I made this rhubarb cake for a friend’s birthday camping trip and everyone loved it. This is my new go-to rhubarb cake recipe. It’s easy to make, it’s moist and delicious, and the tart rhubarb contrasts the slightly sweet cake perfectly. This recipe makes a lot of cake, but don’t worry, because the cake is freezer friendly.
Posts Tagged ‘recipes’
Simple Tomato Pasta Sauce Recipe (with a Secret Ingredient)
In Pasta, Rice, and Doughs on August 29, 2014 at amThis pasta sauce uses a short list of ingredients and is very easy to make. This recipe is for a vegetarian pasta dish, but you could always add meat if preferred. The key ingredient that makes a world of difference to this otherwise simple tomato sauce is ricotta cheese. Try adding a dollop of ricotta cheese to your favourite tomato-based pasta sauce recipe, or simply mix it in with store-bought tomato sauce. This is a great way to use up leftover ricotta. Some of my other recipes that use ricotta cheese include lasagna rolls, ricotta and tomato crostini, wild mushroom ravioli, puff pastry tarts with arugula and cherry tomatoes, and lemon ricotta muffins.
Chinese Conch Soup Recipe
In Asian, Seafood, Soups and Salads on August 22, 2014 at amCooking with Alison’s Mom (Part 4)
Conch is seafood, and is basically a large sea snail. Conch soup is one of my favourite Chinese soups, because boiling fresh conch until it is soft, but still chewy, is my favourite way to cook it. Conch can also be stir fried, braised, steamed, baked, or BBQ’d whole in its shell. But note that the part of the conch that is found on the inside of the shell is the most tender, so use this part for quick cooking. The ‘head’ of the conch is better used for soup, as it is quite a bit tougher. Be sure to use fresh, live conch. When you’re in the grocery store, poke the muscle (or ‘head’) of the conch (not the shell). If it retracts into its shell, then it is alive. The faster it moves, the better. Ask the staff to remove the shell for you. The type of conch that we use for this soup is shown in the photo below.
Chinese conch soup recipe
How to Make Iced Tea and Delicious Variations
In Drinks, How-To on August 15, 2014 at amIced tea has always been one of my favourite drinks, so I’m not sure why it took me so long to start making it from scratch. I should clarify that the drink, ‘iced tea’, means different things depending on where you go. In some places, if you order an iced tea, they will bring you a straight up cup of tea that is served chilled with ice. I learned that the hard way while traveling on a cruise, once. I was very disappointed. 😉 The iced tea that I’m in love with is sometimes referred to as sweet tea. Now that I know how easy it is to make iced tea, how much better it tastes when homemade, and how much fun it is to try different flavour variations, I will never buy canned or bottled iced tea again. In fact, from now on, John and I are going to start serving homemade iced tea instead of soda/pop when we have friends over. Also, if you’re like me, then you probably have boxes and boxes and boxes of different types of tea at home that you may never get through. This is a great way to enjoy them while cleaning out your cupboards.
How to Cook Broccoli Leaves
In How-To, Sides and Sauces on August 1, 2014 at am
Did you know that you can eat broccoli leaves? Until I started growing broccoli in my garden, I had no idea 1. what a broccoli plant looked like and 2. that the large leaves were edible and delicious. You can cook them the same way you would cook collard greens. Simply remove the stems and thick ribs, chop the leaves up as desired (I like to roll the leaves up and then slice them thinly crosswise), and then you can steam them, boil them, grill them, saute or stir fry them. You can add them to soup and you can even use them, in lieu of cabbage leaves, to make rolls. Young and tender broccoli leaves can also be eaten raw in salads. On a side note, if you are planning on growing your own organic broccoli, be warned that they become infested with hundreds of tiny gray bugs and spiders. We were too disgusted to eat any of the broccoli crowns, even though they had the most rich broccoli flavour I’ve ever tasted. We will never plant broccoli again!
My favourite way to cook collard greens and broccoli leaves is to saute them with bacon and garlic. Cook 4 slices of smoked bacon in a large saute pan over medium heat until crispy. Remove the pieces of bacon, break them up into small pieces and set aside. Add minced garlic and sliced broccoli leaves to the hot pan with bacon grease. Cook, stirring frequently until the broccoli leaves are tender and still a bit crisp. Add salt and pepper to taste and, if desired, add a small splash of vinegar. Continue to stir until all of the vinegar has evaporated (if using). Stir in the crispy bacon pieces and serve immediately.
Easy and Delicious Curry Chicken Recipe (Only 5 Ingredients)
In Indian, Meat and Eggs, Poultry on July 27, 2014 at amFirst off, you should know that this recipe is, by no means, an authentic curry recipe from any part of the world. However, it is addictively delicious and ridiculously easy to make. I don’t normally post recipes that aren’t traditional or authentic, so believe me when I say that this recipe is worth sharing. I wouldn’t be surprised if it instantly becomes one of your family favourite recipes. It’s mild in heat, buttery, and slightly sweet. My sister’s friend, Chelsea, introduced me to this recipe. She made it for us and a large group of people at a ski chalet, once. Every single person loved it. I made it for John’s mom one day and she loved it too. This is a great dish to make for a crowd.
The key to making this sauce more than just a sum of its 4 ingredients, is to use high quality and complex curry powder. I’ve had the best success using Malaysian meat curry powder. Otherwise, it will taste like a curried, honey dijon chicken dish. But even the curried, honey dijon chicken tastes great, so use whatever you have on hand. Note that if you use a yellow curry powder, the colour of your sauce will be more yellow than mine. Ideally, you want the dijon mustard to be indiscernible, leaving your guests wondering what’s behind that addictive flavour.
Best Brand of Fermented Bean Curd
In Asian, Other Asian Foods on July 24, 2014 at am
Fermented bean curd is a pungent Chinese condiment. It comes in glass bottles in the form of cubes of preserved tofu soaking in brine. It is salty and spicy with a hint of tanginess. I love this stuff, especially with congee (see recipe here). It can also be used in a marinade for deep fried chicken wings or in a sauce for stir fried Chinese veggies.
The absolute best fermented bean curd that I have ever tasted was made in Hoi Ping, Guangdong, China, which is where my mother was born. If you’re lucky enough to find this brand in your city, let me know what you think of it (and please ship some to me)!!!
Best Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe
In Cookies, Desserts on July 19, 2014 at am
Salted Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate Cookies Recipe
I started my search for the best peanut butter cookie recipe years ago. I decided to take a break (i.e. give up) after making more than a dozen “okay” batches. Luckily, John encouraged me to try again (peanut butter cookies are his favourite), or else I might never have discovered two great recipes. Both recipes make cookies that are crispy on the outside, beautifully chewy on the inside, and full of peanut butter flavour. Personally, I like the flavour of the first recipe more, because it’s not as sweet (I don’t really like sweets). But the second recipe posted below is great too, because you get a texture that is even chewier than the first. Normally, I prefer peanut butter cookies plain, but these cookies are perfect with chocolate chunks/chips. Read the rest of this entry »
Healthy and Delicious Chickpea, Corn and Carrot Loaf
In Sides and Sauces on July 15, 2014 at amThis is a healthy, vegetarian-friendly and dairy-free side dish that is surprisingly delicious. It is full of flavour, it has great texture, and it’s something unexpected. Everyone that has tried it has been pleasantly surprised, too. I found this recipe in a cookbook that I won in a baking contest. I am really glad that I tried it, because it’s not something that would normally entice me. I hope that you’ll try it, too. Let me know what you think of it!
Great Salad Dressing Tip from Extreme Cheapskates
In Sides and Sauces, Soups and Salads on July 11, 2014 at amFor a while, I was obsessed with watching TLC’s show, Extreme Cheapskates. In this show, people go to revolting, albeit sometimes creative, extremes to save money. Surprisingly, I picked up a good salad dressing tip from one of the episodes. 🙂 When you finish a jar of jam, before you wash the jar and recycle it, make a salad dressing in the still-slightly-jammy jar. This will not only add sweetness and a hint of fruit flavour to your dressing, it will also save you from having to wash additional dishes. Of course, this also reduces your food waste.
To make your salad dressing: Add some vinegar/lemon juice, olive oil, and mustard powder/dijon mustard to the almost empty jam jar. (Note: A good starting ratio is 1:5 for vinegar/lemon juice to extra virgin olive oil. The mustard helps emulsify the dressing.) Screw the lid on tightly, shake vigorously until the dressing is well mixed, and then adjust the ingredients to taste. For example, you might want to add additional vinegar, a pinch of salt and/or black pepper, honey/maple syrup, etc.
Creative Uses for Avocado and Tips for Making Them Even More Delicious
In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks, Sides and Sauces on July 6, 2014 at amI love avocados and often eat them straight out of the peel with a spoon. Here are a few creative ways to use avocados and some tips for making them taste even better (other than just adding them to everything and anything you can think of):
- Be sure to try warming up your avocado (peel and pit removed) in the microwave. I love warm avocados, especially in a sandwich, pita, or wrap. I’ve also seen recipes where people bake avocado halves in the shell.
- Have you ever tasted avocado tempura (Japanese deep fried avocado)? It’s delicious – probably in part because of the warming effect. You could easily deep fry slices of avocado at home, by either using a tempura batter or an egg wash followed by a coating of panko crumbs.
- I used to eat avocados plain until my friend Aurelie told me that in France, a lot of people eat their avocados with a dollop of Dijon mustard. I’m so glad that she told me that, because I’ve been doing it ever since. My preferred brand of Dijon mustard is Maille.
- I’ve also discovered that I like eating avocados with a light drizzle of honey. But, oddly, I don’t like the taste of honey mustard on avocados.
- Try using half of an avocado, still in the shell, as a carbohydrate substitute and bowl for your favourite tuna, crab, chicken, or ham salad. See a tuna salad recipe here. You could even place a fried egg in the avocado half. I’ve also seen recipes where people bake avocado halves in the shell (pit removed) with eggs or cheese, etc.
- Use avocado to make a delicious and healthy mayonnaise substitute.
- Make smoothies or other types of drinks using avocados. Don’t forget alcoholic drinks like avocado margaritas.
- I’ve even seen recipes for avocado soup. Let me know if you’ve tried this and what you thought of it.
- Make an avocado frosting for your baked goods. These are often vegan friendly. The natural green colour is great for St Patrick’s Day, Halloween, and Christmas themed parties.
- Avocado can be used as a fat substitute in vegan baking. John and I plan to try making black bean and avocado brownies. If they’re really good, I’ll share the recipe.
- Lastly, I’ve put avocado popsicles on my list of things to try.
Just to be thorough, here are some of the ways that I use avocados in every day cooking: in all sorts of salads, in sandwiches, as burger toppings, in wraps, in pitas, in tacos, in quesadillas, in sushi (maki rolls or hand rolls), in guacamole (see recipe here), in salsa with exotic fruits atop fish, in breakfast or egg dishes, as toppings or garnish for some soups, in fish tartare or ceviche (see recipes here), in appetizers served in wonton cups (see recipe here), etc., etc. Let me know how you like to use avocados!
Chinese Chrysanthemum Tea (Hot or Cold)
In Drinks on June 30, 2014 at amWhen I was young, one of my favourite drinks was instant chrysanthemum tea. It wasn’t until I was older that I learned that chrysanthemums are actually flowers. Then on my trip to China in 2008, I bought dried chrysanthemums for the first time. I was so excited to see them in a tea shop and I couldn’t wait to make sweet chrysanthemum tea from scratch. Needless to say, I don’t drink the powdered stuff anymore and I make it using a lot less sugar. This non-caffeinated tea is delicious sweetened, and can be served hot or cold. According to the teachings of Chinese medicine, chrysanthemum tea has several health benefits, including “cooling” your body. So this is a great drink to have when you have been eating too many “hot” foods, such as deep fried or barbecued foods.
Cooking with Alison 