Friday, December 30, 2011

roasted garlic

have you ever tried roasted garlic? it is simply amazingly delicious! it is very sweet when roasted and doesn't taste like garlic at all.

we love to have roasted garlic with toast and fruit. it makes a delicious snack on a cold wintery evening.

what you'll need for the garlic:

as many bulbs of garlic as you like (i usually eat a whole bulb of garlic with this snack!)
a good dollop of olive oil
sea salt and fresh-cracked pepper

additional ingredients (if desired):

toast/crackers to smear the garlic on
brie cheese
some pieces of fruit (if so desired - we like grapes, cherries, apple, pear, etc.)
some jam (if desired - i will share my cranberry-pear-apple jam below)

peel the majority of the skin from your garlic bulbs but keep the bulb intact as seen below. cut only the very tops off of the garlic.



put the bulbs on a baking pan/sheet and dump a good dollop of olive oil on them. add sea salt and fresh-cracked black pepper. pop in the oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. just enough time to make the jam!



cranberry/pear/apple jam spread

an inch of fresh ginger, crushed
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of water
1/2 cup of cranberries
1 pear, chopped
1 apple chopped
1 teaspoon of freshly ground clove
1 teaspoon of freshly ground cinnamon
one teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of lemon zest

add sugar and water to your pot and bring to a boil to make a syrup. once at a boil add your cranberries, pear and apple. bring back to a boil.



once back to the boil, simmer for 3-4 minutes until 2/3 of the cranberries have popped.

grind up your cloves. add them to the pot.



grind up your cinnamon and add it to the pot.



add the vanilla, ginger and lemon zest.

here's the brie...i like brie the best with roasted garlic. heat it at 350 until the centre gets all melty - 3-4 minutes.



here's the jam ready to be eaten!



check out how delicious the garlic looks!



and here's the finished plate. each clove of garlic squirts right out of it's little jacket and then becomes very spreadable.



i like to smear some garlic on each piece of toast, followed by brie, followed by jam. you can eat yours however you like. just be sure to enjoy!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

pasta primevera - done the Framboise Manor way!



yummy pasta primevera! i know that this might not be the way that old school Italian's prepare this dish but here at Framboise Manor it is a staple and a good one at that! we love cheesy, creamy pasta and veggies!

here are some of the ingredients that we used this time:



Ingredients:

egg noodles
the usual suspects (fresh-crushed garlic cloves (3-4), a dollop of unpasteurized honey and a splash of apple cider vinegar WITH the mother in it))
fresh veggies of your choice (for this one, we used sliced carrots, chopped cauliflower, chopped broccoli and spinach)
cream - we use the thick 18% kind - yummeh!
a nice-sized dollop of butter
fresh-grated parmesan
sea salt and fresh-cracked pepper to taste

1. cook your egg noodles according to the directions on the package. strain and set aside.

2. meanwhile, heat a nice-sized dollop of butter in a pan. toss in your veggies and saute for a few minutes until they start to tenderize. we like ours crunchy! when the veggies have tenderized, add the garlic, honey, vinegar, salt and pepper.

3. stir in as much cream as you want. i like to stir in quite a bit and then let it cook off.

4. add a nice handfull of grated parmesan. keep stirring.

5. when everything is to taste, toss in the noodles for a minute or two.

6. serve with some more grated parmesan and salt and pepper to taste. enjoy!

enjoy!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

yummeh - Nachos!



is there anything better than settling down to a movie with your honey and snacking on some nachos?!?!?! i would say NO!

these babies are made from organic nacho chips, homemade chili, homemade salsa, tons of cheese, chopped fresh tomatoes, chopped fresh avocado, sour cream and chopped green onion.

we like to toast the nachos in the oven with the cheese and chili on them. once the cheese has melted - top them with your favourite toppings. i normally make guacamole (avocado, a splash of lemon, sour cream, garlic) for our nachos, but this time just used chopped up avocado.

enjoy!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Sushi, done Framboise Manor Style!

sushi. we looooove sushi! and had easy access to it back in the city. but not here, where the nearest town is over an hour away. and there is only one sushi restaurant on the whole island! we went to that restaurant once since being here. it was lovely. and very tame as people here on the island aren't very welcoming of new and exotic types of food. they want their meat and potatoes - and that is fine!

but we have been craving sushi for a while and as we will not waste the gas for a 3hour round-trip simply to get some sushi - we decided to make our own - woohoo! can't be that hard, can it?

we had crab (fresh-caught by our friend), avacado, cucumber, carrot strips, sticky rice and toasted some sesame seeds. all seemed to be going well until we remembered that we didn't have any bamboo rolling mats! no problem - i am the queen of improvisation! we'll use silicone baking mats instead.

woops! not so good. they started out looking really good, and professional, but fell apart when we opened the mat! have a peak at my attempt:




jambaloney almost made a roll out of his:



once we put some dipping sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger on the messes on our plates - it tasted fantastic! and just like sushi! it just looked bad! so until we get some proper sushi mats - we will make sushi salad instead. it contains all of the ingredients as above...but just looks better! and we are enjoying sushi again - finally!



a close-up:



oh and the dipping sauce is divine. plain soya sauce, a dollop of sesame oil, crushed ginger and garlic and wasabi to taste. i set up the dipping sauce in the traditional dippers for the pic...but when we eat the salad, we mix the wasabi into the sauce and then pour the sauce over the salad.

enjoy!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

smoked salmon and cream cheese stuffed nasturtium flowers



aren't those flowers beautiful? seeing as that we are heading into winter...i was getting nostalgic about summer and nothing screams summer more than a nasturtium flower!

have you ever eaten a nasturtium flower? they are soooo spicey! and delicious! and if you grow your own, without any chemicals, they are a delicious addition to any salad and look fantastic on any side dish that you make! you can also sun-dry them and then add the dried flowers to soups, stews, whatever - oh they are sooo spicey!

here's one of my favourite ways to eat nasturtiums...i hope that you are sitting down! this might knock you off of your feet!

smoked salmon and cream cheese stuffed nasturtium flowers

Ingredients:

as many nasturtium flowers as you wish to use (when i serve this with a soup or salad, i usually serve 2-3 nasturtium flowers per person)
several clean nasturtium leaves
a few pieces of organic smoked salmon
several dollops of cream cheese
the usual suspects (a splash of apple cider vinegar WITH the Mother in it, 2-3 crushed garlic cloves and a dollop of honey)
1/4 of a lemon, squeezed
sea salt and freshly-cracked pepper to taste



1. set cream cheese out to come to room temperature. once at room temperature, add vinegar, honey, lemon and crushed garlic. add salt and pepper to the mixture.



2. add a small amount of the cream cheese mixture onto a slice of salmon and roll it.



3. stuff the rolled salmon into a nasturtium flower. place them on a nasturtium leaf (also edible).

4. serve the stuffed flowers with salad or soup, or use them as a really fun appetizer at your next get-together or party.



here's a close-up....trust me - these are divine! and impress people. but forget that - they are a gorgeous addition to any one of your meals...and make you feel all fancy and stuff!



you can grow nasturtiums in a pot all winter long - there is no reason not to eat these delicacies throughout the year!

Monday, December 5, 2011

cabbage rolls without the rolls

we love cabbage rolls - like love 'em! but sometimes we aren't in the mood for all of the fussing around that comes with them. and we have now perfected a recipe for having your cabbage rolls without the fuss, nor the rolls. it tastes just as delicious as cabbage rolls. the following recipe is the exact same recipe that i use when making actual cabbage rolls, as well.



cabbage rolls without the rolls

1/4 of a cabbage, shredded
1lb of hamburger
2 cups of basmati (or whatever you have) rice
4 big handfulls of sauerkraut (try making your own - sauerkraut is very easy to make and is so good for you!)
1 can of tomatoe puree (hopefully your own home-canned)
1 can of whole tomatoes (again, hopefully your own home-canned)
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
a splash of apple cider vinegar WITH the Mother
a dollop of unpasteurized honey
a large knob of butter
a splash of worcestershire sauce
fresh (or dried) oregano
a dollop of sour cream for serving
sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste

1. pour your tomatoe puree into a large stock pot and heat on low to medium heat. add the vinegar, garlic, honey, oregano, salt and pepper. chop up your whole tomatoes and add. add the handfulls of sauerkraut and don't squeeze it out. taste for seasoning and adjust to taste.

2. put your rice in the rice-maker or make your rice according to instructions on the box. we use a rice maker and add a small bit of almond oil - the almond oil really brings out the flavour in the basmati.

3. heat your hamburger over medium-high heat. splash some worcestershire sauce all over it and mix to combine.

4. when the hamburger is finished, strain and then dump it into your tomatoe sauce. don't clean the pan that the hamburger was cooked in - put it back on the burner.

5. add a large dollop of butter to the pan that the hamburger was cooked in. toss your shredded cabbage in and saute until just tender.

6. add the rice and cabbage to the tomatoe sauce. stir. taste and adjust seasonings if required.

7. serve and enjoy! if you love cabbage rolls - you will love this!

Friday, November 25, 2011

heated artichoke dip

we love to have snacks around here in the evenings when we settle in. sometimes something as simple as popcorn or as fancy as a mixed fruit and cheese plate. for the past 2 nights we have been enjoying artichoke dip with toast and fruit. i love artichokes. jambaloney likes them - but i love them!

here's a picture of the finished product:



and another of our shared plate. yummeh!



heated artichoke dip

1/2 cup of sour cream
1/2 cup of cream cheese
1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
a splash of apple cider vinegar WITH the Mother
a dollop of unpasteurized honey
6-8 artichokes from a jar of preserved artichokes (preserved in cold-pressed virgin olive oil and vinegar)
sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
crackers, melba toast or regular toast (we like regular toast!)

1. preheat oven to 350C. combine sour cream, cream cheese and parmesan. mix thoroughly.
2. chop up 6-8 artichokes - don't drain them. add the artichokes and their oil to the cheese mixture.
3. add garlic, vinegar, honey and salt and pepper to taste - we love a ton of pepper.
4. if using regular toast, make your toast now. once the toast is finished, set out on a plate and let dry out for the next 10-15 mins.
5. put the artichoke dip in the oven and bake for 15-20 mins.

when we re-heated the artichoke dip for snack the next night, we added chopped up green olives - yummy! we have also been known to add green onion and i am thinking of adding fresh cranberries to the next batch. i'll let you know how that turns out.

we love this snack! enjoy!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Framboise Manor Good Eats Simple Pasta with Meat Sauce

sorry for not posting in such a long time. if you read our other blog, Framboise Manor, you will know that we have alot of crap going on. but anyway - i thought i would share what i call the Framboise Manor Good Eats Simple Pasta with Meat Sauce. here's a pic:



i didn't take pics of the steps to making it but i am sure that you can all figure it out by following the recipe. the secret to this simple spaghetti meal - is what you put in the sauce. follow along and you will see.

Ingredients:

pasta of your choice - follow the instructions on the box/bag
pureed tomatoes (hopefully your own that you canned!)
a splash of apple cider vinegar with the Mother in it
a dollop of un-pasteurized honey
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
fresh or dried oregano (hopefully your own that you grew in your garden or on a sunny window sill)
ground beef (if you are Wendy, Phelan, or MMpaints, you probably hunted, killed, dressed and minced the beef yourself!)
a dash of onion powder
a dump of crushed chilies
a splash of worcestershire sauce
a bit of parmeson cheese (or mozzarella)
sea salt to taste
fresh-cracked black pepper

(the secret - when you combine garlic, honey and apple cider vinegar WITH the Mother in it - you create a natural antibiotic. for real. we use garlic, honey and vinegar in everything!)

1. cook your pasta according to the instructions on the package. we used spaghettini this time but you can use any pasta.

2. heat your pureed tomatoes on medium heat. pour in the splash of vinegar, honey and garlic. stir it up. add the oregano to taste. same goes with the onion powder and crushed chilies. let it heat slowly and move on to the ground beef.

3. brown the ground beef on medium-high. add a splash of worcestershire sauce. cook until the meat is browned.

4. drain the ground beef and add it to your sauce. bring the sauce up to a nice boil and dump it on your pasta.

3. add the parmesan cheese (which we prefer but didn't have any so we used mozzarrella instead!), salt and pepper to taste. enjoy!

Saturday, November 5, 2011

chicken and spinach salad

this is one of our favourite ways to eat leftover grilled chicken. this salad is not for wimps. and the dressing can be used on any salad.

to start the dressing you swirl 6 or 7 swirls of cold-pressed virgin olive oil in a little jar. i save all of the little jars that Tosca artichoke hearts come in. they are excellent jars to use for a variety of things, but also the perfect size to make dressing. add a big splash of cider vinegar with the mother into the olive oil.



next add your sea salt and fresh-cracked black pepper.



and some of the vinegar and oil from your artichoke hearts.



next is 2 cloves of garlic and a nice chunk of fresh ginger.



a dollop of unpasteurized honey.



squeeze in one quarter of a lemon.



and get jambaloney to shake it vigorously for about 3-4 minutes.



now we are moving on to the salad. we start with a pomegranate.



don't forget to always have your compost bucket handy. we save these kitty litter buckets and use them for everything. it makes a great compost bucket as it has a lid to keep the smell away and it has a handle for carrying it out to the compost heap.



here is the pomegranate cut in half. i only use one half for this salad. the other half was eaten that night as a snack.



break your pomegranate apart to get at the seeds.



here's the seeds ready to top the salad.



i skipped a few steps here but i am sure that you all will still be able to follow. place your spinach in a bowl and top with chopped up artichoke hearts.



slice up some super colossal black olives.



toss those onto your salad.



next up is chunks of pear.



and now the pomegranate seeds.



next add the chicken.



and last but not least, spoon some of your dressing all over the salad and add a sprig of coriander.



that is a delicious and very healthy salad. and oh man - is it ever good!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

kymberz Infamous and Sorta' Mediterranean Salsa - Version #1

i do a number of variations when it comes to salsa - sometimes my salsa leans to the Mexican side - full of chilies, hot peppers and garlic and we dump it on organic corn chips fresh out of the oven and smother it in cheese.

sometimes tho i tend towards a more Mediterranean style of salsa (less chilies, still tons of garlic but with a ton of citrus and EXOTIC fruit thrown in!). i think it must be because of my Mediterranean ancestry - of which i have NONE! but i sure do wish i was exotic and Mediterranean. and i was once, for just a brief moment in time. the recipe is coming soon - first i must share my story of how i was once exotic and Mediterranean.

at one of the first kitchen parties/dances that jambaloney and i attended here in Framboise, i was out on the step smoking, and a lady came up and said - "hey are you Sir-rean?". i was like - wtf? i asked her to repeat herself. "are you Sir-rean"....long pause as she takes a puff off of her smoke - "because my husband thinks you might be Lebanese". bahahahahahaha! she was asking me if i was Syrian - can you believe it?!?!?!? i was honoured. i am the most plain-looking Canadian in Canada. but because i had let my hair grow long, and had died it back to it's natural brown PLUS had a very deep tan from running around all spring and summer with no clothes on - i looked Sir-rean to this woman. and man i was proud!

anyway - back to the recipe.

this salsa is one of mine and my jambaloney's favourites - it is as cool and refreshing on a hot day as a glass of fresh-made lemonade (and i have an awesome recipe for lemonade coming up so stay tuned!)

anyway - here is the list of ingredients (be warned - i am not an "exact" kind of person - i measure in "pinches" and "maybe a little more"):

and remember, whenever you follow someone else's recipes to adjust the ingredients to the way you would like it - if you are a garlic lover - add a few extra garlic than the recipe calls for - if you don't like a certain ingredient - leave it out or substitute it with another ingredient!

my ingredients:

2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
4-6 tomatoes
3-5 sweet onions
a bunch of parsley
a bunch of cilantro
a splash of apple cider vinegar with the Mother
2-3 teaspoons of pineapple juice
1 small orange (juice, pulp and rind will be used)
1 small lemon (juice and rind will be used)
1 small lime (juice will be used)
1 can of chopped green chilies
6-8 garlic cloves, crushed
a chunk of fresh ginger, crushed
a dollop of un-pasteurized honey
salt and pepper to taste
1 well-ripened mango
1 gorgeous husband in matching boxer shorts and t-shirt for sous-chef duties as needed

**Extra Tip: chop everything as fine as possible...the more fine everything is chopped, the better your salsa will be!**

i always start my salsa with a "base" - or at least what i call a base. get yourself a big mixing bowl and add the olive oil...i don't measure it, i just dump 6-8 swirls around the bottom of the bowl. sqeeze in the juice of half of the lime and add the pineapple juice. add the apple cider vinegar and the dollop of honey. like this:
















next, chop up the rind of the lemon and orange....like this:



and add it to your base:




next, remove all of the white stringy stuff from the inside of your orange and chop it up and add it to your base. at this point, i throw in some salt and pepper.






next - chop up your chilies (I use about 3/4 of a small can) and add it to your base.

(Note: when chopping up all of the ingredients, i use the same plastic cutting board and knife for all of the ingredients. each ingredient you add to the cutting board, soaks up and catches all of the previous ingredients and ensures that you get all of the ingredients into the bowl. DO NOT do this when using recipes that call for meat ingredients!)





as you can see - the base is coming along nicely now.

next up is garlic and ginger (no pic of the ginger - sorry). MMMM - garlic and ginger are sooo good for you! i normally use regular garlic (and at the end of the summer use my own home-grown garlic!) but for this specific day - my hubby's friend brought us a bunch of wild garlic so i used it. (wild garlic is a little like a cross between garlic and a green onion...and wild garlic is a little milder than regular garlic.) anyway, i used 5 delicious bulbs - chop off the tops and bottoms, put them in your garlic press and add it to the base.



next up is an ingredient that probably made you go "Huh?!?!" when reading the ingredients list - but let me assure you that no kymberz Infamous and Sorta' Mediterranean Salsa can be without - Mango!!!



this one is a little bruised and has seen better days - but the pulp inside is very, very sweet and will add an amazing flavour to the salsa - come on - shake it off - Yes - we are going to put mango into the salsa - i promise you will be floored when you eat this!

so chop up your mango like this:



and add it to your base:



the base is sure starting to look good now eh? at this point, i stick my finger in the base and decide if it needs more chilies, garlic, lime, or salt and pepper...

now get yourself a nice bunch of cilantro:



and chop it up:



and add it to your base:



Woops - fergot to mention that while you are preparing the base, the awesome-gorgeous husband (wearing matching boxer shorts and t-shirt with hole in it) is busy at another counter chopping the tomatoes and onions....



(i looove him soooo freaking much!!!)

now - on to the parsley - follow same instructions as cilantro -



chop it up:



and add it to the base - now is a good time for another taste test as the flavours should be starting to blend nicely:



back to the gorgeous husband chopping tomatoes - set the tomatoes in a colander on top of a bowl or pot so that the tomatoe water/juice runs out into the bowl or pot...if you don't strain the tomatoes your salsa will be very watery! and don't forget to drink the bowl/pot of juice after the tomatoes have strained!




here's some onions ready to go into the salsa now:



add the tomatoes and onions to your base:



mix it all up together and - MMMM - this is some really refreshing salsa!



cover and chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours to give all of the flavours a chance to blend...

serve it up with your favourite chips (Organic White Corn Chips are pictured) and enjoy! trust me - after a hot day spent weeding in the garden - this is a refreshing and zesty lunch! or its a great snack on a hot evening, sitting on your patio, waiting for the steaks to cook on the BBQ.



i hope that you enjoy. more Framboise Manor Good Eats (FMGEs) coming your way soon!

kymber out