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!