Sunday, June 13, 2010

William Sonoma Dinner Party

Heidi and I cooked for a Party that she won off House Party. it was really fun we cooked and had some wine and played games. WE Had a Blast!

Grilled Crostini w/ Goat Cheese & Wichcraft Tomato Relish

Pork Tenderloin

Grilled Radicchi w/ Orange & Balsamic

Lemon-Ricotta Blinis

Lemon-Ricotta Blinis for the dessert

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Strawberry Short Cake Cake

I had both Chocolate & Angel Food Cakes

Spaghetti Tacos

Yes i made Spaghetti Tacos only cause it was Hayden's birthday and that's what she wanted. it is from the show iCarly.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

A pretty cake

just a picture of pretty cake at a baby shower i helped out with

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Cookie Cake

i made Hayden her Birthday cake. she doesn't care for cake much so i made her a cookie cake. it was very easy i cheated i just went out and got the big tube of already made cookie dough and spread it out then backed it let it cool then decorated it. everyone loved it :D

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Gumbo


We went to Eunice, LA to learn about the Acadian's and while we where there they showed us how to make Gumbo. it is very easy but i have to find the recipe then i will post it.  

Monday, April 26, 2010

Camping Food


Went camping with our Girl Scout Troop out at Toledo Bend, LA. For 3 days and 2 night. we had a blast. we Hiked, cooked, sang, made lots of fun things, had a camp challenge, and relaxed a little. the girls made eggs in their toast most this was their first time even cooking anything, we made monkey bread in a dutch oven, pizzas in irons, & even made hot dogs on a rake. of course we made smores but i forgot to take a picture one of them :( the girls also made Chicken w/Gravy on white rice, and omelets in  plastic bags.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Four Seasons Hotel Houston


We went out to Houston for the weekend and stayed at the Four Seasons (thanks for the cheep room via Hotels.com) when we got there they gave the girls a stuffed horse a nice one too then sent up a tray with goodies. we ate in and had Tortilla Soup, Mac N Cheese, Cesar Salad, Grilled Cheese w/Ham it came with fried rice, and a Tomato Mozzarella salad. Everything was so good and really big portions. you get what you pay for well worth it. :D

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Steamed Veggies w/ Talipia & Rice

Just steamed some peppers, garlic broccoli, onion and grape tomatoes with salt & pepper. i add the talipia at the end till coked then added the grape tomato's. had steamed rice and a salad with some apple cider :D the girls loved it. I told Hayden it was chicken and she at it just fine.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Easter Lunch/Dinner

So we had a great day of Grilling and playing with the girls.we grilled everything :D Corn, Baked Potato's (well grilled), Chicken, & 2 types of Ribs. For both the corn and the chicken i rubbed butter all over them and sprinkled kosher salt on them and wrapped them in aluminum foil. make sure you put them on first so they are cooked all the way thru and that you put holes in your potatoes so they don't explode. i marinated the chicken & ribs for 2 days. the chicken was breasts with the skin and ribs i marinated them with salt, pepper, garlic, onions, Captain Morgan, and Coke. the Boneless pork ribs where marinated in Dr. Pepper, garlic, salt, pepper & green onions. the Pork Baby back ribs were marinated in salt, pepper, garlic & Michelob Ultra. i then made my homemade BBQ sauce. very easy & simple:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
 1 cup finely chopped onions
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup maple Syrup
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 jalapeños de-seeded & minced
cook onions & garlic in olive oil in a non stick pan till tender. add all the rest of the ingredients bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes. serve immediately or refrigerate up to 2 weeks.

a great day of food.. thank you Jesus for all you have done for us. thank you fro dieing on the cross for our sins.. without you i don't know where i would be today. God Bless ALL my Family and Friends and those in our world.

Grilled Tomato

SOOOOOOO yummy and juicy! slice steak tomato's in think slices and rub with minced garlic and sprinkle with kosher salt let sit for about 5 mins then grill only flipping once. They will be very juicy and yummy.

Grilled Potato Chips

take a large potato, wash then slice thinly, spread butter over the top and bottom, and sprinkle with minced garlic and salt, wrap in aluminum and grill we grilled it for about 25 mins. they where gone in secs.. they are really good with sour cream or Tastefully Simples Sun-dried Tomato Veggie dip.

Grilled Peppers

my brother and i took jalapeños and de-seeded then put a little minced garlic on the bottom and placed string cheese (we froze it first) then topped it with butter and a little more garlic then wrapped then each in aluminum foil and grilled them fro about 15 mins. very yummy but careful hot when you bite into them.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Carne Asada Tacos


So I miss the Carne Asada like i always do so i went out and got skirt steak and sliced it thinly and then marinated it with garlic, onions, salt, pepper, parsley flakes, oregano, bail, red pepper flakes, some tequila and a beer :D i let it marinate for about a day and a half. then grilled it. it was so yummy it was the closest i have ever gotten to the meat my dad gets from Santa Fe Meats. i also made guacamole & mango salsa.. so yummy..

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

BBQ Pulled Pork

easy yummy meal while you are out or at home. :D we were going to the Zoo for the day so i put a pork roast in the crock pot and seasoned it with garlic, salt, garlic pepper & "slap yo mama" added about 2 cups of water and left it on over night. then when we got up before we left i took it out of the broth (froze the broth for later)  and pulled the pork apart it was so tender it just fell apart and poured the BBQ sauce over it with a little of the broth and left it on low till we got home and then had wonderful pulled pork sandwiches when we got home. sorry i forgot to take a picture :(

Monday, March 22, 2010

Perfect Rolled Tacos

i have already posted the recipe for my chicken rolled tacos but i made 350 rolled tacos yes 350.. i made them for the soldiers of 3/89 CAV and they came out so good. and i made a plate so you can see them they where so yummy sorry i keep saying it but they where so good it was like i was back home in San Diego eating real Mexican food. oh wait i was eating real Mexican food cause i am Mexican and i made them LOL and all the salsa too all 15 lbs of it :D

Friday, March 19, 2010

Sweet Ricotta Apple Pie

so we made a "Frankenstein" dessert but it was pretty good. we crushed gram crackers as the bottom then mixed  the ricotta cheese with cinnamon, sugar, and copped fresh strawberries and placed it in top the crackers. then sliced the apples thinly and placed them on top and sprinkled sugar on top and and honey and baked till apples where just golden on 375 degrees serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream

strawberry nutella spread cookie


Girl Scout shortbread cookie with Nutella spread topped with warm strawberries. we put some butter in a pan melted and added a couple teaspoons of sugar warmed and stirred till melted and added the strawberries till warmed and glazed then added them on top a cookie that was spread with nutella. it was perfect loved it :D

Manicotti


With all the fried foods and all the Chinese food we have had lately we needed to change it up a little so we decided to go Italian and make manicotti. It is pretty easy to make. i use Barilla pastas. i also like the recipes they have on their boxes so i use them as my base and then just add my own kick to it. i didn't put mushrooms in them and i added mozzarella cheese to the ricotta cheese. it came out great. i know this cause each of the girls had a friend over and they loved it. :D

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Coconut Shrimp


Once you have had the coconut shrimp from Macky's in Hawaii you totaly crave it. well i was doing okay till my wonderful friends in hawaii keep talking about out how they are going to the shrimp truck and going to north shore that made me want to have some so here i go experimanting on how to make coconut shrimp. it wasn't what i wanted :( i need to find out how they make it at Macky's i have the sauce they use :D it is very very good you can use it for lots of things lumpia, egg rolls, fish sticks, or as a hot sweet and sour sauce. so i got some milk and mixed in some shaved coconut (i used sweetened that is were i went wrong) then let the shrimp soak in there for a couple hours in the fridge. i then mixed flour with salt & pepper made an egg wash and placed some coconut in a bowl. took the shrimp from the milk and placed it in the flour then egg wash then coated it in the coconut. and fried it in the deep fryer. the coconut burns fast so be careful. i didn't like that so i also tried mixing the coconut in with the flour and then fry it and i liked it better but it was still to sweet and not anything like Macky's but that is okay i tried. i think next time i will use coconut milk and try to find unsweetened coconut flakes.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Panda Express Orange Chicken


So living out here in the sticks i so want Chinese food as do the girls. so i found the recipe for Panda Express' orange chicken in a cookbook from Paige's book fair at school (America's Most Wanted Recipes). wasn't to hard to make but while making the orange sauce it was tasting to katchupy so i added the juice from the orange we used into it and it helped a little. it still didn't have enough orange flavor in it for me so next time i will use a little OJ concentrate in it to add the flavor. also it didn't have a crunch to it so next time i think i want to use boneless WITH the skin.
ingredients:
1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 egg white
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar

4 cup vegetable oil (for deep frying)
1 cup cornstarch

Orange Sauce:
1 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons chopped green onions

1.cut the chicken breast into 1/2-inch cubes; set aside.
2.combine the egg whites, salt and sugar in a bowl and stir till are mixed thoroughly. add chicken to mixture and coat well set aside
3. orange sauce, combine water, ketchup, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, corn starch and sesame oil stir and set aside. in a pot on high heat add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil add orange zest and green onions cook. stir for about 20 seconds (be sure you don't burn the zest)
4. pour ketchup mixture in to pot and cook over medium heat. (this is when i added the juice of the orange) sirring frequently until it was thick about 15 mins
5. preheat 4cups of oil to 350 degrees in a deep-fryer or use a large pot
6. while oil is heating place 1cup cornstarch in a Ziplock bag and put chicken in it and shake chicken till it is fully coated. remove from bag and deep fry till golden brown about 2-3 mins. drain on a paper towel set aside till all chicken is completed then toss with orange sauce. server with white rice

P.F.Chang's chicken-lettuce wraps


We also made lettuce wraps they where so good all they where missing was the sauce that they make at the table. it was a great night of food at my house i loved well everything but the fried rice that my brother made.. LOL it normally is great and some of the best friend rice i have ever had till we decided to change it up. and we ended up with a Frankenstein fried rice and it was so gross. i can't even tell you what was in it LOL. okay so back to the Lettuce wraps. i got this recipe from the same book from the book fair. we didn't make the cellophane noodles only cause we don't eat them when we are at P.F.Chang's so why make them at home and waste the money and time. and like i said it was just like we were at the restaurant all we needed was the sauce.. loved this one :D

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Banana Apple crumble Pancakes



With the girls having soccer this morning i made a yummy breakfast. last night my brother made made an apple crumble. it was very easy. (4 green apples peeled and sliced place on bottom of pan, mix oats, brown sugar, cinnamon 1 stick of butter and place over top of apples and bake at 350 degrees for 45 mins.) i made pancakes out of the box :D and once i poured it in the pan i sliced a banana on top so they sort of sink in then flip and cook the other side (careful the banana's may get stuck to the pan) i placed the pancake on the plate add the warm apple crumble and a scoop of vanilla ice cream YUMYYYYYYYYY it was a very good breakfast.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Roast

Today is my Mom's Birthday. so because we aren't in Cali with her i made a roast in the crock-pot. it's one of her favorite things to eat. we had green beans cause if we where there my lil sister would have to have them Savy LOVES green beans. and we had a green salad. just easy threw it in the crock-pot about 10am and but some pepper, kosher salt, tons of minced garlic, 1-2 dashes of Teriyaki sauce, about 4-5 dashes of Worcestershire sauce, basil, parsley, & a pinch of both nutmeg & chili powder. then but about 1 1/2 of water and let it cook for 6 hours. :D yummy it is nice and tender and just falls apart. so with the leftovers i will be making shredded beef tacos tomorrow and i saved the juice and am freezing it so when i need beef broth i have some homemade :D no picture cause i didn't like the way i plated it.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Chicken Rolled Tacos


For dinner tonight i made chicken rolled tacos :D so yummy and so easy. there are 2 ways to make them the easiest way is to buy a hot ready to eat rotisserie chicken from the supper market, then take the skin off and shared the meat in to a bowl. Put your corn tortillas in the microwave for about 2 mins wrapped in a paper towel. Warm up oil in a pan about an inch deep.(I sprinkle a little salt in the oil and it flavors the tortillas a little i got that from my friend Annette) when the tortillas are done take them out and take one at a time and place some chicken on one side and roll tightly use a toothpick to hold it together and then place in hot oil. cook till golden brown and then enjoy with salsa, guacamole, sour cream & cheese..

other option for chicken: place 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (fresh or frozen) into a Crockpot. season with salt, pepper, & garlic fill with water (just above the chicken) and let cook for 3-4 hours or till it shreds easily.

Guacamole


One of the other thing everyone likes is my Guacamole. i tell you it's super easy i like mine plane and simple. i use 3-4 ripe avocados (make sure they are ripe), cut, de-pit, de-skin and but into bowl. add salt& pepper to taste and 1-2 minced garlic cloves. them smash them with a potato masher till they are smooth then add 2 limes and 1 lemon make sure you don't put the seeds in there. i always add one of the pits from the avocados to help it from going brown.

Salsa


I know! I know! you want to know how i make my salsa.i always forget to email it to who ever wanted LOL sorry but finally, Okay here you go!!!! :D It is really easy, today i just made a small bowl so i used 4 tomatoes make sure they are ripe but not to soft. i chop them in my Tupperware chopper cause it works so well :D then but the tomatoes in a bowl in the chopper put salt, pepper, cilantro, 2-3 cloves of garlic,and one jalepeno pepper deseeded and a 1/2 of an onion then chop that all up together and add to tomatoes. i then squeeze one lime and 1-2 lemons (squeeze them in a separate bowl so you can get all seeds out) then mix all together and it is yummy :D if you want it hotter add more jalepenos.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Garlic Chicken


So when i lived in Hawaii i loved going to Fat Boys and having their Garlic Chicken. i haven't had it in about 4 months so i was on a mission to find out how they made it i called them and even asked them to mail me some of the sauce but they wouldn't:( BUT, i found it on Recipezar. :) and made it tonight. it was so good. but you do have to let it sit in the fridge for 2 hours. i did it just like recipe sadi it came out great. Hope you all like it.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Tilapia Tacos



So i really wanted fish cause Cesar was not going to be home and he is "allergic" lol so me and my brother Dion decided to make some Beer battered Tilapia tacos. we defrosted 4 pieces. in my Tupperware Chopper i put in 3 cloves of garlic, Kosher Salt, pepper, crushed bay leaves, parsley flakes, oregano, "slap ya mama", and a tiny bit of the these 4 ground items-ginger, cloves, cumin & nutmeg. i chopped/mixed it all together till the garlic was father finely chopped, then added Italian bread crumbs and flour and mixed them together really well. in a shallow dish i poured a dark beer and slowly added the dry mixture to it till it was a thick paste like. i then coated the tilapia. then fried it in about an inch of oil. flip it only once once it is is golden brown. the sauce we made was mayo (best foods), buffalo sauce, 1/2 of a fresh lemon. salt & pepper & garlic. mix well and it is done. we fried corn tortillas and placed the fish in them, added the sauce and lettuce (cause i didn't have cabbage. we loved them and girls loved them too (we told Hayden they were chicken lol)

The Shell Station

So i have passed this Shell Station so many times going into Leesville and noticed it had a restaurant in it. crazy right? so i told my brother about it and we decided to try it why not right. OMG i am so glad we did cause it was so good. You got to try it. We had the cracklings, fried gizzards, a catfish po-boy (came with chips too) & a Dr. pepper. (all of that for only $13.00 we shared everything) it is all very good. this was my first time having all that stuff too. They are very friendly there and i am sure when it is not raining it is packed they even have a nice dock to sit out on when it gets warmer. i am defiantly going back.  They also have different lunch plates specials Tues-Fri. and some souvenirs in there too. lol

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Orange Balsamic Rock Cornish Game Hens


i wanted to try out Cornish game hens so i went to Foodnetwork.com and looked up some recipes i found this one from Rachael Ray (i love her) and they came out really good. i made garlic mash potatoes, tri color pasta and a side salad. (and a dr.pepper lol) the girls loved it cause it was small and it was just their size. it wasn't to hard at all, but it did remind me of Panda Express' orange chicken. i think i used to much orange concentrate. and i know i used a little to much rosemary.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Bufet City

So after Hayden's game today we went a place called Bufet City (they spell just as bad as me LOL) we have been craving Chinese food since we got here so we thought we would try it. It was okay for the most part. they had lots to choose from. if you go there stick with the Chinese food that was all good stuff. as for the sushi, kim chi, chocolate cake & cannolies they where gross. You have to try the bananas with cherry sauce on them they where good. The service was great and a clean place. Not bad at all it was 3 adults and the 2 girls and it we paid $42.00 with the tip.