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Cooking, Recipe and Food Blog

Hearty Chicken Congee

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One of the most popular comfort foods (at least in my universe) is congee. It’s the perfect meal to eat during cold and rainy days. It’s also a great hangover meal for people who are trying to bounce back from a wild night of partying and boozing.

Congee is a rice porridge that is naturally thickened from the prolonged boiling of rice. It is considered a staple dish in many Asian countries. What makes congee so appealing is that the addition of different ingredients transforms the dish. The basic congee is the base for a many variations of the same meal, which is makes it quite appealing to prepare as a quick fix meal. Congee is also a platform for creativity. Consider it a blank canvas for different congee variations that can appeal to different types of people – from fish lovers, to vegetarians, to those who love meat. [Read more…]

Hamburger Buddy Recipe

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Kids are such picky eaters. If you have small children or have taken care of a relative’s or friend’s child you’ll know that making them eat can be an exercise in futility and holding back your temper. All of the parents I know wish there’s a formula to make their kids eat without any fuss or battles.

One good tactic to make kids eat is to serve food that they love. This is where the Hamburger Buddy comes in. This is an easy to make pasta dish that kids will definitely want second helpings of – it’s pasta for god’s sake, and I haven’t met a kid yet who doesn’t like eating pasta. [Read more…]

Savory Meat Loaf

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Meatloaf has always been the go-to recipe in our home when we need to prepare something filling and delicious in a short amount of time. I don’t know how many times a meatloaf has saved us when guests suddenly arrive unannounced and we have to feed them.

What makes meatloaf such a life saver? Simple. It is so easy to cook. You just need to mix different ingredients, bake or steam it and you’ve got a very filling dish that will go well with anything – yes, even on a sandwich. [Read more…]

Saffron Rice Pilaf

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One thing that constantly stumps me whenever I cook a dish is thinking of other dishes to accompany the main course. You can only serve mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower so many times before you guests think you’re not a really creative cook. You can have a stupendously delicious main course but without that side dish of carbohydrates that will serve as your filler, the whole meal can fall flat instantly. These side dishes serve to complement the main dish, mellow out some of the flavors while enhancing others, and as I’ve said before, it helps fill up your guests, sating them during the meal. [Read more…]

Summer Vegetable Strata

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Breakfast recipes can sometimes become a bland mix of eggs, potatoes and breakfast meats that end up slowing you down more than energizing you for day. This delicious breakfast bake however, is filled with fresh seasonal vegetables for the tasty nutrients you need for the day and Italian bread to fill you until lunch. You even cut the calories in this recipe by using egg substitutes.

[Read more…]

Delicious, Guilt-Free Stevia Banana Bread

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Numerous articles and resources have warned us about excessive consumption of sugar. Taking too much sugar can increase your chances of developing a wide range of health issues – from diabetes, high blood sugar, increased triglyceride levels, and heart disease, to name just a few. We need to decrease our consumption of sugar to help decrease our chances of getting sick. [Read more…]

Okonomiyaki

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Okonomiyaki is a Japanese pancake or pizza with a variety of ingredients.  According to Wikipedia, The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning “what you like” or “what you want”, and yaki meaning “grilled” or “cooked”. Okonomiyaki is mainly associated with Kansai or Hiroshima areas of Japan, but is widely available throughout the country. Toppings and batters tend to vary according to region.

 

Ingredients:

1/2 potato, peeled, grated

4 eggs

2 cups water

3 cups of plain flour

100g button mushrooms, sliced

100g green beans, trimmed and sliced

3 green cabbage leaves, shredded

6 green onions, sliced

100g button mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 grated cheese

1/2 cup canned corn kernels

1/4 cup tonkatsu sauce

1/4 cup Japanese mayonnaise

 

Mix flour, eggs, potato, a dash of salt and water in a large bowl to create a batter. Add green onions, cabbage, mushrooms and green beans.

Heat a small amount of oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Scoop one ladle of mixture onto frying pan and cook for 10 minutes or until the pancakes are light brown underneath and set.

Turn pancake over and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Keep warm and repeat with remaining batter.

Drizzle mayonnaise and tonkatsu sauce over the okonomiyaki. Top with cheese and corn. Garnish with nori. Serve immediately.

 

Photo Courtesy Of:  Sistak

 

Guilty Pleasures: Fig Newtons

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Fig Newtons

A new feature on this blog: Guilty Pleasures, featuring food and drink that isn’t necessarily good for you, but are certainly good. To me, anyway.

To kick things off: Fig Newtons!

Anyone who grew up in the 80’s should remember Nabisco’s slogan for these little fig-jam-filled cakes: A cookie is just a cookie, but a Newton is fruit and cake. Ooh, yes- that must explain why it’s definitely one of my Guilty Pleasures. I’ve always been more a cake person than a cookie.

Originally named “fig in the roll” (I kid you not), Newtons come in Strawberry and Raspberry flavors too (which, ew)- and are also available in mini sizes, for extremely guilty snacking. Finally, I leave you with a recipe for homemade fig bars:

Make Your Own Fig Newtons
(source: Recipezaar

1 pound dried figs
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 3/4 cups flour

Dice figs, soak in water 1 hour. Add sugar & cook on medium heat until the consistency of thin jam.

In a large bowl, beat sugar, butter, egg, milk & vanilla until well blended. To this, add your dry ingredients. Mix well and transfer to the refrigerator for about an hour.

Place 1/2 of the dough on well floured board or dough cloth; knead about 6 times. Roll out to 1/4″ thick. Line 13 x 9″ glass baking dish; cover with figs.

Roll out remaining dough, cover figs with this. Cook at 350° for 30 minutes.

Let cool and cut into squares. Depending on the size you cut you can get a couple dozen cookies.

A toast to Michael

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Michael Jackson

Truly a sad day for millions of Michael Jackson fans around the world- but as with any death, I think this time is best spent celebrating the life of the recently deceased. That his death headlined on nearly all news sources, that people stopped working and condoled with each other, just goes to show how many lives he’s touched. Through watching his sometimes crazy life, yes- but most importantly, through his music.

Because, right now anyway for me, it’s all about his music.

And so we toast Michael Jackson today, with this appropriately named cocktail, the Moonwalk. It’s a little fruity, a little floral, elegantly bubbly, and very fabulous. Much like the King of Pop himself.

Moonwalk Cocktail Recipe

1 part grapefruit juice
1 part Grand Marnier
1 part rose water
Chilled champagne

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake well, and strain into a wine glass. Top off with champagne.