Cakes and cupcakes galore!

Cakes galore!

I lovingly crafted these cupcakes and this cake for my nephew’s 6 birthday. It’s easy to guess the theme of the party; my sister-in-law threw a little boy’s dream party complete with Padawan costumes, a Darth Vader visit, Jedi training and many treats! I was thrilled when she asked me to make the cake.

I used these brilliant William Sonoma cookie cutters to cut the shapes out of fondant.

I free-handed the letters using a template I printed out on the computer using a Star Wars font I found and handcrafted the light sabres out of fondant.

I added some gum paste to the Yoda heads so they would withstand the heat of an outdoor party and not wilt and sag.  I also tried making some Swiss meringue buttercream for the cupcakes. It tasted amazing!

I’m really thrilled with how they all turned out!

 

 

 

thai green basil curry with chicken, asparagus and spinach

I haven’t blogged in a very, very long time. As much as I tried to stay on top of the blog, life got in the way.

In fact, life got in the way of life.

Late nights at work, crazy weeks of almost nightly extracurriculars, sickness and travel basically meant that I barely had time to cook decent meals, let alone have anything to blog about! I resorted to many picnic style meals and raiding my freezer stash of meals. Hey… I guess that’s what it was there for!

Things have finally started to settle down and I’ve managed to pull together some half-decent meals I’ve not yet shared here.

Last night, with the help of my three-year old, I whipped together this delicious Thai green basil curry with chicken, asparagus and spinach. I’m thrilled that asparagus is in season – it’s fresh, delicious, crispy and more importantly, cheap! I was able to snag 2 bunches for $3 this weekend! I suspect it will be a staple in our meals for a while… Or at least until the price starts going up again!

Thai green basil curry with chicken, asparagus and spinach
1 tsp canola oil
1 onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
10-12 medium asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tbsp Thai green curry paste
1 can coconut milk
2 tsp brown sugar
1 lime, juiced
2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
6 oz baby spinach leaves (about 4 cups)
6-8 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped – I used regular basil but Thai basil would be divine!

In sauce pan, frying pan or Dutch oven, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and the onion. Sauté until the chicken begins to brown. Add the asparagus and cook for another minute or so.

Add the curry paste and stir. Allow to cook for another 30 seconds or so. Add the coconut milk and stir until the curry paste has completely dissolved. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.

While the curry is simmering, combine the brown sugar, lime juice and soy sauce. Add to the pot and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the spinach and basil. Stir and cook until the spinach is just wilted.

Remove from heat and serve over rice.

pork fried rice

This is a great recipe that uses up pretty much everything you have left in your fridge. I had some leftover pork tenderloin and rice in the fridge and figured to make a quick, one pot meal. I love fried rice because it’s so easy to make and really is an “everything and the kitchen sink” type of recipe.

I highly suggest prepping all your ingredients and laying them out before you start. Once you do, the whole cooking process is fast.

Pork Fried Rice
4 cups cold cooked rice
1 small pork tenderloin, diced into 1/2 inch pieces (mine was already cooked but you can use fresh)
3 eggs, scrambled
3 to 4 green onions, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
3 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sriracha
1 tbsp sugar
Oil, if needed

Heat a wok over medium-high heat. Add Pork and stir fry for a few minutes until no longer pink. Remove from wok.

Add a little more oil and throw in the scrambled eggs. Stir until cooked through. Remove the eggs from the wok and place on top of the pork.

If the wok is dry, add a bit more oil. Throw in your onions, garlic, ginger, carrots. Stir fry for 1 minute and add the cabbage. Stir fry for another minute.

Dump the rice on top of the veggies and stir. Add the pork and egg mixture. Stir some more.

Mix the soy sauce and sugar together with the sriracha. Dump over everything in the wok and stir. Mix in the peas and cook until they are heated through.

Remove from heat and serve with some more green onions.

slow cooker balsamic glazed pork tenderloin

I got around to trying out some of the recipes I had pinned on Pinterest and decided to make this balsamic glazed pork tenderloin. I loved it and so did everyone else in the family. The meat was tender, and the extra glaze drizzled on top made sure it wasn’t try at all. I served it with some steamed basmati rice and roasted Brussels sprouts. This turned out to be another budget meal: I had two fresh pork tenderloins for $5.62 and a whole bunch of Brussels sprouts for $1

I did modify the recipe slightly: I cooked the tenderloin from partially frozen. I’ve been doing this with meat in the slow cooker when I won’t be home to turn off the crock pot. By cooking from frozen, I’ve found my meat doesn’t dry out as much. I also used two small tenderloins and so doubled the glaze recipe to make sure I had enough.

Slow Cooker Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

2 (2 pound) boneless pork tenderloin
2 tsp ground sage
1 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup water

Glaze
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup water
4 tablespoons soy sauce

Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub over roast. Place the tenderloin in the slow cooker and add water. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

About an hour before roast is done, combine all the ingredients for the glaze in small sauce pan. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking.

Before serving, cut (or shred) your pork and drizzle remaining glaze over the meat. Top with some toasted sesame seeds.

chicken yakisoba

I was introduced to the Budget Bytes blog on an online forum I frequent, and have fallen in love with this site. The recipes are super budget friendly and all very tasty. I haven’t been disappointed by any of the ones I’ve tried so far. I had bookmarked their chicken yakisoba recipe several weeks ago and, since chicken breasts were on sale this week ($2,88/lb !!!) and decided to give it a try.  I was lucky that most of all the required produce ingredients were on sale too.  I ended up making 1.5 times the recipe to have extras for lunches and the whole meal set me back at most $6,00 for almost 8 servings!

I will certainly be adding this to our meal rotation.

Chicken Yakisoba
1/2 head green cabbage, thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
2 medium carrots, grated
1 small crown broccoli, cut into small florets
1 medium-sized bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
3 small chicken breast, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 tbsp peanut oil
3 packages ramen noodles (seasoning packets discarded)
1 tsp sesame oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp ketchup
1 tsp sriracha
2 Tbsp sugar

Prepare all your vegetables and meat before hand. Grate your ginger and your carrots, slice your onion and bell peppers, cut up your broccoli and your chicken. While you do all this, boil your water for your noodles.

Cook the noodles as per the instructions, drain and toss in the sesame oil. Set aside.

Heat the peanut oil over medium heat, add the ginger and cook for a minute, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and cook through. Add the vegetables and cook for 5-7 minutes.

While the vegetables and meat cook, combine the remaining ingredients: soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, sriracha and sugar. Pour the sauce into the skillet with the meat and vegetables and stir. Add the noodles and toss to coat.

Serve and enjoy!

The boys really liked their dinner. I told them they were “Crazy Noodles” and they went to town!

caramelized onion, pesto and buffalo mozarella grilled cheese

Who doesn’t love grilled cheese sandwiches? If you don’t understand the beauty of the grilled cheese sandwich, stop reading… This post most definitely isn’t for you.

This recipe is the result of finding some sweet onions and some fresh pesto in my fridge and not really wanting to make a complicated dinner.  I didn’t even make it with fancy bread – I used the loaf of honey oat bread I always have on hand – and still it turned out amazing. I can’t wait to try it with some fresh panini or french bread. Mmmmm.

Caramelized Onion, Pesto and Buffalo Mozarella Grilled Cheese
1 large sweet onions, sliced
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil

Bread
Butter, softened
Basil pesto
Buffalo mozarella, sliced thinly
Salt & pepper

In a frying pan over medium heat, heat the oil and butter. Saute the onions until soft and caramelized. This should take around 25 minutes.

To make your sandwich, generously spread butter on one side of two slices of bread. Spread some of the basil pesto on both insides of the bread.
Generously pile caramelized onions on one slice of bread. Top with cheese and place the other slice of bread on top, butter side facing out.

Heat a pan on medium-low heat. Grill the sandwich until the cheese has melted and the bread is lovely and golden.

spaghetti with lemon, basil and salmon

I decided to try salmon tonight that wasn’t marinated in a sweet marinade (honey, maple, etc) which is what I usually gravitate towards when making salmon.

I really enjoyed this recipe but sadly, no one else really did. They ate it but no one was as enthused as I was. I think it was the lemon and the pasta. I probably won’t be making this for the family again, but will certainly make it for myself. I rather enjoyed the flavours and particularly how easy it all was to make. Dinner was served within 15 minutes of the pasta water boiling.

Spaghetti with Lemon, Basil and Salmon
1/2 lb spaghetti
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
1 tbsp olive oil
4 pieces salmon filets (my filets were about 3-4 oz each)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 lemon, zested
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

Boil water and cook spaghetti as per the instructions. Once it is cooked drain the pasta and transfer back to the pot. Add the garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper. Toss to coat. Set aside.

Warm the remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and cook until cooked to desired doneness. Remove from pan.

Now add the basil, zest, lemon juice and parmesan to the pasta and toss to combine. Set out 4 serving plates or shallow bowls. Place 1/2 cup spinach in each bowl. Top with 1/4 of the pasta. Top each mound of pasta with a piece of salmon. Serve immediately.