Breville 800 collection Professional Plantetary Mixer

I am so excited to share my newest gadgets with you!! Santa knew I wanted to do some baking in the new year and gave me a Breville 800 Professional Mixer for Xmas! I haven't used it because I can't decide what to make yet. Here are some pictures of it's loveliness.

Solid diecast metal body. Reflects light beautifully. 1000 watt motor for heavy batters.

Also comes with a splash guard and spatula not shown.

Comes with a dough hook, flat beater, scraper beater and as shown below a wire whisk.

Wire whisk for egg whites, icing and cream.

A heavy duty handle to tilt back and lock down mixer head.

Variable speed control as well as a timer (unseen) below.

As well, I just got a little food processor to cut down time on nut chopping.. I seemed to do a lot over the holidays!

It works amazing! In a few seconds flat to be honest. I am going to start posting some more recipes in the new year. See you in 2011! Happy New Years!

Fresh green goodness salad

I had broccoli salad a week ago and still wanted more a week later. I incorporated broccoli into a green leafy salad..

Mixture of greens & red lettuce

1/8 c pine nuts

1/8 c raisins

3 T shredded parmesan

1/2 avocado sliced into cubes

1 cup small piecces of broccoli

Combine and toss with balsamic vinegarette. Serves 3-4. Enjoy. ;-)

(*Makes for great leftovers as well!)

No buttermilk for pancakes? No problem.

So my love for pancakes or hotcakes started from childhood. We would wake up on the weekends on the farm and think "hotcakes!!" My Grandma was a pro at making them with buttermilk along with a fresh maple syrup. So recently I have been trying to make the perfect thin, yet slightly fluffy pancakes--without buttermilk.. (It's not that popular in New Zealand.) After a few months of marriage and bloated bellies.. here it is!


Perfect Pancakes (no buttermilk needed!)

1 cup plain yogurt
1/4-1/2 cup milk
1 egg

3/4 c + 2 T flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 T sugar
1/4 t salt

1. Add dry ingredients to a small bowl. Mix well.
2. Add the yogurt, milk and egg to a med-large bowl. Whisk lightly.
3. Heat frying pan on med-high heat. Place hand 1-2 inches above pan. Pan will be ready when strong heat is present.
4. Mix dry ingredients into egg mixture in thirds. Whisk lightly. The last of the dry mixture should be incorporated with a very fast whisking lasting 7-10 seconds.
5. Let mixture rest one minute. Turn pan down to medium heat.
6. Spoon mixture into center of pan and spread with rounded side of spoon into a thin layer (no holes.)
7. Pancake will be ready to turn over after edges are slightly dry and bubbles have risen to the top.
8. The second side of the pancake cooks in less than 15 seconds. If you smell a burning smell your pancake has been left too long.
9. Flip pancake out onto a warm plate. Serve with butter and maple syrup. Yum!!

~The timing on the pancakes is based on a medium size pancake. Smaller will take less time to cook and larger ones, a bit longer. The key is to not step away from the pancakes for long.

Serves 2.

Most delicious meatloaf- the BEST!

So winter is coming in NZ and so are the recipes for comfort food! I had the upmost desire to make meatloaf last week and it was absolutely scrumptious. It's not boring meatloaf.. it explodes of different flavors in your mouth! Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures but will post some when I make it again.. It pairs well with my vanilla mash.

Delicious Meatloaf

1/2 small-medium onion chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 celery rib chopped
1/3 cup grated apple
1 t grated ginger

1/2 c breadcrumbs
1/4 c milk
1 T worcestershire sauce
1 T red wine vinegar
1 t balsamic vinegar
2 slices middle bacon
1/2 cup dates chopped
thyme & rosemary (fresh if possible)
3 T blue cheese
1/8 cup pine nuts
1 lb ground pork
1 egg

1 t salt

1/2 t white pepper

1/4 t black pepper

*PREHEAT OVEN TO 180C or 360F
1. Saute first five ingredients over medium heat until slightly browned. Set aside to cool.
2. Fry bacon until somewhat crispy. Remove from heat and when cool use kitchen scissors to cut into small pieces. Add to vegetables.
2. Separately, soak breadcrumbs in milk in a large bowl for 5 minutes.
3. Add cooled vegetables/bacon to the breadcrumbs and add worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar and chopped dates.
4.Add in several sprigs of thyme and rosemary. (If rosemary is dry, crush it in your hand before adding to mixture.) Next, add crumbled blue cheese and pine nuts.
5. Finally add in one egg, ground pork (pork mince) and salt and peppers and mix with hands (really work the ingredients into the meat!)
6. Take out a roasting pan and make a small/med loaf in the middle.
7. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes until middle is cooked through.
8. Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes. Slice and enjoy with Vanilla Mash.
*Serves 3-4 people.

Vanilla Mash

3 med kumaras

1 t vanilla bean paste

2 T sweetened condensed milk

1/8 c cream (warm)

salt for seasoning

1. Peel and cube kumara. Steam until soft.

2. Mash and mix in remaining ingredients.

3. Serve immediately!

*Serves 3-4 people.

*For smoother texture use electric beaters.

Thyme & Basil

Let me introduce you to the beginning of my culinary herb garden; thyme & basil. I bought the basil at a fruit market and then a week later I picked up thyme at the supermarket. I would like to install a plant box above the sink and add rosemary, chives, mint, cilantro.. anything else you would recommend?

So to celebrate my mini herb garden I am sharing two easy yet delicious recipes with you.



Herbed corn salad

2 corn cobs
1 T butter
6-8 small basil leaves cut into small pieces
1/8 cup parmesan grated/or sliced
salt & pepper for seasoning

1. Preheat oven to BROIL. Place whole corn (still in husks but with tassels cut off) directly onto racks in the oven. Turn corn with tongs every 5 minutes until the husks are light brown and close to burning.

2. Take corn out of the oven and carefully peel back husks. If corn is thoroughly cooked it should be vibrant yellow and squirt a milky liquid when poked with a knife.

3. Shave corn with a serrated knife into a small bowl.

4. Add in the butter and season with salt & pepper. When the butter is melted, mix through the cut basil and grated parmesan.

5. Serve immediately while hot! Enjoy!




Vegetable Quiche

1 med white potato cubed
1 med kumara cubed
1/2 c of ripe pumpkin cubed
2 small garlic cloves
1 small onion
1/2 stalk of celery
1 T olive oil
5 fresh thyme sprigs
6 eggs
150mls fresh cream
salt & pepper
3/4 cup grated Edam cheese (or mozzarella)
1/4 cup grated parmesan

1. Place potato, kumara and pumpkin in steamer. Cook until soft but not falling apart.

2. Meanwhile, slice onion and celery into small pieces. Mince garlic. Toss into a small saucepan with olive oil and saute on low-med heat until slightly translucent and browned.

3. Take out a medium size casserole dish and add in steamed vegetables. Top with sauteed vegetables from saucepan. Let cool about 10 minutes.

4. Pull the thyme springs into small pieces and sprinkle over vegetables. Next, top with grated cheeses.

6. Whisk the 6 eggs and fresh cream in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

7. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables. The mixture should completely cover the vegetables.

8. Set oven to 200C or about 375F.

9. Cook for about 50 minutes to an hour. Check middle with a knife to see if it is cooked.

10. Take out of oven and serve immediately. Mmm!

Tips:
*Do not fill right to the top of the dish as the eggs will puff up during baking.
*If you are short on egg mixture just add in a few tablespoons of milk.
*Always put the cheese in first.. putting it on last will just make it burn easily in the oven.

New Husband, New Home, New Kitchen~!

I am finally making my way on the journey to domestic housewife and I am finding joy in cooking at home (most of the time!) My husband and I had the luxury of living with his parents for our first 4 months of marriage. In which time, I worked through supper time and he came home from his day job to a plate of steaming goodness. Now that we are out in our own apartment the nourishing responsibility has fallen into my lap.

We got married overseas in a small family wedding and didn't have a wedding registry in either of our home countries. So I have enjoyed taking the time to shop for each of our kitchen appliances and each piece of cookware. We bought a Gourmet 6 piece stainless steel cookware set on Boxing Day for $200 off the retail price of $599.99. We took it home to the in-laws and let it sit in our mound of wrapped items for our soon to be kitchen. Fast forward two months and it's christmas day in our new naked kitchen! I'm ripping open our boxes of appliances and cookware like there's no tomorrow.. and then I get to the Stevens 6 piece set and am mortified. As I skim my fingers over the smooth lip of the steel pot I realize.. it isn't smooth is rough and scratchy... Upon closer examination I see there are little cracks eating through the steel with rusty veins. We re-pack it as best as possible and take it back to the orginal store. We learn (along with the sales women) that all of the sets are faulty as well as the individual pots! So we used our refund to skip to the next store and purchase a 4 piece Cuisinart cookware set.

Today I finished watching Julie & Julia! Fabulous. I was so excited I decided to reinvent my cooking blog as break my new kitchen in as well as my role as domestic housewife. I cannot promise to write everyday as Julie Powell did.. you can see that turned into a disaster for her marriage. But, I will be posting regularly!

My first delivery at our new home! Culinary lavender from a local NZ farm. $9.90 + $4 shipping.

Order now at:
http://millcreeklavender.co.nz/

Savoring September one bite at a time..

Hello September~! It's been a lonely summer on this blog~! In the past months a lot has happened.. I got engaged~! As well as slimmed down a few sizes. Since I have been busy wedding planning and spending time with my fiance I have minimal time in the kitchen. I've stopped making smoothies and started snacking on whole fruit and other easy snacks.

Here's two of my favorite hunger busters:

Cottage cheese with sliced avocado on top, sprinkle with pepper~! enjoy.
-&-
Cinnamon raisin english muffin with cream cheese and honey~! mmm sweet.

I'm a big advocate of eating fat and protein together in meals. I try to eat meat once a day and eat small meals when I get hungry (about every 3 hours.) I have a huge sweet tooth so I try to eat fruit and add honey to dishes to help me from binging on desserts~! I can't wait to share some delicious things to eat in the next few weeks up until my wedding. ;-)