Curry Chicken

I love this recipe! I cannot take all the credit, however. I have a wonderful cookbook called, "Island Cooking: Recipes from the Caribbean" by: Dunstan A. Harris. I use a variation of his curry recipe. His recipe consists of shrimp, however, I substitute chicken instead. His recipe also calls for tomatoes and whole peppercorns, which I do not use.  I am sure his recipe, if cooked to a t, is even yummier than mine! Enjoy this recipe and feel free to comment if you have a good variation as well! 

1/4 cup butter

1 large onion, chopped

1 apple, peeled and chopped 

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp of curry powder 

3 Tbsp of all purpose flour

2 cups of chicken broth (or water)

1 Tbsp of lime or lemon juice 

1 bay leaf 

1/4 tsp of ground ginger

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 chicken breasts (cut, chopped into bite sized pieces and lightly seasoned with seasoned salt and pepper)

In a large, heavy skillet, melt the butter and saute the onions, apple, garlic and curry powder for about five minutes. Then, gradually and slowly stir in the flour. Next, add the chicken broth or water (pour slowly and stir simultaneously), lime or lemon juice, bay leaf, ginger, and salt and pepper. Add the uncooked chicken. Bring to rolling boil, reduce heat and simmer for twenty minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve over white jasmine rice. Enjoy! 

Chicken Wings

There are so many variations of chicken wings. I have some pictures below of some chicken wings seasoned and coated in corn meal and I have some that were seasoned then coated in flour. Both ways are excellent. If you want a crunchier skin, go with corn meal. If you want a sleeker, chewier skin, go with flour.

Yummy Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Spaghetti and meat sauce is an easy dinner but very filling and most importantly, a time saver. On average, it take thirty minutes to cook spaghetti. This spaghetti was made completely from scratch, including the sauce. Sauce is very easy to make. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb. spaghetti noodles

1 lb. ground beef (or turkey if you're want a leaner meat)

1/4 green pepper,chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tomato

2 15 oz cans of tomato sauce

1 6 oz can of tomato paste (optional, for thickness)

garlic powder

salt

pepper

onion powder

Boil salted water in a pot. To salt water, put a sprinkle of salt in the pot of water. When the water has come to a rolling boil, add the spaghetti noodles. Cook for six or seven minutes or until noodles are al dente. Remove from pot and place in colander. Rinse noodles with some water to get rid of the starchiness.  Set aside.

Put a 1/2 teaspoon of oil in a pan or just enough to coat the pan. Add the meat and cook until brown. While meat is browning, put 1/2 teaspoon of oil in another pan and sautee onions, garlic, tomatoes, and green pepper until onions are soft. Add tomato sauce. Stir frequently, then stir in meat. Season with garlic powder, onion, salt and pepper to taste. Lastly, combine the sauce and noodles and mix well.

Breakfast of Champions

This is what I had for breakfast today. One egg cooked over medium. Three whole grain slices of french toast, and two strips of turkey bacon. Yummy! It's very simple.

Ingredients:

French Toast
3 slices of whole grain bread
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
splash of vanilla extract
dash of cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
butter

Mix eggs, milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a shallow dish. Place your pan on medium heat. Coat the pan with some butter, about 1/4 tsp or just enough to coat your pan. Place your bread slices in the batter then place in pan. Cook both sides about one minute or until golden on each side.

The over medium egg

Ingredients:

1 large egg

Place pan on medium heat. Coat pan with butter then crack egg over the pan very gently so not to splash. Once the egg whites appear white, flip over with spatula. Remove egg once egg is cooked thoroughly.

Turkey bacon

Ingredients:

2 slices of turkey bacon

Place pan on medium heat. Place turkey bacon in the pan and cook each side until they are brown on each side.

This breakfast was so delicious!

My Little Helper

  
   I love to cook for my family. I get such a joy cooking for them. What I enjoy now ismy three year old son new fascination with watching me cook. There is nothing cuter than a three year old boy with an apron on and a spatula in hand. Today he "helped" me cook my fried chicken wings. Well, all he really did was watch me, but I let him stay in the kitchen. I think as parents, we should not discourage our children to watch us cook. What we should do, however, is be mindful of the hazards and be sure to let our children know what is off limits.

  First, I always remind Micah that the stove and oven are hot. I explain to him that if he touches the stove or oven, it can lead to "boo boos". Next, I try to use the knife prior to him coming in the kitchen or if he is in the kitchen at the time, I make sure he is a safe distance from me. I also tell him not to touch the raw meats so that he does not get germs. Make sure you wash your child's hands (as well as your own) to prevent germs and contamination. In addition, a fun thing I do is introduce all the ingredients to him to let them know what they are and if they are dangerous.

  Children are inquisitive creatures. I think it is such a sweet thing to see my son enjoy the things that I enjoy. Instead of stifling his growth and curiosity, I encourage it and cultivate it. Not only do I have a love for cooking, but so does he. It sure is nice to have someone in the kitchen helping me. He is great company and he is learning a great skill.

Lumpia

Lumpia is a lovely dish similar to egg rolls except there is meat involved! The dish is a crowd pleaser for any occasion. Entertain with this dish and serve it as an appetizer and dip it in soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, or just plain ketchup! This dish is a very beloved and well known Filipino dish. My mother taught me and now I am passing it along to you!

Ingredients (what you'll need)

Lumpia wrappers-You can find these in an oriental food store. If you're having a hard time finding them, spring roll wrappers or won ton wrappers are sold in your local grocer
1 lb. ground beef
1 large egg
1 medium onion, finely, FINELY chopped
1 garlic clove, finely, FINELY chopped
1 carrot, peeled and ends cut, finely FINELY chopped
1 medium sized potato, peeled, finely, FINELY chopped
salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
splash of soy sauce (optional)
1/4 cup of vegetable oil or just enough to fry the lumpia

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Please make sure all of the vegetables are very finely chopped because if it isn't, the veggies will puncture the wrapping paper. Then, you wrap each lumpia individually. You would wrap lumpia like you would a burrito or a churro, a taquito, etc. Take a small amount of meat (between 1/2 a teaspoon and 1 teaspoon depending on which wrappers you use)and place it in the middle of the wrapper. Wet the sides of the wrapping paper with water and fold the opposite sides in and roll forward.

Heat your oil in a pan on medium heat. Once all your lumpia are assembled, fry them in the oil about 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown on each side. Place finished lumpia on a plate covered with paper towels to soak the excess oil. Then they're ready to eat. I recommend dipping them in either soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, or ketchup. Enjoy!

Mac and Cheese

Ooey Gooey Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
I received this awesome, delicious recipe from my husband's grandma. Her recipe is amazing, although I have made some variations to it. She also uses a "secret ingredient" that she won't tell me, so it will not taste as magical as hers! :) Enjoy!

Ingredients

8 oz. macaroni elbows (use half of a 16 oz. box)
1 stick of butter (or margarine!)
1 16 oz. shredded or block of any cheese (I recommended a blended or combination cheese, i.e., Colby jack cheese, Monterrey jack cheese)
3 large eggs
16 oz. of milk
1 tablespoon of sour cream or mayonnaise for creaminess (optional)
1 tsp. of paprika (optional)
salt and pepper to taste


You will need

1 large pot
1 13x9 inch pan

First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then,bring a pot of of salted water to a boil. Once the water has come to a boil, add the macaroni elbows. Stir occasionally for about seven minutes or until the macaroni elbows are al dente. Drain. Rinse in the sink two or three times to remove some of the starchy flavor. Return to pot.

Next, put pot on stove and set burner to medium temperature. Stir in stick of butter or margarine. While that is working, drop in the three eggs (they do not have to beaten beforehand). Continue to work the mixture with a spoon. Add the milk. Then, add the cheese in small pieces (cut small pieces of the block of cheese just drop in the shredded)and sour cream. Continue to stir. Once all the butter is melted and the cheese is semi melted, add the teaspoon of paprika and salt and pepper to taste. (Remember, salt gradually because you can always add salt, but you can never subtract it!)

Once the mixture is well blended, pour it into the 13x9 inch pan. Do not grease your pan because you have plenty of butter in your mixture. Place pan in oven. Cook at 400 degrees for twenty minutes or until the sides are a golden brown and the top is a golden yellow. To check, take your macaroni and cheese out of the oven and poke it with a fork. If the fork comes out clean, it is ready!

Introduction

Cooking did not come naturally for me. In fact, I did not have a desire to cook until I was nineteen years old. Both of my parents were excellent cooks. Even my twin sister learned how to cook at an early age (something crazy like nine years old!) but for me, cooking was not something I wanted to learn until I started dating my now husband. I realized at that time that the way to man's heart is through his stomach.

I pretty much taught myself how to cook. The first thing I tried cooking was hot wings. That was the first meal I ever cooked for Sam. Now let me tell you, they were NOT good! They were too saucy and I was very heavy handed on the cayenne pepper. It's a good thing my husband loves spicy food, so he did not tell me they were terrible. Cooking those hot wings (as poorly prepared as they were) gave me the confidence I needed in myself to cook. My confidence in my ability to cook started to increase. I tried baking chicken, fish, and I even dabbled in side dishes like mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. So after that I trusted myself to take on more complex dishes.

I hope that my funny story about how I learned to cook can inspire even the most cynical skeptic. I hope that my story will encourage you to take risks. Sure, you will over season, undercook, overcook, or even have to throw away something you cook. Don't be discouraged; it's all part of the learning experience. When you first learn how to ride a bicycle, you fall, you tip your bike over, you scrape your knees and elbows, and might even run into your neighbor's mailbox; but you never give up. So I encourage you to take that approach with cooking. When you take a chance on yourself, you find out that cooking is not a chore. Cooking is fun, therapeutic, and romantic. When I think about my reasons for cooking, I have three: my husband and two sons. That is why it is easy to learn how to cook, because it is like falling in love. Thank you for coming on this journey with me. I promise that you will leave it with a new attitude towards food and cooking.