Chipotle Chicken Sandwhiches With A Side Of Tarte Tatin

Dear Bloggers, 

         May I just start this entry off with HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE! Man, can you believe this year has already passed by? I feel like I just graduated high school, when I was eager to move my life to Tennessee, and look at me here, back in California, enjoying a little break. It's just crazy, it went by so quickly. I imagine that's how the rest of my life will feel. Well, today, I made Chipotle Chicken sandwiches. Dare I say, this is one of the easiest and fastest recipes that I have created. The sandwiches consist of a base of Pugliesse bread, chicken marinated in ranch dressing, chipotle mayo, and provolone cheese. To make the sauce you need 3 parts mayo, 1 part chipotle sauce, and 5-6 slices of chopped jalapenos. Spread that on the inside of your bread, pop em on a panini press or in a skillet, you are a master sandwicher! For dinner, my family and I went to the world renowned restaurant, "Pizza Rock" which sells the best traditional Neapolitan pizza. My father is from Naples, Italy and knows real pizza, therefore he has taught me very well to have elite expectations when it comes to traditional pizzette. So, he ordered the Margheritta, which I didn't take a picture of, however, I took a picture of the calzone I ordered, and man, I was in heaven for a few minutes. WOW! If you would like to read up more on this restaurant and why it's so famous, visit the website, http://pizzarocksacramento.com/ I promise y'all will be so impressed if you eat here. For desert on this New Year's Eve, I prepared Tarte Tatin, a french pastry. The pastry consisted of the dough made of flour, butter, salt, and water. The inside was simply sliced granny smith apples, coated with sugar and butter. Yes, delicious and so easy to make. I hope y'all have a wonderful New Years Eve and stay safe! Happy cooking and happy New Year!

Keep Me Warm While I'm Chilli

Dear Bloggers,
       Today was a great day and my brother and father were doing work on the house. My dad came to find that his fiance' had tree roots growing into their septic pipes, so my dad and brother were digging around all day today. I went grocery shopping and clothes shopping with my dad's fiance and I thought while I was in the car, "I haven't had chilli in years." So, it was my mission to make an excellent chilli, and an excellent chilli is what I made.The chilli had a unique recipe, because I actually used the leftover ground beef that I had marinated and used for the hamburgers the night before, so I tossed that in a skillet and browned it up then stuck it with the remaining ingredients. For the chilli I used my dad's homemade tomato sauce as a base, red beans, kidney beans, 4 peeled, diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, corn, fresh parsley and seasonings. Although, I must share my secret to an excellently crafted chilli is Louisiana hot sauce and a dash of chipotle sauce. I promise, this  chilli is guaranteed to make you warm during this cold season. It's also a sure bet that the family will be happy. Happy cooking and happy New Year!

The All American Burger

Dear Bloggers,
        Well I arrived at my father's house today and realized that I forgot the charger to my computer and well, that's a problem. Thus, I am going to write this blog and then close down my computer. So, today I decided that I hadn't had a delicious hamburger in quite a while, aside from the In-N-Out burger I ate, however, it didn't do justice to the world of delicious hamburgers, so I thought, let's make hamburgers and french fries for dinner. For the hamburgers I used diced red onion, cooked diced pancetta, parsley, pepper, Louisiana hot sauce, 2 eggs, and salt. I grilled them on the inside grill that was in the kitchen and I fried up the potatoes for around 10 minutes on 325 degrees. Right as the burgers were finishing up, I added cheddar cheese. I used ciabatta bread for a hearty bun and I also made a spicy sauce for the french fries. The sauce consisted of ketchup, mayonnaise, Louisiana hot sauce, and a splash of green Mexican sauce. The meal was an American tradition in the past and for many years to come. Happy cooking and happy New Year!

Good Evening Mexico

Dear Bloggers,
         It was a gloomy day and not much value came out. I went to go see the movie We Bought A Zoo and I just fell in love with it. It really reminded me that although people pass along in life, we must reminisce on the joyous moments we experienced. On a side note, it was a lazy meal tonight. Tacos.. Hmm, well they actually were delicious. For the tacos I made refried beans, but not as complicated. I combined the pinto beans with a few spices, oil, butter, and used flour and water as a thickener, slowly adding water as the beans cooked further. I also added chicken that was marinated in seasonings and chopped it into thin strips. I also added lettuce and I topped off the tacos with a sour cream sauce. For the sauce I used chives, tomatoes, and Tapatio. I also toasted the tacos in the oven for 5 minutes to give them a more authentic feel. It wasn't exactly enough to serve everyone just one taco, because my family was telling me that they all could go for another one. Advice if you will be cooking this for other people, anticipate the consumption will be 2 per person. My best friend also was inspired to make these lovely fortune cookie cupcakes. They turned out wonderfully, but needless to say, they were not as easy as they appeared to make. To find the recipe for these cupcakes and many more adorable cupcakes check out the books, Hello Cupcake & What's New Cupcake? by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. In fact, check out their blog, they have plans to release a new cupcake book this coming January.  Happy cooking and happy New Year!
http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com/

Reconstructed Ham Porridge

Dear Bloggers,
     Happy day! How was y'alls day? Hopefully swell. I finally got to go to the gym, which was quite enjoyable and I got to get a good workout in. For the table tonight, I set a quick ham soup for company. It consisted of a half chicken stalk, half water base, string beans, kidney beans, white beans, corn, tomatoes, celery, ham, and potatoes. I just added them all together and cooked for less than an hour. I served the soup with some toasted garlic bread. It was a light meal, but definitely hearty with the added touch of ham. I figured a great way to reuse the ham would be through a soup, considering I am not a fan of ham. Haha, that rhymed. Well, if y'all would like to attempt to recreate this recipe, it is very simple and comes together in less than an hour. Well I hope y'all are recovering from your post Christmas meals and I hope the holidays are treating y'all well. Happy cooking and happy New Year!

Butter Thy Popcorn But Only Freshly

Dear Bloggers,
         Didn't cook a full meal today because I went to a party tonight and ate dinner there. I did however bring myself to spend an equal amount of time making homemade buttered popcorn. I used cream and salt to make the butter. I also wanted to display to y'all how the formation of butter comes about. I first took a picture of the butter when it was cream, then a picture of the butter entering the whipped cream stage, then when the butte and buttermilk began separating. The finished product was my creation of butter. To make the popcorn, I took 1/2 the stick of butter and stirred it in a pot with the kernels until fully covered. I waited a good 4 minutes before the popcorn began popping. It took less that 2 minutes to fully cook the popcorn. The butter on the other hand, took 15 minutes to make. However, in the end, the homemade butter made the popcorn taste that much better. I love making butter and every chance I get in the future, I will make homemade butter for my family. I hope y'all had a fantastic Christmas and all was safe. Happy cooking and  happy New Year!

Merry Chocolate Christmas

Dear Bloggers,
         What's first, food or Merry Christmas! I suppose, MERRY CHRISTMAS! It's been a fantastic day and though I didn't get to make a meal, I made chocolate peppermint patties, and grand peanut butter balls. For the peppermint patties, I combined butter, evaporated milk, peppermint extract, and powdered sugar to make the inside patties. Of course, for the outside I used butter, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and corn syrup to thin out the chocolate. For the peanut butter balls I combined peanut butter with butter, until it was really smooth. Not creamy. Then, I added powdered sugar until I created a dough like texture. I froze the patties and the peanut butter balls overnight and then dipped them the following day in the chocolate sauce. I also added crushed peppermint to the tops of the peppermint patties to make them slightly more festive. It's been a great Christmas and I am happy to say that although I didn't cook a Christmas meal, I got to cook at Christmas Eve meal and that was just as wonderful. Happy cooking and Merry Christmas!

A Southern Fried Christmas Eve

Dear Bloggers,
       It's Christmas Eve and y'all know what that means! Santa Claus is coming tonight! Well, as for my Christmas Eve, I had such a spectacular day. I got to go to the movies and see Young Adult and it was an interesting movie. Aside from that, I had a plan to bring a little bit of Tennessee to California and make a Southern Christmas meal. Surely, it isn't a traditional Southern meal, but it was good enough for me. For this meal I made fried chicken, corn bread, and salad. I originally intended to make creamed corn, however, an hour before I started, I realized there was no corn available. None of the family was in favor of creamed corn, therefore I decided it would be ok to sacrifice that part of the meal. I used Paula Dean's recipe for fried chicken and let me just say that the good Lord did in fact bless me and that chicken was the best chicken I had ever tasted. Yes, better than KFC. I just said it. I thought nothing could beat KFC, but this chicken right here did just that. So my one secret that I will reveal with y'all is that I breaded it twice. I took the raw drum sticks and thighs and put them first in the flour mixture, then in the egg & Louisiana mixture, then back into the flour. I would suggest using skinned chicken because that allows the breading to adhere better to the chicken. I, however, did not have the skin on the chicken, yet it still turned out marvelously. Yes, I truly mean marvelously. Then I followed a corn bread recipe I found through About.com and it was good cornbread. It wasn't as moist as I had expected. I also added cheese to make it taste a little bit creamier, and it was delicious. Aside from the fact I added slightly too much salt. Sorry family! Well, here's the family and I just wanted to show y'all the before and after of the fried chicken. Yes, indeed, that's how delicious it tasted. I am not lying. Give it go! I posted the links before for the recipes I used. Happy cooking and Merry Christmas!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/southern-fried-chicken-recipe/index.html
http://southernfood.about.com/cs/cornbread/ht/cornbread_howto.htm

The Italian Takes the Victory!

Dear Bloggers,
          It was quite a marvelous day today referring to the fact that I got to meet up with an old friend of mine and make her some spaghettini. I hadn't seen her in around 6 months and I couldn't return to Tennessee without seeing her. We got to spend some time catching up and I had needed that, especially after all she had gone through. Bless her heart. Though, when I arrived she told me that she wanted spaghetti and I responded, you ought to let the Italian make the spaghetti. I threw together a quick dish using some ingredients around her house. The ingredients consisted of salami, tomatoes, garlic, onions, Parmesan, tomato sauce, and spaghetti. It was a pleasure showing her how the Italians eat spaghetti with spoons and she was surprised to see how much easier it was. What a splendid afternoon it has been. Happy cooking and Merry Christmas!

Bruschetta Pesto Di Parma

Dear Bloggers,
       Well what an evening it has been. I got so much accomplished today for school and purchased so many items that I had been in dear need of. However, I got back to settled grounds with my father and therefore, feel so much better. Today I decided to stick my roots to my fellow audience and show them my true colors of Italy. I haven't eaten true Italian food in quite a while and I thought what a lovely simple side dish it would be to do Bruschetta, but with a different twist. I used sun dried tomatoes, Parmesan, Roma tomatoes, pesto, pancetta, and Italian leaf Parsley. I began by cooking the pancetta with a spoon full of sun dried tomatoes, garlic, and parsley in a pan until the pancetta was crisp. Then I removed the pancetta only and combined the fresh diced Roma tomatoes with Parmesan and a spoon full of pesto. I toasted the Ciabatta bread on 375 degrees for 15 minutes turning the bread halfway through. Once removed I spread pesto on all slices of the bread, then spooned the tomato mixture in the centers of each piece. I placed them back into the oven for 5 minutes just to heat the mixture. I plated them with parsley. The crunch this bruschetta creates, with the tiny bites of crisp pancetta. This bruschetta creates an excellent appetizer for any meal you have in mind. Happy cooking and Merry Christmas!

Night For TakeOut

Dear Bloggers,
        I disappointed y'all today. I didn't make a meal, and thus I have lost all of the followers that I ever gained. None. I supposed my audience isn't as wide as I anticipated. Today was difficult day with the folks, but I had to move along. I didn't have the space, nor the ingredients to cook a sufficient meal. I made amends with my father today and we went out to eat at Emperor's Garden in Folsom. It was just another one of those typical Chinese restaurants and I enjoyed a delicious bowl of wanton soup and some rice, Orange Chicken, and broccoli beef. I am sorry to disappoint y'all, but I thought you would be kind on this rough day. Happy cooking and Merry Christmas!

The Flight of the Gyros

Dear Bloggers,
      To be sincere, I didn't have the best day today. It wasn't bad, but there was nothing that made it memorable. It was just another day. I wanted to recreate a delicious meal that I had at a restaurant in Nashville, Kalamatas. I ate a delicious lamb gyro there and figured, why not recreate it? So my goal was to accomplish just that using the ingredients we had in the house. The gyro consisted of chicken, taziki, lettuce, cucumbers, and half cooked onions. I marinated the chicken in Greek dressing (since there was no lamb available), the taziki had a twist and I used dill instead of mint and I did not add the cucumbers to the taziki, just tossed them in the pita pocket. The dish came together rather quickly. It only took me 25 minutes to complete the meal, but that was having not used fresh chicken. This meal was adequate, not splendid, but there's always tomorrow to take another chance at a wonderfully home-cooked meal. Happy cooking and Merry Christmas!

Bread Crumb Filled Artichokes With Beer Spiced Pinto Beans

Dear Bloggers,
         I went all out today. I was in the spirit of sharing and in the spirit of making a grand meal; though it wasn't quite that grand. It was time for some bread crumb filled artichokes that I hadn't had for years. My momma would always make them for my family as I was growing up, so I wanted to take a down home approach to this easy meal. My momma originally uses store bought bread crumbs, but I had some fresh bread around, so I figured let's do home made bread crumbs. I began by trimming the artichokes and removing the inner flowers, then I toasted some cubed bread on 400 degrees for 15 minutes, popped them in a food processor, and mixed with some spices. I opened the leaves up on the artichokes and filled them with the bread crumbs and cooked them with 1/4 cup of water, olive oil, and salt lining the bottom of a pot for 35 minutes on med-high. On the side I made beer spiced pinto beans. The ingredients consisted of a beer base of about 1/2 of a miller light, green chillies, onions, pinto beans, and seasonings. I cooked them for 5 minutes on high, and then let them simmer for 10 minutes. For a thickening agent I used flour, because I prefer thicker soup consistencies. I also served the beer spiced pinto beans with toasted garlic bread. For desert I made limoncelo Greek yogurt. Very simple, and an excellent aid for digestion. Happy cooking and Merry Christmas!

Stuffed Bacon-Wrapped Chicken

Dear Bloggers,
       What a glorious day it has been. I made dinner for the folks and today it was a 5 star selection. I made stuffed bacon-wrapped chicken with a side of feta asparagus. I had originally been inspired by this chicken when I ate at Crush 29, pistachio breaded chicken. The original recipe consisted of chicken stuffed with Havarti cheese, red bell peppers, wrapped in bacon, and breaded with pistachios and flour. The chicken was placed on a bed of mashed potatoes, with a side of asparagus. Two years later, and after a few tries, I made the best stuffed chicken I have made in a while. I did not have bell peppers, therefore I used an alternative route. I stuffed my chicken with raw yellow onion, Havarti cheese, and diced cooked bacon, then wrapped it in bacon. Sealing the deal with toothpicks took a while and was difficult, but enabled all the juices and cheese to stay inside. It took the chicken approximately 40 minutes, covered to fully cook. Keep in mind, a meat thermometer is extremely useful when making stuffed meats. I also decided to insert of a picture of the lake I walked by before cooking. California is wonderful, by Tennessee has taken me heart. Happy cooking and Merry Christmas!

Salad vs. In-N-Out

Dear Bloggers,

      Today was a simple day. A refreshing lemon zest salad. I stopped by In-N-Out to get a hamburger animal style and some fries before dinner. I was craving it at that moment, so I decided what a good time to stop by and see some old friends (I used to work there) and eat some delicious old food. Got back home and Momma told me that she just wanted a salad, so I decided that the butter leaf lettuce I found in the fridge would make an excellent base. I used tomatoes, a cucumber, carrots, green olives, cranberries, lemon, a hard boiled egg, and sunflower seeds. I seasoned the salad with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Momma said it was delicious. As for me, I enjoyed my night with Long Board bear. Happy cooking and Merry Christmas!

Balsamic Black Bean Pasta

Dear Bloggers,

         Today, was the first of my many cooking adventures to come while I am home in California. I decided to make something nutritious, seeing that I will be indulging in a delicious meal at Chik Fil A tonight. Therefore, I put together a quick pasta dish infused with protein and a kick of balsamic vinegar. The ingredients consisted of black beans, celery, tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower, twist pasta, and balsamic vinegar, of course. I simply began by boiling the pasta until al dente, then cooked the black beans, celery, tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower, and balsamic vinegar with a touch of olive oil. Once the pasta was al dente, I combined it with the mixed beans and vegetables. There you have a simple, healthy meal. Be cautious to watch how much balsamic vinegar you use because it enhances very easily. Happy cooking and merry Christmas!

Night of Christmas Wonders

Dear bloggers,

            So I thought that I would begin this blog with a lovely seared steak with smashed potatoes, however, the picture never saved. I supposed I could still talk about the food, despite the lack of picture of how delicious it looked. I made a seared steak on top of a bead of smashed potatoes with a creamy blue cheese avocado sauce and a side of orange zested broccoli. I didn't pull off the smashed potatoes very well because I removed them from the water too soon and thus they did not cook as well as they should have. Therefore, I am quite disappointed, however, the world will continue. I made a gingerbread house with my best friend and we decorated it to our satisfaction, need I say we could have used more colored candies.. I figured those of you who might read this may be kind for this first blog and let me off the hook without pictures of the first meal. Happy cooking and Merry Christmas!