5th Anniversary Blog Event

Time flies, Cuisine Paradise is going to be 5 years old this coming 30 April 2010. Last year, thank you for all the blog event participants for their support and hope they enjoy their gifts. This year, we will shall have something different and challenging. This event is open to all readers of my blogs irregardless of where you are from as long as you wish to take part in this event :)

This year we will be having Mother's Day Vs Father's Day quick and easy recipe competition.

All you need to do are:-
1. Submit a quick and simple recipe of your own creativity base on either one of the above category. It can be either on snack, cookies/cakes, dishes or dessert. (preferable with a photo of your dish attached)
2. Email me Your Entry Details as shown below together with your Recipe to ellenaguan@hotmail.com : (please put eg: Mother's Day, Father's Day on your email subject, in order for me to do the sorting as well compare your details in case i didn't received your email. Thanks)

Example:
RE: Mother's Day Breakfast Idea:
Your Name: Linda Lim
Country You are From: Singapore
Blog URL (if you maintain one):www.linda.blogspot.com
Email add for contact if you are the winner:

AND
3. Leave me your Name and Event Category that you wish to participate on the Post Comment Link(the comments will only appear after I approved it)


Winner:
There will be one winner for each category and each winner will walk away with a S$20.00 cash voucher that can be used in Local Supermarket such as "Cold Storage, Market Place, Giant or Shop N Save" to reward them for their effort, creativity, presentation and simplicity of the dish.

For overseas winner, you will get a mystery gift of equivalent value :)


Please Note:
Only ONE ENTRY per visitor is allow for each category, There will be a limit of 20 entries per Category and I will update each category so that you will know which category is closed for the event. Thanks for your support and enjoy the fun............



This Blog Event end on 18 April 2010 (2359hr Singapore Time). I would like to thank all of you for the regular visits, comments, feedback and sharing in all my related blogs to Cuisine Paradise all these years.

Chocolate Hot Cross Buns

Often Easter isn't complete without eating some warm hot cross buns straight from the oven. So for this coming Easter, perhaps you would like to give this recipe a try and bake a batch of your own. I saw this recipe from one of the Australia best selling Food Magazine known as "Super Food Idea". I am a big fan of this magazine during my stay in Australia a few years back and today all thanks to my dear friend, Quinn who stays in Adelaide. With her help on getting this magazine for us, we are able to try out this wonderful Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Bun. She is so sweet and helpful that she even take photo of the recipes and email to me in case we don't received the book before Easter.

This recipe is great for those who prefer a lighter version of hot cross bun which is without adding any "ground cinnamon, mixed spices or sultanas" in it. I am sure the kids will love this Chocolate Chip version which is more to their preference compare to the traditional ingredients used. From the above picture, you can roughly have an idea on how to prepare the "yeast mixture", mixture the flour with the yeast mixture, proofing the dough and as well as rolling.

Source : Australian Super Food Idea Magazine
Ingredients: (make 12, 55g dough)
1 Teaspoon Active Dried Yeast
190ml Luke Warm Milk
30g Caster Sugar
300g Plain Flour
1/4 Cup Cocoa Powder, about 30g
30g Butter, cubes
1/2 Egg, lightly beaten
40g Chocolate Chips

Method:
1. Grease a 8" square cake pan, set aside.
2. Place yeast, milk and 1/2 tablespoon sugar(from the 30g above) in a bowl. Whisk to dissolve yeast, cover and set aside in a warm place for 10 minutes or until foamy.
3. Sift flour and cocoa powder in a bowl. Rub in butter till mixture resemble breadcrumbs.
4. Make a well in the center, add yeast mixture, egg and remaining sugar.
5. Stir the mixture till combine.
6. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead for 1 minutes then transfer to a oiled bowl, covered with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. (I placed the dough inside the microwave, door closed, with a cup of boiling water so that the heat from the boiling water will keep the area warm)
7. When the dough is ready(refer to the 1st picture on the 3rd row shown on the above picture, when you press the dough with a finger it will show a clear indent mark means the dough is ready), punch down dough, knead for another 5 minutes or until smooth.
8. Add chocolate bits, knead till combined, divide the dough into 12 balls or 55g each.
9. Placed them in the prepared oiled pan, cover and set aside in a warm place for another 30 minutes or until slightly risen.

Note:
~ The milk should not be too hot or else it will killed the yeast when they are added to the milk.
~ The temperate for Luke Warm is about 36 - 40 Celsius.
~ The yeast mixture should begin to bubble up within 30 second to 1 minute if not, check the milk temperature or maybe replace the yeast.

Finally after about 1.5 hours of proofing, rolling and waiting time. You can prepare the flour mixture to pipe crosses over the dough and bake till done before brushing a layer of glacing. Although this recipe might seems to have a lot of procedure and waiting time(for the proofing of dough) but it really worth to give it a try for coming Easter or even bake it as weekend snack.

Flour Paste:
20g Plain Flour
1 Teaspoon Caster Sugar
1.5 Tablespoon Cold Water

For Glacing:
1/2 Teaspoon Gelatine
1/2 Tablespoon Boiling Water

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degree and make the flour paste.
2. Combine flour, sugar and water in a small cup, spoon mixture into a snap lock bag/plastic bag.
3. Snip 1 corner from bag, pipe crosses onto the buns, bake for 10 minutes.
4. Reduce the temperature to 160 degree and bake for another 15 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
5. Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatine over boiling water in a heatproof cup, stir with a fork/spoon till dissolve.
6. Brush top of the bake hot cross bun with gelatine mixture for the extra glacing.

So after about 2 hours of preparing, waiting and baking time, it's time to sit down and enjoy our labour with a cup of hot coffee/tea. Once again, I would like to give thanks to Quinnfor her kind effort and thought to get us this recipe/book. Thank you so much pal, wish you and Aaron a Happy coming Easter Sunday too....

Recipes for Easter ~ From the Archives

Blessing for Easter Food

Prayer Source: Family Customs: Easter to Pentecost

O Lord, who hast blessed five loaves in the desert, Graciously give us bread for life's needs. Almighty God, let not Thy gifts lead us to sin. Let not the goblet of sparkling wine induce us to misdeeds. While we enjoy our feast, let us also in charity remember All those who suffer want and hunger. May not the pleasure of the body stifle the inspirations Of Thy Holy Spirit, O Lord.

Easter:

• Festive Easter Breads and Cheese: Paska and Pascha
• Staples of our Feast Day Celebrations Part One: Bread
• Staples of our Feast Day Celebrations Part Two: Wine  
• Living Easter Grass

• Monkey Bread Cross
• Lamb of God (Rolls)
• Lamb Cupcakes
• A Simple Lamb Cake for Easter
• A Little Lamb for Easter

• Easter Story Cookies ~ Resurrection Cookies
• Resurrection Rolls
• Teatime Suggestions for Lent and Easter
• A Joyous Easter Tea (pictures here)

• Celebrating Easter ~ Share your pictures and recipes!

The 50 Days of Easter ~ The Good Shepherd's Garden Party: 

Charlotte and I are putting together a series of weekly menu's for celebrating the 50 days of Easter.

We will be posting a Mr. Linky here at Catholic Cuisine for any of you who would like to share photos from your own* Good Shepherd's Garden Parties.

You can read all the details here.

• Week One ~ The Good Shepherd's Pasture (Download here.) 
• Week Two ~ Welcome to the Lord's Table (Download here.)
• Week Three ~ The Heaven's Tell God's Glory (Download here.)
• Week Four ~ The Wind and Sea Obey Him (Coming soon...)
• Week Five ~ The Gardener Plants Paradise (Coming soon...)
• Week Six ~ Oh, What a Beautiful City! (Coming soon...)
• Week Seven ~ The Heavenly Zoo (Coming soon...)

*Please feel free to modify our plans to suit your family!

• The Good Shepherd's Garden Party :: Week One (Mr. Linky)
• The Good Shepherd's Garden Party :: Week Two (Mr. Linky)
• The Good Shepherd's Garden Party :: Week Three (Mr. Linky)
• The Good Shepherd's Garden Party :: Week Four (Mr. Linky)
• The Good Shepherd's Garden Party :: Week Five (Mr. Linky)
• The Good Shepherd's Garden Party :: Week Six (Mr. Linky)
• The Good Shepherd's Garden Party :: Week Seven (Mr. Linky)

Divine Mercy Sunday:

• Divine Mercy Sunday
• Strawberry-Coconut Tres Leche Trifle 
• A Cake for Divine Mercy Sunday
• A Cake in Honor of the Image of Divine Mercy
• Divine Mercy Pancakes
• Divine Mercy Rice Krispie Treat
• Divine Mercy Cheesecake

Ascension:

• Ascension Pancakes
• A Fluffy Cloud Dessert
• Feast of the Ascension (Picnic Menu)

Pentecost:

• Holy Ghost Sopas
• Twelve Fruit Salad
• Menu Ideas for Pentecost Sunday
• Staples of our Feast Day Celebrations Part One: Bread
• Staples of our Feast Day Celebrations Part Two: Wine  
• Happy Birthday Church! (Red Velvet Cake)
• Flames of Pentecost Cupcakes
• Confirmation Party Foods
• A Cake for Pentecost

Novena for Easter

O Divine Saviour, who rose from the dead on that first glorious Easter morn, grant that I may rise from my sins and so live as to see You, glorious and immortal, in heaven. Lord, I am nothing, but, although nothing, I adore You.

Nested Easter

Today is exactly 1 more week to Easter Sunday. Christians celebrate Easter Sunday because they believed Jesus rose from death. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the fundamental principles and beliefs of Christianity and they celebrate Easter Sunday because they believe, Jesus died for their sin on the Cross-on Good Friday, buried and rose from death on Sunday.

Look at this awesome volcano like toasted bun that consists of runny soft boiled egg and topped with some extra fried bacon bits. How will this feel like when you peel off the outer crust of the bun and dipped it in the runny egg yolk and served together with a bed of shredded cucumber and mixed dried fruits.

So today I will share with you a very simple and interesting Easter Breakfast that you can prepare together with your kids on this coming Easter Sunday. I am sure the kids will be overwhelm in getting their apron on to whip up this cute and colourful Breakfast with Daddy/Mummy. Come, let's get our ingredients ready and start making this nutritious breakfast with Wholemeal Bun, Egg, Bacon, Mixed Dried Fruit and Shredded Cucumber.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
2 Medium Size Wholemeal Bun
4 Kampong Chicken Egg
2 Japanese Cucumber, shredded
2 Strips of Streaky Bacon, cut into small pieces
1/4 Mixed Dried Fruit of your choice
Some Easter Chocolate Egg, optional

Method:
1. Carefully, cut a well out from the center of the buns. Be-careful not to cut too deep or it will cut through the base.
2. Place the buns in an toaster oven and bake it for about 5 minutes, turn it over once or twice. Remove and set aside to cool.(this step is to make a crispy inner crust before baking the egg in it)
3. Pan-fry the bacon pieces with some oil till crispy and fragrant then set aside.
4. Crack two eggs into each bun, pop them into the toaster oven(or you can place the bun in the same pot where you pan-fried your bacon and covered and simmer the egg till your preference of liking) for about 5 minutes or so till an opaque layer form on top of the egg.
5. Remove the buns from the toaster, place it on a serving plate, arrange some shredded cucumber along the side of the bun like what shown on the photo above.
6. Top the egg with some crispy bacon bits then scatter the remaining together with some mixed dried fruit on to the shredded cucumber.
7. Before serving, place a few Easter chocolate egg on the side of the plate as special treats.

Note:
~ I bought mine from Breadtalk latest Spring/Collection - "Wholemeal Azuki Bean Bun".
~ If you cannot find any kampong Chicken Egg, replace i t with extra small size egg.


The shredded cucumber served like some twigs/grass "nest" for this Giant Bread Egg. And it goes well with that crispy streaky bacon and mixed fruit too. This will be another great ideas to get kid polishing up their vegetables. I also purposely choose some dried apricot with the mixed fruit to give it an "orange" egg yolk effective.

Guess kids will be very excited towards the end of this breakfast to open up their Easter Egg Treats - Chocolate Egg. So if you are having some Easter pretty, perhaps you can use this idea to surprised your kiddy.

Double-Boiled Fresh Lily Bulbs Soup

Recently a lot of my son's classmates as well as a few members in our family are suffering for dry cough/sore throat due to the hot and humid weather. And while chatting with one of my son's classmate parent, she has shared with me some remedies for smoothing throat as well as cough which they practice way back in her hometown, in China. Although the ingredients that they used are rather simple and inexpensive, but the result is so effective and some of it can also be treated as one of the summer cooling dessert too.....

Lily bulbs taste slightly sweet and is slightly Cold in nature. It benefits the Lungs and Heart as well as nourishes the Lungs, stops cough and calms the nerves. It has certain effects on cough and helps with anxiety and insomnia. Lily Bulbs are rich in proteins, phosphorous and carbohydrates which is one of the good body tonifying and nerve calming Chinese medicine for those suffering from cough due to coldness and loose stools should not eat. Fresh Lily bulbs are rich in glucose that promotes digestion and they are commonly used in cooking and desserts.

Ginkgo nourishes the lungs and relieves asthma but this cannot be taken too much at a time.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
2 - 3 Medium Size Fresh Lily Bulbs(鲜百合)
8 - 10 Fresh Ginkgo Nuts
500ml Boiling Water
Rock Sugar to Taste
2 Pandan Leaves, optional

Method:
1. Rinse, clean and remove the petals from the bulbs, soak in water for a few seconds to remove dirt.
2. Wash and clean the pandan leave then tie it into a knot and set aside.
3. Bring 500ml of water to boil, add in the fresh ginkgo nuts, lily bulbs petals and pandan leave and bring it to boil.
4. Transfer the mixture to a double-boiler and place it in a slow cooker set on AUTO mode and cook for about 1.5 hour on HIGH.
5. Or alternatively, you can simmer on low heat over the stove for about 30 minutes.
6. Sweeten it with rock sugar and serve warm.


Note:
~ You can purchase Fresh Lily Bulbs and Ginkgo Nuts is most local supermarket at the vegetable chiller section.

This is a very tasty sweet soup that is suitable for all members of the family. And if you are towards the healthy or weight-watching side, perhaps you can omit the adding of rock sugar and consume this soup on base on it's natural sweetness and fragrance that is being released from the lily bulbs petals. My son loves the taste of this soup and also due to the long hour of simmering/double-boiled, the lily petals will be soften with the melt -in your mouth texture.

Strawberry-Coconut Tres Leches Trifle

I've had a number of requests for the recipe for the Strawberry Trifle we made for the feast of St. Joseph.  There really wasn't any particular significance to why we included it on our St. Joseph Altar, other than the fact that my girls were finishing up "S" week and it was a great way to use some Sliced Strawberries!

It would be a great addition to upcoming Easter celebrations, and since it is based on the flavors in a popular Mexican cake, it would be great dessert to make in honor of any of the Mexican Saints. 

Strawberry-Coconut Tres Leches Trifle

Adapted from Pampered Chef's 2010 Season's Best Cookbook

1 lb fresh strawberries, divided
One 16-oz frozen pound cake*, thawed
(*The recipe called for 3 packages of Ladyfingers.)
1 can sweetened condensed milk, divided
1 can (14 oz) unsweetened coconut milk, divided
1 container (8 oz) sour cream
1 container (12 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
1 pkg (3.3 oz) coconut cream* instant pudding and pie filling 
(*The recipe called for vanilla.)
1 tsp Cinnamon

1. Set aside one strawberry for garnish. Hull remaining strawberries and slice. Set aside.

2. Trim Pound cake and dice into 1-in. cubes. Set aside. Whisk together 1/2 cup of the condensed milk, 2/3 cup of the coconut milk and sour cream. Add cake and toss gently.

3. Attach open star tip to Pampered Chef's Easy Accent® Decorator. Fill with 1 cup of the whipped topping. Combine pudding mix and remaining coconut milk; whisk until thickened. Add remaining condensed milk and cinnamon; whisk until incorporated. Fold in remaining whipped topping.

4. To assemble, place half of the pound cake mixture into Trifle Bowl; top with half of the strawberries. Spread half of the pudding mixture over strawberries. Repeat layers one time. Pipe whipped topping over top; garnish with strawberry fan.

5.  Enjoy!  Oh, and be sure to share! ;)

Update:  I just read on Colleen's blog, Footprints on the Fridge, that she is planning to serve this dessert on Sunday night, Palm Sunday.  She says that they will have "passionfruit juice (since this Sunday is also known as Passion Sunday)..." and this trifle "... which we will use to symbolize that even though we are saddened that Christ had to shed His blood for us (the red), we are filled with gratitude that by His sacrifice, we are washed clean (the white)."  Isn't that perfect?!  Thank you for sharing your creativity with all of us Colleen!

Fig Bibles and Palm Sundaes

A couple weeks ago I decorated some Fig Newtons to look like Bibles/Books and placed them on top of cupcakes as a snack for my Little Flowers Girl's Club.

Those little cookies got me thinking about Palm Sunday (Palm Sunday is also known as Fig Sunday since tradition says that Jesus ate figs after entering Jerusalem.) and planning the following dessert to serve my family:

Fig Bibles and Palm Sundaes

Shopping List:

Fig Newtons
Cookie Icing
Coconut Ice Cream
(Or ice cream of choice. I choose coconut, since coconuts also grow on palm trees... Our favorite is Coconut Bliss.)
Whipped Cream
Chocolate or Caramel Syrup
Maraschino Cherries

Place a scoop (or two) of ice cream in each serving dish. Drizzle syrup over the ice cream.  Place a small dollop of whipped cream over each scoop and top with a cherry. Serve with Decorated Fig Newtons.


Here is a picture of the "Palm Sundaes" made by Sara at A Shower of Roses.  I love the Palm Frond Cookies she cut out to go with the Sundaes!

Meatless Meals :: Turkish Spinach and Lentil Soup

Last month I was blessed with being the very thankful recipient of a whole bunch of dinners made by a local Little Flower Girl's Club as a service project!    One of the dinners was this lentil soup, which was very delicious.  I was able to get the recipe from my friend Kathleen so I could make it again, and then share the recipe here at Catholic Cuisine.  Enjoy!

Turkish Spinach and Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup dried lentils
5 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup raw bulghur
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste
pinch of dried rosemary (or to taste)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups stemmed, cleaned, and coarsely chopped fresh spinach
chopped fresh parsley


Directions:

Rinse the lentils. Bring them to a boil in the salted stock. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a heavy soup pot. Saute the onions until translucent. Add the garlic, cayenne , bay leaves, and raw bulghur. Stir the mixture on medium heat until the onions and bulghur are lightly browned.

Mix in the parsley and tomatoes. When the tomatoes begin to give up their juice, gently stir in the tomato paste.

Pour the lentils and their liquid into the soup pot with the onions and bulghur. Simmer the soup for 15 minutes. Add the rosemary, salt, and pepper to taste. If the lentils and bulghur have absorbed too much liquid, add more stock, water, or tomato juice. Remove the bay leaves.

Just before serving, stir in the fresh spinach and let it wilt in the hot soup. Garnish with more fresh parsley and serve with crusty bread.

Beetroot & Sweet Corn Soup

I have very limited encounter with "Beetroot" as I only ate it as one of the ingredients found in some sandwiches. Although I have heard/saw a lot of interesting recipes using "Beetroot" as one of their ingredients, I have never thought of using it till today. And to my surprised this can really blend well into our Asian soup too.....

Beetroot can consider to be a very versatile ingredient that can be in many area of cooking. For eg:- in salad, sandwiches, bakes, cakes, dessert and even soup. Sometime it can also be use as a dye to replace artificial colouring. So today's soup of the day, we will try this together with corn and carrot which will add in extra sweetness to the soup.

Ingredients:- (serves 4)
500g Pork Ribs
2 Medium Size Beetroots
1 Sweet Corn, cut into section
1 Medium Carrot, cut into 1" slices
6-8 Red Dates
1/2 Tablespoon Wolfberries, optional
1.5 Liter of Boiling Water

Method:
1. Rinse, clean and place the pork ribs in boiling water for about 3 minutes, remove and rinse well. Set aside for later use.
2. Rinse the beetroot, peel of the outer skin with a vegetable peeler. Cut it into big cubes or wedges.
3. Remove the husk and leaves of the corn, rinse and cut it into 3 sections.
4. Bring 1.5 Litre of water to boil in a medium soup pot, add in all the above ingredients except wolfberries.
5. When the mixture comes to boil again, lower the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes or alternatively you can transfer the soup to a slow cooker and cook it on AUTO for about 2.5 hours or so. (add in wolfberries 15 minutes before cooking time)

This soup is so sweet and full of flavour that it don't even require any extra seasoning. The sweetness comes naturally from all the ingredients used and the colour of the soup look so gorgeous. From the glance of it, it looks just like any red wine/red currant juice. Em... but just a little sharing, although the soup might give a little "Rooty" flavour but this is indeed a very nutritious soup for kids. We ate all the ingredients except the "beetroot" because it has a very odd taste which my boy feedback that it taste like "roots/wood" :p

Passion Fruit Cheesecake for Passion Sunday (repost)

Since the 3rd Century, today (5th Sunday in Lent) has been known as Passion Sunday.

Passion Fruit Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons nuts, finely chopped
6 ounces butter, melted

Cheesecake Filling
1 1/2 pound cream cheese
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup passion fruit puree.

Directions:

Make crust by combining dry ingredients in a large bowl. Melt butter and add to dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. When incorporated, press evenly into nine-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.Combine cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add corn starch and blend. Add eggs and mix thoroughly, scraping the sides of the bowl. Add vanilla and sour cream. Mix until smooth and fold in passion fruit puree. Pour batter into a springform pan and bake at 300 degrees for approximately one hour and thirty minutes, or until set. Cool slowly and completely refrigerate for several hours.

Meatless Meals :: Rigatoni with Tuna and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Here is another recipe I served my family a couple weeks ago. It was quite easy to make and enjoyed by everyone. The recipe serves 4, so I doubled it for my family.

Rigatoni with Tuna and Sun-dried Tomatoes

adapted from Pampered Chef's 29 minutes to Dinner

Ingredients:

8 oz uncooked rigatoni pasta
2 oz Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup Sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
1 lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 pouch chunk light tuna (I substituted with canned albacore)

Directions:

1. Bring salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

2. Meanwhile, grate cheese. Pat tomatoes dry using paper towels. Chop tomatoes and parsley. Cut lemon into wedges; set aside.

3. Heat oil, pressed garlic and pepper flakes in skillet over medium-high heat 1-2 minutes or until garlic turns golden (do not allow to burn). Immediately stir in tuna and tomatoes; cook 2-3 minutes or until tomatoes are tender. Add pasta, half of the parsley and half of the cheese to Skillet; toss gently.

4. To serve, divide pasta among serving plates. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and Parmesan. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.

St. Joseph Altar Blog Fest

The 1st Annual St. Joseph Altar Blog Fest is taking place over at The Virtual Saint Joseph Altar.  Be sure to head on over to check out all the beautiful Altars that have been set up in honor of this beloved Saint. 

Saint Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, Pray for us! 

Meatless Meals :: Salmon Chowder

This recipe for Salmon Chowder, perfect for the remaining days of Lenten Fasting and Abstinence, was submitted by my friend Jacinta.   Thank you Jacinta!

Salmon Chowder

1 (7 1/2-ounce) can salmon
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 garlic clove, finely minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup diced potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
2 cups chicken broth
(substitute with vegetable broth during lent)
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup broccoli
1 (13-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (10-ounce) package frozen corn kernels, thawed
Minced parsley

1. Drain and flake salmon, reserving liquid.

2. Saute onions, celery and garlic in butter. Add potatoes, carrots, reserved salmon liquid, chicken broth and seasonings. Simmer, covered, 20 minutes, or until vegetables are nearly tender.

3. Add broccoli and cook 5 minutes. Add flaked salmon, evaporated milk and corn; heat thoroughly. Sprinkle with minced parsley to serve.

Note: I like to chop all the vegetables (except the corn) with the Pampered Chef chopper so they are all small and uniform.

Makes 6 servings

Hot Cross Buns & Roasted Strawberries

Easter Sunday will be coming in about 3 more weeks time and even now you can find all sort of Easter goodies available in local supermarkets such as Easter Bunny/Egg chocolate. Other than Easter Egg, Hot Cross Bun is also another popular snack to be consumed during Good Friday. It is a type of sweet spiced bun made with currants or raisins and leavened with yeast that has has a cross marked on the top.

Today, rather than the usual way of eating the Hot Cross Bun, we will spread it with some nutella and top it with roasted strawberries and plain yogurt. The roasted strawberries gave this bread and an extra sweet and sour jam like texture that goes very well with the smooth and creamy yogurt.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
10 Strawberries, hulled, halved
1 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon/Mixed Spices
2 Hot Cross Bun, Sliced crossways into halves
Some Nutella
200ml Plain Yogurt

Method:
1. Toast the bun slices in toaster oven for 1 or 2 minutes each side until slight golden in colour.
2. Cool it off slightly before spreading 1 side of each slice with Nutella.
3. Meanwhile, place the strawberries in a small baking dish, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, toss to coat well.
4. Roast in a toaster oven for about 5 - 7 minutes until strawberries collapse and syrup forms. (stir on and off to coat the sugar syrup with the strawberries)
5. Place 1 bun slice on the serving plate, top with some roasted strawberries, then place another bun slice over it and repeat with another layer of roasted strawberries.
6. Before serving, place a dollop of yogurt beside the toast and drizzle some syrup from the baking dish over the strawberries and yogurt.


Note:-
~ I personally preferred "Farmers Union Brand - Greek Style Natural Yogurt" which is thicker and creamy in texture.
~ If you cannot get hold of Hot Cross Bun, you can replace it with any raisin bun.


This will be a great afternoon tea-snack that your guests will ask for more serving :) The combination of Chocolate, Roasted Strawberries, Syrup and Yogurt makes this simple snack a perfect dessert for both adults and kids this coming Good Friday gathering.