The Merry Christmas

Dear Bloggers,
        The Christmas the was a lonely one this year. Christmas Eve was wonderful spending time with all of my family and getting to make this delicious fried chicken. However the following day I took my parents to the airport to leave for Italy on Christmas day and was very saddened. This blog is fixing to be short and sweet to get to the point. My family had waited all year to have this fried chicken and I finally made it for Christmas Eve and they said they loved it. It is quite a simple dish and I plated it with asparagus, salad and oven baked potatoes with a honey mustard dressing that I made. The evening went quickly after opening up presents and reminiscing on childhood memories. Although the Christmas tree was small and not close to a real one, it still made me feel like there was some Christmas presence in the air. This fried chicken I must say is unbeatable. Not even KFC can come close to it. It's so crispy and so perfectly seasoned that makes no other fried chicken quite as delicious. Well, I'm off to go sew, but until next time stay healthy and happy cooking!

Asparagus Spaghetti Squash Orzo Salad

Dear Bloggers,
      So, is there a rule that I can only blog once per day? I've got one more blog for today before I show y'all the awesome fried chicken tomorrow! I began by boiling some water with red lentils in a pan, I then added a touch of Louisiana Hot Sauce. In a separate pot I boiled the orzo with salt. In the oven I carved out my spaghetti squash to remove the seeds, added 1/2 onions, salt, pepper, and full parsley leaves. It roasted on 375 for 30 minutes. It was cooked slightly through but not to the soggy point. I then added chopped asparagus to the lentils, chopped parsley, 1 fresh onion, 4 cloves of garlic, and the forked spaghetti squash. I lastly added in the orzo and a touch more of the Louisiana Hot Sauce. The hot sauce added the most perfect flavor that packed some heat but did not take over the dish. I then added some diced green onion to the top of the dish. This meal was not only surprisingly delicious, but it always was nutritious packing at least 8 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber. So, tomorrow I'll see you again but happy cooking and stay healthy!

Fennel & Zucchini Pasta al Forno

Dear Bloggers,
         Let me give you the low-down. Recently, I have cooked 2 meals over the four days that I have been here. Tonight I believe I will be making another awesome fried chicken dish which I am pumped about. So, on Thursday night I decided to make some fennel zucchini pasta al forno. Quite easy and so delicious. I began by marinating some ground beef in some garlic, olive oil, 1 head of chopped fennel, thyme, and basil for 3 hours. I cut up 1 yellow and green zucchini into 1/8" rounds. I then let those marinate in olive oil, salt, and pepper for an equal amount of time. After I sauteed the ground beef/fennel mixture in a pan until fully cooked then I formed a roux with flour, cream, and a touch of butter. I then added some cooked bow tie pasta. Off of the heat, I added in the rounded zucchini and put it in an 8x12 dish, added some bread crumbs and butter to the top and cooked it on 350 for 30 minutes then broiled it for 3 minutes for a golden finish. Virtually, you could've added any vegetables to this dish and you also could've taken out the ground beef but the fennel is quite an added bonus of flavor. Hopefully you'll try this awesome dish. Until tomorrow, happy cooking and stay healthy!

2 Weeks of Freshly Cooked Love: Take 2

Dear Bloggers,
         As you may or may not know (since I have no followers), I started this blog for fun last year when I came home for Christmas to my family to cook 2 weeks of delicious food. This year I am back to do just that again. I will not be staying with my family the entire time because they will be flying to Italy. That's fine though, because I am still delighted to cook for myself and my dog. A few things have been flying in and out this year and one of them has been music. Whether or not I should pursue my true passion. If I do, do I go to school to do it or do I simply just go out there? It's been a struggle. I know that is best to do for my stability: get a job as a dietician and settle. Although I know that I will not be happy doing so because I do enjoy eating healthily, but not enough to dedicate my entire life to doing so. Anyways, I'll be home tomorrow which means that the blogs will begin shortly after that. Thank you for listening once again (if you really are reading this, thank you). Once more, happy cooking and stay healthy!