NY Resolution Recipe #16: SUSHI PIZZA!

Okay, so I have been making sushi for myself (because nobody else wants it in my household) about once a week.
Traditionally after spinning - because I'm usually STARVING afterward.

Today I had spinning and did not make sushi - sigh.

But last week - I made sushi pizza!

"Pray tell, what is sushi pizza?!" you're probably wondering.

Well, once upon a time - back in Canada - I have heard of such a legendary food and it's just that. Pizza made with sushi-related ingredients.
It was expensive at the restaurants - and I have no idea why I never made my own sushi at home...but better late than never! :)

I was giddy with excitement and had to do it - so here's my version:

What you need:

• 1 Cup of sushi rice - cooked and cooled sushi rice (season it with your rice vinegar/sushi vinegar and sugar!)
• I don't use actual sushi rice.  I use "porridge rice" as it's just as sticky and works just as well!
• I also use my Tupperware Microwave Rice cooker to do the job - works like a charm and never burns on me! :)  
• 1 cup of rice + 1½ cups of water then 10 minutes on high in the microwave works for me.
• Roasted seaweed sheets
• Seafood of your choice - I used shrimp, cold smoked salmon and crab sticks
• Ripe avocado - you can slice it as I did in my photos - or you could mash it and slap it everywhere.
• Wasabi and Japanese soya sauce on the side to dip
• Roasted sesame seeds
• Panko crumbs
• Spicy mayo:  mayonnaise + sriracha sauce mixed well

What to do:

1. Take your cooled rice and spraying a pan lightly with cooking spray, pat the rice down and fill it as thick as you want it.  Some people prefer a thinner "crust" - some prefer thicker.  You could probably make 2 pizzas out of the rice - but I made a massive one.
2. Cook until golden brown evenly on both sides if you like it crunchy!  I don't like crunchy rice - so I lightly fried it - continuously shifting it and flattening it and once it was golden brown here and there - I slid it onto a plate.
3. Decorate it however way you want to.

I ripped the seaweed into strips and put that down first, sliced my avocado and squirted lemon juice on it while I cut prepped the other items.
I fiddled with it until it looked even all around and pretty for me to take photos!
It was extremely filling for 1 person! I ate half and ate the second half the next morning!

For my first attempt - I'm pleased!

Definitely something I will make again and share with a friend! :)
BIMU

NY Resolution Recipe #15: Cream Cheese Stuffed and Wrapped Chicken Breasts

Apparently, it has been awhile since I've written one of these posts up! EEK!
It's already Canada Day and I am seriously slacking!

So I apologize now in advance for all of the recipe posts that will be coming up - and I'll put the autism-related stuff on the back burner for a bit so I can truly update this blog!

So this comes off as a fancy-pants meat dish but really, it's not that hard, doesn't require that much and is not terribly time consuming to do.

What you need:

• Chicken breasts for the total amount of people you're serving - RINSED.
• Prosciutto or similar air-dried ham - or bacon (it'll be greasier) - 1/chicken breast
• Black Forest ham slices - 1/chicken breast
• Flavoured cream cheese - I used smoked reindeer - but herb & garlic would be lovely as well!
• Pepper
• Baking Paper
• Baking sheet
• Toothpicks
• Small sharp knife

What to do:

1. Turn your oven to 200*C (400*F) while you prep the chicken.
2. Cut open chicken (see photo of V-Man helping me out!).
3. Make a cut length-wise into the meat - but don't cut all the way through.
4. Spoon flavoured cream cheese into the "pocket" you made in the meat.
5. Wrap breast with a slice of ham and again with a slice of prosciutto/air-dried ham.
6. Insert a tooth pick and place on baking paper.
7. Repeat until all the chicken breasts are done.
8. Cook in oven for 25-35 minutes, until meat is cooked all the way through.  (Time may vary depending on your oven and thickness of meat.) 

Serve with rice, salad, potatoes or on a warm and toasty bun as a sandwich!
*Be sure to remove the toothpick - or else it will hurt.*

Enjoy! :)
BIMU

NY Resolution Recipe #12: Cheesy Garlic Fingers + Dipping Sauce (Bacon is "optional")

Something I realized about where I live - is that there are several pizza and kebab restaurants and not one of them sells cheesy garlic fingers.
Garlic fingers (if you're not familiar) is more or less pizza dough with loads of garlic butter on top and cheese - and of course - bacon is optional.

I'm from Canada and there's always some sort of combo of pizza and garlic fingers  - which is handy for the vegetarians (bacon aside of course) who might not eat the communal pizza!

So as a spur of the last moment decision - I decided to try to make some.
I don't know how I haven't EVER tried to make my own - but it suddenly became necessary that I try.

What you need:

• Pizza dough (I use this recipe in my bread machine!)
• I also added liquid garlic to the dough mixture so it'd be nice and garlic-y!
• Liquid garlic or very finely minced garlic (or both really)
• Dried parsley and chives
• A lot of butter - about a quarter cup!
• A lot of shredded cheese! (I just used a pizza blend.)
• Optional: Already cooked and crumbled bacon.
• I have discovered cooking the bacon in the oven! Less mess and fairly quick at 200*C for 15 minutes on the middle rack with baking paper underneath for even less mess! :)

What to do:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 225*C and roll out your pizza dough onto a lined baking sheet.
2. Melt your butter, minced garlic, dried parsley and chives in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl.
3. Brush/drown your rolled out dough with your garlic butter mixture, sprinkle cheese generously all over and top with crumbled up bacon.
4. Bake for about 10 minutes until cheese is bubbling and dough edges are golden brown.
5. Enjoy it all - or share - without shame. :D

Now, you're probably wondering what kind of sauce goes best with cheesy garlic fingers?

According to my Californian friend - Dominos serves theirs with some sort of tomato sauce. Probably pizza sauce.  Probably not as amazing as Donair sauce...oh donair.

A donair is a Canadian invention of sorts - delicious all year round, cures hangovers (so I hear) and in general is amazing.  And the official food of Halifax, Nova Scotia I read online!

Read more about the beauty of a donair here.

But what goes best with donair is its side kick - the sauce.
Which looks like plain ol' white whatever - but is amazing and apparently so freaking easy to make - I'm disappointed and thrilled!
Disappointed because no amount of gym hours is going to save me....thrilled because it's easy as pie!

And guess what? You don't need to live in Canada to make it.
All the ingredients are readily (usually) available in most stores!

Vinegar, condensed (sweetened) milk and garlic powder - OMG.  That's it!  Whisk and chill.  So delicious.  Also amazing on pizza too since you're probably having that too, right?  I found the recipe here! 

Quick review: It's amazing and easy and tastes like back home! :)

These are great for potlucks, birthday parties, having guests over or just for yourself!

Of course I had to make pizza as well...

Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed getting fat with me making your own garlic fingers!  ;)

BIMU

PS Originally posted here.

New Year's Resolution Recipe #11: Parma Chicken!

If you're looking for what appears to be a fairly classy-looking meal that won't break the bank - then I present to you "Parma Chicken"!
This is something I made at cooking school recently and decided I had to try it at home with my own twist on things.

What you need:

• Chicken breasts
• Prosciutto or any other kind of similar smoked ham strips (a nice smokey bacon could work too)
• Pesto (home-made or from a jar)
• Sun dried tomatoes sliced
• Caramelized onion chutney (or whatever flavour you fancy)
• salt and pepper

Pre-heat your oven to 200*C (400*F).

Spray your deep baking dish with cooking spray.

If your chicken breasts are thick - then take a sharp knife and make a small but deep cut and go length-wise so you don't make a hole on both sides of the meat - this helps to create a pocket in the chicken breast.  Do this to all the breasts and then fill with pesto and sun dried tomato pieces.

If you can fit in chutney - great!  If not - spread some on top of the chicken breast and then wrap a slice of prosciutto or bacon around it.

I served it with potato pancakes - which were supposed to be croquettes originally but I lacked chilling time for the mashed potatoes - so I improvised! :)

Alternative - which is what I did because my breast meat wasn't thick enough - lie your chicken breast flat, spread pesto and sun dried tomato pieces and chutney, roll quickly and wrap with a slice of prosciutto.
Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top and bake for 20 minutes or so - until chicken breast is cooked through completely.

Enjoy!
BIMU

PS Originally posted here.

New Year's Resolution Recipe #10: Slow Cooked Curry, Cauliflower Fritters & Naan!

I had been dying to make some Indian-style curry in my slow cooker and finally decided for last night I would.
I love my slow cooker for curries - it's so simple!  It wasn't my first time making a curry but it certainly had been awhile!

While I was cruising through Pinterest, I decided I wanted to do something more.  Something vegetarian to go with this and discovered "Cauliflower Fritters".  I first saw this recipe and thought they looked amazing!
Then I had a nap and didn't have enough time to let the mixture chill for 3 hours in the fridge and my balcony isn't cold enough to speed up the process.  So I found another recipe (can't find the link!) where they just boiled the cauliflower and mashed it up after draining it and mixed stuff in and pan-fried the fritters.
That worked and it was so tasty!

"I don't know what I'm doing Cauliflower Fritters"

• 2 small cauliflower heads (or use 1 large one)
• 3 large eggs
• A couple handfuls of flour (or however much needed to make the mixture not so wet)
• Your favourite spices and some fresh coriander.
• For spices I used:  salt, pepper, curry powder, tumeric and some mixes.

1. Clean your cauliflower and remove the stem and leaves.
2. Break the cauliflower up into little florets and boil until tender.
3. Drain really well and mash the cauliflower until it resembles baby food.
1. Drain it again.
4. Spray your cooking pan with non-stick cooking spray and while that's heating up:
1. Mix in your eggs and spices and flour until mixture isn't super wet looking.
5. Once pan is heated, drop by the spoonful (or blob-full) some fritter mixture and fry a couple minutes on medium-high heat until golden brown and flip them and allow to cook long enough that the other side is golden brown too.  (You might need to flatten them a bit if the blob is too thick).
6. Serve and enjoy.

I bought 800 grams of beef chunks (I realize beef isn't common in Indian-style curry for cultural/religious reasons but I'm not a fan of pork meat and wasn't in the mood for chicken!) and cut them in half because we were feeding 4 adults and 4 kids - and I love a hearty stew/curry!

• While the beef was frying in a bit of oil to brown it - I peeled and cut a few small potatoes (cut in quarters), a couple large carrots and a medium-sized onion went into the slow cooker.
• I added the beef pieces, Tikka Masala curry paste (monster-sized blobs), a box of tomato puree and a can of coconut milk (only because there were little ones and I didn't want it too spicy).
• I let it cook on low for 6 hours with the occasional stir here and there.  A bit of fresh coriander and some salt and pepper and it was all good to go!  I wish I had the ingredients before hand as I prefer to have it cook for 8 hours - but was waiting to hear from our guests if they would be coming or not.  (There's a baby on the way for them - so I just had to be sure!)
• I had topped it with fresh coriander and also had some in the pot while cooking.  I'm sure I could've added more spices but was pressed for time.

For the naan bread - I turned to my favourite recipe (I love my bread machine!) and tried 2 cups of all purpose flour and 2 cups of bread flour and they turned out bigger than my hand!
Instead of brushing it with water - I brushed it with ghee (clarified butter - or you can make your own).

Serve with basmati rice and ta-da!
BIMU

PS sorry for the delay in this!  Time to catch up on some recipes!
Originally posted here.

New Year's Resolution Recipe #9: Beer Can Chicken

Or do you call it "Beer Butt Chicken"?
Either way, I've been meaning to make this for about 15 years and finally got around to it.
15 years is a long time to forget about a recipe and think to do it randomly some Friday night!
Why 15 years?  Well, I once dated a guy named Simon (way back when I was about 15) and his dad told me all about beer butt chicken and I am pretty sure I let out the most ridiculous and not-so-lady-like snort.
I quickly recovered and I never did get to try out that chicken dish and every now and again it floated to my mind and quickly dissolved again.

Anyways, for the sake of something "quick" and not requiring a lot of prep time - I decided to Google search "beer can chicken" and found a variety of recipes!
Whew - it's not some weird dish made by Canadians.

I knew I had a whole chicken that needed to be cooked and I looked online and found that most recipes are for grilling the chicken on a barbecue.
I don't have one and saw some recipes were oven-friendly.
I also don't have one of those fancy wire things to support the chicken upward - I just shimmied the chicken onto the can.

• Pre-heat oven to 200*C.
• Rinse your chicken all over and inside out.
• Pat it dry with paper towel - or else your dry rub won't stick!
• Open a can of beer (I used Carlsberg - since I don't know crap about beers and which is best for inserting into a bird) and pour about 1/4 of it into your baking dish/pan you're going to let the chicken cook in.
• Shimmy that bird onto the can of beer.  (Some people remove the tab - I didn't because nobody told me and I didn't see it online until someone mentioned it after the fact.  I don't know why - but if you want - I guess you could!)
• Rub your spices all over your chicken.
• I used whatever was on my shelf that sounded alright with the word "chicken".  A lot of pre-mixed spices, dried mustard powder, chili powder etc.

• Rub your spices all over your chicken.

• Drizzle some olive oil into your pan if you want.
  Look at "Carl" getting his tan on!

• Let your chicken hang out in the oven for about 1.5 hours or until cooked well based on your meat thermometer. (75*C or 165*F)

• Loosen the chicken from the can and slice it up!
  This is what the can looked like after.

I don't recommend drinking the beer that's left over.

So was it worth a can of beer?  Sure!

I found that it cooked the chicken evenly and because the chicken was propped up - the chicken was nice and crispy and the beer flavour was very subtle.

It was juicy and well received by our guests!

I served this with mashed potatoes, green beans and thyme dinner rolls I made my bread machine whip up for me (I had to bake them) last minute.

Definitely something I'll try again!

:)
BIMU

PS Originally posted here.

New Year's Resolution Recipe #7: Perogies/Valentine's Day Dinner

Today is Valentine's Day (or friendship day in Finland) and I thought since we didn't even bother trying to get a sitter - we'll celebrate my birthday, Valentine's Day and our anniversary all in one dinner date at another time.

However, I wanted to do a little something and thought we could spoil ourselves once the kids were asleep tonight (and I'm back with the dogs) with a delicious dinner of steak and shrimps (those would be for me).
I didn't want to have rice with it and I didn't want to have mashed potatoes or baked potatoes either.
Salad is out of the question as my husband has a digestive condition (Crohn's) and for the life of me - I had a hankering for some perogies today!

In Canada (where I'm from) - I used to buy them every couple of months frozen and they would be a nice late night snack during movie night or a different side dish with a meal.
Obviously not the healthiest option of course...I even remember Boston Pizza having a perogy pizza and I was in love!

I can't get frozen ones here - as far as I know - so obviously the next step is to make my own.
I started with a Google search and found this recipe.
Stupid me - I for some reason thought that "20 servings" meant portions for 20 people.  It was a long night last night with the kids and my husband constantly waking me up with his snores or shaking from running in his sleep or something...

Anyways, I downsized that recipe above for "2 servings" and got such odd numbers and the dough didn't work out - so I dumped in more flour and it magically turned into a proper dough! :)

I just mashed potatoes up with spices and shredded cheese.
Next time I'll add crumbled up bacon! :)

For some reason I can't rotate this photo - but you get the idea.
Top: First attempt aka "I have no idea what I'm doing".
Bottom: Several attempts later...aka "Holy crap it looks like a perogy!"
Words of wisdom: I didn't roll the circles out very thinly in fear of them bursting while cooking.  I did flatten them a bit more and stretched them a little with my hands.  I used about a heaping tea spoon for filling and sealed them with water and once they were all done - used a fork dipped in flour to press down the edges.

There were actually 36 of these puppies ready!  I couldn't freeze them as it was suggested (to prevent bursting during boiling) - so I did the next best thing.  I layered them in a bowl with a light dusting of flour and parchment paper/baking paper then covered with a towel and tossed them onto my frosty balcony for a few hours until we were ready to eat.

I have to say I was annoyed (but perhaps it's obvious) that the recipe just says to boil them in lightly salted water and once they float to the top, remove with a slotted spoon.
I'm annoyed because what the recipe doesn't say - and I'm going to share with you - is that you should put a bit of oil in the boiling water to prevent those perogies from sticking to the bottom - and they're going to anyway.  It's possible that the salting of the water will prevent sticking - I just went with oil to be safe.
I couldn't figure out why some weren't floating and it turns out they were sticking anyway!  Luckily I got it in the nick of time and they floated and nothing burst in the pot!
And there should so be a "step 5" - heat a pan with a generous dab of butter and fry them suckers on both sides until golden and crisp.

Again - probably obvious because of the photo posted on the top of their site, but they certainly didn't look just boiled and removed with a slotted spoon to me. ;)

Here was the final result:

Perogies, surf and turf with fried onions and mushrooms and a side of caramelized carrots (boiled in water until tender, drained then cooked in browned butter with a few tablespoons of brown sugar).

We had a feast at home and watched Scandal while the kids slept and the dogs stared at us - waiting and drooling.  Yes, I'm a sucker and gave them some fat from the steak.

Perogies are well worth the time and effort and a few small potatoes goes a long way!

Happy Valentine's Day.

BIMU

PS originally posted on 2 Hookers 2 Kitchens

New Year Resolution Recipe #2: Moose Burgers

Again, copied from a blog I'm co-writing with a friend - should you wish to follow that blog.

I am on a roll with new recipes!  Today's Sunday which is for me, the beginning of a new week although most people in Finland consider the beginning of a week to start on a Monday.

Anyways, last week - I made moose burgers!

This was one of the larger patties...so delicious.

I bought minced moose meat frozen and took it out to thaw the morning of.

I started my bread machine to help me make the hamburger buns for me too.  Recipe can be found here.

I mixed 2 eggs (because I used a kilo of meat as we had guests over), various spices and the meat and formed them into patties.  I thought I had bread crumbs but apparently not - they still held their shape. I only flipped them once the meat was half-way cooked so they wouldn't crumble on me.

Fried in a pre-oiled pan (cooked the bacon first - bacon fat is lovely for everything!)  and also had the buns baked before I made the patties and served them with condiments like pickles, lettuce, ketchup, mustard and bacon.

I also had made hand-cut potato wedges which were simple enough.  I rinsed potatoes, sliced them as evenly as possible, tossed them in olive oil with salt and pepper and baked them at 225*C in my oven for 45 minutes while stirring them every 10-15 minutes.

Moose meat - is nice and light tasting to me - not super greasy and doesn't give me cramps or digestive issues like beef or pork can sometimes or that "heavy gut" feeling.

It didn't taste very "game-y" either - I suspect, as a friend suggested - that it was cooked properly because over-cooking can lead to very game-y flavoured meat.  Of course some meat just has that taste but I found this moose didn't!
Neither did the roast I did in the previous post!

Until next time! :)
BIMU

New Year Resolution Recipe #1: Slow-Cooked Moose Meat

So I've decided to stick to the same New Year Resolution as last year and make/try a new recipe a week.
I was tired of eating the same things every week - sometimes multiple times within a week for the sake of convenience or laziness.  

So last night to celebrate the new year - I decided to try my hand at a moose roast.
A friend/neighbour gifted me with a chunk of moose from her father's hunting group and I immediately got excited about the possibilities of what to do with it.
The Hubster swears I said "chocolate mousse" when I tossed it to him after swapping presents with my friend!

Please note - I have 0 professional cooking experience and am not educated in fancy-pants cooking.  I rely on the internet, cook books and guess with measurements!
I'm going to a home economics vocational school soon - but it's nothing incredibly fancy!  I'll be sure to keep you guys updated on my culinary skills I learn from there!

1. I took the moose roast out to thaw the night before.
2. I started the dough in the bread machine (my favourite machine in the kitchen right now!).  Recipe from good ol' Betty Crocker.
1. I opted to just make plain dinner rolls this time instead of garlic cheesy ones instead!
3. The morning of - actually - closer to 11am - I heated a frying pan and added 2 minced cloves of garlic and 1 small onion peeled and quartered into the pan with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and tossed in the roast as well to brown on all sides.
4. I tossed the moose roast into the slow cooker and included the lightly fried onions and garlic, favourite spices (i.e. pepper, onion spice mix, dried parsley) and added some fresh cut rosemary and chives.  
1. I rarely have fresh herbs on hand - I'm usually a bagged dried herbs and spices kind of person!  But I had it for something else on hand - so why not?
5. I added a mug full of red wine (0,4dl) and drizzled a bit more olive oil and a splash of water and turned it on "LOW" for 5 hours.
6. I flipped the meat only once to ensure the top part wouldn't dry out.
1. I also baked the dinner rolls at some point!
7. I mixed flour into the drippings in the slow cooker with a silicone whisk and made a gravy - it was lumpy AF - but still edible.

I ended up crashing for a nap some point during the day and it was too late to try making mashed potatoes - so I opted for rice with a jelly bullion blob in the rice cooker (Tupperware one - my life saver) and green beans. 

So there you have it!  I've never cooked with moose meat before (other than already pre-shaved and toss it in a stew from the frozen section) - and was happy with the result of the meal.

Tonight I'm making moose burgers with ground moose meat I got from the frozen section of the store (friends made them last week for us and I had to try it!) and will update you with my results/attempt in a few days!  (Or sooner if I manage!)

BIMU
PS You might see me writing on another blog in joint efforts with another friend who's interested in tackling the same NY Resolutions! :)
2 Hookers 2 Kitchens - still a lot of work to be done - but don't fret if you see duplicate (or mostly duplicate) blog posts here and there!)

Cooking With A Toddler

I recently wrote (and regularly do) about what life's like with an autistic child.
So when the A-Man was born and it was clearly obvious he was nothing like his older brother - we didn't know what to do.
This was exciting!  This was scary!  This was a "regular" (neuro-typical) kid that we could do funner stuff with!
I do not purposely leave the V-Man out of the kitchen - he's more than welcome to join me if I'm cooking and sniff as many spice jars as he wants.  And he has once - stirred food in the pot on the stove.  It's a huge step for him and when he's ready - he'll be warmly welcomed just as much as A-Man.

However, as it stands currently, A-Man loves to cook.  He's 3-years old and just cooked his first meal for us with very little assistance.  He's been helping out in the kitchen before (around 2-years old he showed interest) with little things like mixing, adding ingredients for baking, lining muffin trays with paper liners and so on.  So this was a BIG step up!
What did he cook?

Fajitas with home-made guacamole.

I may as well say it now.  I'm nothing like my mother (who wouldn't let me cook anything more than instant noodles with an electric kettle that automatically shuts off after the water boiled or toast) and am not a super paranoid parent.
Of course, I am cautious with everything we do with the kids (especially the V-Man) but for the most part - I don't scream or cry when my kids hurt themselves or get ill.  Of course if it's a serious accident - I'm very concerned (read: internally freaking out) but I remain as calm as possible because freaking out isn't going to help my kids feel safe or feel like they're going to get better anytime soon (read: "OMG Mommy thinks I'm dying! *scream more* ").

Now, I'll also mention (as kindly as possible) that my husband doesn't cook.  He has 1 dish he makes - "hamburger, macaroni and tomato soup" (not actually a soup) - which some people know as goulash?  That's it.  I don't ask him to cook very often either.  He's my assistant with little things while I change a diaper or use the bathroom or finish a blog post...*cough cough cough...
As with most men in the world - he can work a BBQ, cook bacon, instant noodles... and that's about it.

But lately, he hasn't lifted a finger in the kitchen - other than to empty the dishwasher - and that's fine with me.

A-Man has been stepping up to the plate!  If I'm quickly typing out a blog post as fast as I possibly can - he'll sneak into the kitchen, pull up a chair and start mixing whatever's on the stove.
This doesn't work well with pancakes - just so you know!  And yes, he's tried it!

I was supposed to be cooking up beef stew but my stomach has been acting funky all afternoon, so I opted for fajitas.  Ground beef with spices - too lazy to add veggies of any kind and home-made guacamole.  And yes, salsa from a jar - because:

• A) I'm lazy like that.  
• B) Not feeling well.  
• C) Never tried to make salsa before but maybe some day!

The boys were being a bit grumpy towards each other - so I took this as an oppourtunity to pull A-Man out of the mix and asked if he wanted to cook.

Now, the problem with the word "cook" is that it sounds an awful lot like "cookie".

Once I confirmed that we're not having cookIES - he was still excited and that made me happy.
I really enjoy cooking with him and think of it as a "Mommy & Me" date at home that doesn't necessarily involve me eating a greasy fast-food burger or fry.

I decided today, for no special reason at all, I would let him cook ALL the food.  This meant that the more he spent in the kitchen - the longer he'd be away from V-Man!
Sure he can mix the food no problem and without making a mess.  But today I upped it a notch and got him to cut open the avocados, scoop them out and make guacamole.

I let him use a steak knife and tried to get him to focus on why he shouldn't hold the knife by the blade.
When we cut the avocado together, he stopped and gasped.  He learned that the knife was sharp this way and nobody was hurt! :)

And the food turned out delicious.  I even let him go a bit crazy with the spice jars. :)

Cooking with children:

• Needn't be stressful or fancy!
• Can be extremely educational and a great way to encourage healthy eating habits.
• Great way to bond or just hang out together.
• Things you can teach a child while you cook:
• Food safety and hygiene
• Oven and stove safety
• Washing hands
• How to handle various utensils and equipment 
• (I realize A-Man is wearing underwear in one picture and an apron in the rest.  He's pretty stubborn about wearing clothes at home...it's a work in progress.)
• Colours
• Shapes
• Numbers, measurements
• New words: "scoop", "mix" etc.
• Names of food or ingredients
• Cause and effect (for older kids)

I look forward to sharing more of our cooking adventures! :)
(No offense, but I look more forward to the day V-Man wants to really join too!)
BIMU

"Holy Crap He Ate It!" Fried Chicken Recipe

Since buying a small deep-fryer from a local second-hand shop - I've made mini eggrolls and wonton chips, tried ginger beef but the beef strips got stuck to the metal basket...and today decided to make crispy fried chicken!
I ended up not using my mini deep-fryer but a pot filled with a couple inches of oil instead.

I had to do some research online first to see what was typical of fried chicken recipes - as this was my first time!
This is what I discovered:

• Chicken pieces - sometimes with skin on or off - up to you.
• Thin them out a bit by trimming fat and hammering or rolling meat cuts (like chicken breasts) as thin as possible to aid in speeding up the cooking time.
• Coated in flour, eggs then breadcrumbs or crushed cornflakes cereal.
• Marinated in a buttermilk mixture.
• Fry until golden brown and crispy.

 Alright - sounds simple enough.
I recently bought some panko crumbs and decided I would do a mix up of the above basics.

I had a kilo of chicken breasts - about eight of them - ready to be cooked up.
I don't have a meat mallet - so I slipped a breast between two sheets of parchment paper (I hate plastic wrap THAT much!) and rolled/smashed them as thin as I could with my marble rolling pin.  They weren't super thin like most recipes' photos but anyway.

I then beat 3 eggs (and found this later to be too much!) with black pepper sprinkled in and coated each chicken breast.
I mixed up equal parts (don't ask me how much because I honestly shook the bag and what came out is what I used) bread crumbs and panko into a large flat dish.  I also added my favourite spices and added a generous shake or two of Parmesan cheese!

While coating the chicken in both egg and then crumbs (both sides of course!)  - I heated up oil in the pot on the stove.

Then I cooked a breast at a time - flipping only once. 
After every piece was cooked - I drained them on a paper towel covered plate and served it with herbed rice (just tossed in a herb bouillon blob into the rice cooker while it was going in the microwave...and no it's not an actual cube - it's a jelly blob) and fresh peas.

I sliced a cooked chicken breast up into strips and waited for V-Man to approve.
At first he touched them, fiddled them between his fingers and sniffed it a few times.
Then he pushed it away with 0 interest in actually eating the meat - which reminded me of this morning - where he wanted oatmeal but didn't actually want to eat it.

After I offered a second tomato sliced then he touched the chicken and pressed it to his lips.
THEN he finally ate it - the whole breast.  Perhaps it was too hot still for him to taste...who knows.
I'm one very happy and proud mama.
Had he not eaten it - well, then I would've been proud for him to put it to his lips...then sad as f*ck he didn't eat it.
BIMU

PS Just finished watching Homeland Season 2- INSANE!!!!!!!!!

Wonton Chips/Mini Egg-Rolls

Yesterday I had bought some ground pork and thawed some wonton skins and I wasn't sure how many I had (less than a full package) and since I recently bought a small deep fryer, thought I'd try some wonton chips.

If you haven't made wonton chips before - I swear it's easy.
I learned while working at a Chinese take-out restaurant a kajillion years ago how to whip these up and really do love these crispy, greasy treats....
And no, this is not "real Chinese food".

What you need:

• 1 package of wonton skins thawed (purchase from your local Asian grocery store)- usually has 50 sheets
• 1 egg mixed with a bit of water
• 400 grams of ground pork (or turkey, chicken, beef)
• Spices of your choice
• I used:
• Chinese 5 spice
• Pepper mix
• Black pepper

I would've used more spices but was worried they were going to explode and I'd waste spice...that did NOT happen - but next time I know to add more and maybe some fresh chopped green onion and/or ginger! (Since the deep-frying kills a lot of the spice.)

Lying a square flat, put a bit of meat near one corner and rub some egg mixture (it's the glue) around the nearest corner.  Take that corner and fold it diagonally downard and press down until the meat is sealed in and if you need to, add a bit more "glue" to seal the edge shut.  You don't want it soggy.

Continue to do this if you want wonton chips - deep-fry them at about 190*C (375*C) until golden brown and perhaps flip them so they're evenly cooked on both sides.

If you want egg rolls - rub egg glue along on edge (wrapper is a square usually - so even sides!  If using rectangle shaped ones - rub glue along longest side) and make a small log of meat mixture along opposite edge.
Roll closed, ensuring the glue side seals and encases the meat.
Rub a bit of egg glue inside both ends and press flat.
Deep-fry until golden brown.

Serve warm with: plum sauce, sweet & sour sauce - any sauce you prefer.
I'll write up a post later with a recipe for sweet and sour sauce...

I soak up extra grease by laying cooked food onto a paper-towel covered plate.

You can fold wontons into a variety of shapes - so it really depends on your preference.

Wonton chip on top
Mini eggroll on bottom

Oh, remember that scale I was talking about in yesterday's post?  I picked it up today and my initial guess of my current weight was about 67 kg (147lbs) but I surprised myself when I saw 64.2 kg (141 lbs).
I'm only weighing myself once a week and definitely not going to be making egg rolls or wonton chips very often!!

Before eating that greasy dinner...and in the evening - I know.  I'm a bad ass weighing myself before first thing in the morning!

Have a good night!

BIMU