Lemon Creams-aren't they pretty, and fresh looking? Perfect for a Spring tea-party don't you think? Go ahead, click on the photo to get the full feel for the lemony smoothness dripping off the feathery light cookie. Mmmmmmmmmmm..... I found them on Leigh-Anne's super site and they are really called Lemon Dreams.
But in South Africa we have a biscuit called Lemon Creams and it is one of the things I miss most about living there. Oh how I loved me a lemon cream...mmmm. When I saw this recipe I figured it might be a close approximation. I'm not sure if it is, all I remember is that they were indeed dreamy and aptly named and I shall be making them again.
I am easily intimidated by baking ventures but since Gracie agreed to help me, I gave it a shot. Although this looks a little more detailed then your average chocolate chip cookie, it is really straightforward. I added more lemon juice and rind to my lemon curd then asked for, because I am of the opinion that things can never be "too lemony". Go on over to Leigh-Anne's site for the recipe and make some immediately. Must be eaten with tea.
Foodie Friday!
Vegetarian unfriendly
I'm generally not a fan of red meat, and I don't buy it routinely, but sometimes the call for a burger is strong, man. A big, juicy, interesting gourmet burger. The likes of which cannot be found at Wendy's.
It was with this primal urge raging wildly within me, that I came across this little beauty at
Pioneer Woman Cooks.
It spoke to me
It said, "make me and then eat me, I won't mind."
I made it that very night.
And it was freaking phenomenal.
Aaron, who is not a fan of the blue cheese, loved it on this burger. We made mac 'n cheese for the kids because we are hoping they will resent us when they are adults (we think it will make them more interesting), but deigned to share with Benjamin when we noticed we had an extra patty.
Benjamin loved this burger.
About 1/4 way in, I was filled to the brim, so Finny took over. Finny loved this burger. Gracie asked if she could have some of the onions. She was a fan. Gabe, as a rule does not eat, but he did not make the usual gagging sounds at the sight of the rest of us doing so.
I would say this was a hit. I followed her recipe pretty religiously (even down to the real mayo which is against my personal religion. You see, I believe Miracle Whip comes from a higher power, and mayo is of the devil if we must be damning condiments.) But I don't question Her Pioneerness when it comes to matters of food full of fat and flavour. I did not however slather the mayo as instructed. I have my limits, I refuse to let that woman brainwash me.
Crock-pot Sweet and Sour Chicken
What the heck? Is it seriously Friday again so soon?
Ok I am cheating a bit with the Foodiness this week, since this is not a new recipe to me, and it's not that exotic, but it's a favourite easy stand-by which is also very yummy.
I give you Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Chicken brought you to you by our friends at Kraftfoods.com
It uses all the things you are likely to have on hand, except maybe the Catalina which can be substituted with French I have found, and this week I made it with a Teriyaki marinade and adjusted the sugar (!) and the soy sauce accordingly. It actually tasted very similar, surprisingly. I also didn't have fresh ginger so I used ground. Just remember that powdered is more potent (rule of thumb is 1/8 tsp powdered for every tablespoon of fresh), which means just a dash in this case, unless you have a major thing for ginger. Try for the fresh though-it is yummier.
Please always substitute anything white with brown when you can. Which means BROWN rice and wholewheat pasta. Such an easy way to be a little bit healthier.
Your kids will most probably enjoy this. Bon Appetit!
I'm not a confident cook and I often claim to hate cooking but this is not true. I discover this every time I am forced to extend myself in any way in the culinary arena. We have a Gourmet Dinner group as one of our Enrichment groups and I find that I really enjoy the process of making something new and interesting. It occurred to me that I may perhaps become a more keen cook if I were more inspired. I tend to look for recipes with 5 ingredients or less a lot of the time, but constructing a meal this way just feels like drudgery to me, it's really boring. When the recipe is slightly more complex or I'm trying out something completely new, it becomes creative. I have always been fascinated but intimidated by beautiful food and the process of creating it. But life's too short for that (the intimidation part, that is), so I'm over it.
I thought I would keep some momentum for my new culinary quest by posting about it weekly. Maybe a share a successful recipe or the details of a spectacular failure. You're encouraged to chime in with your own. If there's any interest I might add a Mr. Linky so we can check out your culinary delights on your own blog. Anyway..let's see how it goes.
For this my first foodie installment, I actually have 2 recipes and a product endorsement (I like to start with a bang).
First recipe is from the aforementioned Gourmet Dinner Group.Our last gathering was Thai themed, and I chose to make the curry. (I'm a huge curry fan). I had never made Thai food and had limited experience with eating it, but I was pleasantly surprised with this recipe. The one thing I will definitely do differently next time is greatly reduce the amount of fish oil called for, I was not a fan of it and it came dangerously close to spoiling the recipe for me.
Thai Pineapple Chicken Curry
I found the reviews helpful and took a few of the suggestions,including that of using only one can of coconut milk and not cooking the veges for too long.
Earlier this week my friend Lisa shared a recipe for Crockpot Indian Chicken. It is from the site of that groovy woman who has committed to cooking in her crockpot every day for a year. Sadly, I could not find the garam masala in time, so I used a nice curry blend we had on hand. You can make your own Garam Masala if you are so inclined but unless you have all these spices on hand it would be more economical just to buy it-if you can find it. (Here is the recipe for Garam Masala)
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
3/4 teaspoon whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds; (without pods)
1 stick cinnamon -- broken
Since Garam Masala is not curry powder, I am sure mine turned out significantly different in taste, but it was still delicious and could not have been easier. My kids loved it (the picky one who technically should not still be alive even tolerated it). We had it over brown rice but Aaron suggested we try it with jasmine rice next time
So there you have it, a taste of Thailand, a taste of India. Both easy peasy and delicious. Who said this cooking thing was hard?
And now for the product endorsement. I have had a very busy week and have found myself on at least two occasions running to TA assignment having not eaten since breakfast. Both times my new on -the- run -lunch- of- champions got me through the grueling afternoon. How do full-time teachers do it? (I think the fact that they are not taken advantage of by their students the way we are, might help)
The OTRLOC consists of
I have to admit peeps, I did not have high hopes when I saw this bar, but I was starving, out of time and looking for something reasonably healthy. My beloved Balance bars are coated in chocolate, and I'm trying to avoid that. What sealed the deal was that these were on sale. I grabbed two.
Both flavours I have tried (apricot goji and coconut acai) are quite delicious and surprisingly substantial, like I said, one bar held me all afternoon and gave me the energy I needed to be sufficiently scary and mean to 6th graders, and patient and kind to kindergartners.
I washed them down with Snapple antioxidant water. I am totally skeptical of any "enhanced" water but I have to say I was really dehydrated and getting a big headache and just half a bottle did the trick for me, where straight water usually doesn't by the time I am at that stage. I am not actually endorsing this product (since I remain skeptical of "enhanced" water) but I have to say that I enjoyed the orange-starfruit flavour, the strawberry-acai was not my fav (it tasted kind of "off" to me) and both helped me to feel better during my mid-day energy crisis.
Bon Appetit!
