Author: Silvia Andrito

Vegetarian Fall Fried Rice

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A couple of weeks ago I decided to give Meatless Monday a try, a decision that met with many protests from my husband (I don’t like veggies, I like meat, I am a man! I need meat, But meat is delicious, I am not a rabbit, etc. were some of the arguments that arose). But I had some great arguments up my sleeve; Vegetables are good for you and this family, I am the one cooking! You will eat what I make, You are acting like a baby! Even our daughter is embarrassed for you! He ended up eating a peanut butter sandwich >_< still meatless though, Ha! Here is the recipe for the vegetarian fried rice that the rest of us enjoyed that day. It is great as a fall dish since it uses a lot of ingredients that are seasonal right now. Ingredients: -Cooked white and wild rice mixture. (1/2 cup pre-cooked wild rice to 2 cups white rice) -1 Zucchini chopped -2 Carrots diced (diced is smaller than chopped) -1 package of mushrooms …

Celebrating the beginning of Fall with… Shrimp and Scallops Bisque

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I love Fall… I know we don’t actually have a Fall here in Florida (don’t remind me, it makes me cry) but I like the idea of it and what it represents. To me it represents that winter, my favorite season, is just around the corner (yes don’t remind me we don’t really have a winter either -_-), that the holidays will start soon, that it is a time for family, that a lot of cooking will happen, that people will be kinder for a little bit. I honestly wish I lived in a place where the leaves turn gorgeous shades of red, and coats, scarves, and mittens are necessary. However, for now, that is not where I am located. I am in Florida -_- and must do with cranking the AC to the low 60s and decorating my house in tons of fake fall foliage. I will be posting a lot of Fall themed recipes in the months to come, but for today I decided to celebrate the beginning of Fall with a bowl of Shrimp …

Bento Series #6 — Finger Sandwiches

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As you might have gathered from my posts, I tend to run a little short on time some days, which causes me to come up with recipes that are delicious but fast to make (Ain’t nobody wanna spend the night in the kitchen). These Finger Sandwiches are one of the quickest lunches I can whip-up. Now you might say: “Silvia, all sandwiches are finger sandwiches, you eat them with your fingers, duh!” To you I say, WRONG! Finger sandwiches are smaller in size which makes them great as appetizers, for tea time (so sophisticated), or perfect to put in a bento. Ha! I have silly conversations with myself sometimes -_- Bento Components: Egg Salad Sandwich Spicy Ham Sandwich Cheese Sandwich   Egg Salad Sandwich– Ingredients: -6 hard boiled eggs (makes two sandwiches) -1/4 cup mayo -1 tsp Dijon mustard -1/2 tsp sesame oil -1 tsp soy sauce -salt and pepper to taste (salt might not be needed) -1 tsp lemon juice -1 Tbsp sriracha mayo or spicy mayo -1 green onion chopped -2 slices of a …

Stud Spuds: How to Make a Potato Pop

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I saw these wonderful little potatoes making the rounds on Pinterest and thought, “Huh, this might be a good idea.” So I decided to come up with my own recipe for it. Now if for some reason you are not convinced that these would be ABSOLUTELY delicious, then to you I say: POTATOES. WRAPPED. IN. BACON… If you would like a more eloquent description, then let me tell you that the potatoes are creamy and soft while the bacon is crispy, and both flavors complement each other like they are soulmates (and we all know that while potatoes like to dally with sour cream and butter from time to time, its true love is bacon). As a matter of fact, I had a game night last weekend where I served these. They did not last five minutes. Actually I believe one of my guests requested them for her birthday, Christmas, and any other gift that I might ever give her! But I digress, here is the extremely hard recipe for these morsels of goodness: -1 …

Bento Series #5 — Egg Noodles and Ginger Pork

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This is a very Asian bento. All the components are things that could be found in a Japanese bento, however they are extremely easy to make here in the U.S.A., the ingredients can be found in your nearest grocery store, and I have adjusted them a bit for a taste that our palates would enjoy. (Did not want a repeat of the pickled radish incident). These dishes take no time at all to cook, so they are great for a busy weekday night. Bento Components: Egg Noodles Tossed in a Salty, Sour, Nutty Dressing Ginger Pork Steamed Carrots Simmered Mushrooms Ramen Quail Egg Today I will be sharing my recipes for the noodles and the ginger pork. In the future I will share how to make a ramen egg, soft boiled or hard boiled, in a post where I have a better picture of the egg, the inside and the outside. Call it vanity but these little eggs did not look that pretty, they looked average in this picture which makes no justice to the amazing flavor …

The Easiest Dessert EVER

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So remember how I taught you how to bake a cake that was super delicious, super fast and super easy? Well this dessert is even easier and still super delicious. (Using a lot of “Supers” today -_-) For this one you don’t actually have to make anything. Yes you heard me right, you don’t make anything, you just assemble. So no I am not giving you a recipe, I am just giving you an assembly manual. You will need the following store bought items: Pound Cake Raspberries Whipped Cream In its simpler form you get two slices of pound cake and spread whipped cream on each side (a generous amount). Then you place the raspberries on top of one slice (make them stand up if you want to look like a pro at this), and then you just put the other half on top of the raspberries. That’s it! A deliciously sweet sandwich. You can garnish with a cute pick or a sprig of mint, and it will look great and taste even better. Now, you might say, “Pfff, …

Bento Series #4 — Soboro Bento

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Soboro (AKA clean your fridge and pantry out in the most delicious way possible) is a very popular lunch dish in Japan. It is easy to make, keeps really well and just tastes delicious. You can think of it as a deconstructed fried rice. So I thought, why not make it popular here as well? If Soboro is too hard to pronounce or remember, then call it “Deconstructed Fried Rice” and now you are a fancy schmancy chef! So win-win! Basically in a bed of rice of your choosing (white, brown, wild, other grains such as quinoa or even couscous could also work) you arrange an assortment of toppings that can later be mixed in and enjoyed with the rice (make sure your toppings compliment your base starch). Bento Components: Soboro Tamagoyaki Sliced Pineapple Soy Sauce in container For this soboro I took a look at my pantry and fridge and just grabbed things I had. Like I mentioned this is a great dish to clear out your fridge at the end of the week. Any …

Bento Series #3 — Katsu Sandwich

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Oh Katsu, how can I describe thee? A mouth watering, crispy, delicious bite of heaven? That might do it! Katsu is a Japanese word for a meat that is sliced thin, then pounded even thinner, coated with a breading and fried. If we want to get technical this sandwich in particular is a Tonkatsu because it is made with pork. But who cares about the name? All you need to know is that it is delicious. However it is Fried. Yes, I said it, that dirty word that means we are going to have to feel guilty while we enjoy every last bite of it, the word that means we will have to negotiate with ourselves and agree to extra laps/treadmill time. Fried >_< But I have a solution… We can oven “fry” it. So I will be giving you two options, for those of you who want to be naughty, fry that glorious tonkatsu in peanut oil. For those of you who say ” Oh, no I can not negotiate another lap, I already …

Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate and Amaretto Ganache

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Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate and Amaretto Ganache Don’t you sometimes feel like a delicious dessert but are too lazy to spend hours in the kitchen creating one from scratch? Or you need to impress someone with your cooking skills but have no time between work, family, facebook, instagram, twitter, snapchat, tumblr and youtube? Then have no fear! I have a hack for you! A simple answer to your problems! Buy a cake mix! Now hear me out, I know that many frown upon the use of such a shortcut, but there are ways you can make a deliciously moist cake out of a simple mix. This is what you have to do to get the best cake possible from any mix: Substitute the water for whole milk. Use room temperature eggs. DO NOT over mix. A few small lumps are ok. DO NOT over bake. Make sure you keep an eye on your cake. If you just follow the time in the box you might end up with a dry possibly burned cake. Remember …