The Best Egg Salad on Earth

I adore eggs. I could eat eggs for every meal of the day. I they are the easiest and most versatile food that I know and they pack a nutritional punch. In my opinion, if your considering getting into shape, you should probably amp up your egg intake. They're high in protein, vitamins b12, b2, D and folate which is good for baby making (if you're into that sort of thing). And best of all, at around 70 calories a pop, you can enjoy a few of them and keep a slim waistline. 

One of my favorite things to do with eggs is make a big batch of egg salad or as the Brits say, egg and mayonnaise that we can enjoy over a few days by slapping it on toast, flinging it onto green salads or just eating it by the spoonful out of the container (trust me it's that good!). Try it for yourself!

*egg buying tip* try to go for organic or free range. I get Omega 3 enriched eggs called Intelligent eggs because they're good for brain power. 

Ingredients: 

6 eggs

1 celery stalk chopped small

1/2 red onion chopped small

1 Tbs capers chopped

1/3 cup light mayo

2 tsp yellow mustard

1 Tbs dijon mustard

1 tsp paprika (I used smoked paprika but regular works too)

A generous pinch of seasoning salt

Fresh cracked pepper to taste

And a dash of hot sauce

First, bring a pot of water to boil and add all the eggs gently as not to crack their shells. Boil for 10 minutes then remove and rinse the eggs in cold water. Place in ice water or refrigerator for 20 minutes or till cooled. Peel and chop the eggs and add them into a bowl with the celery, onion and capers. Toss and set aside. 

In a separate bowl, stir up all the rest of the ingredients till well mixed. Should look like a slightly orange cream. Now combine this mixture with the egg mix and stir well. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow flavours to come together. Enjoy on sandwiches, salads or any which way you please! Will keep in refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

Xo

PJJ

Cinnamon Apple Roasted Veggies

I know, I know, it sounds strange mixing something that's usually associated with dessert in with your veggies but trust me, in this case it works! If you're looking for an interesting and out of the ordinary Thanksgiving side dish this year, you will find it right here.

It's not too sweet and not too savoury...its a perfect combination of both and I think it may even get the kiddies to happily eat their veggies. And it's easy to make too!

Ingredients:

3 beets, peeled and cut into large chunks

5 large carrots, sliced into 1 inch pieces

6 shallots, peeled and sliced in half

3 apples (any type) peeled, cored and sliced thick

2 Tbs olive oil

1 Tbs fresh chopped parsley

1 Tbs raw sugar

2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon 

Pinch of black pepper

Preheat oven to 400f/200c. Toss the beets, carrots and shallots in the olive oil in a large bowl. Mix the sugar, salt, cinnamon and pepper in a small bowl then sprinkle onto the beets, carrots and shallots and toss again. Sprinkle mixture with the chopped parsley and place into the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, add in the apple slices, toss and return to oven for 20 more minutes. Now, remove and give everything a good toss before serving (I know, there's a lot of tossing involved haha). Enjoy!

PJJ x

Apple, Date and Chorizo Stuffed Pork Tenderloin Roast

Sunday's are our special day for relaxing and feasting on a special roast or stew while snuggled up on the couch. This is usually the day that I break out the slow cooker but not today. I wanted to do a pork tenderloin and I really love a nice crunchy outer layer which you can only get from the oven. I got the idea to stuff this one and seeing as we're smack in the middle of apple season....apple + pork = yum x 1,000!!! I also incorporated chorizo into my recipe so that the spiciness could balance out the sweetness of the apple and date. Give it a try and tell me what you think! Ps... Thanksgiving is just around the corner so if you want a non-Turkey main with a WOW, give this a shot.

(pps...you'll see that there are two roasts pictured, that's because I made enough to have leftovers for this week!) 

Ingredients:

5 slices of multigrain bread toasted and cubed

2 cups chicken stock

1 Granny Smith apple skinned and diced small

1/2 red onion diced small

5 dates pitted and chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

1 Tbs fresh rosemary chopped

1 Tbs fresh thyme chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1 2-3lb pork tenderloin

1 package sliced chorizo (usually available at the deli counter if you can't find it on the shelf)

A 2 foot piece of twine for tying the roast

Set oven to 375f/190c. To make stuffing combine first 9 ingredients in a bowl and set aside. 

The next step is where it get a little tricky to describe so pay close attention and use my photos as a guide. Take the pork tenderloin and make a butterfly cut down the middle lengthwise, leaving about 1/4 inch of meat, do not cut all the way through. Now, butterfly each side of the inside of the tenderloin, leaving 1/4 inch of meat. Hope this is making sense! With the 3 butterfly cuts the tenderloin should lay fairly flat. Place the tenderloin between 2 large pieces of cling film and pound it with a rolling pin or meat mallet till it's about 1/4 inch thick all around. Discard the top layer of cling film.

Layer the chorizo slices over the pounded out tenderloin, leaving an inch of space along one edge lengthwise that will make an easy closure when rolled. Now spoon some of the stuffing mixture along the middle. *There will be leftover stuffing which you can bake after roasting the tenderloin*. 

Use the cling film to help you roll the stuffed tenderloin, gently squeezing the roll so that it stays in place while you wrap the twine around it. To properly tie the twine, make a loop around the end of the tenderloin roll and tie a knot. Then spiral wrap the twine all the way down the roll and finish by making another loop and knot at the end of the tenderloin roll. If it doesn't look pretty, that's just fine, it'll be hidden underneath! Place the stuffed roast seam side down on a greased baking dish and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake for 50 minutes uncovered on the bottom rack then remove, cover with foil and let rest for 20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, you can use the drippings at the bottom of the pan to make a nice gravy by adding them to a cup of water, bring to a boil then stir in 1 Tbs of corn starch dissolved in 1 Tbs cold water. You can also put any remaining stuffing mixture into a dish and bake at 375f/190c for 15 minutes.

Cut off and remove the twine then slice the rested tenderloin into 1 inch pieces and serve. This dish goes well with the cinnamon apple roasted vegetable dish posted just before this recipe!

Hope you enjoy! Xx

Phylicia JJ

Spare Room Makeover

We've been living together in our London flat for almost a year and a half and I'm absolutely in love with our little home but there was always an area we both found daunting/shoulder shrugging....the spare bedroom! 

See, from the beginning I sort of treated it like a spare closet for all my seasonal clothing and shoes while my husband sort of used it as a dirty clothes hamper and printer copy shop. It only really came into good use on the rare occasion that we had company which usually fueled a manic cleaning frenzy to hide our shameful stacks of clutter the day before our guests arrived. Then the second our guests left it went right back to being the junk room again. Most people have a junk drawer, we had a junk room!

Finally, I reached my breaking point after our wedding when my sisters, who were inhabiting the spare room for a week, went back home to the states and I was left with clean up duty. At first I cursed my sisters for leaving such a pig sty and I got so frustrated that I couldn't find anything I was looking for for about 2 weeks afterward. Then it dawned on me, this was no one else's fault but ours! We were the culprit of such chaos within our home. Then I started thinking how nice it would be if we could actually have a proper use for this room and make it part of our daily life. After all, not many people in central London are lucky enough to have a whole spare bedroom and we were totally taking ours for granted. 

And that was that, I decided to do a complete makeover on our cramped spare room and to get me super motivated, my husband promised me a brand new tumble dryer as a prize! This was especially exciting given that our old dryer was on the fritz for about a year and we resorted to hanging damp clothes over heaters all around the house (I'm sure other UK residents know this drill) so YAY no more crispy crunchy towels or jeans!!!! 

Here are some before and afters then I'll talk about exactly what I did and how functional the room is now.

BEFORE

AFTER

Ok, so I got rid of a lot. Literally two big trash bags of clothes and shoes that we don't wear went off to the charity shops. Then I went on Amazon and ordered a new desk from Ryman and some cube racks for the closet and for my shoes. The cube racks are super inexpensive and extremely versatile, I would highly recommend them to anyone wanting to organise their closet space. 

Our new desk is pretty awesome too! It was kind of a pain to put together but well worth it. The two big drawers are perfect for storing odds and ends like scissors, tape measure, printer paper...etc. and now we both have an area we can use as a proper workspace. I now spend loads more time in this area doing school work and compiling recipes for my cook book. My husband does his script writing and research here too. It's also so nice to have a beautiful view of our city while working. And when the mini office area isn't being used for work/assignments, the desk doubles as a perfect laundry folding table! Ps....I'm OBSESSED with my new tumble dryer. Like, don't even get me started. Huge upgrade!

Well, hope you didn't find this too boring and housewifey but I'm just so proud of my work. Does this inspire you to re-do a room in your home?? Tell me about it. I may have some suggestions to share!

Xo

Phylicia Jackson-Jones 

Creamy Deluxe Lemony Chicken Piccata with Easy Steamed Baby Potatoes

Chicken piccata is one of my absolute favorite take-away dishes to order when we want a lazy night in. My only qualm was that I always felt like I needed more texture and definitely more lemony zing to the sauce rather than the usual buttery, drippy stuff. So, I decided to play around with adding some special ingredients like shallot and mushroom and then turning up the lemon power by adding lemon zest and lots of lemon juice! I also liked the idea of the sauce being a bit creamier and a couple dolups of buttermilk stirred in at the last minute was perfect. 

A was also surprised by how relatively easy it was to make as it was my first time ever. I would suggest getting all your ingredients prepped and ready to go before starting so that the process is a breeze.

Ingredients: 

4 chicken boneless free-range chicken breast

Salt pepper

1/4 cup flour

2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs butter

5 mushrooms sliced

1 shallot minced

1 cup chicken stalk

1/2 cup lemon juice (about two lemons)

Zest of 1 lemon 

2 tbs capers

1/3 cup light buttermilk or light sour cream

Fresh chopped parsley for garnish

2 lbs baby potatoes washed 

Seasoning salt

Preheat your oven to low, it will be needed later to keep the chicken warm. For the potatoes, in a medium pot bring to boil 1 inch of water that's been seasoned with a generous amount of seasoning salt. Place the potatoes in the pot and cover. Set a timer for 25 minutes and turn off heat when timer is up but don't left the lid!

Meanwhile, pound out each chicken breast using a rolling pin. Sprinkle salt and pepper over each side of the tenderised chicken breasts then dredge each side with the flour. In a large frying pan, heat the butter and olive oil on high. When butter is fully melted, lay 2 of the floured breasts into the hot pan. Let fry for about 3 minutes then flip and repeat. When both sides are golden brown, remove from pan and set in a foil lined baking dish. Repeat this with the next 2 chicken breasts. Place all cooked chicken breasts into the warm oven, uncovered, while you make the sauce.

 Using the same unwashed large frying pan the chicken was fried in, add the mushrooms and shallots and sauté on high for 2 minutes or till soft. Pour in the chicken stalk and lemon juice and stir. Now add the capers, lemon zest and buttermilk or sour cream. Stir constantly for 3 minutes then turn off heat. 

Remove the chicken from the oven and serve each breast and steamed potatoes with the sauce ladled over the top. Garnish with the chopped parsley and voila! 

Spiced Pumpkin tiramisu

I was never really a huge fan of tiramisu till recently when traveling through Italy and it was literally everywhere you looked. I even had a superb tiramisu from a roadside gas station! Needless to say, I became an addict. It's a perfect pick-me-up dessert and involves zero baking! Just slap it together and put it in the refrigerator. There's also no pressure to make it look perfect which is relaxing.

My version is great for this time of year. It involves pumpkin which is all the rage for the autumn season. And then there's the accompanying pumpkin spices that'll make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. If you aren't keen on either of these ingredients you can amend them and have yourself a classic tiramisu which will still be spectacular. Now, get your mixing bowls out and get ready to party!

{{ this dessert isn't recommended for children or pregnant women. Also, I recommend using fresh organic eggs for this recipe but if you are still uncomfortable using raw eggs you can substitute with another cup of whipping cream or pasteurised egg whites from the carton though the result will not be as creamy and thick }}

Serves 12

Ingredients:

4 eggs, separated, yolks in one large bowl, whites in another large bowl

3/5 cup raw sugar

1 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

1/2 cup rum (I used captain Morgan)

1/2 cup canned pumpkin purée 

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1 1/4 cup whipping cream

3 Tbs instant coffee mixed with 1 cup hot water

2 packages of lady fingers or sponge fingers (approx. 60 fingers)

3 Tbs instant coffee for dusting

1 dark chocolate bar grated finely 

First, with an electric hand beater, beat egg yolks and sugar together. Fold in mascarpone, rum, pumpkin, cinnamon and allspice then beat all together till well mixed. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites till stiff peaks form then fold into the pumpkin mascarpone mixture. Rinse egg white bowl out and use to whip the whipping cream into stiff peaks. Fold whipped cream into the pumpkin mascarpone mixture and stir till well mixed then place into refrigerator for about 30 minutes. 

When mixture is nice and chilled, remove from refrigerator and prepare for layering the tiramisu. In a deep 13x9 inch ungreased cake pan, place lady fingers into a single layer on the bottom. Using a spoon, splash half the prepared instant coffee evenly over the lady fingers.

Now spread half the chilled pumpkin mascarpone mixture evenly over coffee soaked lady fingers. Repeat this layering once more then dust the top with instant coffee powder then with the grated dark chocolate and you are finished! 

It's best to keep your tiramisu refrigerated for at least 2 hours so that the flavors have a chance to come together. Trust me it's worth the wait! Enjoy! 

Phylicia J.J. 

Italian Medicine: Roast Chicken, vegetable and tortellini soup

This may be the easiest soup recipe I've ever posted. And thank goodness because it's perfect for those down and out sicky times when you can barely lift a finger to do even most average task. Plus, it's chock full of healthy ingredients that will help you get back in order. Did you know there is actual scientific evidence as to why chicken soup fights off a nasty flu or cold?! Read this article for the geeky details: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=117888

Now, back to this recipe. I thought I'd add something a little different to the usual chicken soup blah and being half Italian AND just having been back from a 6 week Italian road trip, I was inspired to go down the, well, Italian route. The best part is, everything I put in this soup can be bought pre-made at any grocery store and all you have to do is throw the ingredients in a slow cooker on high or a big soup pot on the stove on medium. Also, you don't have to be sniffling or coughing to enjoy this soup. It's a delight for anyone at any time!

Ingredients:

2 cans chopped tomato with garlic and herbs added

3 chicken stock pots dissolved in 5 cups hot water

3 tsp dried mixed Italian herbs

2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

1 whole cooked rotisserie chicken from deli counter

2 celery stalks sliced

2 medium carrots sliced

1  cups okra sliced

1/2 large zucchini sliced and quartered 

1 package refrigerated tortellinis (flavor of your choice)

Add the first 5 ingredients to your heated slow cooker or pot and stir till well mixed to make the broth. Now pull apart the rotisserie chicken into large chunks discarding the skin and carcass but keeping the leg bones. Place chicken pieces and leg bones into the broth. Stir in all the vegetables. Let stew for a good 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Now add the tortellinis and let cook for 5 minutes. If you plan on having leftovers, boil the tortellinis separately and add a few to each bowl as needed. Enjoy!