Kitchen Crashers: Janelle H

Open publication - Free publishing - More danielle rose

Here it is! The very first issue of Kitchen Crashers! I'm so excited and relieved to finally get the first issue up. This is only the beginning! I'm planning on crashing a lot more kitchens this year, so get ready to see lots of new faces up on Ginger Rose! Let me know what you think! xo

Ginger Rose Presents: Kitchen Crashers

I started Ginger Rose almost three years ago with a clear goal in mind, to inspire my friends and family to conquer their kitchen fears and find the joy in cooking a delicious home cooked meal. At the time I felt like a bit of an anomaly, with pretty much all of my friends claiming to not know how to cook, or claiming to be the best cook and never moving past Kraft Dinner and muffin and pancake mixes. Food was one of my biggest passions and it felt so wrong to not have anyone to share that passion with. I wanted to share ideas, swap tips and tricks, learn about new techniques and restaurants, create something spectacular using multiple palettes, but other than my immediate family there was no one. As my blog grew, so did the response. I found myself completely overwhelmed by the positive response I was receiving from friends, family, acquaintances, friends of friends, and even strangers! Those that shared my same passion started to come forward and make their presence known, as well as those that had never really given cooking a shot but were now encouraged to try. I watched as former fearful cooks broke through their limits to create dishes that they could be proud to serve and call their own. Those that had barely even touched a stove were now sharing recipes that they had found success in, making 5-course dinners to impress their loved ones, and in some cases even starting their own customized cake business'. Now, nearing Ginger Rose's three year anniversary, I can confidently and proudly say that I have achieved my goal! So where do we go from here?

Although I have achieved my goal of getting my own friends and family excited about food and cooking, there is a whole other generation of young men and women who are in that same place that my friends and family were three years ago. I'm talking about those young adults who are leaving the nest for the first time, unfamiliar with the kitchen, or perhaps just unfamiliar with the pressures and time constraints of becoming an adult. I want to help ease that pressure and inspire people to take control of their lives and their diet, but this time I can't do it alone. After talking with so many fearful cooks about their apprehensions and fears in the kitchen, I have learned that one of the most encouraging things to say to them is "I'm just like you". I have never had any formal training, I have certainly had my share of kitchen disasters, I have learned from those disasters to divert them in the future, and I still have my own kitchen fears yet to conquer. With my food blog as much apart of my identity as my flaming red hair, it's trickier to get people to buy the "I'm just like you" line, and this is where my network of friends, family, and acquaintances come into play. With the help of my incredible network of friends, I would like to introduce Ginger Rose's new series, Kitchen Crashers.

What is Kitchen Crashers you ask? Well, it's exactly as it sounds. I want to crash my friends kitchens! I want to be that fly on the wall, learning how others approach cooking, how they select ingredients and plate dishes to create a final product that they can be proud to call their own. In each post Kitchen Crashers will feature one inspiring individual, revealing their history in the kitchen through a Q&A, and featuring that persons "signature dish", along with a recipe for it. Through the Q&A you will be able to see the incredible diversity in terms of how people approach cooking, as well as the diversity of the different people represented in each post. Of course ones cultural background has a great deal of influence on their outlook on food and cooking, but what someone does for a living and their hobbies also greatly affects their approach to food. As the series grows, I want to represent people from all different cultural, economic, social, and creative backgrounds, representing the fantastic mosaic that is Toronto. I'm hoping that through Kitchen Crashers my readers will be able to identify with someone who truly is "just like them", and be able to walk away feeling inspired to take a chance in the kitchen themselves! The first post is in the works, featuring a young jewelry designer who has just recently discovered her passion for cooking. I can't wait to share it with you and see what you think! Cheers to the next step!

Listening To:

Sam Cooke - Bring It On Home To Me

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Thai Kitchen's® Easy Chicken Pad Thai

Thai Kitchen® - From Thailand to your table

After being totally blown away by the simplicity, speed, and yummy flavours in Simply Asia's® Soy Ginger Shrimp and Noodles using their Soy Ginger Noodles and Sauce pack, I was super eager to get the wok back out again yet another night this week and try out Thai Kitchen's® recipe for Easy Chicken Pad Thai using their brand of Stir-Fry Rice Noodles and Original Pad Thai Sauce. Although Pad Thai isn't a Chinese dish, it still features many of the prominent flavours found in many Chinese foods...and with a pad thai recipe as simple as Thai Kitchen's®, I couldn't help but want to try it out right away! With my tummy growling like a bear after writing out my entry for the Soy Ginger Shrimp and Noodles, I was a little concerned about how long the pad thai would take to make. The recipe stated that the dish would take approximately 25 minutes to make, but the skeptic in me rounded up to more like 45...an eternity to my already angry stomach. Despite my reservations about timing, I quickly began cutting up the chicken breasts and chopping up the peanuts.

Surprise surprise, I was wowed yet again! Just about 25 minutes later (seriously, maybe even less!) the rice noodles were tossed into the wok to be combined with the savory pad thai sauce, moist chicken strips, crisp bean sprouts, and zesty green onions, ready to be garnished with crunchy peanuts. I felt so impressed with myself and especially Thai Kitchen® seeing that my pad thai looked exactly like my favourite takeout pad thai! Ravished with hunger, I dove in making sure to get every tasty ingredient in every bite! One bite told me that this dish was a keeper...but it did need a few very minor adjustments to the recipe. The flavours were all there, they just needed to be heightened. For the amount of rice noodles in the package I felt the need to amp up the citrus and onion flavour, and because I like my heat, I also wanted to add a bit more spice. An extra squeeze of lemon (I used lemon as opposed to the suggested lime because that's what is found in my takeout pad thai, and I wanted to replicate that as much as possible), a quick cut of some green onions, and a fast chop of some fresh chili peppers was all I needed to make this pad thai the perfect takeout Thai made at home! With authentic thai flavours, a beautiful colour palette, and enough to save as leftovers for lunch the next day, I found myself texting my family members again telling them to add Thai Kitchen's® Stir-Fry Rice Noodles and Original Pad Thai Sauce to their grocery list! Now that I've given you the recipe for this awesome takeout at home, I want you to do something for me! I want you to lie to your friends and family. You heard me! I want you to LIE! Invite some friends over for dinner and say you're getting takeout. Prepare Thai Kitchen's® Easy Chicken Pad Thai and clean and hide all the evidence of making it. Play along as though you picked up the dish from your local thai restaurant and see if anyone can tell the difference. I'm willing to bet you that they won't! Try it out and leave your findings in the comment section!

Tip: Heighten the flavours even more by using Asian Cooking Oil (I used Spectrum's Organic Asian Cooking Oil) and grating in extra ginger!

Ingredients:

4 ounces Thai Kitchen® Stir-Fry Noodles

2 tablespoons oil, divided (see tip!)

1 egg, lightly beaten

4 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips

6 tbsp Thai Kitchen® Original Pad Thai Sauce

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 bean sprouts

1/4 cup chopped unsalted peanuts

1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (taste to adjust accordingly)

fresh chili pepper, chopped very fine (use your discretion on how much based on how spicy you like your pad thai)

fresh cilantro sprigs (optional) and lemon wedges for serving

Directions:

1. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add rice noodles; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until noodles are tender but firm. Rinse under cold water; drain well. Set aside.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet or wok on medium-high heat. Add egg; scramble until set. Remove from skillet and set aside.

3. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and add the chicken; stir fry until cooked though. Add the rice noodles, pad thai sauce, green onions, bean sprouts, cooked egg, lemon juice, and chopped chili pepper; stir fry 3 to 4 minutes or until noodles are tender. Transfer onto a serving dish and garnish with cilantro sprigs (optional) and lemon wedges. Serve immediately.

Listening To:

Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra)

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Simply Asia's® Soy Ginger Shrimp & Noodles

Simply Asia® - Real Asian. Real Fast.

The Chinese New Year is upon us and rather than heading out to a Chinese restaurant to celebrate like I have in previous years, this year I'm taking the wok into my own hands and cooking up some delicious authentic Asian recipes right at home thanks to Thai Kitchen® and Simply Asia®! I always used to look forward to braving the cold with my family and friends to trek down to Spadina to stuff our faces at our favourite Chinese restaurant (Kom Jug Yuen anyone? A total dive, but it's tasty and super cheap!), but over the years I have come to realize just how awful the meal makes me feel after consumption. Time and time again I would always end up curled up on the couch, arms clutching my stomach, regretting every piece of barbecued pork I just downed. So this year when I received an email from Thai Kitchen® and Simply Asia® offering to send me some of their products to check out for the new year, I decided to nix the greasy restaurants and create my own Asian meals at home all week long.

Although I absolutely love exotic foods and flavours, in the past I have always been intimidated about preparing foreign dishes because I was simply unfamiliar with a lot of flavours and techniques found in different cuisines such as Asian, not to mention the array of different dishes within each country in the continent. Thai Kitchen® and Simply Asia® offers a fantastic introduction to Asian cuisine as all of their products feature authentic Asian flavours using premium ingredients (no artificial flavours/colours/preservatives). I began my foray into Asian cooking with Simply Asia's® recipe for Soy Ginger Shrimp and Noodles using their Soy Ginger Noodles and Sauce pack. This was the perfect starting point for me as the product is basically a meal in a box (and I ain't talkin' about no Kraft Dinner!), with each box including a carb (noodles or jasmine rice), a sauce, and a topping, with vegetable and protein suggestions listed on the back. Simply Asia's® dinner packs are awesome because they allow you to get a sense of the different flavours and ingredients that go into each Asian dish, while still giving you the freedom of adding your own veggies and protein, and best of all they are wildly easy and quick to prepare! My mom and I both loved and devoured the tasty and flavourful dish, going back for not seconds, but thirds! I can't tell you how many times my mom proclaimed "this is so GREAT!" between bites, even jotting the name down on her grocery list to pick up more to give to my sister! Despite how much of the meal I ate that evening, my stomach felt totally fine all night, which came as no surprise to me because I was able to actually control what was going into my meal. Now that I've given one of Simply Asia's® 10-minute dinner packs a try, I feel ready to take the next step and try out Thai Kitchen's® recipe for Easy Chicken Pad Thai using their brand of Stir-Fry Noodles and Original Pad Thai Sauce. My mouth is watering just thinking about it, so it's time to sign off and get cooking! Review to come!

Why I Love Simply Asia's® Soy Ginger Noodles & Sauce:

It allows you to gain the confidence to create your own asian meals from scratch, and gives you a wonderful and delicious time-saving option for busy mid-week evenings!

Tip: Heighten the flavours even more by using Asian Cooking Oil (I used Spectrum's Organic Asian Cooking Oil) and grating in extra ginger!

Ingredients:

1 package Simply Asia® Soy Ginger Noodles & Sauce

1 tbsp oil (see tip!)

2 cups assorted vegetables, such as snow peas and red bell pepper strips

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

pinch ground white pepper (I didn't have white pepper so I used black)

1 tsp sugar

Directions:

1. Cook noodles as directed on package, omitting salt. Drain and rinse with cold water.

2. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet or wok on high heat. Add vegetables; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add shrimp and white pepper; stir fry 1 minute.

3. Stir in sauce and sugar. Reduce heat to medium. Add noodles; toss to coat well and cook until heated through. Sprinkle with topping and serve immediately.

Listening To:

Chinatown - Do Make Say Think

Hanukkah: Basic Kasha Recipe

It's both amazing and frightening how many people seem to be diagnosed with being Celiac these days. The list of people I know who are now restricted to following the gluten-free diet has grown immensely over the past two years. Years ago, before I even knew what the word "gluten" meant, my grandfather was diagnosed with Celiac disease. At the time there was very little public information about the disease, which left my family worried, confused, and frustrated about how my grandfather would be able to follow the restrictive diet, as well as how we would conduct our holiday dinners. We fretted about what we would serve at the many Jewish high holidays that we celebrate, concerned about my grandfather feeling left out of enjoying the dishes containing wheat, and concerned about the labour of preparing two separate meals. It was certainly a struggle at first, but as more information on Celiac disease became public and as more products were brought on the market, we finally got the hang of it.

Now after many years of my grandfather following the diet, I can actually appreciate how it has positively impacted not only my grandfathers health, but our entire family! Take a look at our Hanukkah dinner this year. Abundant and delicious, at first view our Hanukkah dinner looks just like any other holiday feast, but upon further inspection you can see the difference. Roast chicken, quinoa, spinach salad, fresh veggies, gluten free agave nectar honey cake, and a favourite of my sister's, Kasha. Kasha was our saviour in those early days of struggling with Celiac as it was a familiar dish that we had already been serving up and enjoying for years, and being gluten free, quickly became a staple at all of our family gatherings. Kasha is a type of whole roasted buckwheat with a natural nutty flavour, that when cooked with flavourful broth, onions, veggies, and herbs becomes a hearty and comforting side dish for everyone in the family! Even as children, my parents were thrilled that my sister and I enjoyed the simple side dish, happy that we were so enthusiastic about eating something so healthy. We grew to love kasha so much that it even started to make an appearance at our Christmas dinners as well! If you're familiar with Kasha you may be rolling your eyes that I'm even featuring a recipe for it, because it is truly so unbelievably easy to prepare. In fact, I don't do or add anything special to my kasha, I simply follow the box. That's all it takes. I simply wanted to feature Kasha on my blog so that those who are unfamiliar with the grain can begin cooking with it and have another gluten free alternative rather than everyones favourite go-to at the moment quinoa (which don't get me wrong, I love!). I hope that introducing kasha into your diet will help to ease the pressure of eating healthy and following a restrictive diet. Let me know if you come up with any other interesting ways of preparing Kasha!

Tip: Experiment! Play around with what veggies, herbs, and other ingredients you have around your kitchen to see what type of kasha you can come up with! And please share your findings in the comments section!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small-medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup carrots, chopped

2 cups chicken-or-vegetable-or-beef broth

2 tbsp butter

1 cup kasha

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Directions:

1. In a medium sauce pan heat the olive oil at medium heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until they begin to get soft. Add the mushrooms and carrots and continue to cook for another 4-5 minutes.

2. Add the broth and butter to the sauce pan and increase heat to bring to a boil. Add the kasha, salt, and pepper and stir.

3. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until most of the water is absorbed.

4. Lightly fluff the kasha with a fork and stir in the fresh parsley. Serve warm.

Listening To:

Etta James - I'd Rather Go Blind

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