Hey there! It seems like forever since I've posted a recipe for everybody, but things have been so hectic around here with school and home life. I even broke out the slow cooker to make some food while I was away for classes. What did I learn from that experience? Chicken Tikka Masala does NOT taste good in the slow cooker. At least not mine. The chicken was dry and everything was over reduced and tasted a bit on the "over-caramelized" side. Not quite burned, but still quite bitter and generally unpleasant to eat. That was a frozen pizza kinda day..

In hindsight, I wasn't really saving any time, since this recipe can be made on a stovetop in about a half hour to 45 minutes and put a good sheen of sweat on my husband's head. If you don't ruin it in a slow cooker, this recipe is packed full of flavour and tastes wonderful on a bed of fluffy rice. You can adjust the heat level to your own taste. Find the recipe here to print and share.

1. Dry chicken well and season with salt and pepper.
2. Grill or brown chicken on both sides. Cut into chunks and set aside. If it's pink, that's fine since it will finish cooking in the sauce later.
3. Dice onion, garlic, ginger and chili finely or grind into a paste using a food processor or stick blender with chopper attachment. If you want a nice spicy dish, leave veins and seeds in the chili.
4. Melt butter in a pan and sweat the paste for appx 2 minutes. 
5. Add spices and fry another minute.
6. Add tomato sauce and simmer for 15 minutes.
7. Add cream, yoghurt and chicken.
8. Simmer 10 minutes until thickened slightly and chicken is cooked through.
9. Add fresh cilantro at the end and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Adjust heat accordingly with cayenne pepper and garam masala.
10. Serve over rice with a sprinkle of cilantro over the top.

And there you have it. A tasty, warming chicken tikka masala that can be whipped up in around a half hour! 

If you like this recipe, feel free to leave a like, share and comment below! 

It's that time of year again. Fall has different meanings for different people, but in the past few years, it's meant the introduction of Pumpkin Spice everything. When Starbucks decided to develop its Pumpkin Spice Latte back in 2003, the craze took off, and they couldn't keep up with the demand. Since then, there have been a slew of pumpkin-themed treats hitting the market in the past few years: chips, cookies, marshmallows, coffee creamer and even chocolates. M&Ms even hopped onto the pumpkin spice bandwagon with pumpkin spice M&Ms, and the trend shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.

Speaking of bandwagons, hey there! I'll admit, I'm a sucker for pumpkin-flavoured things, but that's because I moved to another country and I really only get pumpkin once a year when I make pies, and a can of puree costs about $20. I think Starbucks is fine and everything, but a single coffee here costs well over $10. So when I was looking though Pinterest for decorating ideas for Thanksgiving and saw "Crock Pot Pumpkin Spiced Latte", I knew that I had to try it!

The original recipe, found at thrivinghomeblog.com, states that the recipe served approximately 15 people and filled the home with a warm, vanilla-cinnamon-pumpkiny aroma with no syrups or fake flavours added. Sounds tasty enough. Let's find out, shall we?

My report is done and handed in! That means less work on that and more work on other things, like my poor neglected blog. Just because we're finished one assignment at culinary school doesn't mean we don't have to suffer, though.

The Gastronomy 1 semester has two separate groups with their own main teacher. Usually we work in kitchens that sit beside each other where we can run back and forth to steal each other's ingredients. 

Today, the two groups got together to brave into the soggy Danish forest (where there are no dangerous creatures as long as you don't start poking badgers) and do some mushroom hunting. Now it rains quite a bit in Denmark, and I don't own rubber boots, so needless to say I came home a bit grumpy with cold, wet feet, (hence the suffering part plus I'm not a huge fan of spiders and I got my share of spiderwebs in the face today) but we were promised hot coffee and freshly-baked cinnamon buns for our troubles, which we munched on with glee.

The plan was simple enough: run around the forest, pick mushrooms, and don't get lost. You can see the pictures of our excursion and haul below.

As you can see from the pictures above, we had a huge haul of mushrooms. Very few deadly mushrooms were actually picked, which means that we all found more edible funghi in the forest than anything else. We also found lots of spiders and frogs and managed to spot a rather upset pheasant and startled a deer. Maybe they were eating the mushrooms.

Personally, it was the first time I really went mushroom hunting, as I'm a bit too nervous about killing people, but with a good book in hand, you can certainly tell the difference between the mushrooms and can sort them out. If you're uncertain about something, then just leave it be.

I hope you liked seeing out little mushroom adventure. 

Until next time, Stay Chefy!

Hey there! This is just a little update to let you all know what's been going on. First of all, there are definitely more recipes on the way even if they're a bit delayed. Until more get released, feel free to check out the recipes page and see what's been posted so far. Leave a comment or review, or send some pictures of your own food, because I'd love to see it, or Instagram or Facebook me! 

Things have been a bit busy lately with my Sales and Service report due next week. No worries, I'm just hammering out small details now and doing my accounting (that takes FOREVER!!). It's not the most exciting part of the job, but a necessary part.

Today we had free play in the kitchen using veal topside. It's a piece of meat that's between tough and tender. It's used for schnitzels, pounded flat for quick cooking, and for tartare. We had lots of mushrooms and herbs leftover from the week, so I decided to make a homemade pasta with a mushroom and white wine sauce with a grilled piece of veal topside. It turned out pretty well, except that all my garnishes burned black because the oven it was sitting in to keep warm was turned on when I came back...grr!

There are a few pictures of the day. If anyone is interested in the recipe for the pasta, then feel free to leave a comment and I will definitely toss it on my to-do list! 

Thanks for the continued support, and until next time, Stay Chefy!

The weather here has been super unpredictable lately. All day yesterday it varied between a gentle sprinkling of water to "holy crap, do we need to start building an ark?" downpours.

This is definitely soup weather.

One of my all time favourite soups is this asian-inspired carrot puree soup with an extra bite of chili and the creamy sweetness of coconut milk. Very yummy, but also a cinch to whip up in about 30 - 35 minutes. It's also vegan! So you vegans out there can also enjoy this fantastic soup without modifications. 

Because it's so tasty, simple and quick, it's my go-to soup. It's also being made because I spent the ENTIRE weekend (yes, Friday, Saturday AND Sunday) making a special cake for my husband to take to his office, but I'll post about that later when I get some better pictures.

Easiest instructions ever: Peel and chop all your vegetables and boil with bouillon cubes until tender. Blend until smooth and add chili/sambal, coconut milk, lemon juice and zest and add salt and pepper to taste. Eat.

Seriously. That's it. Some like it hot. Some like it mild. Adjust the chili to your personal taste. Personally, I like it pleasantly in the middle of mild and burn your face off. I have a friend who isn't satisfied until all food is hot enough to liquify your insidey parts. Whatever your preference, I suggest using the sambal oelek over fresh chili. It's a chili pasta found in Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Indonesia and contains a wide range of ingredients to give a great punch of flavour together with the heat.

For measurements and instructions, get the full recipe here.
For an informative guide to soups and their different types, you can check out a previous post by clicking here.

If you like this recipe and would like to see more, leave a comment below and feel free to share with your friends! You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as Quite Chefy.

Until next time, stay dry and happy eating!

Coq au Vin is traditionally made with a cock, or rooster, since it's a tougher bird that benefits from braising, but these days it's often made of regular chicken. Other main ingredients include bacon lardons, red wine, mushrooms, onions and garlic. It can also be flavoured with thyme and brandy or cognac. The sauce is typically thickened with a roux, although some chefs have been known to use blood as a coagulating agent.

• 100 g bacon lardons
• 1 whole chicken, parted, or precut pieces
• 200 g carrots, cut diagonally
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 50 ml cognac or brandy
• 375 ml dry red wine (Burgundy for example)
• 240 ml chicken stock
• 10 thyme stalks (appx. 2 tablespoons)
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp
• 1.5 tbsp flour
• 225 g pearl onions
• 225 g mushrooms
  
• lemon juice

Heat the oven to 160°C/320­°F. Joint your chicken if you've purchased a whole bird. You can learn to part chicken from Gordon Ramsay's video here. For the most flavourful, juicy results, leave the breasts on the bone and take them out after cooking or just eat off the bone.  Remember that anything you trim off your bird can be used in a homemade stock. Read about how to make your own stocks here. 

In a braising pot or dutch oven, heat a tablespoon of oil and brown your bacon. Take the bacon out and carefully add your chicken to be browned well on all sides. Take chicken out of pot and add onions and carrots. Brown. Add cognac, bacon and chicken back to the pot and let the cognac bubble down a few minutes. Add wine, stock and thyme and bring to a simmer. Put the lid on the pot and put it into the oven for 30-40 minutes.

In a small bowl, add 1 tbsp of butter and 1.5 tbsp flour. Stir well. Take your pot from the oven, carefully stir in flour and butter, then set back into the oven. Peel pearl onions, rinse and quarter your mushrooms then brown them in a saute pan with a bit of butter or oil. Add mushrooms and pearl onions to the pot and simmer until tender. 

If your sauce is a bit runny, take the chicken out and add more flour and butter mix (which is called beurre manier if you're wondering). Make sure it comes to a boil, else the sauce could taste of flour and it won't thicken as much. Season your sauce with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.

Serve this delightful stew with a buttery mashed potato and some crusty bread on the side for sopping up all that tasty goodness. This recipe can be time consuming, but you'll certainly impress friends and family (or your own sassy self) by mastering this traditional French dish.

Share with your friends, or print the recipe and instructions out here.