How to make Croutons

Do you ever wonder how much you get ripped off in this life by the amount of stuff you buy that you can easily do?  This recipe will make you feel like that, cause it is so easy and so good.

INGREDIENTS: 

-1 load of bread.

-6 or 7 spoonfuls of olive oil.

-some sprinkles of garlic powder.

-some sprinkles of italian herbs.

-salt.

STEPS

1. Dice up the loaf of bread in small dices. Preheat the oven to 200.

2. Now place them in a tray where it is easy to toss them around and sprinkle them firstly with the olive oil and then with the spices. 

3. Toast them in oven in 200 degrees (top and bottom) for about 15 minutes. After 10 minutes toss them around so that they are toasted from different angles.

4. Now let them cool off in an open tray over night so that any humidity is gone and they harden even more.

5. Put them in a bag and keep in cool place.

Honestly after they were done I ate a quarter of them. They were so good. Also I tried two different spices, half of the loaf I I did it with garlic and italian hebrs and the other I did them with onion powder and rosemary. The garlic/italian herbs were my favourite.

          

Artichoke&Spinach Cheese Dip

Of all the dishes of Christmas, my nephews loved this one. I'd say we did too.  Simply delicious.

INGREDIENTS:

-200 grams of cream cheese.

-200 grams of grated cheddar cheese.

-200 grams of mozzarella grated.

-100 grams of artichokes.

-a bunch of spinach.

-2 spoonful of mayonnaise.

-1 teaspoon of onion powder.

-some Italian herbs.

STEPS: 

1. Put the cream in bowl and mayonnaise until it is fluffy with a hand mixer. 

2. Then fold in the chopped spinach and artichokes as well as cheeses. 

3. Add the onion powder and italian herbs. Mix it all well in bowl.

4. Transfer to a baking dish in melt in 200 degrees for 30 minutes. 

5. When it is bubbling and looking slightly toasted transfer to a serving dish.

 

What a dish. D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S. Serve with crackers. 

               

Red Cabbage Christmas Salad

Found this super Christmasy salad in Smitten Kitchen. So easy and so pretty. Really any time there is feta cheese involved there is a snow party.

INGREDIENTS:

-Half a red cabbage or one quarter  

 but basically 300 grams.

-100 grams of feta cheese.

-20 seedless dates.

-a bunch of cilantro.

-2 tablespoons of sesame seeds.

Vinaigrette:

-2o ml of olive oil.

-2 spoonfuls of balsamic vinegar.

-3 spoonfuls of fig jam.

-salt and pepper.

STEPS: 

1. I mean no steps. Slice up cabbage, add dates, sprinkle feta cheese, the chopped cilantro and the sesame seeds. 

2. Add all the ingredients to make the vinagrette and stir hard and let the guests serve their own dressing. 

 

Jalapeño Bacon Cheese Ball

 This was a fun and tasty dish for our Christmas dinner. Easy too.

INGREDIENTS:

-300 grams of cream cheese.

-2 stalks of green onion.

-10 jalapeños pepper diced (not fresh the canned ones)

-30 grams of grated cheddar cheese.

-100 grams of bacon.

-1 teaspoon of cumin.

-2 tablespoons of Worcester sauce.

-1 teaspoon of garlic powder.

-salt and pepper.

For the coating of the cheese:

-50  grams of pecan nuts.

-1 stalk of green onion.

-30 grams of bacon.

STEPS:

1. Put the cream cheese in a bowl and add the diced green onions with the diced jalapeños, the cheese, bacon, cumin, Worcester sauce, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Stir it all and make a ball with your hand.
2. Now crush some peacan nuts and make a mix of the nuts with the green onions and bacon in another ball and basically roll the ball in this coating. 

3. Place the ball in plastic film to give it form and then put in fridge for 30 minutes to give it form. 

4. That's it. Serve in a pretty plate with crackers. 

NY Buffalo Chicken WIngs

NY Buffalo chicken wings are amazing. I mean basically you wanna eat even the bones, that is how good they are.

I did this recipe this summer and forgot to jot it down here. My recipe is a mix of this recipe and this recipe because I baked them. So here it is.

INGREDIENTS:

-15 chicken wings cut in half.

-Salt and pepper.

-1 heaped spoonful of flour.

-1 heaped spoonful of baking powder.

-1 teaspoon of teaspoon of cayenne powder.

-1/2 teaspoon of sweet paprika.

-1/2 teaspoon of spicy paprika.

For the sauce:

-2oo ml of ketchup.

-75 grams of butter.

-1 teaspoon of sugar.

-1 teaspoon of garlic powder.

-1 teaspoon of cayenne powder.

-1 teaspoon of spicy paprika.

-1 spoonful of tabasco sauce.

-1 spoonful of cornstarch.

-some pepper.

STEPS:

1. Mix the chicken wings with salt and pepper and then with the rest of the ingredients above, flour, baking powder, cayenne powder and paprikas. Coat all of them well. The trick for them to be crispy is to use baking powder.
2. Stick them in oven for 30 minutes to 200 degrees (with fire from below) and then turn on the grill and grill for 30 minutes at 200 degrees. Once they are golden get them out.

3. In the meantime prepare the sauce. Melt the butter first and then add all the ingredients and stir for 10 minutes until it is all come together.

4. Now get the wings out of the oven and add them in the hot sauce and coat them well, stir well. 

5. Now place them in the oven tray in foil paper and put them in the grill of the oven for 200 degrees until they caramelize for about 20 minutes. 

And that's it. They are soooooooooo good. 

           

Easy Mediterranean Sea Bram in the Oven (Dorada)

We need to eat more fish. Like once a week-my husband announced to me.

Totally agree. Who else is fed up of chicken?? Raise your hand. I do not understand why we always the same things when there is so much food out there, especially in places like Spain, where food in soooooooooooooooo fresh, unlike UK and USA (yes, sorry, but it is all true). 

So I bought these Sea Bram, each fish for 3 euro each. Wow so good. I followed an easy spanish recipe that inspired me from this site.

INGREDIENTS:

-2 sea brams.

-12 small potatoes or 6 big ones.

-1 small onion.

-4 cloves of garlic.

-6 or 7 small cayenne peppers.

-1 lemon.

-olive oil.

-parsley for decoration.

-salt and pepper.

STEPS:

1. Make a bed of potatoes in the oven dishes. I used two dishes one for each fish. Put a little olive oil in each dish and spread.

2. Slice the potatoes in thin layers and place in the dish. Now dice up the onion in little cubes, with the garlic and sprinkle around, also add a few cayenne peppers to give it all a small kick. Distribute the ingredients between the 2 trays if you are using 2. Put in oven for about 30 minutes on their own in 180 degrees on both high and low fire.

3. In the meatime prepare the fish. Simply add the juice of one lemon in a bowl, with a little olive oil, garlic minced, pepper, salt and parsley and cayenne peppers and open the fish and pour inside the fish. Now with a basting brush add the rest on the skin of the fish so that it looks shiny with a few spices on top.

4. Stick to oven for about 30 minutes in 170 degrees both low and high fire, and the fish will start to become golden....and really that's it.

It was so good! So so good. The thing about is fish is that you do not have to do anything to make it taste good, on its own is amazing just like lamb. 

Why do people add all kind of extra-flavors to things like seafood, fish or lamb? They should taste like what they taste like, will NEVER get it. 

Photo of the Northern Irish sea, Portstewart.

Chestnuts Roasted on an Open Fire (or Oven)

                            

A real classic of winter "chestnuts roasted on a open fire"....

But why buy 8 chestnuts/castañas for 3.50 euro when you can make them at home for so much cheaper? 

STEPS:

1. Get your chestnuts/castañas, and have a small cut right at the core of them. See photo. This prevents them from exploding of internal pressure and they cook faster.

2. Place as many as you want  on baking paper on a metal tray and bake at 210 degrees with grill on top for 20 minutes. Place the tray near the bottom of the oven, not in the middle of the oven otherwise they will burn.

3. Now if you want, after those 20 minutes, for only 5 minutes you can crank up temperature to 250 so that they get a final toast (I like mine pretty toasted).

4. That's it. Enjoy. So good for winter nights, especially with Ann of Green Gables. 

  

Christmas Orangy Decorations

Fun times with cloves, lemons, oranges, and mandarins. Great centerpieces for Christmas.
Been doing a few of these. The key is to do as symmetrically as you can and to poke the holes before with a stick or toothpick. 

 

Have elastic bands and draw figures with a pen beforehand and then be very consistent with the cloves, make sure they all have the little head.

 You cannot go wrong! 

Basic non-greasy Turkey Soup after Thanksgiving

So last year, I tried to do turkey soup with the left overs of the turkey carcass....someone told me, just stick the skeleton of the turkey in water and you get this great soup. Turns out it was DISGUSTING. 

So this year, I tried again, a lot more carefully and guess what I succeeded, yes I did, but I have to be honest, that it took some work and basically this recipe involves some days, because getting a good soup means TIME, and bones dissolving....and that requires time. I was really proud though because I did not add any stock to the soup which is a huge achievement. 

INGREDIENTS:

-1 turkey carcass without any skin and without as 

much grease as possible
-6 sticks of celery (and its leaves).

-1 onion.

-3 cloves of garlic.

-1/2 lemon.

-2 carrots.

-1 teaspoon of pepper.

-1.5 teaspoon of salt.

-a good bunch of herbs like cilantro.

STEPS:

1. Leave the turkey carcass in the fridge for a night so that the grease cools off and you can actually cut it off with a knife. It is very important you do this step, otherwise you will have an insanely greasy soup. 

2. Once you cut off all the jelly grease stuck to the bottom of the turkey, take all the skin off, all of it!!! If you don't do this you are wasting your time. They say that if you do this step you are getting out 60per cent of the grease of a chicken.

3. Now put the whole turkey structure in a big pot and add the celery, onions, garlic, herbs, pepper, salt. Do not throw in the pot all kinds of things, like the stuffing, nope, nope. 

3. Okay now bring the whole pot to a boil and then after that, let it simmer for 2 or 3 hours. Now squeeze half a lemon into the soup or put in the soup. This is really important because the acid of the lemon cuts through the remains of the grease of the soup and gives it an entire different consistency...really transforms it, makes it a lot more light and airy.

4. Now after 4 hours simmering, turn soup off. Leave it outside until it cools off (I left mine out for a day), and then I sticked it in the fridge, with everything turkey, veggies, etc. You are doing this so that the liquid gets as much flavour as possible and so that the grease comes up to the surface and freezes.

5. Now after a day of the soup in the fridge all the greese will be up the top. Remove it with a spoon and toss it. Now time to drain the rest of the liquid with a big drainer. Pour everything, meat and veggies in the same pot and pick out the good meat. I find so much of it it's just trash.

6. Your soup is ready. Add some of that turkey meat and keep in refrigerator for the next times you want to serve. I add rice to it. 

7. Another trick to change the flavour of this broth, is to add some Chinese vinegar. It drastically changes the flavour but really goes so well together.

So these are my tricks, do you have any?  

I don't have a photo of the soup! yikes, of well, it looks just like a broth. I think next time I will do this recipe, looks awesome.

Hey, Christmas is coming!