Recipe #1 and #2 - Caramelised Onion Soup & Corn Fritters

First of all, I hate onions!

For some, odd, stupid reason for dinner I decided to make an entree and a main which both in combination had 7 onions in the recipes. Oh god. I've never cried so much.

For my first meal in the challenge I chose something off the beaten track - a soup. It's so unlike me because it was not the most visually appealing meal in the cookbook, but i'd never really experimented with home-made soup beyond the generic 'chicken and vegetable soup' that mum makes (which is great, by the way). The soup was caramelised onion and lentil soup (sounds like something a weird vegan or hippy would eat) but nonetheless, it was scrumptious. I mean, after all who doesn't love caramelised onions? To go with the soup I decided to make corn-fritters which were filed under the 'sides and entrees' section in the book. I decided to make corn- fritters solely because i've never made fritters before and I consider that to be a good enough reason!

Everything went smoothly, other then the crying. Overall, it is a bit of a messy process with all the pans and pots required - luckily I had helpers to clean up! I have to thank my mum for helping me shape the fritters into love hearts, poor brothers of mine.

if man made it, don't eat it

Recently I have been bombarded with the idea of 'clean eating' on websites, Facebook & blogging. It's a pretty vague name, and I figured I would check it out to see if it was like every other healthy lifestyle i've seen around. Basically, it follows the motto 'if made made it, don't eat it'. As you can imagine this means that the 'clean eating' lifestyle would include fruit, vegetables, proteins, grainy- carbohydrates and things like seeds & nuts. Seems pretty easy to me. Although, I have had trouble with deciding whether or not raisins, prunes etc. are man-made as their natural state has been tampered with.. Mmm.

Anyway, for lunch I decided to do some juicing to get into the spirit of clean eating. I know (from experience) that apple, celery and carrot is always a hit so thought I would go with that. 5 minutes in the juicer had exploded, I had forgotten to to attach the 'waist bin' and the container which held the juice was not attached either. After I fixed that up I soon realised it would probably take 5 apples, 6 celery stalks and 4 carrots to make a substantial amount of juice. SO I opted for the small amount of juice as a snack.. Disappointing but still delicious!

And so it begins..

After a little inspiration from one of my favourite movies, Julie & Julia I have decided to take on the challenge of finishing a cook-book. This means every main, entree, dessert, sauce and vegetable - you name it, I will do it. Now, obviously there will be the odd day where there is no time to cook these recipes - so i'm hoping to double or triple it up on the weekends when life is a little less clustered. Im keeping it modern and sticking with the trusty Women's Weekly Complete Cookbook of Modern Classics, which ironically has over 400 recipes in it. Yippee. As this glorious idea only came to me earlier in the day I had no time to go to the store to get the ingredients I would need for tonights dinner, so the challenge begins tomorrow! For now, I will be reading up on the recipes and sorting them accordingly.

I have also been reading up on bloggin' tips & food photography tips so I have been doing a little practice in the food photography department.

Love your 'Lemon Water'

On another note, I have recently discovered my love for lemon water. It's so good for you in so many ways - and it tastes good. Here are 10 major reasons which may turn you onto the craze.


1. Boosts your immune system: Lemons are high in vitamin C, which is great for fighting colds.  They’re high in potassium, which stimulates brain and nerve function. Potassium also helps control blood pressure.

2. Balances pH: Drink lemon water everyday and you’ll reduce your body’s overall acidity. Lemon is one of the most alkaline foods around. Yes, lemon has citric acid but it does not create acidity in the body once metabolized.

3. Helps with weight loss:   Lemons are high in pectin fiber, which helps fight hunger cravings. It also has been shown that people who maintain a more alkaline diet lose weight faster.

4. Aids digestion:  Lemon juice helps flush out unwanted materials. It encourages the liver to produce bile which is an acid that required for digestion. Efficient digestion reduces heartburn and constipation.
5. Is a diuretic: Lemons increase the rate of urination in the body, which helps purify it. Toxins are, therefore, released at a faster rate which helps keep your urinary tract healthy.

6. Clears skin:  The vitamin C component helps decrease wrinkles and blemishes. Lemon water purges toxins from the blood which helps keep skin clear as well. It can actually be applied directly to scars to help reduce their appearance.

7. Freshens breath: Not only this, but it can help relieve tooth pain and gingivitis. The citric acid can erode tooth enamel, so you should monitor this. I admit, I’m slightly worried about it.
8. Relieves respiratory problems: Warm lemon water helps get rid of chest infections and halt those pesky coughs. It’s thought to be helpful to people with asthma and allergies too.

9. Keeps you zen: Vitamin C is one of the first things depleted when you subject your mind and body to stress. As mentioned previously, lemons are chock full of vitamin C.

10. Helps kick the coffee habit:  After I have a glass of hot lemon water, I actually don’t crave coffee in the morning. This is weird, I can’t explain it, but I’ll take it.

So, get to it friends.

Raspberry Cheesecake

No need for an explanation, this was to die for. I'm thinking of making this again this weekend! 

Spinach, Feta Pie & Fruit Cake in July

I couldn't help but make a christmas cake in July - I love the festivities a little too much. A plus is the fact that fruit cakes last weeks and are always available for a mid-afternoon snack with some tea. Per-Fect. The dinner, as with all pies was filling and juicy. Loved it paired with a greek salad. 

Healthy, delicious and nutritious

After my weekend of food overload (not exaggerating) I thought I would dedicate this week to some healthy eating.

So,

This morning I begun with a breakfast smoothie which had to be altered due to our lack of bananas in the house.

Breakfast Smoothie
It included:
- 1/4 of oats
- 1/2 milk
- 60g of berry's
- A teaspoon and cinnamon
- ice

To be entirely honest, I did miss the creamy banana taste that had to be substituted for berry's but was pleasantly surprised by the summery taste of the smoothie!

Lunch: My absolute favourite meal of the day - this is the meal I am always the hungriest at so I made an extra effort to make something yum.

Chicken Rice-Paper Rolls

Recipe (makes 2 large rolls):

- 2 large rice paper roll wraps
- 1/4 carrot
- 1/2 bean sprouts
- 1/2 cup of carrots grated
- 1/2 cup of fried chicken (no oil, cooked with chilli flakes)
-  Mint leaves for garnish

Cooking in time

I have been going through my phone archives and have found so many pictures of cakes I have made which hold so many memories. I couldn't help but post them!

Raspberry & Almond Friands

The Donna Hay - Chocolate Hazelnut Celebration Cake with a personal caramel infused twist!

Hummingbird Cake with Cream Cheese & Lime icing

   

Whole Orange Cake with a Citrus syrup

Orange and Poppy Seed Cake with Caramel infused syrup

Upside down pear cake with a sugar glaze

A weekend of tea & cakes

Since the beginning of my cooking days I have always been so fascinated by cupcakes & the cupcake-crazed epidemic. Not only are they extremely delicious but they also make great gifts for all occasions. Icing & piping (to me) is like art in it's finest form. I'm still very green when it comes to piping, but I have the food colouring stains all over the kitchen bench to prove that I am constantly practicing. Over the weekend I attended a high-tea for a very special 5-year old, Arabella. Everything was pink, sweet and bite-size (in other words - PERFECT). Here are some pictures of my cakes that I decorated & some the caterers did which were beyond amazing.