Valentine's Dinner

Valentines Home Cook 3 course Dinner 

We usually never celebrate any Valentines Day. As for me it is just another normal day in which mainly shops  and restaurants are making more money as people are spending their money on presents, flowers and dinning out. I prepared dinner everyday for my boyfriend, my son and also for a friend of ours Anna Karin who is living here with us. That day I decided to decorate the table with nice table clothe and set up to a fine dinning and 3 course dinner.

Since I have always been bad in doing any kind dessert due to my impatient and details that may required in baking, I have asked my sister in law to contribute a recipe which is very simple and easy so I will manage to get the dessert on the table. It turn to be very successful and everyone loves it.

Starter Shrimp with Mango

Ingredients

Shrimp

Chopped red onion

Mango

Thinly slice cucumber

Sweet Chili Sauce

Sesame oil

Lime juice

Sprinkle with Chopped Fresh Coriander Leaves and chopped Almond nuts

 Main Course

Chicken Stuffed with Spinach and dried Tomatoes with Pepper Sauce

Ingredients

Chicken Fillet grind them in blender

Add Spinach, thinly slice dried tomatoes 

Light soy sauce

Salt and Pepper

Mixed all together and shape them again into any shapes of your preferences

Sprinkle olive oil and into oven for 30 mins at 200 degree.

Potato

Ingredients

Peel potatoes and cook till its soft done

Pressed the potato with folk but not too smash

sprinkle on top of the potatoes with salt and Pepper

Cheese of your choice

Chopped Almond nuts 

Into oven 200 degree 20 mins or until cheese melted

Pepper sauce

Ingredients

Heat pan and melt a spoonful of butter

Crushed Mixed peppercorn

Double cream

Meat bujlong

Red Wine 

Dessert Croissant Chocolate Almond Pudding  with Vanilla Sauce

Ingredients

Croissants cut into half

Egg

Milk

Double Cream

Vanilla Essence

Mixed together all the ingredients above and pour in on top of the croissants

Let the mixture soak well onto the bread before baking them.

I spread generous amount of Nutella chocolate and chopped almond above and a dash of cinnamon before putting them in the oven for 30 mins.

Pour over Vanilla Sauce before serving.

Rock the boat Cruise with Baltic Queen

15th February 2018 was our friend Anders Nilsson Birthday. He called me a week before asking if Lars and I would be interested to join them on Rock the Boat Cruise with his Sambo Åsa. First and foremost I am totally not a big fan of Rock Concert. Somehow Åsa was not either and we then said we could hang around together while the boys went to see the concert.

They picked up at 10:15 in the morning and we drove to town where the bus will pick us up to the cruise ship in Stockholm. Upon arrival we checked in and we invited them to our room for some wine.

Later we head off to a buffet dinner with free flow of wine and beer. The food spread was amazing. 

 Even though I may not be with the boys most of the time during the concert, I had a great time on the cruise.

 Anders turning 49, Thursday 15th February 2018.

Macaroni Cheese Burger

Lately I have been trying to create different types of dishes for the family in which I have never done before. Today I decided to try macaroni and cheese to replace the burger bread.

Preparing of macaroni cheese. ( 6 person)

Ingredients

5 cups of Macaroni
Cream Cheese
Texas shredded cheese
Prast Cheese
Gouda Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Cream
Milk
Butter
Flour

Spices Salt and Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, White Pepper and Chili Powder

Cook Macaroni first in a pan of boiling water.

Melt butter in a pan and once it is melted add in flour. Stir well till it mixed well.
Sprinkle in Salt, Pepper.
Pour in milk for few mins and add in cream cheese and other cheeses of your choice (excluded the shredded cheese which will be sprinkle in the very last part)
Once all the cheeses are melted you can add in Cream.

Add cooked Macaroni and stir in well. You can add in Cayenne pepper, White pepper and Chili Power at this point and stir again.

Once they are done, lay a baking paper and pour them on the baking tray. Making sure that they are press together so they are compact and tight. Sprinkle shredded cheese all over. Bake in the oven 200 deg 20 mins.

Once they are done take them out from the oven and let it cool off for 20 minutes before putting them in the fridge for 45 mins to an hour.

After 45 mins to an hour in fridge, cut them in square.

Dip in flour, followed by egg and bread crumbs.

Fry them in a pan with oil.

Preparing of burger

Minced meat

Chopped onion

Tomato ketchup

Worcester sauce

Salt

Pepper

Cayenne Pepper

Mixed well and round them into burger

Add 1 tbs oil and pan fry the burger 3 mins on each side on a medium high heat.

Additional layer of slice cheese, salad, tomatoes, cucumber, sweet chilies and sprinkle of fried onion. Macaroni cheese burger is ready to be serve.

Gado Gado

Gado Gado is a rather typical Indonesian vegetarian dish serves with peanut sauce. Somehow it is also a popular dish in Singapore and Malaysia.

Vegetables Ingredients

Bean curd and Tempe cut into small pieces and fry them till golden brown on all side

Long bean, Beansprouts, Cabbage blenched them in boiling water for few mins but not too long as it will be too soft and soggy.

Hard boiled egg, cut into four pieces

Boiled potato cut them into small bite pieces.

Cucumber slice

Shrimp Crackers

Peanut sauce

One cup peanut roasted or fried them first then pounded them till smooth paste using mortar.

3 garlic pounded to paste

1/2 cup Coconut milk

5 red chilies discard the seeds blended to paste

1 tsp dried shrimp paste

I add few table spoon of Sweet chili sauce since my family do not eat too spicy and sweet chili helps to make it milder and sweeter.

In a sauce pan, combine all the mixture with the coconut milk. Stir occasionally on a low medium heat.

Place all blenched vegetables, bean curd, Tempe, hard boiled egg, potato on a plate and pour the peanut sauce.  Garnished with fried shallots and Shrimp crackers.

you can either eat this on it own or with rice.

Home made Large Burger

I am sure everyone can do a burger home on their own. I am not practically a big fan of burgers but I did it from time to time as my partner seems to enjoy it. At times. I would skip the bread and even cheese which is the most important best part in the burger.

Preparing the burger meat

Minced meat

Chopped Onion

Chili powder

Garlic powder

Cumin Powder

BBQ sauce and if you don't have any BBQ sauce you can substitute with ketchup, light soy sauce, and if you like it little sweet add in sweet chilli sauce

bread crumbs

Mixed the meat together.

I fry them on a pan with melted butter and you can grill them in the oven too if you prefer. Since our family like it more moist and not too dry burger, I fry them  between 3 to 4 mins on medium high on each side for roughly 200 gram size of burger meat.

You could also spread butter on both sides of the bread and put them face down on the pan till it turn little color. That will bring little taste to the bread before adding your own mayonnaise, cheese, salad, tomatoes, cucumber, meat, bacon, sauces of your preference and top of with sunny side up egg ( individual preference)

Slow cook Beef in Crock pot

Preparation time 15 mins

Cook Time : 5 hours low heat

3 hours medium heat

Ingredients

1 large Onion thinly slice

3 Garlic chopped finely

 1 cm fresh Ginger thinly slice

Carrots and Potato cut them into small pieces

Cut the meat into chunky pieces

2 fresh tomatoes chopped finely

One cube of Beef Fond 

Handful chopped Parsley

Thinly slice cucumber

Fried shallot

Thinly slice piri piri (only if you like extra hot)

In a crock pot add little oil and stir in onion, garlic and ginger.

Followed by chunky beef, turning them from time to time until the beef looks done on all side.

Put in the chopped tomatoes, beef fond and water filling up to cover the meat.

Let it cook on a slow heat for 5 hrs, turning them every 45 mins.

Add more water if the water reduce.

An hour before it is ready add in the carrots, potatoes and parsley.

Once the meat are tender. Serves them on a bowl with thinly slice cucumber, fried shallots and piri piri.

Recommended serving with nice warm garlic bread.

I did my garlic bread with spreading butter, Garlic powder, thyme and white pepper.
Into the oven for 10 to 15 mins at 140 deg Celsius. 

Bargedil

Bargedil (Minced Meat and Potato)

Ingredients

Onion (Finely chopped)

Garlic (Finely chopped)

Coriander leaves (Finely chopped)

Spring onion (Fine chopped)

Nutmeg

Mined meat

Potato

Egg

Instructions:
Slice potato and deep fry
Once it is done, start pounding them.
Then set aside

Add little oil in a frying pan and when it is hot,

Add in chopped onion and garlic and stir fry for few minute

Add in minced meat and mixed.

Add a 1/2 tps of nutmeg

Salt and pepper

Once they are ready pour over a strainer to remove access oil

Combined the mashed potato, chopped coriander leave and chopped Spring onion.

Mixed well the minced meat and potato.

Round them into a small flat ball.

Once they are all ready for frying

Prepare one egg and beat them with little salt

Dip the meat ball into egg and fry them quickly on both side till it turns brown.

Once it is done, they are ready for serve!