Cobb Salad

A yummy salad recipe to help you clean out your fridge. Just about anything could go in this salad. I will put the recipe I found but below, under "My Experience" you will see that I did not follow it to the tee and just used what I had. On the plus side, salad means I do not have to cook which is perfect in this heat!

The Recipe:
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cored and shredded
1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 bunch watercress, some of the stems trimmed, chopped
2 oz, blue cheese, crumbled
6 strips cooked bacon, roughly chopped
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2"cubes
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/2" cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. minced chives

The Dressing:
3/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3/4 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire
1/4 tsp. sugar
1 clove garlic, mined
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Make the dressing: combine the canola oil, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire, sugar, and garlic in a blander. Puree the ingredients to make a smooth dressing and season with salt and pepper. Set the dressing aside (or refrigerate, covered, for up to 1 week).

2. Make the salad: On a large platter, combine the lettuces along with the watercress.  Arrange the blue cheese, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, chicken, and avocado on top of the greens in neat rows. (Alternatively, you could toss everything together in a bowl.)

3. To serve, drizzle salad with dressing, season with salt and pepper, and top with chives.

Serves 4-6

My Experience:
So cobb salad is yummy but I only used this recipe as a guideline and for the dressing (which I also totally didn't follow... oops).

Dressing: I didn't have red wine vinegar and did not feel like buying a bottle simply for this recipe so I used balsamic vinegar which was still really good. Makes a great dressing for any salad!

Greens: I didn't use watercress because I didn't have any. Instead, I used a lettuce from my in-laws' garden which looked similar to what you would find in a mixed green salad (to be honest, I am unable to name the exact kind it was). I also used romaine and iceberg like the recipe called for, but only because I happened to have it. USE WHAT YOU HAVE! Spinach would also be nice to mix in.

Cheese: We are not HUGE blue cheese fans so I grated some swiss cheese, simply because that is what we had. I am sure any kind would work. If it crumbles, great. If not, grated works too, or chunks.

Bacon: Although bacon would have been FABULOUS, I was too lazy to cook some. Would be a good salad to have for supper after you have a nice brunch with some bacon.

Eggs: That I did because, well, you can't really have a cobb salad without eggs. And perfect timing because mine were getting close to the expiry date so the meal helped me use them up. PS: eggs are easier to peel when they are warm, but they are better in the salad cold. Might want to plan this part out.

Tomatoes: I put some in my boyfriend's salad but not mine because I do not like tomatoes. So I only used a bit of one tomato.

Chicken: Although chicken would be good, we really wanted ham. So we bought one of those hunks of ham and just cubed some of it for the salad. Leftovers will be good for sandwiches.

Avocado: A must! But I only used about 1/4 of an avocado per person. Depends how much you want.

Additional items: I also added cucumber and mushrooms, both sliced. I had some in the fridge that I wanted to use up. Mixed both in with the greens on the bottom layer.

So there are all the places where I strayed from the original recipe. Still REALLY good and a nice salad to heat on a hot night (did I mention there was a crazy heat wave here and I did not feel like cooking?).

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Working 8 hours a day plus 3 hours travel time on the bus... I'm getting A LOT of use out of my slow cooker. And here is another of the wonderful recipes I have stumbled upon.

The Recipe:

1 beef roast

1 lipton savory herb with garlic recipe, soup and dip mix

1 can of coke or similar cola

baby carrots

potatoes halved

1 can of corn, drained

1. Spray with Pam or grease slow cooker

2. Place roast in the slow cooker

3. Pour the lipton mix over the roast

4. Pour the coke over the roast

5. Put the carrots on the side of the roast, where they will be covered by the coke if possible

6. Put potatoes on top of roast

7. Pour corn on top

8. Cook on Low (8-10 hours) or High (5-6 hours)

My Experience:

Oh how the roast is tender after cooking on low for 10 hours! So phenomenal. The potatoes are soft but not mushy and sooooo flavourful from the lipton mix and coke.

Best part is that your entire meal is all cooked in the slow cooker so you don't have to worry about anything else. Just come home to a yummy smelling kitchen and enjoy!

The amount of potatoes and carrots you use is totally up to you. Because I wanted leftovers (and my boyfriend LOVES potatoes) I used 5 potatoes and 2 good handfuls of baby carrots. In hindsight, I should have put more carrots (because I LOVE carrots). Regardless, you just need to cook the amount you want to.

The meat is so tender (as I have already said but am still drooling as I write it) and can just be torn apart (no need for a knife with this recipe). You could easily use the leftover meat for sandwiches, sort of like a pulled beef sandwich or even just use the slices.

When serving, I would suggest putting a good spoonful or two of the sauce on top of your beef slices. Although liquid-y, the sauce is really flavourful! I added it after I took the picture because my boyfriend did it and said the sauce made it taste that much better.

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

Even got Sam to help me with this one (he had to throw it all in the crock-pot and turn it on at lunch time). Nice and easy slow cooker recipe!

The Recipe:
4-6 frozen boneless chicken breasts
1 bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Original BBQ Sauce
1 20oz can of pineapple chunks, drained

1. Place the frozen chicken breasts in the crock-pot.

2. Add entire bottle of BBQ sauce, covering the chicken.

3. Add drained can of pineapple chunks on top.

4. Cover and cook: 2-3 hours on HIGH or 4-6 hours on LOW.

Yes, I realize that this isn't the best of pictures. 

It is of the leftovers because I was far too hungry 

to take a picture of a plate before serving.

My Experience:
Super easy! Three ingredients that you just throw all together, you don't even have to thaw your chicken!

For the BBQ sauce, I'm sure any original sauce would do. I actually got extremely lucky and Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce was on sale for $1.50 off when I was at the grocery store.

The chicken was also really moist and would just tear apart. Would probably be good in a bun as a pulled chicken sandwich.

I was super lazy when I got home so I only served this with jasmine rice. So nothing fancy but it was really good. You can even pour a bit of the extra BBQ sauce on top of the rice.

Make sure when you serve the chicken that you get some of the pineapple with it.

Mushroom Pork Chops

Mom always used to make something similar but I stepped it up a notch.

The Recipe:
4 pork chops
4 cloves chopped garlic
1 onion, chopped
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced (which is one of the little blue containers, 227g)
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 can of milk
Fresh terragon
Fresh ground pepper
salt and pepper to taste
flour

1. Season pork chops with salt and pepper to taste.

2. In a large skillet, saute half the garlic in olive oil. Add the pork chops and brown over medium-high heat. Remove from skillet.

3. Saute the onion, mushrooms and garlic (other half) in olive oil.

4. In a bowl, whisk soup and milk. Add a bit of terragon and pepper.

5. Return chops to skillet. Pour soup mix over chops. Cover, reduce temperature to medium-low.

6. Simmer 20 to 30 minutes, or until chops are cooked through.

7. Once chops are removed, whisk a bit of flour into the sauce to make a thicker gravy. (optional)

My Experience:
The only part that I did not follow, were the last two steps. While cooking, I realized that the only skillet I have with a lid was not nearly large enough to cook everything in. Instead, I placed some of the sauteed mushroom mixture in a roast pan, placed the chops on the bed of mushrooms, covered with the remaining mushrooms, and finally topped with the soup mix. I covered the pan with aluminum foil, sealing tightly. I baked in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes. Turned out very well!

I served this meal with white rice, which you can top wonderfully with the gravy. It would also be good with mashed potatoes or noodles. I didn't serve any other vegetables because I figured the mushrooms were enough. You can of course serve it with something else.

Hope you like it if you try it because we all liked it (even the cat who got some of the left overs).

Mussels in a Saffron Cream Sauce

Oh my yummy! We wanted to have mussels tonight so I used this recipe from In the Kitchen with Stefano Faita. Tonight's supper was FABULOUS!

The Recipe:

4 1/2 pounds mussels

2 tbsp. chopped parsley

1 tbsp. chopped rosemary

1 tbsp. dried oregano

4 cups white wine

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves

2 shallots, chopped

2 cups whipping cream (35%)

1 tsp. saffron threads

2 egg yolks

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Loaf of crusty bread, for serving

1. Scrub mussels if needed, and remove any beards. Discard any mussels with cracked shells and that do not close when tapped.

2. Add the mussels, herbs and wine to a large pot. Cover and bring to a boil. 

3. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer. Cook until mussels begin to open.

4. Remove the mussels from the pot and keep warm. Strain the cooking juices and reserve for the sauce.

5. In a large skillet, saute whole garlic cloves and chopped shallots in olive oil over medium heat until the shallots begin to soften.

6. Remove the whole garlic cloves and discard. Add the cream, saffron and reserved cooking juices from the mussels. 

7. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let sauce simmer until reduced slightly, about 10 minutes.

8. Whisk egg yolks. Temper the egg yolks by slowly whisking in 1/2 cup of the hot sauce. 

9. Stir the tempered egg yolks slowly into the sauce over low heat. Continue to stir and gently cook sauce until lightly thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes.

10. Remove from heat. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over mussels and serve with lots of crusty bread.

My Experience:

So fair warning: saffron is really expensive (it is actually the most expensive spice in the world... each flower that it is cultivated from only has 3 stigmas (threads), which are picked and dried by hand. It takes tens of thousands of individual strands to produce one ounce of saffron. That is your spice lesson of the day!). I shopped around a little and found that Bulk Barn had the cheapest: 1g for $8.99. For comparison reasons, Loblaws had 0.5g for more than $12. That is more money for half the amount! So crazy. And if you are a student or senior citizen, remember that Bulk Barn has 10% off on Wednesdays!

Besides the expensiveness of the saffron, at least the mussels only cost me $5 and this meal would feed 4 people. And to be honest, maybe the sauce would still taste good without the saffron - but I'm not sure. Speaking of mussels, if you just go to the fresh fish section of your grocery store, they probably have pre-packaged mussels on ice. You just need the one bag. You also would want to buy the mussels the day you are cooking this recipe. I'm pretty sure you can keep the mussels in your fridge for a day or two with a damp cloth on top of it (ask your fish expert to be sure though and exactly how to store it!). But to be safe, I would suggest same day.

For the wine, it depends on your budget. The wine I bought was Cesari Chardonnay Delle Venezie at the LCBO and it was for the LOW LOW price of $7.50 for 750ml (I had a bit left over from a previous recipe to top me off). Remember, you need 1L of white wine. If you don't know what kind to buy, just ask someone at the wine store for a suggestion based on your price range and mention that it is for cooking (you don't want anything fruity!!). And you can always serve the meal with a glass of the same wine! Too bad I don't drink wine.

Other than that, this is a really easy and tasty recipe. I wouldn't have it every time I have mussels, but every now and then (or once in a blue moon as they say...) would be good. I hope you try it!

Golden Garlic Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

I love garlic. This recipe is very garlic-y. I love easy recipes. This recipe is easy. This recipe is amazing :)

The Recipe:
3 chicken legs
3 chicken breasts
3 sweet potatoes
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp crumbled dried rosemary (just rub the rosemary between your fingers)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
4 whole heads garlic, unpeeled
1tsp extra-virgin olive oil
8 fresh rosemary sprigs

1. Trim chicken and cut into pieces, severing legs at joint and cutting breasts in half, crosswise.

2. Peel potatoes; cut into 1/4-inch thick slices.

3. In bowl, combine potatoes, chicken, lemon juice, vegetable oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.

4. Arrange potatoes in single layer in 13- x 19-inch glass baking dish; arrange chicken, skin side up, over potatoes.

5. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.

6. Trim tops from garlic heads; brush with olive oil; nestle, cut side down, into chicken and potatoes.

7. Roast in 425F oven, basting occasionally, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced and potatoes are tender (about 1 to 1-1/4 hours).

8. Halve garlic heads lengthwise to make 8 portions.

9. Garnish with rosemary sprigs.

My Experience:
Warning: must love garlic to enjoy this recipe. As long as you like garlic, this recipe may be for you.

The recipe is super easy, very little actual ingredients. You don't need to use both breasts and legs, but the variety is nice to have, however, if you prefer one over the other, just use the one type and double the amount.

I didn't refrigerate for 4 hours and it was still good. The flavours probably would have been stronger had it sit in the fridge. I also didn't use any fresh rosemary sprigs, they are really just for looks. Other than that, I followed the recipe.

When you halve the garlic after cooking, serve one half with each plate. You can remove the roasted garlic easily and mash it with your fork to eat with your chicken and sweet potatoes. Because the garlic has been roasted, the garlic flavour is much more mellow and very yummy (if you like garlic).

By the way, this recipe is from Best Recipes Ever. (Can you tell I love this show?)

Nutritional Info:
cal                       402
pro                        35g
total fat                  15g
sat. fat                     3g
carb                      32g
fibre                        2g
chol                     116mg
sodium                 402mg
%RDI                      -
calcium                    8%
iron                        16%
vit A                    158%
vit C                      38%
folate                     10%

Breakfast Burritos

Made these for supper but good nonetheless! Once again, this lovely recipe is from Best Recipes Ever. Man I love that show!

The Recipe:

12 oz Italian sausages

12 eggs

1/4 tsp pepper

1 pinch salt

1 cup shredded old cheddar cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander

6 large flour tortillas

2 cups mild salsa

1 half sweet green peppers, diced

1. With tip of knife, slit casing down length of sausage; push meat into large skillet. 

2. Cook over medium-high heat, breaking up with spoon, for about 5 minutes or until no longer pink; drain off fat.

3. Lightly beat together eggs, pepper and salt ; pour into pan with sausage and cook until beginning to set. 

4. Gently draw spatula across bottom of pan to form large soft curds; cook for about 3 minutes or until eggs are thickened and moist but no visible liquid remains. 

5. Stir in half each of the cheese and coriander.

6. Spoon egg mixture down centre of each tortilla; top with 2 tbsp of the salsa. 

7. Roll up. Arrange, seam side down, in greased 13- x 9-inch glass baking dish. 

8. Sprinkle remaining cheese down centre of tortillas. 

9.  Bake in 400°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day; increase baking time by 10 to 15 minutes.)

10. Meanwhile, stir green pepper and remaining coriander into remaining salsa. Serve with burritos.

My Experience:

So I didn't quite follow this recipe exactly. 

1: I used ground pork instead of sausages because, well, the pork was on sale. Who can pass up a sale? It probably would have been that much better with the sausage because those have tons of spices already in it, but oh well. (By the way, you can also use either mild or hot sausages or try bratwurst, farmer's or breakfast sausages instead of the Italian if you want.)

2: I also used a panini press instead of baking it because I figured that would be easier for me. 

3: So since I did that, I did not sprinkle the remaining cheese on the top (that would have made a big mess). Instead, I added the cheese to the burritos before I rolled them up to melt in the panini press.

4: I also didn't have any coriander on hand so I didn't put any in and it still tasted great. 

5: I used marble cheddar cheese, not old. Because that is what I had (why buy more?)

6: Finally, I used red peppers instead of green because I had some left over from a meal a few days ago and I wanted to get rid of it.  

Wow it really looks like I didn't follow this recipe at all lol! But the main ingredients were there: pork, eggs, cheese, tortillas.

Sam added some hot sauce to his because, to be honest, he adds hot sauce to everything. All in all, this was a very good and fairly quick meal. For extra taste, you can top your burrito with guacamole and/or sour cream.

Orecchiette with Broccoli and Garlic

I was watching Best Recipes Ever today and this wonderful recipe was on and I just so happened to have all of the ingredients except for 2 (and I was headed to the grocery store anyways) so I just HAD to try it! If you love garlic, you may just love this recipe like we did.

The Recipe:
1 bunch broccoli
4 cups orecchiette pasta
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
8 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
6 anchovy fillets, chopped (or 1 tbsp anchovy paste)
1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cut broccoli into small florets; chop stems.

2. In large pot of boiling salted water, cook broccoli until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes.

3. With slotted spoon, transfer to bowl of ice water. Drain and set aside.

4. In same pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until tender but firm, 8 to 10 minutes.

5. Reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, drain and return to pot.

6. Meanwhile, in nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat.

7. Fry garlic, anchovies, hot pepper flakes and salt until garlic is fragrant and anchovies begin to break down, about 2 minutes.

8. Add broccoli to skillet; cook until heated through and garlic is beginning to turn golden, about 2 minutes.

9. Add to pasta along with reserved cooking liquid; toss to coat. 10. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
 

My Experience:
Just a note to begin with, I have never bought anchovy fillets before. After searching for a very long time in the canned fish section, I had the genius idea of looking at the fresh fish counter. So as an fyi, look for the anchovy fillets with the fresh fish because although they are canned, they are kept cold in the fridge. But it looks just like a can of sardines.

Now for the recipe, YUM! I love garlic and there is definitely a lot of garlic in this recipe but it is phenomenal, easy and worth a try. A tip for the garlic: to get it thinly sliced, try using a peeler (a potato peeler) to save some time and when you get near the end and can't quite hold on to the garlic anymore, then slice with a knife.

I wasn't able to find orecchiette pasta (I have no clue where to find it but they kind of look like shell pasta) so I just used some egg noodles. So if you can't find it, just use what you have for pasta.

Here is some nutritional info per serving for you!
cal                 305
protein            13 g
total fat             7 g
sat. fat              2 g
carb                48 g
fibre                  4 g
chol                   7 mg
sodium           699 mg
%RDI:               -
calcium            11%
iron                 16%
vit A                 2%
vit                   97%
folate              54%

Baked Bone-In Chicken Breast

I bought some bone-in chicken breast on sale today and wanted something simple to cook since it is exam time. Here is what I found.

The Recipe:
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
Bread crumbs (approximately 1 1/2 c.)
4 boned chicken breasts (halves - 2 whole breasts)

1. Dip chicken breasts into mixed ingredients, then dip into bread crumbs.
2. Bake in greased baking dish, uncovered, for 1 hour at 350 degrees.
3. Serve over rice.

My Experience:
Easy. Yummy. The skin was AWESOME. And the chicken was so tender and juicy. We actually preferred it over my usual shake'n'bake so I will definitely be making a similar recipe again.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I made this recipe a few months ago but didn't get to try any of it because I wasn't feeling well and Sam ate all the leftovers before I had a chance. So I am making it again so that I can ACTUALLY try it.

The Recipe:
2 1/2-3 lb lean, boneless pork roast (leg or shoulder)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 pkg Club House slow cookers pulled pork seasoning mix

1. Place pork in slow cooker.

2. Combine seasoning mix, ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar in separate bowl. Pour over pork.

3. Cover. Cook 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH.

4. Remove pork from slow cooker. Shred meat into strings using 2 forks. Return to slow cooker.

5. Stir until pork is well coated and heated through.

6. Serve over split buns.

My Experience:
The slow cooker is my best friend. I love coming home from a long day and supper is already ready to go. Easy recipe and very yummy.

I don't really have much to comment on because this recipe is good and I didn't have any issues making it.

Try serving with some coleslaw, grilled corn on the cob, and fries.

Honey Dijon Chicken

Quick and easy Campbell's soup recipe. Really yummy too (can't wait to eat the left overs for lunch!)

The Recipe:
4 (about 1 lb) of boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp garlic powder

1. Brown chicken in oil, in hot skillet.

2. Add onion to skillet, medium-high heat.

2. Combine other ingredients in small bowl. Add mixture to skillet.

3. Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through (about 5 minutes).

My Experience:
Quick and easy. Little dishes. Pretty good in my books! Definitely a recipe worth a try.

I served with carrots and white rice. I poured some of the extra sauce over the rice and it was REALLY good.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Mug Cake

I had a sweet tooth and wanted make something small for myself and this is what I found.

The Recipe:
1 egg
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 tablespoon softened butter
3-4 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

1. Add all ingredients into your mug and mix together with a spoon

2. Microwave your cake for 1 1/2-2 minutes, or just until the top center of the cake has set

3. Serve with a dollop of ice cream and enjoy!

My Experience:
Just what I wanted. A simple, single portion sugar dose. I was skeptical at first but it turned out really good. I didn't have any ice cream so I just ate the cake and it was a little dry. Nothing a glass of milk can't fix.

The best part of this recipe, it was ready in just a few minutes!

Oh and just make sure you use a decent sized mug... don't want you to run out of room for the chocolate chips!

Here is the website I used because there are 9 other mug cake recipes to try if you like! http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/11/10/10-tasty-mug-cakes-that-you-can-make-in-just-minutes/?pid=6019#slideshow

Crockpot Barbecue Chicken

Simple and in a slow cooker. I love it! Such a juicy and tender chicken to enjoy.

The Recipe:
4-6 pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle BBQ sauce
1/4 c vinegar
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp. garlic powder

1. Mix BBQ sauce with all ingredients listed under it

2. Place chicken in crockpot

3. Pour sauce over it and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours

My Experience:
I actually used bone-in chicken breasts and the chicken just fell off the bone almost like a pulled chicken. So moist and succulent.

I used Diana's chicken and rib bbq sauce and it was really really yummy. Try serving the chicken with a little dish of extra sauce for dipping. I also served with roasted red potatoes (with onions and garlic) and green beans.

It was so good and I can't wait for leftovers tomorrow!

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict

Where did I find this recipe? Best Recipes Ever of course. Man I love that show!

The Recipe:
1 tsp vinegar
8 eggs
4 English muffins or wedges focaccia or croissants
8 oz smoked salmon

Hollandaise Sauce:
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill

1. Pour enough boiling water into skillet to come 3 inches up side; return to boil. Add vinegar; reduce heat to gentle simmer.

2. Break each egg into small dish; gently slip into simmering water.

3. Cook until desired doneness, about 5 minutes for soft yolks and firm whites.

4. Remove with slotted spoon and drain well, patting bottom of spoon with towel to dry egg.

5. Meanwhile, cut English muffins horizontally in half and toast; place 2 halves, cut side up, on each plate.

6. Top each with smoked salmon, poached egg and 2 tbsp Hollandaise Sauce.

Hollandaise Sauce:
1. In heatproof bowl over saucepan of simmering water, whisk egg yolks until thick enough to coat back of spoon, about 4 minutes.

2. Remove from heat.

3. Whisk in butter, 2 tbsp at a time, until thickened; whisk in lemon juice, salt, cayenne and dill.

4. Keep warm over hot water.

My Experience:
I don't like making sauces. Next time I will just buy a package of Hollandaise sauce because I didn't find it was worth the effort. Especially since I didn't use fresh dill and put WAY too much in so I had to add more egg yolks. Now I have 6 egg whites in my fridge to use. But if you are good at making sauces, go right ahead. It just isn't for me.

Other than that incident, this was really yummy. It was also my first time making poached eggs. I sort of over-cooked them though. So if you want the yolk runny, I would say cook less than the 5 minutes because it was too long for me.

Sam said he really liked it on the croissant and of course he loved the smoked salmon.

I might try this again, but with store bought sauce and cook the egg for less time.

Rosemary Beef Burgers with Jalapeño Mayonnaise

Saw this recipe on my favorite show EVER (Best Recipes Ever that is!) and I just had to make it. Especially for my boyfriend who loves everything spicy (I toned it down a little for me).

The Recipe:
1 egg
1/4 cup sodium-reduced beef broth
1 small onion, grated
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 lb lean ground beef
4 kaiser rolls or hamburger buns

Jalapeño Mayonnaise:
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp minced jalapeño pepper
1 clove garlic, minced

1. In bowl, beat egg with beef broth.

2. Stir in onion, bread crumbs, rosemary, salt and pepper; mix in beef.

3. Shape into four 1/2-inch thick patties.

4. Place on greased grill over medium-high heat; close lid and cook, turning once, until digital thermometer inserted sideways into centre registers 160°F, about 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, parsley, jalapeño pepper and garlic.

6. Cut rolls in half; toast, cut sides down, on grill until golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

7. Spread jalapeño mayonnaise on cut sides.

8. Place burgers on bottoms; sandwich with tops.



My Experience:
So I made these burgers as mini burgers like they did on the show because it makes them more fun!

I used crushed saltine crackers instead of bread crumbs because, well, I had some and mom used to always make burgers that way. However, the addition of the beef broth made the burgers nice and juicy which was a lovely surprise.

Since I don't really like lots of spicy, I didn't put any jalapeño peppers in my mayonnaise (but I did in my boyfriend's).

I topped our burgers with jalapeño monterey jack cheese (could you any cheese you like), sliced tomato, lettuce and bacon (like I always say, everything is better with bacon). However, you can top the burgers with whatever you like best!

Sam said it was great and spicy. This is definitely a meal I will be making again!

Nutritional Info (approx per serving)
cal 534
pro 30g
total fat 27g
sat. fat 9g
carb 41g
fibre 2g
chol 130mg
sodium 897mg
%RDI: 419mg
calcium -
iron 10%
vit A 32%
vit C 4%
folate 8%

Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Pork Loin

Tried this new slow cooker recipe and we loved it! Need a sweet tooth to enjoy it though.

The Recipe:
1 boneless pork loin roast, 4 to 6 pounds
1 clove garlic, halved
salt and pepper
1 1/3 cups brown sugar, divided
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Wash pork roast, trim excess fat, pat dry, and rub with garlic halves

2. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then prick the roast all over with a fork or skewer

3. In a cup or bowl, combine 1 cup of the brown sugar, the mustard, and vinegar. Rub all over the roast.

4. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours. Pour off the excess juices. (SAVE THE JUICES for a gravy!)

5. Combine the remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar with cinnamon; Spread the mixture over the top of the roast.

6. Cover and continue cooking on LOW for 1 hour longer.

My Experience:
So so so so so yummy! Don't be fooled by the lack of liquids in the recipe... the juices from pork do the job (just don't cut off too much of the fat, I actually didn't cut any off of mine). After about 5 hours I just turned the roast over so that the top layer could soak for a bit. Mine was nice and moist.

I couldn't get my bottle of balsamic vinegar to open so in my hurry this morning I just used regular vinegar and it was still good.

I saved the juices and made a very yummy gravy out of it. Sliced up the roast and served it with rice (with a bit of gravy mixed in) and a side of steamed vegetables.

Tuna Pasta Salad

Had a curling bonspiel this weekend and needed to make something for the potluck dinner. This was my selection (from the Gold Seal website), and the bonus: it was pretty cheap :)

The Recipe:
1 can tuna, drained and flaked
2 cups small pasta shells
1 celery rib, cut into 1/4" dice
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1/2" dice
1/2 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1/2" dice
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
2 tsp horseradish
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water until just tender and drain well

2. Cool in cold water and drain well again. Place in a salad bowl

3. Add the remaining ingredients and mix gently to combine

4. Refrigerate the salad until ready to serve

My Experience:
I actually cooked the pasta and cut up all my veggies up the night before so that it was a quick mix in the morning. Made my life at 7am much simpler.

I also made the dressing before mixing everything together to make sure that the mayonnaise and horseradish fully mixed. For some extra tang I used extra hot horseradish (it was also all we had at the apartment) and I added maybe half a tsp of sugar to balance out the lemon juice. I don't know why but I thought it tasted better.

Other than that it was quick and easy to put together. The longest part was all the veggie chopping because, well, I'm not very good with a knife lol.

If you are interested, I even have the nutritional values for you this time! (provided by Gold Seal)
Per Serving
Calories 118
Fat 3.1 g
Carbs 15g
Protein 8g
Fibre 1.5g
Sat fat 0.5g
Cholesterol 8mg
Sodium 120mg
Sugar 1.6g
Calcium 14mg

Mini Tacos

Easy spin on Old El Paso Tacos with less mess while eating.

The Recipe:
Old El Paso Taco seasoning mix
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 bag of Tostitos Scoops

Toppings
Shredded cheddar cheese
Shredded lettuce
Salsa
Sour Cream
Whatever you like!

1. Brown ground beef in large skillet; drain

2. Fry onions in a bit of butter on low heat (at same time as beef but in small pan)

3. Stir 1 cup of water and seasoning mix in with beef

4. Simmer for 7 to 8 minutes or until almost all liquid is absorbed, stirring often

5. Stir in onions after about 5 minutes



6. Place Tostitos Scoops on a baking sheet covered with foil

7. Spoon some beef mixture into each Scoop

8. Top each with some cheese

9. Broil until cheese is melted



10. Serve with all the toppings as a self serve!



My Experience:
I love tacos! But they make such a mess when you try to eat them (maybe I just don't do it right...). These mini tacos allow for bite size pieces and you can top them how you want: whether it's salsa, sour cream, lettuce, diced tomatoes or whatever else you choose.

Just make sure you use the non-broken scoops so that you can spoon in the meat and cheese. It's MUCH easier! Save the broken ones for later snacking.

The meat is also really good on day 2 because it allows for the seasoning to soak in so don't worry about the left overs. You can even use the left overs with the broken chips to make a taco salad (with the left over lettuce topping) the next day! I've done it and it is yummy :)

Philly Cheesesteaks

I love me some Rachael Ray and I saw this recipe on her show last week and I just had to try it! We had some cheap steaks in the freezer that we weren't crazy about so this was a great way to use them up and make them super yummy!

The Recipe:
For the Garlic Butter Bread
2 loaves baguette, halved and split or 4 crusty sub rolls 12 inches each split
6 tablespoons butter
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

For the French Onion Steak Filling
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 large or 3 medium onions, very thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1 large fresh bay leaf
1/4 cup dry sherry or 1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cans beef consommé or 3 cups beef stock
4 flat-iron steaks or 1 1/2 to 2 pounds flank steak
3 cups shredded Gruyère cheese

ONIONS
1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat then add butter.

2. When it foams, add onions and season with salt, pepper, thyme and bay.

3. Cook until caramel in color, about 30 minutes.



4. Add consommé and sherry/wine to onions.

5. Continue to simmer until consommé reduces by about half.

BREAD
6. Toast bread in a 375°F oven to golden.

7. Melt butter in a small pan over medium heat until it foams.

8. Stir in garlic 1-2 minutes then remove from heat and stir in parsley.

9. Brush toasted bread liberally with garlic butter and reserve.



STEAK
10. Heat griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat; drizzle with oil.

11. Season room temperature steaks liberally with kosher salt and pepper.

12. Cook 10 minutes, turning once.

13. Let stand 5 minutes, thinly slice against the grain.



SANDWICH IT UP
14. Pile steak and onions onto toasted bread bottoms arranged on a baking sheet.

15. Top with lots of cheese and melt under broiler.

16. Set tops in place and serve.



My Experience:
So this recipe takes a really long time because the onions take about half an hour to 45 minutes but you only have to stir every once in a while so I just prepared everything else while the onions were cooking.

Instead of Gruyère cheese I used Provolone but you could also use Swiss. Just buy it in a block so that you can grate it.

When making the garlic butter, try grating the garlic. It may waste a bit if you don't want to destroy your finger tips but it works really great to mix in well with the butter.

These sandwiches were really really good and I highly recommend trying it at least once. It might be time consuming and make a good stack of dishes but it is easy to make!

Honey Garlic Pork

Not much of a recipe but it is still my favorite pork dish that my mom used to make me.

The Recipe:
Honey Garlic sauce
Pork
Rice

1. Cut pork into small cubes

2. Brown pork in frying pan on medium-high heat

3. Poor honey garlic sauce into pan

4. As sauce boils, stir often (scrapping the bottom of the pan to avoid sticking)

5. The sauce is caramalized when there is separation ss you scrape across the pan with a spatula

6. The longer you cook it, the thicker the sauce gets (and the bigger mess there is to clean up)

7. Serve pork and sauce over rice

My Experience:
Easy recipe right? I told you so.

I prefer the VH brand for the honey garlic sauce but I doubt that it really matters. I use most of the bottle of sauce so that I have tons for my rice since it tastes so good.

The kind of pork doesn't matter either, mom used to always use pork chops but this time I used pork leg schnitzel because it was on sale.

As I said above, the longer you cook the sauce to caramalize it, the harder it is to clean everything. But it is TOTALLY worth it (although mom didn't always think so). Just have patience and soak the pan after (as I write this I have yet to clean my own pans so I might regret that statement later). The caramalized sauce will still be on the liquidy side while warm but it will start to solidify as it cools. So if people plan on going back for seconds, keep the pan on the burner on min so that it doesn't harden.