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Showing posts from February, 2011

Stracciatella

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2 servings Preparation 3 minutes Cooking 5 minutes 60 calories per serving 1 large egg 2 cups chicken broth 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated 1 pinch nutmeg 1 tsp Italian parsley, fresh ground pepper to taste In a bowl, lightly beat the egg and grated Parmesan cheese.  Add the grated nutmeg and freshly ground pepper to taste.  Set aside. In a saucepan, bring the broth to a boil.  Lower the heat but keep the broth simmering for the next step. While stirring the broth slowly in one direction, gradually add the egg in a steady stream.  The egg will cook and feather.  Garnish each bowl with chopped parsley and serve. Comfort food that is so easy and quick to make.  

Rainbow Popcorn

I first made this back at the Jello recipe swap... where we learned that there is a thing as too much jello. Since then it's been a staple favorite and not hard to make. 8 cups of popped popcorn 1/4 cup. butter or margarine 3 tablespoons light corn syrup 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar or granulated sugar (I found the light works best. It keeps the colour bright.) 1 package (4 serving size) Jello Brand Gelatin, any flavor Place popcorn in large bowl. Heat butter and syrup in small saucepan over low heat. Stir in sugar and gelatin; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer for 5 minutes. Pour syrup immediately over popcorn, tossing to coat well. (Note: When pouring the syrup, do it a little at a time then toss or else some pieces will be coated more than others.) Spread popcorn over aluminum foil cookie sheet, using two forks to spread evenly. Bake in preheated 300 degree oven for 10 minutes. Cool. Remove from pan and break into small piece

Chicken Afritada

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My adaptation. In a large pot bring to a boil: I diced green pepper 1/2 bunch of celery ~large chunks 1 onion ~sliced 1 can tomato juice/vegetable cocktail 1 can diced tomatoes pepper chilli flakes to taste Bring to a good boil and let rest. Add some fresh basil. If this step can be done the day before the flavours intensify. In a large stock pot bring 8 cups water, to a boil with: 5 potatoes ~peeled and cubed 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs ~ cut each into 3 strips 1 bag mini carrots 1/4 bunch of celery ~chopped lots of pepper Cook until potatoes are JUST cooked and drain (reserve liquid for soup stock in another recipe). In a large casserole (or crock pot), pour 1/2 of tomato mixture. Pour potato/chicken mixture on top and finish with the rest of the tomato mixture. Bake at 300 for 1 hour covered. Top with your favourite cheese and broil until cheese is melted. Serve with warm bread on a cold day. "Bon Appetit!"

Cinnamon Apples

4 servings Preparation 10 minutes Cooking 15 minutes 110 calories per serving 4 apples, peeled then cut into 5 mm slices 1 tbsp sugar 1-1/2 tbsp butter, unsalted 1 tsp ground cinnamon 4 scoops vanilla ice cream (optional) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Peel the apples, remove and discard the cores, then cut them into 5 mm slices.  Butter an oven-safe dish.  Arrange the slices into the dish, then sprinkle them with sugar and cinnamon.  Add the butter in small pieces.  Bake 12-15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Baked Potatoes

2 servings Preparation 5 minutes Cooking 1 hour 230 calories per serving 2 potatoes, Russet or Idaho type 1 tsp olive oil 2 tsp butter, unsalted 2 green onions/scallions, chopped salt to taste ground pepper to taste Oblong-shaped Russet or Idaho potatoes are the ones to use in this recipe because their high starch content yields a fluffy baked potato. Potatoes may be either baked in a traditional oven, or cooked in a microwave, the choice being a matter of personal preference.  Baking is longer, but yields a crusty skin. Baking method:  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Clean the potatoes, then prick them a few times with a fork to allow the humidity to escape without bursting the skin while cooking.  Coat the potatoes with the oil, sprinkle with salt, then bake them in the middle of the oven for about 1 hour, depending on the size of the potatoes.  The baking time could be slightly reduced by wrapping each potato individually in aluminum foil, since the heat trapped

Barley and Lentil Soup

Makes 5 servings of very delicious soup!! Preparation 15 minutes Cooking 1 hour 130 calories per serving 1/3 cupt green-brown lentils (dried) 1/2 onion, finely chopped 1 carrot, finely chopped 2 cups Swiss chard, or spinach, coarsely chopped and packed 1-1/2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbsp olive oil 1/2 tsp ground cumin 2 cups chicken broth 2 cups water 1/3 cup pearl barley 3/4 cup canned tomatoes (diced or chopped) salt to taste ground pepper to taste Rinse and drain the lentils, then set aside. Prepare the vegetables:  Finely chop the onion and carrots; coarsely chop the Swiss chard; mince or press the garlic.  Set aside. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onion then saute 3-4 minutes until soft.  Add the carrots, then saute 5 minutes with occasional stirring, until they are golden-coloured.  Add the garlic and stir 1 minute, then add the cumin and stir 1 minute.  Pour in the broth, water and barley.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cov

Snow Candy

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1/2 cup pure maple syrup 2 tbsp butter Place both ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil. Boil for 5-7 minutes until mixture reaches 225-230 degrees. Place snow in pan or bowl, and drizzle hot syrup over snow. The snow cools the candy pretty quickly. As soon as the candy is cool enough to eat, it's ready.

Carrot and Apple Muffins

2 cups (270 grams) grated raw carrot (about 2-3 peeled carrots) 1 large apple, peeled and grated 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated white  sugar 3/4 teaspoon   baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon (3.5 grams) salt 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 3 large eggs 3/4 cup vegetable oil Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Whisk well to combine. In a separate bowl, combine eggs and oil until well mixed.   Add egg mixture, shredded carrots and shredded apple to flour mixture. Bake for approximately 18 minutes Yield:  I got a dozen standard muffins and 15 mini muffins for the wee one out of this recipe.  They were really tasty, easy to make (as muffins tend to be) and will be my breakfast for the next several days as well as snacks for C :)

Coconut Shrimp

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Serves 4 Prep Time 30 minutes 8 cups olive oil (I used 4 cups oil and just cooked the shrimp in 2 batches) 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 2 large egg whites 2 cups coconut flakes 1 pound shrimp (peeled and deveined) Mix the flour, salt and cayenne pepper in one dish.  Beat the egg whites until frothy in another dish.  In a separate dish put the cocount flakes. Put the shrimp in the flour mixture than into the egg whites and then into the coconut flakes. Heat fryer to 380 degrees and put the shrimp into the hot oil for 2-3 minutes until they are golden brown. Take them out and place them on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil. I made these shrimp for a late lunch with a side salad.  I am ashamed to say I ate 2 servings of shrimp.  To make matters worse, I ate the remaining two servings cold for supper . . . yes, they were that good.

Shrimp Casserole with Salad and Garlic Bread.

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When a friend asked me what recipe was good using shrimp, I had no clue. So what did I do? Searched online and found this recipe for her. I decided to try it out myself though when creating it, Mum and I both had to try and figure out how much of certain things. Here it is though. 2 cups instant rice 1/2 green pepper, chopped 1/2 cup onion, chopped 40-60 Count cooked shrimp 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped Butter (we decided on 4 Tbsp. Best bet is to use 3) Shredded cheese of your choice (Recommending Monzerlla or marble) Soya sauce Directions: Remove tails from shrimp. Cook rice as directed on package; set aside. Chop onion and pepper, sauteing together and set aside. Melt garlic & butter in a frying pan and fry the shrimp until hot (or until butter disappears). Mix rice with Soya sauce of your preference. Add in onion and pepper. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Using a deep oven-safe dish, put a layer of rice in, then a layer of shrimp, then a layer of shredded cheese. Repeat unt

Celine Dijon Chicken

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The whole family enjoys this chicken! The dinner also included some carrot sticks and a salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing. 1 cup unsweetened apple juice 1 tbsp each Dijon mustard and lemon juice 1 large shallot, minced 1/2 tsp dried thyme 1/4 tsp dried rosemary 1/8 tsp black pepper 2 tsp olive oil 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (or 8 bone & skinless chicken thighs small) 1/4 cup low fat sour cream 1 tsp each honey and cornstarch Combine apple juice, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, shallot, thyme, rosemary and black pepper in a small bowl. Set aside. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken breasts and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Add apple juice mixture. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer, covered for 5-7 minutes until chicken is no longer pink. remove chicken from skillet and keep warm. Gently boil remaining liquid for 3 minutes until slightly reduced in volume. Mix sour cream, honey and cornstarch in a small bow