Everything But Rice...

All About Cocoa is LIVE

2011-12-06T16:34:00.003-05:00

I've been a little busy behind the scenes and I have an announcement!

The website is LIVE!!!!

As always I appreciate all of you and thanks for the continued love!

All About Cocoa

Happy Gobble Gobble!

2011-11-23T09:38:00.002-05:00

I used to be a HUGE Thanksgiving fan. Now not so much. I'm pretty content with doing nothing all day and laying up, but my mom and friends won't let me stay in. So this year some lucky family member or friend will be lucky enough to have me freeload. They don't mind because most people cook way more than what's needed and don't really want to put the food in the fridge. I'll make sure to bring tupperware too because my bestie is getting a fried turkey and my mom is making red rice to take to my cousin's house. You need a plan for these days. I think I'm ready.

That's all for now. Just wanted to let ya'll know that I was still alive and coooking ;)

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Christmas is around the corner and you KNOW it goes down because I cook way more than what's needed lol

Besos

No Moo, No Oink, No ...what sounds do Chicken Make

2011-09-29T20:08:00.005-04:00

No it's not Lent, but I am giving up red meat and chicken once again. Now, I don't eat those things ALL the time, but I need to make some changes in my life. But before I do that, I need to say farewell to meat, and I'd like to do that with my favorite comfort food, short ribs. I blogged about them before, so you should know that i'm not playing when I say that this is one of my favorite things to make/eat. So without further ado, here is the recipe.

Short Rib Yummyness

Ingredients
* Short Ribs (duh) - I went to the butcher and he cut about 12 pieces for me (Not a lot when the meat breaks down).
* Chopped Onion - about 2 tablespoons
* Chopped Garlic - 1 tablespoon (I love garlic)
* Chopped Green Pepper - 1 Tablespoon
* Flour
* Vegetable oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan or pot, you'll see why below)
* Your favorite seasoning
* Beef Stock - 1 Can
* Red Wine - 1 cup - I lowered the amt this time around
* BBQ Sauce - 1/2 cup

Directions
1. Soak meat for an hour (as you should all the time, gets excess blood out)
2. Season meat with your favorite seasoning
3. Flour the meat (I used a bag, I'm old school)
4. Pre-heat oil in pot/pan
5. When oil is hot, place meat in oil to brown on each side
6. Once meat is browned, take out and drain on paper towel
7. Add veggies (you can add carrots, celery etc - do your thang)
8. Add the beef stock and stir
9. Add the bbq sauce (whichever one you like)
10. Add the red wine and stir
11. Once the veggies have softened drain the excess oil and add meat back to pot
12. Add just enough water so that it's just below the top of the meat
13. Turn heat to a very low simmer and let it cook for 3 hours this helps in getting FALL OF THE BONE TENDERNESS

Orange You Glad We're Having Chicken?

2011-09-15T18:28:00.004-04:00

This recipe comes from another favorite site, iVillage. It's more of lifestyle blog that includes everything from food to sex. Not only do I get my horoscope from this site, I also get a daily recipe, what's not to love? In a fantasy world, I'd be able to cook dinner every night for my family and I...maybe one day.

I decided to change it up this week even though I'm still trying my best to keep it light. I'm not going to lie, it is a little hard to maintain. I'm working on it though. One day at a time.

I chose this recipe because the weather is quickly changing and sometimes you need some comfort food. Chicken is my go to and it is super easy to make.

Make this recipe your own, you know I will.

Orange and Rosemary Grilled Chicken

Ingredients
* 1/2 orange, unpeeled, seeds removed, cut into chunks
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
* 1 teaspoon coarse salt
* 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* Generous pinch of red-pepper flakes
* 2 tablespoons red-wine or apple cider vinegar
* 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces

Directions
1. Combine orange, garlic, rosemary, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and red-pepper flakes in a food processor; blend until orange is chopped into small pieces and mixture is well combined.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dip each piece in the marinade to coat and place in a large sealable plastic bag. Pour extra marinade into bag and seal. Refrigerate, turning the bag occasionally, for at least 2 and up to 8 hours.
3. Heat grill to medium. (I'll be using my stove top grill or might even bake it)
4. Remove chicken pieces from marinade and place on grill. Cook, turning often, until chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes total.
5. Serve immediately.

For more recipes, horoscopes, sex and relationship tips, go to iVillage to sign up.

Salad? Again?

2011-09-08T18:10:00.002-04:00

I'm still trying to keep up with this healthy thing...even though I made some slammin' curry chicken and so/so rice and peas (Just tryna be honest). The recipe was good, but ya'll already know how I feel about making rice. I also made my slammin' cabbage (I'll post that recipe at another time)...

I know last week I posted a salad recipe well guess what here's another one. I went to a wedding in January and one of the dishes included a mixed green salad with craisins, crumbled goat cheese, walnuts and balsamic vinaigrette. I'm not a fan of walnuts, but I tell you the flavors combined are delicious. I usually get this salad from Whole Foods if I don't feel like buying all of the ingredients especially since they sell them 2 for $5 for a nice side salad.

Over this past summer, I discovered a delicious take on this salad at Pret and I must say, it is the bomb dot com. The apples add a nice bit of sweetness with the blue cheese and the chicken tastes so fresh. It is a must. But you don't have to go to Pret to pay 8.75 for it, you can make this in the comfort of your own home and have more for leftovers.

Prett's Cobb and Greens Salad

Ingredients
* Grilled Chicken
* Blue Cheese
* Cranberries (dried)
* Toasted Walnuts (shelled of course and chopped)
* Julienned apple
* Cherry Tomatoes
* Baby Leaf (you can use mixed greens)

I usually pair it with the Lemon Shallot Dressing.

When I say that this is good, please believe it!

Salad....Yummm

2011-09-01T15:55:00.003-04:00

The other day I was weighed and let me just say that I was not pleased with the number. I know I've been talking A LOT about my whole fitness plan and looking better naked. But I have to admit with my schedule, it's hard to stick to a work out regiment. Of course now that I know where I am with my weight, I think now is the time to get it together. I will not say the number but I will say that it is more than I've ever weighed even though I think I still look it the same.

I say all this to say that the recipe for this weekend will be something light and fresh. What better way to start it off then with a yummy and hearty salad. Salads don't have to be boring and this salad is far from boring. I'll more than likely alter it because I am not a fan of chick peas. This recipe comes from iVillage. Every now and then they send a recipe that I have to try and this was one of them.

Green Goddess Salad

Ingredients
* 1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted
* 12 ounces peeled and deveined cooked shrimp, (21-25 per pound)
* 3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
* 1/2 cucumber, sliced
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as tarragon, sorrel and/or chives * 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
* 2 teaspoons tarragon vinegar, or white-wine vinegar
* 1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed
* 1 teaspoon anchovy paste, or minced anchovy fillet
* 1 cup rinsed and chopped canned artichoke hearts (I'm sure that these are good for you, so I'll woman up and try it)
* 8 cups bite-size pieces green leaf lettuce (I'll be using a mixed green salad)
* 1/2 cup chopped celery

Directions
1. Puree avocado, buttermilk, herbs, vinegar and anchovy in a blender until smooth.
2. Divide lettuce among 4 plates. Top with shrimp, cucumber, tomatoes, chickpeas, artichoke hearts and celery. Drizzle the dressing over the salads.

Strawberry Shortcake

2011-08-25T13:13:00.005-04:00

The other day I purchased heavy cream because I had a taste for homemade ice cream. I never got around to it, so I decided to make whipped cream instead. Now don't get me wrong, I love Reddi Whip. Something about bringing the can to my mouth and just having at it brings back some fun childhood memories of sneaking whipped cream for a quick treat. Once I decided that I would make the whipped cream, I purchased a plain pound cake from Entenmanns and some strawberries. I mean it was Sunday and I deserve to treat myself...right? The whipped cream was SUPER simple and it's a recipe that I've tried over and over again and it NEVER fails. All you need are three simple ingredients and a hand mixer. Pics and recipe are below.

Whipped Cream
* 2 c - (16oz) - Heavy Cream
* 1 tbsp Vanilla (I wanted Almond extract but thought about it too late, next time)
* 1/4 c sugar

I toasted the pound cake in a non-stick frying pan. OMG. Try that! You won't be upset. TRUST ME.

I sliced about 5 Strawberries

Strawberry Shortcake

How About a Nice Juicy Steak

2011-08-25T12:57:00.003-04:00

I don't get the chance to eat red meat often. I don't know anyone who eats it everyday or more than once a week unless there happens to be leftovers. Since I don't eat it often, and I have moments when I crave iron and meat. Yes, I know that I can eat spinach or broaden my palate and eat some beets...but nah, I'd much rather have a big juicy steak. If you happen to be on the east coast, you'll probably be stuck in the house all weekend...hopefully with a boo so that you can work it off afterwards. ;)

Grilled Steaks with Blue Cheese and Chiles

Ingredients
* 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
* 3 teaspoons minced fresh parsley, divided
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 6 1-inch-thick beef tenderloin steaks (about 6 ounces each)
* 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
* 1/4 cup finely crumbled blue cheese (about 1 ounce)
* 2 tablespoons finely chopped seeded red or green jalapeño chiles
* 1 shallot, finely chopped
* 3/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar

Directions
1. Combine olive oil, 2 teaspoons parsley, and garlic in 8x8x2-inch glass dish. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. Add steaks to dish and turn to coat. Marinate steaks 30 minutes or cover and chill up to 1 day.
2. Mix cream cheese, blue cheese, chiles, shallot, vinegar, and remaining 1 teaspoon parsley in medium bowl. Season blue cheese topping to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Place steaks on grill rack (some marinade should still cling to meat). Cook 5 minutes. Turn steaks over.
4. Divide blue cheese topping among steaks. Grill until topping softens and steaks are medium-rare, about 5 minutes longer.

Stuffed Baked Potatoes with Blue Cheese and Rosemary
Ingredients
* 6 10-ounce russet potatoes, rinsed, dried
* 1/4 cup plus 6 tablespoons sour cream
* 1/4 cup (packed) plus 6 teaspoons crumbled blue cheese
* 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
* 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
* 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Pierce potatoes with fork. Place on oven rack; bake until cooked through, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer to baking sheet; cool 5 minutes. 2. 2. Cut off top third of each potato. Scoop flesh from bottoms into bowl, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shell. Scoop flesh from tops; add to bowl. Discard tops.
3. Add 1/4 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup blue cheese, butter, garlic and rosemary to potato flesh; mash. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to pastry bag fitted with large star tip; pipe mixture into potato shells, dividing equally.
(Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
4. Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake potatoes on baking sheet until heated through and beginning to brown, about 25 minutes.
5. Spoon 1 tablespoon sour cream atop each potato. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon blue cheese over each and serve.

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Tyler Taught Me

2011-08-19T06:08:00.002-04:00

Sundays are my day to get in the kitchen and make my dinner for the week. I still haven't mastered cooking for one so I usually have leftovers for lunch and sometimes even dinner. I usually plan out meals while I'm grocery shopping to limit my spending...this doesn't always work, but for this instance it was very helpful. Once I decided that I wanted to make Chicken Parmesan, I purchased my chicken breast, can or carton of tomatoes (I make my own sauce), mozzarella cheese and pasta.

I've always stuck to my own recipe for the chicken parm, but I wanted to try something different and less fatty. My old recipe included me coating the chicken cutlet in mozzarella and a batter of some sort then frying it...Let's just say that it's DELICIOUS! But I am not a youngster anymore, I can't eat fried chicken AND cheese together anymore...well I can, I just won't lol. You'll see from the title that I went to a Pro for this recipe and I can definitely say, I wasn't mad. Tyler, Florence that is, might be one of my favorite chefs to watch on TV and he's really nice in person AND he helped me through a coconut cake fiasco (I'm not a baker). So I knew that this recipe would be on point. I changed it up to add a little of my own flair, but I stuck with his recipe for the most part...but I did chop some Parmesan and mix it into the breadcrumb mixture.

Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients
Tyler's Sauce
* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 bay leaves
* 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted
* 1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves
* 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
* Pinch sugar
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

The Chicken
* 4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 11/2 pounds)
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
* 1 tablespoon water
* 1 cup dried bread crumbs (I ran out so I mixed with Panko)
* Freshly grated Parmesan
* 1 pound spaghetti pasta, cooked al dente - (I used linguine)

Directions
1. Coat a saute pan with olive oil and place over medium heat. When the oil gets hazy, add the onions, garlic, and bay leaves; cook and stir for 5 minutes until fragrant and soft. Add the olives and some hand-torn basil. Carefully add the tomatoes (nothing splashes like tomatoes), cook and stir until the liquid is cooked down and the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes; season with sugar, salt and pepper. Lower the heat, cover, and keep warm.

2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

3. Create an assembly line, with flour, egg bath and breadcrumbs.

4. Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them. Pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/2-inch thick.

5. Put the flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, combine the eggs and water, beat until frothy. Put the bread crumbs on a plate, season with salt and pepper.

6. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high flame in a large oven-proof skillet.

7. Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off, then dredge in the bread crumbs. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 4 minutes on each side until golden and crusty, turning once.

8. Ladle the tomato-olive sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with mozzarella, Parmesan, and basil. Bake the Chicken Parmesan for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Serve hot with spaghetti.

Grilled Salmon

2011-08-11T13:48:00.000-04:00

Lately I have been going through random bouts of annoying break outs. I'm not talking those once a month pimples that come due to mother nature. I'm talking, I woke up today and found a new "friend" on my face. I've been trying anything that has salicylic acid or Benzoyl peroxide. Nothing seems to be working the way it should. Of course the breakouts could come from a variety of things, but I know that I need to do something. It's all about what you put in your body and I know that I can stand to drink a little more water, eat more greens, take more vitamins etc. etc. Since I'm on this fitness kick and had a random taste for salmon, I decided that it would be a great meal for the weekend. It's not only good for you but it is delicious.

I found a simple recipe on my favorite place, Epicurious. Of course you can alter it as you see fit, but I wanted to give you a good head start.

I'll more than likely pair this with a simple spinach salad and my favorite sweet potato.

Grilled Salmon with Lime Butter Sauce

Ingredients
6 (6-oz) pieces center-cut salmon fillet (about 1 inch thick) with skin
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lime zest
6 tablespoons Lime Butter Sauce

Directions
1. Prepare grill for cooking over medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas) - I'll be using my stove-top grill/griddle for this.
2. Season salmon all over with salt and pepper, then grill, flesh sides down, on lightly oiled grill rack (covered only if using gas grill) 4 minutes.
3. Turn fillets over and grill (covered only if using gas grill) until just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes more.
4. Sprinkle fillets with zest and top each with 1 tablespoon lime butter sauce.

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Taco Night!

2011-08-04T14:53:00.005-04:00

This week after months...not really but after a long while I went grocery shopping. I spend a lot of time in the market going down each and every aisle...sometimes more than once. This time I had a game plan though. In order for me to limit the amount of money I spend in the city, it behooves me to make food at home and bring it in for lunch. And honestly, my fridge was empty. Eating take out everyday IS NOT WHAT'S UP!

There's no inspiration for this one, but who doesn't love a good taco? I remember the first time I made the meat filling sans pre-made taco seasoning. I decided to try something a little different and voila, the best damn taco meat period!

In addition to the taco meat, here are some other recipes that will go nicely with the taco meat. Honestly, I was eating this out the pot with a fork...yes savage like but dammit, it's my house lol.

Cocoa's Taco Meat

Ingredients
*ground turkey (or whichever meat you choose- for parties, turkey works because many people have issues with red meat/pork)
*chopped onion, green pepper, minced fresh garlic, chopped (as small as possible) fresh cilantro, minced fresh jalapeno pepper
*chilli powder
*cumin
*a little cayenne (added kick)
*Sofrito (Goya sauce, I usually use this to flavor beans because that's the only way I'll eat them)
*salt/pepper

Directions
1. Saute onion, green pepper, jalapeno, add garlic last because it browns easily.
2. Remove veggies from pan
3. Add meat to pan
4. Season meat while in pan
5. Once meat is almost browned add the veggies so that the meat can soak up some of the flavor. (Make sure you drain excess oil if there's any)
6. Add sofrito then stir (2 tablespoons)
7. All done.

Grilled Corn Luv

Ingredients
* 2 ears corn, shucked
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* Kosher salt
* freshly ground black pepper
* 12 slices of ciabatta bread
* 1/2 garlic clove
* 1/4 cup crema mexicana or sour cream
* 3 tablespoons crumbled feta
* Lime wedge
* Cilantro leaves
* Chili powder

Directions
1. Rub corn with vegetable oil. Season corn with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; grill until slightly charred and tender. Slice corn off the cob in wide strips.
2. Grill bread slices and rub with garlic clove.
3. Mix crema mexicana or sour cream with feta.
4. Smear toasts with crema mixture.
5. Top crema with grilled corn. Squeeze a lime wedge over each.
6. Garnish with cilantro leaves and sprinkle with chili powder.

All Summer, I've been craving watermelon. I don't need to do anything fancy with it, just give me a spoon and let me have at it, but for the sake of the blog and my wonderful readers, good ol' Epicurious has something for you. Now who loves ya baby?

Watermelon Granita

Ingredients
* 4 cups (1 3/4 pounds) cubed seedless watermelon (from a 4 pound melon)
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Directions
1. Purée all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into a 9x9x2" metal baking pan. Freeze mixture for 1 hour.
2. Stir, mashing any frozen parts with the back of a fork. Cover and freeze mixture until firm, about 2 hours.
3. Using a fork, scrape granita vigorously to form icy flakes.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover tightly with foil and keep frozen. Give it a quick scrape before serving.

Something Healthy

2011-07-28T20:04:00.004-04:00

I recently joined a gym and I'm ready to get back on my fitness regimen. I took a moment off because I've been to damn busy, but now that I am at that milestone age it is time to get a move on my look better naked plan.

Don't get mad at the butter that you'll see in the recipe, because you can always use olive oil. But, I love butter which is why I'm going to the gym lol.

Chicken Cutlets with Herb Butter

Ingredients
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 8 thin chicken cutlets (1 1/2 pounds total)
* Coarse salt and ground pepper
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 3/4 cup dry white wine
* 2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
* 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley or mint (or a combination)

Directions
1. Place flour in a shallow dish.

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.

3. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Working in batches, cook chicken until browned, 1 to 3 minutes per side, adding more oil to skillet as needed.

4. Transfer chicken to a plate and tent with foil.

5. Add wine and accumulated juices from chicken to skillet and boil until liquid has reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Add chicken and turn to coat.

6. Remove skillet from heat and swirl in butter and herbs. Season with salt and pepper

Courtesy of Martha Stewart

Warm Pasta Salad with Roasted Corn and Poblanos

Ingredients
* 4 poblano chiles (1 lb)
* 1 fresh jalapeño chile
* 8 medium tomatoes (2 lb), coarsely chopped
* 3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
* 1/3 cup green (hulled) pumpkin seeds
* 4 ears fresh corn, kernels cut off
* 1 large white onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 12 oz short pasta such as gemelli or rotini
* 1 1/2 cups crumbled queso fresco (Mexican fresh cheese) or ricotta salata cheese

Directions
1. Lay chiles on their sides on a metal rack set over grates of gas burners set on moderately high. (Or broil chiles on rack of a broiler pan about 2 inches from heat.)

2. Roast chiles, turning them with tongs, until skins are blackened, 5 to 8 minutes.

3. Transfer chiles to a bowl, then cover and let steam 10 minutes.

4. Peel poblanos and discard seeds and ribs, then coarsely chop. Peel jalapeño and chop with seeds (omit seeds if you want a less spicy salad). Transfer chiles to a large serving bowl and stir in tomatoes and herbs.

5. Toast pumpkin seeds in a dry well-seasoned 9- to 10-inch cast-iron skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until puffed and lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes (seeds will pop as they puff). Transfer seeds to a small bowl.

6. Add half of corn to skillet and dry-roast over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until browned in spots, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to tomato mixture and cook remaining corn in same manner, adding it to tomato mixture.

7. Add onion to skillet and dry-roast, turning frequently, until browned but still slightly crisp. Transfer to a cutting board and coarsely chop. Stir into corn mixture.

8. Cook garlic and cumin in oil in skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir into corn mixture and season vegetables with salt and pepper.

9. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, then drain. Add pasta to corn mixture and toss. Season with salt and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and cheese. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Mojito Chicken?

2011-07-21T17:51:00.002-04:00

Typically I keep my chicken recipes basic, but since I've been doing the recipe for the weekend, I decided to step it up a little bit. Thanks to the lovely folks over at Epicurious, I've been able to explore different delights with just a click of a finger. Don't get me wrong, I get creative on my own but having them one click away just makes things all the easier. Now, where was I? Chicken, yes. You might be wondering why I put a question mark in the title well let me just tell you, I was a little skeptical. I'm not a fan of the mojito drink. Mainly because I haven't met too many bartenders who've mastered the art of making the drink not look like a glass of salad. With chicken it seems like it was be interesting for the palate so I'm willing to be the taste tester. You see what I do for you?

Mojito-Marinated Chicken Breasts

Ingredients
* 3/4 cup fresh lime juice
* 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons light rum
* 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint
* 6 tablespoons mint syrup
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
* 6 chicken breast halves with skin and bones (about 5 pounds)
* 3 large limes, quartered lengthwise
* Fresh mint sprigs

Directions
1. Whisk lime juice, 1/2 cup rum, and next 4 ingredients in bowl.
2. Place chicken in resealable plastic bag. Pour marinade over; seal bag. Turn bag to distribute marinade. Chill 4 hours, turning bag twice.
3. Place lime quarters in shallow bowl. Pour remaining 2 tablespoons rum over, tossing to coat. Let stand at room temperature.
4. Prepare barbecue (medium heat). (This is where my stove top grill be useful) Grill chicken until cooked through, about 15 minutes per side. Transfer to platter.
5. Grill limes until soft and slightly charred, about 5 minutes. Garnish platter with mint sprigs. Squeeze grilled limes over chicken and serve.

I will serve this with a mixed green salad to keep it on the light side.

Decadent Birthday Desserts

2011-07-14T19:24:00.005-04:00

This is a special blog post in that it's dedicated to decadent desserts. Not because I have a raging sweet tooth, but because it's my BIRTHDAY!!!! Yay! Nothing like a birthday to make you sit back and crave something simply divine. Well I took it a couple steps further because well, it's my birthday and I wanted to try something a little more grown up sans the birthday cake. So join me as we step into decadence with these delicious desserts.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Ingredients
* 1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
* 2 1/4 cups heavy cream, divided
* 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt such as Maldon
* 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 cup whole milk
* 3 large eggs

Directions
1. Heat 1 cup sugar in a dry 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring with a fork to heat sugar evenly, until it starts to melt, then stop stirring and cook, swirling skillet occasionally so sugar melts evenly, until it is dark amber.
2. Add 1 1/4 cups cream (mixture will spatter) and cook, stirring, until all of caramel has dissolved. Transfer to a bowl and stir in sea salt and vanilla. Cool to room temperature.
3. Meanwhile, bring milk, remaining cup cream, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar just to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally.
4. Lightly whisk eggs in a medium bowl, then add half of hot milk mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Pour back into saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard coats back of spoon and registers 170°F on an instant-read thermometer (do not let boil).
5. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, then stir in cooled caramel.
6. Chill custard, stirring occasionally, until very cold, 3 to 6 hours. Freeze custard in ice cream maker (it will still be quite soft), then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to firm up.

Vanilla Creme Brulee with Raspberries

Ingredients
* 6 tablespoons raspberry jam
* 2 1/2-pint baskets fresh raspberries
* 6 large egg yolks
* 6 tablespoons sugar
* 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
* 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
* 12 teaspoons (packed) golden brown sugar

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Spread 1 tablespoon jam over bottom of each of six 3/4-cup soufflé dishes or custard cups. Press 7 berries, placed on their sides, into jam in each dish. Reserve remaining raspberries for garnish.
3. Whisk yolks and 6 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl to blend. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean. Gradually whisk in cream.
4. Divide mixture among dishes. Arrange dishes in 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Pour enough hot water into pan to come halfway up sides of dishes.
5. Bake custards until set in center, about 40 minutes. Place pan on work surface. Cool custards in water 30 minutes. Remove from water; chill overnight.
6. Preheat broiler. Sieve 2 teaspoons brown sugar atop each custard. Place dishes on small baking sheet. Broil until sugar just starts to caramelize, rotating sheet for even browning, about 2 minutes. Chill until topping hardens, about 2 hours.
7. Garnish with reserved berries.

Nawlins Flava

2011-07-07T20:06:00.002-04:00

I just got back from good ol' New Orleans. What an experience! I didn't get to reach all of the places on my list, but I am going to make it my business to do that when I go back which will be very soon. Whenever I think of New Orleans I think of the food and the culture. The creole flavors and spices meshed with the seafood definitely makes me want to experiment in my very own kitchen, so guess what, that's what I'll be doing. The recipe for the weekend is going down to the dirty dirty south. This will be an easy one especially since I've already discussed the gumbo and beignets and creole shrimp here. One recipe that I haven't mentioned is the Red Beans and Rice, which seems to be a staple in the Big Easy. And it just so happens that's a new "friend's" favorite dish so why not figure out how to make it for him.

This recipe comes from friend in my head Emeril Lagasse.

Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 cup chopped onions
* 1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
* 1/2 cup chopped celery
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* 2 bay leaves
* 1 pound boiled ham cut, into 1/2-inch cubes
* 6 oz smoked sausage, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices (1 cup)
* 1 lb dried red beans, rinsed and sorted through, soaked overnight and drained
* 3 tablespoons chopped garlic
* 8 to 10 cups water
* Steamed rice

Directions
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Saute the onions, bell peppers, celery, salt, cayenne, black pepper and thyme for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the bay leaves, ham and sausage (you can sub this for turkey/chicken sausage) and saute for 5 to 6 minutes.
4. Add the beans, garlic, and enough water to cover the contents in the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 2 hours. Add more water if the mixture becomes dry and thick.
5. Use a wooden spoon to mash about half of the mixture against the side pf the pot. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the mixture is creamy and the beans are soft. Add more water if it becomes too thick.
6. The mixture should be soupy but not watery.
7. Remove the bay leaves
8. Serve with steamed white rice.

Mmmm...Catfish

2011-06-23T17:59:00.003-04:00

Every week I wonder which recipe I'm going to feature on the blog. This week is no different. I actually have an email in my drafts with too many recipes to try so when I'm in a bind, I go to that draft and pick something close to the mood that I'm in. I decided that since I'll be in New Orleans next week for the Essence Music Festival, why not do something a little southern. I love catfish and the recipe from Martha Stewart caught my eye. It's a pecan crusted catfish that looks fairly simple to make. Catfish is one of the easiest things to make and I usually do it Cajun style. I haven't had a piece of catfish that I don't like and that's saying a lot because I am very particular...or picky lol.

Pecan Crusted Catfish

Ingredients
* 4 skinless catfish fillets
* 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
* 1/4 cup pecans
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
(I'm adding cayenne pepper to mine - of course)

Directions
1. Grind cornmeal and pecans with salt and pepper in a food processor until nuts are finely ground. Transfer to a large shallow container.
2. Dredge catfish in cornmeal mixture, patting it on to coat completely.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook 2 fish fillets until golden brown and firm to the touch, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; sprinkle with salt, and cover to keep warm.
4. Wipe skillet with a paper towel. Repeat with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and fish. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

The best Catfish that I've had that wasn't made by myself of my mom was at Melba's Restaurant in Harlem.

I'll be pairing this with a salad because I can always use more greens and for my starch one of my favorites, SWEET POTATOES of course.

Here's a yummy recipe for Parmesan Crusted Sweet Potato Fries.

Enjoy

And remember to check me out EVERY Friday from 2-4 PM EST only on Skyy Hook Radio

A Kitchen Must Have

2011-06-20T18:30:00.003-04:00

When I was laid off from my old job I decided that I would possibly go into catering. It was a fleeting moment but I do provide services for friends. But I digress, when I was home and unemployed I was inspired. So much so that I went to Amazon to purchase a book that I saw in the book store. I peruse the cooking section in bookstores to see what's out then order on Amazon..better deals. And frankly there are TOO MANY cookbooks. Through all of the books though, I saw one book that caught my eye and that was The Professional Chef from the Culinary Institute of America. The book is huge and I managed to finish the book in a couple of months.

This book is everything.

Talenti Toasted Almond Gelato

2011-06-20T13:27:00.004-04:00

I just started liking almonds and let me just say, I have been missing out! I recently discovered a yummy Gelato by Talenti. It is out of this world good and I usually pair it with some fresh strawberries. It's a treat that I allow myself and don't fear the over indulgence. :)

Cocoa's Pasta Sauce

2011-06-20T12:46:00.008-04:00

The other night I had a taste for Spaghetti and Meatballs. I'm completely random with my food urges as you can tell. I refuse to buy store bought sauces now that I know how to make it. And let me just say, it is DELICIOUS.

I went to Whole Foods on Saturday and actually stuck to my budget and not surprising, not sure what I purchased smh. One thing that I did get for a first time was the home made linguine. In all my years, I have NEVER tasted home made from scratch pasta and let me just say, don't let me get a pasta machine, because it will be a wrap lol.

This sauce is fairly easy and all you'll need is a pot, your knife and a blender
(if you have a handy dandy veggie chopper, use that, but I like chopping my own vegetables)

Cocoa's Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
* 1 Can whole Roma tomatoes - unsalted w/ Basil (find one that you like, I used the Trader Joes brand - you can use fresh tomatoes, but this is of course if you have time
* 1 tsp basil (I have these Basil cubes that are kept frozen (BEST THING EVER)
* 1 chopped whole medium sized onion
* 1 half green pepper
* 3 gloves of garlic
* 1/2 tsp sugar
* salt and pepper (season to taste)
* oregano
* Cayenne Pepper (you do not have to do this!)
* 1 tblsp Olive Oil
* 1 small can of tomato paste

Directions
1. Chop your vegetables
2. Remove tomatoes from can and add to blender - I like a chunky sauce so I didn't puree it - just used the Food Chop setting for less than a minute
3. Pre Heat oil in pot and add your vegetable
4. Let vegetables sweat (Sweating helps to draw out moisture from the aromatics and weaken and soften the cell walls.)
5. Add tomato paste to the vegetables and stir, I tend to add a couple tablespoons of water to break down the paste because it is really thick. Mix well
6. Add tomatoes from the blender and stir
7. Season w/ Salt, pepper, oregano, cayenne - Before you add the sugar, make sure you taste it because sometimes you do not need it.
8. Bring to a boil then let simmer for about 10 minutes, but make sure that the sauce does not stick
9. Add meatballs or sausage and BAM!

I have to toot my horn for this one because it was DELICIOUS!

Pics below
Pot and Blender

Sauce

Meatballs

Sauce w/ meatballs

Dinner is served

All Seafood Everything

2011-06-20T12:41:00.003-04:00

I love seafood, especially when I make it myself. Here is what I had for dinner Saturday Night.

Menu:
Lobster Tail steamed with butter
Grilled Pre-seasoned shrimp skewers (first and LAST time - too salty)
Clams steamed in white wine and truffle oil w/ garlic

Si Cuba!

2011-06-16T19:57:00.006-04:00

Note: This is not about the Si Cuba! Festival in New York

Every so often I receive an email from my favorite food site, Epicurious, and what drew me in this time are recipes from one of my favorite places that I have yet to visit, CUBA! One of my favorite dishes is a shredded beef dish named Ropa Vieja. I was in High School the first time I had the dish and I loved it at first bite. No lie! This was the start to my love of Cuban food. I've always enjoyed Latin food so once I saw the special recipes featured, I knew that I would have to feature a couple dishes from the site.

These recipes were brought to us by Lourdes Castro, chef, nutrionist and cooking teacher.

Fuente de Camarones al Ajillo

Ingredients

Mojo 7 cloves garlic, peeled
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1/3 cup lime juice (from 4 to 5 limes)
* 1/4 cup orange juice (from 1 orange)
* 1/4 cup olive oil

Shrimp
* 2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined, and butterflied
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* Salt and black pepper
* 2 limes, cut into small wedges

Directions
Prepare the Mojo
1. Make a wet garlic paste by mashing the garlic cloves with salt in a mortar and pestle. If you do not have one, you can use a cup and the back of a wooden spoon; otherwise, simply sprinkle the garlic with the salt and use your knife to chop it very finely into a paste.

2. Place the garlic paste in a small bowl and pour the lime juice and orange juice over it. Allow the mixture to sit for 20 minutes.

3. Place the olive oil in a small saucepan and set it over medium-high heat. (This can be done on your grill or on your stove.) When small bubbles begin to rise to the surface of the oil, carefully add the garlic and citrus mixture to the pan (the oil will sizzle a bit, so be careful that it does not splatter on you). Give the mixture a quick stir and allow to cook over medium-high heat for 1 minute before removing from the heat. Set aside.

Season and grill the shrimp
1. Place the shrimp in a large mixing bowl and drizzle the vegetable oil over them. Liberally season with salt and pepper and toss well. It's best to use your hands for this, as you want to make sure the oil and seasonings get inside the slits you made in the shrimp.

2. Heat your grill to high (550°F) and close the lid. Wait at least 15 minutes before lowering the heat to medium-high (450°F) and continuing. Oil the grill grates with a vegetable oil-soaked paper towel held with a long pair of tongs.

3. It is important to properly place the shrimp on the grill so that they cook quickly and evenly. Again, it is best to use your hands for this. Holding the shrimp by its tail, place the butterflied shrimp on the grill one by one, slit side down. Curl the tail down toward the head of the shrimp. Close the lid and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the flesh of the shrimp has turned white and is no longer translucent. You will not need to turn the shrimp over.

Serve the shrimp and mojo
Mound the grilled shrimp on a large platter and garnish with lime wedges. Serve with the garlicky mojo for your guests to use as a dipping sauce.

For more cooking Tips, make sure you go directly to the site for key points
Cooking Pointers on Epicurious

She pairs the recipe up nicely with Moros Y Cristianos (Rice in Black Beans)
and Plátanos Maduros a la Parrilla (grilled sweet plaintains

All Up In Your Ribs

2011-06-09T21:50:00.003-04:00

I haven't had a (homemade) rib in I don't know how long so I think that it's time I satisfy that urge and make it my business to make some VERY soon. One of my favorite things about ribs is the BBQ sauce. More specifically my favorite sauce, Sweet Baby Rays. It's a perfect blend of sweetness and spice. And to be completely honest, I would have to say that I'm partial to most BBQ sauce lol. I even like Kraft.

This is one of my own recipes. One that I've tried time and time again and when I tell you that it is easy, please believe me. Even if you are a novice in the kitchen, you can make this hearty dish in a snap. The ingredients are simple and will feed a family of four over 2 days or a family of one (me) for about 4-5 days lol. Even though I must say, by the fourth day, I am all ribbed out.

Cocoa's Saucy Ribs

Ingredients
* 2.5 lbs of Pork Spare Ribs (feel free to use beef if it suits you)
* Seasoning: Lawry's, Black Pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper (I like most things spicy, this is no exception)
* Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce or Bone Suckin Sauce (if anything buy it for the name alone lol)

Directions
*You can do this whichever way you find the best, but keep in mind when dealing with pork, you have to make sure that it is cooked to 145 degrees.

1. The preparation for this dish is a little time consuming, but I was raised to be a stickler when it comes to meat. So this includes soaking the meat in water and vinegar for about 15-30 minutes. Some chefs will say that it loses the flavor that way, but this is just how I was raised and with all these food borne illnesses that come out of nowhere, it's best to be on the safe side.

2. Once the meat has been cleaned, get your GOOD knife and slice the meat into individual ribs. I do this because it just makes it easier to work with.

3. I don't usually marinate the meat in anything, but this is a recipe where you don't really have to because the meat has it's own flavor and then the sauce adds more to the mix.

4. Season your meat. Be careful with the salt. I use my hands to make sure that the meat is thoroughly seasoned. Wash and go folks.

Now here is where things will change. I will give you two ways to make them. Each of them work out for me and gives me a nice and tender rib.

OPTION 1: The Easiest and less time consuming
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1. Place ribs in a deepish roasting/baking pan - too be completely honest, I hate the clean up afterwards, so I typically make this dish in a regular aluminum pan. It serves it's purpose all the time.

2. I doctor my sauce up just a little bit, even though it's great as a stand alone sauce, I still add some other flavorings. Mostly something spicy like my scotch bonnet sauce and maybe a drop of liquid smoke (no more than that because it has a lot of flavor and it's not for everybody).

3. Once I've mixed my sauce I pour it over the ribs, then I place it in my already preheated oven.

4. Let bake for an hour, I'm a busy body in the kitchen so I check on the ribs after about 30 minutes to make sure there's not too much oil or water in the pan. Water is in everything and it cooks out, but don't worry, you'll need some it to keep the flavor of the meat and the sauce. I let cook for 30 minutes more then check it again to see if the ribs need more sauce, usually they do, so I just add more. I let cook for about 30 minutes more or until the meat begins to separate from the bone.

Keep in mind these are approximate times because no matter how hard I try to remember it never happens. I've never timed myself. I usually just know when it's done to my liking. For you, the meat will brown a little and the sauce will thicken.

OPTION 2: Easy but a little more work

1. Place ribs in a bot and add water to cover. You are going to boil the meat until it's a little beige in color. This pre-cooks the meat and speeds up the baking process. You can do this if you plan on using the grill also. This works with BBQ chicken too. This really just ensures that your meat will be cooked thoroughly.

2. Once the meat is done in the pot, drain the water and try to make sure that you got any excess drops.

3. Get your sauce and tongs

4. I dip each rib in the sauce until it is fully coated then place on a foiled baking sheet. Once all of the meat is coated and on the sheet, I use the excess sauce and spoon it over each rib. You'll probably run out of sauce at this point and that is perfectly fine because you'll need a fresh batch for basting. Since I like my ribs saucy, I baste about 3-4 times. You will let these bake for about 45 minutes to an hour depending on your oven's temperature. Some overn are hotter than others.

5. Once done, you have tender and saucy ribs. Usually I make potato salad to pair with the ribs, but we'll keep it a little on the light side and make a cole slaw.

As always, thank you so much for your continued support.

Be sure to tune in EVERY Friday from 2-4 to The Home Girl Next Door.

Great Minds...

2011-06-02T20:08:00.005-04:00

There are moments in my life when I find out I'm not THAT innovative. Here's a story...

The other day I was working on a show and the host mentioned something about lettuce cups. I've heard of them before but never had them. So I'm sitting there half listening and ventured off into my mental food library and thought hmmmm, I wonder if I can make a funky version of the lettuce cup and Boom, BUFFALO CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS! What a great idea right? Well when I have these moments of genius, I start to think that I am the second coming of Julia Child. I kid I kid, I'm not so cocky to think that I was the first person to think of many things so I decided to Google Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps and low and behold, I was not that innovative. However, I was very pleased to find that the recipe was on one of my favorite sites, Food Network. The chef responsible was Aaron McCargo, Jr., winner of Next Food Network Star so that made me even happier. I actually miss his show, he always made things that I could actually see myself making. I'm looking forward to making this recipe especially because I am planning my birthday extravaganza and I would really like to put this on the menu. It's a cool dish for summer and fun to eat.

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

*Note, I am going to alter this recipe, but by all means follow it exactly how it is. I am going to back the chicken in a panko crust but marinate the meat in a buffalo wing sauce. I'll probably alter it again especially because I'm making this for a party.

Ingredients
Blue Cheese Sauce:
* 1 cup mayonnaise
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 1 cup blue cheese
* 2 lemons, juiced
* 1 lemon, zested
* 1 lime, zested
* 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Buffalo Chicken:
* 1/4 cup mild hot sauce
* 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips
* 1 cup flour
* 1 tablespoon salt
* 1 tablespoon paprika
* 1 tablespoon pepper
* Olive oil, for frying
* 16 Bibb lettuce leaves, washed, dried, and separated

Directions
Blue Cheese Sauce:
1. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, blue cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, lime juice, garlic, and salt and pepper, to taste.
2. Mix in the cilantro, chives, and parsley.

Chicken:
1. Place the hot sauce into a bowl.
2. Dredge the chicken with the hot sauce.
3. In a casserole dish, mix together the flour, salt, paprika, and pepper.
4. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture. Shake off any excess flour.
5. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil to about 1/4-inch up the sides of the skillet. When the oil is hot (it will bubble around the handle of a wooden spoon), add the chicken to the skillet.
6. After 4 minutes, turn the chicken over and cook until the chicken is browned and cooked through, about 4 more minutes.
7. Place the lettuce leaves on a platter and spoon the chicken into the lettuce. Top the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the blue cheese sauce.
8. Serve immediately.

* Must give photo credit to: Dave Pimentel

Thanks so much for the continued support!
Tune in to The Home Girl Next Door only on SkyyHook Radio Fridays 2-4 pm EST

Now That's a Juicy Meatball

2011-05-26T14:07:00.002-04:00

No really it is!!! This week I've been CRAVING Spaghetti and Meatballs. I know, completely random but that's me. It's so simple and easy to make and lasts, read LEFTOVERS! I don't usually use a recipe for this because well, umm "toot! toot!" I always make a good pot of the dish, but of course I went to my trusty site to look for a recipe that will take it to the next level. Keep in mind that this recipe has pork in it so of course if you are not a fan of swine, substitute it with your favorite meat whether it is beef, chicken or turkey.

Now to the main event...

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ingredients

Sauce:
* 2 28-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes in juice, drained, juice reserved, tomatoes finely chopped
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
* 2 medium onions, peeled, halved through root end
* 1/2 teaspoon (or more) salt

Meatballs:
* 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless French or country-style bread
* 1/3 cup whole milk
* 8 ounces ground beef (15% fat)
* 8 ounces ground pork
* 1 cup finely ground (not grated) Parmesan cheese
* 1/3 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 large eggs
* 2 large garlic cloves, pressed
* 1 pound spaghetti
* Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (for serving)

Directions
For sauce:
1. Combine tomatoes with juice, butter, onions, and salt in large wide pot. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Discard onions. Using immersion blender, process sauce briefly to break up any large pieces of tomato (texture should be even but not completely smooth).
3. Season sauce with more salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from heat.

For meatballs:
1. Combine breadcrumbs and milk in small bowl; stir until breadcrumbs are evenly moistened. Let stand 10 minutes.
2. Place beef and pork in large bowl and break up into small chunks. Add 1 cup ground Parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper.
3. Whisk eggs to blend in small bowl; whisk in garlic. Add to meat mixture.
4. Using hands, squeeze milk from breadcrumbs, reserving milk. Add breadcrumbs to meat mixture. Using hands, quickly and gently mix meat mixture just until all ingredients are evenly combined (do not overmix).
5. Chill mixture at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour.
6. Moisten hands with some of reserved milk from breadcrumbs, then roll meat mixture between palms into golf-ball-size balls, occasionally moistening hands with milk as needed and arranging meatballs in single layer in sauce in pot. Bring to simmer.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Rewarm before continuing.
8. Cook spaghetti in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain.
9. Using slotted spoon, transfer meatballs to platter. Add pasta to sauce in pot and toss to coat.
10. Divide pasta among 6 plates. Top each serving with meatballs. Sprinkle meatballs with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

NOTE: If you are cooking for one, you do not have to follow the recipe exactly. Just make sure you get the gist of what goes in and adjust the ingredients accordingly

Mmmmm Delizioso

Make sure you tune in EVERY Friday from 2-4 PM EST for The Home Girl Next Door on Skyyhook Radio with a re-broadcast on Saturdays from 7-9 pm EST

Feeling A Little Country

2011-05-19T20:21:00.003-04:00

The other day I went to Cafeteria with my mom for an early dinner. She had never been and we were in the area. While we waited, I looked through the menu and saw that the day's special was one of my favorite dishes, CHICKEN FRIED STEAK! Yes I had to put it in caps, because I love this dish. Before I go on, I need to say that even though I was excited about it, I didn't get the dish smh. I had my tastebuds set on the truffle macaroni and cheese (yum) and ribs (don't get them if you are starving though, delicious but leaves you wanting more)

As far as chicken fried steak is concerned, I love it because it's hearty and a perfect example of comfort food. I will serve this with sweet potatoes and a vegetable. This time I am going to try my hand at making fresh collard greens... Of course, you can make your favorite sides with it. Peep the recipe below from Alton Brown on Food Network.

Chicken Fried Steak

Ingredients
* 2 pounds beef bottom round, trimmed of excess fat
* 2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 3 whole eggs, beaten
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 2 cups chicken broth
* 1/2 cup whole milk
* 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
2. Cut the meat with the grain into 1/2-inch thick slices.
3. Season each piece on both sides with the salt and pepper.
4. Place the flour into a pie pan. Place the eggs into a separate pie pan. Dredge the meat on both sides in the flour.
5. Tenderize the meat, using a needling device, until each slice is 1/4-inch thick. 6. Once tenderized, dredge the meat again in the flour, followed by the egg and finally in the flour again.
7. Repeat with all the pieces of meat. Place the meat onto a plate and allow it to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before cooking.
8. Place enough of the vegetable oil to cover the bottom of a 12-inch slope-sided skillet and set over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the meat in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan.
10. Cook each piece on both sides until golden brown, approximately 4 minutes per side. Remove the steaks to a wire rack set in a half sheet pan and place into the oven.
11. Repeat until all of the meat is browned.

The Gravy Baby
* Add the remaining vegetable oil, or at least 1 tablespoon, to the pan. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of the flour left over from the dredging. Add the chicken broth and deglaze the pan. Whisk until the gravy comes to a boil and begins to thicken. Add the milk and thyme and whisk until the gravy coats the back of a spoon, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Season to taste, with more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve the gravy over the steaks.

Feeling Coconutty

2011-05-13T13:36:00.003-04:00

In my random comings and goings at the market, I picked up a can of coconut milk. It seems that I keep a can of it because every now and then, I have a taste for something that’s not on my normal repertoire and coconut milk fits in that realm. The featured recipes today are from my favorite site, Epicurious. I even have a dessert posted…not one of my favorite things to make, but I’m willing to roll up my sleeves and get busy with a custardy delight.

Salmon Braised in Coconut Milk
Ingredients
For marinade
* 2 tablespoons red- or white-wine vinegar
* 2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
* 1/4 teaspoon turmeric

Salmon
* four 5-ounce pieces salmon fillet with skin
* 3 bell peppers (preferably different colors)
* 1 medium onion
* 4 large garlic cloves
* 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh gingerroot
* 2 cups fresh coconut milk or canned unsweetened coconut milk
* 1 teaspoon coarse salt, or to taste

Directions
Marinade:
In a shallow baking dish rub salmon fillets all over with marinade. Marinate fillets, covered, at cool room temperature 30 minutes.
1. While salmon is marinating, cut bell pepper into thin strips, thinly slice onion, and finely chop garlic.
2. In a 10- to 12-inch nonstick skillet heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sear fillets until golden, about 2 minutes on each side.
3. Transfer salmon to a plate. To skillet add onion, garlic, gingerroot, and 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is lightly browned.
4. Stir in coconut milk and salt and bring sauce to a boil, stirring. Add fillets and gently simmer until they are just cooked through and sauce is thickened, 5 to 6 minutes.
5. In another skillet heat remaining tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté bell peppers, stirring, until crisp-tender and lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes.
6. Top with bell peppers.

Coconut Crème Brulee
Ingredients
* 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, divided
* 3/4 cup plus 8 teaspoons sugar
* 7 large egg yolks
* 1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream
* 1 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk*
* 2 tablespoons Malibu rum or other coconut-flavored rum
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread 1/2 cup flaked coconut on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until light golden, stirring once, 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Whisk 3/4 cup sugar and egg yolks in medium bowl to blend. Mix cream, coconut milk, toasted coconut, and remaining 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut in heavy large saucepan.
3. Bring just to simmer over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally. Gradually whisk hot cream mixture into yolk mixture. Stir in rum and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
4. Strain custard through fine strainer into medium pitcher, pressing on solids.
5. Divide among eight 2/3- to 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups.
6. Place ramekins in large roasting pan. Fill pan with enough hot water to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake custards until edges are set but centers move slightly when dishes are gently shaken, 45 to 50 minutes.
7. Remove custards from water. Chill custards uncovered until cold, then cover and chill overnight.
8. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over each custard. Using kitchen torch, heat sugar until melted and deep amber. (Alternatively, preheat broiler. Place ramekins on rimmed baking sheet and broil until sugar melts and turns deep amber, 1 to 2 minutes.)
9. Chill until sugar hardens, about 15 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 hour ahead. Keep chilled.

Enjoy :)

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-05T12:30:00.004-04:00

This weekend is special for all the moms and people who have been like moms in our lives. I'm such a Mama's girl and even though we have our ups and downs, I don't know what I would do if we didn't have a relationship. So for this weekend, the recipes are a little fancy. I'd like to also add that I recently purchased a bottle of Truffle Oil. Can I just say that this will be added to pretty much EVERYTHING...sparingly of course because it is not cheap. I knew that it would be a problem when I purchased it but now that I've added it to my Sunday brunch AND dinner, I can see that I will be ALL THE WAY IN. I even added it to my cheese grits.

Oh yes, I'm fancy.

Mother's Day Menu

The Main Event: Filet Mignon

Ingredients
* 2 (10-ounce) filet mignon
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 tablespoon fleur de sel
* 1 tablespoon coarsely cracked black peppercorns
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, optional
* Ina Garten has a nice Roquefort Chive Sauce to accompany the meat, so make sure you check out the recipe on the site.

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Heat a large, well-seasoned cast iron skillet over high heat until very hot, 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and brush them lightly with vegetable oil. Combine the fleur de sel and cracked pepper on a plate and roll the steaks in the mixture, pressing lightly to evenly coat all sides.
4. When the skillet is ready, add the steaks and sear them evenly on all sides for about 2 minutes per side, for a total of 10 minutes.
5. Top each steak with a tablespoon of butter, if using, and place the skillet in the oven. Cook the steaks until they reach 120 degrees F for rare or 125 degrees F for medium-rare on an instant-read thermometer. (To test the steaks, insert the thermometer sideways to be sure you're actually testing the middle of the steak.)
6. Remove the steaks to a serving platter, cover tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. Serve hot with Roquefort Chive Sauce on the side.

The Sides: Truffled Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
* 4 pounds white potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 1 cup half and half
* 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1 tablespoon white truffle oil*
* 1 teaspoon chopped black truffles (optional)*

Directions
1. Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until very tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. Return potatoes to pot.
2. Stir over medium heat until excess moisture evaporates, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
3. Add half and half, butter, olive oil and truffle oil. Mash until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in chopped truffles, if desired.

Spinach and Mushrooms with Truffle Oil
Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
* 10 ounces button mushrooms or crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, sliced
* 1 large shallot, chopped
* 1 1/2 9-ounce bags fresh spinach leaves
* 1 to 2 teaspoons truffle oil*

Directions
1. Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté until brown and liquid evaporates, about 8 minutes. Add shallot; sauté 2 minutes.
2. Add spinach, 1/3 at a time, to skillet with mushrooms and toss over medium-high heat, allowing each batch to wilt slightly before adding next, about 2 minutes per batch. Sauté just until all spinach is wilted and heated through.
3. Stir in 1 teaspoon truffle oil. Season with salt, pepper, and more truffle oil, if desired.

These recipes were brought to you by Epicurious and Food Network
(two of my favorite food sites, but of course, make them your own, use your favorite herbs and spices and it will still taste wonderful)

Make sure you tune in EVERY Friday from 2-4 EST pm to The Home Girl Next Door only on Skyyhook Radio

Cocoa meets Italia!

2011-04-28T18:48:00.003-04:00

The recipe for the weekend is here! I'm the mood for pasta, are you? I was reading the May issue of Bon Appetit and I came across a delicious recipe for a simple seafood and pasta dish. Yes, Lent may be over but that doesn't mean that I'm going to stop with the seafood. It's called Spaghetti alle Vongole and from the picture alone I did the Homer Simpson drool. Loosely translated it's Spaghetti with clams. YUM! So check it out below. And remember to check out the blog for more recipes to get you started for the weekend. Ciao Bellas

Spaghetti alle Vongole

Ingredients
* Kosher salt
* 6 oz. spaghetti
* 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
* 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
* 1/4 cup white wine
* 2 lb. cockles, Manila clams, or littlenecks, scrubbed
* 2 Tbsp. roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions
1. Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a 5-qt. pot. Season lightly with salt; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before tender. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, swirling pan often, until just golden. Add red pepper flakes and continue cooking 15 more seconds.
3. Add wine, then clams; increase heat to high. Cover skillet and cook until clams open and release their juices, 3-6 minutes, depending on size of clams. As clams open, use tongs to transfer them to a bowl.
4. Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to skillet; bring to a boil. Add pasta to pan. Cook over high heat, tossing constantly, until pasta is al dente and has soaked up some of the sauce from the pan.
5. Add clams and any juices from bowl to pan, along with parsley, and toss to combine. (Add more pasta water if sauce seems dry.) Transfer pasta to warm bowls and drizzle with remaining oil.

Mmmmm Delizioso

For more information on this recipe and others check out Bon Appetit

Make sure you tune in EVERY Friday from 2-4 PM EST for The Home Girl Next Door on Skyyhook Radio with a re-broadcast on Saturdays from 7-9 pm EST

The Engagement Chicken...for One

2011-04-21T12:18:00.003-04:00

Greetings Friends,

Today's recipe is a good one and I can't wait to try it. The internet has been buzzing with this Engagement Chicken so I made sure to post it for you. Rumor has it, the recipe came from an editor at Glamour magazine.

Fifteen years ago, when a panicked Glamour magazine assistant couldn't figure out what to cook for her boyfriend, then-fashion editor Kim Bonnell jumped to her rescue. Bonnell knew the recipe — a simple roast chicken marinated in lemon juice — was delicious, but had no idea it would lead the assistant's boyfriend to drop to his knee.

"Jokingly around the office, it became known as Engagement Chicken," says Cindi Leive, Glamour's editor-in-chief, "and she gave the recipe to three other women around the office who made it for their boyfriends and they all got engaged."

Daily News

Not only does she have the engagement chicken, she also has a compilation of recipes in her new book, 100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know: Engagement Chicken and 99 Other Fabulous Dishes to Get Everything You Want in Life. The recipe is included in the title, so this must be an AMAZING chicken! I'm looking forward to trying it, especially since this weekend ends my Lenten fast. Needless to say I am excited to sink my teeth into a succulent piece of meat... At this rate, I'll be satisfied with one chicken wing. It's amazing how being deprived of something only makes you crave it more and more.

Engagement Chicken

Ingredients
* 1 whole chicken (approximately 4 pounds)
* 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, plus 3 whole lemons—including 1 sliced for garnish
* 1 tablespoon kosher or coarse sea salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* Fresh herbs for garnish (4 rosemary sprigs, 4 sage sprigs, 8 thyme sprigs, and 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley)

Directions
1. Position an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the giblets from the chicken, wash the chicken inside and out with cold water, then let the chicken drain, cavity down, in a colander for 2 minutes.

2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place the chicken breast-side down in a medium roasting pan fitted with a rack and pour the lemon juice all over the chicken, both inside and out. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper inside and out.

3. Prick 2 whole lemons three times each in three different places with a fork and place them deep inside the cavity. Chicken cavity size may vary, so if one lemon is partly sticking out, that’s fine. (Tip: If the lemons are stiff, roll them on the countertop with your palm before pricking to get the juices flowing.)

4. Put the chicken in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 350°F, and roast, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

5. Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Using tongs or two wooden spoons, turn the chicken breast- side up. Insert a meat thermometer in the thigh, and return the chicken to the oven and roast for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the meat thermometer reads 180°F and the juices run clear when the thigh is pricked with a fork. Continue roasting if necessary. Keep in mind that cooking times in different ovens vary; roasting a chicken at 350°F takes approximately 18-20 minutes per pound, plus an additional 15 minutes.

6. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. And here’s the secret: Pour the juices from the roasting pan on top of the sliced chicken— this is the “marry me juice.” Garnish with fresh herbs and lemon slices.

Shrimp Fajita Fiesta

2011-04-14T17:25:00.002-04:00

I'm in the final stretch of this whole non-eating red meat and poultry thing for Lent and I must say that I am very proud of myself. *pats self on back* I have not faltered and had one of those "no one will know if I eat this chicken wing" moments. I feel good and it all comes down to being disciplined and staying focused. It's amazing how I can be disciplined with some things and not so much with others. Of course you didn't come here to read all about that...

So the other night I went to Brooklyn to support some other Skyyhook Radio folks at South Paw for an event for The Mad Bloggers. I couldn't stay late for the whole event because I was starving. Dieting is not for the greedy lol. Before I went into the party I noticed a Mexican restaurant on the corner and for whatever reason I was craving some good Mexican food. Not just Chipotle either. My options were limited because of the non meat thing. I decided to try the Shrimp Fajita and it was SO good that I decided to make it myself, so that is the recipe for the weekend.

Shrimp Fajita Fiesta
Ingredients\
* 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
* 1 green bell pepper, sliced
* 1 red bell pepper, sliced (not my favorite, but if you must, feel free to use it)
* 1 pound medium shrimp - peeled and deveined
* 1 small chopped onion
* 2 tablespoons Goya Sofrito
* 3 tablespoons water, or as needed
* 6 (10 inch) flour tortillas, warmed

Directions
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add the red and green bell peppers, and onion. Cook, stirring frequently until peppers are hot, but still slightly crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
3. Pour the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil into the skillet, and add the shrimp. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pink and opaque.
4. Reduce heat to low, and return the peppers and onion to the skillet. Stir in taco seasoning and water so that everything is evenly coated.
5. Simmer until peppers are heated. Serve in warm tortillas.

Note: Recipe modified from Shrimp Fajita

Don't forget to tune in EVERY Friday from 2-4 to The Home Girl Next Door only on Skyyhook Radio

All Veggie Everything Soup

2011-04-07T16:08:00.005-04:00

For the first time ever, I made vegetable soup and it is DELICIOUS. I tell you sometimes I really just have to toot my own horn.

I'm on a diet as you all may know. I don't like restricting myself from foods that I love...well unless it's for Lent lol. This new diet, however, is not one that makes me angry. No I can't eat a snickers and cookies when I'm craving them, but over the years I have gotten a lot better with those bad food habits. I have to remind myself that I am not 21 anymore and that snickers will find a home smack dab on my face or hips lol. It's just not worth it.

So the recipe for the weekend or week is Vegetable soup. I made it from SCRATCH, no can or jar. Just a few of my favorite vegetables in a pot with some good ol' chicken stock. At first the task seemed daunting, but I went online and found the foundation for a really good vegetable soup.

Cocoa's Stop the Presses All Veggie Everything Soup

Ingredients
* 1 medium red onion chopped
* 1 small yellow onion chopped
* 5 medium potatoes cubed
* 1 box frozen corn
* 1 box string beans (I used Haricort Verts - French string bean)
* 1 container Pomi chopped tomatoes
* 5 stalks of celery chopped
* 3 carrots chopped
* 1 teaspoon garlic
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (completely up to you)
* 1 container chicken stock (I believe I had a 32 oz)
* 1 cup of water (if needed)
* salt, pepper, your favorite herbs

Directions
1. preheat oil in a large deep pot
2. add onions and garlic and saute until browned
3. add chicken stock, carrots, potatoes, celery, seasoning
3. let simmer for about 35-45 minutes or until you can stick a fork into the potato
4. add corn, string beans and tomatoes
5. Let cook for 10 more minutes until all of the vegetables are tender and NOT MUSHY
6. Enjoy!!!!

Dieting Cocoa

2011-03-31T14:38:00.003-04:00

Cocoa is on a diet. Yes. It's official. But that doesn't mean that I will short you on the flavors. I'm still in a Caribbean mood so this weekend get those taste buds ready for Jerk Salmon on a bed of greens. Green leafy vegetables is something that I don't get enough of. Which is not good because I have low iron and these are rich in that vitamin. Of course if you want you can make whatever side you wish, but for the sake of this diet, bed of greens it is.

My recommendation for the greens would either be Spinach, Romaine if you must or a Spring Mix. You know, the options you get at the salad shop lol. I generally go for either the spinach or the spring mix.

Jerk Salmon and Pineapple and Mango Salsa
Ingredients

* 2 mangoes, peeled and diced
* 1/2 pineapple, cored and diced
* 1 cup rinsed and drained canned black beans
* 3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
* 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
* 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
* 1 teaspoon ground allspice
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
* 4 salmon fillets (5 ounces each), skin on
* 1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions
1. Combine mangoes, pineapple, black beans, onion, cilantro and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl.
2. Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, allspice, cumin, thyme, cayenne and cinnamon in another bowl
3. Rub over both sides of each fillet.
4. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; cook salmon until cooked through, 5 minutes per side.
5. Serve with salsa.

Enjoy

Don't forget to tune in EVERY Friday to The Home Girl Next Door

Escape to the Caribbean

2011-03-24T14:51:00.002-04:00

It snowed in New York City this week and all it did was make me wish for the Caribbean. I still can't believe that we had snow in March, but that's another blog on another day. Since it's still Lent and I'm holding strong to the non red meat/poultry thing so this weekend's dinner is Jerk Red Snapper fillet with Peas and Rice. Yes you read right, RICE. Not one of my favorite things to make, BUT I tried it before and I love the combination of flavors and aromatics that the coconut from the rice brings to the spice of the jerk. This meal is fairly easy and quick to make because Lord knows I do not like to slave in the kitchen for longer than necessary.

Jerk Snapper Fillet
Ingredients
* 1 lb red snapper fillets
* 1 lemon, quartered
* olive oil, to taste
* Scotch Bonnet Sauce, to taste

Jerk Rub
* 1 tablespoon ground allspice
* 1 tablespoon dried thyme
* 2 teaspoons curry powder
* 1 tablespoon mild paprika
* 2 teaspoons sugar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
* 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions
1. Mix together ingredients for the jerk rub and massage it generously into the fillets.
2. Refrigerate fish for about 1 hour. (DO NOT OVER MARINATE)
3. Preheat oven to 400°F.
4. Lightly oil a baking sheet large enough to hold the fish in a single layer.
5. Place fillets on baking sheet and drizzle the tops lightly with olive oil.
6. Bake at 400F for 6 minutes.
7. Turn fillets and drizzle once more with a little olive oil.
8. Continue baking for 4-6 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork (time may vary depending on how thick your fish is).
9. Just prior to serving, drizzle cooked fillets with lemon juice and/or Scotch Bonnet Sauce

Because I love the way she did it, please click here for the Step by Step guide for some delicious Rice and Peas

Spicy Curry Shrimp with Coconut Milk

2011-03-16T21:23:00.007-04:00

The other day I hung out with my mom and we caught up. The best thing about visiting my mom is having those "wonderful" mother/daughter "When are you getting married?" conversations (another blog). They always bring so much joy, lol. But that's not what this blog is about. While there she had me do some chores...yes I live on my own and have my own chores to do in my apartment, but I still have to do chores when I go over there. As a parting gift though, she gave me three barely worn coats and a bag of shrimp lol yes random. Since I hadn't eaten all day I figured I would just go to Popeyes to get the tacklebox. Then I thought about my look better naked plan and nixed that idea. Afterall, I did go to Trader Joes last week and had a fridge and cubbard filled with yummy food. If I have food in the house, I eat out less. When I was in the store I came across a bottle of Thai Curry Sauce. It looked interesting and I thought that it would go nicely with my basmati rice. After looking at the ingredients I decided that I could make a better sauce without paying close to $4.00, besides when would I use the sauce again? It would probably expire by the time I'm inspired to make another Thai influenced dish, so instead I purchased a .99 cent can of Light Coconut Milk. I already had the curry, cumin and hot pepper at home.

Below is the recipe for what turned out to be really good, so I hope that you try it out and let me know what you think.

Spicy Curry Shrimp with Coconut Milk

Ingredients

* 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
* 1/2 cup minced onion
* 1/3 of a green bell pepper
* 1 clove minced garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
* I started off with a 1/2 cup light coconut milk, but eventually I added the whole can...I wanted more sauce for the rice
* 1 1/2 teaspoon of Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce (I said spicy!)
* 1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
* 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
* Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil in large, nonstick saucepan over medium heat.
2. Saute onion, red pepper, and garlic until vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
3. Season with cumin, scotch bonnet sauce and curry powder. Cook for 1 more minute. 4. Stir in coconut milk and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered for 2 minutes.
5. Stir in shrimp, and increase heat to medium-high. Cook and stir until shrimp is cooked through, about 4 minutes. DO NOT OVER COOK!

Serve with your favorite rice. I used Basmati.

Thanks and enjoy...Make sure you tune in EVERY FRIDAY from 2-4 pm for The Home Girl Next Door on www.skyyhookradio.com

Shrimp and Clam Scampi Situation

2011-03-10T15:22:00.001-05:00

So this weekend's recipe is quick and my go to for an easy shrimp recipe. It doesn't take much skill either. If you follow the recipe below, you are sure to have a yummy dish.

Ingredients
(I was on a budget at Whole Foods so this dish had few ingredients)
* 1/4 or 1/2 LB of deveined and shelled shrimp (fresh or frozen)
* Depending on your like or dislike of clams any amount is fine-
I used 7 (low budget lol)
* About a half an onion - diced
* Teaspoon of minced/chopped garlic (you can add more if you really like garlic)
* Handful of parsley
* About 1 cup of Cooking wine or a nice white wine that you would drink by itself
* About 2 cups of water (I used a coffee mug and I remember counting for moments such as this)
* Seasoning: I use Lawry's for most things, basil, oregano, garlic powder, cayenne pepper (I like spicy food), and of course black pepper - You should be using a little more than a pinch of Lawry's
* 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil (enough to cover your pan)
* Pasta of your choice (I love Linguini or Cavatappi)

Process
1. Make sure you Soak the clams thoroughly to get the grit and sand from the shell.
2. Clean and soak your shrimp in cold water. DO NOT use hot water, because you will cook the shrimp.
3. Chop your onions, garlic and parsley.
4. Heat your olive oil
5. Boil your water w/ very little salt - for Pasta
6. Add the onions to the hot oil (be careful of popping), you are not browning the onions, just letting them sweat a little to get tender
7. Add the garlic and then the parsley
8. MAKE SURE YOU KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE PAN AND STIR
9. Water should be at a boil so add your pasta
9. Add the seasoning. It will look a little like a paste. Stir
10. Add your wine ad stir- let this steam a little to build the flavors up
11. Add the water and bring it to a boil then back down to a low simmer
12. Add your CLEAN clams to the mix - If you have any open or broken clams, throw them out because they are no good. Your clams should be closed before you put them in the pan.
13. Let them sit for about 10 minutes, but keep your eye on the pan
14. Once the clams are open, add your shrimp.
15. Once the shrimp turn pink the scampi is done. You do not want to over cook the shrimp or else they will be hard and tough and you do not want that.
16. Drain your pasta

It might seem like a lot of steps but the process in all takes about 20-25 minutes.

Make sure you tune in Every Friday to The Home Girl Next Door on www.skyyhookradio.com

Mardi Gras!!!

2011-03-03T13:36:00.001-05:00

It's Lentenseason, so you know what that means...Mardi Gras!!! LOL. Of course, it's not the only thing to remember about this time. But for the sake of this blog, we are going to venture to one of the places that I have been DYING to visit and that's none other than New Orleans. I love the food and the energy. This year I'm finally going to experience the city and Essence fest so I'm excited. On Sunday I went to brunch at Bourbon St. Bar and Grill and enjoyed the food, experience and the company so much that we stayed there for nearly five hours...the unlimited mimosas and 20 dollar brunch didn't hurt either. I recommend it for affordable eats.

And let me just say this before we move on, I LOVE OKRA. I realize that many people don't have the same love, and that's fine, but I am all about the Okra.

Now that the housekeeping is out of the way, let's get to the recipes. This time it's easy and I won't burden you with too many recipes and I have one of my very own recipes that I'll add to the mix.

Cocoa's Shrimp Creole

For dessert, a win win is a recipe from my girl Paula Deene Beignets

I love Bobby Flay. Of course I could have gone to Emeril, but the cripsy okra caught my eye so settle in for this one.

Shellfish and Andouille Gumbo with Shrimp, Scallops, Clams and Oysters with Crispy Okra

Ingredients
* 1/2 pound andouille sausage, cut into thin rounds
* 2 small ribs celery, finely chopped
* 2 carrots, finely diced
* 1 large Spanish onion, finely diced
* 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
* 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 1 stick unsalted butter
* 1/2 cup flour
* 6 to 8 cups Shrimp Stock, recipe follows
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 2 tablespoon honey
* Freshly chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish
* Freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Seafood:
* 1/4 cup canola oil
* 12 scallops
* 12 large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails on
* 18 shucked oysters (I'm not a fan of oysters, so this
* 6 ounces lump crabmeat
Crispy Okra: YUMMM - This will be gone before I add it to the pot lol
* Canola oil
* 1/2 pound okra, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
* 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Gumbo Base:Directions
1. Heat a medium skillet over high heat.
2. Add the andouille and cook until golden brown on both sides. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels. Do not drain.
3. In the same pan, cook the celery, carrots, onion, bell pepper and garlic until soft.
4. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large Dutch oven (I don't have one of these, but I do have a large pot that works fine).
5. Gradually add the flour, stirring occasionally. Cook the mixture (roux) until it's a light-caramel color, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onion mixture and cook for about 3 minutes, without stirring.
6. Bring the stock to a boil in a large saucepan. Whisk in about 6 cups of the stock into the roux mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, add the andouille sausage and continue simmering for about 20 minutes, add more stock if the mixture is too thick. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Seafood:
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saute pan, over high heat until almost smoking.
2. Season the scallops with salt and pepper and sear the scallops, on one side, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove and set aside on a plate.
3. Wipe out the skillet and add the remaining olive oil. Heat over medium-high until almost smoking. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and cook until just pink, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and set aside with the scallops.
4. Add the scallops, shrimp, oysters and crab to the sauce and continue cooking until oysters are plump and cooked.

Crispy Okra:

1. Heat 2-inches of canola oil in a high sided saute pan over medium heat until it begins to shimmer. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
2. Place the cornmeal in a shallow baking dish and season with salt and pepper.
3. Season the okra with salt and pepper and toss in the cornmeal. Fry the okra, in batches, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to the baking sheet and season with salt.
4. Divide the seafood among 4 shallow bowls, ladle in some of the sauce and sausage and add the honey and garnish with the fried okra and chopped parsley and cilantro.

Click here for the Shrimp Stock

Oh you Fancy - An Oscar Night Menu

2011-02-23T19:55:00.006-05:00

It's that time of year. Time to see who what actors and actresses made the cut for the most elite awards show. None other than the Academy Awards, which is mostly referred to as the Oscars. It's all glitz and glamour from the red carpet to the stage. This is the night when people see their dreams realized and why not share in their moment with some edible delights?

I decided to step it up a little with this menu, so roll your sleeves up because we are both in for some fancy foot work.

So without further ado, the nominees...

For starters...

Spinach, Bacon and Onion Dip

Ingredients:
* 4 slices bacon, thinly sliced crosswise
* 1 medium yellow onion, diced medium
* coarse salt and ground pepper
* 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
* 2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
* 1 cup whole milk
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 1 bar (8 ounces) cream cheese
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
* Crostini or pita chips, for serving

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium saucepan, cook bacon over medium, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, 10 minutes. Drain bacon on paper towels. Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan.
3. Add onion to pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 8 minutes. Add flour and cook 30 seconds. Add spinach, milk, sour cream, and cream cheese. Cook, stirring, until cream cheese melts, 2 minutes. Stir in bacon and 1/4 cup Parmesan.
4. Transfer mixture to a 1 1/2-quart baking dish and top with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake until bubbling, 14 minutes.
5. Heat broiler and broil until top browns, 3 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes.
6. Serve dip warm with crostini or pita chips.

Panko-Crusted Chicken Bites with Apricot-Mustard Sauce

Ingredients:
* Nonstick cooking spray
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
* 2 large eggs
* 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
* Pinch of cayenne pepper
* 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 2 pounds), cut into 1-inch cubes
* 1 cup apricot jam or preserves
* 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
* 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and fit with a wire rack. Spray with cooking spray; set aside.
2. Place flour in a large bowl and season very generously with salt and pepper. Whisk eggs in another large bowl with 2 tablespoons water until well combined. Place the breadcrumbs in a third large bowl, and drizzle with olive oil; toss to coat. Stir in cheese and cayenne and mix well.
3. Place chicken pieces in the seasoned flour and toss to coat. Working in 3 batches, shake off any excess flour from chicken pieces and transfer to egg mixture; stir to combine.
4. Transfer coated chicken pieces with a slotted spoon to the breadcrumb mixture and toss until completely coated. Place the breaded chicken pieces on a rack-lined baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart. Repeat process until all the chicken is breaded. Bake until golden brown and chicken is cooked through, 18 to 20 minutes.
5. In a small bowl, stir the apricot jam, mustard, and thyme together until combined. Allow chicken to cool 10 minutes before serving with apricot mustard mixture.

Best Ensemble...

Black Pepper-Crusted Wagyu New York Steaks with Black Truffle Vinaigrette

What's Wagyu? Well I googled it for you. *Wagyu

Ingredients
Vinaigrette:
* 2 ounces fresh or jarred black French Périgord truffles*
* 1/2 cup Tuscan-style extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 1/4 cup minced shallots
* 1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon or other dry red wine
* 2 tablespoons Banyuls vinegar**
* 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
* Coarse kosher salt

Steaks:
* 4 12-ounce New York strip steaks (each about 1 1/4 inches thick), preferably Wagyu
* 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
* 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
* 2 tablespoons very coarsely ground black pepper

Directions:
For vinaigrette:
1. Thinly slice truffles, then dice finely.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in small skillet over medium heat.
3. Add shallots; sauté 2 minutes. Add truffles and sauté until aromatic, about 1 minute. Place shallot mixture in small bowl.
4. Boil wine in heavy small saucepan until reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 10 minutes.
5. Add to shallot mixture.
6. Whisk in vinegar and thyme. Gradually whisk in remaining 7 tablespoons oil. Season vinaigrette to taste with coarse salt. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

For steaks:
1. Pat steaks dry. Brush 1 tablespoon oil over both sides of steaks. Sprinkle with coarse salt and coarsely ground black pepper.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in each of 2 heavy large skillets over high heat. Add 2 steaks to each skillet and cook to desired doneness, about 2 minutes per side for rare to medium- rare (instant-read thermometer inserted into center of steaks registers 120°F to 125°F).
3. Transfer steaks to platter; cover with foil to keep warm. Let rest 5 minutes.

Place steaks on plates. Spoon vinaigrette over and serve.

*Jarred black truffles from the Périgord region in southern France are available from D'Artagnan

**Banyuls vinegar, made from the sweet French wine of the same name, is available at specialty foods stores and by mail from Surfas (310-559-4770; Surfas Group)

Supporting Ensemble...

Haricort Verts with Herb Butter
Ingredients:

* 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
* 3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
* 3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
* 2 teaspoons finely chopped tarragon
* 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
* 2 lb haricots verts or other green beans, trimmed

Directions:
1. Stir together all ingredients except haricots verts with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl until combined well.
2. Cook beans in a large pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt for 6 quarts water), uncovered, until crisp-tender, about 6 minutes, then drain.
3. Toss with herb butter.

And a yummy dessert...

Frozen Chocolate Bananas

Ingredients:
* 2 ripe but firm bananas
* 6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped, or semisweet chocolate chips
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1/2 cup granola, chopped pecans and walnuts, or sprinkles (optional)

Directions:
1. Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil or parchment paper.
2. Cut the bananas in half and insert a Popsicle stick into each half, as shown. Place them on the baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate with the oil in a Pyrex measuring cup in the microwave (check it every 30 seconds) or in a half-full pan of simmering water (about 2 minutes). Stir until smooth.
4. Roll each banana half in the chocolate, then quickly sprinkle with your topping (if using).
5. Freeze until the chocolate sets, 30 minutes. Serve or freeze in an airtight container for up to a week.

A BONUS:

Melted Cheese and Chorizo with Grilled Bread

Ingredients:
* 2 1/2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, or other neutral oil, divided
* 2 cups chopped white onions
* 1 cup (packed) thinly sliced leeks (about 2 small; white and pale green parts only)
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 8 ounces smoked Spanish chorizo, cut into 1/16-inch-thick-rounds
* 3 cups coarsely grated Petit Basque cheese or Gruyère cheese
* Grilled sourdough bread slices

Directions:
1. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add onions; sauté until deep golden brown, stirring often and adjusting heat as needed to prevent burning, 25 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in medium skillet over medium heat. 4. Add leeks; sauté 3 to 4 minutes. Add 3/4 cup water; cover and cook until leeks are tender, stirring often and adding more water by tablespoonfuls to moisten as needed, 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Add wine; cook uncovered until leeks are very soft, about 5 minutes longer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine onions and leeks in small bowl.
6. Preheat oven to 450°F. Divide onion-leek mixture among 4 small gratin dishes. 7. Top mixture in each dish with chorizo slices, then cheese.
8. Bake until cheese melts and bubbles, about 15 minutes. Serve hot with grilled bread.

All Star Weekend Menu

2011-02-17T16:16:00.003-05:00

We're playing Basketballllll...Yes it's that time of year again. The Superbowl is over now it's time to catch the NBA's "best" play in the annual All Star Game 2011 festivities. My favorite event is the dunk contest and I'm looking forward to seeing the contenders. With that said, I have a menu planned that will definitely be a slam dunk for most palates.

All of these recipes are quick and aim to please a hungry crowd.

Buffalo Chicken Strips
Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 3 tablespoons ketchup
* 1 to 2 tablespoons hot sauce
* 1 1/2 cups (spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
* 2 large eggs
* 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 16 equal-size strips
* 4 cups vegetable oil

Directions
1. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in ketchup and hot sauce. Remove from heat; cover and reserve sauce.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle 1/2 cup flour mixture evenly on a rimmed baking sheet; set aside.

3. In a shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and 2 teaspoons water.

4. In small batches, dredge chicken in flour mixture, shaking off excess. Dip chicken in egg mixture to coat, shaking off excess. Dredge chicken in flour again. Place on floured sheet.

5. In a large (5-quart) saucepan, heat oil to 350 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer (a pinch of flour should sizzle when dropped in the oil.

6. Add half the chicken; cook until golden brown, 3 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Return oil to 350 degrees. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Toss chicken strips with reserved sauce (reheated if necessary) to coat.

Thanks to Martha Stewart

Buffalo Grilled Shrimp
Ingredients
For blue cheese dip:
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
* 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
* 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (2 ounces)
* 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
* 1 1/2 teaspoon milk

For shrimp:
* 18 jumbo shrimp (1 1/2 to 2 pounds), peeled, leaving last shell segment and tail fan attached, then deveined
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
* 1/4 cup hot sauce such as Frank’s RedHot
* 1/2 bunch celery, cut into 4-inch sticks

Directions
DIP
1. Stir together ingredients, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Shrimp
1. Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium heat for gas); see Grilling Procedure.

2. Toss shrimp with oil and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Oil grill rack, then grill shrimp, covered only if using a gas grill, turning once, until just cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes total.

3. Stir together butter and hot sauce in a large bowl. Add shrimp and toss until coated.

4. Serve shrimp with dip and celery.

Thanks to Epicurious

Baked Sweet Potato Chips
Ingredients
* 2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and sliced 1/8 inch thick
* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, preferably sea salt
* 1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in center and lower positions.

2. Divide sweet potatoes between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with oil, toss, and spread them in a single layer on sheets.

3. Bake, flipping once, until centers are soft and edges are crisp, 22 to 25 minutes.

4. Sprinkle with salt, and serve with lime wedges.

Thanks to Martha Stewart

And if you want something sweet and fun try this recipe for Crispy Macadamia Nut Fried Ice Cream Balls with Chocolate Macadamia Nut Sauce

Thanks for checking me out, make sure to tell a friend to tell a friend to check back here EVERY FRIDAY and to tune in to The Home Girl Next Door only on Skyyhook Radio Fridays from 2-4 EST

Valentine’s Day Weekend Menu

2011-02-11T13:23:00.006-05:00

Happy Early Valentine's Day!!! To all the lovers and singles. I made a special menu for this weekend. Try it out and let me know what you think. Stay tuned for more recipes from me EVERY Friday.

besos

Friday Night Dinner for Two
Main Course: Salmon with Brown Sugar Glaze
Sides: Sautéed Garlic Asparagus and Sweet Potatoes
Dessert: Hazelnut Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Salmon with Brown Sugar Glaze
Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
* 2 teaspoons honey
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 3 tablespoons Dijon – style mustard
* 4-1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
* 4-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
* 2 teaspoons dried ground ginger
* 4 salmon filets(about 6 ounces each)
* Vegetable oil
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the brown sugar, honey and butter. Remove from heat and whisk in the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil and ground ginger. Set aside.
2. Preheat a grill pan over medium heat. Brush salmon with vegetable oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Place the salmon skin-side down on the grill. Coat the flesh of the salmon fillets with the brown sugar mixture. Grill for 6-8 minutes to medium doneness, turning once after 5 to 6 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.

Sautéed Garlic Asparagus
Ingredients
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 1 bunch (about ½ pound) fresh asparagus, tough ends removed
* 2 cloves garlic, chopped
* ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
* ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, add the garlic, asparagus spears, salt and pepper.
2. Stirring occasionally, cover and cook until asparagus is tender, about 10 minutes.

Aphrodisiacs: Ginger, Asparaus, Garlic

Simply Baked Sweet Potatoes (Cocoa Recipe)
Ingredients
* 2 medium to large size sweet potatoes
* 2 teaspoons butter
* Sprinkle of salt

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Wash skin of sweet potato and pat dry
3. Place sweet potatoes on pan and put in oven for 35 minutes to an hour. Because of their large size they have the tendency to take a long time to bake.
4. Once done, let stand until you can touch them
5. Cut open, add butter and salt

Hazelnut Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
Ingredients
* 1 pint fresh strawberries, washed and patted dry, stems intact and thoroughly air dried
* 1 cup hazelnut chocolate spread (recommended: Nutella)
* 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Directions
1. In a small bowl, vigorously whisk together the hazelnut chocolate spread and the cream until it reaches the consistency of melted chocolate. Set aside.
2. Carefully spear strawberries with toothpicks. Working quickly, swirl each strawberry gently in the chocolate mixture, about halfway up the fruit. Place the strawberries on a parchment paper lined platter. Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator to harden slightly.

Aphrodisiacs: Chocolate and Strawberries

*Recipes provided by: The Get 'Em Girls Guide to Unlocking the Power of Cuisine unless noted

Saturday Morning Breakfast
Main Course: Heart Shaped Sweet Potato Pancakes
Sides: Scrambled Eggs w/ or w/o cheese (optional)
Sides: Bacon, Sausage or Ham (optional)
Drink: Mimosa (optional)

Heart Shaped Sweet Potato Pancakes
Ingredients
* 3/4 pound sweet potatoes
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 1 1/2 cups milk
* 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions
1. Place sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan of boiling water, and cook until tender but firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, and immediately immerse in cold water to loosen skins. Drain; remove skins, chop, and mash.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Mix mashed sweet potatoes, eggs, milk and butter in a separate medium bowl. Blend sweet potato mixture into the flour mixture to form a batter.
3. Preheat a lightly greased griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter mixture onto the prepared griddle by heaping tablespoonfuls, and cook until golden brown, turning once with a spatula when the surface begins to bubble.

Sunday Brunch
Main Course: Pain Purdue
Main Course: Fried eggs
Side: Canadian Bacon
OR
Main Coursee: Chicken and Waffles

Chicken and Waffles
Ingredients
Chicken:
* 1 (3 1/2 pound) fryer chicken, cut into 8 pieces or chicken wings
* 1 cup all purpose flour
* 1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows
* Vegetable oil, for frying

Buttermilk Waffles:
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 large eggs
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
* 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
* Unsalted butter, topping
* Maple Syrup

Directions
Chicken:
1. Heat enough vegetable oil to come about 1-inch up the sides of a large, deep cast iron skillet to 350 degrees F.
2. Rinse the chicken under cold running water and do not dry; leave wet.
3. In a large sealable bag, combine the flour with the Essence. Add the chicken pieces 1 at a time, seal, and shake to coat evenly. Remove and place on a wire rack over a baking sheet and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Carefully add the chicken to the hot oil and fry, turning once, until golden brown and the meat is cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes (the thighs and legs will take longest to cook). Remove and drain on paper towels. Remove the pan from the heat and with a slotted spoon, scoop out any browned bits remaining in the pan and drain on paper towels.

Waffles:
1. Preheat a waffle iron and lightly grease. Into a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together.
2. In a clean bowl, beat the eggs. Add the butter and buttermilk and beat to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix well.
3. Pour the batter into the hot waffle iron and cook until golden brown and lightly crisp. 4. Remove and if desired, top with a slice of butter, and serve with the chicken and maple syrup.

Essence Emeril's Creole Seasoning:
* 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
* 2 tablespoons salt
* 2 tablespoons garlic powder
* 1 tablespoon black pepper
* 1 tablespoon onion powder
* 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
* 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
* 1 tablespoon dried thyme
* Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Make sure you tune in EVERY friday from 2-4 EST for The Home Girl Next Door only on www.skyyhookradio.com

Hosting Events the Cocoa Way

2011-02-08T13:30:00.002-05:00

Hi, my name is Cocoa and I may or may not be a food/event snob. I can't help it but at least I own up to it.

Have you ever been invited to an event after hearing how wonderful someone's cooking is only to find out that well it's good, but you aren’t sure what the rave is about? As someone who cooks and happens to be a tad on the picky side, I am definitely apprehenisive when it comes to eating someone else's food. What's good to many, may not be good to me. And I don't proclaim to be the best at it, because I know that I flub up plenty of times. In addition, to quote the songstress Erykah Badu, I'm an artist and I'm sensitive about my shh... I'm not alone in this, people who cook can be a bit tempermental. Because I have a tendency to flub up, I become a bit compulsive when it comes to planning menus for events. It's to a point where I don't sleep the night before because I am prepping all night to ensure that everything is close to perfect. There's a method to my madness and I think with this list of tips, everyone can have a stress free and fun event.

This list will help for ANY in home event. It doesn't matter if it's for the Super Bowl, Grammy and Oscar nights, the All-Star game, the Play-Offs or just an intimate night of Taboo, I'm all about the in home gathering.

1. First things first. Plan your menu in advance. To reiterate, I am a bit compulsive when planning because for one I can be a bit indecisive. I'll go to my favorite sites and pour over recipes for days. A theme would be nice but if that's not for you, find recipes that will feed a crowd but also something fun. For events like that, I love Buffalo Wings.

2. Once your menu is planned, set up your budget and shop for the food. Depending on what you are making, get the food 1-2 days before the event.

3. The night before the event prep the food. That means cleaning soaking meat if you are having any. Season and marinate the meat/fish over night. Chop vegetables or anything that you think you may need. Some things taste a lot better if made the night before. Like Potato Salad. CLEAN UP AS YOU GO!

4. I usually don't sleep the night before, but I don't recommend it because you want to be fresh for your party. But this is the prime time to ensure that everything is set up. For instance, while you are boiling noodles for Macaroni and Cheese, start cleaning your apartment. Grate the cheese. Do little odd and end things to keep the flow moving. I like to optimize all of my time. I'm a serious food setter upper, so if I'm making mac and cheese or lasagna, best believe that it will be set up the night before so that all I have to do is throw it in the oven on the day of the event. This also helps to bind all of the ingredients together. And I’ll say this again, CLEAN UP AS YOU GO!

5. Try to get some rest, because you have a busy day ahead of you.

6. Depending on what you are making, you may want to wake up EARLY. This helps if you are frying anything like fish or chicken and are expecting a full house. I would get that started as quickly as possible. Because it gets hot in the kitchen and if you don't have a lot of space or windows, your guests will smell like fried chicken. Not a good look. I remember once I made fish for tacos with my stove top grill and it made my apartment really smoky. I had to open all windows and the door. No one wants to smell like smoky food all night.

7. Have a friend try to get there early to monitor the stove so that you can shower, clean house, straighten etc. This of course needs to be a friend that knows their way around the kitchen.

8. If your party starts at 6 and you told guests 5:30, most times they will get there at 6:30...lol, or maybe just my friends... You'd think that you have a lot of time, but TRUST me that time flies. If you wake up at 9 AM, 12 PM will be there before you know it. This is what people fail to realize. You do not want to still be sweating in the kitchen when your guests arrive.

9. Set up your platters and table. If you have appetizers, put it in a common area. When people come into my home I make sure that they are good. So I place any appetizers out so that they can nibble and get settled in. Some people don't want to eat right away but if they are anything like me, they go straight to wash their hands and then to fix their plates. As a starter, chips always work. I like making my own tortilla chips and serving a good salsa/guacamole. A crudités works also.

10. Understand this, everyone does not eat meat. Salad or some vegetarian friendly dishes must be out early. Chips will not get the job done. And you don’t want your guests to get full off carbs before the main event.

11. When everyone has eaten and is full, start your first round of clean up. This will relieve LOTS of stress at the end of the night. This is when your friends come in handy. After you've slaved in the kitchen all day and night, your friends will be more than happy to do the job.

I think that's all for now, I'm sure that I left out something, and if you think I did, feel free to leave a comment.

Thanks all for reading and have a wonderful event.

Brunch With Cocoa

2011-01-24T21:10:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!

Yes it's been a little while. No excuses other than time flies and the next thing you know it's 2011. Tonight I want to talk about my favorite meal of the day. Brunch. In December, I saw some people tweet about having brunch. Not out at a restaurant, but in someone's home. I liked the idea and thought, well maybe I should host one at my house. As a sometimes insomniac, brunch gets me going for the rest of the day. A nice mix of sweet and savory that delights all of my taste buds. Who doesn't love chicken and waffles with a strawberry butter? Yes, it's as amazing as it sounds. Or a yummy french toast with peaches? yum.

Then came the planning stage and I wondered who to invite and of that, who would come especially since most of my invite list resides in Brooklyn and I'm on the outskirts of civilization, aka The Bronx. Once that was decided, the next stage is the menu. This is the most difficult for me because everyone doesn't like the same thing and you want to make sure that all of the guests are satisfied with a full belly. Well it's a good thing Bobby Flay has a show on the Cooking Channel. I might be able to make something so decadent that I'm sure will leave everyone satiated. The show is Brunch At Bobbys. I happened to catch the episode where he travels to France and makes me fall in love all over again with French Toast. This is a dish that I rarely order or make myself. I don't like to order it out because I have yet to enjoy it at a restaurant, it's either too dry or wet... And when it comes to making it myself, I rarely have bread and real milk in the house at the same time.
This recipe is definitely added to the "Get Wifed Up" list.

The recipe calls for a lot of ingredients and very specific instructions so please click on the link for the Pain Perdue with Fresh Peaches and Vanilla Bean Butter.

Cocoa's Stuffed Shells

2010-11-30T15:05:00.006-05:00

Oh it's been way too long since I've posted. I guess I've been too busy eating :). Well I'm back for now and I have a new recipe. I'm usually inspired to make things after seeing a commercial or going to a restaurant and trying things out on my own. This recipe was inspired on a trip to Pathmark. My friend and I were in there for what seemed like forever and I had a full cart of goodies. By the time we got to the frozen section I was tired, but then I saw a frozen meal. It looked good enough for me to purchase but then I saw the ingredients and the price and figured I'd make it myself. So this is how I ventured to Stuffed Shells land. For a first try, it was DELICIOUS! The key is the homemade sauce. Oh yea, I haven't purchased my beloved Prego in a little while, only because my sauce is easy, tasty and cheap to make.

*Just so you know, this recipe is a little labor intensive, perfect for Sunday dinner

Stuffed Shells

Ingredients
*1 Box Large Shells
*2 16 oz pkgs Mozzarella cheese
*1 15 oz container of Ricotta cheese (You can used 2 if needed)
*1 package of Italian Sausage (I used pork, but if that's not your thing use what you like)
*1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

The Sauce
*1 can of crushed tomatoes, I used Red Pack
*1 chopped Green Pepper
*1 chopped onion
*3-5 cloves of garlic (more or less depending on your preference)
*Basil
*Oregano
*1-1.5 tsp of Sugar (to balance out the bitterness of the tomatoes)

Directions
1. Heat oil on low to medium in a pot
2. before you add to the oil, remove the sausage from the skin and mash with a fork, let brown, once browned, remove from oil and place in a bowl because you are done with that for now
3. Add chopped veggies to the remaining oil(add garlic last because it cooks faster than the others)
4. In another pot, Boil Water for shells
5. Add Tomatoes (if you want them pureed, throw them in your blender)
6. Add basil, oregano, salt, pepper and your sugar (be VERY careful with the sugar unless you like sweet sauce)
7. Add shells to water (it should be ready by now, make sure you do not over cook them or else they will be soggy and unusable)
8. Check the sauce, if it's bubbling then turn it down and add your sausage and let simmer, don't forget to stir
9. While the sauce cooks, focus your attention to the cheese. Grate the mozzarella and add half to the ricotta. Stir until the cheeses are blended. I added Parmesan cheese also.
10. Pasta should be done by now, drain and let cool so that you don't burn your hands when you are adding the cheese mixture
11. Once everything is at a workable temperature, set your shells up in a pan and add a tablespoon (more or less, your preference) of the cheese mixture to each shell.
12. Once all of the shells are stuffed and set up in the pan, use your ladle or whatever you have and spoon it over the shells. You will have enough sauce to cover the pan.
13. Add the rest of the mozzarella cheese to the top with a little Parmesan
14. One thing I didn't mention is you should preheat your oven at 375 because once you set it up, you want to throw it right in the oven.
15. Let cook until cheese is melted (15-20 minutes depending on your oven and patience lol)
16. All done! Enjoy :)

I created a slide show so that you can see how things should look

Cocoa Meets Mexico TGI-Friday Style

2010-09-24T02:34:00.009-04:00

This past Saturday I hosted a ladies night farewell to Summer get together. Some months ago I was contacted by TGI-Fridays and asked to host an event that featured their new product. A ready made mixer with alcohol already added! After finding this out, of course I decided to have a party.

They have a variety of flavors to choose from such as, Margarita, Long Island Iced Tea, Pina Colada, Sangria, and Mudslide just to name a few. With all of those options, I almost had a hard time deciding which one to choose from, but I went with Margarita, especially since I had a Margarita drink set. The next step was planning the menu...

Since I only cook for myself most of the time, it felt good to be in the kitchen cooking for others. I spent a good portion of time pouring over recipes on Epicurious.com for some "inspiration." I didn't actually make any of the recipes that I found, but it was helpful to find out which ingredients would help make a delicioso Mexican feast.

When planning the fiesta, I knew that I had to make it fun for my girls...food and "drank" is not enough lol. My guest list included friends from different areas of my life so I wanted to make them feel comfortable. My initial idea was to have a pole dance instructor come and teach us some tricks, but the price for that was a little steep. Then I thought about all of those in-home sales parties, a la Mary Kay, that I've attended. I thought about the Passion Party, but been there, done that so I went with Undercover Wear. An in-home lingerie sales company.

This time around I wanted to steer away from my usual fare of macaroni and cheese, baked ziti, or lasagna etc. Those are my staples for feeding crowds. Since Mexican was the theme, I went with tacos, a favorite for most people. They are not only delicious, but fun to make and eat. I gave my guests a choice of ground turkey, grilled shrimp and grilled fish to use as fillers. I'm one of those greedy party goers so I knew that I had to have more than just tacos. So I made grilled corn with a chilli, butter and lime rub, buffalo wings (a party staple), salad (which doubled as taco garnish) homemade tortilla chips (I wanted guacamole, but the avocados didn't ripen in time) and for dessert, I decided to bake homemade sweet potato cheesecake w/ a homemade whipped cream.

I have to pat myself on the back for that feast. I am the first to admit when something that I make is not good, BUT that's not the case for this. The ground turkey alone was super good. I actually ate the leftovers the other night with the guacamole I finally made and some homemade chips (I refuse to buy tortilla chips now that I know how easy it is to make them). It was definitely a good feeling to eat something so damn good after having a trying couple of days.

You will find the recipe for the turkey meat below. I almost purchased the taco seasoning because that's what I was used to, but when I saw the ingredients I figured I'd just make it myself. If you want more recipes, feel free to hit me up.

Cocoa's Taco Meat

Ingredients
*ground turkey (or whichever meat you choose- for parties, turkey works because many people have issues with red meat/pork)
*chopped onion, green pepper, minced fresh garlic, chopped (as small as possible) fresh cilantro, minced fresh jalapeno pepper
*chilli powder
*cumin
*a little cayenne (added kick)
*Sofrito (Goya sauce, I usually use this to flavor beans because that's the only way I'll eat them)
*salt/pepper

Directions
1. Saute onion, green pepper, jalapeno, add garlic last because it browns easily.
2. Remove veggies from pan
3. Add meat to pan
4. Season meat while in pan
5. Once meat is almost browned add the veggies so that the meat can soak up some of the flavor. (Make sure you drain excess oil if there's any)
6. Add sofrito then stir (2 tablespoons)
7. All done.

Once again, thanks so much for checking out the site.

For more information on TGI-Friday Mixers check out this fun site with recipes for a good time.

Survival of the Fittest

2010-05-24T23:28:00.003-04:00

I must say, I have missed this blog. What I miss most is cooking and eating like a normal person, rather then a retail slave scrapping for fast food take out. Le Sigh. Anyway, as I was sitting here planning my future world takeover, I felt a little hunger pang. I'll just say this, it's been MONTHS since I've done some heavy duty food shopping. It's a combination of time, finances and mostly time. The job has me super exhausted so when it's time to get down to it and eat like a civilized person, I hit up the Chinese restaurant. I know better than to eat take out all the time and believe me I hate it too, but this is the grind out life that chose me...But I digress...

I was sitting here making my plans and I got a little hungry. I said to myself, "Self, what are your options? Sit here and be hungry or go to the store?" I weighed the options and then thought about what I had in the fridge or cabinets to whip together. I had to put my thinking cap on. The typical things that people have in case of emergencies, like Ramen noodles have not been seen in these parts. Then I remembered, I had two cans of salmon left over from the salmon cake episode. I also had some tortillas for chips (I had a craving for guacamole and chips, but Tostitos are high so I decided to make my own). Then it hit me, FISH TACOS! I had onion, garlic, peppers and some salsa. I figured I liked all these things so why not put them together?

I don't want to toot my own horn, but I have to say that my "taco" is on the money. Shells are a little crispy (they were in the oven while I was typing lol). Pats on the back for Cocoa.

Ingredients
*1 Can Bumble Bee Salmon
*1/2 onion
*1/4 green pepper
*1 tsp of chopped garlic
*plain tortilla shells
*your favorite salsa

Directions
*Chop onion, garlic and green pepper
*Debone salmon
*Season salmon
*Pre-heat oil
*Saute onions, garlic and green pepper in oil until tender
*Throw in the salmon
*Let cook for about 15 minutes
*Heat tortillas until they are to your liking
*Serve

Add a bit of your own flavor for this because it is an anything goes Survival of the Fittest type of meal.

Thanks for reading :)

P.S. my camera photography needs work lol

Beignets

2010-04-19T18:33:00.004-04:00

I should have been working, and I am. But I am also tuned into my favorite network. Some people watch soaps and talk shows, I watch Food Network everyday, sometimes all day. It's my entertainment and gives me new ideas and recipes. Today was no different, Paula Deen went to the Big Easy with her dishes and now I have a serious taste for Beignets. I've never had them, but what's not to like about fried dough and sugar?

Peep the recipe below and when I make them, I will post the pics.

French Quarter Beignets

Ingredients
* 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1 envelope active dry yeast
* 2 eggs, slightly beaten
* 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
* 1 cup evaporated milk
* 7 cups bread flour
* 1/4 cup shortening
* Nonstick spray
* Oil, for deep-frying
* 3 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, beat the eggs, salt and evaporated milk together. Mix egg mixture to the yeast mixture. In a separate bowl, measure out the bread flour. Add 3 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add the shortening and continue to stir while adding the remaining flour. Remove dough from the bowl, place onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray. Put dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.

Add the confectioners' sugar to a paper or plastic bag and set aside.

Roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 1-inch squares. Deep-fry, flipping constantly, until they become a golden color. After beignets are fried, drain them for a few seconds on paper towels, and then toss them into the bag of confectioners' sugar. Hold bag closed and shake to coat evenly.

I just went in my kitchen to see if I had any of the ingredients. No bread flour so I will get on that this week....well after my vacation lol.

Thanks for visiting.

LENT

2010-04-07T21:59:00.002-04:00

Greetings to all of my readers. It has been a long time. I've been having technical difficulties for the past month (no computer). It was a sad situation, but now I am back. YAY for me! Now, before I get into it, just know that this is not a recipe blog. It's just a short welcome back to you and me. Also for 40 days and nights, Miss Cocoa Luv, did not have one bit of red meat OR chicken. AGONY!!! But I am proud of myself, usually I falter and eat chicken after three weeks, but I managed and I think that I lost a couple pounds (I think I did at least). The biggest test was going to BBQ's and not getting wings/ribs/steak or chicken. For me, Lent was about discipline, taking my mind off of the food and focusing on other things as well as praying.

During this time, I didn't have any food epiphanies during this period, but I did realize that it is super hard and expensive to eat right in Harlem. Now that I am working, wait, you didn't know, yes I am working again, break out the champagne or schnapps...it's a celebration...(sarcastic yay). But now that I am working, it is MUCH harder for me to come home and actually make dinner. I'm not working a regular 9-5, I am a retail slave...fun. Yes I am grateful to be working again, it's great to get out of the house and speak to real people everyday.

Anyways, stay tuned for things to come. I appreciate you for sticking with me during this time. Smooches.

I'll Be Back

2010-03-13T14:43:00.003-05:00

I've missed this blog, and from what I hear some of you have also. I will post something soon so just bear with me. Kisses :)

Coconut Crusted French Toast

2010-01-12T08:37:00.006-05:00

Good Morning Readers!!! I'm up early tasting the worms and they are yummy. I was inspired this morning to make french toast. I don't usually make it because most of the time I don't keep milk, bread or eggs at the same time in my fridge. In addition, I prefer a more savory breakfast, you know eggs, bacon, grits and/or homefries. But today was a different day. I woke up and wanted french toast. Then I thought, "Hmmmm, I have some coconut, let's try something different." I'm sure there are recipes floating around online but this honestly came from the brain of Cocoa. For a first try, I have to say that it was pretty good. The coconut was a little on the "cajun"side but I like my french toast well done, can not stand soggy bread.

This recipe is very simple and only has a few ingredients.

Coconut Crusted French Toast
Ingredients
1. Bread - I used wheat bread
2. About a cup of Milk (I eyeballed this) - 2% only because it makes me think I'm drinking whole milk but not really :)
3. 1 egg
4. Cinnamon
5. Nutmeg (not necessary, but I love the flavor)
6. Drop of vanilla
7. Coconut flakes

Directions
*Pour milk into a semi deep rectangular bowl
*Add egg and scramble into milk
*Add cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla

*Coat bread in the mixture
*Preheat oiled pan
*Add about a handful of coconut to a plate and place the battered bread one side up onto the coconut (I only crusted one side because there is such a thing as too much coconut)

*Your pan should be hot now, so add the the toast coconut side down

*Let cook on first side for 3-5 minutes. It doesn't take long at all so watch it.
*Flip on to the other side and do the same
*Once browned evenly on both sides it's done. As I said earlier, I do not like soggy bread so I kept it in the pan for a little longer than usual to make sure that the outside has a nice crisp to it. The inside can be a little moist but this is up to you.

You can serve with your favorite syrup, I used Mrs. Butterworths and served with a fried egg and turkey bacon.

As usual, thanks for reading and tell a friend to tell a friend.

Gotta Be The Sauce

2010-01-03T09:55:00.004-05:00

Let's hear it for Barbecue sauce!!! I love the stuff. Growing up, if I didn't like something, I would throw some barbecue sauce on it (I'm a southern girl at heart). It would always make everything taste 100 times better. I'm not sure where this love comes from, but I can definitely say that it's not going anywhere. Now, don't get me wrong, there are some sauces that I just do not like, one being Jack Daniels sauce. It could be me thinking about the whiskey factor but there's something about it that bugs me, but the funny thing is, it doesn't stop me from buying it. I'm pretty sure that I have a bottle in my fridge right now as I type this. My love for BBQ sauce even spreads to cheaper varieties like Kraft. But this blog isn't about either one of those. It's about one of the best sauces I've ever tasted. It's lip smacking good. I have to thank my best friend for putting me on to this excellence.

I know that you are bubbling with excitement to find out the name of this sauce that I keep in my cabinets. Sweet Baby Rays is the name and I must admit that I haven't had one that tastes better. One time I purchased Stubbs after hearing about it on my beloved food network and I was not impressed. I figured I'd support though because there was a brother man on the bottle lol. I'm sure that it would taste good on something fresh off the grill, but since I don't own a grill it didn't wow me. Now Sweet Baby Rays, is something different. It has the right amount of sweet, tangy and spiciness I love. I don't even have to add many things to it (I always add things to sauces to make it my own). If you haven't tried it, I suggest you go to your neighborhood Pathmark, Stop and Shop, Piggly Wiggly or whatever big market in your neck of the woods to try it, because it's that good.

Here is what their site has to say about this wonderfulness:

"You know it. We know it. It's more than a sauce; it's a life
enhancer. Without it, food is barely worth eating. So, pour it on,
lick it up, and use it up. We'll make more."

Once you try it, let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading :)

Sad Days

2010-01-03T09:45:00.002-05:00

On January 1, the start of a new year, I came home to find that my beloved channel, the Food Network was taken down by the evil Cablevision. For many that know me, they know that this is a major blow to my soul (yes I'm dramatic). I mean really, why would they do this? Given the nature of the economy, more people are staying home and learning how to cook and are really fascinated with making food, food competitions, chefs, new cuisines, etc. With the popularity of Top Chef many foodies and wanna be foodies have come out the woodwork. Never have I been so devoted to a channel (well maybe VH1 Soul, but that's another thing altogether). I really hope that they resolve their issues ASAP! Until then, check out an article on what's really going on and if you are a Cablevision subscriber, let them know how you feel by going here.

Thanks for the continued love.

Creole Shrimp

2010-01-02T08:54:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year!!!

I didn't make the "typical" new year meal, you know the black eyed peas, collard greens and pork product...instead I ate lentils, broccoli, trout and couscous thanks to my mama. That was my first meal for 2010 and I felt good eating it, even though I am not a fan of lentils, but I liked those better then black eyed peas (never been a fan). Keeping with my superstitions, I hope that it brings all the luck that it can :).

Now to the main course. Since it was a Friday, I decided to make a seafood dish. I had a sudden taste for some creole shrimp. I made it in early 2009 and figured I'd make it again. It has the right amount of spice that I need to get this year started with a bang. I served mine with pasta, but feel free to serve yours with anything or as a stand alone dish. I initially found the recipe online by plugging in "creole shrimp" or "shrimp creole," just so that I can have an idea of where to start. This time around, I did my own thing. So check it out.

Creole Shrimp (This will last me for 2-3 days)
Ingredients
*Shrimp (20-30 pieces)
*1/2 of an onion, sliced
*1/4 Chopped Green Pepper
*1 Tbsp Chopped Garlic
*Chopped Okra (I realize that not many people like okra so you don't have to use it, I however LOVE okra so I threw it in)
*1/8 of a hot pepper, or if you are brave a whole one chopped very small
*Cajun seasoning
*Cayenne Pepper
*Salt/Pepper
*Tomato sauce and paste (I used the smallest cans of both)
*1 1/2 C Water
*Olive Oil

Directions
1. Clean shrimp
2. Chop veggies, you can leave the okra whole if you choose, but I chopped mine

3. Preheat olive oil in fry/saute pan
4. Once oil is hot, add the veggies (add the okra and garlic last)
5. Let the vegetables sweat for 5-7 minutes or until they are tender
6. Add seasonings
7. Add the tomato sauce, paste and water; let simmer

8. The shrimp should be the VERY LAST thing that you add to the sauce. Shrimp cooks very fast and you do not want to overcook them.
9. Cook for about 5 more minutes (you'll know that the shrimp is done once they turn pink, turn the pan off as soon as this happens, the heat from the pan will ensure that the shrimp is cooked all the way through)
10. Serve with your favorite pasta if you so choose or with some rice...

Thanks again for your continued support.

P.S. I will try to get better pictures lol :)

Christmas: A Turkey Story

2009-12-24T00:15:00.004-05:00

Greetings and Salutations readers. It's that time of year again where we add an extra notch to our belt and resort to elastic waistband bottoms (I like to call that ALL YOU CAN EAT ATTIRE). Yup, it's the holidays. The time when we spend with our families or reflect on the past and prospects for the future. Either way, no matter how you spend this time whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I wish you and your family well.

Now, to the subject at hand. Last year, I hosted my first Christmas dinner in my apartment. It was also the year of my very first turkey. For anyone that's made a turkey, the pressure that you experience is like no other. Well that is if you've heard as many horror stories as I have. The first comes from my mom who left the giblet bag in the cavity while she it was cooking and then when she was ready to serve it, she found that it was...basically not suitable for eating. It was undercooked at the first cut so she put it back in the oven (I was a too young to remember this, but I've heard the story on numerous occasions). Thankfully she learned from that and her turkey is the bomb.com. The next story came from a co-worker who put the turkey in the oven and "slow cooked" it unintentionally. She had it in the oven thinking that it was on a normal temperature, only to find that it was at the lowest degree possible. Eight hours later a guest asked "Why don't I smell the turkey cooking?" DOH!

These sorts of stories nearly frightened me, but I wasn't going to let them get me down nor intimidate me. During prep time I soaked the turkey like I would a whole chicken then coated the turkey with butter, herbs, bell seasoning and a sprinkle of "Cocoa Flava" and stuck a pepper in the cavity. Let me just say that I had to toot toot my horn...(I do that often if you couldn't tell). It was that good. To top it off, my mom was pleased so that made everything worthwhile.

This year, I am going to attempt the turkey again, I figure I have it in the bag, but anything can happen between now and the big day. I will try my best to take pictures and post them next week. In the mean time, have a wonderful holiday and be well.

Thanks for reading :)

Short Rib Yummyness

2009-12-12T00:49:00.007-05:00

The other night I ventured to slow cooking land without the proper equipment. You see, I still haven't found the need to purchase a slow cooker/crock pot/steamer/dutch oven etc. I'm sure that if you have a family it helps, but for my case...I have a good stew pot that serves my purposes just fine. You might be thinking, short ribs in a regular pot? Well, let me tell you, I find a way when there is no way. The first time I made the short ribs I was almost intimidated because the recipe from Southern Living called for a Dutch Oven, I thought to myself, "MAN LISTEN, where's my pot???" The first time, I followed the recipe exactly, no adding a little Cocoa like I usually do...well maybe just a little ;). They came out close to perfect, and I was VERY impressed.

The other night I ventured back to Short Rib land and thought, "hmm let's try something different," it helped that I didn't have all the ingredients from the first time so I added my Cocoa flava to the pot and let me just say this, TOOT! TOOT! TOOT! Now, I throw down on the regular and sometimes (very rare) some things I make are hit or miss (that usually comes when I am rushing and thinking with my stomach and not my brain). This time, I wanted to call Tiffany's and purchase a ring for myself, they were THAT GOOD. I am glad that I can still impress myself, too bad for the sorry sap (he who will not be named) who missed out on all that goodness.

So without further ado...The Recipe
(Make sure you add a little of your own "flava")

One note: This recipe is for one, but I was able to stretch it for three days.

Short Ribs Yummyness

Ingredients:
* Short Ribs (duh) - I went to the butcher and he cut about 12 pieces for me (Not a lot when the meat breaks down).
* Chopped Onion - about 2 tablespoons
* Chopped Garlic - 1 tablespoon (I love garlic)
* Chopped Green Pepper - 1 Tablespoon
* Flour
* Vegetable oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan or pot, you'll see why below)
* Your favorite seasoning
* Beef Stock - 1 Can
* Red Wine - 1 cup - I lowered the amt this time around
* BBQ Sauce - 1/2 cup

Directions:
1. Soak meat for an hour (as you should all the time, gets excess blood out)
2. Season meat with your favorite seasoning
3. Flour the meat (I used a bag, I'm old school)
4. Pre-heat oil in pot/pan
5. When oil is hot, place meat in oil to brown on each side

6. Once meat is browned, take out and drain on paper towel
7. Add veggies (you can add carrots, celery etc - do your thang)

8. Add the beef stock and stir
9. Add the bbq sauce (whichever one you like)
10. Add the red wine and stir
11. Once the veggies have softened drain the excess oil and add meat back to pot
12. Add just enough water so that it's just below the top of the meat

13. Turn heat to a very low simmer and let it cook for 3 hours this helps in getting FALL OF THE BONE TENDERNESS

Serving options:
Now ya'll know that it has to be something special for me to make rice, and this was the occasion. Once I tasted the gravy, I knew that I had to make rice to sop up some of that goodness. Luckily, I have a handy dandy rice cooker :). It was a last minute addition.

For the sides I made sauteed okra and a baked sweet potato I didn't do anything special to either. I threw the sweet potato in the oven and let it bake when the short ribs had an hour left of cooking. Once the sweet potato was done, I added my okra to some olive oil and garlic, added a little "flava" and sauteed for about 10 minutes.

And Dinner is Served :)

Thanks for checking me out, tell a friend to tell a friend :)

Cooking School...

2009-11-19T03:15:00.003-05:00

Lately I have been tossing the idea around in my head about actually refining my skills and enrolling in culinary school. Now that I have the time, of course it would be a great idea to attend. The only thing holding me back is well, the cost. Culinary school is VERY expensive. One school that I was seriously considering just started accepting financial aid, which is excellent...if you've never had financial aid before (thinking back, I hardly had financial aid when I was an undergrad). I figured that I would apply anyway and just see what they'd say, I mean the worst they could say is no. So I filled out the FAFSA (felt like I was 21 again lol). Once I received word from the school that they received my application, I was too excited and just KNEW that they were going to give me at least half...boy was I wrong. The conversation went a little like this...

Me: "Hi, I received the email that my financial aid was sent to the school, I'd like to find out the status."
Woman on the phone: "Yes, we have your application and unfortunately ... we can only give you ...(less than what I desired)."
Me: "Oh, well what are my other options?"
Woman: "Well you can take a loan out" (not a regular loan, a loan that needs two cosigners)
Me: "Oh, well that is not an option...Man that school is HIGH"
Woman: "Girl I work here so I know, so sorry blah blah blah..."
Me: laughs "Well thanks anyway, maybe I'll rob a bank" (no I didn't say that, almost but didn't)

As I sat on the phone with the person, all I could think about was how I had the opportunity in high school. I went to an "alternative" high school in Manhattan that wasn't the best but it had a culinary program so I was sold from jump (I didn't think about that when I applied, I just knew that they had culinary arts). I don't typically like to think about the "what ifs?" and "damn if I would have's," well that's what's been going on in my head as of late.

Looking back, all I can think about is why didn't I take it more seriously then? But you know what, things don't happen the way we want them to happen. If I would have stayed on that path, I would probably be stressed the hell out, wouldn't know many if any of the people that I know now (and I know some REALLY good people), I probably wouldn't have this blog and I suppose that it just wasn't the right time for me to join that field. I don't want to go on a "I needed to find myself" tangent, but sometimes you need to do just that. Getting laid off was a blessing in disguise and all that I can think about is if I were still working, I wouldn't be able to focus on the new ventures that I am exploring (acting/hosting/applying for my superwoman cape etc). But back to culinary school...someone once said to me, designers don't need to go to school to learn design, they just know. I've been cooking since I was stove high and like my mom says to me, "Aren't you glad that I woke your butt up on those mornings so you can chop this, taste that...etc" Leave it up to moms to bring you back to reality lol. An option that I am exploring is taking some recreational cooking classes to get back into the classroom structure and to be taught a little technique. This is definitely something to think about as I keep my eye on the fries. ;)

Thanks for reading :)

*Don't forget to place your orders today for The Sweet Potato Cheesecake: info@everythingbutrice.com (Available for my NYC readers...for now)

Holiday Special

2009-11-17T12:55:00.003-05:00

Greetings to all. The holidays are here and Everything But Rice has something special lined up for those wanting a twist on the traditional dessert. Please see below for the flyer and tell a friend to tell a friend.

*Unfortunately, I am unable to ship at this time, but if you are in the NYC area, hit me up.

Thanks for the continued love to the site, I really appreciate it. :)

Sweet Tooth

2009-11-10T22:51:00.003-05:00

On rare occasions I get the taste for something really sweet. I pride myself on my cooking skills but baking cakes and other sweet treats happens to be something that doesn't come to me naturally. But that's not to say that I don't try. I can make a mean Sweet Potato Cheesecake (recipe to come soon). That's not what this blog is about though.

Today I was on my favorite site Epicurious just surfing. Not looking for anything in particular but found a recipe that called out to me. The name itself won me over Dulce De Leche Ice Cream Pie with Mocha Fudge Sauce. This might be the winner. Anything with ice cream is a treat for me. Folks can keep their cupcakes, give me ice cream.

Dulce De Leche Ice Cream Pie with Mocha Fudge Sauce

Ingredients
Crust

* 1/3 cup chopped pecans
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 2/3 cup vanilla wafer cookie crumbs (from about 32 cookies)
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Sauce

* 2 tablespoons boiling water
* 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder or instant coffee powder
* 1 cup sugar
* 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 cup whipping cream
* 1/4 cup light corn syrup
* 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
* 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

* 2 pints caramel ice cream (such as dulce de leche)
Cocoa Note: I would probably make the ice cream from scratch or make vanilla or coconut ice cream

* 1/2 cup chilled whipping cream
* 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
* 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
Cocoa Note: I'm not a fan of pecans so I wouldn't add them, but feel free to pecan it up :)

Salmon Croquette a Story

2009-11-05T01:58:00.003-05:00

When I was a child my mother would make salmon croquettes. I was a picky eater so I would never eat them. Ever. Fast forward a decade or so and I have my first taste of salmon. All of my friends would eat it and enjoy it but I would look at it like it was the worst thing ever. Mind you I never tasted it but I just knew it wasn't good. Then one day a friend of mine had a dish that looked and smelled so good that I HAD to try it. And let me just say that after one bite, I was hooked. But I still never had a salmon cake. Now, I love crabcakes, codfish fritters (done by one restaurant) and even a conch fritter (if in the Bahamas) but this salmon cake was a bit elusive for me. For one, not everyone makes them. Fast forward again to a couple of weeks ago. I'm not sure what made me have a taste for them, but I woke up and decided that I was going to make a salmon cake. I didn't have a recipe and I didn't want to ask my mother for one, I just knew that I wanted to make them. I went to the market for my usual milk, eggs and something for dinner. When I made my way to the aisle with the canned salmon, I had no idea which one to get but I figured Bumble Bee would be a good one (name recognition works). And since no one answered the phone when I called I picked a can with a name that I recognized.

The can sat in my cabinet for weeks. Not because I was scared of the outcome but because I really didn't know what I would be getting into. I mean really who is scared of a can of salmon...? Enter Tuesday. I'm hungry but I don't want to make anything big. I look at this can of salmon and I am determined to make it, recipe or no recipe (I eventually went online to find a basic recipe). I still was not going to call my mom for one.

One thing that I didn't know or remember about the canned salmon was that it has a million darn bones in it (of course there weren't a million bones but sheesh). I thought that this was going to be an easy thing. Why would they leave the bones? I guess now I know to look for an option without bones. Once that was done, I proceeded and the finished product was by my standards pretty damn good.

Now it was time to call my mom and tell her about my meal. This is what the conversation was like:
"Hey mommy, guess what I made"

"What?"

"Salmon cakes"

"What? For who? Why"

"I made them for me, I wanted to try it so I did"

"Did you make them for someone?"

"Hahahahaha, no I was hungry and wanted them."

At this point she's still baffled by my sudden interest in salmon cakes then she asked me to bring her one. I haven't heard back from her yet, so when I do I will let ya'll know what she thinks. She won't lie to me like some mothers would lol.

I served mine with grits but you can serve yours with whatever you please. I just love grits and ya'll already no that I'll make anything but rice ;).

Salmon Croquette
(Keep in mind I eyeballed everything)

* 1 can bumble bee salmon (or whichever one you like)
* about a tablespoon onion
* about a tablespoon green pepper
* half a teaspoon garlic (I love garlic)
* old bay
* cayenne pepper (I love hot pepper too)
* black pepper
* garlic powder
* 1 beaten egg
* 2 tablespoons bread crumbs (I actually had a drop left of them)
* 1 teaspoon of cornmeal (nope it doesn't usually call for it but I like cornmeal and seafood)

Directions
* Debone salmon
* break meat into small pieces with fork (you don't want big chunks unless you are using fresh salmon than go all out)
* preheat oil in frying pan
* add seasoning, onion, garlic, green pepper, bread crumbs and cornmeal and mix
* add beaten egg to bind together
* form into patties and let brown (I like fried food a little well done, so I kept mine in a little longer)
* once done, drain on paper towel
* serve with grits or with coconut rice and salad (supplied by one of my fav twitterers :)

Enjoy

Throwdown - Mac and Cheese

2009-11-02T17:54:00.003-05:00

For anyone that knows me, they know that I am a HUGE Food Network fan. I can sit and watch this network for hours and not get hungry...most of the time. One of my favorite shows would have to be Throwdown with Bobby Flay. On the show he's given a mission to go to a chef's home turf and challenge them on one of their specialty dishes. Most of the time I watch this show and without getting hungry, but last night was another story. On this episode Bobby Flay went to the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia and challenged Delilah Winder to a Macaroni and Cheese THROWDOWN. They had me at MAC and CHEESE. I'd like to say that my Mac and Cheese is next to the best I've ever had. I'm a serious horn tooter lol. But Delilah's mac and cheese, which was named the best in America by Oprah Winfrey, has a SERIOUS dish on her hands. It was so serious that I almost got on the 20 dollar NY/PA bus this morning. Her mac and cheese has not one, not two but SEVEN different cheeses. OH MY GOODNESS is what I said. I just know that my little once a year mac and cheese has a lot of work to do. I think I still might go out to Philly this week just for the mac and cheese and for 20 bucks round trip, why not?

Peep below for the recipe...

Delilah Winder - 7 Cheese Mac and Cheese

Ingredients
* 2 pounds elbow macaroni
* 12 eggs
* 1 cup cubed Velveeta cheese
* 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, melted
* 6 cups half-and-half, divided
* 4 cups grated sharp yellow Cheddar, divided
* 2 cups grated extra-sharp white Cheddar
* 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella
* 1 cup grated Asiago
* 1 cup grated Gruyere
* 1 cup grated Monterey Jack
* 1 cup grated Muenster
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until slightly al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside to keep warm.

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until frothy.

Add the Velveeta, butter and 2 cups of the half-and-half to the large bowl of eggs. Add the warm macaroni tossing until the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the remaining half-and-half, 3 cups of the sharp yellow Cheddar, the remaining grated cheeses, and salt and pepper, tossing until completely combined in the large bowl.

Pour the mixture into 9 by 13-inch casserole or baking dishes (approximately 3 (3-quart) baking dishes) and bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of sharp yellow cheese and bake until golden brown on top, about 30 minutes more.

Serve hot.

Food And Wine Fest

2009-10-09T23:56:00.004-04:00

Long time no see to my fellow bloggers and readers. Oh how I have missed you. It's been quite a September/October and you can find out what's going on in my life here. In the mean time let's get down to business...

Today I was fortunate enough to be a volunteer for the New York Food & Wine Festival. If there was one word that I would use to describe the event I would say INCREDIBLE. For a foodie groupie like myself it felt like the Sundance Festival for food enthusiasts. I was able to see most of my favorite chefs from the food network as well as taste burgers from different restaurants in NYC.

When I found out that I would be volunteering at Rachel Ray's Burger Bash, I was too excited simply because if I had to choose a favorite food, hamburgers would be among the top 10. Some noteables were Shake Shack, who BTW had the only station where you can request a well done burger, Spike Mendohlson of Top Chef fame had a wonderful marshmallow milkshake that made me almost want seconds and I would have if I had a friendly relationship with milk. Those two ranked at the top for flavor and energy and line ease. The other tables had a lot of people and I'm sure the burgers were delicious, but many of them were pink practically raw...I love my steak a little pinkish but my burgers HAVE to be well. Who the hell wants to eat raw ground beef? Apparently a lot of people because they were eating them like it was their last meal. Seriously.

The best part of my night though, was being able to mix and mingle with other food enthusiasts and most of all THE CHEFS. As I was walking through nibbling, I thought about all of the chefs that were there and wondered how they must feel. I'm sure that when they first went to Culinary school they had no idea that they would be treated like rock stars. The food groupies are a trip and not to be messed with lol. They hustled to take pictures with the likes of Tyler Florence, Giada DeLaurentis, Rachel Ray, et al. If I were the type to fiend for pictures, I'm sure that I would have been right there cheesing it up with Tyler.

All in all the event was GREAT. It was sold out at $200 a pop. GASP! The great thing about the event is it raises money for the Food Bank of NY and Share Our Strength. These organizations help to feed the hungry of New York. Many of the events were sold out and I love that Food Network is involved.

This was definitely a highlight and I am glad that I was able to attend.

For more information about the Food & Wine Festival click here

Biscuits + Cookies = Biskies

2009-08-31T11:25:00.004-04:00

Last night I attempted to make Sweet Potato Biscuits. I will be the first to say that I am not a baker. But, that doesn't stop me from trying different things like cakes, cookies and the like, but it does make me a little nervous. Baking is a very precise skill and I tip my hat to those who have mastered it.

My inspiration behind wanting to make this recipe comes from watching The Secret Life Of Bees. It was a typical stay at home Friday night and the movies were on deck. There was one scene where Queen Latifah's character said something about Sweet Potato Biscuits and my mouth started to water. The very next day, I went to the supermarket and got the ingredients. I knew going in that I had my work cut out for me simply because I have never made rolled biscuits. I usually make drop biscuits off the box lol. I feel like this was a new frontier.

I won't lie and say that they came out fluffy and biscuit like, but they weren't bad either. I altered a few things for flavor - (almond extract and cinamon to the sweet potato puree) you can never have too much flava. When all of the ingredients came together I thought that I was pretty successful. It had a nice consistency and it wasn't too doughy. When it came time to roll out though, I think that's where I veered a little to the wrong of things. I might have gotten a little rolling happy - it happens lol. I didn't think too much of it until after I baked them and they pretty much stayed the same way lol. The recipe didn't call for yeast so I didn't expect too much of a rise, but it did call for four tsps of baking powder which I think helps with a rise. I'm not sure what I was expecting since I didn't have a picture in mind or sight for that matter (didn't have a printout, I only had the mobile site on my blackberry).

After all was said and done and the "biskies" were done I whipped up a quick honey butter (I eyeballed it, a little butter and some honey) and began to munch. I'll pat myself on the back because although they didn't look like the typical biscuit they still tasted pretty good with the honey butter. I'm a big bread eater so it was a win-win for me.

Below I posted the recipe in any case you want to try it. Let me know how it turns out :)

*note: after reading the reviews, it appears that I am not the only one that had the same experience :)

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Ingredients

* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 heaping tablespoons sugar
* 4 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes
* 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) softened butter
* 2 to 4 tablespoons milk (depending on the moisture of the potatoes)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate, large bowl, mix the sweet potatoes and butter. Add the flour mixture to the potato mixture and mix to make a soft dough. Then add milk a tablespoon at a time to mixture and continue to cut in. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and toss lightly until the outside of the dough looks smooth. Roll the dough out to 1/2-inch thick and cut with a biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits on a greased pan and coat tops with melted butter. Bake for about 15 minutes. (Watch your oven: If the biscuits are browning too fast, lower the temperature.)

In The Kitchen

2009-08-10T16:51:00.000-04:00

While on the web, looking for photos, I came across one picture that literally made me laugh out loud. It was funny because it fit me almost perfectly. My friend laughs at me about this and even though I tried to deny it I couldn't help but admit that I might have a small problem. I have accepted it and realized that it is okay to feel that way. I know that you might be wondering what in the world I'm talking about, well I am getting to that.

There have been times when I have hosted parties at my house or at a friends house and I become a kitchen tyrant. I really do not like it when people are standing over me or near me when I am in the kitchen. It is my time to relax and get my thoughts together. If music is playing I might sing or dance. Mostly I am talking to myself...Or I might just have the faucet running for no real reason other than I forgot to turn it off. Now when I say tyrant, it may be an exaggeration, depending on who you ask but it's more of me working best alone when it comes to my kitchen activities. The funny thing is I will complain that it's too hot or that I'm tired because I stayed up to the latest part of the night cooking, prepping or baking something and had to wake up early to finish what I did the previous night. It never fails. But even with the complaints, I still don't want the help. Maybe it's the controlling crab (sign of Cancer) in me or maybe I am very particular about who enters my kitchen. I don't know if that is the case with most people, but I know that I can be very territorial when it comes to my domain. I don't mean any harm by it, I just have a process. I don't mind if you sit in the kitchen and this is because I am lucky enough to have the space for that to happen without someone getting in my face. That sounds a little harsh lol, but it is what it is.

I find that many chefs are or can be very temperamental. I don't know if it's the heat in the kitchen or the fact that what you cook, someone has to actually eat and likes it. When I go to someone's house and they are cooking I leave them alone not because I am lazy and want to be served...that's only partially true ;) But, I like to be left alone so I give people their space when they are doing their thing. Another reason could be that I might try to take over or change something...

It's mostly the latter I think.

Thanks for reading, and if you find that apron for cheap, send it this way :)

Tender Viddles

2009-08-10T15:42:00.000-04:00

As a new feature for the blog I will feature a recipe of the week. The recipes will come from either myself or from some of my favorite websites or cookbooks. Today's feature will be from my favorite foodie website, Epicurious. I get emails from the site every once in a while and without fail, I click on the image and get lost in the world of food. The emails usually come at my hunger peak time which is around three pm when it's time for that late afternoon snack. I think that it's timed that way to get more traffic to the site, but whatever the case may be, I love it nonetheless.

With all that said, peep this weeks Tender Viddle. I'm feeling kind of sweet today so if you are off sweets, do not read any further if you don't want to be tortured :).

Photo Credit: Mark Thomas
Toffee Crunch Caramel Cheesecake
Ingredients
Gingersnap crust:
* Nonstick vegetable oil spray
* 1 1/2 cups ground gingersnap cookies (about 7 1/4 ounces)
* 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
* 2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

Cheesecake:
* 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
* 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
* 5 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramel topping
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 1/4 cup water
* 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
* 1 cup heavy whipping cream

* 4 1.4-ounce English toffee candy bars (such as Heath or Skor), chopped

For the preparation click here

Black Cherry Pie Surprise

2009-08-06T12:11:00.000-04:00

For my annual Birthday Show I had a special guest pay us a visit and she came bearing drinkable gifts. I met her via Twitter. Veranda Baker is a caterer serving the NYC area with her special viddles. She mostly works on production sets but is able to do other culinary jobs. I found her through a friend (wonderful world of twitter) and it helps that she has her own business doing what I would eventually want to do in the future.

When I first met Veranda she told me about a special drink that she created. From the sounds of it, I knew that it would taste lovely. The concept all the way down to the
garnish was wonderful and everyone that had a glass LOVED it. I highly recommend it.
On the show people asked for the recipe and she happily supplied it.

You can contact her via Twitter for more information and other recipes.

Black Cherry Pie Surprise
Veranda Baker, All Rights Reserved 2009
Prep Time: 10 min
Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
* 1/3 cup graham crackers, crushed 1-2 packets
* 1 Tablespoon of butter
* 1/3 cup organic raw sugar

Black Cherry Pie Beverage
* 1/4 cup superfine sugar
* 1 cup Organic Black Cherry juice
* 1/4 cup grenadine
* 5 shots white rum (or to taste) Meyers or Caribbean brand
* 1 cup club soda
* 1 lime, juiced
* Lime slices, for garnish
* Bag ice or small ice cubes
* Maraschino cherries, for garnish

Directions
* In a bowl, mix together graham crackers and raw sugar. Melt butter and pour into the graham cracker
mixture. Moisten the rims of the glasses with lime juice and coat with sugar mixture.
* In a large pitcher, add superfine sugar, cherry juice, grenadine, rum, club soda and lime juice. Stir.
* Pour over ice in the rimmed glasses with and garnish with lime and cherries.

Signature

2009-08-06T10:56:00.001-04:00

If I were asked today, what my signature dish is, I wouldn't know the answer. It hit me recently that maybe I should consider it. This was of course after I watched an episode of Top Chef Masters. Now, I do not claim to be anywhere near their status, but any good cook has a go to dish that they can make on a moments notice without a recipe or much time.

If it came down to it, I would have a couple of options. In a previous blog I mentioned my macaroni and cheese. It's pretty serious. It can be eaten alone or with my yummy fried chicken, succulent baked chicken, BBQ Ribs etc. It's not for the dieters or people with restrictions. Another option would be my shrimp and clam scampi situation. This is actually a Cocoa favorite. It's much lighter in calories and good for those that can't eat dairy, pasta (I serve with pasta, but this can be served without) etc. Either of these dishes rank high on the "DAMN that's good" list. I'm not just saying that either. My mom and friends have given me kudos on the dishes.

What would your signature dish be?

Thanks for reading :)

The Infamous

2009-08-03T15:18:00.000-04:00

I posted this on my other blog The Cocoa Luv Chronicles last Thanksgiving. I figured this would be a great first recipe for comfort food lovers. I gets busy with the mac and cheese and I am not modest about that either :).

Funny title for a dish right? Well it's once a year mac and cheese because IT'S THAT SERIOUS. I like to toot my own horn on this one. When I first started making mac and cheese I made some mistakes, but with practice, I think er know that it's on point. The first time I made it was a Thanksgiving when my mother thought it would be fun to go to Atlantic City and left me to fend for myself lol. (I went to a cousin's house and I was 20 something, but still lol). When I go to anyone's house on a holiday, especially Thanksgiving, I like to have my own food at home. This particular year, I decided to make the mac and bake a chicken. I had some serious shoes to fill, because my mom is the best chef I know. I didn't have a recipe, but I watched her enough times to know what to do. I was determined. For my first try, it was SLAMMIN' (the mistakes came after lol). When my mother came home the next day she was surprised to see that I had dinner waiting for her. When she ate it, she was very pleased and my mother is HARD to please when it comes to most things so I knew that it was a job well done. Over the years, I've perfected this dish and it is very simple. Like I said previously, there was no recipe to follow, I just remembered the steps.

Once a Year Mac & Cheese

Ingredients
1. 3 Blocks of Cheddar Cheese (Cracker Barrel if it's on sale or Kraft)
2. 1 box of Elbows
3. 3 eggs
4. 1.5 cans of evaporated milk (you might want to eyeball this)
5. Seasoning: Lawry's, pepper
6. Butter (half a stick)
7. LOVE :)

Process
1. Boil the Elbows
2. Grate the cheese (I don't usually)
3. When noodles are done, drain and pour in baking dish or an aluminum pan (3 for $1.00 at 99 cent store lol)
4. Season the macaroni with the Lawry's and pepper. (the mac needs to cool down before you add egg mixture)
5. Add the butter
6. In separate bowl beat the eggs with the seasoning
7. Add the milk to the eggs and beat - sit to the side
8. Add the cheese to the macaroni and stir
9. Pour the egg mixture over the mac and cheese. This is to bind the ingredients together. You can add more milk if you want it to be creamier and loose when serving.
10. Put in a 345 degree preheated oven (I believe that it's at that temp)
11. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until you see the cheese melting. (You need to make sure that it doesn't burn so check on it)

When done, you should have a nice, cheesy, dish that you will love forever. Trust me.

Yum Yum Gimme Some

2009-08-03T15:05:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the new blog by Miss Cocoa Luv. As the days have gone by I kind of lost a little bit of my blogging spirit as I have been focusing on the real world. But I am back, slowly but surely. Over the past couple of months I have been getting more wrapped up in the world of food. If you are a friend in real life or in virtual reality then you might know that I am a wanna be chef. I have become very "domesticated" and I must say that I like it. I have been cooking since I could reach the stove. I started because for one I was a latch key kid most of the time and two, I was a VERY picky eater. If I wanted to eat, I had to cook. Not to say that my mom isn't a great cook because she can definitely put some restaurant chefs to shame, but she is a REAL foodie. Which means I had to play taste tester for some random food products or regular "every kid hates" fare. I am less of a foodie than most chefs but it doesn't stop me from attempting to cook or eat something. You have to try something first before you set your mind to not liking it...unless it's squid lol (I did have to try that when I was younger though).

You might be wondering about the title of this blog and why I didn't go with something simpler, well to be honest I'm not sure either. What I will say is even though I might be able to throw down something serious in the kitchen, rice and I have a twisted relationship. I love to eat it but hate to make it. Even though I have a handy dandy rice cooker, it still aggravates me. So I figured, why not name this new blog "Everything But Rice..." I might have some rice recipes on here, but I won't make any promises :)

With this blog I hope to share my "foodie" viewpoint as well as dish on different recipes, restaurant happenings, entertaining etc. If you have any ideas for how I can make this blog better I welcome your constructive criticism.

Until the next time thanks for reading and tell a friend.