By C:
I know, cheesy title, but I just couldn't help myself!

I finally was able to sleep in today, and woke up feeling very well rested. It is a relatively nice day today, but it feels like there could be some rain coming. With Queensland, you really never know! One minute it's bright and sunny, the next, torrential rain. I have even witnessed some hail going down in these parts!

The semi-gloomy days always make me crave comfort foods, and comforting today came in the form of a nice fluffy omelet.

I had bought some hot smoked salmon a couple days ago, so decided on my other ingredients around the salmon.

It was lovely.




Recipe:

2 large eggs
a splash of milk

a small piece of hot smoked salmon, flaked into small pieces
a small spoonful of capers (I stole a few from my roomie E!)
1 artichoke heart, torn into small pieces
1 tbsp or so of cream cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:
1.Whisk the eggs and milk in a small bowl.
2. Heat a small frying pan on medium heat and add a small amount of oil.
3. When the pan is hot, add the eggs.
4. Cook for 1 -2 min, scraping the bottom and allowing the runny egg to fill the gaps.
5. Sprinkle in capers, salmon, artichoke and salt and pepper.
6. Gently flip the omelet over when the top is almost set.
7. Place small knobs of cream cheese on one half of the omelet.
8. When the bottom is cooked, fold the omelet in half and slide onto your plate.

So, E, Friend B and I were just chillin' out, maxin', relaxin' all cool today, watching some Sex And The City and Masterchef...when E and I suddenly NEEDED some chocolate cake.

We had been watching the SATC episode where Miranda gets a chocolate craving and decides to bake a Betty Crocker cake. She ends up cutting little pieces from it every time she passes the kitchen, and can't stop herself from eating more and more. To avoid eating the entire cake, she first tries covering it in foil (which deosn't work), then putting it in the fridge (again- no dice), then putting it in the GARBAGE (even THAT didn't stop her), and finally- pouring dish soap on top of it.


I feel as though all girls love chocolate and can totally relate to the temptation that Miranda faces in this episode.

Friend B was Oh So Kind and offered to make us a chocolate cake. He whipped up a quick recipe of the Deep Dark Chocolate Cake that was mentioned in E's birthday post. He halved it, and the three of us pretty much finished it off! We are champions.


There was also ice cream involved. We didn't have any ice cream in our freezer, so decided that a quick trip to Macca's was necessary. We took Miss Daisy (our lovely champagne station wagon) to pick up 6 ice creams, which Macca's so accomodatingly put into lids instead of cones for us, and raced back home to enjoy the ice cream with our warm chocolate cake.



It was AMAZING.




We found the recipe via foodgawker. It was on the website www.inncuisine.com.
Here is the recipe:

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa (I used and recommend Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa)
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake rounds or one 13×9x2-inch baking pan.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the first six ingredients (sugar through salt); add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin); pour into prepared pan(s) and bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes our clean. If baking cake rounds, allow rounds to cool slightly before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely. If using rectangular baking pan, allow cake to cool completely before icing.

One Bowl Chocolate Frosting

• 6 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 & 2/3 cups confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa (again, I used and recommend Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa)
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a medium-sized bowl, mix and beat all ingredients using an electric mixer. If icing seems too thick, add a touch more heavy cream until desired consistency is reached, taking care not to over-thin the icing. I have found these amounts enough to frost the top and center layer of two, stacked, 9-inch cake rounds (but not the sides) or the top of a 13×9x2-inch rectangular cake. If you are looking to frost the sides of the stacked cake rounds as well, consider doubling these amounts.

E and B learned this lesson the hard way when making Barefoot Contessa's Tri-Berry Muffins one night. You can find the recipe here.

The recipe clearly indicated lining the trays before spooning in the batter, but since we didn't have any paper liners and it was late at night, we figured there couldn't be much harm in just spraying the pans with canola spray instead.

Turns out we were wrong. Very, very wrong.

Here's what the batter looked like before spooning it into the pans. Nothing weird going on here, right?



We were pretty excited to enjoy the final product, as I (E) am a carbaholic and love freshly baked muffins. However, this is what ended up coming out of the oven...it wasn't so much a "muffin" as it was a "random crumbly mess".



However, crisis averted: we ended up just scooping the "muffins" out of the tray and ate them out of a bowl, which turned this semi-disaster into something rather pleasant!

However, when it was time for round two, we just decided not to line or spray the pans whatsoever...considering whatever the result was, it couldn't be worse than what previously happened.

Nice surprise, hey? We just had to pry the muffins out a little by running a knife around the edges first, but other than that, no biggie.



They ended up being pretty fantastic muffins. Just remember to line the tray first.

By C:
As a child (/for the majority of my life ie. 21 years), I hated bananas. I hated the smell, the texture, the gross peels, and most of all- the fact that they reminded me of the disgusting medicine my mother forced me to take when I was sick. Only recently have I come to like them. I began to develop an appreciation for them when I was in the Dominican Republic. I spent a month there doing volunteer work, and the snacks that they had on site were usually bananas and pineapple. Pretty much any fresh tropical fruit is delicious, so I made myself eat one, one day, and realized that they really weren't so bad! Pretty fan-friggin-tastic actually.

However, despite my childhood-loathing of bananas in their raw form, I always loved banana bread and banana muffins. I have a similar weird quirky thing where I really hated ketchup as a child, but really liked tomatoes... but that is a little different I suppose.

Anyhow, here is a recipe I found on allrecipes.com for Banana Breadl , which I made into muffins.

I also added some dark chocolate melts that I had.





Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup banana, mashed
• 1/4 cup applesauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add egg whites, bananas and applesauce; stir just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean. Turn out onto wire rack and allow to cool.

**PS E and I JUST found out that we got the beautiful apartment that we've been waiting on! it is RIGHT on the beach. Look forward to posts with our snazzy new pad in the backdrop.

Happy EOFYS everybody!!


N.B. For those who have absolutely no idea what this post is about, there is a commercial for Foxtel's End of Financial Year Sale that pretty much airs nonstop here on the Gold Coast. TV, radio, elevators, everywhere.

I(E) can't get this catchy jingle out of my head no matter how hard I try!!! Suggestions??

This is what our kitchen looked like around the halfway point in cooking up the birthday feast for E. Our darling E turned 24 this month, and Friend B planned an 8 course dinner for her- almost all dishes by Jamie Oliver. (Friend B may or may not have a slight man-crush on the Naked Chef...)

The whole meal took us about 6-7 hours to complete (it was like our own Masterchef episode) and the end result was pretty amazing!

It started off with a little peppercorn cheese with water crackers (not included in the number of courses):



The main was a Steak with a Chianti Butter Sauce:



with a side of Olive Oil Mash:




Home made Ravioli with potato, mint and pecorino cheese in a Butter and Mint Sauce and Steamed Broccoli with Beurre Blanc Sauce:



* the ravioli was especially tricky, as we don't own a pasta roller OR a rolling pin. Friend B really wanted to make it though, so we improvised by using our can of canola oil spray. The ravioli turned out quite thick, but better than expected for not having the proper tools.

The spread, complete with pink napkins:



and for the grand finale:

Eton Mess- vanilla meringue, with whipped cream and strawberries macerated in balsamic vinegar and sugar:



Deep Dark DELICIOUS Chocolate Cake:
* note the unique architectural structure- one square layer and one circular layer- Friend B's idea


Home made Vanilla Custard Ice Cream:


and Citrus flavoured Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar:

It was QUITE the feast.



Recipes will come soon.

One night I(E) needed to find a use for some leftover Gorgonzola (that was partially used to create a gnocchi masterpiece). After some googling and searching on Foodgawker, I came across this recipe for homemade Mac n'Cheese.

I have to admit, it turned out pretty amazingly to say the least, and it's quick to prepare.

I didn't really follow the recipe measure for measure, mostly because we don't have measuring spoons or a scale in our apartment, which can be an issue...

Nonetheless, I would definitely suggest trying this recipe. It says serves 4-6 but when you have appetites the likes of B and I, and a recipe as great as this one, there are rarely leftovers!

Side Salad: We added a bit of grated Pecorino as well as Parmesan on top before baking, which only upped the awesome factor!

Macaroni with Gorgonzola and Parmesan Cream (from Bloomacious)

2 cups milk
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus a little extra for greasing
3 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
pinch of nutmeg
salt and ground pepper
4 oz Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1 lb dried macaroni
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (?) grated Pecorino cheese

Method:
Heat milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat; when warm, turn element off and let stand.

In other saucepan, combine butter and flour over low heat, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon as the butter melts and flour is mixed in. Once the butter is fully melted, cook and stir for 2 minutes longer.

Gradually add warm milk, stirring constantly. Mix fully before adding all milk. Cook, stirring often, until thickened. Continue to cook for about 3 minutes.

Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste and stir in well. Remove from heat, but keep warm and covered.

Bring a large pot of water full of salted water to a boil. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 6 x 12 baking dish with butter.

Add the macaroni to the boiling water and cook until about 1/2 way done, about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to prepared baking dish.

Add the warm sauce and Gorgonzola and stir gently. Sprinkle Parmesan and Pecorino on top.

Bake until the top is golden, about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!!!!

Breakfast is perhaps my favourite meal of the day, but sadly, it is often rushed and frantic. It is especially frantic on the days that we have 8am class (Evidence Law at 8 am??? WHO thought that was a good idea?).

Some days, it's toast wrapped in (ghetto) paper towel to be eaten in the car with a travel mug of coffee...but other days, it's homemade pancakes with butter and maple syrup, or banana and cream cheese- stuffed french toast....fluffy omelets with veggies and cheese...oh, breakfast can be downright dreamy. Anyhow, weekends are the perfect time to slow down and take the time to enjoy it. Especially when you are lucky enough to have a sunny day, a comfy couch, and a gorgeous ocean view.

This is what I made a couple weekends ago. I was originally planning on being lazy and just having toast with jam, but noticed my bag of avos on the counter and decided to let them join the breakfast party.



This recipe is too easy to even be called a recipe, but to make this dreamy breakfast sandwich, you'll need:
two pieces of multigrain bread, toasted
some butter or margarine (if you're in Australia, Devondale is the way to go!)
1 egg, fried (I like mine just a little bit runny inside)
1/2 a small avo, cut into thin slices
a couple pieces of sliced tomato
1 piece of cheese (I used process cheese- shame on me, I know. I happen to love it though! )
salt and pepper

1. Pop your bread in the toaster
2. Fry the egg to your liking.
3. When the egg is just about finished, top with cheese and cover pan to let cheese melt.
4. Take the toast out of the toaster and spread with butter or margarine.
5. Place avo slices and tomato slices on one piece of bread.
6. Top with the cheese-topped fried egg.
7. Place other piece of bread on top.
8. voila- delish breakfast sandwich.
**Best enjoyed while still in pyjamas.

Our friend L, who is Australian, once tried to convince E and I that the proper way to say Tu (as in Tunes, Tuesday etc) was pronounced "Chu"- as in Chuesday and Chunes. However, he then went on to explain that that pronunciation was not appropriate in all circumstances- ie. Looney Tunes is pronounced "Looney Tunes" and not "Looney Chunes". Call me crazy, but does this make ANY sense to you?


*note the LOVELY weather outside! It's a gorgeous day.


Anyways, long story short, I bought an amazing baguette from Coles today, and had a huge can of TUna in the pantry, so decided to make a little (read:big) sammy for lunch.




I didn't measure (as usual, sorry!) but here is a rough recipe:

Tuna Salad

1 regular can of tuna
1 rib of celery, diced
2 tsp mayonnaise
1-2 tbsp sour cream
1 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper

dreamy baguette or bun

fancy lettuce (I am unsure of what type of lettuce this is- anyone know fancy lettuce equivalent in places such as Canada, where there is no such thing as fancy lettuce?)
1 artichoke heart, torn apart- I buy the ones just in brine- no oil
sliced tomato

Pile on a big ol' scoop of tuna salad onto your bun, top with tomato, lettuce and the pieces of artichoke. Place top of bun onto the pile of deliciousness. Enjoy.

There haven't been any posts on toast, and seeing as we claim that this blog is about life, love, surfing and TOAST, I (C) thought it was about time to write one! Toast is quite high on my list of favourite foods. I'm sure that many people may find toast boring, but there are so many options and delicious variations of toppings that you can put on toast, that "boring" is definitely not a word I would ever use to describe my beloved toast. AND, who can say no to warm, chewy, crispy pieces of BREAD. I'm pretty sure that my life would end if I ever developed a gluten allergy. It's just that kind of love, people.



Here is a picture of the delicious brekky that I had today. I have toast pretty much every morning, and these have been my favourite toppings lately- light devondale (most amazing margarine ever) wth 4 berry jam, and crunchy peanut butter with sliced bananas.

**Fun fact- E and C love combining cream cheese and peanut butter on toast. You should try it. Now. It is beyond amazing.

After the epic success of the Chicken Parm Sandwich, E and B decided to tackle another Esquire recipe, Kerry Simon's Steak Tacos. It does have a LOT of ingredients, but the end result is worth it. Although the recipe says that it serves 6 to 8, our massive appetites ensured that these tacos didn't last long.

Esquire's Steak Tacos (Serves 6-8)

For tacos:

• 3 1/2 pounds skirt steak, cut against the grain into strips (a little smaller than your little finger)
• 20 flour tortillas (4 inch)
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 large head Napa cabbage (also called Chinese), cleaned, cut into thin strips, and tossed with the juice of 2 limes

For spice mixture:

• 2 tsp chipotle chile powder
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 3 tsp kosher or coarse salt

For salsa:

• 1 jalapeño pepper
• 1 red onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 4 plum tomatoes
• 2 oz canola oil
• 1 tsp kosher or coarse salt
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
• 3 fresh limes, juiced

For guacamole:

• 6 ripe Haas avocados, halved, pits removed, flesh scooped out and placed in large bowl with the juice of 4 limes
• 4 plum tomatoes, small diced (about 2 cups)
• 1 red onion, minced, about 1 cup
• 1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
• 2 tsp kosher or coarse salt

For lime crema:

• 2 cups sour cream
• 2 fresh limes

Tip: The salsa, crema, and guacamole can be prepared up to 2 hours ahead of time, wrapped tightly, and refrigerated. When wrapping the guacamole, place a layer of plastic film directly on the surface (and/or keep avocado pits in the bowl) to avoid discoloration from oxidation.

To make tacos: Combine spice-mixture ingredients and toss with steak to coat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Warm tortillas on cookie sheet in oven. Heat two large sauté pans to medium-high. When pans are hot, add oil to each pan followed by 1/2 the seasoned meat. Spread meat out evenly and cook without turning while you lay out warm tortillas on a clean work area to get ready for assembly. Cook meat for approximately 3 minutes, turn, and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to achieve even coloring. After 3 minutes, turn off heat and allow meat to sit in the pan, becoming just cool enough for you to handle.

We were initially unable to find Chipotle Chili Powder at the supermarket, until we encountered "Mexican Chile Powder", which, in Australia, is apparently the same thing. So...just an FYI.

To make salsa: Rub jalapeño, onion, and tomatoes lightly with oil and roast in large sauté pan on medium-high, turning frequently until lightly charred all over. Set aside to cool. This was the end result:

When cooled, roughly chop and place in a food processor with salt, pulsing until almost smooth but still just a little chunky. Transfer to bowl, add cilantro and lime juice, cover, and refrigerate.

Unfortunately, our salsa ended up being slightly watery.

However, all was not lost; we just drained the excess liquid from the salsa and everything was OK.

To make guacamole: Lightly crush avocados with fork until almost smooth but still a little chunky.

This recipe called for a LOT of avocados...although I'm definitely not complaining!

Evenly mix in tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, and salt; cover and refrigerate.

B was responsible for making the guacamole, did a pretty great job. He makes a cameo here, chopping tomatoes with scientific precision:

To make lime crema: Whisk 2 cups sour cream together with the juice of 2 fresh limes.

Once all your ingredients are prepared, you're all set to prepare these yummy, yummy tacos.

Enjoy!!

I(E) didn't know this, but Esquire magazine has some pretty great recipes.
One lazy afternoon E and friend B decided to try out Esquire's Chicken Parm Hero, which turned out to be one of the best sandwiches we'd ever had.

The recipe can be found here.

We couldn't find Semolina hero rolls at our local friendly Coles supermarket, so we just used sliced Artisan loaf instead. I'd say it turned out just fine that way as well, but if you can find a nice, soft sandwich roll I'm sure it can only add to the amazing taste experience.

Highly recommended.




A Modified Version of Harold Dieterle's Chicken-Parm Hero:

Ingredients

• 1 boneless, skinless organic chicken-breast cutlet (about 8 oz)
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten (overbeating creates air bubbles that prevent the bread crumbs from sticking)
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• Canola or peanut oil for frying
• Artisan loaf, cut into approximately 1" slices
• Sauce (see below)
• 2 tbsp grated pecorino
• 1/4 cup (4 oz) shredded buffalo mozzarella

Method

Dredge chicken breast in flour (knocking off excess), dip in egg (dripping off excess), and press in bread crumbs (must be thoroughly coated at each step). In a sauté pan over medium to high heat, add 1/4 inch of oil. When a pinch of breading sizzles on contact, fry breaded cutlet (lowering heat if necessary) until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes on each side. (Check for doneness by making a tiny cut in thickest part of breast.)

Place bread slices on foil-covered sheet pan and lightly toast under preheated broiler. Lightly coat upper and lower halves with sauce and arrange cutlet on bottom half, cutting to fit if necessary.

Top with sauce, grated pecorino, and buffalo mozzarella. Transfer to preheated 350 degree oven until cheese is melted, about 2 or 3 minutes. Set top in place and serve.

Sauce

• 1/4 cup spicy Italian sausage, out of casing and crumbled
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup white onion, minced
• 2 tsp fennel seed
• 2 basil leaves, chopped
• 1 can (14 1/2 oz) crushed organic tomatoes
• Coarse salt and ground black pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pot over low to medium heat, cook sausage. Strain off fat, add garlic, onion, fennel seed, and basil, and cook until softened. Add tomatoes and simmer over low heat until thickened, about 30 minutes. Season to taste.

Today started out a little rough for me (c). For some reason, I woke up feeling like I'd been hit by a truck, and was nauseous AS. I decided to go to school with E though, and almost died during our PPT class, so went home for a couple hours to nap. Anyways, nausea subsided, and the day got much better. I even had an ok time taking the bus to school! It was the first time that I was actually impressed by Surfside bus lines! However, I still have not completely changed my mind about those bus drivers..mr. bus driver was nice today, but I didn't have my 7ft surfboard in tow.

So, the day ended much better than it started, and I made a delicious dinner. I had seen an amazing looking recipe for turkey meatballs with tomato cream sauce, and had bought some ground turkey the other day, so it worked out quite perfectly.

I found the recipe on Evil Shenanigans Blog
I halved the recipe, as my package of turkey was only 1/2 a pound, and I also added some veggies- 1/2 a zucchini and 1/2 a red pepper.

Turkey Meatballs with Quick Tomato Cream Sauce Serves 6

Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 - 12 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup heavy cream

Meatballs:
1 pound lean ground turkey
2/3 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan
Fresh cracked pepper
1 pound papradelle

For the sauce heat the olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and cook until soft, about three minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes then cook until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute.


Add the diced tomatoes with the liquid and stir to combine. Add the sugar, fresh herbs - except the basil, and salt then bring to a simmer.

Put the mixture in the blender, along with the basil, and process until smooth, about two to three minutes on high. Pour back into the pot and return to the heat and bring back to a simmer. Turn off the heat and add the cream. Stir to combine.

Preheat the broiler and line a baking sheet with parchment, then spray with vegetable oil.




To prepare the meatballs combine the turkey, carrots, onion, garlic, bread crumbs, and egg. Mix until combined.

Add the herbs, salt, pepper, and cheese. Mix well.

With a small disher, about two tablespoons, scoop out the meatballs into the prepared sheet pan. You should get between 25 and 30 meatballs. Top with a dash of the paprika.


Bake under the broiler for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165 F.

While the meatballs are in the oven prepare the pasta according to the package directions.

To serve put the pasta in a serving bowl and toss with half the sauce. Add the meatballs to the serving dish and drizzle the remaining sauce on top. Garnish with fresh grated parmesan cheese and torn basil.