Swinger Martini

I do not know to whom or what the Swinger martini is name after or for, however it is a crisp clean citrus martini that will have you swaying. 

Swinger Martini

----------------------------------

makes 2 martinis

6 oz Vodka

3 oz Gin

2 oz Lime Cordial

Rim chilled martini glasses with dry Vermouth. Pour ingredients into a shaker with cracked ice and shake well. Strain into chilled martini glasses. Garnish with a twist of lemon, if you wish.

Have a good weekend everyone! - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Cheesy Pasta Bake

When you don't have the noodles to make a lasagne however have an abundance of other pasta noodles, creating this lasagne inspired pasta bake is easy. Make your favourite tomato sauce with vegetables and or meat. Soy veggie ground may be used as well. Cook pasta according to directions. Mix cooked pasta and sauce together. Grate mozzarella cheese or your favourite combination of cheese. Place half the pasta mixture evenly into a large baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Spoon the rest of the pasta mixture on top and sprinkle with more cheese. Bake in a preheated 350ºF oven until cheese is melted and bubbly, approximately 10 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Allow to settle and cool slightly before serving. 


Hope everyone is having a great week. With school finishing up, things have been quite hectic; so my time is being stretched. - JD      

Liar's Martini

This smooth but mellow cocktail will set you straight with it's down to earth subtle orange flavour. 

Liar's Martini

--------------------------------------

makes 2 cocktails

6 oz Gin

2 oz Dry Vermouth

1 oz Triple Sec

1 oz Sweet Vermouth

Pour ingredients into shaker with cracked ice and shake well. strain into chilled martini glasses. Garnish with a twist of lemon, if you wish.

Have a great weekend everyone! - JD

Pineapple Chocolate Chip Bread

This is a delicious alternative to banana bread. Not too sweet however tangy and the dark chocolate chips add just the right amount of richness, one would want in such a decadent bread. It's super moist texture makes for an irresistible crumbly loaf that will be devoured quickly.      

Pineapple Chocolate Chip Bread

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 cup crushed pineapple, well drained  

3/4 cup caster sugar or coconut sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon maple extract

2 eggs

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease and flour and 9x5 inch baking loaf pan, and line with baking parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the drained crushed pineapple, sugar, vegetable oil and eggs.

In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and mini chocolate chips. Stir into the pineapple mixture, until just combined. 

Pour into the prepared baking loaf tin. Smooth the top with a butter knife and sprinkle some of the remaining crushed pineapple on top. 

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes; remove from the baking tin. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Notes: When draining the tin of crushed pineapple you may choose to either discard the pineapple juice extracted or save it for another recipe. It is best to let the the bread cool completely and rest a bit before slicing due to the texture. It's texture is reminiscent of a carrot cake.   

Nuts

As you know, nuts are packed with nutrition. They have protein, fibre, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats; that ma help to sustain your hunger. Therefore giving nuts a "superfood" status. Nuts can be ground into flours, puréed into butters, tossed with salads, added to cookie dough, baked in cakes, muffins, and loaves... sprinkled over ice cream, yoghurt and oatmeal.  

This cookbook shares the many ways we can incorporate nuts into our day as well as our cooking and baking. It covers Spreads and Snacks, Breakfast and Brunch, Lunch and Dinner and Baking and Desserts. There are plenty of recipes to inspire and tips to ponder. I am really becoming fond of these cookbooks that accommodate one ingredient.  

With summer upon us, I thought sharing the recipe for the Chickpea Walnut Patties would be a tasty alternative to meat patties. 

Chickpea Walnut Patties

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Serves: 4  Prep Time: 15 mins, plus chilling  Cook Time: 10 mins

2 cloves of garlic

1 shallot

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

15 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup roasted, unsalted walnuts, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons sunflower oil, for frying

1. Put the garlic and shallot into a food processor and pulse to chop. Add the chickpeas, parsley, coriander, cumin, salt, cayenne pepper, olive oil, and flour and pulse to a chunky puree. Add the baking powder and pulse once to incorporate. Add the walnuts and pulse once to incorporate. 

2. Shape the chickpea mixture into four equal patties, about 4 inches in diameter. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

3. Heat the sunflower oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the patties and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Serve hot. 

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend. We sure did! - JD 

Pompano Martini

Another bittersweet citrus cocktail all thanks to, grapefruit juice. 


Pompano Martini
------------------------------------
makes 2 martinis

5 oz gin
1 oz Dry Vermouth
2 oz Grapefruit juice
1 dash of Bitters

Pour all ingredients into a shaker with cracked ice and shake well. Strain into chilled martini glasses. Garnish with an orange twist. 


Have a lovely weekend everyone! - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Quinoa with Fried Egg

With leftover spiced quinoa, a simple fried egg precariously off to the side, a drizzle of hot sauce and with finely chopped parsley is the perfect lunch to fuel a busy day. 


Hope everyone had a great weekend. It was a rainy one in E-town. The overcast skies have hung around with high wind, gusting to nearly 70km/h!  - JD 

Lucien Gaudin Cocktail

This sweet, earthy cocktail is named after the fencer who competed in the 1920, 1924 and 1928 Olympics; receiving two gold medals, one in 1924 and the other in 1928. 

Lucien Gaudin Cocktail

------------------------------------------

makes 1 cocktail

1 oz gin

1/2 oz Cointreau

1/2 oz Campari 

1/2 oz Vermouth

Stir in a mixing glass with ice, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

Notes: to make this a longer cocktail simply make as above in a tall glass and top with tonic. 

Have a great weekend everyone!  - JD 

Leftovers #42 ~ Tea Infused Apple Compote

Seems like we always have apples laying about and there are plenty of options of what to do and make with those apples. This time, I made a tea infused apple compote that was easy and delicious. Perfect over French toast, pictured here; however it may be used with a variety of dishes. 

Peel and core the apples. Slice the apples into thick chunks. Place them into a large saucepan. Add a bit of water. Place two Earl Grey teabags, or any flavoured teabags you may want to use, inside the saucepan with the apples and water. Add a tablespoon of brown sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon to the saucepan as well. Place the saucepan on the stove and boil over medium heat until the apples become some what soft, not mushy, and the water has thickened from the reduced apples. Remove from heat, remove and discard the teabags, place into a serving dish and allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight. You could serve the apple compote when it has slightly cooled however allowing the compote to settle and stew overnight enhances the flavour. Just gently reheat it when ready to use.  

12 Mile Limit

This punchy creamy fruity cocktail is slow sipable one. strong, I feel one too many of these will creep up on you therefore limit this cocktail to one.   

Twelve Mile Limit

------------------------------------

makes 1 cocktail

1 oz white rum

1/2 oz rye whiskey

1/2 oz brandy

1/2 oz grenadine

1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon. 

Have a great weekend everyone! - JD