Faux Fruit N Cream Ice Cream?! What's next...

Fresas (strawberries) with Cream, mixture before frozen

So, Here I am, having a tasting for making gelato but instead I make something else or a concoction of fruit...
Have you ever tasted those Mexican Ice Cream Bar of Fruit N Cream with milk... so good, well now you don't have to go out and buy them, in this creation doesn't require constant stirring or rock salt! Beat that! lol

 I headed to the local Farmer's Market and scoped out some ripe strawberries from the Carlsbad field and went back home to the lab...

Supply List:
 - a metal mixing bowl or glass, placed in freezer for 10 mins
1 basket of ripe strawberries, washed, ends chopped, and then diced
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
slightly less than 1/4 cup of sweet condensed milk

1. Place bowl in freezer for 10 mins. 
2.  In bowl, mix cream, sugar, vanilla and whipped with a whisk for 10 mins or mixer, until cream is
"whipped" like.
3. Fold in sweet condensed milk and strawberries. Gently stir in.
4.  Freezer for at least an hour to 1 1/2hr, Covered.
5. enjoy.

Lentils & Garlic Bread

Lentil Soup

Garlic Bread

Ok so, in Sunny San Diego, CA, lately it's not so sunny. It's raining, It's pouring..the lentils are coming. lol So, I decided to make something simple yet hearty and have some bread on the side. My recipe for lentils is super simple and easy to make. I love lentils and so do my kiddies, but I'm still trying to win my husband over, little by little I guess.
Supply List:

1 package of Lentils, cleaned and drained in a strainer
1/2 cup-1 cup of Vidalia Onion ( white onion)
2 chopped carrots finely
Optional: 1/2 cup of peas, potatoes
1/2 package of bacon
2 Tablespoons of butter
1 quart of water
1 quart of chicken stock or chicken bouillon
1/2 teaspoon of each: garlic powder, pepper, and salt
stock pot

1. After cleaning lentils, drain,strain, and set aside.
2. In the stock pot, melt butter and saute veggies, until onions are transculent Add bacon (chopped in small bits) give a quick stir, once or twice.
3. Add water chicken stock.
4. Add Lentils and let boil for 1hr 20 mins, check to taste tenderness, if not all the way tender, let boil for 8-10 mins. Turn off heat and let sit for another 10 mins.
5. Enjoy.

Garlic Bread
2 cloves of finely chopped garlic or 2 tablespoons of garlic POWDER (not garlic salt)
1 Tablespoon Of Italian Seasonings
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
3 tablespoons of butter
pastry or basting brush
1 loaf of french bread, cut in half
1/2 cup of shredded parmasean
Optional: Pesto sauce

1. In a sauce pan, make some garlic butter. Don't let brown. Turn off heat.
2. Add all seasonings. Give a stir.
3. Sprinkle cheese on loaf and put on cookie sheet.
4. Broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.  Let stand for a couple minutes then cut into pieces.

Ba-te...Ba-te..Choco-la-te! Oatmeal Cookies

 

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (no bake)

Good Morning! It's been a real windy day in San Diego, CA. Unusual for our area. So why not cuddle up, with a blanket, a cup of cocoa, and some oatmeal cookies. Too much work? Not at all? I recently was asked by my husband to make oatmeal cookies, but the catch was no bake. I researched for good recipe for these so-called oatmeal cookies. I made a batch adding some my own ingredients to make them taste more oven-baked. They were fabulous!

 Yesterday, my cousin came over and fasinaticed by my facebook posts of all the food I make, he asked if I could show him how to make this no-bake method. Simple, simple, and delicious. You probably have these ingredients already in your pantry. So, all you need a big saucepan.

2 cups of sugar
1 stick of butter
3 cups of quick oats


1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/2 cup of milk

3/4 cup of baking cocoa

chocolate chips or coconut flakes

1. Melt butter in saucepan, add cocoa powder and then add milk. Bring to boil for 1 minute.

2.  Take saucepan off heat and add oats and vanilla.

3. Add any other toppings you'd like. Give them a stir until fully mixed.

4. On parchment paper, spoon out 1 in separate cookies on sheet, wait to kool for 20-30 minutes.

5. Enjoy with your hot cocoa!

One spicy meatball and sauce...

Meatballs in homemade Ragu

Now that's a spicy meatball.... With that said, tonight menu is about that precise meatball. Making meatball and sauce, is super easy, because you kill 2 birds and one sauce.

Homemade Ragu, a thick and chopped sauce used in Spaghetti, Ravoli, or any other kind of pasta. For tonight, I've used Farfalle (aka bow tie pasta)

Supplies for Ragu and Sauce:

2 lbs of ground beef, reserve a quarter cup for sauce
1 bell pepper, chopped (sauce only)
1 onion, chopped finely (save 1/4 for sauce)
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped and divided
1/2 cup of bread crumbs or dry crumbled bread (must be 1 day old hard)
1 1/2 teaspooon pepper
2 Tbsp salt
11/2 crushed red pepper
1/4-1/2 cup of water
1 cup of tomatoes, chopped
1 can of whole peeled tomatoes *smashed by hands*
3 basil leaves or 1 1/2 teaspoon of dried basil
2 TBSP butter
1/2 cup of parmesean cheese shredded (divided) *save for garnish*
2 eggs

1. Start with meatball, mix all dry ingredients first then add onion, cheese, eggs, and then water,  Shape onto 1 inch balls. On baking sheet 15-20 mins on 325F. The meatball will not dry out, because they're water, that's the secret to keep moist meatballs.

2. White that's getting done, in a saucepan, add butter, wait to melt, sauteed onions and bell peppers.  Then on medium heat, add the reserve ground beef, brown.

3.  Add tomatoes, chicken stock, and spices, let shimmer for 5-8 minutes on low. When you're ready to serve, add cheese, stir, and then turn off burner. (otherwise cheese will separate)

4. Check meatballs, you can either drop them into sauce or serve sauce on top. Add garnish.

5. Enjoy!

Some Broken Beef ribs...

Oven-Broiled Beef Ribs

Hi There everyone!
Tonight is some broken ribs, not mine, but our dinner's lol. To share this recipe I've reinvented and took part from my brother-in-law, you got to make the best ribs I know. Knowing that he may not read this post, has made me able to share this 'secret' spices. hehe.... Oh well I'll deal with that bridge when you get there.

So, to start this recipe, you would have to prep your food 1 day ahead of time, in either this marinade or a brime. A brime, is a mixture of kosher salt, spices, and water that tenderizes the meat for a time making it porous and able to obtain better flavor during cooking process.

Ingredient List:

For Brime:
1/2 cup of kosher
1 quart of water
Spices below (set some aside for cooking later)

1-2 TBSP of garlic powder
3 TBSP of brown sugar (reserved for boiling mixture, as well as brime)
1-2 TBSP of  Black Pepper
1-2 TBSP of Paprika. Cayenne, and Chilli Powder Mix
1 teaspoon of Steak Seasoning
1/2c-1cup of your favorite bbq
1 crushed finely bay leaf
white onion

For Boiling Mixture
1/2 cup of water mixed with brown sugar, let thicken and cool slightly

I like to make my ribs in the oven, when I don't want to go to the grill. I set it to 350 degrees in the oven.
I cook it for 1 1/2 hrs -2 hrs in the oven. You can also boil meat for 2 hours in salt, pepper, bay leaves, and onion.

1. Start the brime, if you wish, let sit over night (optional) or You can boil meat. Your choice, your style.
2. Prepare boiling mixture, brown sugar and water, until sugar has dissolved and thicken. Let cool slightly.
3. Pour and rub in mixture to ribs. Apply rest of spices.
4. Put in Oven and cook. Baste with BBQ sauce 15 minutes before time is up, then after taken out from oven.
5. Broil in oven for 1 minute, keep a careful eye, as the broiler function is super hot and can burn ribs.
6. Enjoy some saucy ribs.

Fettucine Alfredo with Chicken and Broccoli

Fettucine Alfredo with Chicken & Broccoli

    It was my mom's birthday, so I decided to make her a big family style meal of Fettucine Alfredo along with chicken and broccoli. Served with a simple Romaine Lettuce and Grape Tomatoes (don't forget croutons)

    I started making Alfredo sauce through trial and error process, using Philadelphia Cheese, or Sour Cream (works, but doesn't thicken that much,) evaporated milk (works and is half the calories of cream) and lastly pasta water ( great substitue for all of the above)  Finally, I found what makes an excellent sauce, that thickens and tastes like it came from a 5-star resturant. I hope you enjoy it too!

Supply List:
1 chicken Breast (cubed)
1-2 cups of steamed and cooled broccoli
1 package of fettucine
1/2 teaspoon of crushed pepper
1 clove of garlic or 1 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 cup of parmasean cheese
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
2 1/2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour *all purpose*
Salt & pepper to taste
Shredded parmasean for garnish

1. Boil your pasta, according to package direction (10-11 "al dente") In a separate non stick pan, cook chicken breast and add broccoli after chicken has cooked. Set aside.

2. In a saucepan on medium heat, placed butter and wait for it to melt.

3. Add crushed red pepper and flour. Stir to thicken. Salt and pepper to taste.

4. When the flour has completely been mixed add cream to bring to a running boil. When sauce is boiling, turn off stove top and add cheese in sauce and stir lightly.

5. Salt and pepper to taste, take saucepan off of stove top and set to cool slightly. Too much heat with break cheese and cream texture, giving a goopy sauce-texture.

6. Add noodles.  Mix chicken breast and broccoli, either on top of sauce or on bottom.
*Chef Tip: To reheat the sauce the next time, add 1 1/2 tablespoon of heavy cream and heat*

Banana Pudding with Homemade Whipped Cream

This dessert is such an old-fashioned comfort food. Banana pudding has been my husband ultimate go-to dessert, when it's in the fridge. If there's was a steak and potatoes and banana pudding hanging in the balance, unfortunately the meat would not win. There's many recipes to making banana pudding, I can up with both a shortcut and the scratch recipe. I hope you enjoy this dessert as much as my family does.

Supply List:   Banana Pudding (old school)

For making pudding:

2 cups milk

1/2 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon butter

In medium saucepan over medium heat, heat milk until bubbles form at edges. In a bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Pour into hot milk, a little at a time, stirring to dissolve. Continue to cook and stir until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Do not boil. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and butter. Pour into serving dishes. Chill before serving.

Short cut:  2 packets of instant vanilla pudding


Banana Cream Pudding:

1 box of vanilla wafers
1/4 - 1/2 cup of creme of banana liqueur
Vanilla Pudding 3-4 cups
3 bananas (sliced into coins) no brown spots
2 teaspoons of lime juice
1 teaspoon of sugar
1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup of sugar

1.  Start by putting you're bananas in a small bowl, cover in lime and teaspoon of sugar. Give it a swirl and set aside for 10 minutes.

2. On a cookie sheet, add wafers and drench in banana liqueur.  Let marinate for 10-15 minutes. 

3.  In the blender, add heavy cream and 1/4 cup of sugar.  Put of setting "whip" for 30sec.- 1 min. Set aside, until banana cream is ready for topping.

To arrange,  start in deep bowl with a little bit of pudding , so wafers don't move around. Add a layer of vanilla pudding, then a layer of bananas.  Continue with layer until the very last layer. To finish off, Add whipped topping and enjoy!

Whether you try out the scratch version or the shortcut, the homemade topping is what makes the pudding the best. Try it out and enjoy!