Culinary Chronicles: My food adventures, recipes and other stuff.

Bruschetta, Brava!

2017-09-02T08:12:00.001-07:00

   Hi all! It's Labor Day weekend, YAY! I truly hope everyone has a great time. I wanted to pop in before leaving for our cruise to the Bahamas, which I have been looking forward to for months. By now most of you should "get" that I will be back to post here...eventually. (see what I did there, no apologies).

   Life is good my friends, the time I have taken to be "single" has been awesome! I recommend it. I needed/ need it. There's so much I have to do, there's just no room for one more thing. Although, I have decided I will re-marry at some point, not now though. See, ;that's a choice you can make in advance, without working on it right away. So here I am again, sitting in front of my laptop with the urge to share a pretty simple yet ambrosial recipe for Bruschetta, which won't take so much of your time and will satisfy all of your guests or just you...

   I'm afraid heat this year is unparalleled to all the previous years I've lived here and it doesn't agree with me. I take solace in cooking, but with the sweltering heat who wants to spend a long period of time at the stove? So I give you Bruschetta, a recipe which when prepared will only ask that you turn on the oven for ten minutes or so. My good people have a wonderful weekend and enjoy! I have to finish packing...

BRUSCHETTA

6 tomatoes any kind small/medium dice

4 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

4 fresh basil leaves

2 cloves of garlic

2 baguettes

salt tt

pepper tt

Chop the tomatoes to small or medium dice, place in a bowl. chiffonade the basil, which means roll up the basil leaves all together and cut top to bottom, this will leave you with thin strands of basil. add them to the tomato. mix olive oil and balsamic, salt and pepper until the taste is satisfying to you. Add it to the tomato, basil. Gently mix and let stand at room temperature until you have prepped the bread. Slice the baguettes, place the sliced on a baking sheet or pan. Heat at 350 until golden. Remove from oven, let them cool a bit. Rub each slice with garlic. Lightly stir the tomato mix again. Get a pretty plate or serving tray, take a slice of bread pour the tomato mix on top and place on plate/tray etc...

You're going to have a great time with this and many compliments, it is healthy, delicious and gratifying, mangia!!!!

PS: I used grape tomatoes , some are yellow/orangy colored. For eye appeal.

Thanksgiving....Thoughts On Turkey.

2014-11-27T07:16:00.001-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

   It is my deepest wish that you all have an awesome Thanksgiving day accompanied by all the people you love. Myself? Well....I'm good, great in fact. I will be surrounded by people I love and want to share this special day with. But what makes me happiest on this day is cooking! Feeding those people I love some really great food just rocks my world. I know it's a little late, some of you have probably already finished cooking and are just relaxing now until dinner time. But perhaps I can reach out to the few who are a bit confused on how they want to cook their turkey or if they can....

   As ;much as I want to make this brief (.and I do because I've still got to prepare the mashed potatoes and help my daughter with her cake recipe).   I know this won't be brief because I do this.. gab on and on....sorry.    Before I go on about turkey I want to share my feelings (I'm doing it again). I want to tell you I'm fine, my last post worried me after I wrote it because I felt I might have come across as sad or upset. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just that after so much disappointment in my life, I promised myself I would strive to find happiness in all situations. So I want to tell you all I'm fine, I feel a sense of promise, I've grown as a person and shrunk as a person (went down a size) and there have been signs of happiness, oh and I laughed heartily. It's all the experiences we go through that help make us better people, so I'm glad and thankful for them.

For the past few months when I thought of Thanksgiving, I thought "bacon" yup "bacon". I did attempt a turkey topped with bacon before, but that didn't go well. I didn't like that in slicing the turkey, the bacon came off with it, a cluster of bacon....leaving the breast barren...I was inexperienced in the turkey thing back then, I was young and careless and I didn't even try to fix it. Last night I was more meticulous in the distribution of the bacon and I'm thinking today I won't be such a "turkey" at preparing the turkey.....

Now, my turkey is still in the oven, so I can't post a photo of it cooked, but I am going to show you how I dressed it and seasoned it. When it's actually done, I will post photos of the results.   So here we go.

Thaw the turkey completely, I do this the day before out of the refrigerator in cold, salted water, changing the water every forty five minutes or so. Remove all giblets from crevices please! I first season the turkey with salt and pepper, then begin to strategically place butter on it. First I loosen the skin in the breast area by sliding my hand in gently. I then take pieces of butter and insert them under the skin. I then take a slice of bacon which I cut in half and place that under the skin as well. It doesn't have to be neat, remember that the purpose of it is flavor and also to enhance moistness. Place butter in crevices and you can also put some bacon pieces in. To finish, I place the remaining slices of bacon on the top of the turkey facing me and also on the leg area , covering the legs completely. I placed the turkey in the oven at 325 covered in foil. That's only to start. I will remove the foil once the bacon has rendered some because I don't want the fat spattering all over the oven and we want to keep that fat near the turkey anyway. In the area of time where the turkey is nearing doneness, I will remove the foil and turn up the temperature to achieve a golden color and more crispness. Baste! Don't forget to baste! At least every half hour. That's it! Enjoy!

Here are photos of the end result, moist, tender ,tasty turkey covered with crispy bacon strips, which were very easy to cut through. I managed to get a piece of bacon on every serving and my family was in awe of the flavor and presentation.

Figs and figments...

2014-09-14T13:04:00.002-07:00

Hello everyone, I hope you all find yourselves doing well . I’m finally on the right track, start working tomorrow and have rented a studio in West Palm Beach. It’s been an excruciatingly hot summer here in Florida and I yearn for cooler weather, fingers crossed it should be coming soon.

It's a bit of a blur now, but I think I was in a relationship at some point. It's over now. Had to be over because I'd never stay with someone who clearly wanted to break me. Feels surreal. And that's that, I won't dedicate another second to whatever it was.

That being said, I am once again entertaining the idea of leaving Florida forever. I won’t give myself a time frame or make a plan, but I will say, first chance I get I’m gone. But in the meantime I will try different foods, blog, write, discover new places, try new restaurants , swim as much as possible and cook, cook, cook.

Without further adieux I give you a very simple recipe for those of you trying to figure things out and unable to focus on a more challenging feat. Pancetta wrapped figs, Brown Turkey figs to be exact. I passed them in the produce section at the market and thought "wow"! I knew they would be great, the mix of the sweet watermelon- like flavor of this fig and the savory/salty taste of the pancetta with the added delicate taste of the olive oil and the little pop! from the black pepper come together in your mouth and give you a sense of hope once again. I wish you all REAL love. Below find my simple , uncomplicated recipe for pancetta wrapped figs, which I displayed in a styrofoam bowl because...I'm starting over and have no real ones.... Enjoy!

Pancetta wrapped figs

1/4 pound pancetta

2 medium figs

1 teaspoonextra virgin olive oil

pinch of black pepper

Clean figs, then slice in quarters. Separate pancetta , wrap fig slices in pancetta and place on plate. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper. Voila! A simple bite for those tough times.

Pot Roast While Pensive..

2014-06-26T17:45:00.003-07:00

     Good evening! I hope you all find yourselves well. As I write I'm realizing it's been months since I've posted and that makes me feel terrible. I'd like to promise I'll do better, but I've done that in the past and ...well... you know. Maybe I should change the blog name to "The lazy blogger"? Thing is it hasn't been laziness, I think I lost the gusto for writing a while there. It's taken me some time to recover from my failure, but I have to face the world sooner or later I realize that. Since I came back to Florida, I must have had enough thoughts in my head for myself and a few others. I've been so pensive, dwelling on things from the past, thinking about the future. Dating or trying to is still a big issue, I think I scare guys away. Some say just be myself (I always am) if he accepts me as I am, he's a keeper...not so easy...

   So whilst in my pensive state on the bus, in the shower, watching t.v., walking or just laying in bed, the notion that feeling the way I do should produce a recipe to blog about interrupted. The thing about thinking is... it's not doing, is thinking a verb? I forget. If thinking is an action nothing can come of it unless you put your thoughts into motion, I like that... I'm a writer, I'm a chef, I own that and as of this morning, I will no longer dwell on the past. I've made my way out of the paralyzing grip failure took on me and have decided to move forward and one day try again, because it's my dream and nothing should ever deter a person from continuing to make their dreams come true.

     I managed to veer my thoughts in the direction of comfort food, why? Well..because I needed comforting...
Nothing but nothing eases my mind and brings me home better than pot roast. I give to all of you who find yourselves in need of comfort my unfaultering recipe for pot roast that will magically shut your eyes and make you say "there's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home" That sounds familiar..
Enjoy!

POT ROAST

4 pound bottom round roast

1 small bag of baby carrots

4 celery stalks cut into five pieces each

1 16 ounce can of diced stewed tomatoes

1 small can of tomato paste

2 tablespoons of onion powder

salt to taste

1 teaspoon of pepper

2 tablespoons of oil

water to cover roast

Put a large pot to heat up. While it's heating season' the roast with salt and pepper Once the pot is hot add the oil and let it heat. When the oil is hot add the roast and brown it on all sides. Add stewed tomatoes then add enough water to cover the roast. Let the liquid come to a simmer. Add the tomato paste and stir. Now add the onion powder, pepper and a little salt, carrots and celery. I don't like adding too much salt at the beginning stage, so maybe a pinch to start. Once you have a good simmer going, you can rest, turn down the heat to low and place lid on pot. Low and slow baby, low and slow. You're going to let her simmer on low covered for 3 hours stove top. You'll know it's ready when the meat is so tender, you don't have to work to cut it. What I like to do once the roast is ready, is remove it from the sauce, season the sauce and thicken if necessary, slice the meat and return it to the pot. Let it sit off the heat for a few minutes so the flavors penetrate the meat, then serve up some comfort.

Octopus Salad and Puerto Rico...

2014-01-20T16:43:00.002-08:00

Hi everyone, hope you're all doing well!

     I'm doing fine and am ready to share with you where I went and what I'm up to. I'd like to begin by saying what I'm about to share with you still "stings" somewhat, but I find it necessary to tell my story because there's a lesson in it for everyone.
   A few months ago I announced that I am finally leaving Florida, I was elated at the simple thought of it. Hell, I even got a farewell clambake and party at a friends house. My destination? Puerto Rico! Why? In researching it, I learned there's this unspoken "foodie" movement there. I'd read that the natives and tourists in Puerto Rico tend to seek out the street food vendors as opposed to actual restaurants. A light bulb went on in my head, I thought "I could do that" "I have the funds to start up a little kiosk type eatery on the road".
The more I thought of it, the more enticing it seemed. I contacted my sister who lives there and we spoke at length for weeks or even months of the prospect, until one day I looked at my surroundings, measured the pro's and cons and realized that any change I made had to be better than my current situation.
   I turned to my daughter's and announced "we're leaving"! They were happy to hear it, they too had been longing for a change and immediately began sorting out what they were taking and what was staying. While the job I held for over three years offered the satisfaction one gets from helping and caring for others, I had a constant sense of unhappiness because in spite of that, it wasn't what I'd been working so hard to be a CHEF!
   I sold a lot of my belongings and shipped only my valued cooking paraphernalia, oh and my daughters dolls of course. I left some things in the care of a friend, which I would send for later if things went well, I announced to the Landlord that I am leaving, moved in with a friend for a week before I left. June 10th 2013, my daughters and I left "the sunshine state" for La isla del encanto...
   We stayed in "Cayey" Puerto Rico as that is where my sister lives and we were to stay with her until we found our own place. Cayey is pretty much all mountains, it is an hour away from San Juan or any body of water (beach I mean). There are rivers nearby though, worth visiting. Two weeks later we had found our own place, three weeks later, we bought a car, we were on our way.
   I got to work on acquiring a permit to sell food, initially I had been told one didn't need one. But upon attempting to sell without one, I was informed by police I need one, ugh! The process to get a vendor's permit in Cayey is one I had never heard of, one must go speak to the Mayor of the town and request it. I got up super early one morning or rather I didn't sleep all night so as to head out by five A.M. as that is when everything happens in Puerto Rico, early! I sat in the "Alcaldia" (Mayor's office) for five hours! Turns out whenever people need something of importance such as: help for a disabled elderly person, housing, an increase in benefits, a vendor's permit they go to the Mayor, hence all the waiting. I was told he doesn't always grant you a permit, but I had to try.
     When it was my turn (my number was called) I got nervous as there were a bunch of people in his office, but he came over to me and kindly asked me why I was there. I told him I wanted a vendors permit and the area where I wanted to sell, he wrote it down on a "post it" and sent me to the second floor. Six hours after I left my home, I had a temporary vendor's permit in my hand.
   Once I had the permit, I set out to build on the things I'd purchased to sell. I'd already bought a table, disposable containers, an umbrella etc....Lastly I bought a nice tabletop grill and thought "now I've got it right". I set out to my spot as much as possible as it rained a lot and I only had a beach umbrella. One could only hold food for so long before you have to purchase fresh ingredients, so when I didn't sell, which seemed to be everyday, we ate the product for dinner. Needless to say my friends, I "flopped", I tried everything I could in the area to succeed, but I flopped!
     Aside from the business flopping, the apartment I rented had no screens and insects became a real problem, I would never be able to own the title of the car I bought And with no revenue coming in, I was going broke. I'd never felt such an intense disappointment in myself as I did in November, when I decided to return to "the sunshine state". So that's my story good people, I was immersed in trying to get my business up and running there and that is why I hadn't written in a while. In coming back I felt too embarrassed to write, but I've picked myself up and still hope to go somewhere with my culinary degree.
   The lesson I learned? There is no happily ever after, no matter what you achieve or what you hope to achieve there will always be work to be done to maintain it or in your future endeavors to succeed. I was however, glad to see my Puerto Rico again, but my next trip there will be purely recreational!
I can't go without sharing my recipe for Octopus Salad, a staple I had on occasion growing up, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Thank you for reading, enjoy!

OCTOPUS SALAD

1 pound of octopus

1 green pepper diced

1 tomato diced

10 stuffed green olives pitted diced

1/2 red onion diced

1 clove garlic made into paste

1/3 cup vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

salt tt

pepper tt

The octopus can be purchased chopped and frozen in some stores, if you're in Puerto Rico Walmart and Econo have it. If you're in the States you may still find it in Walmart, if not buy a whole one at a fish monger. If you buy a whole one, you will have to boil it until tender. Remove the skin (Purple layer), then slice it up. If bought frozen, let it thaw add to bowl and build it up with the ingredients. Same for the cooked after slicing it add to a bowl and add all the ingredients above. Mix it and serve with rice or verduras.. Enjoy!

A clambake is born

2013-07-22T18:46:00.002-07:00

Hi everyone! I’m hoping you all find yourselves well at this time. I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted and I do apologize for that believe me it’s been torture not being able to do so until now. But perhaps what I’ve got for you today will make the wait worthwhile. As my days in Florida neared the end, I felt something was missing, there were things I wanted to do there that just didn’t happen. One being having a “clambake” with my friends. Well, I mentioned it to some friends and we finally got together and made plans to realize my dreams of a clambake. Everyone pitched in and bought the ingredients, our venue? “Boynton Beach” we were lucky enough to find the perfect shady spot and immediately went to work on our dinner.

As we each prepped our items for the “pot” we joked and laughed and reminisced then one by one we placed the ingredients into the large stock pot and began having visions of what was to come. While the contents of the pot cooked we continued on talking and laughing at each other’s expense, then the wonderful aroma emanating from the pot struck us and for a moment we were paralyzed by it. Comments on the smell of seafood that had filled the air spilled from our mouths and we found ourselves anxious to eat. Unable to wait any longer I grabbed a spoon and dipped it into the pot to have a taste and I ;yelled out “oh my gosh this rocks”! because it did, it rocked! And soon enough everyone who could eat seafood tasted it and words like : the bomb, great and awesome were used.. It seemed the seafood had taken on the flavor of the sausage and it was , well….MIND BLOWING!

Soon after, we decided it was time to eat and removed the pot from the heat and onto the table. We each grabbed a plate and helped ourselves to a nice serving of clams, corn, potatoes, sausage, mussels and shrimp, there was also grilled chicken, potato salad and grilled broccoli and asparagus. We all found a spot to sit and the air was quiet for a while, that usually means it’s good. When I was done, I just sat for a bit and took in the cool breeze coming my way, I watched my kids and friends enjoy the food and thought how great things had turned out. Then almost instantly I realized this is how a clambake is born…

Putting together a clambake mainly lies in inviting good friends and family and having everyone contribute not only to the purchasing of the ingredients, but also to making it and basically having a great time in the process. I have to say our clambake was a very nice way to say farewell. Below find the ingredients for the clambake my friends and I had and enjoy! Feel free to comment and join my site, I will post again soon from my new location.

CLAMBAKE

4 tablespoons onion powder

4 tablespoons pepper

3 tablespoons chili powder

salt to taste

2 tablespoons black pepper

3 dozen clams

3 dozen mussels

1 lb. large shrimp

8 corn stalks

5 lb. red potatoes

2 packs of kielbasa sausage

Fill large stock pot halfway with water and let simmer. Add spices, let simmer a little more and stir. Begin adding potatoes cut in half, corn stalks peeled and cut in half. Then add clams and mussels, sausage. The shrimp should go in last as they cook quickly. Most people like to add beer to the pot so go right ahead. Hope you enjoy this recipe, photos below.

THE SCANT SCALLOP

2013-04-02T16:49:00.001-07:00

     Hello my good people, I hope you all had a happy Easter Sunday and have been well. I know, I know, once again I've strayed from blogging, but know that I have been cooking and pondering great recipes to share with you all. Just to update you on my latest shenanigans, I quit my job at the supermarket, turns out they only wanted me to make sandwiches and clean the kitchen, oh well... I've been surviving Florida without a car at first due to low finances, now by choice. You see I figured if I want to move on I have to save money, so I ditched the car and car insurance and have joined the thousands of commuters who everday walk long stretches of road to make the next Palm Tran bus to their destination.  If your lucky the buses arrive every half hour, but mostly it seems the buses arrive when they arrive, there's just no telling. The good thing is that you can purchase a monthly bus pass for as low as ten dollars at the "Palm Tran Connection" office in Lake Worth, you must take four pay stubs and ID (just thought I'd throw that in there)

      There's even more news....wait for it.......I QUIT MY JOB! The other job in Special Ed, the one I've worked for more than three years, that one. Yes, yes I did it! And the very second I handed in my letter of resignation a huge weight was lifted off of my being and I immediately felt free!  I started going to work with a bounce in my step and exotic jewelry, the happiness was shining through and my co-workers noticed.  But what is she going to do? I know that's what your thinking....well, I'm moving out of Florida, oh yeah! No, not to Europe, not yet anyway. It's best I not say where just yet, I want to actually be there when I announce it, I'm a bit superstitous that way. Just know Leslie is going to make it happen for herself or at the very least try. You can't be afraid to leave yuur "dead end" job for the "unknown" because the "unknown" could turn out to be better. My last day at work is April 24th and I can't wait. My friends say they will miss me, but there's no need to friends wherever I go you have a home, how's that?

     Sorry to keep you for so long from my recipe for "scallops" or "scant scallops, I call them that because I didn't use any fancy sauces or garnishes, I kept it real simple because sometimes simplicity yields great flavor too.  After I was done preparing this dish, I had to take a minute to just look at it, take it in the beauty of it and figure out how I was going to eat it. It was simple, I sprinkled a little lemon over the scallops, cut one and put it in my mouth, WOW! I got an explosion of flavor and some light crunch from both the searing of the scallop and the ground pistachio, that's right, pistachio! So below find my recipe for scant scallops, try it, enjoy it and please feel free to leave a comment or a question. Before I go I'd like to mention I've been told by various people that the process to join my site is difficult and that's why they haven't, so I checked it out and realized that if you sign in to your email account, then attempt to join my site it works out very well. Thank you for reading and enjoy!

SCANT SCALLOPS

3 large scallops or the amount you need

4 pistachios

1/2 of a lemon

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

1/2 cup spring mix greens

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Listen up, this goes for any type of meat or produce you sear or brown. Always, always dry your meat, shellfish, fish or produce before attempting to sear. Why? Because you've just heated a pan with some oil and then your going to go and add water to it, that cools it down and won't allow the food to brown properly, if at all. Place the spring mix leaves on a plate and cut the half lemon in half and set it aside for while. Now take your scallops one at a time and dry them with a paper towel, set them down on a dry plate, okay? Heat your pan. Season the scallops with salt and pepper and set them aside a minute. Take your shelled pistachios and put them in a blender or food processor add the tiniest amount of salt and grind them. Now add the olive oil to the pan and let it heat a bit more. Once the oil is hot, add in your DRY scallops, you should hear that sizzling sound. It's no crime to gently lift a scallop to check it's color, but in my experience three minutes on one side and three minutes on the other will do it. Remove the scallops from the pan onto your bed of spring mix leaves, sprinkle the ground pistachio over it, then drizzle some lemon on it and enjoy!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! PANCAKES AND APPLE TOPPING!

2012-12-31T13:34:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year all! Hope your doing well. With the Christmas chaos behind me, I am now able to fully enjoy/appreciate the kitchen related gifts I was given by my daughters. My eldest presented me with a wok, which I'd been wanting for some time now and mentioned every single time we passed them by in the kitchenware section of whatever store we were in. My youngest bestowed upon me an electric griddle, now I'd forgotten I wanted a griddle, I was distracted by the visions of "Bath and Body Works" dancing in my head. While I was given the gifts of various "Bath and Body Works" items (thank you so much) and enjoyed them immediately, the griddle was now heavy on my mind.
My younger daughter questioned whether I even liked the gift she'd given me for I hadn't even unpacked it, little did she know I was thinking, planning the first food I would prepare on it. "You could make pancakes mom" she said while I pondered. She's brilliant, don't you think? Although that is what I had in mind as well (it was). So I got to work on putting together a pancake batter from scratch, I have to tell you they were so good, I just had to share the recipe with you. These pancakes are fluffy and moist and delicious all on their own. However, I decided to make a topping of sauteed apples in butter and browned some ham, the three grouped together inspired a nod of satisfaction oohhs! and aahhs! and perhaps even some mmms! Below find the recipe for fluffy pancake batter, take care and enjoy! Oh and Happy New Year!

Fluffy Pancake Batter

2 cups flour

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

1 egg

1 cup of evaporated milk

3 tablespoons of vinegar

3 tablespoons of butter

In a medium bowl pour evaporated milk and vinegar, set aside for five or six minutes (should look like curdled milk). Sift flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt into medium bowl and lightly incorporate. Soften butter, then pour into milk and vinegar mixture add the egg as well and whisk it together. Now add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until completely incorporated, not long. The batter will be very thick and should yield about eight medium sized pancakes. Enjoy!

CHRISTMAS AND COQUITO

2012-12-24T19:46:00.001-08:00

     Merry Christmas everyone!  Hope your all doing well on this wonderful Christmas Eve. I've spent the day cooking, dancing and just full of Christmas cheer.   It has been a while since the onset of the "holidays" has brought me much joy, the joy I did feel was knowing my children were happy and that was enough. This year, to my surprise I'm just so full of cheer and hope and have done all I could to spread that around.

     In my family, the christmas festivities began the evening of christmas eve we'd eat, play games, eat more, then the kids would have to go to bed by around midnight. The adults on the other hand would pour themselves into bed once all the guests were gone and there was no telling when that would be. Once my mother heard us running down the stairs christmas day, she'd alert my dad and together they'd watch us open our gifts. My mom was always so cheery around the holidays, it made us feel special when we opened our gifts and she'd have a huge smile on her face knowing we'd be pleased.

     Today, as I prepared our holiday meal, I thought of my mother, I remembered one of the first things she'd prepare before the food and that was "coquito". Coquito is a drink that is commonly ingested in huge amounts by Puerto Ricans mainly around the holidays and celebrations. A vivid memory of my mother sporadically pouring herself a shot of coquito while she cooked dinner brought a smile to my face. It also prompted me to have a shot or two myself as I cooked dinner, then I decided I'd share the recipe with you.  Below find the recipe for Coquito and have a merry, merry christmas and a happy, healthy new year. Enjoy!

COQUITO

2 cans coconut milk

1 can coco Lopez (optional)

2 cans evaporated milk

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon Cinnamon

1 1/2 cup dark rum (bacardi or Palo Viejo)

Pour first four ingredients into blender, mix well. Add cinnamon, mix again. Add rum and mix again. This drink should be somewhat thick, so you need to chill it for a few hours. Once chilled, shake it to re-incorporate the ingredients, then serve. In the photo above I sprinkled some cinnamon on top and some coconut shavings for garnish, but that's not necessary, just pour and enjoy. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Pernil (roast pork)

2012-11-22T06:22:00.003-08:00

Hi everyone, hope your all doing well on this wonderful Thanksgiving morning. My apologies for posting this recipe "day of" Thanksgiving, but I've been really busy. For the first time ever, I can say I am now working in the "food" industry FINALLY! No, I'm no "hot shot" chef in some classy restaurant, I've accepted a part time position in the deli department of a supermarket. Some would think it's a menial job, but to me it's a foot in the door and I get flexible hours, believe me it's the perfect thing for me right now. A friend asked me how I feel about this new job, I think I lit up and said "happy, I felt happy" that's when you know your doing what you love, you feel genuinely happy doing it. I haven't yet quit my day job, so of course, this is the reason my posting is late, but you will love it.
Pernil is what Puerto Ricans tend to cook for the "holidays" and celebrations starting at Thanksgiving. Some people forego the turkey at Thanksgiving and simply make a pernil (mine is in the oven right now). This Thanksgiving I am having dinner at a friend's house, then will be going over to my brother's house. Our dinner will consist of jalapeno corn bread, biscuits, gravy, turkey, pernil, arroz con gandules, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, vegetable lasagna and of course cranberry sauce. Without further hesitation I give you my recipe for pernil. This recipe will yield you a moist, super tasty, crispy skinned, unforgettable pernil I promise. Below find my recipe for pernil and enjoy. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Pernil

1 pork shoulder aka picnic

2 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

2 tablespoons onion powder

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon cumin

2 packets of sazon goya con achiote (optional)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Mix all the spices together with the olive oil and sazon, if you want a little more oil that's fine set aside. Clean your pork and make small incisions in it. Turn it over to the fat side and cut straight down, then across like a "t". Now rub the spice mixture all over it, you can adjust the salt as you wish. Once the spices are on it, place it in a 350 degree oven fat side down for two hours, turn it fat side up and cook another hour at 400 watch that the fat does not burn, you want it crispy but not burnt. I personally always cook my roast pork for four hours, it turns out beautiful, practically falls off the bone on it's own. Well, I hope you enjoy this recipe, thank you for reading, enjoy!

When life gives you keylimes, make keylime pie!

2012-09-16T16:40:00.000-07:00

Good evening everyone, hope your all doing well. I'm fine and always happy to post a tasty recipe for all to see. It's sunday, so I thought I'd go with a dessert. While in Walmart a few days ago, I was walking through the produce isles with my kids and suddenly did a double take when I came upon a bag of keylimes. "KEYLIMES"! I said out loud, my kids giggled when they heard me and perhaps a few of the other patrons as well. But I couldn't contain myself, I was excited to find them as I had lately been contemplating making a keylime pie Keylimes are indigenous to Key West which is located here in Florida. They are smaller than regular limes and have a very intense sour lime flavor and are in a sense..refreshing. In the keylime pie, the sweet and sour work well together and awaken the taste buds once a bite is taken. Below find my recipe for keylime pie and enjoy!!

KEYLIME PIE

3 egg yolks

1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup of keylime juice (fresh)

about a teaspoon of keylime rind

1 thin slice of keylime

1 pie pan/dish

for crust

1 pack graham crackers

1 stick of butter (melted)

or you can just buy a ready made crust

for whipped cream

1 cup of heavy cream

2 tablespoons of sugar

or you can use canned if you wish

Personally, I like to make everything from scratch, however, to save money and time a couple of the recipe components can be bought ready made. Beat the egg yolks and condensed milk together, add the keylime juice and mix, then add the rind and mix it in as well. Once all ingredients are incorporated, set aside. Crush the graham crackers, then add the melted butter. Incorporate them together, then firmly press mixture into pie pan, insuring to go up the sides of the pan. You can bake the crust for 5 minutes at 350. Let it cool a bit, then pour in the keylime mixture. Bake it at about 275 for 6 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. For whipped cream , mix heavy cream and sugar until firm peaks form. Pick a piping fixture and pipe little mounds around the pie and one in the center. Now place the thin slice of keylime on the center mound of whipped cream. You can also shave some keylime rind onto the other mounds. Enjoy!

Barbecue Pork Country Ribs a "labor" of love....

2012-09-02T10:35:00.005-07:00

     Hello and happy Labor Day to all! So much has happened since my last post: we had hurricane "Isaac" pass through Florida, I had a birthday at the beginning of the week and lastly Labor Day weekend is here.   I have to say I've seen things I never imagined I'd see, like kids riding in a canoe on a river that just the day before was a road to home.   This phenomena was provided by the flooding due to hurricane Isaac of course and also turned out to be a blessing for me as you will read below..   And I experienced a "hurricane day" as opposed to a "snow day", there was no work on August 27th due to flooding and I was glad to have the day off, not only for rest but because it was my birthday.

     That monday I wanted to have a birthday dinner consisting of Chinese food, but the trick was I had to find a Chinese restaurant that was open and that would deliver my food among the flooding. I did manage to find one on the internet and believed the transaction would go without a hitch, I was wrong.   An hour later the delivery person called me to let me know she was having difficulty getting into my area due to extreme flooding "it's a river on this side and it's deep" she said. I didn't want to cancel the order so I decided to walk to where she was, but found I couldn't or wouldn't make the complete trip to her due to the newly formed "river" and the thought that it may be unsanitary to wade in.  "So close yet so far" I thought and just when I was going to give up the delivery woman suggests I ask these kids rowing around in a canoe to pick it up for me.   Yes, I had the audacity to do it and without hesitation they went to her end and got it for me. I offered them money, but they refused, now that's cool.   One of the items I ordered was barbecue spare ribs, so I decided to dedicate this post to barbecue ribs and that's a good thing because it's Labor Day weekend and everybody barbecues for Labor Day weekend.

      While visiting with my brother who threw me a small belated birthday celebration yesterday and grilled some "Pork Country Ribs" (bone-in), upon my request.   I took some pictures with the idea I'd share with you the basics from grilling them to creating a barbecue sauce of your own.   Now I'd love to give you my "secret" recipe for barbecue sauce but... it's a secret......So right here, right now I'm going to help you build your own secret barbecue sauce.   Below find some photos of barbecue country ribs prepared by my brother (I taught him).  Take care and enjoy!!

The base for creating a barbecue sauce is ketchup and worcestershire sauce (spelling that is always painful) after that go crazy! Think how you'd like your sauce to taste, what flavors you enjoy. Perhaps a sweet ingredient or some heat or both. Then build up a "dry rub" you think will enhance the sauce a little. Chili powder gives it a nice "kick" at the end, which is surprising and enjoyable, garlic powder, onion powder or anything you like.

I suggest that once you have your sauce ingredients together, you simmer it in a saucepan a bit to really incorporate the flavors. You can do this while the ribs are on the grill, for a one inch thick country rib I believe six minutes on each side is sufficient, rub some oil on the grill itself before placing the ribs on it. And please make sure the grill is hot before grilling, this will enable you to get the crosshatching (grill marks) on the ribs, if that's important to you that is.

Once you have the crosshatching on them, slather on the barbecue sauce, here you can place them back on the grill if you wish or just let them sit in the freshly simmered sauce until they are served. One little trick I will share with you is to rub a little vinegar onto your ribs before grilling, this will make them a little more tender. Don't be afraid to let the sauce run off you chin or get a "sauce mustache" while eating, this is part of the fun of eating barbecue. Good luck creating your awesome barbecue sauce and again happy Labor Day!!!

Chicken Tikka Masala and me

2012-08-05T17:18:00.002-07:00

     Hello to all my loyal readers and to those of you who just dropped by, hope you all find yourselves well.
In a post I wrote a while back, I sang the praises of an Indian restaurant I'd gone to with my kids called "a taste of India", which entailed an anecdote regarding my confusion with chicken tikka.  Recently I've been thinking about this dish and realized what I meant to order was "chicken tikka masala". I used to order this dish at a restaurant in Brooklyn called "India Passage". They served Indian cuisine and the cooking was excellent. My ex-husband would take me there when we had an occasion to celebrate and my favorite thing to order was the "chicken tikka masala".   The only reason I ordered it at first, was upon the recommendation of the restaurant owner who was a good friend of my then husband. I'd told him I couldn't handle too much heat in my food (still can't) and he promised me I would love the dish he was going to bring me and I did, so much so that I remembered it years later.  I suppose that's how you know you've acquired a new favorite when you just can't forget it.   I never knew chicken tikka masala could be so simple to prepare, but it is and below I have a recipe for chicken tikka masala that will blow you away.

     I've put my own twist on this recipe, however it's not a far stray from the original and it tastes exactly how I remember it from "India Passage".   The intermingling of flavors in this dish is superb, a feeling of calm comes over you and you wish it would last forever. Along with some naan and basmati rice, this may well be received as a comfort food. Below find my recipe for chicken tikka masala. This recipe calls for a mixture of flavorful, aromatic spices called "Garam Masala" which you can find in "halal" (Indian) markets or perhaps "Publix" , if not you can make your own by mixing cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander and black pepper corns to a fine powder. Thank you for reading, leave a comment if you wish, take care and enjoy!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Marinade

1 cup of plain yogurt

1 tablespoon of salt

1 tablespoon garam masala

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Chicken Tikka Masala

1 cup of heavy cream

2 cups of plain yogurt

4 skinless/boneless chicken breast cut into cubes

1 can of tomato paste

2 tablespoons of Garam masala

3 cloves of garlic minced

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

salt to taste

I took a little shortcut in preparing the chicken for the marinade, I cut the chicken into cubes, mixed my ingredients for the marinade then placed the chicken into the marinade making sure all the pieces were covered with it. I let it marinade in the refrigerator over night. Next, I lined the grill with aluminum foil, fired it up and cooked my chicken on it.

Once the chicken was golden on all sides, I took the pieces off the grill with a set of tongs and placed them in a large bowl. Next I heated up a large pan added the oil then the garlic. Let the garlic get golden then add the tomato paste. Mix the garlic and tomato paste together then add the garam masala, let these ingredients incorporate in the pan on low heat for a minute or two. Now you can add the heavy cream and salt, stir to mix ingredients, let simmer a bit. Add the yogurt stirring mix until there are no lumps from the yogurt and it looks smooth. Finally add the chicken, let this simmer for about fifteen minutes on medium/low heat. If you feel you want more yogurt or cream feel free to add a little more, but don't go overboared or you'll lose flavor and have to adjust. Once the chicken tikka masala is done you can serve it with basmati rice which can be found in most markets and/or naan (an Indian flat bread). Enjoy!

Tiramisu .......

2012-07-30T17:19:00.003-07:00

Hello, hope you all find yourselves well today. I'm doing okay, thinking about food as usual. Lately I"ve been thinking dessert, decadent dessert and what came to mind was Tiramisu. My first encounter with Tiramisu was in "Little Italy" in Manhattan (New York). My family and I had just had dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant in China Town called "Hop Kee" and were looking for a place to have dessert. We walked for a while out of China Town and into Little Italy (it's not far), before we knew it we were overwhelmed by the wonderful smell of pastries eminating from a small pastry shop (can't remember where, sorry). We stepped into the pastry shop and there it was Tiramisu, I had only heard of it at that time, now here it was staring me down, calling my name, I had to have it and did. The flavors were unexpected to me and after the first bite I wasn't sure if I liked it, but once the flavors and textures mingled in my mouth I knew it would be a favorite of mine.

So here I have for you a recipe for Tiramisu, if you enjoy coffee you'll really like this.
Just imagine a zabaglione with coffee and a spongy cake, well it's all of those in one and just keeps you comming back for more. Now if you want to achieve a more cakelike consistency with your Tiramisu, let it chill overnight. This allows for the flavors to really incorporate into each other and allows the cookies to reach that perfect cake texture, if you will. I like to eat it with perhaps a cup of capuccino or just regular coffee. Thank you for dropping in, take care and enjoy!

Tiramisu

7 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup marsala wine

12 ounces mascarpone, softened

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup of Starbucks Caffe Verona brewed
(or coffee of choice)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

48 ladyfingers

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 9x13 in pan

Beat or cream the egg yolks and sugar in a warm bowl add half of the marsala wine, beat until the volume doubles. Add the mascapone until dissolved, Whip the heavy cream until peaks form. Now gently fold the whipped cream into the mixture. Pour the coffee, vanilla and remaining marsala into a bowl and stir a bit. Now we're going to lightly dip the lady fingers into the coffee mix, please be careful here if you soak them too much they will break apart, quickly dip both sides of the lady fingers into the coffee mix then begin lining the pan with them until the whole pan is covered with lady fingers. Spread half of the cream mix on top of the lady finger layer, repeat dipping lady fingers then layering again. Gently sprread the rest of the mixture on top with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the top with the cocoa powder until it's all covered. Chill overnight for best results. Enjoy!

Beurre Blanc....enough said

2012-07-14T17:34:00.004-07:00

Hi all, hope your doing well. I'm doing okay, still not in a restaurant, but haven't really been trying to be either. For a while now, I've been craving fish and have been having something of a difficult time finding a market that sells only seafood here in West Palm Beach. My choices are limited at Publix but I will deal with it for now. If anyone knows of a seafood market, I would deeply appreciate if you could contact me with the information. Back to the fish craving, I managed to find two lovely whole yellow tail snapper at a great price in Publix, so I snatched them right up. In my mind these beautiful fish deserved to be eaten with a sauce of some kind, something that would elevate the flavor of the fish and quell my cravings. I remember one of the chefs at culinary school mentioning how beurre blanc is great with fish and I instantly knew I had to have it.

Once my fish was prepared and the beurre blanc poured over it, I couldn't wait to have a bite, when I put the chunk of fish covered with sauce into my mouth, to say that it was "mind blowing" would be an understatement. My taste buds screamed for mercy, my arms went up in unison, my head fell back, my eyes shut and brief thoughts of beautiful things fluttered my mind...

Now beurre blanc is not a classic sauce, it's not one of the "mother suaces", but in my eyes it should be. It is very simple to prepare and can only bring happiness to those who choose to eat it, below find the recipe for beurre blanc and some photos. Thank you for reading, feel free to leave comments, take care and enjoy!

Beurre Blanc

1 cup white wine vinegar

1 cup dry white wine

salt to taste

white pepper to taste

1 shallot minced

2 sticks of butter (cold)

Before I begin the method, I want to warn you that beurre blanc does not hold for long, you should use it immediately. If you need to reheat it do so on low fire stirring rapidly. Dice the shallot, put it aside, cut chilled butter into medium chunks, heat up a pan. Add white wine vinegar then add white wine, let them reduce two or three minutes. Add two tablespoons of butter and stir in rapidly. Add shallots and stir. Add in two more tablespoons of butter stir rapidly, take the pan off the fire, here you can add the white pepper and some salt. Return the pan to the fire and keep adding the butter and stirring until it's all in the pan. Once you have it seasoned the way you want, take it off the fire. It's ready, serve as desired. Sauce should be creamy, smooth, shiny in appearance and sinful.

Rainy days and meatloaf

2012-06-16T10:57:00.002-07:00

Hello all! I hope you all find yourselves well today. Happy Father's day to all you great dads! The rain continues on here in Florida, we've got some sunshine in the morning, then rain and severe thunderstorms. I've always been one to enjoy the rain, it never stopped me from going on with my day, however, lately it proves to be a hindrance when I want to barbecue or go to the beach. You see all there is to do in Florida is mainly outdoors, so rain can put a "damper" on things.... It has relieved the drought we've had for so long, so I'll deal. I've been informed by various people that I am now a Floridian, I need you to understand it's only temporary if true. Also, I need you to understand how hard that was to think, accept, let alone write. In my heart I will always be a New Yorker. I suppose when I go live in Italy after a while I'll be Italian or European? That would be nice, but I don't think it's so (I never give up on Europe).

Notice how I haven't mentioned that I am working in the food industry, that's because I'm not, but I'm over the frustration of it. I've been focussing on cooking at home, writing and well..blogging. Should I mention something about my love life? Is it pathetic that I have in the past? I don't know, I don't mind speaking of it and don't feel uncouth talking about it, so maybe it okay for me. So I'm still single, but okay with it, in the past I always had a relationship and my life consisted of what my partner wanted. It's not all their fault, I was young and naive and maybe those experiences have helped mold me into the woman I am today (which I love). Maybe I just want to let all you singletons out there know, it's okay, there are other passions in life you can focus on in between finding your next lover.

So I'll get on with my recipe then. Instead of relying on barbecuing in this unreliable weather, I thought it's possible to get that barbecue "feel" at the very least. My recipe for meatloaf provides that barbecue feel with sweet and savory notes and fulfills the craving (temporarily anyway) for barbecue. This recipe is untraditional in that it does not call for eggs or bread crumbs, which is great in many ways it can save money, help you cut calories and cholesterol and is a little less work. Below find my recipe for meatloaf, thank you for reading, comment if you like, join my site if you wish, I'd love to have you, take care and enjoy!

2 pounds of ground beef (I use lean)

1 large onion small dice

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon salt

1 1/4 cup of ketchup/barbecue sauce

Add all dry ingredients to meat, mix thoroughly. Add 1 cup ketchup and mix. Pick up meat and pound onto clean counter or table, chopping board etc.. Do this about four times, it tenderizes the meat and can relieve stress too. Add onions and mix into the meat well. You can pound the meat again if you wish. Now form your meatloaf in a rectangular pan. Spread some of the leftover ketchup on top and place into a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, remove and spread the rest of the ketchup/sauce on top. Cook another 20 minutes or so and enjoy with some potato salad.

Potato Salad, keep it coming!

2012-05-26T14:00:00.002-07:00

Hi there! Hope you all find yourselves well. As promised I am back with a recipe for all those well-deserving mom's out there. Being that it's may and the signs of summer are already upon us here in Florida, I thought a kicked up potato salad would bring joy to mom's all over the world. After all potatoes make up comfort foods and let's face it mom's need something comforting after working and managing the household and kids all day. Frankly, I can eat potato salad indefinitely, I just had some yesterday at work. Of course, it has to be good, I don't just eat any potato salad, it should have a variety of flavors bursting in your mouth and in the end the smoothness of the potato and creaminess of the mayonnaise or other binder should bring calm and an appreciation to the fact that potato salad was in your life at that particular time...
Since this post is for mothers, I won't go on about my life at this time. Below find the recipe for my potato salad and next time I post, I'll go on about my life. I used light mayonnaise in this recipe, I promise you it does not take away from the flavor. Take care and enjoy!

My Potato Salad

5 pound bag of red potatoes

1/2 cup of light mayonnaise

1/2 onion minced

1/2 apples minced and peeled

4 eggs boiled/slivered

salt to taste

1 teaspoon sugar

cayenne pepper as desired

Quarter and clean potatoes. Boil in a large pot until tender (firm, not breaking apart) add salt to water as well. When cooked drain water and place potatoes in large bowl. Add mayonnaise and mix in a bit, then add slivered eggs, apple, onion then mix again at this time you can cut up the potatoes smaller with utensil your using to mix. Taste to determine the amount of salt you want, a teaspoon is usually good for me. Add the sugar and mix again. Last but not least, sprinkle with cayenne pepper and enjoy. The end product should be as I mentioned earlier, bursts of flavors in your mouth, the sweet and tangy, then a kick of spice at the end, oh yea! Please feel free to write me with any questions or post a comment, thank you.

Sauteed Plums and Red Grapes over baked chicken

2012-04-29T17:02:00.001-07:00

Hello, hope your all doing well today. It's been raining here in Florida for a couple of days now on and off, I'm glad though, it's a break from the scorching hot sun. Not that it's been terribly hot lately, but it's coming after all this is Florida. Some days ago I was informed by a friend that it's spring, I know, I know your probably thinking duh! she doesn't know when spring is, actually no, it's hard for me to accept it's spring here because of the constant heat. I told her I feel like it's always summer she guarranteed me it is spring, I ended the argument by accepting it's spring and again reminding her it doesn't feel like it... That day began with me thinking about a nice light dish to prepare and post for all to see. As I sat for lunch at work pondering, a male co-worker approached my table, he was carrying something on the tip of his finger, it was moving slowly. As he came closer, I nearly jumped out of my seat and ran for cover, my heart leaped and I think I even gagged at the prospect of what it was he was carrying. I managed to let out part of the word what, it went something like "whhhaa", he immediately said "it's a caterpillar isn't it cute?" I think he noticed my face was pale and I was nearly out of my seat, do you think he noticed I was in deep panick mode? Anyway all I could say to him was that the damn caterpillar reminded me of a whole other type of caterpillar I encountered a few years ago called a puss caterpillar. Long story short, puss caterpillars have a painful bite and they exist here in Florida, so don't touch then, relocate them or keep away from them, never play with them.
Back to the result of my pondering during lunch, something light in my mind meant perhaps fruit or vegetables with poultry or pork. It felt as though the answer wasn't going to come to me at work, so I let it go. While I cleaned out my refrigerator a few days ago, there was some fruit we hardly touched and still in an edible state, then it came to me, I would prepare a baked chicken with a saute of juicy plums and red grapes in orange olive oil, yes orange! insane? No way, it was delicious, providing the palate with that wonderful balance of sweet and savory, the subtle flavor of orange can be noticed if you pay attention, it's one of those playful dishes you want to enjoy with your family. Below find the recipe for sauteed plums and grapes with baked chicken, enjoy!

Sauteed plums and red grapes with baked chicken

2 plums

20 red grapes

2 tablespoons orange olive oil

2 tablespoons sugar

Heat the olive oil in pan, Slice the plums into wedges, cut the grapes. Once the oil is hot place plums and grapes inside, when they are tender add the sugar and stir gently. When the plums are tender, turn off the heat. For the chicken follow the recipe for the baked chicken I have listed for Easter, excluding the onions and corrots, season with salt and pepper. Slice some of the chicken breast or any piece you wish, place over white rice if desired then place the sauteed fruits over the chicken. This dish will make your palate sing and it's very simple to prepare, thank you for looking, please comment, I look forward to it, take care!!

Cheesecake Please!! Recipe for Juniors' famous no. 1 cheesecake

2012-04-16T14:40:00.007-07:00

Hello, hope your all having a great day and find yourselves well. Yesterday I baked again, you see my daughter has suggested that I dedicate Sundays to making some sort of "confection", she added that when I write about it I should call it "Sunday Sweets". How could I say no? It's something to do, but mostly it's a great way to spend quality time with my girls. I can't promise I'll have a recipe for you every Sunday, however, I will try. As we pondered about what we'd like to concoct, I suddenly blurted out CHEESECAKE! as I spotted my "Juniors' cookbook on the bookshelf accross the room. What's Juniors' you ask? Well..it's only a huge restaurant located downtown brooklyn, which produces the most incredible, mind blowing, outstanding, unctuous, delectable cheesecake in the whole world! Did I forget a word? Juniors' has been around for decades and is still very popular today and I happen to have in my hot litle hand a hardcover copy of the Juniors' cookbook, thank you, thank you very much. So, being that my eldest child loves cheesecake she very much welcomed the idea and was eager to begin the cheesecake making process.
I have to warn you the process is a bit long, including cooking time, it took about six and a half hours. So if you take on the task of making this awesome cheesecake either make it a day in advance or start early, real early. You see this cheesecake has a spongecake base or crust, so you have to prepare the spongecake, then you prepare the cheesecake mixture. I guarantee you it is well worth the time and effort, the end product is a smooth, creamy, subtly sweet cheesecake that melts in your mouth and makes you think of all the good in the world. Below find the recipe for Juniors' famous no. 1 cheesecake and photos, enjoy!

JUNIORS' CHEESECAKE RECIPE

	For the Sponge Cake Crust
	1/2 cup sifted flour
	1 tsp baking powder
	pinch of salt
	3 extra large eggs, separated
	1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar
	1 tsp vanilla extract
	3 drops lemon extract
	3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted 1/4 tsp cream of tartar

	For Cream Cheese Filling
	4 8 oz pkg cream cheese at room temp
	1 2/3 cups sugar
	1/4 cup cornstarch
	1 tbsp vanilla extract
	2 extra large eggs
	3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Prepare sponge cake layer; Preheat oven to 350 and generously butter a 9 in springform pan. In a medium bowl, sift cake flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. In a lg bowl, with an electric mixer on high, beat the egg yolks for 3 mins. With the mixer still running, gradually add the 1/3 cup of sugar and continue beating until think ligh yellow ribbons form in the bowl, about 5 mins more. Beat in the vanilla and lemon extracts. Sift flour mixture over the batter; stir it in by hand until no more white flecks appear. Blend in the butter.

In a clean bowl, using clean dry beaters, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on high until frothy. Gradually add the remaining 2 tbsp sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form (the whites should stand up in stick peaks but not be dry). Stire about 1/3 cup of the whites into the batter, then gently fold in the remaining whites. Gently spoon the batter into the springform pa. Bake the cake just until the center springs back when lightly touched (10 mins). Watch carefully- the cake should turn light golden and set on top, not brown. Place the cake on a wire rack to cool. Do not remove it from the pan.

While the cake cools, make the filling. Place one 8 oz. pack of cream cheese, 1/3 c. sugar and cornstarch in a lg bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy (3 mins) then beat in the remaining cream cheese. Increase mixer speed to high and beat in the remaining sugar then beat in the vanilla. Blend in the eggs, one at a time beating the batter well after each one. Stir in the heavy cream, mixing the filling only until completely blended. Be careful not to overmix.

Gently spoon the filling on top of the baked sponge cake. Place springform pan in a lg shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 in up the sides of the pan. Bake cheesecake until the center barely jiggles when the pan is shaken- about 1 hr. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 1 hr. Then cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely cold (at least 4 hrs). Remove the sides of the springform pan. Slide the cake off the bottom of the pan and place it on a serving plate. Cover leftover cake with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator.

Baked chicken with carrots and onions for Easter Dinner

2012-04-08T17:21:00.001-07:00

     Hello! Hope your all having a wonderful and blessed Easter Sunday. I have to say, I had a great time, my girls and I were invited to a friends house for egg hunting, Easter Dinner and some swimming. However as the day progressed we became so engulfed in conversation with her family, who as it turns out are Italian Americans from Brooklyn. that the idea of swimming was inconceivable. Our conversations consisted of music, food, Italian food, coffees, Italy, Brooklyn and who's camera had what features. Turns out my friends' aunt Sadie lived in Italy for some years and goes back every year, she's elderly and has such a wonderful, fun way of telling a story. At some point it seemed as though it was just me and aunt Sadie talking, in our own little world. Oh my! I called her aunt Sadie like she's my aunt, well maybe she is as just before we left she gave me a big hug and my friend said "welcome to the family" awe....that was sweet.  I think I'm invited for 4th of July and Thanksgiving... As the conversations went on, thoughts of my own family came to mind, childhood thoughts of Coney Island and Rockaway beach it was touching in a sense. Also, there was the promise that I may get the families' secret "gravy" recipe, for those of you who are not familiar with how secret an authentic Italian "gravy" recipe is, I have to tell you, you either have to be a close family member or a very close friend if there is no family left to get it (fingers crossed). Oh and just in case your wondering what I mean by "gravy" well, that's how some Italians refer to their homemade tomato sauce.

     Of course I couldn't show up empty handed so I chose to prepare baked chicken with carrots and onions. It was refreshing to know, everyone enjoyed the chicken and complimented me on it, they even had "seconds" which was an even greater compliment. I was just glad they were pleased because isn't that what we want when serving our food? To please everyone at the table? Besides the chicken, the table was covered with plates filled with potato salad, sweet potato casserole, ham and a pasta called, get this "death by garlic", I loved it, it definitely lived up to it's name and was so good I think I'll get the recipe and post on here soon. Then of course, there was dessert consisting of flan, upside down pineapple cake, chocolate cake, coconut cake in the form of a bunny, blueberry pie and ....vanilla cake.
Wow! By the time we were done as you may imagine, we were stuffed, I had to take the rest of my dessert home.  Below I give you the recipe for baked chicken with carrots and onions along with some photo's . Thank you for reading and enjoy!

Baked Chicken with Carrots and Onions

2 whole chickens

1 tablespoon of garlic fresh or powdered

1 tablespoon of pepper

1 tablespoon of salt or to taste

1 packet of sazon with culantro and achiote (in ethnic section)

4 large carrots quartered

1large onion large dice

1 large roasting pan

Clean chickens, a simple rinse is fine, check for giblets inside cavities. You can mix the condiments listed above, then rub them on the chickens, set that aside and clean your carrots, quarter then and give the onion a large dice. Put chickens in the pan, place it into a 350 degree oven, about forty minutes later, place the carrots and onions into pan, separate them and let them cook with the chicken the rest of the way, I'd say the cooking time is about two and a half hours, but check the chicken with a thermometer after two hours, the temperature should be 180 for a well done chicken. Now you can cook these a golden brown, but I sometimes like to get that rustic, charred look on them. The chicken will come out tender and juicy, let it rest for twenty minutes before cutting, then cut it into pieces as in the photo below and spread the leftover juices over the top, a guaranteed hit, I promise you, enjoy!!

Chocolate filled cupcakes while I think...

2012-03-29T11:42:00.003-07:00

       Hi everyone, hope you are all well. My last post was quite short I realize that and hardly informative I realize that as well, but it's a result of exhaustion and shock I think. It's as though the college process was this long roller coaster ride and I got off with my heart racing, a little nauseous, dizzy maybe and uhh..not sure where I was. When I began I was sure of what I wanted and where I was going, last week I was asking myself "what next"?. As I write, I am more "together" in my thoughts and plans, the effects of the "ride" are over and I know what direction I want to take. A few posts ago I mentioned I was leaving Florida by April, well that's not going to happen (SHOCKER!) not by April anyway, honestly I don't know where I want to go and have to do some research before such a big decision is made, truth be told, I can't get Europe out of my head, but unfortunately I'll have to wait some more.
     So here it is (my decision) I am going to start a business here as I mentioned some months ago, I have my business card and surprise, surprise, I have made friends who want "in" in my endeavor. This is serious, my friends are serious and rooting for me I need that, someone even said I should work side by side with Gordon Ramsey, so I can throw pots and stuff...(I think that was a compliment) But no, I wouldn't do that, for some reason they affiliate chefs with aggression..hmmm....  In about a month or so a couple of friends and I are going to host a promotion party for our businesses, I will promote my culinary skills, one friend will promote her event planning business and another friend will promote his deejay skills all under one roof, it's going to be a blast and your all invited! (will post information when available). I am still writing and now that I have more free time I will go at it full force, I will get to where I'm going I know that. Although I'm still not working in the culinary field, work is in abundance and I am considering switching programs so that I can have more time to plan my business, so I'm on the right track and it seems the "fates" are on my side, they just feel I have to wait longer before leaving here.
    Boyfriend? What's that? Yes, I still don't have one and I'm not ashamed to say it, it's all too easy to go to a bar and pick someone up.... why did I bring this up? I don't want to talk about it.  Let's talk about food, last Sunday my eldest daughter suggested we try baking, she reminded me that a good chef should know a lot about baking, I agreed. We chose a simple recipe from this cute cupcake book she has and it was so much fun putting it together with her, teaching her and witnessing her wit, the cupcake was good too. These cupcakes bring decadent happiness, served warm with perhaps a cup of coffee you feel a sense of well being and warmth. The melted chocolate in the center has just the right amount of sweetness and provides the satisfaction one desires when craving chocolate. Here I have for you the recipe for "warm-chocolate filled cupcakes" it is best to serve these warm, so that the chocolate in the center does not solidify. Enjoy good people!

Warm chocolate filled cupcakes

For twelve cupcakes

8 tablespoons of softened butter

1/2 cup of sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup of self rising flour

2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa

4 ounces of semisweet chocolate

12 paper liners

confectioners sugar for dusting onto cupcake

To begin you should preheat the ove to 375. Mix butter, sugar, egg, flour and cocoa in a medium bowl and beat until smooth. Now you will spoon the batter into the liners only halfway, then make a small dent in each . You need 12 pieces of chocolate for your cakes, cut the four ounces of chocolate evenly and place a piece in each liner. Cover the chocolate with the rest of the batter and bake for 20 minutes or until the cake has risen and springs back when pressed. Let the cakes stand for a few minutes, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and serve warm.

I am Chef! / Celebration at Okeechobee Steakhouse

2012-03-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

Hello, Hello, Hello! Hope your all doing well, I am great! As of March 22, 2012 I am a Chef and I've got the paper to prove it. These past few weeks have been arduous getting the last of my assignments in and taking finals, but I did it and now I sit here in front of my computer a Chef, awesome! As I struggled through the weeks with my final assignments, I told my friends that once I was done I was going out to celebrate. I wanted to go somewhere I hadn't been to before, so a friend suggested the Okeechobee Steakhouse and invited herself along, she said the ambiance was "low key" and the food was great so it didn't take long for me to decide that was where I would go. Once we arrived, we were greeted by a friendly hostess and the lights dimmed low, I felt very comfortable and ready to sit down, relax, have a drink and try something new. At the top of my list was the "Escargot" , I couldn't wait to try it, then the French onion soup and a steak. Below find some photos of my celebration with friends, the bigger celebration will happen sometime in June, that's when the graduation ceremony takes place. Enjoy!

A Valentine for singles/Stuffed lobster tail

2012-02-13T15:59:00.000-08:00

.......If you ever leave me baby..leave some morphine at my door....Oh hi everyone, hope your all doing well, I was just playing that "Bruno Mars" "It will rain" song in my head again, it's pretty cool isn't it? I mean he gets straight to the point, leave me drugs cause I won't be able to bare the thought of being without you sober. Well, that's how a lot of us feel when someone leaves us, only some of us don't do drugs and MUST face the hurtful truth that "it's" over sober or somewhat sober if we have a beer (like me). Last year I dedicated my valentine post to lovers or that special someone although I was single, (that was pretty selfless of me), so this year it's for singles. Consider this, singles don't have to worry what their partner would like to eat for Valentines dinner, we can choose what we want, we can pamper ourselves, we can do our own "thing" and there will be no one there to try and please or criticize. That's how I see it and with that in mind I asked myself what it is I want for Valentines from myself, I like a good steak and I like seafood and am quite fond of rice, but which one will I have? Since I'm single and don't have to spend money on dinner for two, I can treat myself to a good steak and seafood, which conjures a vision of a nice surf and turf.
Immediately the thought of a sinful New York Strip steak au jus topped with caramelized onions with a crab stuffed lobster tail entered my mind and some nice fluffly white rice yum! I picked up the steak and lobster and some crabmeat at a local market and went home, as I drove, I thought about how I'd prepare the crab stuffing, it came to me as I started preparations in the kitchen and that's the recipe I'll share with you "crab stuffed lobster tail" singles, it doesn't get any better than this. Please enjoy it, have fun and love yourself, "Pinks" "So what" just came to mind, sing with me... SO WHAT.. I'M STILL A ROCK STAR...I GOT MY ROCK MOVES AND I DONT NEED YOU TONIGHT..I'M ALRIGHT..I'M JUST FINE..AND YOUR A TOOL...

CRAB STUFFED LOBSTER TAIL

1 small/medium lobster tail

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup of crabmeat/crabclaw meat

1 ounce panko bread crumbs

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Grab hold of the lobster tail and gently cut a deep slit starting at the tail end working up to the front, set it aside. mix all the ingredients together gently you don't want to break up the crab too much, don't worry if the butter isn't melted, it will melt when lobster is cooking. Take the filling and stuff it into the lobster tail, the stuffing should flow over the top of the opening as in the photo, gently pat it down and add more. Set the oven to 350 and place stuffed lobster in, if you have extra stuffing form it into patties (for crabcakes) and put it into the baking pan with lobster, bake about fifteen minutes, that solid butter is going to melt and help bind the meat and will be delicious when you eat it you'll probably want more, luckily you'll have the steak to fall back on...

Be my Valentine challenge Forbidden rice, pork tenderloin w/apple-cranberry topping

2012-02-04T18:11:00.002-08:00

    Hello! Hope your all doing well. It's February and once again I'm excited to announce I will be judging another challenge for verygoodrecipes.com, this time the theme is dedicated to Valentines day. We're calling it "Be My Valentine" and the dish should include the color red, I think I'm finding being a part of this as interesting as the competitors do, I like a good challenge. Before I get to my recipe  I'd like  introduce the judges this month, find the complete list below and the link to the challenge site.
http://verygoodrecipes.com/be-my-valentine-challenge

Han Ker from Hankerie
Irini from Irini Savva
Katie from Down Home Foodie
Kristen from Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker
Leslie from Culinary Chronicles
Michelle from The Adirondack Chick
Minna from Naked Plate
Simcha from Turkish Cooking Everyday
Teri from The Freshman Cook

     The dish I prepared for this Valentines challenge was put together with the idea of two lovers  who escape their everyday lives to be together (take that as you will) and when they are together one of their indulgences is sharing a sexy meal that enhances their romantic experience (one can dream).  With this in mind I thought of something playful, appealing to the palate and the eye, something  that in the end would elevate their desires and be an excellent prelude to the rest of the evening. Bare in mind this recipe is solely for the competition,

I will be posting my own individual valentine dish on here in about a week, dedicated to "singles". For now please enjoy the dish I call "Forbidden Fruit" (a pun) consisting of a roasted pork  tenderloin topped with sauteed apples, cranberries simmered in dark rum and an accompaniment  of black rice aka. forbidden rice. The play of ingredients in this dish  cause an explosion of flavors on the palate, a sense of excitement and perhaps even an aphrodisiac effect as it is suspected "forbidden rice" was used by emperors for this reason and some nutritional purposes of course, plus the rum in the cranberries should lower inhibitions if any.   I cooked the apples separate from the cranberries because I didn't want the whole mixture to be red. I placed a layer of the apple on top of the sliced tenderloin, then a layer of the rum cranberries on top of the apples so you can see the lovely colors individually. Below find the recipe for "Forbidden Fruit" and enjoy!

Forbidden Fruit

Forbidden rice

2 cups of black rice

4cups of water

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic

Soak rice overnight, this will reduce the cooking time, not by much though, bring water to a boil, add

rice add salt, pepper and garlic and stir, when all the water has evaporated reduce heat to low, cover

pot and let cook covered about twenty five minutes.

Pork tenderloin

2 pound pork tenderloin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon oil

Season tenderloin, heat pan add oil, when hot add tenderloin sear it to golden brown on all sides.

Place in 350 oven until it reaches a temperature of 160 , remove, place on plate and let it rest.

You can slice it after you've prepared all the other components.

Sauteed apple

1 red delicious apple

1 shallot

1 tablespoon of sugar

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Large Dice the apple with the peel, heat pan then add butter, when melted add shallot, cook until

translucent add apple, cinnamon and sugar cook until apple is tender. Remove from heat and hold.

Rum Cranberry Sauce

1 cup fresh cranberries

1/2 cup dark rum

1 tablespoon or sugar to taste

Add rum to saucepan add cranberries and sugar, let simmer until the cranberries have burst open and

softened, when the mix is thick remove from heat.

Breakfasts of the world competition/Sausage Gravy

2012-01-09T19:18:00.000-08:00

         Hello everyone!! Hope you all find yourselves well in the new year.  In my last post I mentioned that I will be one of the judges on a virtual cooking competition hosted by Verygoodrecipes.com, well, the time has come.  The judges were asked to create a plate of their own and take a photo of it, I took a while to decide what it was I wanted to prepare, I mean breakfast is my favorite meal, especially a good, hearty breakfast, how could I choose just one thing? After pondering for hours, possibly even in my sleep, it came to me, I don't have to prepare just one thing do I? I can make a plate out of my favorite things can't I? I'll answer that one..Yes.. I can!   But there was a catch, I would only give the recipe to one item on the plate, the item I found so mind blowing it had to be the main staple in my dish, ladies and gentlemen I present to you Sausage Gravy.
     The first time I had sausage gravy was in a cafe here in West Palm Beach, as I was reading the menu in the cafe I came accross something called 'sausage gravy" I became curious "what's sausage gravy"? I asked myself, and as that thought left my head the waitress approached my table to take our order after ordering the "Farmers' Breakfast"  I found myself saying "with the sausage gravy please". When my breakfast arrived I was delighted, everything looked so fresh and inviting, I peeked into this bowl the waitress placed next to my plate and said to my girls "this must be the sausage gravy" we all picked up our forks and went in for a try, just below the gravys' surface we encountered a firm mass, I uncovered it with my fork, turns out it was a biscuit, oh my! I dug in deeper making sure to take a good piece of the biscuit and a generous amount of the gravy, as I put it in my mouth and let it sit just a second on my tongue (that's all I could wait) the world became a better place, I wanted to sing songs of joy and perhaps even dance...I quickly discovered sausage gravy is a Southern creation (thank you) and is now one of my favorite breakfast picks.
     So I decided to call my dish "my favorite things breakfast" which includes seared beef tenderloin delicately sliced and drizzled with a chunky sausage gravy I created, two poached eggs atop the tenderloin covered with gravy, a batch of home fries and a double decker biscuit doused with sausage gravy and these are just a few of my favorite things.  My friends below find the recipe for sausage gravy and please feel free to go to http://verygoodrecipes.com/breakfasts-of-the-world-challenge to compete you never know you just might win. If you would like the recipe for the rest of the items on my plate feel free to contact me, I'd be honored to share it with you, thank you, take care and enjoy!

My favorite things breakfast

Leslie's chunky Sausage Gravy

1 cup of flour

3 cups of beef stock

8 sausage links of any kind minced

4 tablesoons of oil

1/2 cup of heavy cream

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Heat oil in a pan, once hot add minced sausage, cook until brown add flour a little at a time while mixing it with sausage. Add in beef stock a cup at a time and stir as you add each cup, once you've added the last cup of stock mix all the ingredients thoroughly and yes you should expect to see lumps that's what makes the chunky sausage gravy. Add in the heavy cream now and let it simmer for two minutes add the salt and pepper to taste and there you have it Leslie's chunky sausage gravy, enjoy!!