Ginger Wine Spritzer

Another fun discovery in Australia: ginger wine. An area in Queensland is known for their tasty ginger: Bundaberg! 

The bf prefers this with a sprinkle of brown sugar, but it's also excellent without since the ginger wine has a nice, sweetness to begin with.

Ingredients

• Ginger wine
• Mint leaves
• Lemon juice
• Brown sugar (optional)
• Ice (enough for your glass)
• Soda water

Directions

1. Depending on how much mint flavor you like it, muddle a small bunch of mint leaves in lemon juice, which should fill about 1/8 of your glass. 
2. Add the brown sugar (optional), to taste, and stir.
3. Fill 3/4 of the glass with ice.
4. Fill with ginger wine until the mixture is about 3/4 full. 
5. Top it off with soda water and enjoy!

Vodka-Butter Chicken Cordon Bleu on Marinara

I modified a few things from the most popular chicken cordon bleu recipe on allrecipes.com and it came out fab! Can't go wrong with bacon, cheese, butter, and vodka. It's probably not the healthiest item, but it's cream-free :)


Ingredients

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 slices cheese, we used Sweet Chili Cheddar
• 4 slices bacon
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp paprika
• 6 tbsp butter
• 2-3 oz vodka (traditionally 1/2 cup dry white wine)
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes, crushed
• 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 cup soy cream (traditionally heavy whipping cream)
• Marinara Sauce
• 1 can tomato sauce (we used Roasted Capsicum & Onion)
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp dried chili flakes
• Salt/Pepper
• Few fresh basil leaves, julienned
• Sliced dinner bread (to serve)

Directions

1. Start with the marinara sauce. In a saucepan, mix the tomato sauce and spices over medium-high heat until it starts to boil. Then reduce to a simmer until ready (longer simmer = better flavor).
2. Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick. Place a cheese and 2 bacon slices on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces.
3. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the vodka and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove the toothpicks and set aside. 
4. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened.
5. On serving plates, pour marinara sauce, place chicken, and then pour the cream sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle the basil on the marinara and serve warm, with bread (and red wine). You'll want that bread for the marinara and leftover vodka butter ;) 

Source: modified from Allrecipes.com

Mini Pavlovas w/ Pineapple, Kiwi, & Banana

An Aussie/Kiwi fav, named after the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova after a tour through 1920's Australia and New Zealand. Apparently, it can be tricky getting the merengue to come out right, so after some researching and testing a few times, this recipe works like a charm :)

Double this recipe for a fun dinner party dessert!

Serves 6.

Ingredients

• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch, sifted
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 cup (8 fl oz) cream
• 1-2 tbsp cream cheese (to taste)
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar (to taste)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Banana, sliced
• 2 Kiwi fruit, diced
• 1/3 Pineapple (1 cup)
• Optional: 1 tsp cream of tartar (emergency back-up)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Place room temperature eggwhites in a glass or steel bowl and use an electrical beater to whip, gradually adding the caster sugar until the mixture is stiff and glossy. You’ll know when the meringue is stiff and glossy because the mixture will have tripled in volume and stands up when the beaters are lifted. Note: If you don't have egg beaters and are using a single whipping whisk, like we did, you may need the assistance of the emergency 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar.
2. Add the cornflour and vinegar and whisk until just combined and the mixture forms stiff peaks. On a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper, spoon the mixture to form (6) 3-inch diameter cake shapes.
3. Reduce oven to 250°F (120°C) and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow the pavlova to cool completely in the oven. The low heat puffs up the meringue while the long cooking time dries it out to give you a crisp shell.
4. In a chilled glass or steel bowl, whisk the cream, cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until peaks form. Spread over the pavlova, and top with fresh fruit. Optional: we also drizzled a bit of vanilla bean infused (spiced) rum (i.e. Captain Morgan) over the fruit. Yea, we made that too.
5. Serve immediately.

Note: Store your pavlova, undressed, in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Piling on the goodness for the bf's birthday breakfast! It's a masterpiece...of love.

Enjoy!

Saffron Moules Frites (Mussels & Baked Sweet Potato Fries)

Belgian/French in Brisbane :)

Also known as mussels and french fries (hot chips, whatever)...thank you boyfriend, for knowing so many interesting foods. This one's from Belgium, and it's a keeper...

Serves 2. Time: 1 hour.

Ingredients

Frites
• 1 large sweet potato
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp powdered garlic
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
Moules
• 1 kg mussels
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter
• 2 medium onions
• 2 sausages (preferrably chorizo, if available), squeezed out of casing
• 2-3 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp saffron threads
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1/4 cup vinegar (tarragon-infused)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Salt/Pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425F (220C). 
2. Cut sweet potato into ¼" match-sticks and set in a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil over frites and toss to evenly coat all sticks of sweet potato. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl combine all frites seasonings and mix thoroughly. 
4. Place sweet potatoes on a baking rack (a baking sheet is okay too, but the fries don't cook through as even). Sprinkle seasoning mixture on top. Try to arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer so that pieces are not touching each other. Place rack/pan in oven and bake for 15 minutes. Use a metal spatula to gently flip fries and then return pan to oven. Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until fries are starting to lightly brown and crisp. Start the moules about 10 minutes before the fries are done. 
5. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat with onion, sausage, paprika, and chili powder. Sauté until onions are soft. Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes over medium heat. Add tomato and saute, stirring frequently for 3-4 minutes.
6. In a separate small pot, boil water. Remove from heat and steep saffron in the hot water for at least 3-4 minutes. Remove saffron. Add wine, lemon zest and juice, and vinegar to saffron water.
7. Add the saffron mixture to the large pot and bring to a boil. Toss in the mussels and give a quick stir. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat, add heavy cream, salt and pepper (to taste). Serve with fries.

This is a new fav, thanks babe :)

Spinach Salad w/ Apples & Warm Bacon Dressing

Just like the steakhouse spinach salad :)

Thanks to Alton Brown for the base recipe, we made a few changes to this recipe. Honestly, we didn't have mushrooms, so I used apple instead for a sweet contrast to complement the bacon! Alton Brown's dressing was too acidic, so we added a little more Dijon mustard and some honey.

Serves 2.

Ingredients

• 6-8 ounces spinach
• 2 large eggs
• 6 pieces bacon rasher, chopped
• 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp. honey
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small onion, very thinly sliced
• 1 small Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
• Optional: 3 large white mushrooms, sliced

Directions

1. Remove the stems from the spinach and wash, drain and pat dry thoroughly. Place into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Place the eggs into an electric kettle and cover with cold water by at least 1-inch. Turn the kettle on. Once the water comes to a boil, the kettle will turn itself off. Leave the eggs in the water for 15 minutes. Remove and peel off the shell. Slice each egg and set aside.
3. While the eggs are cooking, fry the bacon, reserving the rendered fat. Set aside.
4. Transfer the fat to a small saucepan set over low heat and whisk in the red wine vinegar, sugar, Dijon mustard and honey. Season with a small pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper. Note: if consistency is too watery, add some cornstarch to thicken (to your preference).
5. Add the sliced onion and apple to the spinach and toss. Add the dressing and bacon and toss to combine. Divide the spinach between 2 plates or bowls and evenly divide the egg among them. Season with pepper, as desired. Serve immediately.

Source: Alton Brown (foodnetwork.com).