T'was A Dream - Cooking Blog

Steak, Salad & Very Cool Veg Kebabs

2012-01-27T13:40:00.000-05:00

Steak is not intimidating.

(Recipe for approx. 8 Steaks)

Marinade Overnight:

Dried Parsley flakes (to taste)
3 Tsp of Garlic Paste
1/2 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Lemon juice
2 tsp Pepper
1/3 cup Olive Oil

Veg Kebabs

Cut: (to preference)

Potatoes

Onion

tomato

zucchini

green pepper

toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper

skewer

grill/broil in oven

and...Voila!

back to the steak:

Put it on a grill...cook till desired doneness

you can also start the steak off in a pan (to seal in the juices) and finish it off in the oven

Gravy:

because steak without gravy is...boring

add the drippings from the grill (or pan) into a small saucepot.

add butter (desired)

stir in some all purpose flour (until it gets thick)

if it gets too thick...or you need some more gravy - add milk...

but if you add milk, be prepared to add it some flavor that you may have overpowered.

like extra Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, garlic, lemon juice..etc

the key to a good gravy, or white sauce...keep whisking!

you should get something like this:

and last: a salad

how to make a salad:

cut up lettuce/spinach

and maybe some carrots if you want color

A La Cuisine!

Orange Chicken

2011-10-06T22:16:00.000-04:00

This is a healthy alternative to orange chicken. the difference: we bake the chicken instead of fry it, it has the same taste...and doesn't make you feel as guilty :)

For the marinade and the sauce:
¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1½ tsp. orange zest
6 tbsp. white vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
½ cup brown sugar

1 tbsp of garlic, minced
1 tbsp of fresh ginger, grated
¼ tsp. chili powder

1 tsp sesame seeds
1½ lbs. boneless breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp. cold water

for the chicken:
1 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs

First:

In a large saucepan or wok add...

the orange juice,chicken stock zest, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, chili powder,

and sesame seeds.

whisk and then separate 3/4 cup of the mixture. this will be the marinade.

pour it in with the bite sized pieces of raw chicken, then let marinade for 30 minutes

in a small separate bowl add the corn starch and water

mix and then pour into the simmering sauce

after youve marinated the chicken, add all purpose flour to it and mix

then add the eggs, mix.

then the breadcrumbs, and place the chicken on an oiled (or PAM-d) tray

bake at 400 degrees until golden brown

and put the chicken into the walk with the warmed orange sauce...

A La Cuisine!!

Its super delicious paired with simple egg noodles.

Dokla

2011-07-13T22:08:00.000-04:00

Its like cornbread....but without corn. :)

This is an indian snack made from flour and steamed, so delish!

1 heapful cup of semolina flour

(also known as 'sooji' flour)

3 tbsp gram flour

(also known as 'besan' flour)

3 tbsp yogurt (plain)

1.5 tbsp lemon juice

5 tbsp Oil

1 heapful tsp garlic

1/4 tsp haldi (turmeric)

1 tsp salt

1 teaspon of "eno fruit salt"

(this helps to leaven the Dokla)

Mix everything up, combined.....except for the fruit salt, that will be later.

after this is all mixed, right before you are about to put it to steam...

add the eno fruit salt

then pour the mixture in a 8 inch cake pan...make sure the cake pan is oiled

then once the water is boiling in the pot (2 inches from the bottom) you can put the pan on a mini rack and let it cook for 10-15 minutes

Wait for it to cool for 30 minutes....

and serve

A La Cuisine!

Crunchy Chicken Wraps

2011-05-23T17:31:00.000-04:00

This is a great recipe, that makes you feel healthy....even if the chicken is fried..

you can use the mango salsa recipe in here too!

what you need:

6 almonds, slivered

sesame seeds, a handful

breadcrumbs 1.5 cups (or more if needed)

combine the breadcumbs, almonds and sesame seeds

to make a coating for the chicken

chicken breast

cut in strips, or nuggets

MARINADE:

3 tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp crushed garlic

1 tsp crushed ginger

1 tbsp your favorite chili sauce

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

(let marinade for at least an hour)

then after, dredge in flour

then egg wash (you can put salt and pepper in the egg wash too)

and then the coating

next: pan fry

until....well....that color (down below)

a plateful takes about an hour to fry

layer it, put some chicken, garlic mayo (recipe in sidebar), spinach leaves

and some mango salsa (recipe in may 2011 sidebar)

you can even forget the bread, and put it in a lettuce, or mini spinach wrap!

A la cuisine!

Mango Salsa

2011-05-18T16:37:00.001-04:00

This Salsa is really good for the Fried Chicken Kebabs (sidebar for recipe)
and the Crunchy Chicken Wraps (sidebar for recipe)

what you need:

1 medium mango - diced

handful of cilantro - small chop

1 small onion - minced

spring onion - small chop

1 lime/ lemon

salt to taste

pepper to taste

chili sauce

curry powder (1/2 tsp)

put the mango, onion, cilantro, and spring onion together

add the lime, or lemon to taste

(make sure its not too acidic)

then add salt, pepper, some curry powder and your choice of chili sauce

(i used Franks Wing Sauce)

mix this around, and garnish

A La Cuisine!

Fried Chicken Kebabs

2011-05-07T15:05:00.000-04:00

A different take on ground chicken:

What you need:

1.5 lbs Ground Chicken

1 cup of 4 cheese mexcian or mild cheddar cheese

2 tbsp rough chopped onion

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

1 tsp ginger paste

2 tsp garlic paste (or fresh)

1 jalapeño (seeded and minced)

1 tsp roasted cumin (powdered)

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garam masala

1.5 tsp salt

.5 tsp pepper

2 eggs, beaten

1.5 cups of bread crumbs

1.5 cup oil

In a large bowl, combine he ground chicken with onion, cilantro, ginger, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, garam masala, salt, chili powder and cheese.

then roll it into small spheres

dip into egg wash

(if you want, you can add salt and pepper to the wash to add flavor)

then dredge in bread crumbs

deep fry in pan

you can serve this with chutney on the side.

I made an unripe mango chutney with cilantro, green mango, 3 tsp sugar, 1 chili and some water.

blend it up, and you have chutney to match your kebabs!

A La Cuisine!

Fruit Mayonnaise (cold) Pasta Salad - Food Idea

2011-04-18T15:48:00.000-04:00

Have old canned fruit and want to make something out of it?

Grind it up

and mix with mayo, salt, pepper, and a dash of lemon juice

Just today I made a great Mango-Mayonnaise Pasta Salad

Put it the fridge, perfect for Spring/Summer!

xoxx, Kitchen Princess

Grilled Lamb Shoulder

2011-04-11T20:04:00.000-04:00

Lamb Shoulder is one of the most forgiving cuts of lamb, it tastes good and is really hard to overcook.

MARINADE

1 tsp of:

garlic paste

ginger paste

salt

pepper

lemon juice

chili powder

garam masala

cumin powder

2 tbsp yogurt

handful of cilantro

family portion of lamb shoulder

tsp yogurt

garam masala

roasted cumin powder

pepper

and mix it all up

marinade overnight

then fry up some hashbrowns

(if you want, as a base)

and then grill the lamb!

If it is undercooked, then just broil it in the oven and it will finish off quickly

and easily, just dont forget to watch it.

dinner

A La Cuisine!

DEVilled Eggs

2011-02-25T14:31:00.001-05:00

what you need:

4-5 eggs

1 1/2 heap-full tbsp of mayo

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp crushed garlic

1 tsp tabasco or hot sauce

1/2 tsp of salt

pepper to taste
mustard to taste

you are also going to need a piping bag of some sort

I use a simple ziploc sandwich bag to avoid major cleanup

first

boil the eggs for around 12-13 minutes

you need to get a full hard boiled egg

cool and peel the eggs

then cut the eggs in half

and place them in the baggie

then add the rest of the ingredients

and mix

cut a few slits at the end of the bag and pipe into the empty egg white

Al la cuisine!

DaBEST Garlic Sauce

2011-02-25T13:52:00.000-05:00

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp lemon juice

pepper to taste

whisk the mayo, garlic, and olive oil

to smooth paste

then add the salt, lemon-juice and pepper

its really delishhh to eat with french fries, or keep in a sammich.

COMING SOON: ChickenBiryani (East African Style)

2011-02-12T13:05:00.001-05:00

a delicious rice and chicken dish.

updates:

2/30/11
attempt 1 at perfect recipe

4/1/11
attempt 2

Will post as soon as recipe is at its finest

A La Cuisine!

Curried LambChops

2011-02-05T16:09:00.000-05:00

what you need:

MARINADE

lamb chops (around 10)

2tbsp lemon juice

1tsp crushed garlic

1tsp crushed ginger

1tsp salt

1tsp pepper

1tsp curry powder

1tsp chili powder

marinade OVERNIGHT

and gather veggies for side dish

russet potato

bell pepper

chop up

and drizzle olive oil, sea salt and pepper

broil on high for 10 minutes

back to the CHOPS:

the next day-

1 tomato

1 onion

1tsp crushed garlic

1tsp crushed ginger

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp chili powder

1tsp lemon juice

1tsp flour

1/4 cup water

slice the tomato and onion thin

fry it up in the garlic, ginger, salt, lemon juice, curry powder and chili powder

add the marinaded chops

and add the water

let it cook halfway and then transfer the chops to a baking pan

and broil is slightly charred, then flip them over.

youll see they are medium/well

in the pot, add the flour to create a roux with the curried part

and serve

spring onion to garnish

A la cuisine!

Smashing Steak Sliders

2011-01-26T23:39:00.002-05:00

country fried steak in a deliciouso burger form

THE MAYO

what you need:

4 tbsp of mayo

1.5 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp Tabasco (or chili sauce)

THE STEAK

marinade Steak in:

lemon Juice

turmeric

chili powder

curry powder

salt

worcestershire sauce

pepper

make sure your steak is sliced thin

marinade for one hour

after the hour, flour>eggwash>breadcrumb the steak

with a dash of chili powder

with salt and coarse black pepper

with dried parsley

coat the steak, and fry

chop onion, tomato, lettuce

and serve:

A la cuisine!

MAKAI PAKA - Corn Coconut Curry

2011-01-26T22:46:00.000-05:00

a savory and sweet east african dish

what you need:

frozen/fresh corn

handful cilantro

2 tomatoes

2 onions

1 green chili

turmeric

chilipowder

1 can coconut milk

lemon juice

salt/pepper to taste

boil corn till cooked

in a grinder, place cilantro, onion, green chili and tomato

till a minced texture

in a wide pot, add oil (canola or olive) and garlic paste

then add the cilantro/onion mixture

and let it fry

add the corn, and then the coconut milk

let cook: you will see the coconut milk thicken up a bit

for color add the turmeric and chilipowder

mix it around a bit, and its ready to serve

A la cuisine! - african style -

Seriously Awesome ChocolateChip BananaBread

2011-01-16T19:07:00.002-05:00

what you need:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 or 4 bananas

1/2 cup of butter

1 tsp salt

1 cup of chocolate chips

a few drops of vanilla

a flattened cup full

brown eggs or white eggs, no difference.
and ripe bananas

start with dry ingredients: combine the sugar, flour, baking powder,

baking soda, salt and chocolate chips

to get the perfect taste of sugar reduce the one cup of sugar by a few teaspoons.

then add the eggs, butter, vanilla and bananas

mix it all up: you can use a wooden spoon, or your hands.

and mix until you get a thick, sticky, and dense texture

place in butter/oil coated bread pan:

and bake for about an hour, or until cooked

it should look something like this:

inside the texture should be fluffy

A la cuisine!

Simple Vanilla Icing

2011-01-15T00:29:00.001-05:00

what you need:

medium sized bowl or container

2 cup confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)

1 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp milk

half a stick of softened butter

optional: cream cheese 1 tbsp

and food coloring

mix together confectioners sugar and butter

add all other ingredients except the coloring, and vanilla

(if the mixture is too thick, just add more milk....too thin? add more sugar...

but be careful about the sweetness)

then add the vanilla and coloring

whisk. till smooth

add milk to get desired consistency, for my chocolate cake I wanted to drizzle my icing so I added more milk

A la cuisine!

FIOCCHI - gorgonzola and pear purses of pasta

2011-01-01T22:10:00.005-05:00

There are three steps to this dish:
1) Making the Pasta
2) Caramelizing the Pears
3) The Mushroom White Sauce

and we start:
MAKING THE PASTA

what you need:
2 cups of flour
3 1/2 large eggs
1/2 tsp of salt
(for one pound of pasta)

Step:1
make a mound of the flour (with salt) , with a dip in the center. place the eggs in the center.

Step 2:
whisk the eggs in the dip without the flour

Step 3:
slowly incorporate the eggs and flour

Step 4:
blend well

Step 5:
form and dough ball and knead for 10 minutes

Step 6:
Separate into 3 balls, and cover for 20 minutes

Step 7:
Roll the pasta, flatten the dough (very thin) and cut

continue with:

CARAMELIZING THE PEARS

what you need:

3 pears (green or red)

2 tsp sugar

1/4 cup fruit juice (I used berry juice)

Step 1:

dice two pears, and slice the other

Step 2:

place diced pears with 1 tsp of sugar in the pan. sautee and add fruit juice. and let cool.

Step 3:

place remaining sugar on the sliced pear and face down on the pan till you get nice color. and let cool on the side.

and finish with the:

MUSHROOM WHITE SAUCE

what you need:

5 baby bella mushrooms

4 tsp of butter

1/2 tsp garlic power, or 1 clove of garlic, or 3/4 tsp of crushed garlic

pepper to taste

1 tsp of salt (leveled)

1/2 tsp of chili powder

1/2 cup of flour

1/4 cup of gorgonzola cheese

1 cup of milk (skim, whole, 2%, or even soy)

Step 1:

slice mushrooms

Step 2:

melt butter, and sautee mushrooms

Step 3:

add flour to make roux. then stir in garlic, pepper, salt (less salt if salted butter was used), chili powder, garlic, and cheese. this will give you a paste in the pan.

Step 4:

slowly add temperate milk to the pan while stirring. It should look like this:

to make the

PASTA PURSES:

take the cut pasta and place it in a cupped hand, then place a few crumbles of gorgonzola and the cooled caramelized pear mixture.

fold over to create a "purse"

then boil until al-dente

(this can take anywhere from 5 - 12 minutes)

SERVE: pasta with white sauce, and caramelized pear on top.

and a thank you to my friends, for joining me in the kitchen today. much love<3

A la cuisine!

RedVelvetCupcakes (InaBox) Bake & Review

2010-12-28T17:26:00.000-05:00

Being a big food network fan, and seeing this box:

I had to try it.

And so I did, Preheated the oven, prepared the cupcake pan and got the ingredients together:

and started with 1 cup of the cake mix, and softened butter

and mixed, the recipe box calls for a standing mixer or handmixer, but I used a fork and whisk.

add eggs: one after another, water, and the rest of the mix (as the box says)

it should look something like this:

then place the batter evenly into the prepared baking cups, and into the 350 degree oven.

(I suggest convection baking, its faster)

and into the oven it goes.

FROSTING:

For this you need more butter (another 6 tbsps) and cream cheese (8oz) at room temperature, otherwise it wont mix. After a smooth butter and cream cheese paste is formed add the 2nd packet labeled for the frosting, and mix.

by the time that is completed, your mini cakes should be done.

let cool, and my favsies: DECORATE!

to decorate I used betty crocker sprinkles, called "gems". To make a swirl-like pattern on the cupcake, just put all the frosting in a ziploc bag, snip the edge and use it like a frosting cone.

Overall : This box, was not worth it. It made cute cupcakes, and tasted alright. But there was too much work, and too many dishes. Most cupcake boxes make 24 cupcakes, this one only makes 10. The box also asks you to purchase cream cheese, unsalted butter, and the obvious:eggs. While baking, the cups overflowed as well, making for a less than perfect looking cupcake. As for the frosting, it was a bit too rich, I suggest a store bought version of cream cheese frosting.

A la cusine!

Chillen Pasta Salad

2010-12-15T00:35:00.001-05:00

This is awesome for carb-o-loading days, but you want to feel healthy as well.

Start with your 'mise en place' ( a culinary term for "everything in place").

Boil Pasta - I love using tri color rotini because it is so vibrant and yummy-looking!

Chop up onion, apple, celery, tomato and cilantro.

Drain Pasta, and Mix all together.

Then add mayonaise, salt, pepper, hot sauce, lemon juice, and garlic all to taste.

your end product should look something like this:

A la Cuisine!

likeabossKIEV

2010-12-14T17:49:00.001-05:00

I used an old recipe of my aunties kiev, and redid it, just like a boss.

the BUTTER (it gets rolled inside the chicken, do this about an hour ahead)

Melt butter only slightly, mix in garlic (to your taste, can be powdered, minced, or paste), and dried parsley(or cilantro). Then place in freezer. (I usually make a dish out of aluminum foil so i dont have to wash a buttery bowl). You can also use pre-made herbed butter. This will be frozen In about an hour.

MARINADE

Flatten chicken breast, then marinade (in ziploc bag: easiest) with lemon juice, red chili powder, a tiny bit of tandoori powder, salt, pepper, garlic and a bit of ginger. A little bit of everything. (It should marinade within 15 minutes)

ROLL it

Take the butter out of the freezer, and cut a piece of it (A rectangle or square depending on the size of the flattened chicken). And then roll the chicken around the butter.(you also have a chance to add fresh parsley (or cilantro, my favsies) next to the butter before you roll it). This wont stay when you pan fry it so use a toothpick or two to make sure the chicken surrounds the butter like an epic hug. :)

egg/flour/breadcrumb BATH

Take chicken, and transfer from flour (add red chili powder to flour ---) > egg wash (add salt & pepper) > bread crumbs(i recommend adding parsley flakes--for color) > skillet. A dry hand/wet hand system here is recommended.

Pan fry till golden brown and then finish off (to cook the inside) in the oven (a 300 degree is recommended so it cooks slowly without burning since the chicken is already golden). Remove toothpicks, and its ready to serve! :)

homemade fries, and spring onion to garnish:

A la Cuisine!