Hi guys, like I said last time I’d write about a winter recipe. : ))
This one is New England white clam chowder, which I liked better (as of this moment at least) than its clear or tomato-based variants. Creamy and warm, perfect when you’re comfortably snuggled in heaps of blanket in a chilly weather, watching the telly a movie or series in your laptop or reading a book. Or, you know, just plain eating with the rest of the family.
So after a couple of tries and a bit of researching for other tips, I’ve ended up with this recipe:
To be honest, I was on the first line of my post about a soup recipe, but I got sidetracked by this beautiful gif set of making an ice cream sandwich from Tumblr. I knew I should post this first.
This is how a treat should be! Simple and easy to do. Even a kid can do this.
Caution: It’s strongly suggested not to read this if you’re on a diet.
I love bacon, occasionally enjoy sundae, and am normally excited to try out new dishes, but — surprise — I think I’d pass on this one. I just don’t find it appetising, plus it contains 510 calories according to Yahoo News and, apparently, the chocolate in the sundae is more sugar than chocolate.
Usually I’d be delighted to be presented anything with bacon, and I agree wholeheartedly that if you’re going to cheat in your diet it’s got to be bacon, but that bacon sundae doesn’t quite cut it for me.
I’ve read quite a lot of reviews saying that it’s surprisingly good though, but even though I’m curious about it, I’m not interested enough.
But let’s not get this in the way of appreciating the full awesomeness that is bacon. Here’s a chart (credit seen on the lower part of the photo) that will enlighten you on whether you should eat bacon. (It’s pretty clear: you should.)
Not that it’s a bad thing per se. I like it when it’s cold. It’s basically blanket weather, warm-soup weather, feel-good weather for me. Aside from getting better sleep, it’s comforting to stay at home and indulge yourself with something warm (provided you have no work that day).
When I was a kid my mom will cook all sorts of soups for us when it’s this cold — carrot and ginger soup, wild mushroom soup, or a creamy chicken macaroni soup, you name it. We were kids and we want variety, and that’s what mom gave us.
There’s also an old favourite of mine: chocolate porridge. It’s nothing fancy, just a homely dish to eat at breakfast when it’s cold. My mom cooked just enough portion for all of us because, if you leave for a couple of hours, the rice will absorb the liquid.
On a recent episode of MasterChef Australia, the Jamie Oliver guests as the chef-to-beat of three of the contestants — Jules, Tregan, and big-glasses Alice — for the immunity pin.
*Insert excited squeals here.*
Jamie Oliver is, like, a legend in the culinary world. He’s young, charming *insert a second round of squeals,* and cooks great food that any home cook can follow. This, I think, should be the central theme of most cooking shows. Complicated or unique dishes are fine every now and then, but practically speaking, what we really need to know is good food that you can regularly make at home.
Jamie Oliver in MasterChef Australia. Photo courtesy of Herald Sun.
The immunity challenge involves making the best antipasti platter. Wikipedia cites antipasto (plural: antipasti) as a traditional first course of a formal Italian meal. Of course, on the onset it’s apparent that none of the girls would be able to beat Jamie Oliver, but overall we still get an amazing show.
What I like about this episode — aside from Jamie Oliver’s natural television talent and the way he quickly chops as if there’s nothing lighter in the world than a knife — is the way he teaches the contestants. I know that a lot of people watch MasterChef Australia to be inspired and to learn new techniques and dishes, but somehow, along the way, these just got lost. So instead, we get a lot of drama, suspense music, and less cooking. Somehow, with Jamie Oliver there, there just seems to be more excitement and energy in the kitchen. Honestly, it’s like watching a different cooking show; the atmosphere is different and a feels a bit like you’re cooking in you’re own kitchen, not just watching amateur chefs whip up fancy dishes to please the judges.
Jamie Oliver watched after the contestants and gave them advice, which is, I think, how it should be — not for judges to interrupt the contestants with silly questions while the latter are rushing to finish a dish and probably praying that they be left alone.
As it happens, the contestants weren’t the only one who were jumping-up-and-down-like-a-kid excited with Jamie Oliver’s appearance on the cooking show. Herald Sun reports that the episode garnered around 1.3 million viewers, and reading on people’s comments in forums and news articles on this episode, the episode is really well received. Hopefully Jamie Oliver’s style in the television rubs off on the producers and judges of MasterChef Australia, so we can, once again, tune in to a cooking show that is worth watching.
You can read a whole recap on Jamie Oliver’s guesting in MasterChef Australia in the Sydney Morning Herald. For me, it’s one of the best episodes in MasterChef Australia.
How about you? What do you think about this episode on MasterChef Australia?
I always want to eat fresh and healthy, but when I’m at work, well, you know how it is. Most of the time, if I don’t have a packed lunch, my office mates and I eat out, and what’s with the restaurants and fast food nowadays, there’s no guarantee you’re eating healthy food.
One of my mistakes when I started cooking is to use just whatever oil is available on the shelf, no matter what type of cooking I was planning to do. Pfft, how crazy is that.
As it happens, I wasn’t aware of the idea of smoke points.
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