Chocolate Chip Cookie Smoothie

I did it!!!

30 Days of June = 30 New Kitchen Creations!!! 

Woot woot!

Today's creation was a Chocolate Chip Smoothie ...

1 cup vanilla ice cream

1 cup milk

1 cup cookies (crumbled)

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Tasty ... but, it was too liquidy for me, and the mini chips didn't blend, they sank to the bottom. Still good to eat / drink ... but not a smoothie I would make again (I don't think), unless I used a LOT more ice cream. ;o)

Butterbean and Tuna Salad

Butterbean and Tuna Salad with celery, capers, scallion and a lemon Dijon dressing!

Found the recipe on line ... made it and then put it on slices of (fresh bread) toast.

Yummmmmmmmmmm....

It's so super easy! And tasty.

It's funny how, by having a tuna salad that's made for you fairly regularly as a kid, that you most likely won't think to look up recipes for other ways to make "it." I didn't search tuna fish salad's, I searched for "summer salads," and came upon this recipe.

First time I've ever used a butterbean -- they're pretty big!

The lemon Dijon dressing was easy to make too, and it's really good. 

I imagine it would be tasty on many things...

Juice from one small Fresh Lemon (about 2 tablespoons)

2 Teaspoons of Dijon Mustard

(whisk them together)

Fresh Ground Salt and Pepper

1/4 cup Olive Oil

(whisk them again)

Chop a few scallions up and add them into the mixture, stir it up.

Boom, lemon dijon dressing!

  

Lady Fingers to make a Trifle

Ok, so the lady fingers kinda look like lady blobs, but they tasted good! 

Nice and soft, light and airy, but cakey too ... berry berry goot!

I had a helper throughout the making of this dish! :)

The finished product!

I don't own a trifle dish - nor does my Mum, who's house I was making this in - so I used two clear bread pans -- so that you can still see the layers (well, sort of).

I whipped the cream me-self!

(Heavy Cream, sugar and vanilla and ya whip it 'till it's whippy!)

Store bought blueberries and strawberries!

Then, ya layer it all up.

Lady Fingers / Whip cream / Berries / Whip / Lady Blobs repeat...and or some variation on that theme!

Then you eat it! 

Zucchini Chips

Believe it or not, what you see here is the final batch of zucchini chips from 2 medium zucchini's ... they shrink up so much! But they're really good. And again, SUPER easy to make. The hardest part is waiting for them to bake up in the oven.

The top batch has an additional ingredient, smoked paprika! :)

Slice up your zucchini

Rub with olive oil - not too much

Sprinkle with salt & pepper and paprika (I've read that the paprika makes it even "better" for you...)

Bake - on a cookie sheet - for about 2 hours on 225 degree's fahrenheit 

Edamame Salad

Edamame

Scallions (chopped)

Olive Oil

Fresh Lemon Juice

Feta Cheese 

Salt & Pepper

Combine ingredients in a bowl and stir ... and then enjoy!

*This recipe is one that a friend gave the ingredients to me, but he didn't have measurements so I decided upon the amounts ... so, everything is "to taste." I used frozen, pre-shelled soybeans in a steamer bag from the frozen veggies section of the supermarket.

Meringue's

So making individual meringue's is like making a pavlova on a very small scale and en mass! The recipe is slightly different from the pavlova. Here's the recipe I used:

And here's how they came out:

Pancakes with Nutella Filing

Shrimp and Grits Ya'll

Shrimp and Grits y'all!

I found this recipe on line ... I had shrimp, didn't want to go to the supermarket after work, boom ... Shrimp and Grits!

In this recipe, a slightly altered version of what I found on line - but not by much:

 Grits (with mayo - mayo added after grits were cooked) -- cooked and set aside while cooking the shrimps

1 red onion - chopped and sautéed in oil with coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper; once sautéed add the shrimps and cook until they're pink; once shrimps have pinked up, add the juice from one small lemon; approx. 2 tablespoons of Sriacha hot sauce; approx. 1 tablespoon of butter; shrimps; 1-2 tsp dried parsley and cook for about 5-minutes on low heat.

Place some grits in a bowl, top with shrimps and enjoy!

Fried Ice Cream

Saso's Japanese Noodle House (which sadly no longer exists) was my intro to fried ice cream. Though I worked there for a few years, and eaten many, tonight was the first night I ever made one. This recipe is NOT the one that the restaurant used, but it is fried ... fried ice cream ... and it is TASTY!!!

The most difficult part of making fried ice cream ... waiting while each step freezes!

Ingredients: 

This easy recipe called for ice cream (I used neapolitan), corn flakes (I used Strawberry Special K), an egg white and frying oil.

What to do .... 

Step 1. Make balls (ha, balls) of ice cream, place on tray and place tray in freezer for 1-hour.

Step 2. Crush corn flakes.

Step 3. Beat egg white (I used 1 egg for these two balls -- balls, ha ha ha) until it's frothy. 

Step 4. Roll frozen ice cream balls in egg white and then in corn flakes. (Roll more than once if needed, make sure they're totally covered.)

Step 5. Replace on tray and in freezer for another 3-hours.

Step 6. When you're ready to fry -- and by that I mean, when you're ready to eat -- Heat oil. Place ice cream balls, one or two at a  time, into the oil. 10 seconds or so (until corn flakes have browned up). Remove and place on paper towel to soak up excess oil.

Step 7. Place in bowl, drizzle with chocolate syrup ... EAT!!!

A Traditional New Zealand Pavlova

This recipe is another one from my 33'rd Bday ... it came from my Kiwi friend Lisette! It's really easy and super delicious! The recipe she sent is below these photos.

RECIPE:

A Father's Day Old Fashioned

Eggplant & White Bean Ragout over Wagon Wheel Pasta

Yes I used the soffritto from the other day as my base for this dish. Yes I used white beans again. No I've never made "this" dish before. :o)

In addition to using eggplant in the ragout I also added some more tomato paste and a bit of garlic powder. And I put it over Wagon Wheel pasta! 

It's a bit of a lazy "new thing" to have cooked today, but it is new ... LOL

Homemade Popcorn

Accidentally posted this on my other blog last night ... so here it is today ... 6/19/15's dish for the day was homemade popcorn with homemade seasoning's.

1. Old Bay and Butter

2. Salt-n-Vinegar (malt vinegar)

~Don't know that I've made stovetop popcorn since I was a kid! :o)

White Bean Ragout with Toast

Found this recipe in a magazine at some point, I've had it for a while and finally made it today!

And it is SO good!

While making it, I also learned a.) What soffritto is, and b.) how to make it.

This (below) is what the soffritto I made looks like, it's a "base" for many things.

Here's a link to a definition of soffritto: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/soffritto

And here is the recipe that I found and used. 

The only thing I did differently was to leave out the final cup of of veggie broth, It would have been too soupy if I'd put it in.

Cooking with Quinoa

Yesterday, I forgot to post this - and to take a picture of it ... but I digress, yesterday I made a quinoa "dish" that was supremely tasty and VERY easy to make. Cook up some quinoa. While it's cooking place some sliced almonds and pine nuts in a skillet and slow roast them. I put a bit of olive oil in the pan before adding the nuts. Then, once added, I sprinkled a bit of coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Once quinoa is cooked place on a plate and pour a little olive oil over it, mix it up, and then add the cooked nuts. 

Salt and pepper to taste.

And enjoy!

Open Faced Eggplant Sandwiches (?)

This open faced "sandwich" is something I made up after I saw a photo that was an actual Eggplant Sandwich (as in, Eggplant instead of bread). In the pic the eggplant was grilled, but I don't have an outdoor grill so I stove top grilled it. I also stove top grilled 2-slices of fresh red bell pepper. Then I layered the eggplant with the red bell pepper; added some artichoke alouette spreadable cheese; fresh avocado slices and add some freshly ground black pepper and coarse sea salt.

Tasty!!!

G'ma's Butterscotch Dreams!

First time I've ever made these ... and with that I can check my one-a-day kitchen creation off for today, AND check another thing off as COOKED, from my 33 Variations Cookbook Bday! 

Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter; 1/2 cup sugar; 1-3/4 cup flour; 1-1/2 cup brown sugar; 1/2 tsp vanilla; 2 egg yolks (save the whites).

Rub all ingredietns together except egg whites and brown sugar, forming crumbs. Spread crumbs in flat ungreased pan. Beat egg whites until stiff, then add brown sugar to egg whites. Spread this mixture on crumbs. BAKE at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Cut into square immediately, then cool in pan.

*They taste great, but they are a little dryer than I remember G'ma's being, and I think I should have used a third egg -- or gotten large eggs -- as you can see in the top left pic, the topping didn't spread around all the way. Oh, and I think I would, with my current stove at least, turn the temp down by 25 degrees.

Berry and Mint Infused Ice Cubes

Raspberries and Blackberries on the left. Mint leaves on the left. 

To be used in Iced Tea ... we'll see how they do! :o)

(They're in snack size ziplock reusable plastic containers.)

Am drinking some Green Mint Tea with a Mint Infused Ice Cube ... refreshing! :) 

And you only need one cube per drink!

Open Faced Zucchini "Sandwiches"

Saw this 'sandwich' in a post on Facebook that was all about sandwiches you can make without using bread (really good for those who are gluten intolerant ... good for me 'cause it's tasty and healthy)!

Ingredients:

1 zucchini (or cucumber) - hollowed out

Spreadable cheese of your choosing

Deli meat of your choosing

*I used a Zucchini, Black Forest Ham and Garlic-n-Herb Alouette Cheese [I also ate the hollowed out bits ... lol]

Beer Can Bacon Burgers

Ladies and gentlemen, all I can say is Daaaaaaaaaaaaaay-uuuummmmmnnnnn! So freaking GOOD!!!

I found the recipe on Facebook, someone posted a link to the BBQ Pit Boys Youtbue video for their Beer Can Bacon Burgers ... 

I followed the recipe ... and boom, Mom, Dad and I were in heaven!!!

Top left - and bottom middle - from the bottom -- Mom, Me, Dad ... So. Freaking. Good!

***The stuffing's we used were sautéed green/orange/red bell peppers & onions, sautéed mushrooms; and pepper jack cheese (dad also had a few slices of prosciutto in it).

Beet and Cannelloni Hummus

In Maryland this weekend for my nieces dance recitals and my bro's bday ... so, today I made zis in my bro's kitchen! Beet and Cannelloni Hummus - it is a hummus made without tahini paste.

Ingredients:
3/4's of a can of cooked beets
1 can cannelloni beans
1 or 2 garlic cloves
olive oil
a pinch of coarse salt
a few grinds of fresh black pepper
1/2 of a lemon, freshly squeezed

Put in a food processor and process .... bon appetit! 

It suggested to serve it with sliced fennel, so I did. I also served it with baby carrots, red and orange bell peppers, fresh broccoli and celery!

**I think I would put a bit more salt in the next time I make it.

Hotel Room Chef

It's hard to be a chef when you're traveling and do not have access to a kitchen. Tonight I'm in Maryland with the folks to see my nieces dance recitals and ... well ... this ain't bad for hotel room cooking! :o)

One of my aunts posted it on Facebook a few weeks ago ... tasty and cute. One day I'll have to make the olive penguins and these ladybugs at the same time! :)

Ingredients:

Cherry Tomatoes (cut in half, and a small slice in one end)

Fresh Basil

Fresh Mozzarella (cut in slices)

Black or Kalamata Olives 

(It said to use black, but being in a hotel room and not having a can opener, I got some Kalamata olives from an olive bar.)

To assemble, lay a basil leaf on top of a piece of the mozzarella cheese. Take an olive and cut the end off of it to create the head of the ladybug. Make small pieces of the remaining olive bits to "decorate" the back of the bug with it's traditional black spots.

Too cute. Super Delicious! Easy to make, even on the go!!!

Zucchini & Black Bean Quesadilla

What I learned by making a quesadilla .... put cheese on both sides of the tortilla so that as it melts and both sides "adhere" to the tortilla. ;o) 'Twas a tasty morsel of a case-uh-dill-uh! 

Here's the recipe I followed:

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20509747_11,00.html

Frittata Thursday!

On vacation -- in my own home today -- and decided to make myself a nice Frittata for breakfast! YUMMO!!! I do so love eggs and omelets and frittata's, oh and a good strata ... mmmmm! A few years ago my folks gave me a frittata pan and I've used it a good number of times, this morning included.

Ingredients:

approx. 2 tbsps. olive oil (I use extra virgin olive oil)

3 garlic cloves (I'm a garlic lover)

3-4 eggs (depending upon how hungry you are and or how many peeps are eating said frittata)

approx. 1/4 cup milk, half-n-half or heavy cream (today I used heavy cream 'cause I be on vacaaaaaa yo!)

1/4 of a fresh red pepper (sliced and chopped)

4 or 5 fresh mushrooms (sliced)

1/4 of a red onion (sliced)

1 baby red potatoe (sliced)

cheese of your choice (chunks)

capers

salt and pepper to taste

How To Make It...

Place your frittata pan  on the stove, add olive oil, garlic cloves (sliced, crushed or finely chopped, whatever your pleasure) and turn stove on  low. Let the garlic start to cook and when you can smell it add   a layer of baby red potatoes slices. Place the  frittata pan lid and let cook - on low heat - for approx. 5 minutes. Add sliced onion and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes or so. While onions and potatoes are cooking, in a small bowl beat your eggs and heavy cream. Pour egg mixture into the pan and place rep pepper, mushrooms, capers and cheese on top of the egg mixture. Add freshly ground pepper and salt to taste on top. Cook each side of your frittata (yay awesome frittata pan) for approx. 5 minutes  -- until it is solid and the egg has slightly browned up.

Once your frittata is done, remove it from the pan -- place on a large cutting board. Cut it into severing sizes needed/desired and server it up!

My First #Fail...Stovetop Pizza

This delicious mess is what happens when you buy all the ingredients for a Stovetop Pizza recipe you found on line, and are more than half way through the cooking process when you FINALLY realize that it is a recipe for a SPECIFIC type of pan (only available - at the moment - in New Zealand and Australia) ... yikes! Here's the video of what I was attempting to make. Looks like I'll have to enlist my Kiwi friend Lisette into sending me one of these ... LOL

Funny thing is, though I now have a thin crust pizza crust stuck to the bottom of my pan (I sure hope I can get it out), the resulting semi-gooey-upper-dough mixed with the great toppings I used, and the tomato sauce was extremely tasty!

It does signify one of the only times I can recall truly failing at what I was trying to make in the kitchen ... but though I failed, I failed with a delicious verve I dare anyone to rival! ;)

The toppings I used were: bottled sauce; fresh mozzarella cheese; red onion; red bell pepper; mushrooms; capers; kalamata olives; and fresh purple basil. The pizza soup I made was a tasty one! :)

Anyone out there think I can market "Pizza Soup" ??? LOL

Orange Dreamsicle Smoothie

Two words: Orange Dreamsicle! #YAS!!! Especially after a long day, and the need to go grocery shopping in order to really "cook" something, I present to you the extreme deliciousness that is the Orange Dreamsicle Smoothie!  

I used the fat-free half-n-half, because I had it in my fridge, and it worked out fine. Though I mistakenly put a few more ice cubes in after it was initially blended, and I didn't blend them enough ... it's still de-lish and stupid easy to make (as long as you have a blender)! 

Mint Green Tea

Guys, I've just discovered Mint Green Tea (Twinings of London) ... it's so good!

I've known and love Twinings Teas for years.

I've known and love Mint tea for years.

I've enjoyed most Green Teas for years.

Put'em'all'together and have you got ... awesomeness (hot or cold)!!!

Cucumber Salad

This is a cucumber salad I have never made before.

Ingredients

2 large cucumbers (peeled or unpeeled, it's up to you)

1/3 cup rice vinegar [*I altered this to almost a full 1/3 cup white vinegar, with a bit of balsamic]

4 teaspoons white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root [*I altered this to ginger powder]

Directions

a. Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise and scoop out large seeds, the thinly slice. Place in a serving bowl.

b. In a small bowl combine vinegar, sugar, salt and ginger. Mix well. 

c. Pour dressing over cucumbers and mix, making sure that all slices have been coated with the mixture.

d. Refrigerate for an hour (or more).

*The elements that I altered were due to what was in, or more accurately, what was not in my, my kitchen at the time. This was due to the fact that I'd had a long day at work, (and even ate dinner at work,) so I made this salad for the following day ... and as it was rather late at night, I used what was in my cupboards rather than go to a store.

Smells delicious ... can't wait to taste it tomorrow!

Green Bean & Almond Salad

This is another one of the recipes sent to me for my 33rd Birthday that I've now FINALLY made. :) My friend Brenda sent it to me ... and it's delicious.

Ingredients:

Green beans (1 lb.)

Medium Red Onion (sliced)

Celery (finely sliced)

Fennel Bulb (thinly sliced)

Sliced Almonds

Vinegar

Water

Sugar

Salt & Pepper

Olive Oil

There are a few steps to this recipe ... if you're interested in how to put it together let me know.

 One of the steps in this recipe was to "pickle" the onions ... I've never pickled anything before, muy taste-ito! 

Pasta with Sausage and Spinach

This is one of the recipes I got from my friend Meagan for my 33rd Birthday - my 33 Variations Birthday Cookbook! It's SO good!

I didn't have white wine so I substituted a cup of vinegar water for it.