I may have gotten a new and shiny toy.
I may have found some very cute papers in a nearby shop.
It may have been someone’s birthday.
I may have decided to put all these things together!
More photos?
It seems odd to say it, but as much as I wanted to do a whole second post with pictures from the last Jurassic Lounge when I went back over them, they didn’t excite me.
Well, this one did. His names is Oscar.
And maybe this one. I love the colour!
And well … this is amusing. Museum staff obviously have a sense of humour!
PUKECKO! (and echidna butt)
So instead of posting more pictures from that night, I thought I’d just show you how I re-engineered that fudge recipe to be white chocolate and cranberries.
Basically I did everything the same, but substituted white chocolate for dark, and switched out the coffee for a handful of chopped up dried cranberries. Looks good, tastes like it needed to be cooked a little longer.
I think this is my new go-to/all-purpose fudge recipe! It’s so easily modifiable!
Also, have some proof that I do learn from my mistakes!
Perfection!
Balsamic Glazed Salmon
I had this recipe saved as a favourite on my allrecipes.com phone app for the longest time, just waiting for the perfect opportunity and occasion to splash out. That occasion presented itself this weekend, and it was off to the Sydney Fish Market to pick up the juiciest piece of salmon we could find!
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of white wine
1 tablespoon of honey
100mls balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of fresh oregano
6 Salmon fillets (approx 100-140g each) with skin on
Obviously we got 2 pieces at about 300g each.
It’s summarised as “A glaze featureing balsamic vinegar, garlic, honey, white wine, and Dijon mustard makes baked salmon filets extraordinary.”
1. Pre-heat your oven to 200C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat; add garlic and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Mix in the white wine, honey, balsamic vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for about 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Take off the heat and add the oregano.
3. Arrange the salmon fillets skin side down on the prepared baking tray. Brush the fillets with Balsamic Glaze.
4. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 10 to 14 minutes, or until flesh flakes easily with a fork. Brush the fillets with remaining glaze. Use an egg slice to transfer fillets to a serving platter, leaving the skin behind on the tray.
As you can see, I paired it with the current favourite of beans, asparagus & prosciutto. To drink we had a Pendfolds bin 128 2008 shiraz. (We were celebrating after all!)
I cannot fully describe to you how wondrous this dish is! It seemed seriously restaurant quality, and I kept having to remind myself that I had done it! Highly recommended!
Comfort food
With Winter coming to what seems to be an abrupt end, I have been stocking up on my favourite comfort foods while I still can. The other night I bought my favourite pre-made roast from Woolies; turkey with apple and cranberry stuffing.
To go with it I made a sweet potato bake, and bean and prosciutto salad. (I don’t care what it’s been, what is it now?) *cough*
*crickets*
I completely forgot to get process shots, but when served it looked so good I just had to share it with you all! This was the perfect Winter Warmer, even if the weather really isn’t that cold any more.
First the sweet potato bake. I buy the biggest sweet potato I can find, cut into reasonably small, thin pieces, and then bake until cooked with honey and sea salt. Once cooked I transfer to a ceramic baking dish, mix well with baby spinach and fetta (or ricotta if you so desire), then cover the whole lot in grated tasty cheese and bake until golden brown.
For the bean and prosciutto salad you will require beans, olive oil, prosciutto, an onion, garlic, and optional parsley and basil. This time I couldn’t find any fresh parsley or basil so I skipped it, but it is good if you can find it.
You cook the beans until they are just tender, but still crisp. Drain them and put to one side to keep warm. In a small fry pan heat the oil and then fry the prosciutto briefly until crisp then put to one side. In that oil then cook the onion and garlic until translucent. Cut up the prosciutto into small pieces and add back to the pan along with the basil and parsley. Then pour your dressing over your beans, toss thoroughly and serve hot in a bowl. Or in our case, on the side of the plate.
TA-DA!
How far away is Summer again …? *pulls out the running shoes*
Bolognaise
I made bolognaise the other night. It’s a household staple around here, and when Mum asked for the recipe a few weeks ago, I looked kind of dumbfounded as I don’t really have a recipe. I just throw stuff in a pot!
So this one’s for you Mum. Here’s what goes in:
Olive oil
Onion
Garlic
Bacon
Mince
Tomato Paste
Crushed tomatoes
Carrot (grated)
Mushrooms
Worcestershire Sauce
Brown Sugar
Oregano
Thyme
Tarragon
Paprika
Cayenne Pepper
Chilli
Black Pepper
Red Wine
Being me, I cut up all my vegetables first so I can just throw it in the pot when the time’s right. Into heated olive oil I throw the onion, garlic, and once browned the bacon too. Then in goes the mince until it browns.
By the way – biggest clove EVER! Organic FTW?
After that I dollop in the paste, then in goes the can of tomatoes, followed by the grated carrot. If it’s just me eating I now put mushrooms in, if Himself is home I skip them (darn picky eater!)
Then more dollops – Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and all the spices. Be generous with the spices! Think in tablespoons especially for the oregano, less so for the chilli and peppers (still think teaspoons rather than just a shake).
I finish with probably a cup from a box of Yalumba shiraz which I specifically have for cooking with (for boxes, the right grape is even drinkable!).
Then I stick a lid on it and let it simmer down and thicken up a bit, while watching for the right time to put the water on to boil for our favourite pasta. We like a large spiral for ease of picking up the meat sauce!
With a bit of parmesan on the top … Perfection!
ghoti industries 