Homebaked Gingerbread House or 'Adventures with Gingerbread homes Take One'

There are a lot of variations when you make gingerbread, I really liked the taste of this one, but then I really love gingerbread.  Next year I plan (note to self) try a different Martha recipe from a magazine I have but this year I used one from her Internet site:
I Heart Martha 

• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 cup dark-brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups unsulfured molasses
• 6 cups all-purpose flour
•  
•  
• In a large bowl sift together (I actually do use the sifter) your Baking Soda, Baking Powder and Flour, Set this aside
• In a mixer on a low speed combine your butter (I cut it into cubes) and sugar until creamy- then add your spices and salt   
• Then beat in your eggs and molasses 
• Lastly your flour mixture if you have the collar for your mixer, it makes putting in the flour easier and less mess
•  
• Divide your dough into smaller batches (remembering that you really only one to roll it out once, and cut your shapes that first time)
• Cover in wrap and chill at least one hour in the refrigerator 
• We rolled out the dough with a piece of baking paper on top, and we coated the board and the rolling pin well with flour
• We cut our shapes and transferred them to a baking sheet- I used the excess or dough that went back into the fridge for cookies not any part of the house and I also tested my oven temperature with a batch of cookies 

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In Australia the stores are filled with 'Christmas Puddings' which is basically a fruit cake (not American soft pudding made of flavoring and milk) and also Gingerbread Houses.

I don't remember ever thinking about Gingerbread Houses when I lived in America, yet I was very quick to buy an inexpensive 'template' from IKEA.

I followed a Martha Stewart recipe and let the KitchenAid do the heavy mixing.

I made the dough knowing that Zok would be better at the rolling out, cutting and construction.

Here are my tips from what I learned.

1. All those spices are not too much, not even the addition of pepper

2. For 'royal icing' egg whites can be substituted for 'meringue powder'

3. Don't be shy about the flour dusting for rolling out the dough or on the cut out form if you are using one

3a. We weren't happy with the cut outs and decided to use the forms as a template only, so we traced around the form with a small pizza cutter

4.  Do not keeping repeating statements such as "But, Martha did." or "But, Martha didn't." to your helper(s)

5. Pastry cutters (wheels) are a great tool for cutting out any additions, doors, extra windows
6. Light candy (read maybe not M&Ms or Smarties) are best for decorations

The construction was the tricky part for us, making the dough was easy

If you find the house is too much, just switch to gingerbread men, or other shaped cookies.

Zok ditched using the dough onto the plastic IKEA template after the second try, then he used them as shape guidelines which was much easier.
We also were partially happy to use the slots instead of sticking the house parts with icing or caramel syrup, but we both voted to try using caramel syrup next time.  It (as pictured) was a mess (Martha would not approve) but the whole event ended up sparking a desire to do better.
If we didn't have guests coming tomorrow I think we'd try again.
But I think we will end up doing this each year.

Lastly Royal Icing 
For Five Cups
2 lbs sifted confectioners' sugar
1/2 plus an extra 2 tbl. meringue powder (we used about 2 cups powdered sugar and 2 egg whites)
Scant 1 cup water
Beat all ingredients with an electric mixer on low speed (we used a hand mixer)
It took about 6 minutes to get it correct
We used ours right away but Martha says you can put it in an airtight container for up to a week.
If you need to soften it up a bit used a rubber spatula
You can thin the icing as needed with a bit of water, a teaspoon at a time

 

Tom Ka Gai aka Chicken or Tofu and Coconut Soup

To be honest I don't think I have ever gotten this recipe to be as good as the takeaway I used to get in Seattle, but with no other options I will keep trying!

I think a lot depends on your coconut milk, if it is too sweet the soup isn't as complex. Also Zok only had this in a Thai place in Bellingham, WA, years ago so we don't have the same reference point.

This like most soups is easy for a fast meal.  I think you can add vegetables as you like, I have had it in Thai places with various vegetables, we used both broccoli and carrots

5 cm (2 in.) piece fresh galangal

2 cups (500ml-16 fl oz) coconut milk

1 cup (250 ml/8 fl oz) chicken or vegetable stock (we use a soup cube veg. for this one)

1 box of firm tofu

3 chicken breast fillet, cut into thin strips (Optional or additional)

1-2 teaspoons finely chopped red chillies

2 tbl. fish sauce (you can use mirin as a substitute)

1 tsp. soft brown sugar 

Any vegetables you might want to add

Coriander leaves (optional or absolutely not if you are me)

Peel the galangal and cut it into thin slices.  Combine the galangal, coconut milk and stock and carrots in a medium pan (we just use the woks).

Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally

Add the tofu (if no one is vegetarian, you can add your chicken now, or cook it separately in another wok and add into the bowl of soup directly)

Toss in your broccoli (or any vegetable that is softer than a carrot by example)

Add chillies

Simmer for 8 minutes

Stir in the fish sauce and brown sugar 

If using coriander add in now

Serve immediately 

Farfalle Salad with Sundried Tomatoes and Spinach

This is a really good and quick summer salad.

We use semi-sundried tomatoes a lot, and usually have some in the refrigerator and we usually have both spring onion and spinach growing in the garden during summer.

550 g or 1 lb 2 oz farfalle bowtie pasta (spirals would work, you want a pasta that can catch the dressing and spinach in its crevices)

3 spring onions (scallions) trim these and chopped them finely

50 g or 1 3/4 oz sundried (semi are a bit juicier which is nice) tomatoes, cut them into strips

1 bunch spinach, trim the stalks and then shred the leaves also into strips

50 g or 1/3 c. toasted pine nuts (Zok usually toasts them himself quickly, probably as an excuse to validate his tiny pan)

1 tbl. chopped fresh oregano

The Dressing

60  ml or 1/4 c. olive oil

1 tsp. fresh chopped chilli (remember its the seeds that are super spicy so leave them out if you want)

1 garlic clove, crushed

Use a small jar to shake these up.

Cook your pasta, then rinse it in cold water, strain it and set it aside.

Take all your ingredients and add them with the pasta into a large bowl

Add in your dressing and mix well and serve immediately

Stawberry Margarita - Cocktails with Colleen

If you have spent time around Zok and I, then you know that he is the "girly" drinker and I am more a 'bourbon neat'.

As much as I prefer a freshly shaken (in America called the bartender style) lime margarita, when only Zok and I are home, I find it too easy to just drink the blended strawberry margaritas with him.

I have some rules when it comes to blended drinks-if I have a lesser alcohol I use it, because the quality gets a bit lost in the mix.

So I will use the cheapest tequila, and triple-sec instead of a nice aged agave or silver with Cointreau which is a must for the shaken, lime style. (in my opinion).

I also think of this drink as needing to be more carefully measured than most blended drinks.

I like the taste of the lime to come through.

In a pinch, or if I want the drink to have less of a punch, I will add in orange juice.

You can add water to all drinks actually, and if I am entertaining, I will make up jars of fresh lime cooked up with sugar and water, or towards the end of berry season I slightly cook my cut strawberries, with a bit of sugar and water and freeze them ready for the blender.

Again if there are only two of you, your ingredients do not need to go that far.

Blender for two

Always have more strawberries than you might need-

Cut up your strawberries, about 3/4 c to a cup per drink

2 limes squeezed (they juice easier if you roll them back and forth under your palm before cutting)

2 shots of tequila (you can do a small tequila float on top if you have one person wanting a stronger taste)

1 shot of triple-sec (or cointreau)

Lots of crushed ice (crush the ice before blending and you will get a nice smooth blend that will not separate quickly)

Simple Syrup 

*If you are going to make cocktails a couple of times a week it is well worth cooking up simple syrup to have ready to go.  I make mine two to one, two cups of sugar to one cup of water and keep it in a jar in the refrigerator to have ready to go.

To sugar coat your glasses it is best to use caster sugar.

Put a small amount on a small plate, use a bit of your lime rind when you are juicing those to coat the rim of the glass and then immediately place the glass rim down on your plate and twist it until it is coated in sugar.

If you live in a hot area, it is worth frosting your glasses in the freezer, or if you have the room just keeping glasses in your refrigerator.

Fresh Salsa with Mango

I am pretty sure I got the idea to add mango to my salsa from a Martha Stewart magazine.

I am not a huge fan of spicy or onion(y), and I find that the mango off sets both making this a good compromise.

Of course you can always just leave out what you don't want.

Australians make a lot of salsas that they jar up and put away from winter, this is not that type of salsa, this is a more light, garden fresh quick appetizer for when friends drop in.

It is also good when you have too many strawberries and limes because of course a margarita can be nice.

I prefer firm tomatoes, or larger tomatoes than can be chopped down small over cutting up the small varieties.

I love mango, and I always scrap the skins as well and eat that bit as I am cutting up the rest.

If you feel that there is a large portion that isn't attached to the large center seed,that is a good place to make your cut, then you can twist it a bit (like an avocado) and pull it into two halves.

I usually cut both direction on the fleshy side so that I can then just scrape near the skin and get small already cut squares of mango.

 I think if your tomatoes are good, tasty tomatoes you can skip adding in fresh lemon juice, but if you prefer not to put in the guts of the tomatoes, or if the tomatoes need a flavor boost then lemon is a good way to go.

I tend to use sweet roasted chilli powder, salt and pepper sprinkled on top and then mixed in right before serving.

 This is another dish that really is about ratio and not measurement.

If I am really trying to estimate I put in about 2 tomatoes per person, if I have more than 2 people, I will use more than one mango.

I always use less onion than Zok would.

Tomatoes- chopped fine enough to work with the type of corn chip or tortilla you are eating this salsa with

Mango

White onion

Fresh lemon juice

Chilli powder (just a pinch and at the end, because the taste will get stronger as it sits)

Salt

Pepper

Blended Summer Drinks, The Chi-Chi or its cousin the Pina Colada

Cocktails with Colleen

The blended drink is the easiest of the cocktails.  Technically it doesn't qualify as a cocktail, but as we live in the current trend of pre-mixed drinks, many might find this as elaborate as making a cocktail.

Because you are blending your ingredients, into a larger batch you have more extras than you do concentrated alcohol.

Therefore you can be loose with your measurements, as it really is just about the ratio. How much of a ratio runs to your own taste.

Zok is not a real fan of Coconut Milk in drinks, so I tend to use just enough for a creamy texture.

The trick in getting your blended drink to be like one you get when you are dining out, is to use crushed ice, which when blended will be really fine and thick and the drink can be drunk slowly without its parts separating.

Chi-Chi is when you use Vodka.

Pina-Colada is when you use Rum.

Vodka of course has a milder taste than Rum.

You would use a lot of ice, and about 2 parts fruit to one part Coconut milk.

Alcohol as desired.

I tend to put in one shot per drink.  You can always mix in a bit of alcohol straight to the bottom or top of the poured drink if someone prefers that strength.

Pineapple is juicy enough that you don't need to add in anything extra, but you could add in pineapple juice to sweeten or in a pinch if you don't have enough fruit. (Orange juice is an okay substitute but that will change the taste a bit)

Sometimes I add in mango which is a nice complementary taste.

 

 

Pineapple with Cashews and Fried Tofu or Chicken

Zok and I first had this dish on vacation in Phuket.

When Zok first made this, he always hollowed out the pineapple to use it as the dish, however we don't do that generally anymore.

It is easier to just chop up all of the excess ingredients for the compost (feed the worms!) all that once.

Oddly of course this for us is a Christmas time dish as pineapple comes in season, and we make Chi-chis to drink while trimming the tree.

As this is basically a stir-fry, the cooking time is only about 10 minutes.

Sometimes we have just Tofu, or if there are meat eaters around that feel tofu isn't enough, Zok cooks up some chicken in the small wok, to add it in.

This is technically for four people-of course if you are a couple (as in two) you can just estimate how much you want to eat.

Prepare your rice in a rice cooker (if you don't have a rice cooker, you need a rice cooker)

Fry your tofu in small squares/and set aside with your other prep.

*Remember that stir fry is ALL about the prep.  cut and tidy all your ingredients ready to all be at hand and ready to put into the wok quickly.

1/2 cup of raw cashews

2 tbl. oil (Zok uses peanut for this dish)

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 large onion, cut in large chunks (or small, sneaky chunks if someone like me is eating and doesn't want to actually see any onion)

2 tsp. chopped red chillies (omit this for a less spicy dish)

1/2 red capsicum, chopped

1/2 green capsicum, chopped (Zok uses 2 full small ones, I just put the capsicum I don't want to eat back onto his plate when he isn't looking)

2 tbls oyster sauce

1 tsp fish sauce (you can switch out these for vegetarian sauces if you have a strict veg/vegan around)

1 tsp. palm sugar (or brown)

2 cups chopped fresh pineapple (it needs to be fresh the canned is already so soft it will deteriorate when it is being stir-fried)

2 spring onions chopped

2 tbls shredded coconut toasted (as a fancy garnish)

Roast the cashews on an oven tray for about 15 min. at 180 c or 350 f until golden (or cheat and just use already roasted ones)

Heat oil in your wok and first stir fry your garlic, onion and chillies over medium heat for 2 minutes 

Increase heat to high and then stir-fry your capsicum, when they are just about done, add in your sauces, sugar, pineapple and tofu and thoroughly toss for about 2-3 minutes coating everything evenly.

Add your cashews and quickly toss-

Have your assistant scoop out the already cooked rice and add your stir fry over the top

Garnish with spring onion and coconut as desired

If you are adding in chicken- add it pre-cooked after you have dished out the tofu-version to your vegetarian friends.

Tips!

Why not make a nice blended Pina Colada or Chi-Chi with your extra pineapple?

Oil-clean cans are commonly found at Asian markets, so you can clean and store you oil to use more than once.