Orange Balsamic Glazed Chicken

I found the orange in this dish to be quite strong. Even though it dos say orange in the name of it, I still wasn't expecting it to be that strong. I think it might have tasted pretty strong to me because I'm not a huge fan of orange flavoured food, I prefer to eat the fruit itself.

- 3 tablespoons oil                      

- 1/2kg chicken tenderloins
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- pepper
- 1/2 cup of honey
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- zest of 1 orange
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dried sage


1. Heat the oil in a frypan and season the chicken with salt and pepper. Cook until golden.

2. In a jug, combine the honey, orange juice, orange zest, balsamic vinegar and the sage.

3. Once chicken is cooked, spread some of step 2 onto the pieces and turn over. Let cook for a few minutes to become sticky and repeat on the other side. (I did this a couple of times, then ended up tipping the rest of step 2 in the frypan with the chicken).

4. Serve accompanied with grilled potatoes.

Lime and Coconut Chicken

I found that when I was testing the sauce, I didn't really like what I think was the sour? Yes, I think it was sour, taste it left on my tongue. I added some salt and it balanced it out, making it taste delicious. To me, the taste of the dish reminds me of the taste of Thai food.


- oil
- 1 tablespoon Worcestshire sauce                
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 500g chicken, chopped
- salt and pepper
- 3 shallots, sliced
- 415 ml coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon lime juice


1. In a bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of oil, 1 teaspoon of Worcestshire sauce, the soy sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Add the chicken and set aside for 1 hour.

2. After an hour, cook the chicken with salt and pepper and the shallots until browned and cooked. Transfer to a plate.

3. To the same fry pan you removed the chicken from, add the coconut milk, lime juice, the remaining 2 teaspoons of Worcestshire sauce and the other 1/2 teaspoon of the sugar. Bring to simmer and simmer until the sauce reduces to around 1/3. (around 5 minutes). Stir in the chicken and shallots and season. Warm through.

Veal Martini

For 2 weeks, I am covering my boss' shift while she has time off. The part I like the best? Because I start early, I get to come home early. Just in time to make a yummy fresh dinner. So this week and next week, I have been and will be making my dinners fresh instead of making them in advanced and freezing them. As handy as having frozen dinners made for during the week, it is nice to fresh stuff. Looking for a recipe for dinner tonight, I came across veal martini. I've only known martini to be a drink, and after looking at the ingredients, I thought it sounded quite tasty.

- 500g veal steaks
- 3 cups of chicken stock             

- 1 cup of dry white wine
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (420g can)
- 3/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, oil patted from them with paper towel and sliced
- 1/4 cup minced shallot
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup finely sliced basil

1. In a saucepan, bring the wine an chicken stock to the boil and simmer until it is reduced by half.

2. In a frypan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter, add the mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes and shallots. Cook until the mushrooms are soft and remove and set aside.

3. Combine the flour, salt and pepper, and coat the veal with it.

4. Add the rest of the butter to the frypan, and cook the veal to your liking. Remove and set aside.

5. To the same frypan, add the reduced wine and stock mix. Mix with the yummies left behind by the veal and cook for 1 minute.

6.  Return the veal and the mushroom mix to the sauce and stir in the tomatoes and basil.

*May I suggest maybe serving this dish with some mashed potato.

Orange Madeira Cake

Most times when I make a cake, I always seem to have to leave the cake in the oven for at least an extra 1/2 hour. This cake, it's so simple and only takes 1 hour to cook. You can also use lemon essence instead of orange, and I like to use this cake when I'm going to decorate one, because I know it will work straight away and not rise just in the middle. It stays nice and level.

- 1 1/2 cups self raising flour  

- 125g butter
- 150g caster sugar
- pinch of salt
- 3 eggs
- 6 tablespoons of milk
- 1 teaspoon of orange essence

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celcius and line a 20cm round cake tin.

2. Beat the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Add the essence, and the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Fold in the sifted dry ingredients, alternating with the milk.

4. Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake for 1 hour.  

Kibbeh Bi Laban

I have absolutely no idea what this dish is really supposed to taste like, never even heard of laban even. Kibbeh however, well, I love the food. For years I've wanted to try making it myself, and honestly, I think I will just buy it premade from my corner store. Tastes better and is easier for me. The kibbeh I made in this dish, I found to be too dry (that could be because I simply didn't put enough filling in the casing, as I was having a ton of trouble). The laban... well, I'm not sure exactly what the thickeness, taste, or texture is supposed be like. What I do know is that I adored the taste. Only problem was when it started to cool down, it started thickening back up, which makes me feel a little yuk in the tummy after eating even just a small amount. Years ago when I bought kibbeh cooked from a Lebanese shop, the owner told me if you don't know how to make kibbeh, you can't get married. Hmmm... looks like I won't be marrying.

Kibbeh:
- 200g veal mince                       

maybe I should've served this dish in a dark coloured bowl

- 200g bulgur wheat
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 onion, minced

Stuffing:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 200g veal mince
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- salt and pepper

Laban:
-  cup water (I had to add more water as my rice soaked it all up before it was soft)
- 1/2 cup rice
- 2 teaspoons corn flour
- 1 1/2 kg natural yoghurt
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1 teaspoon dried mint

1. Combine all the kibbeh ingredients.

2. For the stuffing: Melt the butter and add the onion, mince, spices and pine nuts and cook for 10 minutes.

3. THIS IS WHERE I HAD THE TROUBLE...  Roll the kibbeh into balls, and leave it open at one end. Add some of the stuffing into the gap and seal.

4. Place kibbehs in an oven dish and roast for around 25 minutes. (the recipe didn't say what temperature, so I just used 180 degrees celcius.)

5. In a good saucepan, add the rice and water. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes. (here I added extra water as my rice soaked up all the liquid before it was cooked.)

6. In a small bowl, mix the cornflour with 1/4 cup cold water. Add it to the yoghurt and mix well.

7. Add the yoghurt to the rice and cook. Add the tahini, kibbeh and mint.

Savoury Mince Bake

I was shocked with the taste of the filling. The look of creamed corn always threw me off and I've only recently discovered my new liking for peas. Also, this was the first time using oats in mince. I guess it's a healthier alternative to using breadcrumbs. It works and tastes the same. The recipe I used looked like such a fiddley one because of the length, but it is really quite easy.

BASE:
- 800g beef mince
- 1 cup rolled oats
 1 onion, diced
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 1/2 teaspoon mixed herbs (I used Italian salad herbs as I always have this  in the cupboard)
- salt and pepper to taste

FILLING:





- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 3 tablespoons cornflour
- 30g butter
- 310g can creamed corn
- 1 cup frozen peas
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tomatoes, sliced (I used 3)
- grated cheddar cheese

1. BASE:

a) Combine all base ingredients well. Press into the base and sides of a large greased casserole dish.
b) Bake at 180 degrees celcius for 20-25 minutes. Mop up any excess fat with paper towel or stale bread.

2. FILLING:

a)  Blend a little of the milk with the cornflour to form a smooth paste.
b) Heat the remaining milk and butter together in a saucepan. Remove from heat and bend in the cornflour mixture.
c) Return to the heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and boils. Simmer for 3 minutes.
d) Stir in the corn, peas and seasoning. Place 1/2 the tomato slices on the meat base.

3. Pour filling on top of the tomato, then add the rest of the tomato slices. Top with plenty of cheese and bake at 180 degrees celcius for 15 minutes or until heated through and golden.
 

Spicy Vegetable and Quinoa Laksa

"YOU EAT WITH YOUR EYES". I find this statement to be so true; But, the taste of dish, I must admit, tastes a lot better than it looks. I don't like the look of vegetables once they've been cooked for a while, they lose their crisp vibrant colour.

- 1 onion, diced
-  4 tablespoons curry paste
- 1 litre milk
- 750g frozen vegetables
- 175g quinoa, rinsed

1. In a large frypan, simmer the onion and curry paste for around 2 minutes, then add a splash of water. Simmer this for 5 minutes. Heat the milk in a jug in the microwave.

2. To the onion and curry, add the vegetables, quinoa, and milk. Bring to the boil, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the quinoa is cooked. The quinoa will absorb most of the liquid. *I noticed it absorbed a lot more once I turned the heat off and let it sit.* Check for seasoning.


how I like my vegetables to look

 



the finished dish

Kale, Lentil and Quinoa Soup

For this recipe, I substituted the kale for spinach as I can never seem to find any at my local supermarket. I found the cayenne pepper gave the dish a nice bite, but it still seemed a bit bland, so testing a little bit with my mum, we decided it needed a tablespoon or two of honey, and some salt.

- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 medium carrots, diced             

- 2 small parsnips diced
- 2 sticks of celery, diced
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 5 cups water
- 28oz/794g can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup caned brown lentils
- 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups kale (or spinach)
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1. In a large soup pot, heat oil and cook the garlic, celery, carrot and parsnip until it has softened slightly.

2. Add the garam masala, cayenne pepper, bay leaves, thyme and oregano.

3. Add the water, tomatoes, lentils and quinoa and bring to the boil.

4. Reduce the heat and simmer for at least 20 minutes, until the quinoa soaks up most of the liquid.

5. Stir in the chopped kale (or spinach) and season with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

*if using honey, mix it in after taking it off the heat.* 

Creamy Chicken Fettuccine

You learn something new every day. I have had a can of cream of chicken soup in the cupboard for a little while now, and I've noticed there is no use by date on the can. I didn't know what to expect to see once I opened the can, but it was fine. I only realized it as fine once I went and bought another can. AND THERE'S LITTLE CHUNKS OF CHICKEN in the soup too! I never knew this.

- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 750g chicken                                 

- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 400g can cream of chicken soup
- 300ml thickened cream
- 375g fettuccine


1. Cook fettuccine according to packet directions.

2. Heat the oil in a large frypan. Cook the chicken then add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onion is soft.

3. Blend in the soup and cream. Cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Check for seasoning.

4. Mix the fettuccine in with the creamy sauce.  

Nutella Macarons

I have failed making macarons so many times it's not funny. If it's not my shell failing from being under cooked, put in the oven too soon, or the feet not rising much, it's my filling that fails. Well this day, somehow, my macarons decided to work.


- 1 egg white
- 50g caster sugar
- 30g icing sugar
- 30g almond meal
- some chopped hazelnuts (for the top)
- nutella (for the filling)


1. Whisk the egg whites with the caster sugar until stiff peaks form.


2. Fold in the sifted combined icing sugar and almond meal. (DO NOT OVER MIX)


3. Pipe blobs of mixture onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and leave to rest for 30 minutes.


4. After 30 minutes, touch a blob lightly. If it doesn't stick to you, then they're ready to go into the oven. If they do, leave until it doesn't. Add some chopped hazelnuts to every 2nd blob.


5. Bake for 15 minutes at 150 degrees celcius. Once 15 minutes is up, if you lightly push on a shell and it doesn't move on the feet, they're ready. If they do move, leave for another minute. Remove from the oven and cool.


6. Once cool, sandwich together with the amount of nutella to your liking.

step 3

 

 

 

Cheese and Spinach Stuffed Cannelloni

Every time that I've made this dish I've used the hard cannelloni rolls to stuff. I have so much trouble trying to fill them because they always seemed to break on me. I've even tried to stuff them after cooking them a little bit making them softer... made it worse if you ask me. But when I shopping for my ingredients, I noticed in the fridge section there's fresh lasagne sheets and next to them were FRESH CANNELLONI SHEETS. These were so easy to use!! They're in little rectangles, you put your stuffing on them, then they just roll up without tearing!!

- 1 tub creamed ricotta
- 1 tub cottage cheese
- 2 packets fresh cannelloni sheets
- 1 bunch spinach
- 2 small cans of tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Italian salad herbs
- 1 packet parmesan cheese

1. Cook spinach until it is soft, set aside and cool.

2. When cooled, add the mixed cheeses and a little of the parmesan.

3. Stuff the cannelloni sheets with the spinach mixture and roll.

4. Make the sauce by combining the canned tomatoes with the salad herbs in a saucepan and heating. Add salt and pepper.

5. Put the rolled cannelloni into baking trays and top with sauce and parmesan cheese.

6. Bake at 180 degrees celcius until the cheese has browned to your liking.

step 3

step 5

step 5

 

Beef Stroganoff

Just when I thought I finished making the dish, I realized I forgot one of the main ingredients. The sour cream. Thank goodness I realized before it was too late.

- 2 tablespoons oil                    
- 500g beef, cut in strips                          

- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 420g can cream of mushroom soup
- 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon worcestshire sauce
- 150g mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons parsley

1. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the beef and cook for 3 minutes or until browned. Add the onion and paprika and cook until soft.

2. Add the soup, tomato sauce, and worcestshire sauce and mix well. Stir in the mushrooms. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or until meat is tender.

3. Stir in the sour cream and parsley.  

Orzo with Sundried Tomatoes and Mushrooms

When I found this recipe, I didn't know what orzo was. I was thinking maybe it was some sort of Spanish meat. Boy I was wrong. I looked it up, and found it was a type of pasta. I just used risoni in the dish as it looked the same. I could not believe the taste of the sun dried tomatoes. They're so tasty!

- 1 cup orzo (in my case risoni)                    

- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 large clove garlic, crushed
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 1/3 - 1/2 cup sliced sun dried tomatoes
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat your stock in a saucepan.

2. In a large pan, heat the oil and cook the onion until it is soft.

3. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook until the mushrooms are cooked. Remove to a bowl.

4. Add the orzo to the pan. Stir to coat the orzo with the oil.

5. Cook the orzo like a risotto... Add a little bit of the hot stock to the orzo, stir occasionally to avoid sticking, then when that stock is soaked up, add a little more. Continue until all the stock is gone ad the orzo is tender.

6. Add the mushroom mixture that you set aside in the bowl (STEP 3). Mix in the parmesan cheese and parsley.

7. Check for salt and pepper.

Zucchini Lasagne

Trust me to forget to take photos of this dish as I went along. This recipe I don't have any photos for it as once I thought to take photos of it, it was already made under a layer of melted cheese. I find for my liking, I needed to add a little extra salt in the middle of eating it. I just didn't put enough while I was making it.

*SAUCE:

- 3x400g tins of diced tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons oil
- pinch of salt
- pinch of Italian salad herbs

- Lasagne sheets
- 1 kg zucchini, sliced
- 3 cups fresh ricotta
- salt to taste
- 100g grated parmesan


1. Place all the sauce ingredients in a pot and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the garlic, oil and salt. Cook for 1 minute.


2. Layer in a lasagne dish: sauce, lasagne sheet, zucchini, then ricotta. End with a layer of sauce then top with parmesan.


3. Bake at 180 degrees celcius with lids off until cheese is to your liking on top.  

Teriyaki Chicken and Mushroom Pies

- 1/4 cup plain flour
- 1 kg chicken                                            

- 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 150g mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/4 cup thick teriyaki marinade and sauce
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
- 5 shallots
- 3 sheets puff pastry

1. Place flour in a large bag, add chicken and coat well.

2. Heat oil in a frying pan. Add the oil and add the chicken. Remove and set aside.

3. Add the mushrooms and garlic to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes until golden. Return the chicken and any juices. Combine the marinade, stock, and sweet chilli sauce in a jug. Add to the chicken mixture. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes, or until chicken is well coated. Add the chopped shallots.

4. Turn mixture into pies by using a pie cooking machine, or by making a casing out of the pastry and bake for 30-35 minutes.  

Melting Moments

I think this to myself every time I make these biscuits, and do you think I remember? nope. I think these biscuits need to be cooked a little longer, as they feel some what claggy when eaten.

BISCUIT:
- 125g butter
- 2 tablespoons sifted icing sugar     

- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 3/4 cup plain flour
- 1/4 cup cornflour

FILLING:
- 30g butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sifted icing sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 1-2 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celcius, and lightly grease a baking tray.

2. Beat the butter, icing sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy (BISCUIT)

3. Sift flours together and combine with the butter mixture (BISCUIT)

4. Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls, place 3 cm apart, and flatten with a fork. Bake for 10-20 minutes, until lightly browned.

5. Meanwhile, make the filling by beating the butter, icing sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, adding enough milk to make a spreadable mixture. Cool biscuits and sandwich 2 biscuits together with this filling.

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

I always seem to have trouble getting my beef to stay tender, but this recipe it stays absolutely beautiful. The sauce is tasty, my meat stays tender, and I also add a bit of carrot. Before using this recipe, I didn't know there was a difference between light soy sauce and dark soy sauce. I thought it would only be the salt content, so when looking for it in the shop, I almost just used all the same as I was having trouble finding the dark one. I'm glad I kept looking though, was totally worth it.

- 1 1/2 teaspoons light soy sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornflour                              
- 800g lean rump steak, sliced thin

- 1/4 cup oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, extra
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

- 2 teaspoons cornflour, extra

- peanut oil, for frying
- 6 shallots, sliced

- 500g broccoli, sliced thin
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar

1. Combine the light soy sauce, sugar, and cornflour with 1 tablespoon of water and mix well. Add the beef and toss well. Refrigerate covered for 1 hour.

2. Combine the oyster sauce, light and dark soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of water then set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the extra cornflour with 2 tablespoons of water.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frypan, stir fry meat until almost cooked and remove and set on paper towel.

4. Add a little extra oil to the frypan, stir fry shallots until fragrant. Add the broccoli, carrot, garlic, salt and sugar. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup of water and over for 3 minutes until the broccoli is tender but crisp. (should be bright green still).

5. Add the beef and the sauce ingredients (step 2) and the cornflour mixture (step 2) and mix well until the sauce thickens.