Make Thanksgiving leftovers Indian! Go ahead and be “lazy.” Get pre-fab egg roll wrappers at the grocery store and skip making pastry. You can also use pre-fab pie crust, phyllo dough, or puff pastry! This is so fast and easy, you’ll have to tell all your friends.

Crispy Samosas

Mix 3 Cups of left over veggies: Chopped green beans, sweet potatoes, corn, peas, mashed potatoes, carrots, etc. Stir in 2 tsp curry powder. Adjust the spice according to your taste.

Place 2 TBSP veggie filling on wrapper pastry (egg roll wrappers are about 3 inches square). Fold into a triangle and seal edge with a mixture of 1 egg beat with 2 TBSP water. Crimp edge down with a fork.

Brush samosas with a little peanut or vegetable oil. Bake in 400 degree F oven for 12-15 minutes, until crispy brown. Samosas can also be deep fried 3-5 minutes.

Serve with dipping sauce made from equal parts left over cranberry sauce and sauteed onions. Simply saute chopped yellow onion in butter until caramelized them stir in an equal amount of cranberry sauce.

These make a great dinner, appetizer, or hors devour for your holiday entertaining. Use vegan pastry and veggies for a vegan version.

Things are hectic around out apartment as the quarter is wrapping up. I didn’t make it to the grocery store this week so dinner was a creative challenge using whatever I could find in the cupboard and the small market on campus. This meal was flavorful and fresh and the leftovers were even better. Just wait til you see how easy it was to make…

Ingredients:

• 3/4  cup salsa
• 1 1/2  teaspoons cumin
• 1  can diced tomatoes
• 1  8 oz canned tomato sauce
• 1 cup baby tomatoes cut in half
• 1  can corn
• 1  can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 package corn tortillas
• 2  cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 1/4  cup  chopped green onions
• 1 can refried beans
• 1/3 cup pine nuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 and grease a casserole dish or pan. In a bowl, mix together salsa, cumin, diced tomatoes, baby tomatoes, tomato sauce. In another bowl mix corn and black beans. Slice tortillas into strips. Spoon some of the tomato mixture in the casserole and top with tortilla strips. Layer the corn/beans, cheese, tomato mixture, and tortillas. For your last layer end with the remaining tomato mixture and top with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until the dish is bubbly and cheese is brown.  Meanwhile, heat the refried beans, spoon them onto plates. Top with toasted pine nuts and garnish with remaining tortillas or tortilla chips.

_b.

Typically, I would provide a traditional oven roasted turkey recipe for Thanksgiving, but I am far from tradition. So I have decided to provide a different take on turkey for this special day, Spicy Turkey Breast, courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis. I made this dish for dinner the other night, (paired with Pinot Noir) and it was a  mouth-watering and delectable masterpiece. Now, I would love to share this holiday recipe with you.

There is something about a spicy meal that definitely has the potency to get the juices flowing. Spicy food is derived from capsicum (plant bearing fruits called peppers) known to release mood enhancing endorphins into the bloodstream. They stimulate the appetite, increase circulation and raise body temperature. Important nutritionally for those who reside in hotter climates where heat acts as an appetite suppressant.

I want to wish the entire world a very Happy Thanksgiving. May your appetites be thoroughly satisfied and your spirits be warmed with friends, family, the spirit of thankfulness and lots of delicious wine. Here is a sexy recipe, and please remember that the primary ingredient in every prepared meal is love.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup whole-grain mustard (recommended: Maille)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 (4 1/2 to 5-pound) turkey breast, on the bone, rinsed and patted dry with paper towels
• 10 cipollini onions
• 3 medium carrots, peeled, and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, mix together the mustard, garlic, cumin, oregano, allspice, chili powder, brown sugar and oil. Place the turkey breast in a 9 by13-inch roasting pan. Spread the mustard mixture over the top and sides of the turkey to form a crust. Add the onions, carrots, and chicken stock to the pan. Roast for 45 minutes. Cover the pan loosely with foil and continue to bake for another 45 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 175 degrees F. Allow the turkey to rest for 20 minutes before serving.

Remove the vegetables and arrange on a serving platter. Remove the turkey and place on a cutting board. Pour about 1/2 cup of the pan juices into a small saucepan. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Whisk in the remaining pan juices. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until the mixture thickens. Season the pan juices with salt and pepper and pour into a serving pitcher.

To serve, slice the turkey into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange the turkey slices on the serving platter with the roasted vegetables and serve with the pan juices.

Hot, sexy turkey.

　
내가 젤 무서워하고 시러하는 아웃핏이 ‘머리부터 발끝까지 블랙’ 이다.
길거리에서 혹여나 그런사람을 보게되면 무슨 고딕족같고 프란체스카같아서 보기가 괴롭다

내가 케이트모스를 오랫동안 좋아하고있는이유는 너무나 완벽한 프로포션을 갖고있고,
우주에서 유일하게 올-블랙을 어떻게 입어야하는지 아는 여자라서이다.
(신기하게 다 다른색으로 보인다..소재에 차이를 줘서일까 디테일때문일까.)

-최고의 패셔니스타고 뮤즈고 락쉬크고 나발이고 다필요없다

found this recipe online the other day (and promptly modified the heck out of it to suit my taste). It’s now on the very top of my favorite chili recipe list.
The thing that attracted me to this recipe was the use of the 1 pound of bacon, which I’d never thought about using in Chili, but it makes for a fantastic smoky flavor.

NOTICE: Made a batch for work and it fed about 15 people. Just beware that the recipe itself will completely fill a 6 quart crock pot to the rim, so unless you’re feeding a lot of people, not watching your diet, or you’re into canning, you’re making a LOT of chili.

The other thing to note is that I’m calling for one full ounce of Cayenne Pepper.  That, along with the rest, sounds like a LOT of spice, and it definitely adds a bite to the pot, but remember that it’s all relative.  You’re making a LOT of chili, so if you wimp out, you end up with meat sauce, not chili.

If you’re worried, or a little more sensitive than I, just put in half of the spices, wait a few hours try it, and keep adding as you think is necessary to suit your tastes.

Ingredients

• 1 lb smoked bacon, cut up in small chunks and browned
• 4 lbs ground beef
• 2 (15 ounce) cans, light kidney beans
• 2 (15 ounce) cans, dark kidney beans
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 12 ounces tomato paste
• 2 sweet yellow (or Vidalia) onions, finely chopped
• 2 ounces chili powder
• 1 ounce cayenne pepper (dry powder)
• 1 (15 ounce) can, Rotel’s Chilis and Tomatoes
• 2 (15 ounce) cans beef broth
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika

Directions

1. Brown bacon and add to crockpot.
2. Brown ground beef in bacon drippings. Once browned, separate beef from drippings, but don’t drain completely.
3. Add beef, beans, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, onions, chili powder, cayenne pepper, Rotel’s and beef broth in the crockpot.
4. Stir all ingredients, then cook 10-12 hrs on low, or 5-6 hrs on high.

crystal fighters- i love london

알럽런던!을 외치는 스패니쉬들
(이거 혼자와인마시고취해서 방에서 추는춤이랑 비슷함)
　

This is a re-post, but I think I’m justified because I now have pictures of this recipe. And, it’s a good kick-start into the baking season with the holidays around the corner.  These are the gingersnaps my mom always made, and I think they’re the perfect one.  I did double amount of ginger and add some white pepper to make them a little spicier, but their good chewy texture is the same.  And they always turn out perfect looking, so they’re great to bring somewhere. Makes 3-4 dozen cookies, depending on how large you make them.

Ingredients:

3/4 c shortening

1 c sugar

1/4 c molasses

1 egg

2 1/4 c flour

2 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

1 t cinnamon

1 t cloves

2 t ground ginger

1/4 t ground white pepper (optional, but adds a little kick)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°. Cream shortening and sugar with an electric mixer, then add egg and beat until combined. Mix in molasses. In a small bowl, mix together flour and remaining ingredients.  Add to the butter and sugar mixture and beat until combined. Roll dough into small balls (size of a large gumball) and roll in additional sugar. Place on baking sheet but do not flatten.  Bake for about 9-10 minutes, or set and crackled on top.

Rice with seasoning

Egg omelet with mix vegetables

Cabbage with sausage

Kabocya

Spicy chicken

Daikon

Egg omelet : beat eggs and pour into skillet, while it is cooking, add boiled mix vegetables across the middle of the eggs, then roll it up

Cabbage with sausage : cut cabbage thin strips. heat the skillet, fry cabbage and thin sliced sausage and then add salt, pepper

Spicy chicken : cut chicken, coat it with mixed flour, bread crumbs and chili powder, and then deep fry it

This is Today’s Obento!

I know it is the middle of the week and is early to be discussing weekend breakfast, but this is the first time in a while, I have had chance to post. However I made this omelette/frittata a couple of weeks ago and have been wanted to share it with you since.

I love getting up early sometimes on Sunday morning to have the house myself, have a cup of coffee, watch TV, do a little housework perhaps and enjoy breakfast in peace by myself. The other Sunday, peace and tranquilly was achieved and I was able to make my favourite omelette/frittata (not quite sure which one it is, please decide for yourself after reading the recipe.)

Spicy Sunday Morning Omelette/Frittata

Ingredients

• Half an onion, chopped finely
• 1 medium sized chili, chopped finely (with or with seeds, it depends on how hot you like it!)
• 2 eggs
• Ham, chopped into squares
• Chorizo slices (I just used the ones from the supermarket – they are OK for this and pizza toppings – not much else)
• Garlic and Herb cheese, broken up into rough chunks (I used Boursin but it’s up to you)
• Cheddar Cheese, grated (my favourite is Cathedral City- however I have a sample of Kerry Low Low Cheese to try now so expect a post about this soon)
• Salt and Pepper
• Dried mixed herbs (any you like really. I used Italian mixed herbs)
• Olive Oil

Method

1. In a frying pan, put in a glug of olive oil and fry the onion, chili and a small pinch of salt until softened.
2. Meanwhile, break the eggs into a jug or small bowl, whisk lightly and add the dried herbs and some salt and pepper.
3. Pour into the frying pan with the onion and chili and turn heat down to the lowest setting. Allow to cook until the eggs are set on the bottom
4. Add your toppings. Chorizo and ham first, garlic and herb cheese and top with grated cheddar.
5. Put under a preheated grill until cheese has melted and bubbling. I enjoy leaving the garlic and herb cheese in chunks, as it doesn’t melt completely then as it can be quite thin and runny once melted. Then serve and enjoy with a glass of orange juice.

That’s it for now. Short post this time but I will be back with another post soon, either involving cheese or a joint post with my friend Marie about cooking for a crowd.

Happy Cooking!

Jina with her Thanksgiving turkey

On this cool autumn day before Thanksgiving, I can’t help but think about how giving thanks for all the wonderful blessings in our lives is universal.

It became so real to me when the heroine in my upcoming novel, The Blonde Samurai, is in 1874 Japan celebrating Thanksgiving with her samurai family.

Check out my blog at NAUGHTY AUTHOR CHICKS and see what my heroine, Katie O’Roarke, wrote in her memoir.

Best,
Jina

Do not try this at home. I am unclear how I got the idea that Buffalo Chicken Dip and Cheese Cake would be a good idea but I expressed it apparently. I walk into work today to a beautiful Buffalo Chicken Cheese Cake. It was surprisingly tasty, not that I will ever eat one again. Graham cracker crust, buffalo chicken dip layer and filled with cheese cake. Sweet and spicy.

—————-
Now playing: New Order – Ceremony
via FoxyTunes

I had to use or lose some airline miles, so I got a subscription to Bon Appetit. My thought is, if I can get one really good recipe out of a magazine, the cover price (or price for the subscription) is worth it. I found gold, yet again, with their November 2009 recipe for Chipotle Cranberry Sauce.

I altered it a bit, but the idea is still the same. The chipotles make the sauce very smoky with a hint of heat. I substituted limes for lemons (I like them better), canned chipotles instead of dried (I’m lazy), and added a bit more spice and spices.

Cranberries bubbling away!

Ingredients

• 2-3 chipotle chilies from a can (if you use dried, rehydrate them with boiling water)
• 1 12-ounce package fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1  to 1 1/3 cups sugar (The tang of the lime stands out more with less here)
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 small garlic cloves or a very large one, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon (heaping) ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon (heaping) ground cumin

Dump the chilis, cranberries, sugar, and lime juice in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar melts.

The sugar is starting to dissolve!

Keep on going until the berries begin to pop. Depending on your stove, this will take 5-10 minutes.

You cam tell the cranberries are popping from the sound and the brilliant red juice.

Once they start to pop, add the rest of the ingredients. Keep cooking until it gets that nice thick cranberry sauce texture, probably another 5-8 minutes. When it’s cool, take out the chipoltes, chop them up, and return them to the sauce.

The cranberries are popped and the sauce is darker, thicker and looking delicious!

This is a nice and simple recipe that packs some complex flavors. It also makes it seem like you worked really hard on it, when you just dumped some ingredients in a pot and stirred a bit. It’s also good for novices, because you can make it a up to a week ahead of time. Sweet!

…My friiiennndddsss! Holla mi bloggie amigos and martes feliz. (YES Caitlin, I KNOW you LOVE my terrible spanglish !)

Big plans for everyone today/tonight? Sounds like everyone & their brother get tomorrow off of work?! Except for me of course! GUF. Ohh well. I just hope tomorrow doesn’t go as slowwwwwwwly as today has been going. It’s been a rough one, not gonna lie. I guess I just got spoiled by the light speed at which Monday traveled!

Speaking of Monday…

Lunch was consumed a la desk style and photographed a la broke down iPhone style. I know, you’re totally jealous.

Can I please make another plea for a new camera?! Anyone?! Tttttttttjjjjjjjjjj??

Ahem, anyways, that blurry mess is actually spinach topped with cukes, romas, bleu cheese, peppered turkey, CHIC peas, sprouts and green pepper. Said it before, I’ll say it again, I <3 SALAD!!!

Once I finished up at worky work I ran to the grocery store for a super fast run through to get the holiday essentials- TJ and I have big plans- 2 thanksgivings in ONE day! So, on the shopping list was appetizer supplies, materials for a dessert I hope I don’t bomb and a forklift to transport us home after 2 dinners. Sadly, they were fresh out of forklifts (and GARLIC!!! WTF).

PS I thought I would be avoiding crowds by going early afternoon on a Monday but holy MOLY people, the store was a MAD HOUSE. Like, drove around 5 minutes just waiting to get a parking spot, then waited another 30 min in the SELF CHECKOUT line! GAHHHH. C’mon, I have places to be, yo! Like at my boyfriend’s first official game of his 7th grade basketball season!

AWWWW! High scoring game, hey? Jk, jk this was early in the 1st period. I am happy to say TJ & his boys won 28-23! Go lil Lakers!

So to reward the coach for his hard work paying off, I whipped up his favorite stir fry dinner.

SPICY Szechuan Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch cubes
1/4 cup flour, seasoned with S & P and 1 tsp red cayenne pepper
1 bell pepper, diced
1 medium yellow onion, sliced thinly
1 broccoli head, florets seperated & stalk sliced
1 carton of baby bellas, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can baby corn
1 can sliced water chestnuts

Sauce
2 Tbsp Rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Sherry cooking wine
1 Tbsp bbq sauce
1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp crushed red pepper (less for less spicy!)
1 Tbsp minced ginger

1. Prep all your veggies. Preheat wok/nonstick pan to high. Toss cubed chicken in flour.

2. Add chicken to hot pan. Let sear for 2 minutes & flip. There is no easy way to get a good crust on your chicken- I found the best way is to add the chicken to the pan piece by piece and then flip individually as well. Once chicken is sufficiently golden, remove from pan. Make sauce by whisking all ingredients until combined; set aside.

3. Add onions, peppers & garlic. Stir fry 2-3 minutes, or until garlic is fragrant. Add broccoli & mushrooms. You may need to add 1-2 tbsp of water to keep things from sticking/ steam the broccoli. Cook veggies an additional 4-5 minutes. Add canned water chestnuts & baby corn. Toss to combine.

4. Make a well in the middle of the veggies & add the sauce. Let simmer 1-2 minutes, or until thickened. Add chicken back to pan & combine with veggies & sauce. Remove from heat & let sit 2-3 minutes.

Not sure why that looks upside down. How is that even possible? Oh well.

Serve spicy chicken with teriyaki noodles (broken up whole wheat spaghetti, cooked, then tossed with teriyaki, garlic, ginger & green onions; topped with toasted sesame seeds). Garnish with crushed peanuts & sriracha, if it just ain’t hot enough.

Enjoy again for lunch the next day (and the next and the next and the next. Makes a TON!!)

And promise you’ll come back even if I have to keep taking crappy pics with my iPhone. Please?!

Muah.

Catch you all manana for a recap, since tonight I am breaking out a special recipe that the boyfriend MAY or MAY NOT hate.

EEEkkk wish us luck!

Think a delicious bowl of pasta at the nearest Italian restaurant,
except better for you.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
1 big can tomato paste (figure 2 or 3 beer cans worth)
Broccoli, about the same amount as the chicken
Crushed red pepper
VIP optional ingredient- chopped garlic
VIP optional ingredient – asparagus

Put a quarter inch of tomato sauce down and dump the chicken (sliced
to 10 strips a piece) in.  Turn and burn until all the pink is gone
from the biggest chunks.  Add the rest of the tomato sauce and the
rest of the broccoli and any other ingredients you have lined up.

Your water for pasta should be boiling by now so toss in that wheat
pasta.  Figure 10-15 minutes for the pasta to cook and by the time
it’s done, the sauce should be ready.  Drain the water and dump the
sauce in the pasta pot and mix.  Serve and bag the rest.

Cave cook

So, where was I up to?

THURSDAY/FRIDAY

After interview, parents decided it would be nice to drop me at the hotel to save me a train trip. Too bad the traffic was ATTROCIOUS. D= Never realised there were SOOOO many cars in the city. In the middle of the day too! Anyway, got delivered to the wrong place so trekked through city insearch of Rydges Hotel. Met some lady who was also going to ‘reeegees ‘otower’. Cos of the accent, followed her, only to have her direct me to ‘Regents Tower’. -____- Yes. So, eventually found my way there only to find the hotel is not actually called Rydges. How misleading.

Got dressed, went to formal. Our maxi-taxi didn’t come!! D= So much for customer service! Haha it was quite funny how we were all formally dressed and right next to us, people were just chilling at the cafe. Got to Randwick Racecourse and saw allll these people dressed in BLACK. Guys all had black suits and all the females were in black dresses too. Turns out they were there for some conference thing and also other schools had their formal on the same night at the same place too!

Oh this bit is funny. The lady at the gate pointed us in the direction of our room, so, clanking our way in high heels, headed in the direction she pointed in. Walked past this funtion room with all these really nice tables and decorations and stuff so got all pumped up and exicted! AND THEN, turned the corner only to see a CAFETERIA-like big room! It was where our formal was meant to be too! It was like, full wooden tables and chairs and very cafeteria-like. But everyone else was disappearing into this doorway, so, walked a few more steps and discovered STAIRS! D= Those outdoor stairs that make you fear for your life when you’re going down cos theres only one tiny handrail and the hard concrete floor at the bottom. D=

Anyway, got inside and turns out the place wasn’t too bad. It was reallt LONG though! The entree was.. interesting. All these foods and dips and stuff. The chicken for main meal was a bit dry I reckon. But then again, I don’t particularly like chicken anyway. Dessert was platters of mini desserts. Only the truffles tasted nice. =P

BUT, then it was time for HAFTER HARTY! >=]

1. Headed out for midnight meals. Ate at a korean place and had SEAFOOD PANCAKE! Too bad it was spicy… cos none of us could eat spicy…. Ah well.
2. Midnight K. Whee! Haha, there was this guard at the door that was checking the people going in. A lesson: when randoms come into the room, start singing horribly to scare them away.
3. Ice cream at 4am. xD Too bad no nice ice cream shops were still open. Rainbow paddlepops are still good though. =) But, WHY oh WHY was my icecream broken in half?!? D= As soon as I opened it, the broken half fell – right on the road. D= Tragic!
4. Anyway, after our expeditions, headed back to watch the sunrise from behind the closed curtains and the other billion buildings in the way. I’m sure it was lovely. Vipasha came to join at 5 so it was all good. Whee for 4 hours of sleep! >=D
5. Packed up to leave and headed down for a Maccas breakfast. Too bad we weren’t in our formal gear anymore.

But anyway, it was FUN and ENLIGHTENING. Good job Liz. >=] Thanks for organising EVERYTHING and being a fun person. Also, congradulations to Audrey for refraining from particular substances. xD

And that ends my recap of THURSDAY/FRIDAY.

Friday was that baking hot day. Train got back around noon. D= Overhead sunlight – NO SHADE!! + HEAT!!! D= D= D=

But just a random thing – walked past Easyway and saw Simon from ruse inside. That was very random.

Walked through the stiffling heat and eventually got to my house where it was COOL. Actually it wasn’t really. Just a bit less warm. BUT the heat was OVERBEARING! D= And well, I’d like to thank the person who invented air con. =)

Went to sleep at 3 because I could. xD Slept right through dinner only to wake at 12am cos someone had turned off aircon and it was TOO hot! So, I had a brainwave and opened my window. There was a sliiight breeze.. Ok, it mught have been purely psychological, but it was a biiit cooler. EXCEPT, WEIRD NOISES started being outside my room! Like, the leaves were fully being crunched on or something! D= So I did the smart thing and closed the window. But then it became hot again! So I opened it. Then got scared of the noises. Then closed it. Then opened it. Then closed it. -__- It was quite tiring.

Woke up the next morning and it was SATURDAY already. Armed with one of those paper fans, sat downstairs in the cool-ness of the garage and manned our garage sale. Haha, dad and I played badminton in the 3m x 1m area of shade. But then it got too hot. Hehe I sold 2 things.

SUNDAY

Another stifling hot day. Spend more hours in the garage. But then the hot air came in.

Anyway, after finishing my garage guarding, we headed off to our old place for a BBQ dinner! So lucky that we sold to our friends. xD They’re always willing to have like dinner parties and stuff and plus theres also swimming pool too. A pity it was too hot – they actually dragged the big table in the ‘conference room’ (from the apartment’s common facilities) upstairs cos their table wasn’t big enough! Hahaha. It was all good though since they had air con and it was waaaay to hot outside. Made sushi. It’s so fun to make sushi. The rest of the food was quite delicious too. We did not get to swim. =( Actually it was because I had stuffed myself too much nd didn’t want to move. Ah well. There’s always next time.

MONDAY

~_~ This was just yesterday.. but I really can’t remember what I did………

Ok, on to today/Tuesday (well, technically yesterday)

TUESDAY

Dashed off to school YET AGAIN to finally finish my signing out. Finally was able to get my sheet signed off by maths department for returning all my books. Went to office etc. When I went to see her, Jenns was in such a bad mood. D= She’s quite scary actually. She was like, ‘What do you want?! >=| ‘ She scared me…

But then, got to the office for the very last bit. Went inside only to have the office lady tell me I needed Treskin or Connors or Pooviah’s signature. But, GREAT TIMING, they were at ASSEMBLY. D=< Out of all these days and weeks that assembly is not on, the day I pick just HAS to be assembly day!!! What the hell.. At least the office lady was nice and said I could just leave it there and she’ll get the last signature. Means that I’ll only get my certificates on the ruse bbq day though. Ah well.

Shopping-ed at Carlo court with mum. I find it really weird how chicken feet, a delicacy especially at yum cha, is ONLY found at woolworths which is not even an asian store… Yes..

Caught train to city to go watch The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnarsus with Audrey and Neha. It’s.. interesting. A bit strange and confusing though. There was this funky movie-advertisement-board for ‘Where the Wild Things Are’. It had a HOLE for the face of the little boy. XD Amused us for quite a while. But because was in a rush to get home, did not stop for to enjoy a belated lunch (at 4 pm?!).

Arrived just as mum’s car got home. Great timing or what? xD Headed off to look at a piano. Thinking of getting a normal piano to replace our digital one. Apparently the digital one can go in my room afterwards. Since we were in Ryde, stopped by at the new Top Ryde shopping centre for a look. The bottom is already open and running even though they’re still building the top!! =O That reminds me – must go job hunting!! D= Grr.. all you people who already have a job..

Came home and SLEPT (again). And missed dinner (again). -___- Ok I should head off to bed again. Cannot screw up my sleeping patters too much… even though they’re already pretty bad..

Sigh.

WAW! (wow) What a long post – over 1430 words! =O

As in once you start, you can’t stop… These quick pickled carrots have a nice bite to them that will keep you coming back for more…

You’ll need…

• 2 bunches baby carrots(as in baby preferably, not mini processed carrots, although those will work too)- enough to fit in 500 ml canning jar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1.5 cups apple cider vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves (or more as preferred)
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 large dried Mexican chile (optional)

Place the dried chile and carrots in canning jar. Boil the water, sugar, vinegar, garlic, and remaining spices in a small saucepan for 4 minutes. Pour the liquid over the carrots, filling to the top. Cool at room temperature before sealing. Then, store in the refrigerator for 2 days before eating. Will keep for about 1 week, but really, will they even last that long?

I was looking for something a little different, but not too fancy, for a recent Sunday afternoon when Jim’s dad and step-mom came over to watch the Packer game. Here’s what I decided on:

• Snacks:
  • Veggies & Pretzels with Brennan’s Sweet & Spicy Relish Dip
  • Cheese, Sausage, and Cracker plate
• Dinner:
  • Caesar Salad
  • Minestrone
  • Crusty Italian Bread
• Dessert:
  • Amaretti Torte

Happy Monday all! Who else is TOTALLY stoked for another short work week!?

Yes, that’s what I thought…all of you! I’ve been keepin myself busy at work today getting all sorts of odds n ends wrapped up, which feels GREAT, considering how many projects I was working on over the past two weeks. Ahhhh the joy of not running around like a….well, y’know…

Maybe you read my tweets but I seem to have misplaced my camera, and since I can’t really go another week with no post, I’m going to do my best to sum up the weekend with photos that are not mine, thus the title I know, seriously I SHOULD take up a second job in comedy…har har har.

Friday I got into work, acting all superwoman like, but our MD in the office took one look at me and IMMEDIATELY sent me home. No doubt about it, peeps, I totally had a case of viral conjunctivitis. I stopped off at a rite-aid, picked up one of these, and high tailed it home.

PS, this stuff was a total rip off. $10 bucks and provided NO relief of redness or swelling. HMPH.

So I spent the majority of Friday snoozing on the couch with the pups, emailing “dad” pictures to make him jealous he wasn’t home too…

Yeah, they are TOTALLY spoiled rotten by ‘Mom’

Friday night we headed over the Brent & Ashleys house to begin our Star Wars marathon! We sat & chatted for a bit, having a drink & some snacks-

MOST fav white wine everrrrr!!

Chips n Salsaaaa 

Buffalo chicken dip (!! SO GOOD !!)

And for our entree:

 AGHHHH hubba hubba! LOVED him in the first 2 movies…we won’t talk about my disappointment during the third

So we made it through 2 movies officially, and we were all pretty much down for the count.

Something like that

Saturday morning, rise n shine at the gorgeous hour of 6:30!! Seriously. TJ had his first scrimmage of the season (he coaches 7th grade boys basketball, I KNOW, its adorable) so off he went, and I headed home to feed the pups & run out some of their energy. I drank one of these to try and get rid of my raging wine hangover-

but instead, it just left me feeling queasy & nauseas. UGH. So I numbed my brain with a couple episodes of this:

Ahhhh much better. I was almost feeling like myself again by the time Coach came home with his teams first victory under his belt! We went out to celebrate like so:

Hot wings & Beer. Budlight for him, Shock top for me. Go big or go home, right?! We headed back over the star wars casa to continue on the marathon.

I nursed a couple of these:

Old bottle- no blue mountains!

And for our intermissions during episodes 3 & 4 we had more snacks-

Chili cheese dip- low fat cream cheese, turkey chili & more cheese baked at 400 for 20 minutes. No brainer!

crock pot sloppy joes (I wish all MY pics were this great!! AHEM, I WANT A DSLR, COUGH-COUGH)

And, to get some veggies in, broccoli soup that ash beefed up (ironic, no??) with an entire bag of broccoli. LOVED it.

Fast forward 8 hours later, we finally made it through 3&4. Yeah, we took a lot of breaks. Dinner was FABBBBB FABulous! Homemade Lasagna & garlic bread OMG it was the BEST lasagna I have EVER tasted (sorry mom!!). I seriously didn’t want my piece to ever end. Paired with this red, it was one of the best saturday night dinners EVER!!!! No lie!

Sunday we headed back over for day THREE of the marathon & some football. I know it sounds like I did a LOT of sitting around this weekend, but I am so completely exhausted!

Time to get back to work, its an early day for me…gotta make it to my man’s first official game of the season! Go Lakers!!! Hope your Monday flies by as well!

Until next time folks….!

That one is for you, teej

I have a slightly unhealthy relationship with chocolate chip cookies.  I LOVE them.  The chewy cookie paired with gooey chocolate morsels, yum!  Chocolate chip cookies have the power to brighten any gloomy day, turn enemies into friends, and they finish off a nice dinner with just the right amount of sweet.  My love affair with chocolate chip cookies began when I was young, but it really blossomed in college.

I had a very unique college experience – I attended a women’s college in Upstate New York.  There were only 400 women at the school, total.  Yep, a very small school, in the middle of nowhere, all women, and chock-full of traditions.  One of the traditions was Tea Time.  Tea Time was held in the middle of afternoon seminars.  The dining hall staff would bring tea, coffee, and cookies to the Main Hall for us to enjoy with our professors.  My favorite were the chocolate chip cookies they made from scratch.  If our professors let us out a little late for the break, we would miss-out on the chocolate chip cookies.  This was incredibly disappointing.

I have made many different types of chocolate chip cookies over the years – ones with nuts, milk chocolate chips, chocolate chocolate chip, white chocolate chips, even peppermint chocolate chips.  I enjoy making them, just so that I can eat some of the cookie dough – cook’s reward, right?  I usually just make them based on the recipe on the back of the chocolate chip package.  Yesterday,  however, I strayed from my usual routine.

I thought it would be a great opportunity to turn up the volume on chocolate chip cookies!  There is definitely a chill in the air, and when it gets colder, I start craving spicy foods.  I was thinking about the Mexican Hot Chocolate I had at a chocolate house in Santa Fe, NM.  Chocolate melted with cream and spices – cinnamon, chili powder, vanilla – what a great idea!  I found a recipe that did not disappoint.  This is definitely a chocolate chip cookie for adults – sophisticated and spicy.

Caution: I would recommend not giving your children the beaters to lick, the cayenne pepper will likely “light up their lives” and burn their tongues.

Spicy Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from Diet Recipe Blog)

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla; beat until smooth and light.  In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper.  Gradually mix into wet ingredients. Beat until they are combined.  Fold in the chocolate chips until combined.  Scoop cookies into 2-inch balls and place them on cookie sheets.  Bake for about 12 minutes (until lightly golden).  Let the cookies cool slightly for a few minutes, then remove from them from the cookie sheets and transfer to a wire rack until they cool completely.

Yet again, I was forced to dine at Trudy’s. I guess “forced” is the wrong word. It’s just that Trudy’s is the only place one of my roommates ever wants to go to and I’m more of an adventurous diner.

I decided to order something I’ve never had before: Tinga Tacos.  Two tortillas filled with smoked mesquite brisket in a super spicy chipotle and onion blend (the pictures of the meat itself doesn’t look very appetizing). The brisket was fantastic! So much smokey flavor, and a sharp spicy bite. Other than that, however, the tacos were pretty plain. There weren’t any veggies inside and my tortillas were hard… like they’d been sitting out for too long. One of my friends ordered the Tinga Nachos which also looked delightful.

Tinga Tacos

Also, my roommate ordered the Stuffed Avocado which was absolutely phenomenal! I was trying to figure out how it worked and I think this is what I concluded: chicken, veggies, layered in an avocado/guacamole spread, then flash fried. Whew! A delicious creamy white sauce drenched the stuffed avocado, truly making this dish a hidden gem on the menu. Folks, you need to try it. Then fast for the next couple of days because I don’t even want to think about the calories in this guy.

Stuffed Avocado

A vegetable peeler is a really nice way to do salad a bit differently, especially with courgettes, but what to put ‘em with? The ribbons are really good with a nicely seared tuna steak, or something more earthy, like these spicy beans. After all, everyone has an old tin of beans sitting at the back of the cupboard, don’t they?

Spicy Beans, Spinach and Courgette Ribbon Salad

Serves 2

You’ll need

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 2 anchovy fillets, chopped
• 1 galric clove, finely chopped
• 1/2 courgettes, sliced into ribbons with a veg speed peeler
• 200g spinach
• Salt & pepper
• 100g beans (tinned kidney beans/flageolet beans/berlotti beans, etc) rinsed and drained
• 1tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp chopped parsley to garnish

Do it!

1. Whisk 1tbsp of olive oil with the vinegar in a bowl.
2. Add the courgette ribbons, toss together to coat and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Heat the rest of the oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Add the chilli flakes, shallots, anchovies and garlic and fry until softened.
4. Add the spinach and beans and cook until the spinach has wilted and the beans are warmed through. Drain out any excess moisture and season, to taste, with freshly ground black pepper. It probably won’t need much salt, due to the anchovies, but taste to check.
5. Place the spicy beans and spinach onto a plate and arrange the courgette ribbons in a pile on top.

It’s a tasty lunch and pretty healthy at that. Enjoy!