Happy "Super" Birthday!

Just wanted to share a picture of a cake made over the weekend for my nephews 5th birthday!!!

Happy birthday Jonah! I love you!

Panko Crusted Rainbow Trout with Caper-Dijon Aioli

Jordan is not the biggest fish eater so whenever I have an evening to myself I take the opportunity to prepare some to enjoy on my own. Today I picked up a delicious looking filet of rainbow trout. The rest of the dish was easily made with ingredients I had on hand. It required minimal amounts of cooking which worked perfectly for a warm night like tonight. Just pair this fish with some steamed or grilled veggies or a side salad and you have a delicious, healthy and balanced meal.

Panko Crusted Rainbow Trout
Serves 1 (simply double, triple or quadruple the ingredients for more people)

• 1 6 oz filet of rainbow trout
• 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
• 1 tsp. butter, melted
• salt and pepper to taste

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Check the fish for any small bones and remove using fish tweezers or your fingers. Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet, skin side down.
3. In a small bowl combine the breadcrumbs, zest, parsley and butter. Season with salt and pepper and stir until combined.
4. Press the breadcrumb mixture onto the flesh of the fish. Bake in the oven until the fish is cooked through and the crust is brown and crisp, about 10-12 minutes.

Caper-Dijon Aioli

• 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 tsp. capers, drained and chopped
• 1 tsp chopped parsley
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp grainy dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. 
2. Serve with your favourite fish recipe.

Nutella Hot Chocolate

The other night, while curling up on the couch I was in the mood for hot chocolate, but I wanted to mix it up a bit. When I opened my pantry and saw a jar of Nutella (my ultimate addiction) I knew exactly what I had to do. In a small saucepan, I added a cup of milk (I used skim, so that makes it healthy right?). I brought the milk to a gentle simmer and then whisked in about 1 Tbsp. of Nutella until it was melted and combined with the milk. I poured the mixture into a mug and topped with some mini marshmallows (whipped cream would be perfect too). It was just so delicious I had to share. This is a DEFINITE must try! ENJOY!

Roasted Herb and Balsamic Chicken with Caramalized Shallot Gravy and Shaved, Roasted Brussel Sprouts

This meal is quick, delicious and perfect for weeknight cooking but is also fancy enough for weekend entertaining. I used chicken thighs but you can switch to white meat if you prefer, just adjust the cook time accordingly.

Shaved, Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Serves 4

• 1 lb. brussel sprouts
• olive oil
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Using a knife or the slicer blade of a food processor thinly slice the brussel sprouts lengthwise into thin shavings.
3. Place the brussel sprouts into a mixing bowl and toss with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
4. Place onto a baking sheet and roast, stirring occasionally until golden, about 20-25 minutes. Once in the oven, start preparing the chicken.

Roasted Herb and Balsamic Chicken
Serves 2-4

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 3 sprigs thyme, roughly chopped
• 1 small spring rosemary, roughly chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 2 tsp. dijon mustard
• 2 tsp. honey
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and heat a large saute pan over high heat.
2. Season the chicken breasts with some salt and pepper then place into the heated saute pan, skin side down. There is no need to add any extra oil, the fat from the chicken will  be enough. Let cook until brown and crispy.
3. While the chicken is browning, whisk together the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Once the chicken is brown and crispy, flip over, allow to cook for a minute longer then remove from the heat. Pour the balsamic mixture over the chicken then place in the oven.
4. Roast until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. A meat thermometer should read 165 degrees F. While the chicken is roasting prepare the gravy.

Caramelized Shallot Gravy

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 large shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 sprig of thyme, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp of the oil, the shallots, garlic and thyme. Cook the shallots, stirring occasionally until almost burnt, about 5 minutes then stir in 1/4 cup of stock and the balsamic vinegar. Reduce the liquid, stirring occasionally until the shallots are caramelized, they should have a syrupy consistency.
2. Stir in the remaining oil and the flour to form a roux. Cook out for 1 minute then slowly stir in the stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat and allow to simmer for 1 minute then stir in the heavy cream. 
3. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Jamie Oliver's Meals in Minutes: Pregnant Jooles's Pasta, Crunchy Red Endive and Watercress Salad

Last night was the second of my Jamie Oliver's Meals in Minutes cookbook test.

On the menu:

• Pregnant Jools's Pasta (essentially pasta with meat sauce)
• Crunchy Red Endive and Watercress Salad (I used baby arugula which the book gave as an option)

I pretty much followed the recipe exactly except for a few simple swap outs. I changed the type of pasta from penne to farfalle (bowties) and instead of using sausages in the sauce I used ground veal. The recipe in the book included a dessert (little frangipan tarts) but since we try to eat somewhat healthy during the week I decided to skip it. The tarts looked and sounded delicious so I will probably test the recipe out on the weekend and bring them to a friend's house.

Here are my thoughts:

Ingredients: Just like last time all the ingredients were easy to find in my local supermarket. Besides being incredibly easy to find the ingredients were also very reasonable. My whole bill for this meal cost just over $20.

Method: This time around, the method was a little tougher than last time. This was partly my fault since I skipped the dessert. Because of this, I had to skip the steps based around the tarts and often found myself losing my spot on the page. Other than that, this recipe was easy to follow. My only other complaint was that the recipe called for the meat to be cooked on a high heat, I found for the time given to cook the meat I had to turn the temperature down a bit about halfway through the cooking time as my sauce was starting to burn but like any recipe you have to pay attention and adjust accordingly.

Cook Time: This meal was even quicker than the last one. I had dinner on the table in just under 30 minutes! In fact, when I called Jordan to the table his response was "What??? Already???"! Granted, I skipped the whole dessert section of the recipe but if you included it it would probably only add about 10-15 minutes to the cook time.

The Food: Once again, DELICIOUS! The meat sauce tasted like it had  been cooked all day and was the perfect comfort food for a cold winter's night. The salad was fresh and crunchy and was the perfect accompaniment for the pasta. Another satisfying meal from Mr. Jamie Oliver!

Tonight I am cooking my own recipe so make sure to check back tomorrow for a post on:

• Roasted Herb Chicken
• Caramelized Shallot Gravy and
• Shaved, Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Jamie Oliver's Meals in Minutes: Green Curry, Crispy Chicken, Kimchee Slaw and Rice Noodles

As discussed in my post the other day, for the next few weeks I am going to be putting Jamie Oliver's Meals in Minutes cookbook to the test.

The book is divided up into different complete meals (3-5 dishes each) so last night I decided to cook:

• Green Curry
• Crispy Chicken
• Kimchee Slaw
• Rice Noodles

You can find the recipe on Jamie's website here.

Here is what I thought of the recipe:

Ingredients: All the ingredients were easy to find in my local supermarket. There was nothing strange or unusual, in fact I had most of the ingredients in my fridge and pantry.

Method: The recipe is written as one long process instead of individual recipes for each dish. This is a super handy feature as it allows you to do many things at once and ensures that all the dishes will be ready at the same time. My only complaint was that because the recipe was written this way, I didn't have much time to clean as I went (one of the number one rules taught in culinary school) so I (and by "I" I really mean Jordan) was left with a sink full of pots, pans, utensils and appliances.

Cook Time: This book definitley delivered on it's title. I got home from work at around 6:30 and Jordan and I were sitting and eating ALL the dishes at just past 7pm. Granted, I have a lot of experience in the kitchen, but  the everyday home chef can definitley complete this recipe in 30-45 minutes.

The Food: First of all, the chicken was AMAZING! It was perfectly crispy on the outside but still juicy on the inside. The honey and green curry paste added a delicious sweet, slightly spicy and sticky glaze that had Jordan and I licking our fingers and plates. The green beans and slaw were delicious as well. We probably could have done without the rice noodles as the three other dishes were enough to fill us, but they came in handy to soak up leftover green curry sauce from the beans.

Overall, I was very satisfied with my first meal from this book and am looking forward to the next. Thanks Jamie!

Jamie Oliver's Meals in Minutes

Without a doubt, my favourite celebrity chef is Jamie Oliver. Besides being adorable and his charming accent the reason I love him the most is that his approach to food is very similar to mine. He keeps things simple and lets the food speak for itself. A few weeks ago I caught some back to back episodes of his show Meals in Minutes and instantly fell in love with his approach of cooking delicious meals quickly and efficiently. This weekend I decided to purchase his accompanying book; Meals in Minutes for some weeknight cooking inspiration.

Over the next few weeks, mixed in with my regular blog posts I will also be posting reviews of Meals in Minutes after cooking exact meals and recipes from the book.

Stay tuned as tomorrow I will be completing my first meal from the book:

• Green Curry
• Crispy Chicken
• Kimchee Slaw
• Rice Noodles