Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Wishing you and your families a safe and happy holiday season.
Happy Christmas!
foodmamma
bombay chopstix (dallas)
I was really excited to finally make a visit to Dallas. Q and I tagged
along with my parents to spend some time celebrating my aunt’s huge
accomplishment in obtaining her masters degree (her second!). It was so great spending time with her and
her husband and finally meeting my cousins.
Though a lot younger than me, we had a great time bonding, especially
over burgers at In and Out
No celebration is complete without a meal so we grabbed a
quick bite at one of their favourite places, Bombay Chopstix. Tucked away in a strip mall, they served
Indian Chinese food. This is the type of
food we had a few times in India and it definitely reminded me of past trips. Chinese dishes with indian influences and
spices.
quick bite at one of their favourite places, Bombay Chopstix. Tucked away in a strip mall, they served
Indian Chinese food. This is the type of
food we had a few times in India and it definitely reminded me of past trips. Chinese dishes with indian influences and
spices.
We started our meal with soup, Corn and Hot and
Sour. Knowing that most of the meal would be spicy, I opted to stick to the
mild corn soup. The corn was sweet and
it was a fantastic way to start the meal.
Everyone else at the table loved spice, all adding some hot chilis to
the already spicy food. I was definitely
the spice weakling of the group.
Sour. Knowing that most of the meal would be spicy, I opted to stick to the
mild corn soup. The corn was sweet and
it was a fantastic way to start the meal.
Everyone else at the table loved spice, all adding some hot chilis to
the already spicy food. I was definitely
the spice weakling of the group.
This was followed by the Chicken Lollipops. Pieces of chicken drumsticks with the meat
pulled up, making it into a chop. I think this was my favourite part of the
meal. The breaded chicken was tossed in a spicy szechuan sauce – so good. My second favourite part of the meal was the Pepper Salt Shrimp. Breaded and seasoned with
chilis and garlic, it was gone in no time.
pulled up, making it into a chop. I think this was my favourite part of the
meal. The breaded chicken was tossed in a spicy szechuan sauce – so good. My second favourite part of the meal was the Pepper Salt Shrimp. Breaded and seasoned with
chilis and garlic, it was gone in no time.
We also had some Chili Chicken which was super spicy. Thank goodness for the rice which absorbed
some of the heat.
some of the heat.
All in all, it was a great place with good food, reasonable prices and great service.
holiday baking
We had a chance to get away and didn’t hesitate for a second
about not spending the holidays at home.
The trip just meant that I had to be extra organized and get all our
holiday baking done early. It’s always
fun to spoil our friends and neighbours with a box of goodies, and this year
was no exception.
It was hard to decide what to put into this year’s goodie
box but here is what I decided on. Click to find out recipes for these tasty treat!
box but here is what I decided on. Click to find out recipes for these tasty treat!
Rice Krispie Squares
chocolate dipped walnut shortbread and the great food blogger cookie swap
I was very excited to participate in this year’s Food Blogger Cookie Swap. In it’s second year, this swap is hosted by Love and Olive Oil and The Little Kitchen. It’s a great concept – send a dozen cookies to three fellow bloggers and three dozen will be sent to you.
I wasn’t too sure what to make so I had to do some experimentation. I finally settled on shortbread and this great recipe from Family Circle. Little disks of brown sugar shortbread with walnuts and dipped in chocolate. Easy and super delicious, I’ve made them a few times since the first trial.
These delicious little cookies went to Elizabeth from A Sweet Baker, Kelsey from K&K Test Kitchen and Celeste and Alicia from The Chronic Masterbakers.
It was really fun and exciting to get boxes of cookies in the mail. I lucked out and got three amazing cookies! Thank you ladies!!
The first box to arrive were the Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies from Savour Sisters. These were moist and chocolatey and so delicious.
The second to arrive were shortbread from The Goodie Girl. I loved the little balls with chunks of chocolate and pecans.
I also received a box of thumbprint cookies from the Gourmet Housewife. Another classic shortbread filled with raspberry jam, so good!
It was a fun swap to participate in. Looking forward to next year’s!
Chocolate Dipped Walnut Shortbread
Adapted from Family Kitchen
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup toasted walnuts
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
In a bowl, stir together flour and salt. Beat together the butter, brown sugar and vanilla until well blended. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until well blended. Stir in the walnuts.
Turn dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a log. Wrap securely and refrigerate for several hours.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the chilled dough into slices and place on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Once cooled, dip the shortbread into the melted chocolate. Let stand at room temperature until chocolate is firm.
mint and chocolate
Mint and chocolate. What a perfect combination. It works well with coffee (peppermint mochas, yum!), cookies and definitely dessert. It was the inspiration for some cupcakes I made a couple months ago for hubby’s birthday. Although I had made some ice cream cake to celebrate at home, I thought it would be fun to send some cupcakes for him to celebrate at work. Hubby’s co-workers were treated to After Eight Cupcakes – chocolate cake topped with peppermint buttercream.
The combination worked well and so I made them again this weekend. Instead of using the chocolate as a garnish, I used candy canes. The Candy Cane Cupcakes were made for the Food Blogger Bake Sale.
A Holiday Edition of the bake sale was created to raise funds for Meals on Wheels. Fellow food bloggers Vincci and Dan have worked hard in planning and promoting this event – you guys are awesome! When I went down this morning, the tables were full of yummy goodies and creative packaging. The event has been extended to tomorrow so be sure to go down to Casel Marche, try some wonderful baking while benefiting a great cause.
mint chocolate cookies
I am excited to participate in this year’s Food Blogger Cookie Swap. What a fun way to bring together food bloggers from around the world! You’ll see a post on December 12th as to what I made, and sent to three fellow bloggers. There was some testing along the way and this is one test that was pretty tasty.
Chocolate and mint just go so well together, so when I saw this recipe on Foodess, I knew I had to try it. The cookies turned out so good! The only reason I didn’t use them for the cookie swap was that they were on the soft side and I didn’t think they would be great for shipping.
These cookies were so yummy! They were soft and quite rich, so they paired perfectly with a cold glass of milk. The taste combination is perfect for those wanting to do some Christmas baking. They are definitely on my list of things to make this year.
Mint Chocolate Cookies
From Foodess
1 cup butter, softened
1¾ cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp peppermint extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Beat in eggs and peppermint extract. Gradually add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt and beat until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Form dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Flatten balls slightly.
Bake cookies until edges begin to firm but center still appears soft, about 9 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks and cool completely.
calgary food blogger bake sale – holiday edition
Hope you can all join us for the Holiday Edition of the Calgary Food Blogger Bake Sale! It will take place on Saturday, December 8th from 10 am to 4 pm at Casel Marche. Go to the Facebook page for more details and a list of all the fabulous bloggers participating. Proceeds from this one day event will go to Calgary Meals on Wheels. See you there!
indian rice pudding…and a giveaway!
Earlier this year, I participated in Anyday Magic’s Recipe Makeover. For the makeover, three food bloggers were asked to add a twist to a recipe. I participated in the dessert challenge and was given the task of transforming rice pudding.
Every time I think of rice pudding, I think about Kheer. It’s an Indian rice pudding with much more depth than just regular rice pudding. The cardamom powder provides a nice warmth to the dish and the saffron adds an exotic touch. I added another twist by adding berries, which provided a freshness to the rich comforting dessert.
Since my recipe won the dessert round (yay!), I get to reward my readers with a prize pack from the Dairy Farmers of Canada. Each pack contains a spatula and a whisk and there are a few to be given away. Entering is easy! Just comment here, facebook me or send me a tweet and let me know how you would makeover rice pudding. Be sure to leave contact info so that I can get a hold of the winners. Contest closes on Sunday, December 2nd, 2012 at 11:59pm MST.
Indian Rice Pudding (Kheer)
Makes 4 servings
½ cup rice
1 cup water
2 cups milk
½ cup whipping cream
¾ cup sugar
½ can evaporated milk
½ teaspoon cardamom powder
pinch saffron
½ cup almonds
½ cup pistachios
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup whipping cream, whipped, not sweetened
Combine the rice and water and cook over medium high heat. When water is absorbed, add the milk and cream and cook on low heat for 20 minutes.
Mash the rice with a masher and then add sugar, evaporated milk, cardamom, saffron and half the nuts and simmer for a few minutes.
At this point, you can garnish with the remaining nuts and saffron or top it with sliced strawberries and the whipping cream with the nuts and saffron on top. Delicious both ways!
coconut cake with a red velvet surprise for mom’s birthday
Today is my mom’s birthday! We celebrated with family time, good food and of course, cake.
For her special day, I decided to do a twist on one of our favourite cakes – coconut. I had made some red velvet cake pops the day before for a birthday and decided to incorporate the two. Since the cake balls that I make are made of just cake (no icing), I placed the cake balls in between the coconut batter before baking.
I was a little worried about the red velvet balls over baking but the resulting cake turned out perfect. The coconut cake was moist and the red velvet was a nice surprise. Topped with a coconut cream cheese frosting and shreds of toasted coconut, it was the perfect way to celebrate my fabulous mom.
shrimp buzara style…and a cookbook giveaway!
Lidia Bastianich is a culinary icon. Writing best-selling cookbooks, having multiple restaurants as well as being a celebrated television personality, she is one of the most beloved Italian chefs.
I was excited to get her new cookbook, “Lidia’s Favorite Recipes” which she co-authored with her daughter Tanya Bastianich Manuali. The book has some amazing recipes with full page coloured pictures.
Crafted from 100 of Lidia’s recipes, it was hard to decide what I was going to cook first. Eggplant Parmigiana, Ziti, Crepes…there was so much to choose from! I decided to do something quick and easy, the Shrimp Buzara Style. It was a delicious dish with amazing flavour and it came together so quickly. The shrimp was tasty and the sauce was so flavourful, perfect for sopping up with some bread. I’m definitely going to make this for my next dinner party.
Want to win your own copy of Lidia’s awesome book? Comment here, leave a post on Facebook or send a tweet. Contest closes on Black Friday at 11:59PM MST. A winner will be chosen at random. Good luck!
Shrimp Buzara Style
Printed from Lidia’s Favorite Recipes
2 pounds super colossal shrimp
1 TB tomato paste
1 cup hot light fish stock
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup dry white wine
1 TB breadcrumbs
1 TB chopped fresh Italian parsley
Using poultry shears or a sharp paring knife, cut through the outer curve of the shrimp shells from end to end, but don’t remove the shells. Rinse the shrimp under cold running water, and devein.
Dissolve the tomato paste in the hot stock. Heat 2 TB of olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and garlic, and saute over moderately high heat until golden. Season with salt and pepper, add the win, and bring to a boil. Add the stock-and-tomato-paste mixture, reduce the heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
Meantime, heat the remaining oil in a large skillet, add the shrimp, and saute (in two batches) 1 minute on each side. Drain off the oil, return all the shrimp to the skillet, and add the sauce. Cover, and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp pare just cooked through, about 2 or 3 minutes. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and parsley, mix well, and cook a minute longer, uncovered. Serve immediately.