Month: August 2012

Dirty Rice

Dirty Rice

Dirty Rice Before I met Cookies I thought that American cuisine is mostly hamburgers and fried chicken oh and apple pie 0_o. I know stereotypical, but I didn’t have a chance to change that thinking. I got the chance after Cookies and I created the 

Crab Sticks Dinner

Crab Sticks Dinner

Crab Sticks Dinner When I was younger I never liked seafood, also wasn’t big fan of fish. But now, when I’m OLD (according to Cookies) I like many things more. I believe it’s the natural way of the taste buds evolving, though I still hate 

Little Goaties Lunch Salad

Little Goaties Lunch Salad

Little Goaties Lunch Salad

Everytime we go for weekly shoppings I always hear that Cookies has nothing to eat…
Of course, cos he is so damn picky that it’s ridiculous. So we walk in circles until he picks sth for his royal palate to handle – yeah mostly potatoes and eggs 0_o and cheese… Bread is bleh, ham is bleh… so mostly I don’t eat lunches with him or rarely what he eats. This time I had to use a mix of lettuce I bought a couple days before – which Cookies OF COURSE doesn’t like cos it has an evil green called RUCOLA! Thankfully it was Saturday so I already went to the yard store for some lunch meat (cold meat, cold cuts) and I bought 4 nice pork ham hot dogs. In the yard store I always can find something interesting – cos they order from local producers, not only from the big companies like Olewnik or Sobsmak. I always ask the lady what she thinks is the best within certain products and since I’m always nice and smiling she answers honestly 0_o. This time she told me they got new hot dogs made from straight pork ham meat. I tried it and yes these are really good. I wanted the salad to also look nice and funny hence I made it look like little goaties that I remember from one New Years party.

Ingredients for salad:
2 handfuls of lettuce mix
4 small good hot dogs
1 medium tomato
½ small green cucumber
handful of green olives (optional of course)

Ingredients for dressing:
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp olives marinade (optional to make the dressing less thick)
salt, pepper

Just stir everything together thoroughly, add some olives to the marinate if too thick, just be careful with salt then, as this marinade is usually very salty.

Preparations:
Cut hot dogs in 4 cm pieces, cut to the middle, then flip 180 degrees and cut the same way, it has to look like you want to cut it in 4 long pieces but in general as cross. You can boil it in water for few minutes until they “open” or on two drops of oil heat it up and brown a little.
Toss lettuce on the plate. Cut tomato as you like, cut cucumbers as you like – place it on top of the lettuce. Place goaties on top, over it some olives and sprinkle with dressing.

Until next time, take care of yourself and each other 0_o

P.S. Cookies looked at my salad and made a face and the puking sound… but what he knows about good salad? He likes potatoes and eggs most of the time  0_o

Coleslaw Awesomeness

Coleslaw Awesomeness

Coleslaw Awesomeness I remember the first time I ate coleslaw. It was very long time ago, I went with my friend Ms. Ds to the cinema, but we decided to eat something first. She proposed KFC. Since fast food chains wasn’t present in Poland when 

“Cowboy Cutlets”

“Cowboy Cutlets”

“Cowboy Cutlets”   Well, unfortunately not every recipe I try is a success. Lately I found a very promising salad on BBC Foods. It included beets, potatoes, and smoked mackerel. Seemed interesting, and different at the same time, so I gave it a shot… well… 

My 4th love Ms Cabbage

My 4th love Ms Cabbage

My 4th love Ms Cabbage

When I was a kid, then as a teenager, my mother was asking me and my sister what to cook for dinner, cos she has no idea … we always was answering in unison CABBAGE. Also my father always was supporting that concept ;-). Even my aunt Irene was complaining that when asked what we would eat, we always answered cabbage :D.

Unfortunately since I met Cookies 0_o I wasn’t able to fulfil my 4th love, cos he doesn’t like cabbage as much. Of course he makes MAGICAL pigs in the blanket, for my Polish friends that would be golabki, and he learned to consume sauerkraut soup (that was not an easy task, believe me!), but he doesn’t let me cook it that often anymore. Before, I believe we (my parents, and sister) would eat cabbage at least once or even twice a week.

I was happy like a pig in the mud 0_o when he agreed for polish style cabbage cooked with tomatoes. I jumped into the topic as fast as possible.

Ingredients:
1,5-2 kg head of cabbage
35-40 dag (1 lb) smoked bacon or sausage if your co-sleeper allows (sausage is another NO NO in the Mullen Household)
1 jar of good tomato concentrate
2 medium tomatoes
whole bunch of dill
salt, pepper, cumin
a pinch of yellow poison (not necessary)

Preparations:
Prepare a big pot with a little water in the bottom and start heating. Get a sharp knife and shred the cabbage, tossing portions into the pot. After you manage to shred the whole head – stir good and cover. Cook for lets say 15 minutes, then add cubed bacon or sausage, minced dill, salt, pepper and pinch of cumin. Boil for another 15-20 min. Add tomato concentrate and skinned and minced fresh tomatoes. Cover and boil for 30 min, stirring now and then. Try, if it’s needed, then add a pinch of yellow poison.

As everything with cabbage, this dish is better the next day, but of course also very good right after preparing. Serve with mashed potatoes or fresh bread or even nothing 😉 like I did.

Until next time, take care of yourself and each other 0_o

P.S. Cookies said that, its not true he does not like Cabbage, but it is true he does not like Sausage. Typical jackass, instead of saying if it liked it or not. 0_o (well he didn’t bitch, so I guess that means VICTORY!)

Lemony Chicken With Couscous

Lemony Chicken With Couscous

Lemony Chicken With Couscous Since I’m trying to diet constantly, I tend to look for recipes that at least seem to be diet, (read that: HEALTHY) then I change everything that isn’t diet, and make it diet 0_o. This time I found on the BBC 

“Avocado Chicken Salad”

“Avocado Chicken Salad”

Avocado Chicken Salad” Lately I read an article about how healthy avocado is, so I decided to include it into our diet. I didn’t know that avocado ripens after harvesting. I knew it is healthy but the article provided some numbers like about 75% calories 

The No Carbs Dinner

The No Carbs Dinner

 

After my IDWTC Syndrome last week, I spent the weekend cooking quite nice stuff. Both dinners I prepared were low on carbs, and could be considered even diet. The Sechuan chicken I made the day before was light, and delicate with rich bouquet of flavours, then on Sunday I had to do something more potent. I decided on variation of the bulgarian kufte I once made. This time though I used skewers, and some more spices then cumin, salt, and pepper. Served it with grilled baby zucchini, and boiled mixed beans.

Ingredients for 6 skewers:

40 dag (1 lb) ground lean beef
1 egg
2 shallots chopped tiny
handful chopped PARSLEY
salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, garlic powder
drip of oil
3 baby zucchinis

Preparations :

Place meat in a bowl, add egg , shallots, parsley, and sprinkle with spices i believe I added ½ tsp for each, and 1 tsp salt. I believe cos I always do it by eye 0_o. Mix thoroughly. Roll 6 long meatballs,  and run a skewer through each one. Cut baby zucchinis at an angle into slices. Drip some oil on the meat, and place on hot grill pan (or outside grill). If you have more then 2 burners and 2 grilling pans make all the meat and zucchini at once, but if not – just do it partially.

Zucchini needs to have some grill marks or be nicely browned on both sides. When you turn it sprinkle the top of the slices with some salt.

Can also be served with new potatoes, rice or couscous and side salad. I chose mix of yellow wax and green beans – still the season for it and much more healthy this way.

Until next time, take care of yourself and each other 0_o

P.S. Cookies was so pleased that he tweeted this: Got to praise my wife @RealMagdaCooks she hit a HOMERUN w/ DINNER this eve

“The Contradiction”

“The Contradiction”

After my IDWTC Syndrome last week, I didn’t want to get tired quickly with something that takes time, so I chose this recipe for chix with nice sechuan bite, that I found somewhere in the internet  It seemed easy to make, and in the end I