locrio de salchichon

My mothers Birthday just past and we had a big celebration, our family from the East coast came to celebrate with us. they brought us all kinds of goods that we dont/cant get here in Utah such as Salchichon (best way i can describe it is a Dominican/Puerto Rican summer sausage.) and white cheese that you fry and its delicious!  youre probably not very excited but I sure am!

My mom was saying she was waiting for me to get home to cook because she really didnt want to, i asked what and she threw this suggestion at me... I've never made it so i figured perfect oppotunity!

it sounds like alot but it really was pretty easy.

The goods-
2 inches then cubed or just cut up small
1/2 a small onion red or white
1 garlic glove minced i use my lil garlic presser thingy
cilantro you can use fresh or the lil cubes
1/2 of a red pepper cubed
1-1/2 cups (coffee mugs)  of Rice
12 tsp of achiote
2 cubes of buillon (chicken or veggie)

so i threw all of those things but the rice in to a pot with a spoon of veggie oil and vinegar  i just wanted to get the vegies and such all soft and get the outside of the salchichon a lil crispy around the edges. then i throw the rice in and pour water til it covers the rice and salt it to taste. then after that simmers for a lil but dont let it boil after that i pour it in to the rice cooker and just let it go!!!

then i made Beans!!!

1 can of pinto beans
1/2 of green peppers
1/2 of an onion
1 cube of buillon
1/2 can of tomato sauce (small can)
cilantro

i just throw all into pot and usde the can of beans to add another can of water stir  and boil then lower heat and simmer til it thickens if it doesnt thicken  that much i add 1/2 a potato the startch in the potato helps thicken it and i mush it up a bit when it turns soft so it adds some layers of flavor in to the beans!

i made Tostones too!

just get a green plantain not a banana! peel it cut it in to 1 inch wide pieces then fry  dont fry all the way just crispy on the outside then used  whatever you have to smush them flat then throw them back in to the fryer and then just a lil more brown and they are perfection!!!

i hope you enjoy and if you have questoins or comments or just want to give me some ideas  holla back!
i just dump them all in to a small pot with a can of water too

Stuffed Bell Peppers. Easy!

One of the first things i ever ventured out to make was Stuffed bell peppers. I was watching the Food Network and the show was at a Mexican resuarant and they were stuffing pablano peppers with steak and cactus. it looked Delicious and i dont really like spicy that much and we dont eat cactus in my house so i decided to put my own twist on things and make it the way that im pretty sure my family would like. they came out Great, i think my only mistakes were not letting them sit in the bowl with the syran wrap for a little bit, it actually helps the skin come off easier WHO KNEW! lol and i used dominican cheese instead of an easy melting cheese.

So i had my dad by about 6 large bell peppers i personally prefer green but i think any color will do, 1lb of ground beef 70/30 and 1 lb of shreeded mozarella everything else i had at home. I think its pretty simple i just turned the bbq on and let them sit on there till the skin was charred (dont ask for exact time, i dont know.) i turned  then till everyside was pretty much black and placed them in a bowl covvered then in syran wrap let that sit about 5 minutes and then uncovered then and just peeled the skin off with my hands dont let them cool too much b/c i think it makes it hard to get the skin off. i cut the tops off and took out the seeds and the white ribs in side then placed then in a small dessert ramican to hold it up so i can fill it with the beef and cheese. i used a small ladel to scoop the meat in, 1 was enough then i covered it with mozarella cheese and  placed them in the oven for about 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is nice and gooey! i LOVE it when the cheese has that little crisp on it from the oven!

The Meat! that was even easier than the peppers.  *TANGENT* To be honest the peppers are a little harder than i make them sound the first time was really annoying b/c i didnt really know what i was doing so i was afraid i might over cook the skin or just burn them. but really once you do it the first time it becomes sooo much easier.
Back to the MEAT!  you cook it like you would any other ground beef just add your preferred seasonings for example, i used:
1/2 of a small onion
oregano
salt
pepper
1 minced garlic clove
and  ADOBO (GOYA brand)
i dont use any oil b/c the meat should have more than enough in it i actually drain it after just so it wount be way greasy. but thats how i season the meat but get creative and do somethind diferent.

I put then im aluminum foil after i took them out the ramicans to put them in the oven.

I am patting myself on the back b/c i learned to do these all by myself. im starting to venture out more and try different things but you should shoot me a comment or a message to let me know what i should try next im always open for a challenge, i think...

Italiano dominican style

So o was craving calzones with ricotta and mozzarella so I went to Walmart bought shredded mozzarella and ricotta cheese with large crescent rolls  I got home and mixed both the ricotta and mozzarella threw some salt pepper and oregano so I wouldn't take away from the cheese three some of the mix in 2 crescants and rolled it up.  Baked it to the instructions on the bread package and ate away. I love simple but well worth it foods. Try it!

Kobe Sushi with Rachel

i went to Kobe Sushi with Rachel Saturday. it was pretty good nothing more than any other sushi place you've been to though..

          The Sushi was sooo amazing! i wish i hadn't gottent full so quick  Rachel got this  Awesome roll called the Pink Flamingo, at first it seemed like a weird name but as soon as it came out it was obvious why it had the name it did. it had this Pink soy paper wrapped around it they were perfect little squares and they had that sweet eel sauce around them  i cant even remember what else they had b/c i was so amazed at the pink paper they were wrapped in
when we walked in we sat ourselves at the bar my favorite place at any sushi bar.  the only downside to the experience is that as soon as we got there we were asked what we wanted to drink i asked for a coke and Rachel asked for a water with lemon and a sprite. we thought we were going to receive our drinks right away, we thought wrong, the head waitress passed us and asked if anyone had taken our drink order i said yes but we had still not recieved them that was 15 minutes later then she goes to the kitchen and asked where our drinks were and after that we waited 5 minutes so a full 20 minutes to get drinks. while we looked at the menu they had the Olympics on the TV's behind the bar and the very enthusiastic sushi chef took our orders. after that we couldn't wait to eat and the sushi was in front of us in no less than 5 minutes and it was so perfect... i wish i had a bigger stomach... seriously

I don't think i would go there again because it wasn't anything better than what ive already been too but i did enjoy it. besides all the ups and downs i would recommend it to anyone that is looking for good sushi. btw it was decently priced.

there link: http://www.utahcitylinks.com/kobe2/

when all hope is lost... go to the freezer

soo... im pretty sure teriyaki fajitas is my own creation but it looks delicious! YUM!

Basically what happened was i was at work and i really was in the mood to cook something great nothing fancy like filet mignon but nothing like the usual... yea that didn't happen. i come home and my mom didnt cook which is  what i wanted but when i look in the freezer there is nothing but fajita meat and a bag of chicken breast, the chicken breat was all frozen together and it was a HUGE bag but the fajita strips were already cut and in a smaller bag  but big enough to feed the family. strangely i lost the feeling to cook but i could tell that my mom was happy that i wanted to so of course i started thinking of what to cook.

My  Wonderful Idea:
Fajita meat (beef)
white rice with corn (not on the side.)
and a side salad (yea yea i know)
Teriyaki sauce
green and yellow bell peppers

i chopped up green and yellow bell peppers into strips then i sauteed them with a lil butter after they were soft i threw the meat in and a lil water to steam them then i threw some teriyaki sauce. i didnt realize that the fajitas came seasoned til too late so i didn't add salt and too many other seasonings. but the teriyaki made it!!! it had a bit of a spicy and sweet thing going on and the rice under it was the perfect lil bed to eat it with. Maybe i was just hungry but im patting myself on the back.

*a secret with making rice that works for me is squirting a bit of vinegar for some reason the rice comes out more tender... try and let me know!

Got lucky at a pot luck

Sooo... I've always liked doing potlucks if I know what people are bringing and if they cook good food. So the ones at work always make me nervous. :/

This time wasn't so bad one of my co workers made a great salsa it had jalepenoes avocado onions tomatoes and lime it was really good and not over salted.  Which I hate!! So big props to Jessika b/c she thought no one would like it but everyone loved it!!!

interesting foods

- Tofu. I've always eaten it when its hidden in foods which isnt necessary its a great protien and absorbs flavors grat too!
-Clams,Oysters,Mussels. I found out that these guys are more or less the same its just where you find them thats different 
-Collard Greens. sounds simple but its not that commonly used in my kitchen..but really good for your eyes..
-Barley.I found out that this is probably a diabetics best friend, it helps control blood sugar also lower cholesterol.. * i like*
-Gogi berries is also good for diabetics also an anti fungal food and supposedly cures eye problems, Hmmm... it has alot of great qualities that can benefit everyone! this berry is  "berry" good for you! (yea i said it.)
-Bananas its not really that i want to cook with it but i did find out that this is good for heart burn, if you eat one everyday for a month, it helps thicken the lining in your stomach. CRAZYTOWN. oh fiber too.
-Aloe Vera. i know when you see this you think its only something in your lotion BUT thats not true!!! its actually really good for your digestion and also helps with blood sugar control. of course GREAT for your skin as well as your kidneys. 
-Agave. I have discovered America! me being diabetic this is a great way to sweeten ANYTHING! it is actually very high in Insulin and minerals. it kind of reminds me of honey.
-Cacao. so many of us associate this magical bean or nut (I think its a nut...) with chocolate but its SOO much more than that it actually has great health benefits too like its an Anti-depressant  great for blood circulation lowers blood clottig. makes you want to eat more!
-Coconut. i adore coconut its my favorite when you take the water out OMG! you dont even know how delicious it is!  great for hydration and electrolytes, it also helps absorn nutrients in your body, also great in avoiding heart disease 


these are all foods i dont eat much of but have great dietary qualities! i think i will be adding these to my grocery list just a little more!  if you have fun facts about foods let me know!!! 

Salmon on the fly!

Today my mom said she had a salmon in the fridge and she wanted me to season it so when she is ready to make dinner she doesnt have to worry about it. so i did.  i didnt want to use the usual seasonings so i tried something a lil different. (oh boy!)

ingredients:
1 wild salmon filet (it comes in a sealed package, but why not go FRESH!)
2 tbs of ground pepper
1 tbs of salt
2 tbs of ground onion
2 tbs of ground garlic( i also add minced garlic)
1 cp if orange juice fresh or from the bottle
2 tbs of butter

i just used a baking sheet and covered i with aluminum foil. then i drained all the water from the package of salmon i patted it down to take the extra moisture then i poured the orange juice on it the salmon came pre cut so i made sure to get a little in each slit. after i added all the seasonings and did the same with the slits i pat the salmon wiht the seasonings and them i cut the butter into little cubes and but them in the slits and around the edges of the salmon so it doesnt dry out. also cover it with aluminum foil. then i broil it so it doesnt lose alot of moisture and it gets a nice crust form the seasonings... and butter  MMMM goodness!


it did seem to have too much pepper but i guess it depends on whos eating it so if you arent a  big pepper fan dumb down the pepper. if you dont like butter use olive oil or anything like that
those are just a few suggestions.

sopa de Lenteja (lentil soup)

Alcapurias still phase 0, no fryer, i cant believe how expensive they are!!!
 so i decided to make another one of my favorites but a lot easier (not time consuming.) than the way my mom taught me...  My mom always bought the bag of lentils and soaked them in luke warm water the night before and it was so much more prep work than the recipe that I've come up with. if youre interested in the old skool recipe let me know.

this recipe is one of the first things my mom taught me to make, she always said if you like to eat learn to make it and i did! its the best to make on a cold day but really i like it any time of the year!  hence why i learned to make it easier.

I don't really like using to many pre-prepared food but it it comes in handy and some is actually not that gross. lol. so its only about  30 minute to prepare the whole meal (if you know what you're doing.)

Ingredients:
1lb of ground beef (i  use 70/30)
1/4 cp of minced garlic
1 tsp of Ground Oregano
1 tsp chicken flavor with tomato buillon
1/2 of a large onion
5 oz of V8 vegetable juice
1 can of Progresso vegetable classic lentil soup

Start with a big pot (one you would make soup in.) and drop the ground beef in and cook it through, make sure it doesn't clump together so make sure to seperate the chunks as it cooks. while that is cooking add the garlic,onion, oregano, chicken/tomato bullion cook that till the onions translucent and then add the tomato juice just in case you don't want to use that you can also use regular tomato sauce,  once that has been added and you're sure the meat is fully cooked add the soup basically you just have to heat up the soup as the instructions on the label. and BOOM! delicious and simple.

another great idea also my favorite is to add just plain white rice, but if you don't like that you can do potatoes treat it like a chili not a soup. it doesn't have that much liquid so i think its best to treat it that way.

hope you enjoy it as much as i do!!!  also let me know what you think!

Getting started!

So I've decided.... I've always been happier in the kitchen than any where else that means i WILL start creating more opportunities for myself. I'm going to experiment with foods and try different restaurants and cuisines! so i am a scientist, like Frankenstein.... or something like that... lets see where we go from here!!!