Pesto Bruschetta

I honestly can say that this recipe is one that Mark and I eat on a regular basis. Not necessarily with pesto, but I will show the non-pesto alternative. This is a quick, healthy and delicious meal that you can prepare in under 15 minutes.


What you'll need - 

2-3 vine tomatoes (you can use regular hot house too, but vine are the best!)
Salt
1 small onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
splash balsamic vinegar
splash extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tbsp pesto and extra for bread if you like
or 1 tsp basil if you don't have any pesto 
4 pieces whole wheat bread or 4 pieces of sliced baguette
Parmesan or mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375F.
Seed and chop tomatoes into small pieces.
Sprinkle salt on tomatoes and put in bowl.
Add in onion and garlic to tomatoes.
Add small splash balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
Stir in oregano and pesto or if you don't have pesto the dried basil.
If using regular bread toast first in regular toaster, if using baguette just place on baking sheet. 
Put heaping spoonfuls of the bruschetta mixture over the bread and spread out evenly.
Sprinkle with parmesan or mozzarella cheese.
Bake 5-7 minutes, until cheese is melted.
Enjoy!

I really hope everyone enjoys this recipe as much as Mark and I do! 

Until next time, 

Jacqueline

Cora's Review

Who loves a delicious, fresh brunch? I do and most people I know do as well. Mark and I are extremely big fans of Cora's restaurant. It's pretty much our go-to brunch place now that we have one near by.
They had a new item for spring when we had gone - ciabatta bread dipped in french toast batter with berries, raspberry coulis and english cream! And that is what I got. It was called Berry Morning Call and it was definitely my yummy brunch calling. Mark acctually didn't have much trouble finding what he wanted this time and of course it was me who helped make his choice..sadly. He ordered the Gargantuans Feast and it was all because I simply stated - "I can't believe you have never ordered the gargantuans feast." Well he did, and when I can say he thought it was delicious, I know he would never order it again. This meal included, eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, beans, creton spread, toast, fruit, potatoes and a pancake. It is a very large and overwhelming meal to eat. And he ate it all - it was a man vs. food moment for us. Needless to say he didn`t eat again until 9PM that night, hence the never ordering it again. I would like my fiancee to eat my food.

 Our place-mats!

 Mark's Gargantuan Feast

My yummy Berry Morning Call.

If you have ever been to Cora`s you know that its simple, fresh, delicious and always a good yummy meal. It has some of the best breakfast food I have ever eaten at a restaurant ever. Definitely a ten out of ten in my book!
Please share your favorites with me if you have eaten at Cora`s as well. I would love to hear them.

Until next time,

Jacqueline

Mushroom Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Mashed Garlic Potatoes & Roasted Asparagus

I finally managed to get this video edited and uploaded! I'm going to write out the recipe for you here as well and instructions, just in case! I hope you guys all enjoy this recipe!


Mushroom Stuffed Pork Tenderloin - 

1 cup mushrooms, sliced (I used mini bellas)
Olive oil
Butter
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese
Pork tenderloin

In a medium saucepan heat a tbsp or so olive oil and a tbsp butter on medium-high heat until bubbling.
Add mushrooms and coat well in oil and let brown.
Season them with salt and pepper if you like. 
Once browned, add balsamic vinegar and reduce heat.
Let simmer on medium until only small about of vinegar is left.
Meanwhile, butterfly or split the meat in half, whichever you prefer.
Season with salt, pepper and parmesan cheese.
Spoon mushroom mixture in the split tenderloin and roll together.
Place the cut end down on baking sheet.
Bake at 370F for 35-45 minutes.
Let meat rest for 10 minutes or so then slice meat.

Roasted Asparagus -

Bunch of Asparagus
Olive oil 
Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven at 400F.
Wash and peel ends of asparagus. (You don't have to peel ends of skinny stalks!)
Pat asparagus dry and place on baking sheet.
Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic and coat well using your hands.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake for ten minutes.

Garlic Potatoes -

4 potatoes
2 cloves of garlic
garlic butter or garlic cream cheese
Milk

Peel and cut potatoes in small pieces.
Rinse well and put in a medium pot.
Cut garlic cloves into quarters and add to potatoes.
Add water, cover and boil until potatoes are soft.
Drain potatoes, add milk and garlic butter or cream cheese and mash until smooth.

 Watch it here! ^

I really enjoyed sharing this video with you guys and I hope you like it as well! I love sharing yummy comfort food meals with you all and hope you enjoy!

Until next time, 

Jacqueline

Grocery Haul

I was planning on doing a cooking video yesterday. I edited the video fifty million times and it messed up every single time, so I'm going to edit it again, and if it doesn't work I'm going to find a new video editor. So, today I'm doing something different : A grocery haul.

A lot of people ask me what I eat on a daily basis so I figured I would share what I buy for a half-weeks' worth groceries. Since we have moved to the city, we find it easier to pick up fresh stuff a few times a week, instead of doing big shops. We try to eat as healthy as we can, but I'm not going to refuse a fresh white baguette over a whole wheat one or regular pasta over more expensive whole grain pasta. Food is food and it is very expensive now, so you take what you can get. BUT - I do not buy over processed, deep fried food, it is not my thing, nor healthy! I hope you guys enjoy the haul and let me know what you guys buy on your regular grocery shops.

 This haul is pretty much all from Pete's, my favorite store!

 Our yummy baguette, fresh from the oven. It was still warm!

 Watermelon quarters are definitely a cheaper alternative to buying a whole watermelon right now. It was $1.50 for this quarter.

 Fresh vine tomatoes are fabulous right now! The garlic was almost as big as the tomatoes. I picked the smallest one I could too!

 I was very excited to find local mushrooms and some white potatoes!

 My favorite tagliatelle nests ever and some crumpets. Mark and I love crumpets for lunch!

 Amazing fresh basil pesto, made at presto pasta works. The noodles in the other container are Singapore curry cold noodles from presto and are super delicious.

 Mark`s favorite veggie!

 Delicious fresh guacamole. I hate making it myself because I never think it`s as good as someone elses`, and Mark discovered he liked it, so we bought a tub. It is ridiculously expensive though.

And last, but definitely not least! Italian soda. It has less than half the sugar of regular soda and so much better! And it was only $1.99 a bottle on sale!

I hope you all enjoyed my grocery haul and if you`d like to see more let me know! 

Until next time, 

Jacqueline

Roasted Asparagus Frittata

Lunch was an easy task today. I had a package of asparagus in the fridge and last night I thought about making a frittata with it. Mark and I recently discovered that we adore asparagus! He always told me that he hated it, but when I made asparagus risotto we fell in love with it! Eggs are also one of my favorite lunch foods and I love omelettes too, but a frittata was in order.

To make the Roasted Asparagus Frittata, you will need -

1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
Salt and pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup cheddar cheese
6 eggs
1/4 cup milk 
oil to cook and grease pan

Preheat oven to 400F.
Put asparagus in bowl with some olive oil and salt and pepper.
Mix until coated well.
Put asparagus on baking sheet and roast in oven for 10-12 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook onion in oil with salt until softened.
Add garlic and cook a few minutes more.
Take asparagus out of the oven and let cool a little.
Take onions and garlic off heat and let cool also.
Beat eggs and milk together.
Add a little salt and pepper.
Add cheese, onion mixture and asparagus, stir well.
Grease pie plate or small casserole dish.
Pour mixture in and bake 20 minutes until top is set.
Let cool a little, cut and enjoy.
This serves about 4 people, or 2 hungry people!

 Don't mind the extra egg on the side, it didn't cut out perfectly clean.

I really enjoyed this recipe, and I just really threw things together. If you don't like asparagus you could use peppers, broccoli or spinach. I hope you enjoy this healthy recipe.

Until next time, 

Jacqueline

Mushroom Pasta Sauce and Cookies!

Today I wasn't really sure what I felt like making so I dug through the fridge and found a package of mushrooms that I had to use up and decided to make pasta sauce with it. Mark and I also felt like having something sweet so I made some oatmeal raisin cookies and a few thumbprint cookies too. Oatmeal raisin are my favorite!!!

I always find pasta so comfortingly simple. You can throw one or two things together with some tomato sauce and you have something delicious. Simplicity. So soothing.

Here is my mushroom pasta sauce recipe -

1 container mushrooms, sliced (I use mini bellas, but portobellos or white would be fine.)
4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp basil
1/4 cup or so balsamic vinegar
1 large can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water

In pot heat some oil and a little butter until bubbling.
Add mushrooms and cook until soft.
Set aside.
Add extra oil to same pot and heat up.
Add onions and salt asap and cook until soft.
Add garlic, cook a few minutes longer.
Add mushrooms and cook together for a minute or two.
Add balsamic vinegar and let vinegar reduce until half or more is reduced.
Now add tomato sauce, water and basil.
Let simmer 45 minutes to an hour.
Serve over pasta with some parmesan.
Enjoy!

Here's a look at my cookies I made too!

I hope you guys enjoy the recipe! Mark said it was one of my best pasta sauces ever!

Until next time, 

Jacqueline

30 Foodie Questions

I know some of you may want to know more about my tastes and likes in the foodie world. I made this questionnaire and Mark and I decided to do it together. If you want to do it, you can too and post it in the comments! I hope you enjoy and learn more about me!

Foodie Questionnaire

1. What food  would you make calorie-free?

Jacqueline - chocolate
Mark - bacon

2. What is your biggest food craving you have most?
Jacqueline - chocolate
Mark - cheeseburgers

3. What is the best meal you've ever had?

Jacqueline - The lasagna I made for our family before Mark and I moved to Dartmouth and the lemon chiffon cake I made that day for dessert.
Mark - The valentines day meal Jacqueline made for me this year - homemade caesar salad, stuffed ricotta shells and molten chocolate cakes.

4. What is your signature dish?

Jacqueline - Lasagna or macaroni & cheese
Mark - Spaghetti marinara with sausages

5. What is your ultimate comfort meal?
Jacqueline - Spaghetti and meatballs or cream peas on toast
Mark - Chicken cacciatore

6. What is your ultimate comfort dessert?

Jacqueline - Rhubarb custard pie or flour less brownies
Mark - Cherry cheesecake

7. What is a type of food you would love to try?

Jacqueline - Brazillian food.
Mark - Middle eastern.

8. How spicy can you handle your food?

Jacqueline - I would say medium spicy.
Mark - I like it hot!

9. If you were going to die, what would you want as your last meal?

Jacqueline - Spaghetti marinara that Mark would make and a big fat chocolate cake.
Mark - Jacqueline's macaroni and cheese and toberone cheesecake.


10. What meal do you remember loving most in your childhood?

Jacqueline - Rappie pie or peas on toast.
Mark - Grilled chicken wings.

Favorites & Worst :

11. Favorite food

Jacqueline - Spaghetti carbonara
Mark - Chicken cacciatore

12. Favorite type of food

Jacqueline - Italian
Mark - Italian

13. Favorite dessert

Jacqueline - Blueberry pie or chocolate cake.
Mark - Toberone cheesecake

14. Favorite cookie

Jacqueline - White chocolate macadamia
Mark - Chocolate chip.

15. Favorite beverage

Jacqueline - Lemon ice tea
Mark - Pepsi

16. Favorite fast food place

Jacqueline - Subway
Mark - Mcdonald's

17. Favorite fast food meal

Jacqueline - Sweet onion chicken teriyaki on herb & cheese bread.
Mark - Big Mac combo.

18. Favorite restaurant

Jacqueline - Il Mercato
Mark - Il Mercato

19.  Worst fast food place

Jacqueline - Dairy queen
Mark - doesn't have one.

20. Worst restaurant

Jacqueline - Harbour's end 
Mark - Amano

21. Favorite candy

Jacqueline - Wine gums or soda pop gummies
Mark - Nerds

22. Favorite snack

Jacqueline - Creamy dill baked chips
Mark - ketchup chips

23. Favorite coffee beverage

Jacqueline - Coffee with milk & sugar
Mark - Iced cappuccino

24. Favorite type of salad

Jacqueline - Greek
Mark - Caesar

25. Favorite condiment

Jacqueline - Honey mustard or homemade relish
Mark - Mayonnaise

26. Favorite spice -

Jacqueline - Cinnamon
Mark - Pepper

27. Favorite meat

Jacqueline - Chicken
Mark - Chicken

28. Favorite veggie

Jacqueline - Broccoli
Mark - Onions or garlic

29. Favorite fruit

Jacqueline - Blueberries
Mark - Strawberries

30. Sandwich

Jacqueline - Prosciutto and goat cheese or tuna & pickles
Mark - BLT

I hope you guys enjoy this post. A recipe will be posted tomorrow!

Until next time, 

Jacqueline

Delicious Focaccia Bread

I have always been a big fan of bread. White bread, brown bread, whole wheat bread, pita bread..you get the point. So when I saw this recipe for focaccia bread I knew it was the comfort I needed.
We used to go to this restaurant when we lived in Yarmouth that had the best focaccia paninis ever and it was probably because my fiancee made the bread. My bread making was pretty much a secret plan to see if I could make a better focaccia than he does. I'm not sure if I succeeded, I think it was maybe a tie.
This recipe also makes two pans of this bread, so if you don't want so much of it you can half it. I wanted to make two so I could make an olive tomato version and a plain rosemary and olive oil version. I definitely made myself proud!

 Focaccia Bread -

1 package quick dry yeast
2 tsp sugar
2 cups warm water (NOT HOT!)
7 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp salt
extra warm water
flour for dusting and for dough
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
rosemary
extra olive oil
tomatoes
olives
coarse salt

In a large bowl stir yeast and sugar together.
Whisk in warm water until yeast is dissolved and let set until foamy, (a couple minutes.)
Sift in the flour a little at a time with the salt.
Stir in oil.
Add extra flour or water as needed.
Once combined knead dough for 7 to 10 minutes.
Place in oiled bowl and let rise for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
Once risen, knock down dough and knead for a few minutes more.
Cut dough in half.
Oil two baking pans spread out dough on each pan.
Take your fingers and press indentations into dough.
Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and rosemary.
If you want to add olives or tomatoes, do this now as well.
Let rise again for 1/2 hour or so.
Meanwhile, preheat oven at 450F.
Once dough is risen, bake 5 minutes.
Decrease heat to 425F and bake 10 minutes longer.
Enjoy your delicious focaccia! I love to eat mine with more olive oil and some delicious balsamic vinegar!

 Don`t mind the dough. I know it looks kind of chunky, it`s because I should of let it rise a bit more, it had been a little bit too stiff!

 My focaccia!

Mark`s version.

I hope you guys really enjoy this as much as me. I made sandwiches with this bread and it was divine! It is such a versatile bread!

Until next time,

Jacqueline

Hamachi Grill & Sushi House Review

Last night, Mark and I decided to go to a fabulous dinner at Hamachi house. Since we had just moved we figured it would probably be the only time we can celebrate our new life experiences and that was a restaurant we both wanted to try.

We always look at the menu to each restaurant we go to before we go there, so we pretty much had a basic idea of what we were getting. Mark has a horrible time deciding ANYTHING at restaurants, so this method is pretty much needed at our house before going to any restaurants.

We started off with ordering drinks. I got the Tokyo Rose martini - it has sake, peach schnapps, orange and cranberry juice. Mark ordered the Planter's Punch - with rum, triple sec, orange juice, pineapple juice and grenadine syrup. I really enjoyed both drinks, (as I tasted Mark's) but he didn't like his too much!

 My yummy drink.

Marks drink. 

We ordered a delicious appetizer next called Tonkatsu. It's a breaded pork cutlet with a sweet dipping sauce. It was absolutely delicious! I would definitely get this again! Also, the main courses come with miso soup and a salad which we got at the same time as our appetizer. The miso was a little salty, but yummy and the salad was super fresh with a gingery dressing. So good!

Don't mind the salad, I had started eating it and forgot to take a picture! 

For our mains I ordered Donburi, it was supposed to be your chicken, beef, or pork whatever you chose, simmered in a sweet sauce with egg, spring onion, regular onion and served on rice. Well, what I figured it would be was like a stir-fry type thing on rice. Well, it was more like an omelette with chicken in it, with an intensely too sweet sauce. I picked out the chicken and ate the plain rice, definitely was disappointing. However, Mark's meal was a different story. He ordered the yellow-fin tuna which looked and tasted absolutely divine, with Japanese fried rice and sake veggies. His meal pretty much made up for mine even though the price was a hefty $27.99. Even just the plating of his meal seemed worth the cost. Next time I know what to order! 

 It even looks disgusting! Yuck!

Yummies!

And finally for dessert! We finally decided on what we wanted and it was  Mount Fuji - a dark chocolate brownie with homemade vanilla ice cream and whipped cream on the side! The dessert alone made up for my crappy main and we savored every single moment! 

Yet again, we had already taken a bite but you can see the deliciousness! 

After we were done, Mark and I discussed what we would rate the restaurant. I thought the restaurant was beautiful. It was painted with fish, Mount Fuji and cherry blossom trees. The servers we had were kind, and our meal came very promptly. Even though my main was not as good as I had anticipated, everything made up for it, so I give Hamachi Grill and Sushi House an 8.5 out of 10. I will definitely go there again, but I will order sushi or teriyaki. 

I hope everyone enjoyed my review! 

Until next time, 

Jacqueline