(Green Smoothies) Apricot Mango Ginger Bliss

Apricot Mango Ginger Bliss

2 cups Kale, fresh

2 cups Water

8 Apricots

1 Mango

1" Ginger, peeled

1 tablespoon Almond

(Green Smoothies) A Sweet Date

A Sweet Date
inspired by : simplegreensmoothies.com

2 cups Spinach, fresh

2 cups Almond milk, unsweetened

2 cups Cherries, pitted

1 Mango

2 Dates

Boost your energy, feel happier, make your skin glow and naturally strengthen your immune system.

Thanks to Jadah & Jen of simplegreensmoothies.com for inspiring me.

Let's make healthy eating a lifestyle - not a diet.

(Green Smoothies) Honey-Kissed Nectarines

Honey-Kissed Citrus Nectarines
inspired by: simplegreensmoothies.com

2 cups Spinach, fresh

2 cups Orange Juice, freshly squeezed

2 Nectarines

1/2 Honeydew Melon

and I love to add a tablespoon of flaxseeds

Boost your energy, feel happier, make your skin glow and naturally strengthen your immune system.

Thanks to Jadah & Jen of simplegreensmoothies.com for inspiring me.

Let's make healthy eating a lifestyle - not a diet.

(Green Smoothies) The Peachy Keen

The Peachy Keen

source : simplegreensmoothies.com

2 cups Spinach, fresh

1 cups Kale, fresh

2 cups Water

3 Peaches

2" Ginger, fresh

Boost your energy, feel happier, make your skin glow and naturally strengthen your immune system.

Thanks to Jadah & Jen of simplegreensmoothies.com for inspiring me.

Let's make healthy eating a lifestyle - not a diet.

(Green Smoothies) Plum, Citrus & Apricot

Plum, Citrus & Apricot

inspired by : simplegreensmoothies.com

2 cups Kale, fresh

2 cups Orange juice, freshly squeezed

2 Plums

2 Apricots

1/2 Avocado

Boost your energy, feel happier, make your skin glow and naturally strengthen your immune system.

Thanks to Jadah & Jen of simplegreensmoothies.com for inspiring me.

Let's make healthy eating a lifestyle - not a diet.

(Green Smoothies) Spinach Papaya

Spinach Papaya

inspired by : simplegreensmoothies.com

2 cups Spinach, fresh

2 cups Orange juice, freshly squeezed

2 1/2 Papaya

1/2 Avocado

Boost your energy, feel happier, make your skin glow and naturally strengthen your immune system.

Thanks to Jadah & Jen of simplegreensmoothies.com for inspiring me.

Let's make healthy eating a lifestyle - not a diet.

(Green Smoothies) Tropical Punch

Tropical Punch

inspired by : simplegreensmoothies.com

2 cups Kale

2 cups Orange juice, fresh squeezed

2 cups Pineapple

1 cups Mango

2 tablespoons Coconut oil

Boost your energy, feel happier, make your skin glow and naturally strengthen your immune system.

Thanks to Jadah & Jen of simplegreensmoothies.com for inspiring me.

Let's make healthy eating a lifestyle - not a diet.

(Green Smoothies) Mango Cilantro Detox

Mango Cilantro Detox

source : simplegreensmoothies.com

1 ½ cups Spinach, fresh

½ cup Cilantro, fresh
2 cups Water
1 ½ cup Mango
1 cup Pineapple
½ Avocado

Boost your energy, feel happier, make your skin glow and naturally strengthen your immune system.

Thanks to Jadah & Jen of simplegreensmoothies.com for inspiring me.

Let's make healthy eating a lifestyle - not a diet.

(Green Smoothies) Kiwi Avo Blast

Kiwi Avo Blast

source : simplegreensmoothies.com

2 cups Kale

2 cups Coconut Water

3 Kiwi, peeled

1 Banana

1/2 Avocado

Boost your energy, feel happier, make your skin glow and naturally strengthen your immune system.

Thanks to Jadah & Jen of simplegreensmoothies.com for inspiring me.

Let's make healthy eating a lifestyle - not a diet.

(Green Smoothies) Pomegranate Citrus Punch

Pomegranate Citrus Punch

source : simplegreensmoothies.com

2 cups Spinach, fresh
1 cup Orange juice, fresh squeezed
1 cup Water
1 cup Pomegranate seeds
1 Banana

Boost your energy, feel happier, make your skin glow and naturally strengthen your immune system.

Thanks to Jadah & Jen of simplegreensmoothies.com for inspiring me.

Let's make healthy eating a lifestyle - not a diet.

(Green Smoothies) Citrus Breeze

Citrus Breeze 

source : simplegreensmoothies.com

2 cups Spinach, fresh

1 1/2 cups Water

1/2 cup Mango

1/2 cup Pineapple

2 Navel oranges, peeled

1 Banana

Boost your energy, feel happier, make your skin glow and naturally strengthen your immune system.

Thanks to Jadah & Jen of simplegreensmoothies.com for inspiring me.

Let's make healthy eating a lifestyle - not a diet.

KBB #29 : Eccles Cake

Super delish flaky puff pastry filled with juicy dried fruit. I warn you, after making this pastry, you'll have popeye muscle :D. But believe me, it's worth it. The taste won't be the same if you use ready to use puff pastry, because it less flaky. Eccles Cakes
Makes about 50 smallish cakes Filling

Ingredients :
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Peel from 2 lemons Peel from 2 oranges
2 cups dried currants
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice



Directions :
1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the spices and peel and fry until they are fragrant in the butter. Add the fruit, brandy, and juice. Simmer for ten or fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool, then put in the fridge overnight to let the flavors really meld.


Puff Pastry
Ingredients :
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter
4 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon salt
Between 1 and 1/2 cups ice water

Directions :
1. Take three of the sticks of butter and slice them in half lengthwise and then again widthwise.

2. Arrange them into a rectangle on a large piece of wax paper. Put another piece of wax paper on top and roll them the butter out into a 9x12-inch rectangle between the sheets of waxed paper. Chill for at least four hours.

3. Put the four cups of flour into a food processor.

4. Cut up the remaining stick of butter and add it, bit by bit, to the flour and pulse into dusty crumbs.

5. Dump the butter-flour crumbs into a big bowl and add ice water gradually, stirring, just until the dough comes together. Knead for a couple minutes until smooth. Wrap and refrigerate four hours or overnight.

6. Roll the dough out into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle and place the butter rectangle on top. Fold the corners of the dough over the butter and roll out to its previous size. Fold the sides of the dough up to the middle, like folding a piece of paper into thirds, then fold it again in half — like closing a book. You're working the butter into the dough in finer and finer layers; the butter if it stays cold will puff the pastry up in delicious and spectacular ways when you're finished. Wrap this parcel well and put back in the fridge for at least an hour or two.

7. Take the dough out and roll the parcel out into the rectangle again, then repeat the folding process. This is working the butter into the pastry in finer and finer layers. Continue this process - rolling out, then folding. These are called turns. Do at least four turns - six or more is even better. It's very simple: the longer you let the dough rest and chill between turns, and the more turns you do, the lighter and flakier your pastry will be. I did five turns over the course of about 8 hours, and mine was fine - but if I was doing some other kind of pastry I would definitely let it sit overnight at least once.

 


Assembly :
1. 1 egg, beaten.

2. Coarse sugar

3. Heat the oven to 375°F.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

5. Take a third of the the puff pastry dough from the fridge. It should be very cold and firm, but not hard. Roll it out to a thickness of about 1/8-inch. Cut small circles - I used a biscuit cutter that gave me four-inch circles. You could do larger, but I wanted a lot of individual pastries.

6. Put a small dollop of filling (about 1 teaspoon) in the center of each dough circle. Fold in half, like a potsticker dumpling, and seal the edges with your fingers. Now bring the two pointy edges up and fold them in the center, on the curved seam. Flatten out the little pouch with your fingers, and roll it into a small circle - just thin enough that the filling shows through the dough a little. Try not to let it leak out, though. Make two or three shallow slashes in the top of the finished round cake. Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with sugar. (Note: I think that my pastry dough was pretty warm by this point, from all the handling and rolling. I didn't try this at the time, but in the future I think I would put the finished, unbaked pans of cakes in the fridge or freezer to let them chill again - maybe for an hour. This would make a higher, lighter pastry.)

7. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown and puffy. Try not to eat one immediately - the hot raisin filling will scorch your mouth - believe me, I know. These are amazingly good even a few days later.

KBB #28 Torta Pasqualina

Torta Pasqualina is a typical Italian Easter recipe that comes from Liguria. It is a traditional tart made with a thin pastry stuffed with vegetables, ricotta cheese, Parmesan and eggs and it is traditionally prepared in the Easter day as an appetizer.

I didn't have enough time when I prepared this. Been busy the whole month. I was juggling between cupcakes orders, driving license paper works, my friend's wedding invitation and being a tour guide for my sister & brother whose visiting us this month.

It took times when you want to make this savoury cake. I better warn you, it's not easy to flatten each piece of dough into a very thin disk. Be careful not to tear it apart. But worth to try, I like the combo taste of cheese, eggs and vegetables.

Torta Pasqualina
Source: Old Time Cooking Recipes



Ingredients:

DOUGH:
600 g (1 lb 5 oz) white flour
6 Tbs olive oil
a pinch of salt

FILLING:
1 kg (2 lb) Swiss chard (silver beet) or spinach
400 g (0.9 lb) cottage cheese/ricotta cheese
100 g (3.5 oz) parmesan
10 eggs
2 teaspoons marjoram, chopped
2 teaspoons parsley, chopped
garlic, minced (optional)
olive oil
salt, pepper
Preparation:

1. DOUGH:
-Combine flour, oil, a pinch of salt and enough cold water to make a medium soft dough.
-Knead well for 10 minutes or until the dough becomes elastic. -Divide the dough into 14 balls.
-Cover with cloth and let stand for about 1 hour.

2. FILLING:
-Clean, wash and dry the Swiss chard.
-Place in a saucepan with little boiling water and cook at high heat until wilted.
-Cool, then squeeze out excess liquid and chop finely.
-Add 50 g (1.7 oz) parmesan cheese, marjoram, parsley, garlic and 2 eggs. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Oil a round shallow oven dish, 9 inches (22 cm) in diameter.

4. Flatten each piece of dough, one at a time, making each a very thin disk, larger than the baking pan you are going to use.

5. Lay the pastry on the oven dish, allowing it to flow over the edges. Oil it lightly.

6. Place another disk over it and repeat until you have used 7 disks.

7. Spread the Swiss chard stuffing over the dough, and then spread the cottage cheese over the greens level with a knife.

8. Make 8 small cavities. Pour a raw egg into each cavity and sprinkle each with salt, pepper and remaining parmesan cheese.



9. Cover the whole lot with the same number of pastry sheets, each brushed with oil.

10. Pinch the borders and trim the excess dough, prick the top of the pie in a few places and then brush with oil.

11. Bake for 1 hour in 190 C (375 F) oven. Allow to rest before removing from the cake tin

Churros

Super easy, no mixer recipe that you'll love! This is my all time favorite recipe. Got it from Dapurnya Rita.

Churros

Ingredients :
75 g butter, diced
250 ml cup water
115 g plain all-purpose flour
15 g caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
chocolate for dipping or powder sugar

Directions :
1. Heat the butter and water in a small heavy pan until the butter has melted, do not allow the water to boil. Sift the flour and 15 g of caster sugar on to a piece of greaseproof paper.
2. Once the butter has melted bring to a boil, then add the flour and sugar. Remove the pan from the heat and beat the mixture vigorously. Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then gradually beat in the eggs until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
3. Half-fill a large, heavy pan or deep-fryer with oil and heat to 375 degrees F. Spoon the mixture into apiping bag with a star nozzle. Pipe the mixture into the hot oil being careful not to cause the fat to splash or spit. Fry the churros for 2 minutes or until golden and crisp.
4. Remove the churros from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat until all the mixture has been used. Dipped in chocolate or powder sugar. Serve.

Caramel Popcorn

Trully scrumptious treats for kids and also for me :D! We cannot stop eating it. I made a test batch with my friends, following exactly the recipe. When you eat it while it's warm, you have a delicious chewy caramelly popcorn. Once it's cooled, you have that sweet toffee crunch.

The next day I wanted to make the caramel popcorn still chewy when it's cooled. I did a little experiment in the caramel sauce, as soon as all of the sugar crystals have melted, slowly add 3-4 tbsp of cream/liquid whipping cream to the pan, and whisk to mix it in. And yes I prefer this version of chewy and sweet popcorn.

And an important tips from me, never ever use butter to pop the corn. It will easily get burned.

Caramel Popcorn
source : Taste
Makes
14 cups

Ingredients
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup popping corn
Caramel
125g butter, chopped
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

Method
Line a tray with baking paper. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 pieces of popping corn. If corn slowly turns around in a circle then oil is hot enough.
Add remaining popping corn. Cover with a tight-fitting lid. When corn starts popping, shake saucepan gently. Remove from heat when corn stops popping. Transfer to a large bowl, discarding any unpopped corn.
Make caramel: Combine butter, sugar and honey in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 to 7 minutes or until sugar has dissolved. Bring mixture to the boil. Boil, uncovered, without stirring, for 5 to 8 minutes or until light golden.
Remove from heat. Stir in pecans. Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and stir until popcorn is coated. Spread over prepared tray. Set aside to cool. Break into pieces. Serve.