Cooking in Pajamas

Vanilla Cream 1/4 c. Sugar 4 tsp Cornstarch 1/8 tsp Salt 1 c. Light cream 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla bean) 2 Egg yolks, beaten In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt together. Slowly stir in the light cream. (If using, split the vanilla bean lengthwise, scrap out the seed into the mixture and then add the whole vanilla bean.) Cook the cream mixture over medium heat, whisking often until thickened and bubbly. Cook for 1 more minute. Gradually whisk approximately half of the cream mixture into the egg yolk. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for 2 more minutes, whisking constantly. Remove the cream from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. (Or discard the vanilla bean.) Place the bowl of cream in ice water and chill for approximately 5 minutes, stirring often to allow the cream to chill evenly. Cover the cream with plastic wrap and continue to chill in the fridge until cold. Strawberry Sauce 1.5 c....

6 Potatoes , medium size 4 Eggs 1/2 c. Red onions, chopped 1/2 c. Sweet pickle relish 2 cloves Garlic, minced 2 tsp Celery seeds 1 tbsp Prepared mustard 1/2 c. Light mayonnaise ( Hellmann's ) Ground black pepper and salt to taste In a large pot, boil the potatoes until tender but firm, approximately 15 min. Drain, cool and cut into cubes. (If you are using large potatoes, halve them before boiling them. Otherwise, it will not cook evenly and you will end up with half mushy and half raw crunchy potatoes.) To cook the eggs, place the eggs in a pot of cold water and bring water to a boil. Then reduce the heat and continue to cook the eggs for another 10-12 min, covered. When the eggs are done, cool the eggs in cold water and peel. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients and add salt and pepper to taste. Chill before serving. My comments: I must admit, I thought adding relish to the potato salad was a bit weird. But the original recipe had really good ratings and I wa...

Dressing 1/4 c. Olive oil 2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegarette 1/2 tsp Thyme, dried 1/2 tsp Rosemary, dried 1 tsp Basil, dried 4-5 cloves Garlic, minced Salt & Pepper to taste Vegetables 4 Potatoes , cubed with skin on 1/2 Onion, sliced 2 Sweet bell peppers , cubed 1 Zucchini, cut into bite-size 8-10 White mushrooms Handful of snowpeas Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Combine the dressing ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix together the pepper, zucchini, mushrooms and snowpeas. Toss them in the dressing until coated. Transfer the vegetables to another bowl and set aside. Toss the potatoes an onions with the remaining dressing. Spray the bottle of a roasting pan with oil. Spread the potatoes and onions evenly on the roasting pan. Bake for 10 min and flip them potatoes. Add the rest of the vegetables. Toss to mix. Bake for 10 min and flip the veggies once. Bake again for another 10 min. My comment: Summer is a great time to include fresh vegetables to your diet. You can get delicious vege...

1 pkg (8 oz. ; 250 g) Cream cheese (light), softened to room temperature 1 container (1 L) Whipped topping (light), thawed in fridge 1/2 c. Sugar 1/2 pint Fresh raspberries 1 1/2 c. Oreo baking crumbs 1/4 c. Butter, melted Alternative: Instead of fresh raspberries, use 1 can (400 mL) crushed pineapple and press the pineapples into the strainer to squeeze out as much juice as possible.  Reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup. Combine the oreo crumbs with the butter. Press it onto the bottom of a 9" pie plate. In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese and the sugar until smooth using a electric mixer. Blend in the whipped topping until smooth. Mash the raspberries with a fork and fold into the cream cheese mixture. Pour the mixture onto the oreo pie crust and refrigerate until set. My comment: This was a super easy no-bake cheesecake recipe with super tasting results. The cream cheese filling is smooth and creamy. It is lightly sweetened and the fresh fruity ta...

1 c. Israeli couscous 1 c. Chicken stock, low sodium 1 c. Water 4 c. Vegetables, chopped 1 clove Garlic, chopped 1 tsp Basil, dried 2 tbsp Olive oil Sesame oil Salt & Pepper to taste Rinse the couscous with water. Bring the chicken stock and water to a boil in a sauce pan. Stir in the couscous. Reduce to low heat and simmer for about 10 min, covered. When the couscous are soft, fluff with a fork. You may drain the excess liquid with a strainer. Prepare approximately 4 cups of vegetables, chopped the way you like. I used mushrooms, asparagus, green onion, white onion and sweet peppers. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add garlic and white onions and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in the basil and the rest of the vegetables (except for the green onion) and cook until they begin to soften. (Cooking time depends on whether you like your veggies soft or crunchy.) If you are using green onion, add them to the rest of the vegetables and cook for a few more min...

Banana Bread 1.5-2 c. Ripe banana, mashed (approximately 2-3 large bananas) 1 c. Sour cream, fat free ½ c. Vegetable oil 1 c. Brown sugar (do not pack down) 2 Eggs, room temperature 2 tsp Vanilla 3 c. All purpose flour 2 tsp Baking powder 2 tsp Baking soda 1.5 tsp Cinnamon ¼ tsp Salt Chocolate Sauce 2 c. Unsweeten dark chocolate wafers 3 tbsp Butter ½ tsp Vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350˚F. Butter bundt pan if not using silicone mold. Combine banana and sour cream. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil and brown sugar. Beat in one egg at a time. Then stir in the vanilla and the banana mixture. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Slowly stir into the banana mixture. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate wafers with the butter. Add vanilla. Put 1/3 of the banana bread batter in the bundt pan and then add ½ of the chocolate sauce on top of the batter. Careful not to get chocolate on the side of the pan. Repeat with more batter, chocolate ...

Crepes 3/4 c. All purpose flour 1 c. Milk 1 Egg Sprinkle of salt 1 tsp Butter 1 tsp Olive oil Filling 5-6 White mushrooms, sliced 1/2 Red onion, sliced 2 c. Baby spinach, wilted Swiss cheese Olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Sauté the onions for a few minutes with small amount of olive oil. Then add in the mushroom and cook until the liquids (sweat from the mushroom) are gone. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Using the same frying pan, heat the baby spinach until just wilted. Set aside. Whisk together the flour and milk until smooth. Add egg. Set aside for 1 minute. Melt together the butter and olive oil in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Heat a large non-stick frying pan. To test the temperature, sprinkle some water on the pan and it should sizzle. Reduce the heat to medium. Lightly coat the surface of the pan with the oil mixture using a silicone brush. Pour 1/4 cup of crepe batter onto the pan and swirl quickly to spread the batter as much as possible. Cook for ...