A few favorite things

I must say that this is going to be a completely random post, but I have a few things I wanted to share with everyone.

I now have a huge obsession with Asian food.  It was always my "comfort" food.  I love sushi, I love take-out Chinese, Thai & Vietnamese.  This obsession really has hit a new level lately, but I'm really not quite sure why to be honest.

Last night, Mark and I made Hot and Sour soup, ginger & garlic shrimp stir-fry with broccoli, bok choy, snow peas, cabbage and a few more things.  It was so good, and so comforting.  I had also made Singapore Laksa during the week, which is a favorite of Mark and mine. We also eat a lot of Indian curries, which we both love!

This brand is amazing!  They have curry pastes, soup pastes, without artificial anything, so you don't have to grind stuff up to make the perfect sauce.  So worth buying!

I've been doing research on a lot of different Asian cuisine, so I will be posting recipes of some yummy stuff soon!

Also, I felt the need to share with you my new favorite cereal.  It's Mini-Wheats Centres.  It has mixed berry filling inside and so so good! Honestly, it isn't even that bad for you.  It has 240 calories per serving (including milk), 10g sugar, 6g of fiber!  A lot less sugar than most cereals out there, that's for sure!

Anyway, I know this blog post was a little random, but I hope you enjoyed anyway.
If you have any weird food obsessions or good recipes, let me know in the comments!

Until next time,
Jacqueline

Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon

**Don`t forget to enter my giveaway!**

I hope no one is going to be frightened by the steps in this super long recipe. The end result is truly worth it and is one of the tastiest recipes I've had in a long time.  I had a lot of fun channeling my inner Julia Child making this recipe.  Mark kept saying "boeuf bourguignon" in a Julia high voice, in anticipation to eat.  We served our delicious stew with buttered egg noodles.  We happened to have a fresh bag of tagliatelle in the cupboard.  I had planned on having potatoes with this, but in the end I had forgotten all about them, so noodles it was!


This would be a very beautiful meal for Valentines day if you have the time to make this.  You can also make it ahead of time, and serve it the next day.  The flavors would be extraordinary the next day.  This recipe is a little pricey also, so it should be reserved for a special occasion!  (It may not be so expensive somewhere else, but in Nova Scotia, it costs $3.99 for a small bag of pearl onions. Crazy!)

Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon:

6 oz bacon, cut into strips
1 tbsp olive oil
3 lbs good stewing beef
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp flour
3 cups red wine (I used a pinot noir from France)
2-3 cups beef stock or bouillon
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 tsp thyme
1 crumbled bay leaf

Simmer bacon in 2 cups of water for 5-8 minutes.  Drain and Dry.
Preheat oven at 450F.
Saute bacon in oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Set bacon aside in a casserole dish.
Heat up bacon fat in the pan until almost smoking.
Dry off the pieces of meat with paper towel and brown in batches.  Add the brown pieces of meat to the bacon.
Brown the onions and carrots in the remaining fat.
Season the meat with salt and pepper.
Coat the meat with the flour.
Put the casserole with the meat in the oven for 4 minutes. Stir and put in the oven for 4 minutes more. This creates a crust on the meat.
Lower the heat to 325F.
Once you have taken out the meat from the oven, add to the vegetables.
Stir in the wine, enough stock to cover the meat, tomato paste, crushed garlic, herbs.
Bring to a simmer.
Pour back into the casserole dish you used and bake slowly for 2 1/2 - 3 hours.
(If you have a big enough enameled cast iron pan, you can cook it and bake it in the same dish.  I didn't think mine would hold everything, so I cooked it in the big casserole dish.)

 While the stew is cooking, you prepare the onions and mushrooms and set aside until you need them.

Brown braised onions:
18-24 peeled pearl onions
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tbsp oil
1/2 cup beef stock or red wine
Salt and pepper to taste
an herb bouquet (4 parsley sprigs, 1 bay leaf & sprig thyme.)
I didn't have any fresh herbs, so I added 1 bay leaf and 1/4 tsp thyme

Bring the butter and oil to a bubbling simmer.
Add onions and saute for 10 minutes on medium heat.
Stir them around without breaking the skins.
Add the stock and the herbs.
Bring to a simmer, cover and keep simmering for 40-50 minutes.
Remove bay leaf once it is done.

Sauteed Mushrooms:2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil (you will probably need extra fat)
1 lb mushrooms (I only had 1/2 lb)

Clean mushrooms well.
Cut any large mushrooms into quarters or halves, leave the small ones whole.
Heat oil and butter in a frying pan.
When the butter foam begins to subside, the fat is hot enough to start adding mushrooms.
Cook the mushrooms in batches, so they brown not steam.
Set the mushrooms aside once they are done.

-I forgot to take pictures of the mushrooms-

To assemble the stew:
Sieve the liquid into a saucepan.
Skim any fat off the sauce and bring it to a simmer. If sauce is too thick, add extra stock.  ( I had some onion braising liquid, so I added that instead)  If it is too thin, cook it down.
*Julia says to wash out the casserole you baked the stew in and then add the meat and vegetables back in it.  I just used my enameled cast iron that I had braised the onions in instead of washing a hot pan. I also removed the bits of mushy carrot and onions from the meat*
Stir the onions and mushrooms and meat together. 
Pour sauce over and simmer this for a few minutes before serving.
Like I had said earlier, I served this with noodles, but you can serve it with any starch.
Sprinkle with parsley if you have any.

Bon Appetit!

Until next time,
Jacqueline

Italian Cooking Giveaway (Closed!)

I am super excited about this post.  I am giving away an amazing cookbook to one of my blog readers! 

I selected an amazing cookbook: Molto Gusto by Mario Batali.  If you do not know who Mario is, he is an amazing Italian chef.  I remember watching his cooking shows when I was younger, watching him fling pasta on a wall, and cook up sauces like no body's business. 

Sorry about the flash!

 This is an "everyday" Italian cookbook, which to me is a bit of recipes we probably have had, or love and a mix of lovely, different recipes to explore your Italian food palate.  I have gone through this book, just to make sure it would be good enough for my readers, and trust me, I am super jealous of whoever gets this book.

I'm pretty sure every recipe has a picture, if you are like me and sometimes need a visual.  Also, there are different excerpts about different cheeses, etc. to make you understand a little more about the ingredients you will be using.  This book has pizzas, pastas, salads, sorbets, and the list goes on!

To enter the giveaway, you must:

Send an email to jfoodjournal@hotmail.com
In this email you must tell me what your favorite recipe I have posted is, or a recipe you would like me to post soon.

The contest will be open from today, Sunday, February 12, to Saturday, February 18.
Please use an email that you check frequently.  I will be emailing the winner on Sunday, February 19th.

If you have any questions, send them to the email above or leave it in the comments and I will get back to you.

Until next time
Jacqueline

I Love Pasta Arrabiata!

Since Valentine's day is coming up, I figured I would make a simple, delicious pasta dish.  Nothing is as romantic as pasta, at least I think so.
The first time I ever had pasta arrabiata was at my favorite restaurant, Il Mercato.  It happened to be the pasta special of the day and I fell in love.  Of course, this recipe would never do justice to their pasta arrabiata in any way, but it is super simple and super delicious.  I hope you enjoy!

This recipe has two steps, first you must make a "simple" sauce:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 can whole tomatoes, broken up by hand
1 small can tomato paste
2 tbsp basil

Heat oil in a medium saucepan.
Add tomatoes, paste and basil.
Simmer 10-15 minutes.
Set aside.

The assembling step:1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 1-1/2 tsp chili flakes
3 1/2 cups of the simple sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp parsley
1/4 cup kalamata olives (optional)

Heat oil in a pan.
Add onions and garlic, cook 5 minutes or until softened.
Add pepper flakes.
Stir in tomato sauce, lemon juice, and pepper.
Simmer 20-40 minutes depending on how spicy you want it.  The longer you simmer the sauce, the spicier it will be.
If it still isn't spicy enough, add more chili flakes.
Stir in parsley and olives.
Serve with spaghetti or penne.
Makes enough for 4-5 people.

I hope you love this pasta as much as I do!
Make sure you come back tomorrow because I will be posting my giveaway!

Until Next Time,
Jacqueline

Mark Had Coca-Cola Cake!

I'm sorry I haven't posted anything in a while.  On Mark's birthday I ended up with a bad back and we just lazed around and went to the movies, twice! We went to see the new underworld movie and the girl with the dragon tattoo for the second time.  If you haven't seen it, go now!  Other than that, I've just been tying up wedding plans and been busy with school. I have been eating, just not writing about it!

Marks birthday breakfast!

Back to the cake - I know coca-cola cake sounds weird.  It is a rich, extremely moist chocolate cake that has a hint of coca-cola.  The glaze also has a bit of coca-cola. Trust me, once you eat this, you will not find it weird at all. I promise.

For Nigella Lawson's Coca-Cola Cake you will need:
(this recipe is done by weight, so make sure you take out your scale, or find a converter website!)

200g flour
250g sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 lg egg
125 ml butter milk, or regular milk with tbsp yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
125g butter
2 tbsp cocoa
175ml coca-cola



Line a 9in spring form pan with foil to prevent leaking, and coat with butter and flour it.
Preheat oven to 180C. Place a cookie sheet in the oven to heat up while oven preheats.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
In a large measuring cup, beat eggs, add buttermilk, and vanilla.
In a small pot, melt butter, add cocoa, and coca-cola and heat through on low heat.
Pour warm coca-cola mixture into the dry and stir with a wooden spoon.
Add the milky mixture and stir until well blended together.

Place your springform on the heated cookie sheet and pour in batter.
Bake 40-45 minutes.
Let stand for 15 minutes before unmoulding from tin.
Make sure you put paper towel or newspaper under the wire rack and then place the cake over.
You glaze the cake while it's still warm.

Now for the glaze-
225g icing sugar
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp coca-cola
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla

Sift the icing sugar.
Combine butter, coca-cola, and cocoa in saucepan.
Melt butter and warm over low heat.
Remove from heat, add vanilla and spoon in sifted icing sugar, whisking constantly until smooth.
You want the consistency to be runny, but spreadable.
Pour over the cake, a little at a time to make sure everything gets covered equally.
Let cook completely before transferring to the serving plate.
Enjoy!

I hope everyone enjoyed the recipe!
Mark and I are making boeuf bourguignon for valentines day so stay tuned for that!
 

 

Until next time,
Jacqueline

Quicky and Easy Okra Stir-fry

I have to admit that I was a bit scared to make this recipe.  I had watched a video on youtube where someone was eating okra, and I thought to myself "I should try okra sometimes." So I did. I had read you are not supposed to eat it raw, so Mark and I were anxiously awaiting our supper in case it turned out to be complete garbage.  Mark even asked, "what if it tastes like crap? what are we going to eat, then?"

It was totally not crap, and it tastes like zucchini to me. (Which I love!) So we were totally fine and didn't have to make an emergency meal to fulfill us. The only thing that alarmed me was the gooey stuff coming out as it was cooking, but it tasted just fine.  I guess that's all that matters anyway, isn't it?

If anyone has any recipe or method on making okra, let me know. I would like to try a different method as well!

For this easy-peasy okra stir-fry, you will need:

1/2 green pepper, cut into chunks
1/2 large onion, cut into chunks
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 handfuls, okra, rinsed, dried & sliced
3-4 tbsp water
1 tbsp flour
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp red chili flakes

Heat a little bit of olive oil in a pan on medium-high heat.
Add pepper, onion and garlic.
Cook for 5 minutes or so, stirring around every once and a while.
Add in all the okra, stir well.

Add water and cook 2-3 minutes.
Sprinkle with the flour  and stir to thicken the sauce that the veggies and water make.
Season with salt and pepper, curry powder and chili flakes.
Cook for 1-2 minutes more.
Serve with rice, or any grains you enjoy.


I hope everyone likes this simple & healthy dish! You can also add more or less seasoning, or any spices you prefer.

Until next time,
Jacqueline

Winter Comfort - Chicken & Dumplings

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! I have been busy this morning planning out blog entries and my weekly meal schedule..I know, sounds like so much fun, right?

This is currently my "foodie" space. Ah..I need a bigger house!

 Yesterday,  I had in my head that I was making chicken & dumplings after seeing a photo online, so after running around like a chicken yesterday, I thought it would be the perfect comfort meal.  And after the making, and the tasting and the savoring, I can say with total honesty that everyone should make this.  If you are ever having a crap day, or its too cold outside to do anything, make this!  If you are a vegetarian, make this without the chicken, if you don't have any chicken, make it with pork!  Seriously, it is yummy!

For Chicken & Dumplings, you will need :
(Also, this should be enough for approx 4-5 people, or two extremely hungry men!)

Chicken & Broth :
2 chicken breasts (you can use 2-3 legs, or whatever you have kicking around)
6-7 cloves of garlic, cut in half
1 bay leaf
5 sprigs of thyme, use 1/2 tsp dry if you don't have fresh
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp salt


Throw everything in a pot, add enough water to cover the chicken.
Bring to a simmer, and simmer covered for 1 hour.
Skim any of the yucky stuff off the top during the cooking time.
After the hour is up, remove chicken to a plate and shred it, and strain out broth into a bowl or measuring cup and set both aside.

Dumpling dough :

1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
2 tbsp chopped chives or green onion

1/3 cup milk (you might have to add a little more)

Mix dry together in a bowl.
Mix wet in another bowl.
Stir together, until just combined.
If too dry, add a little extra milk.
Its supposed to look lumpy, don't worry!
Keep this to the side.

The sauce & assembling :

1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tbsp flour
Approx 3 cups of your reserved stock, if you have less that's fine.
3/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup whipping cream
Pepper for taste
Extra chives for garnish

Heat medium pot or dutch oven to medium high heat.
Heat butter and oil.
Add carrots, celery and garlic and cook until a little softened, 5 minutes.
Add flour and stir around for 1-2 minutes. If there ends up being not enough fat left, add a little extra butter before adding the flour.
Add in your stock a little at a time, stirring as you go, it helps keep lumps from forming when you do this slowly.
Once all stock is added, add frozen peas and  let simmer on medium heat for 10-15 minutes until thickened a bit more. (Also, taste if needs more salt, at this point!)
Stir in your cream and add in the chicken.
Bring to a simmer again.
Now is the fun part!
Carefully add in dumpling dough. I used my hands because it just kept sticking to the spoon anyway.
Do not crowd them if you can help it.
Cover and let cook for 10 minutes. If they are still doughy in the middle after 10 minutes, cover and simmer for additional 5 minutes.
Serve with a sprinkle of pepper and chives.

I had a helper yesterday!

Sorry about the brightness, I took pictures in the dark, with flash, without flash and still ended up with crap photos!

I hope everyone enjoys this lovely meal.

I am cooking something a little bit foreign to me today, I am making okra! I will have a blog post of my okra recipe tomorrow, so come back to check that out.

Until next time,
Jacqueline