The thai chicken soup was superb on Friday. I served it with cooked Basmati rice, chopped cilantro and fresh green onions.

My photo is less that inspiring but don’t that let you be turned-off making this bright soup that gives you hope that we will, one day, have a different season.

I was lucky enough Saturday night to have the opportunity to go to my friend Lynne’s house for dinner. She had eight other girlfriends there and we just howled the whole night. It reminded me yet again how lucky I am to have funny, intelligent women in my life and how much they bring to it.

Lynne was sweet enough to give me her Fish Cake recipe that we had as appetizers (yummy). Lynne is originally from Barbados and her Carribean inspired food was delicious on one of the coldest nights of the year.

Well…I thought it was the coldest until today that has a temp of -38 with the bloody windchill.

SALT FISH CAKES

INGREDIENTS

•8 oz salted cod fish, soaked and cooked
•1 cup onions, finely chopped
•2 tsp fresh (not dried) thyme
•2 tbsp green onions or chives (finely chopped)
•1 small hot pepper ( finely chopped – I use a scotch bonnet)
•1 cup flour
•1 tsp baking powder
•¾ cup water
METHOD

•Soak dried salted cod overnight in cold water. This will remove the excess salt. I discard the salty water and re-soak a second time in the morning for a few hours.
•Boil cod for about 10-15 minutes.
•Remove from water and place in a mini food processer till cool.
•When cod is cooled, add onion, green onion or chives, hot pepper and thyme to processor and process till well blended.
•Remove mixture and put in a bowl with flour. baking powder and water.
•Mix well …it will look like a paste….it should not be thin like a pancake batter!
•In a medium heavy pot, fill ½ way with oil. Warning: If your oil is not hot enough, you will have very greasy fishcakes! I put stove on medium high. (350 degrees if you have a food thermometer)
•Drop by teaspoon full into hot oil, but do not crowd them in the pot. Cook for abour 3-4 minutes until they are golden brown on both sides.
Remove from pot and drain on absorbent paper towel. Serve very hot.

DIPPING SAUCE

Combine 1 cup of tomato ketchup with 2 tbsp. hot sauce and 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce.

Yesterday was a day for comfort food so I brought out the big guns with Shepherd’s Pie (I posted the recipe previously) and creamy rice pudding. My father-in-law and I have been chatting about creamy rice pudding the past week so I knew that I had to make it soon. He remembers getting a 39 cent, three course lunch back in the day and the one of the dessert choices was always rice pudding. This is a variation of a recipe that my Grandmother always used. I don’t know where she originally got it.

In a pot cook 3/4 cup rice in 1 1/2 cup of salted water (I use basmati now but my gran always used regular long-grain rice). When fluffy add; 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla and 4 cups of milk (I use rice or soy and it always turns out yummy). Cook over a medium heat until the milk is mostly absorbed or the pudding is as creamy as you would like. I LOVE to add lots of nutmeg to this recipe too but my gran only ever added cloves and cinnamon.

Now, don’t forget that milk does burn fairly easily so make this recipe when you will be in the kitchen to babysit it. I was cleaning cupboards so I didn’t actually end-up with it burned to the bottom of the pot.

Here’s the babes mowing-down on her second helping of Shepherd’s pie.

Tonight’s meal choice is going to be a great way to use-up a vairety of veg in the fridge. I’m making a really easy pasta bake which is more of a method than an actual recipe.

Cook your favorite pasta (you want about four cups cooked-we’re using rigatoni because I have a tonne of it right now) and mix with; mushrooms, peppers, celery, zucchinni, carrots…whatever veg you need to use up. Add-in enough sauce (about 2 cups) to hold the mixture together (it needs to be the consistency of mac and cheese). Add in chunks of cheese that you need to use up (I have a lot of mozzarella right now and some homemade ricotta) and any sausage or salami, ground cooked meat etc. that…needs to be used-up.

Turn this into a casserole dish, top with more cheese and bake until bubbling (about 20 minutes at 350).

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