Creme Brulee

After many requests, I've finally posted this recipe.  The secret to a great creme brulee is the vanilla bean.  You have to remember that this dessert is found in fancy restaurants and you pay top dollar for this, which means, if you want to duplicate what's in the restaurants, spend the extra money for a whole vanilla bean!  You will not regret it.  Otherwise, you're looking at a flan or custard recipe if you settle for the vanilla extract. Whole vanilla beans are about $10-$20 per jar and can be found in your local grocer. 

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean, split, & scraped
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar + sprinkling on top
• 5 large egg yolks
• Pot of boiling water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a medium size pot, add heavy cream, and set to low heat.  With a sharp paring knife, split vanilla bean in half lengthwise.  With the tip of the knife, scrape vanilla seeds within the pod and dip it into the heavy cream.  After all seed are extracted, put the whole vanilla pod into the cream as well.  With a wooden spoon smash pod within the cream and heat until steaming bubbles form around the edges.  Take out vanilla pod and then take off heat.  In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until sugar is dissolved.  Whisking constantly, SLOWLY add cream mixture (do not stop whisking or dump all cream mixture into egg mixture at once, otherwise you will have scrambled eggs).  Pour mixture into ramekins and set in a deep baking dish.  Place baking dish into oven and then pour boiling water around the ramekins until the water reaches 1/2 way up from the ramekins.  Bake for 35 minutes or until mixture is firm to the touch.  Cool in refrigerator for 2-3 hours. Before serving, sprinkle sugar on the top. With a torch, scorch until top is crispy browned.

Shirley's Scones

I know my scones doesn't look as good as the picture above but I guarantee they taste just as good as it looks.  I received this recipe from my dear friend Elaine's late sister Shirley.  It's an honor to share this with you...

• 2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 cup chilled butter, cut into chunks
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten for glaze
• sugar for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.  Add butter chunks.  With a fork, mash mixture together until it resembles a course meal.  Slowly add cream while still mashing mixture.  Gather mixture into a ball and knead dough on floured surface for 2 minutes.  Roll or pat out dough to 3/4 inch thick triangles or round biscuits.  Space apart on greased baking sheet.  Brush tops with egg whites and sprinkle more sugar on the top.  Bake for 15 minutes or until browned.  Serve warm with jam, English Devon cream, clotted cream, and/or whipped cream. 

Jeannine's French Meat Pie

• 1 lb. ground lean pork
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 c. finely chopped onion
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 2 pie crusts (I use the Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts). You will need 4 pie crusts if you're using a small tin pie pans.
  

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a large pan, on medium heat, brown pork and beef together until there is no pink color. Drain fat.  Add onion and spices.  Mix together.  Add breadcrumbs and water until mixture reveals a thick paste.  Remove from heat.  Roll out pie crust onto a large glass pie pan (or 2 small tin pie pans). With a fork, lightly prick holes into the crust.  Add meat mixture until pie pan is full.  Cover with another pie crust.  Pinch together the bottom crust with the top crust.  Cut off any excess pie crust that might be hanging from the sides of the pan.  With a knife, puncture holes on the top of the pie crusts.    Bake for 30 minutes or until crust is brown throughout the pie. Bon Appetite!

Easy Peasy Salad

3 (16 oz) bags of Bird's Eye Petite Frozen Peas
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 green onion stalks, finely chopped
8 oz. mild yellow cheddar cheese, finely cubed
6 egg whites (hard boiled)
1 lb. bacon bits (browned to crispiness & drained of fat)

Dressing:

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1 Tbsp relish (dill or sweet, your choice)
2 Tbsp white granulated sugar
1 Tbsp granulated garlic
2 tsp ground pepper

Directions:

Thaw peas by either setting out to room temperature or running them through hot water in a colander. Drain thoroughly and set aside. Meanwhile, hard boil eggs, cool, peel, and discard the yolk. Finely chop egg whites and place in a large mixing bowl. Add onion, celery, green onion, and cheese. Set aside. Brown bacon bits and drain. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk all dressing ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Add dressing to the egg/veggie mixture. Gently fold in peas until all combined. Chill for 10 minutes, sprinkle with bacon bits, and serve.

Avalanche Balls

This is a recipe I came across at a local cafe. I guessed at the ingredients and knew it was close to the Avalanche Bark sold at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Having this candy into a ball is much more eating friendly than the bulky chunks of bark pieces. This is a great way to make something quick for a potluck or a treat for the co-workers or friends. Enjoy!

Avalanche Balls

1 – 16oz. package of white chocolate chips (or any good white chocolate, the better the chocolate, the better the recipe)
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup rice crispy cereal
1 cup mini marshmallows
Mini semi sweet chocolate chips for décor

In a double boiler (NOT microwave, white chocolate will burn in microwave), combine white chocolate with peanut butter. Constantly stir with spatula until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Take off the bowl from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Once mixture is cool, add rice crispy cereal and marshmallows (if your mixture is too hot, it will melt marshmallows). Continue to cool until mixture starts to harden. Spoon mixture with a small scoop, patting down excess mixture from the bowl (make sure the mixture is condensed together to make a ball). Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and continue to cool in the refrigerator.

Ultimate Twice Baked Potatoes

Here's another one of my Thanksgiving favorites. For all of you that join me at my after Thanksgiving feast, you're familiar with this yumminess. Enjoy!


Ultimate Twice Baked Potatoes

"Potatoes are baked and then hollowed out. The flesh is combined with sour cream, milk, butter, green onions and Cheddar cheese, then topped with more cheese and green onions."

INGREDIENTS:
6 large baking potatoes
½ lb. bacon
1 ½ cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
8 green onions, sliced, divided

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, dice bacon and render bacon in skillet on medium heat until evenly brown and crispy. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
4. When potatoes are fully cooked and soft, allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins. To the potato flesh add sour cream, milk, butter, garlic salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 the green onions. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese and green onions.
5. Bake for another 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Cornbread and Wild Rice Stuffing

Hi Everyone,

I know I haven't posted anything in a year, but I've been getting many requests for my famous Cornbread and Wild Rice Stuffing. So here it is and I hope you enjoy it! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!





Cornbread and Wild Rice Stuffing



INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth

1 pkg Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage
1 lb. pkg Marie Callender’s Corn Bread Mix
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
3 stalks of celery chopped
½ of a onion chopped
½ of (16 ounce) package herb
seasoned stuffing mix
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth

DIRECTIONS:
1. Bring rice and chicken broth to boil in a pot. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes or until rice cracks open. Drain and set aside. (You can even cook this a day ahead of time)
2. Bake Marie Callender’s Corn Bread Mix the day before according to the package. When cornbread cools, cut out half of the pan of cornbread and crumble. Leave cornbread crumble out to dry overnight.
3. In a large skillet, crumble sausage and brown. Transfer to a dish.
4. In the same skillet with the sausage drippings, melt the butter over medium heat, and saute the celery and onion until tender. Mix in cooked rice, sausage, cornbread, stuffing mix, and broth. Transfer to a lightly greased baking dish.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
6. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Sab's Fried Rice Recipe

2 cups Long Grain White Rice, cooked (leftover rice, refrigerated preferrable)

2 Large Eggs

1/2 tsp Soy Sauce

1/4 tsp White Pepper

1 Tblsp Vegetable Oil

6 Tblsp Vegetable Oil

1 1/2 cups Frozen Peas and Carrots

Cooked Meat of your choice, Cubed into small pieces (BBQ Pork is my favorite)

Green onion (optional)

More soy sauce and white pepper to taste


Scramble eggs in a bowl with ½ tsp of soy sauce, 1/4 tsp white pepper, and scramble well in bowl. Then, in a big frying pan, heat ½ tsp of veg. oil. Add egg mixture to pan. DO NOT mix the egg while cooking. Instead, move the pan around in a circle and distribute the egg along all of the sides of the pan until the egg really thin along side the pan edges. Cut egg mixture in half with a spatula and flip over the to cook the other side until the egg is completely cooked. Then, take cooked eggs and put on a cutting board. Thinly slice the egg into small pieces and set aside.

Then, in the same frying pan add 6 tblsp of veg oil and heat well. Add cooked rice and fry the rice until rice is slightly browned. Then, add soy sauce to taste (add enough until rice is brown). Add frozen peas and carrots and meat and mix well until everything is heated and vegetables are cooked. Add egg. Add white pepper to taste. Garnish with green onions and serve.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

This recipe is so easy and fun to decorate. It's definately a "No Brainer". Enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries:

Fresh Washed Strawberries
1 package of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup of heavy whipping cream (unbeaten)
1 package of white chocolate chips
1 package of toffee brickle bits
1 quart freezer bag
Wax paper or parchment paper
Cooking spray

Make sure the strawberries are washed and patted dry with a paper towel. If strawberries are too moist, then the chocolate won't stick.

In a microwavable bowl, combine semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of whipping cream. Microwave mixture for 1 - 1 1/2 minutes or until chocolate is melted. With a whisk, carefully mix chocolate until smooth. You may add more whipping cream if the mixture is too stiff.

In another microwavable bowl, combine white chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of whipping cream. Microwave mixture for 1 - 1 1/2 minutes or until chocolate is melted. With a whisk, carefully mix chocolate until smooth. You may add more whipping cream if the mixture is too stiff.

Take the melted WHITE chocolate mixture and pour into freezer bag. Carefully cut a small corner of the bag so the white chocolate can drizzle out slowly.

Put toffee bits in a bowl and set aside.

Put wax or parchment paper on a cookie sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray. Take strawberry and dip half way into the semi-sweet chocolate mixture. Make sure it coats all around the strawberry. At this time you can either dip it in toffee bits or place on paper. Then drizzle white chocolate mixture on top of strawberry and set aside. When cookie sheet is filled, refrigerate until chocolate is solid. Serve and enjoy!

Pistachio Easter Cake

Hello again, and thanks for viewing this blog. Above is a picture of an Easter Cake I made over the holiday. The recipe is so easy, there's no need for a video. Hope you try it and enjoy!

Cake:
1 box of Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix
1 box of Jello Pistachio Pudding Mix
4 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup of water

Frosting:
2 sticks of butter (room temperature)
4 cups of confectioners sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour 10-inch Bundt Pan.
Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, oil and in large bowl. Beat at low speed with electric mixer until moistened. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in almonds. Pour into pan.
Bake at 350°F for 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 25 minutes. Invert onto cooling rack. Cool completely.

For Frosting, combine all ingredients and beat at low speed with an electric mixer. Drizzle on bundt cake.

For Decoration:
1/2 cup shredded coconut
5-7 drops of green food coloring
Malted Egg Balls

Mix coconut and food coloring together until coconut turns green. Sprinkle on top of frosted cake and decorate with malted eggs.

Lasagna Blog

Hi Everyone,

Here's a simple, easy way to assemble a lasagna. I used store bought spaghetti sauce and cooked turkey meatballs and turkey sausage ahead of time. All I had to do is cook the noodles al dente and assemble. You can also wilt the spinach in a pan with some olive oil so it won't be so bulky when assembling the lasagna. If you don't have time to wilt spinach (like I did in this video), then you can use fresh spinach or well dried/drained frozen spinach. The fresh spinach will wilt down during the cooking process.

The ricotta cheese mixture I used is 16 oz. of ricotta cheese, 1/4 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg, pepper, and one beatened egg. Beat the egg in a separate bowl, add nutmeg and pepper, and mix well with ricotta cheese. The egg will make the cheese creamy to spread and the other spices makes it more flavorful.

Bake for 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until the cheese is melted, browned, and bubbley. Remember, that most of the items in here are already cooked so your main goal is to melt the cheese, wilt the spinach, and heat everything through.

Hope you enjoy this video and please list some friendly comments below. Happy Cooking!

Brownie Blog

Hey Everyone, This is my first video blog! I'm so excited that I finally figured out this video sharing/editing thing. This recipe was inspired by my Auntie Lynette who had this wonderful idea of substituting vanilla extract for Almond extract and the difference is phenomenal. If you like the taste of almond, this is a wonderful change to the normal brownie taste. Hope you enjoy it and give this recipe a try.

Brownie Recipe:

1 cup salted butter (2 sticks US)
4 - squares of bittersweet chocolate
1 cup all purpose flour 3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
4 eggs
1 cup of granulated sugar
1-2 tsp. almond extract 1-2 cups of nuts (if desired)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut butter and chocolate squares into small cubes and melt in the microwave for 1 - 1 1/2 minutes. In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients, stir until combined, and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together. Add almond extract. Alternately add dry ingredients and butter/chocolate mixture into egg/sugar mixture until everything is well combined. Fold in nuts if desired. Fit parchment paper into a roasting pan and hug the corners to hold in pan. Spray paper with baking spray. Pour batter onto paper. **Make sure you wipe any splatters on the paper before baking**. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes our clean. Cool, then cut and enjoy!

More About Me...

This blog is designed for beginners to view demonstrations that I use in my own kitchen.

The recipes that I use are from different places like the Food Network, food websites, or my family recipes but I tend to tweek the recipes to my preferred taste or mix different recipes together to make my own. So most of these recipes you see here might be similar to what’s out there but I guarantee it won’t be exact.


I gain my cooking experience from a couple of years of ROP culinary arts when I was in high school and of course my family who’s generous enough to take the time to teach me when I was younger, and my husband’s family who has tons of knowledge in Italian, French, and Portuguese cooking…oh, and my favorite TV channel…the food network! They have a lot of inspirational recipes from those great chefs on there.

I don’t call myself a professional chef of any sorts. I just like to share my little talent with my beginners who want to try their hand at homemade cooking. From what I hear from my family and friends…I’m not too bad in the kitchen. Mostly all of my recipes are homemade and from scratch.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy my blog and have fun cooking in the kitchen! So thanks for watching and I hope you enjoy cooking with me!