Spiced up Mayo!

Today, let's talk mayo! I love mayo, but, plain old mayo is just plain old mayo! I like spicing up mayo and taking it from bland to yum!!! So, here are a few ideas on spicing up mayo and making it the star of the recipe instead of the lame old condiment!

These are all mixed in your food processor - use the small bowl if you have one. Place all the ingredients in the bowl, and "whir" it up!

Basil mayo - (my personal fave!)
 - 2 cups mayo
 - one handful of fresh basil
 - juice of half a lemon
 - salt and pepper

This mayo is great on a chicken burger, or on a grilled chicken breast. Also, great on fish.

Jalapeno chili mayo
 - 2 cups mayo
 - 2 tsp chili spice
 - 1/2 fresh jalapeno (or more if you like it really spicy)
 - juice of half a lime
 - salt

This mayo is great on a chicken burger, grilled chicken, fish, shrimp, and makes a great dipping sauce for red pepper strips!

Lemon mayo
- 2 cups mayo
- grated peel from one whole lemon
- juice of a lemon
- salt

This mayo is fantastic of grilled white fish, and a turkey sandwich! Add dill to this one and it makes a great topping for Salmon!

Spicy mayo
 - 2 Cups mayo
 - 1/8 cup of sriracha
 - juice of half a lemon

This mayo is bold and can stand up to beef, or pork, or even a salami sandwich.

These are just my faves, but experiment, and please share!!!!!

Fresh corn salad

This salad is great as a refreshing summer side, or even on its own as a light lunch! Add rice to it for a hearty easy week night meal!

Ingredients:

corn - 2-3 cobs, grilled and taken off the husk (you may use frozen corn, steamed and cooled down as well)
1/4 red onion, finely minced
1 small jalapeno pepper, finely minced
1 small garlic clove, finely minced
1 bunch fresh cilantro, finely minced
juice of two limes (fresh is best!)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small can black beans
salt and pepper

Make the vinaigrette by mixing the red onion, jalapeno, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and olive oil in a bowl. Add the corn, and the black beans, then add salt and pepper to taste!

all done! So refreshing, and easy! This salad is great to make or bring for a bar be cue, and it hold up for a fairly long time out of the fridge.

Strawberry Muffins (with a little blueberry too!)

Hello everyone! I am reviving my blog as of today! I have missed you all, and hope that you will follow me still, even after such a long absence! Today I thought since we are approaching the summer and all that is fresh fruit, I would feature a recipe with strawberries!
I saw a large container of strawberries at the grocery store and decided I HAD to have some, so, I bought them, got them home and realized rather quickly that the container was way too large for us to eat before the strawberries began to die! \i needed to make something with them that was quick, easy and loved by my whole family so that I would not have to throw them out! Aha!muffins, I thought! so, I took my basic muffin recipe, tweaked it a little, added strawberries, and some blueberries too, and voila! These muffins are moist, and taste like summer! Even my son, who does not love muffins is eating them! This recipe is a winner!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cups milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped strawberries
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh

cinnamon topping

3 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Line your 12 large muffin cups with liners, or spray with non stick spray (or both)

Stir topping ingredients into a small bowl and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and mix well.

Place flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl and mix just to combine. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to the butter mixture. Stir until just combined. Add in the fruit, being careful not to mash them up. Stir until just combined.

Spoon into prepped muffin cups and sprinkle with the topping mixture.

Bake for 20-25 mins

Enjoy with butter, or strawberry jam - can't ever have enough strawberries, can we?

Mini-slider salad

       During the busy holiday season we sometimes forget to eat right. We also tend to eat way more than we should, and most of it pretty heavy. Here is a light, easy recipe to make on those evenings you just want healthy and light, but always tasty!

Mini turkey slider salad:

Ingredients

            4 tablespoons  Olive Oil, divided

            2 pounds ground turkey

            1/2 small red onion, grated

            2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

            1 tablespoon (a palmful) poultry seasoning

            3/4 pound brick sharp cheddar cheese, sliced 1/4-inch thick into small squares

            3 tablespoons yellow mustard

            2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

            2 large hearts romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped

            1 cup sliced pickles, drained and chopped – choose from sweet, half-sour or dill varieties

           1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half

In a large bowl mix together the turkey, onion, worcestershire sauce and poultry seasoning. using an ice cream scoop, scoop out the meat. Roll into balls, and make a well in the middle of each ball and stuff each one with a cube of cheese. Make sure you roll the meat over the cheese so you can't see any of the cheese. Now, press gently to form a patties.

 Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of olive oil, about 2 tablespoons. (You could also preheat a grill pan or a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat or, preheat outdoor grill instead of the skillet).

Cook the mini burgers for 3 minutes on each side then top with cheese. Tent the mini cheeseburgers loosely with foil to help the cheese melt.

While the burgers are cooking, whisk together the mustard and vinegar in a large salad bowl. Continue whisking and stream in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Finely chop up the remaining red onion and add it to the bowl along with the romaine, pickles and tomatoes. Toss the salad to evenly coat everything in dressing.

To serve, arrange the salad on a large platter and slide the burgers on top.

Pasta Florentine

Another pasta recipe? Yes! I love pasta! and this one is a keeper! It is easy and can easily be done on even the busiest week night!

Ingredients:

1 pkg pasta - any chunky pasta works! (I used fiorelli by PC)
1/4 Cup Olive oil
2/3 anchovies (yes, use them! You will not be able to taste them, but they will give the sauce a depth you won't get without them)
1 tsp chili flakes (if you don't like it spicy, skip this)
1 clove crushed garlic
3 Cups baby spinach, fresh
1 pkg grape tomatoes, halved
1 can white canellini beans, drained, and rinsed
2 green onions, chopped
a few hand fulls, parmiggiano reggiano

In a large pot filled with salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.

In the meantime, in a saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the anchovies. Add the chili flakes. Stir the anchovies until they are dissolved. Add the crushed garlic, the grape tomatoes, the beans, the green onions, and finally the spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted. Stir into the pasta, and add the parmiggiano and green onions. Toss together well and serve!

Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Sauce

Roasted red pepper is both delicious and healthy, and makes a great pasta sauce! So, try this roasted red pepper sauce at your next dinner party and let me know how much you love it!

Ingredients:

2-3 Tblsp olive oil
1 large onion
2 garlic cloves, pressed
Red peppers - 2 large or 3 small
1 can of diced tomatoes
Fresh Basil
1 box  or bag of your favourite pasta

If you have a gas stove, char the peppers by placing them on the open flame and turning them as they "blacken", until all sides of the peppers are charred. If roasting in the oven, place the peppers on a cookie sheet, in a hot oven (400-425 degrees F), and turn as they char, until all sides are charred. Place the peppers in a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside.

Fill a large pot with water for the pasta and bring to a rolling boil. Salt the water generously, and boil the pasta until al dente.

In the mean time, heat up a sauce pan, and add the olive oil. Chop the onion and add it to the oil and stir  until the onion is translucent. While the onion is cooking, take the plastic wrap off the bowl with the peppers, and gently peel the skin off the peppers. Place the peppers in a food processor, or blender and set by the sauce pan with the onion in it. Add garlic to the onion, and as soon as it becomes fragrant, add the red pepper puree, and the can of tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Once the pasta is cooked add it to the sauce and toss gently. Chop up or tare the basil on top. Grate some parmesan cheese on top if desired.

Serve with a side salad, and crusty bread.

Feedback is welcome!

Roasted garlic white bean dip

This dip is not only tasty but healthy too! It is also so easy to make you will have it whipped up in less than five minutes!

Ingredients:
1 head of roasted garlic, garlic squeezed out and mashed  (see note below)
1 can cancelling beans, drained
Juice of half a lemon
Grated lemon rind from 1 whole lemon
Bunch of parsley
Salt and pepper
Olive oil, 1/4 cup or so
(Splash of water if needed)

Put all the ingredients n a food processor and pulse until smooth- add the water to desired consistency.
 Serve with crackers, pita chips or make your own crostini.

Enjoy!

note: to roast garlic, cut the top of a whole head of garlic in half, and place the halves on a piece of tin foil. Add a splash of olive oil and coarse salt and gather the tin foil up around the garlic. Place in the oven at 350 F for a bout 45 minutes. When the garlic  is soft and cool enough to handle squeeze it all our of the peel and mash with a fork.

Easy Week Night Beef Stroganoff

I tried this recipe the other night and was easy and fast! and good too! The left overs the next night were convenient too - it's an easy recipe for a week day dinner!

Ingredients: 


1 pound round steak, cut into small strips 


2 tablespoons butter


2 tablespoons flour

2 Cups or so of beef broth

1 small onion, minced


1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced


salt and pepper to taste


1/4 cup white wine 


1 small container sour cream


dash of nutmeg

egg noodles

Quickly fry steak strips in saute pan over medium high heat until lightly cooked. Remove from pan and cover with foil to keep warm.

Add sliced mushrooms and brown them. Remove from pan and keep warm with the beef strips. Lower heat to medium and cook onion in butter until soft. Add the wine and stir for a couple of minutes. Be sure to scrape all of the bits at the bottom of the pan! Add the flour and mix for a couple of minutes with a whisk. Add the beef broth and keep whisking until it thickens. Return meat to the pan and add salt, pepper, sour cream and nutmeg. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve over noodles.

Serves 4

Paula's Easy Everyday Recipes: Paula's Spaghetti Carbonara

Paula's Easy Everyday Recipes: Paula's Spaghetti Carbonara: It's time for a good old Italian family favourite...well...this Italian (and half Canadian) family favourite anyways! I hope you will enjoy ...

Paula's Spaghetti Carbonara

It's time for a good old Italian family favourite...well...this Italian (and half Canadian) family favourite anyways! I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do! It's Carbonara with a twist!


1 box spaghetti (500 gm)
1 1/2 cups or so cubed pancetta
2 egg yolks
1 small container mascarpone cheese
1 cup (or a little more) freshly grated parmesan cheese
fresh parsley, chopped
fresh oregano, chopped
nutmeg
salt and pepper

Fill a large pot with water and boil. Add your pasta and cook al dente. Meanwhile, in a saute pan crisp up the pancetta and set aside (keep it warm though). In a large heat proof bowl combine the egg yolks, marcarpone cheese, parmesan cheese, parsley, oregano, a touch of nutmeg, salt and pepper (pepper is great in this recipe, so, feel free to be heavy handed with it if you like it!). Stir so it's all combined.

Once the pasta is cooked, take out a 1/2 cup of the hot cooking water and slowly mix into the egg yolk mixture, whisking all along (this will temper the egg yolks so you won't be scrambled egg in your sauce!). Add the pancetta. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Stir.  Enjoy!

Try it and let me know what you think!

Cheers!

Baked Bean Chili

The weather is getting colder and all we really want to do in cozy up in front of the fire and watch movies wrapped in a blanket! Well, that's all I want to do anyways! Comfort food is on the forefront of my culinary brain nowadays and this chili recipe is very comforting. It's a little different from the chili we are used to but if you just try it once, you will love it!

This recipe is simple and easy to play around with, so, have fun with it - add a little more of what you like and a little less of what you don't! And it is easily doubled and easy to freeze!



1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb bacon, chopped
1 red onion
2 cloves garlic
splash olive oil
2 cans tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 tblsp chili powder
1 tblsp cumin
1 tblsp paprika
2 tblsp hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 can canellini beans (or white kidney beans)

Coat the bottom of a saucepan with olive oil and add the bacon - cook until a little crispy. Add the ground beef until cooked through and no longer pink, stirring and breaking up the meat. Add the onion and cook until translucent and then add the garlic until you can just smell it. At this point, add you brown sugar, stirring it in, the molasses, the chili powder, cumin, paprika, hot sauce, and salt and pepper to taste - stir the ingredients until well mixed in and you can smell the spices. Add the tomatoes and let the chili simmer for 45 minutes or so. Add the beans and let simmer another 15-20 minutes. Enjoy it with fresh rolls! yum!

Please let me know if you try it and what you think of it and like I stated above, play around with the recipe and make it your own!

Love you all - happy eating!
Paula

super easy caramelized onion, sun dried tomato and ricotta ravioli

Okay - I am going to give you the easiest "home made" ravioli recipe ever!!! The ravioli are made with won ton wrappers! So easy and so delicious! Here is the recipe - enjoy!

Won ton wrappers - you may use the small round ones or the small square ones.
1 tub (500gm or ml) of ricotta - you can use the low fat one as we will add lots of flavour!
1 sweet onion, sliced thinly
olive oil
butter
1 clove of garlic, minced finely
a few leaves of fresh thyme
sun dried tomatoes (in oil), minced very small
salt and pepper
1 egg, in a small bowl, whisked

In a medium hot frying pan, melt butter with olive oil. Add the onions and fry, slowly until the onions turn golden and soft. Add some salt and pepper. Place in a bowl and set aside.

In a second bowl, mix the ricotta, the clove of garlic, fresh thyme, sun dried tomatoes, salt and pepper. Add the onions, and mix well. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.

Lay out the won ton wrappers on a board, and place a tsp of the filling in the middle of the wrapper. Brush the sides of the won ton wrappers with the egg and close, cross wise for the square ones, making triangles, or in half for the round one, making sure to squeeze out any air. Set on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and let dry. At this point, you can either boil them in water, and serve with your favourite sauce, or you can freeze them to use at a later time!

So easy, and sooo good!
Cheers!

Italian Flag Burgers with fresh basil mayo

This weather has been so fantastic this year that we seem to be cooking outside all the time! Burgers are often on the menu and these are a family fanourite! They have a few parts to them but are totally worth it! If you don't have time to make your own patty just a buy one and use the mayo and toppings - it'll still taste delicious! 

Burger patty:

1 lb Ground beef

A bunch of fresh basil, finely julienned (thin strips)

A Tblsp of tomato paste

½ cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated

salt and pepper

a pinch of dried oregano to taste

a splash of balsamic vinegar

Place all ingredients in a bowl, and combine well.  Form the patties for our burgers.

Basil mayo:

I don’t measure for this – use as much of each ingredient as you like to your own taste!

A bunch of fresh basil

Fresh garlic

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 cup or so of mayo - not the salad dressing type - use the Hellman's type mayo, not the Miracle Whip type - this is very important and it'll completely change the taste! 

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and process until it forms a spread.  Set aside

Topping:

Fresh buffalo mozzarella (the one you buy in the bag!), sliced thickly

Heirloom tomato (these can be expensive so just buy as many as you need – I usually only buy one large one for six burgers), sliced thickly.

You will also need some fresh basil leaves, large ones, and some crusty Italian buns.

Preheat your bar be cue and cook your patties. Toast your buns on the bar be cue too!  To build your burgers, place your patty in the bun and top with fresh mozzarella, and then the tomato slices, topped with the fresh basil leaves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with the basil mayo and enjoy!

Let me know what you think! 

Happy summer!

Caprese Salad

WOW! It's hot outside! Perfect time for a no-cook, refreshing, yet filling salad! The classic Caprese salad is easy, fresh, full of flavour, and really filling!

This makes enough for 4

Ingredients:

A large heirloom tomato
1 ball of fresh buffalo mozzarella (the one in the liquid!)
salt and pepper
1/2 lemon, rind, and juice
a bunch of fresh basil, julienned
olive oil

Slice your tomato in 8 slices. Slice your mozzarella into 8 slices. Place your tomato slices on a large plate and top each slice with a slice of mozzarella. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the zest of half lemon and then the juice. Top with the basil and then a splash of olive oil. Serve cold.

Just as a side note - you can top this salad with grilled chicken or canned tuna for a satisfying, no cook meal!

Enjoy!

Basil Arugula Pesto Pasta Salad

WOW! The heat is on! I am really enjoying this hot weather! This is what I call summer! And, summer is all about bar be cuing! With pretty much anything I bar be cue, I make a fabulous pasta salad to go along as everyone who knows me knows I am all about pasta! So, try this recipe for pesto pasta salad - it's so good! It also keeps in the fridge for up to four days so you can enjoy it over and over again! Enjoy!

Ingrediets:

1 large bunch fresh basil
1 bunch arugula leaves
1/4 cup or so toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup or so grated parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove
juice of 1/2 lemon
Olive oil
salt and pepper
1 box of farfalle pasta, cooked and cooled
1/2 red onion, diced
1 large garlic clove, grated
1 large bell pepper, red, diced
1 small container grape tomatoes
1 bunch asparagus, blanched, and chopped to 1" pieces

In a food processor, process the basil leaves, arugula, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, lemon juice and garlic clove. Add enough olive oil to form a loose paste. Put the mixture in the bottom of a large bowl.
Add the rest of the ingredients and toss together with pesto. Serve at room temperature, or place in the fridge and use up within 4 days:)

I love this salad so very much - I hope you do too!
Cheers to all
P

It seems I have been neglecting my blog! Sorry everyone! We have a very busy teen ager who seems to take up a lot of our time, add that to work, a 95 lb dog, and a house, and it leaves very limited time for anything else. At this time, I vow to make time for my blog! So, here is a recipe to begin with for the summer - easy, easy, easy!!!! Simple ingredients for a simple week day meal! Enjoy!

Grilled Lemon Chicken with lemon mayo

Ingredients:

Chicken

4 Chicken breasts, bone in preferred (if using boneless, reduce the cooking time)
Juice of 2 lemons
Fresh garlic to taste, minced
Half an onion, cubed very small
Fresh Thyme, chopped
salt and pepper

Mayo

1 Cup Mayonnaise (your favourite)
Zest of one lemon
salt and pepper
fresh thyme, chopped

Place the chicken into a baggie with all the ingredients except some fresh thyme for about a half hour (in this case you don't want to marinade too long as the lemon will begin to cook your chicken). Place on your pre-heated bar be cue and grill for about 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked all the way through.

Place all the Mayo ingredients in a small bowl and mix together. Serve over the chicken. So good!

Moroccan Sweet Potato Salad

Ingredients

2 large Sweet potatoes
1/2 cup sweet golden raisins
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp grated fresh ginger (more or less is okay too)
1 grated clove of garlic
salt
pepper
Juice of 1 lime, fresh if possible
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Instructions

Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until tender - about 45 minutes or so, depending on how bit the potatoes are.

When the potatoes are almost ready, whisk all the remaining ingredients into a bowl, excluding raising and onions, making sure the dressing is fully mixed together.

Add the raisins and onions, and let sit for a few minutes.

After the potatoes have cooled, dice them and add them to the dressing and raisin mixture. Gently toss them together. This salad is great if it sits for a few hours!

Cheers!

Moroccan Sweet Potato Salad

Ingredients

2 large Sweet potatoes
1/2 cup sweet golden raisins
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp grated fresh ginger (more or less is okay too)
1 grated clove of garlic
salt
pepper
Juice of 1 lime, fresh if possible
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Instructions

Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until tender - about 45 minutes or so, depending on how bit the potatoes are.

When the potatoes are almost ready, whisk all the remaining ingredients into a bowl, excluding raising and onions, making sure the dressing is fully mixed together.

Add the raisins and onions, and let sit for a few minutes.

After the potatoes have cooled, dice them and add them to the dressing and raisin mixture. Gently toss them together. This salad is great if it sits for a few hours!

Cheers!

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tart

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!! One of my New Year's resolutions is to keep up with this blog!!!! I will make up some new recipes for all of us to enjoy! With New Year's Eve approaching, I thought I would post an appetizer idea that I served at a dinner party and I had a friend tell me it was so good she made it herself for her family's Christmas dinner! So here it is - it is easy, and tasty! This one is for you, Val! :)

Ingredients:

2 large onions, sliced (I like large white sweet onions, but this recipe will work with any onion)

olive oil

butter (not margarine)

Good balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper

pesto - home made or store bought

goat cheese

flat bread, naan, or home made pizza dough, rolled thinly

Directions:

Place a saute pan on the stove over low - medium heat, splash with olive oil, to cover bottom of pan, and place a few Tblsp butter in pan to melt. Once the butter has melted, add the onions, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let the onions cook down slowly. Once the onions are translucent, add a splash of balsamic vinegar, and slowly let onions caramelize. The onions are ready when they are sweet to the taste, and light brown in colour. Put the onions aside and let cool.

To assemble tart, brush the flat bread (or naan, or pizza dough) with the pesto. Top with the onions, and spread them out so all the bread is covered, then, top with dollops of goat cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Place in the oven for a couple of minutes until just warmed through. Cut into bite size pieces, and serve. This can sit for a while as this is good cold as well as warmed.

Enjoy it! and let me know what you think!

Cheers!

Happy New Year to all of you!

Mexican Burgers

Okay, so my last post was the recipe for pizza burgers, and I have heard from several people who have tried it and they loved it, so, I thought, since it is still summer, and a beautifully hot one at that, I would give you another burger recipe, which is "just mix" and with no measuring for Mexican burgers this time.....very yummy!!! Enjoy!

Ground beef

egg

bread crumbs

bunch of fresh cilantro

squirt of lime juice

canned smoked chipotles (or you can take a chili pepper and roast it until charred, peel and dice)

chili powder

salt and pepper

Manchego cheese

jalapenos

salsa

sour cream

Mix all together - remember this entails no measuring so mix in as much or as little of one ingredient and less or more of another - up to you!!! Just be sure the burgers stay together.

Top the burgers with a slice of manchego cheese, chopped jalapenos, salsa, and sour cream...yum!!!