Cheeky Movie Poppers

I love food. Period. 

There is nothing I won't try at least once and I am as content with that notion as a pea in a pod.

But when it comes to going out and ordering dishes, I usually go for the veggies with chicken (or something of that equivolence) while my friends indulge in fish 'n chips or a big slice of everything pizza. And you can't blame me for wanting to try what they're having - you know, to make sure it's not poisoned or anything - which drives them absolutely nuts! This is especially so when we go to the movies and they order popcorn and I'm over in the corner chewing my nails trying hard not to ask for a handful...or 10....

But with this virtually guilt free snack, I'm going to have to swat their hands away!

Behold the Cheeky Movie Popper (or roasted edamame!)

As easy as poppin' them in the oven, throwin' them in a bag, and cheekily sneaking them into the cinema while ferociously eating them during the intense action scenes.

All you need is (love):

1 bag frozen edamame beans

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp pepper (I like a lot of flavor on mine)

1 tsp paprika (if you want a lil' kick)

1/4 cup grated part skim mozzarella cheese

First thing is first: defrost and drain the edamame.

Then lay them ou on your parchment papered tray and sprinkle ingredients generously on top.

I went for half paprika covered and half mozzarella covered because who doesn't love a little variety?

Lastly, pop them in the oven at about 180 degrees Celius (if not a bit hotter to speed up the cooking time) for around 15 to 20 minutes.
Once your house smells of spice and everything nice and your little beans have crispy tops, take them out and let them cool.

Popcorn? PSHH step aside for these little babies.

Sprinkle with a little more salt/pepper/paprika/cheese to your heart's content.

Koh Samui Kooler

While I feel many of us have moved on from the Kohsa Blues (mainly because thinking about our perfect holiday will only bring more blues rather than bring back the trip), but one thing remains on my mind...the fruit!
So fresh.
So sweet.
So plentiful.
And so cheap!

So in the spirit of summer, nostalgia, and a thirst for something downright tasty, I whipped a fruity smoothie...

Behold the Kohsa Cooler. Full of mango and papaya goodness!

What you'll need:

1 papaya

1 mango

1 generous splash of milk (of your choosing but I used skimmed milk for mine)

1 drizzle of honey

As simple as that.

First off, you want to cut off the bottom of your papaya.

 And very carefully 'slice' off its skin.

 Cut it open,

 and deseed using a little toothed spoon!

Cut into strips then chunks and throw into the mixer.

 Next up is the mango where the above steps are repeated.

 In the mixer they go

 Add the dash of milk

 And swirl of honey

And whiz up!

 Then after a few torturous seconds, your refreshing glass of Thailand is ready to be sipped (or gulped in my case)!

 Mmmm, nothing like a fruit smoothie to ease an aching soul.

You Can Call Me 'The Italian Chef' (With Recipes)

I'm fairly certain my mom has one of the most exciting jobs. She gets to play with food all day and come up with new recipes for Shamrock Catering Group.
Having had some free time after my exam on Friday, she invited me to come along to work and play with food along side Italian chef, Francesco.

He brought along all sorts of goodies to show us new recipes for appetizers and entres.

First up were artichoke hearts wrapped in spec (jamon serrano but with pepper). 

This dish was probably the easiest to do at home.

All you have to do is:

1) Wrap the artichoke hearts in spec

2) Lightly roll them in  flour

3) Pan fry them (turning them every few seconds)

4) Add a dash of white wine in the pan to finish them off

5) Plate up!

The three of us aren't big on dressing plates but we gave it our best shot anyway. We garnished these bad boys with a drizzle of balsamic glaze, basil, and a few cherry tomato halves.

My excitement for this next appetizer was a bit overwhelming and felt a selfie with the chef while he was making it was in order.

These beauts are roasted cherry tomatos filled with mascarpone cheese with shaved truffles topped with a dainty basil leaf and black olive. That simple...and simply delicious too.

I took charge of plating this one up and felt very proud of the outcome...Gordon Ramsey taught me well!

This next hors d'oeuvre is slivered smoked ahi tuna garnished with sliced roasted fennel, oranges, and green olives.

Che bello!

We finished off our hors d'oeuvres and moved onto the two main dishes: a traditional peso pasta garnished with freshly shredded parmesan cheese and cherry tomatos and a savory beetroot relish risotto garnished, again, with fresh parmesan and basil leaves. 

Unfortunately, I was too captivated by Francesco's rapid speed around the kitchen to record (let alone witness) each step taken for these dishes, so no recipes here! 

But if you do fancy a lovely pesto pasta or risotto, I found these two to satisfy your Italian hunger! 

We then moved onto desserts - French pastries. These were pre-bought so all we did was threw them in the oven and enjoyed!

Not to mention the exquisite bread selection the kitchen had; would blow away any carb lover.

All in all it was a wonderful day spent in the kitchen. I walked away not only with a full stomach, but with new recipes to try and new food concepts to explore!