Have you ever had a pineapple-cucumber salad? I haven’t. I saw the photo on the cover of May 2012 issue of Everyday Food. I had to try it. So I did! Such a refreshing recipe! I was certainly glad to try it. Double points for me because my son ate it all ~ and asked for more! He has excellent taste buds although they are still maturing. The original recipe called for cilantro. I’m so not a fan. I used parsley from my little herb planter that sat by the bay window in the kitchen. It felt very rewarding to use it! Now that its gone (RIP indoor herbs) I’ll have to try again. But I won’t stop until I have my own flourishing indoor herb collection.
This bright zesty salad is so easy and would be perfect for a summer barbecue or a quick side dish. The chicken was fast and flavourful – I should try it on the grill next time!
Broiled Chicken Thighs with Cucumber Pineapple Salad
5.0 from 1 reviews
Broiled Chicken Thighs With Pineapple-Cucumber Salad
Guess what today is? Its Muffin Monday! Yes! I’m joining a fellow foodie, An from Baker Street on her quest to make Monday mornings enjoyable. I believe a good muffin can certainly do that! Today I’m sharing with you today a lovely muffin, made with Apricots and Oats. Perfect with a cup of coffee or for me, espresso.
We all need ideas for breakfast on the run, or just something as a wholesome snack. This particular muffin recipe challenged me to use dried apricots which, up until now, I had not used before. The jam is awesome though! I made some very slight changes to the recipe, which was taken from Taste Of Home. I’m sure that any dried/fresh fruit could be substituted but I really wanted to try using apricots.
While I was making the batter for the muffins, my son asked me why I was making muffins with porridge in it (referring to the oats). It’s so funny the questions and conversation that come up in the kitchen. I love every minute of it! They were able to taste the apricots as I diced them up. They had a weird reaction at first, because apricots are slightly tart in flavour. But soon enough, I had to slow down because I really wanted to have some left to put into the muffin! Good times! Anyway, as I mentioned, I made a few subtle changes. I increased the sugar to 3/4 cup since that is my comfort quantity for muffins. I also used Almond Milk instead of regular milk.
Muffins with dried apricots, oats, almond milk and fresh apricot slices on top
Author: Lyn, adapted from Taste Of Home
Recipe type: Muffin
Ingredients
2½ Cups All Purpose Flour, Unbleached
¾ Cup Brown Sugar
3 Tsp Baking Powder
½ Tsp Salt
1 Cup Quick Cooking Oats
1 Cup Dried Apricots, Chopped (approximately 24 dried apricots)
1 Stick Butter, Unsalted
¾ Cup Boiling Water
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 Cup Almond Milk
1 Apricot, thinly sliced for garnish
2 Tbsp Turbinado Sugar (Raw Sugar)
1 Tbsp Melted Butter
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400F
In a large bowl, combine oats, apricots, butter and boiling water. Stir and cover until butter is melted, about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt
When the oats mixture is combine and cooled, stir in eggs and almond milk
Fill muffin liners about ⅔ with batter
Sprinkle the batter with some Turbinado sugar
Place a slice of Apricot in the centre of the batter
Brush ever slightly, each apricot slice with a little melted butter. Not too much.
Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
Notes
This recipe yields 18 muffins
Adapted from http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Apricot-Oatmeal-Muffins
2.2.6
Pour the hot water into the bowl and mix. I covered the bowl and left it to combine while I moved on to the next step.
Dried Apricots (chopped), Butter and Quick Oats
Bring out the Turbinado Sugar! Its crunch time! Yes, I sprinkled some raw sugar over the muffin batter. Perhaps this is becoming my signature move when it comes to muffin making. I bought some fresh apricots to eat and also I wanted to decorate the muffins with them. I ended up slicing them and then ever so slightly brushing them with some melted butter after placing a slice on each muffin cup filled with batter.
Sliced Apricots on Muffin batter
These muffins came out GREAT! They were fluffy and the apricots gave it a slight tart kick with each delicious bite!
Apricot Oatmeal Muffins
These muffins are nice to look at but even better to eat. Don’t feel too guilty about having more than one! I sure didn’t!!!
Muffins on a platter
Muffin Monday is an initiative by Baker Street. A culinary journey of sharing a wickedly delicious muffin recipe every week. Drop in a quick line to join her on her journey to make the world smile and beat glum Monday mornings week after week.
Cheers, An! Here’s to more Muffin Mondays to come!
It’s time for another #SundaySupper and this week the theme is “Heritage”. I was undecided for a while as to what to prepare, but a quick phone call to my Mom helped to narrow it down. Most of my Jamaican favourites have already been shared on The Lovely Pantry, but I wanted to take this opportunity to share something new.
When I think about my heritage, I think about the country and culture that influenced my life the most. As some of you may know, I grew up in London England, Jamaica, and currently reside in Toronto, Canada. My parents always instilled in my brother and I, the importance of family, and knowing our heritage/culture. This was a challenge while raising a family in a foreign country with so many other cultures blended around you. But my parents made it work. From the music, to the dialect, to the FOOD – oh, my parents love their food!
I’ve always been a part of a close-knit family (more like a tribe). In fact, there are so many of us, we could form our own small community. As a child, my father showed us our family tree so that we could see exactly who started this awesome family of ours. I plan to do the very same thing for my children. It will be a larger family tree compared to what my father had shown me but it will definitely be a wonderful family project. Perhaps one day we’ll go to Cuba to see where my paternal Grandfather was born, and then perhaps travel to Ireland to see where his father was born. Hopefully we will get to do the same for my husband and see his German-Irish background. That’s the beauty of Jamaica and being Jamaican. We are truly “out of many, one people“.
Being Jamaican is great, but living and experiencing other cultures is amazing too! I love having friends and family, from other cultures. What better way to learn about this wonderful world we live in! We are all alike in so many ways, but our cultural differences are what make us so unique. I’m so honoured to participate in this weeks #SundaySupper and I look forward to seeing all the wonderful recipes from a diverse range of cultures.
I hope you enjoy my recipe today – Jamaican Cornmeal Pudding. Growing up, I much preferred cake over pudding. But after I made this pudding, I believe I have been missing out!!! Pudding of some sort (Cornmeal, Bread, Sweet Potato) can be found at many gatherings and is especially good with ice-cream. My pudding would not have been the same without a few “drops” of some Appleton Rum. This pudding is authentic at the very least, and I’m glad to have come across this recipe so that I could put my own personal touch to it. Enjoy!!
Cornmeal Pudding with Rum, Raisins and French Vanilla Ice Cream
A traditional favourite for dessert, enjoyed with vanilla ice-cream!
Author: Lyn
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 10-12
Ingredients
3 Cups Yellow Cornmeal
¾ Cup All Purpose Flour, Unbleached
2 Cups Brown Sugar
5 Cups Coconut Milk
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Nutmeg (or Mace)
1 Tsp Allspice
1 Tsp Salt
1 Cup Raisins
½ Cup Shredded Coconut
2 heaping Tbsp Dark Jamaican Rum
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350F
Spray and line a 9 X 13 inch baking pan
In a large bowl, add Cornmeal, Flour and Shredded Coconut
In a large bowl, add sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and coconut milk. Combine with a whisk
Add the liquid mixture into the flour mixture
In a small bowl, add about a tablespoon of flour and the raisins. Stir to coat the raisins in flour
Add the raisins to the mixture and stir just to incorporate
Add Rum. Stir just to combine
Bake for 50 minutes until a knife inserted in the centre, comes out clean
Notes
This recipe is adapted from http://cookingwithelise.com/?p=4822
2.2.6
Before I go into the photographs, I wanted to include images of the Jamaican flag as well as the Coat Of Arms 🙂
I always remember pudding or “pudd’n” as we call it, being thick and moist. I figured the raisins wouldn’t sink in the batter, but I went ahead and tossed them in flour any way.
Raisins tossed in flour, cornmeal batter
Fold the raisins into the batter, ensuring that everything is full incorporated.
Raisins on batter
I had to buy a baking pan big enough to hold the batter for this pudding. Of all the items in my kitchen, I did not have a 9 X 13 Baking pan. I chose to line it because I find it easier to clean the pan but also to remove/transfer the cake after it has cooled. Parchment paper is one of those multi-use items that I always have handy.
Cornmeal Pudding Batter
50 minutes later, the pudd’n is ready! The kitchen smells AH-MAZING!
Cornmeal Pudding, Baked
Cornmeal Pudding is served in squares (or slices if you use a round pan). I prefer squares because it gives a great place to rest the ice-cream!
Stacked Pudd'n
You can’t go wrong with having pudding on the menu. It’s a crowd pleaser! Either that, or the rum just makes people really enjoy it.
Pudding and ice-cream
This is by far my favourite part of eating this pudding. A nice chunk of pudd’n with some softened ice-cream! Heavenly!
For more awesome inspiration, be sure to follow our Pinterest Board and also follow our #SundaySupper hashtag on Twitter. To find out more about or even participate in #SundaySupper as a food blogger, the sure to check here for further information.
Happy Sunday, and as we say in Jamaica…”Walk Good!” … which is the same as saying take care!
I’m very happy to be able to participate in this weeks #SundaySupper! Todays theme is “May Flowers, Veggies and Herbs.” I didn’t hesitate to prepare this as a wonderful spring dish. I think I may have tweeted my joy when I saw that Tarragon was available again ~ a true indication that spring has arrived! For those that are not familiar with Tarragon, it is an herb that is quite popular in French cuisine and pairs very well with chicken and fish. It is very aromatic and reminds me of liquorice! When I made this dish almost 2 years ago for the first time, I enjoyed it immensely. I decided to serve the chicken with Fennel (a vegetable with a very similar aroma to Tarragon) as well as Zucchini and Jasmine Rice.
Tarragon Chicken with Pan Seared Fennel and Zucchini, Jasmine Rice
A French dish, perfect for a comforting family dinner
Author: Lyn of The Lovely Pantry
Recipe type: Main
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
4 Tbsp olive oil
8 Drumsticks, Skinless (any part of the chicken is good)
Salt and pepper
½ cup chicken stock
½ cup dry white wine
1 shallot, minced
½ Cup Half & Half
½ cup fresh tarragon and a few extra for garnish
Instructions
Season chicken with salt and pepper
In a large dutch oven, warm oil and butter over a medium-high heat
Brown chicken in batches and set aside
Add all the chicken pieces back to the pot
Add broth, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes
Take the chicken from the pot and set aside.
Add shallot to the pot and soften, about 5 minutes
Add wine, allow to reduce about 7 minutes
Add half and half, stir to combine
Add chopped Tarragon, stir and cover for about 5 minutes
Add chicken back to the pot, cover and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes
Serve and garnish with fresh Tarragon
Notes
Served with pan seared Fennel, pan seared Zucchini Slices and aromatic Jasmine Rice
Recipe adapted from Laura Calder's version: http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipes/Herbs/recipe.html?dishid=9128
2.2.6
Such a lovely herb. I love the scent and flavour!
Fresh Tarragon
Brown the chicken pieces in batches. If you used chicken pieces with the skin on, you may want to skim some of the fat left over in the pot. Not too much – since that’s where the base flavour is.
Chicken in Olive Oil and Butter
After you’ve browned all pieces of chicken, and cooked them down in the broth, set them aside while you build the Tarragon sauce.
Chicken, resting
Soften the shallots in the broth.
Softening the Shallot
Add the fresh Tarragon into the Broth and cream mixture. Simmer.
Fresh Tarragon in wine and cream sauce
The sauce should have a rich, thick consistency. Taste at this point, to see if you need salt and/or pepper. Add the chicken back to the pot to incorporate the flavour.
Tarragon Chicken Sauce
The sauce is terrific. The texture is great and the flavour is awesome.
Creamy Tarragon Chicken Sauce
Dinner is served!
Tarragon Chicken, Jasmine Rice, Fennel and Zucchini
Here are some wonderful spring inspired meal ideas for #SundaySupper using Herbs and Vegetables. These recipes will inspire you to spend more time Around the Family Table!
Today’s post is contributing to the #SundaySupper movement on Twitter. Every Sunday, food bloggers share themed recipes and tips to encourage family dining. The recipes are fabulous and any inspiration that you need for your Sunday family meal is always a tweet away. I’m very glad to have joined up with such a warm and welcoming group! Today’s theme is budget friendly meals.
My cookbook collection could easily get out of hand. And I’m not even worried. I love to see bookshelves lined with books from end to end. Over the years, I’ve been buying cookbooks, food related books as well as photography books. This passion is here to stay. If ever I doubt my true love, all I need to do is look at my collection. What I love about books in general, is that a particular book may seem new to you if you haven’t read it or seen it in a while. I have cookbooks that I haven’t even looked through properly. That thought alone excites me! I’m surrounded by inspiration.
Risotto is a great meal that can be made with simple, budget friendly ingredients. Perfect for a Sunday Supper. I was browsing through some or my treasures and my search led me to a cookbook that it would seem I had not looked in. The photographs were superb and I wished my photographs looked just like them or similar. So anyway, the original recipe used pumpkin and sage – I didn’t have those items but if you’ve been reading my blog for a minute, you’ll know that I use what I have if I cannot do any better at the moment. I had a Butternut Squash and fresh Asparagus. Done deal, in my head.
I’m not sure what tickled me more – the idea that I was baking the risotto, or that I wouldn’t have to stir constantly for half an hour. I was totally pleased with the outcome and perhaps… just maybe… I’ll make Risotto like this from now on. This is a fantastic way to have dinner ready in under an hour, no stress on the stirring arm.
Baked Butternut Squash & Asparagus Risotto for #SundaySupper
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