INGREDIENTS

1 box Betty Crocker™ white angel food cake mix1 1/4 cups cold water1 teaspoon grated lemon or orange peelRed, yellow and green liquid food colors1 cup Betty Crocker™ Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting (from 1-lb container)12 to 15 square candy fruit chews

These gorgeous green beans were lovingly grown by my husband, David. Before I became a personal chef and began adding other food-related jobs to my life, I used to be more involved in the hard work it takes to grow a garden. However, now my involvement is pretty much limited to creating and cooking with the ultra-fresh produce he brings in the back door. Rough….I know….but someone’s gotta do it….


INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 pounds green beans, ends trimmed
⅓ cup vegetable or chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ cup sweet chili sauce
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
salt, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS
In a large skillet or wok, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook garlic 30 seconds to 1 minute or until fragrant. Add green beans and cook, stirring often or until beans are beginning to brown.
Add broth and soy sauce. Cover and let cook 4 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender.
Add sweet chili sauce, crushed red pepper flakes and salt to taste. Heat through. Transfer to serving bowl and serve immediately.

Source -Here-

These Cheddar and Bacon Twice-Baked Potatoes are an easy make-ahead side dish that delivers pure comfort. Although the process takes a fair amount of time, it’s mostly hands-off time that will allow you to do other things while the potatoes are baking.



With the recent popularity of low-carbohydrate diets, the nutritional reputation of potatoes has taken a beating. While it’s true they are mainly a starch, they also contain high levels of vitamins C and B6, minerals such as potassium and folic acid, and because of the skin, plenty of fiber. See? A health food in disguise!

Okay, so that might be stretching it, but it’s nice to indulge once in a while. Because the potato is halved instead of stuffed whole, the portion size for this indulgence is within reason.

Russets are the best choice for baking and twice-baking because of their high starch content. When preparing a batch, select potatoes that are similar in size and shape for nice presentation and so they all get cooked around the same time.

So I looked in the fridge. The ingredients I had to work with were sparse, but I quickly got to work grating cheese sticks, shredding up the rotisserie chicken my sister had been saving for a pot pie she wanted to make that night, and scouring the fridge for sour cream.

"I'm going to put yogurt on it for the pictures and pretend it's sour cream," I said.

"Don't you dare."

"Hey, do you know how many centuries ago we opened this salsa? I bet it's still good," I said, ignoring him.

"I am not eating that."

"Red alert. We only half one and a half tortillas," I said.

"That's okay, just hurry!"

Well, I did find one small spoonful of sour cream and I snapped a few quick pictures before my bro ran out the door with quesadillas in tow.

Later that night when he returned, he walked in the door, burping contentedly, and said, "Mm, another pleasant reminder of how good those quesadillas were."



Quick and Easy Basic Chicken Quesadillas


About a tablespoon or two of butter
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup of cooked shredded or chopped chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken)
A few teaspoons of taco seasoning
2 flour tortillas
1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, or whatever you've got)
Sour cream, salsa, and cilantro for serving


Melt half of the butter in a large frying pan and cook the pepper, onion, and garlic until tender. Add the chicken and seasoning and cook until heated through. Place the mixture on one of the tortillas and sprinkle on the cheese. Place the other tortilla on top. Melt the remaining butter in the pan and place the quesadilla in the pan. Cook about two minutes and then flip. Continue cooking until the cheese is melted. Cut into four triangles like a pizza. Serve with sour cream, salsa, and fresh cilantro if desired.

Source -Here-

I love to use olive oil a lot more nowadays because I feel that it is lot more healthy and has a lovely flavour in it..I have recently addicted to EVOO(extra virgin olive oil)...Yes I started saying like this after watching rachael ray shows...


And Guys have you ever watched rachael’s shows...I love her shows so much because she cook so energetic and enthusiastic..We can see a passion in her cooking and also she gives lots of tips in between cooking...If you have never watched her show before,you should do it now...


Now back to our focaccia...I flavoured it with onions,olives and rosemary because I love the sweetness of onions when it has been baked and also I found that rosemary and onions go very well together...So I throwed some in..

Other suggested toppings are sundried tomatoes,basil,shredded chedder cheese,parsley and many more...


One of the weird topping is......Vegetarians turn aside...This is only for meat eater....If you want to be little bit naughty just throw some bacon bits in it...YUM YUM Right...


I know that everyone is going to try out this bread...Bu how do you serve it...I have couple of recipes for serving this bread..Two interesting recipes.....I will post it in my coming posts...So wait for it...


Ingrediants:


For Base:
Flour-3 cups
Salt-1 tsp
Sugar-1 tblspn
Yeast-1 tblspn
Warm water as needed
Olive oil-1 tblspn


For Topping:
Olives-1 tblspn chopped
Onion- 2 tblspn sliced
Cilantro/Coriander leaves-1 tblspn chopped
Rosemary-1 tsp
Olive oil-5 tblspn


Method:


Take the yeast and sugar and add this to the warm water..Mix well and let it sit for 5 mins..


Take flour and salt in the mixing bowl and pour this yeast water over this..Form a smooth and soft dough out of this..Apply oil over this and set aside for a moment..


Oil a tray or baking tin...Put this dough in that and press it till it spread out evenly..


Cover it with a damp cloth and set aside for 1 – 1 ½ hours or until the dough has rised..


Preheat the oven to 220°C(450°F)..


With your fingers make some impressions on the dough(see picture)..


Pour olive oil in that impressions...Top it with onions,olives,rosemary,cilantro...


Put this in the oven and bake it for 20 mins..


Remove it and cut into slices..


You could make sandwiches,garlic bread or have it as it is..





Source -Here-

That crisp Fall air is nice on a sunny day, but it really can be chilly when it’s overcast. When cooler arrives in our neck of the woods, that always means cozy, comforting, warm meals. Among those, soups are always one of my favorites. To me, there’s nothing more inviting than the smell of homemade soup simmering on the stove all day when there is a chill in the air. Creamy soups are often more of an indulgence, but that’s what I am sharing with you all today. This Cheesy Chicken & Vegetable Soup is one of my family’s favorite meals!




Ingredients
2-3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 large carrots, sliced thin
1 large onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 cup green beans, chopped
1 small head of broccoli, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups 2% milk
4 cups Chicken Stock
4 cups cooked, chopped or shredded chicken
4 cups freshly grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
sea salt
black pepper

Instructions
In your pot or Dutch Oven, heat the olive oil and start sauteing your vegetables (except for the frozen peas). I like to start with the toughest first, like the carrots and broccoli.
Keep adding vegetables, while stirring until they are all softened, about 20 minutes.
Remove the vegetables from the pot and place them in a large bowl and set aside.
You can add the frozen peas to this veggie mixture at this time.
Melt the 1/2 cup of butter in the pot on a medium/low heat.
Add the flour and mix together until incorporated.
Slowly add the heavy cream, and the milk, while whisking together.
When it becomes slightly thickened, add the chicken stock and whisk to combine.
Turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the vegetable mixture back in and the chopped or shredded cooked chicken, give it a good stir, cover and simmer on low 20 more minutes.
Add 3 1/2 cups of the Cheddar Cheese and season well with the sea salt and pepper. I use about 2 1/2 tsp. of salt and 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. black pepper, but start out with a little and keep tasting until you get it the way you want- you can't take out salt but you can always add more:)
Top with remaining grated Cheddar Cheese and serve warm in homemade bread bowls or with fresh crusty bread.
Serves 8 generously.













Source -Here-

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 cups freshly shredded zucchini
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

InstructionsPreheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In your Kitchen Aid Mixer, cream the butter, shortening and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
Add the oats, and flours along with the soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix just until combined. Do not over mix.
Add the zucchini and chocolate chips and mix until just incorporated. Do not over mix.
Drop Tablespoonfuls of the cookie batter onto the lined baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies become light golden around the edges. Do not over bake or you will have a harder cookie. They may look underdone in the middle, but they aren't. (Ovens may vary)
Remove from the oven and let them rest 1 minute before removing to a cooling rack.
Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies depending on the size.
Serve warm or room temperature with milk.
*To freeze: Let cookies cool completely and them store in a plastic freezer safe bag or container.







Source -Here-

This White Chocolate & Almond Amaretto Cheesecake turned out to be simply delightful! Amaretto and white chocolate are swirled into every bite of this creamy cheesecake and baked in a buttery graham cracker and almond crust. A delicate almond flavored sour cream layer tops this cheesecake along with beautiful sliced almonds. This indulgent, special dessert, was just what I was hoping for. And guess what? I found that it really didn’t take me that long either! I love this cheesecake because any minor imperfections can be covered with the sour cream and almond topped layer. Slicing any cheesecake can be tricky, but I find that running a long knife under hot water in between each cut, you pieces will turn out just fine. Since cheesecake freezes very well, I sliced all of my pieces, placed a small piece of parchment paper between the slices and stored them in the freezer. This way I can take a few slices out on Valentine’s Day or even on this week’s date night in and serve up a special dessert made from scratch and with love. If you love cheesecake, I hope you’ll give this wonderful treat a try in your kitchen!



Ingredients
For The Crust:
2 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (roughly 2 bags from a box)
1/4 cup plain almonds, chopped very fine in food processor
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbsp. Amaretto

For The Filling:
2 (8 oz.) packages Cream cheese, softened
2 (8 oz.) packages Neufchâtel cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 Tbsp. Amaretto
1 tsp. almond extract
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1/4 cup almonds, chopped very fine in food processor
2 oz. Baker's Premium White Chocolate, finely chopped

For Topping:
1 (16 oz.) container sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
1/2 cup sliced almonds for garnish

Instructions
Grease a 9 inch Springform Pan and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
Combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, almonds, sugar and Amaretto for the crust.
Spread the crust into your pan evenly and half way up the sides, while pressing down firmly.
Set aside.
In your Kitchen Aid Mixer, cream the cheeses with the sugar.
Add the eggs, one at at time, beating until just combined after each addition.
Add the almonds, the Amaretto, almond extract, vanilla extract, pinch of salt and combine.
Stir in the white chocolate.
Pour the filling into the crust.
Place your Springform pan on top of a baking sheet and bake for 55-65 minutes, or until the cheesecake is almost set.
Meanwhile, mix together the topping in a small bowl.
When the cheesecake is almost set, remove it from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes.
Spread the sour cream topping evenly over the cheesecake and bake another 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
Carefully, take a knife and go around the edges of the pan to loosen, and leaving the cheesecake still in the Spring form pan, move to a cooling rack.
Sprinkle with sliced almonds.
After about an hour of cooling, place the cheesecake on a plate, still in the Spring form pan and place in the refrigerator to chill overnight.
The next day,remove the sides of the pan and slice.
You can use a long knife dipped in very hot water to slice the cheesecake.
You can serve the next day, or freeze individual slices, separated with small pieces of parchment paper in a freezer friendly container for your convenience.
Makes (1) 9 inch cheesecake, about 12 servings.

Then as I am carrying Preston in one arm, pulling the wagon with the other and watching Kellan on his bike, we enter a crosswalk. We were in the right away but for some reason, a woman turning left who was stopped when we entered the crosswalk, started going and TURNED RIGHT INTO US.

It all happened so fast. I saw Kellan hit the ground and thankfully, get up and run to the sidewalk. My heart was pounding and I was shaking as I ran to him making sure he was ok. Thankfully, he didn’t have a scratch on him.





Ingredients:
5 slices bacon, diced
1 (22 ounce) bag waffle cut fries
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 1/2 - 3 cups shredded medium cheddar cheese
1/4 cup ranch dressing
2 green onions, diced


Instructions:
Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat.

Heat a grill for indirect heat to 450 degrees.

Toss french fries with oil.

ear off 4 12 inch pieces of aluminum foil. Crimp the ends together to make boats,. Divide french fries among the 4 boats so that they lay in a single layer. Cook on grill for 15 minutes. Turn and cook another 10 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

Divide cheese evenly among fries. Sprinkle with bacon. Continue cooking until cheese has melted, about 5 more minutes. Remove from grill, drizzle ranch dressing over the top and sprinkle with green onions. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!













Source -Here-

Tim Flach has captured these magnificent portraits of animals, which show an interesting perspective that is not often seen. By placing each animal in an unfamiliar backdrop, Flach uses the defamiliarization technique to make us see the animal in a unique light, which in turn enhances our perception.


Source -Here-

Earlier in the summer I was contacted by the fine folks at 14 Hands Winery and they offered to let me try some of their delicious wine. They asked if I could pair it with something grilled and I was totally up for the challenge! I read about each of their wines and while they all sounded (and are!) delicious I had to go with the white blend to pair with the peaches. The description totally sold me!

“intense aromas of peach compote with tropical and floral nuances. On the palate, flavors of fresh apple, pear and melon are balanced by juicy acidity and ends with a bright, vibrant finish.”




INGREDIENTS:
Peaches:
2 large peaches

Brown Sugar Sauce:
1/2 cup sour cream
1-2 tablespoons brown sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
Peaches:
Preheat outdoor or indoor grill.

Cut peaches in half and remove pit. Add to hot grill (or grill pan) and let sit for about 5 minutes. The peaches will get delicious looking grill marks and become a little soft and warm.

Brown Sugar Sauce:
In a small bowl add all ingredients and whisk together to create the most delicious sauce known to man.







Source -Here-

If this beautiful dish doesn’t sing to you, than I don’t know what will. These scalloped potatoes are a meal all in one, and one fine meal might I add. The addition of ham and corn take ordinary scalloped potatoes to the next level! This is so amazing and definitely a new family favorite at our casa!

I love meals like this during the winter. Warm, cozy and totally comforting. When I served this all I added was a green salad as a side dish, and it was the perfect Sunday dinner. Yum! 

I love adding Jarlsberg cheese to this spread. Its mild and nutty taste gives a little extra something to the plain cream cheese and butter spread.

When grating the Jarlsberg cheese, make sure you use a small cheese grater. I prefer this cheese grater from OXO but you can also use a zest grater. Please do not use a coarse grater or your cheese spread will turn out lumpy.

Here’s a little extra tip to remember when grating the Jarlsberg cheese – keep it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes before grating it. It works so much easier when the cheese is cold!

While you have the Jarlsberg cheese in the freezer, don’t forget to place the cream cheese and butter on the counter so they become soft, making creaming them a breeze!

Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 oz (1/4 cups) butter, room temperature
2 oz (a generous 1 cup) small grated Jarlsberg cheese
pinch of salt

Instructions
In a mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, butter and grated Jarlsberg cheese. With the paddle attachment on, beat on low speed until smooth and creamy. Stir in the seasonings to fit your cravings (if using any)
Turn the mixer on and spoon the cheese spread in a bowl.
Spread or pipe on crackers or on slices of bread.
You can make the cheese spread and keep in the fridge, in an airtight container, up to 4-5 days.
Source -Here-

At this temperature, they have even been seen bathing in lakes and rivers. The yak’s warm coat provides insulation through a thick outer coating of long hair and a dense inner coating of matted, shorter fur



Most yaks are domesticated animals, though there is also a small, vulnerable wild yak population
Yaks are herd animals. Herds can contain several hundred individuals, although many are much smaller.
The herds consist primarily of females and their young, with a smaller number of adult males.
A great deal of the yaks time is spent on grassy plains in the mountains grazing on grasses, herbs and wild flowers.
Yaks live at the highest altitude of any mammal.
Similar to other cow species, the yak has more than one stomach which it uses to successfully get all the nutrients out of the plants that it eats.
Yaks have firm, dense horns which they use to break through snow in order to get the plants that are buried beneath it. They will also use their horns in defence.
They have a dense undercoat covered by generally dark brown to black outer hair, which almost reaches to the ground.
In winter a yak can survive temperatures as low as -40 degrees (F).
At night and in snowstorms, they will protect themselves from the cold by huddling up together, with the calves in the centre.
Births usually occur in June and a single calf is born every other year.
The female will find a secluded spot to give birth, but the calf is able to walk within about ten minutes and the pair will rejoin the herd.
Yaks are highly friendly in nature and there has been very little documented aggression from yaks towards human beings, although mothers can be extremely protective of their young and will bluff charge if they feel threatened.
Contrary to popular belief, yak and their manure have little to no detectable odor when maintained appropriately in pastures or paddocks with adequate access to forage and water.
Yaks grunt and, unlike cattle, are not known to produce the characteristic bovine lowing (mooing) sound.
Historically, the main natural predator of the wild yak has been the Tibetan wolf, but brown bears and snow leopards have also been reported as predators in some areas.
The wild yak is threatened by loss of habitat and over hunting by humans.


Source -Here-

Over the years, we’ve featured some truly interesting celebrity portraits on Oddity Central, like Jason Mecier’s pill portraits, or Jason Kronenwald’s chewing gum creations, but we’ve never seen anything like Kim Dong Yoo’s works. This incredibly talented artist painstakingly paints hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of miniature portraits by hand, using them as smaller piece of a much bigger, unbelievably detailed portrait. His portraits look a lot like the stamp paintings of Peter R. Mason, only instead of using recycled stamps to recreate the faces of many historical and Hollywood icons, the Korean painter actually paints every one of the little images that make up the big portraits.








Source -Here-

I love having friends or family over for dinner. As much as I love cooking just for my family there are recipes I need more adults in the house to give me the push to make them, like this slow baked red wine chicken for example. I have been meaning to give this recipe a try for ages, just waiting the right time.

Ingredients
8-10 chicken drumsticks
3/4 cup red wine (Merlot or Pinot Noir are my choices)
1X14oz can small diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
5-8 garlic cloves
salt, pepper
2-3 pounds fingerling potatoes

Instructions
In a ziplock bag add the chicken drumsticks along with the red wine, diced tomatoes, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and garlic cloves. Season with salt and pepper and place the bag in the fridge for a couple of hours (2 to 6 hours)
Heat the oven to 325F.
Dump the chicken drumsticks along with the red wine marinade in a shallow roasting pan.
Arrange the fingerling potatoes in the pan and bake, covered in the preheated oven for 90 minutes.
Open the oven, uncover the pan and increase the oven's temperature to 350F.
Continue to bake the chicken for 30 to 45 minutes or until soft and tender.
Remove from the oven and serve warm.
Source -Here-

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless free-range chicken breasts, cut into strips (350g-400g approx)
1/2 tsp paprika
1tbsp sunflower oil
1-2 red onions, cut into wedges
1 red and 1 yellow pepper, cut into strips
1 courgette, cut into strips
1 heaped tsp ground cumin
1 heaped tsp oregano
1 tsp chilli flakes (heaped if you like it hot)
Good pinch of salt
2-3 tbsp water
8 wholemeal tortillas

For the salsa, mix:
3-4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 large handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
grated zest and juice of a lime

For the soured yoghurt:
4 heaped tbsp live Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp lemon juice

Method:
1. Make the salsa and soured yoghurt, shred the lettuce and put to one side.
2. Mix the chicken with the paprika, add oil to a pan, add the chicken and cook for two minutes.
3. Add the onion, peppers and courgette and stir for another two minutes.
4. Add the cumin, oregano, chilli flakes and salt and carry on cooking for four to five minutes, stirring regularly.
5. Add the water to the pan, mix well and cover, then turn the heat down really low to keep it hot, adding a little more water if it starts sticking to the pan.
6. Meanwhile, warm the tortillas in a dry frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the whole stack and turn the regularly so each one gets a little contact with the hot pan.
7. Serve everything together and start building your fajitas. When loading and rolling your tortilla, don't forget to fold one end in as you roll it up so the filling doesn't drip out.



Source -Here-

White Chocolate Pumpkin Truffles in the middle of winter? Surely, you will think that I must have something completely wrong, or that I have the wrong calendar. But if you have read some of my earlier kitchen stories, you have probably noticed that things like this are a common occurrence in my case. For instance, in the middle of the summer

The chicken curry tasted delicious so I was pretty confident my husband (and our two young daughters) would eat it if I could get past his non-adventurous-eating roadblock. The curry melted in my mouth so it immediately made me think to try and replicate it in my Crockpot…and I have a thing for Crockpot recipes.

Ingredients:
1 pound 90 percent lean ground beef
1 slice white bread, ground to crumbs in food processor -or- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
3/4 cup smoky barbecue sauce (of your choice), divided
2 tablespoons honey, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper