Beef and Mushroom Chop Suey

A recent trip to a Chinese restaurant ,where I enjoyed this dish as part of a combination meal for three, led me to make my own version of beef and mushroom chop suey. It was tasty in the restaurant but the pieces of beef were few and far between. The dish was mostly bean sprouts. My version was much more generous on the beef front with about half a pound of steak divided among two portions.

The only change I made to this recipe was to ‘velvet’ the beef by marinating the sliced beef with one teaspoon of baking soda, for half an hour, before the beef was thoroughly rinsed in cold water, patted dry and then marinated.

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Happy Easter ! (2023)

Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates the occasion.

I was on my own and threw together a pork roast with fiddleheads, hash brown patties and  onion rings for supper. Cream puffs filled with whipping cream for dessert and a glass of Pinot Grigio to wash it down. The latter was a Christmas gift from my nephew.

March Baking Round-Up

My nephew offered to pick up a bag of all purpose flour for me on his recent trip to Costco. I wasn’t sure if I should say yes, since I haven’t been doing as much baking as usual, lately. At least, that’s what I THOUGHT.

And then I realized that I’ve baked or used flour to make the following this month: ‘pizzaman’ steamed buns, a loaf of traditional white bread, Irish soda farls, banana-raisin oat muffins and a nectarine pie.

Oh well. Guess I should say yes. 🙂

Banana-Raisin Oat Muffins

When you’re clearing out your pantry, and have just over a cup of rolled oats left, make these delicious oat muffins.

During my search on line for a recipe, I found that bananas were often included in the recipes for moisture. This recipe seemed perfect as I had some peeled bananas frozen away for smoothies. The google results that suggested that two bananas would equal one cup, however, were inaccurate. At least once I thawed and mashed what ended up a soupy mixture. It was only about half a cup. So, I threw half a cup of raisins into the bowl and let the mixture sit for a while to plump up the raisins. The recipe seemed a bit bland so I increased the vanilla extract to one teaspoon and added half a teaspoon of cinnamon. Just because. I also used half a cup each of brown and white sugar.

I was very pleased with the result and would make this recipe again.

  

DIY Tandoori Paste and Tandoori Chicken

I know it’s St. Patrick’s Day but I made an Indian meal today. There are a number of  tandoori paste recipes out there but I chose this one because I had all of the ingredients and didn’t have to make any substitutions. Since it’s too cold to barbecue in south-western Ontario, and I don’t have a BBQ anymore, I broiled the boneless, skinless chicken thighs (720 gm) on high for 13-15 min and then transferred the tray to a lower shelf and baked for another 10 min at 325 deg F, until the meat registered 160 deg F in the thickest parts.

You can use the paste to marinate fish, lamb, mushrooms or tofu according to what I read. I may chop up the leftover chicken and make some butter chicken. Or I may just eat it all as is.

Irish Soda “Farls”

For St. Patrick’s Day:

Farls or ‘quarters’ are a type of quick Irish soda bread cooked in a griddle or a cast iron frying pan. Simple, four ingredient recipe found everywhere on the internet.

The only tricky part is adjusting the cooking temperature and time so that the top is not burnt while the inside remains raw.

Happy New Year (2023)

Hoping this new year is a great one for everyone.

Merry Christmas (2022)

And a Happy New Year (2023)

Double Chocolate Stout Walnut Bread

My nephew gifted me with various interesting beers over the summer. On one delivery, I ended up with a can of double chocolate stout, which seemed a bit challenging to drink on its own. I HAVE had Guinness Stout in the past, and though I can drink the first half pint without too much trouble, by the second half, as it warms up, it’s rough going. So, I decided to search out a bread recipe that might make good use of the beer. For texture, I decided to add some coarsely chopped walnuts to the dough.

The result was an interesting bread with a bitter undertone that became wearing as I made my way through the loaf.

I ate it in as many ways as I could, including toasted and spread with peanut butter or as a base for scrambled eggs.

I turned it into  French toast with a generous pour of maple syrup and served as part of a hearty brunch.

In a final move, I cubed and toasted the bread and turned it into a bread pudding served with Bird’s custard.

With time, I made my way through the loaf. It was not a failure but I wouldn’t make this bread again. PS: I took a sip or three of the extra beer in the can and it wasn’t to my taste either.

Toffee Bars

I’m planning on making these toffee bars again and while reviewing the recipe, I realized that I had never shared the pictures or the recipe link.I recommend making them if you need a fast recipe with little preparation. Sadly, they don’t last long especially when you only make a small 8×8 inch tray.