Orange Ginger Beef Stew

Although my family didn't seem to like this, I really did.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 blade simmering steak, boneless, about 1 pound or .5 kg
2 onions, chopped
1 knob ginger, rinsed well, unpeeled, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons of Soy sauce
1 10 oz. can of beef stock
1 cup of orange marmalade (homemade)
1 cup of orange juice
1 tablespoon of five-spice powder (optional)
1 bunch of cilantro
1 bag of baby spinach
1 cup of bean sprouts
1 bunch of green onions, chopped

Orange Marmalade

Ingredients:

- 2 navel oranges
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup orange juice

Food processor + reduce on stove for 30ish minutes

Tomato Mushroom Black Olive Sauce with Bowtie Pasta and Garlic Bread

Had a craving for some black olives and decided to throw them into a simple pasta sauce.

Ingredients:

- can of whole tomatoes
- 2 small onions, chopped
- 15-20 black kalamata olives
- garlic
- olive oil
- 10-15 mushrooms, quartered
- little cayenne
- little pepper
- little oregano

Mmmm soup

This shall be called Spicy Bow tie pasta soup. With garlic bread.

Recipe:

- onion
- celery
- carrots
- mushrooms
- chicken stock
- bow tie pasta
- peas
- ginger
- cayenne pepper
- asian 5 spice
- hoisin sauce
- chives
- bread
- butter
- garlic

Made it a little spicier than i would have liked but damn its good.

Late Night Pho-Inspired Soup

Had a craving a pho-esk soup broth. Mmmmmm pho..

Recipe:

- onions
- olive oil
- chicken broth
- sriracha hot sauce
- carrots
- celery
- sweet potato (left over from South West night), grated
- frozen peas, added last
- baby spinach, lining bowl
- frozen ginger, on spinach
- hoisin sauce, added last

Certain satisfied the craving, although I found the sweet potato to be a little over powering in the sweetness category.. Maybe a regular potato next time. Or something completely different..

Leftover Tuna becomes Bacon Cheddar Tuna Salad

So, after making tuna melts for my sister two days in a row I had some tuna leftover and decided to make a salad.

Recipe:

- Leftover Tuna

- Cheddar cheese, chopped

- bacon, chopped

- extra mayo

- extra lemon juice

- sriracha hot sauce

- cherry tomatoes, chopped

Note: I dislike maple bacon, always have. It just tastes weird to me.. Is that non-canadian of me to say?

Tuna Melt

This has become my sister's number one requested lunch item. Mmm Tuna Melts..

Recipe:

- Tuna, strained
- mayo
- lemon
- salt & pepper
- celery
- garlic
- carrot
- lots of cheddar
- caraway rye bread, "the great bread ever made" - my dad

Note: Cilantro does not work in tuna, i had some kicking around so i tried it, didn't work.

Egg and Bacon "Salad"

Got some bacon from Rowe Farms recently that was described to me as the "crack cocaine" of bacon. Had to put it to the test in this breakfast salad medley.

Recipe:

- egg, fried and chopped
- bacon, fried and chopped
- garlic, minced
- cayenne pepper
- baby spinach
- mozzarella, chopped
- tomato, chopped

Went very well followed by a sliced orange and a nice green jasmine tea.

Grilled Steak and Veggie Kabobs

Kabobs and beers on the back deck in the summer. Gotta love it. Had some friends over so I decided to make some quick skewers.

Recipe:

- grilling steak, chopped into chunks
- peppers (green, red, yellow), chunked
- whole mushrooms
- oil olive, infused with garlic and oregano, brushed onto skewer

Chilli

Was in the mood for chilli and decided to make lots so my family could take some for lunch the next day. If I could make one change for next time it would be to use fresh mushrooms instead of canned ones.

Recipe:

- onions
- garlic
- stewed tomatoes
- mushrooms
- mixed beans
- ground pork
- ground beef
- chilli powder mix
- chilli powder
- cayenne pepper

Next time i'll be sure to take a picture of the end result.

Steamed PEI Mussels

Can't take all the credit here. Mr Jon Brown is mostly responsible for this creation. I mostly did prep and assisted. But it was delicious so it deserves a mention for sure.

Recipe:

- PEI Mussels
- salted butter
- olive oil
- garlic
- onions
- white wine
- white Sambuca
- tomatoes, chopped
- jalapeno pepper, chopped
- garnish: lemon zest, crusty white bread

This was one of the best meals i've had in a long time. Very very very good. Quick and easy too.

Vegetable Soup

Decided to make my own Veggie soup. I sometimes crave a soup that is 90% stuff and 10% broth.

Recipe:

- onion
- celery
- carrot
- garlic
- chicken stock
- chopped potato (rinsed)
- ginger (added last)
- baby spinach lining the bowl
- hot sauce in the bowl
- frozen peas (added to the hot soup in the bowl)

Montreal Smoked Meat and Grated Potato Soup

Was in the mood for soup and campbells just wasn't going to cut it.

Recipe:

- chicken stock

- carrots

- celery

- onions

- garlic

- ginger (added last)

- grated potato (rinsed)

- baby spinach (added last)

- chopped montreal smoked meat (added to the finished soup)

Tabouli Lunch

For a few days my sisters were asking if I could make them a Tabouli Salad for them to take to school for lunch. This is what I came up with and it was very tasty, although a little spicier than I had originally anticipated.

Recipe:

- whole wheat cous cous

- lemon

- flat leaf parsley

- tomatos

- olive oil

- cucumber

- mint

- green onion

- garlic

- salt and pepper

- cayenne pepper

- honey

Very easy to make and pretty quick too.

Almost a Guacamole

Saw half an avocado in the fridge and decided a nice guacamole would be nice, then i saw the leftover hamburger...

Recipe:

- half an avocado, chopped
- tomato
- lemon
- garlic
- onion
- black olives, pitted and chopped
- feta cheese
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- oregano
- cucumber
- celery

South Western Dinner

Started off with some Sweet Potato soup.

Recipe:

- onions
- chicken stock
- grated sweet potatoes
- hot sauce / pepper
- cinnamon
- salt
- garnish: crispy tortilla strips and cilantro sour creme

Main Course: South Western Steak Salad with Rice Pilaf

Recipe:

- Marinade steak in coriander, cumin, garlic, olive oil, hot sauce, and mustard

- sauté onions and garlic in oil then toast basmati rice in oil then add water/chicken stock/bay leaf to cook

- cook steak in hot cast iron pan, let rest for a few minutes to relax, then thinly slice (against the fibres)

- mix salsa, half a lime, and olive oil in a bowl. Add mixed greens, red pepper, cilantro, and grated cheddar