Gluten-free biryani and carrot fritters

You know when you have leftovers and it's just a cup of this and a cup of that? Things that you can't exactly serve to anyone but yourself, standing eating at the kitchen counter?

All. The. Time.

This week, my friend's wife sent me a tupperware of chicken biryani and I liked it so so SO MUCH that I ate just a few spoonful at a time until I realized that I didn't have enough left for a meal.

Desperate, I raided the fridge and BOOM! Magic.

I don't know about your fridge but I think mine is a magic box. Whenever I am at the end of the food rope, I just need to stick my head in there and all kinds of fun ideas pop up.

So here we go, enjoy these fritters because I did. I actually had to portion it to not eat the whole batch.

(Biryani) Rice and carrot fritters

- 1.5 cup of biryani or plain cooked rice.
-3 medium carrots, shredded, squeezed well
-3 eggs
-1 Tbsp curry powder (more if you have plain rice)
-3 Tbsp minced mint leaves
-salt and pepper to taste
-coconut oil for the pan

Mint yogurt sauce

-1/2 Cup plain yogurt
-1 Tbsp minced mint leaves
-1 tsp lemon juice

***For sauce, mix all ingredients together.

Mix all fritters ingredients together. Heat a small knob of coconut oil in pan over medium heat. Drop a few tablespoons of mixture and fry a few minutes each side until golden. Serve warm with mint yogurt sauce.

Almond pulp (gluten free) apple and peach cobbler

I saw Christmas decoration in store last week. Seriously? At least wait until I've had my turkey and pumpkin pie guys!!!! I haven't even thought of a Halloween costume yet!!!

We are having Indian summer this week and it's beautiful outside. I love that there are red leaves everywhere but it's hot and sweaty which definitely makes it easier for me to stop denying that fall is here. Soon, everything will be about stews and roasts, pumpkins and sweet potatoes, apples and cobblers.

HMMM.... Cobblers.....I. LOVE. COBBLERS!!!!

As I have been eating sans gluten, cobblers would have been hard not to have anymore. It's like a poem, you know? A beautiful fragrant to start, a bite of the soft sweet apple chunks to lure you into the story and then the buttery crunch. Without that buttery crunch, the poem doesn't finish well. It's still good, don't get me wrong but that crunch... oh that crunch..

Ehem... sorry.. I got a little distracted there... But I'm back! So as I am on a roll with this almond pulp thing, I thought why not use almond pulp instead of flour? I went to ask my close friend Google and I found one that sounds really really good, and I went on from there.

This recipe is really easy and fast I can assure you that. It was inspired from Cinnamon Eats and I substituted a couple of things and made it the lazy way.

Gluten free almond pulp cobbler
-5 apples
-3 peaches (optional. I had peaches left over so I just threw them in there)
-juice of 1 lemon
-2-3 cups of almond pulp (yield from 1 cup of whole almonds when I made the milk)
-1 Tbsp ground cinnamon (use less if you prefer. I like mine cinnamon-y)
-a few shakes of ground cloves
-a few shakes of grated nutmeg
-1/2 cup butter
-1/4 cup honey (I used raw because that's what I had)
-a handful of raw pumpkin seeds

Turn oven to 350F
Slice the apples and peaches and toss them with the lemon juice in a glass baking dish (I used a 9x11 because I couldn't find the 8x8)
Mix almond pulp and spices.
Melt butter and honey and add into dry mixture. Spoon on top of fruit slices and spread.
Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds. Bake for 50 minutes then turn the oven off and leave it in there to keep warm

4-ingredient almond pulp cookies

Hi there! :) How have you been?

Yes, I know I've been away for quite a while... but let's just pretend that my last post was a couple of weeks ago, shall we? After all, I'm sure life has been very exciting for you so you probably didn't miss me too much, right?

What?

Oh... I was hoping that you'd say you did miss me so so much....

Well, in any case, I  am going to try to buy back my time with you with this cookies recipe. I promise they are good. Scout honor.

So this whole time away I made movies, I made cakes and I made almond milk. Delicious plain and chocolate almond milk. There is nothing really special about my almond milk compared to yours, no. Just good old four cups water to one cup raw almonds. This means that I was accumulating almond pulp and I must say, I started to freak out a little bit. It was my guilty conscience telling me I was supposed to make delicious stuff with it really fast and my lazy brain whispering: "You don't have a dehydrator... Do you really want to mess around with this crumbly wet pile?"

Needless to say, the world wide web had many suggestions. My brain was right, drying almond pulp??? Oh hell no! As I realized that most of the recipes required extra ingredients that my wallet shook its head to and the amount of almond pulp used was not as much as the pile was growing, I decided that I'd just randomly mix things into my crumbly wet pile and made cookies.

O.M.G. SO. GOOD. My colleagues love them. I love them. The texture apparently reminded one colleague of camping bars (delicious ones obviously!) They are gluten-free and vegetarian friendly!!!

So without further boring you, I am sharing one of the two recipes I came up with as the other one needs to be tested again.

Almond pulp banana cookies:
(about 20-24 cookies)

-3 cups almond pulp (plain or chocolate)
-1 large banana
-1 egg
-1/2 cup sugar

Turn your oven to 350 F
Mix everything together well. Line your cookie sheets with parchment papers. Scoop 1 tablespoon  of mixture for each cookie, flatten them slightly with the back of a spoon or fork. Bake for 20 minutes or until there are golden specs on top. Cool cookies on racks, keep them in a tightly closed tupperware in the fridge for a few days (Mine never last more than 24 hours... LOL!!!!)

Good luck eating just one!!!! :P

Vietnamese mango & shrimp salad

As a kid, Tết (Vietnamese New Year / Chinese New Year / Lunar New Year) meant that I'd spend days munching on water melons, melon seeds, sweets & tart kumquats that I'd secretly pick from the kumquat trees we had in the house, the equivalence of the Christmas tree here (We were not supposed to pick at them because they end up not looking as nice anymore by the time it's the new year, so I'd take the fruits from the side that was against the wall hoping it wouldn't show. LOL!)

 (Image from here)

On the first morning of Tết, my cousins & I would dress up in our new clothes & greet our grandparents, uncles & aunts with extravagant wishes of health, happiness & longevity. Then, they'd hand us "li xi" of crisp new bills in red pouches. The upcoming days were visits from and/or to friends and extended family. Tet was exciting. Tet was lots of yummy food. Tet was the only holiday I'd look forward to.

Now, I mostly spend Tết with close friends instead of family because they are all far away. No flower festivals that line the main strip downtown for weeks on end. No firecrackers popping away through the night. The kumquats have been replaced with tangerines. I'm the one to make the food & give "li xi" because I am now the adult. Things have changed but one thing for sure, the love stays. Be it with friends or family, Tet is the time to spend with people you cherish and I wouldn't change it for the world!

This year, I continue the tradition.

One of the dishes that I will be serving at Tet dinner is this yummy mango salad (Other recipes will come soon) You can use the Asian green mangoes or the greener Fat Cat ones, which will be a bit sweeter. 

For a one-person lunch size:

• Half a mango, cut into slightly bigger than match sticks
• A handful of "do chua" (Vietnamese daikon & carrot pickle)*
• A many cooked shrimp as you think you can handle (I used 5 Tiger shrimps, cut in half length wise)
• A few Tbsp of mixed fish sauce** 
• A few mint leaves and "rau ram" (Vietnamese coriander) chopped
• A small handful of roasted peanuts, chopped

Mix the  first four ingredients together, then top with mint & Vietnamese coriander. Sprinkle the peanuts on top just before eating to keep them crunchy.


*The advantage of making a jar of daikon & carrot pickle instead of buying it in the store, is saving money, having it on hand at anytime and you can add it in home-made "banh mi" (Vietnamese sandwich) I must warn you though, daikon smells strong.


**I don't really have a recipe for mixed fish sauce, simply because it all depends on your own taste. Some like it sweeter, some like it saltier, etc. But as the base recipe states: "one part lime or lemon juice, or occasionally vinegar, one part fish sauce, one part sugar and two parts water"

Soy sauce drumsticks

Chúc Mừng Nǎm Mới!!! Happy New Year!!!!  Bonne Année!!! Feliz Año Nuevo!!! Buon Anno!!! La Mulţi Ani!!! 새해 복 많이 받으세요!!!

Whichever language(s) you speak, write or understand, I wish you and your loved ones a new year filled with happiness, health, joy, laughter, smiles, and yummilicious food in your bellies.

Speaking of which, here is a short & savory "recipe" for your drumsticks. Simply delicious.

No, not YOUR drumsticks, but chicken drumsticks that you bought at the store/farm first thing this morning because almost nothing was opened yesterday on the 1st of January and you didn't want to purchase them in Chinatown for personal reasons... Don't worry, it'll be our little secret...

Calling this a "recipe" is really a stretch. All you need is:

• enough soy sauce (to fill about 5mm high of a shallow baking pan or dish or whatever you want to marinade in) 
• minced garlic (of about 3, 4 cloves)  
• chopped shallots (1-2) 
• drumsticks (I scored them with 2, 3 deep lines almost to the bone, horizontally so that they'd soak up the marinade better and cook well at the more meaty part without drying out or burning)

Line the chicken in the pan with the marinade and turn them over once in a while to ensure that the soy sauce coats all. Let stand for about an hour or two, or refrigerate over night and let cool before cooking.

Cook in a pan over medium heat with a bit of olive or vegetable oil, turning over once in a while to cook all sides. Once done (mine took about 30-35 minutes) place them on a big plate and sprinkle freshly ground pepper over the top.

Enjoy!!!

Crockpot pasta meat sauce with a twist

Ok, so I know what you're thinking: "ANOTHER pasta sauce recipe!?" because of course, we all have enough pasta sauce recipes in our closet!

But hear me out!!!

1-You won't have to keep going to check up on it
2-There is a twist that will give your pasta sauce a whole new depth.
3-No cleanup to do for splatters on the counter!!!

Seriously, if you have a crockpot, DO IT!

DO IT NOW!!!!! Ok, maybe not right now because for all I know, you're reading this in bed on your laptop at 1am while your significant other is snoring away on the left side of the bed. But do it when the sun is up because you won't regret it. You will have enough to freeze and the kids will ask for seconds (And I say this so firmly because I've got proof. Picky-eaters proof!)

So, what's the twist? Ha-ha, very funny, it's not squirrel meat! (Although, those little cute furry punks who dig up our back yard are really asking for it....)

It's fish sauce. Oh, don't make that face, it's really not attractive. That's the same face my better half made when I first talked about cooking with fish sauce. Then he tasted the sauce I made the first time and hasn't stopped eating it since. Didn't even leave me when he found out what I put in it! LOL!

It's really quite quick to prep. The only part that takes more time is cooking the beef. So let's get to it!

Tramie's pasta meat sauce with a twist:
(serves... a lot...)

• 2 pounds extra lean ground beef

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 cans of diced tomatoes n the juice, 796ml / 28oz each

• 1 can of crushed tomatoes, 796ml / 28oz

• 4-6 tbsp fish sauce (to taste)

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 branches of fresh oregano, washed 

• 2-3 branches of fresh parsley, washed, discard stems and mince

Cook the ground beef with the garlic in a skillet over high heat. Draining the fat is optional. I don't :) Let it cool down.

Pour the 3 cans of tomatoes into your crockpot. Blend thoroughly with a handheld blender (Or in a blender and then put them in the crockpot.

Add the fish sauce. Now, this is important: I don't actually measure the exact amount, this is totally eyeballed. So add and taste slowly. It doesn't have to be salty right away, remember, you can always add more after.

Then add in the meat and the rest of the herbs. Set your crockpot on low for 6 hours.

Now go finish up your holidays shopping, because THAT will not do itself.

Hugs & kisses cookies

I'm having one of those times, you know... bloggers' block. I've literally been twiddling my thumbs for days now to come up with something interesting to say, and I've got nothing. Nada. Niente.

*sigh*

Good thing the pictures speak for themselves, *PHEW!*

 XOXO or Tic-tac-toe, they all taste delightful!!!

I've seen these checkerboard cookies for years, and have meant to make them for a while, but well, pretty much procrastinated til now. They're the type of cookies that you make for people you really REALLY love (Yes, keep reminding yourself of the love when you're kneading, rolling and cutting the dough, it will all be worth it in the end, LOL!!! )

Lemon sugar cookies:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon oil (omit if you don't have any)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour

Cream butter and add sugar. Blend in egg, lemon juice, lemon oil, salt and flour. Roll dough into a block or ball and chill until firm.

Chocolate sugar cookies:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tsp vanilla
  
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 cups flour

Cream butter and add sugar. Blend in egg, vanilla, salt, cocoa powder and flour. Roll dough into a block or ball and chill until firm.

When you're ready, roll the two dough out to your desired thickness (I went with an approximate of 1/2 inch thick) Baking Obsession made a really great diagram of how to stack the dough strips to make the cookies, so I'm not gonna sketch the same one because hers is already too awesome.

I will though, make one to show you another method if you want the quick checkerboard version instead :) (without the wrapping on the outside) The red lines are cut lines. After step two, refrigerate the block again until firm before moving onto step three.

Of course, if you lose patience with all the rolling, measuring, cutting, re-refrigerate, etc, just bring out your favorite cookie cutters and skip all the steps...

Once the cookies are all cut, put them back in the fridge, on a lined baking tray until firm again. Heat oven to 375*F and bake cookies for 8-10 minutes. They shouldn't brown :) (Well, I'm talking about the lemon part obviously!)

Pour yourself a glass of milk, sit back and enjoy the goodies. I really like the contrast of the lemon against the chocolate and I hope you will too. Happy baking and share these hugs and kisses ;) 

THE best cinnamon chocolate chip cookies

Seriously...

There are tons of recipes out there for the best chocolate chip cookies and I don't claim to have tried them all, but the ones that I have, were always missing one thing or another. The one thing that they all had in common, was that they WOULD NOT FLATTEN! The pictures would show so, but not the result!!! *sigh*

Now, don't get me wrong, the taste was never an issue, but for me, the perfect chocolate chip cookie means a flat yummy buttery chocolatey cookie that is crunchy on the outside but chewy on the inside.

FLAT.

It's important that the cookies are flat. NOT by me flattening them before baking, no no! Flat, by melting and spreading all on their own.

Well, THESE cookies are. They spread and flattened all on their own like the big cool kids do. And they are GOO-OO-OO-OOD!!!!! *drool*

Make them, I PROMISE you, scout honor, that this is the last recipe that you'll ever need.

Chocolate cinnamon chip cookies (makes 46 three-inches cookies)
(from original recipe of The Silver Palate)

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) softened butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips    
• 1/2 cup cinnamon chips (I used Hershey's) 

Heat oven to 350 degrees & line your cookie sheet with parchment papers or use a silpat if you have. Cream butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Sift dry ingredients together and stir in, mixing thoroughly. Add chocolate chips & cinnamon chips to batter and form cookies by using a small scoop. I used one of 1 & 1/2 inch diameter.

Make sure to space them out on the sheet. About 2-3 inches between them. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Let cool on sheet before transferring them onto rack to cool completely.  

Share them or not, I won't tell ;) Enjoy!!! 

 

Martha's Savory Fall stew

Did you know that the word "fall" might actually have everything to do with the fact that things fall during the season? Really!!!! And oh boy, do they fall, EVER, all puns intented!!!!!*sigh*

Fall is pretty, but like everything else, it has its ups and downs. And lately, it's been just the perfect excuse for indulging in comfort food. So bring on the squash and let's get it going!!! Such beautiful shades of orange, red and yellow everywhere. I love them on and off the trees. And, in my cooking pots. Such colorful goodness in the belly... Fall Harvest here I come! (Thanks to Martha)

Savory Fall stew

Martha Stewart Living, November 1996 - serve 4

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 12 ounces hot Italian sausage, cut into small chunks (I used half spicy & half mild)
• 12 cipollini onions (pearl onions can be substituted), peeled
• 1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
• 3 cups homemade or low-sodium chicken stock, skimmed of fat
• 1/2-ounce bundle of fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, or oregano
• 2 1/2-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch-long sticks
• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (I omit this for lack of, at the store)
• 12 brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sausage, and cook, stirring until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Remove sausage with slotted spoon, and set aside. (It will break into small pieces during cooking)

Discard all but 2 tablespoons rendered fat, then raise heat to medium high, add onions, and cook, stirring, until golden, 5 to 6 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, and herbs; simmer over medium heat until liquid starts to thicken, 20 to 25 minutes. Add sausage, squash, carrots, parsnips, and fennel; cover, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add brussels sprouts, and cook, covered, about 5 minutes more. Remove cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid thickens, 10 to 15 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

It tastes best shared with good company, so you can cook this a few hours ahead of your dinner party (I doubled the recipe for 8-10 servings) and then put the pot on low heat to keep warm for about 30 minutes before serving. In fact, we had leftover several days later and it was just as delicious.

Chase away your autumn blues and welcome the fall festive :)

"Heisenberg" salad dressing

Don't let the image of this simpleton fool you... The dressing on it, will make you addicted to salads.
Now, I do realize that is quite a statement to make, but I'm just THAT confident. 

Make this and you will thank me!

(For those of you who are wondering who Heisenberg is and why does he have anything to do with my salad, it's a TV series I've just started watching, and there is top notch crystal meth involved... I'm not promoting drugs, I'm just saying the salad dressing is addictive like meth... not that I would know what that is like LOL!!! But you get the point! *exhale*)

Very simple:

• 1 part soy sauce
• 2 parts balsamic vinegar
• 4 parts olive oil
• a bunch of mint leaves, washed and chopped thinly (a good 10-15 leaves for every 1/4 cup of dressing)
• french shallots, minced (one small one for every 1/4 cup of dressing)

Mix everything together until well blended and let sit for 15 minutes or so.

Assemble you salad mix and make sure you add fresh Italian parsley (I made mine simple: lettuce, chopped tomatoes and parsley)

Toss salad with a few spoons of dressing (mix it well before) Let sit for another 15 minutes or so. Now, see??? It's frigging delicious!!!!!

P.S: I ate that whole bowl for dinner. I still want more.

Get a free cooking app!

Smartphones are IT these days. We can play games, video chat, listen to music, MAKE music, etc all on the same little device. I mean, I never would have thought that when I was a kid. Oof, "thinking"? Never mind thinking, there is probably an app for that now anyway ;)

If your app hunger involves delicious mouth watering recipes that make you want to roll up your sleeves and pop into the kitchen to show off your inner chef, check out Trufflehead who came out with an awesome app for cooking. If you are like me, when seeing is believing, watch for yourself :) You won't be disappointed.

Months ago when I came back from my trip to Asia (where I ate and ate my days away in Vietnam) I was completely in withdrawal with food, Trufflehead's red Thai curry with cauliflower and tofu was the first recipe I wanted to make after weeks in cooking hiatus

...Plus, a crockpot recipe is always a plus when your day is filled with running around, just saying.... (Other than going to Chinatown for the Thai basil, everything else is available at any grocery store. If you don’t have access to Thai basil, you can just use the “other” one. All you have to do is wash, chop, pour, stir and wait. All the prepping took about 30 minutes, and cooking time is 3 hours)

So dear beloved readers, Trufflehead is giving away TWO free download for their app. This offer is good for ONE WEEK, so hurry up and email talk@trufflehead.com with Tramie's Kitchen in the subject line. The first two to do so, will get a code to download the ap.

Good luck and enjoy the freebie!!!! :)

Ginger syrup

I like ginger, in food, in tea, in candies, but I was never a fan of Ginger Ale. I find the taste is too subtle. Basically not worth my tummy space and so, it remains one of the things I never even look at in grocery stores.
Now, that's all changed. Forever. Thanks to one of my favorite bloggers, Joy the Baker, who led me to discover ginger syrup.

(P.S: Thanks Joy!!! I would really love to hang out with you one day and watch you cook/bake while rambling away about your life. LOL!!!!)

I kid you not, it's frigging delicious!!!! My better half promptly declared that I have ruined store-bought ginger ale for him. And he loves ginger, not just the red-haired sexy ladies, but everything ginger, so he is pretty much the best critic there is beside myself.

No, there is nothing left for me to say but GO MAKE IT, if you are a ginger lover. I refuse to try to convince you any further. See for yourself how easy it is to make it:

Ginger Syrup:

( from Betty Fraser and Denise DeCarlo, owners of Grub)
makes 2 cups of syrup

2 cups unpeeled, washed, fresh ginger, roughly chopped
2 cups sugar
6 cups water

Process ginger chunks in a food processor or blender until finely chopped. Place in a large stock pot (I couldn't find the blade for my food processor, so I placed the roughly chopped ginger into the pot with about 2 cups of the water, and used a handheld blender to mince it) Add sugar and water to the pot and stir. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook for one hour until a rich syrup is created. Strain the syrup twice through cheese cloth or a sieve into a large jar or bottle. Refrigerate.
 
Get yourself some tonic or soda water. Pour about 2-3 Tbsp of syrup for each cup of soda, or according to your taste. Add some ice. Squeeze in some lime if you have. Add some mint if you're feeling trendy and enjoy!!!!!

See? What did I tell you??? SO. AWESOME.

Halloween party ideas

TWO WEEKS ago, I was speechless to see Halloween decorations already out in many stores and ready for purchase. It was August! Either they take them out earlier every year or I'm really in denial about how fall is near. I mean, can you really blame me? No amount of BBQ, wine tasting, wedding vow renewal parties, are ever enough. Don;t get me wrong, I love Halloween. But it's just that closer to winter is all...

Well, if you can't beat them, join them I guess.... *sigh*

The lovely Jennifer at Decorating Ideas has a page up and it is full of fun dessert ideas for your coming up Halloween parties, one of which, is yours truly; an idea that totally came from an accident. So head on over there and have some fun preparing your goodies for a scary feast.

While you wait, enjoy some of my newest creations. They are partly responsible for my absent the passed few months on here.

 

Home-made parmesan pizza crust

As I sat there having pancakes topped with sliced bananas and maple syrup this morning, a little voice whispered in my head: "Make pizza!" and that was it, I was weak and I followed the command.

It's a total mystery to me how my mind works sometimes... 

Of course, having lack of the right ingredients is part of this schizophrenic food-driven problem of mine. Fortunately, because of all the cakes and things that I make, flour is definitely always just an arm's length away. The only things I used for these pizza that I'm somewhat ashamed to admit are the hot dogs. Yes, you heard me, hot dogs (Sometimes, wrapping hot dogs in cheese and tortilla bread and baking them for a few minutes in the oven could save your sanity on a Friday night with two hyper hungry little girls. Thus, I had three leftover jumbo hot dogs)

*sigh* you're judging me... I know it! But you know what, that's okay, because these pizza were delicious!!!

D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S

Make them.

Even if you only have hot dogs. In fact, make them margherita pizza for that matter! Obviously, I was lucky to have frozen a small tub of tomato sauce just days ago, so that helped the situation.

But really! MAKE THEM! It's so fast if you have these essentials on hand. So, if you have a yummy tomato sauce and some shredded cheese sitting in the fridge, here is the recipe for the pizza crust

Perfect Parmesan Pizza Dough, courtesy of Kraft
(makes four 12" crust)

• 5 cups flour, divided
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp. quick-rise instant yeast (1 1/4 tsp and 1 tsp of sugar if you only have active dry yeast)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups cold water
• 1/4 cup olive oil 

***If you only have active dry yeast, take 1/4 cup of the water and heat it in a small bowl in the microwave for about 15 seconds, or until 100*F, then mix in the yeast and the sugar. Use that in place of the yeast listed in the instruction.

Mix 4 cups flour, parmesan, yeast and salt in large bowl. Add water and oil; stir until soft dough forms. Knead dough about 5 min. or until smooth and elastic then slowly add remaining flour .

Cut dough into 4 pieces. Spray each piece with cooking spray if you have, I just left them as is. Cover the dough pieces loosely with plastic wrap let stand 15 min. or so.

Once everything is ready, heat the oven to 450*F. Stretch each piece of dough out to fit a 12" pizza pan (or just free style it like I did LOL!) Top with your favorite tomato sauce and toppings and bake for about 18 minutes.

Then, devour. Like we did.

I topped all of them, but only baked two and I froze the rest, well wrapped. For rainy days, they will come in handy... That is, if we can resist them until then ;)

Beef & potato curry

I realize that for a couple of times a year, I disappear from this blog for a while. This is usually due to a trip which is always closely followed  by a travel withdrawal. It takes a little bit of time before I can break that bubble and come back to "real" life.

When real life is -20 to -30 degrees celsius, it's very hard to want to get back to.... *sigh*

Anyhow, cold weather calls for comfort food, and I've been cooking curry a lot lately because it's easy, fast and I can make a big batch for the whole week.

Beef curry

(serves 8-10)

• few dashes of olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 3 Tbsp grated ginger
• 3 Tbsp curry powder
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 Tbsp curry paste
• about 1 kilo or more of stewing beef cubes.
• 3 big potatoes, cubed
• about 2-3 Cups of beef broth
• a couple pinches of salt

Heat the oil in a 5L pot over medium low and throw in the onions & garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes, then throw in the cumin and coriander until fragrant.

Mix in the ginger, curry powder, turmeric powder, paprika and curry paste, stir all to blend well .

Turn heat to medium high and toss in the meat and potatoes. Stir everything around to coat, followed by the broth. Cook until bubble, then turn heat down to low, put on the lid and let simmer for about an hour or until beef is tender.

Serve with rice or naan bread if available.

Pumpkin pie pots and one week before the giveaway

We had our first snow storm today *sigh*
...
Don't get me wrong, fluffy white snow floating in the air is cute, but when they are flying at 300 km/hour and hitting your face at full speed? NOT so fluffy, and especially NOT so cute...

With the cold weather comes the face stuffing. This is the time most of us try to stay healthy and some of us fail miserably towards the end of the path. I mean, can you really blame us? "Jolly" and "holiday season" go side by side! Nonetheless, if you ARE trying to find healthier alternative, here is one option for a yummy no crust pumpkin pie. It was made just like my usual pumpkin pie, just slightly one and a half more time of pumpkin puree. The sole reason was because I wanted to eat more and have even more of a pumpkin taste to the dessert.

Pumpkin pie pots (serves about 8-10)

• 2 eggs
• 15 - 25 oz pureed pumpkin
• 1 can 12-oz evaporated milk (I used fat-free)
• 1 tsp. brandy (I used rum, and a couple tsp more...)
• 1 C packed brown sugar (I thought it was perfect but you might prefer it to be sweeter)
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

 Heat oven to 350F. Prepare a bain-marie by placing ramekins in a baking pan.

Combine eggs, pumpkin, evaporated milk and rum in a pot over medium low heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 5-7 minutes.

Put brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a mixing bowl and add the pumpkin mixture. Pour everything into ramekins, pour hot water into the baking pan, just about to midway of the ramekins. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until set.

Cooled for about 1 hour. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

As the holidays come creeping up on us, it would be a great time for you to give your loved ones, who love to cook and bake, a copy of Foodista Best Of Food Blogs Cookbook (in which, yours truly is featured on page 158)

picture courtesy of my awesome boyfriend

So as a reminder, for those on the Canadian side of the blogosphere who are interested in getting your hands on one of these, come leave me a comment and the draw will be on Sunday December 12th :) Have fun and good luck!!!

I have just used random.org and the winner is Jessica!!!!!! Congratulations Jessica and thank you for participating. I hope you enjoy the book :)

My first giveaway!!!

Sometimes when the world seems dark and nasty, filled with daily horrendous news, we need a big dose of goodness to remind us of how it also has its great side. And when that goodness comes your way, make sure you appreciate every moment that it remains.

Mine was Cupcake Camp Montreal this passed Thursday. I cannot express how deeply touched I was/am to see so many people came together for a great cause. I can honestly say that I am SO proud to have been a part of such an awesome event.

20000 cupcakes were donated by bakers and sponsors like myself.
2500 awesome Montrealers braved the cold and waited in line for hours at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, not counting those who never actually made it inside...
$34000 was raised for Kids Help Phone and La Tablee des Chefs.

Booya!

  

 I donated 200 of these COOCOO BANANA SPLIT cupcakes: banana cup(cake)bread, Italian meringue vanilla buttercream, chocolate drizzles with a cherry on top.

   

This was my entry for Montreal Theme cupcake.

Now, as you all know (or not... but the fact that you are reading this means you now do...) that I am one of the 100 food bloggers featured in the Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook that was released on October 19th. Thanks to Barnaby Dorfman and Sheri L.Wetherell, I was even able to meet a few fellow published bloggers at the party a couple of weeks ago in NYC.

To top all this off, the nice people over at Simon and Schuster sent me over a copy of the book so I can hold a giveaway, just for you! Isn't life great?!

So, if you are in Canada and would like to win this awesome cookbook, simply leave me a comment (please, no anonymous!!! LOL!) about anything really, and the winner will be announced on Sunday evening,  December 12th. I will most likely be using random.org for the choosing process.

I must keep this post short and sweet (literally!) and go back to baking goodies for the bake sale tomorrow. We are raising money for Movember like we did last year, and all profits will go to help fund research to keep our men healthy :) Good night and good luck!!!

Home-made baked corn dogs

Yes, you read right, BAKED CORN DOGS. Ok, so the baked version of something fried always has its compromise BUT a picky 6 year old eater proclaimed her love for these yummies, so.... need I say more?

These corn dogs are more on the corn-muffin-covered side, but they are quite good nonetheless, and they are really quick to make too. I actually made them in the toaster oven because they were small enough to fit in the small baking pan.

After consulting a few recipes online, I decided to try this one and added a couple of things I saw from the others. If you don't have lollipop sticks, use popsicle sticks or skewers.

Home-made baked corn dogs
(serves 2 adults and 2 kids)

• 1 cup fine cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
• 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. mustard powder
• 1 ¼ cup buttermilk (or just milk)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 5 chicken wieners, cut in half
• flour for dusting
• water for wetting hands

Heat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda salt and mustard powder, and make a well in the center. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, the egg and the oil until well combined. Add to the well in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Insert a stick into each of the hot dog half. Dip each hot dog into the flour, then shake of excess with one hand. Wet the other hand, grab some batter and spread it out in your hand into a somewhat square or rectangle, and place the hotdog right in the middle, turning to cover.

Place on the prepared bake sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.

Serve with mustard and ketchup. If your kids end up not liking these, well, at least you'll know in your heart, that you once tried to make them healthy corn dogs.

Also, you can make this into a vegan version, by replacing the egg with egg substitute, wieners with soydogs, and milk with almond milk.  Enjoy!!!! :)

A giveaway and a yummy Apple Pie Bar recipe

Happy Halloween to all you zombies, monsters and ghosts out there gathering around your witch's brew. I hope your Saturday night parties were great fun and that you are spending more time treating than tricking.

I, did just that for the passed few days. Lots and lots of treats... Oof!!!! If it wasn't for the love of making treats, I think sugar and I would have to go on a break for a while...

Gluten-free chocolate cake pops, with added kicks of Nutella, Frangelico and Amaretto liqueur

 

 This guy here, is my favorite!!!!!

On another fun note, a week and a half ago, I was interviewed online along with the East Coast Canadians featured in the Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook. A few days later I received my copy and my excitement went through the roof. It really only hit me then, how proud I am to be featured amongst all the amazing food bloggers from all over the world and their delicious recipes. I mean, I have been estatic ever since I found out, but until I was actually flipping through the pages, it all just felt unreal. Thanks so much to the people at Andrews McMeel Publishing and Foodista for the chance to be in this first ever social media cookbook.

As that wasn't cool enough, there is a sale promotion for the book on November 3rd, between 10 and 11 am PDT / 1-2 pm Eastern Time, and Foodista is holding a giveaway with really cool prizes. Go ahead and enter to win!!! I can't wait to see how this turns out :)

Now, onto yummy things.... Apple Pie Bar!!!! This is of course, from THE book, and the author is The Runaway Spoon in Memphis.

• 1 cup vegetable oil (I used 3/4 cup)
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups sugar (I used 1/2 cup, and 1.5 cup apple syrup that I saved from this apple pie)
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 large baking apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped ( I didn't have any! So no apples in mine...)
• 6 ounces butterscotch chips (I used a handful)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray (I used an 8x8 because I figured without the apples, it wouldn't take up a 9x13)
In the bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly combine the oil, eggs and sugar.  Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, soda and spices together in a bowl, then add to the oil mixture in the mixer, beating until thoroughly mixed.  The batter will be thick.
Use a sturdy spoon to stir in the apple pieces.  Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan, spreading it out evenly.  Sprinkle the butterscotch chips over the top, pressing them into the batter lightly.
Bake for 45 minutes to one hour, until the golden and pulling away from the sides of the pan slightly.
Cool thoroughly and cut into squares.

As I am blogging this, pieces have already started to disappear from the baking pan. Yes, it's REALLY yummy! Enjoy and I hope you enter to win! (P.S: I don't have any financial gain from sales of the book. This stems purely from passion and support)

Happy Thanksgiving to all Canadians!

Long weekends are like eating something sinfully delicious, then finding out that it's low-fat, low-cal and actually good for you, and so you get to grab another serving to indulge in. Right, it doesn't happen very often, but when it does, it's SO good! Happy Thanksgiving to all Canadians!!! I hope you all spent great times with your families and had all kind of delicious comfort food.

Now, this apple pie is definitely not like a long weekend, but you WILL have more than one slice, because it is THAT good. I doubled the recipe and tweaked it a bit by adding more spices and using things that I had on hand. The whole process takes a bit longer than your typical slice, toss and bake, but the result is an apple pie that doesn't sink.

The Unsinkable apple pie, originally by Bill Brady

• 2 pie shells
• 3 Golden Delicious apples
• 3 McIntosh apples
• 3 Granny Smith apples
• ¾ cup sugar
• juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 4 pieces candied ginger, cut into a small dice
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 Tbsp instant tapioca
• 2 Tbsp butter
• egg wash of 1 beaten egg yolk
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar

While pie shells are thawing (I know, I know... I keep putting off making pie dough, but the pie shells were on sale!!!!) peel and core apples. Quarter them, and then slice each quarter into 4 slices. While doing so, gradually add sugar and lemon juice and toss the apples. Once done all the apples, add candied ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well to coat.

Heat oven to 450F

Put apple mix in a pot over medium low heat, stirring once in a while until everything has reduced but not cooked. Mix in tapioca. Remove from heat and let cool.
Strain apples and do it thoroughly (Save the syrup, it will be so good on ice cream!) Spoon filling into bottom pie shell, mounding in the middle. Dot with butter and cover top with the other pie shell. Make a few slits for steam to escape. Then lightly brush top with egg-wash and sprinkle brown sugar on top.

Bake in oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350F and continue baking for another 45 minutes or until crust is golden.

Being thankful shouldn't take just a dinner or two over a long weekend in the fall. Many of us are more lucky than we know it, and it's so easy to take everything for granted. We forget about the humble things that really matter. We postpone telling our loved ones how we feel about them until it's too late. We are quick to complain and don't realize that there are places in the world, where people have nothing, yet are still thankful just to be alive and well.

So share a slice, tell your loved ones how much you appreciate them. Tell them that every chance you get, not just this weekend.

Enjoy! :)