Seafood Paella

Invited some friends over for a Seafood Pealla lunch today.
Cooking Paella is really sweat free ….. no slogging over the hot & angry stove while friends are chilling out in the living room.

Once, all the ingredients are nicely placed into the pan, I am very much free to join the chatting over a glass of nice chilled wine.

Only a couple of trips back & forth to give the rice a little stir, incase it ‘chowtar’ at the bottom.

I used a big sauté pan to cook this dish. I do wish for a paellera but I doubt I can get one locally.

Anyhow, I began prepping @ 11 am … & by noon, Pealla’s served.

Yearning for something quick & light...

...I decided to make my all time favourite meal for dinner tonight.

~ Noodle Salad with Oriental Dressing~

It’s one of those easy meals where U toss whatever U feel like eating into a salad, how hard could that be!

After a rampaging through my fridge, I gathered:

• Romaine lettuce
• Purple cabbage
• Yellow bell pepper
• Cucumber
• Spring onions
• Coriander - I used alot...about 2 bunches

- Cut the above into fine strips & set aside.

Let’s do the dressing next:

• 150ml Olive oil
• 30ml Sesame oil
• 120ml Soy sauce – I used Japanese soy sauce
• 80g Brown sugar
• 3 tbsp Ginger - grated
• 4-5 tbsp Garlic - minced
• Chili flakes – use as required
• 1-2 tsp Sesame seeds - roasted

-Whisk the above until it’s well mixed. (Taste & adjust to your liking…)

As for the noods, use whatever U fancy….I had mine with Korean wheat noodles today.
I also added hard boiled eggs & left over roasted chicken.

Put all the vegetables, noodles, meat etc into a big mixing bowl, drizzle the dressing, toss well & serve.
Throw in some piping hot garlic bread along side to complete the meal…yumz!

Naughty Peppers

Do U remember an old rhyme/saying that goes -
“Peter picked a pack of peter peppers…”
{{{Say that fast three times.}}}

Tongue twisted..yet?

Neh!!!...the (peter) peppers version is purely made up by me.

The correct version is 'pickled pepper'

Anyway, let me introduce the star of today's post ...

PETER PEPPER

Nope! Your eyes are not playing tricks on U.
These are real chillies from the garden, not photo-shopped in anyway.

If U have not read or seen them before, here are some interesting facts:

Name – Peter Pepper
Scientific name - Capsicum annuum var. annuum 'Peter' (Penis Pepper)
Taste - Hotter than the Tabasco and at least 10 times hotter than the jalapeno.
Native - Louisiana and Texas
Grown - Around Ontario , Canada , the southern United States and in parts of Pakistan.
Max length – 18 inches

Info - Source
Photo - Taken from an email attachement.

Peter Peppers anyone???

a dish I love eating once in a while…

On Good Friday .....

I organized a little lunch gathering featuring Korean Style Grilled Meat.

"Oh ! I so *heart* this dish…."

So *heart* those sizzling meat in wraps bundled with garlic, chili paste & all its condiments... ~S-L-U-R-P~ !!!

Actually, it had been on my mind for a long, long time to make this and nothing beats eating a splendid meal in the comfort of your own home with good company.

The Korean supermart I frequent only stock square grill pans, hence, I put off the idea of getting it cuz I wanted a round one.
By chance a few weeks back, I found it…the round, round pan. *SO HAPPY*

The moment I bought the grill pan, my mind began making little plans on when to host a grilled meat party.
And after much thought, that auspicious day fell on last Friday.

Overall, I had fun preparing & had more fun eating.
Anyway, to justify the cost of the pan, I think I have to make more grilled meat sessions soon.
Hmmm! Just the thinking about it now, is making me drool.

~~~~~~~~~

Here's what I prepared ....

Be Thankful of what we have ......

Watch this short film with everyone you know...pass it on!

*Heart Wrenching Moment* - Towards the end, the man/daddy still prayed for the food they are eating. { So Sad!! }

Anyway, I am thankful & blessed to have food on the table everyday.

German Pancake

I have this love-hate affair with pancakes.
LOVE eating them but HATE making them.
It’s so tedious standing over a hot griddle, flipping them one by one.
Furthermore, I never get to sit down properly and eat when I serve pancakes cuz I munch as I cook. (~I am stuffed by the time I am into making my 3rd pancake.~ *HA*)
Unless, I prepare them ahead of time & leave them in a moderate oven to keep warm, this rarely happen cuz I rather snuggle up in bed then wake up earlier to make breakie.

Sometime back, I stumbled on a German Pancake recipe.
Goggled a bit & found out that most recipes shared online are more or less the same.
This pancake is a great solution to a quick breakie or brunch.
It’s just so easy to put together….simply gather all the ingredients, mix & bake.

For those who have not eaten them before, let me tell U, this is no way similar to your regular fluffy pancakes or hotcakes.
It’s more like an eggy pudding but denser, it should be eaten right away.
And without fail each time, this pancake will puff up about 3 inches at the edges yet the center will remain deflated, quite a sight.
But once out of the oven, it will loose about an inch or more, still tall like what U see in the pix above.

Today, I made strawberry sauce to accompany the pancakes since I have lots & lots of berries sitting in the fridge.
Apple sauce is another good healthy wholesome alternative.

Overall, I am not a fan of German Pancakes, but it’s a breakfast repertoire cuz little elf loves digging into them.

German Pancake

What U need:

• 50g Butter
• 150g Flour
• 1 cup milk
• 6 eggs - lightly beaten
• 60g sugar
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• Dash of cinnamon

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a 9 x 13 baking pan.
2. Mix all other ingredients together.
3. Pour batter onto the pan.
4. Bake at 180°C for 30-40 minutes.