Thursday, December 15, 2011

Caprese Salad




Serves 4
Preparation 5 minutes

4-6 mixed tomatoes, sliced, at room temperature

250g fresh buffalo mozzarella, torn (or baby bocconcini, sliced)

1/2 cup picked basil leaves

Dressing

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

  1. Arrange tomato slices, mozzarella and leaves on a platter. Season to taste.
  2. Dressing. In a jug, whisk all ingredients together.

Drizzle over caprese salad just before serving.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Cheese and Apple with crumble

For the cake mixture:
3 cups plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/8 cup sugar
3 drops vanilla extract in 1 tablespoon of sugar
1 pinch salt
5 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cooking oil

For Filling:
3 lbs apples
4 medium eggs
3/4 cup soft butter or margarin
1/2 cup sugar
2-3 drops lemon extract
30 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup plain flour

For crumble:
2 cups flour
3 oz ground almonds without skins
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup soft butter or margarine

1. Preheat oven ot 350 ºF
2. make the dough by mixing together the flour and baking poweder then sift into a mixing bowl and add the other ingredients. Stir with a hand mixer until all ingredients mixed then hand knead until dough becomes less sticky. Shape dough int a roll on a floured work surface. Then roll out the dough and place on a stip of aluminum foil inside a baking sheet.
3. Making the filling: wash, peel, core and cut the apples into thin segments. Arrange the apples overlapping each other on the base. Whisk egg whites with hand mixer until stiff. Put the softened butter or margarine in a mixing bowl and whisk until homogenous. Add sugar, lemon extract, egg yolk, cream cheese and flour and whisk . Fold the beaten egg whites into the cream cheese mixture and cover the apples with this mixture.
4. To make the crumple: sift flour and add almonds, sugar, cinnamon, and softened butter or margarin. Stir with hand mixer until the crumble has the right texture. Sprinkle crumble over the cheese mixture and bake in the oven for about 60 min.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Easter Bread

2 packages of dry yeast
1/2 cups luke warm water
1 1/2 cups scolded and cooled to luke warm milk
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
4-5 egg yokes
1 1/8 cup butter
6 cups flour
1 cup raisins
3 tablespoons brandy

Directions:
-dissolve the yeast into the luke warm water
-mix milk, sugar, salt, egg yokes and soft butter into a large bowl
-beat in half flour and add raisins
-add brandy and yeast
-beat in the rest of the flour
-kneed dough until smooth
-put dough into a big greased bowl and let rise for 1.5 hours
-punch down and let rise for another 2 hours
-shape it and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 min.

Enjoy

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Italian Lamb Steaks

Italian Lamb Steaks

Prep: 20mins Cook: 20mins Serves: 4

8 lamb leg steaks (Heart Smart)
2 tbsp Olive Oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/3 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp thyme leaves
2 tsp Tuscan seasoning
100g green beans, trimmed
1 Treviso radicchio, trimmed, torn
2 baby fennel, shaved
1/3 cup Deli style Vinaigrette
20gram shaved parmesan
135gram Fresh Red Peper

Tapenade, to serve

1. Preheat oven to 200° C (392 °F). Put lamb steaks into large roasting pan. Combine oil, garlic, parsley, thyme, Tuscan seasoning, salt and pepper in a bowl. Rub mixture onto steaks. Cover loosely with foil. Remove foil and roast for another further 10mins.

2. Meanwhile, cook beans in boiling water for 2 mins or until just tender. Drain and rinse under water. Combine beans, radicchio, fennel, dressing and parmesan. Toss until well combined. Serve steaks with salad and tapenade.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Canadian Stew

Canadian Stew
1 can of vegetable beef soup (Campbells Soup)
1 can of Tomato soup (Campbells Soup)
1 package of ground beef (fried)
Any herbs you may want to add
Any other veggies you may like to add
3-4 potatoes (preferably Idaho type potatoes- brown skinned ones)

Boil potatoes until tender, then drain the water; fry meat and drain grease; then add all ingredients together in a big pot and bring to a simmer. You may want to add a 1/2 cup or 1 cup of water so that the soup isn't to thick. Then serve.
Great for those cold days to warm the soul.
Not sure why it is called Canadian Stew... I got the recipe when I went on a camping trip with a church group up to Canada. So, I guess, hence the name.. lol

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Meiterranean Torta

Meiterranean Torta
Need:
-5 flour tortillas (8 in)
-1 package creamed spinach (thawed)
-1 cup crumbled feta cheese
-1 jar roasted red peppers (12 oz and drained and chopped)
-1 large tomato (chopped)
- 1 1/3 cups French Fried onions
-3 tablespoons chopped black olives
-1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350ºF. coat 8 or 9" pan with cooking spray. Place 1 tortilla in pan and spread tortilla with 3 tablespoons spinach. Top with 2 tablespoons of feta, roated pepers, tomato, french fried onions and 2 teaspoons olives.

Repeat to make 3 more layers. Place remaining tortilla on top and coat with cooking spray. Bake for 25 min or until heated through.

sprinkle top with mozzarella cheese and remaining french fried onions; bake another 5 min or until onions are golden brown