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Fat Free Lemon Cookies

A fat free cookie? It exists! And it's delicious.

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These are so good that the man and boy (and I) were eating them as they were being lifted off the pan, and they were gone so quickly I had to make a double batch the next day. Definitely a keeper.
These light and fluffy lemon delights are nearly fat free (around 0.5g per cookie) and they kind of remind me of meringues. To be honest, we actually prefer them without the icing - they're too sweet with it for our tastes.

To see more pictures, and read about my long weekend plans and new app obsession (PLANES!), head on over to Leanne Bakes!

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Light Creamy Potato & Leek Soup

This soup is decadently creamy without the heavy cream! It relies on pureed potatoes for the creamy texture, and the sharp cheddar gives it such an unexpected bite! All in all, it's a very filling soup without being filling on the calories!

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Chicken livers

I am trying to figure out what to do with chicken livers besides frying them with onions or make pate out of them. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Biscoff Spread Gooey Butter Cake

Gooey butter cake is already completely insane, buttery, and delicious, but when you add Biscoff Cookie Spread, things get serious. I thought up this combo when working on my beloved Gooey Butter Cake theme and it is a real crowd-pleaser! But I ate most of it myself. No judging.



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To read about validation and why we should do it, see the perils of not validating others (through a surprisingly tense toilet paper conversation), and see more photos, please head over to Willow Bird Baking!

x-posted to food_porn, picturing_food, cooking, bakebakebake

Khachapuri (Georgian cheese pastry)

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I always loved khachapuri, this incredibly Georgian pastry filled with cheese. Especially the Adjarian version, which is shaped as a boat and holds a gently cooked egg over the melted cheese. Khachapuri cafe is one of my favorite Georgian places in Moscow and a couple of days ago I got lucky to learn to make khachapuri from their chefs. It turned our absolutely doable at home, which felt like magic.
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Looking for a sweet salmon recipie

I'm looking for a salmon recipie - not too hard to make, no vinegar or tomato sauce.


The guests are not exactly on a diet, but 'watching their weight', so there will be steamed veggies on the side, or baked with the salmon.

Any ideas?

Steak Flatbread Pizza

2nd Installment of Flatbread Pizzas. Last time, I gave you my Vegan Flatbread. Well, today - we meet on the other side of the spectrum.

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For more check out: The Realistic Housewife

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Black Pudding Scrambled Eggs

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I love eggs! Just can’t live without them. If I had it my way, it would be eggs everyday for breakfast, lunch & dinner! (..don’t think i’m joking….) When we were at Overton Farm a couple of weeks ago for the Farm Walk, we picked up 30 small eggs for £2. It’s an absolute bargain! I just couldn’t pass up on that offer especially since we have scrambled eggs in Alexander Taylor rolls (an old fashioned bakers in Strathaven, Scotland), most weekends. It’s our weekend ritual.

This was actually my better half's 1st ever attempt at making scrambled eggs. I think he did an amazing job and its proof that scrambled eggs are one of the most easiest and quickest thing to make.

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Click here for pictures and recipe ...

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Memorial Day Barbecue Ideas?

Hi Everybody

Mother's Day was a great success, thanks to people's suggestions so now I'm back, asking for ideas for Memorial Day barbecue.

I know for sure that I'm going to serve barbecued brisket. It's an easy make-ahead recipe which I like, because I won't be stuck cooking while everyone else is having fun in the backyard.

The brisket is hearty and can be eaten either on a sandwich roll or just plain with plenty on barbecue sauce. Dessert, I'm thinking brownies and ice cream.

I'm also going to make a green salad but . . what else would be good for our first backyard party of the season?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Lobster Roll Salad

I was recently inspired (by Michelle Bernstein, who is my BFF. Not really. But she did talk to me. I promise. Go look at it on my blog.) to get a little more creative with salad. I took a beloved, traditional dish — the lobster roll — and transformed it into a lower carb salad version that was a little lighter on the mayonnaise and butter. The tangy, fresh lobster salad on the bright butter lettuce felt so springy and happy, but the garlic butter croutons were the piéce de resistance. Mike sliced up some juicy watermelon for dessert, making this a quintessential (and amazing) spring meal.



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To see Michelle Bernstein giving us salad tips (!!! I'm a little star-struck.), read about my salad troubles, and see more photos, please head over to Willow Bird Baking!

x-posted to food_porn, picturing_food, cooking, cookingupastorm

Chorizo, Tomatoes & Garlic Linguine

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I made this last Saturday after coming back from the car dealership in Glasgow because someone did a hit-and-run job on our car! It wasn’t badly damaged…though I can’t say the same about my pocket. Seems even the smallest dent costs an absolute fortune to fix! *Sigh* As if I’m not poor enough already. Thank goodness it doesn't cost an arm and a leg for a good home cooked meal!

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Click here for recipe and pictures...

Vegan Flatbread Pizza Recipe

Last month I catered my sister in law's wedding. It was quite the challenge since they needed options all the way from Vegan to Steak and just wanted appetizers. Flatbread pizzas were the way to go! It was so fun coming up with different kinds of fancy pizzas. Here is my first installment of my Flatbread Pizzas - a Vegan Roasted Squash and Asparagus Flatbread Pizza. Even if you are a meat-eater, this is sure to satisfy your pizza cravings, while leaving the boring typical toppings behind.

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For more check out my blog at: The Realistic Housewife Thanks!

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Summer Lemon Tart

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This easy lemon tart is the perfect combination of sweet and sour. The crust is buttery and slightly sweet, and the lemon curd filling is refreshing and light. It's a bit messy, but that's kind of what summer is all about.

For more pictures, and to read about what I love and hate about summer in Vancouver, head over to Leanne Bakes!

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Butterscotch Chewy Cake

A winner from a 1955 Pillsbury baking contest, this chewy, pecan filled cake is rich with butterscotch flavor. Topped with butter pecan ice cream and caramel sauce makes it a decadent and very tasty warm weather dessert!

So much more over at The Alchemist.



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Dreamy Raspberry Magic Streusel Bars

I spent my entire life looking for McDreamy.

I've finally found it.

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Okay, maybe this isn't a precise replacement for McDreamy, but I will guarantee that whether you're:
a) still searching for McDreamy/McDreamess,
b) looking to impress the current McDreamy/McDreamess in your life, or
c) just looking for a really excellent dessert to stuff your face with while you await McDreamy/McDreamess' arrival

this is your dream dessert.

So take the leap over here
and try it--you won't want to miss this recipe!
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I made cookies out of cookie butter (which is, essentially, ground up cookies) and then put flavored butter on top of them. Are you confused? Me too. SO many cookies, so much butter.

But they are delicious. I topped half of the cookie butter cookies with coffee butter and half with salted caramel butter.



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To get the recipes for the salted caramel and coffee butter, read my review of the cookbook Flavored Butters, see my comparison of Biscoff Spread and Trader Joe's Speculoos Cookie Butter, or enter to nab a jar of Biscoff Spread, please head over to Willow Bird Baking!

x-posted to food_porn, picturing_food, cooking, bakebakebake

Puy lentil tacos

Using http://budgetbytes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/lentil-tacos-743-recipe-093-serving.html?m=1 I made the taco seasoned lentil filling using puy lentils. I loathe lentils but bought some puy to try and this really is fantastic.

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Pancake Brunch Ideas?

I'm making my fabulous sour cream pancakes for brunch tomorrow and would love some ideas of things to go with. Here's what I thought of so far

- orange juice (no mimosas - we have a recovering alcoholic in the family)
- bacon
- my famous pancakes with maple syrup
- homemade fruit salad
- banana bread
- coffee

This all seems so ordinary and not special. Also high in carbs with little to balance things out. (I'd rather make scrambled eggs but the pancakes are a special request)

Any suggestions/ recipes would be greatly appreciated!
And Google has not helped despite my certainty that I came across this recipe on the internet. About six months or so ago, I made this drink that contained pineapple, rosemary, and rum, but what made it special (and what eludes my Google-fu) is that rather than just pineapple juice, I had to peel, core, and boil a whole pineapple (almost certainly with some sugar), let steep the rosemary, and then add the rum. I'm fairly certain the original recipe called for two or three different types of rum (gold and dark, iirc, and maybe something else), but I only used gold. I'm also fairly certain that these were the only ingredients, but I can't be fully sure. I think at the end I added some club soda to the mix, but I don't believe this was called for in the recipe itself.

Does this cocktail sound familiar to anyone at all?

I think I could muddle my way through the process by memory, but I'd prefer to consult the recipe for proper proportions.

Any help would certainly be appreciated! I'd love to serve this drink at a dinner and for Mother's Day lunch. Thanks in advance.

Lots of Apples

Home made applesauce is usually better than store bought, but it takes so long to make it's usually not worth it.

On the other hand,  apples, nuts and wine make a great dessert or snack.

Also, apples - crunchy, sweet, with that bright red skin - make a great snack even raw.
Hello everyone I am looking for a recipe that uses Italian sausage where it gets tricky is my Roommate is pre-diabetic so I need recipes that are heavy on the produce and light on the pasta and rice. Thanks in advance!

While I am at it does anyone know any place to look up recipes for people that are pre-diabetic?

Chicken Mac and Cheese

We went to a close-out store called Ollie's a little while ago, and I found a Better Homes and Gardens low calorie cookbook! There are a ton of tasty looking recipes, and I can't wait to try them out. I did get to try one of them, though! A delicious, creamy, and filling mac and cheese. This dish is so creamy, and doesn't skimp on flavor being light! I adapted some of the ingredients to fit my personal tastes.



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Chili Verde - Green Chili with Pork

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This was my chili entry to the 1st ever chili competition of its kind in Glasgow. It was held in Ad Libb (a bar/restaruant) on Cino De Mayo. The competition was fierce and needless to say, I didn't win, though I didn't really think I would(I did get a mention though!). There were also alot more entries there than I expected. I've been wanting to make a green chili for a while now and this was just the perfect excuse.

Getting fresh ingredients was a bit of a challenge but that didn't deter me. I was determined to make this dish!

Click here for recipe and more pictures

May. 7th, 2013

I had chicken thigh fillets defrosted, it was late and I needed something quick that could cook itself.

In a side plate add 3 tablespoons of mayo, (mix with a little olive oil, 1tsp garlic granules and dry oregano) in another grated Parmesan and on a dinner plate breadcrumbs (I had and used panko).

Smother the chicken both sides with mayo, preps slightly on the parm on one side then coat in the breadcrumbs. Bake for 20-30m at 180C. Turn once and in the last 5-10min to get colour I put the oven to 210C. It made 6 thigh fillets, would work fine with breast I just buy thighs as it's cheaper.

It's that simple!! And was moist and delicious with a crispy crunch.

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

mini-pie baking time?

I plan on making Schadenfreude pie (http://whatever.scalzi.com/2006/09/26/how-to-make-a-schadenfreude-pie/), only I'd like to make mini-pies, in a muffin tin. (You really only do want a little bit at a time!)

My question is, how long should I cook them for? The regular size pie cooks for 45-50 minutes, so I was thinking 10-15 minutes for the minis-does that sound reasonable? Obviously, I would be poking the center to make sure they were done, but a basic guideline would be helpful.
so, don't ask me what happened because i have no idea. Maybe it's because I had run out of those muffin paper cup thingies (name escapes me now) and made a citric muffin last year, but this year, when I recently made some banana ones (this time with the greased paper cup thingies in place), after i washed it it just... disintegrated into rust.

like, serious case of rust. Having in other instance used vinegar to battle rust, i poured vinegar in my muffin cups and left them a day or two, and then i get my first clue something weird- it smelled terrible. Like, mayonnaise wanting very badly to go bad.

When I remove the vinegar, tho, ti's sparkly and clean and perfectly shiny- for all two minutes. Then it rusted right back.

since the muffin doesn't touch this part of the tin cups, I'm not worried about that, but the idea of rust + hot oven + stuff I'm gonna eat makes me wary.... Can it be done? is there anything I can do to save the tray?

thank you for any and all advice!

ps: if possible I'd also like ideas as to what went wrong? previous to last year i had used the tins without trouble each time, and washed it without signs of rust?

Flan Tres Leches Cake

Happy Cinco de Mayo! I made you a flan cake.

A flan tres leches cake, to be exact. Like, flan and tres leches cake in the same dessert. No kidding.



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To read about the demise of my $600 leather couch, find out whether or not I disowned my cat after that incident, or see more photos, please head over to Willow Bird Baking!

x-posted to food_porn, picturing_food, cooking, bakebakebake

Yum :)

Hi everyone! I've turned my love of baking into a small business and I'm so excited! I'm so grateful for everyone's support. I've been baking my butt off haha! Please take a minute and check out my blog/site that I am still working on: http://www.casitachilena.com. After the cut there are A LOT of photos of what I've been whipping up lately. If you've any questions, just let me know. Thank you and enjoy all the yummy pictures!
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Honey Sweet Rolls

I, like every reasonable person, am extremely fond of excuses. I love excuses because they can come in a variety of forms. Observe.

Please excuse these honey sweet buns. I’m sure your boss didn’t even notice you salivating, so you can wipe the drool off your keyboard and continue browsing these pictures at your leisure–er, or discretion.

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You will also need to excuse my lack of consideration in posting yet another fluffy yeast-filled gif that makes you wish they’d hurry up and figure out a way to make the stuff you see on your computer screen edible.

Sorry guys!

Intrigued? Hop on over to my blog for some more drool-worthy gifs and ridiculously fluffy dinner roll pics :)

Enjoy!
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Kulichi (Russian Easter cakes)

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I rarely go into baking yeast cakes or bread, but sometimes there is definitely room for that in life. Exactly like I do enjoy making my own cakes for Christmas, some years I do like baking my own kulichi for Easter. They are not really labor intensive, but they certainly are time consuming. However there are times when spending a thoughtless half a day around the kitchen making something homey the same as times and times before feels just right. Especially given that proper home made kulichi are incredibly good. None of the bought counterparts will ever get close to them.
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Pascha (Russian Easter cheesecake)

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This coming Sunday everybody in Moscow is going to celebrate Easter. I was never religious, but Easter for me is a good old family tradition. And above all it's about food. I do not go into egg decorating affair, which is popular around here, but I have to have kulichi and pascha. Kulichi are special yeast fruit cakes and pascha is a kind of dense cold cheesecake. Together they produce a wonderful festive breakfast. Pascha tastes very fresh and complements the warm soft cake as a delicious spread. I do not bake my own kulichi every year, but pascha I always make myself. I do think it deserves to be made more often than once a year. It only takes half an hour but tastes really special.
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Grilled Pork Chops with Cherry Salsa


Cherries are the first fruit to arrive in the summer here in Northern California, and when the trees are laden with them, you have to pick and eat as many as you can, before the worms and birds get to the rest. Friends with cherry trees are good friends indeed, especially when they arrive with baskets filled to the brim. Mostly this is an opportunity to gorge, and engage in pit spitting contests. (I’m still mad that they’ve cross-bred the seeds out of watermelons, depriving me and thousands of kids of the summer rite of seed spitting, but am happy to engage with cherry pits.) But if you want get all grown up on us, you can do other things with fresh cherries—clafouti, cherry fro yo, and sweet cherry pie—or make a simple cherry salsa to accompany pork chops or pork tenderloin.

Now a note about salsa. Just because many of us are used to salsa served with tacos doesn’t mean that salsas are inherently spicy. Salsa is just the Spanish word for sauce. In Mexico that usually means the addition of a spicy element such as dried red chiles or chopped fresh jalapeños. Salsa can also be Spanish or Italian inspired, without chiles, which is what we’ve chosen to do here. I actually tried without success to make a spicy cherry salsa; any chile heat ended up detracting from the sweet flavor of the cherries. We finally settled on this simple version with red onions, a little lemon juice, and some balsamic and a touch of sugar to intensify the flavor of the cherries. Lovely served with grilled pork chops.

Any other ideas out there for savory spins on fresh cherries? Please let us know in the comments.

Saumon en Croute: pan v. glass baking dish?

Hey y'all!

I'm making dinner for a group of college kids tomorrow and I've run into a snag. Since we're all studying abroad in France next year, I'm making French food. The main course is saumon en croute -- basically salmon wrapped with herbs and spices in a crust of some kind. I'm using phyllo dough, and the recipe of choice is here -- it's also in French).

I planned to make it in a glass baking dish but I'm having a hard time tracking one down so far. In case no-one has one, what else can I use? A 9x13in metal baking pan? Would that affect the time? How so?

Thanks in advance!

Blue chicken?!

A friend of mine was telling me how the chicken she took out of the freezer to thaw had bright blue wings and legs.  She didn't know what, exactly, that meant so she threw it out (I can't blame her).  I did a little Googling around and found out that while this is apparently not unknown, I could find no explanation of why it happened or what it means when regular, domestic chicken meat turns blue.  Even the USDA webpage about how to tell if meat is spoiled said nothing about it beyond a vague reference.

I have seen chickens with blue dye in the skin from the slaughterhouse, but this was apparently something different.  And no, it wasn't silky chicken- it was a domestic stewing chicken bought from a grocery store.  Both wings, both legs, bright blue. Normally, that don't happen O_O

Anyone out there that can shed some light on this mystery?  My friend didn't take photos, so all I can offer is a secondhand description. 
This is a quick "recipe" of the Barefoot Contessa method for making quick, simple hard boiled eggs. They come out easy to peel with fluffy, bright yellow yolks. I eat hard boiled eggs all the time and loved her little tricks. I hope you do, too!

The full phototutorial is over on Willow Bird Baking, but here's the short-n-sweet version.



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To see the full phototutorial and read more, please head over to Willow Bird Baking!

x-posted to food_porn, picturing_food, cooking, cookingupastorm

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help with softer muffins?

Yesterday I made some delicious banana-chocolate-chip muffins, and while they turned well, I'd like them to be more spongy/softer?

this is the recipe I used:

Recipe:

Banana Muffins
prep 10 min
bake 18 min
oven 400
makes 12 muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cooking oil
3/4 cup mashed bananas (two whole bananas)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 t. baking soda

thank you for the help!

Photos of some dishes from my grandmother

No recipes, but the dish ware resembles food.

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Posted via LiveJournal app for iPad.

Light dinner ideas

Hi, I work an evening shift and always bring dinner with me. I'm trying to eat more healthier, and I usually eat at around 6 pm. Anyway, I tried googling for light dinner recipe ideas, and am not really getting much. A lot of recipes I already have seem really heavy, starchy, or ask for things that aren't already pantry/freezer staples.

I usually accompany a side of salad and a fruit selection to my dinner, and I know I can expand on the salad to make it into a dinner. I always make enough for 5 servings on Sundays and portion it out for the week so I can grab from the fridge and be on my way.

So.. I'm looking for recipe suggestions for light dinner ideas (something thats around 300-400 calories per portion) that can be made in bulk and either a) keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days or b) freezes well! :)

what's your favorite light meal recipe? TIA!

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

Sweet Cherry Pie


Ingredients

    2 pound(s) Bing cherries, pitted and halved
    1/2 cup(s) granulated sugar
    2 tablespoon(s) cornstarch
    2 tablespoon(s) fresh lemon juice
    All-purpose flour, for rolling
    1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
    1 tablespoon(s) turbinado or granulated sugar, for sprinkling
    Basic Pie Dough for Sweet Cherry Pie

Directions

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in lowest position. On a floured piece of parchment paper, roll one disk of dough to a 14-inch round. Wrap dough around rolling pin; unroll over a 9-inch pie plate. Gently fit into bottom and sides of plate (do not stretch dough). Using kitchen shears, trim dough to a 1-inch overhand all around.
    In a large bowl, combine cherries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice; toss until cherries are coated. Pour into prepared bottom crust.
    On a floured piece of parchment paper, roll second disk of dough to a 14-inch round. Cut into eight 1 1/2-inch-wide strips; discard the shortest two. Weave strips over filling to form a lattice. Using kitchen shears, trim strips so they hang over rim by 1 inch. Tuck strips under rim of bottom crust; press to seal. Crimp with a fork all around the edge.
    Using a pastry brush, lightly brush lattice with egg wash, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
    Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until filling is bubbling rapidly all over, 60 to 70 minutes (tent with aluminum foil when crust starts to brown, about 40 minutes). Transfer pie to a wire rack, and let cool to room temperature, at least 3 hours.

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