Cheddar Ale Soup

I find soup a highly under-rated food. It can be so fantastic and this is definitely a recipe to make you a believer. When I saw this recipe in a magazine the title intrigued me for certain, I mean beer and cheese how can it not be tasty? But still I was blown away by how great this recipe is. Super easy to make and addictively tasty. This smells so amazing when it's cooking and it tastes even better than it smells. Husband had a taste when it was done and couldn't stop "tasting" it. I ate 3 bowls myself, it's just so damn delicious. If the way to someone's heart is thru their stomach this is the recipe that proves that theory. One drawback, when you look at the fat content of this recipe you'll know why it's so damn good too - because it's basically is a heart attack in a bowl .I say risk it though. You can cut down on the fat content a touch by using a little less butter than called for and by using 18% cream instead of the 35% called for. I don't think I've made a Michael Smith recipe before but I'll for sure try him again after this one. One more thing, I used New Castle Brown Ale for my beer and it turned out fantastic!

Recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipes/Soup/Cheese/recipe.html?dishid=9529

First Class Taters and Cream

If you haven't been to Lick's get the eff there now. Lick's is the best fast food there is period. My favourite thing to get at Lick's is the veggie burger with taters and cream. Taters and cream is french fry heaven. I've taken to making my french fries at home these days because I feel like if you make it yourself it's not quite as terrible for you. I'm not sure how much merit that holds but it sounds good right? I'm sure there must be some study somewhere to back me up on that claim. If nothing else you know some degenerate teenager didn't spit in your food and give you Hep B.

I like to make my fries even less healthy for me every once in a while too. I mean why stop at oil and salt? So sometimes I'll make my own homemade taters and cream or even put a little hollandaise sauce and green onion on my fries...the possibilities are endless really. The other day though it occurred to me that I could take my taters and cream from ordinary to extraordinary with a fantastic thing called Truffle Honey. Have you ever had truffle honey? If not that's #2 of things to eat on your list right after Lick's. The first time you eat truffle honey you have to do it proper. That is get yourself a strong aged cheddar and a small jar of truffle honey and put just a little bit if honey on your cube of cheese. Your mouth will orgasm. Experience truffle honey in this way first and then your ready to push on to other things. But you really need to get the earthy sweetness of having it in a pretty pure form before branching out as I've done in this recipe.

To make your First Class Taters and Cream get some french fry potatoes. Yes they do sell those - check the bulk section of potatoes and they should be there. (Usually with a little brown bag to put them in.) Give them a good scrub and then slice 'em up and lightly coat in oil and salt to taste. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or so at around 400-425. (flipping half way thru) On top of your baked french fries you want to pile shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream that has had truffle honey stirred into it (about 1 tbsp of honey to 1/2 cup of sr cream), crispy bacon chopped into bacon bits and chopped green onion. There you have First Class Taters and Cream. Like I said I just had an epiphany of this recipe the other day so you may want to tweak this to your own tastes but you will not be let down by this one. Or a least I wasn't.

PS - don't go by my layering in the photo you want cheese directly ontop of the fries so it gets melty and gooey!

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Just because I've finished Nigella Express does not mean that I have stopped cooking. I've decided that what I'll do from here on out is just blog about various recipes that appeal to me for what ever reason. If something is a little out of the norm or just a great version of a classic I'm gonna give it a shot and you're going to go thru it with me. I'm hoping that together we can get a catalogue of killer recipes and I'll be your guinea pig!

Now before we go any further I'm going to tell you about the most amazing birthday party I went to yesterday. One of my oldest and best friends was giving her baby girl a "half birthday party". Her baby was born 2 weeks before Christmas when everyone is always so busy and the weather is usually terrible (it's Canada!!!) so she decided that rather than ask everyone to drive in that awful weather so close to Christmas they would have a lovely July half-a-year birthday party. So we all come from hours away - for us it was a 90 minute drive - and after being there a short while her and her boyfriends stood up to make a speech and thank everyone for making the effort. Then she made the announcement that they had become engaged! So we were all very happy about that. But then they took it even further and announced that they were going to get married right then and there!!!!! We were all in shock! My friend beside me was outright weeping at this point. I was just agog. We all were. It was so fast. They went inside and changed clothes. Husband was standing there in camo print shorts and I hadn't even washed my hair!!! At least I was wearing a dress, a frumpy dress but at least a dress. Then my friend comes out of her house in a beautiful dress and in 9 minutes they were married! It was crazy, inspiring, spontaneous and romantic. Definitely a wedding that one does not forget.

So I had to share that just because I'm still in shock and to make the point that you don't need bells and whistles to have a great wedding. Now on to the recipe.

Quinoa Tabbouleh is a recipe made by Mark Bittman, from the Food Matters Cookbook. Mark Bittman follows the philosophy that quality ingredients make quality food. And he really knows how to mix and compliment flavours. One bite of this salad and you will know exactly what I mean. The other great thing about this recipe is that you can really make it your own by playing around with the quantity of the ingredients and picking and choosing what to include. So when I make this I leave out the white beans, I add in the pistachio and I add just a little, and I do mean a little, extra mint. To me it's the mint that really makes this recipe. It adds a layer to the recipe that I did not expect but have become a little addicted to. I love and I mean LOVE this recipe.

There is just so much possibility with the recipe and I think it offers something for everyone. Not to mention this recipe is 100% vegan and gluten free. Don't let that deter you though if you are a meat eater, it can be enjoyed by all. Husband, the meatetarian, likes this salad also. So if you're having a BBQ or potluck or a surprise backyard wedding this is a recipe that everyone can enjoy no matter what their dietary restrictions. I cannot recommend this enough.

http://markbittman.com/quinoa-tabbouleh