Coming Soon...press play, pause, and rewind.

Can you not follow directions on paper? Are you able to follow a video? Well coming soon, I'll be doing these SAME RECIPES again but on VIDEO. Yes, I said it, VIDEO.

Shout out to Mrs. T. Graves for fussing at me for not having time to read.

Teriyaki Shrimp w/Risotto

I just happened to decide to cook today. There aren't any pictures, and I apologize for that. I literally had no intention of blogging this recipe. It wasn't a recipe until now, as I just combined foods that I had available. Before my husband went to work, he said 'Did you blog this...you need to blog this. You're not bloggin' right!'

So, here goes.

Ingredients:
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1/3 cup arborio rice
olive oil
1 tbspn soy sauce
1/2 cup teriyaki marinade
1/2 pound of shrimp (peeled and cleaned)
4 strips of bacon
1/4 tspn of brown sugar
1/4 tspn of black pepper
a pinch of salt

Directions:

1. marinate shrimp in brown sugar, soy and teriyaki marinade
2. add arborio rice to a pot of boiling water*
3. dice both red and green peppers
4. pour about 1 tbspn of olive oil into heated skillet (med-high heat)
5. add peppers
6. fry bacon until almost crisp and firm. Cut/dice bacon
7. *continue to add 1 cup of water to rice as it will constantly become absorbed and swell
8. combine bacon, peppers, and 1 tbspn of bacon fat
9. after two minutes, remove peppers and bacon from skillet
10. pour shrimp and marinade into heated skillet and continuously stir until shrimp has curled and become pink
11. add peppers and bacon to shrimp mix and continue to stir (add black pepper and salt if needed)
12. add any alcohol (beer or wine) to both rice and shrimp and veggies at this point
13. When rice is thick and non-sticky, ladle into bowl. Then add shrimp and veggies atop rice.

**Note**

To all that have never cooked with wine or beer, the alcohol will burn off. The amount of alcohol left in the food depends on the time that it is added. The later you add it, the more that is left.

Ranch Spaghetti

My apologies for not 'cooking' last week. We went out of town to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary. I don't think I even cooked at all. If I could tell you about the food that we ate while in Savannah, GA, you'd fall out much like I almost did. I was supposed to be surprised by going to Lady and Sons, Paula Deen's restaurant, but the locals advised us against it. I do recommend to anyone planning a visit to Savannah, to travel to the Riverwalk and dine at The Shrimp Dock. Seafood dinner + Mimosa = heaven!

Today's recipe is from my own mental recipe. My husband absolutely loves it. You won't need any measuring tools, just a small pot, a pan, collander, a chopping knife and....


Ground meat, 1 zucchini, ranch powder packet, 3 cloves of garlic, basil leaves, italian seasonings, black pepper, parsley, oil (coconut or olive) and diced tomatoes.

First I diced the garlic and zucchini and sauteed them in the pan with a spoonful of coconut oil and sparse seasonings on the bottom of the pan.

After the zucchini became more transparent, I put it(and the garlic and oil) in a bowl and added in the raw ground chicken. I sprinkled the ranch powder over it and stirred the meat as it cooked.

I chopped/diced an onion as the meat cooked. Then I added it to the meat, along with the garlic, zucchini, and diced tomato.


I stirred the mixture, added a bit of white wine and some spaghetti sauce and allowed it to come to a simmer. While doing this, I added spaghetti noodles to boiling water.

After the pasta was done, I poured it into a collander and rinsed it. Then I bowled and served it.

***NOTE***
put foods with a red sauce in a ceramic or glazed dish. If you must put it in a plastic bowl, spray with a non-stick cooking spray to avoid staining.

French Onion Soup

For those of you that are on Facebook, I wanted to make this recipe based on one in Cafe'World. I wasn't so sure how it would come out, but we shall find out.

Serves 6, but I broke the recipe in half to serve two of us.

Health Info:

Calories: 449 / Total fat: 15g / Cholesterol: 36 mg

Ingredients:

4 onions, chopped (sweet onions)
3 tbspns butter
3 tbspns all-purpose flour
1 tspn ground black pepper
1 tspn white sugar
3 (10.5 oz cans) beef broth
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 tspn dried parsley
1/4 tspn dried thyme
1 cup white wine
1 french baguette cut into 1/2 inch slices
8oz, shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. In a large pot over medium heat, saute the onions in the butter or margarine for 10 minutes, or until onions are tender. Stir in the flour, ground black pepper and the sugar to form a pasty mixture.
2. Now add the beef broth, water, parsley and thyme and simmer for 10 minutes, Then add the wine and simmer for 10 more minutes.
3. Preheat oven to broil.
4. Fill individual oven safe bowls 3/4 full with the soup. Place a slice of bread on top of the soup and cover with the cheese. Place bowls in the oven.
5. Broil in the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly (see first picture for finished product)

Outcome: This dish was amazing. I used one yellow and one sweet onion. I think I'll use both sweet onions next time. I bought the bowls from The Dollar General. My husband thought I bought this dish from the frozen food section, as opposed to making it. He loved it.

:: Tip ::
Keep onions in the fridge to avoid tearing up.
Add flour, sugar, and pepper in a bowl to avoid moving around much.

Steak & Potatoes

Good Monday!

I was all set to post my recipe for French Toast today. There are two reasons why I've not, I need bread, and I have my heart set on making dinner for my husband. So tonight, I'm in the process of making Steak and Potatoes. Specifically, Steak in wine sauce, and red potatoes.

I obtained the recipes and configured some shortcuts into them.

Steak in Wine Sauce
Ingredients:

2 steaks
2 tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tspn ground pepper
1 tspn ground paprika
1 tspn salt
1 1/2 tspn ground mustard or mustar powder (you can use regular mustard)
1 1/2 tspn garlic powder
3 tbspn olive oil
1/2 c dry red wine (I used Woodbridge Merlot 2007)
1 cup sliced mushrooms (I use canned or pre-packaged mushrooms)

Directions

1. add 2 tbspns olive oil, cayenne pepper, ground pepper, paprika, salt, mustard, garlic together to make a paste
2. poke steaks with fork and rub them with paste
(wrap steaks in wax paper and let paste marinate)
3. Heat a large skillet over high heat and add 3 tbsp of olive oil. Heat oil until smoking, then sear the steaks until outside has browned. 2-3 mins each side.
4. Remove steak w/tongs. Pour wine into skillet, bring to boil, while scraping skillet bottom w/wooden spoon.
5. Stir in mushrooms, cook & stir until mushrooms release liquid (about 5 mins)
6. Return steaks to the skillet on top of mushroom-wine sauce.
7. Reduce to low and cook until sauce reduces and thickens, about 5 mins. Remove steaks, plate, and pour mushroom sauce over steaks.

Red Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup small red potatoes cut into quarters
1 small onion quartered (I omitted)
1/4 c olive oil
1 1/2 tspn dried crushed rosemary
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 tspn garlic
-I subbed the rosemary for basil, parsley, and a bit of tarragon. I also used 3 garlic cloves, minced.

Directions:

1. in a bowl, combine potatoes and all ingredients
2. toss to coat, or stir with wooden spoon
3. transfer to a foil-lined pan
4. bake uncovered at 425 degrees for 25-30 mins.
5. place in bowl and serve

-I'll be serving wine and croissants to accompany dinner

*Verdict: Dinner was delicious. I think I used one clove too many for the potatoes, but it was still good though. Now for the garlic smell that has infiltrated my home....time to burn oils.

The Introduction

As I sat in my living room engulfed by the aroma of fresh bamboo intertwined with ginger vanilla, I was inspired. Inspired by the movie Julie & Julia, and the fact that Julia Child wore pearls in her kitchen. As a newlywed, I often find my rings…and my husband’s ring lying around the kitchen somewhere. The answer to the question ‘why’… Who seriously wants ranch dressing, egg whites, lemon zest, or bread crumbs in their diamonds? I had an epiphany while sitting here…why not write about my cooking and the many tricks and tweaks I’ve learned and thought up?

I honestly don’t feel at my best when I’m cooking or baking in sweats. As I strive to be the most fabulous that I can be, why not take it up a notch and put on diamonds as I produce fantabulous dishes?

In the beginning, was there food?

But of course there was. Man was surrounded by everything natural. I'm sure there were no beignets...but there was obviously a need for survival. Fast forward a couple of thousand of years and yet we are awakened by the aroma of eggs and bacon. What went into that amazing french toast that sent your taste buds into ecstasy. Join me weekly as I explore my kitchen, pantry, and seasonings to create buttery breads, exquisite entrees, delectable desserts, and FANTABULOUS fritters.