beautiful food

Hans’ Giant Balls

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My plan for today was to prepare a couple of burgers on the grill since the weather was really nice this afternoon and I had planned to spend some time outside reading. But as usual, it was just too hot and steamy for Bella and I, so I decided to stay inside and change the menu to meatballs with spaghetti aglio e burro.
When I used to live and travel in Italy many years ago, I never came across giant meatballs like you find them in the US. More likely than not this is an American invention, like so many other “Italian” dishes you find in your run of the mill Italian/American restaurant.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed this version and will definitely prepare it again.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Link to : Spaghetti Aglio E Burro
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Link to : All About Meatballs
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Hans’ Giant Balls – Italian Meatballs With Spaghetti Aglio E Burro

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Preparation :
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: mix ground beef with 1 whole egg, finely diced onions, panko breadcrumbs, chopped parsley, grated parmesan, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, dijon mustard and a small amount of ketchup, form into large balls (tennis ball size)

: bake in 350F oven until 3/4 done, about 45 minutes

: 3/4 done

: saute garlic paste in olive oil, add chopped tomatoes, kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: add the meatballs to the sauce

: simmer covered until meatballs are fully cooked

: saute garlic paste and chili flakes in butter

: add al dente spaghetti and chopped Italian parsley, season with kosher salt, mix well

: plate spaghetti aglio e burro

: top with meatball

: add tomato sauce, sprinkle with finely grated parmesan

: Hans’ Giant Balls – Italian Meatballs With Spaghetti Aglio E Burro

: Hans’ Giant Balls – Italian Meatballs With Spaghetti Aglio E Burro

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Sautéed Smoked Salmon Patty

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If you love smoked salmon as I do, but are a bit weary of it on toast or bagel for the ‘thousand’s time, you might want to try this dish. Different, super easy to prepare, very tasty, great texture and not too shabby looking either. Accompanied by “simpleton potato salad”, romaine lettuce in honey/mustard dressing and a dip of spicy ranch dressing. (3/4 ranch, 1/4 sriracha and a good dose of garlic paste)
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Sautéed Smoked Salmon Patty

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Preparation :
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: diced cooked potatoes, diced cucumbers, mayo, dijon mustard, sriracha, garlic paste, kosher salt

: Mix all ingredients, check / adjust seasoning

: diced smoked salmon, panko bread crumbs, mayo, sliced scallions, diced peppers, ketchup, cayenne pepper

: mix well, form patties

: coat patties in panko bread crumbs

: saute patties in olive oil

: Sautéed Smoked Salmon Patty

: Sautéed Smoked Salmon Patty

: “Simpleton Potato Salad”

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Grilled Tenderloin With Mushrooms And Cannellini Beans

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Although I have cut back on my consumption of red meat, I still crave a rare steak once in a while. Tenderloin is not usually my cut of choice (that would be bone-in rib eye), but my Argentinian butcher had a special of grass-fed, cleaned and trimmed beef tenderloin for 26.85 per pound. Who could say no to that ? – not me, since the same quality and cut runs usually a lot higher around here.
This cut and quality needs no fru fru, just some kosher salt, garlic oil and chili oil and that’s it – beef heaven 🙂
The mushrooms with cannellini beans are the perfect side dish, spicy, flavorful and hearty.
What a great dinner, Bella and myself perfectly happy and ready to plan the next meal 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Grilled Tenderloin With Mushrooms And Cannellini Beans

first bite for Bella, as usual 🙂

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Preparation :
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: season tenderloin with kosher salt and rub with chili oil and garlic oil

: grill in a very hot grill pan until marked on one side, turn and finish in a 325F oven until medium rare

: saute mushrooms in olive oil

: add cannellini, garlic paste, sriracha, kosher salt, a dash of maggi and a small amount of grated asiago cheese, simmer one minute, check / adjust seasoning

: add a few scallions (seasoned with salt, garlic oil and chili oil) during the last few minutes of cooking the steak

: Grilled Tenderloin With Mushrooms And Cannellini Beans

: Grilled Tenderloin With Mushrooms And Cannellini Beans

: Grilled Tenderloin With Mushrooms And Cannellini Beans

: Grilled Tenderloin With Mushrooms And Cannellini Beans

: first bite for Bella, as usual 🙂

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The Bollywood

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During the year I was living in Karachi, Pakistan, a large part of the TV programming besides the national programming were Indian music shows and Indian movies of the “Bollywood” Variety, which I came to appreciate and like, so much so that I actually miss it sometimes. So, in honor of the great “Bollywood” shows and movies, I name this sandwich “The Bollywood” 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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naan, tandoori chicken, tomato/cucumber/yogurt salad

The Bollywood

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Preparation :
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: marinade boneless chicken tighs overnight in a paste of ghee, garam masala, cumin, allspice, lemon juice, yogurt, paprika, cinnamon, grated ginger, garlic paste, black pepper and kosher salt

: bake chicken on a rack at 425F until cooked through (165F in the center on the bone)

: meanwhile, make a salad with halved grapetomatoes, diced seeded cucumbers, diced chillies, chopped parsley, garlic paste, yogurt, kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: toast naan, brush with butter or ghee, sprinkle with kosher salt

: naan, tandoori chicken, tomato/cucumber/yogurt salad

: naan, tandoori chicken, tomato/cucumber/yogurt salad

: naan, tandoori chicken, tomato/cucumber/yogurt salad

: The Bollywood

: The Bollywood

: The Bollywood

: The Bollywood

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Guilt Free Banana Icecream

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Image by pkgbranding

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Guilt Free Banana Ice Cream

Guilt Free Banana Ice Cream With Sugar-Free Whipped Cream And Sugar-Free Strawberry Coulis

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Since I have started to live a healthier life style, my one problem is how to satisfy my sweet tooth without feeling guilty. The solution to my dilemma are sweets without refined or artificial sugar/sweetener, which are increasingly hard to find. So I took to thinking about new recipes which will make me happy with their natural sweetness and are not too offensive to my diabetic restrictions. The following one is definitely a keeper ! 🙂
An added bonus to this recipe is that you don’t need an ice cream machine for its preparation. I used to have one, but I threw it away after a while because the churning cylinder took up too much space in the freezer department of my fridge.
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P.S. :
This Ice cream is ready for consumption after about 4.5 hours in the freezer. If you freeze it longer or overnight, you might want to put it from the freezer into the cooler for 15 -20 minutes to facilitate easier spooning (That’s spooning of the ice cream kind, not the other one – although….. 🙂 )
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P.P.S. :
If I would still drink alcohol, I would have added a shot of brandy or dark rum to this baby 🙂
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: chop 4 large bananas

: blend 1 large banana with 1 cup organic peach nectar (or any other organic fruit nectar), 1 cup cream cheese, 1/2 cup greek yogurt, 1/2 cup heavy cream, a dash of organic vanilla extract and 2 tablespoon organic honey

: mix with chopped bananas

: freeze in a shallow container, stir with a fork every 1,5 hours

: after 4,5 hours – ready to serve

: Guilt Free Banana Ice Cream

: Guilt Free Banana Ice Cream

: Guilt Free Banana Ice Cream With Sugar-Free Whipped Cream And Sugar-Free Strawberry Coulis

: Guilt Free Banana Ice Cream With Sugar-Free Whipped Cream And Sugar-Free Strawberry Coulis

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Curried Lentil Salad With Tandoory-Style Chicken

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Today, let’s make a salad that is both full of flavor and easy to prepare.
Curried lentils are of course one of my favorite lentil recipes, served either hot or cold (vinaigrette added), by them self as salad or as a sexy side dish (again, either hot or as salad). And tandoori chicken?- well, anytime, please 🙂
While I don’t have a tandoori oven in my kitchen (neither do you, I guess), cooking the chicken without fat in a VERY hot cast iron pan will give satisfying, similar results.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

Tandoori Chicken Salad

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Preparation :
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: marinate chicken thighs overnight in a paste of ghee, garam masala, cumin, allspice, lemon juice, yogurt, paprika, cinnamon, grated ginger, garlic paste, black pepper and kosher salt

: cook lentils by slowly simmering in salted water until soft, but not falling apart

: mix greek yogurt, mayo, mustard, curry powder, turmeric powder, rice vinegar, kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: add lentils, chopped cilantro, diced radish, diced cucumbers and sliced chilies, mix well, check / adjust seasoning

: add chicken to VERY HOT cast Iron pan, cook for about 3 minutes on one side

: turn chicken, turn down temperature a bit, cook until cooked through

: dress lettuce with vinaigrette of your choice

: add lentil salad

: top with chicken breast

: top with a dollop of greek yogurt, sprinkle with chopped cilantro

: Tandoori Chicken Salad

: Tandoori Chicken Salad

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Curry Ribs

This recipe uses my standard curry base/sauce, of which I always have a few containers in the freezer.
You can of course make any type of curry base in which you braise your ribs, but this dish is pretty easy and fast to prepare when you start out with a great, readily prepared base/sauce and take it from there. Just remember, when you simmer the ribs, you must add the same amount of water to the base/sauce as will evaporate during the cooking process, so that you end up with the same textured sauce you had when you started. I suggest you don’t add too much water at first and add more as needed while you go.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

Hans’ “Easy Does It” Curry Recipe

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Naan Recipe
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Preparation :
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: saute chilies, tomatoes, scallions, onions and garlic paste in butter until onions are opaque

: add curry sauce/base

: add water or stock of your choice

: add single-cut pork ribs

: cover, simmer until ribs are tender but not falling apart

: if sauce is too thick, add more liquid, if sauce is too thin, remove ribs and let sauce reduce to preferred texture

: freshly baked naan

: Curry Ribs

: Curry Ribs

: Curry Ribs

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Chirashizushi -Unagi Kabayaki & Ebi

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Chirashizushi . In my book, sushi does not get better than that!
I am of course aware of the fact that I am in the absolute minority with this opinion, but I just can’t get myself to join the millions of fans of raw fish, so this version of Chirashizushi is my very own ticket to sushi heaven 🙂
Great quality / perfectly cooked sushi-rice with smoked eel , poached shrimp and a chili-soy-yuzu dipping sauce – there you go, baby, sushi perfection without the fuss and sky-high price tag of “the other perfect sushi”.
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Please note that some Chirashizushi dishes contain raw fish.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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How to prepare perfect Sushi Rice
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More Chirashizushi
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Chirashizushi -Unagi Kabayaki & Ebi

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: smoked eel

: perfectly cooked sushi rice

: add the shar-zu

: incorporate shar-zu

: notice the sheen and all rice kernels are individual and whole

: the good stuff…..

: Chirashizushi -Unagi Kabayaki & Ebi

: Chirashizushi -Unagi Kabayaki & Ebi

: Chirashizushi -Unagi Kabayaki & Ebi

: Chirashizushi -Unagi Kabayaki & Ebi

: Chirashizushi -Unagi Kabayaki & Ebi

: Chirashizushi -Unagi Kabayaki & Ebi

: Chirashizushi -Unagi Kabayaki & Ebi

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Steak And Pasta Salad With Pickled Onions

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Some of us “Tough Guy’s” might feel a bit dainty when out with our buddies and would like to actually have “just a salad, please” 😦
Well, boys and girls, not with this baby, I’ll guarantee ! Here we have “just a salad” for every real man and every real woman, anytime and anyplace. Buhaaa ! Enjoy ! 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life (and salad) is Good !
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Steak And Pasta Salad With Pickled Onions

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: onions, chilies, chili flakes, rice vinegar, kosher salt, peanut oil, cilantro

: mix ingredients and let marinade for at least 2 hours

: marinade sliced striploin with soy sauce, garlic oil and sriracha

: sear in a VERY hot pan on both sides (no additional oil required) until browned but still rare

: plate vinaigrette-dressed iceberg salad

: top with vinaigrette-dressed pasta and cucumber salad

: top with steak

: top with onions

: Steak And Pasta Salad With Pickled Onions

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BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS # 47 – Smoked Salmon On Naan

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What better way to start a day ? –
A wonderful breakfast, followed by a two hour walk around the lake.
Bella had a great start too – same breakfast, then she spotted three squirrels on our walk, which absolutely made her day (both the salmon, which she ate and the squirrels, which she chased) 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Link to more “Breakfast of Champions”
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