Prawn Salad

I made this salad on my mother's birthday. She really liked it and I think you will too!

serves 4

1 small head of lettuce, washed

500 g of small shelled prawns

2 slices of bacon

for the balsamic dressing:

1 3/4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

5 tablespoons of good-quality extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Fry the bacon in a non-stick pan in high heat for about 3 minutes on each side, or until cooked. Remove and put on paper towels.

Fry the prawns with the oil from the bacon until cooked.

Cut the bacon into small pieces and set aside.

Place all the ingredients for the sauce in a jam jar and put on the cap tightly. Shake a few times and set aside.

Mix the lettuce, prawns and bacon in a large bowl. Slowly pour over all the sauce and mix. Enjoy!

Caramel Popcorns

These popcorns are great for a movie. The caramel makes it delicious!

serves 3

1 pack microwave popcorn
4 tablespoons of sugar
2 cups of water

Combine the sugar and water together in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce until a thick bubbly mixture forms. This will take about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, microwave the popcorn and put it in a large bowl. Drizzle over the caramel and mix with a spatula. Enjoy!

Home-made chips

These chips were very yummy. For the potato chips to be crispy, they need to be sliced extremely thin.

serves 4

4 medium potatoes, sliced extremely thinly

olive oil

Heat some oil in a non-stick saucepan. Place a bunch of the potatoes in and fry for about 5 minutes, or until light brown (see picture above).Flip them over with a pair of tongs and fry for 5 more minutes. Take them out of the pan and put them on a paper towel. Continue with the next bunch of potatoes, until all the pieces are fried on both sides. Enjoy!

Crispy Corn Cakes

These are really great when watching a movie, or just as an afternoon snack. If you want yours extra corny, use 2/3 a can of corn instead of 1/2 a can.

serves 4

2 medium potatoes, peeled
1/2 a can of corn
1 egg
Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire or A1 sauce
corn starch or corn flour
5 cups of oil, for deep-frying
salt and pepper

Boil the potatoes in salted water for 20 minutes. Remove and mash in a large bowl. Add the corn, 1 egg, a dash of Tabasco sauce and the Worcestershire/A1 sauce. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

Shape the mixture into small chunks (see picture above). Put some corn starch in a bowl and coat the chunks in the flour. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Carefully drop the chunks in and fry for a few minutes, or until golden brown. Remove and place on some paper towels. Enjoy!

Aglio Olio

I modified this recipe from Rachel Ray's aglio oglio. It's really good.

serves 2

5 anchovies
olive oil
4 tablespoons of butter
cooked spaghetti
1 large clove of garlic, crushed
parsley, chopped finely

Melt the anchovies in olive oil in a non-stick saucepan. Add the garlic and 2 tablespoons of butter. Mix until the butter has melted, then add the noodles. Add 2 more tablespoons of butter. Mix and serve with a sprinkle of parsley. Enjoy!

Crab Meat on Toast

The crab from the next post can also be served on buttered toast with a dollop of garlic mayonnaise.

Garlic Mayonnaise

1 clove of garlic

3 tablespoons of mayonnaise

Crush the garlic and mix in 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise. Add 2 more tablespoons and mix. Enjoy!

Curry Crab Noodles

I made these noodles with some leftover crab meat. They were delicious!

Curry Crab Noodles

serves 6-8

boiled meat of 1 snow crab

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of curry powder

salt and pepper

cooked spaghetti

1/4 of a cabbage, chopped

First, prepare the crab. Put the crab meat in a large bowl and mix in the oil. Add 1 tablespoon of curry powder and salt and pepper to taste.

Fry the cabbage in a saucepan. When it is almost done, throw in the noodles and crab. Sprinkle in a tablespoon of the curry powder and fry for a little while longer. Serve with a sprinkle of curry powder. 

Stir - Fried Noodles invented by ME!

I made these noodles. They were very good! If you're interested, the recipe is below.

Stir - fried noodles

Serves 2

1/2 an onion, sliced

3 pieces of ham, chopped into small pieces

1 clove of garlic, chopped very finely

cooked spaghetti

2 teaspoons oyster sauce

2 teaspoons dark soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons of hot water

Fry the onions and ham in a saucepan for a few minutes. When the onions are light brown, add the noodles and fry a bit longer.

Mix the oyster sauce, dark soy sauce and water together in a bowl. Before serving, drizzle the sauce over the noodles and mix. Enjoy!