Monday, December 28, 2009
Cornflake Crusted Sea Bass
Let me start out by saying that I love seafood. I absolutely love every type of seafood. Plus, with a mom whose ancestors were British, it didn't take long for me to discover fish and chips. It is one of my favorite meals! But, unfortunately, there are not too many authentic fish and chip stands around here, so I went out to find the PERFECT recipe to fry up some fish. I knew I needed a perfect white fish, so I chose Sea Bass. This is a very mild white fish. After that, I had to find a great way to make the crust. So, after lots of searching, I found the best crust for frying fish on CookLight.com. The first time I made it, it was ALL EATEN by the end of the meal. I served it with white rice (since I didn't have any fries) and everyone LOVED it! Anyways, if you are a fan of fish and chips..USE THIS RECIPE. It is really amazing.
Ingredients:
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
onion powder, to taste
1 Egg white, slightly whisked
1 c. of milk
2 c. cornflakes, crush to a fine breadcrumb texture
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
4 (6 ounce) pieces of sea bass
oil
lemon wedges, if preferred
Instructions:
Put salt, pepper and onion powder on the fish fillets to your personal liking.
Combine milk and egg white into a shallow dish, whisk well.
Combine flour and cornflakes in a shallow pan, mix well.
Dip fish in to milk mixture, Then into the flour/cornflake mixture.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Cook the fish about 7 minutes on each side. However, different stove-tops cook in different ways. To make sure that the fish is fully cooked, check with a fork (the fish will flake easily).
Serve with lemon wedges and fries. Rice is also a nice substitute with this fish.
-Bon Apetite.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Chicken Fried Rice
Do you love Benihana? Do you love their Chicken Fried Rice? ...Well...I DO!
They have the best fried rice that I have ever tasted. So, naturally, when I found a recipe claiming to be the replicate of theirs, I had to try it.
As it turns out, this recipe is nothing short of AMAZING! And the best part is that you don't need to own a Hibachi Table to make it! What you do need for this recipe are a few pans, a few ingredients, and a HUGE appetite.
Pans you will need:
1 Large pan
1 Medium sized pan
1 Pot with cover
1 Shallow baking pan
Ingredients:
5 Tblsp Unsalted Butter
1 Sweet Onion, chopped into small pieces
3 Medium sized carrots, chopped into small pieces
1 Bunch of scallions, chopped into small pieces
3 pieces of thin cut chicken breast
1 Cup of Rice (follow instructions of the packet)
3 Tblsp Sesame Seeds
5 Eggs
5 Tblsp Soy Sauce (LOW SODIUM)
***To make chopping WAY easier, I use the Vidalia Chopping Wizard, small blade in.***
Instructions:
-In POT, cook rice according to instructions.
-On BAKING PAN, put the sesame seeds and roast in a 350* oven. Shake to prevent burning. Cook for about 10 minutes or until golden.
-In LARGE pan, heat butter and add onions, carrots, and scallions. Cook until onions are translucent.
-In MEDIUM pan, cook chicken as you like. I cooked it in chicken stock. When finished, cut it up into small pieces. (I use kitchen scissors)
-Add Chicken to Vegetable(LARGE) pan.
-In the same MEDIUM pan, cook the eggs as if you were making scrambled eggs. Add to LARGE pan.
-Add cooked rice and sesame seeds to the LARGE pan.
-Add soy sauce.
This recipe does take some time and effort. You will have to be able to multitask. But the results are totally worth it!
-Bon Apetite!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Stir Fry
One thing that most people know about me is that I LOVE STIR FRY. I love most Asian cuisine, but for some reason stir fry is my absolute favorite. My only problem is that when I make my own stir fry, the thing that takes the longest is making the sauce from scratch. So, naturally, when I found out that Panda Express started bottling their sauces, it made my day! Now it takes me no time at all to finish the stir fry!
The ingredients and process are my own, but, of course, a stir fry is like painting a picture; you can add anything to it that you want or keep it the same every time. The choice is ultimately yours.
Ingredients:
- oil of choice
- 1 large sweet onion (I use either vidalia or sweet spanish)
- 1 pack of chicken tenderloins
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 pack of baby bella mushrooms
- Choice of peanuts or almonds
- 1 large or 2 medium zucchini
- sauce of preference
Instructions:
- To make things faster chop up onion, pepper, and zucchini before starting.
- Heat oil in a large Wok, and add onions. Saute until slightly translucent.
- Add chicken and cook thoroughly. (I usually use kitchen scissors and cut it up to make cooking faster.)
- Remove chicken only.
- Add small amount of water to the pan.
- Once it is mostly evaporated, add red peppers.
- Saute until slightly tender.
- Add mushrooms.
- Saute until mushrooms are tender and peppers begin to brown.
- Add any choice of peanuts or almonds.
- Add zucchini.
- Saute until veggies are to preference.
- Add chicken and sauce to the pan.
- Saute for about 5 minutes let simmer for 3 minutes.
**I usually serve this over jasmine rice, but again, anything will work.**
-Bon Apetite!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
I'm Back!
After a long hiatus due to school, work, more school and more work, I am back to share all of my favorite recipes just in time for the Holiday season. I will begin to post main course, side dish and dessert ideas.
I am taking the time on this blog to post about a great idea for gift giving this year.
I have a group of about 5 really close girl friends. We all wanted to buy gifts for each other, but on a college budget, there wasn't a way to buy anything nice fore each other.
THE SOLUTION: A Christmas Cookie Exchange.
We all decide on 1 or 2 of our favorite holiday treats, make enough to divide among all of us, and write down the recipes for future cookie making needs.
We are also decorating plastic containers to keep out goodies in.
This is a great way to get all your close friends together and have fun with no expectations of an expensive gift.
We are having ours on December 16th, so I will post picture updates and let you know how it goes!
-Bon Apetite
I am taking the time on this blog to post about a great idea for gift giving this year.
I have a group of about 5 really close girl friends. We all wanted to buy gifts for each other, but on a college budget, there wasn't a way to buy anything nice fore each other.
THE SOLUTION: A Christmas Cookie Exchange.
We all decide on 1 or 2 of our favorite holiday treats, make enough to divide among all of us, and write down the recipes for future cookie making needs.
We are also decorating plastic containers to keep out goodies in.
This is a great way to get all your close friends together and have fun with no expectations of an expensive gift.
We are having ours on December 16th, so I will post picture updates and let you know how it goes!
-Bon Apetite
Friday, October 9, 2009
Won-Ton Chips
So here's the problem....when you make the Shrimp Cups listed below....sometimes you have A LOT of leftover shells. What do you do with these extra shells?? MAKE CHIPS!!
This again is super simple, and you can make it your own.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Pre-heat the oven to 350.
- Cut the remaining won-ton shells into fourths.
- Place on a pre-greased cookie pan.
- Place in the oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
**These are great with all kinds of dip like salsa or hummus.**
To make them a dessert, sprinkle cinnamon sugar on them before putting them in the oven.
Again, get CREATIVE!
Cooking is meant to be fun and experimental.
-Bon Apetite
This again is super simple, and you can make it your own.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Pre-heat the oven to 350.
- Cut the remaining won-ton shells into fourths.
- Place on a pre-greased cookie pan.
- Place in the oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
**These are great with all kinds of dip like salsa or hummus.**
To make them a dessert, sprinkle cinnamon sugar on them before putting them in the oven.
Again, get CREATIVE!
Cooking is meant to be fun and experimental.
-Bon Apetite
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Shrimp and Vegetable Won-Ton Cups
I am very proud to say that this is a recipe all my own. I saw the idea for won-ton cups and just went with it. Now, in all actuality, you can fill these awesome little cups with ANYTHING that you like to eat. It's so much fun and they come out the same EVERY TIME!
So, here is what I did to create my own.
INGREDIENTS:
1 pack of fresh won-ton shells
6 green onion stems
1/2 lb. of fresh, cooked shrimp
1 red pepper
1 pack of sliced mushrooms
2 Tbsp. of mined garlic
The juice from 1 lemon
INSTRUCTIONS:
-Spray down a medium-sized cupcake pan with cooking spray, to prevent sticking.
-Preheat your oven to 350.
-Place the won-ton shells into a the medium sized cup cake pan and make sure to press down so it becomes the shape of a cup. (These are VERY delicate, so be careful not to rip them when pressing down the sides.)
-Put them into the oven for about 5-7minutes or until lightly brown.
-While waiting for those to cook you can be chopping and combining the rest of the ingredients.
- Make sure your veggie-shrimp mixture is stirred well and place about a Tbsp. in each cooked cup.
- Put back into the oven for about 7-10minutes.
- As soon as you take them out again, cover with some extra lemon juice.
- They will pop out of the holder easily and are ready to eat.
**My family also likes to fill these with chicken or tuna salad. You can pretty much put anything in these little edible cups!**
I encourage you all to try them out! It may sound a little challenging but it is really very very simple!
-Bon Apetite!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Pineapple Coconut Dessert
I LOVE DESSERT!
I love every dessert out there. But my favorite is fruit and ice cream. So when I figured out what I could do with my two favorite fruits and ice cream, it was heavenly.
The recipe is so quick and easy that I almost kicked myself for not thinking of it earlier.
This recipe is very versatile in amounts and all depends on the amount of people you want to serve, which is why I don't have specific ingredient amounts. GET CREATIVE! :)
Ingredients:
Any size can of Pineapple (depending on how many people you want to feed)
Soft butter
Brown sugar
Sweetened coconut flakes
Instructions:
Drain the juice from the pineapple and put on a pre-oiled cooking sheet.
Spread a thin layer of the soft butter over each piece.
Then add brown sugar to the top of each. (the amount depends on your sweet tooth, but remember, you are adding sweetened coconut)
Broil under a 350 degree heat until all sugar has melted.
Take out and add coconut flakes to the top of each piece.
Put back in the oven for about 3 minutes or until coconut begins to brown from toasting.
Serve with vanilla ice cream.
I promise, this will become a household favorite!
-Bon Apetite!
I love every dessert out there. But my favorite is fruit and ice cream. So when I figured out what I could do with my two favorite fruits and ice cream, it was heavenly.
The recipe is so quick and easy that I almost kicked myself for not thinking of it earlier.
This recipe is very versatile in amounts and all depends on the amount of people you want to serve, which is why I don't have specific ingredient amounts. GET CREATIVE! :)
Ingredients:
Any size can of Pineapple (depending on how many people you want to feed)
Soft butter
Brown sugar
Sweetened coconut flakes
Instructions:
Drain the juice from the pineapple and put on a pre-oiled cooking sheet.
Spread a thin layer of the soft butter over each piece.
Then add brown sugar to the top of each. (the amount depends on your sweet tooth, but remember, you are adding sweetened coconut)
Broil under a 350 degree heat until all sugar has melted.
Take out and add coconut flakes to the top of each piece.
Put back in the oven for about 3 minutes or until coconut begins to brown from toasting.
Serve with vanilla ice cream.
I promise, this will become a household favorite!
-Bon Apetite!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
One Pot Chili
I AM BACK! After a brief hiatus (and starting school and work) I am back in the kitchen!
Last night I was fortunate enough to FINALLY see the movie Julie&Julia with my cousin, Evie and friend, Clay (check him out at: panclayke.blogspot.com).
Yes, I know how long it's been out, and yes, I know I should have been there opening night, but better late than never....right?
Let's just say it was AMAZING!! It was very inspiring to me, since I am a Journalism major and also an aspiring chef.
So this morning, I watched my "Julia". Her name is Ellie Krieger and she has a healthy cooking show on the Food Network. I was awake around 8:30 and she was making one of my all time favorite dishes...CHILI! So I decided to head over to The Fresh Market and get some chili ingredients!
Since I am very conscious of my salt intake, Ellie is a great chef to follow. She makes everything using at least one type of "super food". In this case it was canned tomatoes. Canned tomatoes have more antioxidants than cooking with fresh tomatoes. So here is my version of a healthy pot of chili.
Oh, and by the way, its all cooked in one pot! A+ for small clean up!
Ingredients:
1 Lg. Vadalia Onion, roughly chopped
3 Lg. Carrot Sticks, roughly chopped
1Lb. Lean ground beef
1Lg. can of diced tomatoes
1 C. Water
1 Med. can of Rotel
2 Med. cans of Kidney Beans (I use the low sodium variety), drain and wash
1 Red Pepper, roughly chopped and seeded
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 TBsp. Minced Garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Instructions:
Get a big pot that will hold a lot of ingredients....you don't want an overflow of Chili.
Add some Extra Virgin Olive Oil and heat.
Add Onion and Carrots, let simmer until tender.
Add the Ground Beef and cook through.
Add Tomatoes, Water, Rotel, and Red Peppers. Let simmer 3 minutes.
Add Kidney Beans, Cayenne Pepper, and Garlic. Let simmer 15 minutes.
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Serve and Enjoy!
This is simple and ridiculously delicious!
To garnish you can add sour cream, cheese, or chips. All are a great combo!
Bon Apetite!
Last night I was fortunate enough to FINALLY see the movie Julie&Julia with my cousin, Evie and friend, Clay (check him out at: panclayke.blogspot.com).
Yes, I know how long it's been out, and yes, I know I should have been there opening night, but better late than never....right?
Let's just say it was AMAZING!! It was very inspiring to me, since I am a Journalism major and also an aspiring chef.
So this morning, I watched my "Julia". Her name is Ellie Krieger and she has a healthy cooking show on the Food Network. I was awake around 8:30 and she was making one of my all time favorite dishes...CHILI! So I decided to head over to The Fresh Market and get some chili ingredients!
Since I am very conscious of my salt intake, Ellie is a great chef to follow. She makes everything using at least one type of "super food". In this case it was canned tomatoes. Canned tomatoes have more antioxidants than cooking with fresh tomatoes. So here is my version of a healthy pot of chili.
Oh, and by the way, its all cooked in one pot! A+ for small clean up!
Ingredients:
1 Lg. Vadalia Onion, roughly chopped
3 Lg. Carrot Sticks, roughly chopped
1Lb. Lean ground beef
1Lg. can of diced tomatoes
1 C. Water
1 Med. can of Rotel
2 Med. cans of Kidney Beans (I use the low sodium variety), drain and wash
1 Red Pepper, roughly chopped and seeded
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 TBsp. Minced Garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Instructions:
Get a big pot that will hold a lot of ingredients....you don't want an overflow of Chili.
Add some Extra Virgin Olive Oil and heat.
Add Onion and Carrots, let simmer until tender.
Add the Ground Beef and cook through.
Add Tomatoes, Water, Rotel, and Red Peppers. Let simmer 3 minutes.
Add Kidney Beans, Cayenne Pepper, and Garlic. Let simmer 15 minutes.
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Serve and Enjoy!
This is simple and ridiculously delicious!
To garnish you can add sour cream, cheese, or chips. All are a great combo!
Bon Apetite!
Friday, August 21, 2009
Work in Progress
So part of me did not want to post this, but the other part thought I could get some useful hints from all my readers! I attempted the Panda Express Orange Chicken recipe tonight with my awesome friends Megan and Geoff.
As we were cooking, it looked like a success, but the taste was not there.
The orange flavor was not strong enough, it lacked a sweetness, and it just didn't taste the same as Panda Express.
Here is the recipe that we used:
Panda Express Orange Chicken
2 lbs. boneless chicken pieces, skinned
1 egg
1 1/2 teas. salt
white pepper
oil (for frying)
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbl. cornstarch
1/4 cup flour
1 Tbl. minced ginger root
1 teas. minced garlic
dash crushed hot red chiles
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 Tbl. rice wine
1/4 cup water
1/2 to 1 teas. sesame oil
ORANGE SAUCE FOR STIR FRY:
2 teas. Minced zest and
1/4 c Juice from
1 lg Orange
1/2 teas. Sugar
2 Tbl. Chicken stock
1 Tbl. Light soy sauce
Combine all ingredients in small bowl and set aside.
Cut chicken pieces in 2" squares and place in large bowl. Stir in egg,
salt, pepper, and 1 T oil and mix well. Stir cornstarch and flour
together. Add chicken pieces, stirring to coat.
Heat oil for deep−frying in wok or deep−fryer to 375. Add chicken pieces,
a small batch at time, and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden and crisp.
(Do not overcook or chicken will be tough.) Remove chicken from oil with
slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.
Clean wok and heat 15 seconds over high heat. Add 1 T oil. Add ginger
and garlic and stir−fry until fragrant. Add and stir−fry crushed chiles
and green onions. Add rice wine and stir 3 seconds. Add Orange Sauce
and bring to boil. Add cooked chicken, stirring until well mixed.
Stir water into remaining 1 T cornstarch until smooth.
Add to chicken and heat until sauce is thick. Stir in 1 teas. sesame oil.
Don't get me wrong, it tasted good. (We ended up adding honey to the top to give it that sweet glazed taste.) But there was definitely something missing.
Next time we make it, we are going to try adding some Orange Marmalade and see if that will give it the extra WOW factor.
SO PLEASE PEOPLE!!! LEAVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS!!
Let me know what YOU would do!
-Bon Apetite!
As we were cooking, it looked like a success, but the taste was not there.
The orange flavor was not strong enough, it lacked a sweetness, and it just didn't taste the same as Panda Express.
Here is the recipe that we used:
Panda Express Orange Chicken
2 lbs. boneless chicken pieces, skinned
1 egg
1 1/2 teas. salt
white pepper
oil (for frying)
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbl. cornstarch
1/4 cup flour
1 Tbl. minced ginger root
1 teas. minced garlic
dash crushed hot red chiles
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 Tbl. rice wine
1/4 cup water
1/2 to 1 teas. sesame oil
ORANGE SAUCE FOR STIR FRY:
2 teas. Minced zest and
1/4 c Juice from
1 lg Orange
1/2 teas. Sugar
2 Tbl. Chicken stock
1 Tbl. Light soy sauce
Combine all ingredients in small bowl and set aside.
Cut chicken pieces in 2" squares and place in large bowl. Stir in egg,
salt, pepper, and 1 T oil and mix well. Stir cornstarch and flour
together. Add chicken pieces, stirring to coat.
Heat oil for deep−frying in wok or deep−fryer to 375. Add chicken pieces,
a small batch at time, and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden and crisp.
(Do not overcook or chicken will be tough.) Remove chicken from oil with
slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.
Clean wok and heat 15 seconds over high heat. Add 1 T oil. Add ginger
and garlic and stir−fry until fragrant. Add and stir−fry crushed chiles
and green onions. Add rice wine and stir 3 seconds. Add Orange Sauce
and bring to boil. Add cooked chicken, stirring until well mixed.
Stir water into remaining 1 T cornstarch until smooth.
Add to chicken and heat until sauce is thick. Stir in 1 teas. sesame oil.
Don't get me wrong, it tasted good. (We ended up adding honey to the top to give it that sweet glazed taste.) But there was definitely something missing.
Next time we make it, we are going to try adding some Orange Marmalade and see if that will give it the extra WOW factor.
SO PLEASE PEOPLE!!! LEAVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS!!
Let me know what YOU would do!
-Bon Apetite!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Pecan Crusted Chicken
My mom loves this chicken. She finally introduced it to me a few weeks ago, and I also LOVE IT! We mostly eat it on salad with lots of dried cranberries and honey mustard dressing. But you can eat it with practically anything! It has great flavor, and if you buy thinly sliced chicken, it cooks incredibly fast! So here is the recipe!
Ingredients:
2 Eggs, whisked (I didn't have eggs so I substituted 1 cup of buttermilk.)
4 pieces of chicken
1 cup of crushed pecans
1/3 cup of flour
cooking spray
Instructions:
-If you don't have eggs, soak the chicken in the buttermilk for 15 minutes. If you do have eggs, just coat the chicken before battering.
- When finished, mix the flour and pecans together and coat the chicken on both sides.
-Spray a pan with cooking spray before putting the chicken on it.
-The chicken I used was very thin, so I baked in in the oven for 7 minutes on each side.
When finished, you should let the chicken cool before putting in on a salad, or you can eat it hot with pasta or potatoes.
This recipe is very versatile, and there are so many things you can eat it with.
-Bon Apetite!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Simple Summer Casserole
This post is to celebrate a favorite casserole of mine. This is a cold casserole, so it can be used for a nice lunch or hearty side dish. It is incredibly easy, and incredibly delicious.
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Ingredients:
1/2 box of any small size pasta
1 can of tuna
1-1/2 Tbsp. Mayo
3/4 cup of slivered almonds
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. Italian style breadcrumbs
Instructions:
-Boil pasta until tender.
- Drain and let cool, spray some cold water throughout to speed up cooling process.
- While waiting for the pasta to cool, place almonds in a food processor and grind up until it becomes an almost fluffy texture. Use the oil while grinding the almonds.
- Combine the almonds and breadcrumbs in a pan and put under a hot broiler for 3-5 minutes. Remove from oven and shake around.
- By this time, the pasta should be cooled enough.
- Combine the pasta and breadcrumb mixture into a bowl.
- Drain tuna and add to the bowl, along with Mayo.
- Mix well and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
**Not a tuna fan? Substitute chicken into the recipe.**
-Bon Apetite!
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Ingredients:
1/2 box of any small size pasta
1 can of tuna
1-1/2 Tbsp. Mayo
3/4 cup of slivered almonds
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. Italian style breadcrumbs
Instructions:
-Boil pasta until tender.
- Drain and let cool, spray some cold water throughout to speed up cooling process.
- While waiting for the pasta to cool, place almonds in a food processor and grind up until it becomes an almost fluffy texture. Use the oil while grinding the almonds.
- Combine the almonds and breadcrumbs in a pan and put under a hot broiler for 3-5 minutes. Remove from oven and shake around.
- By this time, the pasta should be cooled enough.
- Combine the pasta and breadcrumb mixture into a bowl.
- Drain tuna and add to the bowl, along with Mayo.
- Mix well and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
**Not a tuna fan? Substitute chicken into the recipe.**
-Bon Apetite!
Simple Summer Casserole
This post is to celebrate a favorite casserole of mine. This is a cold casserole, so it can be used for a nice lunch or hearty side dish. It is incredibly easy, and incredibly delicious.
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Ingredients:
1/2 box of any small size pasta
1 can of tuna
1-1/2 Tbsp. Mayo
3/4 cup of slivered almonds
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. Italian style breadcrumbs
Instructions:
-Boil pasta until tender.
- Drain and let cool, spray some cold water throughout to speed up cooling process.
- While waiting for the pasta to cool, place almonds in a food processor and grind up until it becomes an almost fluffy texture. Use the oil while grinding the almonds.
- Combine the almonds and breadcrumbs in a pan and put under a hot broiler for 3-5 minutes. Remove from oven and shake around.
- By this time, the pasta should be cooled enough.
- Combine the pasta and breadcrumb mixture into a bowl.
- Drain tuna and add to the bowl, along with Mayo.
- Mix well and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
**Not a tuna fan? Substitute chicken into the recipe.**
-Bon Apetite!
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Ingredients:
1/2 box of any small size pasta
1 can of tuna
1-1/2 Tbsp. Mayo
3/4 cup of slivered almonds
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. Italian style breadcrumbs
Instructions:
-Boil pasta until tender.
- Drain and let cool, spray some cold water throughout to speed up cooling process.
- While waiting for the pasta to cool, place almonds in a food processor and grind up until it becomes an almost fluffy texture. Use the oil while grinding the almonds.
- Combine the almonds and breadcrumbs in a pan and put under a hot broiler for 3-5 minutes. Remove from oven and shake around.
- By this time, the pasta should be cooled enough.
- Combine the pasta and breadcrumb mixture into a bowl.
- Drain tuna and add to the bowl, along with Mayo.
- Mix well and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
**Not a tuna fan? Substitute chicken into the recipe.**
-Bon Apetite!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Chocolate Bars!
I LOVE CHOCOLATE! So when my sister taught me the ideal way to melt chocolate it was like Christmas! :) This is an extremely simple technique and turns out like a "peanut brittle" look. I used almonds in this recipe but you can use any sort of ingredients you want. Just remember, the more ingredients, the more chocolate you need.
Ingredients:
1 12oz. bag of milk chocolate chips
1 cup of chopped almonds
Instructions:
I use a make-shift chocolate melting technique that requires a pot half filled with water and a glass heat-proof bowl that can sit inside the pot, but barely touches the water.
Place the glass bowl inside the pot and bring the water to a boil.
Add the bag of chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate becomes smooth (NO LUMPS!)
Turn off the heat and add your ingredients. I chose to add almonds. I used about 1 1/2 cups of roughly chopped almonds.
Next, use a greased pan to put the mixture into.Finally, I place the pan into the freezer for about 10 minutes so it can harden quickly. I then wrap the rest in wax paper and save it in the fridge.
This is simple and something you can make with little ones.
-Bon Apetite!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Coconut Shrimp and Chicken with Pina Colada Dipping Sauce
Today I was woken up with the request of making coconut shrimp from my brother-in-law. This has turned into a family favorite! This is actually the second time that I made this recipe. It takes some time to get used to and can get tricky. One thing that I do when battering the shrimp is keep one hand for the dry batter and one hand for the wet batter. They are delicious! And one thing that I enjoy about this recipe is that it turns out the same way each time! Any questions or tips, feel free to ask.
Pina Colada Dipping Sauce
* 1 C. Pina Colada Mix
* 1/4 C. Water
* 2 Tbsp. Crush Pineapple (drained)
* 1 Tbs. + 1 tsp. Sweetened Coconut Flakes
* 3 Tbs. + 1 tsp. Powder Sugar
* 1+1/2 tsp. Corn Starch
* 3 tsp. Cold Water
-Mix the Pina Colada Mix, water, crushed pineapple, coconut, and powdered sugar in a saucepan. Heat on medium low temperature until sauce begins to simmer, stirring frequently. Let mixture simmer slowly 10-12 minutes Mix cornstarch and water together (making sure there are no clumps), add to sauce and blend well. Let mixture simmer for 3-5 minutes longer while continuing to stir. Remove from heat and bring to room temperature or you can chill it in the fridge.
Shrimp and Chicken
* 1lb. of shrimp and 1/2 pack of boneless skinless chicken tenders
* 6-8 cups canola oil (as required by fryer)
* 25 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup milk
* 2 tablespoons coconut rum
* 1 cup panko Japanese-style bread crumbs
* 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
**I COOK THE CHICKEN BEFORE BATTERING AND FRYING**
1. Heat oil to 350 degrees or med/high on stove-top
2. Measure ¾ cup of flour into a medium bowl.
3. In a 2nd Medium bowl, mix together the remaining ¾ cup of flour, sugar, salt and mix together. Stir in milk and rum. Let this batter stand for 5-10 minutes.
4. In a 3rd medium bowl, combine panko breadcrumbs and coconut.
5. Butterfly each shrimp before you start the battering. Make sure to leave the tail intact.
6. Batter Sequence: Flour, Wet Batter Mixture, then Panko/Coconut
- It’s easiest if you batter all the shrimp before you start frying.
7. Drop the shrimp into the oil, and cook until golden brown on the outside. Follow the same steps for the chicken (excluding, of course, the butterflying part)
I tried to include as many pictures into this recipe as I could, so you can get a better idea of how everything should look during the process. This recipe is not my own, but a compilation of different recipes I found online. I have tweaked some of the measurements for the proper combination. This may look difficult, but is VERY do-able. Try something new today!
-Bon Apetite!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Cheesy Chicken Burritos
I was not planning on posting any new recipes today, but since the chili turned out so great yesterday it inspired me to keep trying new things! My cousin, sister, and I set out to make chicken taco's for lunch. They slowly evolved in to this enormous, delicious masterpiece. My talented cousin took most of these pictures, and let me tell you, just looking at them makes my mouth water! Here is the recipe. Again, this one is very simple.
Cheesy Chicken Burritos
-4 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken
-1 large vadalia onion, sliced into long strips
-1 orange pepper, cut julienne style
-1 red pepper, cut julienne style
-1 Tbsp. of cooking oil
-½ head of lettuce
-1 large tomato, cubed
-1 packet of taco seasoning
-¾ cup of water
-¼ cup of cheese
-1 packet of tortilla's
-You can also add beans and rice into your burrito for added flavors.
Cook chicken in a pan, until no longer pink in the center. Cube into small pieces.
Mix taco seasoning and water into a small bowl. (You can add more water if needed). Mix in with the chicken. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
While chicken is simmering combine oil, onions, red and orange peppers into a hot wok. Cook until tender.
Prepare “add in” items.
Before taking chicken off the heat, combine the cheese straight into the pan. This will give the chicken some extra flavor.
Create burrito with desired ingredients.
The great thing about burrito's and taco's is their versatility. You can manipulate the ingredients however best suits you.
-Bon Apetite!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Chicken and Yucca Chili
Today I was finally able to try out my new Chicken and Yucca Recipe! I was so nervous, but it actually turned out amazing! My sister helped me along the way with all the steps and ingredients that needed to be prepped.
I cook very low sodium, so my recipes will not include salt. If you wish, you can add salt to taste. Now, a word to the wise, this does have a kick to it, so you can tone down the poblano and chili paste if you wish.
This is a quick and easy chili that is super simple to make.
1 Tablespoon of oil
1 bunch of scallions, white and green parts included, sliced
3 cloves of garlic (or 3 tablespoons of minced)
½ poblano pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
½ orange pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
6 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
1 18-oz bag of frozen yucca, thawed
1 cup of corn kernels
2 carrots, thinly sliced
½ rotisserie chicken, skinned and shredded into large pieces
1 can of low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
½ teaspoon of chili paste
Heat the oil in a large pot, medium-high heat.
Add the scallions, garlic, pablano, cayenne pepper, and orange pepper and cook until soft.
Add the chicken broth, yucca, corn, carrots, beans, and chili paste and bring to a boil.
Cover, and reduce to a simmer and cook until yucca is tender.
Stir to break up the yucca and thicken the broth slightly.
Add the chicken.
Allow thickening for about 10-15 minutes.
Salt and Pepper to taste.
-Bon Apetite!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Taco Soup Recipe
My first recipe comes compliments of my wonderful sister-in-law Natalie. During her bridal shower, she had a great idea to pass out recipe cards for people to fill out, so she could compile a collection. The Taco Soup recipe was one of the recipes in that collection that she tried.
Taco Soup is now a weekly meal at their house. My BROTHER even knows how to make it! This recipe is so simple and it is delicious!
TACO SOUP:
Brown & drain 1lb. ground beef (or ground turkey), set aside
Combine 1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 can whole corn kernels, rinsed & drained
1 can Rotel
2 Rotel-sized cans of water
1 package of Ranch seasoning
1 package of Taco seasoning (I buy the one with lower sodium)
Add meat. Put on stove on medium heat until boils then simmer for 10-20 minutes.
You can add shredded cheese or sour cream to the top and I like to use the Lime Tortilla chips also.
This recipe is fabulous!
-Bon Apetite!
Taco Soup is now a weekly meal at their house. My BROTHER even knows how to make it! This recipe is so simple and it is delicious!
TACO SOUP:
Brown & drain 1lb. ground beef (or ground turkey), set aside
Combine 1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 can whole corn kernels, rinsed & drained
1 can Rotel
2 Rotel-sized cans of water
1 package of Ranch seasoning
1 package of Taco seasoning (I buy the one with lower sodium)
Add meat. Put on stove on medium heat until boils then simmer for 10-20 minutes.
You can add shredded cheese or sour cream to the top and I like to use the Lime Tortilla chips also.
This recipe is fabulous!
-Bon Apetite!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Why trust my recipes?
Ever since I was young, I can remember being in the kitchen. My parents hosted countless parties for huge groups, from family to friends. I love good food. So now that I am almost finished with college and need some direction, I have decided to work my way through culinary school. I will be taking night classes at Jean Pierre's Culinary School along with my regular Journalism classes at FIU.
SO why trust me? Simple. I will be personally testing these recipes and posting my own pictures of how it looks.
I also want lots of feeback. If you try one of my recipes and have a different opinion FEEL FREE to comment. Or even if you have a different take on it, write it down!
I will be posting recipes I find, recipes I will be learning about in school, recipes I come up with on my own, and old family recipes that I adore!
So please, keep reading! I promise not to dissapoint!
-Your Weekly Foodie
SO why trust me? Simple. I will be personally testing these recipes and posting my own pictures of how it looks.
I also want lots of feeback. If you try one of my recipes and have a different opinion FEEL FREE to comment. Or even if you have a different take on it, write it down!
I will be posting recipes I find, recipes I will be learning about in school, recipes I come up with on my own, and old family recipes that I adore!
So please, keep reading! I promise not to dissapoint!
-Your Weekly Foodie
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