Mashed Potato Balls

Mashed potato balls with hot sauce

One night I was laying in bed and wondered how I could make the mashed potatoes into an appetizer.  I love mashed potatoes and cheese so, I thought I'd fuse them into a tasty ball.  I roll the balls in seasoned bread crumbs and then bake them the balls a give a nice firm shell. Once baked I serve them with a spicy sauce to kick them up a bit.

Lasagna Shells

Lasagna Shells

I'm all about finger foods and lasagna is one of my favourite meals.  I got tired of cooking it in a big pan and then having to cut it and it getting messy.  So, I just decided to make a compact version in a neat little shell that I could easily pick up with my fingers.  No mess, no need for knives.  Just two quick little bites.

Filled shells is nothing new, but this version bursts with a savoury spinach meat sauce and is loaded with a three-cheese blend.  This is a complete meal all on it's own.

Birthday Formal Dinner

Last weekend I had the honor of catering a 40th birthday party.  The event was a formal dinner at the host's home for a group of 15 people.  My main focus is appetizers parties so this event was going to take more effort and planning.  I was confident in my food but I was nervous about everything happening at the right time. My biggest concern was serving warm, fresh food (I hate serving my food when it gets cold).  I wanted my food to be warm but not dry so I told the host it was very important for us to stay on schedule: appetizers at 5pm, dinner at 6pm.  We stuck to that time!

The host selected zucchini bites, chickpeas bundles, and island skewers for appetizers for the guests to enjoy before dinner.  I had 2 servers offering these to guests.   They did a great job making sure all the guests were satisfied. 

Servers with appetizers

Dinner started with the serving of butternut squash soup and mango salad.  The main course consisted of a choice of 2 meat selections (salmon, goat, jerk chicken), rice and peas, grilled vegetables dressed with balsamic vinegar, and plantain rolls.  Dessert was  my famous "bullet cake".  I got great compliments on the meal and service. 

My bullet cake

I'm glad the night went as planned and the host was happy.  I had a great time and it was good to see people's reaction to the flavours in the food.  

Salmon Squared

 I don't eat salmon.  I honestly don't have any particular reason why but at this point in my life I figure I've lived this long without it, why change now.  But my mother loves baked salmon and I make it for her regularly.

Salmon has it's own flavour so I don't over power it with excessive spices, I add just a few tangy spices to compliment it's natural taste.

I've been told I make a mean spinach dip. It's one of those recipes, I just made up and it worked.  One day I wondered how those two flavours would taste together.  The result is this savoury hors d'oeuvre that blends the taste of the creamy spinach dip with the locked in flavour of baked salmon.

Sweet Potato Puffs

Can you believe I've never tasted sweet potato pie in my life?  I've seen it around many times (everyone I know loves it) but it never appealed to me - the pudding filling isn't my thing.

So, I thought I'd try to make something that would taste like it but didn't have that cream texture.

This delicious appetizer is a moist, delightful bite of sweet potato pie heaven (so I've been told). Not overly sweet, but full of the warm flavour of spiced sweet potato, this is the next best thing to having a full pie.

Alan's Chili

I've made this chili a few times and each time it gets raving reviews.  It's nickname is "sex in a pot" because it starts of sweet then get hot.  LOL.  Here's the recipe for you to make it yourself.

Alan's Chili Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup chili mix
• 1 can red beans
• 2 tbsp barbecue sauce
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper
• 1 cup of diced peppers
• 1/2 cup of onions
• 1/2 lb of ground beef
• 1 tsp Jerk sauce 

Steps:

1. Mix chili mix, oregano, garlic, thyme with the raw ground beef.  
2. In a large cast iron pot, cook the ground beef until fully cooked and the pot is dry (all the oil and seasoning is soaked up by the meat).  
3. Add in peppers, onions.  Cook with meat. 
4. Add beans to the pot.  Cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, and jerk sauce to the mixture.  
6. Cover and cook on medium for 20 minutes.  

This recipe makes 4-6 servings.  Serve with your favourite topping.  

Alan's Chili

Southern Chicken Bites

Southern Chicken Bites

Going out to eat and getting served unflavoured and over-battered chicken strips made me decide that I needed to make chicken taste better.  So, I set out to develop a spice mix that would add flavour without compromising the texture.

These chicken bites are crispy and spiced just right to give them a bit of kick with each bite.

They're an ideal appetizer for any gathering.

Coco-nut Stacks

Coco-nut Stacks

The combination of rolled oats and sweetened coconut combined with pure coco creates this delicious and healthy treat.

These are really simple to make and very inexpensive.  Even  better: they're dairy free and wheat free.

Zucchini Bites

Vegetables don't have to be boring.  These zucchini pieces are spiced up with my garden blend and topped with cheese to give them a rich flavour that even my teenage niece liked.

These make a great appetizer for any event and are fast and easy to make.

Salad Cups

When serving appetizers, salad can be a challenge.  I found serving them in these tasting cups make salad servings easy for people to grab and go.

The salad featured in the picture is a signature garden salad topped with feta cheese.  It features a   blend of vegetables, and a hint of sweetness to balance out the savoury flavours.

Lamb Chops

 To celebrate my wife's promotion, I cooked her dinner:  lamp chops with wild rice and asparagus.  The lamb chops were marinaded in a special spice mixture.   Once the meal was plated, I topped it with a creamy mushroom sauce.   The dinner received great reviews.

Lamb chops with asparagus and wild rice

Lamb chops topped with cream sauce

Butternut Squash Soup

With the fall season comes a blast of new flavours that are readily available from your local grocery store.  Pumpkins, squash, and other root vegetables are a plenty this time of year in Canada.

To welcome the new season, I decided to make a simple squash soup.  The ingredients are simple (shown below).  Instead of heavy cream, I chose to use coconut milk to accomodate my wife who is lactose intolerant.

Ingredients:  coconut milk, squash, cinnamon, thyme, ginger, brown sugar, bay leaves

Once all the ingredients are cooks, the soup is pureed in a blender to give it the smooth, creamy texture.   Serve it as an appetizer or as a main meal with a side of bread or crackers.

Ready to serve butternut squash soup

Bite-sized Meatballs

These meatballs are a great appetizer for any party.  I make my meatballs from scratch by mixing the meat with my special blend of spices and then adding some diced vegetables.  The result is a flavourful ball that fits perfectly in your mouth.  

Meatballs topped with my garden blend

Chicken Stir Fry

This stir fry takes minutes to make and tastes great.  You don't need any special sauce, just the right blend of spices brings the chicken and vegetables to life.  Serve it with rice or noodles.

Chicken Stir Fry Recipe (coming soon)

Tasty Beets

I love beets.  My mother made them often so I grew up knowing them as part of my regular meal.  They're healthy too - a great source of phytonutrients called betalains.  To cook beets, I use a simple recipe that adds a flavour that anyone would love.

Cooked Beets

Cooked Beets Recipe

• Peel skin off 3 regular-sized beets and wash them thoroughly
• Place beets in pot with enough water to cover the beets
• Add a 1/4 teaspoon of vinegar
• Add a teaspoon of brown sugar
• Add 1 stick of cinnamon and 4 cloves
• Boil for 5 minutes then turn off stove.  Let the pot sit on the stove for 5 more minutes.  
• Serve warm or chilled.  

Garden Delight Marinade

This year I planted a vegetable garden to allow me to experiment with fresh foods on the fly.  It has been a great experience.  I think everyone should grow at least herbs - nothing beats fresh herbs.

Garden fresh from my own backyard

I use vegetables and herbs from my garden to create a flavourful marinade that can be used a dip or to flavour meat.  I make a batch once a week and we use it with almost anything.  We eat it with chips, in stir-frys, and to quickly flavour chicken breasts and beef.

Alan's Garden Marinade

Baked Chicken Breast Recipe
Prepare chicken breasts and place in an over-safe pan.  Add 1/4 cup water to avoid sticking.  Pour the marinade over the chicken breasts, flip the chicken and pour some more marinade.  Cover the pan with foil and put it in the oven for 25 minutes.  Serve with vegetables or your favourite starch.

Get your free sample and try it! 
I'm offering free samples of this marinade so people can try it.  So far the feedback has been great and I want to share it with as many people as possible.  To get your sample, send me an email, give me a call, or leave a comment.

Battered Mushrooms

Mushrooms are one of those foods that people either love or hate.  My wife hates them because of their texture and that has prevented her from eating them for years.  This was an experiment in an attempt to overcome the texture issue.  It worked!

I used the familiar button mushrooms to create this appetizer.  I added some spice to the mushroom to give it a bit of a kick and then dipped them in a seasoned batter.  The result is a fluffy ball that masks the texture of the mushroom.

Chickpea Bundles

As I was making some curried chickpeas, I had an idea:  wouldn't it be convenient if the dumplings and the chickpeas were bundled together?  So, I tried it.   First I tried boiled dumplings bowls and stuffed them with a spoonful of chickpeas.  That tasted pretty good, but I wondered if it would taste better baked.  I baked dumpling bowls using mini cupcake holders until they were cooked and brown.  Then I stuff them with the curried chickpeas while they were warm.  That tasted even better! Go ahead, try it.  

Boiled dumpling with curried chickpeas

Whole wheat baked dumplings with curried chickpeas

Potato Cream Soup

Soups warm the soul.  This simple potato soup can be made in 20 minutes with just a few simple ingredients.  Try it.  It tastes great.  (The cream can be left out for a vegan soup.)

Ingredients:

5 whole potatoes

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

1 teaspoon fresh ginger

1 teaspoon black pepper

1garlic clove
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

1 teaspoon salt
3 cups water



Combine all the ingredients in a large pot.  Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes (until potatoes are soft). Pour the soup into a blender and puree.










The finished product is creamy and rich.  Serve with bread or crackers and let it warm your soul.

Shaken Dry Rub Wings

Shaken Dry Rub Wings

                                                               
11 herbs and spices makes these chicken wings unique in taste and texture.   Complimented with a tangy sweet jerk BBQ sauce, these wings are juicy and handlicking good.
                                                                               

Appetizers

I had the privilege of catering for the Congress of Black Women networking event tonight.  I selected a few appetizers that I thought would make an impression.  Everyone loved the unique flavours and commented on the fact that they'd never tried them before.  Let me introduce you to a few of the appetizers.

Beef Berry

I created this fusion because I have a sweet tooth and I figured adding a natural sweet to an already bold taste would create a savoury flavour.  From experience I know sweet and salty fuse well so I tried this combination of toasted bread topped with slow cooked beef and strawberries.

Island Strips

I've always liked a bit of spice so adding the sweetness of sweetened coconut bits cools the hotness of the jerk to create a flavour anyone can enjoy.  

Tropical Shrimp

I pride myself on being able to make shrimp taste like mango and peaches and curry all at once.  

Pesto Lobster Puffs

Pesto added to the already rich flavour of lobster packed neatly in a pastry is a nice light treat. 

Welcoming BBQ Season

BAR-BE-QUE!

BBQ Season has started!  Last weekend I kicked it off by firing up the BBQ and grilling some thighs.  The right mix of seasoning and heat gives flavour a new meaning.