Ingredients
700g chuck steak, cut into
3cm cubes
2 Tbsp plain flour
3 Tbsp butter
2 white onions, sliced
300g button mushrooms, sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
Sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
2 Tbsp cognac
1L chicken stock
300g sour cream
¼ bunch parsley, finely chopped
Cooked rice, to serve
Hungarian sweet paprika
Method
1 Preheat oven to 160°C. Toss the steak in flour to coat.

2 Put a large frying pan (or flame-proof casserole dish) over a high heat and add the butter. Cook steak for 2 minutes until browned, stirring occasionally.

3 Add onion, mushroom and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.

4 Add cognac, chicken stock and sour cream, bring to the boil over a high heat, then transfer to a lidded ovenproof dish and put in the oven. Bake for 2 hours.

5 Fold in parsley and serve on a bed of rice sprinkled with Hungarian sweet paprika.

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---------------oOo--------------- Fave Dessert

I didn't grow up getting accustomed to eating dessert after dinner. But lately becase we always have dinner early by 9PM, I'm already hungry (and I am not trying how to get rid of belly fat fast). I am not fond of biscuits or any sweets - I would prefer salty types but hey, it just doesn't seem appropriate to eat entree food after dinner.

So these days, I would be concocting something like this and eat it while watching telly. Or any stewed fruit with icecream topping sometimes.

*****

It's All About What's In Down Under | Permanence in Change | I Am A Shoeaholic | A Juggling Act | Healthy Living | The Life of a Tatapilla | What's reel and real?

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---------------oOo---------------

Sunday, 10 October 2010

Carrot, lentil and ginger soup

Servings: 12
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Ingredients

1 kg brown onions
1 kg carrots
400g red lentils
200g ginger
100ml vegetable oil
1 litre vegetable stock
100ml lemon juice
1 tsp salt
sour cream to serve

Method

1.Put a soup pan on the stove on high. While it's heating up, chop the onions, carrot and ginger roughly.
2.When the pan feels hot, pour the oil in. When it rolls around the pot, it's ready to go - throw in what you've just chopped up. Stir it around for 5 minutes or until the onions start to brown.
3.Put in the vegetable stock, lentils and salt. Leave it to boil, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are tender.
4.Blend it with a food processor or hand mixer and add the lemon juice and salt.
5.Serve with a big dollop of sour cream.
VARIATIONS:
add some chillies and coconut cream instead of the sour cream
add a handful of chives and/or dill for serving

I got this recipe from yahoo.com.au lifestyle. It seems easy to prepare. I might try this out one day but I just dont like to use stock bought from the shops. It doesnt suit my taste buds and yet I don't know how to make veggie stock so I might stick to chicken stock that I know how to make. We're over the soup season (read: winter) but this will still be nice after a hard day at work and maybe sniffing that cigar smoke.

*****

It's All About What's In Down Under | Permanence in Change | I Am A Shoeaholic | A Juggling Act | Healthy Living | The Life of a Tatapilla | What's reel and real?

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---------------oOo--------------- Baked Chicken Teriyaki

With my weekly cookout, I am running out of ideas of recipes to cook for the whole family. I lean towards cooking the same menu week after week after week. I recently thought of baked chicken in pineapple slices but we’ve been having that once a week for almost a month now. I saw this baked chicken teriyaki recipe (not in slideshow but in one of the blogs that took me to allrecipe.com) and it sounds easy. Plus, all the ingredients I already have at home, it’s just a matter of making them.
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 skinless chicken thighs
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cornstarch, cold water, sugar, soy
sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and ground black pepper. Let simmer, stirring
frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
3. Place chicken pieces in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush chicken with
the sauce. Turn pieces over, and brush again.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn pieces over, and bake for another
30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Brush with sauce every 10
minutes during cooking.

*****

It's All About What's In Down Under | Permanence in Change | I Am A Shoeaholic | A Juggling Act | Healthy Living | The Life of a Tatapilla | What's reel and real?

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---------------oOo---------------

Saturday, 2 October 2010

Check Your Posture

We are not really aware sometimes that our posture is slouch-y until we are already there. Being busy at work, facing the computer more than 5 days a week, give us little time to check our body posture. So here are some of the tips I found in yahoo lifestyle while searching for life insurance.

- Don't just work your chest (apparently often people do chest exercises while ignoring the back)

- Include some good back exercises, such as lat pull down and row, in your weights routine

- Be sure to stretch your chest (sure you stretch your legs after a workout, but be honest - do you really stretch your chest? This has made a real difference for me!)

- Keep your shoulders down, away from your ears, when performing exercises

- When standing, instead of thinking about jamming shoulders down, think about increasing the distance between chest and belly button

- There are numerous Swiss Ball exercises you can perform to help 'turn on' the smaller muscles of the back and help reverse rounded shoulders, more specifics from Elliott on those next week.

*****

It's All About What's In Down Under | Permanence in Change | I Am A Shoeaholic | A Juggling Act | Healthy Living | The Life of a Tatapilla | What's reel and real?

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---------------oOo--------------- Toffe Apple

I have yet to try.

You Are a Golden Delicious Apple

You have a glow to you, and you are naturally attractive. You know how to highlight your good points. Beneath that shining exterior is a sensitive soul. You are more thin skinned that people realize. You prefer others to be gentle with you. You need to be handled with care. You may be fragile, but you're also tough deep down. You're firm enough to stand up for what you believe in.

What Kind of Apple Are You?

Blogthings: Cheaper Than a Therapist

There are so many varieties of apple in the market and sometimes hard to decide which one to buy. I don't buy apple in price but by the taste and texture that I like. I've been buying the granny smith lately because they look quite nice. But my favourite has always been royal gala, nice texture and sweet.

Anyway, I eat fruit for cleansing as I don't have much time for herbal colon cleanse. I just grab an apple or two for work.

*****

It's All About What's In Down Under | Permanence in Change | I Am A Shoeaholic | A Juggling Act | Healthy Living | The Life of a Tatapilla | What's reel and real?

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---------------oOo---------------