Quick Quiches

Helllooooo Lovelies!

How is it already almost Christmas?! How did I not post anything since AUGUST? This is insane.
I apologise. Life happened.

But here I am. Back in full force with TWO new recipes!

Quiches! Every find yourself with nothing to eat and a bunch of random ingredients but no inspiration? Quiches are great for that. Today, I'm sharing two very easy recipes. Same ingredients for both, except for three.

The common ingredients

• 5 eggs
• 2/3 cup of cream (or milk)
• 1/3 cup of chopped onions
• 1/2 tsp of seasoned salt
• pepper
• 1/2 of grated cheese (if you only have strong cheese, I suggest using a bit less)
• oil for cooking
• pie crust

The three "special" ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups of chopped brocoli
• 1 1/2 cups of ground meat (I used pork for this one)
• 1-2 cup of chopped mushrooms

And here are the SUPER easy steps.

Quiche 1 (Broccoli)

1. Bake the pie crust according to the instructions (375 for 10-15 minutes). Make sure to poke holes with a fork to keep the crust from bubbling. Leave the oven on. 
2. In a large sauce pan, bring water to a boil.
3. Drop in the broccoli and blanch for about 3 minutes. 
   
4. Drain and reserve.
5. In a frying pan, over medium heat, cook the onions until soft. Reserve.
6. In a large bowl, whisk well the eggs and cream. Add the seasoned salt and pepper. 
   
7. Fill the crust with broccoli and onions. 
8. Pour egg mixture. 
9. Sprinkle the cheese on top and pop in the oven for 35-45 minutes. 
   

Serve! Easy, right? 

Now on to Quiche numero dos! (Pork and mushrooms)

1. Bake the pie crust according to the instructions (375 for 10-15 minutes). Make sure to poke holes with a fork to keep the crust from bubbling. Leave the oven on. 
2. In a frying pan, over medium heat, cook the meat.
   

   

   You can multi task and prepare the fillings for both of them at the same time!

3. Add the onions and mushrooms. Cook them until soft. Reserve
4. In a large bowl, whisk well the eggs and cream. Add the seasoned salt and pepper.
5. Fill the crust with the meat mixture.
6. Pour in egg mixture. 
7. Sprinkle the cheese on top and pop in the oven for 35-45 minutes. 
   

Serve!

You can pretty much make them with whatever you have in your pantry. Left over ham? Ham and cheese! Left over potatoes and veggies? Frittata-style Quiche! Tomatoes and olives could make a great Greek inspired one as well. They are nutritious and filling. 

Go on, give 'em a try and let me know!

Bloglovin'

Hey ya!

Hope you are doing mighty fine on this sunny Friday!

I will cut right to the chase.

In an attempt to get more exposure, I have joined Bloglovin.com

What this site does is that it takes an inventory of blogs. Through which you can follow any blog you want!
That way, all your favs are at the same spot.

Cool, right? And it's FREE!

So go on, check out bloglovin.com and follow me!

Toodles! <3

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Starstrucked and Mushroom Risotto

Hello my little Foodies!

I hope you have been doing good!

Before I get into the recipe, let me tell you about an amazing moment I had about a month ago.
I met one of THE most popular chefs in the WORLD. With 3 TV-shows and 2 cook books. Plus book signing tours, not to mention his two Montreal Restaurant, this man is crazy busy.

CHUCK HUGHES!

My close friends will probably tell you that I refer to him as my "future husband", but he really is one of my all time inspirations. That man has overcome great things and has managed to make a name for himself. His work ethics and his laid-back vibe is something I aspire to achieve one day.

Needless to say I was beyond nervous to meet this incredible man. It has been on my bucket list for YEARS. He walked out and my heart skipped a beat. During his speech, we made eye contact. (I like to think we had sparks) which made my brain go to mush. I was certain I wouldn't be able to hold any sort of conversation when I got to him.

I was wrong. Instead, like the fangirl that I am, I asked him how he felt about being told he was the best chef in the world. Awkward, I know. He noticed my cupcake tattoo (thanks Tif!) and we "bonded" on that.

Aaaaahhhh. Still reeling! I strongly advise meeting Chuck.

Anyways! Moving on to the recipe!

Yesterday was Monday. ew. But it was also a very sh....rubbish Monday. I was craving something comforting.

Then I remembered the taste of this amazing Mushroom Risotto I had at Taboo Eats last year, so I tried to make my own. I SUCCEEDED! It's definitely not hard to make... just very...very much time consuming. (that darn stirring!)

Your ingredients

• 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 2-3 cups, loosely packed, of a variety of mushrooms. I used mostly shitakes. 
• 4 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
• 3/4 cup dry white wine (you could use water)
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon of thyme
  

The directions

1. Warm the broth in a saucepan over low heat.
   
2. Clean and trim the mushrooms. Remove the stalks from any capped mushrooms that you have. Slice the mushrooms into 1/4 in pieces.
3. In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and the olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until browned, 3-5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. At this point, you can remove some of the mushroom to keep for garnish.
   
4. Lower heat to medium-low and add the rest of the butter and the minced shallot. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the rice to the pot and stir, coating each grain with butter and oil. When the rice starts to look translucent-clear, add the white wine and cook, stirring constantly, until the wine is absorbed.
   
5. Add 1/2 cup broth (or a ladle)  to the rice and stir until the liquid is absorbed. Do so until the rice is al dente. So, 1 ladle-absorbed, ladle-absorbed, etc. Start tasting the rice when about 2/3 of the broth has been added. It's ready when you feel like it's the right consistency for you. I like mine a little tiny bit chewy, not mushy. This should take 30-40 minutes.
   
6. When the risotto has the texture desired, remove it from the heat and stir in the parmesan. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired. Add the thyme.
7. Warm you garnish mushrooms and serve! 
   
   
   
   It's a lot easier than it is made to look. This was my first try at risotto and I nailed it. (Yep, full of myself.. but hey! I'm proud!)
   
   
   Try it and let me know! 
   
   
   Ciao! 
   
   
   
   

BBQ chicken sandwich and slaw

Whoooo guys, I'm on FIRE today.
TWO recipes! This was the second recipe of the bday dinner (see Cajun-jerk Chicken Wings).

If there is 1 thing I could probably, possibly live on, it's BBQ sauce. I looooooooooove BBQ. I love it so much, that I smell like it right now. Ok, so maybe it's not on purpose (Rib Fest smoke outside) but still.

This is a take on a pulled pork sandwich, but leaner. It's basically braised chicken and a sauce. And not to forget the sandwich's bff, the coleslaw. (we even cheat a bit for this one)

Ingredients are below

Sauce

• 1/3 cup of tomato paste
• 1/3 cup of sugar-free strawberry jam (you read right)
• 1-2 teaspoons of liquid smoke (i used two, I love the smokiness)
• 1 teaspoon of onion AND garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons of Tabasco, for a kick (optional)
• 1/4 of honey mustard 
• pinches of salt and pepper
• 3 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon of chipotle sauce

Chicken

• 4 skinned-chicken breast
• 2 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 chipotle pepper
• salt and pepper

Coleslaw

• 1 bag of pre-mixed cabbage (told you we would cheat!)
• 1/3 cup of mayo
• the juice of one lemon
• 1 apple, grated
• salt and pepper

And BUNS!

Steps for zee chicken

1. Pre-heat oven to 350. 
2. In a baking roast pan, place the breast.
3. In a bowl, mix the broth, peppers and salt.
4. Pour over the chicken
5. Cook for about 1h to 1h30
6. Let cool a bit. 
7. Using 2 forks, "pull" the chicken apart. 
   
8. Leave in the juices until ready to serve. The chicken will stay moist. 

Sauce

1. In a bowl, dump all the ingredients.
2. Using a hand blender, blend everything together. 
3. Drop everything in a sauce pan, and bring to a boil while mixing. 
4. Take off the heat and cover. Set aside. 

Coleslaw (warning, this one is terribly hard... sorry)

1. Mix everything in a bowl! 
2. Set aside. 

And now. ASSEMBLE! I suggest heating up the BBQ a tad, before.

As you can see, the coleslaw makes it look like heaven is just at your feet. It also adds texture. 

The BBQ sauce is a "healthier" version. Instead of adding refined sugar, you had fruit! 

Try it. Let me know! 

Cajun-Jerk inspired Wings

Summer is finally amongst us, people!

Let us raise our glass to the sunshine. Cheers!
Summer is such the perfect season for colourful and tasty food. Not that winter food isn't tasty, but...

Last week was my dad's bday (everybody, say happy birthday Pops!) and for this special occasion, I took the day off. And what do I do in my spare time? I cook. And what better excuse to cook than to make a birthday dinner?!

I know my dad likes to try anything. And I know he likes spicy food. So in honour of his bday, I created my own version of Cajun-jerk "chickan' wangs". Aint no thing but a chicken wing. They are super easy to make. Note, that it was also my first time making wings! You know, being meat-less for years and all...

And in the spirit of the Rib Fest going on outside my work, I decided it was the perfect time to share it!
(check later for another bbq inspired recipe!)

Alright, here are the ingredients!

• 18-20 wings
• 3/4 cup of flour
• 4 teaspoons of onion powder
• 4 teaspoons of garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme
• 1 table spoon of Cajun spices
• 1/2-1 tablespoon of Tabasco sauce (depending on how spicy you want it)
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 cup of ketchup
• 1/4 cup of chilli paste 

And the super easy steps

1. Pre-heat the oven to 450
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour and half of the onion and garlic powder. 
3. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. 
4. Dip each wings in the flour, covering it well. 
   
5. Place on a parchemin lined baking sheet.
   
6. Bake for about 45 minutes. Flip half way through the time. 
7. While the wings are cooking, mix the rest on the ingredients in a bowl. 
8. Take out the wings, and one by one cover them with the sauce. 
   
9. Serve and eat! 

Be sure to have napkins around. You'll need it!

They aren't dried and only made with fresh ingredients which make them, not only delicious but healthy too!

Try them, and let me know! 

p.s my dad gave it 10.5 out of 10. Just sayin'

The Tipsy Choco-Piggy—OAG

Hello Darlings!

How are you on this rainy afternoon?

I have been looking for an excuse to post something.

Here it is!

Just like last year, we had a bake off at my work. The theme was "Scones".
Obviously, this was a perfect opportunity for me to test something! As I am trying to let myself be inspired by what is around, I dedicate this recipe to my job.

Raise your hand if work has ever made you want to have a drink... and eat as many carbs as humanely possible? *raises hand* We've all had one of those days.

This recipe is all for it. Whiskey, bacon, chocolate and caramel. Yep. Everything to make you feel better after a rough day... or a perfect treat to reward your hard work! Let's dig right in, shall we?

Here are the ingredients:

Whiskey Caramel Sauce

• 1 cup of white sugar
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of 35% cream
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1/4 cup of whiskey

Bacon Chocolate scones

• 1 cup of flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 cup of cold milk 
• 3 tablespoons of grated frozen butter
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 cups of chopped, well cooked, bacon
• 1/3 cup of melted semi-sweet chocolate.

The steps:

Caramel

1. In a large heavy bottom sauce pot, over medium heat, mix together water and sugar. Stir, with a wooden spoon, till it starts boiling.
2. Let boil until it gets an amber colour. (about 10-15 minutes)
3. While the sugar boils, in a smaller pot, over medium low, heat up the cream. Add butter and stir till it melt. DO NOT let it boil. add salt.
4. Taking the sugar off the heat, add carefully the cream mixture. It will bubble. REALLY bubble. Using a silicone spatula, stir till combined.
5. Add whiskey and stir. 
6. Transfer to a bowl or container and let cool. 

Scones

1. In a bowl, stiff flour, baking powder and salt. 
2. Add butter and, using your hands, mix tenderly until it looks like loose gravel.
3. Add bacon and milk. And mix with hands until the dough can be formed into a ball.
4. On a clean, flat surface, sprinkle a bit of flour. Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 3/4 on an inch.
   
   
   
   
5. Using a cookie cutter, of whatever you have handy, cut out shapes and place on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.
   
   
   
   
6. Bake in a pre-heat oven at 475, for 10 minutes.
7. Take out and let cool. 
8. Once cooled, drizzle a little melted chocolate on top.
   
   
   
   
9. Take a spoonful of caramel sauce and drizzle. OR dunk it right in.
   
   
   
   
10. EAT! 

Easy, right?

Now, I didn't win... BUT I did get an honourable mention! Yay!

Try it, and let me know! 

Fast Rum Ice Cream

Ever crave a bowl of ice cream but find you're out of it? Bummer. I know.
I was there just yesterday. I do own an ice cream maker, but you need to let it freeze for at least 16 hours.

But then I remembered hearing about "Ziploc bag ice cream".
It's sounded simple enough, I decided to try it out and to, of course, create my own version of it.

I was rummaging through my extracts in the pantry and came across a bottle of rum.
You know where this is going, right?

Rum ice cream. Oooohhhh yeah.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of COLD heavy cream (you can also use coconut cream, soy milk, almond milk, etc)
• 2 tablespoons of honey 
• 3 tablespoons of rum or 2 tablespoons of rum extract
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 sandwich-size Ziploc bag
• 1 large freezer-type Ziploc bag
• Ice and 1/2 cup of coarse or table salt

The EASY steps:

1. Mix cream, vanilla, rum and honey. 
2. Pour into the smallest Ziploc, and seal it. MAKE SURE IT'S SEALED. lol 
3. In the larger bag, fill about half of it with ice. (I used 4 full trays)
   
4. Pour the salt over the ice, and quickly drop in the small bag containing the cream. Seal.
5. Shake whatcha mama gave ya, for about 10 minutes. You'll notice that the ice in the bag is melting. The coldness of it is being transferred to the cream mixture, consequently, hardening it.
   
   
6. After using all the elbow grease you have, check it. It should be slightly runny. You can eat it right now, or store it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.**
   
   
   
7. 20 minutes later, it's now ready! You can top it off with whatever you want, or eat it as is. I chose to add some chocolate chips and pecans. Yum!**

          

That's it! Easy, right? This is perfect for when you're in a pinch! Enjoy!

** Make sure to rince the Ziploc in cold water to get rid of the salt. Otherwise you'll have some pretty salty ice cream. Been there, done that ;)