Elsja Down Under

Yumdiddly # 4- Homemade Pizza July 28, 2009

So who knew… but my Yumdiddly series is going to continue!

Last week I made some yumlicious homemade pizza and I thought I’d share my tips and tricks with you.

First I made the dough using this recipe:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (.25 ounce/7g) package active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

If you are in the US, you could just go to Trader Joes and buy some pre-made dough, but I don’t have that luxury here- I only have the option of buying a crapier version of a Boboli or I can make my own. Of course I choose to make my own.

So I mixed  all this up together to form the dough (if you have an electric mixer with a dough hook, that really helps- but it can definitely be done by hand). 

Then I let it sit in a bowl covered with a warm, wet towel for about an hour. You actually don’t have to do this, but I find that it makes the dough much easier to roll out.

While rolling the dough, I had my pizza stone heating up in the oven. Now, everyone raves about amazing pizza stones and how they make your pizza so much tastier. I’m not sold on this. I still have to modify my pizza after it’s cooked (ill discuss that later). If you don’t have a stone, just use a cookie sheet of some sort to make a rectangle pizza.

I rolled the dough out so it was pretty big and thin and it covered the entire stone. I trimmed off the excess around the edge of the stone and saved it to make another mini pizza the next day.

Then I covered it in the following (in this order):

• My favorite pasta sauce that I use for pretty much every recipe
• Chopped garlic
• Chopped fresh basil
• Chopped sun dried tomatoes
• Chopped red and green bell peppers/capsicum
• Chopped onions
• Low-fat mozzarella cheese

I didn’t go light on the toppings… this thing was COVERED. I learned prior to making this that you should add toppings UNDER the cheese so that 1) the toppings don’t burn before the cheese cooks and 2) the cheese will get nice and golden. This trick REALLY made the pizza better! I love golden crispy cheese!!

I baked it on 410f/210c  for about 20 minutes until the cheese was nice and brown on top

**Now here’s my special trick **

When I sliced some pizza, I threw it on our sandwich grill thing (or you could just use a pan on your stove top). I let it sit there for about 2-4 minutes until the bottom of the crust started to brown and get crunchy. I do this because even with the pizza stone, I still find that the dough is a bit too soft and flimsy in the middle of the pizza (this is precisely why I’m not quite sold on the benefits of the stone). I like it the crust a bit crispier so placing the pizza on a grill for a few extra minutes before eating makes it even better!! If you like soft, chewy pizza- then just skip this step

Andrew said it was the best homemade pizza he’s ever had and I actually have to agree with him on that one!!!

I promise to start taking more pictures of my yummy creations now that I have full intentions of blogging about them more frequently! I think next I’ll attempt a Hawaiian BBQ chicken pizza. Mmm can’t wait!

Yumdiddly – #3 Strawberry Pocket Pies July 23, 2009

This is the ONLY kind of broken heart I ever want in life…

For edition 3 of my Yumdiddly series I am going to tell you about my sweet little pies.

I made these strawberry pocket pies with great success on the weekend! I didn’t think they were going to be a great success at first because the dough kept sticking to the wonderful Williams-Sonoma Pocket Pie mold. Then I had an “A-ha” moment when I realized I should flour the outside of the dough to prevent it from sticking to the mold but keep the insides clean so they stick to each other… duh.

I even went all out and made my own strawberry filling instead of getting some boring pre-made pie filling in a can (shh… don’t tell… but the only reason I made my own filling is because I couldn’t FIND pie filling in a can)!

I bought layers of shortcrust pastry (pie dough) from the shop and just cut the hearts out with the mold. Then I had all these leftover dough scraps that were too small for hearts. Bummer. But then I had another brilliant idea and I got some cookie cutters and made my very own little flower shaped pocket pies as well. They turned out just lovely. See… 

So if you would like to make these delectable little pies for yourself- here is what you do…

1. Go to Williams Sonoma and buy the mold. Or, if you have cookie cutters that are big enough you could just use those.
2. Buy some dough or make it yourself… I bought mine so I can’t help you if you need to make your own
3. Use the mold or cutter to cut shapes
4. Make your strawberry filling

For the filling, follow this recipe:

• 2 cups finely chopped strawberries
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp corn starch

1. Mix it all up and it will get kinda goopey.
2. Then put about 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of the dough depending on the size of your shape.
3. If you have the mold, read the instructions on the box. If you cut your own dough, put a 2nd shape on top of the first and gently press down the edges of the dough so it seals around the filling. If you put too much filling in, this will be difficult.
4. Once it’s sealed, poke a few little holes in the top.
5. Brush some egg yolk over the top of the pies or if you don’t have egg, you could use some milk.
6. Bake for about 15 minutes until the dough is golden brown and the filling is probably starting to ooze out.

I had enough to make about 3 decent heart shaped pies, 1 hideous wonky heart shaped pie (first attempt), 2 flower pies and then I took the leftover dough, smashed it into a small baking dish, filled it with the rest of the strawberries and made a cute little mini pie open faced pie out of that.

Scrumptious!

Yumdiddly- #2 Chicken Pasta Bake July 20, 2009

And now for my 2nd installment in the Yumdiddly series…

Chicken Pasta Bake

Now, this is nothing phenomenal, but it’s quick and easy (and most of all tasty) so I thought I’d share my recipe with you.

• 3 cups of spiral pasta (or any fat, short pasta)
• 1 large chicken breast, cut into small pieces (2 inches or so)
• 1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce (roughly 24 oz)
• Ricotta cheese (about 6 oz or 3/4 cup)
• 1 carrot
• 1 small zucchini
• olive oil
• Lots of shredded cheese (we mostly used Parmesan and some cheddar)

Optional:

• Chili paste/flakes
• garlic
• oregano
• 1 bottle of red wine

1. Peel and slice zucchini and carrot

2. Cook pasta and drain (oh and throw the carrot slices in with the pasta so they softens up a bit)

3. While pasta is cooking, sautee the chicken pieces in the olive oil, garlic and chili. Sprinkled on some oregano to make it look fancy (I guess it doesn’t taste bad either). I don’t measure stuff… just throw in what you like.

4. Cook chicken until it’s nearly done (it can still be a little pink). Andrew hates overcooked chicken… since you’ll be baking this- you don’t want to cook it too much at the beginning.

5. Mix the pasta sauce and the ricotta cheese in your favorite mixing bowl. Mine happens to be my green melamine bowl from Williams Sonoma. Kinda sad these bowls now come in a 4 pack and I only have 3!!!

6. Add chicken, veggies and pasta to the sauce and cheese. Mix it all up. Feel free to sing some Italian opera if you are so inclined.

7. Dump it into a baking dish that has been sprayed with some sort of cooking spray.

8. Cover the whole dish with mounds  of shredded cheese

9. Bake uncovered at some random temperature until the cheese is a crispy, golden, melty dream come true. (I think I had this on about 200 C or 400F  for about 10-12 minutes).

Oh… and the wine doesn’t actually go into this dish, I just like to drink it while I cook and eat!!

Andrew thought there was too much ricotta but overall he really liked it… I thought it was perfect- there can never be too much cheese, right?

Up Next:

Strawberry pocket pies

Oreo Balls… YUM June 28, 2009

And now for more ball baking adventures… except with these particular bites of heaven, I didn’t even have to turn on the oven. These were WAY easier and quicker to make than the cake balls (and I think they taste better as well).

Recipe:

• 1 package of Oreos (16oz)- I used reduced fat
• 1 tub of cream cheese (8oz)- I used non fat
• 1 bag of white chocolate chips

1. Crush the oreos into fine crumbs- you could use a food processor but since I don’t have one, I just used one of these…
2. Add in the  cream cheese and stir until it becomes a mushy paste
3. Roll the paste into little balls about the size of a walnut and place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper
4. Freeze balls for 20-30 minutes
5. Remove a few balls at a time (so the others can stay cold while you’re working) and dip the balls into the melted white chocolate
6. Tap off excess chocolate and place on some more wax paper
7. Add some oreo crumbs to the top for decoration

ENJOY

Lovely Balls Made from Cake May 28, 2009

I always love a good reason to bake something. Well since we have a birthday party/wine night tomorrow, I thought this might be the perfect time to bust out my Kitchenaid mixer. I’ve really been wanting to make an attempt at little cake balls. These nifty little treats can be found on the Bakerella blog (which I love ). Ok Bakerella is the QUEEN at these awesome cake balls and cake pops. Me… not so much! I guess we all start somewhere though, right?

You basically make a cake, crumble it up, mix in some frosting, roll into balls and then dip in chocolate.

Fancy.

I actually did attempt a version of these a few weeks back and they turned out just ok. I used my flower shaped cupcake pan and omitted the whole part where I crumble it up and mix with frosting. Instead I attempted to just dip the flowers. Yeah that didn’t turn out too pretty- but the strawberry cake went well with the white chocolate and so they were still yummy!!

So tonight I tried to make them the “proper” way. I COULD have made them from scratch, but I wasn’t feeling THAT adventurous so I just bought a box cake mix. I figured most people (not including me) like chocolate best, so I got chocolate cake and here’s what happened next:

1. I baked the cake, mushed it all up & then mixed in the frosting

2. Then I rolled the balls, chilled them and then dipped them in white chocolate

3. I added some white sprinkles and voila! Cute little chocolate snowballs!

Now, I realize they don’t look all that pretty (well, not up close in person at least) but it was my first real attempt, so I guess I’m just glad they are edible.

Speaking of eating them,  I couldn’t even eat an entire ball. It was way too chocolaty for me  but I will explain the taste for you chocolate lovers out there. It’s like eating SUPER moist chocolate cake coated with chocolate frosting and topped with some white chocolate for a little crunch. NOT my favorite dessert (I preferred the strawberry ones) but Andrew ate 2.

Tomorrow I’ll be baking some Gruyere, garlic and onion pizza things from scratch to bring to the party. I’m looking forward to eating those WAY more than these chocolate goodies. I’ll let you all know how those turn out in the next few days, but I have a feeling they will be wonderful! 

Mmmmmuffins April 21, 2009

Last week one of Andrew’s friends told me he wanted to bake. Yes, a boy… a pilot boy wanted to bake! Since Andrew would probably NEVER want to bake with me, I jumped at the chance to bake something.

So when I asked this boy what he might want to bake he blurted out the following:

“Muffins! Maybe blueberry muffins… NO, how about white chocolate raspberry muffins?”

A man who knows exactly what he wants!

So I went home and did what I do best… googled. I typed in “white chocolate raspberry muffins” and this was the first link I clicked on: Exclusively Food. I read a bunch of the comments and it seemed like these were some pretty damn good muffins. So I texted Andrew’s friend, let him know I had a recipe and we set up a baking date.

These muffins were a little TOO easy to make. Not that it’s a bad thing, but our big baking adventure turned into a 15 minute session. Oh well, we can always bake more later right?

So the result?

YUMMMMMMUFFINS! They are so very delicious and so very bad for me. I definitely recommend them if you like this kind of thing. And really, who DOESN’T like this kind of thing??

Here’s a not so pretty picture of the little bites of heaven. Too bad I don’t have a fancy camera and good lighting to take photos with.

Did Someone Say Yum? November 17, 2008

I don’t think I’ve ever shared my  favorite personally created recipe with you all. It’s not too hard to call it my favorite because I’ve really only ever created about 3 things on my own- so there’s not much competition. Regardless, this one definitely is on top. And since I shared it with a few people on a forum *AND* they seem to love it (yes people actually used my recipe to make their own dinner) I thought I’d share with everyone else too. We had it for dinner tonight and I could eat two more bowls but then Andrew would have to roll me around the house.  Sooo here it is for all my dearest friends and random internet strangers:  

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large (300g) chicken breast
• 1 15oz can (420g) cream of chicken soup
• 1 jar of salsa (375g)
• 1 small can of corn (310g)
• 1/4 large green bell pepper/capsicum- chopped
• Bag of corn tortilla chips
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese (optional… but it’s so much better with cheese)
• Coriander/Cilantro (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Dump the salsa, cayenne pepper, corn, cream of chicken soup and bell pepper in the slow cooker- then stir it all up

2. Place the chicken breast in the mixture. No need to cut the chicken yet

3. Pour about 2 cups of crushed tortilla chips into the mixture and mix around.

4. Cook on low for 5-6 hours (you can leave it longer if you have to)

5. Uncover about 10 minutes before serving and gently shred the chicken into pieces with a fork, let cook for a few more minutes

6. Scoop the deliciousness into bowls and sprinkle cheese, crushed corn chips and cilantro/coriander over the top

I’ve Decided June 26, 2008

I’ve decided that I would really like to wake up every morning, walk to the grocery store (if it were in walking distance) buy some interesting and diverse food and spend the rest of the day searching the net for recipes and experimenting in the kitchen with my phenomenal culinary skills (and by phenomenal I mean novice). What I realize though is that I’d have to be really rich to spend that amount of money on food… and I probably wouldn’t feel like doing it after work every day- so I think this should just be my job. Shopping and cooking all day. Isn’t that what housewives do? Maybe I just want to be a housewife… without the kids… and I’ll just blog my new recipe creations for all to enjoy. And then I’ll probably get really fat from eating so much. Ok maybe I can shop, cook and go to the gym. Sounds like a good life to me.

I’ve decided that there’s no reason the trash man needs to come 6 times in one day. Really… NO REASON! Just come once… or twice… or even 3 times for the recycling, but 6? With that said, I’ve also decided that earplugs work wonders!!! Andrew has always been an earplug fiend, but they aren’t my favorite thing in the world. Well today, I woke up at 5:30 to something banging outside due to the crazy wind. I knew the dreaded arrival of the first of 6 trash trucks was impending so I gave in and put in the plugs. I fell back asleep and didn’t wake again until 7:40. Andrew had gotten up, showered and left (and he said the trash man came once or twice) and I didn’t hear ANY of it. (FYI… that is pretty much a miracle, I’m a LIGHT sleeper). I’d wear them every night if they didn’t limit me to sleeping entirely on my back. I haven’t quite mastered finding a position on my side without the pressure of the plugs jabbing into my eardrums.

I’ve decided that I want my own Schweeb. What is a schweeb you ask??

“The Shweeb velodrome is the world’s first human-powered monorail racetrack. It consists of two 200metre long overhead rail circuits that vary in height between two and four meters above the ground. Under the tracks hang high performance pedal powered vehicles. Between one and five vehicles can be loaded onto each track enabling teams to race each other or race against the clock.”

It would be great if they had one of these that went all around the city so I could just Schweeb myself everywhere!

And lastly, I’ve decided that it is time for some tea and a weight watchers lamington… have you  tried these little bites of heaven? They are delish. Ok, not the best in the world, but they are low fat and that makes them taste even better! Sorry Americanos… no lamingtons for you!

Good Food & Wine June 23, 2008

This weekend, Andrew and I went to the Good Food and Wine Show in Sydney. Can I just say that it was the best thing EVER? Ok, not EVER… but it was stupendous. I love food and wine and I LOVE free samples of food and wine even more. Most of the stuff was pretty average, your typical samplings of jams, oils, crackers, chocolate, sausages, dukkah and dressings. They also had a few booths with things like noodles, pasta and mousse. I had a few sips of champagne here and there as well, but I definitely didn’t take advantage of the MANY MANY wine booths. Oh well… next year. I bought a few goodies, but not too many- it was more fun just trying all the stuff for free*

*I like to pretend I didn’t pay for tickets, then my brain THINKS all the samples were free

The only bad thing about the show is that it was SOOOO damn crowded! That place was a definite fire hazard/death trap waiting to happen if something blew up! Why all the mayhem? Well I’m sure the fact that Mr. F*&K OFF himself was present (Gordon Ramsay from Hell’s Kitchen and Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares). Trying to get a glimpse of him at his book signing was… well I like to say it was like attempting to get a glimpse of the Beatles on tour in a Japanese Airport (not that I know or anything… but hey, I watch TV, I see what it was like)! Ramsay is a God here. Unfortunately, his demonstration shows were already sold out by the time I bought tickets so we saw Matt Moran instead. Matt’s a very popular Aussie Chef and he too has a TV show, but he’s doesn’t have quite the *personality* that Ramsay does. During Matt’s show, Ramsay made a few “cameo” appearances from behind the curtain when he started throwing things onto the stage and then got on the Mic and started telling Mr. Moran that he was boring. Pretty entertaining, good thing they are friends or it might have gotten ugly!

I wish I could say we got a better picture of GR at his book signing, but again… it was impossible. Nonetheless, here you go…

Finally May 5, 2008

Did I mention that I’m SO happy the writer’s strike ended awhile ago and that shows are finally back on. I’ve already watched 2 new Grey’s Anatomy and some new Gossip Girl (oh yeah, did I mention that’s my new secret love). I still have 1 or 2 LOST episodes to catch up on, so I’ll watch those on Wednesday when Andrew goes on an overnight trip. Oh… after American Idol of course Oh… and after my Spanish class that I’m finally starting on Wednesday! I really should’ve taken a Spanish class years ago, better late than never I suppose!

Did I also mention that I’m going to Maui on Saturday? Andrew and I are very excited that we finally get to go on a real trip together. There’s always a slight fear that we won’t get on our flight since we have staff travel… but when tickets from Sydney to Maui cost $358 bucks round trip, you really can’t complain!

What else have I been doing?? Getting my booty kicked at the gym by a trainer. I’ve been two times… trying to finally burn off some of this Aussie flab that has started to creep up on me since moving here. I just don’t know where it’s all coming from!! My best guess is the higher quantities of wine that I’ve been consuming in the last few months! Friday I did an upper body work-out, but that just couldn’t compare to the agony of the lower body workout today. Pretty sure I might not be able to walk tomorrow, but it’s all good. Should’ve started this a few months ago… seeing as how I’ll be hanging out in a bikini all next week!

Oh and I finally found something else to eat at lunch! I pretty much eat the same exact thing every single day. Turkey and cheese sandwich on a big bread roll.  I decided last week that I needed to find something else with less cheese and less bread. I wanted to mix it up a bit and try something that could be a tad healthier. So thanks to Leighton and Julz, I discovered these rice wrap things. They are kinda like really thin square tortillas, but they are made from rice. Anyways, I got some tzatziki and some shredded chicken and cashews and tomatos and wrapped it all up and had myself a delicious new lunch for my tummy. Very healthy and very satisfying. I can’t wait until lunch tomorrow, where I will eat the same exact thing.

Mmm I’m hungry. I should go to bed.

Chili…Yum April 8, 2008

Yum. I love me some chili. So I make it pretty often here in Australia. Not the most Aussie of delicacies- but I don’t carrrre. I make it for myself and myself alone. (I’d make it for andrew too but he refuses to eat ground turkey so one day when I decide to eat meat, I’ll make him a beefy version).

My mom used to make very simple, basic chili and it was my favorite! When I moved to Australia, I couldn’t find the exact ingredients she used, so I had to improvise- and I ended up creating my own version which is significantly different from hers, but I love it. Since I usually just wing it and throw things in without measuring (which is primarily how I cook most things), I didn’t really have a way to share the recipe with anyone… So as one of my 101 in 1001 tasks, I decided to make my chili and actually record the recipe for once as I make it.

Sooo here it goes… #80 - Write down my recipe for chili… is now COMPLETE! Dang at this rate I’ll be finishing the 101 tasks in 101 days! Ok not really. I just have lots of free time to kill!

This chili is a little sweet and a little spicy (like me)… so cut back on cayenne and sugar if you like!

Elsja’s Chili
**I’d like to copywright this recipe, but I’m probably the only one who would love it enough to do so, so I think I’ll be alright.**
2 cans chopped tomatoes (plain, not with any fancy other ingredients added)
2 cans kidney beans (with juice)
1 ½ cans of water (just use tomato can)
1 package ground/minced turkey or chicken (600g/about 1lb)… or use beef if you prefer mammals to poultry…
1 large onion, chopped
½ cup ketchup
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp margarine or olive oil
2 ½ Tbsp Mexican chili powder (yes you can find this at woolies)
¼ – ½ Tsp cayenne pepper ( ½ will be spicy!)Salt and Pepper to taste
 

• Melt butter in a sautee pan and add onions. Cook on medium heat until onions start to “sweat” (that means to turn clear, not brown- something I learned from my cooking basics book I posted about in my last thread).
  
• Add turkey/chicken , cayenne pepper, and Mexican chili powder to the cooking onions. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir often and cook thoroughly.
  
• In a large pot mix together beans, canned tomatoes, water, ketchup and brown sugar. Add turkey and onions to the pot.
  
• Bring to a boil over medium heat. STIR OCCASIONALLY/FREQUENTLY to keep the beans/turkey from sticking to the bottom of the pan (I learned my lesson).
  
• Cover and reduce to low heat. Simmer for 30-40 minutes. Continue to stir occasionally- just to be safe
  

YUM. Going to go eat some for din din with some low-fat Jatz (those are like Ritz for you US folk)!


PS.. the sky outside is officially 100% cloudy and pink. I have a feeling I’ll be hearing some thunder soon. Oh… “is it STILL raining” you ask? Why YES… IT’S STILL FREAKING RAINING!


Dinner time.

Weekly Thoughts February 11, 2008

This blog has no point other than to mention some things I’ve thought about or experienced in the last week or so.

1. I pretty much like any dough/batter better than the actual baked end-result. But usually the end result is quite delish as well. Just check out my latest lemon glazed flower cupcakes that I made the other day (from scratch). They tasted as good as they look My thighs and ass have decided that I’m not allowed to bake anymore. ever.

PS… that’s lime zest for decoration if you were wondering why there is green shit all over the plate. It was beautiful.

2. I still recite “righty tighty, lefty loosey” in my head every time I need to open something.

3. I’m worthless at math. 1 kilogram = 2.2 lbs. Yet when I go to the gym and the machine asks me to enter my weight- I have no clue what to put.

4. Speaking of the gym… I LOVE the treadmills that have their very own built-in fans! Sorry Kent, I gotta knock our 24 hour because this equipment at my new gym is just so much better! (however; I think I’d rather go back to lower prices and lower quality).

5. Andrew’s brother Paul is staying at my house in California for the next few days. It’s weird that he gets to see my family, house, dog, etc. and I’m not there. Thanks to my dearest friends and family who are going out of their way to hang with him while he’s there!

6. I want a new camera. A nice one. I tried to take a picture of a purrrty Rainbow Lorikeet on my balcony the other day. My camera was so slow that I missed a perfectly good shot and was left with two shitty ones. Every time I tried to get one with his head up, my camera would lag and wouldn’t get the shot until mr. birdy moved. Ugh. Then he finally flew away. Stupid slow camera.

I’d like to point out that I think it is very cool that people have to go to the Long Beach Aquarium to see exhibits of these beautiful (yet horribly loud and annoying) birds and they just fly over to my balcony to say g’day to me.

9. I’m afraid to admit that I’m hooked on Gossip Girl. It’s practically the only show that didn’t get cut off in the strike. So over the last month I’ve downloaded the whole season. Doing this caused us to go over our gay Australian download limit and now my internet is slow until the month re-starts tomorrow. I should go download a crapload of stuff today so that it doesnt eat into next months retarded limit.

A New Obsession?? December 2, 2007

I think it’s true… I have a new obsession.

Cooking. I’ve always been obsessed with food- that was just obvious. But lately I’ve found myself actually preferring to eat in rather than go out! That’s a first for me!  I’ve always liked cooking but I didn’t do it too often- but this last week I’ve gone a little crazy. It’s like a new hobby (a somewhat expensive hobby) but it benefits those around me as well- so it’s worth it. And I really love my new slow cooker/crockpot.

Just this last week I’ve made the following:

1. Jambalaya - I made this for Andrew. I didn’t even eat it- but he liked it!

2. Stuffed chicken breasts. I didn’t have a recipe for this- just made it up- but it was REALLY good. I stuffed the chicken breasts with a mixture of ricotta, sundried tomatos, garlic, onions and basil and then baked with a sauce made from sun dried tomatos, chicken broth and a little cream. DELISH. I should write down a recipe for this next time I make it.

3. Creamy Tortilla Soup. This is another one of my own creations. My sister makes this chicken for tacos in a slow cooker. She just puts chicken and a jar of salsa into a crock pot and there you have it- Easy chicken tacos. Well, I decided to take her idea and add a bunch of crap! I just threw some salsa, cream of chicken soup, corn and chicken breast into a slow cooker. Throughout the cooking process it just didn’t seem that great. Andrew and I looked at eachother with wonder and thought… how are we going to eat this slop?? So I threw in some chopped bell pepper, cayenne pepper and crushed tortilla chips and let it cook a bit longer. Finally added some cheese to top it off and wham…who would’ve guessed it? yummy yummy casserole/soup was born! We topped this with crushed corn chips and it was fantastic. Another achievment in the experimental kitchen of Elsja and Andrew. I submitted my creation to this WONDERFUL website and once it has been approved, I’ll post a link to the recipe.

4. Homemade BBQ sauce. This was yet another recipe from allrecipes.com. I modified this a bit because I didn’t have ALL the ingredients (i.e. rum)- but it turned out ok. I think it’s not my fave bbq sauce but I plan to use it in my slow cooker this week with some chicken to make pulled bbq chicken sandwiches. (these will go well with the low-fat potato salad I intend to make with them).

So that’s it for this last week (not to mention the pumpkin muffins and cookies I already blogged about).

I really do love cooking and trying out all these new fun recipes. A new week of cooking is ahead… I wonder how everything will turn out. I’ll keep you posted!

Baking Madness November 29, 2007

Andrew and I thoroughly enjoyed the pumpkin muffins I made- as you can see here (I know we don’t look like we are enjoying them… but those are just grumpy faces because we were eating the last 2 muffins in the house):

 

We really planned on giving them away to people. But we gave away 6 and ate the rest (there were about 30 to start). Luckily I modified the recipe enough that we shouldn’t gain too much weight from eating 24 muffins in less than a week. Although I was sad to see them go, I was thankful deep down that I would stop binging on muffins every day.

But last night, after making Andrew some Jambalaya for dinner (that I didn’t eat because it had greasy snausages and shrimpies)- we were hungry for sweets. Sadly, since our pumpkin muffins were gone- we had nothing sugary in the house.

We sat and wished we had something yummy to munch on. So… I said “I’ll just bake some cookies.” I found a recipe online with ingredients that I knew I had on hand. I got up at around 8pm and started baking. By 8:45pm we were eating these:

 

 

Yummy sugar cookies made from scratch in less than an hour. These are delish and this recipe was super easy (but not modified)… so we HAVE to give some of these away or else I’ll be coming home a little with a little extra pudge. Any takers? Oh and thanks to Tess for the idea of putting jam in the middle. It was a little extra special touch that made the cookies even more delectable.

After the Jambalaya last night, the stuffed chicken breasts the night before and the cookies to top it all off- Andrew said “I’m more impressed with your cooking than I thought I would be”

I don’t know if I should be taking that as a compliment- or be sad that he thought I wouldn’t be able to cook!

Happy Times, Sad Times November 25, 2007

I’m mixing up the whole “love/ (don’t) love” blog with my new rendition… Happy Times, Sad Times

Happy Times:

Walking to Balmoral Beach from my apartment is a pretty happy time. I found out I can walk to the beach in a mere 15 minutes! That’s nothing. Even walking back (up a huge hill) wasn’t that bad and only added 5 minutes to my time… making the entire round trip 35 mintues.

The water at the beach is actually clean and you can see your feet when you are in up to your thighs. You probably could see more than that too, but I wouldn’t know since I didn’t go in past my knees. Too cold. Not quite ready for that yet.

Sad Times:

That whole idea about the hole in the ozone layer being directly over Australia- yup… it’s true. My body is not enjoying the outcome of lying underneath a hole in the ozone layer.I feel like pieces of my skin are just going to crack off when I move. I’m THAT crispy….. EVERYWHERE! Stupid stupid Elsja. Too much sun for me!

Happy Times:

Making pumpkin cream cheese “muffins” is definitely a happy time. Eating them is a WAY happier time! Baking something from scratch… even using real fresh pumpkin… was very satisfying. I wasn’t sure how they would turn out because I modified the recipe quite a bit… but they are delish and I’m very proud of my first baking accomplishment. That yummy muffin part on the bottom- that’s more of a gooey pumpkin bar texture when you bite into it- not really muffin-ish. Then that yellowish top- thats a dreamy creamy cheese mixture toped with a crumbly buttery, spicey sugar blend.

very… happy… times.

More Happy Times:

Realizing that the kookaburras really aren’t so bad compared to loud trash trucks. It is especially cool when I see them on my balcony fence:

It’s also cool when I get to see lorikeets in the trees outside. They are so pretty.

Sad Times:

5:50am on Monday and Thursday is a very very sad time. It is the time the recycle trash man comes to our apartment. Mondays aren’t so bad… they just come to our apartment. But Thursdays they stop at every place on the street. It’s horrible.

That’s all from Down Under. More updates- and a blog with Apartment pics soon!