Taste My Plate

Homemade Pasta

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 04:11:00 +0000

I have been meaning to make homemade pasta for a very long time. I don't know why I've left it so long since I am obsessed with pasta. I even got a pasta machine for Christmas 2010!

I guess this just goes to show how time really can pass us by. So no more stalling! I made my first small batch of homemade pasta (fettuccine noodles to be exact) this week. After a bit of struggling with stickiness, breakage, re-kneading and re-rolling, I must say I am quite impressed with my homemade pasta

The homemade pasta recipe is very simple. It will take some practice to get to know the consistency you want but after using the pasta machine this understanding should come quite quickly

500g (1lb) flour *
5 eggs

* I used sifted all purpose flour since that is all I had in my cupboard, but I've read that using semolina or extra fine flour such as 00 works best. 00 flour is also lower in gluten than all purpose

Instruction:
- Place the flour on a clean counter top or bowl. Make a well in the center and break the eggs into the well. Using a fork, beat the eggs, gradually pulling in the flour until the dough begins to form a homogeneous mass.
- Dust the work surface with flour and begin kneading the pasta dough.
If the dough is too dry or crumbly, drizzle with a little room temperature water. When the right texture has been reached, form a ball and wrap in plastic and place to rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes
- Roll out the dough using a roller pasta machine (as per the machine's instructions). Keep the dough dusted lightly with flour at all times to prevent from sticking. Fold up and roll a second time and put through the roller again a couple times until it becomes smooth. Continue to roll each sheet, gradually decreasing the setting until you've reach the desired thickness.
- To make ribbon noodles there are a couple ways to do this; roll up the sheet like a jelly-roll, and slice to desired width to make noodles, or use the cutter attachment of your pasta machine. If you use the machine make sure the sheets have enough flour dusting otherwise you could have a sticky situation

Fresh pasta only needs about 2-5 minutes, depending on thickness, of cooking in vigorously boiling salted water

Coat your homemade pasta with your favourite pasta sauce. One of my favourites is Fettuccine Alfredo

Enjoy!

How to soften butter quickly

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 06:52:00 +0000

Here is a great way how to soften butter quickly. I would need a dozen hands if I were to count how many times I've forgotten, or not even realized soon enough, to get the butter out of the fridge in time for a recdipe that requires room tempearture butter

If you're anything like me you'll want to know these tips:

You have some time on your hands: cut the butter into small cubes and let it sit out at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes.
You have practically no time on your hands: microwave the butter on defrost setting in 5 second spurts. I don't recommend this as your first alternative since it's so easy to accidentally melt the butter. So be careful if using this method
If the butter is frozen: Grating it should be fairly easy

Now you know how to soften butter quickly! :)

Happy baking!

How to season a cast iron pan

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 01:12:00 +0000

Dear fellow foodies!

Today I would like to share with you a trick that I learned about how to season a cast iron pan. Some of you might have read my older blog post about a Chantal cast iron pot review which has been very popular so I have decided to open up my cast iron horizon for you even more and share this beautiful tip how to create a non stick cast iron pan.

So what is the reason you might want to season a cast iron pan? Quite simply, this process creates a stick-resistant coating using oil. Imagine a layer of vegetable oil or animal fat is cooked onto the cast iron pan. Once this layer is there, it protects your wonderful cast iron pan from rusting. More importantly for me, it gives my pan a non-stick surface and gives me a piece of mind that the iron of the pan will not react with the food I make. Some of the best chefs recommend this process and they like to repeat it once a year.

When you buy a cast iron pan that is not already pre-seasoned or if you use your pan and forget to season it or dry it well, you need to season it up. And here I am going to show you how to season a cast iron pan step by step. If your iron skillet has any rust, it is really important to scrub it well. What do I scrub it with you might ask? Well a great solution would be to use hot soapy water! Here are the precise steps how to do this.

1. Dry your cast iron pan with a cloth both inside and out

2. Heat up your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit

3. Pout a little bit of canola oil on the surface of the cast iron pan and smear it all over (it is good practise to do the handle of the pan as well as the bottom).

4. Put the cast iron pan into your pre-heated oven for a couple of hours (250 degrees) but make sure you place it on a cooking sheet and turn it upside down on the over rack (this ensures that if there is any oil that concentrates in the middle of the pan, it will drip off).

The heat in the oven opens up the pores of the cast iron pan; the oil seeps in the pores and when you pull it out of the oven, the pores close and create a magnificent non stick surface

5. Pull the skillet out of the oven (be very careful as it is very hot)

6. After you bring the cast iron out of the oven, wipe it out again with a paper towel or a cloth (this gets rid of some of the excess oil) and voila!

More tips:

- When you cook with a cast iron pan, it is very important not to use any harsh detergents to clean it as this process would take the seasoning off and you would have to repeat the process all over again.

- After you wash the skillet (in a mild soap), dry it, put it back on the stove, turn the stove on warm temperature(and again what this does it opens up the pores), make sure the surface is dry and now it is ready to go and it will never rust!

And now I am ready to cook, what shall I do? You will find out in my next post! :)

Healthy Desserts: Coconut Balls

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 01:06:00 +0000

It's nothing new that this time of year is the toughest time to eat healthily. Being surrounded by irresitable treats such as shortbread, mince pies and sausage rolls make it nearly impossible! But it's not completely impossible

A bite of these coconut balls leaves you with the taste of Christmas in your mouth yet the feeling of health in your body!

1 1/2 Cup dried mixed fruit (ie.raisins, prunes, apricots, apple, pear etc )

3/4 Cup walnuts

2 T. orange juice

Zest of one orange (about 1 tsp)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 small bag unsweetened shredded coconut

Instructions:

In a food processor, process raisins, walnuts, dates and apricots for 1-2 minutes or until finely chopped. Add juice and zest and blend for 1-2 minutes more. Chill mixture in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Dampen hands, form mixture into balls, and roll them in coconut. Store balls in refrigerator.

TIP: If you don't have a food processor just chop up all the dried fruit as fine as possible by hand. This will take a bit longer but so worth it!

Enjoy, guilt free!

Orange and Cranberry Mini Loaves

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 00:58:00 +0000

One of my greatest pleasures in life is to reach loved ones' hearts through their stomach; and what better time to do this than at Christmas time?! Christmas time just gives me an excuse to cook and bake tones more than just to feed my household :)
Normally I'm inspired to bake a certain dessert from reading cook books or online research, but this loaf was inspired all due to the beautiful packaging you see in the photo. As soon as I saw the festive mini loaf trays with the charming wrapping I was immediately inspired to find the right recipe and give as gifts. Look how sweet it looks, and how professionnal :)
The packaging matches very well with what's wrapped inside too. This Cranberry and Orange Loaf is stunning! Eat it warm, spread with butter. Yum!!

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons orange zest
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup milk
2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions:

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, orange juice and zest.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt;
add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk.
Stir in cranberries and walnuts.
Pour into four greased 5-3/4-in. x 3-in. x 2-in. loaf pans.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Merry Christmas!

Smoked Salmon and Ricotta Croustades

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 23:57:00 +0000

These little beauties are great for 3 reasons;
1. They look great
2. They taste even better
3. So quick to make

If you're going to a dinner party, have a busy day beforehand, Croustades are your godsend!
You can fill them with any tasty combination you'd like. Let your imagination run wild

Smoked salmon and cream cheese is a classic combination, however I felt like a change. I felt like having it with something lighter. Ricotta is a great alternative in this case as it allows for a creamy yet airy texture while leaving room for the other combined flavours

This is what I put together

24 croustades
1/2 cup BBQ smoked salmon, shredded
1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
Juice from 1/4 of a lemon
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:
- In a bowl, combine the ricotta, lemon juice and mustard. Add salt and pepper to taste
- Fill each croustades about halfway with the ricotta mixture
- Top with a few chunks of the salmon and some chives

TIP: It's best to fill the croustades just before serving to keep the crunch

Quinoa Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 02:41:00 +0000

I've been meaning to get into the whole quinoa frenzy, but hadn't quite gotten to it. Pronounced keen-wah, for a long time I was even pronouncing it completely wrong! kwi-no-ah. How embarassing! Haha!

We went to friends for dinner recently and were very pleased to be presented with such a colourful and tasty meal, including the oh-so-healthy quinoa

It's similar to cous-cous in look, and somewhat in taste too. However quinoa is a grain derived from South America, where-as cous-cous is a form of pasta made from wheat and derived from Morocco. Quinoa can be considered a superfood because it is so high in protein and contains many essential amino acids :)

This salad was so yummy, and served with an equally delicious turkey loaf (sorry, no recipe for that). I am lucky enough to have been given the recipe for the quinoa salad and share it with you lovely folks!

Serves 4-6

Dressing:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp fine mustard - grainy is best

1 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Ground pepper to taste

Add a splash of juice from the mandarin tin (see below)

Salad Mix:

1 cup quinoa (uncooked) – can be red or white

¼ tsp curry powder

Pinch of salt

½ cup carrot julienne

½ cup green onions, chopped

½ cup corn kernels

½ cup red/yellow peppers, chopped

1 small tin mandarin orange slices

½ cup toasted and salted nut mix of your choice

½ cup dried fruit of your choice (we had it with dates/cranberries)

Cook quinoa with curry powder (1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water). Once cooked, let stand for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. Salt to taste, then chill.*

Mix chilled quinoa, carrots, green onions, corn, peppers, green onion, mandarin slices, nuts and dried fruit with dressing to taste. Chill for 1 hour. Serve over whole romaine leaves.

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash and Sage Manicotti with Roasted Red Pepper Bechamel

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:45:00 +0000

I have been been having a tough time getting back into the kitchen since our big move last year. All the stress I guess? But I certainly can feel it all coming back! :)
I made this dish yesterday for a dinner party. I was so excited to have my 'mojo' back in the kitchen I started doing a happy dance and sliding back and forth along the floors 'Risky Business' style. ha! No joke!

My plan was to make a Roasted Butternut and Red Pepper Manicotti with Bechamel sauce (still a delicious idea), but along the way I thought why not added the red pepper to the bechamel!? Don't you just love it when that happens? You have a clear plan in mind and half way through there's a new spin to the dish you're creating. This is one of my favourite thing about cooking; there are no rules and many suprises!

What I love most about making this dish is that I use crepes instead of pasta. So much easier to fill than pasta tubes, and it simply just makes a nice change from pasta

The dinner turned out without a hitch, to say the least ;)
Our friends also brought a lovely, fresh mediterrarian style layered dip for the starter and 'melt your heart' apple cinnamon dumplings with vanilla ice cream for dessert (sorry I didn't get photos of these)

(Serves 6 people)

Before making the filling you can start preparing the Crepes:
3 eggs
1.5 cup milk
3/4 cup flour
Pinch or two of salt
2 tsp vegetable oil

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until it comes to a smooth batter. Cover and place in the fridge for about an hour (while in the fridge this would be a good time to prepare the filling. See below)
Heat a non-stick frying pan to medium temperature. Brush with a bit of butter. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan, tilting to coat the base of the pan. Cook 2-5 minutes, flipping over once until both side are slightly golden.
Repeat process. Stack them onto a plate and set aside. This should make about 10 crepes

The Roasted Red Pepper Bechamel sauce:

1 portion of Classic Bechamel Sauce
3-4 red peppers, roasted
4 garlic cloves, roasted

I roast my peppers by charring them over the flame on my gas stove, until softened, then peeling them. Or, if you don't have agas stove, you can place them in the oven for approximately 30 minutes at 400 degrees F
Garlic cloves should be kept in their shell, placed on a pan and roasted in the oven for approximately 45 minutes (I put them in the oven when I was roasting the butternut (see below) . Cut an end off and you should be able to squeeze out the garlic
Blend the roasted peppers and garlic in a food processor then combine with the bechamel sauce

What you will need for the Manicotti filling:
3 tbsp olive oil
1lb butternut squash
1/2 an onion, chopped
3 large handfuls baby spinach
250g ricotta cheese
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tbsp dried sage leaves
Salt & Pepper to taste

Set the oven to 400 degrees F
Peel, de-seed and cut the butternut into chunks. Place on a baking tray mixed with the onion. Crush the sage leaves over top, sprinkle the sugar and pour over the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.Toss all together
Place the butternut and onion mix into the oven and roast for approximaely 45min, or until the butternut and onion are softened and starting to charcoal a bit. Remove from oven, place in a large bowl with the spinach. Toss until spinach starts to wilt. Set aside to let cool
Once cooled mix in the ricotta cheese. Taste, and add more seasoning if necessary

Prepare the dish:

You may need 2 baking dishes for this. Grease baking dish (es). Oven should be set to 350 degrees F
Place about 1/2 cup of filling into the middle of the crepe. Fold each end of the crepe to the middle, and place the manicotti fold side down into the backing dish. Repeat until all manicotti are done, lined up side by side, with a little room between each one
Pour the sauce over top. Cover with grated parmesan cheese. Bake for 25 minutes

Serve some caesar salad on the side
Buon Appetito!

Brownie Cheesecake

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 23:11:00 +0000

Have you ever died and gone to heaven? I just did! This Brownie Cheesecake is to die for! There's no other way to describe it.
We went to friends for dinner last week. Our first dinner party with them and I was determined to blow their socks off with my contribution, and it certainly worked!
My brownies have so far been a favourite, but I was in the mood to make some cheesecake since I haven't made a cheesecake since the Lemon Mousse Cheesecake. Brownie?... Cheesecake?... Brownie?... Cheesecake?... Chocolaty heaven? or Creamy velvet goodness? Then it hit me! Haven't I heard of a Brownie Cheesecake before? Perfect! Perfect!

So here it is and wow, what a reaction. I even heard a cook's beloved response of "This is the best cheesecake I've ever had"....Mmmm, music to my ears and cooking heart :)

What you'll need:
2 x quantities of TasteMyPlate's Brownie Mix
16 oz. (2 x 250g packages) cream cheese, softened
3-4 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Just under 1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
3 tbsp milk

Instructions:

Grease bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Prepare the brownie mix as instructed on. Pour the mix into the pan, bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 F. You want the brownie to be firm enough to act as a base, but not be completely done

Combine cream cheese, whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla. Mix on medium speed with an electric mixer until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour cheese mixture over brownie base

Melt the chocolate chips in a bain-marie with the milk. Spoon melted chocolate over the cream cheese mixture in swirls or blotches (not a layer), then cut through with a knife for a marble effect

Bake at 350 F for 35-40 minutes. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan. Chill

Serve and enjoy!

Leftover Chicken Pasta

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 03:19:00 +0000

Wow! Has it really been 6 months since my last post?!
Time really flies but I have been feeling a hollow space in my heart from my lack of cooking and blogging this year.
What other way would I return than with a pasta dish?
I had some left over chicken.....you got it, this is a 'leftovers' and 'fridge clearout' pasta dish, and as many of you know, often the best kind of pasta dish!.... as I was saying, I had some leftover chicken and some stuffed olives on it's last edible days. I remembered I had some canned jalapeños that I bought specifically for my "it just needs a little something" moments with cooking. These three ingredients were shouting out "mexican!".

The following ingredients tied it all together and made a quick and delicious dish!

250g fusilli pasta
3 cloves garlic
1 cup leftover chicken, shredded
1/4 cup canned jalapeños, chopped
3/4 cup feta stuffed green olives, sliced
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tbsp curry powder (If you have it use cumin and a bit of chilli powder. I didn't have any so I used curry powder instead)
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Cook pasta, al dente, in salted water. Drain, reserving a bit of the pasta water
2. On medium, heat a heavy based frying pan with the olive oil, add the garlic. Cook for about a minute
3. Add all remaining ingredients at once and combine. Heat through for about 3 minutes
4. Toss in the pasta (with the reserved water), stir until all combined. Taste and season more if necessary

Tastes great and it's healthy, Bonus! Thank you leftovers :)

Enjoy!

Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 19:57:00 +0000

These are the best brownies ever!! I've tried several recipes and this one beats them all by far!

I got this recipe from a colleague. We were having a charity bake sale in the office building. I made brownies that I was not that happy with because they turned out too fudgy for my taste. My colleague also made brownies and they were heavenly. Luckily she shared her recipe with me. A perfect crunch top and lovely light texture inside.

I like my brownies to have a good balance of fudge and cake. The more flour the more cake like your brownies will be. I find this recipe a great balance!

1/2 cup butter
4-5 tbsp cocoa powder
2 eggs
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions:
1. Set oven temperature to 350 F, then grease and line an 8 inch square cake tin with baking (greaseproof) paper
2. Slowly melt the butter in a small saucepan. Once butter is fully melted stir in the cocoa, Blend and set aside
3. In a medium bowl beat the eggs and caster sugar together until creamed and light, then stir in the cocoa mixture. Now stir in the vanilla extract and sift in the flour and mix. Add the nuts and stir.
Note: I find mixing brownie batter by hand gives a better outcome. Using an electric mixer tends to make these brownies turn out too cake-like
4. Pour mixture into the cake tin and bake in the centre of the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until a a skewer comes out clean from the centre
5. Allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes. (You should be able to lift the whole thing out from the cake tin with the baking paper edges, but do this carefully. If it hasn't cooled enough it could break as you lift it). Place it onto a rack to allow more cooling for a few minutes.
Now you're ready to slice into squares and enjoy!!

Note: I made mine in a 8x13 inch tin so I just doubled the ingredients. Sometimes I'll triple the ingredients if I want to have deeper brownies :)

Best of 2010!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 22:43:00 +0000

How could I have left this until February!? Once again time passes too quickly, and what a year 2010 was! Where do I begin? For those of you keeping up with my blog and whereabouts you'll know that 2010 was a year of moving country. My passion for cooking grew and my food blogging began all during my amazing years living in London UK. London is a vibrant and non-stop eventful city, which is probably why I began cooking so much more there; cooking is a stress reliever for me.
Eventually there weren't enough hours in the day and I began to miss the calming nature and more relaxed pace of life found in my home of Vancouver Canada.
The tough decision was made, the immigration for Marek was approved, and the packing began!
Combining the fast paced life of London and everything involved with moving I didn't give myself enough time to put as many posts up as I would have liked. So I'll only mention a few, although I'd love to say all recipes of 2010 are the best, haha!

Porky Pasta
This was a dish completely made up on the fly. Loved it! I haven't made it since and I'm really wondering why? Hhhhhmmm....dinner for tonight, solved

Bolognese sauce, Perfecto!
I'm not conceited, but this is probably the best bolognese sauce I've ever had. No joke!
Classic Bechamel sauce
This is a never fail recipe. Like I say in the post, it's easy to remember. Take a look and you'll see
Traditional Lasagne
Using both my most successful sauces of 2010, I created also my best ever lasagne

Rolled Pork Loin with Apple and Caramalized Onion Stuffing
I am very proud of this one. It not only looks beautiful but tasted gorgeous. The crackling is always a favourite at the dinner table

I'm in love Mac n' Cheese
This is still my best ever Macaroni and Cheese dish. The smoked cheese adds the most amazing touch!

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes & Devil's Food Cupcakes
I was making cupcakes for Marek's 30th birthday. I couldn't decide between 2 types so I made both! I'm more of a vanilla girl than a chocolate girl but they were both amazing!

Chicken Goujons
These were a very popular part of our Hors D'oeures Party. They are so easy and delicious

Vianocka (Slovak Christmas Sweet Bread)
Just looking at this braided bread makes me proud :)

So that's my trip down memory lane for 2010.

Halusky Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 23:42:00 +0000

This has to be my all time favourite meal! I can never get enough of it. When we have this for dinner I'm the one having double portions. Honestly, I can't control myself!
I must have been Central or Eastern European in a past life because I'm so drawn to foods like this.

Halusky (pronounced ha-loosh-kee) is the Slovak version of gnocchi. It's a pasta made with potato dough. The difference between the dough is that halusky is more like a thick batter than a roll-able firm dough. So, perhaps a more similar comparable would be Austrian or German 'spaetzle', except that spaetzle isn't made with potato.

There are many different ways to eat Halusky. Two of the most popular kinds are bryndzove halusky (sheep cheese with sausage or bacon) and kapustove halusky (sour cabbage - "saurkraut"), or more commonly named Strapacky (pronounced sh-tra-pach-kee).
Bryndzove halusky is Slovakia's national dish, and I certainly don't wonder why. Yum! This is the one in the photo.

Halusky
2-3 potatoes
4-5 tbsp flour
1 tsp of salt
1 egg

Instructions:

Peel potatoes and finely shred them
In a bowl combine potato, salt, egg and flour. The dough shouldn't be too tough but also not too watery. You may add more or less flour, or a bit of water if the dough is too tough
Boil a large pot of salted water
You have to work quite quickly here: With a halusky sieve (called a halsukar - see image to the right) or a strainer with large holes, put the dough in it hovering over the pot of boiling water. Stir the dough in the sieve with a wooden spoon. Little bits of dough will drop into the water as you stir. If the dough starts to get tougher you can quickly dip the strainer into the water as you go to loosen the dough a bit. Continue stirring the dough until all of it has dropped into the water. NOTE: If you do not have a haluskar or strainer with large enough holes you can instead, cut off 1/2 tsp size dough pieces and drop them into the boiling water
The halusky is cooked when all the dumplings are floating
Prepare halusky with flavour and topping of your choice (2 possibilities below)

Bryndzove
3-4 tbsp sheep cheese (or goat cheese as alternative)
2-3 tsbp milk
1 smoked sausage or 6 strips bacon, chopped and fried, reserve the juices

Stir the sheep cheese, milk and some of the reserved frying juices with the halusky. The cheese will melt in quickly. Top with the bacon or sausage.

Kapustove
1 jar (no more than a litre) of sauerkraut, drained
1 medium onion, chopped
1 smoked sausage or 6 strips bacon, chopped
1 tsp caraway seeds
Salt and pepper to taste

Fry the sausage or bacon, remove and set aside. Then fry the onion and sauerkraut with caraway seeds, salt and pepper. Stir the sauerkraut mixture with the halusky and top with the bacon or sausage.

I am proud to send this one in for Presto Pasta Nights' 200th roundup! Hosted this week by Helen from Fuss Free Flavours. Congrats Ruth, on reaching #200! How time flies!!

Banana Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 22:52:00 +0000

Banana bread is a 'never fail to please' tea time cake. Sliced and smeared with creamy butter....oh how my taste buds tingle just thinking about it!

Who can compare baking their own to store bought? The smell wafting through the house is amazing, and having the chance to spread the butter over a freshly out of the oven, warm slice.....ouu! there go my taste buds again!

Here is the latest recipe I used, and it worked like a charm

(Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes)

4 medium size ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
Handful of pecans, crushed

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large mixing bowl cream together the sugar, butter and vanilla, then stir in the mashed bananas
In a separate bowl sift flour, baking soda and salt
Add the flour mix to the banana mix and stir together with a wooden spoon
Pour batter into a greased loaf pan, sprinkle top with pecan and bake for 1 hour (or until a knife comes out clean from poking into the middle)
Cool on a wire rack

BLT

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 04:02:00 +0000

Who can resist a classic BLT sandwich? Not many, I'd say. Check out this elegant looking piece of work. You may notice the added touch of sautéed onions. This is the perfect scenario to say "a little goes a long way".

(Makes 2 sandwiches)

1 ciabbata loaf

6-8 strips of bacon

8-10 slices of beefsteak tomato (or any large tomato of choice)

A few iceberg lettuce leaves, torn into large pieces

1/4 onion

Instructions:

Slice open the ciabbata loaf and toast under the grill until slightly golden
Cook bacon in a frying pay until desired crispiness. Remove bacon (do not drain off fat)
Sautée onions in the same frying pan as the bacon, Remove onions
Rub the ciabbata loaf, open side down, in the frying pan to soak up all the lovely juices
Layer all your toppings into the ciabbata, close and cut into 2 sandwiches

If you feel and hear that bacon crunch as you bite down you know you've done a great job!

Spinach Fettuccine with Pesto and sautéed mushrooms

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 01:04:00 +0000

It's simple, it's fast, it's tasty. What more can you ask for?

If you want to make a simple pasta dish but with a different twist than the usual, go for spinach pasta! I love spinach pasta. Not only does it give a pasta dish a lovely depth but the colour is also so appetizing.

This is a 10 minute dish! Yup, you heard me right, 10 MINUTES!
You will need:

1 packet of fresh spinach fettuccine
As much pesto as you like (I put about 3 large spoonfuls)
2 handfuls of button mushrooms, halved
1/2 tbsp each of olive oil and butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Put a large pot of water on to boil and heat a large skillet on medium-high heat
2. If you haven't got pesto already prepared this is the time to make it (view link for pesto above). Fastest method is just throw it into the food processor (as opposed to mortar and pestle)
3. Melt the butter with olive oil in the skillet, then place in mushrooms and sauté until starting to brown (3-4 minutes). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté for another minute or so
4. The water is probably boiling by now. Cook pasta as per instructions
5. Combine pesto with pasta and plate it topped with the mushrooms

TIP (Sautéing mushrooms): Using a large pan for the mushrooms is important because the mushrooms must be place in a single layer, otherwise they will release juices and steam instead of getting nice and brown.

TIP (Sauce stick to pasta): To make sauce stick to the pasta always keep a little bit of the pasta water with the pasta

It's been way too long since I've submitted anything to Presto Pasta Nights. I've missed it so much! So here I go.....my entry for the next Presto Pasta Nights hosted by Claire at Chez Cayenne

Sauerkraut Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 03:59:00 +0000

This is a traditional Slovak soup which is served commonly with Christmas dinner. But of course can be eaten any time really, especially nice on a cold winter night.
This soup can be served as a starter or as main in a larger portion. Either way It's always a big hit!
This year was Marek's first Christmas with my (British) family in Canada. My Mum doesn't like Sauerkraut but she liked this soup! That sort of outcome feels great.

(Feeds 4-6 people)
1 large bottle sauerkraut (approx 700g)
5 cloves garlic (sliced)
1 medium onion (sliced)
2 mushrooms (sliced)
Smoked ham (500g)
2-6 smoked sausages (Eastern European SMOKED sausages, such as Slovak or Hungarian etc. If you can't find these types Spanish chorizo also works really well)
3/4 tsp caraway seeds
10-15 peppercorns
1 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp marjoram
salt to taste
6 cups water (approximated) - add more if necessary, as long as the soup has flavour and isn't too thick

Cooking instructons:
- Cut ham into thinck steak-like sliced
- poke holes in sausages with a fork (this is to allow the flavour from the sausages leak out into the soup - yum yum!)
- Put all ingredients together in a large pot, but adding water bit by bit through the cooking process (do not let the pot get dry at all!).
- Cook on low-medium heat for 2.5-3 hrs
Stir soup occasionally while cooking

You can serve the sausages and ham in the soup or on the side. Look at these beauties!

Serve soup hot on a cold winter night, mmmmmm!!

Slovak Coconut Balls

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 03:40:00 +0000

This is a recipe I got from my boyfriends mum. This was the biggest hit of them all at Christmas AND there is no cooking or baking required :))))

1 packet sponge fingers (175g) - crushed
1 packet tea biscuits (200g) - crushed
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp jam (flavour of choice)
1 1/4 cup cold coffee
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup sweet liqueur (liqueur flavour of choice
3 1/2 Tbsp(approximated) crushed nuts (walnuts, almonds, hazelnut, or a mixture of various nut together)
Crushed coconut - enough to cover balls

Instructions:
- Mix both biscuit types together in a bowl
- pour coffee over top, then pour in liqueur
- add jam, honey, raisins, and nuts
IMPORTANT NOTE : nuts must be added last....the amount will determined by texture. Put enough to be able to roll mixture into balls.
- Stir all ingredients together
- Roll mixture into balls just a bit smaller than the size of a golf ball. The roll into coconut to cover whole surface of each ball.

Enjoy!

Bublanina (Czech-Slovak Cake)

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 07:01:00 +0000

This is a typical Czech and Slovak cake made with different fruit depending on the season. Examples of typical fruits used for this cake are cherries, blueberries, plums or apricots. This time Marek asked if I would use pears.

The cake part turned out really tasty but I have to say the pears seemed to lose their flavour. I also didn't add nearly enough pear. I chopped up a bunch of small pieces but silly me didn't add and push them into the batter. I thought the batter seemed shallow in the pan that I must have done something wrong (I doubled the ingredients because my pan was larger than the recipe I had). Turns out it's actually suppose to be a shallow cake anyway. This was a time I didn't do as much research as I normally do before making something new.
I definitely love this cake but will be certainly using a more traditional fruit next time. I think plums.....oh oh, or how about strawberries come summer time yummmm!!

So even though this cake didn't turn out quite how I wanted it I still want to share this recipe because it is delicious.....just don't be like me, follow the directions and don't doubt yourself ;)!

1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs divided (room temperature)
1 tbsp Grand Marnier (optional)
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of cream tartar
1 cup all purpose flour
2 cups fresh fruit (blueberries or plums etc)

Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 350 F with rack in centre
2. Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan
3. In a medium size bowl cream together butter, sugar and yolk until light and fluffy. Add liqueur (if using), orange zest and salt. Mix well
4. In another medium bowl beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff
5. Alternately fold in egg whites and flour into the butter mixture
6. Pour batter into the baking pan and scatter fruit pieces over top, then lightly press fruit into the batter
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean from the cake's centre

Cut into square pieces and dust with powdered sugar or top with a berry sauce. Or just eat as is, it's so good it really doesn't matter how you eat it!
Oh, and if you didn't notice I sprinkled sliced almonds on top before baking.

Sweet Bread (Slovak Christmas Bread - Vianocka)

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 07:55:00 +0000

This year is Marek's first year away from home during the holidays. It was my priority to make it as special as possible. This meant spoiling him with plenty of slovak baking!
The first thing I made was this gorgeous sweet bread Slovaks call 'Vianocka' (pronounced vee-a-noch-ka). I haven't got too much experience with bread making so I was crossing my fingers with this one, and you know what? it worked! The bread turned out brilliantly! Marek had the biggest smile on his face when he saw it. He said it looked and tasted authentic.
I have to admit I am quite proud of this one ;)

1 pack active dry yeast (8g)
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 cup warm water
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 large egg yolks (keep the white for glazing)
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup raisins
zest of half a lemon
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Instructions:
1. In a small bowl, mix together yeast, 2 tbsp sugar and warm milk. Set aside for 15 minutes

2. In a large bowl or stand mixer combine flour sugar and salt. Add the egg yolk, softened butter, raisins, zest and yeast mixture. Using a dough hook or by hand, knead until dough is smooth and elastic.Transfer to a greased bowl, cover with greased plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to let rise until doubled in size

3. Punch dough and knead until all air pockets are removed. Divide the dough into atleast 3 strands. Cover and let rise for another 15 minutes. Braid the strands and tuck the ends under. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover again with greased plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled

4.Bake in the oven at 375 F for 30 minutes. Reduce oven to 325 F. Lightly brush bread with beaten egg white and sprinkle with almonds. Bake an additional 30 minutes or until bread is medium golden in colour. Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack

Toast a slice of this and coat in butter = H-E-A-V-E-N

Oven Roasted Vegetables recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 01:56:00 +0000

What a great time of year for this colourful medley of veg! The amazing thing about roasting vegetables as your side dish is that you can use any vegetables you want. What are your favourite? Now mix these together, coat them in whatever your favourite flavouring is, whether it be plain olive oil or a chilli and cumin blend. It's all your choice. There are no rules!

Here is a simple recipe I made the other night

(Feeds 4 people as a side dish)

Vegetables:
1 yellow pepper - sliced into strips and halved
1 red pepper - sliced into strips
1/2 large onion - sliced and halved
1 zucchini - sliced and halved
1/2 eggplant (UK - aubergine) - sliced and quartered (please see NOTE on how to prepare egg plant)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 garlic bulb - cloves separated but left in shell
2 tbp fresh parsley- chopped

Flavour: Vinaigrette
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp mustard powder
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp dried thyme

Instructions:
1. Whisk together all ingredients for the vinaigrette
2. Combine all vegetables, parsley and vinaigrette together is a roasting pan or baking dish. Toss until well combined
3. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper
4. Place vegetables in a 450 F (220 C) oven until vegetables are tender and starting to brown at the edges (about 35 min)

Once your vegetables are plated you'll be at the best part! Squeezing out all the lovely flesh from the garlic shells. Oh yeah!!

NOTE: EGGPLANT TIP - To avoid your eggplant releasing too much water and from it tasting too bitter simply lay slices out flat, cover in some slat and let sit for about 30min to an hour. You will see beads of "sweat" all over, this is the bitter water being released. Now rinse the eggplant and you're ready to go!
Also if you don't like tough skin you can peel the eggplant, but it's not necessary, totally personal choice.

NOTE2: ADDING POTATO - If you're adding potato or a hard root vegetable such as squash to your roasted veg make sure to cut them bite size so they cook through. Then you have a couple cooking options
1. Turn your oven up a bit (about 475 F / 245 C). You may also need to leave them in for a few more minutes.
2. Or you can par boil the 'hard' vegetable before mixing into the rest of the vegetables.

Homemade Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 06:58:00 +0000

We went to some friends for dinner and hockey night a week ago. We were treated with homemade pizza! We love pizza! It's probably our favourite "treat" meal. They even had a stone slate! I have to get one!!!
But get this... I have never made homemade pizza! I've made pizza from bread bases (ie Ciabatta Pizza), but never made the dough from scratch. I know, shocker right?

We usually buy the Dr Oetker Restaurante Pizza. It's the dish we usually have at the end of the week when I'm tired and just don't feel like cooking. But, uuuummm, hello!! why don't we have it on nights when I do feel like cooking and have homemade pizza?? Duh! I don't know where my foodie head has been floating off to in the past.
So this weekend I went for it. Wow! It was so quick and easy. It was actually quicker and easier than making the effort of getting my coat and shoes on, walking to the shop, waiting in line and buying a frozen pizza.

PIZZA DOUGH
1 (8g) package active dry yeast

1 cup warm water (cooler than bath water but warmer than room temperature)
2 cups all purpous flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons white sugar (optional, I read sugar makes the crust a bit puffier)

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl mix water with yeast. let stand for about 10 min, then add olive oil

2. In a large bowl combine flour, salt and sugar

3. Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture, then pour in wet mixture. Stir together well until a dough forms. Cover with a cloth to let rise for about 30min, or until dough has doubled in size. Meanwhile heat the oven to 375 F (190 C, gas mark 5)

4. Roll dough out (or toss it in the air and pretend you're an Italian cooking in your own pizzeria, like I did) onto a floured surface until it's round and about 1-2 cm thick. Place on a pizza baking sheet (or stone slate if you're lucky enough to have one already)

5. Top with tomato sauce, cheese and toppings of your choice and bake in the oven for 20-25 min, until reached desired golden colour crust and top

I didn't have any tomatoes or sauce on hand but I had some sundried tomato alfredo sauce leftover. Why not eh? I made a sundried tomato alfredo pizza with mushrooms, spinach and mozzarella. Yum yum yum yum!!

Hors D'oeuvres Party

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 20:32:00 +0000

We had my parents and some family friends over for hors d'oeuvre and wine the other night. It turned out really well, obviously including some panic within the last hour before guests arriving (I think I just put my hair dryer down as they pulled up to the front of our place). What party is complete without a little last minute rush and panic eh?

Now on to the food.....

I don't mean to boast but these are the best Chicken Goujons (is that a posh name for chicken strips, chicken nugets or chicken fingers? hhhhmmm?) I have ever eaten! They came out so crunchy and flavourful. I didn't want them to be at all greasy so I baked them.

I made these, served with very good quality mayonnaise to dip (I meant to make a curry mango dip but totally forgot to buy the curry ingredients). The mayo we have is so nice it was just fine served plain as a dip (I just looked for the mayo on the shelf that didn't have anything in it that I didn't recognise, no funny stuff, no chemical mumbo jumbo). Scrumptious! Although I should try to make my own mayo next time. It's suppose to be super easy right?

Chicken Goujons recipe
(recipe adapted from All Recipes)
450g skinless, boneless chicken (I used thighs instead of breasts because I find them to be more tender)
1 egg
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp milk
couple pinches of salt and pepper
150g fine bread crumbs
2 tsp dried thyme
1. Set oven to 240 C / 475 F / gas 9
2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or foil
3. Cut chicken into strips
4. In a bowl mix together, egg, milk, olive oil and salt & pepper. Add the chicken strips, stir and coat them well with egg mixture
5. In a separate flat dish mix breadcrumbs and thyme
6. One at a time, place chicken strips into the breadcrumbs, turning them to coat evenly. Place chicken goujon onto the baking sheets
7. Bake chicken goujons in the oven for 15min or until golden (Mine stayed in closer to 20min)

I also made my vegetarian spring rolls. But this time I added egg to the filling. Yummy!

A couple weeks ago I instructed Marek how to make salsa. He's got it down pact now and I think his tastes better than when I make it! I made it for the first time a couple months ago and from then on we decided never to get store bought salsa again. It's so easy to make and tastes so much better fresh!

Salsa recipe

2 large tomatoes, chopped fine (make sure they're just ripe and firm)
1/2 a jalapeno pepper, chopped fine (less or more depending on how hot you like your salsa. Also the seeds are what make salsa hot, so keeping them or not is, again, personal preference)
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 shallots, chopped fine
handful of fresh coriander, chopped
2 tbsp olive
squirt of a wedge of lemon
1 tsp each of salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients together well and serve!
You could even use the salsa for chicken goujons dipping!

I couldn't forget to tell you about the prosciutto and pear bites that Marek put together. So savoury and fresh. these lovelies gave a good balance to all the hors d'oeuvres we served

Pear, Prosciutto and Gorgonzola Bites recipe
1 french baguette, sliced
1 pear, sliced into bite size pieces
12 slices of prosciutto, cut in halves
25g cream cheese
50g blue cheese
handful of crushed walnuts

1. Warm the baguette slices in the oven a bit
2. Blend together the cream cheese and blue cheese
3. Layer ingredients on top of the baguette slices in this order; cheese mixture, a few walnut bits, a piece or two of pear, a piece of prosciutto
Serve! Yum!

Last but by far not least are the Rich Chocolate Pots.
I posted a week ago about Chocolate and Love organic chocolate and said I would be making something with the chocolate. Well, here it is! Be warned though, this dessert is not for the faint hearted, IT IS RICH !

Rich Chocolate Pots recipe
(Direct from my favourite cookbook - Good Housekeeping Cookery Book)
300g good quality plain dark chocolate, in pieces (I'd say no more than 70% otherwise the dessert could be too bitter)
284ml double cream
250g mascarpone (I used half mascarpone, half cream cheese)
3 tbsp cognac
1 tbsp vanilla extract (I probably put double that amount because I LOVE Vanilla)

To decorate: Marek came up with the coconut topping, and I had some little chocolate coins to put in the middle. Another idea would be a dollop of whipped cream on top, sprinkled with crushed walnuts

1. Put chocolate into a heat proof bowl over a pot of gently simmering water. Leave until all chocolate is melted and smooth. Lower hear to it absolute lowest
2. Add cream and mascarpone, cognac and vanilla. Mixx well. (if you use cream cheese as I did it may take a bit longer to melt into the chocolate than the mascarpone)
3. Once all blended well and mascarpone (and cream cheese) have melted fully, divide mixture into glasses and chill in the refrigerator for atleast 20 min. Then you can top with you decoration of choice

The recipe in my book said this serves 6, but I have to say it was so rich I would say it serves 12. Next time I make these I will divide them into shot glasses. They are seriously rich, but irresistibly delicious! Dare I say it? they are orgasmically delicious!

It was a wonderful party and everyone was impressed with the food. Yay!!
One comment I won't forget, "When we were your age we weren't putting together something this nice". That comment pleased me to no end.

I love dinner parties!

Long live Cast Iron! : Chantal Cast Iron Review

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 21:54:00 +0000

How many of us dream of our perfect kitchen?

If we were all sitting in a room together right now I bet I'd see a whole lot of hands in the air! I had been living in temporary conditions and saving to move for so long I kept putting off buying the kitchen items I so badly wanted. How many of you are nodding your head right now? "I know how that feels", you're thinking.
I would spend hours browsing around alluring kitchen shops, always tempted to buy buy buy. Every item in the shop speaking to me. All the beautiful stainless steels, pastel colours and shimmering copper. I'm in a dream world in these stores. It's like Kitchen Disneyland for me. But I could not hop on the rides.

Well now that we've finished our move and live in a city where we plan to hopefully stay for a very long time, I will now begin slowly collecting these kitchen items I have been dreaming of for so long.

First on my list has always been the cast iron dutch oven. You know, the ever famous Le Creuset beauty. I won't lie to you, the pot in the image is not Le Creuset. I admit I was stuck on the idea of the trustworthy brand from French cuisine, but who am I kidding, I can't afford such luxury right now. I've purchased the Talavera Cast Iron Dutch oven from Chantal. Chantal vs Le Creuset cast iron pot is purchased at about 1/3 of the price! So why not right?

I've read many reviews on Le Creuset vs Chantal. I have to say that most are in favour of Le Creuset claiming Chantal's enamel begins to chip away after a while. In the same breath, however, I have noticed some of these people talking about their pot being in the oven at 450 degrees. The instructions on my Chantal tag says max 400 degrees..... hhhmmmm....
You can also check out this review from the Boston times - Pot vs Pot.

So far, my Chantal Dutch oven works brilliantly! I've used it about 4 times in the past week and no problems yet. I am very pleased so far. I want to cook everything in this thing. It's so addictive! Long live cast iron! The journey to my perfect kitchen begins. Kitchen Disneyland here I come! One piece at a time though. That's fine by me :)

Note: You may find that Chantal website does not advertise their Talavera Cast Iron Collection. I am also boggled by this. Seems Chantal do not normally produce cast iron so this is a special edition line sold only in certain stores ?? I found mine at HomeSense.

Oh and if you have bought a cast iron pan and would like to season it, please read my post about how to season a cast iron pan.

Chocolate and Love

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah @ Taste My Plate) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 04:33:00 +0000

Woohoo!! I'm so excited to be back!! I've been away for a little while and I apologize. As some of you may know from following my previous posts I was planning a big move. Well, after much painstaking, and what seemed like never ending packing, it's now all complete. I'm officially living back in Vancouver Canada. Of course this does not mean I will not continue blogging with the UK. I would be very happy to share with Canadians and Brits alike.

To welcome myself back I though it would be a great idea to start with one of the world's most loved foods....CHOCOLATE! But not just any chocolate, my new found favourite chocolate called CHOCOLATE & LOVE

I am lucky enough to have been asked by Chocolate and Love to try their chocolate, come up with a verdict and tell you lovely folks all about it. I couldn't taste and write this verdict without my chocolate adoring other half, and here's what we have to say about it (and just so you know I'm still nibbling on the chocolate as I'm writing for you now).....

The flavours represent every chocolate lover’s dream, one that might be richer than sweeter (just how 'real deal' chocolate should be) but the kind that you hope will never end. It has a very smooth taste that overwhelms your mouth and its wild smell always encourages another bite. Make no mistake; this brand belongs on the same shelf right next to the best known chocolate brands. The only thing that sparks a difference is the packaging which is not as fancy as of some of its counterparts, but instead it offers simplicity that makes it stand out.

The earthy look gives it a feel of sincerity which you will believe in once you try it. And if you don't tear apart the packing too quickly to get your mouth wrapped around this decadence you'll find that the inside, so creatively, has some interesting and reassuring information about the sourcing of the cocao. Oh and as you probably guessed... it is organic.

We've tasted 2 flavours of the many to be selected from Chocolate and Love's website. 71% "Filthy Rich" (which you certainly don't need to be to buy this brand of chocolate) was the first, followed by 55% "The Coffee Affair". Both following to the 'T' the description above. I am a huge coffee flavour fan so I will no doubt place this one as my favourite. The coffee flavour beings strong enough for that extra kick, but subtle enough to allow the cocoa the melt on your mouth with ease and seduction.

This is great gift for those loved ones, for your own sneaky nibbling, and of course for many of your up and coming Christmas baking!

I will be hosting a dinner party next week which I most certainly plan to use this chocolate for whipping up a heavenly dessert. Stay tuned!

Don't hesitate, visit their website and order your own CHOCOLATE & LOVE today!