Sweet and Sour Shrimp

This recipe always shocks people when they find out what ingredients are used to make it. The shrimp can be replaced by meatballs, chicken, tofu or anything you like.

First you mix 1 cup of ginger ale and 1 cup of ketchup...that's right...you read correctly, ginger ale and ketchup. You bring it to a boil, let simmer for 20 minutes and add your vegetables that take longer to cook like cauliflower or carrots. If you are using meatballs, add them early enough to allow time to cook. If you use shrimp, only add them towards the end as to not over cook them. We served it over rice.

We always wait until after the meal to tell people what the sauce is made with. So far everyone has loved this recipe. It's actually fun to see people’s reaction to this meal.

Apple Pork Roast

When making roasts we often stuff them with fruit to add a nice contrasting flavour. In this case we made a pork roast stuffed with apples. The apples in the centre were still in one piece but the apples closer to the edges turned into delicious apple sauce. We served the roast with sliced apples the were pan roasted with some of the leftover bbq sauce from the ribs we made last week. We then deglazed the pan with orange juice to make sauce that we served on the roast.

The roast cooked in a 375 degree oven for about 1 1/2 hours. You can use any fruit like grapes, pears, peaches etc. It adds wonderful flavour to any type of roast.

Delicious Baby Back Ribs

Lately we have been trying different rib recipes. There are so many ways to cook ribs. This time we baked them in a 300 degree oven for 3 1/2 hours in a covered roasting pan. We got the recipe from Michael Smith on the Food Network.

We covered them in a sauce made with:

156 mililitre cans tomato paste
1 cup orange juice
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup chilli powder

The recipe says to bake them for 21/2 hours but cooking them a little longer makes them even more tender. We kept the leftover sauce and used some of it in the next recipe on this blog when we pan roasted apples.

We served the ribs with mashed sweet potatoes mixed with spinach.

Fish Taco

Instead of using ground beef or tofu, we used fish to make our tacos. Tilapia, sole and haddock are great types of fish to use for this recipe. They are thick white fish that flake off in big enough pieces when cooked for a long time in a sauce. It is best to dry the pieces of fish before using a paper towel.

We never buy taco seasoning, we always make our own. We mix about a teaspoon of the following spices: cumin, chilli powder, paprika, onion salt, salt, garlic powder and cornstarch.

As for the toppings, we added cottage cheese and a mango, pepper and cilantro salsa that we made just before serving.

It's a nice alternative to ground beef or chicken and it is a great way for people who don't like the taste of fish to be able to enjoy it. Personally we love fish but we know not everyone does.

Shrimp and Basil Salad

The shrimp was butterflied and cooked with basil and orange zest. We added asparagus and caramelized onions. You can use any kind of shrimp but tiger shrimp are our favourite. We buy them fresh and cook them with the shell on to keep all the flavour in. It is more work to eat them but definitely worth it.

We served it with a strawberry and coleslaw salad as well as orange slices sprinkled with a little cinnamon. Adding wafu to cole slaw is a change from mayo and adds that great sesame oil taste. The orange slices with cinnamon are always a huge hit. It's so simple to make.


This is a very simple dish and you can substitute the basil with any herb.