Sunday, October 31, 2010

Hell Raiser Porcu-Pig Pumpkin!


HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I hope you like my pumpkin. It's a Moolicious Kitchen original design.

Like every Halloween since I've been little, my Mom has either made a frozen pizza or ordered pizza. With the excitement of it all and helping us get our makeup and costumes just right, she was too busy to cook. So that's what's on my menu this Halloween. I will continue the tradition.

For my toppings tonight, I used: BBQed chicken, orange pepper, roasted garlic, shallot, asparagus, sliced fennel and mozzarella cheese of course!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Halloween Noodle Bowl


This is my take on an Asian noodle soup. I make a big pot and it's good for two days.
The won tons remind me of mini (tasty) ghosts. Feel free to add whatever vegetables you wish.
Aside from making the individual won tons, this soup is quick and easy to make...HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

For the broth:

In your soup pot, add 2 boxes chicken stock, pinch of red pepper flakes, grated fresh ginger, 1 tsp sesame oil. Bring to a boil, then put on low heat.

Prep another large pot beside, with boiling water for won tons.

Won ton filling:
Mix together: 1 package ground pork, 3 chopped scallions, freshly grated ginger, 1 tsp ground cumin, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, 3 cloves minced garlic, 2 dashes of soy sauce, 1 well-beaten egg and some bread crumbs.

- Have on hand, defrosted won ton wrappers, and a bowl of egg wash to seal them.
- I find it easier to place filling on each wrapper first, then sealing and boiling 6 at a time.
- Once they float to the top, place them in the broth.
Other add-ins:
When all the won tons are done and in the broth, I added fresh broccoli, half an orange pepper and some chow mein noodles to the pot. You want your veggies to be nice and crunchy! Let sit for 5 minutes and then dig in!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Slow Cooking Chicken Stew


There are hearty beef stews, so why not chicken stew? I decided to make this for Sunday night supper, so I can also have leftovers in the beginning of the work week. This stew has many layers of hearty, homey flavors and healthy ingredients. Before settling in for the night, and before eating stew and inhaling an apple 'n raz cheese torte, we took a run on Mount Royal and climbed the torturous stairs a few times. Nothing tastes better than a warm stew after being out in the Autumn nippiness. Enjoy.




You'll need:


- 1 large package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs- cubed like stewing beef morcels.
- 2 large carrots, chopped.
- 1 celery stalk, chopped.
- 3 cloves garlic, minced.
- 1 diced onion.
- 2 medium sized potatoes, bite sized.
- 1 package sliced mushrooms.
- 1 can white beans.
- 1/2 a bag of fresh spinach.
- Dumplings (a few handfuls, like gnocci- optional)

Seasonings: flour, salt, pepper, dry rosemary, fresh oregano, dry basil, turmeric, cumin, chicken stock powder, 1 bay leaf- maybe 1 tsp of each and a little less turmeric.

Liquids: half cup white wine, 1-2 cups water (enough to cover chicken) and tomatoe paste.

1. Place chicken in your slow cooker, then coat with flour (this will thicken), and seasonings- combine well.
2. Add white wine and water, onion and garlic and tomatoe paste.
3. Cook on low for 6-7 hours (depending on your slow cooker).
4. With 3 hours remaining, add carrot, potatoes.
5. With 1-2 hours remaining, add mushrooms, celery.
6. With 30 minutes remaining add white beans and dumplings.
7. Wilt in the spinach at the very end, before serving.



Have a fresh baguette close by for the sauce.




Moolicious!








Apple 'n Raz Cheese Torte



Mike and I went apple picking on Friday...so you know what that means...lots of pies and crisps and apple snacks. We were able to climb the trees and pick our own and because it is a little late in the season, the only available kind was Cortland. That didn't stop us from playing hide and seek (and apple target practice on each other with the fallen apples) in an orchard all to ourselves. This apple and raspberry torte is inspired by one of my mom's recipes. Enjoy.

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. The Crust:
- Mix one cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter, then press evenly into a greased tart dish.

3. The Middle:
- Mix 1/2 cup cream cheese,1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 egg, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 tsp vanilla and fold in one container of fresh raspberries. Add mixture to crust.

4. The Topping:
- Peal and slice two apples, and add them to 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 sugar, and mix well.

5. Place sugar coated apples starting from the outside and work inward.

6. Bake for 10 minutes at 425.
7. Then reduce heat to 350 and bake 30 minutes.

Allow to cool and eat!

Moolicious!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Linguine and a Spicey Meat-a-ballz


Mike wanted something with pasta for supper tonight, so I decided to go with a classic. I didn't have spaghetti, so linguine was just fine. I used some of my frozen, home made tomato sauce and voila, dinner in a jiffy. I usually bake my meatballs instead of frying because it's healthier and I find them to be less grease-infested and oily-tasting.


Here's my take on simple, tasty meatballs.


1. In a bowl, mix together:

1 minced shallot, 3 cloves minced garlic, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, 1 tbsp dry basil, salt, pepper, 1 egg, 1 tbsp cornmeal and a package of lean ground beef.

2. Preheat oven to 350

3. Form loonie-sized meatballs, on a parchment papered baking tray.

4. Bake for 35 minutes.

5. Add meatballs to cooked linguine and your favorite sauce.



Moolicious!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Butternut Squash 'n Veg Soup


Oh Yum.

Mike loves it when I buy butternut squash because it can be used in so many ways.
Here, I made a luscious Autumn soup.

What to do...


In a large soup pot:

1. Saute 1 chopped shallot, 2 cloves chopped garlic, 1 diced zucchini, 1 diced medium sized potatoe, 1 butternut squash for 5-6 minutes, in olive oil.
2. Season with salt, pepper and a dash each of: curry, cumin, fennel seed, celery salt, ginger powder.
3. Add 5-6 cups heated chicken stalk and 1 tbsp tomatoe paste.
4. Bring to a simmer for 20-30 minutes.
5. Once everything is tender, use an immersion blender to make your "potage" nice and smooth.



Quick and Moolicious!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Thankul for Empanadas


Who says Thanksgiving has to be over after one weekend?
I have chosen to stretch it out this year by recreating all the flavors I have to be thankful for, in one special pouch.
Also, the recipe makes over a dozen, so they are great for work lunches and/or freezing for later.
You can substitute this Thanksgiving mixture for one of your favorites - the dough recipe is key to having successful Empanadas every time.
Enjoy.

I did the dough yesterday and kept it in the fridge in plastic wrap...once less thing to do on a busy workday.
For the dough-
In a food processor, blend 4 cups of flour, 2 tsps baking powder, 1 tbsp salt.
Add a few dashes each: dried rosemary, thyme, sage.
Add 3/4 cups cold, cubed unsalted butter and combine.
Finally, slowly add 1 cup of cold water- mix well.
Knead for 30 seconds, and refridgerate.

For the filling-
- Fry up a package of ground turkey, seasoned with sage, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper- A sprinkling of each is fine...
-Remove from pan and add butter to the empty pan, a few tbsps of chicken stalk, then add 1 cubed stalk of celery, 1 minced onion, 1 cubed potatoe.
-Add s/p and stir until everything softens, 3-4 mins.
-Add the chicken back a handful of each, frozen peas and dried cranberries.
- Allow to completely cool before "stuffing" your dough.

Assembly- I find this order of operations easiest and most efficient.
1. Roll out cold dough on a floured counter, until quite thin, but still workable (maybe 1/4 inch).
2. Make round pieces using a soup bowl, until all dough is done.
3. Next, pile 2 spoonfuls of the mix on one side of the circle, then fold over (without sealing just yet).
4. Preheat oven to 400
5. Now, prep eggwash- (beaten egg) and prep a glass of water and prep two baking trays with parchment paper.
6. Use your finger to moisten the bottom edge of the dough and then seal together with a fork.
7. When everyone is done, place on baking trays and brush each with eggwash.
8. Bake for 35-40 minutes and voila!

They will be golden and Moolicious when they're done.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Moo's Pork Wellington


This is my version of Beef Wellington with the assistance of a highly tasty, juicy, on sale, pork tenderloin filet. Enjoy!


1. With a lb piece of pork tenderloin in a large Ziploc bag, add:

- A minced shallot
-2 tbsps grainy Dijon mustard
-2 cloves minced garlic
-A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
-Salt/Pepper.

2. Massage meat so all ingredients are spread evenly and refrigerate/marinate for 2-3 hours.

3. Get your meat when it's ready! Heat up a frying pan with oil at med-high heat, and fry your tenderloin on all sides until they are crispy and coated brown. You just want to brown the outsides, not to cook it all the way through!...Then you ALLOW TO COMPLETELY COOL!

4. Preheat oven to 400

5. Roll out 1 sheet of thawed puff pastry and brush with Dijon, salt and pepper.

6. Place cooled tenderloin in dough and fold (ends first) until you have a nice little dough package.

7. Brush with egg wash and bake for 30-40 minutes.

8. Allow 5-8 minutes resting time before cutting in!

9. I served with a fried potato hash (See Thanksgiving Bonanza potato recipe) and a green frisée salad.

10. EAT!


Moolicious!

Home Made Granola


On Sunday, I like making crunchy granola for weekday breakfasts or snacks. I try different ingredients all the time to add variety...
Today I used a combination of sunflower seeds, dried cranberries and coconut to make a wholesome, healthy granola.

1. In a large bowl put 2 cups large oats, 3 tbsps cracked wheat (optional), 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tbsps vegetable oil, 1 tbsp honey/maple syrup, 1 tsp vanilla extract, dash of cinnamon.

2. Massage the mixture with your hands for about 2 minutes, getting every oat coated.

3. Spread mixture on a parchment papered baking sheet.

4. Bake at 325 for 30-40 minutes, mixing every 10 minutes to avoid burning.

5. With 10 minutes remaining add the sunflower seeds and coconut (your desired amount).

6. When done, and oats are crispy remove and allow to cool.

7. Add cranberries, mix and store in a plastic container for up to 2 weeks.


Moolicious!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Thanksgiving Bonanza


So, I wanted to celebrate the holiday with the traditional food, made in an "untraditional"way. Here's what I came up with~!


For the TURKEY and STUFFING:

- I made a box stuffing and baked it for 20 minutes so it's a little more crispy and not soggy.
- I used turkey scalopini (cutlets), brushed with melted butter, dashed with salt and pepper, filled with the stuffing and rolled up and then pinned with toothpicks.

-Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes turning and basting with butter every 10 minutes.

- Brilliant, because you're still getting your "stuffed turkey" fix.


For the CRANBERRY sauce:

- Boil 2 cups fresh cranberries with 1/2 cup orange juice, 5 large chopped strawberries and 1 small box of raspberries and 1/2 cup sugar. Simmer until cranberries burst, strain, cool and voila.


For the POTATOES:

- Grate 3 medium sized potatoes, mix with 1 egg and 1/2 cup flour and salt and pepper.

-Heat up a pan with oil, make potatoe patties and fry until both sides are golden. Simple, different and tasty!


For the SWEET POTATOES:

- Boil your sweet potatoe (I used 1 for the 2 of us) in salted water with a cinnamon stick until tender.

-Drain when ready, mash with 2 tbsps milk, butter, more salt and pepper and a dash of brown sugar and rosemary.

- Place in small baking dish and top with mini marshmallows. Bake alongside turkey for 20 minutes, or until mallows are getting roasty.


For the rest, I cheated: I baked a pumpkin pie with canned filling, I used a packaged gravy mix too :) I served boiled baby carrots and peas with s & p and butter!



Gobblemoolicious!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Leek Soup with Crispy Pancetta


Oh my God. This was a luxurious, tasty and healthy soup... no cream at all... just pure veggies and chicken stock.

One of our favorite restaurants serves a "potage du jour" which is either carrot, asparagus or leek soup. Delicious....so I have re-created my version of it because leeks were on sale this week at my local grocery store. Chances are, you have all the other ingredients at home in your fridge!

Enjoy.


In a large soup pot:


1. Heat up olive oil

2. Add all at once: 4 cleaned, chopped leeks, 3 cloves of minced garlic, 2 minced shallots, 1 chopped jarred roasted red pepper, 1 cubed stock of celery, 2 cubed potatoes, 1 tsp dry basil, oregano and pepper and 2 bay leafs. Then saute in oil for 5 minutes until softened.

3. Then add 4-5 cups of chicken broth (enough until all your veggies are covered).

4. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 20 minutes.

5. Remove the 2 bay leafs and with a hand-held or regular blender, puree the soup until it becomes "potage" and all ingredients are well blended. It will have the richest, thickest consistency.

6. Finally, add a few slices of fried, crumbled pancetta and serve.


***Also, before serving, add the amount of salt you think it needs.



Moolicious!