French Onion Soup

I LOVE winter (just not the snow & when it dips below 20 Degrees F *laughs*). And I just love having an excuse to enjoy winter comfort foods; because if I pig out, I can just wear a big sweater the next day (laughs). So the theme for today is all about Comfort Food. And I just could not resist posting this French Onion Soup recipe from Food52. I don’t know if it’s the broth or the cheese that makes me happy while eating this..  all I know is I love it. View the ingredient list and click above for the recipe. Another recipe coming up..

Posted by PureComplex.com

Kez’s Valentine’s Day Cupcake Recipe

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So, every year my husband and I do the same old dance around what the 14th of February means to us. We bitch and whine about how it’s a big, icky pink and red mess of commercialism at its best, but then we look at each other (usually always at the last minute) with raised eyebrows…could we? Should we? Would it be so bad? Thing is, I’m not one of those chicks who says, “Don’t worry about it this year…you don’t have to get me anything” and then gets mad when their partner doesn’t get them anything. I’m seriously non-plussed about the whole thing. I just read the disgusting dedications in the newspaper and laugh my arse off. Like the one year this guy sent identical messages to three different women…only, because they were identical, they were placed one after the other so it was reeeeeally obvious. BUSTED! Who doesn’t live for that kind of hilarity on Valentine’s day?? I like deciding on the couples with the grossest pet names for each other too. Too many ‘pookies’ for my liking.

*spews in own mouth a little*

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big sucker for love (quite the romantic at heart), but sometimes the scheduled PDAs get a little gross on the 14th. So many mushy, gushy posts on Facebook. There’s always that one person with OTT braggy pictures, “LOOK AT MY FIFTY DOZEN ROSES AND MY DIAMOND ENCRUSTED CUPCAKES, EVERYONE. I AM THE MOST LOVED – THE REST OF YOU CANNOT COMPARE.”

I like to celebrate a bit more quietly, I guess is all I’m saying. It’s gotta mean something to us, the couple, more than it has to mean something to everyone else we know. Who doesn’t like an excuse to show their loved ones that they care? On purpose? A little extra effort than usual? We don’t have anything to prove to anyone else.

Today I decided I had better do something. I’ve been feeling a little lovey dovey towards my husband lately (haha) and I kind of needed the excuse to make some small gestures of love, besides letting him play NBA 2K13 (or whatever it’s called) on his PS3 and letting him watch sports in the commercials of whatever I’m already watching (I am so romantic and generous).

I decided that a card and some special surprise treats would be in order. I almost chickened out, as I stood with the other scared husbands (it’s already Valentine’s Day but I know the hubby will understand because I haven’t been able to get out of the house for a few days) at the almost decimated Valentine’s Day card stand. Yes. I am a stereotypical straight man. I found a nice card that wasn’t hideous and had a nice message inside that I could add to, and the other husbands/boyfriends/booty calls and I scattered suddenly, like nothing had ever happened. I’ll keep your secret, boys. You bought that card WEEKS ago, right? *wink*

I have decided to make my husband our favourite chicken minestrone soup (sounds like a winter dinner but it’s so fresh and perfect for summer) and I am going to surprise him with some gorgeous cupcakes…

Which brings me to this…

Here’s the “recipe”* that I used to make my husband some Valentine’s Day cupcakes:

Kez’s Valentine’s Day Cupcakes (perfect baking for a stay at home mum of a toddler)

• Consider baking your no-fail, awesomely tasty cupcake recipe from scratch. Remember that you’re kidding yourself, because you have a teething one year old and no other adults in the house, plus you are using an oven.
• Go to the supermarket.
• Buy the first obviously manufactured for Valentine’s day cupcake mix that comes with little heart candies to sprinkle on top.
• Shake off any feelings of guilt at not making the ‘real’ thing – this part’s important.
• Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius. Watch out for stray toddler. He’s distracted and doesn’t notice? You just earned yourself 50 points in Awesomeness.
• The ‘recipe’ requires butter, milk and 2 eggs.
• Freak out about the fact that the butter you swore you bought last time you were at the shops has disappeared and someone has replaced an empty container into the fridge. Find the new container of butter behind the beers…
• Use up the last of the household’s milk. Oh well. Guess we’re not weaning you onto cow’s milk today, my little toddler friend (hehe actually the weaning process has been going great guns – a little cupcake related setback will not kill us). Tell husband to bring home milk. Don’t tell him why. It will ruin the surprise.
• See the instructions on the back of the mix box that say you need to use an electric mixer. Think “F**k it, instructions are for pussies” and mix it by hand because, hey, you have upper body strength now. Carrying a toddler around is hard work. Celebrate that.
• Spoon cupcake batter into patty cases.
• Lick the bowl, because hey, you didn’t have breakfast today. Totally counts.
• When you hear a knock on the door, rush to it while furiously wiping chocolate mix from your mouth (and surrounding areas). From the amused look of the guy delivering your surprise roses (from the sneaky husband!!!!!), you can deduce that you did not manage to wipe all choccy smudges off your face after all.
• Place cupcakes into the oven for 20 minutes.
• Play with your toddler, until the oven time goes off with a “BRRIIINGGGG”.
• Run after the Little Mister to the oven (he loves that “BRRIIINGGG” sound) and tell him 10 times not to touch it because it’s “Ouch! Hot!” while making a ridiculous face that is supposed to represent pain. Just when you think you’ll never be able to open the oven safely, you realise that the cupcake recipe states 20-25 minutes baking time. You’ve bought yourself a couple of minutes because you only set the timer for 20. Also, the Little Mister suddenly will become distracted and run away to play with something at the last second. Another 50 points of Awesomeness. Well done!
• Place the cupcakes on a rack to cool and take your toddler to bed for a nap. YOU WIN. EVERYONE ELSE CAN GO HOME NOW. YOU HAVE EARNT 100 POINTS OF AWESOME.
• Later, you can ice your cupcakes with the Betty Crocker frosting you bought earlier.

TA-DAAAAAAAAAAAA.

*It’s not really a recipe. I’m never going to be a food blogger, you understand? Cool.

Honestly, the way to a man’s heart is definitely through his stomach (well that’s one of two *naughty wink* – don’t read that, Mum), so I think I’m onto a winner. Also? Baking of any description, alone, with a toddler in the house? If that’s not true love, I don’t know what is!

How do you feel about Valentine’s day? Love it? Hate it? Indifferent (that’s us in a nutshell haha)?
Written by Kez

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Pancake Day recipe: cinnamon, banana and chocolate crepes - Five Minute Food

It is a universally acknowledged truth that the first pancake is always a failure. But don't be disheartened. It happens to the best chefs, too. No matter how well-greased the pan and carefully whisked the mixture, the initial effort is always flabby or misshapen.

It's probably because the pan is never quite hot enough. It needs to be almost smoking hot, so the mixture sets as soon as it hits the surface. The right kind of pan has sloping, rather than perpendicular, sides to help the turning and tossing. Many people swear by a non-stick pan, but in my ramshackle household these always get ruined (beware of husbands bearing stainless-steel spoons), even the ones with a lifetime guarantee.

A really smooth steel or cast-iron pan that does actually last a lifetime is just as good. It needs greasing, but only very lightly or the pancakes will be crisply fried rather than tender and soft. Butter inevitably burns (if it doesn't, the pan isn't hot enough) so I've taken to using vegetable oil. Brushed onto the shimmeringly hot pan with a heat-proof silicone pastry brush (keep a cup with a little oil and the brush by the hob), using just enough to give a sheen makes for prettily lacy pancakes. Compensate for any loss of flavour by adding a spoonful of melted butter to the batter.

As for the batter, consistency is key. It should be no thicker than single cream; too thick and the pancakes will be heavy. Letting the mixture sit for half an hour, or overnight, makes for a lighter result, if you can bear to wait. And don't overload the pan – swill a ladleful of mixture around the pan and, as soon as it is coated, tip any unset mixture back into the bowl.

To turn the pancake, first loosen it with a palette knife or wooden spatula. Then flip the pancake over with the spatula. Or risk it and toss. It's easier than you think – a matter of a sharp jerk with the wrist – but beware of doing it for an audience. Watch me making spinach pancakes to see what I mean. Like I say, the first one is always a failure.

Classic pancake batter (makes 4-6):

* Half a pint (a large mugful) milk 

* an egg 

* 4 heaped dessertspoons of plain flour 

* 1tsp vanilla essence (optional) 

* knob of butter

Put a frying pan on to heat with a knob of butter in it.

With a handblender or a whisk blend the milk, egg, flour and a pinch of salt.

Tip in most of the melted butter and whiz again.

Pour a ladleful of the batter into the pan, swirling it around until it coats the pan.

Cook for a few seconds, then flip it over and cook on the other side.

Repeat with the rest of the mixture.

Serve with sugar and lemons or Seville oranges to squeeze over.

For cinnamon, banana and chocolate pancakes (makes 2-3):

* pancake mix (as above) 

* a fat pinch of cinnamon 

* a banana, sliced 

* 4 squares of chocolate, chopped 

* cream to serve

Make the pancake batter as above, take half and blend in the cinnamon.

Cook a pancake, and before taking it out of the pan, sprinkle with half the chocolate and banana slices.

Fold up and serve with cream.

Repeat with the rest of the mixture.

By Xanthe Clay

RECIPE: Fava bean salad - delicious even without 'a nice Chianti'

Fresh fava beans have been showing up in local grocery stores over the last couple of weeks. These broad beans are delicious, nutty and buttery and are well worth the effort it takes to prepare them.

Like many Americans, my first exposure to fava beans came courtesy of Hannibal Lecter in "Silence of the Lambs." For me, fava beans, a nice Chianti, and that unfortunate census taker's liver are forever linked. But for Mediterraneans, fava beans have been a dietary staple for thousands of years.

Fava beans are rich in protein, iron and fiber. They've got no cholesterol and are low in sodium and fat. Oh — and they taste really, really good.

I only have one caveat when it comes to enjoying fava beans: they are a bit labor-intensive to prepare. First, you must shell the beans, removing them from their bumpy outer casing. Then drop the beans into boiling, salted water for 3-4 minutes. After the beans are nice and tender, drain them and plunge them into a bowl of ice water to shock them. After that is when the fun starts.

I recommend finding a friend or two and pouring a nice glass of wine (a Chianti, perhaps?). Removing the waxy outer covering of the fava bean takes some patience and a little bit of time. But the reward of watching the bright green bean emerge (and stealing a few to eat on the fly) is well worth it.

I snagged this recipe from The Produce Station's Facebook page. It originally comes from Food Network celebrity chef Bobby Flay. It's a perfect showcase for the fava bean, which stands at center stage, brightened by the tang of the lemon and garlic. It tastes like spring.

Bobby Flay's recipe calls for shaved Manchego cheese, but I swapped out a Detroit-made Asiago cheese from Traffic Jam & Snug. You could also use Romano if you have trouble finding Manchego or Asiago.

Fava Bean Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette and Shaved Asiago, adapted from a recipe by Bobby Flay

Ingredients

• 4 cups shucked fresh fava beans (start with about 4-5 pounds of unshucked beans)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 pound Asiago, Manchego or Romano cheese, shaved
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped flatleaf parsley

Directions

Fill a bowl with ice and water. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the shucked fava beans and cook until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and shock in ice water. Drain again and remove outer skins. Place the beans in a medium serving bowl. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, garlic and olive oil and whisk until blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the mixture over the beans and mix well. Add the cheese, sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

By JESSICA WEBSTER

Meatballs for Dinner

Ingredients:
Minced beef. 800 grams
Beef stock. 1 tablespoon/cube
Egg. x 1
Breadcrumbs. 1/4 cup
Flour. 2 tablespoons
Worcester sauce. 2 tablespoons
Tomato sauce. 3 tablespoons
Combine all ingredients … Roll into balls …
Bake in moderate to hot oven for approximately 30 minutes …
Turn once for even browning!
For the sauce:
Combine in small saucepan
Plum sauce. 1/4 cup
Tomato sauce. 1/4 cup
Worcester sauce. 4 tablespoons
Sugar. 3 teaspoons
Heat slowly until sugar is dissolved and pour over meatballs
or set in a bowl for dipping …
Alternatively grab your favourite sauce from the shop and Enjoy!

Written by WendyJC 30/1/2013

Breakfast like a king: Why a high fat bacon and eggs meal is healthiest start to the day (but only first thing)

Bacon, sausages, eggs, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, black pudding... if that's what you had for breakfast, scientists say you've chosen the healthiest way to start your day. 
No, seriously. Hot on the heels of yesterday's chocolate-is-good-for-you findings, researchers say a full English breakfast is better for the heart, waistline and blood pressure than carbohydrate-rich cereals, breads and pastries. 
It is thought that a fried breakfast sets up the metabolism for the rest of the day, making it easier to burn off other meals and snacks. 

Good for you: This high fat breakfast of sausage, bacon, eggs and beans could actually help prevent metabolic syndrome, according to a new study
Cereal, however, appears mainly to prime the body to break down only carbohydrates, the International Journal of Obesity reports. 
The U.S. researchers advocate a big, fatty breakfast for optimum health, followed by a smaller lunch and a light evening meal. 
Indeed, the old saying - 'eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper' - may be the key to a healthy body and mind. 
Their study looked at the effects of eating different types of food - and of eating them at different times in the day. 
Mice fed a high fat meal after waking remained healthy, but those given a carb-rich breakfast, followed by a fatty dinner, did not fare as well. 
They put on weight and had trouble processing sugar, raising their risk of diabetes. 
Blood tests also flagged up other problems that raised their risk of heart disease and strokes. 
Dr Martin Young, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said: 'The first meal you have appears to programme your metabolism for the rest of the day. 
Enlarge  
'This study suggests that if you ate a carbohydrate-rich breakfast it would promote carbohydrate utilisation throughout the rest of the day, whereas if you have a fat-rich breakfast, you (can) transfer your energy utilisation between carbohydrate and fat.' 
Co-researcher Professor Molly Bray added: 'Studies have looked at the type and quantity of food intake, but nobody has undertaken the question of whether the timing of what you eat and when you eat it influences body weight.' 
With most people eating a wide variety of foods throughout the day, the findings have a clear implication for the human diet. 
Professor Bray added: 'Our study seems to show that if you really want to be able to efficiently respond to mixed meals across a day, a meal in higher fat content in the morning is a good thing.' 
The research is not the first to confirm the importance of a big breakfast. 
A South American study found that women who ate half of their daily calories first thing lost more weight in the long-term than those who ate a small breakfast. 
In contrast to the U.S. study, it said eating carbs for breakfast was beneficial, with a sweet treat, such as chocolate, cutting sugar cravings later in the day. 

By FIONA MACRAE

Great Tasting Foods For Weight Loss Success

My mentor Robert Ferguson would have a picture of a grilled chicken breast and steamed broccoli. Along side the chicken he would put a very yummy picture of succulent ribs, tasty tacos, and delicious deserts. He asks a question to the crowd, “Which one would you rather eat?” There is no need to know which one the crowd would prefer. He would say that diet food is food that you won’t eat for the rest of your life. 

The point is this: you need to eat food that you like that will cause you to lose weight. You will not be successful with weight loss with foods that you don’t enjoy eating. If it came to me, I would rather eat my mom’s tacos vs. grilled chicken and steamed broccoli. Is it that simple? Yes. You need to be able to eat the foods you enjoy eating to be able to use those foods to lose weight. Any other method will probably cause you to gain the weight back.

Conventional methods of weight loss have you eating ‘diet-foods’ and performing extensive long periods of exercise. Now I’m not saying that exercise is not important. I don’t know any other form to lose calories fast and plenty of them then through exercise. What I am saying is that weight loss has to be an enjoyable process. You have to do exercise that you enjoy and can continue to do regularly. The same goes for food. You have to be able to use the foods you already enjoy so that you can lose weight. In order for weight loss to take place there are several small factors to consider such as combining your favorite foods with others that cause your body to burn fat instead of storing fat.

The principle of weight loss is the same then as it is now as will be in the future. It’s about burning more calories than what you consume. That’s why it’s important to be able to time your meals throughout the day in smaller portions. If say a person loves steak and mashed potatoes, how helpful for weight loss is a plateful of 1lb of steak and a heaping mound of buttered mash potatoes? Yet, there are plenty of restaurants that serve these tremendous disproportionate plates of food. Yet, an easier, smaller portion of food is easier to digest and will cause you to burn fat instead of storing it while enjoying the savory flavors of steak and potatoes.

The foods you enjoy are the same foods you have to use to lose weight. People are resistant to change. People don’t like change. The foods you enjoy to eat don’t have to change in order for you to lose weight and keep it off. Just take in consideration other factors so that your body is burning fat instead of storing fat.

Cap

Posted on January 25, 2013 by asyjeveh