Mr. E & me sitting in a tree. . .

{.....K-I-S-S-I-N-G.....}

These cookies are inspired by my sister and her hubby who carve their initials in a tree wherever they live. {Insert "aww..." here.}

 
If you are ever on an Army base in Hawaii, and see a tree with a M + M carved on it, that's them. ;)

Even if you don't make the trees, the little initial hearts are about the easiest Valentine cookies EVER!  Just outline, flood and, the next day, use a food coloring pen to write on initials.  Easy Peasy.
 
The make the trees you'll need:

• tree-shaped cookies (see below)
• royal icing in tinted with AmeriColor Leaf Green, Chocolate Brown and Super Red
• disposable piping bags
• squeeze bottles
• #2 decorating tips
• toothpicks
• AmeriColor Gourmet Food Writers (food coloring pens)

 
Cut out cookies using a circle cutter and with a knife, cut a thin rectangle.  Smoosh (technical term) together before baking to make a tree shape.


Once the cookies have cooled, outline the top of the tree and the trunk of the tree using #2 tips.  Pipe a heart in the center of the trunk. (The red icing won't be used until the next day, cover with plastic wrap, pressing onto the icing, and store in the fridge.)

Reserve some piping consistency green icing. Thin the brown and remaining green icing with water, a teaspoon at a time, stirring until it reaches the consistency of thick syrup.  Cover with a damp dish towel and set aside.

After several minutes, stir the icings gently with a rubber spatula to pop and air bubbles that have risen to the surface.  Transfer to squeeze bottles.

 
Flood the tree top with the thinned green icing and the tree trunk in brown.  Use a toothpick to guide into edges and pop air bubbles.

 
Wait at least one hour, then with the #2 tip, pipe grass on the bottom of the trunk.  Let dry overnight.


With a fan brush and Chocolate Brown food coloring thinned with water, add the wood grain.  To make the wood grain, I used a technique I learned from Renee. You can see her wood grain on cookies video on University of Cookie (she's so good).


Thin the red icing with water, as described above and fill in the heart.

Let dry overnight.

The next day, use the food coloring pens to write on initials.

Have you ever carved your initials in a tree?  I'm thinking Mr. E & I need to.

{.....K-I-S-S-I-N-G.....}

These cookies are inspired by my sister and her hubby who carve their initials in a tree wherever they live. {Insert "aww..." here.}

 
If you are ever on an Army base in Hawaii, and see a tree with a M + M carved on it, that's them. ;)

Even if you don't make the trees, the little initial hearts are about the easiest Valentine cookies EVER!  Just outline, flood and, the next day, use a food coloring pen to write on initials.  Easy Peasy.
 
The make the trees you'll need:

• tree-shaped cookies (see below)
• royal icing in tinted with AmeriColor Leaf Green, Chocolate Brown and Super Red
• disposable piping bags
• squeeze bottles
• #2 decorating tips
• toothpicks
• AmeriColor Gourmet Food Writers (food coloring pens)

 
Cut out cookies using a circle cutter and with a knife, cut a thin rectangle.  Smoosh (technical term) together before baking to make a tree shape.


Once the cookies have cooled, outline the top of the tree and the trunk of the tree using #2 tips.  Pipe a heart in the center of the trunk. (The red icing won't be used until the next day, cover with plastic wrap, pressing onto the icing, and store in the fridge.)

Reserve some piping consistency green icing. Thin the brown and remaining green icing with water, a teaspoon at a time, stirring until it reaches the consistency of thick syrup.  Cover with a damp dish towel and set aside.

After several minutes, stir the icings gently with a rubber spatula to pop and air bubbles that have risen to the surface.  Transfer to squeeze bottles.

 
Flood the tree top with the thinned green icing and the tree trunk in brown.  Use a toothpick to guide into edges and pop air bubbles.

 
Wait at least one hour, then with the #2 tip, pipe grass on the bottom of the trunk.  Let dry overnight.


With a fan brush and Chocolate Brown food coloring thinned with water, add the wood grain.  To make the wood grain, I used a technique I learned from Renee. You can see her wood grain on cookies video on University of Cookie (she's so good).


Thin the red icing with water, as described above and fill in the heart.

Let dry overnight.

The next day, use the food coloring pens to write on initials.

Have you ever carved your initials in a tree?  I'm thinking Mr. E & I need to.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Surgical Re-cap...

I survived surgery.  We all knew I would!!  If you follow me on Twitter, you already know that it was a bit of an ordeal though.

I got to the hospital and had the following people descend on me all at once: the pre-op nurse, the surgical nurse, the surgeon, two of his residents, the anesthesiologist and one of his residents.  I don't know what the deal was...but they had me into the surgical suite before they even put my IV in!  I've seen how smoothly things are supposed  to run while there for my mom's surgeries.

It seems that I threw up while unconscious in the surgical suite.  Luckily, I didn't aspirate anything!  However, I did throw up again in the recovery room.  Go me!!

Despite antibiotics, and a host of other meds - the surgeon was unpleasantly surprised by how bad my gallbladder was when he got in there.  I was blessed that they still did the procedure laparoscopically - but they had to open up one of the incisions a lot wider than normal to get the organ out.  That means that I am at risk for a hernia.  No shoveling or picking up anything over five pounds for a couple of months (and I have to be careful bending over), and my recovery is going to take longer than I had hoped.

I look forward to getting back to normal...but in the meantime, Percocet is my friend!

And...while I was having surgery....
My mom is in London and tripped over a cobblestone and fell.  She ended up breaking her shoulder (she swears she feels fine now) and chipped a tooth. Then, my great uncle passed away.  We all knew it was coming; I just wish that our family hadn't had such a colossally bad day!

I survived surgery.  We all knew I would!!  If you follow me on Twitter, you already know that it was a bit of an ordeal though.

I got to the hospital and had the following people descend on me all at once: the pre-op nurse, the surgical nurse, the surgeon, two of his residents, the anesthesiologist and one of his residents.  I don't know what the deal was...but they had me into the surgical suite before they even put my IV in!  I've seen how smoothly things are supposed  to run while there for my mom's surgeries.

It seems that I threw up while unconscious in the surgical suite.  Luckily, I didn't aspirate anything!  However, I did throw up again in the recovery room.  Go me!!

Despite antibiotics, and a host of other meds - the surgeon was unpleasantly surprised by how bad my gallbladder was when he got in there.  I was blessed that they still did the procedure laparoscopically - but they had to open up one of the incisions a lot wider than normal to get the organ out.  That means that I am at risk for a hernia.  No shoveling or picking up anything over five pounds for a couple of months (and I have to be careful bending over), and my recovery is going to take longer than I had hoped.

I look forward to getting back to normal...but in the meantime, Percocet is my friend!

And...while I was having surgery....
My mom is in London and tripped over a cobblestone and fell.  She ended up breaking her shoulder (she swears she feels fine now) and chipped a tooth. Then, my great uncle passed away.  We all knew it was coming; I just wish that our family hadn't had such a colossally bad day!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Spice Temple II

I know I've blogged Spice Temple before, but I really, really like it!  Encouraged by a tasty and cheaper-than-expected first visit to the Melbourne Spice Temple, and keen to try more from the menu, we visited again a few weeks later with a couple of friends.

Spice Temple
Crown Complex
8 Whiteman Street
Southbank 3006
Ph: (03) 8679-1888
Website

One of our friends was running a little late, so we started in the bar with some cocktails.

SNAKE - Field raspberries & orgeat with dry vermouth and sake - $17

Apart from the incredibly delicious Pig (a pitcher of sparkling wine, gin and lychees), we ordered a refreshing Snake.  Orgeat is a sweet syrup made from almonds, sugar and orange-blossom water.  I'd never tried it before, and when I asked what it tasted like, the waitress brought over a small spoon of it so that I could try some before committing to a whole cocktail - how nice of her!  It was slightly fragrant but not overpowering, and I then happily ordered the cocktail.  In another moment of helpfulness, the waitress turned up the lamp on the table when she saw we were taking pictures.

My friend Adri wasn't drinking, so ordered a green apple and jasmine drink from the non-alcoholic section of the menu.  It was a little pricey at $9, but I think it's great when a restaurant makes an effort to provide varied and interesting options for non-drinkers.

Green apple and jasmine - $9 

And now, what you've been waiting for... the food!  Between 4 of us, we got 2 starters, 4 mains, a vegetable side dish and 3 desserts.  In hindsight it was a bit too much - I guess our eyes were bigger than our stomachs!  Interestingly, on this, our second visit, they were offering one of the 24-hour notice dishes: the tea-smoked chicken with black vinegar.  I wonder if patrons had been complaining that they didn't know about the 24-hour notice dishes when they arrived...?  (I remember I-Hua wished she'd known about them when she visited!)

We didn't try the tea-smoked chicken, but we sure did eat a lot of chicken that night!

From the "Salads and Cold Cuts" section of the menu, we ordered the strange flavour white cut chicken.  A tender piece of boneless rolled chicken was covered in a punchy sauce.  (The  "strange flavour" name is a literal translation from the Chinese, which refers to the untraditional combination of chilli and black sesame paste).

Strange Flavour White Cut Chicken - $18

I can never resist a fried chicken wing, and Spice Temple's spice fried chicken wings were fabulous!  The meat was incredibly juicy and tender, and the salty coating was surprisingly soft.  It was an extremely generous serving too!  A winner all around.

Spice fried chicken wings with heaven facing chillies - $21

You may remember the 3-shot chicken from my visit to Spice Temple Sydney, a dish which I think I enjoy more for its theatricality than anything else.  I thought it would be a great dish to impress the one friend in our group who'd never been to the restaurant.  (You can see her taking a picture with her iPhone, ready to be uploaded on Facebook!)

The 3 shots in question are Tsingtao beer, chilli oil and soy sauce.  Our waiter poured them over the chicken in a claypot...

... and allowed it to bubble up on a gas burner.

Three shot chicken - Beer, chilli and soy - $35

Although we all loved the theatre of the dish, we didn't enjoy eating it as much as last time; for some reason it was overpoweringly salty.  We couldn't taste the beer or the chilli oil at all.

Much, much tastier was the hot and numbing crispy duck, suggested by our waiter as "the best thing on the menu".  It comprised a boneless rolled duck fillet (rather like the strange flavour chicken, come to think of it!), crispily fried and sitting atop a stickily sweet sauce with a dusting of Szechuan pepper.  Amazing.

Hot and numbing crispy duck - $39

Mmm... duck...

We couldn't visit Spice Temple without ordering the hot, sweet and sour numbing pork, despite it being so similar to the duck.  Twice the deliciousness, I say!

Hot, sweet, sour and numbing pork - chilli, sugar, black vinegar and Sichuan peppercorn - $30 

I must say I was a little disappointed when it came out though, as the serving size seems to have shrunk significantly since the last time.  When I quizzed my waiter about it, he said that they reduced the portion size after noticing that lots of customers - gasp! - couldn't finish the whole dish and would let the rest go to waste. For shame, Melbourne diners!

With all that deep-fried food, we definitely needed a bit of green.  This came in the form of a simple yet perfectly executed plate of gai laan with oyster sauce.

Chinese broccoli with house made oyster sauce - $12

Next up (we're nearly there guys!) was a ma po dish made with wagyu beef.  (Our visit was in November last year, and this dish doesn't appear to be on the menu any more, but I'm sure there are still lots of other great dishes!)  They brought it to the table like so...

Mao po tofu with wagyu beef - $40 

... and then stirred it up for us!

When she brought it over, our waitress asked if I'd like to take a photo of it before she stirred it up.  So nice! I'm not sure if it was lucky hiring, or if Spice Temple do a great training program, but their waitstaff are so considerate and well-informed!

And finally... dessert!  Yes, yes, I know there was a lot of food, but when you have four good friends together, and 3 of them happen to be Malaysian... well, yes, we eat a lot.

My friend An chose the mango pudding.  Look at that!  Just a little different from the heart-moulded mango pudding you get at yum cha, don't you think?  I loved the presentation and the crunchy sesame tuilles.  The mousse itself was fresh-tasting and light - a great dessert after a heavily spiced meal.

Mango pudding with condensed milk chantilly - $14

We also ordered 2 (yes, 2) caramel, chocolate and peanut parfaits.  Delicious, as usual, but I was unpleasantly surprised to see frosty bits of ice atop one of them.

Caramel chocolate and peanut parfait - $18

The dinner was, overall, quite a bit more expensive than our first visit, but we did order a heck of a lot more!  I'm sure you'll be more sensible if you visit.  Indeed you should - great service, buzzy atmosphere, delicious and original food. What more would you want?

I know I've blogged Spice Temple before, but I really, really like it!  Encouraged by a tasty and cheaper-than-expected first visit to the Melbourne Spice Temple, and keen to try more from the menu, we visited again a few weeks later with a couple of friends.

Spice Temple
Crown Complex
8 Whiteman Street
Southbank 3006
Ph: (03) 8679-1888
Website

One of our friends was running a little late, so we started in the bar with some cocktails.

SNAKE - Field raspberries & orgeat with dry vermouth and sake - $17

Apart from the incredibly delicious Pig (a pitcher of sparkling wine, gin and lychees), we ordered a refreshing Snake.  Orgeat is a sweet syrup made from almonds, sugar and orange-blossom water.  I'd never tried it before, and when I asked what it tasted like, the waitress brought over a small spoon of it so that I could try some before committing to a whole cocktail - how nice of her!  It was slightly fragrant but not overpowering, and I then happily ordered the cocktail.  In another moment of helpfulness, the waitress turned up the lamp on the table when she saw we were taking pictures.

My friend Adri wasn't drinking, so ordered a green apple and jasmine drink from the non-alcoholic section of the menu.  It was a little pricey at $9, but I think it's great when a restaurant makes an effort to provide varied and interesting options for non-drinkers.

Green apple and jasmine - $9 

And now, what you've been waiting for... the food!  Between 4 of us, we got 2 starters, 4 mains, a vegetable side dish and 3 desserts.  In hindsight it was a bit too much - I guess our eyes were bigger than our stomachs!  Interestingly, on this, our second visit, they were offering one of the 24-hour notice dishes: the tea-smoked chicken with black vinegar.  I wonder if patrons had been complaining that they didn't know about the 24-hour notice dishes when they arrived...?  (I remember I-Hua wished she'd known about them when she visited!)

We didn't try the tea-smoked chicken, but we sure did eat a lot of chicken that night!

From the "Salads and Cold Cuts" section of the menu, we ordered the strange flavour white cut chicken.  A tender piece of boneless rolled chicken was covered in a punchy sauce.  (The  "strange flavour" name is a literal translation from the Chinese, which refers to the untraditional combination of chilli and black sesame paste).

Strange Flavour White Cut Chicken - $18

I can never resist a fried chicken wing, and Spice Temple's spice fried chicken wings were fabulous!  The meat was incredibly juicy and tender, and the salty coating was surprisingly soft.  It was an extremely generous serving too!  A winner all around.

Spice fried chicken wings with heaven facing chillies - $21

You may remember the 3-shot chicken from my visit to Spice Temple Sydney, a dish which I think I enjoy more for its theatricality than anything else.  I thought it would be a great dish to impress the one friend in our group who'd never been to the restaurant.  (You can see her taking a picture with her iPhone, ready to be uploaded on Facebook!)

The 3 shots in question are Tsingtao beer, chilli oil and soy sauce.  Our waiter poured them over the chicken in a claypot...

... and allowed it to bubble up on a gas burner.

Three shot chicken - Beer, chilli and soy - $35

Although we all loved the theatre of the dish, we didn't enjoy eating it as much as last time; for some reason it was overpoweringly salty.  We couldn't taste the beer or the chilli oil at all.

Much, much tastier was the hot and numbing crispy duck, suggested by our waiter as "the best thing on the menu".  It comprised a boneless rolled duck fillet (rather like the strange flavour chicken, come to think of it!), crispily fried and sitting atop a stickily sweet sauce with a dusting of Szechuan pepper.  Amazing.

Hot and numbing crispy duck - $39

Mmm... duck...

We couldn't visit Spice Temple without ordering the hot, sweet and sour numbing pork, despite it being so similar to the duck.  Twice the deliciousness, I say!

Hot, sweet, sour and numbing pork - chilli, sugar, black vinegar and Sichuan peppercorn - $30 

I must say I was a little disappointed when it came out though, as the serving size seems to have shrunk significantly since the last time.  When I quizzed my waiter about it, he said that they reduced the portion size after noticing that lots of customers - gasp! - couldn't finish the whole dish and would let the rest go to waste. For shame, Melbourne diners!

With all that deep-fried food, we definitely needed a bit of green.  This came in the form of a simple yet perfectly executed plate of gai laan with oyster sauce.

Chinese broccoli with house made oyster sauce - $12

Next up (we're nearly there guys!) was a ma po dish made with wagyu beef.  (Our visit was in November last year, and this dish doesn't appear to be on the menu any more, but I'm sure there are still lots of other great dishes!)  They brought it to the table like so...

Mao po tofu with wagyu beef - $40 

... and then stirred it up for us!

When she brought it over, our waitress asked if I'd like to take a photo of it before she stirred it up.  So nice! I'm not sure if it was lucky hiring, or if Spice Temple do a great training program, but their waitstaff are so considerate and well-informed!

And finally... dessert!  Yes, yes, I know there was a lot of food, but when you have four good friends together, and 3 of them happen to be Malaysian... well, yes, we eat a lot.

My friend An chose the mango pudding.  Look at that!  Just a little different from the heart-moulded mango pudding you get at yum cha, don't you think?  I loved the presentation and the crunchy sesame tuilles.  The mousse itself was fresh-tasting and light - a great dessert after a heavily spiced meal.

Mango pudding with condensed milk chantilly - $14

We also ordered 2 (yes, 2) caramel, chocolate and peanut parfaits.  Delicious, as usual, but I was unpleasantly surprised to see frosty bits of ice atop one of them.

Caramel chocolate and peanut parfait - $18

The dinner was, overall, quite a bit more expensive than our first visit, but we did order a heck of a lot more!  I'm sure you'll be more sensible if you visit.  Indeed you should - great service, buzzy atmosphere, delicious and original food. What more would you want?

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Olive You! (Martini & Olive Valentine Cookies)

Olive you!

I've made these martini cookies before, but they needed an update (and new pictures).  And they needed giant olives....with heart-shaped pimientos. 

{Because nothing says "Valentine" like a heart-shaped pimiento.}

The idea came from a Valentine card that I gave Mr. E a few years ago.

{Sure sign cookies have taken over your life?  Everything you see becomes a cookie.}

To make the martinis, you'll need:

• martini glass shaped cookies (if you don't have a cutter, use a template.)
• royal icing tinted with AmeriColor Bright White, Super Red, Deep Pink, Avocado
• disposable piping bags
• squeeze bottles
• tips in #2, #1 and #12
• toothpicks

 

With a #2 tip, outline the cookies in white.

Reserve some piping consistency red icing.  Thin the pink and remaining red icing with water, a teaspoon at a time, stirring until it reaches the consistency of thick syrup.  Cover with a damp dish towel and set aside.

After several minutes, stir the icings gently with a rubber spatula to pop and air bubbles that have risen to the surface.  Transfer to squeeze bottles.

Flood most of the martini glass with the thinned pink icing, leaving a little room at the top.

Flood the top of the glass and the bottom of the stem in white.  Use a toothpick to guide to the edges.

Let sit 1 hour.

Using a #1 tip, pipe the arrow swizzle stick.

With the #12 tip, pipe the olive with avocado icing.

Directly on top of the olive, pipe a heart with the red icing.

Let dry overnight before packaging.

♥Cheers, you guys!  Happy Valentine's WEEK! ♥

Olive you!

I've made these martini cookies before, but they needed an update (and new pictures).  And they needed giant olives....with heart-shaped pimientos. 

{Because nothing says "Valentine" like a heart-shaped pimiento.}

The idea came from a Valentine card that I gave Mr. E a few years ago.

{Sure sign cookies have taken over your life?  Everything you see becomes a cookie.}

To make the martinis, you'll need:

• martini glass shaped cookies (if you don't have a cutter, use a template.)
• royal icing tinted with AmeriColor Bright White, Super Red, Deep Pink, Avocado
• disposable piping bags
• squeeze bottles
• tips in #2, #1 and #12
• toothpicks

 

With a #2 tip, outline the cookies in white.

Reserve some piping consistency red icing.  Thin the pink and remaining red icing with water, a teaspoon at a time, stirring until it reaches the consistency of thick syrup.  Cover with a damp dish towel and set aside.

After several minutes, stir the icings gently with a rubber spatula to pop and air bubbles that have risen to the surface.  Transfer to squeeze bottles.

Flood most of the martini glass with the thinned pink icing, leaving a little room at the top.

Flood the top of the glass and the bottom of the stem in white.  Use a toothpick to guide to the edges.

Let sit 1 hour.

Using a #1 tip, pipe the arrow swizzle stick.

With the #12 tip, pipe the olive with avocado icing.

Directly on top of the olive, pipe a heart with the red icing.

Let dry overnight before packaging.

♥Cheers, you guys!  Happy Valentine's WEEK! ♥

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

How to Pipe Letters with Royal Icing. . . Works for Me Wednesday

Piping letters on cookies.....it still makes me nervous. 

Now, my piping still isn't perfect, but here are a few tips I've learned along the way.

• Use the smallest round tip you feel comfortable with. (I know that ends in a preposition, but "with which you are comfortable" just seemed too fancy.) I like to use a #1 tip.  The larger tip you use, the more likely the letters are to spread.
• Fresh royal icing is important.  Royal icing can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, but it loses some of its stiffness.  For the most exact lettering, make your royal icing the day you'll be piping.

• Write down the name or word to be piped on paper.  Make sure you've spelled it correctly and look at it every so often.  Words tend to look strange when you've piped them 52 times in a row.
• Start from the middle.  Once you've written the word on paper, find the center letter.  Place that letter in the center of the cookie and work out from there.
• Practice.  Before plunking down icing on that first cookie....practice.  Practice on a paper towel or a plate or a cookie sheet.  It could be that you were thinking all CAPS, but lowercase looks better. Maybe you want to try cursive.  Try it out first.

{Remember....it's ok if the piping isn't perfect. Our cookies are made by actual humans, not robots.  Although, a cookie robot would be kind of cool.}

These piping tips work for me!  What about you? Do you agonize over piping, or something else about cookie decorating?

Piping letters on cookies.....it still makes me nervous. 

Now, my piping still isn't perfect, but here are a few tips I've learned along the way.

• Use the smallest round tip you feel comfortable with. (I know that ends in a preposition, but "with which you are comfortable" just seemed too fancy.) I like to use a #1 tip.  The larger tip you use, the more likely the letters are to spread.
• Fresh royal icing is important.  Royal icing can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, but it loses some of its stiffness.  For the most exact lettering, make your royal icing the day you'll be piping.

• Write down the name or word to be piped on paper.  Make sure you've spelled it correctly and look at it every so often.  Words tend to look strange when you've piped them 52 times in a row.
• Start from the middle.  Once you've written the word on paper, find the center letter.  Place that letter in the center of the cookie and work out from there.
• Practice.  Before plunking down icing on that first cookie....practice.  Practice on a paper towel or a plate or a cookie sheet.  It could be that you were thinking all CAPS, but lowercase looks better. Maybe you want to try cursive.  Try it out first.

{Remember....it's ok if the piping isn't perfect. Our cookies are made by actual humans, not robots.  Although, a cookie robot would be kind of cool.}

These piping tips work for me!  What about you? Do you agonize over piping, or something else about cookie decorating?

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

King Fish Flop

I am normally pretty successful in the kitchen and when I follow recipes, they are usually a fantastic hit at best and a mediocre meal at worst. Last night I felt well and truly defeated by a mere chargrilled piece of fish!

In our typical summer mid week style the menu consisted of a crispy green salad and cumin seasoned king fish cutlet with coriander salsa: easy as! I threw together the salad, zapped some spring onions, coriander, chilli, garlic, lime juice, sugar and fish sauce together for a delicious salsa and seasoned the fish with some cumin seeds.

My favourite pan from my Anolon set is the char-grill pan which I use often, so I'm far from a novice with the equipment. I let the pan heat up and put the fish cutlets on for a few minutes each side. At first I thought that the heat wasn't high enough so the flesh was getting a bit soggy. I turned them over and as they started falling apart so did my pride! Oh well, not a picture perfect dish... When it finally made the plate it looked like a boney mash potato! What had I done!? It had a mushy and chalky consistency and was one of the first inedible things I've ever made! The cutlets went into the bin to be replaced by a trusty can of tuna :-(

Pride hurt and unsatisfied I decided to investigate, as I am never one to admit defeat! Turns out that it wasn't all me! There is a parasite called Kudoa that makes king fish mushy, or milky as is the correct term! The description I found online was "as if it's already been digested!" Just shows, every day and every dish can be a learning opportunity!

I am normally pretty successful in the kitchen and when I follow recipes, they are usually a fantastic hit at best and a mediocre meal at worst. Last night I felt well and truly defeated by a mere chargrilled piece of fish!

In our typical summer mid week style the menu consisted of a crispy green salad and cumin seasoned king fish cutlet with coriander salsa: easy as! I threw together the salad, zapped some spring onions, coriander, chilli, garlic, lime juice, sugar and fish sauce together for a delicious salsa and seasoned the fish with some cumin seeds.

My favourite pan from my Anolon set is the char-grill pan which I use often, so I'm far from a novice with the equipment. I let the pan heat up and put the fish cutlets on for a few minutes each side. At first I thought that the heat wasn't high enough so the flesh was getting a bit soggy. I turned them over and as they started falling apart so did my pride! Oh well, not a picture perfect dish... When it finally made the plate it looked like a boney mash potato! What had I done!? It had a mushy and chalky consistency and was one of the first inedible things I've ever made! The cutlets went into the bin to be replaced by a trusty can of tuna :-(

Pride hurt and unsatisfied I decided to investigate, as I am never one to admit defeat! Turns out that it wasn't all me! There is a parasite called Kudoa that makes king fish mushy, or milky as is the correct term! The description I found online was "as if it's already been digested!" Just shows, every day and every dish can be a learning opportunity!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Tuesdays At The Table - Salsa Verde Pork Stew

Happy Tuesday, gang!  Surgery is coming quickly, but I didn't want to rest on my laurels.  You get a new recipe this week. This one comes courtesy of my mom.  Sorry I don't know where she found the recipe!

Honestly, I haven't tasted it - but both my dad and picky-eater brother loved it.  So it goes in the "win" column.  :-)

For you lovelies who haven't popped by since last Monday - click here to enter my CSN giveaway!

Salsa Verde Pork Stew
1 box Rotini
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/4 cups prepared salsa verde
1 can (about 15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

In medium bowl, stir together cumin, chili powder and 2 teaspoons oil. Add pork; stir to coat completely. Set aside.

Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add pork. Cook about 5 to 7 minutes until browned and cooked through, turning occasionally.  Remove from skillet; set aside.

Add onion and 2 tablespoons broth to skillet; cook and stir over medium-high heat (stirring up any browned bits from pan) about 3 minutes, until onions are crisp-tender. Stir in salsa, remaining broth, and beans. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Return pork to skillet. Heat through. Cook pasta according to package directions.  Portion pasta into individual serving dishes. Top with stew.

What's cooking in your kitchen?

Happy Tuesday, gang!  Surgery is coming quickly, but I didn't want to rest on my laurels.  You get a new recipe this week. This one comes courtesy of my mom.  Sorry I don't know where she found the recipe!

Honestly, I haven't tasted it - but both my dad and picky-eater brother loved it.  So it goes in the "win" column.  :-)

For you lovelies who haven't popped by since last Monday - click here to enter my CSN giveaway!

Salsa Verde Pork Stew
1 box Rotini
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/4 cups prepared salsa verde
1 can (about 15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

In medium bowl, stir together cumin, chili powder and 2 teaspoons oil. Add pork; stir to coat completely. Set aside.

Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add pork. Cook about 5 to 7 minutes until browned and cooked through, turning occasionally.  Remove from skillet; set aside.

Add onion and 2 tablespoons broth to skillet; cook and stir over medium-high heat (stirring up any browned bits from pan) about 3 minutes, until onions are crisp-tender. Stir in salsa, remaining broth, and beans. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Return pork to skillet. Heat through. Cook pasta according to package directions.  Portion pasta into individual serving dishes. Top with stew.

What's cooking in your kitchen?

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