Chocolate Pecan Cookies

I am Cookie Monster's sister.  If there are cookies around, I do get the same googly eyes and scream "me want cookie, me eat cookie!"  I may not have the blue fur, but I do have the same uncontrollable appetite as the Cookie Monster, especially for these chocolate pecan cookies.  Goes great with a glass of milk.

Ingredients:
-1 cup of chopped pecans
-1/3 cup of chopped chocolate
-1/2 cup (110 grams) of butter
-1/3 cup of sugar
-1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
-1 cup of flour

Instructions:

-Preheat oven 180 degrees C.

-Chop pecans or put through the mixer.

-Cream the butter in an electric mixer.  Add the sugar and eventually the vanilla and flour.

-Fold in the pecans.

-Shape into balls, place on a buttered cookie sheet and gently flatten with the bottom of a glass.

-Finely chop the chocolate.

-In the middle of each cookie, make a little dent with your thumb and fill in with the chocolate.

-Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.  Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Beef Stew

This recipe is based on Jamie Oliver's beef and ale and it's the perfect meal to warm you up on a chilly night.  I like a little spice in my life, so I've added a bit of chilli paste to this recipe.  Goes great with mashed potatoes or a crusty baguette.

Ingredients:
-800 grams of stewing beef
-50 cl of beer
-2 carrots
-2 celery sticks
-2 onions
-1 can of chopped tomatoes (400 grams)
-Salt & pepper to taste
-1 tablespoon of Herbes de Provence
-1 teaspoon of chilli paste
-1 tablespoon of olive oil
-1 tablespoon of flour

Instructions: 

-Peel and chop the carrots and onions.  Chop up the celery. Chop the beef into 2 inch pieces.

-Saute the carrots, celery and onions in olive oil for about 10 minutes, until soft.

-Add the beef and flour. 

-Add the chilli paste & Herbes de Provence.  Give everything a good mix.

-Add the canned tomatoes and beer and bring everything to a boil.

-Simmer under medium heat for about 3 hours, until the meat is tender. 

-Stir from time to time.

Korean Seaweed Soup - Miyeok Guk

This seaweed soup has a lot of nutritious value. Seaweed is believed to stimulate healthy milk production for nursing moms, an excellent blood cleanser and supports optimal brain function.  It is traditionally made on birthdays, for students studying for exams, for women who have given birth or just because you feel like it, which is my case.

Ingredients:
-1 oz dried seaweed
-6 cups of water
-3 garlic cloves
-110 grams of sirloin meat
-1 tablespoon of sesame oil
-1 tablespoon of soy sauce
-Salt to taste







Instructions:

Soak the seaweed in
water for about 10 minutes,
until it becomes soft.

Mince the garlic & chop the meat
into small pieces.  Drain & rinse the
seaweed and cut into 2 inch pieces. 

Saute the meat
in sesame oil.

Add the seaweed  and soy sauce and
saute for about 1 minute.



Add the water and garlic and bring to a boil.
Let it simmer for 20 minutes, until it looks milky. 
Season to taste with salt and serve hot.



Roast Chicken

This roast chicken is a great one-pot recipe.  Preparation is very simple and it frees up my time while it sits in the oven, roasting for 1 hour.  This recipe can be adapted by adding lemon or pineapple slices on top of the chicken.

Ingredients:
-1.25 kg whole chicken
-4 potatoes
-2 carrots
-1 small onion
-2 cloves of garlic
-2 tablespoons of olive oil
-2 tablespoons of Herbes de Provence
-Salt & pepper



Instructions:

-Peel and chop up the potatoes, carrots and onion.  -Chop up the garlic.

-In a roasting dish, line the bottom with parchment paper.
-Place the chopped vegetables in the roasting dish, coat with olive oil and sprinkle with Herbes de Provence, salt and pepper.

-Place the chicken on top of the vegetables.  Coat with some olive oil and sprinkle with Herbes de Provence, salt and pepper.

-Roast in the oven at 200 degrees C for 1 hour.  After 45 minutes, turn the chicken over and with a knife poke some holes at the bottom of the chicken so that the juices soak into the vegetables.

Optional:

-For the last 15 minutes of roasting, sprinkle the juice of 1/2 a lemon on top of the chicken.

-I had some fresh rosemary in my garden, so I put a few sprigs on top of the veggies before roasting.

Vegetable Gratin

This vegetable gratin is a handy little recipe as it really compliments any type of main dish.  Make this recipe your own and use any vegetable combination you prefer.  I've used potato, tomato and onions for this particular recipe.  You can also use zucchini, eggplant, etc.

Ingredients:
-5 potatoes
-3 tomatoes
-2 onions
-1 tablespoons of olive oil
-1/2 cup of creme fraiche
-Salt & pepper
-1 teaspoon of sugar
-Herbes de provence (mix of any dried herbs like rosemary, basil, etc.)

Instructions:

-Peel the potatoes and chop into thin slices.

-Chop the tomatoes into thin slices.

-Chop up the onions and saute in olive oil.  After a few minutes, add the sugar and mix until the onions are soft and golden.

-In a baking dish, layer the vegetables.  For the 1st, 3rd and 4th layer place the potato and tomato slices, alternatively.   For the 2nd layer, spread the caramelized onions.  For each layer, season with salt, pepper and herbs de provence.

-Pour the creme fraiche over the vegetables and bake in the oven at 200 degrees C for 50 minutes.