Spice of Your Life

Italian Style Chicken Burgers

2014-04-29T06:41:00.003-07:00

Friday night after a fun date night on the golf course we came home starving and ready to eat. In a hurry I whipped up a delicious Italian style dinner that left SO begging for me to make it again...every night. I was in such a hurry I didn't get pictures while making the dinner, but at least I remembered the finished product!

Keep in mind for me to do this as a quick dinner, I have 3 burners on the stove going, the music blaring and SO doing dishes behind me...so I don't always measure. Ain't nobody got time for that! Just follow along as best as you can and YOU know your tastes...don't be afraid to adjust. If you are in a rush and need to do all 3 at one time, start with the sauce, boil the broccoli water and then heat up the skillet for the chicken. It gets all 3 done at the same time. This meal is Whole30 compliant and got the boyfriend seal of "killer." Success!

I saute the burgers, steam the broccoli with a large sauce pan and metal strainer, and simmer the sauce (first blending in a Magic Bullet.)

Ingredients:

Italian Chicken Burgers

1 lb ground chicken
Italian seasoning blend - I keep a container pre-made of Oregano, Basil and Thyme
Minced garlic
Sea Salt
Fresh ground pepper
Red pepper
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Broccoli Side:

2 heads broccoli
1/2 lemon
Fresh ground pepper
Sea salt

Marinara Sauce:

1 16oz can organic diced tomatoes
Italian seasoning blend
Minced garlic
Sea Salt
Fresh ground pepper
Red pepper

Italian Style Chicken Burgers:

Mix ground chicken with spices; Tablespoon of Italian seasoning blend, and a couple pinches of each of the rest. Form the ground mix into 4 patties. Heat up a non-stick skillet to medium with 1Tbspn of EVOO and a teaspoon of minced garlic. Cook each one until golden brown on the outside and cooked thoroughly on the inside (about 6 minutes on each side.) **IMPORTANT do not "press" your burgers down with the back of your spatula, no matter how much faster you want them to cook. This does nothing but lose the great flavor inside!

Broccoli:

Cut each head into florets, toss with the juice of 1/2 a fresh squeezed lemon, pepper and sea salt.

I steam by broccoli and most veggies, I don't have a steamer and I don't like using the microwave so this is my measure to perfectly steam. Boil 4 cups water in the bottom of a large sauce pan, set a metal strainer in the pan so that water come just short of touching the bottom., throw in broccoli, top with lemon slices and cover with a lid just small enough to fit INSIDE the strainer (if it hangs over the edge of the strainer you get water on the stove top.) This takes me 8-12 minutes depending on the veggies

Tomato sauce:

The simplest of all, combine 1/2 the canned organic tomatoes and 2 Tbsp Italian seasoning blend, and a very heavy teaspoon of each; garlic, sea salt, fresh ground pepper and red pepper into a magic bullet or food processor. This should only take a moment, you don't want to puree the tomatoes but break them down into a thick liquid. Add this mix and the remainder of the canned tomato to a saucepan and simmer on the stove. Easiest homemade sauce possible!

*Feel free to add in fresh tomatoes, mushroom, onions or peppers to this sauce for a veggie marinara!

Fresh Chicken Salad - All Natural - Whole30 - Paleo

2014-04-23T11:17:00.001-07:00

I'm back in the saddle again...the Whole30 saddle, that is. I've reigned in our household and eliminated all booze, sugars, grains...ahhhh the fun stuff. I did not think quick enough to take a picture of my Day 1 creation but from here on out I'm going to make an effort to try and be a good blogger! You might be wondering what this Whole30 thing is about and what can and cannot be consumed...for those of you fearful a quick list:

It's just beginning to turn warm in Indiana and so I wanted to make something light and cool to take a few days for lunch this week. I didn't have to think too hard to come up with chicken salad so with some help from a few other blogs, I forged on for a Whole30 friendly fix.

The source of my inspiration came from Our Paleo Life which contains an AMAZING recipe for Paleo Lime Mayo.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breast, skinned and trimmed
1 Cup grapes, halved and quartered
1/2 Cup pecans, I press mine with the side of my butcher's knife to break into 1/4" size pieces
2 small apples
3 stalks of celery, halved and cut into 1/4" thick pieces
1 Tbsp of spice mix made equal parts: red pepper, salt, white pepper, garlic powder, cumin and sage (heavier on your favorite spices, lighter on your least if you prefer, just round out to 1 heaping tablespoon)
1/2 Cup Paleo Lime Mayo
1 Tbsp Sea Salt or Kosher Salt
Romaine lettuce for shells

Directions:

Make Paleo Lime Mayo and let sit for the time you prepare your chicken salad.
Boil water on stove with the lime rinds from your Paleo Lime Mayo and 1 Tblspn Sea Salt add Chicken and boil 10-15 minutes or until done via thermometer. (You can't really over-boil chicken so I usually let mine go 15 minutes.)
Drain and set aside to cool. (I take this time to chop my produce and nuts.)
Hand shred chicken and toss with spice mix, add grapes, pecans, apples and celery. Mix well and add 1/2 cup mayo.
Let sit in fridge for 20 minutes prior to serving.
Serve in boats of romaine lettuce with a side of carrots for a fulfilling and yummy lunch!

Sticking with the plan

2013-04-14T15:45:00.003-07:00

Friday after work I went to the grocery store and although it wasn't exactly when I wanted to go, I still made it work for me and got what I needed, within my budget and got home in time to cook dinner. Shopping for one person is pretty easy and low cost, but getting the right amount is the hard part. I decided to write a list for once and try to stick to it.

I purchased all of the above except the berries, the selection at my grocer didn't look great so I opted for grapes and pineapple. Also I knew I still had spaghetti squash, lettuce, sweet potatoes, ginger and fresh mint at the house... basically, I'm stacked on great food for the week...all 21 meals.

I grabbed everything on my list and picked up some ghee and coconut milk from the natural market. If you're going to invest time into cooking this way, I suggest you get coconut oil, coconut milk and ghee. I'll probably come across other necessities along my journey but for right now, I find them essential for cooking. Also to the right is a list of my pantry, it is a compilation of the items I always have in my pantry for cooking, baking and creating. Spices are essential in my style of cooking, it's how to really change a dish from one night to the other. So for one week, it's me and this list. Under $60.00 worth of groceries for one person for a week. Easy. I hope!

Pacific Pork Roast

2013-04-14T07:48:00.001-07:00

A major benefit in my life is that I was raised in a beef cattle family, odd to you maybe, but beneficial to me. I was raised with a family with a freezer full of meat. Still, whenever I go visit my grandparents I always come home with a roast, some hamburger or even pork from time to time. This week when I was browsing my Food Network app I came across a Hawaiian pork roast from Bobby Flay and using that as a general guide with the key flavors and a pork shoulder I had in my freezer, I made a killer pork roast yesterday. The below is my recipe as I recall I did it, a lot of my cooking is off the cuff and so remembering the exact recipe is always hard for me...I attribute that to old age.

Pacific Pork Roast

2 - 1lb Pork shoulders
1 1/2 cup - Coconut Milk (or enough to cover your meat in the slow cooker)
1 thumb size piece of Ginger, sliced thin
1 Orange
1 Lemon
1 cup - Pineapple (or 1 can if you have that already, like I did)
2-3 servings Carrots
1Tbsp -Fresh Minced Garlic
1/2 Tbsp - Cumin
1/2 Tbsp - House Seasoning
(I make this once every few months in a large batch and season EVERYTHING with it. If you follow my recipes you will see this repeatedly.)
Heavy Dash of Curry
1/2 Tbsp - Chili Powder
Roasted Red Pepper flakes to taste/preference
Dried Chile Picantes to taste
(This is a regional thing, my sister in Texas brought them home straight off the ranch. So yummy and adds a firey spice flavor. Not for the weak of heart and can be ommited or substituted with your favorite hot spice.)

Combine the milk, ginger, garlic, spices and juice of the lemon and orange in a slow cooker on high, place the carrots on the bottom of the crockpot. I use a potato peeler to peel off 3-4 large pieces of lemon and orange rind to throw in for ultimate flavor. Lay in your pork so it is covered by the liquid. If the liquid does not cover the pork, add more coconut milk. Pour the pineapple on top of the meat and cook for 8 hours on high.

*About 3 hours into my cooking I threw in some onions, not a necessity, but if you like onions, I would throw those in the pot from the start.

This roast will come out with a sweet and spicy taste reminiscent of an Asian/Hawaiian BBQ. Sorry I don't have a picture...This post was an afterthought.

Going "Whole" by participating in whole30 my adventure begins...

2013-04-13T19:05:00.001-07:00

Long time no share! My last post said I was doing paleo and I was failing miserably, and in fact that's when it ended. I couldn't do it for some reason and I just gave up. Well I started it again, I started my Whole30 journey and I'm doing pretty great at it all things considered!

Eating "Whole30" is based upon a principal by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig you can learn all the ins and outs here, but in short it's eating what our bodies are meant to eat. Another form is paleo, the two forms of eating are very similar and have common strengths. I'm not doing a diet, I'm not starving myself, I'm not having to purchase 3rd party products to boost energy...I'm eating real food. I'm eating pulled pork, chicken jalapeno sausage, sweet potatoes, banana pancakes, BACON, lots of BACON and tons of other delicious treats Everything I eat is from the rawest form possible and actually cooking this food is a treat in itself.

Things I am staying away from for 30 days:

Grains

Legumes

Dairy

Sugars

Processed/Packaged Food

BOOZE!

Here are a few things I can eat

To break down my new eating habits: I eat from the list of things above...in fact I eat more than that. If it's fresh and not on my list of foods to avoid, I will try it. I am not supposed to weight myself for 30 days, but I did and I am pretty pumped to admit that 7 days in I was down 7 lbs That's just by changing what I am eating. I didn't make it to the gym once and I even cheated...I had a gluten free beer and you know what, I didn't feel guilty about it. Today is day 9 and I feel better than I did yesterday...everyday I feel better than I did the day before. I am sleeping better. I am waking up better. I have more energy. I'm happier...so much happier. I credit it all to the major change in my diet. I've always been a great cook, but I've been one never to shy from a cupcake or using real butter in an entree. Even though I have had decent eating and cooking habits, I was eating the hell out of sweets and I was going out and drinking away a gazillion empty calories at the bars. Now, the way I am feeling not doing that... it is just enlightening! I want to share it, I want everyone to try it, I want to shout from the top of a peak...eating "whole" is great.

I'm gonna start sharing my shopping lists, my recipes and my daily struggles and triumphs to prove anyone can do this. Jump on my journey!

Paleo Egg Cups

2013-01-31T09:23:00.000-08:00

Paleo Egg Cups

Okay, so I'm trying this new Whole30 thing and I'm already extremely unsuccessful at it, (No, you cannot see me eating a bag of Teddy Grahams right now) and as it goes I'm experimenting with some new recipes. This is basic and straight up the easiest way to start.

6 strips turkey bacon
5 eggs
1 roma tomato- diced
1/2 avocado- diced
Salt, Black pepper, Red pepper, Sage, Cinnamon spices

Lightly spray the bottom of a 6 set muffin tin with 100% natural cannola oil.

Season your bacon while flat (I used fresh ground pepper and my house mix of spices.)

Wrap each piece of bacon in a circle, creating a cup in each muffin spot.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk eggs and desired spices, lastly adding tomatoes and avocados.

Using a ladle or in my case an icecream scoop, pour into the bacon cups.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until the eggs are no longer wobbly.

Throw all in your personal etched pyrex dish and store in the work fridge so you don't forget breakfast!

Spicy Ensalada Salad

2012-11-15T08:22:00.000-08:00

There is a local salad shop here in Indy, When Eddie Met Salad, and in no way could I ever mimick all of their amazing salads but one had me itching for more and my wallet itching for less, their Ensalada!!! So I decided to make my own copycat recipe of the ensalada and see how it would turn out. Much to my surprise, my dressing is kick ass (and of course much, MUCH healthier!)

I bought all the following from Wal-Mart:
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 can Red Gold rotel style tomatoes and green chilis
1 can black beans
1 can whole kernel sweet corn
1 bag pre-cooked fajita chicken 16oz
1 bag taco cheese
1 container FAGE 0% Greek Yogurt
Valentia hot sauce (had at home)
Hidden Valley Dry Ranch (I keep a large shaker from Sam's Club on hand at all times)
2 Tbsp Milk
*Optional - Tortilla Strips ( I choose to omit these for less sodium)

I pre-made my salad for the week and stored the produce separately combining only the corn and beans into one container.

Dressing:
1/2 cup of Greek Yogurt
2 Tbspns Dry Ranch Seasoning
2 Tbspns Skim or 1% Milk
2 Tbspns Valentina

Mix together and sit overnight (use more milk if you like it a bit more runny!) This makes enough for all salads for the WEEK!!!

Every morning I throw my ingredients into my handy Pyrex customized dish and take my container of dressing to work, yes, it says my name! I made it myself!

Mexi-Canned Crock Pot Soup

2012-11-02T08:33:00.003-07:00

I love Mexican food, but I also love to be slightly healthy. I have found the simplest Mexican Soup recipe ever and I have to say, it's delish with a kick of spice! I ended the soup with letting everyone add homemade tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream to their individual bowls and this was a surefire hit. As stated below this serves 5-7 adults.

Ingredients:

1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained

2 cans rotel not drained

2 cans chicken (or 3 cooked & shredded breasts as I prefer to make it)

32oz chicken broth

1 can red enchilada sauce

1 5.4oz Knorr Mexican or Taco Rice mix

Random pinches of Cumin & Red Pepper to taste

Dump everything in a large crock-pot.

Cook 2 hours on high or all day on low.

Top with optional tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream!

Upside Down Pizza

2012-10-02T09:22:00.002-07:00

Okay, so I listen to sports radio all day long and lately DD has been chatting up this "Upside Down Pizza" recipe given to him by his friend Leigh. If Dan can make it, I'm sure anyone can... so I gave it a try and altered the recipe slightly.

- 1.5 lbs Ground Beef (you know I only do the leanest beef possible)

- 1 jar your favorite pasta sauce (I had Ragu in the fridge, it was okay, try Newman's if you are picking up from the store.)

- 1 bag Italian blend cheese (2 cups)

- 1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese (Org recipe calls for sour cream, but if I'm cooking Italian, I'm going ricotta)

-1 can 8oz Crescent Rolls (I used reduced fat)

Brown your meat in the skillet, toss in some italian seasoning and fennel seeds if you have some. This will turn your meat spicier similar to a sausage. After browning and draining the meat, add the pasta sauce and the ricotta/sour cream. Pour into a 9x13 pan and top with the entire bag of cheese and some Italian spices (and more ricotta if you cook like me.) Finally roll out the crescent rolls and lay across the top as a crust. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes or until the crust is golden.

Enjoy! 3 adults ate this ENTIRE pan last night... yes we are fattys and it was that good!

Cinco De Drinko!

2012-05-04T09:25:00.001-07:00

It's my 4th favorite holiday...CINCO DE DRINKO!!! So in honor of this great holiday and at the request of a few friends...here is my Margarita Cup Cake Recipe (altered from Southern Comfort Living White Cake)

3/4 c Shortening
1 1/4 c Sugar
2 1/4 c Sifted cake flour
3 tb Baking powder
3/4 ts Salt
1 c Milk

1pkg Lime jello

1 1/2 ts Vanilla extract

5 Egg whites

Cream shortening; gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed of an
electric mixer.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately
with combined milk and jello, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix after each
addition. Stir in vanilla.

Beat egg whites (at room temperature) until stiff peaks form. Gently fold
into batter.

Pour batter into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round cakepans. Bake at 350°F
for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out
clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans, and let cool completely
on wire racks. *FOR ADULT CUPPYS BRUSH ALL 2 DOZEN CUPCAKES WITH TEQUILLA, 2oz will be plenty of all 24 and a shot for the baker.

Frosting:

1 c butter

3 c powdered sugar

1 Family size Lime Jello packet

4 tbsp Heavy whipping cream

Cream shortning on medium until you have a smooth texture. Combine powdered sugar and jello mixture, gradually add to shortening, keeping consistency creamy. Add in 2 tbsp heavy cream up to 4 to get a butter cream texture. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before frosting.

Frost cupcakes and add sprinkles of very coarse sea-salt for ultimate taste.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

2011-12-28T10:10:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I LOVE food, I DESPISE chain restaurants, I CRAVE homemade goodness and I am a SUCKER for Pizza! So I have created the ultimate BBQ Chicken Pizza to do at home with quickness and fun. All the ingredients I found at my local Aldi's which is just about the only place I shop now for my baking supplies. It's the closest market and by far the most wallet-friendly. And yes...I forgot a picture of the final product, I was too busy shoving the food in my mouth to snap a quick pic. Sorry, not sorry.

Ingredients:

Store bought roll-out pizza dough ~~ Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce

3 Boiled Chicken Breasts (shredded) ~~ 2 Cups Colby Jack Shredded Cheese- Thick Sliced Mozzarella

1 Cup Ricotta Cheese ~~ Cilantro ~~ Cumin ~~ Garlic ~~Fresh Cilantro if available

Preheat your oven to 350 (or whatever your dough tells you to do.)

Roll out the Dough on a baking stone, or a 9 x13 metal pan

Sprinkle the crust all over with spices and then pour on enough BBQ sauce to thinly cover the dough.

Take your Mozzarella and slice the fresh ball into thin circles and place over the BBQ Sauce.

Drop quarter size amounts of Riccotta in between the Mozzarella.

In a separate bowl, coat your Shredded Chicken in your BBQ sauce and evenly distribute over the top of the Mozzarella and Ricotta

Top with Shredded Cheese a light dusting of Spices and Fresh Cilantro (if available.)

Bake on 350 for 12 - 15 minutes.

As much as you are tempted DO NOT EAT RIGHT OUT OF OVEN.

The Mozarella and Ricotta are deceivingly HOT in the middle.

Let cool for 5 -10 minutes to avoid melting the top of your mouth!

Baked Pumpkin Bites

2011-09-25T09:02:00.000-07:00

Fall is by far my favorite season. I already have my fall decorations up, my hoodies pulled out and pumpkin flavoring all my favorite foods! One of the easiest, healthiest recipes I use and abuse is perfect for fall, Baked Pumpkin Bites. This recipe can actually be made as a cake, mini loafs or as I like them mini muffins so they are a small and portable snack.

1 Pkg 18.5oz Spice or Yellow Cake Mix
1 Can 15oz Pumpkin
(only Walmart carries this year round, found in the baking aisle)
1 Tbspn Truvia (2 packets of Splenda work as well)
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
Pumpkin Pie Spice
if you use yellow cake mix you will need to HEAVILY use the pumpkin pie spice, if using spice cake, sprinkle spice for about 5 seconds. I have found ALDI has a great pumpkin pie spice.

Combine all ingredients, drop a teaspoon into each mini-tin(which has been greased with spray) and bake at 350. As with all bread baking the larger the serving the longer the time in the oven. For my mini bakes, I keep them in about 17 minutes. Just use the old toothpick trick to check and see if they are done.

Due to the fact these are a "light" recipe they come out with a solid frame and a chewy/pumpkin pie like center. When making mini bakes this recipe yields 72 servings.

Enjoy my fellow fall lovers!

Nutrition Facts User Entered Recipe
72 Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories		33.5

Total Fat		0.7 g

	Saturated Fat	0.2 g

	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.1 g

	Monounsaturated Fat	0.4 g

Cholesterol		0.0 mg

Sodium		50.4 mg

Potassium		19.2 mg

Total Carbohydrate		6.5 g

	Dietary Fiber	0.3 g

	Sugars	3.5 g

Protein		0.4 g


Vitamin A	21.2 %

Vitamin B-12	0.1 %

Vitamin B-6	0.3 %

Vitamin C	0.5 %

Vitamin D	0.0 %

Vitamin E	0.8 %

Calcium	1.0 %

Copper	0.6 %

Folate	2.1 %

Iron	1.2 %

Magnesium	0.6 %

Manganese	1.6 %

Niacin	1.1 %

Pantothenic Acid	0.5 %

Phosphorus	2.1 %

Riboflavin	1.0 %

Selenium	0.3 %

Thiamin	1.6 %

Zinc	0.2 %

Simple Pasta Salad

2011-09-05T06:52:00.000-07:00

Chances are, if you've been to a picnic or cookout with me, you've had my pasta salad. When I was little my stepmom started making this salad for every summer function and I've carried on the tradition! In the past 2 weeks I've had quite a few requests for the recipe. Enjoy!

1 box Rotini Tri Colored Pasta
1 bottle Light Italian Dressing
1 bag of Colby Jack Shredded Cheese
4 Vine Ripe Tomatoes
3 Cucumbers

While the pasta boils according to directions on the box, halve de-seed and then dice both the tomatoes and cucumbers into 1/2 inch chunks. After straining and cooling the pasta (10 mins in the freezer or 20 in fridge) add all ingredients into your best cookout dish or tupperware and serve! So easy and soooooooo yummy!

Enjoy friends!

Cucumber Tomato & Basil Salad

2011-08-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long since I posted a creation! Today while making this I decided it was a great summer salad to share :) The Cukes, Tommytoes and Basil are all from my garden or my neighbors and everything else I had sitting in my pantry. Free ingredients = Happy Ashley!

Cucumber Tomato & Basil Salad

1 Cucumber
5 small Tomatoes
1 handful of Basil
1 tsp minced Garlic
1 Tbsp Olive Oil (mine is bay leaf and garlic infused)
Sea Salt (to taste)
Fresh Ground Black Pepper (to taste)
Balsamic Vinaigrette (to taste)

1. Halve and scrape out the guts of the tomatoes.
2. Peel, halve and scrape out the guts of the cucumbers.
3. Chop tomatoes and cucumbers into 1/2 inch pieces.
4. Mince basil leaves.
5. Toss tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, garlic and olive oil into bowl.
6. Add remaining ingredients to taste ( I like a health serving of the balsamic vinaigrette, or about 2 Tbsps.)

Cover tightly and refrigerate or leave at room temperature for 4-6 hours for optimal taste. I am refrigerating mine for approx 6 hours as suggested by other blogs until it is ready to serve.

Bon Appetit!

Parmesan Penne Bake

2011-02-09T09:58:00.000-08:00

Okay for a quick and easy dinner solution the other night I came up with a "mac and cheese" for a refined pallet.

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Penne Pasta (4 servings)
Italian blend shredded cheese (Parmesan, Asiago, Romano, Mozzarella)
Italian blend spices (LOVE my pizza and pasta spices grinder!)
Salt
Pepper
Minced Garlic
Olive Oil
Bread Crumbs (Italian if available)

Utensils:
Saucepan
Glass baking dish 8x8 or 9" round

-Preheat oven to 325.
-In sauce pan add one tsp of minced garlic, 1Tbsp of olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper, simmer on medium heat for 3 minutes.
-Add appropriate amount of water as per penne boiling directions. Boil noodles and strain once done.
- In oven safe glass dish add noodles, 2 Tbsp of Italian seasonings and 1 cup of blended cheeses, mix well into noodles. Add another thin layer of cheese to the top of the dish and dust the top with bread crumbs. Lighlty shake olive oil over top of the dish leave uncovered and place in oven.
-Leave in oven for 20-25 minutes uncovered and switch to the broiler for last 3 minutes of cooking. Be sure to watch your dish and make sure not to over broil. I like mine to have a crispy top, hence the broiler but this is an optional step.

Serve as is or add a side of your favorite marinara sauce (mmmm...home made sauce :)) for a true Italian pasta dish.

Enjoy!

You ain't never had my Cornbread

2011-02-05T10:45:00.000-08:00

Yes, It's true and obvious, Dave Matthews Band is the source for much of my inspiration. Having said that, of course I attempt to make Cornbread...while jamming out to Dave singing about Cornbread. This cornbread is a little sweet and a little spicy just like me :) Enjoy

-Preheat oven to 400

Ingredients:
1 box corn muffin mix
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 red hot chili
5 slices jalapeno
Dash cumin

Utensils:
Mixing bowl
Fork
Spatula
Cutting board
Sharp small knife
2 mini loaf pans or one muffin tin

Mix corn muffin mix, egg, milk, cumin and sugar till a thick and slightly lumpy consistency.
Cut one long slice down the red chili pepper, open it and scrape out all seeds. Continue to make one long slice down the other side of the pepper and then chop the pepper into fine pieces (DO NOT GET YOUR HANDS NEAR YOUR MOUTH!! Ouch!)
Chop jalapeno slices into small slivers, the same size as your chili pepper slices.
Add both peppers while stirring mix.

Pour into two well greased mini loaf pans and bake at 400 16-20 minutes, or until top of loafs are golden brown.

Enjoy with a bowl of butternut squash soup or as a side with some bbq chicken and greens!

New Blog!

2011-02-04T12:15:00.000-08:00

Hello to the three readers out there I think I'll have to this blog! :-) I am beginning this blog in response to requests for my recipes and because I love to cook and this gives me one more reason to show off my skills. I do not pretend to have any background in the culinary arts, however I spent 4+ years working the dining side of a country club where I learned quite a few tricks. Furthermore, as a kid I always found my grandmother's cooking interesting. I would watch her with subdued fascination and dream of having my own kitchen as a "grown-up." So now, I try my hand at something I've been longing to do since childhood, develop my own recipes and give them to others to try.

To the right you will find a list of ingredients that I will *ALWAYS* have in my cabinets. I do not let myself get low on any of these ingredients and I find they are the band-aids to my attempts at cooking. If you wish to follow along with my cooking, I highly suggest stocking up on these ingredients. I prefer organic spices, but there is nothing wrong with grabbing these from your local Aldi or Kroger, spices are spices and no matter the packaging, all contain the same ingredients.

Secondary to the list of ingredients I also tend to have frozen chicken breasts, cream cheese, milk, white fish, spaghetti, penne, elbow macaroni and an assortment of canned vegetables on hand. Thus no matter the situation or diner I may be having I can cater to my guests diets.

So now that you have read a bit about me and my kitchen, please feel free to continue and cook with me! If you have any comments, I'd greatly appreciate them and hopefully make a follower out of you!

Ciao xoxo
Ashley