The way to a mans heart is through his stomach...or something like that

So I've been trying out a new recipe for dinner for around 10 months, they started pretty much completely from my 'Basics with Jamie' cookbook.  This has made my husband extremely happy and able to brag at work about his amazing wife and the amazing food.  Not to toot my own horn but it has all turned out really well and I've learned a few tricks along the way. I have also learned that with a little planning I really can do a new meal every day.  The only real drawback was the money I had  spent on new or different ingredients, however now that I had gone through a few weeks of this I could see how I could make it less expensive and how to be a little more careful in the types of recipes I chose in order to keep my budget in check.  These are some of the first few recipies that I made.



                                                    Fifteen Christmas Salad

                                   -  4 4 1/2 oz balls of buffalo mozzarella
                                   -  sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
                                   -  1 lemon
                                   -  4 clementines, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch thick discs
                                   -  2 handfuls of arugula, washed and dried
                                   -  1 treviso or radicchio, roughly torn, washed and dried
                                   -  a small bunchof fresh mint, leaves picked
                                   -  1 x lemon oil dressing recipe
                                   -  4 slices of speck (smoked prosciutto)
                                   -  a small handful of freshly shaved Parmesan cheese
                                   -  aged balsamic vinegar

                                                              Meringue

- 6 large free-range or organic egg whites                                                           

-  1 cup plus 5 tablespoons superfine sugar  

-  a pinch of salt                                       

Eton Mess

-  1 x basic meringue recipe
-  2 cups heavy cream
-  1 vanilla bean, scored lengthways and seeds removed
-  2 heaped tablespoons superfine sugar
-  9 oz strawberries, hulled and sliced
-  9 oz raspberries
-  1 teaspoon good-quality balsamic vinegar
optional-  a handful of flaked almonds, toasted


                                                           Spinach Pasta

-  5 cups semolina flour
-  6 large free-range or organic eggs, or 12 yolks
-  fresh cooked spinach (i added about 1 cups worth)

                                     
                                            Raviolini of celeriac and thyme

-  spinach pasta
-  1 large celeriac (cellery root), peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
-  1 tablespoon freshly picked thyme leaves
-  sea salt and freshly ground pepper
-  2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
-  1/2 a fresh red chilli deseeded and chopped
-  4 knobs of butter
-  a small handful of grated parmesan cheese
optional-  a fresh black or white truffle ( I didnt take this option)


                                 Slow-roasted pork belly with the sweetest braised fennel

-  1 x 4 1/2 pork belly on the bone, preferably free-range or organic
-  2 tablespoons fennel seeds
-  sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
-  4 fennel bulbs, each cut into sixths, herby tops removed and reserved
-  a small bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked
-  5 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
-  olive oil
-  a 750ml bottle of white wine
optional-  1 x salsa verde

                                Sweet and sour butternut squash with leftover pork belly

 This one I couldnt find my after picture but it was an amazing meal which I am definatly making again!
-  1 medium butternut squash, peeled, halved and deseeded
-  olive oil
-  1 tablespoon coriander seeds, smashed
-  1 dried red chilli
-  2 red onions, peeled and finely sliced
-  sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
-  4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
-  6 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
-  a handful of rasins
-  a small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped, stalks finely chopped
-  a handful of pinenuts
-  1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
-  2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
-  1 tablespoon sugar


                                                  Proper Blokes' Sausage fusilli

-  2 heaped teaspoons fennel seeds
-  2 dried red chillis, crumbled
-  olive oil
-  1lb good-quality coarse italian or other high-quality sausages
-  1 tablespoon dried oregano
-  a wineglass of white wine
-  zest and juice of 1 lemon
-  1lb 2oz good-quality fusilli or penne (clearly I used the penne)
-  sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
-  a couple of knobs of butter
-  a handful of freshly grateed Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
-  a small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped

PLAYDATE: High park fun

  Today we had a fun playdate at my most favourite of parks, High Park.  We met up with our little friends at Castle park (Jamie Bell Playground)  after a round of the duck pond.  Im very proud of my two little tykes, they walked carefully around the whole pond staying nice and quiet so as not to disturb the ducks or the photographers trying to get some good shots of the birds.  

It was a stellar shorts and T-shirt sort of day. The only problem with shorts weather is the inevitable scraped knees and elbows. Both boys are fully covered in scrapes and bruises, its how I know they have been having fun.

 One of the many features of the park is the cherry blossoms, they aren't in full bloom yet but they will be in a few days.  We had a picnic by them and finished our journey taking our kiddos home through the grove.  Last year when I walked through there and they were in full bloom, the petals were falling down like a gentle pink rain.

If you get a chance to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom I fully recommend it.

WHAT I COOK: Braised Cabbage and Pork Chops

I made a coleslaw last week and had half a cabbage left over (I dont like using the whole thing, I find its too much slaw for our little family).  So I found a recipe for a sticky braised cabbage I figured I would give it a try.  It was SO. GOOD.  I paired it with pork chops fried with maple syrup on top and Broccoli.

I overcooked the broccoli a little because I was baying too much attention to the cabbage (and computer :( )

This I would say is the first time anyone has really gone for seconds for just the cabbage.  It has a great pickled taste due to the amount of balsamic vinegar in with it.

heres the recipe folks!

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/must-try-red-cabbage-braised-with-apple-bacon-and-balsamic-vinegar

Summertime Tagliarini

It was only appropriate that with this summery weather (FINALLY) we had a summery dinner.  Summertime Tagliarini from my Cook with Jamie cook book.  It turned out just as I had hoped. It was amazingly fragrant and wonderfully light.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/summertime-tagliarini

This picture isnt mine, but it turned out just like it.  I was too busy eating to remember to take a photo.

A Tested Til Perfect Recipe: Roasted Salmon Bacon and Spinach Salad.

   

  Another great recipe.  I usually make our salmon with maple or brown sugar giving it a nice glaze but I thought it was time to try out a new way of making it.  Another shout out to Canadian Living I pulled this recipe off of the net http://www.canadianliving.com/food/roasted_salmon_bacon_and_spinach_salad.php  It was super easy and took no time to make.  The vinagrette  had a nice kick and even appealed to Thomas who ate his first spinach leaf today and liked it.  The boys didnt fully embrace the salmon (it wasnt as sweet as I usually make it) but they loved that there was bacon on top.