Weekend Update: Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter... Week 3

Here we are in Week 3 of the Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter.  I am still filled with lots of hope, but must report I see no signs of even the tiniest tomatoes.  I guess I am staying optimistic because the directions do report that it takes 6 weeks to see tomatoes.  All I know is we have a long way to go if this little tike is going to look anything like that tomato explosion on the infomercials.  Stay tuned!

Of Pretty Things, Young Girl and Old Apples

A couple of months ago I went to the annual Arts, Craft and Quilting Exhibition, a rather big do I should add. It was my good friend Leigh's birthday and being a very handy lady with a needle she jumped at the invite to attend. Leigh was most taken with the quilts and I couldn't stop her from touching nearly all that we saw (even though the signs clearly stated "do not touch"). It was exciting stuff. We simply had to thoroughly check them out; it's called admiration. I don't think the security lady saw it that way.

As for me I was going nuts at the huge wall of the prettiest aprons you ever did see. It stirred me to the extent that I considered reacquainting myself with the sewing machine. And boy has it been a while. I bought this beautiful fabric and I imagined seeing myself in a very pretty, dare I say it, "sexy" little number. I noticed many of the aprons had a "desperate housewives" kinda style and I kinda fancied one for myself.

Mmmm. On completion of the garment I thought to myself it looked a little skimpier than I'd imagined. I did after all make the larger size. Never mind.

I decided to have a little photo shoot of my creation so off I went in search of a model. As luck would have it I found this beautiful maiden with wild hair roaming in the woods and she agreed to wear it. Wasn't that lucky. Her name was Nicole.
















I was really pleased with the outcome except for one thing. It looked great on beautiful maiden but I looked like a total frump in it. It was cute, skimpy, not very protective and almost french waitress kinda stuff if you know what I mean. What was I thinking? I think they call it mutton dressed as lamb. Looks like the lamb scores it. Hope you enjoy your new apron Nicole.

Everything has it's price. In exchange for the maiden's time, I promised to reward her with an afternoon treat. Considering all I had was one packet of cooking chocolate (and trying to ignore chocolate for this week), I went with the three neglected green apples (turning brown) in the fruit bowl.

I peeled them, stewed them with cinnamon, sugar and lemon and allowed them to cool. I grabbed some puff pastry from the freezer, covered the sheets till slightly thawed; cut into quarters; topped with the apple and attempted to shape them into apple turnover lookalikes. With a sharp knife I slit them, brushed generously with egg white and sprinkled well with sugar.



After bunging them in a preheated oven, twenty minutes later and hey presto they were sitting on an oven rack waiting to cool down. So easy.



They were absolutely scrumptious. Those old browning apples served their purpose and turned into the most delicious turnovers I have eaten in a long, long time. What, did I think that younger, fresher apples would have made better turnovers? Goes to show, never judge a book by it's cover. Actually this old bird just might give that apron another try. Hang on. I think I see the maiden running back into the woods, bows on her back and turnovers stashed in her pockets. It's not been my day.

A Mediterranean Morsel

There seems to be a "chocolatey" and dessert theme happening out there in the blogosphere. And given the nature of my last two posts, I feel the need to eat something healthy. Does that mean I will compromise on taste and gastronomic pleasure? Not on your Nelly. I feel like something good and wholesome yet luscious and brimming with all those Mediterranean flavours I love. Something that will satisfy the appetite, pounce on the palate and leave me feeling completely nourished yet slightly spoilt.

Well it was a bit of effort to reach that point; but, my oh my was it worth it! Really, I can't tell you how good it made me feel and I will pass on dessert thank you and just have a nice glass of red. Simply magnifique. I'm happy.

Lamb Bruschetta with Zucchini, Eggplant and Garlic Yoghurt.

First of all I purchased two mini trim lamb round roasts. I think it is the part of the leg that has been deboned and you are literally left with nothing but beautiful meat. What I like to do is tie them up as tightly as possible with some twine. Then I smother them with wholegrain mustard and generously scatter them with coarsely ground black pepper. In a very very hot pan with a little olive oil, sear all sides of the lamb till nice and brown. Each side should take no more than one and a half minutes. Place them on a rack over a baking tin with a little water and place in a very high preheated oven. I baked these for about 40 minutes.

I like to rest them on a plate. This way any juices that escape can be reserved. As I slice the meat finely I douse the slices in the juice so that it can be reabsorbed back into the meat. For best results, it is preferable to allow the meat to cool down, refrigerate, take back out, bring to room temperature and then slice. See what I mean about a bit of effort. But that's me being fussy. You can of course slice and eat it right away, its just that the meat is less likely to tear. Either way she tastes great. I use these cuts often and the meat is very versatile with loads of uses. My hubby loves slices of lamb on fresh bread with cheese and tomato relish. Jeepers we are out of relish and I think I know what my next post is going to be. It also works really well with green lettuce, caramelized onion and aioli. It's also terrific presliced, wrapped up and then presented on a platter outdoors or on a picnic. We had a gathering at the farm a while ago with some of hubby's soccer mates and when I put the lamb out on the table it went down a treat. It was an absolute hit. Try it.

Take a couple of small zucchini and mini eggplant. Slice them into even rounds.




I fry them separately. Eggplant takes marginally longer to cook than zucchini. Heat some olive oil in a frypan then toss in the eggplant. The eggplant is likely to soak up the oil very quickly. Add some water if necessary to help it cook through. Eggplant is one of those veggies that really needs to be cooked through. When it is almost ready throw in one green shallot that has been roughly chopped. Cook for one more minute then turn out onto a plate. Drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with sea salt and cracked black pepper. I also like to add some uncooked white spring onion for a nice contrast in texture and flavour.


In the same pan heat some more oil and toss in the zucchini. I like to fry these on a higher heat because they do not take as long to cook as the eggplant. I love to get some nice colour on them as well; makes them so much more appealing. When almost done add some more chopped green shallot and follow the same procedure as with the eggplant when you turn it out onto a plate. It is really important to add the vinegar, seasonings and spring onion to the veggies whilst they are still warm because then they take on the flavours so much better.

To make your garlic yoghurt simply take a couple of tablespoons of some really thick Greek yoghurt, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, one clove of crushed garlic and mix till really well combined. Put back in the fridge till ready to use. If you have some fresh mint handy then feel free to put in a chopped tablespoon. I didn't have any and I refuse to purchase a whole bunch when I only need a little. I decided that I would enhance my bruschetta with some homemade roasted capsicum that had been marinating in olive oil, crushed garlic and balsamic for about one month. When I opened the jar I couldn't believe the intense aroma that hit me. Just glorious.



Now the fun part begins. I cut some slices of fresh ciabatta and assembled two on a plate. On one I placed some red oak leaf lettuce, topped with lamb, eggplant, garlic yoghurt and yellow marinated capsicum.




On the other I placed some green oak leaf lettuce and rocket,topped with lamb, zucchini, garlic yoghurt and finished off with red capsicum. You could drizzle with a little more olive oil if you like but I was happy with mine as is.



Yum, yum, yum. I call these little morsels 'food from the gods'. Thank you lord.



Amen.

All Natural Peanut Butter Yogurt

I will go ahead and say this recipe is not for everyone.   I personally love it and think it is a great snack, but have found some people are not a fan... Mr. Hungry being the biggest non-fan.   I found this recipe a long time ago in a dieting book called The Formula that my parents were using.  While I have never been on the diet it recommends, I have made this yogurt for years.  It is a part of the 40-30-30 diet (or zone diet), which promotes eating meals and snacks that have 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% fat.  I love that the yogurt uses all natural ingredients and because of the portions, seems to really fill me up.  These are not all ingredients you would have on hand, but I use protein powder for certain smoothies as well so have found it to be a good investment.  It is more expensive than most products I buy, but one can will last a very long time.   

All Natural Peanut Butter Yogurt
4 Servings
Recipe Notes
Using all natural fructose is a healthier alternative to table sugar.  Bob's Red Mill makes a granulated fructose that can be found in alot of grocery store.   I buy protein powder at Whole Foods, but can now be found in most grocery stores in the health food aisle as well.  The original recipe is for one serving.  I have adapted this to make four servings so I can make once, and eat throughout the week.  
Ingredients
32 oz. tub of nonfat plain yogurt (4 cups)
4 tablespoon all natural peanut butter, room temperature
8 teaspoons granulated fructose
2 tablespoons pure whey protein powder
Directions
1.  Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl or blender.
2.  Whisk or blend until smooth and creamy.
3.  Divide into four containers and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Win Your Weight In Chocolate Competition

I was rummaging through a neglected, dusty pile of old folders, when a bright, pink folder caught my eye. A smile sprung to my face as I pulled it out and opened it up to the first page. The events of that day came flooding back. It was 13 years ago, goodness that long ago. May 31st 1996 to be precise.

On the afternoon of May 30th I was driving home with a car full of groceries glad to be supermarket free for the next few days. After unloading and packing groceries away, I sat down with a cup of tea to read some of the newspaper before setting about to cook the dinner.

This very small segment captured my attention.



I read it and I turned the page. I flipped the page back and read it again. Goodness this challenge is tomorrow. No way, not enough time. I turned the page and tried to forget it. But I couldn't. It kept niggling away at me, this little voice saying 'you need to do this'. For about an hour I tossed up in my mind the reasons for why "I should" and the reasons for why "I shouldn't".

After all this mulling, I snapped. I'm doing it. Crazily I recall dashing through the cupboard searching for all the "cakey ingredients I might require. I didn't have enough cooking chocolate or pouring cream. I was literally assembling the cake in my mind and I kid you not, I had never before made the creation that was evolving.

Since the theme was chocolate, I imagined a zesty orange, grated chocolate sponge, split and filled with alternating layers of chocolate creme patissiere and jaffa chocolate mousse, covered with grand marnier cream and decorated with lacey chocolate triangles and whole cumquats piped with extra dark chocolate. Not so hard; right?

Damn, I had to race back to the shops. And race I did. I was in mission impossible mode now.

After dinner was over my cake making marathon commenced. By midnight I had the baked cake back in it's plastic film covered tin with four layers of the fillings as I described. I rested a plate on top to assist with the pressing and in the fridge she went. Tomorrow (actually today as it had just passed midnight), I'll finish assembling it.

Next morning I recall not getting much sleep and I got up feeling really nervous and edgy. Pulling cumquats off the tree, beating cream, piping chocolate I wasn't feeling any better, infact I started to get shaky. What the hell? I remember thinking I should call the whole thing off and just let the kids tuck into this "monster" because this amount of stress was just not worth it. I decided that if I wasn't satisfied with the end result then that is exactly what I would do. That helped a little. I completed the cake, took a good hard look at it and decided she was going to compete.

Just after ten o'clock I said I was going to drop off the cake when low and behold everyone decided they would come too. My husband backed out the car a little too fast for my liking and I bit his head off. Take it easy!!!!!!!! I shrieked. After all my effort how could he be soooo inconsiderate. (Actually I am laughing my head off right now remembering how seriously I took the whole silly thing). Sigh.

We got our cake there at 10.30am. The people there began to deliberate about which category my cake should go in. I said the cake section. They disagreed and put it in the dessert section. On closer inspection of the entries there, the desserts were by far the nicer. That'd be right. Just my luck to put me in the hardest category. We went home. Back for the judging at 2.30pm.

Well that had to be the longest three hours of my life. I had never entered anything before or done anything like this. I recall seeing my eldest daughter Larissa pacing up and down the hall and in the lounge with her eye constantly on the clock. I think it was the longest three hours of her life too. The thing is, when we were there she had thoroughly checked out the other entries and became very excited because she really thought I was going to win!

The others were quite normal and acted as though nothing majorily exciting was happening. Infact my seven year old son was mightily miffed that we would be going back for what he considered to be a total waste of time. Playing leggo was much more appealing to him.

Armed with a camera (just in case) we headed off for the judging. Now I should explain that there were three categories; the slice category, the cake category and the dessert category. The winner of each section would win a ten kilo block of solid Cadbury milk chocolate. The overall supreme winner would win their weight in assorted Cadbury chocolate. Holey dooley. Unimaginable.

As the crowd gathered and waited for the announcements I remember feeling excited that I had done this and whatever the outcome, at least I had participated and I was happy with my entry. You can only do your best.

As the slice and cake winners stood on the stage, the dessert winner was announced last. It was me. To top it off, I was the supreme winner too. I had to stand on the scales before everyone while the radio announcer declared I weighed 65.2 kilos. Yep. I feel flushed actually remembering it all. But what I remember more than anything was the relief on Larissa's face and the feeling that her belief in me paid off. That was probably the best feeling of all.

Three days later my prize was delivered; 66kgs of chockies.

The ten kilo block we took home that day so we could begin celebrating right away. Check out the three happy faces with little Nikka's eyes set firmly on the prize.



That was my year of chocolate. I remember I gave away heaps; for raffles at the school; for teachers to use as rewards for kids and to friends and relatives. I recall with fondness as I took over a load for my neighbour Gayle and her brood of five kids. I think they all thought Christmas had come early that year.

But the funniest thing was instead of having a fruit bowl on the kitchen table for a year, we had a chocolate bowl. We stored the chocolate in the garage in a cool spot so it didn't spoil, and I topped up our "fruit" bowl regularly. Years later my son confessed to going in the garage and nicking the Cherry Ripes because they were his favourite. I should have reminded him about his "waste of time" comment regarding the contest. So so funny.

Well there is my "nostalgia" post for today. A wonderful trip down memory lane. Sweet memories. Literally sweet memories. And may I mention the beginning of my run of entering competitions. Food magazines had just begun to emerge at this time and competitions were regularly run. For five years I had lots of fun and that is why I have a competition folder. It contains the results of my successful entries.

Today I share with you my very first win but also my most affectionate win; mainly because of the joy it brought my kids. And others too. But mostly for the joy it brought me in giving and sharing.

As I turn the page of my dusty pink folder I see other times that brought me so much pleasure. I think I have bored you all enough for today and will save that for another time. In the meantime I shall leave you with a little clue? How does meeting Jamie Oliver sound.

Southwestern Breakfast Cups... Happy Memorial Day!

These breakfast cups are the perfect recipe for a day like Memorial Day.  They make any lazy, holiday morning breakfast wonderful.  These were brought to the school I work at by I very sweet mother and I instantly fell in love with them.  You see, I do not like eggs and almost every breakfast/brunch recipe I come across is mostly egg with a few other ingredients.  This recipe however is mostly other yummy ingredients with a tad bit of egg to hold it all together.  Enjoy!

  

Southwestern Breakfast Cups

Recipe Notes

The filling mixture for this recipe can be made 2-3 days before and stored in the refrigerator overnight.  This makes the morning preparation even quicker.  Also, I have always had alot of the filling leftover so if you are making this for a big group, you can buy a couple more can of biscuits without having to double the filling.  You can also half the filling and have enough for about 15-20 biscuits.

Ingredients

2 to 3 cans buttermilk biscuits

1 small can diced green chilies, drained

1 small can diced black olives, drained

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 cups finely chopped ham

1/2 cup diced onion

3 to 4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 egg
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Mix everything, except biscuits, in large bowl, set aside. 
3. Spray muffin pans with cooking spray. 
4. Put 1 biscuit into each cup spreading it up the sides of the cup. 
5. Put about 1 heaping tbs of ham mixture on top of each biscuit. 
6. Bake 20 minutes or until biscuits begin to brown.

7. Serve immediately.

A Time For Comfort

After five days interstate, mostly dealing with nursing homes; I leave behind my aunt who is now in the unenviable position of being totally dependent upon others. Depressing is one word that certainly comes to mind however I have been consumed with being orderly and carrying out all the procedures and paperwork that need attention. Together with the rain and awful weather it has been a rather grim and gloomy time.

I feel like something homely, safe, comforting and of course delicious. And I'm not at all concerned about any calories; I just want comfort. Immediately my good old apple cake comes to mind and I do not hesitate for a moment. Canned apple? Never. I only ever use fresh green apples and if I don't have any I won't make it. Plain and simple. Fortunately all the remaining ingredients are common pantry staples so it is fairly straightforward.

Mariana's Apple Cake

3 green apples, peeled & diced into even pieces

extra sugar

cinnamon

125gm unsalted butter

3/4 cup of castor sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 free range eggs

1 1/2 cups self raising flour

1/2 cup milk

Place peeled apples into a saucepan; sprinkle generously with cinnamon; add three tablespoons of sugar; shake pan well to ensure all the pieces are coated. Pour into this approximately three quarters of a cup of water; bring to boil; simmer until the apple is cooked but please do not overcook. I do not like a mushy apple texture; just cook till the apple holds its shape. Drain in a colander but reserve the liquid; then set aside to cool.

Place butter, sugar, vanilla extract into a bowl; beat till light & fluffy; add eggs; beat further till well incorporated.



Fold flour & milk into this; beat till just combined. Pour mixture into a greased & lined cake tin. Carefully scatter all the apple pieces over the top of the mixture. Do not press as the batter will rise above & over the apple during baking.



Place into a preheated moderate oven; bake for approx 35 to 40 minutes. Put cooked cake onto a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully turn out onto another rack after this time. Set aside to cool or if you prefer as my son does; tuck into it while still warm.



I made a custard following the instructions from the packet. Simply add two tablespoons custard powder & 1 tablespoon sugar to 500mls milk. Stir over a low heat till custard comes together.



You may like to try my apple brandy syrup which adds a very luxurious, ultra comforting touch. Take 1/2 cup of the reserved liquid after the apples were drained & place in a very small saucepan. I actually used one of my ibriks (a small cooking vessel for making black coffee). Add one tablespoon of brandy; cook for about seven minutes. It should have reduced slightly but it won't be too thick.


Arrange your apple cake pieces onto a plate. Pour over the custard.



Take a couple of tablespoons of the syrup and drizzle over the cake.



I am ready to be comforted now.

Weekend Update: Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter... Week 2

 

So here is my Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter at Week 2.  If this is the first time you have seen this post, I will be tracking the Topsy Turvy Tomato planter to see if it really lives up to what its infomercial claims... up to 30 lbs. of tomatoes this summer. Compared to week 1, I haven't seen too much progress.  The leaves are a little bushier, which I think is all I can hope for at this point.  I noticed a few holes in some of the leaves from little pests so I doused it with organic bug repellent.  Other than that, just been watering about a gallon a day.  Stay Tuned!

Introducing Mr. Hungry and his favorite meal.

How can I possibly be sharing my kitchen and recipes and not ever address my biggest taste tester, my husband, Mr. Hungry.  Whether it's the fact that he will eat anything I put in front of him (at least once), or the countless times he has walked in the kitchen and said, "What do you think you could whip up in here for me to eat?"... the name just fits.  

And what better addition to his introduction than his favorite meal: Steak Sammies.  I have to say this is one of those times where my picture just doesn't do the recipe justice.  I'm sure someone could take a more glorious picture of these, but you should trust me and try them! These sandwiches are perfect for so many reasons and especially because they only have 5 ingredients.  The combination of the havarti cheese and seasoned steak and onions pairs perfectly.  I feel like you can't go wrong feeding this sandwich to any man in your life.
Steak Sammies
Serves 2
Recipe Notes
I have tried these sandwiches with both new york strip steak and ribeye.  I personally go for whatever is on sale and I am sure they would be just as delicious with another type of steak.  If you have a thin piece of steak, you can even skip the slicing step and use a whole piece of steak on your sammies.  It is important to let the onions cook in the balsamic vinegar for awhile, but if the edges start to turn black, turn down the heat.   Make sure you let the steak come to room temperature before grilling for best cooking results.
Ingredients
Olive Oil
1 white onion thinly sliced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 slices havarti cheese
2 portions of boneless ribeye or ny strip steak
French Baguette

Directions
1. Heat 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.
2.  Add onions and balsamic vinegar and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3.  Heavily salt and pepper steak and grill until steak is cooked medium.
4.  Allow steak to cool and slice into 1 inch thick slices.
5.  Slice baguette in half horizontally and cut two 6 inch sections.
6.  Lightly brush with olive oil and toast in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes.
7.  Remove bread and stack steak, onions and then cheese on top.  Top with other side of bread and serve immediately. 

Toasted Pecan & Goat Cheese Salad

This is by far one of my favorite salads.  It is simple and pairs well with meats as well as pastas.  I have made many different variations of this and it really goes well with most types of salad greens.  On this particular day, I used a spring mix of bagged salad, but baby spinach works really well too.  I found this delicious recipe for balsamic-rosemary vinaigrette in Everyday Food magazine and I have to say the fresh dressing makes all the difference.  You can definitely use a store bought balsamic dressing if you are short on time, but I think it is worth the effort... Enjoy!


Toasted Pecan & Goat Cheese Salad
Serves 4
Ingredients- salad

1 bag of salad (either spring mix or baby spinach)
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans (see below for details)
1/4 cup balsamic-rosemary vinaigrette
Ingredients- balsamic rosemary dressing
Recipe adapted from Food Everyday Magazine March 2009
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 small clove of garlic
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Directions- Salad
1. Combine all ingredients except dressing and toss.
2.  Pour dressing over salad just before serving.
Directions- Dressing
1. Combine all ingredients but the olive oil in a blender.
2.  Blend until mixture has a smooth consistency.
3.  While blender continues to run, remove lid and add olive oil slowly.
4.  Continue to blend until mixture is combined.
Dressing may be refrigerated up to two weeks and also works well as a marinade for chicken and pork chops.

To toast pecans, heat a dry skillet over medium heat.  Add pecans and toast about 5 minutes, shaking every once in awhile.  Keep your eye on these... they can burn quickly!

 

 

Simply Steamed Artichokes

It's artichoke season and I couldn't be happier. Sometimes, the simplest things to make are the best. Steamed artichokes is one of my all-time favorites. It's great for so many reasons: you can make them for just yourself or a crowd, they are very healthy (if you leave out the dipping in butter part... but life's too short as far as I'm concerned), they are quick and can also look impressive. I know this is a very simple recipe, but if you have never done it before, some might be intimidated.

So, below I have posted step by step instructions for steaming an artichoke and how to eat the best part when you are done with the leaves... the artichoke heart. They are great as an appetizer or as a side when in season. Otherwise, they are still available, but pretty expensive. For best quality and cheapest price, enjoy your artichoke dishes in the spring.


Simply Steamed Artichoke
Below, is a step by step in pictures of steaming artichokes.

Trim pointy edges of each artichoke leaf.

Steam for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on size of artichoke.  To tell when artichoke is done, pull a leaf off.  If the root side of the artichoke leaf is tender when scraped off with your teeth, the artichoke is done. 

Don't forget about the best part: 

The Artichoke Heart!

When you have eaten all the leaves completely off, this is what you will be left with.  Take a sharp knife and diagonally cut a circle so you can remove all the "small hairs" on the heart.

As you can see, the center has been removed, and you can eat the rest of the heart.  It is best cut up into bites and dipped in leftover butter.

Stay tuned for a stuffed artichoke recipe in the upcoming weeks!