The Fridge-Emptier

When life gives you a seemingly empty fridge with nothing but a few veggies or leftover meat, you make an egg frittata.

Toss veggies/meat in a little oil in a skillet. I used beans, onions, tomatoes, some garlic, leftover pieces of chicken, bell peppers and parsley. Season the mix with some paprika, salt and pepper, and oregano, and spread evenly. Sprinkle some cheese and let it melt. Whisk two eggs with a spoon or two of milk and pour on top. Once it sets enough to be flipped, flip onto a lid and slide back in. Take it out, slice like a pizza, and serve!

The Jam

Blueberry jam for a sweet February.

Half a kg of fresh or frozen blueberries with about two cups sugar and, oh, let's say about half a cup of lime. If you have orange liqour add a half cup of that too, but that's optional. Throw all into a saucepan, add a little water and bring to a boil. Then lower heat and let simmer with lots of stirring. If there's any froth on the top, keep removing it with a spoon. Test if the jam set by letting a spoonful cool on a metal spoon and see if it's thick enough to form a layer. Take off the heat immediately once it's set, and spoon into a clean, dry jar. Seal!

The Meatloaf

Easiest meal ever.

With 750g chicken mince, throw in a softened chopped onion, about a half cup of milk, a cup of bread crumbs, some garlic, parsley, salt and pepper, an egg, some garlic chilli sauce, a fistful of parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.

Mix and form a loaf (or pack into a loaf tin). Top with more crumbs, mustard and garlic chilli sauce, and bake for 45 minutes. Slice and serve!

The Ceviche

Lazy week, lazy dish. Then again, anything drowning in lime is delicious. So...

Shrimp ceviche on/in tostadas

Ceviche is done with fish cured in citrus juices, but since I used shrimp, I blanched them first, after peeling and deveining. Throw into a bowl chopped shrimp, cucumber, avocado, bell peppers (capsicum), onion, tomato, a whole lot of coriander, salt, pepper, and a tiny pinch of paprika, and a lot of lime and lemon juices, maybe even a little orange. Additionally I added just a spoon of this tangy sauce (combination of mayonnaise, a drop of ketchup and tabasco, and garlic salt) to add a tiny kick. But that's optional, and very unauthentic :) 

Tostada is basically a crunchy tortilla, so if you brush a regular soft tortilla with a little olive oil and place in the oven for 10 minutes you will get the crunch you need. I used the Stand and Stuff soft tortillas that Old El Paco sells, and made them crunchy in the oven. Stuff / top them with ceviche and serve!

The Horror Show

Because mushrooms like to eat themselves. What a delicious way to describe stuffed mushrooms, right?

Remove stems off button mushrooms and put the stems in a blender with a handful of parmesan cheese and some breadcrumbs, along with garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and any other seasonings you want. Blend. Stuff the mixture back into the mushrooms, and top with cheese. Brush each mushroom with a little olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes while you vigorously practice your evil laugh.

The 50th: Kiev

Chicken Kiev for a retro cheat night :) It's my 50th post yayyyyyyy

Refrigerate a mixture of tightly wrapped garlic, butter and parsley. Spread clingwrap on the counter and put a chicken breast on it. Cover with another sheet of clingwrap. Now grab a meat mallet or a rolling pin and beat the crap out of the chicken breast till it's all spread out and not so thick anymore. Put the log of solid garlic parsley butter on one side and roll up the chicken around it. Make sure you cover the two sides of the bitter too. Cover tightly in clingwrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Take the chicken out and fry in a pan after covering with egg and breadcrumbs till the top layer becomes golden. Take it out and pop it in the oven for another 20 minutes to finish cooking it. Slice and serve!

Thank you so much for all your views (just about touching 2000) and feedback :)

The Pocket

So not all of us have a million hours to spare every evening in the kitchen. (This... coming from a currently unemployed person.) Pita pockets are the bomb. You can stuff them with anything! Veggies, salads, meats/fish, whatever.

For these yummy pita pockets, throw into a bowl chopped avocado, cilantro, boiled egg, sauteed mushrooms in garlic, shredded chicken, oregano, homemade salsa or just tomatoes and some lime juice, and a hint of any spice you want (I threw in cayenne, as usual). If you don't care for fat, add a tiny bit of mayonnaise. Cut pitas into two and stuff them, and then stuff your face.