Thursday, July 14, 2011

The creamiest Cream of Wheat ever!

Picture from Livestrong.com

Be prepared for the creamiest, tastiest Cream of Wheat you will ever have. This recipes calls for cinnamon, anise and milk. With these simple ingredients, it turns your plan ole bowl of Cream of Wheat bowl into a delicious bowl of yummy morning goodness. Let's get started!



Ingredients

1 cup of water
1 cup of cream of wheat
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 anise star
1/2 cup of sugar
3/4 cup of Carnation milk
2 pinches of salt

In a small pot on meduim temperature add water, anise and cinnamon. Once the water comes to a boil (allow water to boil a little longer, allowing spices to come together) using a whisk slowly add in the cream of wheat. Pouring in the cream of wheat at once will result in a lumpy batch. Once the cream of wheat comes to a boil add in the sugar and stir. After 2 minutes, lower the temperature and slowly whisk in the milk. Whisk and whisk for about 3 to 4 minutes nonstop. Then add the salt and whisk until you have a creamy creamy consistancy. Allow everything to come together cooking on the low temperature for a few more minutes, maybe 2-4 minutes. Sooner if your really hungry, lol. Smells delicious huh...Plate and enjoy!

Let me know how yours turns out. I'd love to hear.




FYI:  You can also have this right before bed. It will have you sleeping like a baby.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Peach & Blueberry Cobbler

photo: ezrapoundcake.com

 I love watching Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa cooking show. Not to mention, I love trying out her dishes. The other day she made a peach and berry crumble that looks so good. I decided to make one myself using a modified version of Ina's recipe.

 

Ingredients

Fruit Filling:

  • 1 bag of frozen peaches
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries  

For the crumble:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar (lightly packed)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 stick cold unsalted butter (diced)
  • aluminum foil
  • cookie sheet
  • 4 custard cups
  • electric mixer (optional: you can hand mix with a fork)



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl add thawed peaches, lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour. Toss well. Gently mix in the blueberries. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Spoon the mixture into custard cups.

For the topping, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and the butter in the bowl.  Mix with electric mixer on low speed until the butter is the size of peas or using a fork and your hand mix together. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it's in big crumbles, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Place cups on the cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Once the the tops are browned and the juices are bubbly remove from over.

Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.

It was sooooo good!!

TIP: How to remove the smell of food off..

How to remove the smell of food off your hands or cutting board...


Ever diced an onion, cleaned chicken or cleaned some fish and you just can't get the smell off your hands.  You washed your hands over and over again and soap just wasn't enough to get that smells off.  Here's a quick tip used by professional cooks. This also works great on cutting boards.


What you'll need:

 
  • 1 lime
  • Soap
  • Water



STEP 1:       Just cut the lime in half and scrub your hands using the wedge side. 

STEP 2:      Wash hands with soap and water.

The smell is gone.

Spagheti a sausses

Vermicelli with Sausage, Cherry Tomatoes and Spinach


This dish is a traditional Haitian breakfast, spicy and savory spaghetti. Spaghetti for breakfast? YES!!! Traditionally it's served with salted cod fish or sausage hot dogs. Had a craving for some the other day and decided to make some. Today, I used spicy sausage and added spinach and cherry tomatoes just for an extra kick and color.


Ingredients


1/2 box of vermicelli
1 1/2 spicy Sausage (I used the brand Redwood)
1/2 Maggie bouillon cube
1/4 tablespoon of Seasoning salt (optional)
1/2 tablespoon of Black Pepper
1 cup of fresh Spinach (washed)
5 Cherry Tomatoes (cut in half)
3 tablespoons of Vegetable oil
1/3 cup of water


Place water on stove and bring to a boil. Salt is not necessary at this point. When water comes to a boil add vermicelli and cook al dente. Drain and set aside. In a medium size saucepan on medium heat add in oil and cook sausage until golden brown or desired color. I like mine a little dark. Add in seasoning salt, black pepper, spinach, crumbled bouillon cube and water. Stir and let cook for 4 to 5 minutes allowing spices to come together.


Lastly, toss in pasta and cherry tomatoes. Toss a little more making sure spaghetti is coated with spices and allow the ingredients to cook for 5 minutes and SERVE.