Long Time Ago...

So it has been almost four months since my last post.  Crazy how time flies by when so much is going on.  What's new?  Well for starters, I have a new job that I really like.  The people are great, the company is awesome and overall just really great.  The commute is longer but I am adjusting and all is going ok, so happy to be working in a much healthier work environment. 

We have been watching what we eat lately but that just means I am forced to get more creative.  If you are ever looking for a great frozen meal to help keep calories low, SmartOnes really offer alot and have so many different flavors.  They also have breakfast options and desserts for the sweet cravers.  So typically we will have a SmartOne, fruit, yogurt and half a bagel or other carb.  For dinner is where I have to try and amp things up a bit.  I am in love with Henry's Market so I have been shopping there a lot lately.  Their meat and produce is uncomparable to even the best markets, and is reasonable, especially the produce.  So below is a typical list of meals we enjoy for dinner:

• Chicken tacos on corn tortillas, served with pico di gallo and queso fresco or avocado (Henry's has really delicious marinated chicken)
• Chicken Cajun (or hot italian) ssg sir fry with peppers and sweet onion, served over boiled red potatoes
• BBQ baby back ribs served with summer squash and red potatoes (a Jose favorite)
• Fish sticks with some sort of vegetable
• Teryaki chicken (grilled) served with rice and vegetable stir fry (or made into kabobs)
• Baked chicken tenders served with salad or vegetable
• Shrimp Scampi served over vegetables

Saturdays we will typically go all out and maybe have a steak but it all depends on what they have going at Henry's or what we are doing.  As you can see our meals tend to have chicken as a protein but as long as I prepare it differently we haven't really gotten to tired of it.

I will try to post some recipes soon!

Live, Laugh, Love

V-Day Reflection

What could be a better way to spend Valentines day than with the one you love, cooking together in the kitchen?  For me, not much...  (And this was in additional to all the wonderful flowers he gave me.)

That's what JL and I did and it was so much fun!  On occasion JL has been helping me cook dinner and I would say recently he has really starting taking an interest in it.  I couldn't be happier knowing there will come a day when he will feel comfortable enough to just have dinner ready and waiting for me when I get home but for now I am happy to share that time with him. 

I prepared the menu, with him in mind, and we went from there.

Menu:
Beer battered onion rings & mushrooms with spicy mayo
Pommes Anne (kicked up)
Ribeye steak with a mushroom marsala gravy
Cheesy garlic pinwheels
Chocolate chip creme brulee with banana

He was super excited to try and fry things and after doing it he was even more convinced we needed a deep fryer...  After that though, there was still lots to be done and his excitement dimmed, but he was still happy to help... and eat!  We didn't end up making the Pommes Anne since we already had so much food and I knew it wouldn't be eaten and would take up more time.  Overall everything was delicious! 

Inspiration:

The Onion rings were a spin off on a recipe by Guy Fieri on the food network.
The Pommes Anne was inspired by Anne Burrell from the food network.
The Ribeye steak and gravy was an adjusted recipe from Giada from food network.
The Pinwheels are a recipe from http://www.ourbestbites.com/ but I used a store bought french bread dough from the refrigerated section since it unrolls nicely.
The Creme brulee was a recipe from Paula Deen (surprise-surprise) that I added some flair to.

Overall incredibly successful dinner and great memories :)

Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy!

Gooey Butter Cookies

Let me just start by saying, these cookies are in no way low fat, and honestly can't be.  They are rich cookies so eating one or two will suffice but if you share with your friends or co-workers, they will praise you and will ask for the recipe.

This recipe is inspired by Paula Deen and depending on your creativity, you can follow the recipe of hers or split off for your very own creation.  Her recipe calls for chocolate cake mix but any flavor will work.

Gooey Butter Cookies

To make the chocolate center, I wrap the dough around a Hershey's kiss.  Since there are so many flavors nowadays, let your creative side take hold and go with it!

Some combos:

Chocolate with Cookies N Creme Kisses
White with Milk or Dark Kisses
Yellow with Caramel Kisses
Devils Food with Meltaways or Mint Chocolate or Hugs

You can also use any type of chocolate candy you wish.  I stuck with kisses for the simplicity and size.  They also didn't come out hard or chewy after they cooled, probably due to the high fat content...

Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy!!!

Jalapeno Popper Dip

For the holidays I had the fam-fam over.  I like to make something for people to munch on before dinner since they are usually asking me when dinner will be ready, snacks keep their mouth full :)  I served this with tortilla chips.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

1 8oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/2 C mayonnaise
1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 C Parmesan cheese
2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
1/2 C Parmesan cheese
1/4 C panko bread crumbs

1. Combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese and jalapenos.
2. Spread into greased baking dish. (I used a bowl 6" in diameter.)
3. Sprinkle panko bread crumbs and Parmesan over the top.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 25 minutes.
5. Turn broiler on low and broil for 2 to 3 minutes so the top can brown.  (Watch it!)

A trick to finding a spicy or mild jalapeno is to look at the skin.  If the skin has cracks or scars on it then it will be spicier than a smooth skinned one.  Many times a smooth skinned jalapeno will have very little or no spice after the seeds are removed.

Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy!

Christmas Dinner

It has been a while since my last post and for that I apologize, again.  Below are some pics of the yummy food we had Christmas Eve dinner.

Jalapeno Popper Dip 

Stuffed Mushrooms

Glazed Ham 

Mashed Potatoes, I prepare them a little ahead and put them in a crock pot to make things a little easier.

Mac N Cheese

Pecan Shortbread cookies, inspired by a recipe given to me by my wonderful cousin Sarah!

What isn't shown above but included in the dinner:

Roasted Glazed Butternut Squash

Fried Chicken

Gravy 

Hawaiian Rolls

Strawberry Cheesecake

Live, Laugh, Love

I will post up recipes for a few of these dishes in the next few days.

Holiday Baking - Family Favorite Sugar Cookies

I am finally feeling the holiday spirit and last night enjoyed making these yummy cookies!  This is a recipe I have adapted out of an old edition of the Joy of Cooking cookbook.

Growing up that was our cooking bible.  Every time my mom or I wanted a recipe for something we ran to the cupboard and grabbed this cookbook.  I remember one time I wanted to make some extra money while we had a garage sale so I sold lemonade and cookies, surprising I know...  These cookies were the ones I made and they were such a hit I sold out before the sale was over! 

Don't let the oil distract you, they are incredibly buttery tasting and the oil only makes it that much easier.  I used canola oil but vegetable would work well.  Don't use an oil with flavor, like olive or peanut.

Quick Sugar Cookies with Oil

adapted from a recipe in Joy of Cooking

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground clove

1 cup white sugar

3/4 cup cooking oil

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Sugar (sprinkles or turbinado sugar is best)

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, salt & spices.
• In separate bowl, mix together sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until smooth.
• Add flour to oil mix in parts, combining well after each addition.
• Scoop out 1 inch balls and place on parchment lined baking sheet.
• Press a flat bottomed cup into dough to moisten, then dip into sugar and flatten cookies with it.  It will leave sugar on to and if it sticks, that just means you need to add more sugar to your plate so it will stick.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until edges just start to turn color.

Another cookie recipe I LOVE and Kyarah has asked about is the for Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies.  They are so delish, incredibly easy, and by Paula Deen so don't even think they aren't bad for you!

Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy!

Hectic Time

As of now, I am not sure how much I will be posting this month, recipe wise.  I hope to be able to keep up but right now I am going through some things at work and I am trying to quelm a bit of anxiety that seems to be taking up much of my focus.  Sorry to all of my readers, all three of you, but I shall get to posting soon!

Live, Laugh, Love!

It has passed...

I honestly think I was disappointed in myself this year in regards to Thanksgiving dinner.  Everyone was happy with my wares but I feel I could have done so much better.  It could have been because I was mentally on vacation.  I took about 11 days off and didn't do much, loved it!  I will take it up a notch for Christmas, for sure!

I was also disappointed in myself for not taking a picture of the turkey but I was majorly stressing at that point to get all the food on the table that I guess I just disregarded it.  We had a traditional meal but no sweet potatoes, which was the biggest mistake.  I think maybe that was why I felt like I was missing something.  I won't be doing that again... 

Overall the turkey was yummy (but ready too early), the ham was delish (yeah we have both...), the mashed potatoes were fluffy, the green bean casserole was creamy, the mac n cheese was super, the cranberry sauce was fabulous, the gravy was ok (I really prefer fresh turkey gravy but didn't make it since the stressing was getting to me...), the rolls were warm, the stuffing wasn't that great (and I LOVE stuffing...), the pumpkin pie was good (but took way too long to bake), and spending time as a family was terrific.  So I guess overall it was good, just not as I have had in the past, miss my Mom's cooking but next year I shall do better!

Sorry for the short hiatus but I shall get back to clogging soon and I am thinking of doing a theme, maybe just start with A and see where it takes me... 

Live, Laugh, Love!

Cochinita Pibil - Say what???

In order to be more creative in the kitchen I figure its about time I roll up my sleeves and start thinking Mexican.  For those who know me, you may think this an odd statement, seeing how JL is Mexican and would assume I am already doing this, but alas no.  The sole reason being that I wouldn't want to compete with his mother or other excellent cooks in his family.  Silly as it sounds trying to cook something new can be intimidating and then having something fabulous to compare my cooking to...  well you get the idea.  JL thinks it is silly. 

I have referenced Simply Recipes before but I really love the blog, really.  Elise cooks some Tex-Mex stuff and some authentic Mexican dishes too.   Not only that but she cooks other delicious recipes I seem to always want to try, maybe its the photos...  Anyway, you have to check it out. 

Back to my rant...  So in order for me to start this journey I found a recipe for Chochinita Pibil on Elise's site and decided why not?  It looked pretty easy, just needed a special Mexican ingredient, and a long time to cook.  Bonus: JL had never tried it!!!  Not only that but a cousin of a friend has tried it and she said it was good, so I jumped... And it was definitely worth it!!! 

I would highly suggest this for any cook, so incredibly easy and super delicious, please try it and don't be wary of its origin!

Cochinita Pibil Recipe

Some of my suggestions:

• Steam a couple of chile de arbols (or other spicy red chile) and toss in the blender with the marinade.  We thought it needed a kick but still delish. 
• Cook it in a Crock Pot for 5-7 hours on high (depending on how much you are making)
• This recipe will feed four, without much leftovers, so we doubled the recipe, had some friends over and had some for lunch the next day.  It is delish the next day.
• Definitely shred the meat and mix in some of the broth before serving.
• Serve with Lime-Cilantro rice, Elise has a recipe for it linked to the Cochinita Pibil recipe.
• We also had some avocado with it :)

Sorry for no photo but I just can't compete with Elise :)

Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy!

Herbed Butter for Roast Chicken

Again, we are having Roast Chicken for dinner and I can't wait.  Not only are we having it for dinner tonight, but we will have the leftovers for tomorrow in sandwich and cheesy enchilada form :)

If you are looking for an easy herbed butter to slide under the skin of chicken or turkey this season, this is it.  All the seasonings are included and no need to sprinkle or rub chicken, unless you want a little extra salt. 

1/2 stick butter, softened
1/2 tsp salt (or less if you plan on massaging the bird in it)
2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped fine
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped fine
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder, or one to two cloves of garlic chopped fine
1/2 tsp onion powder

Combine the ingredients together and stuff under the skin of the chicken.

If you want to use this for turkey, double or triple the recipe, depending on the size of the turkey.

Some more helpful tips...

For a crispy skin, you don't need to add oil, just dry it out in the fridge for a few hours before roasting it and it will come out nice and brown and crispy.  Typically I let JL indulge in that part...

For a quicker cooking bird, don't stuff it, with anything. 

Contrary to Martha, tying a bird will increase it's density, thus making the cooking time a bit longer as well.  I do prefer to tie up my Thanksgiving Turkey but will consider not doing that this year just to prevent the breasts from drying out.

Don't cook Roast Chicken with the foil on.  It will only steam the meat and not let it roast.  Many people think this will help keep the moisture in but the skin does a great job of that on its own and if you cover it, you will end up with soggy chicken skin, ewww....

I found that brushing the butter on top of the skin only allows for it to melt and run off, in order to keep the flavors and allow for the infused herbs to flavor the meat, put the butter under the skin in a solid form and as the chicken roasts, the butter will melt into the meat of the chicken...  yummy!

Live, Laugh, Love & Enjoy!