Warm and nutty cinnamon quinoa

Berries still slightly frozen

I occasionally pick up a magazine once a month on my weekly shop, the ratio of what I buy goes something like this:

• 90% food magazine (Donna Hay & Gourmet Traveler are my favourites)
• 5% Women's Health (I used to read my dad's Men's Health when it came, I like the small facts and tidbits)
• 3% house magazine (Trends, Luxury Homes etc)
• 2% fashion magazine (normally InStyle)

Whilst the majority of my magazine recipes come from food-specific publications, I have grabbed the scissors numerous times to slice out some healthy recipes from Women's Health. After a while I noticed that in every issue there was at least one recipe containing QUINOA. This was something I had never had as none of the local large supermarket chains stocked it. I really wanted to try this out as it has a high protein content, which is great for a veggo like me.

After spotting a few blog recipes containing it as well I thought I'd give my 'best hope' supermarket, Leos, a try. After looking on every shelf for 4 aisles I thought I was out of luck, when lo and behold, there it was, amongst some cracked wheat, bulghur and other 'specialty' grains, seeds etc. I was overly ecstatic - now I could finally try some of this healthy stuff.

ease: 4/5. A little more time consuming than most brekky recipes.
prep time: 2mins to rinse quinoa (important step as it removes saponins which give it a bitter taste) and prep other ingredients.
cooking time: 20mins.
total: 22mins. Only around 3mins actively cooking.

taste: 3.5/5. The quinoa was like a a cross between oats and cous cous in texture, but still quite soft. It had a mildly nutty taste which I liked. I didn't mind this recipe, my partner didn't really like it although he ate most of his bowl. I used a selection of frozen berries instead of fresh blackberries (cost factor) and honey instead of agave nectar (couldn't find it) I will definitely try some savoury recipes but I will also try it as a breakfast option again.

would I make it again: No - not this recipe but will definitely try some more quinoa recipes.

recipe: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/warm-and-nutty-cinnamon-quinoa-recipe.html

Strawberry jalousie

Strawberries! One of my favourite fruits ever. I absolutely loved them simply with double cream and enthroned in melted chocolate. I don't often enjoy them baked in things, but this looked too easy and delicious to pass up.

ease: 5/5.
prep time: 5mins.
cooking time: 20mins.
total: 25mins.

taste: 4.5/5. Really lovely- sweet buttery pastry with hot, soft, sweetly tart strawberries. The almond meal quietly comes through.

would I make it again: Yes - everyone liked it and it was super easy - I will probably use two sheets next time as it just makes enough for 4 - 1 serving only.

recipe: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/17210/strawberry+jalousie

Ainaa's bbq chicken

I started searching the net for recipes when I was around 16 - and this recipe was one of the first I found and made. It's super easy and everyone likes it (so far).

1 chicken, cut into pieces
150g condensed tomato soup
1 tbs garlic powder
3 tbs ginger juice
1 tbs cardamom
1/2 tbs curry powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tbs lemon juice
1/2 cup buttermilk

Combine all ingredients except buttermilk in a bowl and leave to marinate overnight in the fridge.
Mix buttermilk in before grilling.

ease: 5/5.
prep time: 5mins to combine everything. Plus 12 hours if you marinate overnight, I only marinaded the meat for 1hour.
cooking time: 5mins.
total: 10mins.

taste: 4.5/5. I really love the flavours in this. This time I used 1tbs of grated ginger instead which was perfect, I also didn't include the curry powder as I had run out.

would I make it again: Yes - made this 4 times so far.

Greek salad

Having a Greek father I've had my fair share of Greek salads. I wanted to try something a little different, so when I saw this version had fresh basil and fried feta I thought I'd give it a whirl.

400g firm feta, sliced
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 white onion, thinly sliced
2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1 cup mixed olives
1/4 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup purple basil leaves
cracked black pepper
1tsp red wine vinegar
1tbs extra virgin Olive oil

Heat non stick pan over high heat and fry feta until golden. Divide between plates and top with onion, tomato, cucumber, olives, basil and purple basil. Sprinkle with pepper and drizzle vinegar and oil. Serves 4.

ease: 5/5.
prep time: 9mins to chop everything.
cooking time: 1min to brown feta (mine started to melt so I took it out).
total: 10mins.

taste: 4.5/5. My favourite Greek salad to date. The feta didn't exactly brown as much as melt, so won't bother doing that next time. The fresh basil (couldn't get purple) and white onions were awesome. The white onions offered that great peppery sweetness without the harshness the red onions have - didn't have heartburn after eating these. The fresh basil was different but lovely, helped to cut through the heavy feta and freshen the mouth. The dressing was lovely, but it all depends on the quality of your oil and red wine vinegar. I use one large cucumber and only 200g feta.

would I make it again: Yes. Prefer it to other Greek salads, the white onions and fresh basil really made all the difference.

Cinnamon hot chocolate

I was trying to think of what to pair with some chopped up strawberries with organic double cream to make it that much more dessert-y.

I recently bought three jars of white, milk and dark callebaut chocolate drops along with a few other high quality ingredients. I've been sprinkling chocolaty goodness over porridge, cereal, fruit, you name it. So I thought, with the wintry weather we were having this evening, why not make a nice cup of hot chocolate to go with it.

And then I thought, what hot chocolate should I make - vanilla, orange, chilli, cinnamon... I like my hot chocolate to have a partner. And then I stumbled on this recipe, and cinnamon it was.

ease: 5/5.
prep time: 1min to grab ingredients.
cooking time: 6mins.
total: 7mins.

taste: 4/5. I made a lot of changes with this recipe so I will just post my version so you can see what I changed. Serves 4.

2 cups whole milk
1 10 cm cinnamon stick
3 tsp best quality cocoa
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp honey
3/4 cup 70% dark chocolate
2 tbsp milk chocolate
2 tsp best quality vanilla extract

1. In a small saucepan, heat the milk, cinnamon stick, cocoa, and the ground cinnamon. Whisk constantly. Bring to a boil, and immediately reduce heat to low. Continue to whisk and heat on low for two minutes.
2. Still using a whisk, add the chocolate, honey, and vanilla extract to the heated mixture.
3. Once all the ingredients are combined, pour into small cups.

would I make it again: Yes. Might add 1tbsp milk chocolate an subtract 1tbsp dark chocolate. It is quite a rich hot chocolate, not super thick though.

recipe: http://thepinkpeppercorn.blogspot.com/2008/11/glorious-cinnamon-hot-chocolate.html

cranberry and orange compote with white chocolate mousse

Sundays are my favourite day as they are usually the only day where I have nothing to do, as Saturday I delegate to chores such as the weekly food shop, errands and house cleaning.
However as I was so busy yesterday most of those tasks were moved to today. I found myself at 4pm with some time on my hands while laundry loads were still going and dinner was 2hours away. So I thought why not make a fruity dessert to go with the fruity dinner I had planned.

ease: 5/5.
prep time: 15mins to make compote and chocolate mousse - make sure chocolate has cooled before adding to whipped cream.
cooking time: 1hour - I chilled mine for about 1hour 15mins before serving.
total: 1hour 15mins.

taste: 2/5. The mousse looked exaclty the same as Tartlette's but was really awful for some reason; I used Callebaut white chocolate and organic fresh cream so I don't understand why it tasted a little odd. The consistency was also a little chalky, not very velvety which is how I like my mousse. Shame, becuase it is such an easy and quick mousse recipe.
I knew I'd have trouble finding anything other than dried cranberries being Australia, but I managed to track down frozen cranberries at Leos; thanks Leos, you really are awesome. The compote was also quite bitter, maybe a little too much orange zest. No one had more than a spoonful of this, what a waste of good ingredients :(.

would I make it again: No.

recipe: http://cannelle-vanille.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-to-explain-cranberries.html

Hazelnut-Crusted Chicken with Raspberry Sauce

ease: 4/5. A few-step process.
prep time: 15mins.
cooking time: 25mins.
total: 40mins.

taste: 3/5. The boys ate it but didn't like it that much.

would I make it again: No. Flavour combination didn't meld well or compliment each other.

recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/HAZELNUT-CRUSTED-CHICKEN-WITH-RASPBERRY-SAUCE-242700

Lavender oatmeal squares

Sunshine, glorious sunshine. Ahh yes, Summer has finally arrived. There is nothing nicer than finishing a lovely meal and still having some sunlight to eat dessert outside. I findmy energy levels are higher when the weather is warm and the sun is out.

Today I will spend most of the day cleaning or running around to find tiles and taps for my bathroom, but I will also set time aside to bake and cook. I had 30mins spare so I decided to whip up some of these as I just recently bought a little vial of lavender buds.

ease: 5/5.
prep time: 8mins. I chopped my almonds, if you use a packet of slivered almonds it would shave off a minute.
cooking time: 10mins.
total: 18mins.

taste: 3/5. The flavour was lovely, the yoghurt and honey come out first, followed by lavender and oats. However the texture was rubbery, not crunchy or curmbly in the slightest. Not sure why this happened as I used the exact amounts specified, I used white plain flour instead of whoeweat, maybe that affected it somehow.

would I make them again: No. Not sure why the consistency was so gluey as I followed the recipe to the letter.

recipe: http://tartelette.blogspot.com/2008/09/breakfast-thoughts-lavender-oatmeal.html

Lamb, rosemary & garlic pie

Today I knew I would be working all day and in the evening I would be demolishing my bathroom to get it ready for the tiler when he comes in 4 days, so come dinner, I would not have time to stand at the stove cooking.

Pies are a favourite of mine, as although they take over an hour, there is little hands on cooking time.

ease: 4.5/5. A decent amount of prep work involved.
prep time: 1 hour. 20mins to dice and get everything into the one pan where it simmers for 40mins - so only 20mins active cooking.
cooking time: 25mins in the oven.
total: 1hr 25mins.

taste: 3/5. The criticisms were that it was too salty - probably due to the stock I used, I have to find a less salty stock as this as happened a few times before. And that the rosemary was too strong. I used fresh rosemary out of my garden so it may have been a bit bitter. Next time around I will use dried rosemary and no added salt whatsoever. I did not bother to line the base of the dish with pastry, nor did I add cornflour as it didn't need it. I halved the recipe but I also more than halved the cooking times as they were too long.

would I make it again: Yes - with a few tweaks here and there.

recipe: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/19416/lamb+rosemary+and+garlic+pies

Deluxe Cheeseburger

Another day, another burger recipe. Beef is once again the main ingredient, but this time it comes in the form of a patty with caramelised onions and blue cheese dressing.

If you hadn't noticed I haven't been putting any effort at all into my photos. I am flat out as it is Xmas time which is the busiest time of year for me work wise. On top of that I have been renovating BOTH bathrooms which are due to be completed a week before Christmas. Once the new year has rolled around and my renovations are complete I will take more care with my photographs. I should also be receiving my new Canon EOS 5D Mark II soon as well, my first DSLR which is terribly exciting - so expect more photos (hopefully better as well).

500g beef mince
sea salt and cracked black pepper
2tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 field mushrooms, trimmed
80g butter, softened
4 burger buns, halved
olive oil, for brushing
200g Swiss cheese or cheddar slices
caramelised red onion
blue cheese dressing

Place beef, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl and mix to combine. Form four patties.
Melt some butter in saucepan and add sliced red onion, cook over low heat until onion caramelises.
Place mushrooms on baking tray. Place butter, salt and pepper and mix. Spread over mushrooms and grill for 5mins.
Brush the bun halves with oil and grill for 1min.
Heat non stick skillet with oil and cook patties for 4mins. Turn and top with cheese and cook for further 4mins.
Top buns with caramelised onions, blue cheese dressing, patties and mushrooms. Serves 4.

ease: 4.5/5. A few steps for each addition to the burger.
prep time: 25mins to caramelise onions, make patties and prep everything to grill.
cooking time: 10mins to cook patties, and grill mushrooms and buns and assemble burgers.
total: 35mins.

taste: 4/5. Boys enjoyed it. I had one minus the beef patty and it was super tasty. The tangy sweetness of the onions was gorgeous with the salty earthiness of the mushrooms and the creaminess of the bitey blue cheese dressing. I used cheddar as some of the boys don't like Swiss. Due to misreading, I added 2tbs instead of 2tsp Worcestershire sauce to the patties, don't think it made a big difference.

would I make it again: Yes. Takes a little longer to make than the other beef burger but it's still a good burger.