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

Favourite Recipes

So, being something of an expert on this cookbook now I'm recommending my favourites from this book.
1. The recipe that I love more than anything are Oeufs en Cocotte. This recipe is soooo delicious and so easy. It's a luxurious breakfast. Make it!

2. The most used recipe for me is Curry in a Hurry. This recipe is delicious and one that you can really make your own. Fast and delicious dinner, I make a variation of this almost every week.

3. Replace your store bought pancake mix with Nigella's Homemade Instant Pancake Mix. Again, super easy and super delicious and I always feel better about making something from scratch as opposed to from a box.

4. Before this cookbook challenge I had never had or heard of halloumi cheese. Now I love halloumi cheese so I think you should expose yourself too and try the delectable Halloumi Bites.

5. A crowd favourite among my friends is the Rocky Road Crunch Bars. Everyone loves these and you can make them in a snap. You will win friends and hearts by taking this recipe to a BBQ, picnic or potluck. Be sure you give these a try.

So there are my top 5 recipes. There are of course many more great recipes in this book but these are my real go to recipes from this book.

So I don't think this will be the end of my blogging days. I have other recipes that I wish to share and hopefully try to influence you to go outside your box of recipes as I will be doing too. So happy cooking friends, until next time.

Duck Breast with Pomegranate and Mint

Well folks ,this is it. 185 posts, 186 recipes, 18 months and finally , FINALLY, I am done. I cannot tell you how glad I am to have finished this. How crazy was I to say I would do this? Pretty effing crazy. But it's done now and i have to say I am officially an expert on Nigella Express. I definitely learned a lot about cooking and a lot about blogging doing this. So it's not like it was all for naught. But I am really looking forward to cooking from a book that is NOT Nigella Express.

This recipes is really pretty easy. I knew that my Metro would not have a duck breast so I didn't even bother trying there (see lessons learned!). Instead I went to Longo's and was lucky enough to get the very last duck breast. So it was meant to be today I think. There's only 4 ingredients wot this recipe so it's very simple to prepare. Cook your duck and toss things on a plate is pretty much it. Husband came home to this for dinner (fresh out of the oven) and he seemed to like it. He said it's not his new favourite meal or anything but that it tasted good and was enjoyable. So it's not like this recipe had me finishing with a bang or anything - but I really don't care. I'm just glad to be done. I should have finished this ages ago, but at least now this is all behind me.

I guess I'm glad that I did this but right now I'm just still a little bitter about what a task this was. Maybe in a couple weeks I'll be able to laugh about the pain. I plan on doing a top ten recipes entry so stay tuned for that!

Black Pasta with Red Mullet

Red Mullet. Not an Irish man's haircut in the early 90s. Rather the other red mullet which is apparently a delicious fish. I unfortunately have more experience with the hairstyle than the fish. And to my great disappointment it shall stay that way. I was not able to lay my hands on a red mullet....at least not the fish. Nigella has an answer for this problem; Bream. So that's what I went home with. I picked up a whole bream fish at the market and had them clean the fish for me with the head off please and thank you. However, when I got home the fish was not quite in the shape I was hoping for. I guess what I should have asked for is to have the fish filleted. This I will chalk up to my innocence and ignorance of what is involved in dismembering animals - which I'd like to keep that ignorance and innocence thank you very much. What I had on my hands was a headless gutless fish. A fish with quite a strong spine that I was not prepared to deal with. But I knew I'd have to get the bugger apart somehow and when faced with this task I was also faced with a childhood trauma. When I was very young, I'm not sure how old exactly, my father decided to show his youngest daughter how to clean a fish. A life lesson for certain. The only problem here is that my father's youngest daughter (me) is incredibly sensitive to animals being harmed in anyway shape or form. She tends to prefer watching humans be dismembered as opposed to animals. And, at around this same age, would cry for hours when a farmer struck a donkey in a Christmas claymation special titled "Nestor" (Nestor is the donkey that carries Mary to the stable in Bethlehem). So my father decides it's time to show me basic survival skills and that even in my innocent and sensitive state of mind, I should know how to clean a fish. I guess in the event I took off and was alone in the woods for days with no food source. So, things were going swimmingly in the beginning. We caught a fish (oooo how exciting!), we took the fish off the hook (not my favourite part) and, here's where we strayed from the normal routine I was accustomed to. Instead of throwing the fish back in the river my father pulled out a knife and sliced open the belly of the poor bugger. Then came the blood and guts, then came the tears. Ridiculous amounts of tears. I didn't eat fish after that until I was 16 years old. No joke. 16.

So with all this trauma in my back pocket I have to now fillet this fish. Lemme tell ya, it did not go well. I did not fillet this fish so much a butcher it up. After a few minutes I realized I would not be successful at this and just did what I could to salvage this dinner.

Filleting was the hardest part of the dinner. So if you can buy just a straight up fillet - do it. The rest of this meal prep is all about timing. Getting your pasta cooked and ready at the same time your sauce is ready for the pasta. And I'll tell you this is much easier to do if you prep all your ingredients ahead of time.

Taste wise this is alright but not fantastic. Because I'm bollocks at filleting a fish, we had a few bones to contend with but it was alright. This recipe will not make my top ten but if you want something a little different give it a try. It does have great visual appeal.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Sundae

This I was going to have be my very last recipe but it seems that is not to be the case. I actually made this because I realized in the grocery store today that it has been quite a while since I made the last recipe and I knew that all I needed for this recipe was some chocolate, some ice cream and peanut butter. I was also putting this recipe off for so long because I couldn't fathom buying tubs of ice cream that I knew would go to waste because I never eat ice cream. And if I do eat ice cream it's usually on a stick. Whenever I buy a tub of ice cream after I eat 3 scoops of it, it sits in my freezer for a year, gets freezer burnt and then I throw it out. So even as I was heading towards the freezer section in the store I was mourning the ice cream I was about to purchase and throw out in a year. Then I saw a little bit of genius in the freezer. Haagen Daaz has released a product that is one scoop portions!!!!! I couldn't believe my luck. Exactly what I needed. I bought 3 scoops and was on my way. Perfect.

I get back home and make myself a sundae. But first the sauce. Cream, peanut butter, chocolate and honey melted together. Then just pour over ice cream, top with peanuts and your afternoon treat is ready for enjoyment.

If you like ice cream then you will of course like this. I have to tell you that what is amazing to use for this sundae is Haagen Daaz Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream. That really made it for me. Only 2 recipes left! I can't even believe this shit.

Peaches in Muscat

I should have been done this project ages ago, but I still have around 3 recipes to make. Even after having made this one. I feel like this book is growing recipes and I'll never be done. It of course doesn't help that my production line has all but ground to a halt on this project. I'm painting pictures, sewing dresses doing everything BUT cooking it feels like these days. Husband has been picking up the slack there, but him cooking doesn't get the this project done. And I have to tell you I kind of feel like - why did I think this was a good idea? Am I really in my third calendar year of doing this? That's a little bit shameful. But I am finishing. One thing I am good for is coming thru on my word. Generally if I say I'm going to do something I do it - which isn't always a good thing when I'm suddenly stuck by conviction if I've had a few drinks. God knows that my drunk ideas are not usually my best ideas. However those events do usually turn into good stories later down the road of life. Once I'm over the trauma and can laugh off the embarrassment that is. But here I am now with Nigella Express in hand - I can see the finish line but it feels like a mirage. Three bloody recipes to go and it will probably take me 3 bloody weeks to crank them out. But oh the glory I will feel once this is done. Well, perhaps glory isn't the right word..I'm thinking relief, good riddance and thank effing god that's over with I must have been drunk or insane when I had that idea....

Today though I don't get to close the book for good but rather make another check off on yet another recipe "peaches in muscat". All I can say is I am so glad this is absolutely NO effort whatsoever. All I did was cut up a peach and poor booze over it. This is about all the level of effort I had for this today too. As it turns out this is actually highly rewarding in the flavour department. I think I'm becoming a fan of the late harvest vidal which is my north american suburban replacement for a muscat wine. I'm starting to think you can soak any fruit in muscat wine, serve with a variation of cream and it will be delicious. I do recommend this recipe if for no other reason than because we all need to eat more booze soaked fruit.