataka’s very own food ambassador. For Bridget White-Kumar this story could be termed familiar territory. Author of six cookbooks and a blog on Anglo Indian cuisine, she is Karnataka’s very own food ambassador. And, like Julia, the road to getting published was a rocky one for Bridget.
A former bank employee, Bridget’s professional life took a 180 degree turn when, after opting for voluntary retirement, she began to document Anglo Indian cuisine. Always interested in food, it was only when her daughter left for higher education to a foreign country that Bridget realised the value of the knowledge she held.
“I wrote out some recipes for my daughter,” recalls Bridget. “This became so popular with her friends that we dubbed it the black book. As she kept calling me to clear doubts, I realised that many of these recipes would probably die out if they were not recorded.” It provided the impetus for Bridget’s first book – The Best of Anglo Indian Cuisine – a Legacy, which came out in 2004.
With publisher after publisher rejecting her manuscript, by the time a publishing house finally agreed to the book, Bridget was weary of the entire procedure. So she decided to bring it out herself. Despite the high expense that self publishing entails, Bridget has not regretted the decision.
“The Internet has been a huge blessing,” she says with a smile. Thanks to technology and the blog, Bridget has been able to market her books so well that she has recovered all costs incurred. Considering that she did not know how to even work a computer before she embarked on her cookbooks, this is no mean feat. There have been no book launches or media blitzes either, but word of mouth did the rounds and the resultant press write-ups propelled Bridget into the limelight. Publishers also took note. Bridget’s seventh book, currently with a major publishing house, will soon be out. And her eighth – a nostalgic look at life in Kolar Gold Fields (KGF), has been published by Author House UK.
The Best of Anglo Indian Cuisine - Bridget White-Kumar.
Bridget, who grew up in the close knit mining community of KGF where a large percentage of the population were Anglo Indians, believes that Anglo Indian cuisine is the first instance of fusion food in India. “It is a confluence of various cultures, not just Indian and British,” she says. “Even within Anglo Indian communities in different parts of India, the ingredients for the same dish can vary. In Cochin the use of coconut will be more, while in Calcutta the oil used would be mustard. But whichever the region, the use of spices remains constant. The judicious use of spices is the defining trait of our food. Not spicy and not bland,” she adds.
Bridget’s favourite meal is yellow coconut rice, mince ball curry and pepper chicken. It is a reminder of her childhood. And of a past that she remembers with clarity. With four generations of Whites in the mining sector and a family home in Robertsonpet in KGF, Christmases especially were a great time for merriment and feasting.
To read Bridget-White Kumar’s blog, click here. For copies of her books, contact her on 9845571254 or at bidkumar[at]gmail[dot]com or bridgetkumar[at]yahoo[dot]com
“My father was a mining engineer and we lived in huge rambling quarters in KGF. There were four mines and each mine would have their Christmas function; with a tree, games for children, Santa distributing goodies, a funfair with food stalls where coconut puffs and marshmallows were favourites and the Christmas dance which began at 9 in the night and wound up by 5 in the morning! The dance was a big event; people would come from Chennai and Bangalore to hear the groups playing,” she says.
It is recollections like these that you will find in her yet to be published book. People like Bridget White-Kumar prove that you do not have to be an academician or historian to bring the past alive. She could have led an ordinary retired life but, with her perseverance in documenting the food of a dwindling community and her resolve to pen memories of a world that has disappeared, she has chosen to tread a different path.
Plum cake
Serves 6
Preparation time 1 hour
Ingredients
300 grams flour or maida
250 grams butter
250 grams powdered sugar
3 eggs (whites beaten well separately)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon chopped orange or lemon peel
100 grams black currant chopped
2 tablespoon date syrup (for colour)
2 cloves and two small pieces of chinnamon powdered
1 table spoon vanilla essence
Shift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Dust the orange/ lemon peel and chopped black currants with a little flour. Cream the butter and sugar well. Add the egg yolks, date syrup, cinnamon and clove powder and vanilla essence and mix well. Add the orange/ lemon peel and black currants. Slowly add the egg whites and flour and fold it well. If the mixture is too thick add a little milk. Pour into a greased and papered baking tin or dish and bake in a sow oven for about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven when done and set aside to cool.
(Taken from The Anglo-Indian Festive Hamper, one of the books Bridget White authored.)
⊕
Theresa Varghese
23 Dec 2009
Independent writer and ardent baker who loves all things to do with food
Read More..
23 Dec 2009, Citizen Matters
People like Koramangala-based Bridget White-Kumar prove that you do not have to be an academician or historian to bring the past alive. Instead of simply retiring, she has become a food ambassador.
The recently released Julie and Julia enthralled cinema lovers and foodies equally. The film, in part, shows the determination of an otherwise laidback Julia Child’s (played by Meryl Streep) endeavours to become a Cordon Bleu cook, her resolve to teach American women the art of French cuisine and the difficulties in getting her first recipe book published.
Author of six cookbooks and a blog on Anglo Indian cuisine, Bridget White-Kumar is Karnataka’s very own food ambassador. For Bridget White-Kumar this story could be termed familiar territory. Author of six cookbooks and a blog on Anglo Indian cuisine, she is Karnataka’s very own food ambassador. And, like Julia, the road to getting published was a rocky one for Bridget.
A former bank employee, Bridget’s professional life took a 180 degree turn when, after opting for voluntary retirement, she began to document Anglo Indian cuisine. Always interested in food, it was only when her daughter left for higher education to a foreign country that Bridget realised the value of the knowledge she held.
“I wrote out some recipes for my daughter,” recalls Bridget. “This became so popular with her friends that we dubbed it the black book. As she kept calling me to clear doubts, I realised that many of these recipes would probably die out if they were not recorded.” It provided the impetus for Bridget’s first book – The Best of Anglo Indian Cuisine – a Legacy, which came out in 2004.
With publisher after publisher rejecting her manuscript, by the time a publishing house finally agreed to the book, Bridget was weary of the entire procedure. So she decided to bring it out herself. Despite the high expense that self publishing entails, Bridget has not regretted the decision.
“The Internet has been a huge blessing,” she says with a smile. Thanks to technology and the blog, Bridget has been able to market her books so well that she has recovered all costs incurred. Considering that she did not know how to even work a computer before she embarked on her cookbooks, this is no mean feat. There have been no book launches or media blitzes either, but word of mouth did the rounds and the resultant press write-ups propelled Bridget into the limelight. Publishers also took note. Bridget’s seventh book, currently with a major publishing house, will soon be out. And her eighth – a nostalgic look at life in Kolar Gold Fields (KGF), has been published by Author House UK.
The Best of Anglo Indian Cuisine - Bridget White-Kumar.
Bridget, who grew up in the close knit mining community of KGF where a large percentage of the population were Anglo Indians, believes that Anglo Indian cuisine is the first instance of fusion food in India. “It is a confluence of various cultures, not just Indian and British,” she says. “Even within Anglo Indian communities in different parts of India, the ingredients for the same dish can vary. In Cochin the use of coconut will be more, while in Calcutta the oil used would be mustard. But whichever the region, the use of spices remains constant. The judicious use of spices is the defining trait of our food. Not spicy and not bland,” she adds.
Bridget’s favourite meal is yellow coconut rice, mince ball curry and pepper chicken. It is a reminder of her childhood. And of a past that she remembers with clarity. With four generations of Whites in the mining sector and a family home in Robertsonpet in KGF, Christmases especially were a great time for merriment and feasting.
To read Bridget-White Kumar’s blog, click here. For copies of her books, contact her on 9845571254 or at bidkumar[at]gmail[dot]com or bridgetkumar[at]yahoo[dot]com
“My father was a mining engineer and we lived in huge rambling quarters in KGF. There were four mines and each mine would have their Christmas function; with a tree, games for children, Santa distributing goodies, a funfair with food stalls where coconut puffs and marshmallows were favourites and the Christmas dance which began at 9 in the night and wound up by 5 in the morning! The dance was a big event; people would come from Chennai and Bangalore to hear the groups playing,” she says.
It is recollections like these that you will find in her yet to be published book. People like Bridget White-Kumar prove that you do not have to be an academician or historian to bring the past alive. She could have led an ordinary retired life but, with her perseverance in documenting the food of a dwindling community and her resolve to pen memories of a world that has disappeared, she has chosen to tread a different path.
Plum cake
Serves 6
Preparation time 1 hour
Ingredients
300 grams flour or maida
250 grams butter
250 grams powdered sugar
3 eggs (whites beaten well separately)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon chopped orange or lemon peel
100 grams black currant chopped
2 tablespoon date syrup (for colour)
2 cloves and two small pieces of chinnamon powdered
1 table spoon vanilla essence
Shift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Dust the orange/ lemon peel and chopped black currants with a little flour. Cream the butter and sugar well. Add the egg yolks, date syrup, cinnamon and clove powder and vanilla essence and mix well. Add the orange/ lemon peel and black currants. Slowly add the egg whites and flour and fold it well. If the mixture is too thick add a little milk. Pour into a greased and papered baking tin or dish and bake in a sow oven for about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven when done and set aside to cool.
(Taken from The Anglo-Indian Festive Hamper, one of the books Bridget White authored.)
⊕
Theresa Varghese
23 Dec 2009
Independent writer and ardent baker who loves all things to do with food
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Lemon Blueberry Muffins with the kid in the kitchen
Saffron Trail Kitchen Update
The Zesty Salads class of 5th October was much fun (pictures). The registrations for the class of 19th October are closed now. Theres a weekday class on 23rd October morning with a few seats open. Please follow the Saffron Trail Facebook page for all updates on upcoming classes and share this with your friends in Whitefield & rest of Bangalore who may be interested.
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The two week holidays are back and its that time of the year when I struggle to find ways to interest my pre-schooler boy outside of the iPad or DVDs. Last afternoon, it was baking time. I pulled out the Muffins Bible from the bookshelf, read out the recipe for Blueberry muffins to the son, made him wear his spiderman apron, spread newspapers on the kitchen table and we were all set to bake together. He promptly recruited my househelp as the sous chefs sous chef, i mean, his sous chef. We measured out the dry ingredients, and the boy threatened to stir it with so much enthusiasm that I thought there would be more flour outside the bowl than inside it. When it was time to crack the eggs, he wanted to do it all by himself, breaking each of them like coconuts on the tines of the fork. My househelps heart was in her mouth, in the fear that how much clean up wed have to do if he broke the eggs on the floor. Thankfully, it wasnt that much of a disaster. We managed to fill up the muffin cups and when I turned around to put it in the preheated oven, guess what I see? When my attention had turned elsewhere for a nanosecond, he had cranked up oven temperature to 250C, changed the oven setting to grill - one crazy sous chef indeed. After some rectifications, the muffin tin finally went inside and then he sat almost burning his nose by touching it to the oven glass, to wait for them to be ready.
Finally when it was out, he didnt mind his tongue getting burnt but he had to taste them immediately. This morning, I asked him if he could recall how we made the muffins, this is what he drew. This made me a happy mom :)
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Lemon & Blueberry MuffinsMakes 15 medium sized muffins
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Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup oil or 1/2 cup oil + 1/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup milk (at room temperature)
Zest of two lemons
Juice of 2 lemons
1 cup blueberries* (frozen or fresh)
Directions
Preheat the oven at 190°C.
In a large bowl, mix the flours, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and mix well with a fork or a whisk.
Whisk the oil / butter, vanilla extract, eggs and milk in another bowl. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice, give it a quick whisk and add this to the big bowl of dry ingredients.
Gently fold in the blueberries.
Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper liners or grease them well with butter.
Divide the batter between the 12 muffin holes. If theres any extra, make in the next batch, or bake a baby cake with left over batter.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
Shopping Guide
I used frozen blueberries that goes by the brand Delishh, found in the freezer section of Auchan Supermarket (Gopalan Mall), KR Puram. Rs.215 for 200 grams, they were of reasonably good size and freshness. This freeezer section also stocked frozen raspberries and blackberries.
My Doodle recipe is a part of Easy Doodle Recipe contest at BlogAdda.com in association with TastyKhana.com
Saturday, March 29, 2014
The Grilled Spring Chicken with Blood Orange and Rosemary Polka Perfect for Weddings!
I knew it was only a matter a time before Id set a video recipe to the Chicken Dance. This spring and summer, millions of inebriated people will be joyously flapping their elbows, and bobbing their heads, to this tune at weddings all over the county. I have no problem with them, theyre drunk, what do you expect? Its the sober ones that go out there to "get their Mick Jagger on," I wonder about. They really should know better! Thats right, Im talking to you Tom and Katie (see photo below).Anyway, this video is a recipe for the game hen (aka Spring Chicken) I posted a picture of a few weeks ago. It was so delicious and beautiful I promised to film it the next time I made it, and I did. The key ingredient here is the erotic, exotic blood orange. Theyre Spanish in origin I believe, and add a wonderful sweet/tart flavor thats just perfect with the spicy chili sauce and aromatic rosemary.
I know what youre thinking, "this jerk just used another ingredient I cant buy where I live!" "So much for that $1,000 donation I was just about to send him…now Im sending it to Ralph Nader instead." Hey, I don’t blame you. Im sure its frustrating trying to find some of the stuff I use. Sometimes I even make up fake ingredients to mess with you. But, when it comes to the blood orange, there is a solution.Some dude named Jeff, suggested in a comment on the Game Recognize Game Hen post, that blood orange juice could be simulated with regular orange and a splash of pomegranate juice. Brilliant! In fact, it may be even better. Give this a try, and enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 game hens
2 tbsp olive oil
1 blood orange
1 tbsp Asian garlic chili sauce (hot)
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
6 sprigs rosemary leaves
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
View the complete recipe
Thursday, March 27, 2014
A moment on the lips not so much on the hips!
I dont know about you, but I need to lose a few pounds after the long, cold dark winter. Ive been tempted by warming puds which are now all around my hips! But wait....whats this? Those lovely people at Total have created the perfect answer, providing a hit of creaminess with a shot of sweetness, its the Total 0% greek yogurt split pot!
Now although these Total Greek Yogurt Split Pots are delicious just as they are, I couldnt resist the urge to mess around with them. This weekend I seemed to have a lot of little clememtines in the fruit bowl, so decided to make a fruit salad. I genlty poached the clementine segments in orange juice and a teaspoon of caster sugar for about 10 minutes. Then once it had cooled added the chopped apple and banana.
I put all the 0% yogurt into a bowl and mixed through all the fruit from one of the split pots and half of the fruit from the other.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Maryland Crab Cakes – The Good News is Theyre Almost All Crab and the Bad News is Theyre Almost All Crab
This video recipe for Maryland crab cakes is the first official full-length clip posted using the new Canon HD SLR camera. In addition to watching what I hope you find to be a delicious looking crab cake recipe, I would also like to know if you have any suggestions for the video specs.I saved this in iMovie at a size of 1280 x 720 HD, set at 24 frames per second. It looks good, but a little "jumpy." Would 30 frames per second be better? I also saved it at "High" quality, not "Best," which would have made the movie like 800 MB!
Anyway, back to the food! This video will hopefully show you what crab cakes are supposed to be like. A real crab cake is basically a fried lump of crabmeat, held together with a minimum of filler.
As I explain in the video, this makes shaping them a little challenging, but once they are in the pan and browned on both sides, they are far superior on every level. Your basic restaurant crab cake is probably less than 40% crabmeat, which is why they are generally tough and bready.
These are closer to 75% crab, which is a blessing and a curse. Since the crab content is so high, you really cant make these unless you have a nice pile of super fresh, sweet, high-quality crab. Even using the correct technique, these special occasion appetizers will only be as good as the crabmeat used.So if you cant get real lump crabmeat consider this video recipe food porn. Watch, enjoy, and just imagine yourself in the scene. However, if you can get your claws on some fresh crab, give these cakes a try. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh crabmeat, the lumpier the better, well drained
8 saltine crackers
1 egg beaten
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp Worcestershire
1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
salt to taste
cayenne pepper, optional
butter for frying
View the complete recipe
Friday, March 21, 2014
The small things in life Food presentation
While it may seem silly, the appearance of a little radish rose on my salad plate has the power to tickle me from head to toe. Maybe its my fondness for the concept of edible art. Moreover, can you deny that a pretty dessert or any other dish just seems to taste better? Even the slightest special touches in culinary preparation and presentation, transform the mere act of eating into a full-blown aesthetic experience. Sprucing up up a buffet for a party or a sit down meal for guests (or an especially spoiled loved one) is easier than you might think and makes all the difference. Be truly dazzled by these extra little touches will people. Here are some ideas to get you started in the art of food presentation. Good luck!
Presentation basics
Color- When it comes to color, its all about creating contrasts. A dish with a white sauce is going to look boring on a white plate. When it comes to "plating" food, put a few colorful vegetables next to visually bland items like mashed potatoes. Even a dollop of yogurt can look spectacular atop a bowl of split-pea soup!Chargers, the circular settings under plates, are also a great opportunity for color and contrast. They come in all different colors, textures, and materials.Nature- The best food presentation incorporates the beauty of nature. A simple vase of flowers can do so much for a table, but experiment with less common items like pinecones. Fill a vase with crabapples and pinecones for a great-smelling autumn centerpiece. Mix flowers and fruits for especially beautiful and interesting centerpieces. For example, intersperse white flowers with limes in a silver bowl, or combine bright lilies with tropical fruits.
While porcelain and glass serving platters are common in food presentation, do not forget wood. Natural and even exotic woods work beautifully to display items like breads and cheese.
Odd Numbers- A good rule of thumb in any type of decorating is that an odd number of items grouped together is more visually attractive. Just as you would, for example, place a group of three pillar candles on the fireplace mantle, keep the same rule of odd numbers in mind when decorating your table or buffet and when garnishing plates.
White goods- Nothing is as elegant or as easily adaptable as a set of basic whiteware, including white platters, plates, and white linens. You can dress it up or down for different events.
On the plate
Smaller is better- Take a cue from fancy restaurants and create smaller, more elegant portions. Slice vegetables like bell peppers into thin strips. Use plates with a smaller basin for food, but a larger rim to create the illusion of a larger portion. Arrange the food vertically or fan it outward from the center for more artistic arrangements. Garnish- While this may seem obvious, only decorate with edible food. You want peoples taste buds to respond to everything on the plate. Moreover, the garnish should correspond to predominant flavors in the dish. Garnish with sprigs of rosemary for a chicken dish with rosemary in it sprinkle- if a food looks boring, sprinkle on some fresh chopped herbs, nuts, or finely chopped vegetables. Squeeze Bottles- Forget the ladle! The big thing with sauces right now is to paint and drizzle designs over your food with a squeeze bottle. Drizzle thin lines of teriyaki sauce back and forth over dumplings, for example.
Curls, roses, and other edible accoutrements
Vegetable creations
Carrots Use a vegetable peeler to cut strips of carrot, roll each into a spiral, and secure with a toothpick. Submerge in ice water for several hours and the carrot strip will remain curled after removing the toothpick. Cherry Tomatoes- To create a cherry tomato, flower, cut a small X on the blossom side of a cherry tomato. Partially peel back the tomato skin in the four sections with a sharp knife to make four petals. Cucumber/courgette Create fluting along a cucumber or zucchini slice with a fork. Green Onions- For green onion "brushes", cut the roots and most onion of the top portion from a green and make several cuts at both ends to produce a fringe. After being submerged in ice water for a couple hours, the onion ends to curl back like brushes. Leeks- Make pretty leek "asters" by first cutting off the roots and the bottom a little. Cut into 3-4 cm parts. Using a sharp knife, make many cuts along leek but dont split the bottom. Soak the leeks in cold water for a day and the flowers will curl out. Sprinkle with bed juice for a touch of color. Radish- Slice small triangles all around the radish and peel back the red skin to create flower petals. Or, make several cuts radiating out from the top center of the radish, water, and the radish will soak in cold "open" on its own. For a cute and simple trick, the radish very thin and use slice as the round slices petals for a flat flower. You can use a carrot slice stem for the center of the flower and scallions or cucumber peel for the.
Sweet touches
Chocolate- Let a bar of chocolate come to room temperature and carefully draw a vegetable peeler along the bar to create long curling strips. Use the narrow side to create thin curls and the broad side to make bigger curls. To make chocolate leaves, find broad leaves such as mint, rose, lemon or some nontoxic. Brush melted semi sweet chocolate on the underside of the leaves, wiping off any that runs to the front of the leaves. Repeat layers of chocolate to make sturdier leaves. Place chocolate leaves, chocolate side up, on a baking sheet lined with wax paper, and freeze until hard. Then, simply peel away the real leaf from the chocolate leaf. Fruit- Make strawberry fans with stemmed strawberries. Many simply cut, small slices into the strawberry almost to the green stem but not quite through and then fan out the strawberry. Or for on easier trick, brush fresh fruit with a mixture of water and meringue powder, and then immediately sprinkle with (granulated) sugar for a frosted look. Sugar- Powdered sugar (or cocoa powder) can easily create designs on top of brownies or a cake. Cut out a design from a piece of sturdy paper, such as swirls or stars, and then lay the piece of paper over the dessert. Sift the powder on top and then carefully remove the paper. Voila!
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Monday, March 17, 2014
Sorry about the silence
Life is a roller coaster ride...you have the peaks of bliss and happiness and then the troughs where you feel like all the hopes & dreams have crashed like waves on rocks, reduced to nothingness.
The last one odd month has been one such trough for us, which has taken every fiber of mental strength to stay in one piece and not get shattered by the shock rendered by destiny. It felt very futile to cook, eat and write about it, hence the silence here.
Being a public space, I cannot share with you what exactly went wrong, but I can only say this, that with prayers, love, good wishes from relatives, friends and loved ones, we are slowly recovering, which means we are beginning to cook and eat again - which also means I will not starve my beloved readers anymore.
Thank you for your patience and continued support, I will resume blogging very soon (in a day or so) - besides I am even toying with the idea of starting a personal blog dedicated to positivity, gratitude and well being. You will be surely updated on that when it happens.
Meanwhile, you can read about dear husbands food experience in a recent visit to New York city here. [Im doing this even at the risk of losing out readers to his definitely-more-gripping writing style! Hahaa] Based on what hes told me, those of you in and around NYC must try out this Asian-Cuban fusion food at Asia de Cuba. He also got me some amazing gifts, any food blogger / food enthusiast will love to get their hands on, which I shall share with you in my subsequent posts :)
Read More..
The last one odd month has been one such trough for us, which has taken every fiber of mental strength to stay in one piece and not get shattered by the shock rendered by destiny. It felt very futile to cook, eat and write about it, hence the silence here.
Being a public space, I cannot share with you what exactly went wrong, but I can only say this, that with prayers, love, good wishes from relatives, friends and loved ones, we are slowly recovering, which means we are beginning to cook and eat again - which also means I will not starve my beloved readers anymore.
Thank you for your patience and continued support, I will resume blogging very soon (in a day or so) - besides I am even toying with the idea of starting a personal blog dedicated to positivity, gratitude and well being. You will be surely updated on that when it happens.
Meanwhile, you can read about dear husbands food experience in a recent visit to New York city here. [Im doing this even at the risk of losing out readers to his definitely-more-gripping writing style! Hahaa] Based on what hes told me, those of you in and around NYC must try out this Asian-Cuban fusion food at Asia de Cuba. He also got me some amazing gifts, any food blogger / food enthusiast will love to get their hands on, which I shall share with you in my subsequent posts :)
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Where’s the Beef It just fell out of the back of a truck and is now running all over the road!
Today is my sister’s wedding, and I wanted to thank everyone for all the nice wishes and thoughts, and also for all the comments regarding my About.com try-out. I passed the second stage and the final decision comes on Monday. As I said before, I’m sure there are lots of great candidates, with more time, and no weddings to go to applying, so I’m not getting my hopes up too high, but I still appreciate all the encouragement I’ve gotten on this blog.By the way, regarding the title of the post; my sister Val and fiancé Rick first met when she was a new police officer and received a call that a large truck carrying cattle had the back gate come open and dozens of very large and annoyed cows were running all over the road and terrorizing the surrounding areas. Rick, who is also in law enforcement, happened to be in the same area, and got a call from the dispatcher to help the local cops (Val) round up the cattle. So, that’s how they first met, and the rest is history!
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
The Most Delicious Meal Ive Ever Made Paleo Pad Thai
Heres the thing: these pictures are the worst. I took this at 8 PM last night in my kitchen with absolutely no natural sunlight, not that Id know what it even looks like anymore seeing as we had a BLIZZARD YESTERDAY!!! But I digress. These pictures are the worst.
Theyre the worst because this meal is the best, and the truth is no image could capture how delightfully delicious my paleo take on pad thai is.
Heres the other thing: forget what you know about spaghetti squash. Any time you need a grain-free "noodle," just use a vegetable peeler on some squash and carrots, boil them in some water just as you would real pasta, and then voila! The BEST pasta replacement Ive tried yet.
Covered in delicious almond sauce and you will never order take out pad thai again--even if you could give two shits about paleo.
Paleo Pad Thai
Makes 4 large servings
Almond Sauce
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 large knob ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
- 1/2 cup creamy almond butter
- 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp. coconut aminos
- 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp. honey (optional)
- juice from 1 lime
- 1/3 cup canned coconut milk
- salt and pepper
Pad Thai
- 3 large zucchini squash
- 3 large yellow squash
- 3 large carrots
- 1.5 lb. steamed chicken breast
- green onion, diced (for topping)
- handful of almonds, roughly chopped (for topping)
- fresh lime wedges
1. In a medium saucepan, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and saute for a a minute or two until the oil is fragrant and the garlic and ginger are softened.
2. Add almond butter, fish sauce, coconut aminos, vinegar, oil, honey, lime juice, and coconut milk and whisk until incorporated and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (If the sauce is too thick, add more coconut milk; if its too thin, add more almond butter. You can also play with the seasonings like fish sauce and coconut aminos until the flavor is the way you like it!)
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil--salt the water.
4. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the vegetables into wide "noodles". Add them to the boiling water and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until the "noodles" are tender.
5. Drain noodles and toss them with almond sauce that youve made. (Use as little or as much as you prefer.)
6. Top with sliced chicken breast, green onion, almonds, and fresh lime wedges and serve.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Chocolate all the way from New Zealand!
I entered a giveaway on The Kitchen Maid blog to celebrate the 1st Birthday of Lucys blog. There were loads of prizes and I was lucky enough to win two bars of Whittakers Dark Almond Chocolate. I arrived home today to a parcel from New Zealand and there were my two giant bars of choc!
Its a long way from New Zealand but the chocolate had survived very well. Possibly due to the fact that these arent your wimpy thin bars like the ones we get here. These are great big slabs of thick, dark chocolate absolutely stuffed with almonds.
Obviously we had to sample it in order to tell you what it was like, well it would be rude not to. So what is it like? To be honest, my first thought was that it tasted just like French and German chocolate, dark and not too sweet. Mr Farmer was particularly taken with it and I can see that I am going to have to hide it away or he will be eating it at every opportunity!
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Cook the recipe for quick and easy vegetarian meals
If you want to House must have family and friends on your set you always with different types of food that all will, learn to appreciate. You can not expect that all of your will like delicious fried chicken or pork. You always have to expect, not vegetables food reception from friends who are vegetarian and are everything, but. To your collection you must have tested recipes quick and easy vegetarian to allow you, on this goal.
If you are a vegetarian, you could believe that to cope with this and tasking. But it could be confused. There are many techniques to suit your needs, to develop handled easily that your vegetarian friends and related are sure to appreciate and use to joy. The best part is that you your preferences as have and really did something about it. It is also not quick to impose your component, you have, if you want to go and visit other houses. But you would not like you to starve themselves, while in the premises of home only because you prepare not a deal for you.
Here are a few quick fixes, you can just use, if you are confronted with this situation.
1. You can immediately make salads. You clean vegetables, that can contain to this recipe, select Blanch Spätzle to reach them and she put out ready to be served. You must inevitably on your own has different dressings that can be used for this purpose. You must also Vinegars, transmitted primarily on salads for guests, the these types of on your vegetable salads.
2. You can have your vegetables pre-cooked prior to arrival your invited guests. You can you around has the freezer, so you will have less preparation time if your guests start to be able, in be found. You can also produce vegetable soup before the date of the event and it has around the freezer so perfectly. Their efforts are certainly quite some distance, specifically for your guests, the vegetarian.
(3) Try tofu on quality recipes need meat. But make sure that you buy the refreshing and new ways to ensure that you great after using your formula are mixed taste. Find restaurants that can this really good fake, that you simply do not prove that you actually tofu as real meat. If you able to formulate, as is this achieved, you may have served for everyone, even people this kind of meals people, not really vegetarian.
4. You can serve fruit for snacks and desserts. It is healthy and is to be loved by almost everyone. This is appreciated by both children and adults. You will be able to go away from only cut the fruit that you have received. You can also mix, produce fruit salads or give you a try on juices.
5. You must have some white potatoes on your own stock. She could never with this kind of wrong. If you have less time, you can just boil some and pour over tomato sauce on you. Make sure that only before you do this, you must wash thoroughly the white potatoes. You can use also a clean brush, to ensure that all the dirt on your peel away. If you have much more time, you are able to you some mash or baking.
And for your quick and easy vegetarian quality recipewill do s.
If you an amateur chef and would like to read more about some of the most popular cooking tips, visit cooking101.org and check also out healthy Turkey recipes boning.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
My 2010 Meal of the Year – A Big Easy Brunch Sans Pants at Commander’s Palace
So, youd think with so many options, choosing a "Meal of the Year" would be difficult. Well, thats not the case. In fact, it’s a total no-brainer. And by brain, I actually mean pants.
Thats right, my meal of the year came as a direct result of not wearing pants. Id love to explain. This all took place on a press trip Michele and I attended, hosted by the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau.
We had already enjoyed several days of incredible food, drinks, and music in the French Quarter, and the trip was to culminate in the Garden District with a special brunch, prepared by three of the citys star chefs, at the venerable Commander’s Palace.
As we waited to be seated, I stared hungrily into the colorfully decorated dining room. The smells were glorious; the scent was some sort of sweet, smoky amalgamation of bacon and butter. I was shaken from my trance as our group was led forward toward the source of these heavenly aromas. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder.
If youve never been to New Orleans in August, let me tell you, its very humid, and very hot. People say things like, "it may only get up to 95 today." So, since it was brunch, and hot enough outside to accidentally make roux, I decided to go with a nice pair of khaki dress shorts.
She politely explained to me, and the completely horrified PR rep who had made the plans, that everyone who makes a reservation is told about the dress code, and that in the 130 year history of the establishment, no one has ever been allowed to enter the dining area sans pants. Clearly, my "dont you know who I am?" was not going to work.
Since everyone was flying out after this event, I had no intention of keeping the other press members waiting. The only option would be to return to the Ritz-Carlton to change, thereby missing out on the first half of the menu.
Then, just as my exposed knees and I were about to leave in shame, I was introduced to the true meaning of Southern hospitality. Ti told us that while I would not be allowed to enter the dinning room, she had checked with the kitchen, and they were fine with setting up the Chefs table.
Michele and I looked at each other half-smiling, in total disbelief at our good fortune. A few seconds later we were seated smack in the middle of the most famous kitchen in New Orleans. A few friends from the press group came down to check on our situation, but as soon as they saw where we had landed, their looks of concern quickly turned to envious bemusement.
Executive Chef, Tory McPhail, started things off in grand fashion with an amuse bouche of sweet corn Johnny cakes, pulled pork, soft poached quail egg, Atchafalaya river basin caviar, lemon and champagne gelee, hollandaise, and Louisiana sugarcane.
The benefits of such practices were as obvious, as they were delectable with this butter-roasted grouper with chanterelle mushrooms, Louisiana soybeans and crushed local blue crab bisque.
Alligator "Boudin" Sausage with Stewed Greens
As the meal came toward a close, Michele and I discussed how we could tactfully pass on dessert. We knew Commander’s Palace was known for its decadent desserts, but we were full…and not regular full, New Orleans full. We decided wed just split a plate of something, so as not to insult our hosts.
Friday, February 21, 2014
Leftover Turkey Manicotti – “Little Muffs” for the Day After the Day After
The moist filling will bring the driest bird back from the dead, and you can literally add anything that can be chopped up.
One portioning note: The recipe below made six crepes, and if you make yours slightly smaller, the filling recipe will make six nicely sized manicotti.
I went low-carb and used all the filling to make four portions, but you should probably just fill all 6 crepes, or even double the recipe to get 12. I think you’ll want leftovers of the leftovers. So whether you make manicotti with the last of the holiday turkey, or just use the technique to recycle other meaty meals, I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 6 crepes:
2 eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp olive oil
olive oil for cooking crepes as needed
*Note: Feel free to adjust the batters thickness by adding a little flour or water until you get a thin consistency as seen in video.
*Note: Feel free to adjust the batters thickness by adding a little flour or water until you get a thin consistency as seen in video.
For the filling:
1 cup chopped turkey or anything
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella
1/4 tsp dried marjoram
1/8 tsp red chili flakes
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
For the rest:
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
2 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for top
1 tbsp chopped Italian parsley, garnish
Monday, February 17, 2014
IN THE MIDDLE OF SAHARA DESERT
Dear Friends
Read More..
Please continue to bear with me and dont delete my name from your followers list. Here the internet is too poor and I can hardly open the blog page, it just hangs out , can you imagine the speed is not even 5 kbps ...and rarely 10 and signal loss, very 2 minutes!!!!
I will be here for some more time, just picked up a short assignment to earn bit of pocket money. Place is 1600 Km away from the capital, Algiers. I stay in a camp in a 10X10 portable cabin and have an attached toilet, luckily. Of course it has a small fridge minus beer, TV etc. ( I wished I had a kitchen too.) There are about 100 Chinese people and Algerians too. I work for the Chinese Oil giant. I am the only Indian. I am enjoying authentic Chinese food and also Algerian food. Both the Chefs have promised me to teach dishes..It will be interesting .They dont understand English and I dont understand Arabic, French or Chinese. It will be great fun learning dishes approximately.
There is nothing to see here. Foreigners are not allowed to move out without police escort. As such it is quite safe, I mean better than Delhi or Noida. Moreover there is nothing much to see ...sand and more sand dunes and stones , rubble every where.
It is getting cold and will go sub zero in the night in Dec Jan.... (I wont be here during Sahara summer)
Hope to catch up when I am back home in January and whenever I get connection, I shall read your postings for sure.
Have a nice weekend , best wishes from InAmenas,
My Cabin Prison Cell No 13Apart of the row cabins
Sunday, February 16, 2014
The Pan of Olive Oil that Launched a Thousand Emails
Well, maybe not a thousand, but I did get quite a few requests for the sauce that went with the homemade pasta my Uncle Bill made during my trip to New York. We did two videos together, one was the “Homemades,” and one was an amazing chicken recipe called Chicken D’Arduini. In that post I said I would try to demo the olive oil sauce that went over the homemade fettuccine. Well, I haven’t filmed that yet, and have lots of great excuses why, some of which are even true. 
ning in the photo of the pan. I can’t give exact amounts because it’s just not that kind of sauce.
While the pasta is cooking (I think we cooked about 2 pounds), put a heavy sauté pan on low heat. Add lots of olive oil, maybe a good cup. Add 5 or 6 anchovy fillets, and 4 cloves of minced garlic. Sauté on low until the anchovies melt and the garlic begins to sizzle. Add some chopped fresh basil and some hot pepper flakes and cook for another minute. Do NOT brown the garlic. Turn off the heat. 
In a large pasta bowl, cut up a stick of butter into small pieces. Grate about a cup of Parmesan cheese (the real stuff!). When the pasta is cooked and drained, add it to the pasta bowl, and toss with the butter for a few moments. Pour over the olive oil mixture, and add the grated Parmesan (save a little for the table), and toss until everything is coated. This is best served as a side dish due to its obvious richness, and was great with the Chicken D’Arduini, as it would with any similar recipe.
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