A patio lunch at Masa (Mpls) Food Recipes

My friends/coworkers, Siobhan, Diane and I had a fabulous lunch on the patio at Masa last Friday. Masa is an upscale Mexican restaurant on Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis. With the economy in the tank, I have had a pretty strict "no dining out" policy for the past few months. It hasn't been a huge deal since I love to cook, but every once in a while I miss being waited on and not having to do the dishes.

As I mentioned in a couple posts below, Siobhan is moving to another country (Colombia to teach English) which means opportunities to sit on a patio during lunch with her are dwindling (ps. Siobhan if you are reading this PLEASE DON'T GO!!).

So when the weather was sunny and perfect last Friday we agreed to an outdoor lunch. We chose Masa because we recently discovered it has a great lunch special that they don't advertise on their website. Since most people are on a budget these days, good deals are a must! The lunch deal they have is a "choose 3 for $10" that includes tacos, mango salad, a green salad, guacomole, tortilla soup and tortas. Lunch also comes with complimentary tortilla chips with delicious tomatilla salsa.

Siobhan loves ceviche and ordered that. She said it was great.

Photo credit: Masa's website

Bakewell Slice Recipes

Bakewell is a traditional English baked dessert which consists of a short crust pastry shell, spread with jam and covered with a sponge-like filling enriched with ground almonds (known as frangipane). This famous British tart made in the picturesque town of Bakewell in the Derbyshire Peak District. It is a delicious dessert and also makes a delightful afternoon treat.

Ingredients for the crust:

1 cup flour
6 tbsp cold butter
1 tbsp sugar

Ingredients for the topping:

6 tbsp of butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup ground almonds
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup raspberry jam.
1/4 slice almonds

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degree F. Line and lightly greased a 8" x 8" square baking pan with parchment paper, overhang on both side (for easy removing your slices later)
2. In a food processor, process all the crust ingredients using the pulse action until fine and crumbly.
3. Press it evenly to the base of the baking pan. Bake it for 10 minutes, remove from oven and let it cool.
4. To make the topping, beat sugar, butter and eggs until light and creamy. Add in flour and ground almonds, mix until just combined.
5. Spread the raspberry jam to the crust, spread the topping over the jam and sprinkle the almond slices to the top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Cool completely before cutting to serve.

Tea Time! Food Recipes

"Tea tempers the spirit and harmonizes the mind, dispells lassitude and relieves fatigue; awakens thought and prevents drowsiness." (Lu Yu, 5th Century Chinese Poet)

Do you ever do something you're not looking forward to and it ends up being a lot of fun? That was my experience with "Spring Tea" at my mom's church last Sunday. She called up all the women in my family and invited us, how can you say no? So we went; my mom, aunt, sister and sister-in-law and actually had a great time. The tea was delicious, the dainty tea sandwiches were adorable and yummy and the scones were homemade. We laughed a lot and had some solid bonding time. Overall, there must have been at least 80 women at this tea and some even wore hats and brought in their own intricate tea cups!

Needless to say, it inspired me to think about hosting a tea get-together at my house with all the ladies and I can try my hand at making tea sandwiches and different herbal teas. I guess you really don't always need wine and cocktails...

Here is the menu from the "Spring Tea"

Dainty tea sandwiches
- Chicken cashew
- Egg salad
- Cucumber triangles
Strawberries and grapes
Cream scones with devonshire clotted cream (I have no idea what this is but it was freaking awesome) and lemon curd
Trifle
Tea by the pots

Here are some (not so great) pics from our tea time.

Kuih Ketayap/Crepes with Coconut Filling Recipes

This is, without a doubt, one my very favorite kuih. A soft green crepe roll that has caramelized coconut filling in it. This is one of the very first kuih (cake) I’ve learned to make during home science class. I remember my partner and I had to pound the pandan (screwpine/pandanus) leaves to make the green coloring for the batter and trying very hard to make a perfect piece of crepe as years ago we don’t have a non-stick pan.

Most of us don’t make this kuih anymore as it’s so easily available at most food courts and also from the street stalls during the morning and evenings in Malaysia but here in US we don’t have the luxury to go out and buy some so whatever we want to eat we have to make it. I prepared a whole lot of these for a pot luck BBQ party last weekend and lucky Diana is there to help me out. It turns out really good and well received by my friends.

Ingredients for crepes

1 cup of flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup of coconut milk
1 cup of water
1 tsp of salt
2 tbsp of oil
1 tsp of pandan paste

Ingredients for filling:

2 cups of grated coconut
1 piece of palm sugar (about ½ cup) – roughly chopped
¼ cup of water
A pinch of salt

1. To make the filling, in a pan combined water and palm sugar and bring it up to boil. Once sugar melted add in the grated coconut. Once the coconut is moist and shiny and all the water is absorbed, take it off the stove and set it aside to cool.
2. For the crepe, mix all the ingredients until the batter is smooth. Heat up a non-stick pan, brush the pan with a bit of oil, pour some batter to the pan and swirl the pan around so that the batter completely covers the base.
3. Cook the crepe until you see the side is lightly brown and crispy. Flip it over and cook the other side for about 20 second. Remove from pan.
4. Put some filing on the pancake and roll it up like a spring roll. Serve as dessert or for tea time.

Note: You can replace the palm sugar with brown sugar.

Dinner with good friends (and fresh pasta) Food Recipes

There is something really special about sitting at a dinner table with good friends, good food and plenty of wine. Especially when it is with a dear friend who is about to move to another country, which definitely added a bittersweet note to the evening.

Siobhan and I met a little over three years ago when she got a job at the advertising agency I work for and was seated in the work station next to me (that is really just a fancy word for cube). We instantly bonded over a love of happy hours and cooking. One of my first memories with Siobhan included frying plaintains with a delicious cilantro oil dipping sauce.

Siobhan is an amazing cook. She cooks with a lot of patience (the bolognese sauce below simmered for hours and hours) and a lot of flavor. Some of my favorite meals are ones that she cooked for me, not only because they are delicious but because they always include a lot of wine and great heart-to-heart conversations.

In addition to the bolognese sauce, Siobhan made a spring green salad with homemade vinaigrett and bought fresh pasta from Broders, a pasta bar in Minneapolis.

The recipe for the amazing bolognese sauce is from Food Network's Tyler Florence.

Shrimp Omelette Recipes

I love eggs and I can eat it everyday but I limit myself to eat not more than 3 eggs a week. This is a dish that my mom used to cook for us and it is usually served as a complimentary dish to other dishes on our dinner table. Sometimes she will add long beans, preserved radish, tomato and even pork to it. This is such a versatile dish and you can add just about anything you like to it.

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 onions – slice thinly
1 clove of garlic - chopped
8 shrimps – peel and deveined
2 spring onions – cut about 1" length
1 red chili – slice thinly
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Break eggs in a bowl, add a bit of salt and pepper to it. Beat it with a fork and set it aside.
2. Heat up some oil in a non-stick pan, add in onions, garlic, and chili and stir-fry until lightly brown and fragrant.
3. Add in shrimp, stir-fry until the shrimps turn pink, add in some salt and pepper, pour the eggs into the pan, sprinkle the spring onions on top, wait for 2-3 minutes till it is cooked through, and then flip the other side.
4. Cook for another minute and dish out. Serve with warm rice.

I heart Weddings! Food Recipes

Did I mention how much I absolutely love weddings? Planning weddings, attending weddings, reading wedding blogs, contributing to wedding forums and community boards...ever since I got engaged in September 07 I have been pretty much obsessed with weddings.

Yes, yes, weddings are really about love, the coming together of two people, etc. That's all lovely and nice and don't get me wrong, I adore my husband, but for us the wedding was also about entertaining and throwing a darn fun party. And if you are anything like my husband and I, we LOVE throwing a good party. Just ask us about our annual summer BBQ bash complete with a hot dog eating competition (we'll save that for another post).

Back to weddings, one thing I loved so much about wedding planning was determing the menu. Wedding food is so...pretty and tasty, gone are the days when you go to a wedding expecting a bland chicken buffet dinner.

We chose the University Club of St. Paul as our venue, partly because it was big enough to hold the masses (we invited the entire world to our wedding, well, at least the entire city of Napoleon, ND), it was a beautiful space and they have a great reputation for serving great food.

Here is the menu from our wedding day plus some pics, photo credits to Sewell Photography.

Alcohol

Champagne with raspberries/wine/beer/cocktails

Butler-passed hors d'oeurves

Roast tenderloin of beef with garlic croutons and roasted red pepper mayo

Moroccan chicken tenders with spicy tomato sauce

Shrimp skewers with mint pesto

Salad
Mediterranean Bread Salad
Crisp greens tossed with focaccia, roma tomato, red onion, pepperoncini, black olives, parmesan cheese and balsamic vinaigrette

Entrees
Charred New York Strip Steak (12 oz), Poblano chili cream, scallion mashed potatoes, baby carrots and roast corn pico

Breast of Chicken, chardonnay chive sauce, stuffed with spinach-truffle mousse, rosemary roasted potatoes, bouquet of vegetables

Vegetarian open-faced ravioli, balsamic tomato jus, tri-colored pasta sheets layered with shiitake mushrooms, baby artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, braised leeks, spinach, asparagus and feta cheese

Dessert

Wedding cake

Slender-tinis Food Recipes

My girlfriends and I created the Slender-tini a couple years ago when I was on my 80th Southbeach diet kick and I trying to go lo-carb. The diet sucked and I am no longer a fan of Southbeach but the Slender-tini was one good thing that came from it.

I'm sure this is a fairly common drink, so I am by no means taking credit for it. If you haven't tried it, you must, it is a favorite among my girlfriends and I because is it low-sugar/low calorie and delicious. The inspiration is the Cosmopolitan. Every girl loves a good Cosmopolitan, right? Well, sometimes for me they are a bit too, vodka-y and sweet. And sometimes you take that first sip and think to yourself, it's going to be one of those "one and done" nights out.

Slender-tinis (it's not really a martini, more a cocktail, but we always drink them out of martini glasses and they are PRETTY!)

1 shot of vodka, about 1.5 fluid ounces (good vodka like Grey Goose or one of my new favorites, Prairie-it is organic and made in MN)

2 fluid ounces of club soda

Splash of light cranberry juice

lime slice

Put all ingredients into a martini shaker with lots of ice and then strain into the glass with the lime. Drink and be fabulous!

Gorgeous Sweets Food Recipes

This post is inspired by "Daily Candy", a daily enewsletter I subscribe to that has content on fashion, food, and fun. Check them out at http://www.dailycandy.com/. Brides-to-be, they also have a site for wedding planning, www.dailycandy.com/weddings.

Check out these freaking adorable chocolate truffle cones from FireLilly. Picture them as part of a dessert buffet at a wedding, as wedding favors, or on each person's place setting as dessert for a dinner party. Totally pretty...check them out at http://firelillychocolates.com/.

Another lovely day with sun and pretty food! Food Recipes

Grilling out yesterday evening was awesome and lovely, so lovely. It was 85 degrees which equals bbq perfection. The pecorino romano/apple/crostini was very good. I don't typically like the blend of sweet and savory flavors together but many people do. Erik (my hubby) really liked it and so did the other guests. The flavor of the pecorino romano cheese with fig and apple really pair well together.

Here is the recipe (inspired by a recipe from Giada's Kitchen, New Italian Favorites). I changed the recipe up a bit and below incorporates the dish as I made it, which is slightly different in the Giada's book.

Pecorino Romano with Apples and Fig Jam

1 jar of store bought fig spread

1 granny smith apple

1 baguette (I used multi-grain), sliced

Olive oil

Pecorino Romano cheese, shaved into thin slices

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drizzle olive oil onto the bread the toast in the oven for about 7 minutes. Quarter the apple and slice off the cores. Cut each quarter into 6 thin slices.

Top each toast slide with fig jam, a slice of apple, and a piece of shaved Pecorino Romano. Transfer toasts to a platter and serve.

Submissions Food Recipes

Do you have a great recipe from a delicious meal to share? A great party with inspirational decor? A recent wedding or bridal shower? Please send 10-15 photos with a brief description to eatdrinkpretty@gmail.com. I accept submissions from vendors.

Please check out real weddings features for examples of submissions.

Thanks and I look forward to your submissions!

Contact me Food Recipes

I would love to hear from you! Please send email to eatdrinkpretty@gmail.com with any questions, comments, post requests, even criticism. I continuously strive to improve this blog and your feedback helps me do that.

Thank you!

About Eat Drink Pretty Food Recipes

{Photo credit: Red Ribbon Studio, to see more from this photo shoot click here}

I'm Jenna, the writer/creator behind Eat Drink Pretty.  I live in Minnesota with my husband Erik and cat Kody.  By day, I work in advertising but dedicate a lot of time in the evenings and weekends to this blog. 

Eat Drink Pretty is a lifestyle blog focused on cooking, baking and entertaining/party planning. This site touches on all things pretty, great recipes, baking successes and distasters, cocktails, bridal/baby showers, weddings, all types of parties and many things in between.

Why I love to cook/bake for others
My mother is a great cook and growing up I remember sitting around the dinner table as a family almost each and every night. It was one of the most important times of the day for us. Making a great meal and sharing it with my friends and family is really an expression of love.

A love for all types of food
My father is filipino and my mother is norwegion. She dove right into the art of making filipino food and my favorite meal growing up was pork meatballs with rice noodles. My sister's favorite meal was pork chops in adobo. She would sit with a spoon and sip the vinegar marinade. Rice was served at every meal, including breakfast. At a young age we were exposed to interesting food; pancit, whole fish, thin egg rolls, etc. I am sure this is why I am open to all different types of cuisine and have a love of food in general.

Parties
My love of party planning came around the time of high school. I had (still have!) a group of very close friends from then and I was always the go-to person for organizing our get togethers. My passion for parties and events really came out during my wedding planning. Ask my husband how happy he is that we are far past that! At the end of the day, however, I've realized that what matters most is the time you spend with your friends/family. Parties, events, dinner...those things bring people together. A successful party is simply one that everyone has a great time at. Inserting some gorgeous details along the way never hurt, either!

Why a blog?
Well, I was an English major in college, surprised? I'm sure if you have spent any time with this blog at all you will find that it is filled with spelling and grammar errors. What can I say? College was almost 10 years ago and you lose a lot when your only practice is via email and power point presentations. Blog-writing for me is a lot like free-writing or journal writing, which I used to be obsessed with as a teenager and into my early twenties. It feels good to write again so thank you so much for indulging me!

Please enjoy Eat Drink Pretty and don't hesitate to email me with any questions, comments, feedback to eatdrinkpretty@gmail.com. You can also follow Eat Drink Pretty on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

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Savory Pie Recipes

I made this pie with some leftovers roast chicken from our previous dinner together with some inexpensive ingredients like chopped spinach, eggs and ricotta cheese. This is one of those incredibly fast and simple meals that really come together in no time at all. I usually make my own pie crust but this time I was kind of lazy so I used store bought. This pie is great for weekdays dinner as your can make and bake it over the weekend and during the weekdays you can reheat it up just before serving.

Ingredients:

15-ounce package ready-made puff pastry
2 cups of chopped cook chicken
8 oz frozen spinach – thaw and squeeze out the water
2 tomatoes - chopped
3 eggs
1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
½ cup of milk
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1 egg – beaten (for egg wash)

1. Remove the crusts from the box and let sit at room temperature for half an hour.
2. Pre-heat oven to 375 degree F. If you are using puff pastry roll out the pastry a bit thinner and line the bottom of a 9” pie plate. Roll out the other crust and set it aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, combined chicken, spinach, tomatoes, eggs, cheese, milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper together until well combined. Spread the filling into the pie crust and place the other crust on top.
4. Crimp the edges together and make several small slits on top of the crust for the steam to escape. Brush some beaten egg on top of the crust and bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
5. Serve warm with some salad.

Note: You can use short crust pastry for this pie.

Other pies : Spinach Pie , Chicken Pot Pie

Beautiful MN weather = grilling out Food Recipes

I am heading to grill out with good friends this evening. I am making a pecorino romano fig jam and granny smith apple crostini (could that name be any longer)? Anyway, I am drooling just thinking about it. As long as it turns out (is pretty and delicious) I will post the recipe and a photo tomorrow!

Coffee/Cupcake/Bakery Hop Food Recipes

My sister Katie and I are checking out bakeries around the cities. We are trying to do one every couple weeks. Originally we wanted to taste and see yummy/pretty cupcakes but our plan has emerged a bit to include lattes (for me), lemon bars (for Katie) and quiche (for both, it is delicious). So far we have been to Cupcake in Minneapolis and Black Sheep Cafe in South Saint Paul.

These photos are from our outing to Cupcake. Adorable cupcakes, great coffee and delicious quiche.


I love Black Sheep Cafe because it is located in the city I live in (South Saint Paul) and it is a little gem of a place. They do latte/cappucino art, which is so lovely, and the drinks are delicious. We both got quiche and it was only $3.50 a slice and it was really light and tasty.
Next stop, Dorothy Ann Bakery in Woodbury. I almost got my wedding cake from there but opted for Queen of Cakes in Edina instead. My cake was awesome and delicious (red velvet, carrot and white with raspberry mousse).

Here is a pic of my lovely wedding cake.

One of the best party dips ever (seriously) Food Recipes

I'm not sure where this recipe is from but I first tried it when my brother and sister-in-law brought this dip to a get together at my parent's house. I probably ate 2 pounds of it. I know that sounds gross, but the dip is freaking delicious. Oh, and it is not healthy at all so if you are on Weight Watchers or any sort of diet just skip this post!

If you make this dip I swear you will be the hit of the party. It is one of those tried and true recipes.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

1 jar Marie's Lite Chunky Bleu Cheese dressing (this is in the cold salad section of the grocery store, not the condiments aisle)
1 8oz bag of Monterey Jack shredded cheese
3/4 cup Frank's Buffalo Sauce
1 package/block of lite cream cheese cut up into small cubes
1 package of Louis Rich pre-cooked chicken breast strips, cut up into small pieces or a rotisserie chicken cut up into small pieces

Combine all ingredients into a baking pan and bake for 30-45 on 375 degrees. Or combine all ingredients in a crock pot and simmer until everything is melted. Serve with tortilla chips and/or celery sticks.

A little obsessed about food, pretty food. Food Recipes

Welcome to my blog. I admit that I am an amateur blogger...but I had a thought the other day to start a blog and this is why. I LOVE to entertain/host, try new recipes, cook delicious food and drink pretty and fabulous cocktails. I like wine, too. A lot. Whenever I have a party or try a new recipe or bring a dish to a get-together, people always ask for the recipe. I tend to talk (obsess?) about the food I made or how pretty and tasty the cocktails were, so I thought I'd start a blog to share recipes and talk about food.

Oh, and I also recently got married and was quite obsessed (and still am) with all things wedding related, but specifically food trends and how they can influence what you serve on your big day.

The first recipe I'm posting is a lovely hot crab dip I made for a BBQ last Saturday. The recipe is from Martha Stewart's Hors D'Oeurvres Handbook (given to me as a bridal shower gift my Maid of Honor, Kristin). This recipe got tons of compliments and was delicious. You can really taste the freshly squeezed lemon juice, which pairs well with crab (duh). Lump crab is pretty spendy so I did half lump crap and half crab claw meat. I also asked one of my foodie colleagues what you could substibute lump crap meat with if you are on a budget and she suggested shrimp.

Hot Crab Dip
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium shallots, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustartd
3/4 cup half and half
8 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces
4 ounces sharp white Cheddar cheese, grated (to yield 1 1/4 cups)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teasonpoons Worcestershire sauce
10 ounces lump crabmeat, picked over for cartilage
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 2 slices bread, crusts removed, put into food processor to form crumbs
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Preheat oven to 400 degrees with the rack in the center. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of water and simmer for 30 seconds. Stir in the cayenne, Old Bay, and dry mustard until well combined. Pour the half-and-half into the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Slowly whisk in the cream cheese, a few pieces at a time. When the cream cheese is fully incorporated, whisk in the Cheddar cheese a bit at a time. Stir the mixture for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the lemon juice and Worcestershire and stir to combine. Ad the crabmeat and half of the parsley and stir. Transfer the mixture to an ovenproof baking dish and sprinkle with the bread pieces. Dot the top of the bread pieces with the remaining tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle with the paprika. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the bread pieces are golden and the dip is hot. Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve with bread or pita chips.

Baked Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Sauce Recipes

Why buy chicken nuggets when you can make this healthy oven baked chicken fingers? These chicken fingers are lightly coated with whole-grain cereal, panko, almonds and some parmesan cheese. These tasty tenders bake up crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside and paired with tangy honey mustard dipping sauce. I am sure your kids will love these and forget all about the unhealthy fast food.

Ingredients

2-3 pieces of skinless chicken breast – cut into 3/4” long strip
3 tbsp of low fat sour cream
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
½ tsp of paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of whole-grain corn cereal or any type of cereal – crush with a rolling pin
½ cup of panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup of slice almond
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Honey-Mustard Sauce

3 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp low fat mayonnaise
2 tbsp of lemon juice
2 tbsp honey

1. In a mixing bowl, marinate chicken with sour cream, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper for at least an hour.
2. Pre-heat oven to 400 degree F. Prepare baking sheet, line it with aluminum foil. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the baking sheet.
3. Combined cereal, panko, almond, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper on shallow dish. Mix well.
4. Coat each piece of the chicken with the cereal mix. Arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the chicken pieces.
5. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the strips over and continue to bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until nicely browned and cooked through.
6. Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce. Mix all the ingredients until smooth and creamy.
7. Serve chicken fingers warm or at room temperature with honey mustard dipping sauce.

Soft Cotton Cheesecake Recipes

This cheesecake really lives up to its name. It is super light and soft as cotton. My neighbor Nancy said this is the best cheesecake she ever had and as for Carlos he said it’s a bit too light and spongy for him. Nevertheless, he still eats it. To me it’s really good and it’s not as heavy as the normal cheesecake. I will definitely bake this again.

Ingredients
(A)
250g cream cheese
110ml fresh milk
100g butter

(B)
100g plain flour, sifted
20g corn flour, sifted
60g sugar
6 egg yolks
1 orange, zest and juice

(C)
6 egg white
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
60g sugar

1. Prepare a 9" baking pan, line the bottom with parchement paper, and greased the side with some butter.
2. Put (A) ingredients in a double boiler. Double boil till until cream cheese and butter melted. Remove from heat and let it cool
3. When it's cool add in all the ingredients (B). Stir until its smooth. Set aside.
4. Whisk (C) till thick and glossy (soft peaks form), fold into cream cheese mixture till well combined
5. Put baking tin into a large roasting pan half filled with hot water and steam bake at 350 degree F for an hour or till golden brown and cooked.
6. Remove cake from the oven, invert the cake onto a cake rack and leave to cool completely before cutting it.

Note: The cake will fall a little after cooling.

Stuffed Sweet Little Peppers Recipes

These cute little sweet peppers are addicting. They are just beautiful and they might look hot but they are not. They are really sweet and crunchy. You can eat it raw or my favorite way of eating it is just lightly toss it with some olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread it evenly on a baking sheet and roast if for 30 - 40 minutes. For today I simply stuffed it, pan fried and then cook it in some bean sauce.

Ingredients:

8-10 sweet peppers
1 chicken breast – ground finely
5-6 shrimp - roughly chopped
1 tsp of cornstarch
½ tsp of sesame oil
1 spring onion – cut small
Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp of black bean paste
2 cloves of garlic - chopped
1 cup of water
1 tbsp of sugar

1. Wash peppers and cut a slit in the middle (for stuffing). Discard the seeds of the peppers, pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, mix the chicken, shrimp, corn starch, spring onion, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Mix well.
3. Using butter knife stuff the meat mixture into the pepper. Heat up a pan with some oil. Pan-fried the peppers slowly until lightly brown, remove and set aside.
4. In the same frying pan, heat up some oil stir-fry the chopped garlic until light brown or fragrant. Add the bean paste and do a quick stir. Add water and sugar and bring it up to a boil. Add in the peppers and cook until sauce thickens
5. Remove from pan and serve warm with rice.

Shell Pasta with Sausage and Asparagus Recipes

With asparagus selling for less than $2.00 per pound, they're hard to resist. I’ve been cooking a lot of dishes with it. I steam, grill, stir-fry and make soup out it. I even cook pasta with it too. This is a perfect dish for spring with the great flavor combination of asparagus and Italian sausage. This recipe is simple, both in taste and method and you can also change the sausage to other protein and the asparagus to other vegetables.

Ingredients :

1/2 box of small shell pasta
3 links of fresh Italian sausage (I used turkey sausage)
1 pound of asparagus – cut into 1” length
3 fresh tomatoes - cut into 1/2" cubes
3 cloves of garlic - chopped
1 tsp of chili flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Add in some salt. Cook pasta according to the instruction on the box.
2. While the pasta is cooking, in a large sauté pan over high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Remove sausage from the casing and sauté and cook until golden brown. Remove meat from pan and set aside.
3. In the same pan, sauté the garlic until lightly brown. If there is not enough oil add in an extra 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add in the asparagus and cook for a minute. Season with salt, pepper and chili flakes
4. Add in chopped tomatoes, stir for a few second and return the sausage back to the pan. Mix well and add in the cook pasta. Mix until everything combined. Check sesoning.
5. If the pasta is a bit dry you can add in a bit of the pasta water. Turn off the heat and add in the grated cheese. Stir well and serve warm.

Other pasta dish : Cajun Chicken and Shrimp Pasta

Apple Tarts II Recipes

One of my favorite desserts is just a plain simple apple tarts. Make into individual serving with a few ingredients and simple flavor. It’s great for elegant dinner party or just casual teatime party. I normally like to cook down the apple first and then finish baking it in the oven. This apple tarts freeze well too. Just warm it up in the oven for 20 minutes and you will have a nice warm dessert to finish off your dinner.

Ingredients for pastry :

1 1/2 cup of flour
1/2 tsp of salt
2 tbsp of sugar
1 stick (8 tbsp) of cold butter - cut into cubes
1 egg yolk
2 - 3 tbsp of very cold water

1. In a large bowl mixed together flour, sugar and salt. Using your hand or pastry cutter rub the cold butter into the flour until it resembles coarse cornmeal or breadcrumbs.
2. Add in egg yolk and cold water and mix until dough comes together. Form it into a disk and chilled the dough for an hour before using it.

For the apple fillings:

4 granny smith apples – peeled, cored and slice thinly
4 tbsp of light brown sugar (more if you like it sweeter)
1 tbsp of butter
1 tsp of cinnamon

1 egg – beaten

1. In a pan, warm up butter and add in the apple and sugar. Cook until the apple soften and juice reduced. Turn off heat and add in cinnamon. Let it cool.
2. Greased tart moulds with some butter. Roll out the pastry to about 1/8" thick and line the pastry into the tart pan.
3. Put the filling into the tart pan and cover the top with the balance of the pastry.
4. Brush the top with beaten egg and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree F oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown.


I have another apple tart recipe here