Welcome to my cooking page!
I started cooking with my step-mother one summer when I was home from college. We traded off days on who would cook. I would find delicious recipes and prepare them for my family with great anticipation. Now out of college and in a home of my own I cook for my husband. My husband is not originally from America. He is from Morocco and it has allowed me to expand my cooking interests to international dishes. I hope that you enjoy the recipes and experiences that I will share with you!
This is a quick, simple dinner that is easily made and ready with a half hour. All you need is thin sliced steak, garbanzo beans and black beans. Additional ingredients can be added such as olives, potatoes, or peppers to your liking. The idea is to cook the beans in the sauces of the steak so that they infuse the sauce into the beans.
Ingredients:
4 or 5 thinly sliced medium size steaks
1 cup garbanzo beans
1 cup back beans
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp cumin
1 Tbsp canola oil
Pour oil in large saucepan. Sprinkle steak with salt and cumin on both sides. Cook steaks in saucepan to your desired tenderness. Add garbanzo beans and black beans. Sprinkle remaining cumin and salt over beans in saucepan. Cook for another 10 minutes. Serve warm. Enjoy!
Potatoes come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. You can cook, bake, fry, or mash them. There are so many things you can do to potatoes, the varieties are endless. I am used to cooking potatoes in water until they are soft and then mashing them or cutting them and frying them up in a saucepan. However recently I was introduced to a new way to roast potatoes; bake them in the oven.
4 large potatoes (your own preference of kind) peel skin, cut into small pieces
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin
2-3 tbsp canola oil
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Mix salt, pepper, and cumin and potato pieces in a large bowl. On a baking sheet put 2-3 tablespoons of canola oil and tilt baking sheet to evenly coat with oil. Place potatoes on baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until browned on the edge facing down. Remove baking sheet. With a spatula flip potatoes to non-baked sides and continue to bake for 10-15 minutes, until browned on edges. Serve with entree of meat.
Alternative: An alternative to roasting in the oven is roasting in a saucepan. This method is just as effective however potatoes come out slightly more greasy. Follow recipe, however potatoes will be put in saucepan. Cook for 45 minutes on medium-low. Flipping with spatula occasionally. Make sure potatoes are completely cooked through or else they will be hard in the center.
Do you like spicy food? Most people don't know which peppers are which or which peppers are hot or spicy. Add some spice to your cooking with these peppers:
(In order from least spicy to most spicy)Poblano
Jalapeno
Chipotle
Serrano
Habanero
Be careful when picking out your peppers or you may get a spicier pepper than you expected!
I love chocolate! My favorite chocolate treat is truffles. Unfortunately I have never found a way to make truffles until I found this recipe. I hope you enjoy these truffles just as much as I did.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup heavy cream
6 oz. dark (semi-or bittersweet) chocolate, very finely chopped
2 Tbsp butter, very soft
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Bring the cream to a boil and pour it over the chocolate. Wait 1 minute. Whisk until the mix is smooth and shiny. Whisk in butter, cover, and refrigerate for 3 hours.
Scoop out teaspoons of chocolate, then squeeze and roll them between your palms. Roll the truffles around in a bowl of cocoa. Cover and refrigerate until ready to eat.
Makes 24.
If you love chocolate you will love these delicious cookies. They are so additive you can't eat just one. Although they are cookies they taste like they are brownies baked into a cookie. You can make them with or without glaze on top. Satisfy your sweet tooth with a drop of chocolate heaven!
Ingredients:
4 Squares Unsweetened baking chocolate
3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
Glaze:
1 tub frozen cool whip whipped topping
6 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
Baking: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Microwave unsweetened chocolate and butter for 2 minutes. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add sugar and mix well. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and mix well. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Scoop 1 inch balls onto a greased baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes, make sure not to overbake!
For Glaze: Microwave frozen whipped topping and semi sweet chocolate for 1 1/2 minute. Stir. Let stand 15 minutes to thicken. Spread over cookies. Let stand until set.
Want to make a fun, yummy summer dessert? Butterscotch haystacks are an alternative to chocolate desserts. This dessert is so easy to make that you can even have your kids help you with this recipe.
Ingredients:
1 2/3 (11oz package) cups butterscotch flavored morsels
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
8 1/2 oz or 2 cans (5 oz each) chow mein noodles
7 oz miniature marshmellows
Line cooking trays with wax paper. Microwave butterscotch morsels in microwave safe bowl, for 1 minute, stir. If not melted, microwave at additional intervals of 10-20 seconds until smooth. Stir in peanut butter until combined. Add chow mein noodles and marshmellows. Toss until all ingredients are well coated. Drop by tablespoons on prepared trays. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serves 36
Aioli is a french sauce that resembles mayonnaise. Usually the ingredients include garlic, lemon, olive oil and sometimes eggs. There are many different variations of ingredients. Aioli can be served with meat, fish or vegetables. To make Aioli, cooks have to be very precise about their measurements. Recipes for Aioli recommend mincing garlic however true Aioli requires garlic to be ground.
Don't be discouraged if you don't make the perfect Aioli on the first try. Getting it just right may take several episodes of trial and error.
Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 egg yolks
1 cup light olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
In a bowl, beat eggs well with a whisk. Stir in garlic. Gradually add oil in a thin stream, beating constantly until light and creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in lemon juice. Refrigerate any remaining aioli.
Save Money by Cooking with a Crock-pot
First introduced in 1971, the Crock-Pot revolutionized the way we cook meals. The word Crock-Pot is actually trademarked by Rival Industries, but is used in every day conversations instead of the term slow cooker. Many recipes for the crock-pot require little preparation. The slow cooker can then safely be left to run unattended, making it a convenient cooking method.
Crock-pot meals can not only save you time in the kitchen, but they can also save you money as well. The reasons are as follows:
1. It keeps you out of the fast food line. If you had not loading up the crock-pot with the ingredients this morning you’d likely be in the drive through line at the local fast food restaurant this afternoon after work, grabbing a meal for your family. The average fast food meal for a family of four rings up over $20.
2. Stretches your dollar. Most crock-pot recipes and meals can truly stretch your food dollar. Because you can put a whole chicken in the crock-pot to cook then cut it up for several meals, you can stretch your budget with the use your leftovers.
3. Cuts your grocery budget. You can save money at the butcher since the slow cooking process is especially useful to tenderize cheaper cuts of meat.
4. Saves on your energy bill. Instead of running a larger appliance like the stove you are running one small energy conservative appliance, the crock-pot, saving on your energy costs.
The convenience of the slow cooker not only saves you time, but will also save you money. Don't you think it's time to take it out of your closet (or wherever you have it packed away collecting dust) and make a Crock-Pot meal today?
About the Author:Cara Mirabella is a WAHM with one toddler from New Jersey. She owns and manages TheHouseholdHelper.com - a site dedicated to saving your time, money and sanity when managing your household. She has written several articles, reports and e-books including
http://wahmcart.com/x.php?adminid=1826&id=6133&pid=1993"Recipes For Every Occassion: 470 Crock Pot Recipes".
This is a quick, simple dinner that is easily made and ready with a half hour. All you need is thin sliced steak, garbanzo beans and black beans. Additional ingredients can be added such as olives, potatoes, or peppers to your liking. The idea is to cook the beans in the sauces of the steak so that they infuse the sauce into the beans.
