Sweet Potato Chips

Souffle omelette

Home Made Gnocchi

(I am updating this on behalf of my son because he has been so busy lately. )

Home Made Gnocchi

We have never eaten gnocchi before. So ds decided to try them. He took out his favorite Cook Book Cook with Jamie and made them all by himself. I left him much alone... if not I would be nagging at the mess! He cleaned up too because I told him cleaning up is part of cooking and no one wants to eat food cooked in a dirty kitchen.

The first step is to baked the potatoes in the oven (brushed with olive oil) for one hour.

Mashed and seasoned

Knead

Shape

Ta-da!

Boiled

Chop

Cook

Serve

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Exotic Tuna Salad

Whenever I have a can of tuna in the pantry and I want a simple yet delicious snack, I make a tuna salad. This is one of my favorites and I hope you will like it too!

serves 1

1 can of albacore tuna

4 tablespoons of cucumber, thinly chopped (see image above)

1/4 teaspoon of sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon of curry powder

1/4 grated parmesan cheese

4-6 saltine crackers (I used Carr's Table Water Crackers), broken into small pieces

a small squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

Note: I used these amounts for my salad, but feel free to change the amounts slightly to suit your preference. You can also add other things to the recipe to make it even more exotic, such as sun-dried tomatoes, olives, chopped pineapple, as well as herbs and seasoning such as tarragon or bay leaves. Just experiment and choose which ingredients you like the best!

Put the tuna and cucumber in a bowl. Drizzle over the lemon (optional) and mix with a spoon. Add the sesame oil, curry powder and parmesan and mix well.

Toss in the saltine crackers. Mix well and enjoy!

Chocolate Fondue with Poached Pears

I made this for my dad on his birthday and he loved it! You need a fondue pot and a small candle to make this delicious dessert.

serves 4

90g black chocolate

about 1/2 cup heavy cream

1 pear, peeled and cut into large chunks (see picture above)

a sprig of fresh rosemary, finely chopped (you can use dried rosemary)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or 1 cinnamon stick) 

1 tablespoon of hot water

5 tablespoons of caramel (recipe below)

1 tablespoon of honey

Breadsticks or biscuits

Note: the caramel should be transparent and brown, not cream-coloured and opaque (like Hershey's caramel sauce)

Caramel:

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 1/3 cups of hot water

Put all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Leave for about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. When sticky and bubbling, pour into a cup and leave aside.

Heat the honey, caramel and water in a pan. Place in the pears and sprinkle over the rosemary and cinnamon. Allow to cook for a few minutes, then flip over the pears with a pair of tongs and allow to cook for a few more minutes.

Melt the chocolate in a microwave and put into the fondue bowl. Heat the heavy cream and add 2 tablespoons of it to the chocolate, mixing with a spoon. Add more and more until the taste is just right for you. Mix well and serve with the poached pears and breadsticks. Use long fondue forks to eat. Enjoy! 

Special Sandwich

I made this sandwich for my sister one morning and she thought it it was delicious! I hope you will like it too!

serves 1
2 slices of bread
butter
1 egg
2-3 slices bacon
1/4 a small cucumber, washed
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Fry the bacon until cooked and crispy. While you are waiting, chop the cucumber into thin slices (see picture above) and place into a medium bowl. Drizzle over the sesame oil and mix with a spoon. If there is not enough sesame flavour, add more sesame oil, mix, and leave aside.

When the bacon is done, leave it on a paper towel to drain the oil. Beat the egg and fry in a pan until cooked.

Toast and butter the bread. Place the bacon, egg and cucumber on a piece of toast and top with the other piece. Cut into halves and enjoy!