Kitchen Diary

So, it’s Friday again…..almost the end of February and time is flying by.  On so many levels I am so happy about that….I have a long year of surgical procedures ahead of me and periods of recovery in between so it will be good to wish everyone Happy New Year…so bad on every other level. HAH! I am wishing my life away….but it is good to look the weekend in the eye and know relaxing times are ahead. Today is my beloved daughter and son-in-law’s 11th wedding anniversary. When I look back at photos it seems like yesterday. I still have the habit of picking my quicks on my thumbs out of agitation and nervousness! Happy Anniversary Siobhan and Damon. We love you and support you and are so proud of you both. May God bless you for many many more happy years together.

I am recovering well from my oral surgery….a little bit easier in the pain department with longer periods between pain meds. The specialist is happy with the bone grafting so now we wait…and wait! In the meantime I am enjoying my smoothies and have given myself a challenge to try and make a different flavored one every day! Of course its wonderful because we are still enjoying wonderful summer days…once it gets colder it’s going to be me and the soup pot again baby! Hubby has been enjoying some wonderful salads….a classic one and so so enjoyable and easy to make if you can get the dressing right is, of course, the delightful Caesar Salad. Do I hear any HAIL CAESAR! Of course I do. I dont know anyone who doesn’t enjoy this one. And there are of course many ways to make it up including bacon, chicken strips etc etc….mine I like to keep clean and pretty pure, you know….close to the original. So here is my recipe…mainly the dressing of course!

Classic Caesar Salad

CLASSIC CAESAR SALAD

Ingredients:

2 heads Cos Lettuce – outer tough leaves discarded and the rest separated and washed (I used Baby Gem here as there were no Cos to be found!)

Garlic and Herb Croutons – make your own with french loaf, olive oil, garlic and mixed herbs

A handful of fresh Parsley leaves – just the leaves picked from the stalks – freeze the stalks for soup

Parmesan Cheese Shavings

Sea Salt Flakes and Black Pepper

Dressing: 1 Egg – coddled by dropping it into boiling water for just one minute then removing to cold water

6 Anchovy Fillets in oil – drained and roughly chopped

1/2 tsp Lemon Zest – finely grated – you just want a little bit

10-15ml Fresh Lemon Juice – I find with the zest I use only 10ml of the juice which is less sharp

10ml French Dijon Mustard

5ml Small Capers in brine – rinsed and drained

1 Garlic Clove – peeled and roughly chopped

50 mls Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese

100ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Freshly Cracked Black Pepper to taste

Method:

I use my stick blender, I find it invaluable in my kitchen and use it almost every day for something, from Mayonnaise in seconds to pureed berries etc. It makes fabulous caesar salad dressing too 

Peel the coddled egg over the jug or bowl you will use to make the salad as it is still very runny despite having been in the boiling water

Add all the other ingredients for the dressing and blend very briefly. It only takes a few seconds

Pour most of the dressing into your salad bowl…a big wooden bowl is ideal for this

Place your lettuce leaves into the bowl together with half of the croutons (which should be at room temperature if you have baked your own)

Toss them well then pour over the rest of the salad dressing, drop over the rest of the croutons and sprinkle over the parsley and parmesan shavings

Grind over a bit more black pepper

Serve immediately

Tropical Mint Smoothie

TROPICAL MINT SMOOTHIE

Ingredients:

1 Banana

1 Nectarine stoned

1/2 Papino seeded

1 Granadilla

1 Pear cored

1 biggish Sprig Mint just the leaves (I use about 8 leaves)

15ml Oatbran

5ml Runny Honey – I love Lalibela Honey (available from Tandy)

100ml Bulgarian Yoghurt (Greek Style if you are feeling indulgent)

50ml Peach Juice

2ml Vanilla Extract or some seeds if you have them

6 Ice Blocks

Method

Blend all together well (excepting the granadilla) until the ice and fruit are smooth

Stir in the granadilla pulp, pour into a long glass and enjoy!

And now……for the last time!!  Please dont forget to vote for me…..last chance….last begging as voting is closing 

A very special thank you to all the wonderful presenters at Zone Radio who have supported me and have highlighted my browniegirl blog and myself over the past two days totally uninitiated by me…just because they can and wanted to. I feel all the love and am humbled….totally humbled and filled with gratitude. If you want to read the testimonials from friends and loved ones you can pop over to their facebook page, like it first and then scroll down to read, mostly yesterdays posts. Also under their notes are some awesome awesome writings that made me all teary- eyed. Still on a wonderful high today. Thank you Unicorn, Shirley, who dedicates her time to the admin, all the fabulous broadcasters and all the Zoniacs who tune in and interact every day!  MWAH!!  And to my beautiful family and friends who wrote those things and all those unknowns who went and voted for me….I thank you so much. If I don’t win this award it really doesn’t matter as I am already a winner thanks to all of you!! I love you!

Have a wonderful weekend and I shall see you next week, if not before. It is little Jay’s 4th birthday on Monday so family party this weekend. My little man is growing madly!  :)

browniegirl xx