Oh crêpe!

This post is a product of three things: 1) my 5-year old requesting crepes for breakfast 2) the realization that I didn´t have crepes on my blog combined with months and months since my last post 3) it´s Sunday 🙂

I got the recipe from my baby sister when she was about six or seven. No joke. And it is the best crepes recipe I have ever tried! Simple, easy to remember and the first crepe never breaks. That´s close to a miracle in the crepe-making world. At least in mine. They taste really good, and the consistency is the perfect combination of light and moist, sweet and salty. And the best part – they work just as good for breakfast as they do for dinner or an evening meal.

Boeuf Bourguignon à la Julia Child

One of my all time favorite dishes is Boeuf Bourguignon, or Beef Burgundy in English (kjøttgryte fra Burgund or fransk kjøttgryte in Norwegian). The recipe I have (mostly) followed is a famous one; it is from the cookbook “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by legendary Julia Child. Right now I have gotten to the point where the meat is simmering in a pot in the oven, and heavenly scents are emanating from the kitchen and I am doing my best to stop salivating and focus on writing. Don´t worry, I have the timer on.

The ingredients are not many, and they are all easy to come by. But with the right preparation and patience this is an amazing dish. Incredibly flavorful and meat so tender that you won´t even consider using a knife. Just spoon that puppy up!

Monday night romance: chicken and vegetable au gratin with wholegrain pasta

Mondays are rough. That´s a fact. Well, let´s cook a nice meal, light some candles and romance it up! (Today, romance is a verb. Since it is Monday and all).

 

Texas style chili

My years spent in Oklahoma have left some marks. Some good, some bad and some ugly. One of the good ones is my love for chili. Real, thick, hearty, hot, Texas style chili.

Soy and ginger marinated salmon

Here we go: The first delicious AND healthy meal of the year, minimum effort is needed. 2011: bring it!

May I present to you, the lovely soy and ginger marinated salmon with rice noodles and fresh koriander (aka cilantro).

*Applause*

Weekend steak dinner, on a weekday

Ok, how can I put this? Ehm… ok, I´m just gonna blurt it out. I don´t always make everything from scratch! Phew, I feel better now (just don´t tell anyone, all right?).

This post demonstrates how to make a lovely, healthy gourmet-ish dish; on a busy weekday! And with a little Asian twist.

Rosemary pork chops with couscous

Once upon a time Mary had a little lamb. In this story however, Rosemary had herself a little pig. The chops of a pig to be more specific. And what a lovely, healthy dinner plate it turned out to be.

Pork chops, you say? Pork chops?! Really?? Aren´t pork chops out of style? Well, in that case I say, for God´s sake – bring em back!

Chicken noodle soup

I woke up at 2 am one of these nights, and no, not to the sound of my baby crying. I woke up to the sound of autumn… POURING down ouside! It still rained dogs and cats when I got up in the morning, and still when I looked out the windows at work, and still when we drove home from work… And it was a meager 12 degrees Celsius (53 F) outside. So unfair! It is barely September! *POUT* One thing to do, and one thing only: Eat chicken noodle soup! Only we have to make it first. And maybe curl up on the sofa with a good book and a blanket… Ok, here we go.

Fårikål (lamb in cabbage stew)

´Tis the season! No, not Christmas… I am talking lamb season! And lamb season in Norway means that it is time for fårikål (lamb in cabbage stew); Norway´s national dish! Norwegian lambs spend all summer running and jumping around in the Norwegian mountains, free as a bird. They eat all kinds of good stuff; heather, blueberries (probably… at least I would if I was running around in the mountains) etc. and the result is lamb packed with flavour. And fårikål is indeed flavourful and also fall off the bones-tender … oh happy joy joy!

This awesome picture (Lomo fish eye shot) is generously lend to me from Irene. Thanks again Irene, your pictures rock!

3 fab courses for 30 fab years

Turning 30 is not for the fainthearted. So when it was my husbands turn, I wanted to treat him right! I cooked him a fabulous 3 course dinner, one for each decade. He so deserved it.

The fancy, schmancy menu:

Great scallops served in the shell in a garlic and thyme butter sauce
2008 Domaine de Vauroux Chablis

Venison with Jerusalem artichoke cream, black truffle sauce and chanterelles
2003 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto

Creme Brulee
2006 Royal Tokaji

Oh, I am soooo happy right now! Oh, wait. This dinner was a gift for him, not for me. Right.