Froyo... and Gelato?

Seems everywhere I look now there is a new froyo place! They're popping up everywhere in the GTA.

I've never been a fan of ice cream, and even less a fan of froyo since I prefer my yogurt balkan, full fat, natural meaning PLAIN not VANILLA (no sugar)  - Once I sent someone to the store to get me plain yogurt and ended up with vanilla, didn't realize that most people don't actually eat plain yogurt, which is the only way we ate it in the Middle East (and for thousands of years I'm sure!) 

Give me a piece of bread, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt over my yogurt (strained yogurt- Lebnah) and I'm a happy girl! 

With all that said I still like to try something new from time to time and since ci gusta! advertised gelato I went in there and found out that it was soft serve, so I chose the salted caramel which was delicious! 

Earlier in the week I ventured over to one of the newly opened Menchie's. They offered tons of varieties of flavours and toppings. I can see why the place was packed with kids, they must love it! A little overwhelming but I liked it just as much if not more than Yogurty's (sorry :( it's just their yogurt tends to melt so quickly which I don't like) Menchie's watermelon was yummy! Didn't like the chocolate or red velvet though. 

Nigella's Blackberry Orange Trifle

Nigella's Blackberry Orange Marmalade Trifle

Super easy and tasty dessert from Nigella that whips up in seconds. Nigella used pound cake, but I'm using a store bought day old angel food cake for this variation.

The steps on her television show were as follows, but I copied the recipe from foodnetwork star for you guys below, although it's slightly different on there and does not use the marmalade. 

2 pound cakes or one angel food cake, sliced and layered on a plate

Marmalade mixed with some hot water into a syrup and drizzled over. 

Zest of 1 orange, thicker longer zest pieces and reserve juice of orange to drizzle over cake either mixed into the marmalade or overtop. 

Top with soft clouds of whipped cream (whipped into soft peaks and not any more - heavy cream/vanilla extract/1 tbsp powder sugar)
Garnish with blackberries and orange zest.

Tastes great the following day too if covered well in the fridge 

Source: Food network 

Ingredients

1 store-bought pound cake

1/3 cup orange liqueur (recommended: Cointreau)

1 orange or 2 clementines

1 cup heavy cream

10 ounces blackberries (about 2 cups, or blueberries if blackberries can't be found)

Directions

Cut the cake into slices and arrange them on a plate or a wide, shallow dish. Drizzle with the orange liqueur.

Zest the orange or clementines into a bowl and set aside. Squeeze the juice from the orange or clementines, over the liqueur-soaked cake.

Whip the cream in a small bowl until thick but soft, and spoon it unfancily over the top of the saturated, not to say gloriously sodden, cake.

Arrange the blackberries over the top of the whipped cream, then scatter with the reserved zest before serving.

Over the last week

We've had quite a busy week, and these are some quick meals that were thrown together. Everyone from humans to cats were satisfied by the spread :D

Chicken soup, with carrots, and kale... didn't have any noodles so we used some dry spaetzle (which are German style egg noodles) turned out great!

Beefy Mushroom soup, with a small grazing spread as a light dinner meal

Spaghetti with Hotdogs

A childhood favourite and probably one of the first recipes I made on my own!
While watching an episode of the Big Band Theory I was shocked to hear that it's Sheldon Cooper's favourite meal too,  he mentioned wanting spaghetti with little slices of hotdogs in it  ^_^

This is such a tasty recipe for all ages but kids love it!





As always we do things from scratch around here (but don't let that discourage you because it is as easy as 1-2-3, or opening a jar of premade sauce!)

- 1 pack hotdogs (one large frankfurter per person or two per person of the smaller hotdogs) 

- 2 tbsp plain oil
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 jar passata (italian strained tomato puree)  

(OR use a can of whole tomato, strain from liquid and puree until it's a smooth tomatoy sauce) 

- Salt & Pepper to taste

- 1 tbsp sugar (I use coconut sugar to keep it healthy)

- 2 cloves garlic, just crushed

-1 slice of green bell pepper (optional, it adds a nice flavour if simmered in the pasta sauce and removed later)

Chop your hotdogs into rings, I used shopsys all beef. Place saucepan on heat with oil, sautee hotdog rings on both sides until golden. 

Remove and set aside. 

Now in the same saucepan over medium high heat add olive oil, crushed garlic and let it sautee until fragrant a few seconds (don't let the garlic burn!). Add in your passata (it's an italian pureed tomato that comes in a tall glass jar)  Sautee on medium heat in the oil until it smells good, this is to get the sugars caramelizing in the tomato and remove that "raw" flavour.  

Cover at this stage with a lid because it will splatter all over your kitchen.  It takes about 3 minutes.

Season sauce with salt and pepper, add sugar and piece of green bell pepper (optional) 

Now cover and simmer on low until your pasta water is boiled and you've boiled your pasta too.  

Spaghetti (cook enough according to person's and directions)

Strain and keep some of the pasta water, add the pasta back into the pot with the 1/3-1/2 cup pasta water and add your sauce + hotdogs    Let it heat for about 30 seconds on the same heat you were boiling the pasta then cover, turn heat off and let it stand until it meddles (about 3 minutes - Can straighten up the kitchen at this point and get the plates out)

Now serve and enjoy! It doesn't need any cheese or anything, perfect as is!