Ever wanted to try making your own Muffins at home. Try this simply yet delicious recipe:

Ingredients: (makes 9)
90gm butter
170g caster sugar
200g self-raising flour
2 eggs
70ml water
1 cup chocolate chips
raisins, dried cranberries or fresh blueberries

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 170 deg C
2. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and fold in about 15 times until the butter is incorporated
3. Add your choice of chocolate chips, raisins, cranberrries or blueberries to the mix
4. Place paper muffin cups in a muffin tray, fill each each cup halfway
5. Bake until golden brown, about 20 min
6. Remove, cool on rack and serve

Cheerio…

First Commenter Gets Linky Love
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Mariuca

I always loved seafood. I love the simple way it can be cooked and prepared and still taste absolutely divine and there’s nothing can beat the taste of freshness that you can’t find in poultry or fowl. It is also fast to prepare and you will seldom go wrong with it.

So I am always on the lookout for new recipes for my seafood. On my search today I stumbled upon this Great American Seafood cook off site. They were having a contest where you can vote for your favorite seafood recipe and a stand a chance to visit New Orleans.

The judges have chosen five finalist and the chefs, have, in-turn, came up with their own special recipe that is simple, fast and healthy so much so that you can even prepare it easily if you are busy and pressed for time.

I have chosen this particular dish,Colorado Striped Bass Panzanella by Chef Paul Anders of Colorado.

I love this dish because it has Bass. I LOVE Bass. Next, this dish is so simple with freshness being the keyword (Fresh fish, fresh ingredients…. yummy.. the secret to delicious seafood). You can either find all ingredients at your local supermarket or even your own garden.

The only thing I would change here is the use of beer in the Crispy Eggplant portion of the recipe. Hmm.. am wondering what to change it with .. I might even just omit it and see what happens.

Here’s the recipe and try them at home and let me know what you think of it ok . Also don’t forget to visit the site and vote for your own favorite recipe and win a trip to New Orleans!

Colorado Striped Bass
9 six ounce filets, Colorado hybrid Striped Bass, trimmed, scaled, scored on the skin, cut the filets in half

Oil for shallow frying
1 lemon, fine zest
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat ½ inch of oil in two large skillets. Season the bass filets with salt, pepper, and zest on the flesh side. Pan fry the bass skin side down until crisp and golden brown. Turn the filets over, being careful not to splash the hot oil and continue to cook for about 3-4 minutes or until the fish is just cooked through. Remove the fish and drain over towels. Season the skin with salt.

Farmer’s Market Panzanella

3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 pound fresh ciabatta bread or similar light white bread
4 large ripe tomatoes, cubed into ½ inch pieces (I use a beefsteak grown locally in CO)
3 ounces, baby green shallots or other sweet onions, shaved as thin as possible
12 ounces young cucumber, sliced thinly
1 ounce Picholine olives, split
1 ounce Kalamata olives, split
8 large basil leaves, torn into 1 inch pieces
8-10 mint leaves, torn into 1 inch pieces
½ lemon, juice and zest
Sea salt and Cracked black pepper, to taste

The most important part of this recipe is to use the freshest, ripest, produce you can find at your local farmer’s market or from your backyard garden. It is a simple dish using excellent ingredients. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a deep pan and add the ciabatta and toast until a light golden brown and slightly crispy. Place all of the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, except the herbs, lemon, and oil. Toss the salad very lightly, so you don’t crush the tomatoes. Add the herbs, lemon zest and lemon juice and toss while adding the remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Crispy Eggplant

2 pounds rice flour
750 milliliters sparkling water
250 milliliters Shock Top beer
1 large eggplant, cut into ¼ inch thick rounds, about 18 slices
Salt, to taste
Oil for frying
Herb Yogurt (recipe below)

Heat 1” of oil in a deep heavy bottom pan to 350 degrees. Mix 1 ½ lbs of the rice flour with the sparkling water and beer to form a batter. Season the eggplant lightly with salt and let stand for 15 minutes to draw out moisture and bitterness. Pat the eggplant dry and dust in the remaining ½ lb. of rice flour, then dip each piece in the batter and place immediately in the oil. Pan fry until crisp and very light brown and turn each piece over. You may have to do this in batches if you have a small pan/pot. You can also use a deep fryer. Remove the eggplant and season with salt. Top with herb yogurt mixture.

Herb Yogurt

4 ounces yogurt
2 ounces sour cream
1 ounce flat leaf parsley, chopped
½ lemon, zest and juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients.

Plate Assembly

1 ounce flat leaf parsley
1 lemon, zest, chopped fine
2 Tablespoons Aged Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Stack the eggplant on a large platter. Drizzle the Eggplant with the herb yogurt and sprinkle with the chopped parsley and lemon zest. Place the panzanella on the sides of a long platter. Place the bass filets along the center between the salad. Drizzle the fish with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil, serve and enjoy.

Bon Appetit…

Cheerio…

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups white sugar
5 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon. baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup Key Lime Juice
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons Key Lime Juice

Baking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 F
2. Grease and flour 10-inch tube pan.
3. Mix together the flour and baking powder.
4. Cream together butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
6. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated.
7. Stir in key lime juice and vanilla extract.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan.
9. Bake in a preheated oven for 90 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
10. Allow to cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn it out onto wire rack.
11. While warm, poke top of cake with toothpick.
12. Pour Key Lime Glaze over warm cake.
13. Cool completely.

Key Lime Glaze

In small saucepan, combine sugar, butter and key lime juice. Bring to boil. Continue to boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Ingredient needed :

1 package of ready to use pre-made sugar cookie dough
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 dragon fruit, peeled and sliced
3 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1 cup strawberries, hulled and cut in half
1/4 cup apricot glaze

Directions

1. Rolled out cookie dough into a 12 inch round.
2. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.
3. Allow to cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, prepare fruit by washing and slicing it into 1/4 inch slices.
5. Cream together the cream chees, powdered sugar and lemon jucie.
6. When the crust is cool, top with the cream cheese mixture.
7. Lay fruit in a circle on top of the cream cheese mixture.
8. Spread apriot glaze over fruit.
9. Chill until ready to serve.

Also known as the Dragon Fruit, the Pitaya is a stunningly beautiful fruit with an intense colour and shape, magnificent flowers and a delicious taste. The fruit, apart from being refreshing and tasty, contains a lot of water and minerals with many different nutrition ingredients. It tastes light sweet and it’s good for liver, laxative, supplementing fiber and very suitable for diet.

Besides, dragon fruit is also good for person who has a high blood pressure. According to popular experience, obese person who has eaten dragon fruit regularly can reduce his/her weight naturally and have a beautiful balanced body but it does not influence on his/her health. Moreover, eating this fruit can stop and reduce diabetes. Hence, dragon fruit is a favorite fruit of many people especially Asian.

Benefits of eating the Dragon Fruit

1. Enhance the body metabolism (Protein)
2. Improve digestion (Fibre)
3. Reduce Fat (Fibre)
4. Improve memory (Carotone)
5. Maintain the health of the eyes (Carotone)
6. Strengthen bones and teeth development (Calcium)
7. Tissue development (Phosphorus)
8. Help to metabolise carbohydrates and produce energy (Vitamin B1)
9. Improve appetite (Vitamin B2)
10. Moisturise and smoothen skin and decrease bad cholestrol level (Vitamin B3)
11. Improves the immune system and promotes healing of cuts and bruises (Vitamin C)

USEFUL TIPS: How to Select and Store
They should be full-colored and free of moldy spots. Dragon Fruit should be refrigerated, unwashed, for up to 5 days. Serve chilled.

Cherio…