Category Archives: Top Picks

candy orange peel, how to make at foodwhirl.com
How to make candied orange peel

I used to love those candy orange slices you could get in the Brach’s candy section of most grocery stores (what ever happened to the Brach’s candy section?). You know the ones I’m talking about – the neon orange, sticky sweet, rolled in sugar, orange-segment shaped, jelly-like candies? Well, this is like the grown-up version […]

Lunchmeat 'sushi roll' wraps at foodwhirl.com
Back to School Lunch: “Sushi” Sandwich Wraps

My 7 year old is a big fan of sushi… and generally he is not going to get it for school lunches, he’s not a cheap date as it is!  And I’ve seen all kinds of cute bento boxes and other clever lunches out there, but most of those seem way to much effort for […]

Blooming Oreo Dessert

My dear grandma passed away a year and a half ago. This was one of her recipes that she always made for family gatherings. She was an amazing cook and wonderful person. I only hope to be half the person that she was. I have included her 9×13″pan version and my fun potted version for […]

Pistachio Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

This recipe was kind of a last minute thought. I had to throw together a sweet treat for a co-workers birthday last week and realized I didn’t have much time. I had gotten my kids in bed and it was becoming late. I knew I had a cake mix in the pantry, but what should […]

Spanish Tortilla

Spanish Tortilla or Spanish omlette is something completely different to Mexican Tortillas. Mexican tortillas are flatbread made using flour, whereas Spanish tortillas are omlette cooked with potatoes. This simple omlette is an ideal filling breakfast on a lazy sunday morning or you can also pack these for your picnic, since they are good even when […]

Corn on the Cob: Fast, easy, & No Mess!

My sister in law turned me on to this technique a few months ago, and I’ve used it twice since then.  I don’t think I’ll ever go back to my old method of doing corn on the cob! I love corn, but I hate all the mess and hassle.  I’ve always boiled my corn, but […]

Farmer’s Market Scramble

The Olympics does this to you. You’ll be sitting on your butt eating Cheetos and then… blammo. You realize you’ve been eating nothing but complete crap your entire life and, DUH, if you just ate organic free-range celery, you would totally be (and look like) that beach volleyball player. Enter: the farmer’s market trip on […]

Paneer Mutter Masala

Paneer Mutter Masala is something which you can find almost in all the Indian restaurants. Paneer is an Indian cheese which is very similar to ricotta cheese. This creamy and soft cheese when cooked along with peas in a spicy and rich gravy,it’s heavenly. You can serve this gravy with naan, roti’s and pulavs. Special […]

Prawn Biryani

Authentic South Indian version of prawn biryani, this one pot meal would fit perfectly for your dinner partly. Special Instructions: Serves 4, Time required: 45 minutes Ingredients: Rice- 2 cups Prawns- 1/2 kg Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp. Onion- 1 big sized ( finely sliced ) Tomato- 2 medium sized ( finely chopped ) Green […]

A great use for leftovers

(a foodwhirl re-run.. so good we ran it again!) Okay, so remember that roast pork I made a little while ago? Well, it makes a lot of meat, and we always try to freeze some to use at a later date. Last night I didn’t feel like cooking anything elaborate, so I looked in the […]

Chocolate and Pistachio Biscotti

This is a recipe which I tried from Joy Of Baking. Joy of Baking never fails. Try this crunchy and yummy biscotti’s, you’ll just love it. Special Instructions: Recipe Source: Joy Of Baking Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 45 minutes Ingredients: All purpose flour- 225 g Egg- 2 Sugar- 135 g Vanilla essence- 1 […]

Baba Ga-Hummus! (Roasted Eggplant Hummus)

I absolutely love baba ghanoush, that lovely middle eastern cousin of hummus, featuring eggplant as the star. So I bought an eggplant the other day intending to make some. As I pulled the roasted eggplant out of the fridge I remembered that last time I made baba ganouch with just one eggplant, it really didn’t […]

Lemon! Cake

(originally published March 2010) If you like lemon, then this is the cake for you! This is an adaptation of the Ultra Orange Cake that I frequently make.  It is a vegan cake, so it uses a combination of citrus juice, vinegar and baking soda for its leavening. I love the orange version, and wondered […]

Refreshing Pimm’s Cup Cocktail

“What is a Pimm’s Cup?” you might ask. Well, I’m here to tell you. It is one of the most refreshing cocktails you’ll ever imbibe. If you can get your hands on English-style fizzy lemonade, then this would be a much more authentic version. I have yet to find a completely authentic substitute in the […]

Salmon Burgers over spinach salad
Mini Salmon Burgers over Spinach Salad

Does a healthy and quick (under 30 minutes) dinner, made primarily from what I had on hand in my pantry sound good?  + That’s what this dinner was, and it was a change of pace, tasty, and approved by both husband and 5 year old as good eats.  I’ve made similar patties using canned tuna, […]

Here comes Peter Cottontail

This cake holds so many memories for me.  As a child, we made a version of this every year at Easter.  What I love about it is the simplicity of the design – even a child can pull this off.  You don’t have to be a professional to make this simple little bunny shaped cake, […]

bacon-wrapped-sweet-potato- skewers
Bacon Wrapped Sweet Potato Skewers

The other day my husband mentioned going to a local Baconfest event  (bands, fun, & bacon), but we didn’t manage to make it.  So with friends, we decided to have our OWN BaconFest that evening!   My cool friend Beth made these an an appetizer, and after oohing and aahing I insisted on stealing the recipe!  […]

How to Stuff Burgers: Bacon and Blue Cheese

A few weeks ago we had an impromptu grilling party with friends, and these were the burgers we made.  They were such a hit, I figured you guys might like to see how to make them!  This is a quick technique that can be used to spice up any type of burger…  but in this […]

Goulash

Goulash is a very simple stew, traditionally it’s kept as simple as possible, with just meat, garlic and onion. A few vegetables like carrot, leeks and celery adds much more flavour. Don’t try to add any spices and transform this simple stew into curry( I’m saying this for people like me, who tries to add […]

Baked Oatmeal

My family always say no when it comes to Oatmeal until I discovered this recipe. I found this recipe from foodgawker and I made a few variations to the original recipe, now it’s the star of our breakfast table. Special Instructions: Preparation Time: 10 minutes, Cooking Time : 20 minutes, Serves: 4 Ingredients: Oats- 150 […]

homemade zucchini bread

A couple of months ago I went to Whole Foods in search of a little taste of home – there are some things I just downright miss about Texas. When I found out there was a Whole Foods nearby, I could almost smell the cowboy boots and dead grassy hills of Texas – I was […]

Guinness Spice Cake

Need a last minute dessert for your St. Patrick’s Day festivities? Try this quick and easy Guinness spice cake (I know you’ve got some Guinness on hand. It is St. Patrick’s Day after all). Since tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day, and I’ve been sorely neglectful thus far in posting recipes related to this historic holiday, […]

Mushroom Chicken Burgers and Bake-Fries

{a Foodwhirl Re-run} Years ago, when the fat-free fad was all the rage (oh, how very far we’ve come) I got on a turkey-burger kick using 99% fat free ground turkey breast.  The problem with 99% fat free anything is that it has very little fat (duh), which means very little moisture (or flavor, for […]

Tortellini Pesto Soup

We’re taking a couple of days off for the holidays, so we’re running a few old posts from when we first launched back in February! -ed Here is a quick and easy soup perfect for cold winter days or whenever you crave something warm. As with most soups, you can substitute veggies to your taste […]

How to Make Stacked Christmas Tree Cookies

A fabulous way to turn sugar cookies into gorgeous Christmas Tree gifts. They look fabulous, taste great, and are fun and easy to make. They are pretty time intensive, but the result is fabulous. These were inspired by Wedding Cake Cookies for wedding favors, which are blogged here. I credit my fabulously creative aunts for […]