Easy Italian Bread

1 Cup 100-110 degree water
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Cups bread flour
1 Package fast rising yeast
2 Teaspoons sugar
Pinch salt

In a bowl add the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Mix together well. Add the water and olive oil. Mix until it all comes together then turn out onto a floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes until the dough turns smooth. Form the dough into a ball and put into an oiled bowl. Cover with a dishtowel and let rise for 40 minutes. Punch down the dough and form into a baguette shape. Dust a heavy sheet pan with corn meal and put the dough onto the pan. Cover with the dishtowel and let rise for another 40 minutes. With a sharp knife make 1 inch slices into the dough. Bake for 25-35 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Let rest for at least 1 hour before slicing. Eat and enjoy...

To be honest this loaf didn't come out so well - Ok it sucked - It was heavy and kinda flat tasting... Will keep trying though...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Looking For A Quick And Easy Dinner? Tostadas

Quick, easy, and good... Tostadas are not only good to eat they're fun to make. Once you have everything prepped, everyone can load their tostada up to their own tastes. They're a big hit at our house for the young and old(er).

With all the pre-prepped food that is available at the market these days if you are in a real hurry you can purchase already fried corn tortillas - onions - tomato - peppers - lettuce - cheese - etc... Personally I like the prep work - it doesn't take too long to do and it keeps your knife skills up!

In the video recipe below you will see we used:

*Fried corn tortillas
Refried beans
Shredded Mexican blend cheese
Tomatoes
Red onions
Shredded lettuce
Hot sauce

It really couldn't be much easier...

* If you don't want fried corn tortillas or are looking for a healthy alternative, try baking up some Tumaro's tortillas in the oven until stiff and using them. They're the best tortillas I've ever used and they come in a variety of interesting flavors. http://www.tumaros.com/

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Green Chicken Curry - Again...

You might be asking yourself, why green curry again? The answer is quite simple - I love it!

Now I prefer fresh green curry when I have the time to make it, but when that's not the case the CurrySimple green curry is a really easy alternative. At the market you can find pre-diced just about anything you need to make this dish. The chicken, cilantro, and the lime are the only things you really need to cut yourself if you want it that way. When I need a quick meal that's not from a fast food place - I'm all good with using pre-cut items to speed up dinner...

1 pound chicken tenders (or any type of chicken you like
1 medium red onion diced
1 cup bell pepper (green, yellow, and red) diced
1 cup squash and zucchini sliced
1 package CurrySimple green curry
1 lime
cilantro

Brown chicken in a spot of oil. Half way through add the onion. Cook until the chicken is done. Add the bell peppers, squash, and zucchini - cook for a few minutes. Add the CurrySimple green curry and bring to heat. Serve with rice, cilantro, and a nice squeeze of lime... Eat & Enjoy...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup

When you have someone who is not feeling well chicken noodle soup is the best thing to make for them. This is my almost homemade chicken noodle soup. It's almost homemade because I went to the store and bought a roasted chicken and used canned stock. Even with that it turned out really good...




1 roasted chicken - meat taken off the bone
2 large cans chicken stock
1/2 red onion diced
1 cup carrots diced
1 cup celery diced
1 bag of egg noodles (I used about 2/3 of a bag)
salt
pepper
a dash of love

prep the veg and put them into a stock pot heated to medium high. Add a few good pinches of salt and sweat for about 5 minutes. Remove all the chicken meat from the bones and add the meat to the pot once the veg is done. Add your stock, and egg noodles and bring to a boil. Once the egg noodles are cooked to your liking the dish is done. Eat & Enjoy...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Easy Homemade Tomato Soup

Making tomato soup at home from scratch is not that much harder than opening a can of Campbell's (www.campbellsoup.com) up. You can get really fancy with your mater soup, but with just a few ingredients you can create a heart warming dish.

In the video recipe below you will see that all I used to make the soup is:

1 Large can of Nina tomatoes - seeds removed
1 Yellow onion diced
1 clove garlic minced
Chicken stock
1/2 Cup half/half
fresh herbs
salt
pepper

If you have nice fresh tomatoes that would be good to - I didn't so I went with the canned. Please take the time to remove as many as the seeds as you can. It's not going to kill your dish if you don't, but it will be better if you do!

Check out the video on how to make the soup - it's quite easy. If you need some more info - Please leave a comment...

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Version 2

Avocado & Shrimp Salsa

Avocados and shrimp are a match made in heaven. If you ask me the light creaminess of the avocado goes well with the light taste of the shrimp.

This fresh salsa doesn't take much prep.

1 small red onion
1 or 2 tomatoes
1 large avocado
1 jalapeno
6 boiled shrimp (can be grilled too)
lime juice
cilantro would be nice if you have it.
salt & pepper

Dice everything up and mix it up in a bowl. Let sit i the fridge for 20 min to get happy. Eat & Enjoy!

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Chilli Lime Squid O's

I woke up today wanting squid for dinner. I'm Greek, these kind of things happen to us every once and a while. Anyway, I went to the market after work and the squid looked great, and smelled like the sea (like it should). I bought some and took it home - the rest is history...




1/2 small red onion diced
1/2 cup bell pepper diced (green, yellow, and red)
1/2 pound squid rings
1/2 bottle CurrySimple Gourmet Chilli Lime Sauce (yes they use 2 L's in their Chilli)
Cilantro
Lime wedges

Soften the onion in a spot of butter w/ a small pinch of salt. Once softened, add the peppers and cook for 1 minute. Add the rinsed squid to the pan and the chilli lime sauce - it will only take a few minutes for the squid to cook - DO NOT over cook them or you'll have a bowl full of rubber bands to eat... Squid either stays in the pan for just a few minutes or and hour no in between.

You could serve this over rice but I say just enjoy the squid. The chilli lime sauce has a good flavor and is a bit spicy (which is nice)...

Give this one a try - If I can do it - So can you...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Tom & Mozz Yummers

These are good for a snack, or part of a meal.

You will need the following (but don't be afraid to add things you like):

.5 lb Fresh mozzarella
1 jar Sun dried tomato spread (or make your own
Basil
1 baguette
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
Some love...

Cut the baguette into rounds (or whatever makes you happy).
Spritz with a bit of olive oil
Top with sun dried tomato spread
Top a basil leaf
Top with a slice of mozzarella
Broil until happy
Hit it with a bit of balsamic vinegar...

Eat & Enjoy!

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Version 2

Pad Thai

Pad Thai literally means "Thai-style stir-fried noodles". I think it really means "Rice noodles of love...".

If you are using a Pad Thai sauce (like the one I used from CurrySimple www.currysimple.com) this is a very easy dish to make. Without using a pre-made sauce it's a bit more involved.

You would think we were getting paid from them to use their stuff but that's just not true - It's just that good of a product so we like using it!

Anyway - This couldn't be any more simple. Soak your rice noodles in water until they soften. This should take about 20 minutes or so. They will soften in cold water and they won't be starchy like they are when you use hot water. Once your noodles are ready, stir fry up your tofu, chicken, scramble your egg, add the green onions. Add the rice noodles and pour on your Pad Thai sauce (I used about a quarter of a cup but you can use more if you like). Mix all of this well and bring it to temperature. Add your bean sprouts and mix through. Plate up your dish and add chopped roasted and salted peanuts, cilantro, and a wedge of lime. Eat and Enjoy!

1 package rice noodles softened in cold water
1/2 brick of firm tofu cut to your liking
1/2 pound of chicken cut to your liking
3 green onions sliced into bite sized pieces (you can use more if you like)
1 egg - scrambled in the pan
1/4 cup pad thai sauce (from CurrySimple www.currysimple.com)
cilantro
roasted salted peanuts
lime wedges

There are thousands of Pad Thai recipes out there - This one came out really dang good! It was super simple and very tasty without the hassle of making your own Pad Thai sauce...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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CurrySimple Chicken & Pasta Red Curry

I love Thai Curry and I can't get over how easy the CurrySimple products are to use. The only thing I can find that you need to do to them is adjust the heat to your liking. I like HOT Thai food. Don't get me wrong there is a little zing in the package, but I like to add some head to bring it up to my liking. This was a last minute recipe that I came up with and it turned out really good!

1 Lb Chicken cubed (to your liking)
.5 Red onion diced
1 Cup Red, Yellow, & Green peppers diced
1 Cup Snap peas
1 Package CurrySimple Red Curry
Vegetable oil
1 Lb Pasta cooked

Boil pasta according to package, drain and set aside. In a hot pan add a spot of the vegetable oil and work it around the pan. Add the diced chicken and brown. Add the onions and cook for 2 min or so until they start to sweat. Add the diced peppers and warm them through. Add the snap peas and the Curry Simple Red Curry. Cook to temperature. Combine chicken mixture to pasta and toss. Eat & Enjoy!


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Find more videos like this on iLoveCurrySimple

Play With Your Food...

I try not to take life too seriously - And you shouldn't either. Sometimes you need to enjoy your food before you consume it. There's really no point other than that I'm trying to get across in this entry, so there you have it...

This dish came from the California Pizza Kitchen - Thai Linguini...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

The 2007 Fancy Food Show in NYC

Foodies fans the Fancy Food Show is a conference you must attend at least once in your life!

There are hundreds of food related shows around the world every year. Get on Google if you don't believe me or visit www.thetortillaguy.com and bug The Tortilla Guy Steve to let you know where he and his company is going to be - it's a long list...

The Fancy food Show happens three times a year, NYC, Chicago, and LA. I had the please of visiting the show back in 2007 in NYC and I still think about all the wonderful foods I was able to experience. You can get food demos from stores all day long, but once you've had one from the owner of a company - you'll see a huge difference. Their passion is is unmatched.

Tickets are cheap, and the experience is unforgettable...

Here's a clip of some of the photos I took at the show...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Making Crepes In Paris France...

Is it possible to go to France and not have a sweet or savory delicious Crepe? I'm sure it's possible but We couldn't do it.

We had just finished enjoying the Notre Dame and found a little crepe stand right next door. It was cold day (the day after Thanksgiving 08) and a nice warm Nutella crepe hit the spot!

Here's a clip from start to finish on our crepe... (Not that you probably care but his video was captured using a Canon G10 Point-And-Soot camera)



We're going to do a video recipe of making crepes soon. I make them all the time for my dad who is a bona fide crepe junkie. He likes his with jelly... I like mine with cheese and other good things inside...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

The Buzz Around Food

http://www.foodbuzz.com/

Love food? Love to Blog? Check out foodbuzz.com...



Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

Making Guacamole

When it comes to making guacamole, there are thousands of recipes claiming to be the "best". I don't know that I've had an "oh my gosh this is the best guacamole I'll ever eat" moment. As long as it's homemade it's all good to me. I've yet to try a commercial guacamole that I liked right out of the package. Give me a break all you really need is 3 ingredients so why buy guac that was made in some factory?

As long as you have good ripe avocados, tomatoes, and an onion you're on your way. Of course you can add much more than that, and I usually do, but that's all you really need to get the ball rolling. To me you have to keep the guac simple - KIS it - keep it simple...

In this video recipe you will see that all I used is:

2 Avocados
2 Tomatoes
1 Garlic clove minced
1/4 cup of red onion
1 Jalapeno
Salt
Pepper

If I had cilantro or limes I would have used them - but I didn't, and it wasn't going to stop me from making some guac...

Feel free to add other items such as:

cilantro, lime juice, cumin, hot sauce, tomatillos, red pepper flakes, or any other items you see fit for your guacamole.

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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The Flip Heard Around The World

Goofing in the kitchen... The first time I've tried to flip a whole pan of food...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Hello Foodies!

I have OCD - Obsessive Cooking Disorder... My name is Nikko, and I'm a passionate foodie from Florida. I've been cooking since I was very young. My mom taught me how to make a box of Kraft Mac N Cheese when I was either 4 or 5. I learned how to make deviled eggs from Sesame Street and my love of food grew from watching Julia Child, Graham Kerr, and Jeff Smith on TV. I started making videos of cooking in 2005 and have been hooked ever since. Even though I love rather "haute cuisine" food when I go out, to be able to translate wonderful tastes from around the globe with what is available at the local grocery store is something that is very exciting and just plain fun! I am Greek and that has some influence on my cooking. I come from a very food loving oriented culture, so my passion for cooking and sharing of food is, if you will, genetic. I have just about every issue of Gourmet going back almost 10 years. I buy/read foodie mags and cookbooks like many others read novels. I am an admitted Food Geek. I have every show Julia Child did. I cook all types of cuisine; my signature dish comes from one of the many creative salads in my repertoire, a Continental Blue Arugula Fillet Extravaganza. I can make a tasty, flavorful and even healthy meal with the influences of a particular cuisine. My mini lamb burgers with tzatziki and Greek roasted chicken will have you slap your momma out of the way so you can have more! Breakfasts..... don't even get me started on how I LOVE breakfast! From the b&g's (biscuits & gravy), cheesy grits, bacon and leek baked eggs, breakfast hash, standard sausage and eggs and the most awesome (easy) eggs Benedict. I do requests too so if there's something you would like to see made - let me know and we'll see what we can do!

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko