Covered French Bread

I received my new Kitchenaid this past week from a blog prize that I had won and I am loving it! I obviously, had to make some bread when I got it and I have been experimenting with a new loaf and how to cook it so I get almost a chewy crust, not crunchy crust... Well. I did it! I love this crust on this bread so I wanted to share it with you. First of all, I need to share with you a photo of my newest child!

Isn't she a beaut? Well my bread turned out delicious and looked beautiful.

Sliced up great too!

Ingredients:

2 cups flour, plus more

1 teaspoon active quick rising dry yeast

1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups warm water
2 tbsp softened butter
1 tbsp honey
1 egg

Tortellini Salad

So, I am going to show you that my House Dressing is so versatile. I have already shown you that I use it on my Chicken Noodle Salad and now I am going to show you another salad! This salad is really great during the summer. I make this salad when I am doing bbq's or picnics. 

Ingredients:

package of tortellini

1/2 cucumber diced

variety of sweet peppers (eyeball it) (I used red, orange and yellow)

crumbled feta (eyeball it)

1 tomato diced

House Dressing (Click above for recipe)

*You can add so many other ingredients... be creative

ANOTHER GIVEAWAY!!!

Well folks, I am excited about this giveaway. I don't actually own this recipe book but I keep picking up this book everytime I enter Costco or Chapters. It looks like a fantastic recipe book so that is why I want to give one of you lucky followers the chance to win this. Here are the rules:

- You must reside in Canada or the U.S.A
- You must be a 'follower' of my blog. (Click on the link on the rightside of my blog to become a follower)
- You must 'like' my facebook page. (You will also find that on the right side of my blog)
- You must comment on this blog post by telling me what your favourite food is

The winner will be chosen at random using a a random winner generator button that you can also see on the right side of my blog. The winner will be chosen on June 01/2012
If the winner does not respond in 24 hours a new winner will be chosen at random. You can either email me or comment on the blog that you are a winner!

Happy winning!

Chicken Noodle Salad

So the other day I posted my House Dressing (as I like to call it). This is one salad I make that I have to have this dressing with. There are so many flavors in this salad that compliment the dressing so well. The funny thing about this dressing is that I had a hard time sharing this recipe with ya'll because this was always my 'secret recipe' that was going to appear in my restaurant (that I will actually never really open, just a far away dream). So hopefully, you all enjoy it!

Julia Child's Rolled Omelette

"If you're afraid of butter, use cream"

   -Julia Child

As part of a friendly competition, I have joined JC1oo in a celebration of Julia Child. Hopefully, my recipes will be viewed by 1000's on the Julia Child facebook page. The first challenge is to create Julia Child's Omelette Roulee, also known as her Rolled Omelette. On Julia Child's TV show 'The French Chef' she describes this omelette as 'dinner in half a minute.'

Quinoa lettuce wraps

I am hoping that when my husband arrives home tonight and finds what is for dinner he doesn't freak out:) This just isn't his kind of meal but I would love to eat meals like this more often. I had some leftover quinoa salad in my fridge and I wanted to use it up so this is what I have come up with. I do have some dressing on my quinoa salad already so I will share what is on my quinoa but you can either use plain quinoa or flavor it with my dressing. This would make an excellent appetizer if you were having a dinner party and you wanted to look a little fancier or a great appetizer to please any type of crowd.

Ingredients:

1 cup Quinoa

1/2 cup corn kernels

small can of black beans

small handful of chopped cilantro

2 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup roasted sliced almonds

(optional dressing mixed into Quiona) *dressing described below

Italian Sausage, chopped

mini romaine leaves, iceberg or butter lettuce

1 tsp cornstarch, mixed with 1 tbsp water

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp grated ginger

2 tbsp honey

Hawaiian Style Pulled Pork

When I think pork, I think pineapple. I just think the 2 compliment each other so well. Today, I felt like using the slow cooker. I found some pork tenderloin in my freezer so I decided pulled pork sandwiches would be lovely. I wasn't sure how I was going to prepare my pork but I knew pineapple was a must!

Ingredients:
Pork tenderloin or pork roast
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1-2 tsps fresh ginger, grated
1 can pineapple, plus juice (I would use crushed if you have it)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 small can tomato paste
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup vinegar
1 tsp onion powder

My House Dressing

Well this dressing was created by me a few years back. I wanted to come up with the ultimate dressing and my family LOVES this dressing. It is so good. I make a chicken noodle salad with fresh veggies and Mango and serve this dressing on top and it is divine! This is what is for dinner tonight! Maybe I will post the ingredients to this actual salad in a later post, but for now here is the delicious dressing!

 Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
juice from 1 lime
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp crushed fresh ginger
small handful fresh basil
small handful fresh mint

Cream Puff dessert

This dessert was first introduced to me by my sister. It is absolutely delicious. It makes you work your arm muscles but once you devour into this yummy yummy dessert you will be willing to make it again and again... I am unsure where this recipe originally originated from as I don't actually follow anything I have just made it so often I can do it from memory. Here is all you need

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
5 eggs
Topping:
1 package vanilla instant pudding
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 1/2 whipping cream (I add icing sugar and vanilla to sweeten it)
sliced fruit
chocolate sauce