Food Photo of the Day ~ Spinach and Feta Quiche

Curating scrumptious meals is a breeze with frozen spinach. Whether its pasta sauce, an addition to a savoury pie or stew, pizza or quiche one has to admit it's a convenient ingredient to have on hand. During the colder months when just about any leafy green may look questionable, frozen spinach is the way to go. This spinach and feta quiche is the perfect Spring time feast on it's own or with a salad. 

Have a lovely weekend and stay safe everyone! - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Asparagus Quiche

Leftover steamed asparagus plus eggs equal... one satisfying dinner. Add chopped red peppers and plenty of feta cheese, all with a dash of hot sauce. This is an easy weekday meal that has flavour and comfort waiting to be shared.   

Have a great weekend everyone! - JD 

Alice Eats Wonderland ~ A Cookbook Adventure

I received this cookbook as a gift to add to my inspired Alice in Wonderland cookbook collection. I believe it is meant to be tongue in cheek; although it is apparent that a fair bit of research and detail went into this cookbook.

Based on the Alice in Wonderland book by Lewis Carroll; each of the 12 chapters have excerpts from the original book... however there is a twist. Alice is lead by hunger... an appetite that is constant and because of this she pursues the animal and vegetable characters that appear in the story in a more culinary way. Alice learns to prepare, cook, and consume those. Transforming and turning them into edible dishes during her adventure. Conjured culinary fantasy? Why yes!  

Each chapter provides a natural and social history of the animals, food ingredients, and culture involved with the Alice in Wonderland story. Very researched! There are a few interesting and relevant recipes amongst the surprising stomach turning ones. There is a 3 paragraph disclaimer cautioning that "some recipes are not intended to be prepared and or consumed by human or other vertebrates." I think for the most part the recipes in this cookbook are intended to be entertaining and slightly educational.

I will spare sharing the unappetizing recipes... like stuffed dormouse, roasted beetle, and iguana tamales and share the more scrumptious scrambled rose omelette. After all Valentine's Day is coming.


Scrambled Rose Omelet
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3 eggs
1/8 cup of chives, chopped
dash of salt
3 tablespoons water
1/8 cup feta cheese
spring of spearmint (for garnish)
1/4 teaspoon rosewater
4 rose petals*

Rinse rose petals, dry them, and cut them into silvers with scissors; set aside

Separate yolks and whites of eggs into separate bowls.

Add water, rosewater, and salt to egg whites and whisk until blended. Fold in the egg yolks and chives and whisk again until blended. Pour into hot, buttered, small omelet pan, and watch for the edges to firm. Using a spatula, fold firm edges into centre and tip the skillet so the the liquid centre runs out to form a new edge; continue until no longer runny, but still wet inside.

Sprinkle cheese and half of the slivered rose petals on top and place in broiler until cheese is lightly melted. Remove pan from broiler and foil omelet in half; transfer to dish and garnish with remaining rose petals and the spearmint. 

*Notes: May I suggest, and I would rather prefer, to use edible rose petals. If you do not have an oven proof/broiler proof omelette pan then I suggest covering the pan with a suitable fitting lid to melt the cheese or transfer the omelette to an oven/broiler proof baking dish. 


Have a great weekend everyone! -JD 

Baked & Delicious

And just like the other cookbook from the Dollar store this one offers some good recipes. Giving you a step by step visual guide which can be appreciated and most helpful. Even more helpful when kidlets are cooking or baking in the kitchen. In fact, when I purchased these cookbooks I had my kids in mind. 

Just like it's counterpart, Fast & Simple, the introduction has hints and tips for easy baking and time-saving shortcuts. Again, most of the ingredients one would already have on hand so choosing a recipe will be any easy one. This cookbook offers some classic sweet and savoury recipes. Here is a savoury recipe from the book to try... 

Feta & Olive Biscuits
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butter, for greasing
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped, pitted black olives
1/3 cup drained and chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup milk, plus extra for glazing


1. Pre heat the oven to 425ºF. Grease a baking sheet. (If not using a non stick coated one or line the baking sheet with parchment paper.)

2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add the butter and rub together until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.

3. Stir in the olives, tomatoes, and feta. Add the milk, a little at a time, and mix to form a soft dough.

4. Roll out on a floured surface to a 1 1/4 inch - thick rectangle. Cut into 2 1/2 - inch squares. Place on the prepared baking sheet, brush with milk, and bake for 12minutes, until golden brown. Serve the biscuits while still warm.

Notes: It is easy to change some of the ingredients to your liking. Like try a different cheese, add green onions, or add some spices.  

Have a great weekend everyone! - JD 

Quiche

I did make the quiche from Tony Singh's cookbook, Tasty. The pastry turned out fine considering I am used to making a more simpler recipe. Not that his recipe was overly complicated. I suppose I look at pastry as being a bit fussy. Perhaps my attitude towards the flaky crust should change. He gave 4 quiche fillings, Stilton and Celery with chilli jam, Smoked salmon and crowdie cheese, The classic - Lorraine and Smoky Chorizo. I opted to make a broccoli, cheese... 3 cheese to be exact, aged cheddar, mozzarella, feta, and red onion. The quiche turned out beautifully and was enjoyed by all. 

It is a very fall day today, rain. Have a good weekend everyone. - JW