Birthday Party Food

It was my husband's birthday party last night, so I made tons of appetizers for the event.  Here are the recipes:

BAKED BRIE WITH APRICOT & JALAPENO
1 brie wheel, with the top sliced off
apricot marmalade
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
crushed pecans

Spread the marmalade on top of the cheese, and sprinkle with jalapeno and pecans.  Bake until gooey, and serve with crackers or bread.

I took the picture before it went in the oven, because it's not nearly as pretty after it's all melted
(but it tastes soooo good!)


SALSA (this recipe was used to make the world's largest bowl of salsa!)
4 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
6 tbsp. red onion, diced
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
6 mint leaves, chopped
1 lime, juiced
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper

SUSHI ROLLS (see how to make them here)
nori papers
2 c. sushi rice (soak in 3 1/2 c. water for 30 minutes, then bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover slightly with the lid and simmer for 10 minutes or until water is all gone.  Turn off the burner but leave the pot there and put the lid on tight for 10 minutes.  Stir in 3-4 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar.)
smoked salmon
1/2 cucumber, cut into long skinny pieces
1 avocado. sliced




PINEAPPLE CRAB MUSRHOOMS (adapted from the cookbook "Just Add Rum!" by Angela Spenceley)
1 can crab meat
1/2 small onion, diced
1 garlic cloved, minced
1/8 c. red bell pepper, diced
1/8 c. pineapple, diced
1/8 c. mushroom stems, diced
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs
2 tsp. butter
2 tsp. rum
pepper
approx. 30 mushrooms, stems removed

Sauté onions, garlic, red pepper, and mushroom stems in some oil in a frying pan.  Add crab, pineapple, and parsley and sauté for 1-2 minutes.  Add breadcrumbs, butter, rum, and pepper and mix well.  Spoon into mushroom caps and place on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes.

EXTRAORDINARY CHEESE DIP (I don't have a picture, but there is one on the link.)

All of these appetizers were delicious (either that, or our friends are just really polite and ate everything to make me feel good!)

A Caribbean Meal

The other day I was browsing through the Food Network website, and I decided to check out some recipes from "Chef at Home" Michael Smith. I was intrigued by his recipe for Caribbean Coconut Crusted Salmon, partly because it sounded delicious, and party because it's quite possibly the simplest recipe I've ever seen! (Coat the salmon in coconut, season with salt & pepper, and bake for 15 minutes - I can do that!) I decided I'd try out a few of the other recipes he suggests to go with this meal, and I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to have our friends over for supper. What are friends for, if not to use them as guinea pigs for new recipes, right?

So here's what I made:

Caribbean Coconut Crusted Salmon served with Caribbean Salsa

Caribbean Salad with a coconut-ginger-lime dressing

Reggae Rice (isn't that the best name??)

I only made a half-batch of the salsa (and there was plenty of it), and I didn't use as much cilantro as I was supposed to in any of the recipes, simply because the cilantro in my herb garen wasn't big enough. But otherwise I followed the recipes fairly closely.

I must say, the salmon was nothing to get excited over on its own, but with the pineapple salsa it was quite good. The rice was really good and full of flavour, but the real winner was the salad. That dressing was fantastic! Can't wait to make it again sometime.

Since I only used part of the can of coconut milk, I made some Tropical Smoothies this morning with some of the leftover ingredients:

TROPICAL SMOOTHIES

1 c. frozen mango

1/3 c. coconut milk

1 1/2 c. pineapple juice

1 tbsp. lime juice (from 1/2 a lime)

a couple grates of fresh ginger

I'm not sure if I like this smoothie or not.... something's not quite right, and I don't know if it's just because it reminds me of the salad dressing last night (which was awesome on the salad, but not in a smoothie) or if I just should have left out the lime and/or ginger. Anyway, it'll do for breakfast this morning.

Hope you enjoyed these recipes!

Caribbean Supper

I've started taping the recipe show Best Recipes Ever each day, and I really like the simple, quick menus that they show. This week they had a Caribbean-inspired meal that looked delicious and so easy to make, so I whipped it up tonight for supper. Here are the recipes:

JERK PORKCHOPS (I made a larger batch, and changed up the spices slightly)

8 bone-in porkchops

4 tbsp. soy sauce

4 tbsp. orange juice

4 tbsp. olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

6 green onions, finely chopped

4 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice (or allspice or Jamaican Jerk Seasoning)

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Mix together soy sauce, orange juice, oil, garlic, green onions, and spices. Lay porkchops in a glass baking dish. Rub spice mixture into porkchops and pour excess sauce overtop. Marinate for a couple hours if you have time, then transfer to a grill pan or roasting pan. Bake at 375 F for 7-9 minutes per side.

PEAS, PEPPERS & RICE
1 tbsp. oil

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

3/4 c. rice

1 1/2 c. vegetable stock

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

salt & pepper

1 c. frozen peas

Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Sauté onions until soft, then add bell pepper and rice, stirring to coat the rice with oil. Add remaining ingredients (except peas) and bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add peas and fluff with a fork. Keep the lid on for a few minutes to let the peas thaw before serving.

GRILLED PINEAPPLE (This recipe came from my friend Kimberly)

1 pineapple, peeled and cut into 1/2" slices (you can core it if you like, but I left it whole)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. lemon juice (or use all lime or all lemon juice)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat grill (I used an indoor grill, but you could do them on the bbq.) Combine brown sugar, juices, and cinnamon and brush over one side of the pineapple slices. Lay that side down on the hot grill and brush the other side with more of the sugar mixture while they are grilling. Grill for 5 min. per side. Can be served with rice and porkchops, or as a dessert with vanilla icecream.

GINGER BEER SHANDY

ice

fresh lime juice

ginger beer

lager

Fill a glass half-full with ice, and squeeze a little lime juice overtop. Pour in equal parts ginger beer (or ginger ale if you can't find ginger beer) and your favourite lager.

Everything was awesome! I'm loving the ginger beer shandy -- I think I might go make myself another one!

Enoy the long weekend!!

Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Fruits

After I botched the salad on Monday night, I figured Tuesday night's supper would be a piece of cake. But no, I screwed that up too. Apparently cooking pork tenderloin at 400 F for 30 minutes is too much, which is too bad considering the recipe had great potential.

PORK TENDERLOIN WITH GRILLED FRUITS

2 pork tenderloins

olive oil

lime juice

2-3 tbsp. brown sugar

2-3 tbsp. Cuban Seasoning (I used Tex-Mex Rub instead)

1 onion, sliced

6 pineapple slices

1 can of peaches & mandarins (I only used about 1/2 the can)

Drizzle tenderloins with olive oil and lime juice. Mix together brown sugar and Cuban seasoning, and rub into the meat. Lay onion slices on a non-stick grill pan and place tenderloins on top. Top with fruit and bake in the oven (NOT at 400 F for 30 minutes.)

With the exception of being very dry, this was pretty tasty. It would be great with some red bell peppers and mushrooms too. Next time I'll be a little more careful with the oven temperature so it's not rock hard. Sorry Isabelle!

Read the recipe BEFORE you start drinking...

Continuning with this week's "clean out the liquor cabinet" meal plan, I bring to you another Rachael Ray recipe!

Edited to add: After I started preparing this meal, I realized there's actually no alcohol in the recipe. I was sure I saw rum in the ingredients, but I guess I was wrong. I think rum would go well with this meal though, so I'm adding it to the orange and lime juice mixture. I also noticed that I needed to make a few changes to the recipe, so I've posted my version below.

CUBAN SURF AND TURF
Rice:
1 c. rice
2 c. chicken broth
1 tsp. Cuban Seasoning
1 tsp. Smoked Paprika
1 c. chopped pineapple (*see note below)
2 green onions, sliced

Bring rice, broth, and seasonings to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and stir in pineapple and green onions. (This isn't listed on the website version of Rachael Ray's recipe, but it was in the cookbook I borrowed.)

Turf:
1 pork tenderloin, cut into medallions
zest of 2 limes
zest of 1 orange
1 tbsp. Cuban Seasoning
1 tbsp. Smoked Paprika

Combine zests and seasonings and rub onto pork medallions. Heat olive oil in a skillet and cook pork for 4-5 minutes per side. Set aside and cover with tinfoil.
Surf:
20 shrimp (I'm using already-cooked shrimp)
juice from 2 limes
juice from 1 orange
splash of hot sauce
2 tbsp. rum (I didn't have much hot sauce, so just put in a splash of it and put 2 tbsp. rum instead. You can substitute hot sauce for rum, right? Sure, why not?)
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro

Toss shrimp into the skillet with some olive oil. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Simmer until you think all the alcohol has probably evaporated.

*I cut up some fresh pineapple the other day and hid it in the back of the fridge so that my husband wouldn't take it for lunch today. However, I apparently underestimated his pineapple-locating skills, because when I went to gather the ingredients for this meal, the pineapple was nowhere to be found. This means that I will either pack up the kids and make a quick trip to the store later this afternoon (not likely, after yesterday's less-than-perfect behaviour at Safeway), or I will try to get in touch with my husband and ask him to pick up a pineapple after work, or I will just make do without it.

Update: My husband didn't eat the pineapple, so he's bringing it home in time for me to toss it in with the rice. Phew. Crisis averted.

Hummus-rubbed Porkchops with Caribbean Mashed Potatoes

Is it normal for someone to get crazy excited when they find a new recipe? Cuz I just did.

I was searching through some other food blogs, and found this recipe for Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Mint & Cilantro. I was going to make Jerk Porkchops with Sweet Potato Fries. But I forgot that I don't have any more jerk seasoning (except this crazy painful awful hot jerk marinade that my husband bought and I refuse to touch!) So I'm adapting a chicken recipe that my sister invented, and trying it out on porkchops tonight. I think this new sweet potato recipe will go perfectly with it!

For the porkchops, I mixed together 2 tbsp. lemon juice, 2 tbsp. olive oil, and 3 tbsp. Epicure Hummus Dip Mix. If you don't have the Epicure product, you should. I mean, you could try rubbing store-bought hummus onto the meat. Not sure how that would turn out, but it couldn't be all bad. Grill the porkchops until they're cooked, and serve with some diced tomatoes on top.

For the sweet potatoes, I chopped up 1 sweet potato and 2 small white potatoes, coated them in olive oil, roasted them at 425 F for 40 minutes, and then puréed them. I sautéed 1 clove of garlic and 1/2 a small onion, and then tossed it into the potatoes along with 1 tbsp. cilantro and about 20 mint leaves chopped up. I thought this was so good! The kids loved their porkchops (I gave them broccoli instead of the mashed sweet potatoes, because I didn't feel like arguing.) I loved the entire meal, and I'm sure my husband will too (if he knows what's good for him!)

Smoked gouda cheese made me rich!

We had friends over awhile ago and I made my absolute favourite meal: Cuban Rum Pork (in the summer, I make shishkabobs; in the winter, I make tenderloin), and my $5000 Salad (story and recipe to follow.) (The purple blob in the top corner was some sort of cilantro-lime wild rice. I'm no longer cooking wild rice, because my kids hate it, and no matter how much I rinse it, it always turns out purple.)
Here are the recipes for the rest of the meal. Enjoy!

CUBAN RUM PORK
1 pork tenderloin (cut into pieces if making shishkabobs)
Marinade:
2 tbsp. Cuban Seasoning (my absolute favourite Epicure product!)
2 tbsp. Hot Buttered Rum (or brown sugar + rum optional)
2 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. olive oil
Veggies & Fruit:
pineapple, mango, mushrooms, onions, bell peppers

Let pork marinate while you cut up the fruits and vegetables. If making a whole tenderloin, put mango and veggies in a baking dish, then lay down the pork with pineapple rings on top. Bake at
375 for an hour. If making shishkabobs, put everything on skewers and drizzle with extra marinade. Grill on the barbeque.

Now, for my $5000 Salad! I entered a contest on the Yahoo! Lifestyle website last summer, and the prizes ranged from a collection of 10 cookbooks, to $5000. Guess who the didn't win 10 cookbooks!!!

SMOKEY CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD
1 tbsp. Caesar Salad Dressing mix
1 tbsp. low-fat mayonnaise
1/8 c. milk
1/8 c. olive oil
1/4 tsp. Chipotle Chili powder
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 head Romaine lettuce, ripped into pieces
1 tomato, chopped
2 carrots, grated
1/2 cucumber, sliced (in this picture, I have mushrooms instead)
1/2 c. Smoked Gouda cheese, diced
1/2 c. croutons
2 chicken breasts
2 tbsp. barbeque sauce (smokey flavour)

Prepare dressing with the first 6 ingredients. Toss veggies with dressing, cheese, and croutons. Brush chicken breasts with barbeque sauce. (Add a pinch of Chipotle powder to the sauce if you want it hotter.) Grill chicken, cut into slices, and place on top of the salad. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the salad and serve.

(There's no chicken in this picture, since I was serving it as a side dish. Next time I think I'll add some bacon and avocado as well.)