A video made for Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh (show casing Matisse cooking)

In this video I was making New Zealand mussels with vegetables and lime zest.  I used the brine from olives to flavor the dish.

Easter Eggs

Hi   Happy   Easter
Over the weekend we used a lot of eggs which made me wonder; How   do you   know  if an   egg is bad? 
One way is to  fill  a bowl  with  water  and  if the  egg  floats  to  the  top  it is bad.  Cool  right?  If you crack an egg and it smells bad, it is probably not good.
You   can   do   so   many   things  with eggs.  You can  make   egg  salad, omelets, hard boiled eggs,  devilled eggs, even  fried eggs.  You can make scrambled eggs - they are so easy.  So  eggs are  very  cool.

Over the weekend I made egg salad here is my recipe:
1 cup of mayonnaise
10-12 hard boiled eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
Finely chopped chives
Finely chopped spring onion (green onion)

We also made pavlova - here is our recipe:

Pavlova - A kiwi desert
4 egg whites
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice

2 tsp cornflour (corn starch)


Pre-heat oven to 350F
Beat egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form
Gradually add sugar while beating.
Continue beating until stiff.
Add remaining ingredients.
Turn mixture onto baking paper covered tray.
Shape into a circle.


Reduce oven temp to 284 F.  Bake for 15 minutes.
Reduce oven tempt to 240 F and bake for 1 and 1/4 hours
DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN! Although I did when I was hunting for Easter eggs - ours turned out flat but yummy!
Let the oven cool completely before opening.
We have ours with whipped cream and sometimes a berry fruit salad.

Pavlova with berries and cream

Putting fresh whipped cream on pavlova

Filming - about my blog.

Thank you

Thank you to Fraanz's pre school teacher and Paula Dean for my package. I LOVE it!

Thank you Mrs. Lamanga for my cake turn table and decorating kit and book.  I made this cake.

I have another post today below.

Mahi Mahi

I made Mahi Mahi.  First I made a marinade.
.
Marinade Recipe
Lemon zest
Lime zest
Crushed garlic
Lemon juice
Lime juice
Thinly sliced lemon and limes
3 bay leaves
EVOO
Salt and pepper
Dash soya sauce
Massage the lemon and lime zest and garlic into the fish.  Then put all the ingredients into a plastic bag with the fish.  Leave in the fridge until you are ready to cook.

Mahi Mahi in marinade

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Then I heated up some EVOO in the skillet and cooked the fish for a few minutes on each side.

Mahi Mahi in skillet

 Then I ate it!  I also steamed asparagus drizzled with hollandase sauce.  I topped the Mahi Mahi with some slices of lemon and lime that I heated in the skillet with the fish.

MahiMahi with asparagus.

 

Shopping at the strip district

 On  Monday  my and mom went to the strip district  and  got squid, mussels, mahi mahi  and chicken.  We also got  3 lemons and  4 limes,  1 cantaloupe,  5  whole garlics and 1  jar of anchovy and some spinach -  yum. 
For dinner we made lemon pepper chicken which we marinaded in lemon pepper, pan fried to seal in juices and finished off in the oven.  I find this keeps the chicken moist.
I made a really yummy spinach salad with fresh mozzarella cheese and olives and my home made zesty dressing.

Here is my dressing recipe:
The juice and zest of one lemon
Juice and zest of one lime
Salt and pepper
1 finely minced garlic clove
Onion zest
splash of olive oil
Oil from the olives that I put in the salad

Mix together and put on salad.



We went  to a little cafe  and had tomato and basil  Margaretta pizza  and a pastry.  It was  good. 

Spinach salad

Margaretta pizza

Colangelo's Baked Goods

Fish and Chips

Fish and chips - NZ style

On   Wednesday  my  mom  and I went  to  the   strip district.  We   got   squid   and    whole    fish.  The man serving us thought it was unusual to get squid tentacles and he did not really know much about the fish he gave us either.
I   learned   how   to   bone   and    filet   a    fish (I will have video up soon).  It   is   really   hard.
Dad and I made  fish   and  chips with  pouched   eggs  and   calamari.  I made beer batter out of the edmonds cook book.

I   think   I  am   going   to  have  a  go   at   making   clam chowder.