Anddddddd I'm Back!

After an extremely long, unexplained absence, I wish I had an interesting story to tell about why I haven't posted anything in more than a month. Something like... I was whisked away to Paris, France as soon as a restaurant owner heard of my blog, and I have been working there! Truth is, I was swamped by school. That's all there is to it. Boring... However, I have still been cooking and taking pictures, I just haven't been able to update the blog. I will try my hardest to update more regularly, at the very least, once a week.

And so, I figured since I am on March Break, I could spend some of my time updating this (while listening to the Harry Potter soundtrack, of course!)

For my first recipe; a rather simple, yet elegant, dessert. Lately, I've realized that I should always have a frozen pack of puff pastry in my kitchen. If I am out of ingredients to make a more complex dessert, or simply too lazy, I can always use the puff pastry dough to make croissants or some other quick pastry. Which is what I decided to do one night, but I didn't feel like serving my parents and myself plain croissants. So I decided to dress them up, and everyone loved them! I loved how the sweetness of the mango cut through the heaviness of the chocolate; it just worked really great. Enjoy!

The Intellectual Croissants

Ingredients:

1 frozen pack of puff pastry dough

1 egg and tablespoon of water (for egg wash)

Mango puree/ sorbet (run frozen mango chunks for food processor until smooth)

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Splash of heavy cream

Directions for croissants:

-let the puff pastry dough thaw, until cool to the touch

-on a flour-covered surface, roll out the dough until rather thin, yet not translucent

-using a sharp knife, or pizza cutter, cut the dough into quarters

-then cut each quarter diagonally and you will end up with 8 triangles

-roll the triangles, with the tip pointing out from you, into croissant shapes

-with the egg wash, 1 beaten egg and a splash of water, brush it on top of the croissants

-place on a slightly greased baking tray, or on aluminum foil

-follow the instructions on the dough box on how to bake, but I made mine at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes

Directions for chocolate ganache:

-while those are baking, you have time to make the chocolate ganache

-while you can use a double boiler to melt the chocolate, the microwave saves you a lot of time and pots to clean later

-into a microwave safe bowl, add in the chocolate and heavy cream

-heat on medium power for 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds

-your ganache is ready!

To assemble:

-once the croissants are ready, dip or smear the ganache on top of them

-on plates, add 1 tablespoon of the mango puree/sorbet

-on top, place the chocolate-smeared croissants and there you have it!

A Sweet Treat for Valentine's Day

Once I found this recipe online, I just had to make it. I had to. Firstly, it looked delicious. Secondly, it was adorable, with it's Valentine's Day theme. And lastly, I had never made cupcakes before so I figured this was a good starting point! These were simple enough to make and had an extremely delicious and delicate flavour to them. There was only ONE revision I had made to this, which was for the icing, I used about 1- 1 1/2 cups of icing sugar. I despise icing that is composed of only sugar, so I wanted to cut back and it tasted divine. Make these for that special someone to show your true sweet feelings! (Awwwwwwwww!)

Valentine's Day Cupcakes

Ingredients:

3 tbsp strawberry puree (which is running fresh/frozen but thawed strawberries through a food processor)

3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

2 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

Frosting:

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup of strawberry puree

1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

Directions:

-for the cupcakes, pre-heat the oven to 350 F

-mix together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl

-in a small bowl, whisk together the milk, vanilla and strawberry puree

-beat the butter in another bowl, and then add the sugar, beating until mixed well

-while mixing on the lowest speed, add the egg, and beat until combined well

-add half of the flour mixture and mix on low, then add the milk mixture, mixing briefly

-add the rest of the flour mixture, mix well again

-into greased cupcake tins, or as I did, into greased muffin tins, add the batter

-bake for 23 minutes

Frosting:

-beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until mixed well, then add a tablespoon of the puree, mix well, then add another tablespoon and mix again

Enjoy!

Sammy Samosa

I've never had a samosa before tonight. And what a great way to start it off; with my own! To summarize, they are delicious but a pain in the butt to make. Making the filling wasn't hard, but it was putting it into the puff pastry, then trying to secure them that just took copious amounts of time. However, it may be because I'm not experienced with them. I could see these being a tremendous hit at a dinner party as appetizers. This recipe I actually tweaked from the book I found it in. So read on and good luck!

Samosa

Ingredients:

1 pack puff pastry dough

1 lb ground turkey (or chicken or beef)

1 large onion

Salt, pepper

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 egg, beaten, and 2 tbsp water

Directions:

-pre-heat oven to 420 degrees Fahrenheit

-heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat, and when hot enough, put in the ground turkey

-chop the onion into quarters and feed into a food processor

-pulse until in small bits

-once turkey isn't pink anymore, combine it with the onions in a bowl using your hands

-add salt, pepper and cumin

-roll out the puff pastry until thin, but not translucent

-using a cookie cutter, or a glass like I did, cut as many circles as you can

-when that is done, add a small amount of filling in the middle of each

-fold one end over and, using a fork, seal the edges

-on a baking sheet with alumnium foil, spray a small amount of Pam to keep them from sticking, and align the samosas

-in a small bowl, beat the egg with the water and brush over them

-bake for 20 minutes, then turn the heat to 355 degrees Farenheit and bake for another 15 minutes

-Enjoy!

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For "Mushrooms!"

There is just an endless amount of things you can do with pasta. So many different recipes, yet so little time. Yet again, I made this exactly as the recipe stated, so I am treating you to another "copy and pasted" recipe. Yes, this seems unprofessional, and please excuse me, but I will stop this soon enough. Now this didn't take me long to do at all. Well, actually it kind of did, but that's only because I am very thorough when I cook, so I end up taking forever. However, if I were to make this again, which I definitely will as it was a major hit, I would spend a lot less time fumbling around. Just five words: the mushroom sauce was delicious. It was perfectly creamy and tasty and just perfect. When you make the recipe though, add more mushrooms! There wasn't nearly enough of them for the amount of pasta there was. There can never be too many mushrooms.

PASTA WITH CREAMY MUSHROOM SAUCE
2 servings

freshly cooked pasta
200 g/7 oz mushrooms, cremini, Portobello or common button mushrooms
1/2 clove of garlic
a small bunch of parsley
100 ml/0,42 cup fresh cream
salt
white pepper
butter or extra-virgin olive oil

- Put mushrooms, garlic and parsley in a food processor and run for a minute or two until everything is chopped into small pieces. Or chop by hand, it's pretty quick that way too.
- Cook the mushrooms in butter or olive oil over medium heat until the liquid has evaporated.
- Add cream, pepper and salt and continue to cook until creamy, then add to the freshly cooked and drained pasta.
- Serve as it is or with freshly grated parmesan.

Pa-pa-pa Parm!

I adore chicken parmesan. Simply the thought of chicken and tomatoes together makes my mouth water. Now I found this recipe, yet again, on FoodGawker, and I followed it exactly. So, I do not want to sit here and re-type the recipe. By the way, I have been making a lot of my recent meals exactly as I find the recipes online, so if I just post the link, do not get upset. I will be modifying my meals soon though, so expect the recipes fully written out. This recipe though, I cannot find the link, so I copy and pasted it from the email I sent myself containing it. Now, I made the sauce the night before, because I wasn't ready to sleep, so at midnight, I was working the magic in my kitchen. I simply refrigerated it overnight, and it was absolutely fine to serve with the chicken the next day. Enjoy!

Lighter Chicken Parm
from Cooks Illustrated

Tomato Sauce

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
4 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves
table salt and ground black pepper

Chicken

1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ounce parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup), plus extra for serving
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
table salt
ground black pepper
3 large egg whites
1 tablespoon water
nonstick cooking spray
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into cutlets
3 ounces reduced fat mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup)
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves

For the Sauce:

Pulse the tomatoes in a food processor until mostly smooth, about ten 1-second pulses; set aside. Cook the garlic, tomato paste, oil, and pepper flakes in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the tomato paste begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the pureed tomatoes and cook until the sauce is thickened and measures 2 cups, about 20 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside until needed.

For the Chicken:

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 475 degrees. Combine the bread crumbs and oil in a 12-inch skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring often, until golden, about 10 minutes. Spread the bread crumbs in a shallow dish and cool slightly; when cool, stir in the Parmesan.

In a second shallow dish, combine the flour, garlic powder, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together. In a third shallow dish, whisk the egg whites and water together.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, place a wire rack on top, and spray the rack with vegetable oil spray. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge the cutlets in the flour, shaking off the excess, then dip into the egg whites, and finally coat with the bread crumbs, Press on the bread crumbs to make sure they adhere. Lay the chicken on the wire rack.

Spray the tops of the chicken with vegetable oil spray. Bake until the meat is no longer pink in the center and feels firm when pressed with a finger, about 15 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the oven. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the sauce onto the center of each cutlet and top the sauce with 2 tablespoons of the mozzarella. Return the chicken to the oven and continue to bake until the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil and serve, passing the remaining sauce and Parmesan separately.

Ooh La La

Nigella Lawson is my British cooking idol. She seems to be so relaxed, yet she creates the most gorgeous and delicious looking meals. I needed a simple dessert one night, so I made her recipe to a T. I'm not going to bother re-typing it, so I'll just post the link. This honestly is extremely easy to make, and the croissants are absolutely scrumptious with a hot cup of tea at the end of a long day.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/chocolate-croissants-recipe/index.html

Enjoy!

Complete and Utter Deliciousness.

I love all recipes that include chicken thighs, as the thighs are probably my favourite meat on a chicken. When made right, they're incredibly tender and go well with any meal. I made this recipe using one I found online on someone's blog, however I just cannot find their website to cite it. Whoever you are, thank you so much for the recipe. All rights go to you! Anyway, I made this for a sort of late brunch, however this can definitely be served for dinner. It is very filling and visually appetizing. And I served it with a bed of baby spinach and my capri salad tomatoes (which the recipe can be found here: http://cookshmook.blogspot.com/2010/01/little-taste-of-italy.html) For those of you who haven't cooked with brown rice before, it will have a different texture than white rice. So don't be fooled into thinking it's not ready, it will be ready after approximately 45 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 tsbp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup brown rice

1 can of diced tomatoes

2 and 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 tsp of each: salt, cumin, dried basil and dried oregano

1/4 tsp of paprika

1/4 tsp black pepper

chicken thighs (about 2 per person)

Directions:

-heat olive oil in a large skillet, or deep pan, on medium heat

-add onions and cook until soft

-add garlic and rice, then stir for about 1 minute

-add seasoning, tomatoes and chicken broth

-place the chicken thighs on top

-bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat

-simmer until rice is tender and chicken is done (about 45-60 minutes)

-enjoy!

January 2010 Bakers' Challenge

I've only had nanaimo bars once before, when we had a party in our French class. I can barely say their name for goodness sakes! But as I was browsing on a website for inspiration, I saw that everyone was making and posting them on their blogs. I then found out that the nanaimo bars were part of the January Bakers' Challenge, and I figured I'd take a shot at it. They weren't that difficult to make, although they may look like they are. I didn't even know, but apparently it's a Canadian recipe. That's my fact of the day for you.

Cappucino Nanaimo Bars

Ingredients and Directions:

Base:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup sugar

5 tbsp cocoa powder

1 egg, beaten

1 and 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup almonds, finely chopped

1 cup shredded coconut

-melt the butter, sugar and cocoa powder using a double broiler or in a heat proof bowl sitting over the saucepan with simmering water (if you do the latter, make sure the boiling water does NOT touch the bowl; it will burn the ingredients)

-add the egg and stir

-remove from heat and stir in graham cracker crumbs, almonds and coconut

-stir well and press into a pan lined with tinfoil

Filling:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 tbsp and 2 ts of heavy cream

2 tbsp custard powder (most grocery stores will have this, don't fret)

2 tsp instant coffee powder

2 cups icing sugar

-beat everything with mixer until well combined and smooth

-spread over base evenly

Topping:

8 tbsp of chocolate

2 tbsp unsalted butter

-melt (i used my microwave; just put on medium high power for about a minute, it should do the job)

-stir and allow to cool slightly

-spread on top and place in fridge overnight

-enjoy!

I'm on An Italiano Roll...

Pizza. Nothing more can be said. It can be simple, sophisticated, rich; I can go on and on. Pizza just might be on of the most versatile dishes we have on planet Earth. This is my first time actually making a pizza (there was one time a long, long time ago when my dad and I made one, but it kind of failed, so I'm not counting that). Now this can very easily be a vegetarian pizza; just leave out the meat obviously. It was surprisingly easy to make, and it tasted fantastic! I don't mean to toot my own horn but... Okay, and I found a video on YouTube that demonstrates how to toss pizza dough. I only found this after I made it, so I struggled a little with the dough, but next time, I am definitely trying it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWL__9yDu8I&feature=player_embedded

Fancy Pizza

Ingredients:

pizza dough (you can go ahead and make your own, but I just head down to the grocery store and saved a whole lot of time).

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

2 cups fresh baby spinach

1 cup shredded mozzarella

6 tbsp goat cheese

Sliced pepperoni (or ham or whichever meat you prefer)

Carmelized onions

1/2 bulb roasted garlic

Directions:

-pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

-sprinkle your work surface with flour

-roll out/toss your pizza dough until your desired size, then transfer onto pizza stone/pan

-drizzle the olive oil onto the dough and spread it around evenly

-sprinkle the dried herbs on

-evenly distribute the spinach

-then layer the ingredients on in the order they are written: mozzarella, goat cheese, pepperoni, carmelized onions and roasted garlic

-bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes; until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted

-enjoy!

Back to Work

As the hell-raising week of exams is finally over, my kitchen is in full working order again. I didn't have enough time to create the dinners that I have been, but fear not; everything is back normal! I actually made this before exams started, I just hadn't been able to update the blog with this. Now spaghetti and meatballs are about as Italian as you can get, and I can guarantee everyone has had the meal at least once in their lives. But, I have a new found respect for it, because it takes an incredibly long time to make. Well, not that it took half my day to make, but I just wasn't expecting it. Nonetheless, it turned out deliciously.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ingredients:

1/4 cup dried bread crumbs

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tbsp of milk

3/4 cup of grated romano (Parmesan is fine if you don't have it)

1/4 cup of chopped parsley

1 lb of ground beef

Directions:

-combine all the ingredients, except the ground beef, and mix well

-add in ground beef, and season with salt and pepper, about 1/2 tsp of each

-mix well

-shape into meatballs, however large you want them (just remember that the bigger they are, the longer they will take to cook through)

-put flour into a shallow plate or dish, and roll each meatball in it, then shake off any excess

-in a large skillet, heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil under medium-high heat, then add the meatballs

-allow them to brown on each side (the timing for this may vary; it took about 10 minutes for mine, however, you need to constantly check them)

-meanwhile, cook your favourite pasta according to the directions

-serve pasta and meatballs with any pasta sauce, grate romano on top, along with some chopped basil

-Enjoy! Belissimo!

An Untraditional Take on a Very Traditional Meal

When I decided to make shepherd's pie, I was in dire need of comfort food. However, I knew it would take forever to make and I didn't feel like making it the traditional way. I found a recipe for it in the monthly Chatelaine magazine we get, and it fit my needs quite well. It has a lot of neat textures, and as you can see, it's very colourful. And since we eat with our eyes first...

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

1 carrot

1 celery stalk

1 pepper (red, green, yellow, orange, whatever)

1 onion, chopped

1 pouch of instant mashed potatoes (or homemade, whichever you like)

1 lb of ground beef

1 tbsp of dijon mustard

Salt, pepper, dried oregano, dried basil, to season

Directions:

-heat large frying pan with 1 tbsp olive oil on medium heat

-finely chop the carrot, celery, pepper and onion

-add the vegetables, leave uncovered and stir often until tender

-meanwhile, chop the tomatoes and prepare the mashed potatoes

-preheat oven broiler

-once the vegetables are soft, crumble in the ground beef

-add tomatoes, dijon mustard and spices

-break up the meat and stir often until no longer pink

-add into some form of a deep baking pan

-layer the mashed potatoes on top and spread evenly

-broil for about 10 minutes

-enjoy!

My Supposedly International Adventure

This was supposed to be our dinner meal for the night, however, we were planning to go out, so I figured I'd make this for a late-brunch, early-dinner type thing. It tasted delicious, although it took some patience and time. I had some spinach left over, so I just laid some on each plate, and made a quick honey dijon-vinaigrette. If you have the time, this is sure to get everyone running to the dinner table faster than you can say "Mamma mia!"

Spanish Chicken with Garlic

Ingredients:

-2-3 tbsp all-purpose flour

-A boneless, skinless chicken breast for each person

-4 tbsp olive oil

-8 garlic cloves, halved and green core removed

-1 bay leaf

-2 cups chicken broth

-4 tbsp dry, white wine

-chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

-salt and pepper

Directions:

-put 2 tbsp of flour in a bad, along with salt and pepper

-add a chicken piece in the bag and shake until lightly coated

-shake off any excess, and repeat with the other pieces (you may need to add seasoning)

-heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet, and add garlic

-fry for about 2 minutes while stirring, in order to flavour the oil, and then remove the garlic (don't throw it away!!)

-add chicken to skillet and fry for 5 minutes

-flip to the other side, and fry for another 5 minutes

-return the garlic to the skillet, and add the bay leaf, chicken broth, wine and bring the mixture to a boil

-lower heat, cover and simmer for about 1 hour

-take out the chicken and arrange on plates

-bring the remaining liquid to a boil until it's reduced to just 1 cup

-spoon that sauce over the chicken, along with the garlic

-garnish with fresh parsley

-serve!

A Little Taste of Italy

This morning, I woke up and decided to watch TV. I go downstairs and see "Under the Tuscan Sun" playing, so I watched some of it while searching through my 50 pound "Low Fat Cookbook". I found this recipe and it just called out to me. By the time I finished writing it down in my notebook of recipes, I was drooling and could already smell it. It's a rather easy low-fat, Italian appetizer, but sadly, it doesn't come with a Vespa, a coffee and a nice Italian man to complete the picture.

Capri Salad

Ingredients:

-a large tomato for each person

-mozzarella cheese

-fresh basil leaves

-salt and pepper

Directions:

-pre-heat the oven to the broiler setting, and allow 5 minutes or so to heat

-slice the tomatoes so they are medium-thin thickness (you'll end up with about 5 slices)

-once you get to the bottom, make the last slice thin, because you'll end up just throwing it away

-you need to keep the tomato stable once it'll be in the oven, so you'll want a flat bottom

-cut the mozzarella in rather thin slices

-layer a tomato slice, mozzarella, basil in a stack, ending with cheese on top
-place the tomatoes in some sort of baking dish

-place the baking dish in the oven for about 7-9 minutes, until the cheese melts and has a slight golden brown covering

-once finished, season the tomatoes with salt and pepper, and if desired, drizzle with olive oil and more basil

-serve and enjoy immediately!

Dinner for Three.

This may be one of the last nights I have as much time as I had tonight to work on dinner, since I'm going to be studying for exams soon. So, tonight I wanted to spend my time and create a 3 course masterpiece; lo and behold, it worked! The salad was an extremely simple. I let the oven do the work for the appetizers.The appetizer were over-roasted potatoes. Finally, for the main course, I took my time and the hard work paid off. Hopefully you'll have the same luck!

Spinach, Pepper and Goat Cheese Salad

Ingredients:

-4 cups fresh spinach

-1 pepper (I used red) sliced into thin slices

-Goat cheese

-Walnuts

-A salad dressing of your choice

Directions:

-Mix all the ingredients together, and serve!

Oven-Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

-about 5 potatoes, cut into quarters

-olive oil

-salt and pepper

-parsley

Directions:

-wash the potatoes well, since you're leaving the skin on

-cut them into quarters, making sure they're more or less of the same size (so they can have even cooking times)

-boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes, when they're cooked, but not completely finished

-pre-heat the oven for 400 degrees Fahrenheit

-mix together all the ingredients and put into baking dish

-bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown

Pan- fried Chicken Rolls with Prosciutto and Havarti Cheese

http://www.culinarydisaster.com/wordpress/24/grilled-chicken-and-proscuitto-rolls/

There are only two changes to the recipe found on that website that I made.

1. I used havarti cheese instead of emmental.

2. I wanted to pan fry the chicken, instead of grilling it. So I heat up a pan with some olive oil, and let it cook for a good 40 minutes. Every 5-10 minutes, I would flip the chicken onto the other side to ensure an even cooking.

Dessert has two S's because it's twice as nice!

So, although I would consider myself to be better at cooking than baking at the moment, I am definitely working on the sweet side of the deal! Baking does require a lot more precision and patience than cooking, and sometimes I just cannot handle that. But the desserts that I've been making are simple enough, and don't require much of my time. And this was modified from a website on www.foodgawker.com, however I am having difficulty finding it. So, whoever you are, I give you credit! So without further ado...

Warm Mocha Truffle Cake

Ingredients:

-1/2 cup of chocolate chips, or chocolate chunks

-4 tbsp room temperature butter

-2 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks

-1/3 cup granulated white sugar

-2 tbsp of all-purpose flour

-1 tbsp of coffee liquer (this is completely optional; leave this out if you don't feel comfortable baking with alcohol)

-ice cream (preferably vanilla, but whatever floats your boat!)

Directions:

-pre-heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit

-grease, with Pam or butter, the ramekins

-melt the chocolate and butter, while stirring often, in the microwave until the chocolate is melted (you may the stove, but that requires so much extra work and leaves a greater mess, so just take the easy way out)

-in a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, egg yolks and sugar with a mixer until the mixture is thick and has a pale yellow colour to it

-add 1 tbsp of flour, mix, then add in the other tbsp, and mix

-add the liquer and chocolate concoction

-beat that for a few minutes, until all combined properly

-put the mixture in the ramekins and bake for 18 minutes

-once they are finished, take them out and let them sit and cool for a few minutes

-run a knife along the edge to loosen them from the ramekin, and then flip them over onto a serving plate

-add as much ice cream you want on top, and you are fini!

Off we go!

So here is my chicken and peppers put together rather nicely on my plate. Please disregard the garlic lying in the upper left hand corner; I didn't have time to clean up the counter yet. I followed the recipe found on this blog: http://cook-eat-love.com/2010/01/sticky-lemon-chicken/. I modified it a little bit, and don't judge me as my picture won't look nearly as good as hers.

Ingredients:

- Chicken thighs (I used 5, as I was cooking for my parents and myself. Usually you would want two thighs per person, maybe more.)

- Salt and pepper

- 3 and a half tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

- 2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

- A few drops of soy sauce (the one I own is the strong flavored kind that it meant for cooking, so I only need a very small amount)

- 3 tbsp honey

- Half a lemon, cut in fine slices

Directions:

-heat a saucepan with the olive oil and garlic, medium heat

-season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper (other spices if you feel the need, just remember, less is more)

- brown about 4 chicken thighs at a time, depending on how big your pan is

-this will take about 20 minutes to cook the chicken properly (the chicken will be about 85% ready by now)

-add in the soy sauce and honey, and stir

-wait about a minute, and then add in 1/2 cup of hot water, along with the lemon

-let it simmer until it thickens into a syrupy consistency

- take out the chicken thighs, and serve!

Oven Roasted Peppers

*as seen in above picture*

This recipe is one that I had seen a long time ago on various cooking shows and from my parents' knowledge, therefore there is no site I can refer you to.

Ingredients:

-2 peppers (whichever colour you choose!)

-1 tbsp of olive oil

-Onion (optional; however much you like)

- salt and pepper to season

Directions:

-pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit

-cut the peppers into medium-thin strips

-if you choose to make it with the onion, slice the onion into rings

-mix together the ingredients

-spray baking pan with Pam or brush with olive oil to prevent sticking

-put the peppers on, and leave in oven for about one hour

-you may stir the peppers a few times

-remove from oven, leave it to cool for a bit (although this is near impossible as it smells delicious!)

-SERVE!

A New Beginning...

So, however you may have stumbled upon this blog, I'm glad that you did and hopefully you'll enjoy it. One of my closest friends had gotten the bright idea of me starting a cooking blog, as for the past week, she's been hearing about my cooking adventures.

My name is Pauline, and I am the newest member to the not-so-exclusive world of cooking. You can say that I have had a love for the culinary arts for as long as I can remember. My most watched TV channel is The Food Network, and I find it pleasantly nurturing to have playing either with me watching attentively or in the background while I'm doing something else. Although I mentioned I've had a passion for cooking since forever, I've never really considered to actually stand in the kitchen and create a full meal. However, after watching countless cooking shows, and then "Julie and Julia" (which by the way is a fantastic movie!), it has led me to taking the initiative upon myself.

My main source of inspiration lately? www.foodgawker.com

Tonight, I made sweet lemon chicken with oven roasted red and yellow peppers. For dessert; personal molten chocolate cakes. Sounds pretty good for an amateur, right?

I will post the recipes and pictures of my finished products later on, for those of you who are interested.

I'll wrap up my first post, and hope that someone cares enough to actually read this.

Thanks for your time and hope to see you soon.