Category Archives: food

anyone know anything about hot pots or slow cookers?

I was at work and found a slow cooker left behind in one of the suites we were cleaning. It is amazingly heavy as I can attest, after having to carry it, along with other work items back up the hill from the housing area.

Now I know nothing about slow cookers(except EVERYONE seems to LOVE them) and need a couple of answers, from any obliging person.

The item seems to have no insert…it is a lovely pot with sweet pictures of wild herbs painted on it, and features a heavy inside (pottery) BUT there is no insert.

It needs one, doesn’t it.

I also wonder if one could use a baking dish of ones own and just set it inside…would THAT work?

I have searched online and have come up with no help.

help?

short post on cooking

woman-cookingI was a cook for a few years and in spite of the intense pressures that accompany such occupations, I loved it; still do!

I make mistakes probably more than the average chef; I sometimes miss a important part  because I think that I know what I am cooking /doing..lol.

Anyhow the other dark and windy afternoon,I decided to make some soup.

All was well; the recipe, which was new to me, was flowing nicely and I got to the part where I would have to puree the mixture. I could use the blender or the food processor.

Hmm, what prompted me to make the next decision?

I hauled out the processor(an old beast which has caused me trouble before)

The soup went in but strangley, the top suddenly jammed and I could neither turn the machine on, nor open the lid to remove the contents.

GRRRR..    :(

I finally managed to siphon the contents through the feed tube into the far more friendly blender and left the sulking processor in the sink to reflect upon it’s uncooperative behaviour.

H came home to a house redolent of delicious soup but the evil processor as well. Luckily he managed to unjam it for me…

Good dentist appointment reward; off to a good Chinese food dinner

H’s son and daughter in law have invited us to meet them at our favourite Chinese restuarant(their treat in honour of H’s brirthday; yes a bit late but better late than never!)

It should be good!

I just got back from having a dentist cleaning and checkup; one that I had put off about 3 times(remember how I dislike going to the dentist?)

It was a good appointment, and the cleaning was painless, so I can now wrap my sparkling choppers around the good meal!)

Mulligatawny soup

SlowCookerMulligatawnySoup099

As the weather gets chillier, soup becomes so appealing: a steaming, fragrant welcome to a warm home.

Mulligatawny — a mixture that originates with the Tamils of southern India — is such a great soup at this time of year. It’s spicy and slightly exotic, but is based on chicken broth, garlic and onions — ordinary ingredients that seem to have exceptional abilities to ward off the chill, as well as colds and flus.

2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, diced1 medium onion, diced1 medium carrot, diced1 medium celery rib, diced1 small red bell pepper, diced2 garlic cloves, minced4 tsp. mild or medium curry powder1 large, green apple, diced (skin on)2 tsp. finely grated lime zest2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice, freshly squeezed1 Tbsp. honey1 bay leaf4 cups chicken stock2 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup water1 cup cooked white or brown rice1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley1 (14 oz.) can coconut milkSalt to taste

Method:

Combine the first 14 ingredients in your slow cooker(OR just a big pot on the stove top). Cover and cook on the low setting 4 hours. Stir in the rice, cilantro or parsley, and coconut milk. Cover and cook 10 minutes more. Season the soup with salt and serve.

What to serve alongside:

Serve the soup with warm wedges of naan or pita bread for tasty dunking. For added texture set toasted, sliced almonds on the table for sprinkling over the soup.

Thrifty Foods recipe

I got this recipe from our local Thrifty Food grocery chain; made it today, and the results were FANTASTIC!

They have MANY good recipes, and I can recommend this one..