Potato Salad With Chorizo

This potato salad is really tasty, and really easy to make!
The recipe is as follows.

-Salad-
About 20 - 30 mini golden potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1 Chorizo sausage, cut into thin slices
1 cup of pistachio nuts, chopped
1 onion
2 TBS fresh oregano, chopped
2 TBS capers

-Dressing-
3 TBS olive oil
3 TBS apple cinder vinegar
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/1 tsp worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

To make salad....

First Boil potatoes in salted water.
While the potatoes are cooking, fry chorizo sausage until the edges of the slices are crispy.
Transfer the sausage into bowl, but keep the grease from the sausage in the pan.
Put the nuts in the pan, and cook till golden. Put the nuts in the same bowl as the sausage. Then fry the onion in the same pan, you may need to add a little bit of oil to the pan.
Add the rest of the salad ingredients into the bowl (including the cooked potatoes.)

To make dressing, whisk all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, then drizzle over the salad.
Mix well, and serve right away.

Food and Family

I know I've said this in many posts before, but I strongly believe that food brings people together.
This is very true for my own family. I don't have a huge extended family, but its not small either. On my mom's side I have three aunts, two uncles, and five cousins. My dad's side I have my Granny, one aunt, two uncles, and countless cousins. Some of whom are already married and have their own kids. I also have more cousins on my mom's side (she has something like 15, which make then my cousins too I guess) but I'm not in contact with any of them. Its not to do with fighting or anything, my mom just isn't close with any of them.

Food has always played a prominent role in my family gatherings. Particularly on my moms side. My Gran (who was my mom's mom)  had a love for food and cooking, and she passed it down to all of her kids. Ever since I can remember, family dinners with my mom's family centered around food. When my Gran was alive she would spend so much time cooking for every family dinner that we had. It was amazing, she was such a good cook! Besides being a good cook, my Gran was an amazing baker. I remember one year at Christmas, instead of buying presents for everyone she just gave out giant boxes of baking that she made. I remember it being one of my favourite gifts from her.

Food is also part of my family gatherings in so many other ways. Time spent in the kitchen talking with my aunts. Eating at a long table set up in my dinning room stretching all the way to the living room, to accommodate all 20 of us. Spending time cooking with my mom, to get ready for a family dinner. As well as just so many other small things that just add up to form memories. Yes that sounds cheesy, but its true. It's the little things add up to form memories.

On my dad's side of the family we have a family reunion hosted by my dad's cousin, it happens every August long weekend. Food is such a huge part of it. Everyone pitches in to help cook, and there is always an endless supply of snacks to eat. My dad's cousin lives right by the beach, and has a crab trap. Normally we have fresh caught crab for dinner one of the nights, it is so good!

Those are just a few ways that food connects my family. Most of them are small ways, but they really do keep my family connected.

Burrito Bowls

The other night is was my turn to make dinner. I had no idea what to make, so I jumped on the handy-dandy internet to come up with some ideas. I finally stumbled across the idea of making burrito bowls! It sounded like something fun, so I thought I'd make them.

Essentially a burrito bowl, is a bowl made out of a tortilla and then it is stuffed full of tasty burrito fillings! A lot of the time the burrito bowls are deep fried, but I wanted a healthier alternative so I baked mine in the oven. I did this by taking a small stainless steal bowl, greasing it, and placing the tortilla in it. I put that in the oven (375F) and baked for about five minutes. The tortilla took on the shape of the bowl, and was nice and crispy.

Whatever you want to fill your bowl with is up to you. Here is what I put in mine.

-Home made refried beans (seasoned with lime and seasoning salt)
-Thin slices of cut up steak, pan fried with taco seasoning
-Lettuce
-Tomato
-Green Pepper
-Mix of cheddar and montary jack cheese
-Sour cream
-Salsa
-Green onions
-Olives

And thats essentially it! It was kind of difficult to eat however;  a knife and fork was needed. Next time I make them, I think I'll serve them with corn chips. Corn chips can act as a fork to scoop out the filling, right?

Mac N' Cheese = Amazingness

Homemade mac n' cheese is possibly one of the most delicious things ever. It is one of the foods that is just so comforting. For a lack of a better explanation, it wraps you up in a blanket of comfort. It is just that amazing. Anyways, I made it for lunch today. I just kind of made up the recipe as I went.
Here it is as follows the best I can remember.

-Sauce-
2 TBS butter
1/2 onion, finely chopped
pinch salt and pepper 
1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp seasoning salt 
2 TBS flour
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup half-and-half 
1/2 water (I ran out of milk and cream, and needed something to stretch the sauce) 
2 tsp lemon juice
1 cup grated cheddar cheese + 3/4 cup
1 cup grated montary jack cheese


4 1/2 cups rotini 

I put the pasta in boiling salted water, and let the pasta cook while I made the sauce.

I also preheated the oven to 375F

Sauce....
I melted the butter, and added the onions and garlic. Then  I added the spices, salt, and pepper. Then I made a roux. I did this by slowly adding the flour to the butter and onion mixture. Then I added the  milk and cream and whisked until there was no lumps. Then I added the water, to make the sauce go further. Then I added everything else (minus the 3/4 cup of cheddar) and kept whisking until a sauce was formed.
Then I mixed in the pasta with the sauce, and put it in a casserole dish. I sprinkled the rest of the cheese on top and put it in the oven for 20 minutes. I broiled for the last few minutes so the top got all bubbly.

Then I had super tasty mac n' cheese, it was amazing!!!!! :)

 

On Food and Community

I recently was part of a inner city mission project, that was hosted by my church. The project lasted 11 days, and brought together youth and leaders from all over the country. It is something I will never forget, it was an amazing experience. A wonderful community was formed.

I think one of the reasons why such a wonderful community was formed, was because of the food that we cooked and shared together. We didn’t have a cook, or anyone to cook our meals for us, so we did a lot of cooking (and conversely, a lot of eating.) I think there is something about cooking, that just brings people together and creates community. One of the ways that I think cooking creates community, is the co-operation that occurs when you cook a meal with someone else. Cooking brings people together, and causes them to share something.

One of our main mission sites was First United, which is located right in the heart of Vancouver’s Downside Eastside. First United works hard to create a community for Vancouver’s less fortunate. It is a home for hundreds of people who don’t have any-other place to call home. If you want to learn more about them, and what they do you can check out their website here: http://firstunited.ca/ .

By spending time at First, I really came to understand that sitting down with someone to share a meal, can create something profound. Part of our mission was serving meals at First.  However, we were lucky enough to also sit down and eat a meal with the people who we had served for many days before. Let me tell you, it was a experience. Sitting down to eat a meal with someone who you have never before met, can be a little bit intimidating. However, after a few minutes of conversation I relaxed, started to enjoy myself, and I became genuinely interested in what the others had to say. It is something that I won’t forget.

Another thing amazing about First, is that it helps people build and maintain friendships. First serves three meals a day, seven days a week. This allows people to get the food and nutrition that they need, but it also allows people to spend time with their friends. The meals almost have a feeling of a whole bunch of good friends meeting together in a restaurant, the community is that strong. It is an amazing thing.

Another way I found community through food, was through a community BBQ that we hosted. The BBQ was part of our mission. We spend a day preparing for it. We made fresh bread, and hamburger buns. We also went to a market and picked out fresh local produce to make salads. Then as a whole group we made a meal together. It was so much fun! A lot of different people came to the BBQ, and it was so wonderful to see how we brought so many people together. It was most definitely a success!

Ultimately, food and community go hand in hand. Food is something that is meant to be shared. By sharing food with other human beings, you are able to form a connection. Life is all about millions of little formed connections. So, I think it is important make these connections mean something. By sharing meals, you will most definitely have some meaningful connections in your life.

**Disclaimer: I was not asked by First United to write this blog post. All opinions are my own.**

Spinach Salad with Blueberries and Goat Cheese

-Salad-

1/4 red onion sliced  + 1/2 cup boiling water + pinch of salt
1/2 long English cucumber, seeded and sliced
1 cup slivered almonds + 1 TBS butter + pinch of salt
1 cup blueberries
2/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled
2 TBS sesame seeds
6 cups spinach leaves, torn into bite-sized pieces

-Dressing-

1/4 olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 TBS honey
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

~To make the onions taste milder, combine them with the boiling water, and salt in a bowl. Let sit for 30 minutes, then drain.~

~For the salad, you want the almonds to be toasted. To do this, put them in a pan over medium heat, add the butter and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, string often.~

To make the salad itself, just combine all of the salad makings in a large bowl, and toss until everything is throughly combined.

To make the dressing, put all of the dressing ingredients in a container with a tight lid, and shake until it is one liquid. If it is not combining well, add a little bit more mustard. The mustard acts as an emulsifier. This means that the mustard brings the oil and vinegar molecules together, and bonds them. This way, they won't separate.

Serve the dressing on the side, so that the salad doesn't get soggy.


 

Yummy Salad

As I have said before I LOVE salad. Tonight I made a really tasty salad to go with dinner. Here is what was in the salad..

3 cups mixed salad greens
1/4 of a long English cucumber, seeded and cut
1/4 red onion sliced
1 green onion finely chopped
5 strawberries, sliced 
1/4 cup toasted almonds, chopped
3 slices of crisped ham, broken into little bits
1/4 cup dried cranberries 
1/4 cup grated feta
1 TBS fresh chopped mint

So that was what was in the salad. Then to make the dressing I just combined everything listed below in my handy-handy Magic Bullet, until it was smooth and creamy

-Dressing-
Juice of one lime
3 TBS olive oil
2 TBS mayo
salt and pepper to taste

Home-Made Ice Cream

The other night I was looking through a collection of recipes that my mom has accumulated throughout the years. I came across her recipe for raspberry lavender ice-cream. Now you might be thinking: "Eww!! that sounds discussing. Who would want to eat that?" However, you would be wrong there. It it is a delicious hybrid of sorbet/ice cream goodness!!

So, here is the recipe!

-Cream mixture- 

1/2 cup milk (I used skim) 

1/2 cup half and half

3/4 cup sugar 

1/2 tsp vanilla 

2 sprigs of lavender 

Place everything in a small pot and put on high heat. Continue stirring mixture until the milk scalds. Place in a shallow dish and in the freezer until the milk is cooled. 

*Scalding the milk is a very important part of the process as it infuses the milk with lavender flavour and allows the sugar to completely dissolve.*

-Fruit Mixture- 

3 cups frozen raspberries 

1/2 cup sugar 

Juice of one lemon 

Zest of half a lemon 

PLUS 1 cup of butter milk, to be added later. 

Blend everything in a food processor, until everything is combined. You don't want everything to be completely smooth, but you don't want huge chunks of fruit. You want somewhere in between.  Place mixture in a shallow tupperware, and put in freezer until chilled. 

Once the fruit and cream mixtures are both chilled, mix them together and then add the buttermilk. 

Then place in your ice cream maker, and process according to your machines' instructions. 

Jalapeno Burn

Shortly after I finished making the salsa and guacamole last weekend, I developed a burning sensation on my hand. It was centralized on my left hand, in between my pinky and ring finger, and in between my ring and middle finger. It didn't take me long to figure out that it was from the jalapeno.

The burning sensation felt like that feeling you get when you come into a warm house from the cold. However, it was only worse and would not go away. I tried washing my hands a few times, but it actually only made it worse. After I washed my hands, the feeling spread all over my left hand and it would not go away!

I then tried soaking my hand in water, then ice water but that didn't work. If anything it only made it worse. I then just gave up, and figured that the pain would go away eventually. I had to go to work anyways, so I just sucked it up, and let the pain go away on its own.  By the time that I got home from work about five hours later, the pain was gone.

But, that actually wasn't the end of it. I had a shower later that evening, and the pain came back worse than ever. I quickly went online to figure out what was going on. I read up and found out that hot water only aggravates jalapeno burns, and can bring back pain, even two days after contact.

I was desperate for relief, so I tried pretty much all remedies that I could find online. First I put a cold compress on my hand, but that only gave very temporary relief. Next I tired rubbing alcohol dabbed on my hand. Many people online sang it's praises, so I was hopeful -- however it didn't work for me. Next I tried soaking my hand in milk, but that didn't work well either. Lastly, I tired baking soda. I mixed baking soda and water to make a paste, and then I put it all over my hand. It worked, I think. About five minutes after that almost all of my pain was gone! I'm not sure what did the trick, since I tired all the remedies in such a short period of of time. However something did work! I was just happy for the pain to be gone.

And lets just say -- I've learned my lesson. The next time I cut Jalapenos, I will wear gloves! 

Chips, Guacamole, and Salsa

So, the other day I was in a summerish mood and I had a whole afternoon of nothing to do!
I decided that I would make homemade chips, salsa, and guacamole. I went up to the store bought some tomatoes, cilantro, avocados, and limes. Then I began preparing the food.

To make the chips: I first preheated the oven to 350F then I cut eight corn tortillas into triangle shapes and placed them on a cookie sheet. I then drizzled 2 TBS of cooking oil, and sprinkled 3/4 tsp of salt over everything. Then I put them in the oven and let them cook for 20 minutes until they were nice and crispy.

For the salsa: I just mixed all of the following ingredients in a bowl, and let it sit for 20 minutes.
4 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 green onions, chopped 
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped 
1 jalapeno, finely chopped 
1/2 cup of corn 
2 garlic cloves, chopped 
juice of one lime 
1 tsp of cumin 
1 tsp of coriander 
2 TBS of white vinegar 

For the guacamole:  I mixed all of the following ingredients, and kept one of the avocado pits in the bowl. I served it right away.
2 avacados, chopped 
juice of one lime 
1/2 jalapeno, finely chopped 
1/2 medium tomato, finely chopped 
3 TBS cilantro