Taco Salad Made Over

Ingredients

4 (8 inch) flour tortillas
3/4 pound extra lean ground beef
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 cup TACO BELL HOME ORIGINALS Thick 'N Chunky Salsa
1 cup drained canned kidney beans, rinsed
4 cups torn spring or mixed salad greens
1/2 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 large tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons KRAFT LIGHT DONE RIGHT! Ranch Reduced Fat Dressing

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Crumple 4 large sheets of foil to form 3-inch balls; place on baking sheet. Arrange 1 tortilla over each ball; spray with cooking spray. Bake 6 to 8 min. or until tortillas are golden brown. (Tortillas will drape over balls as they bake.)

2. Meanwhile, cook meat with chili powder in nonstick skillet until browned, stirring occasionally. Add salsa and beans; cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.

3. Place 1tortilla shell on each of four serving plates. Fill evenly with salad greens, meat mixture, cheese and tomatoes. Top with dressing.

Potatoes with sour cream and smoked salmon

Serving size: unspecified

Cooking time: More than 1 hour

INGREDIENTS
24 tiny new potatoes

(1kg)200g light spreadable cream cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

100g smoked salmon slicesdill sprigs to garnish,

extraNOTE: The cream cheese mixture can be made a day ahead. The potatoes can be roasted several hours ahead and warmed through before serving.

METHOD
Preheat the oven to moderately hot (200°C). Place the potatoes in a greased baking dish and bake for about 45 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, combine the cream cheese and dill in a small bowl. Cut the salmon slices into strips.

Allow the potatoes to cool for about 15 minutes. Cut a cross halfway through the potatoes with a small knife, gently squeeze the base of the potatoes to open the centre.

Fill centres with a spoonful of the cheese mixture, top with a salmon twist and garnish with extra dill.

Stuffed potatoes

Serving size: Serves 4

Cooking time: More than 1 hour

INGREDIENTS
4 large (1kg) pontiac, desiree or brushed potatoes

Salmon and cottage cheese filling

210g can red salmon, drained

1 cup (200g) cottage cheese

1 tablespoon drained baby capers

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

METHOD
Preheat oven to very hot (250°C). Scrub potatoes well and pat dry. Place potatoes on an oven tray and bake in a very hot oven for about 45 minutes or until tender. Cut the tops off them and carefully scoop out flesh, leaving the skins intact. Place potato flesh in a bowl, mash lightly. Combine with filling ingredients in a medium bowl. Spoon mixture into potato shells and place on an oven tray. Bake in a hot oven (220°C) for 10 minutes or until hot. Other fillings can be used.

Chive and beef or lamb bacon filling

Chop four rashers of bacon and cook in a medium, heated pan until browned; drain on absorbent paper. In a bowl, combine potato flesh with bacon, 2/3 of a cup of reduced-fat sour cream, ¼ cup of chopped fresh garlic chives and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon mixture into the potato shells, sprinkle with ¼ of a cup of coarsely grated cheddar cheese and bake in a hot oven.

Chilli and avocado filling

In a medium bowl, combine the potato flesh with 2/3 of a cup of reduced-fat sour cream, two tablespoons of chopped fresh coriander leaves and a tablespoon of sweet chilli sauce. Spoon mixture into potato shells and bake.In a small bowl, mash one small avocado with half a small red onion, finely chopped, and two teaspoons of lemon juice. Serve potatoes topped with the avocado mixture.

Layered potato and mince gratin

Serving size: Serves 6

Cooking time: More than 1 hour

INGREDIENTS
20g butter

2 beef bacon rashers, chopped

2 medium (300g) brown onions, chopped

1 stick celery, chopped finely1kg minced beef

1½ cups (375ml) beef stock

¼ cup (60ml) tomato pastesalt and pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon cornflour

1 tablespoon water

½ cup chopped fresh parsley

1kg desiree or pontiac potatoes, peeled, sliced thinly

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup (40g) grated parmesan cheese

Note: can be made a day ahead.

METHOD
Melt butter in a large pan; cook bacon and onion, stirring, over a low heat for 10 minutes or until onion is soft. Add celery; cook, stirring, for two minutes. Increase heat; add beef, stirring until browned. Stir in stock, paste, salt and pepper; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Blend cornflour with water and stir into mince until it boils and thickens. Stir in parsley.Preheat oven to moderate (180°C). Overlap 1/3 of the potato slices over the base of an oiled 2.5-litre (10-cup capacity) ovenproof dish; top with half the beef mixture. Repeat layering with remaining potato slices and beef mixture, ending with potato slices. Brush top with oil and bake, uncovered, in a moderate oven for 1 hour. Sprinkle top with cheese and bake for a further 30 minutes or until potato is tender and top is browned.

Fish porridge with dried scallop

Serves 5

Ingredients
1/2 cup rice
4 cups water
4 cups chicken stock
1/s tsp salt
300 grams fish (large fish, fillet only), diced

Ingredients A
20 grams dried scallops, soaked
40 grams dried oyster
1 inch matured ginger, sliced
10pcs dried dates, cored
2 tbsp kei chee (chinese wolfberries/boxthorn fruit)

Ingredients B
1 tbsp young ginger, peeled and finely slivered
1tbsp spring onion, chop
1 tbsp coriander, chopped coarsely
1 tsp sesame oil
Pepper

Instructions:

1. Rinse the rice and drain. In a large pot, bring water and chicken stock to a boling pot. Put in the rice and boil for 5 minutes.
2. Add ingredients A and continue cooking under meduim heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Put in fish. Add salt. And continue to boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Turn down the heat and continue simmering until done. Do not cover the pot fully to prevent boiling over.
5 Stir occasionally to avoid burnt porriage at the bottom of pot. Turn off the heat when done and let stand.
6. To serve, ladle hot porridge into bowl. Garnish with ingredients B and serve hot.

Shortcrust pastry tips

I found these tips on Shortcrust pastry. I know it will come in handy to those who loves pastry


Fats
Butter: makes a crisp, rich shortcrust pastry with great flavour.

Margarine: makes a similar result that is slightly less rich and flavourful.

Flour
In shortcrust pastry, plain flour is usually used. Replacing a small amount of plain flour with wholemeal flour produces a delicious nutty-flavoured crust. It may need more liquid.

Liquid
The less liquid used in a pastry the better.
Water gives the pastry crispiness and firmness, although too much makes the pastry hard to handle and causes the pastry case to shrink in the oven, as the water evaporates in the heat. Egg yolk on its own produces a rich, soft and crumbly crust as it increases the fat content.

Making pastry
Rubbing in: this can be done either by hand, or using a food processor. As the key to good pastry is to keep everything cold (to prevent the fat from melting, which toughens the pastry), the processor method is often preferred.

Adding liquid: rich shortcrust pastry has a higher proportion of fat and therefore needs little, if any, water. As soon as it holds together in lumps, stop mixing. Lightly flour your hands and quickly and gently gather into a ball.

Relaxing: it is important to chill pastry for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out, or at least before baking. This allows starch cells to swell and absorb the liquid evenly. "Relaxed" pastry will not shrink as drastically or unevenly as just-made pastry will. Ideally pastry is relaxed before and after rolling.

Blind baking: line the raw pastry case with a piece of baking paper and fill with baking beans or rice. This is to prevent the pastry bubbling up during cooking and help prevent shrinking.

Spaghetti marinara

Serving size: Serves 4

Cooking time: Less than 60 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup (80ml) extra-virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 x 400g cans peeled chopped tomatoes

6 large fresh basil leaves

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

1 teaspoon caster sugar

12 (400g) small black mussels

12 (150g) baby clams

12 (600g) uncooked medium king prawns

250g firm white fish fillets, chopped coarsely

2 medium (200g) fresh calamari

375g spaghetti

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and freshly ground pepper to taste

¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley

METHOD
Heat half the oil and half the garlic in a large heavy-based frying pan; cook, stirring, for about 1 minute or until fragrant but not browned. Add the tomatoes, basil, salt and sugar; bring to the boil, then simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes or until sauce is very thick. Remove sauce from pan.

Meanwhile, scrub mussels; remove beards. Rinse clams. Shell and devein prawns, leaving tails intact. Cut fish into 3cm chunks. Remove head and entrails from calamari; remove clear backbone (quill) from inside the body. Remove side flaps and skin from hood. Wash well, slice hood into rings. Cut tentacles into pieces.

Cook spaghetti in a large pan of boiling, salted water until just tender; drain.

In same large frying pan, add well-drained mussels, clams and apple cider vinegar. Cook, covered, over high heat for 2 minutes. Uncover, cook for a further 1 minute or until liquid has almost evaporated and mussels and clams are open.

Push mussels and clams to the side of the pan, add remaining oil to pan; add prawns, fish, calamari and remaining garlic; cook, turning seafood carefully, for about 2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, stir gently until seafood is just tender and tomato sauce is heated through. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Sprinkle with parsley.

Gently toss the hot pasta with the seafood mixture.

Spicy Crabs

3-4 meat crabs, cleaned and cut into halves
3 stalks lemon grass, smashed
2 stalks curry leaves
1/2 cup oil

Ground spices (A)
7-8 shallots
3 cloves garlic
10 dried chillies, soaked to soften and seeded
6 fresh red chillies
2 cm knob fresh tumeric
2 cm knob ginger
2 cm square shrimp paste (belacan)

Ingredients (B)
2 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tbsp chilli sauce
salt to taste
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar or to taste

Heat Oil in awok and fry lemon grass and curry leaves until fragrant.
Add ground ingredients (A) and fry over low heat until fragrant and oil rises.
Put in crabs and stir-fry 1 -2 minutes until well coated with ground ingredients.
Reduce the heat and add ingredients (B). Cover the wok and simmer until crabs are cooked and gravy thick.

Tomato Chutney

Prep 20 mins
Cook 45 mins
Serves 5


3 tbsp vegetable oil
10 g ginger, pounded to paste
20 g garlic, pounded to paste
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 red chili, seeded and finally chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
7 curry leaves
5 large tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup water
60 g raisins
1 tsp fine salt

Method
1. Heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the ginger and garlic paste until fragrant
2. Add in onions, chilli, green pepper, mustard seeds and curry leaves and fry over low heat until onions are light brown in colour.
3. Add in diced tomatoes and water, and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes over low heat.
4. Put in raisins and continue to cook for another 20 minutes or until tomatoes are soft and paste-like. Finally add salt and mix we..
5. Serve hot.

Jiffy Briyani

Preparation: 50 Mins
Cook: 30 mins
Serves: 4

Spice Mix (blend into a fine paste)
4 cm (30 g) ginger
5 shallots (50 g)
5 cloves garlic
3 green chillies
2 ripe tomatoes

2 tbsp coriander powder
2 tbsp cumin poeder
1 tbsp garam masala
2 small potatoes, cut into 2 cm chunks
1 small carrot, cut into 2 cm chunks
150 g cauliflower, separated into florets
1 onions (100 g) cut into 1 cm cubes
10 French beans, cut into 2 cm lenghts
3 cm piece cinnamon
6 cloves
3 cardamons
300 g boneles chicken, cut into 3 cm pieces
4 tbsps yogurt
50 g dhal (lentil) cleaned and drained
300 g Basmati rice

Garnish
50 g roasted almonds (or cashew nuts)
3 tbsps crisp fried shallots
3 tbsps chopped fresh coriander
2 tbsps golden raisins

Method
1. Put spice mix in abowl. Stir in coriander, cumin and garam masalah. Set aside.
2. Heat 5 tbsps oil in awok over a medium fire. Fry potatoes for 3 minutes. Remove. Fry carrot, caulifloer, onion and frech bean. Remove each batch after 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. Fry cinnamon, cloves and cardamon in the remaining oil for 30 seconds. Add ground spice mix. Cook on a low fire for 2 minutes until dry and oil separates.
4. Add chicken pieces. Cook until firm. Add yogurt and season with 1 tsp salt. Cook for another 3 minutes. Set aside.
5. Preheat oven to 200 c. Put 3 litres water to boil. Add 1tsp salt. Drop dhal and rice into water and cook for about 10 minutes. Dained in asieve.
6. Spread rice evenly in ashallow oven-proof dish. "Bury" the chicken, gracy and vegetables in rice. Cover with lid. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove. Fluff up rice with a fork and test for its done-ness.
7. Seve garnished with nuts, fried shallots, coriander and raisins.

Pasta Pie

PREP: 60 mins
Bake: 30 mins
Serves: 4

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 large onion, cut into cubes
1 stalk celery, cut into cubes
1 small carrot, cut into cubes
250 g lean minced beef, lamb or chicken
3 tomatoes, skinned, roughly chopped
100 g canned button mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsps sugar

White sauce
500 ml (hot) milk
30 g butter
40 g plain flour

200g dried pasta (penne, fusilli or marcoroni)
150 g brocoli, separated into florets
150 - 200 g coarsely-grated cheese (mixture of mozerella and cheddar is best)

Method
1. To make the meat sauce, heat 2 tbsps oil in a saucepan and soften garlic, onion, celery and carrot over a medium fire for 10 minutes. Add minced meat. Stir for 8 minutes until meat is crumbly.

2. Add tomatoes and cook until they soften. Add mushrooms, tomato paste and seasoning. If mixture looks dry, add 1/2 cup water. Simmer on low fire for 20 minutes. Set aside.

3. To make white sauce, heat milk to boiling point. In another pan, melt butter over a low fire and stir in flour to make apaste. Add milk and stir with a wooden spoon to avoid lumps. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until smooth. Set aside.

4. Boil 2 litres of water in a pan. Add 1 tsp salt and cook pasta according to instructions. Before pasta cooks, add broccoli. Blanch for 2 minutes. Drained pasta and broccolli. Run tap water over.

5. Put pasta in a shallow ovenproof dish. Spread a thin layer of meat with some broccoli, sprinkle on grated cheese, add meat sause, white sauce, cheese andpasta - until ingredients are used up.

6. Bake in a preheated oven (200 c) for 30 minutes. Serve hot! YUMMY!!!!

Buffalo-Style Chicken Wing Salad

1.35 kg chicken wings (or 8 skinless boneless chicken thighs)
2 tbsp hot sauce, preferably Frank's Red Hot Original sauce, or to taste
1 tbsp Tabasco sauce, or to taste
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt, more to taste
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 to 2 tbsp heavy cream or milk, or to taste
1/4 tps freshly ground black pepper
6 tbsp butter
2 heads bibb lettuce, torn to pieces
2/3 cup parsley leaves
6 tender iner celery ribs with leaves, thinly slices
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

Method:
1. Cut Wings in half at joint. If using thighs, cut into 2.5cm strips.
In large bowl, toss chicken with 1 tbsp hot sauce, 1/2 Tabasci, 1/2 Vinegar and 1/2 salt.
Marinate at roomm temperature for 30 minutes or 4 hours in refrigerator.

2. Heat 10cm of oil in a large pot.
Mash together cheese and 1 1/2 tbsp very hot water in a small bowl.
Cheese should partly melt, there should be some lumps. Mix in buttermilk, mayonnaise and enough cream or milk to make dressing pourable. Stir in pepper.

3. When oil is hot enough, deep-fry chicken until golden brown all over, about 10 minutes for wings or five minutes for thigh strips. Br careful of splatter. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.

4. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Stir in remaining hot sauces and vinegar. Pour into large bowl and add chicken. toss well and season with salt and more hot sauce to taste.

5. Toss lettuce, parsley, celery and scallions in a large bowl. Divide among four plates and top with chicken. Drizzle with blue cheese dressing and serve.

Chinese Roasted Chicken

For 6 servings
3¼ hours 10 min prep

1 1/2kg chicken pieces
1/3 cup dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
1 teaspoon garlic (crushed)
1 teaspoon gingerroot (grated)
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Method:
Marinate chicken pieces in all the other ingredients for at least 2 hours, turning pieces now and again.
Arrange in a single layer in a roasting dish and cook in a moderate oven (160 C / 325 F) for 30 minutes, turn pieces and cook a further 25 minutes.
Serve hot or cold (cooking time includes marinating time).

Salsa Guacamole

Salsa:
1 can (14.5 oz) organic fire roasted or plain diced tomatoes, well drained
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 small fresh jalapeño chile, seeded, finely chopped

Guacamole:
3 ripe large avocados (about 1 1/2 lb) pitted, peeled
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper sauce
1 clove garlic, finely chopped

Method:
In medium bowl, stir together salsa ingredients.
In another medium bowl, place avocados; coarsely mash. Stir in remaining guacamole ingredients.
Spoon guacamole into shallow serving bowl; top with salsa.
Serve with tortilla chips as desired.
Makes 12 servings (1/4 cup each).

Tom Yam Goong

This is my mom's recipe and method of making tom yum goong and it is the best! This is definitely a recipe that you can only balance by taste -- tom yam goong should never be bland, but hot and sour.2 Servings

Ingredients:
4 cups water
1 cup shrimp
5 mushrooms
1-2 limes
1 lemon grass
3 kaffir lime leaves
2 tablespoon fish sauce
5 sprigs cilantro
3 chili peppers
1 bulb big onion
2 tomatoes

Start boiling the water in a 2 quart pot. Peel and devein the shrimp and set them aside.

Cut lemon grass into pieces, 5-6 inches long. Use the back of your knife to pound the lemon grass, just to bruise it to release the flavor. If you want, you can tie the lemon grass into a knot to make it easier to manage. Drop the lemon grass in water and let boil for 5 minutes. Put the fish sauce and 1 lime's juice into the bottom of the bowls you will serve the soup in. Crush chili pepper and add to the bowl. Remove the stems from the kaffir lime leaves and add the leafy part to the pot. Clean and halve the mushrooms, big onion and tomatoes and add them to the pot. Add the shrimp and turn off the heat. Shrimp gets too tough very quickly, and will cook even when it is just sitting in the warm broth. Scoop the shrimp and liquid into the serving bowls immediately. As soon as you add the liquid to the serving bowl, you will see that the broth becomes cloudy because of the lime juice. Add the nam prig pow. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve. Be very careful, the peppers can be hot. Take a small sip at a time. Add more fish sauce and/or lime juice if it tastes bland.

It's right if it's good for your sinus.

Quick Toast Bread with Egg

Serving: 1 person

Ingredients

3 pieces of toasted bread slices
slices of tomato
2 pieces of salad
a few juvilance of big onions
a fried egg ( not too dry)

Mix a table spoon of mayonaise, tomato sauce & chilli sauce

Arranged the toasted bread one tier of salad and another tier of fried egg covered with the mix salad
Indulged!

Lemon Grass Chicken

Main course : Serving for 2 persons

1. 2 pieces of chicken tights - wash & dry

2. a handful of of baby carrots and potatoes
boiled in salt water until cooked and strained

Other Ingredients
1. vegetable cooking oil
2. butter
3. crushed black pepper


FOR THE MARINADE

4 sticks of lemon grass
a quarter inch of turmeric
5 cloves of garlic
a dash of olive oil
salt & brown sugar

Blend all the ingredients above and marinade the chicken for at least half an hour before cooking
....................................................................................................................

Melt a table spoon of butter and a dash of vegetable oil in a pan
Sears both sides of the chicken until brown.
Placed the chicken into a dish togetner with the potatoes , baby carrot and dashes of black pepper.
Baked it in the oven untik cooked.

And 'voila'! its ready to be served!