Sloppy Joes are most certainly on my list of foods that make my tummy smile. Eating hot, saucy beef slopped down on a bun is the best. I also love the amazing fun in trying to scoop the sandwich up … Continue reading
Sloppy Vanessas From Scratch
Tag Archives: easy recipe
New Year, Fresh Start!
Hello world, I’m back! As I’m sure you noticed, I took a bit of a break from blogging these past couple of years. However, I haven’t stopped thinking about This Hungry Kitten, definitely have not stopped collecting recipes or cooking, … Continue reading
Keep It Simple, Silly! Simple Crepes For Any Occasion
Since I was a child, crepes have been one of my favourite desserts. I loved how sweet and egg-y my mother used to make them. I’d eat them faster than she could make them, and I wouldn’t stop eating until she stopped flipping them off the pan onto my plate. I’ve now come to realize, after having tried so many savoury crepes, that they don’t always have to be sweet. These delicate pancakes are simple, easy to make and extremely versatile. You can use any toppings you like! Sweet or savoury!
I had a crepe craving last night and now that I don’t live with the legendary crepe-making mama, I decided to figure out how to make them (or something like them) on my own. I discovered that they are easier than I thought! The beauty of a crepe is in its simplicity. Simple ingredients and simple preparation. Sometimes enjoying something as simple as a plain sweet crepe is just what you need. Continue reading
Rolo Chocolate Pretzel Sammies. You’re welcome.
This post is going to be short and SWEET.
I don’t eat sweets very often, but I know a yummy treat when I see one, smell one or wolf down a serving meant for ten people without even noticing. I’ve never been a huge fan of chocolate covered pretzels. The ones I’ve had always seem dry, and stale, and boring. BUTTT, these little Rolo pretzel sandwiches are the complete opposite. They create the perfect salty-sweet balance and the caramel Rolo centres add a beautiful sticky sweetness to them. The best chocolate pretzels I’ve ever had! Continue reading
Wrap & Roll! Learn To Rice-Paper-Wrap Anything And Everything.
I get a lot of requests for easy, quick and healthy recipes. Here’s a recipe that can’t get any easier or quicker, and can be super duper healthy! These were inspired by Vietnamese rice paper spring rolls and can be 100% vegan or vegetarian-friendly if you want them to be. If you’ve ever tried Vietnamese food, you probably know exactly what I’m talking about.
Rice paper wraps are my best friend. They’re so quick and easy to use and they don’t cost much at all! Rice paper is like thin, steamed rice crepes that have been dried out into thin, hard, round sheets. You dampen the sheets, one by one, in warm water and you’re ready for wrapping! They get nice and sticky and adhere to themselves to make a gorgeous fresh roll in one step. They’re also much healthier than fried spring rolls. Continue reading
MATZAH BREI! Breakfast: Passover Style.
It’s Passover! Whether you’re Jewish or not, this recipe is delish. Give it a try! Here’s your opportunity to get all festive and creative! 🙂
This is a yummy breakfast dish I came across today. As Passover begins, and all you can eat is matzah day and night, it’s fun to find new ways to cook with it. Matzah brei is a dish commonly eaten as a breakfast food during passover, sort of a Jewish version of a universal breakfast (eggs and something bready). It is typically made with matzah soaked in water, broken, and pan fried with scrambled eggs in butter or schmaltz (rendered chicken or goose fat). However, you can totally play it up by serving with applesauce or sour cream, adding veggies, or making it a sweet treat by adding sugar, vanilla, or syrup. Matzah brei can be scrambled or done as more of a frittata.
I chose savoury over sweet this morning. I added onions into the mix, sprinkled a bit of cheddar cheese on top, and served it with a baked sweet potato on the side. Play around with your own ingredients. Here’s my recipe:
Matzah Brei
Ingredients:
- 1 sheet of matzah
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- Half a small onion diced (optional)
- Salt and pepper to season
- 1-2 tablespoons of grated old cheddar cheese (optional)
Whisk your eggs together in a bowl.
Run the sheet of matzah under water for about 45 seconds. Maybe a little more or less, depending on the type of matzah you use. Just until it starts to soften, don’t let it turn to mush.
Set the wet matzah aside and melt the butter in a pan.
Next, you break the sheet of matzah into bite-sized pieces. Add them into the pan along with the diced onions. (If you want to add any other veggies, add them into the pan with the matzah pieces now.)
Fry until the matzah is well coated in butter and your onions are translucent. About a minute or so.
Now add your scrambled eggs into the pan and mix them in with the matzah and onions. Cook the eggs for about two minutes. Just keep flipping them around. You dont want them to overcook or they’ll be dry. Leave them a bit mushy. You can add salt and pepper to taste while you’re cooking the eggs.
All done! Now just plate it and sprinkle a little grated cheese on top if you like.
Chag Sameach! Happy Passover! And happy breakfasting! 🙂
xx
A Proper Caesar Salad.
Last night’s dinner was AMAZING. I’m so excited about how well it turned out I don’t even know where to begin. So I’ll begin with a photo…
We decided it would be a Caesar salad kind of night. When I got to the grocery store, I decided it was also going to be a shrimp and lobster kind of night too! Lobster tails were on sale…I can’t say no to lobster.
Have you ever wondered about the origin of Caesar salad? (I do wonder about these things.) No, Julius Caesar did not invent this salad in ancient times. The salad is named after Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant and chef in the United States and Mexico. The earliest documentation of these salads was in the 1940’s. Chef Cardini never used anchovies in his original dressing, the anchovy flavour came from the Worcestershire sauce. I love a good Caesar salad with anchovies. If you’re going to make a Super Caesar, it has got to have the little fishies.
I’ve always wanted to make Caesar salad dressing from scratch, but never really got around to it. I wanted to find the best recipe to use. Tonight, I found it! I’ve heard such good things about the Caesar salads at Jacobs & Co. Steakhouse (Toronto, Ontario, Canada.). They do tableside Caesars right at your table, dressing and all! If you’ve ever been there, you must know what I’m talking about. I was determined to find Jacobs’ recipe. During my search, I came across this fantastic video on YouTube. (Watch it.)
There were no exact measurements in the video for the ingredients so I used my own judgement, and the salad turned out exactly how I wanted it! It’s a garlic-y vinaigrette Caesar dressing. My favourite kind. You must try this for yourself, it’s terrific! Here’s my take on the Jacobs & Co. recipe:
How To Make A Caesar Vinaigrette & A Great Caesar Salad (Jacobs & Co. Steakhouse Recipe)
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
(You can totally adjust the amounts of these ingredients to your own liking/taste. Adding more olive oil will make it a bit creamier.)
- 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon sea salt
- 2 anchovy fillets
- minced garlic (1 or 2 cloves, depending on how much you like garlic. I used 2 cloves.)
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 or 2 splashes Tabasco hot sauce (out of the bottle)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (I used fresh lemon juice)
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (some extra to sprinkle on top if you like)
- bacon bits (I made my own using 2 slices of smoked side bacon)
- 1 cup croutons
- 1 head of romaine lettuce (Judge by your amount of dressing how much lettuce you want to use.)
If you’re going to make your own bacon bits, start by frying the bacon in a pan until it’s nice and crispy. Then chop it up. (It may even just sort of crumble if it’s crispy enough.)
Wash, dry and cut your lettuce. Have it ready to mix into the dressing later on.
Use a large salad bowl. Start by grinding your pepper into this bowl. Next, add your sea salt, anchovies and garlic.
Using a fork or spoon smash it all together. Your goal to mash the anchovies into a paste.
Add in the 2 egg yolks, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar and lemon juice. Mix, mix, mix.
Add the olive oil SLOWLY, bit by bit, while mixing. You want to emulsify all the flavours. The faster and longer you mix, the creamier the dressing will get. (If you’d like your dressing to be creamier, add more olive oil.) Mix in the 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese, bacon bits, and croutons into the dressing.
You did it! Now mix in the romaine lettuce and you’re done! Add more or less lettuce depending on how much dressing you have. Don’t overdress the leaves, but make sure they’re well coated. This is going to be the best Caesar salad you’ve ever had. You can add a little more parmesan on top of your salads once you’ve plated them.
The lobster & shrimp linguine recipe shall follow! xx
This Hungry Kitten 