Cajun-Jerk inspired Wings

Summer is finally amongst us, people!

Let us raise our glass to the sunshine. Cheers!
Summer is such the perfect season for colourful and tasty food. Not that winter food isn't tasty, but...

Last week was my dad's bday (everybody, say happy birthday Pops!) and for this special occasion, I took the day off. And what do I do in my spare time? I cook. And what better excuse to cook than to make a birthday dinner?!

I know my dad likes to try anything. And I know he likes spicy food. So in honour of his bday, I created my own version of Cajun-jerk "chickan' wangs". Aint no thing but a chicken wing. They are super easy to make. Note, that it was also my first time making wings! You know, being meat-less for years and all...

And in the spirit of the Rib Fest going on outside my work, I decided it was the perfect time to share it!
(check later for another bbq inspired recipe!)

Alright, here are the ingredients!

• 18-20 wings
• 3/4 cup of flour
• 4 teaspoons of onion powder
• 4 teaspoons of garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme
• 1 table spoon of Cajun spices
• 1/2-1 tablespoon of Tabasco sauce (depending on how spicy you want it)
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 cup of ketchup
• 1/4 cup of chilli paste 

And the super easy steps

1. Pre-heat the oven to 450
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour and half of the onion and garlic powder. 
3. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. 
4. Dip each wings in the flour, covering it well. 
   
5. Place on a parchemin lined baking sheet.
   
6. Bake for about 45 minutes. Flip half way through the time. 
7. While the wings are cooking, mix the rest on the ingredients in a bowl. 
8. Take out the wings, and one by one cover them with the sauce. 
   
9. Serve and eat! 

Be sure to have napkins around. You'll need it!

They aren't dried and only made with fresh ingredients which make them, not only delicious but healthy too!

Try them, and let me know! 

p.s my dad gave it 10.5 out of 10. Just sayin'

The Tipsy Choco-Piggy—OAG

Hello Darlings!

How are you on this rainy afternoon?

I have been looking for an excuse to post something.

Here it is!

Just like last year, we had a bake off at my work. The theme was "Scones".
Obviously, this was a perfect opportunity for me to test something! As I am trying to let myself be inspired by what is around, I dedicate this recipe to my job.

Raise your hand if work has ever made you want to have a drink... and eat as many carbs as humanely possible? *raises hand* We've all had one of those days.

This recipe is all for it. Whiskey, bacon, chocolate and caramel. Yep. Everything to make you feel better after a rough day... or a perfect treat to reward your hard work! Let's dig right in, shall we?

Here are the ingredients:

Whiskey Caramel Sauce

• 1 cup of white sugar
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of 35% cream
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1/4 cup of whiskey

Bacon Chocolate scones

• 1 cup of flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 cup of cold milk 
• 3 tablespoons of grated frozen butter
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 cups of chopped, well cooked, bacon
• 1/3 cup of melted semi-sweet chocolate.

The steps:

Caramel

1. In a large heavy bottom sauce pot, over medium heat, mix together water and sugar. Stir, with a wooden spoon, till it starts boiling.
2. Let boil until it gets an amber colour. (about 10-15 minutes)
3. While the sugar boils, in a smaller pot, over medium low, heat up the cream. Add butter and stir till it melt. DO NOT let it boil. add salt.
4. Taking the sugar off the heat, add carefully the cream mixture. It will bubble. REALLY bubble. Using a silicone spatula, stir till combined.
5. Add whiskey and stir. 
6. Transfer to a bowl or container and let cool. 

Scones

1. In a bowl, stiff flour, baking powder and salt. 
2. Add butter and, using your hands, mix tenderly until it looks like loose gravel.
3. Add bacon and milk. And mix with hands until the dough can be formed into a ball.
4. On a clean, flat surface, sprinkle a bit of flour. Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 3/4 on an inch.
   
   
   
   
5. Using a cookie cutter, of whatever you have handy, cut out shapes and place on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.
   
   
   
   
6. Bake in a pre-heat oven at 475, for 10 minutes.
7. Take out and let cool. 
8. Once cooled, drizzle a little melted chocolate on top.
   
   
   
   
9. Take a spoonful of caramel sauce and drizzle. OR dunk it right in.
   
   
   
   
10. EAT! 

Easy, right?

Now, I didn't win... BUT I did get an honourable mention! Yay!

Try it, and let me know! 

Fast Rum Ice Cream

Ever crave a bowl of ice cream but find you're out of it? Bummer. I know.
I was there just yesterday. I do own an ice cream maker, but you need to let it freeze for at least 16 hours.

But then I remembered hearing about "Ziploc bag ice cream".
It's sounded simple enough, I decided to try it out and to, of course, create my own version of it.

I was rummaging through my extracts in the pantry and came across a bottle of rum.
You know where this is going, right?

Rum ice cream. Oooohhhh yeah.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of COLD heavy cream (you can also use coconut cream, soy milk, almond milk, etc)
• 2 tablespoons of honey 
• 3 tablespoons of rum or 2 tablespoons of rum extract
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 sandwich-size Ziploc bag
• 1 large freezer-type Ziploc bag
• Ice and 1/2 cup of coarse or table salt

The EASY steps:

1. Mix cream, vanilla, rum and honey. 
2. Pour into the smallest Ziploc, and seal it. MAKE SURE IT'S SEALED. lol 
3. In the larger bag, fill about half of it with ice. (I used 4 full trays)
   
4. Pour the salt over the ice, and quickly drop in the small bag containing the cream. Seal.
5. Shake whatcha mama gave ya, for about 10 minutes. You'll notice that the ice in the bag is melting. The coldness of it is being transferred to the cream mixture, consequently, hardening it.
   
   
6. After using all the elbow grease you have, check it. It should be slightly runny. You can eat it right now, or store it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.**
   
   
   
7. 20 minutes later, it's now ready! You can top it off with whatever you want, or eat it as is. I chose to add some chocolate chips and pecans. Yum!**

          

That's it! Easy, right? This is perfect for when you're in a pinch! Enjoy!

** Make sure to rince the Ziploc in cold water to get rid of the salt. Otherwise you'll have some pretty salty ice cream. Been there, done that ;)

Sweet Strawberry Pie -The Godfather-

No, this is not inspired by Al Pacino or James Caan.
It's inspired by my Godfather, who is no gangster/murderer. At least... I don't think he is...

Moving on.

This one is sweet and fresh. It's very cheerful and summery. It's also sugar-free. (Bonus!)

The ingredients:

• About 20 medium size strawberries, washed and sliced.
• 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup of splenda, or 1 tablespoon of agave or honey
• Pie crusts (2) or make your own (click here for an easy recipe, under "crust-cracker")

And the steps:

1. Preheat your oven to 400F, poke holes (using a fork) in one of the two pie crusts, and bake for 10 minutes. Reserve.
2. In a large frying pan, over medium, melt 1 tablespoon of butter.
3. Add the strawberries and stir.
4. Add the sweetener, mix well. Lower heat.
5. Let cook for about 5 minutes.
6. Fill the baked pie crust with the strawberries.
   
7. Using the unbaked pie crust, make holes using a cookie cutter. This will prevent the liquid/juice from leaking from the sides, while baking.
8. Place crust on top of strawberries, pinching along the side. 
9. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the crust looks golden and crispy.
   
   
   
   And that's it. Easy as pie! ;)
   
   
   This would go great with a scoop of your favourite vanilla ice cream.
   Give it a try!

Spiked&Spiced Apple Pie -The Dad-

Ahoy readers!

Spring is FINALLY amongst us! It puts me in a very good mood, how about you?
The sun, the snow melting away (my favourite part), the birds chirping...

Winter always puts me in a bit of a blue mood. My creativity tends to hibernate.
In order to boost my creative mind and find new motivation for this blog/project/book, I decided to let myself be inspired by those around me.

I will be creating recipes for my friends and family. About them, inspired by and for them.

Today I am sharing with you 2 pie recipes.

Easter was last weekend, and instead of buying the traditional chocolate bunnies, for my father and godfather, I decided to make them pies. Cause, why not?!

The first one is, "The Dad" aka the Spiked & Spiced Apple Pie.

Your ingredients:

• 5 apples, peeled and sliced
• 2/4 tablespoon on cinnamon
• 2-3 teaspoons of cayenne powder
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• about 1/2 cup of Jack Daniels (you can use any whiskey you have on hand, or even rum)
• Pie crusts (2) or make your own (click here for an easy recipe, under "crust-cracker")
• 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine

The steps:

1. Preheat your oven to 400F, poke holes (using a fork) in one of the two pie crusts, and bake for 10 minutes. Reserve.
2. In a large frying pan, over medium, melt 1 tablespoon of butter.
3. Add the apples and stir.
4. Add the cinnamon and cayenne. I advise you to add the cayenne little by little and to taste along the way. That way you can adjust the "heat" to your liking.
5. Drop in the Jack Daniels, and stir. Lower the heat. Cook for about 3 minutes. The whiskey and sugar will create this caramel-like sauce.
   
6. Taste, want more Daniels? Add a bit, tablespoon by tablespoon.
7. Fill pie baked pie crust.
8. Using the other unbaked crust, create bands, about half an inch wide, and place them in chequered  manner on top. Making sure to pinch each extremity.
9. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the crust looks golden and crispy.
   

And voila!

According to my father (who tested it, of course), it's good enough to eat in one seating! (sorry dad, I had to share lol)

You'll have that classic apple pie taste, with a spicy flavorful kick, in every bite! 

Try it and let me know what you think! 

Crêpes Cake

Here is the 2nd recipe from last night's dinner for my grand-parents.
The desert. Which I'm having right now, because it's just so darn good.

Being that my grand-father and mother can't consume sugar, I've made this completely sugar free.

It consists of layers of thin crêpes, with a cream cheese frosting and a strawberry and rum compote. Oh yeah, it's as good as it sounds.

You'll have to excuse the bad picture, I forgot to upload them good ones. So using my trusty IPhone, I've just photographed my left over. lol

The ingredients

Crêpes:

• 4 eggs (or any substitute)
• 1/2 cup of melted butter, or margarine
• 1 cup of milk (cow, soy, almond)
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 cup of flour
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1/3 cup of splenda 
• dash of salt

Strawberry compote

• 2 cups of diced strawberries
• 1 1/2 cup of dark rum
• 1/2 cup of splenda 
• 2 tablespoons of margarine

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 block of cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1/2 cup of splenda

Here we go!

Crêpes: 

1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, except the flour, and whisk well. 
2. Little by little, add the flour, whisking constantly. We don't want clumps!
3. Store in the fridge for at least one hour. 
4. (Make cream cheese frosting and compote)
5. In an 8" inch non-stick frying pan, over medium-high, drop in a tablespoon of butter (or margarine, even cooking spray) and let it melt, making sure it covers the surface.
6. Scoop some of the batter and pour it in the pan making a very thin layer. Flip. Cook and plate. They cook very fast, so make sure not to burn them!
7. After every crêpes, spread some of the cream cheese frosting. Stack 'em up! 
8. Let cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting (while batter is cooling): 

1. In a bowl, using a hand-mixer of a stand-mixer, whisk all ingredients together. 
2. Done.

Strawberry compote (while batter is cooling):

1. In a sauce pan, over medium-high, melt margarine. 
2. Add the strawberries and splenda. Stir.
3. Add the rum, stir and let everything simmer for about 20-25 minutes on low. 

When all the crêpes have been stacked with the delicious frosting, slice it like you would a cake, and pour some of the warm compote on top. 

Eat and demand seconds.  :)

Cordon Bleu and Cornish Hens

Ahoy kids!

How are you doing on this amazing Monday? On my part, I'm quite exhausted. Leaving the details out, I've been very under the weather these passed few days. But don't you worry, it didn't stop me from attending a very interesting and awesome class at Le Cordon Bleu! Knife skills, watch out!

I had been waiting for it for months! I'm not sure how to describe the experience to you...  Imagine you were inside the Food Network, watching one of your favourite chefs show you the "how-to's". Mix that with being at one of the most prestigious culinary schools, in the world, with amazing kitchen-classes and foodies all around.

I went in thinking about Julia Child. Little did I know that I would come across this gem. I was starstruck.

Julia Child's diploma! (excuse the quality, I tried to sneak the picture)

We learned about every technique there is when it comes to knife skills. Granted, I need a lot of practice. But that's the kind of practice I have no trouble with. We used our new acquired skills on vegetables and a Cornish Hen. For you animal lovers out there, I'm sorry. We got to take it back with us. And I saw it as a perfect opportunity for me to test out a few recipes. 

I invited over my grand-parents. Like me, they love food and they had been looking forward to trying some of my stuff. 

So, for them, I made roasted Cornish Hen with a berry Merlot sauce with simple green beans and caramelized leek-onion rice. 

And for desert? Crepe Cake. (look for it later)

For the hens, here is what you need:

• 1 to 2 medium size hens (or 1 large chicken), quartered—2 supremes, 2 thighs each
• 1/2 cup of margarine
• 1 tablespoon of rosemary 
• salt and pepper

Berry Merlot Sauce

• 1 cup of dices strawberries
• 1 cup of raspberries 
• 1 1/4 cup of Merlot
• 1-2 tablespoons of splenda (you can use sugar)
• 1/2 cup of fresh, chopped basil 
• salt and pepper

Leek rice

• 2 cups of cooked basmati rice
• 1 cup of chopped leek
• 1 cup of diced onions
• Margarine
• Olive oil

And the easy steps 

Hens: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 425.
2. Mix in margarine, rosemary, salt and pepper and cover the pieces of chicken, over and under the skin.
3. Place the chicken in a oven-dish and pop in the oven. 
4. Cook for about 30 minutes, depending on your oven. (30-45 minutes)

Sauce:

1. While the chicken is cooking, over medium-high, in a sauce pan, pour the wine and add the berries.
2. Let it come to a boil then add the splenda and turn down the heat to medium-low. 
3. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes then add the salt and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
4. Add half of the basil, and again, let it simmer 20 minutes. Stir.
5. Add the rest of the basil, turn the heat to low and leave it for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Rice:

1. For the cooked rice, follow the instruction on the package. While it is cooking, in a frying pan, over medium-high, put in the margarine and oil (about 1 tablespoon each), let melt a little bit.
2. Add the leeks. Cook for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the onions, stir. Lower the heat.
4. Cook everything for about 10 minutes, until the onions get golden and soft. 
5. Mix in the rice and take off the heat. 

For the green beans, 2 handfuls, I only blanched them in boiling water for about 5 minutes. 

Here is the final product: 

The sauce is so good. It would be delicious over ice cream, or yogurt. Even on waffles or toasts! 

Try it, and let me know! :)