Hey there! Wow it's sure been a minute since I've last made a blog post, but when you work 50 hours a week, some things get pushed aside for sleep, sleep and just a bit more sleep. This week at work has been rather slow due to fall vacations, so apart from the endless cleaning the hotel kitchen needs, I've been doing a bit of experimenting.

One thing we always have at the hotel to decorate any type of sweet platter or dessert is a variety of meringue kisses. This is because they're easy to make, cheap, and can be made in bulk. They can also be extremely pretty and add a bit of crunchy texture to any creamy dessert. We were down the the really ugly ones in the kitchen (neon yellow and streaky brown are not what I consider to be pretty colours on food), so I decided to make a batch. Trust me, the recipe I use is just about the easiest in the world! You can use it as it is, burn it under a torch, bake it, or dry it. 

250 g sugar
150 g pasteurized egg whites
Pinch of salt
Squeeze of lemon
Flavouring and colouring of your choice

1. Measure and pour all ingredients into a heavy-bottomed pot.
2. Heat over low heat while frequently stirring, else the mixture will cook on the bottom of the pot, and you will have scrambled, very sweet egg whites.
3. Once mixture begins to steam, remove from heat.
4. Beat on high until mixture becomes thick, fluffy and glossy. The mixture is perfect when you pull the whisk out, and most of the mixture is stuck inside. This recipe beats incredibly stiff.
5. Mix in flavour and colour of choice. I use gel colour, as you need to use much less. Too much liquid can ruin the texture and shape of your meringues.
6. If making kisses, pipe onto baking sheet lined in parchment paper and dry in the oven at 85°C for around 6 hours.

And there you have it. Easiest meringue recipe ever. Now, there are different methods for piping kisses. I used a fancy star tip in my piping bag, and the slight variation in colour is just from switching out the empty pink colour for blue. I prefer to mix colour directly into the egg mixture by separating the meringue into several smaller bowls. You can get streaky colour simply by mixing the colour through less (like the pink meringues shown at the top of the page). You can also leave them plain white as our pastry student does, or smear stripes of colour directly onto the walls of the piping bag before adding meringue to give a stripy effect, as seen below. You're really only limited by your imagination. The blue meringues above look especially pretty when dusted with a bit of edible gold dust!

I hope you enjoy this simple recipe. Let me know how it went in the comments below, or check out my Instagram, Twitter and Facebook under the handle QuiteChefy. Stay warm out there!

Hey there! It's that time of year, again. Superbowl time! The truth is, I'm not the biggest sports fan. In fact, I get a bit tired just watching them run around, but I can appreciate it, and my husband is a real sports and meat kinda guy. The Superbowl is just a bit different, though. You get the huge spectacle, the halftime show, the hilarious commercials, and, of course, the food!!!

My husband and I both work a lot, so it's usually just us for Superbowl. We don't let that stop us from celebrating and having a great time together with burgers, wings, beers and lots of snacks (so long, diet!)

Here are 10 last-minute ideas for your Superbowl Sunday. All of these ideas were found using Pinterest and Google, and I'll link all the pictures directly to their respective sites. Whether you're rooting for the Patriots or the Falcons (or are just in it for the burgers and beer like I am) here are ten great ideas for your Superbowl celebration!

How adorable is the snack stadium? Fill the center with your favourite dip, then set your dip-able snacks around the edge like spectators...whose heads you bite off. You can either make a simpler version with a baking sheet and disposable aluminum tray as shown above, or go all out with the mega ultra deluxe version as seen below by reusing pepsi/coke boxes or any other similar container. You can make goal posts with drinking straws and tape. I've found a free site of free football printables here.

I love this idea, and may even do this myself, even though there will only be my husband and myself watching together. Get yourself some bright yellow napkins, any holding container, and print out a nifty sign, and BAM, your very own penalty flags. The picture from the right is from Kara's Party Ideas, and you have to pay for the printout, but I've found a free version on the HGTV website here. If you're handy with photoshop or adobe illustrator, then you could easily make this yourself

Ok, so this may not have the catchiest-sounding name, but how tasty does this look? Cheese balls are awesome, and this recipe contains the yumminess of jalapeno poppers in cheese ball form for all your dipping needs. It also contains lots of cheese and bacon, and that's always a bonus. You can find the recipe on the blog Peas and Crayons here. 

Superbowl, for me anyway, is usually about wings, burgers and tons of salty snacks and beer, but I can certainly appreciate offering a healthy alternative, especially when it comes in this badass watermelon helmet! You can garnish this with mint or balm leaves and serve with a little bowl of sour cream with vanilla sugar or yoghurt dip. This is also a fantastic alternative to a heavy, overly sweet dessert. You can find the Youtube tutorial below.

There's nothing like nachos on gameday, but it can be hard to choose toppings when everyone likes different things. The nacho bar is a great alternative so that everyone can have exactly what they want. Find recipes for nacho cheese here.

Mini hot dogs on a stick? Count me in! This recipe is great for both adults and kids. All you need is your favourite hot dogs, wooden skewers, frying oil, and your favourite corndog batter. You can find the original post here and if you don't have bisquick in your area (which I don't) then you can find a great corndog batter recipe here.

Spicy chicken wings are a staple of any game day and these bite-sized buffalo chicken meatballs are a  great alternative when you want tons of flavour without all the bones. For an extra tasty crunch, you can take this meatball recipe and bread them by rolling in flour, then egg, then panko breadcrumbs and frying. Coat them in buffalo sauce after frying and serve with ranch or blue cheese sauce for dipping. Find the original recipe from Tidy Mom here. 

Serve your drinks icy-cold in this DIY ice bucket. Take a metal tub, bucket, or other useable waterproof container and wrap in indoor/outdoor carpeting or cloth and use white duct tape for decoration. Fill with ice and your favourite drinks. Click on the pictures above for steb-by-step guides for making these awesome drink tubs.

Popcorn is a fantastic snack for any occasion and superbowl is just another excuse to pop even more. Serve popcorn in these creative football cups (found at Simple as that Blog), or roll some brown construction paper into cones and use white tape for the same effect. Want something more exciting than plain buttered popcorn? Food Network has a great list of 50 different popcorn flavours you can make for your next occasion, such as: three-cheese, ranch, bacon-jalapeno and peanut butter. 

Nothing says good ol' American football like a great burger. Whether you like the classic burger, or something a little more exotic, Delish.com has 60+ burger ideas for your big game day. Personally, I prefer a burger with lots of cheese, bacon and dill pickles! Yummy! Click here for Delish's list of burger recipes.

I hope you enjoyed these ten last-minute ideas for Superbowl Sunday. Be sure to leave a comment below and let me know your plans for Superbowl Sunday and let me know what else you'd like to see. If you liked this post, please share with your family and friends. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as QuiteChefy. 

My plans? B0neless wings, burgers, beers and lots of relaxation! Have a wonderful weekend, and stay chefy!

Hey there! I feel like it's been forever since I've been able to post a new recipe here for you guys. Work has been super busy with Christmas and the huge New Years event at the hotel, but I was also back for my second semester of culinary school. I did great with top grades in almost everything, and lots of high praise. Just one year until I am a fully trained chef! Woo! I can't wait!

With all the chaos lately, I've been struggling a bit to keep up with everything, but I had a few bananas sitting on my counter that were a bit too ripe for us to eat, and it's such a shame to throw away perfectly good food, so I decided to make one of my favourite things: banana bread. It's easy, fast and, most importantly, delicious!

Banana bread is great, but you gotta be able to taste those bananas! That's why I complemented the flavours with some crunchy, slightly bitter walnuts and just a hint of dark chocolate. It tastes even better on the second day when the flavours can develop and the crust and get all gooey. It reminds me of when I was a kid and my mom used to make banana bread, and trust me, it rarely lasted until the next day.

For one loaf:

3-4 very ripe bananas
1/3 cup melted butter (80 ml)
​1 cup sugar (240 ml)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1.5 cups flour (350 ml)
a handful of roughly chopped walnuts
a handful of dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 175°C/350°F. Mash up your ripe bananas (the browner they are, the sweeter they will be). Beat melted butter into banana. Beat sugar, egg and vanilla together until it becomes lighter in colour and slighlty fluffy. Stir in banana and butter mixture. In a separate bowl, sift all dry ingredients (except nuts and chocolate) together and stir into wet mixture until combined. Stir in nuts and chocolate at the end. Grease a loaf pan or line with parchment paper. Bake for approximately 45 minutes to an hour until golden brown on the outside, and a toothpick inserted into the loaf comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy. If you like your banana bread to have that sweet, gooey exterior, store in plastic.

I can practically smell the goodness by looking at the photos. I hope you all enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. Drop me a line below and share on Facebook if you liked this recipe and let me know what else you'd like to see. If you're looking for other banana recipes that are a bit lighter and healthier, but still satisfy that sweet tooth and craving for ice cream, then check out my super yummy guilt-free banana ice cream.

As always, you can find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as QuiteChefy. Your support is always greatly appreciated!

​Until next time, keep warm and stay chefy!

From my family to yours, I hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday season.

The weather is now chilly, and the leaves have fallen. That means Pumpkin Spice season! Ok, ok, it's not about pumpkin spice this time, but if you're interested in an amazing recipe for Pumpkin Pie cheesecake, then you're in luck, because I have one for you right here in lat year's birthday post.

This is definitely apple season, and I know that some of my family have gone apple picking this year to make delicious pies, jellies and crumbles. Just the thought of freshly-baked apple pie makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and that's a great thing, since the outside is a little worse for wear lately! I'm now back to culinary school and studying my butt off!

​Fall and winter, for me, is curling up under a warm blanket on the sofa with a hot drink, good company and a bad movie. So why not make the laziness just a bit more warm and fuzzy with delicious homemade cider that's like sipping on a mug of warm apple pie? 

This Apple Pie Cider recipe is incredibly easy to make using any apples you have on hand, and tossing everything together into a slow cooker. Don't have one? No problem, just follow the recipe below and use a regular pot instead, cooking the apples until soft.

5 - 7 apples (a mixture of sour and sweet works best)
1 orange, whole
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 whole clove
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
8 cups (1.8 L)
​Squeeze of lemon
1/3 cup brown sugar
Salted caramel sauce
Whipped cream

1. Core and roughly cut apples, leaving the peel on and placing in pot or slow cooker. The pectin in the apple peel will help to thicken the mixture.
2. Place whole, washed orange in slow cooker with the apples.
3. Cover apples with water and add spices and sugar.
4. Set slow cooker to high for around 4 hours, or low for approximately 8 hours, until apples are soft. You can also boil this in a regular pot, keeping an eye on it. If the orange splits, fish it up and discard, as it can turn your mixture bitter.
5. Blend the mixture well and sieve. Add lemon as needed.
6. Serve warm topped with whipped cream drizzled with caramel sauce.

Tips: You can mix a bit of caramel into your drink for an added depth of flavour together with a generous splash of brandy or cognac. 

This is a great recipe when you want get all cozy with a hot drink. You could also sieve the mixture and drink it cold as a juice, but I prefer it hot and a bit thick. 

If you like this recipe and want to seem more like it, please leave a comment below. Feel free to contact me on Facebook or check out Twitter and Instagram @QuiteChefy, where I often post pictures of the food I make at culinary school.

Stay chefy, everyone!

Hey there! After a long absence (being vacation then being sick) I'm back with another tasty recipe. I don't know about you, but I have those days where I want homemade food, but I just don't want to make a giant fuss out of it. Lately, I have to get up at 4.15 in the morning to go to work, make food all day, then come home needing something for dinner. These busy days where I just don't feel like doing a bunch of cooking is where I rely on easy pastas, my favourite of which are mushroom-based pasta dishes. This particular pasta with mushrooms and marscapone cheese is so easy and quick to make, and it looks like a million bucks. Also, it's pretty inexpensive to make, and that's always a plus. To top it all off, this dish takes between a half hour and 45 minutes to pull off. Did someone say perfect weeknight meal?

Just a note: I used chantarelles and portobello mushrooms in my pasta, which can get a bit pricey sometimes, but you can use regular button mushrooms or mixed packs. If you're a regular mushroom hunter, then by all means use an abundance of wild mushrooms in your pasta for an extra punch of flavour that's light on the wallet.

As I've stated above, when you drain your pasta, it's a good idea to save a couple cups of the boiling liquid. If your pasta sauce gets a bit to thick (which can also happen after you add your pasta in), then you can use the flavourful pasta water to thin it out a bit so it's not so gloopy. We're going for creamy here, people. 

I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as we do here. You can find a printable and shareable version of the recipe here, or you can use the links below to be kind and share with all your friends on social media! Feel free to leave a comment, too. If you want to see some of my other recipes, check out my recipes page.

Until next time, keep on being chefy.

Hello everyone! Happy Canada Day to all you wonderful Canadians out there in the world. It's not only Canada's birthday, though, but also the Quite Chefy blog's birthday! That's right. Ive been doing this blog for a whole year, now, and I think it's definitely helped me to be a better chef by sharing my favourite recipes and tips with all of you lovely people.

How pretty does that look? I'm not gonna lie. It took me MANY attempts to achieve this golden perfection because of various factors (mostly humidity and temperature issues). Luckily, I've done all the experimentation so you don't have to worry about it. 

​2 1/2(625 ml) cups granulated sugar
2/3 (150 ml) cup glucose or corn syrup
1/3 (75 ml) cup water
4 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate)
​2 tsp vanilla

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, add sugar, syrup and water and heat over medium heat while stirring, until sugar is dissolved.
2. Once sugar is dissolved, stop stirring and bring to a boil, occasionally washing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush.
3. While the mixture is boiling, find a large cake pan that's around 3.5 L, or 13 X 9 inches. Line with parchment paper or very well greased foil.
4. Bring mixture up to 149°C (300°F), which is the "hard crack" stage. If you don't own a candy thermometer find a cup or small bowl and fill with cold water. Using a spoon, carefully drip hot syrup into the water. When it hits the water, it should splutter and sound like it's cracking. It will form hard strings in the water instead of a ball. This is the hard crack stage.
5. Remove syrup from heat and carefully stir in vanilla and baking soda. It will quadruple (at least) in size, so a large pan is important. The mixture will turn a darker golden colour as you stir in the bicarbonate. 
6. Carefully pour caramel into prepared cake pan and allow to cool for 1.5 - 2 hours.
7. Crack into pieces and enjoy, or dip into chocolate for something extra special.

Sponge toffee (or honeycomb/cinder toffee) is fun to make and eat, but please be extra careful when working with molten sugar. This stuff is like lava. It sticks to your skin and takes a long time to cool down, meaning it can cause a very serious burn. If you get it on your skin, then run the affected area under cool water (not ice) as soon as possible to cool the sugar down.

Before taking the plunge into making your own caramel, you can also read this great guide entitled "Ten Tips for Making Caramel" by David Lebovitz.

Fortunately, sugar is a very cheap ingredient. If you mess it up and burn it, like the one I made above, then just try again. Sugar can be tricky to work with, and practice makes perfect. I'm not sure about perfect, but it took me at least 10 attempts to get the recipe just right. Remember to have fun!

I hope that you all have a wonderful July first no matter where you are in the world. If you like this recipe, then remember to share with your friends. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as QuiteChefy. You can also find a printable and shareable version of this recipehere.

Hello and Happy Father's day out there to all the proud papas, grandfathers and amazing guardians out there!

Unfortunately, my father lives on another continent, so I couldn't be there to spend time with him, but that didn't stop me from sending a little care package with decorated sugar cookies,

Father's day is a great day to strap on the apron and whip up some tasty treats to spoil the special Dad figure in your life with some delicious home cooking. Below is a great list of five delicious Quite Chefy recipes you can cook for Father's Day.

If your fathers are anything like mine, then combining meat, beer, and the grill is a match made in heaven. These delectable, tender ribs are doused in beer and braised in the oven low and slow until tender. Smother in your favourite barbecue sauce and finish on the grill for melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Find the recipe and instructions for Beer Braised Pork Ribs here or read the blog post here.

Why not surprise the special dad in your life by making some homemade rolls for breakfast. The great thing about this recipe is that you make the dough Saturday night, and leave it covered in the fridge overnight to raise. When you get up, form and bake to fill your home with the mouthwatering aroma of freshly baked fluffy rolls and maybe even surprise him with breakfast in bed if he's lucky! Find the recipe for Sunday Morning Rolls here or read the blog post here.

This is one dish my father has yet to try, but I hope to make it for him some day. It's certainly my husband's favourite. You can either use pre-ground pork or grind your own for these light and juicy meatballs in a creamy curry sauce. Serve with a side of fluffy rice for this delicious and beloved Danish classic that the whole family will enjoy. Find the recipe for Meatballs in Curry Sauce here or read the blog post here.

These pretty little cups of tastiness are so easy to make, and can be prepared in advance. Serve them as a snack, appetizer or main course with a side of your choosing. The cups are filled with a spicy and creamy sour cream sauce and filled with arugula, baked cherry tomatoes and topped with tender marinaded shrimp that you can either grill or broil to perfection. Find the recipe for Chili Lime Shrimp Cups here.

I couldn't choose just one sweet treat. If you have a dad out there with a sweet tooth, you've experienced that last piece of cake disappearing at 3 a.m. while everyone is asleep. You know, the ones who say "No thanks. I'm not really a sweets person." Yeah....suuure. I've picked out three great desserts you can make for your great dad (and hopefully yourself!).

Nothing says summer quite like strawberries, and this deliciously layered dessert combines fluffy sponge cake, light whipped cream and fresh strawberries into one delicious trifle. Find the recipe for Strawberry Shortcake Trifle here or read the blog post here.

This is one of my very first recipes posted to the Quite Chefy blog, and one that I got high praise for in culinary school. It's creamy, fresh and just fancy enough to make people think you're amazing. It's also absolutely delicious and a perfect dessert to spoil anyone, including dear old Dad. The bottom is a rich and creamy orange mousse topped with the fresh tanginess of orange jelly. You can serve with a dollop of whipped cream, candied nuts and a shard of caramel glass to take it over the top. Find the recipe for Fluffy Orange Mousse here or read the blog post here.

Of course, you could also do what I did and bake some tasty sugar cookies and cut them out in little hearts and to spell DAD. Decorate with your favourite icing or royal icing in an array of colours and patterns and serve them quick before eating them all yourself. Find the recipe for Perfect Rolled Sugar Cookies here.

And that's it! I hope you all have a wonderful Father's Day out there with your families. If you enjoyed these recipes, then leave a comment below and share with your friends. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as QuiteChefy.

​And to my Dad. I love you :)

Hey there! To continue on with my Danish Food series, I've decided to make a beloved classic that no home in Denmark has gone without making: Boller i Karry, or meatballs in curry sauce.

In fact, this is my husband's favourite dish! Unfortunately, he doesn't get to eat it very often, since I'm not the biggest fan of yellow curry. It took a long time before I could even tolerate the smell of the stuff, but Danes are wild for curry powder. Most chicken sandwiches here have some sort of curry dressing in it, along with some delicious smoked Danish bacon.

Boller i karry is fairly simple. It's a dish with lightly seasoned pork and onion meatballs boiled in water flavoured with bay leaf and peppercorns and served with a creamy curry sauce. Be sure so sieve and save that boiling stock, as it gives the curry sauce a wonderful meaty flavour along with the sweetness of apple, onion, spiced curry and cream. This is typically served with a side of fluffy rice and sometimes potatoes.

Scroll down for ingredients and instructions, or click here for a printable version that you can share or email to your friends.

Instructions:

1. Using a stand mixer and dough hook, add ground pork and salt. Mix on medium speed for approximately 2 minutes to toughen up the meat. This step is important if you don't want your meatballs to fall to pieces during boiling.
2. Mix in rest of ingredients. To adjust seasoning, take a tiny piece and fry off in a pan to taste.
3. Refrigerate minimum a half hour to firm up the meat mixture.
4. Bring 2L of water and above ingredients to a boil.
5. Using the greased or wet palm of your hand and a tablespoon, form approximately 50 g of the meat mixture into a ball and drop carefully into the water. Once they rise to the top, remove them with a slotted spoon. They will not be cooked through, but they will finish cooking through in the sauce later.
6. Once the meatballs are finished, sieve and save the boiling liquid to use in your curry sauce. Don't throw out all that great flavour!

Instructions:

1. Melt butter and oil in a large pot.
2. Sweat onions and apple for 2 minutes until onions are translucent.
3. Add curry and fry another 3-4 minutes until curry becomes fragrant.
4. Sprinkle flour on top and stir to soak up all the liquid. Continue to fry until the mixture becomes tough and gluey.
5. Add the boiling liquid a bit at a time and whisk smooth each time.
6. Add milk and cream, and bring to a gentle boil until thickened. Stir often, since this sauce can easily burn to the bottom of the pot. If it does start to burn on the bottom, pour contents into a new pot without scraping the sides and bottom of the burned pot.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste. Adjust heat levels to your own personal taste by adding cayenne pepper or chili flakes. This is typically a very mild dish since it's often served for children, but we always enjoy a bit of spice in our food here.
8. Blend with a stick blender or food processor until smooth and add meatballs into sauce.
9. The meatballs should read at least 70°C/158°F on a thermometer, and should no longer be pink in the middle.
10. Serve with rice.

If you don't want to go through the trouble of grinding your own meat, then skip that step and use pre-ground pork instead. You can also make the meatballs and sauce ahead of time and freeze in portions for a quick weeknight meal that's ready to be heated up.

Let me know what you think of this recipe by leaving a comment below or share with your friends on Facebook. If you want to check out other recipes I've done, check out the recipes page. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as QuiteChefy where I would be more than happy to answer any cooking-related questions.

Wishing all your mothers, grandmothers and guardians out there a wonderful weekend filled with love, happiness and hopefully a bit of luxury and spoiling.

Happy Mother's Day from Quite Chefy

Especially to my own mom, Carol. Love you!