Wind back Wednesday: Creative Wednesdays, store bought me, butterflied chicken, chocolate mousse

 Blog: Pink Recipe Box's Creative Wednesday

The lovely Nicky at Pink Recipe Box holds a Creative Wednesday link party every week on her blog. Here people can share their latest blog post - whatever the topic!

 

I love Pink Recipe Box in general (yes, I am subscribed!), but I just love this great idea that she has come up with. So I thought I'd check it out last week - and my post was featured this week as one of the most popular shared! (yay!)

 

The post I shared for last week's Creative Wednesday: Cranberry and Almond Cookies

 

Visit Pink Recipe Box's page to check out this week's links.

 

 

 

Article: Accepting store bought me

I am a busy cook, living a very busy life. And yes, sometimes that does mean that I buy things that can make my life a little bit easier. In this article I talk about accepting that it's ok to buy store bought things and that doesn't make us bad cooks! It just makes us busy.

Read the full article here: Accepting store bought, busy me

 

 

 

 

Tips and hints: How to butterfly a chicken

I butterflied my first chicken on the weekend - and my, oh, my, it was an experience! I definitely need more practice (and a new pair of sharper cooking shears!). I spent the whole time apologising to the chicken as I felt so disrespectful hacking away at it.

However, in my search of how to do it I did find a great video that explained everything. I only watched it the once and I was on my "merry" way.

Here's the video: How to butterfly a chicken

 

 

Recipe: Chocolate Mousse

I entertained for the first time in a very long time on Saturday night. When I asked about what people would like for dessert, giving them a few options, everyone picked chocolate mousse!

So I set off to make it for the first time, and it was much easier than I thought! I actually split the recipe in half and made raspberry, white chocolate as well (for me, that was my favourite).And the best part was everyone LOVED it.

Try the recipe for yourself: Chocolate Mousse in Minutes


Steph xo

Accepting store bought, busy me

Yes, this is a pic of my actual fridge!

I think we've all done it. If you say no, I'm sure you're in denial ...

Hands up if you've done the sneak in a pre-made item of some kind into your trolley, almost as though it was a packet of tampons ... and then when your friends ask for how you put a meal together you hesitate or lie about using something store brought ...

As kitchen cooks why is it that we feel the need to always make things from scratch? Why do we feel embarrassed that  we grabbed something to save time after a long week? What, honestly, are we fearing? That our friends will screw up their noses at your "laziness"?

Cooking ladies and gents - This is not the fifties where we have to out-do the other home makers! IT IS OK TO GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK.

We live in an age where most of us work full time while being home-makers. And yes, being a full-time Mum IS a full time job. As much as we would like to think that we can all be the ideal home maker, with our pristine houses and dinner on the table for the other half to come straight home to, this isn't quite reality.

I'm not saying everyone is like this. I'm sure there are some of you out there reading this and thinking 'Well, my house is always clean - and dinner is always ready on time with everything done from scratch ... I really don't get it' ... Whoever you are, I applaud you. They must find out how you do it and then make pills for the rest of us!

During the week everything I do seems to be almost on a schedule. Some of you may not know that I work full time in the city - so I'm looking at 12 hours from the time I leave home til the time I get home. This is usually why you see me cooking like crazy on the weekend, because during the week it's "Get in and feed people" mode so that I can have at least a moment's rest before having to go to bed. So my dishes during the week are all about quick and easy, as you can probably tell from a lot of my recipes.

As a foodie, who promotes home cooking, I especially feel the pressure to make things from scratch, use organic amazing foods, and most importantly be an advocate for the home cook. For the most part I actually do make everything from scratch, as a lot of things are very straight forward to make. The only killer is time. I just never have enough of it. Would I like to make my own puff pastry? Hell, yes! But I just don't have the time unfortunately. When my Mum had me, her first child, she still managed to make puff pastry from scratch ... and then others joined me. Unfortunately my Mum had to realise that things like that were a thing of the past!

I will admit it ... I do use store bought things sometimes. There, I said it. It's out!

I always have a pasta sauce of some kind in my pantry, and there is also a marinade or two in there for sure, for those days when I'm hungry, tired and just want to sit and not think for a while. I will always have frozen puff pastry in the freezer, and I don't make my own pesto or sausages. And you know what - it's ok! I just still try to keep things healthy and always read the back for ingredients (some things sneak in there!).

I'm not saying go out and stop cooking - I'm saying it's ok to cut corners and give yourself a break from time to time. Not everything has to be chef-organic-fantastic (if you know what I mean!), just healthy. I just think that it's ok to sometimes take advantage of what the store has 'made for us' and give ourselves a much needed break.


Is what I'm saying all to familiar to you? Tell me below!

Steph xo


 

Wind back Wednesday: Pigs wings, winter warmers, cookies and pides

Welcome to the second "Wind back Wednesday" post. Here's a few things I've loved and shared with you over the past week ...

Article: Apparently pigs do fly!

Image from Digital Media 1 @ NJCU

Flicking through Twitter yesterday I stumbled across a very interesting article. During a recent RSPCA survey it was revealed that there may be a little confusion about what animals do what. I never thought understanding what flies or what walks was complicated ... apparently it's more confusing than I thought!

 

According to the survey 8% of people answered that they had tried 'pigs' wings'. I don't know about you - but these wings would be some pretty big wings! It is just amazing how ignorant people really are about where food comes from.

 

You can check out the full article here: Survey reveals ignorance about food sources

 

 

Event: Winter warmers party (thank you!)

Thursday last week I came home from work to a lovely 250 fans on Facebook! That completely made my day. Even now that I'm writing this it has climbed still to over 270!! I would like to thank each and every one of you who simply clicked "like" and read my blog. It might seem small to you, but to me I feel so blessed that so many of you want to share my love of food with me.

To celebrate reaching 250 likes I hosted a winter warmers party over the weekend. It may seem strange to some of you as it's far from winter where you are, but here in Melbourne (Australia) it has been one cold winter. Lots of great recipes were shared from main meals and desserts, to drinks to snuggle into the night with.

A big thank you to everyone that shared recipes over the weekend and made my first milestone party a great success. For those of you that missed it or would like to go back and have a look a the recipes shared, you can check them out all on my events page.

Recipe: Cranberry and almond cookies

During my winter warmers party I shared with you my cranberry and almond cookies. With all the recipe sharing I wouldn't be surprised if it was easily missed. I am proud to say that these cookies are now in a better place - my tummy!

 

I adapted my Mum's choc-chip recipe that she has had for as long as I can remember. To make the inside of the cookie a little bit more cake like I added a little less flour before adding in my dried cranberries and almond flakes. It makes the dough a little bit more sticky to work with, but I guarantee it's worth it!

 

You can check out the recipe here: Cranberry and almond cookies

 

 

Recipe: Susan's Sumptuous Suppers home-made pides

On Thursday I shared with you Susan's Sumptuous Suppers home-made pide recipe. I've never had a pide before nor made them so I thought it would be great to try this weekend.

 

I have to say, it was del-ic-ious! I made a Moroccan beef mince and spinach one for myself, and a spicy one with mince and chilli for Mr Steph.

 

If you'd like to try the recipe for yourself, here is the recipe: Home-made Pides

 

 

Steph xo

Cranberry and almond cookies

 

This winter Melbourne has been colder than usual. I'm finding myself more and more sitting inside and wanting to snuggle into the couch with a cup of tea. I'm definitely not complaining though, because I wouldn't have it any other way! I absolutely love winter and dread summer having to return with it's awful heat.

With all my tea drinking and relaxing time I really felt like I needed something nice to snack on. We don't keep biscuits or cakes in the house, mainly because I don't have self-control when it comes to baked cookies, unless I make something. So I thought today it was about time I "treated" myself to something nice ... any excuse really!!

I adapted my Mum's choc-chip cookie recipe; where she got it from I have no idea! As I wanted a softer cookie, I added less flour to give it an almost cakey texture inside the crisp outside of the cookie. The dough is a little bit more sticky to work with, but the end result is delicious and worth the sticky fingers!

... now that I've made them, I really don't know how long they will last!!

 

Cranberry, almond cookies

Makes 12 medium-large cookies

 

125g butter or margarine

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 egg

1 1/2 cups of S.R. flour

pinch of salt

60g - 80g of dried cranberries (depending how much fruit you'd like in your cookie)

30g - 40g of almond flakes (depending how nutty you would like it)

 

Before you forget - pre-heat your oven. 180 C or 356 F in a fan forced oven.

 

In an electric mixer or with electric beaters, cream the butter/margarine with the sugar as you would for the start of any cake. Add your vanilla and egg and beat well. For this next bit you could continue using the beaters, but I find that it's just easier with a wooden spoon. Add your salt followed by your flour bit by bit, mixing it through completely before adding more. I do it this way as I find it easier to incorporate the flour little by little rather than all at once.

 

Lastly, add your cranberries and almond flakes. You don't have to use the almond flakes, you can even just crush some almonds (or even some macadamia nuts) and add them. I added 60g of cranberries and 30g of nuts, but I didn't want too have too much in the cookies. It's really up to you, so make it how you want them!

 

Line a baking tray with grease proof / waxed baking paper, and take some dough and roll it into a large ball. The ball should fit nicely in the middle of your palm. If you'd like small cookies simply make a smaller ball. For this recipe I made large ones. Flatten the ball slightly in your hand a couple of times before placing it on the tray. Continue with the rest of the mixture, making sure you leave enough room between the cookies as they will grow about 2-3 times bigger.

 

Before popping mine into the open I placed a couple of almond flakes on top, but you don't have to of course!

 

Bake in the oven for 10-15 mins until golden brown.
 

 

Now, make a cup of tea while they cool momentarily ... then eat!

Steph xo

Wind back Wednesday #1: Articles, recipes and blogs from last week

 

 

If you follow Steph's Kitchen on Facebook or twitter you will know that I share a lot of recipes, food ideas, blog posts, and just anything delicious looking on a regular basis. I don't know about you but sometimes its hard to keep up with what has happened in a week, let alone what I've liked in my feed or even read. I have to make an actual note or bookmark something so that I can go back and remember, and even then if things get crazy busy (as they do) I might not stumble across something for several weeks.

So I thought I'd start a new little section on my blog: Wind-back Wednesday.
Every Wednesday I will put together a post of a few things I've loved and shared over the past week. It could be from Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or even here on my blog. It will sort of be like a post of highlights from the last week.

Here are just a few of the things I've loved and shared over the last week that you may or may not remember ...

Article: Cooking has ruined restaurants

This is a topic that I have been thinking over for a very long time, so on Sunday I put pen to paper.

When everyone is sitting around the table almost eating the menu, my brain is deconstructing dishes and being rational. Are you like this too? Let me know your thoughts on the topic!

If you missed it, here's the original post: Cooking has ruined restaurants.

Recipe: Curtis Stone's beef ragu

I made this on Saturday, and I must say it was AMAZING! It was also super easy, so I recommend. I did adapt it slightly, which is what I do as I'm terrible at following anything to a T, but only skipping celery and adding a little bit more stock as I had just over 600g of meat instead of 500g. I also added some English spinach from my garden because it was going crazy and needed it be used. I simply added it towards the end, mixing it through and letting it cook for another 10-15 mins.

I was going to make Donna Hay's beef ragu, but I really didn't want to open up a nice bottle of red wine, and I was in no mood to go and buy one just to cook with! It looked equally as nice, I'm just more of a 'cook with what you have' sort of person. I also had chuck steak (or casserole beef) and her recipe called for a whole brisket.

Curtis' recipe (yes, I'm on a first name basis with him ... I wish!) just seemed to be more me. It used balsamic vinegar as well which got me very curious as I have never used it in cooking so heavily before - with the recipe calling for a 1/4 cup.



Image from Dani's Delicious Dish.

Blog: Dani's Delicious Dish

I stumbled across this gem of a blog on Saturday after I read Dani's guest post on Food Stories. I LOVE her writing style, and she is just hilarious. It is not very often I'm actually giggling loudly and having to read bits out loud to Mr Steph - who apparently didn't find it as amusing as myself (his loss, I say). He simply looked at me oddly and smiled, thinking 'This girl is a special type of special ...' - which now that I think about it he tells me all the time. I call it being 'quirky'.

Back to the topic at hand, not only are her posts great to read but she is also a foodie - so double points Dani!

Here is the original post from Food Stories where Dani talks about her food journey (a must read!): Dani and the Spaghetti Story

 

Image from www.apartmenttherapy.com

Food idea: Ten alternative uses for an ice cube tray

Nicky at Pink Recipe Box is one clever foodie! Last week I shared her nifty article on things you can freeze in an ice cube tray - from herbs and oil, to tomato paste and icecream bites! I loved this article because it made me think about freezing things that I never had before. The fact that it is conveniently in an ice cube, and you can just grab one out without having to defrost everything, is genius!

If you haven't already I would recommend reading her article "Top Ten Alternative Uses for an Ice Cube Tray", and also check out her blog (Pink Recipe Box).


Do you have any recipes or blog articles that you've fallen in love with over the last week? Share with me in the comments below!

Steph xo

Cooking has ruined restaurants

They say ignorance is bliss. And truly it really is.

Every time I go out for a meal, I truly wish I was ignorant to the basics of cooking and understanding how a dish would be made. Everyone else is oooing and ahhing about meals, commenting about how good something sounds and cannot wait to order. Me, there are different things going through my head ...

'Oh, that looks nice ... although I could have just stayed home and made it ...'

'Hmmm that sounds nice ... why did I come out only to eat something I could of at home?'

'Mhmm what about this one ... are you kidding me, that is the price? What are you importing ingredients in from the other side of the world?!'

I end up picking one thing, then changing my mind two or three times before the waiter comes. Even after I finally order and my food comes I have food envy, eyeing off other people's food and how delicious they look and wishing I stuck with my first decision. I'm so bad that Mr Steph now asks me what I feel like and then orders for me so that I can't change my mind. I'm not kidding, I'm terrible. And this is why I wish that I was ignorant to how things are made, because then I could be blissfully unaware and just enjoy things.

Now I'm not saying that there is no longer any mystery in food or that I don't enjoy food anymore, but it's so hard to turn off the cook side of my brain when I go out. Sometimes I do it easily and I just order what I feel like, but other times I end up crossing off half the menu in my brain because I could have just stayed home and made it myself.

I'm not like this in all places, just with places with more simple menus. I also think that coming from a hospitality background and making a lot of the café style meals I know just how easy they can be. I just seem to see dishes in an almost deconstructed way instead of seeing it simply as something delicious. A carbonara pasta - you might see as creamy and delicious ... I see it as: An egg yolk, cream, parsley or basil, garlic, bacon; simmer down and serve. I used to absolutely love eating it out! But then I learnt how to make it at home.

In saying this, I do enjoy good food. And I love eating out. I guess cooking hasn't really ruined restaurants entirely for me, it's just given me more appreciation for dishes that I know take a little bit more love.


Is anyone else like this or am I just strange? If you know what I mean, comment below!

Steph xo