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Thursday 31 October 2013

Goodies for Ghouls: Halloween Treats!

Here is a few Halloween treats for you all to try. 

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The Halloween Ghoul-ash with the garlic And red wine make a fragrant base for this seasonally appropriate stew. The orange butternut squash Is the perfect colour tor the evening. And the olives, well, besides the
briny flavor they bring... those are the eyeballs, of course! Ya gotta have a little Halloween gross-out!


Halloween Ghoul-ash
Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound lean beef stew meat
1 onion, chopped
6 cubes frozen garlic
1½ cups red wine
1 cup beef broth
1 (12-ounce) bag butternut squash cubes
1 cup green olives stuffed with pimento
salt and pepper
In a large saucepan, heat the oil and, working in batches, sauté the stew meat until well browned. As each batch is browned, remove to a platter, and continue until all meat is browned. Sauté the onion until softened and fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until reduced by half, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the beef broth and meat to the pan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Add the butternut squash cubes, season lightly with salt and pepper, and simmer, covered, another 15 to 20 minutes. Add the olives, and warm through.

· You Could Hollow Out A Pumpkin To Use As A Tureen For This Soup. But Be Sure To Serve It In A Dish With Something “soppable”—mashed Potatoes, Buttered Noodles, Or Couscous. You’ll Want To Catch Every Drop Of The Delicious Sauce!

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour
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What's Halloween without making some freaky cookies!!! That’s disgusting!  Who would eat those gross things?  I have to say, they look pretty impressively disturbing but kids will eat anything and most importantly they’ll have more fun eating it when it’s repulsive looking like these delectable witch finger cookies!



Witch Finger Cookies

What you’ll need: (Makes 5 dozen)
1 cup Butter, softened
1 cup Icing sugar (powdered sugar)
1 Egg
1 tsp Almond extract
2 tsp Vanilla
2 2/3 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking powder*
1 tsp Salt
3/4 cup Almonds, whole blanched
Red piping gel

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, almond extract, egg, and vanilla.
Mix in the flour, salt, and baking soda and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Roll the teaspoonful of dough into thin finger shapes.
Press the almond firmly into the end to represent the finger nail and squeeze in the center to create the knuckle shapes.
Place the fingers on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake in the oven at 160C (325F) for 20 – 25 minutes until the fingers are golden.
Let cool for 3 minutes.
Lift the almond and squeeze a little red gel under, to look like a bleeding nail.
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Here is a great treat to make with a very popular Halloween candy. Give this a try. You'll love these cupcakes



Candy Corn Cupcakes


Ingredients
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla, divided
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon orange gel food coloring

Cream Cheese Icing ingredients
2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
36 candy corn candies

Cooking Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12 cup) cupcake pans with 16 cupcake liners
In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs together until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Add flour, milk, oil, baking powder, and vanilla and beat for another minute, just until the batter is smooth and creamy. Don’t overbeat.

Place 1/3 of the batter into a separate bowl. Add orange gel dye to the reserved batter and mix well. Fill each muffin liner with 2 tablespoons of plain vanilla cake batter. Layer over 1 tablespoon of orange-dyed batter onto each. Using a toothpick, gently drag the orange batter through the plain vanilla batter, creating a streaked look. Do not over do it or batters will blend together.

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick poked into the center of the layer comes out clean.
To prepare icing, place cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on low for 30 seconds or until creamy. Add in sugar, milk and vanilla and beat until lightly and creamy, about 1 minute. Use immediately or place in refrigerator until ready to use. For a neat presentation, place frosting into a zipper-type plastic bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe icing onto each cooled cupcake and top with a couple of candy corns for each cupcake.

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Tuesday 29 October 2013

Prosciutto-wrapped Crispy Poached Truffle Egg w/ Asparagus and Mornay Sauce

This recipe is incredible!! If you have bever had a crispy poached egg, you are missing a real treat. I thought I would change it up a bit and try wrapping it in prosciutto. It turned out amazing!! The flavours were outstanding! Paired with the asparagus and Mornay sauce it was out if this world. You all have to try this for sure.  

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Prosciutto wrapped Crispy Poached Truffle Egg w/ Asparagus & Mornay Sauce

Serves: 4

8 Slices Prosciutto
4  Eggs
2 cups of 35%cream
2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 Large Shallot, minced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 cup Dry White Wine
1/2 cup Gruyere Cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 Tbsp  Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp. White Truffle Oil
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to Taste
2 Tbsp Vinegar
Herb Panko Crumbs
Egg Wash (Egg & Water)
All purpose flour
Canola oil for frying

Mornay Sauce:
 In a saucepan, melt butter and add shallots and garlic and cook over medium heat until soft and translucent. Add wine and reduce to 1/3rd. Add cream and bring to a simmer, whisk in cheeses and season with salt and pepper- set aside.

For Asparagus:
 Bring water to a simmer in a large pot. Blanch asparagus in simmering water for 1 minute or so, remove and plunge into ice water to stop cooking. Drizzle blanched asparagus with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

For truffle poached eggs:
Bring water to a simmer in a large pot . add a 2 Tbsp. Of vinegar to water. Drop in eggs into simmering water and set timer for 5 minutes. Remove and cool eggs. Drizzle truffle oil over eggs and let sit. Wrap eggs in prosciutto. Dredge egg in flour, then into egg wash, then into herbed Panko crumbs.  Deep fry egg in hot canola oil. Until golden brown.

Saturday 26 October 2013

One on One: Brandon Watson




This weeks One On One is just incredible. Brandon Watson is a incredible young man, who is pretty much everywhere helping out with numerous charities, a spokesperson, an actor, and the list goes on with the accomplishments he has done.  I'm thrilled that Brandon is taking some time today to allow me to share his story. I think you all will be amazed at what he has done.

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 Here's a bit Brandon wrote about himself:


My name is Brandon Watson, I'm a 12 year old actor born in Cornwall, ON, now living in Calgary, AB.
I've been interested in acting/writing/directing for a long time now and started taking acting
lessons from Peter Skagen, a Calgary based actor/director/writer/coach, over a year ago. I've been lucky to have
connected with Peter as I was able to study with David LeReaney (dialects), also from Calgary, and Amy Lyndon,
from L.A.(booking coach) both friends of Peter's. I've been cast in a movie "Survival Guide" (male lead) now in festivals, and
a comedy web series "Night Sticks", (Nigel the Punk Kid). We hope "Night Sticks" will grow a large following so it will get picked up
by a major Network.


Peter told me to study the greats. In my opinion Gary Busey is one of the greatest actors of his generation. His
role as Buddy Holly was very captivating and that led me to watching more Gary Busey movies & subscribing to his
YouTube channel, The Busey Zone. It was on the Busey Zone that I watched a video of Gary & Steffannie talking
about Kawasaki Disease, an obscure illness that can affect kids long term, that their son Luke was afflicted with when he
was 14 months old. I decided to shoot a video to post on social media to help raise awareness for KD and sent them a private link asking for
their blessing which after a few days they did. I never expected to get a reply from Gary but I did. I got their
blessing and began a social media campaign that eventually got me in the paper
http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/05/19/young-calgary-actor-takes-to-youtube-to-raise-awareness-for-the-busey-family-foundation
and on the radio http://www.660news.com/2013/05/19/young-calgary-actor-raising-awareness/


The NHL Calgary Flames have committed to supporting me and the Busey Foundation and other companies and celebrities have joined me on Twitter
as well. I was thrilled when Gary called our house asking to speak with me. It is remarkable that a celebrity like Gary Busey
would accept the help of a 12 year old struggling unknown Canadian actor and to me this speaks volumes about the man and his beautiful heart.


Because of Gary's endorsement of me Free2Luv.org, a U.S. based charity spreading the message of love and peace and helping to end bullying, contacted
me to be a Youth Advocate for them which I was honored to accept. I have written and shot one video for Free2luv to post on their social media sites with
more to come. Free2Luv have many celebrity ambassadors and it is my wish that celebrities who watch and share my videos embrace and support the Busey Foundation
and help Gary get publicity for his charity.


I have been active with charities like The Heart and Stroke Foundation, Canadian Diabetes, and Ronald McDonald house long before I pursued my love of acting.
I realise that as a kid and an unkown actor that I may have a harder time to get people to take me seriously about the charities I support but I also believe
that this shouldn't stop me from trying to help make a difference in this world we live in. I hope kids my age get inspired to stand up and support the many
worthy causes in this world and realise that there are wonderful celebrities out there like Gary Busey who really do care and in spite of your age, you can
help them make a difference.


God Bless us all,
Brandon Watson
Calgary. AB.
Canada

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I can't thank you enough Brandon for taking part in my blog. Let's get started

Chef D: I think it's incredible the charity work you do.. What made you take interest in this? Do you know someone that has been effected with the Kawasaki Disease.
Brandon: "Thanks so much for the kind words. I've been studying acting now for almost two years and my acting coach Peter Skagen told me to study the best actors young & old. I'm not your usual kid because I admire Charlie Chaplin, Jerry Lewis, Jimmy Stewart, James Dean, Gary Busey, Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, from the 1910's to the present, Jim Carrey, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Colin Farrell, Colin Ford, Christoph Waltz, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, just to name a few.
What happened was I subscribed to actor Gary Busey's YouTube channel, The Busey Zone, and watched a video of him & Steffannie they posted about a disease that their son Luke caught when he was 14 months old called, "Kawasaki Disease". In the comments were some very unflattering posts & I felt devastated for them, especially after I Google'd "KD" to find out what it was. I decided to shoot a video & post it on social media to help raise awareness & donations, so I sent them a link to the video I shot & had made private, asking for their blessing to send it out on Twitter (click the pic to watch the video)






Three days later I got a tweet from Gary saying I had their blessing. That was late March & my videos have gone out to over 35 million people on Twitter. Actually, we stopped counting after 35 and it's probably closer to 40 - 50. The Calgary Flames NHL team have come on board to endorse me & support the Busey Foundation. I have a lot of companies & celebrity Twitter followers in Canada & the United States because of Kawasaki Disease, Free@Luv.org, and other charities that I support & these other charities have been following me for the past 2 years. Gary & Steffannie hired a Calgary tax lawyer to get them Canadian tax status, which is hard to get, & I hope that we can get a social media buzz happening in the U.S. to help Gary & Steffannie raise the much needed money for diagnostic testing & a cure, and I hope that not only Canadians but people from around the world send in donations to their foundation. This is incredible what the Buseys are doing on behalf of children suffering from Kawasaki Disease all around the world. Gary & Steffannie have since sent me some gifts and I was thrilled the day my dad brought the phone up to my studio while I was filming and said, "Brandon, Gary's on the phone, he'd like to speak with you". That was the greatest day in my life when my idol Gary Busey called me at home to say hello and just chat. I sat there in disbelief until I realized I had left my camera on and recorded the whole thing. Dad has a habit of always having the speaker phone on. It's annoying sometimes but not that day. lol.

Chef D: Your plate seems to be pretty full with acting and your charity work when do you get time to do regular everyday kid stuff? And what do you do for fun?
Brandon: I love to ride my bike and so does my Sister. And I practice on my skateboard as much as I can too. I walk my dog Bobbie twice a day and for real fun, we love the park, Zoo, or driving into Banff and walking the streets there and visiting the shops.

Chef D: Are you working on any upcoming projects and if so can you share them with us.. Who do you look up to as a mentor or inspiration...
Brandon: Currently I'm a supporting character in the web series 'Night Sticks', which just started production two weeks ago. I play Nigel the Punk Kid. We're all hoping we grow a following and get picked up by a major network. I have one movie (male lead) submitted to film festivals, a short called 'Survival Guide' directed by Phil J Connell, my first IMDB credit. We shot 'Survival Guide' last December in Toronto at Humbercrest United Church on Baby Point Rd & the surrounding area. I have an audition Monday, October 28 for a recurring role on a major network TV show shot in Canada & broadcast in the United States. I also produce my own web series 'The Brenda Balgaboo Show' where I play all characters in split screen that I write/produce/star/direct/edit. Basically, I dress up as a girl, Brenda Balgaboo, and interview various celebrities. I't a comedy and my New York agent told me to do it to keep working my acting chops while I wait for roles. I have many mentors but if I had to pick just one it would have to be Jerry Lewis for his acting/writing/directing/editing. For inventing video assist and for the 1.6 billion dollars he raised for Muscular Dystrophy. When I gow up I want to be just like Jerry Lewis. Why hasn't Jerry not won a Nobel Peace Prize yet? Isn't it about time?

Chef D: When you and your family are all at home what is your favorite dish that is made and please share the recipe because me and my readers would like to try it out ourselves...
Brandon: Believe it or not, my dad downloaded a PDF file from KFC.com (no longer there) and on a whim did some internet searching and figured out the famous KFC recipe. It was easy finding the 11 herbs & spices...the ratios took a little trial & error. He altered it slightly for sharing publicly but as you know even this version will knock your socks off.


Here it is. Sort of :^)....


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1 tsp of Tellicherry Black Pepper
2 tsp of White Pepper
1/2 tsp of Tarragon
1/2 tsp of Mustard
1/4 tsp of Bay Leaf
1/4 tsp of Cloves
1/4 tsp of Nutmeg
1/2 & 1/8 tsp of Mace
1/2 tsp of Sage
1/4 & 1/16 tsp of Ginger
1/8 tsp of Coriander

2 tbs of Salt (mineral) to taste.
1 tsp of Msg optional

1 cup of all purpose Robin Hood Flour
Pure vegetable oil ONLY

Brine/egg wash
Water & milk half & half. For every 1 cup of wash add 1 egg. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before cooking.

Pan fry, deep fry (wings come out awesome) or pressure cooked, 8 quart 6 pieces for 12 minutes at I dial left of Medium heat.
Don't let the oil burn. A sizzle is all you need. The Colonel pan fried in the beginning so try this first. Skinless and boneless chicken come out beautiful in the deep fryer and pan fried. Brest/thighs/legs should be done in a pressure cooker. Buy skinless breasts and slice thinly to make your own Double Down or chicken on a bun.
Try double dipping the batter for a thicker coating.


You'll notice a rim of cracklings in the pan/pressure cooker. Take this out and mix with half water, half milk, and 3 tablespoons of the mix. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. You'll not believe the taste of this gravy. Put left over pieces in a baggie and store in the fridge. We love cold chicken and it seams to taste better the next day.


Any question/comments please direct to my dad @_Goofy_Dad.

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Thank you again Brandon. You and your story are just incredible, I think you are a brilliant young man.


Follow Brandon on Twitter:





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For more information on the foundations mentioned, click the pictures below:














 Gary's Twitter:
 Gary's Wife's Twitter:

 

Friday 25 October 2013

Butter Chicken w/ Basmati Rice & Naan Bread

I'm such a huge fan of Indian food. Butter chicken is my all-time favourite dish of them all. What an incredible combination of delicious goodness. Make this dish and share your comments... I would love to hear what you all think!
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Butter Chicken w/ Basmati Rice & Naan bread
Serves: 8

Ingredients:
2 cups (500 mL) Balkan-style plain yogurt
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 piece (1-inch/2.5 cm) ginger root, minced
1 tbsp (15 mL) garam masala
1 tbsp (15 mL) lime juice
1 tbsp (15 mL) medium curry paste
2 tsp (10 mL) mild paprika
2 tsp (10 mL) ground cumin
2 tsp (10 mL) coriander
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
8 air chilled chicken breasts, with wings if desired

Butter Sauce:
1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp (15 mL) garam masala
2 tsp (10 mL) mild paprika
2 tsp (10 mL) medium curry paste
1 can (28 oz/796 ml) tomatoes
3/4 cup (175 mL) whipping cream
1/3 cup (75 mL) cold butter, cubed
1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped fresh coriander

Preparation:
Line sieve with cheesecloth; set over bowl. Add yogurt; drain in refrigerator for 1 hour. Discard liquid; place yogurt in large bowl. Whisk in garlic, ginger, garam masala, lime juice, curry paste, paprika, cumin, coriander and salt.

Add chicken to bowl and turn to coat; cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, turning occasionally. Place chicken, skin side up, on rack in large shallow roasting pan; spoon yogurt mixture over top. Roast in 400°F (200°C) oven until no longer pink inside, about 45 minutes. Transfer to platter and tent with foil; let stand for 10 minutes. Skim fat from pan juices, reserving juices in pan.

Butter Sauce:
Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Fry onion until browned, about 10 minutes. Add garam masala, paprika and curry paste; cook, stirring often, until fragrant and beginning to stick to pan, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and scrape up brown bits from bottom of pan; mash tomatoes. Simmer until spoon or spatula pulled across bottom of pan leaves gap that fills in slowly, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly. In food processor or blender, purée until smooth. (Make-ahead: Let cool; cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)

Pour sauce into roasting pan; bring to boil over medium heat, scraping up any brown bits. Add cream and butter, a few pieces at a time, cooking just until each is melted. Pour over chicken. Garnish with coriander.

Additional Information:

Garam Masala
1 tbsp (15 mL) each broken cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, peppercorns, whole cloves and fennel seeds.

In small skillet over medium-low heat, toast cinnamon, cardamom, peppercorns and cloves until fragrant and lightly coloured, about 5 minutes. Add fennel seeds; toast for 1 minute. Transfer to spice grinder or mortar and pestle; grind to fine powder. (Make-ahead: Store in airtight container for up to 1 month.)

Makes 1/4 cup (50 mL).

Naan Bread
Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:
1 teaspoon active dry yeast (5 ml)
1 cup warm water (250 ml)
2 tablespoons sugar (30 ml)
1 teaspoon salt (5 ml)
2 ½ cups flour (625 ml)
½ cup butter, clarified or melted (125 ml)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast with salt and sugar in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy.

2. Stir in enough flour to make soft dough, about 2 ½ cups. Knead for about 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a plastic wrap, and set aside to rise. Let it rise for 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.

3. Flatten dough with your hands and pinch off 8 small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a plastic wrap, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

4. Roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil a cast iron pan. Place dough on pan, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Turn over and brush cooked side with butter. Continue cooking until browned, another 2 minutes.

5. Remove from pan, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared. Keep warm.

Basmati Rice
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 cup basmati rice
1 3/4 cups water
Large pinch salt

Directions:
This is the most important part: Wash the rice! Place the rice in a large bowl and fill with fresh, room temperature water. Swirl your hand through the water and the rice; the water will go cloudy. That's all the starch that we're trying to remove in order to have individual grains of rice, not the sticky kind that's popular in Chinese and Japanese cuisine. (According to traditional Indian wisdom, this also makes the rice easier to digest because so much of the starch has been removed). Once you've swirled your hand around for a minute or so, pour off the water, taking care not to lose any rice. Repeat this washing process until the water runs clear. Usually, this takes 3 or 4 changes of water.
Fill up the bowl 1 more time and let the rice soak for 30 minutes.
At the end of 30 minutes, drain the rice. Fill a medium saucepan with 1 3/4 cups water, add a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil.
Add the rice, stir, and wait until the water comes back to a full boil. When it does, turn the heat down as low as it can go, and then cover. Cook for 15 minutes.
At the end of 15 minutes, cut the heat. Let the rice sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork; you should see that every grain of rice has grown a little longer and is separate from its brothers and sisters. Well done!
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