Pesto: Basil ,Chive and Garlic

A simple blend of what I have on hand:

• Fresh Basil
• Lemongrass
• Fresh Chive
• Garlic
• Olive Oil
• Tri Blend Peppercorns , White, Black and Szechuan
• Walnuts

A Pesto need not be a strict list of certain ingredients. Blend to your specific taste. Try different additions for tasting ingredients.

photos from June 26th.

This makes a good substitute for butter on toast or bread. Cheese can also be grated on top. Thinned with oil and vinegar a dressing for greens, tomatoes etc. A dipping sauce, a pasta sauce, I enjoy this when the fresh ingredients are available. Blended in a food processor or an unplugged version could be made in a mortar and pestle. I usually drizzle the oil in at the end after the fresh ingredients have been blended.

 

Chocolate Shortbread olé

A chocolate type cookie , easy to make, cinnamon and a bit of chili powder. I choose to use smoked chili powder and it is way in the background in the taste of the cookies.

From a Nestle recipe book, instead of pecans , walnuts were used.

• 8oz chocolate bits, ghirardelli chocolate chips used
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 inch cayenne pepper (smoked dried chili flakes used)
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 and 1/2 sticks butter
• 1 cup chopped toasted pecans, (walnuts used)

Melt the chocolate

Mix the sugar and butter till fluffy, add the melted chocolate.

Combine the flour, cinnamon and chili pepper, and stir into the above.

Stir in the nuts.

Shape into 1 inch balls (or use a scooper)  and then press them to flatten with a glass bottom coated in sugar.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes.

My cookies were a bit dry but none the less, very good.

prep, toast the walnuts, melt the chocolate

cookie dough

press with a sugar coated cup

ready to bake

cooling

Couscous salad with walnuts and mozzarella

Salad, anyway you make it, a fresh mixture of greens and vegetables, this one filling with the addition of couscous, sort of like a pasta salad. I made 1/2 the recipe, the full recipe serves 10, I devoured the half recipe for a full course meal. (the orginal recipe calls for feta cheese but mozzarella is what was available.

Boil some water for the couscous and your done with cooking this meal!

A  Bob’s Red Mill Recipe

tear up some leafy lettuce

add all the salad ingriedents in a large bowl

whip up the dressing

Whip up the dressing

add the cooked couscous and lightly toss the salad with the dressing or drizzle per serving, add the cheese

Now I’ve made this twice, with addition of rye bread croutons. (and I sneaked in a bit of smoked dried hot red pepper into the dressing)

sweet & hot rice

with the addition of raisins, and cardamon seeds, and dried hot pepper flakes, this rice give the sweetness and fire at the same time.

amounts are to your preference….
cover the bottom of the cooking vessel  with chopped leeks
add the rice (one cup)
add the liquid (two cups)
consisting of
vegetable broth
ginger garlic paste *
cardamon  seeds, about 5 pods, broken open
a dash of curry powder
a dash of cinnamon
a dash of smoked dried hot peppers.
dual stage microwave cook 10 minutes full, 10 minutes 1/2 power
when complete fluff, and stir in chopped raisins and nuts.

*in a small food processor, fill the bowl with good sized pieces of ginger and garlic, I buy extra to store for future recipes. (of course peel both). I eyeballed about equal amounts of both, add a small amount of vegetable oil. Process and slowly add more oil till the grinding produces a paste. Store in a small mason jar container and refrigerate. I chose the vegetable oil for neutrality versus olive oil. Much more efficient than buying either ginger and/or garlic paste from the market.

 

 

Coffee cloud cake

A recipe made by my wife who bakes more than I do , cookies , desserts , cakes etc. 

Here’s one from scratch, via the good housekeeping illustrated cookbook.

  
Lighter than a pound cake, recipe under sponge cake category. Walnuts are in the cake and it goes well with a cup of coffe, a donut alternative. 👍🏼💋☕️

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

Hopefully my iPad will remain calm, as a bit of a fixer, mobile touch screen devices have a weakness, the screen. Carrying an iPad sooner or later (in a case) resulted in a cracked screen. Replacement parts are available , the quality though is questionable. It also seems that once a cracked screen replaced , is destined to reoccur. Once the repair is made intermittent performance of the screen and /or sensitivity issues crop up. One unfamiliar with the problem would think that their device is possessed as it suddenly open apps , starts typing and could post garble. Probably more research is needed ,for the DIY , it is a cost advantage and learning experience for repair. Another alternative , given the quickly receding prices of technology , is to obtain another one and relegate one to a lesser role or just bite the bullet and replace technology every 2 years with a trade in. 

Fudgy Walnut Toffee Cookies

Recipe is modified from Fudgy Pecan Toffee Cookies ,www.chow.com

1cup flour
6 tablespoons cocoa
1/2teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter
6 tablespoon brown sugar
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped toffee, maybe less
1 cup course chopped walnuts, maybe less
Roasted or toasted cocoa nibs

Oven at 350
Combine dry ingredients (flour -salt)
Combine butter and sugars in a bowl with a paddle mixer
Add the eggs and vanilla
At low speed add flour mixture, add nuts and toffee.
Scoop 1inch apart on cookie sheet

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Blend the butter….

And the sugars…..

Till fluffy…. Ya know standard cookie dough procedure.
After that add the egg..

Fluff it up again..

Add in the dry ingredients…

Mix slowly… Add add the nuts , toffee bits,and cocoa nibs, the cocoa nibs give extra choco power without the added sweetness, they are pure chocolate in raw form, slightly toasted to bring out the flavour.

Bake 9 to 11 minutes, set on the edges and soft in the centre.
Allow to cool 10to 15 minutes remove from baking sheet

Fellow work persons agree “these are real, real good”. I agree, Chocolate cookies at it’s finest.