October

A fun weekend filled with food and art. On the menu is southern fried chicken, guacamole and apple pie ice cream (yes that's an apple pie, filling crust and all layered with homemade vanilla ice cream) topped with caramelized apples and an apple slice wafer.

Lots of pumpkin seeds from the carved out pumpkins... roasting ideas in the next post as well as more details on the dessert elements.

I've always thought fried chicken was complicated but it is probably the easiest thing to make!

I threw the chicken in a bath of buttermilk (really just watered down yogurt - lots of it!) and spices. Paprika, garlic, onion powder, cajun seasoning, first rubbed all over the chicken then saturated with buttermilk and left to marinade for 24 hours in the fridge.

The following day I set all the chicken in a strainer and let the buttermilk strain off, if it's too thick you can wash them a bit and let them dry.

Now they go into a flour mixture (just seasoned with salt, and more yummy seasonings as mentioned above)

This step is very important, they have to sit for an hour to absorb all the flour and create a "dough" so set them back in the fridge.

Now they get fried up and sprinkled with a bit of salt when they come out, served with fries.

Guacamole appetizer, another one of those easy party dishes, it's a big hit and you can make a huge batch.

Normally I add the cilantro into the mix but it doesn't look so good in pictures so I left it out and sprinkled it over later.

Chop up your guacamole, tomato, red onion, cilantro.

Add some smashed garlic, olive oil, lime juice and season with salt and a touch of cumin.

Some people like to mush up the avocado a bit into a dip but I like mine in cubes and not too "mushy"

Garnished and served with corn chips.

I served with these chipotle flavoured corn disks that were on discount at the supermarket because a few broke in the pack - so I took the opportunity to break the rest of them into chip sided pieces.

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Healthy blanched nuts

Today I'm sharing one of my favourite snacks, blanched or sprouted nuts!

Just like that apple a day adding these nuts to your diet on a regular basis or even daily is very easy...

I always keep almonds and walnuts on hand, it's good to store them in the freezer but have them handy and simply grab a small handful of each and throw them in a bowl on the counter. Before you're ready to go to work in the morning rinse and cover them with water.

When you get back from work in a few hours they are pretty much ready and you could enjoy them as a nice snack before dinner or later in the evening while watching some tv.

The walnuts are crunchy and delicious and the almonds are creamy but you'll need to peel the almonds, the skins slip off easily!

Dr. Oz even recommends the soaked walnuts and says "On my desk is the perfect snack: a handful of walnuts, soaked in water for softer texture. Keeps me feeling full and is loaded with omega-3 fats. What do you keep around your desk?"

Berries & Cream Cake

Here's a lovely dessert that comes together in minutes!

All you need is:

- Store bought angel food cake

- Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, whatever you fancy

- Heavy cream

- Real vanilla extract (it's worth investing in the good stuff here because we're working with pure simple flavours)

- A few tbsp powder sugar

Begin by unmoulding your cake and placing it on a plate.

Handle your berries delicately and wash then lay them on a paper towel to dry, be careful not to squish them.

In a bowl pour your chilled heavy cream and add some vanilla, powder sugar (about 2 or 3 tbsps)

Whisk by hand or use a mixer/hand blender until it is creamy but still has a soft peak texture without seizing up too much.

Gently scoop the whipped cream all over the top of the cake.

Now layer all the berries on top and chill!

With the berries that didn't make the cut I threw them in a small pot with some sugar and as soon as they come to a boil I smashed them with a fork, ran them through the strainer and saved the juice. This makes a great sauce when plating.

Serve & Enjoy!


**Whenever there is whip cream on sight kitty comes by for a taste. He needed a good distraction while I shot the cake

St. Jacobs Country