All posts tagged: recipe

Camping Adventures — Campfire Chicken

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My husband and I love mountains, rivers, and anything nature. We enjoy hiking through the mountains or forest. Camping under the stars, sitting by the fire while we enjoy a drink, cooking over a fire. So of course it makes perfect sense that we would end up living in Florida, where there are no mountains, where there is as much water in the air we breathe as in the ocean, where the other alternative to the beach is swamp… Where there is only one season; HOT. Life is funny that way, sometimes you end up in a place that you don’t particularly like. But instead of getting bitter and depressed about it we try to make the most of it by finding local spots to do the things we love. That is how we found Quiet Waters Park, which gives you the opportunity to camp right in the middle of the city. It isn’t anything like the real deal of being “one with nature” but it is a fun activity that we like to do …

Easter “Nests”

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I saw a picture of this on pinterest, and I just knew I had to come up with a recipe. They were adorable, healthy, appropriate for the season, and frankly just looked so appetizing that I knew all of my guests for Easter dinner would love it. So last year I developed a recipe and then have fine tuned it to our taste. Basically think of it as a caprese salad in nest form. You can also make it with a poached egg if you want to serve it as a main dish in an Easter (or any occasion) brunch. Ingredients: -roma tomatoes halved (medium sized tomatoes) -basil -sprouts -mozarella pearls -balsamic vinegar -1 lemon -olive oil -salt and pepper Halve your tomatoes and test for stability. You need them to be able to hold the contents without tipping over. If they are not stable, cut a little piece at the bottom for them to sit on, make sure not to cut all the way through and making a whole in the tomato “cup”. Once you …

Creme Brulee Three Ways

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Creme brulee seems to have a bit of a rep for being a fancy, snooty dessert. It might be because of the French name, or maybe because it is a bit delicate during the cooking period. But the reality of it is that creme brulee is very easy to make, and once you have a handle on the basics you can branch out and make it any flavor you want! Classic Creme Brulee — Ingredients: -1 quart heavy cream (the big carton they sell at any grocery store) -6 egg yolks -1/2 tsp salt -2 Tbsp vanilla extract -1 vanilla bean (optional) -1/2 cup of sugar -Extra sugar for topping Split the vanilla bean and remove the caviar (the little seeds inside). Put the caviar or seeds inside of a large mixing bowl, set aside. In a saucepan put the whole carton of cream and the vanilla bean (with the insides removed). Bring to a boil, and remove from the heat as soon as it does, discard vanilla bean. Set aside, and “fuhgeddaboudit,” at least for …

Braised Short Ribs

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This is a low and slow meal. Perfect for weekend entertaining, or a “cena” (late night dinner). Short ribs cooked slowly in a wine sauce, need I say more? With a little time and preparation you can make this dish and look like a star to your guests! Or just make it for yourself, nothing wrong with indulging yourself every now and then… or always! Braised Short Ribs — (Serves 4-8 depending on how willing to share your family is o_O) Ingredients: -8 short ribs -3 carrots diced -2 celery sticks diced -1 onion diced -4 garlic cloves pounded into a fine paste… Or minced, depending on how much aggression you have pent up. -salt and pepper to taste -2 cups of red wine -2 cups beef broth -1 Tbsp of Worcestershire sauce -1/4 cup tomato paste -2 bay leaves -chives for garnish -olive oil Season your short ribs with salt and pepper. Let sit and come to room temperature while you prep all of your veggies. In a big, heavy bottom, oven safe pot (a …

St. Patrick’s Day Extravaganza — Nutty Soda Bread

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Soda bread is a great thing, because it is so incredibly low maintenance. It does not require yeast, which can take quite a bit of work to prepare. You can literally mix the ingredients together, throw it in the oven and fuggetaboutit! Which allows you to have fresh, homemade bread at dinner without spending ten hours kneading, letting it rise and such. Soda bread is also extremely versatile. You like sweet bread? add more sugar, or honey, and raisins. You like herbs? Add rosemary or thyme. Like nuts? Add whichever one you like. The bottom line is that soda bread is very forgiving, which gives you room to experiment without it turning into a disaster. I particularly like walnuts, and thought that they would be great in soda bread. Well, they are! Here is the recipe — Ingredients: -2 cups whole wheat flour -2 cups self rising flour -1 1/2 tsp salt -1 tsp baking soda -1 tsp baking powder -3 Tbsp sugar -3 Tbsp honey -1/3 cup melted butter -1 cup buttermilk -1 egg …

St. Patrick’s Day Extravaganza — Honey Mustard Corned Beef Roast

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone! We continue our series with the main star of our meal (though that colcannon certainly gave it a run for its money) the Corned Beef roast! Now, as you might know, corned beef is a brisket cut, and like any brisket it needs to be cooked at a low temperature for a long time (low and slow) in order for it to be soft and tender when we eat it. Therefore this roast is going to take a bit of time to prepare, but never fear, your patience will be rewarded!! Honey Mustard Corned Beef Roast — Ingredients: -corned beef brisket -2 Tbsps honey -2 tsps whole grain mustard -2 1/2 Tbsps Dijon mustard -2 medium-sized onions quartered -3 garlic cloves, puréed -1 cup chicken stock -salt and pepper Mix whole grain mustard, Dijon mustard, honey, garlic and pepper. Lay the onions in the bottom of a roasting pan and set the corn beef brisket on top. Brush the brisket liberally with the honey mustard mixture. Use about half and preserve …

St. Patrick’s Day Extravaganza — Colcannon

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I love St. Patrick’s Day! It is a day we get to celebrate the culture of another country… and by culture I mean FOOD. Glorious corned beef, soda bread, potatoes, good beers, and whiskey… It brings a tear to me eye! Therefore I have decided that for the next couple of days I will give you some of my best Irish food recipes. The objective is to have a full Irish food spread by the end of this series, so you can impress your loved ones this weekend with your culinary know how of Irish cuisine! We will start with an Irish staple; the potato. Just like the Hispanics and Asians have the rice, the Irish have the potato. A gloriously versatile and delicious tuber that truly does not mind taking the backstage to other ingredients, or being the star of the show, and today it is the star! I could have made a simple mash, but why be boring? Mashed potatoes is something we are ALL familiar with. So for today’s recipe I went with …

Bento Series #14 — Healthy Joes

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I love sloppy joes. They are a no frills, delicious food that is pretty fun to eat since the whole purpose of it is to get sloppy with it 😉 Another huge benefit of it is that you can hide any veggie you want in it. Have a picky eater, such as a child or a husband? Then don’t fret, you can hide a lot of goodness in here and your fussy eater will never find out, neither will your child. This recipe in particular has a lot of vegetables so I renamed it “Healthy Joe.” Bento Components Healthy Joe Strawberries Tamagoyaki Healthy Joe — -1 package ground beef -3 carrots shredded or grated -1/2 zucchini diced -1/2 onion diced -1 small squash diced -1/2 red bell pepper diced -2 garlic cloves minced -1 cup ketchup -1 cup tomato sauce -1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce -1 dash hot sauce -1 Tbsp lemon juice -1 Tbsp brown sugar -1 tsp garlic powder -1 tsp onion powder -1 tsp cumin -salt and pepper to taste In a pan add …

Bento Series #13 — Potato Chip “Fried” Chicken

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This bento is a little bit mysterious… a little tricky… The reason being that potato chips are unhealthy, and fried chicken is unhealthy… but this meal is still super healthy. How did I manage to pull that magic trick? Let me explain. First off it is oven “fried”, second of all the oil used is coconut oil, which we all know is the cure for all ailments in the world O_O. The last part of this magic trick is that I don’t actually use potato chips, I use potato starch flour which can be found at any Asian market. The amazingness of this “fried” chicken is that the potato starch makes it super crispy and adds a delicious potato chip flavor to the chicken. Nevertheless if you can not find potato starch then you can use panko or flour instead. Healthifying (is that even a word o_O) a meal: 1- Always try to oven “fry” things when possible. A lot of the time you will get that delicious crunch without getting all the calories of …

Bento Series #12 — Salmon Fillet

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I am very proud of this bento, it is one of the prettiest I have made to date! Lets take a minute to admire my beautiful creation… admire… admire… admire it, I say! For all of its beauty it is actually pretty simple to make. Bento Components: Salmon Fillet Sushi Rice Fried Okra Baby Carrots Radish Flowers with Parsley Leaves Salmon Fillet– Ingredients: -salmon fillet (1 per person, seasoning per fillet add more if more than one fillet) -1/4 cup soy sauce -1 Tbsp sake (or white wine) -1 clove of garlic -1 tsp grated ginger -1 Tbsp olive oil -1 tsp sugar -salt and pepper to taste Mix all the ingredients in a resealable bag and place the fillet in it. Marinate the salmon for at least 30 minutes before cooking. In a frying pan saute the salmon with a little olive oil. Leave the skin on the fillet, cook the flesh side down for a minute, then skin side down for five minutes. Do not over cook, salmon can get pretty dry if …