Lemon Herb Haddock

From the previous post 'Chicken in White Wine Cream Sauce' you'll remember that I mentioned that Steve and I created our list of suppers on Sunday night. When we were making that list we decided to incorporate a fish dish on our weekly supper plan and decided to use haddock.

I also mentioned in a previous post that I have been looking through recipes on TasteSpotting.com for ideas and inspiration - and that is where I found the haddock recipe for our Tuesday night meal, Lemon Herb Haddock.

The blog that I found the recipe on is called My Kitchen Addiction (click on the link to find the recipe I used). I enjoyed the use of pictures to help explain the process of bringing all of the ingredients together and the commentary of the author.

The recipe was absolutely delicious and easy to make - I loved the great lemon flavour that the zest adds. A notable difference between the My Kitchen Addiction version and mine was that I did not use haddock with skin on it (Sobeys had already removed the skin and bones for me - much easier to use and eat).

I would recommend this recipe to anyone who is looking to find an easy way to incorporate more fish into your weekly diet and seeks great flavour infusions! I will definitely be adding this recipe to my 'make again soon' list.

Bon appetit & enjoy!

Chicken with White Wine Parmesan Cream Sauce

Sorry for the lack of posts and new recipes within the last few day. I have been feeling under the weather but am starting to come around and let's face it - the blog must go on!

On Sunday night Steve and I sat down and created a list of recipes we wanted to try this week, all of which are tasty and only one is a repeat that we have already made (we will be trying our hand at 3 cheese ravioli later this week).

On Monday night Steve and I made chicken with white wine parmesan cream sauce. This recipe is from the Cook with Campbells website - I was inspired to go there from a commercial on TV over the weekend. The recipe was very simple and required a few ingredients, many of which I already had in my freezer (I usually just buy chicken if it is on sale) and pantry (I stock up on pasta when it also goes on sale), and wine (which is always in stock at my home!). The result of this recipe was a very tasty dish! Steve and I really enjoyed the subtle hint of wine in the sauce and how the parmesan/thyme/cream of chicken soup combined well together. We both agreed that we would make this again, hopefully some time in the next month. I encourage you to try this recipe.

Here are the ingredients that you will need:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 can Cambell's condensed low fat cream of chicken sauce
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 cups hot cooked pasta (I choose penne)

Here is how you will bring it all together:

• Cook chicken in large non-stick skillet at medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Remove chicken and keep warm.
• Combine soup, wine, cheese, thyme and garlic in same skillet. Heat to a boil, stirring ofter (the parmesan may start to melt onto the bottom of the skillet if you are not stirring frequently). Reduce heat to low.
• Cover and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return chicken to pan and heat through. Serve sauce over chicken and pasta.

TIP - substitute 1/3 cup apple juice, instead of the wine, if you prefer


Bon appetit & enjoy!

Breakfast for the Birds

 The recipe that I posted for the Maple Toast & Eggs dish required me to cut off the crusts of the bread we used. Steve and I decided that we didn't want to just toss those crusts away, so we decided to go to the Hemlock Ravine (basically our backyard).

To get to the Hemlock Ravine you can go along the Bedford Highway until you get to Kent Street, head up there and you'll find a gravel parking lot off to the left (down a hill). Once you park your car you will come up to a beautiful heart-shaped pond. If you are interested in learning more about the heart-shaped pond click here (it has a really interesting story).

We took the bread crusts (and camera) and went to feed the ducks that live at Julie's Pond at Hemlock Ravine.

The pictures that I have included in this post were taken with my Canon t2i and have been touched up using iPhoto.

Maple Toast & Eggs

I really enjoy having a great breakfast on the weekends, the type where you have time to really sit down and enjoy it (ideally with a good cup of tea). So this weekend we decided to try something new and looked through some of our cook books and online. We decided to try a recipe from the Taste of Home - Winning Recipes book that Steve gave me for Christmas.

The recipe has only a few ingredients and is very simple to make - it probably brings together most of the ingredients most of us are already using to make breakfast with anyways - just puts them together in a different order and package. I absolutely loved this recipe and the end result. The breakfast cup idea was a novel idea but was absolutely delicious! I can't wait to try this recipe again.


Here are the ingredients that you will need:

• 12 bacon strips, diced
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup butter
• 12 slices firm-textured white bread (or any type of bread you like)
• 12 eggs
• salt and pepper to taste

And here is how you bring it all together:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• In a large skillet, cook bacon oven medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towel to drain
• In a small saucepan, heat syrup and butter until butter is melted; set aside
• Trim crust from bread; flatten slices with a rolling pin
• Brush one side generously with the syrup mixture; press each slide into an ungreased muffin cup with syrup side down
• Divide bacon among muffin cups
• Carefully break one egg into each cup
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper
• Cover with foil
• Bake for 18-20 minutes or until your eggs are cooked how you desire

This recipe will yield 12 servings; however we chose to just make 5 so we adjusted the recipe accordingly. Bon appetit & enjoy!

The recipe is from:
Taste of Home - Winning Recipes / Reader's Digest Book
Reiman Media Group Inc. 2010
Breakfast & Brunch
Maple Toast & Eggs
Page 139

Pork Chops with Strawberry Balsamic Sauce

To cap off the weekday meal this week, Steve and I wanted to make something with a kick. We have been checking out a lot of food blogs and recipe website and came across a recipe for pork chops with strawberry balsamic sauce; and given that we like all of those things on their own, we felt it would be a delicious Friday night meal.

I found the recipe through a website called Taste Spotting and it is great for so many meal ideas (and desserts too!). If you have a moment (or a few hours) of free time I would suggest going to the site and looking through it.

This recipe was really simple to make and had a great flavour! I would definitely make this recipe again and encourage others to try it too.

Here are the ingredients you will need for the recipe (we have modified it slightly from the original recipe):

• 250g strawberries
• 1/4 cup good quality balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 pork cutlets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• mixed salad leaves
• 1/3 cup shredded basil leaves to garnish

And here is how you bring it all together:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
• Halve or quarter the strawberries and place in a ceramic bowl with vinegar and sugar (set aside for 15 minutes)
• Season the pork cutlets with salt and pepper
• Heat oil in an ovenproof frying pan over a medium-high heat; when hot, sear the cutlets until golden on both sides; transfer to the oven and cook for 10 minutes; transfer to a plate and cover loosely with foil and set aside for 5 minutes
• Place frying pan over medium heat and add stock; deglaze the pan then bring to a boil
• Add the strawberry mixture, reduce heat to low and just heat through; season with salt and session
• Divide pork cutlets and salad leaves among serving plate
• Top pork with sauce and sprinkle with basil

This recipe makes 2 servings, but if you add 1-2 more pork chops the sauce will accommodate it (you will not need to make more sauce). Bon appetit & enjoy!

This recipe is from Taste.com

Short Ribs Braised in Guinness and Smashed Potatoes - Part 2

Welcome back to part 2 of 'Short Ribs Braised in Guinness and Smashed Potatoes'. This post is dedicated to the Smashed Potatoes.

I am always looking for different/easy sides to makes with meals, so when I came across this recipe for Smashed Potatoes I really wanted to try it. We decided to make this recipe along with the Guinness braised short ribs because we felt that the flavours would compliment each other well. Overall we were very happy with the combined tastes of the ribs and the potatoes. The potatoes were a great new recipe to try and will definitely be made again in our home. The recipe is fun to make and the crispy sections add a great texture. I strongly suggest you consider making this recipe when you are looking to have potatoes as your side dish.

Ingredients:

• 2lb small potatoes (Yukon golds)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan

Directions:

• Place the potatoes in a pot and fill with enough cold water to cover. Add 1 teaspoon salt and bring to boil. Cook the potatoes until just tender all the way through, about 20 minutes. Drain.
• When cool enough to handle, use your palm to carefully smash the spuds just enough to break the skin and flatten the potatoes.
• Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes in a single layer, along with the garlic and rosemary. Cook until the potatoes are deeply browned and crispy on the side, 7 to 10 minutes, then flip and repeat. Add the cheese in the final moments of cooking, so that it melts atop the potatoes. Season was salt and pepper.

This recipe makes about 4 servings. Bon appetit and enjoy!

This recipe is from:
Cook This, Not That! - Kitchen Survival Guide
The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution
David Zinczenko & Matt Goulding
Rodale Inc. 2010
Page 294

Short Ribs Braised in Guinness and Smashed Potatoes - Part 1

On Thursday night Steve and I wanted to make a very different meal and decided to make Short Ribs Braised in Guinness and Smashed Potatoes - 2 recipes that we have never made or tasted before. This post is dedicated to the short ribs, and part 2 will be dedicated to the smashed potatoes.

The short ribs recipe takes awhile to create and so Steve started making that when he came home from work. NOTE - this dish needs to cook in a slow cooker for 4 hours! So make sure you have the time to make this before you get started.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 lb boneless short ribs (we weren't able to get boneless at the grocery store, so we settled for ones with bones in)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cans of Guinness Draught
• 2 cups low sodium beef broth
• 3 large carrots cut into large chunks (or 1 small bag of baby carrots)
• 2 onions quartered
• 2 stalks celery cut into large chunks (we left this out of our recipe)
• 8 cloves garlic peeled
• 2 bay leaves (we left this out of our recipe)
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley (for Gremolata - optional)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (for Gremolata - optional)
• grated zest of 2 oranges (for Gremolata - optional)

Directions:

•  Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season all sides of the ribs with salt and pepper. Cook then until a rich brown crust develops on the outside. Remove the ribs and place in a slow cooker. While the pan is still hot add the beer and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom with a wooden spoon. Pour the beer over the short ribs.
• Add the broth, carrots, onion, celery garlic and bay leaves to the short ribs and set the slow cooker to high. Cook for 4 hours, until the beef is tender and nearly falling apart. Discard the bay leaves.
• If using gremolata mix the parsley, garlic and orange zest. Serve the beef (along with some of the reduced sauce) over soft polenta or mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with gremolata (if using).

This recipe makes about 4 servings.

This recipe is from:
Cook This, Not That! - Kitchen Survival Guide
The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution
David Zinczenko & Matt Goulding
Rodale Inc. 2010
Page 282

A New Twist on Classic Mac & Cheese

On Monday night Steve and I wanted to make some comfort food and decided to try a mac and cheese recipe from the 'Kitchen Survival Guide, Cook This Not That' cookbook that we have been trying a few recipes from.


The recipe was different that any mac and cheese we had made before because it had both prosciutto and panko bread crumbs. The recipe took awhile to make, longer than most mac and cheese recipes I have tried before; and the consistency seemed a little too milky for my liking (I prefer a really cheesy mac and cheese). And the prosciutto added a nice flavour to the dish as well (a nice salty taste to mix with the milky/cheesy taste).

On Monday night we were minimally satisfied with the end result, but when we had some for leftovers (and added more grated cheese) we found that it was much better! I would recommend trying this recipe if you are becoming bored with your usual mac and cheese recipe; however, I would suggest using less milk than the recipe calls for and adding more cheese than the recipe calls for.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 yellow onion, minced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3 cups milk (I suggest using less)
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I suggest using cheddar and using more)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lb elbow macaroni
• 2 oz prosciutto cut into this strips
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated cheese

Directions:

•  Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent (but not browned), about 3 minutes.
• Add the flour and stir to incorporate into the butter.
• Pour in the milk a few tablespoons at a time, using a whisk to incorporate the flour and prevent lumps from forming. When all the milk has been added, allow the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes, until it begins to thicken. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper.
• Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al denta, drain and return to the pot. Add the cheese sauce and prosciutto and stir to fully incorporate. Pour into a large baking dish and top with the bread crumbs and sprinkle with parmesan.
• Bake for 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil until the bread crumbs are golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes.

 This recipe makes about 6 servings.

The recipe is from:
Cook This, Not That! - Kitchen Survival Guide
The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution
David Zinczenko & Matt Goulding
Rodale Inc. 2010
Page 230

Buttermilk Banana Bread

On Sunday Steve and I went for a great walk through Hemlock Ravine Park behind our home. When we came back (2.5 hours later) we decided that we wanted to make a great snack for after dinner - banana bread. I looked up a few recipes and finally decided to use a buttermilk banana bread recipe - after making the buttermilk pancakes we had some buttermilk left and anything made with buttermilk is delicious!

The recipe overall was fairly easy to follow, the only surprising part was that it takes an hour and 20 minutes to bake! However, we committed to the recipe and decided we would just stay up a bit later to enjoy them (we started making these a little after 9pm).

The recipe turned out perfectly! The loaf was moist and had a prefect slight crust on both the tops and the sides. If you have 2 hours of free time and are looking to try a new recipe I suggest trying this one!

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 bananas)
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• Spray one 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking oil spry
• Blend together the eggs, buttermilk, oil and bananas
• Sift together the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt; then add to banana mixture
• Pour into prepared loaf pan
• Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean

 Bon appetit and enjoy!

A Little Sweet - A Little Sour

On Thursday we decided to use our slow cooker to save us some time for an end-of-the-week meal. We chose to make a recipe from the Kraft Foods website - Slow-Cooker Sweet & Sour Chicken.

Our schedules this week worked out so that Steve was able to prepare the ingredients for the meal and put them in the slow-cooker around lunch time, and when I came home from work I was able to complete the final few steps.

Overall the recipe was easy to follow and allowed us to bring in a new taste from our usual dishes - pineapple. I am not a big pineapple fan (I don't like to eat the chunks of pineapple), but I did enjoy the added flavour of the pineapple juice. I would suggest this recipe to anyone with a slow cooker that wants to make an easy sweet and sour dish.

NOTE - this recipe should yield a few servings of leftovers if you are cooking for 2 people (one less meal you'll have to cook later in the week).

Bon appetit and enjoy!

Maple Glazed Pork Chops

Tonight for supper we made Maple Glazed Pork Chops, from the Taste of Home - Winning Recipes cookbook. This was my first attempt at making a glaze and it was surprisingly easy to make.

The combination of the brown sugar and the maple glaze was an overwhelming taste that actually removed all natural taste of the pork chops and instead they simply tasted like maple candies - good if that is what you are aiming for. The taste was delicious, but it was not was I was anticipating. I would recommend that you try this recipe if you really love the taste of maple and are looking for a very sweet dinner idea. I may try this recipe again; however, it may not be right away.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup all -purpose flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 bone-in pork loin chops (we used 2 bone-removed pork chops)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar (we doubled this)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup (we doubled this)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch (we doubled this)
• 3 tablespoons water (we double this)
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar

Directions:

• In a large resealable plastic bag, combine flour, salt and pepper. Add pork chops and shake to coat. In a skillet, brown chops on both sides in butter. Place in an ungreased baking pan. Bake uncovered at 450 for 20-25 minutes.
•  Meanwhile, in a skillet, bring the vinegar to a boil. Reduce heat; add maple syrup. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth (you must do this before you add it to the vinegar/maple syrup mixture); then add to maple syrup mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
• Place pork chops on a broiler pan; sprinkle with brown sugar. Broil 4 inches from the heat for 2-3 minutes or until sugar is melted. Drizzle with maple glaze.

This recipe can make 4 servings. We choose to make 2 servings with lots of glaze.

This recipe is from:
Taste of Home, Winning Recipes
Reader's Digest Book
Reiman Media Group Inc.
Maple-Glazed Pork Chops. Page 202

Almond Crusted Chicken with Oven Roasted Potatoes

Happy Valentines Day!

Steve and I had already made our fancy Valentines dinner on Saturday, but we still wanted to make a nice dinner for tonight, so we decided on Almond Crusted Chicken with Oven Roasted Potatoes.

I found both of these recipes on the Merck website (a long story as to how I found recipes on that site...). Anyways I found a bunch of great recipes that looked tasty and would be easy to make so I have committed to making a few in the upcoming days and weeks.

To start this meal you begin with the Oven Roasted Potatoes. This recipe is really easy, the only factor that may be difficult for some people is that the potatoes need to be in the oven for 45 minutes (not a quick meal idea). And for me it is difficult to cut uncooked potatoes (I almost cut each of my hands off several times through this process). The potatoes turned out perfectly, and the parsley on them really helps to compliment the flavors of the almonds and thyme in the chicken.

The chicken was very simple to make and really seems like just an extension of the classic 'shake-n-bake' concept.

Overall this meal was really easy to make (I even did it while on a conference call!). I will keep a copy of both recipes close by and will most likely work to incorporate them into another meal soon.

Please click the links below for the recipes:
Almond Crusted Chicken

Bon appetit and enjoy!

Warm Up with a Bowl of Spaghetti with Zesty Bolognese

This is the first weekday meal creation that my blog is featuring. Tonight's meal was Spaghetti with Zesty Bolognese. This recipe can be found directly from the Kraft Foods website (a great place to go for quick meal ideas).

I have made the Zesty Bolognese Spaghetti Sauce several times before and have absolutely loved it. The added flavour that the Kraft Left Zesty Italian Dressing provides really makes the usual canned spaghetti sauce taste that much better (I prefer Ragu with ground beef). And of course, adding the cream cheese adds the perfect amount of creamy texture to make this meal great for all of the cold winter nights that Halifax has been having lately.

Tonight we also made a lasagna for a pot luck that Steve's office is having tomorrow. We decided to double the Zesty Bolognese sauce and use it in the lasagna as well. One tip that I want to pass along is that if you are doubling the recipe, you may not want to use two complete jars of pasta sauce, perhaps just one and a half, as using two may result in the sauce becoming too runny and it will take far too long to thicken to the desired consistency. Using this sauce for lasagna works really well and usually has everyone coming back for seconds!

I recommend trying the pasta sauce for the next cold winter day that we have - it will leave your tummy full and your mouth happy! Bon appetit and enjoy!

Fluffy Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Pancakes

This morning we decided to make buttermilk chocolate chip pancakes again. The recipe is really easy (which is something I aim for in all my recipes - great results but not too complicated to get them).


We don't have a griddle, so we just use 2 frying pans. The secret we have found to making them perfect is to cool each pan down once it has been used. If we kept reusing the pan, without cooling it down, it was too hot and would scorch the pancake and leave the middle uncooked. I also opt to use my electric mixer to get the batter just right.

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 cup of flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons butter (soft)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
• oil/cooking spray for pan(s)

Directions:

• Beat egg
• Add buttermilk and beat again
• Add butter and vanilla extract, beat again
• Add all dry ingredients, beat again
• Fold in chocolate chips
• Coat pan with oil, set to medium heat
• Drop 2 tablespoons of batter onto pan for each pancake. Do not flip pancakes until bubbles start to form on the top of the pancake and they pop

Valentine's Dinner - Part 3

Welcome to the final post for our 2012 Valentine's dinner. This post is dedicated to the final course which was Chicken Tarragon and Garlic and Herb Mashed Potatoes.

The Chicken Tarragon dish was the one I was referring to in a previous post, when I mentioned that one of the recipes had been tried before at a cooking class. Steve and I first tried our hands at this recipe at a cooking class at The Halifax Club. I have gone to several cooking classes there and have always enjoyed what I have made and usually choose at least one dish to try at home at a later date. The French Cuisine cooking class in January had a variety of tasty dishes and the one that Steve and I were in charge of making was the Chicken Tarragon. At the class we made the recipe for 18 people and it was delicious! Last night we made the dish and scaled it down for just the two of us and it tasted exactly like it did at the cooking class. This recipe is once again, easy to make, and has a great taste. If you haven't cooked with tarragon before, I suggest that you try this recipe as a great intro to the flavour.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 4 sprigs fresh tarragon
• 2 shallots chopped
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons port or red wine
• 1 tablespoon butter
• salt and pepper
• cooking oil spray

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375F
• Coat pyrex dish with with cooking oil spray
• Sprinkle the chicken with tarragon, chopped shallots, salt and pepper
• Roast for 25-30 minutes in the oven
• Simmer chicken stock in saucepan
• Combine the port with the cornstarch (mix well), then slowly add to the chicken stock
• Add butter to the chicken stock/cornstarch/port, stir well and boil at high heat until sauce has thickened. Add a pinch of tarragon
• Pour the liquid over the chicken

The garlic and herb mashed potatoes are my own recipe. I have always loved mashed potatoes and enjoy adding little extra ingredients to them to help compliment a meal. For this meal I decided to incorporate garlic and herb cream cheese because it would blend well with the tastes of tarragon in the chicken dish.

Ingredients:

• 3 potatoes
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup of milk (depending on the texture you prefer)
• 3 tablespoons of Philadelphia garlic and herb cream cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Boil large pot of water and add in the 3 peeled potatoes
• When the potatoes are cooked through, drain water
• Slowly add milk and begin mashing potatoes
• Add cream cheese and continue mashing potatoes
• Add salt and pepper to taste

 The complete Valentine's dinner was delicious and was entertaining to make (I also enjoyed having the opportunity to test out specific settings on my camera to help highlight aspects of the cooking process and end results). Our first Valentine's dinner adventure was a great success and we are looking forward to making more tasty treats and delectable dishes.

Bon appetit and enjoy!

Valentine's Dinner - Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of our 2012 Valentine's dinner.

This post is dedicated to the creation of the 3-Cheese Ravioli with Cherry Tomatoes that we made for our appetizer. The recipe is from a very interesting cookbook (a spontaneous Christmas gift that I bought for Steve that has really been useful) 'Cook This, Not That - Kitchen Survival Guide'. This is part of the Men's Health collection of tips to help build a better you. I really like this book because it showcases a lot of meals that so many of us would choose at a restaurant, but it shows you ways to make it at home and to cut down on calories and fat, but doesn't lose any of the flavour.

This was both mine and Steve's first time making our own ravioli, so we decided to use this recipe, because instead of making the pasta from scratch (seemed somewhat daunting because we are beginner chefs) it suggested we use wonton wrappers. Both Steve and I absolutely love ravioli so we were keen to have this for our great cooking adventure for Valentines dinner. I am happy to say that this recipe works very well and the sauce is amazingly simple but is bursting with rich flavours.

Here is the ingredients:

• 1 cup part-skim ricotta
• 1/2 cup mozzarella
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan (+ more if you want to sprinkle on top after)
• 28 wonton wrappers
• 2 egg whites lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes (combination of yellow and red make the dish look very nice)
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves (we opted to use freeze dried basil)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Mix the first three cheese together. Working on a clean, floured surface, lay down a single wonton wrapper and place a spoonful of the cheese mixture in the center, being careful not to over stuff. Paint the edges of the wrappers with egg white, then top with another wonton wrapper. Press firmly around the edges to secure the filling inside the ravioli. Repeat to create 24 ravioli.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the tomatoes and garlic for 5-7 minutes until the tomatoes are lightly colored on the outside and are almost ready to burst. Use a fork to lightly crush a few tomatoes to give this a more sauce like quality. Add the basil and remove from the heat.
• Salt the boiling water and turn down the heat to medium so that it's gently boiling. Carefully drop in the ravioli and cook for 3 minutes, then drain. Place on a plate and drizzle the tomatoes, garlic and oil over the top. Add more basic and parmesan if you like.

And here is the final product:

Bon appetit and enjoy!

This recipe is from:
Cook This, Not That! - Kitchen Survival Guide
The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution
David Zinczenko & Matt Goulding
Rodale Inc. 2010
Page 202

Valentine's Dinner - Part 1

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Steve and I decided we wanted to put our newly owned culinary skills to use for Valentines Day. We decided awhile ago that we would create a meal of new recipes we had not yet tried at home (we did try one recipe at a cooking class before) and we would do this on the Saturday before Valentines Day (knowing that we could not realistically create this meal on a Tuesday night after work). The results were great and this post and the following post will provide the recipes and photos from our great creations.

To start off our Valentines Day meal we decided to pick up a bottle of red wine. We choose 'Queen of Hearts'. This is a Pinot Noir from California's Santa Barbara County. This was a first-time-purchase for us (NSLC) but we did try it recently at the Decadence event at Casino Nova Scotia on February 2, 2012. This red is silky and has strawberry, raspberry and cola aromas - we highly recommend it!

Now onto the preparation of the meal. We decided to make 3-Cheese Ravioli with Cherry Tomatoes for our appetizer, and have Chicken Tarragon with Garlic and Herb Mashed Potatoes for our main course.

The next post will feature making the 3-Cheese Ravioli with Cherry Tomatoes, and the post following that will feature the Chicken Tarragon with Garlic and Herb Mashed Potatoes.

Cheesy Mozza Sticks

Instead of going out on Valentines Day for dinner, we decided that we would dedicate today to trying a few new recipes. This morning we started a late breakfast of buttermilk chocolate chip pancakes and strawberries. Our intention was to relax for the afternoon and then start on the great dinner we have planned (another post will be dedicated to the dinner); however, we started to get peckish around 4pm and decided to try making our own mozza sticks.

The recipe was very easy and the result was perfect - a great little Saturday afternoon  snack!

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 2 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 12 sticks string cheese
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 cup marinara or spaghetti sauce

NOTE - we used cheese strings (bag of 8) and used spaghetti sauce and dill pickle dip for our dipping options.

Directions:

• Beat eggs and water
• In a plastic bag combine bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, pepper
• Coat cheese strings in flour, dip in egg mixture, coat in dry ingredient mixture
• Repeat for each cheese string
• Preheat oven to 400, bake for 6-8 minutes, let cool for 3-5 minute
• Serve with sauce(s) of choice

The recipe is from:
Taste of Home - Winning Recipes / Reader's Digest Book
Reiman Media Group Inc. 2010
Appetizers & Beverages
Mozzarella Sticks
Page 19

Welcome!

Welcome to the most delicious blog in Halifax!

I am starting my blog today; however, I have been in the routine of trying new recipes and taking pictures of the completed dish for a few months now. Each Sunday I aim to create a list of recipes for each night of the upcoming week (factoring in that some nights I will need to eat leftovers too). I hope that you will enjoy looking forward to the meals, seeing their recipes and the final dishes, as much as I do.

Bon appetit and enjoy!