Chicken and Vegetable Kabobs

Ingredients: 4 Chicken breast cut into chunks about 1 inch pieces. 1 Teaspoon of Salt and 1 teaspoon of Lemon Pepper. 3 Tablespoons of pesto. 2 Tablespoons of Lemon juice. 1 Tablespoon of Oregano. 1 Tablespoon of Thyme. 1 Zucchinis cut into 1 inch pieces. 1 Squashes cut into 1 inch pieces. Handful of Cherry Tomatoes. 1 medium Onion in cut into 1 inch chunks. 1 medium Bell Pepper any color cut into 1 inch chunks. *You can make the same marinade for the veggies if you wish or you can spray with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Method: Mix all of these ingredients together and massage the chicken with all of the herbs. Drizzle olive oil on top and massage chicken again making sure the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate for about 30 mins (the longer you refrigerate the more the chicken will be marinated). Pierce the chicken and veggies through the bamboo skewers and grill each side for about 2-3 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Homemade Cinnabons

Ingredients For the Dough: 1 cup whole milk one 1/4-ounce packet active dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons) 1/4 cup plus 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the bowl 1 large egg yolk 1 &1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 &3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more if needed 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg For the Filling: All-purpose flour, for dusting 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan 1 cup brown sugar 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon For the Glaze: 1 cup confectioners' sugar 1/3 cup heavy cream 4oz cream cheese 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted Directions: Make the dough: Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over low heat until it reaches about 100F. Remove from the heat and sprinkle in the yeast and 1/4 teaspoon sugar (don't stir). Set aside until foamy, 5 minutes. Whisk in the melted butter, egg yolk and vanilla. Whisk the flour, the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, the salt and nutmeg in the bowl of a stand mixer. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture. Mix on low speed with the dough hook until thick and slightly sticky. Knead on medium speed until the dough gathers around the hook, 6 minutes. (Add up to 2 more tablespoons flour if necessary.) Remove the dough and shape into a ball. Butter the mixer bowl and return the dough to the bowl, turning to coat with butter. Cover with plastic wrap or damp paper towel and let rise until doubled, 1 hour 15 minutes. Roll out the dough into a rectangle shape with the longer side towards you. Brush butter all over then sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon mixture (1 cup brown sugar with 3 tablespoons cinnamon) Roll up dough into a log tightly. Cut 2" pieces. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan; place bund in pan leaving space between each. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325. Bake the buns until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Cool in the pan 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make the glaze: Sift the confectioners' sugar into a bowl, then whisk in the cream cheese, heavy cream and melted butter. Transfer the buns to a rack and spoon the glaze on top while still warm.

Banana Nut Bread... My Healthy Version

Ingredients: 5 ripened bananas 3/4 cup walnuts chopped 4 egg whites (room temp) 8oz apple sauce 1/2 cup brown sugar 4 Tbsp butter 1 tsp vanilla 1 & 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 2 & 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (or you can use all purpose flour but I like to stay healthy when I can) In a bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda and mix well then set aside. In another bowl, mash up ripened bananas. Add vanilla and apple sauce and mix well. In mixer bowl cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add the banana and apple sauce mixture to the sugar and butter bowl and mix until combined. Add the egg whites and mix until combined. Then add the flour mixture slowly and mix until combined. Slowly add your walnuts and just mix for about 15 seconds. Pour into loaf pan/s that's been sprayed with nonstick baking spray. Pour the mixture into the pan/s. Preheat over to 350 and bake for 50 mins. *note, you can add more brown sugar if you like. I didn't want mine too sweet and it is why it's like bread and not like cake.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

These were great!! Ingredients: 1 diced Zucchini 1 diced Squash 2 diced Roma Tomatoes 2 whole Bell Peppers 2 Cloves of minced garlic 1 cup diced celery 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp garlic powder 1 Tbsp soy sauce salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup of marinara sauce 1 Tbsp Panko bread crumbs In a saute pan, saute all veggies with a little butter and the spices including soy sauce. Cut tops off of bell peppers, remove the inner part and stuff with the veggie mixture. Top the mixture with marinara sauce and place bell pepper tops back on. In the center of the Bell pepper tops, add some Panko bread crumbs and sprinkle the bell peppers with olive oil to keep moist and flavorful. Bake for 25 mins at 350.

Thanksgiving Feast made by yours truly

Pomegranate and Beet Salad

Boil about 2 beets. And peel 1 pomegranate. peel the skin from beets and slice in bite size pieces. Mix both in a bowl and add some dried parsley with 1/4 cup of white balsamic vinegar. Mix well and Viola!!

Steamed Corn

This one is a no brainer!! Steam the corn add some butter and salt to taste!

Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients: ½ cup unsalted butter, melted ½ cup sugar 2 eggs, beaten 1 tsp. vanilla 1/3 cup milk 6 cups sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into one inch cubes, steamed and cooled Combine butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and milk in a mixing bowl and stir well. Fold in sweet potatoes. Place in a 2-quart casserole dish and top with the topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Topping: ½ cup unsalted butter, melted 1 cup dark brown sugar ½ cup flour ¼ tsp. cinnamon 1 pinch nutmeg 1 cup pecans, chopped Combine all in a mixing bowl and stir well.

Green Bean Casserole

Another favorite in our household!! Ingredients: 1 lb of fresh green beans cut and steamed 1 can of cream of mushroom soup 1 Tbsp of soy sauce 1 can of French's fried onions Steam the green beans and place in a bowl, add mushroom soup with soy sauce and mix. Pour into casserole dish and bake for 25 mins at 350F. Top with fried onions and broil at low for about 3 minutes.

Tomato Mac and Cheese

Tomato Mac and cheese In a pot, combine: 4 Tsp butter Sauté some small onion in butter Add 3.25 Tsp mustard Add 1tsp paprika Add 1tsp salt 2 Cups of Milk Add 2 cups of cheese (I like Cheddar with mozzarella) Add boiled elbow pasta to cheese mix Dice 2 tomatoes and add this to the pot. Cook on medium until creamy. Add Mac and cheese mix to casserole dish and top with sliced tomato slices. Salt and pepper the top. Bake for 30-45 mins at 345. Add a mixture of cheese and Panko bread crumbs on top and let it melt on top in oven. Add cilantro on top for garnish.

Broccoli and Rice Casserole

This is a favorite of anyone who has had it!! Ingredients: 2 cups of rice (I prefer long grain) 1 head of steamed broccoli (if you're in a hurry, you can use the steamed broccoli that comes in a bag Green Giant I believe) 1 cup of diced green onions 1/2 a block of the big Velvetta cheese 1 can of cream of mushroom soup salt and pepper 3 Tbsp butter diced Cook the rice and let it cool to room temp. Steam the broccoli. Then get a sauté pan and with a little butter, sauté the green onions with a little salt and pepper. Add the broccoli to this and mix well, then remove from heat. In a bowl, chop Velvetta cheese into 1 inch cubes and microwave for about 45 seconds and stir together well until all melted through. In a large bowl or pot, using a spoonula (spatula shaped like a spoon) mix together the cheese with rice, then add the can of cream of mushroom. Once this is all well blended, add the broccoli mixture. Pour into a greased casserole dish and sprinkle with pepper on top and cubes of butter. Bake covered at 350 for 45 mins.

Thanksgiving Stuffing

I diced 2 large onions, about 6 carrots and half of a celery stalk. Sautéed these with 3 cloves of minced garlic, some butter, and a little salt and pepper. I added this to diced week old bread that I kept in the freezer so it was easy to dice as it was firm. Mix all of this with 2 cups of homemade chicken stock and 1 beated egg. pour into casserole dish and bake covered for about 25 mins at 350F and broil the top on low for about 5 mins to get a brown topping and a bit of a crunch. I love stuffing!! P.S. I actually boiled the turkeys neck with some seasoning and used some of that liquid to give it that extra turkey flavoring for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Turkey

Ingredients 3 cups Apple Juice Or Apple Cider 2 gallons Cold Water 4 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary Leaves 5 cloves Garlic, Minced 1-1/2 cup Kosher Salt 2 cups Brown Sugar 3 Tablespoons Peppercorns 5 whole Bay Leaves Peel Of Three Large Oranges Preparation Instructions Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and cover. Allow to cool completely, then pour into a large brining bag or pot. Place uncooked turkey in brine solution, then refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours. When ready to roast turkey, remove turkey from brine. Submerge turkey in a pot or sink of fresh, cold water. Allow to sit in clean water for 15 minutes to remove excess salt from the outside. Discard brine. Remove turkey from clean water, pat dry, and cook according to your normal roasting method. This is what it looked like: http://instagr.am/p/STUexJNPPK/ Then I roasted the turkey in the oven for about 3 hours. the first 30 mins was at 500F and then lowered down to 350F for the remainder of the time. I also covered the turkeys breast with a triangle foil in the second part of roasting so that it wouldn't get overcooked and dry. Before roasting, I stuffed the turkey with a whole head of garlic cut in half, an apple cut into slices, sprigs of sage, basil, thyme and rosemary. Also I rubbed the turkey with a mixture of garlic butter with dried oregano, thyme, and basil underneath the skin as far as i could get my fingers.

Hubbys Favorite Salad

Avocados, cranberries, peanuts, parmesan, spring mix lettuce, black grapes and balsamic vinegar dressing

Bang Bang Chicken over Brussel Sprouts

Green Curry Chicken

Spicy Peanut Chicken

Homemade Tomato Sauce over Ravioli and Grilled Chicken

I put olive oil a whole onion sliced. Caramelized it first. Then added salt and pepper. Added some tomato paste like 1 Tbsp. then I cut up 18 tomatoes into chunks and let it cook down for an hour. Then I added some Italian seasoning and some more salt. Stirred in some cream. And mozzarella shredded cheese towards the end.

Homemade Philly Cheese Steak

You will need: thinly sliced beef strips Adams Steak seasoning (spice aisle, in yellow bottle) Two large yellow onions sliced thinly Two green and two red bell peppers A 4oz can of pickled jalapeños A pack of button mushrooms sliced Provolone cheese slices Hoagie rolls from the bakery Mayo or spicy mayo Salt and pepper Butter and canola oil Ok your first step is to add the thinly sliced onions into a pot with a Tbsp of butter and oil each, add salt and pepper and sauté the onions over medium heat. You want to try to make them translucent and transform the juices into sugar. (this will take about 20-25 mins) Next grab your sliced steak and rub Adams steak seasoning on both sides. Be careful not to over do it because the seasoning contains salt. Then take the onions out of the sauté pan and plan in a bowl. In the same sauté pan, add the bell peppers and jalapeños (with the can juices) with a pinch of salt with a dash of canola oil. Stir and sauté for about 10 mins over medium heat. While that's happening, grab your plates and hoagie rolls and slice them in half and apply your choice of Mayo on both sides. Then add the provolone cheese slices on the top half of the roll. Turn your grill on (I have an electric grill) on about 375 degrees and let it warm up for the steak. Ok now add your mushrooms to your bell pepper mixture in the sauté pan. Stir and let the mushrooms absorb all the juices from the bell peppers. After about five mins, add in your onions and all of its juices. Stir all together and put on low heat. (be sure this does not burn). Finally, grab your steaks and cook each side for about a minute on the grill. I sprinkle some consolation oil on both sides before throwing them on the grill. Once the steaks are cooked on both sides, place them on a cutting board to rest. Do not cut them into bite size pieces until they have rested for at least 3-4 mins. Once rested, grab your butcher knife and chop chop chop. Place the steak on the bottom half of the hoagie roll and then top with the onion and bell pepper mixture. I like to serve these with seasoned waffle fries =)

Peanut Chicken over Broccoli and sprinkled with chopped Peanuts

Roasted Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and Mutter Pulao (rice with peas)

Good Morning

Chocolate Chip Pancakes, Veggie and Egg scramble, hash browns and wheat toast... Good Morning ;)

Pizza Your Way... well My Way in This Case

Pizza dough 1.5 cups warm water 2 packs yeast 1 tablespoon honey 3 tablespoon olive oil Mix with hand Put all in mixer using dough hook Add 3 cups of flour Add no more than one more cup of flour if needed. Add 2 teaspoons of salt Knead for 10 mins in mixer Add flour if it's sticking to sides of bowl Roll into ball and knead inwards 10 times Roll ball in olive oil and place in bowl to rise with a clean kitchen towel cover bowl. After risen. Stretch dough out. Roll it out. Slice 5 cloves of garlic 1/2 cup of olive oil Pinch of red pepper flakes And thyme in pot over medium heat. Brush mixture to the dough after rolling it out. Add marinara sauce and cheese and toppings. Then bake at: 500 degrees for 10-15 mins. Pizza with Zucchini and black olives and the other is Tomatoes and Squash.

Made Sugar Cookies for my Nephew

My Son's First Birthday Cake Made By Mommy

Chick Fil-A Nuggets and Sweet Potato Fries

Here's the recipe for the chick fil a chicken nuggets: You'll need: 1 egg 1&1/4 cup of all purpose flour 1/4 cup of pickle juice 3/4 cup milk 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon of paprika 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar 3-4 boneless chicken breast bite size pieces Grab a gallon size zip lock bag and put the milk, pickle juice and egg (whisked) with the chicken and marinate it for 2-4 hours in the fridge. In another ziplock bag, put the flour, sugar, salt, pepper and paprika. You'll need to heat a pan of canola oil about half an inch full. Put it to medium high heat. If you sprinkle some of the flour mixture and it sizzles that means its perfect. If its popping then it's too hot. And if it doesn't do much but drown then its not hot enough. Using tongs, grab the chicken from the ziplock bag and put it in the flour bag and shake it up. Make sure the chicken is coated well. Then from the flour, transfer the chicken using a different pair of tongs. Cook the chicken bites about three minutes on each side. Until golden brown. Serve this with a honey mustard sauce and they'll be gone within minutes. For the sweet potato fries: Peel the potatoes and cut them into French fry size. Sprinkle with olive oil and salt and pepper with Mrs. dash garlic and herb seasoning (this does not have salt). Then lay on a tray and bake at 425 for about 20 minutes. Enjoy!!

Get your Veggie on!

I sautéed the veggies all together. I cut one red onion and let it caramelize and then I added about three tomatoes. That's from the liquid/ juice comes from. And about 1/2 cup of water. Then 2 cups of peas and about three potatoes. Seasoning is salt, turmeric, paprika, lemon juice, and coriander. You can season it anyway you like really; to your preferences. I eat this with rice and daal (lentils).

Mint Lassi

Ingredients:

about 1.5 cups of Greek yogurt, 1 cup whole milk, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sugar and then fill the rest of the blender jug with ice cubes and a handful of fresh mint leaves. Blend until all smooth and garnish =)

Spiced Lentil Soup with a Peperjack Grilled Cheese

Spiced Lentil Soup: Ingredients: 2 onions, minced 2 garlic cloves, minced 4 tomatoes, roughly chopped 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon ground cumin 6 cardamom pods 1/2 cinnamon stick 1& 1/3 cups red lentils, rinsed and drained 3& 3/4 cups water 14 oz can coconut milk 1 tablespoon line juice Salt and freshly ground black pepper Cumin seeds to garnish First: Put the onions, garlic, tomatoes, turmeric, cumin, cardamom pods, cinnamon, lentils, and water into a pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover for 20 minutes or until lentils are soft. Second: Remove the cardamom pods and cinnamon stick. Purée the mixture in a blender or do it in the pot using a hand blender. Finally: Reserve a little coconut milk for garnish and add the remainder to the pan with the line juice. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Reheat the soup slowly without boiling. Swirl in the reserved coconut milk and garnish with cumin seeds. Serve hot. For the grilled Pepper jack cheese sandwich: Get two slices of bread Lightly butter both sides Place a pepper jack cheese slice in between Make into sandwich and put on pan or electric grill until golden brown on both sides and cheese is melted.

Chocolate Expresso Cake

The Birthday cake was made for a friend of mine, she wanted to give it to her husband for his birthday... Ingredients Butter, for greasing the pans 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans 2 cups sugar 3/4 cups good cocoa powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup buttermilk, shaken 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter three 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely. Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, and then third, rounded sides up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake. You can just add the frosting in between the cakes and on the top or spread all around. For frosting: combine 8oz cream cheese, a packet of jello pudding mix in cheesecake flavor, 1 tablespoon of instant coffee and two cups of very cold whole milk. Whisk all together with electric mixer. You can add more milk if needed. For the Ganache: Bring 1 cup of heavy cream to a boil. Take off of heat, add 4 oz of chocolate chips (semi sweet) with a tablespoon of butter. Mix until all chocolate is melted. Let it cool down completely before pouring it on top of the cake.

Chicken 65

Chicken 65 Ingredients: 2 lbs. Chicken(boneless, skinless thighs) 2 tsps. Corn Flour 2 tsps. All Purpose Flour 1 Egg 1½ tsps. Ginger(paste) 1½ tsps. Garlic(paste) 2 tsps. Red Chilies(powder) 12. Green Chilies 2 cups Yogurt 1 tsp. All spice powder(cloves, cinnamon, cardamom) 4 drops Food Color(Red) Onion for garnishing 3 tsps. Lime juice Salt to taste Vegetable Oil for frying Directions: Mix corn flour, all purpose flour, egg, ginger garlic paste, chilli powder and salt to thick batter. Add water if required. Add chicken pieces to the batter and marinate for an hour. Deep fry the marinated chicken pieces till they turn golden. Heat 4 tsp oil in a sauce pan and add slit chillies, yogurt, garam masala, red food coloring, little salt and the fried chicken pieces. Fry for 4-5 minutes and remove from heat. Add lime juice, mix well and garnish with onions. Hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did =)

Chinese Chicken Corn Soup

Chinese Chicken Corn Soup ~about 6 cups 4 cups chicken broth 2 cups shredded cooked chicken 1 cup egg noodles 1 (14 to 15oz) can cream style corn 2 large eggs, beaten 2 to 4 teaspoons cornstarch salt and white pepper to taste Instructions - 1. Bring chicken broth, shredded chicken and cream style corn to a boil in a 3 to 4 quart pot. Meanwhile, boil the 1 cup of egg noodles in a separate pot. 2. Lower the chicken and chicken broth pot to a gentle simmer and stir while you pour in the beaten eggs a little bit at a time. When all the egg is in, continue at a gentle simmer for a few minutes. Add the egg noodles when tender and done. 3. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with equal amount of water until dissolved. (This is called a slurry.) Stir the soup as you pour the slurry in a steady stream. Continue to stir and simmer for a few minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste. (Taste it first because you may not need salt if the chicken broth you used already has enough salt.) 4. Serve immediately or cool and store in the fridge. You can reheat in the microwave or bring to a boil on the stove top. 5. Add a dash of soy sauce on top.

Surprise Coconut Bars

Ingredients: A small can of condensed milk 10 oz. shredded sweet coconut 5 oz. of walnuts (or any nut you may like) 5 oz. toffee bits (Heath bar brand) 1 bag of Wilton's milk chocolate melts 2 oz. bakers German chocolate Method: 1) In a small pan, toast a handful if the coconut. Be sure to stand by because this can burn quick and the smell isn't so pleasant when it's burnt =\ 2) Get a small pot and add 1/3 cup of water, bring to a boil and then turn off heat. To this add the bakers German chocolate and stir with a whisk to melt through. Bring to room temperature. Once at room temperature, put in zip lock bag; snip a tiny corner and decorate as you wish or like how I did. After all the steps below: 3) Get a glass bowl and pour the whole bag of chocolate melts and microwave for about a minute (:45-1:00) depending on your microwave. Then immediately start stirring the chocolate until smooth and melted through. 4) Open the can if condensed milk and add it to a big bowl over the rest if the shredded coconut. Stir together good. This will be very sticky so I suggest using a rubber spatula. 5) Now you will do your layers, add half of the sticky coconut and spread in a square dish about 8x8". Then add a layer of chocolate about 1/2 of the bowl. Then on top of that layer add half of the nuts and toffee. Just sprinkle them evenly on top. On top of this layer, add the other half of the sticky coconut. Then the other half of the chocolate and spread evenly. On top of this layer sprinkle the rest of the nuts and toffee and top it all off with the toasted coconut. Be sure the toasted coconut has cooled off before add it to the dish. Let that sit a bit in the refrigerator like 30 mins and then cut into squares with a sharp knife. I enjoy mine with a cup of hot coffee =)