Valentine's day supper!

Mark and I started out our recipe quest today, by choosing 3 recipes from the cookbooks we had gotten from the library last week. I must say, this meal turned out very good! Only one mishap with dessert, but I'll post that later.
The menu we decided on was caesar salad, ricotta & spinach stuffed shells and molten chocolate cakes. It took us about an hour, hour & a half or so to complete it, but it was so worth every minute.

First with the caesar salad, I started with my croutons.
I used :
2 tbsp olive oil
2 grated cloves of garlic
salt and pepper
2 slices homemade whole wheat bread

I mixed the oil, garlic and salt and pepper. I cut up the pieces of bread into small pieces, placed them on a baking sheet and drizzled the oil mixture on top; stirred it around quick to coat and baked it for about 5-7 minutes at 350, and let them cool in a bowl after. I used a mixture of Nigella Lawson's and Michael Smith's recipe for the dressing.

Dressing-
4 tbsp olive oil
1 grated clove of garlic
splash lea & perrins
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
1/2 lemons worth juice

mix all together or shake in bottle. Chill in fridge until needed.

I used spinach for my caesar salad, I know its a little strange but we like spinach better than lettuce. When I put the salad together, I just put the spinach in serving bowls, topped it with some parm and croutons and the dressing. Delish!

Ricotta & spinach baked shells-
1 box large shells
bottle strained tomatoes
water
onion
2 cloves garlic
tub ricotta
1 egg
3tbsp parmesan
1 cup spinach
salt and pepper
nutmeg
extra parmesan

finely chop onion, mince garlic. Cook until soft in large pot with olive oil, 5 minutes or so. Add bottle strained tomatoes & 3/4 worth water, season with s+p. Simmer 20 minutes.
In pot start a little water, like an inch or so on the bottom, to a boil. Add spinach and wilt. Drain and rinse with cold water. Squeeze out the water and put in bowl. Add ricotta and egg, stir well. Add salt and pepper and 1/2 tsp to tsp nutmeg and 3 tbsp parmesan, stir together. set aside.
Boil salted water for pasta, cook pasta for 5 minutes. Strain and rinse with cold water.
Stuff shells with ricotta mixture, place in baking pan. After all shells are stuffed, laddle hot sauce over shells. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 400. This recipe is based from a Nigella Lawson recipe, in her book Forever Summer.

Molten cakes-
250g dark chocolate
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
tbsp vanilla

Melt chocolate and butter in bowl over simmering water. When melted and smooth, sift in cocoa powder.
Blend sugar, eggs and vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture into egg mixture. Mix well. Pour mixture into 6 ramekins or muffin tins that have been greased with butter and coated with powdered sugar. Bake 10 minutes or less at 400. The cakes are supposed to be cracked on top when they're ready, mine just puffed like crazy, and looked super gooey the whole time. I used Michael Smith's recipe. 

The center was still moist, but not lava like. It was still fantastic, but next time I'll know to put less in each muffin tin, and make smaller lava cakes, or just cook it less.

Mark also bought me a beautiful necklace and now we're ready to go watch a movie and celebrate the rest of our romantic evening.

Until next time, 

Jacqueline 

Happy Valentine's day! :)

Spaghetti & meatballs + Valentines day menu!

I've been having this craving lately for some super delicious comfort food. So I made the ultimate comfort food; spaghetti & meatballs! I was watching "Nigella Bites" one day, and she was making homemade pasta & meatballs, and I kind of took that recipe and made it my own. It didn't matter to me how long I had been to work today, all I could think about all day was this delicious dish!

Spaghetti Sauce-
bottle strained tomatoes
small onion
three cloves garlic
milk
1 1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tbsp sugar
water
olive oil

 Meatballs-
package ground pork
egg
handful panko breadcrumbs
salt & pepper
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano

Stir meat, egg, breadcrumbs & all spices, stir well and form meatballs. Set on a plate.
Mince the garlic and finely chop onion. Heat oil on medium heat, add onions and garlic and salt right away to stop avoid water. Cook for 3-4 minutes until soft. Add strained tomatoes and half bottles' worth of water, spices and tablespoon sugar. stir and simmer covered, about 8 minutes. Add enough milk to make sauce creamy looking, about 1/2 cup or so. Then add meatballs, simmer for 12-15 minutes, covered. Serve over pasta & sprinkle with cheese! Best spaghetti & meatballs ever! :)

Mark getting ready to add the olive oil! How cute!

Also, Mark and I decided that tomorrow is our Valentine's day, and we finally planned our menu from the recipe books we picked up the other day.We're making Nigella's caesar salad with homemade dressing, ricotta and spinach stuffed shells and molten chocolate cakes for dessert! Sounds fabulous to me!
I will also be posting all the steps and recipes to my Valentine's day dinner!

Until next time, 

Jacqueline

What's for supper? + Foodie recipe challenge.

Today was a day I was so thankful for a boyfriend that will cook me supper. I came home, and my wonderful man had made me chicken korma & basmati rice. If you don't know what chicken korma is; it's an Indian dish with curry and coconut milk. It was delicious! We have been testing out several types of curries. We started out with butter chicken, chicken masala and this korma dish today. I must say that korma is definitely a goodie! :)

P.S. It's grocery day tomorrow, hence the no veggies. I literally only have celery in my fridge! No frozen veggies either!

So, yesterday I had this idea to search online on the library website to see if they had some cookbooks I wanted to try out. Well they had them! Two Michael Smith ones and then I found Nigella ones! I was so excited. So when Mark and I got home, we decided we'd make a challenge for ourselves. We are going to get a few cookbooks every few weeks, pick the recipes we want to try and make at least 1-2 new recipes a week from them! 

On saturday, Mark & I decided it was our valentine's day, so we are picking a starter, a main and a dessert to try, and of course am going to take photos & review as I go. 

Here are the books I chose & you can notice my extreme post-its, marking all the recipes I want to try!

Until next time,

Jacqueline

What's for supper?!

I decided on days that I'm not posting recipes, I'll post what I'm having for supper that day!

Here's the yummy meal I had tonight! :

 Baked haddock with onions, garlic & basil; uncle Ben's rice & wild rice; steamed carrots and snow peas. 

I also have a new foodie love! The website www.epicurious.com is getting all my attention these days when Mark is gone to bed. Tonight, I'm making myself find at least five new recipes to try!

Now you know what I had for supper! What did you have?

Until next time, 

 Jacqueline

Best brownies EVER!!!

Nigella Lawson is my ABSOLUTE favorite foodie in the whole world. Since she technically isn't even a trained chef, she still has this love for food that only true foodies can have. I inspire to cook like her, (with less fat & smaller portions!) So I stumbled upon her website one day, searching for yummy recipes, and VOILA! Brownies & chocolate sauce. Well, I never actually made the sauce, just the brownies and I must say that I've never ever made brownies this good. I thought they seemed a little strange at first; it didn't have flour but instead ground almonds. The texture seemed so strange as I poured it into the pan & I  just shoved it in the oven and prayed for the best. Well, it was definitely the best. :)

I have never questioned Nigella's methods since. I have made several of her desserts and a few meal recipes and have never been disappointed. What I think drew me most to her cooking was the whole "real food" attitude. She doesn't pack in over processed food, even though it may have more calories than we like, it is REAL food, we just need to eat less of this real food. Here is the recipe & photo's to go with -

Nigella Flourless Brownies -

1 1/3 cups dark chocolate
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup ground almonds

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
Melt butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring occasionally. When that has melted, take off heat. Stir in sugar until well blended and then vanilla until well blended. Add eggs and almonds, mix well. Pour into greased square baking pan. ( I used a silicone, so that doesn't need to be greased.) Bake for 30-35 minutes. It will not looked totally cooked, they're supposed to be "squiggle bellied", and since there is no flour its a different texture. Let cool, and the brownies will settle how they're supposed to. Cut into squares & enjoy! :)

P.S.- 

I baked these for my parents anniversary that was on the second, but its also my dads 43rd birthday today! :) 

Until next time, 

Jacqueline

Italian soup & sandwich night!

So, tonight I really didn't feel like cooking..but I did. And it was fabulous. I've been wanting to make Italian wedding soup for a while. Well, I took a short cut and used the new knorr stock cube things, and of course I forgot to put spinach in it!!! It seems I always forget something when I make soups. It still turned out good & the stock was better than my homemade. (Probably because of all the salt! UGH!!!)

The recipe I use is based off of Ina Garten's recipe. I made it her way once or twice, and I just didn't like it as much, but as a true foodie, you always learn your own tastes and flavours come after the first time. So here's my ajusted version of the Barefoot Contessa's version.
 P.S. Some things are really not precise, I basically just add handfuls these days.

For the meatballs -
one pack extra lean ground turkey
one egg
handful of panko bread crumbs
2 grated garlic cloves 
about a tablespoon parsley
salt & pepper
tablespoon Parmesan

mix together & make small meatballs. mine made about 25 or so. Bake @ 350 for 20-25 minutes.
Until cooked through. When cooked, just set aside.

Soup-
6 cups of broth. ( I use chicken, you can use veg broth if you like it better.)
2 large carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped.
large onion, minced.
teaspoon dill
salt
olive oil
Soup noodles or small pasta

heat olive oil, & add veggies. cook over medium heat until onions & celery is softened. I add salt as soon as I put the veggies in the oil, it makes less water, and helps to soften onions.
Add the stock, meatballs, dill & pasta. Simmer until pasta is cooked. around 7-10 minutes.
That's your soup! :)
Like I had said before, that I forgot the spinach. You add the spinach at then end, and stir it into the hot broth, until it wilts.

And now for the sandwich...
I just LOVE prosciutto. So after work I decided to get some freshly sliced and make a panini with it for Mark and I to share. Only one problem, the girl who sliced it obviously doesn't know how to slice prosciutto, it was wayyy to thick. like 2mm thick. Needless to say we just used a lot less. Less is always more with this yummy meat.
I took two pieces of fresh whole grain bread. It's homemade, added a light layer of Helmans mayo, some cheese on each side & prosciutto. I grilled it in our George Foreman & it did a good job. Remember that we only had 1 piece each!

So this was supper tonight!!

Until next time,

-Jacqueline