Yummy…

Green Plantains were always a little scary to me until my mother in law taught me about Tostones.  Now they are a huge favorite of mine and I love frying them up and serving them with a tangy bowl of Ají.

Here is what you will need :

Tostones

• green plantains – you usually get 6 tostones from 1 plantain.
• vegetable oil
• kosher salt

Ají

• big bunch of cilantro chopped finely
• 2 Roma tomatoes – diced into small pieces
• ½ of a white onion – diced into small pieces
• white vinegar to taste
• tabasco sauce to taste

Here is what you need to do :

Cut your plantain into 6 equal pieces.

Drop them into hot oil and fry until lightly golden brown.

Remove from oil and with an aluminum foil covered can, smoosh the plantains into a flat disk.

Flatten them all.

And then return the flattened disk back to the oil to fry up for a few minutes.

Remove from oil and place on a paper towel covered dish to remove any excess oil. Give the tostones a good sprinkle of salt.

Now for the Ají.

Chop it all to bits and then add the white vinegar and tabasco sauce to your taste. My husband’s family uses Ají as a condiment to soups and stews, but I just love it with tostones.

Give it all a good mix and there you have it.

Enjoy  

xoxo

Jill 💜

🏈 Superbowl Party Food Rocks 🏈

I’m not really much of a football fan, but I just love me a Super Bowl party and all the yummy food that goes along with it.  Mixing up fun, excited people with wings, sliders, pizza, dips and chips is my thing and I so look forward to it every year. I like to keep the food simple and hand size, so it’s easy to sit on the couch and eat while you enjoy the game.

A while back a friend from Detroit told me about his favorite pizza from home. It is an upside down version of New York pizza where they put a layer of pepperoni, then top it with mozzarella, bake it and then top it off with warm sauce. I had to try it out and that’s how Pepperoni Pizza Dipping Sticks were born.

Here is what you will need:

• Pizza Dough ball – (Recipe for pizza dough is in my food section from November 2015)
• Pepperoni
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Olive oil
• Marinara sauce – ( Homemade or Jar. That is totally up to you.)

Here is what you need to do:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Coat a deep dish pan with olive oil, making sure to get the oil everywhere. Especially on the sides. Press your dough ball out in the pan until its butted up to the sides. Coat with olive oil.

Layer your pepperoni.

Top with a nice layer of mozzarella cheese. Make sure to layer the cheese all the way to the sides of the pan. Bake for 20 minutes.

Let it sit for a minute and then use a spatula to help separate and remove it from the pan.

Transfer to a cutting board and slice into dipping sticks.

This corner piece has my name all over it. 😉

Serve it up with warm sauce and…..

Enjoy

xoxo

Jill 💜

A Family Favorite

My kids loves chips and salsa as long as there are no chunks in it. When my older two were little they would ask for the salsa that had no big pieces in it and not a lot of that hot stuff. I know that its called restaurant style salsa, but the name Unchunky Salsa is just so much cuter to use.  

Here is what you will need:

• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 can of mild Rotel
• 3 canned jalapeños – cut off stems and cut into pieces
• ½ of a medium white onion – cut into chunks
• 1 large garlic clove – cut into pieces
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• juice of a lime
• 1 large bunch of cilantro – cut off stems

Here is what you will need to do:

Toss the can of diced tomatoes into a bowl of a food processor along with the can of Rotel and cut up jalapeños. I like to use canned jalapeños in this salsa because it gives it a milder taste that my kids prefer.

Add in onion, garlic, sugar, salt, pepper, lime juice and large bunch of cilantro.

Process until all minced up.

Its great with tortilla chips ( especially blue corn which are my favorite ) and goes along perfectly with any mexican dish.

I make a big batch and store it in the refrigerator, so it’s ready for my family to…..

Enjoy

xoxo

Jill 💜

He’s Back In The Kitchen !!

Two things bring my guy to the kitchen and that’s Thanksgiving Turkeys and Hot Wings. With turkey season behind us and the Super Bowl approaching, he has traded his baster and roasting pan in for his fryer and tongs and we are ready to eat.

I just love when he wears his cute apron and gets to work. 😉

Here are the ingredients you will need:

Chicken

• chicken wings and drumettes
• vegetable oil

Sauce

• 1 cup of hot sauce
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 tablespoon honey
• as many dashes of siracha that you would like – 10 according to my husband, but I’m going to leave this to your taste

Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce

• 1 cup of blue cheese crumbles
• ½ cup of sour cream
• ¼ cup of plain yogurt
• teaspoon of white vinegar
• sprinkle of salt and pepper

Here is what you need to do:

Clean the wings and drumettes and pat dry.  Get your oil heated up.

While you wait for your oil to get hot, heat up the cup of hot sauce in a small sauce pan and then melt in the stick of butter.

Add in the honey…

And the Siracha. Give a nice stir and simmer.

Time to fry up your wings.

Make sure your wings are dry and your oil is hot and drop them in. Fry until golden brown.

Add some sauce to a bowl and toss in your cooked wings. Stir them all around in the sauce until evenly coated.

But Wait…

You will need a dipping sauce

In a small bowl, mix your blue cheese, sour cream, yogurt, vinegar, salt and pepper. Give a good mix, making sure to break up any large pieces of blue cheese.

Set up on a platter with celery, baby carrots and wings.

And….

Enjoy

xoxo

Jill ♥

Chicken and Rice Paella Style.

Arroz con pollo is a popular dish in my house. It’s so easy to put together and you can make it all in one pan, which I love!!! This recipe happened one day when I was shopping and came upon some yummy looking chorizo. I thought it would be great to cook up my arroz con pollo like a paella and add in the chorizo and shrimp, and in the end make my whole family happy.

Here are the ingredients you will need:

• 1 pack of chicken thighs and legs
• 3 chorizo links
• 1 lb of cleaned shrimp
• ½ of a medium spanish onion – diced
• ½ cup frozen peas
• 1 cup of rice
• 2 ¼ cups of chicken broth
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• paprika
• good pinch of saffron
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• salt & pepper

Here is what you need to do:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Season the chicken thighs and drumsticks with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to an oven proof pan and brown up your chorizo. An enamel or cast iron pan would work great.

Remove when done and set aside. Slice them up when they have cooled down a bit.

Add another tablespoon of olive oil and brown up the chicken pieces on both sides.

And….

You guessed it, remove and set aside. 😉

Add last tablespoon of olive oil and cook diced onions for a few minutes.

Pour in ¼ cup of chicken broth and with a wooden spoon scrape up all the yummy bits from the bottom of the pan.

Toss in the cup of rice and cook for a minute.

Pour in 2 cups of chicken broth.

And the good pinch of saffron and give it all a good stir. Bring to a boil.

On a side note. I get my saffron at Trader Joe’s.

Give one good last stir and add in your sliced up chorizo and chicken pieces. Making sure to add in any juices from the plates and that all meats are tucked in nicely. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.

Add in the clean shrimp and peas. Give a slight stir, making sure everything has a place and place pan in your oven at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed.

Just have to give a shout out to my sweetie latino husband for naming this recipe. Love ya 😘

Hope you like it.

xoxo

Jill ♥

💃 Brunch is Fun💃

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not much of a night owl. My jammies are most likely on by 7 and it’s pretty safe to say, that I will be asleep by 9 .😴😴😴

I guess that’s why I love a Brunch party so much. I get to get together with people I love at my most perkiest time of the day. It’s even totally appropriate to serve cocktails, which just makes it a win win in my book. A brunch is so easy to put together with yummy bagels, breads, muffins, fun butter spreads, jellies, but you definitely want to serve up some nice warm eggs and not spend the whole time in the kitchen doing so. Eggs Rancheros are so simple to make and definitely the way to go for a fun, successful brunch party.

Here is what you will need:

• corn tortillas
• eggs
• salsa
• black beans
• green onion
• shredded cheddar cheese
• avocado
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

Here is what you need to do:

Brush your corn tortillas with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Bake at 350 degrees until slightly browned and crunched up. Keep an eye on them, they can turn on you in a few seconds.

Add salsa and black beans to an oven proof pan and place in a oven to for 10 minutes to get warmed up.

Remove pan from oven and sprinkle shredded cheese all around. Make a little well with a spoon and break in your eggs.

Cook until your eggs are done and then toss around the sliced green onion and a good cracking of fresh black pepper.

Set it up on your buffet table with the crunchy tortillas, avocado and maybe some sour cream.

Let your guest help themselves, so you can get your grub on.

Just have to add in a perfect brunch cocktail. Double the Bubbles

Set up a bar with your favorite Prosecco and fruity flavored Sanpellegrino. Cut up some fresh fruit slices to go with the drinks and…..

Enjoy

xoxo

Jill ♥

It’s time for a salad.

I don’t know about you, but I ate like I was going to the electric chair this holiday season. So I’d say it’s definitely time to do some damage control and get some good old healthy salad eating in, and fast because Superbowl is coming and this girl never turns down a wing. 😉

I’m actually a big fan of salads and just love all the different combinations that you can put together.  I usually stick to a light balsamic dressing that I have been making for years, but recently I started grinding up fresh fruit and adding it to the dressing to give my salads an extra kick.

So I’ll start with my…

Basic Balsamic Vinaigrette

Here is what you will need:

• ¾ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 shallot – peeled and finely diced
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Here is what you need to do:

Measure and chop everything up and toss it into a storage jar. Give a really good shake and your done.

It really is an easy to make, light, not overpowering dressing that coats the lettuce leaves perfectly.

But…

Why not add a little something extra to make it even yummier and good for you.

So with todays salad being spinach leaves with strawberries slices, goat cheese, and crunchy sesame sticks, I thought it would be great to grind up a bunch of strawberries and add the puree to the dressing.

If I was the only one eating the dressing, I would just pour the puree into the vinaigrette.  My family is not a fan of chunky dressings, so I strained the puree through a sieve and helped push the strawberry juice through with a whisk.

I just love the color the strawberry puree gives to the vinaigrette.

The best thing about this dressing is that you can add any fruit that you love and it will be great. Mangos, blueberries, raspberries, papaya. The list is endless….

xoxo

Jill ♥

A Quick & Easy Meal on a Busy Night.

This chili recipe is one of my favorite meals to make on those crazy busy days when I feel there is just no way that I can get dinner on the table. It is so simple to put together and works great either stove top or in a slow cooker.

Here is what you will need:

• 1 lb of ground turkey.
• 1 can of pinto beans – drained and rinsed.
• 1 can of kidney beans – drained and rinsed.
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes.
• 1 8 oz can tomato sauce.
• 1 green bell pepper – diced.
• ½ of a medium spanish onion – diced.
• 1 packet of chili seasoning.

Here is what you need to do:

Cook up the ground turkey in a little olive oil and then add the diced pepper and onions. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Next, add in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beans and seasoning packet. Give the chili a good mix and then bring it to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remember to give it a stir every few minutes.

I like to top my chili with shredded cheddar, avocado chunks and sour cream. It is also great over a baked potato and perfect to use for a big dish of nachos.

Hope you like it…

xoxo

Jill ♥

🎁 My favorite Christmas cookie 🎁

Everyone I know has a different name for this cookie and a different way to make them.  I have seen chocolate with walnut, lemon, chocolate chip, almond and crescent-shaped versions called Mexican wedding cookies. The list is endless and I’m sure they are all yummy, but my favorite recipe is with pecans and that’s how I make them every year.

Here is what you will need:

• 2 sticks of room temperature butter.
• 1¾ cups flour.
• ½ cup of powdered sugar and another ½ cup powdered sugar for rolling the cookies in once they are baked.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• 1 cup chopped pecans.

Here is what you need to do:

Mix room temperature butter with ½ cup sugar until smooth.

Pour in vanilla, and then mix in flour one spoonful at a time. Toss in pecans and give the batter a good mix by hand.

Form into small balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake at 275 degrees for 40 minutes.

Let them cool for only a bit. You want the cookies a little warm when you roll them in the other ½ cup of powdered sugar.

This is my number one cookie that I pack up in Christmas tins to give out to family and friends.

I love to get recipes from friends, so I aways make sure to write-up a recipe card to go along with the cookie delivery.

Hope you like them. 🎅

xoxo

Jill ♥

♥  My Hubby has a big Birthday coming ♥

Ok, so I promised that I wasn’t going to mention his age, but I will tell you that he will be Nice & Nifty this coming Monday. 😉

With that said I want everything to be extra special for him and that would have to include making his grandmother’s pound cake, which he grew up eating and just loves. Give him a piece of this cake and a cup of coffee and he is a happy man. It took me a long time to get this recipe down because my husband’s family is “old school” where nothing is really ever measured or written down. They just look at the batter and see if it’s perfect or needs something else.  So with a lot of trial and error I finally got it down

Here is what you will need:

• 2 cups sifted flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder sift with flour
• 1¼ cup sugar
• 2 sticks room temperature butter
• ¾ milk
• 5 eggs
• ½ raisins
• ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg

Here is what you need to do:

Whip together butter and sugar until nicely blended.

Spoon in flour/baking powder mix and blend it all together.

Add in eggs one at a time and then pour in milk. Give a good mix.  Sprinkle in nutmeg and raisins and finish off mixing the batter by hand.

Pour batter into buttered/floured loaf pans. I love to use my pan that makes 4 small loaves, but you can use 2 regular size loaf pans and it will still turn out great. Bake at 350 degrees.

• 4 small loaves – 30 minutes
• 2 regular size loaves – 45 to 50 minutes

You want the pound cake to be golden brown and soft to the touch.

The nutmeg gives it a nice flavor and the raisins are a little surprise that are not in every bite.

This is my favorite picture of my husband and his grandmother Marita.  He was two years old and about to move from Colombia to the United States. They adored each other and their relationship is something that my husband will cherish always.

Hope you like it..

xoxo

Jill ♥