Look mom, lots o' veggies!!

I thought to myself what's a good Monday meal... something easy cuz I didn't really feel like cooking something as extravagant as gumbo the gumbo I made on Saturday. I decided to make Chicken Stir-fry using a bottled marinade/sauce (I'm bit ashamed to say) and chicken tenders I had in the fridge.

It's a real simple recipe...
Ingredients:
Chicken Tenders meat (find it in a meat dept of the superstore)--I used about 1 pound.
Carrots
Celery
Onions
Red and Green Bell Peppers
Broccoli
Garlic to taste (I used one big clove or two small ones)
Salt and Pepper
(Jasmine) Rice
Oil

Toss all that in a pan and throw it over rice... HAHAHA jus kidding.
Tips: I always do the veggies first then the meat. I marinaded the meat in some store bought teriyaki-type sauce, Mr. Yoshida's Cracked Pepper & Garlic Marinade and Cooking Sauce. I always like to thinly slice the veggies because I think it tastes better. And I cut the meat into thin slices.

Here's how I did it: Heat up some oil in the pan. Throw half the minced garlic in first. Parbroil the broccoli--fry up the broccoli for a minute and add a tablespoon of water (barely covering) and cover til the broccoli turns bright green. Add the onions, celery, carrots, and bell peppers. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat. Add a little bit of oil in the pan--it should already be hot from cooking the vegetables. Put the rest of the garlic and chicken in, then cook until no longer pink. Add the vegetables in at the end and you may add some more sauce (Hint: You can add some chicken broth or water to thin out the sauce--I know I did that this time). Served over rice.

Signature Dishes...???

It took me while to get there... But when people asked me what my signature dish(es) were, at first I wouldn't know what to say. There might be a few things that I make repeatedly well--is that considered my signature dish?

For the longest time, the only thing that I could make well... that people would know to ask ME to make is Rice Krispies Treats... and maybe pumpkin pie (you know... that kind that comes in a can--hahaha). But yeah... I can't remember the story behind it... I'm guessing somebody in the house had a craving for Rice Krispies Treats and we were thinking something chocolatey! Have you ever had Cocoa Krispies Treats??? Yes, they're as good as it sounds!

Here's what I like to do: of course you can follow the recipe on the box, but what if... *dramatic pause* you feel like both... regular and cocoa Rice Krispies???

Of the 6 cups of Rice Krispies your putting in to the Treats, try 4 cups of Cocoa and 2 cups of the regular.

I think you'll satisfy both sides with this combo;o)

Ok... so Rice Krispies Treats don't make a meal (Mama said.) So I needed to get known for something else. I never tried gumbo before, I can't even tell you what it is really... All I can say to describe it is that it's like a stew... and it's spicy... I think that pretty much covers it.

Here it is, kiddos (I got it out of the Rachael Ray's 30-minute Meals 2 Cookbook I stole from my mom...shhh don't tell!):
Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_21328,00.html

Notes: Granted, I don't take 30 minutes to make it... but that's probably cuz I'm watching tv while I'm cooking. I'm sure a food processer would help with all that chopping/dicing but I like taking my time--makes me feel like i'm creating something great. Also, I don't always meet the entire poundage of meat according to the recipe and don't forget to adjust the veggies too; They probably be close to equal proportions--adjust the tomatoes too (that was my mistake the other day). And lastly, I always end up freezing half of it or saving the other half for later in the week. I only have so many mouths to feed!!;o) This one's the Family Recipe. You'll here more tips on this recipe later--every time I make it, it seems to taste a little different, so I'm still refining it.

Lemon Thyme Sauce Served with Pork Chops

SECONDLY: TGIF... I was definitely feeling that way on Friday. That feeling you get when you get home and you're like... oh yeah, I was gonna make pork chops... and I'm thinking to myself... how can I make it different?

So here goes... funny what a lil SAUCE can do for a dish... huh?
I don't really know how to make sauces--I'm still in training... God bless my brother (another great cook in my family--cuz I've already mentioned my uncle) for giving me the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. sidenote: I assure you, I've already tried like 10 things in this thing. It's great!

Anyways, I decided to try this Lemon and Thyme Sauce:

1 tbsp veggie oil
1 shallot, minced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tsp's minced fresh thyme (or rosemary or sage)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces and chilled
Salt and pepper

Add oil to the skillet and return to medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shallot and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth and thyme, scraping up brown bits, and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and any accumulated pork juice (from the pork chops--duh!) Turn heat to low and whisk in butter, one piece at a time. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the sauce over the pork before serving.

Notes: I didn't have shallots... so I substituted green onions. Hey... is that the same thing? If the sauce tasted good... it doesn't really matter right? Well... attached is a picture of the sauce--unfortunately, I dug in to my porkchop drenched in the sauce so fast; I... uhhh... hadn't had time to take a picture. You could always try it and send ME the picture! Sharing is caring!

Spicy Chicken with Peppers & Basil

FIRST UP:
Luckily, I'm no longer recovering from my latest trip to New Bosver;o)--that only took me a week, thank you very much--and I assure you it wasn't a week of potstickers and eating out. But this past week I both had a craving for and decided my own secret ingredient would be BASIL!!!

Upon returning from the supermarket with fresh basil... mmmm... take a whiff of that!! often!!! I was like--what the heck am I gonna do with it now... I've never really cooked with basil (buying canned tomatoes with basil doesn't count, right?)

So I hope on the internet and I find this:
Spicy Chicken with Peppers and Basil
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_19523,00.html

It was YUMM-O!! (Thanks Rachael Ray--2x) That ones gonna be put in the rotation;o) Hey and don't be afraid with those red pepper flakes--Ms. Ray has a real good thing goin, cuz I'm gonna start tossin those in to almost anything and everything I want to give a kick to!

Welcome!

Some people might think that I brag too much about my cooking--well now, I hope you could see for yourself.

Background: My style of cooking is really simple--I follow the recipe...(haha) for the most part, but sometimes i follow my instinct--I'm sure we all have one of those (I think it's my creative side). You know... that voice inside that tells you to put THAT in instead of something else... or try a lil more of THAT and... YES! THAT would compliment this perfectly.

Anyways, I think I've been cooking ever since my uncle (The one and only Chef) asked me to help him make chocolate chip cookies--mmm... those monster sized chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies that I would wow everyone with when I brought them to the bake sale. But moving more to the present: ever since I moved out of my parents' house and had to start cooking for myself... it's a whole new world! And let's jus say: It makes my Mama proud when I stay home and COOK something (instead of going out)!!!

My goal: Mostly, I'm just opening up this forum... let's share recipes, talk about food, and other stuff... whatever you want to bring to the table (HAHAHA)... and we'll laugh, we'll cringe... we'll all take that contemplative pause after taking the first bite and THEN tell you how yummy it is!!

Enjoy! Bon apetite!