Bacony Goodness

Whenever I go to tailgates, I always like something sweet or something with bacon. Luckily, my aunt makes the best little toothpick eats. She occasionally makes chicken wrapped in bacon with a brown sugary coating. These little bite sized snacks will go instantly. The ingredients for this are:

1 1/4 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken (about 4 breasts)

1 pound of bacon

2/3 cup of firmly packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons of chili powder

The steps for making this amazing eat are:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Cut the chicken into 1 inch cubes

Cut each bacon slice into thirds

Wrap each cube with a piece of bacon and secure with a wooden toothpick

Stir together the brown sugar and chili powder

Dredge wrapped chicken into mixture

Coat a rack and broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray

Place wrapped chicken onto rack and bake for 30 to 35 minutes (or till bacon is crisp)

Butterscotch Mayhem

My father and I made a huge batch of butterscotch cookies. He needs them for a bake sale and everyone will love them. I would recommend that all people to try these if you want something sweet. The recipe includes:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose Gold Medal flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup butterscotch chips
Extra dark brown sugar for rolling cookies, about 1/2 cup

Follow these steps to make them:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Set pan aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. Place butter and dark brown sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until combined.
4. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients. Mix until the just combined. Stir in the butterscotch chips.
5. Using a spoon or cookie scoop, form tablespoons size balls of cookie dough. Roll balls in brown sugar. Place on balls on prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. Do not over bake. Cool on the pan for 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.

Christmas Eve Delight

Every Christmas Eve, my family hosts a party for all the relatives. My mother usually makes a Lobster Risotto. This dish is gone in minutes when it is put out for everyone to eat. It takes time to make but it is all worth it once you taste your first bite. The ingredients are:

1 tablespoon of salt (add more as you prefer)

2(1 1/2 lbs) whole live lobsters

2 1/2 quarts of water, plus more if needed

freshly ground pepper

1 medium leek, washed and chopped, and white and light green parts only

1/4 cup of olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

2 cups of Arborio or Carnaroli rice

1 cup of dry white wine

1/4 cup of finely grated Parmesan cheese, add more if preferred

1/3 minced fresh chives

finely grated zest from a medium lemon

1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, add more if needed

The steps to making this dish are as followed:

1. Fill a large pot with a tight fitting lid with 1 inch of water and stir in the salt. Add a steamer rack to the pot. (If you do not have a rack, lightly bunch a long piece of foil so that it looks like a rope. Then make a figure eight out of the foil and place it in the pot.)
2. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the lobsters, head first, to the pot, cover, and return the water to a full boil. Reduce the heat and cook at a gentle boil until the lobsters are bright red, about 14 minutes from the time they go into the pot. Check their doneness by pulling out an antenna: If it comes out with no resistance, then it is done. Remove the lobsters to a rimmed baking sheet and let them sit till cool enough to handle. Wash out the large pot.
3. Using your hands, twist and separate the tail from the body. Then twist and remove both of the claws where they meet the body; set the claws aside. Reserve the head and torso.
4. Starting with the tail, remove the small, wispy flippers on the underside of the shell. Using a fork, slowly twist and pull the tail meat out of the shell in one piece. Rinse any debris off the tail meat and set it aside on a cutting board. Reserve the shell of the tail.
5. Twist the claws and separate them from the legs; set aside the legs. Gently wiggle and pull the small part of the pincer off each off claw. Using a seafood cracker, gently crack the claws, remove the meat, and set it aside on the cutting board. Crack the legs, remove the meat, and set it aside on the cutting board. Reserve the shells from the claws and the legs. Repeat with second lobster.
6. Check the meat for any cartilage or shell and discard it. Chop the meat into 1/2-inch pieces, place in a medium bowl, and place in the refrigerator until needed. (You should have about 2 cups.)
7. Rinse the reserved lobster shells, including the heads, of any residue. Place all the shells back in the large pot and add the 2 1/2 quarts of water, peppercorns, bay leaf, and leek. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 1 hour. Discard the large shells and strain the lobster broth through a fine-mesh strainer set over a medium saucepan. Set the strained broth over low heat and keep it at a bare simmer.
8. In a large wide pot or Dutch oven, heat the measured oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and a large pinch each of salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
9. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until the kernels start to crackle, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the wine and let simmer, stirring often, until all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 2 to 4 minutes. Pour a ladleful of the simmering lobster broth over the rice. Let simmer, stirring constantly, until the rice absorbs the liquid. Continue adding the broth, stirring and letting it absorb, until the rice is al dente, about 20 to 30 minutes (you may not use up all of the broth). Taste as you go for doneness, seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
10. When the rice is done, remove from heat and stir in the reserved lobster meat, Parmesan, chives, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt, pepper, Parmesan, and lemon juice as needed. Just before serving, loosen the risotto to the desired consistency with a little more broth or hot water and serve immediately. Drizzle each serving with olive oil.

Sweet Thing To Drink

When I want to treat my family to a nice drink in the summer, I make an iced tea that I learned years ago. It is a Sweet Apple Iced Tea. It does take a lot of time till you can drink it, but it is all worth it. The ingredients are:

6 cups of water

6 sweet apple tea bags

1 small apple thinly sliced

1/2 of a lemon thinly sliced

Ice

The steps to do this are as followed:

First bring the water to a boil in a sauce pan. Then remove from the flame and place tea bags into the water. After that, let the water and tea bags sit for about an hour or till he water is at room temperature. Then remove tea bags and place in a pitcher with the apple and lemon slices. Put the pitcher in the fridge for about another hour and then you may drink. 

Chocolate Heaven

I was visiting my family in Maryland couple weeks ago and someone made a heavenly chocolate trifle. It was one of the best deserts I have ever had in my life. The layers of chocolate became increasingly better as you eat. If you have a chocolate addiction, this is what you will love. The ingredients are:

1 box of chocolate fudge cake mix

1 package of instant chocolate pudding mix(6 ounces)

6 chopped Heath Bars

1 carton (12 ounces) of whipped cream

For making this, you will bake the cake by itself, make the pudding on its own, and crush the candy. You will put the cake in a glass dish, then put a layer of whip cream, then some pudding. Then you will sprinkle some of the Heath Bar, place more whip cream, the last of the pudding and then the last of the whip cream. Then cover the top in the rest of the crushed candy. You can put any order of whip cream and pudding as you like, it will taste great otherwise. This is a great dish for get togethers with friends, or family. 

This weekend my family and I went to Annapolis, Maryland to visit family and attend a Navy football game. Before the games we always do tailgates with the best food. My aunt always makes a crab dish that is devoured in minutes. It is the best crab dip in Maryland. My aunt finally allowed me to have the recipe and gave permission so I can share with all of you. Here it is:

1 block of cream cheese

1/2 a pint of low fat sour cream

1/3 a cup of mayonnaise

1 teaspoon of worcheshine

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

6 shakes of hot sauce

1 teaspoon of Old Bay

1 teaspoon of garlic salt

1 teaspoon of dry mustard

1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese

1 pound of Backfin Lump Crab Meat

Bowtie Pasta with Sausage

The other day, my father and I had bowtie pasta with sausage. It was an amazing dish and it was quite delicious. Here are the ingredients:

1.5 cups of milk

2 tbsp of butter

2 tbsp of flour

3 oz of white cheddar

3 oz of gruyere

3 oz of parmesan

1/2 cup of peas

Italian sausage

fresh ground salt

fresh ground pepper

and a pinch of nutmeg

How to:

Boil bowtie pasta for 10 minutes

warm milk in one pan and butter in another

whisk flour into pan slowly

add salt, pepper, and nutmeg 

whisk till it thickens(2-3 minutes)

remove from heat 

then add the cheeses whole and begin to whisk

then add cooked spicy Italian sausage

add the peas and continue to whisk

add sauce to pasta and then warm in oven till served

This is a great Italian dinner that will quench everyone's hunger.

Nice Italian Dish

Last night I prepared a great dish. I made baked ziti and Italian sausage. The ziti was not as cheesy as the usual ziti. I used homemade tomato sauce from my garden and sliced mozzarella cheese on top of the pasta. The Italian sausage is cooked on the grill and served on the side with the ziti.

Steps For Baked Ziti:

1. Boil the pasta 
2. Place the pasta  in a glass casserole dish
3. Pour and mix the tomato sauce into the pasta
4. Slice as much mozzarella cheese as you'd like 
5. Place each slice on the top layer of the pasta till the top is covered
6. Cover the dish with tin foil
7. Place in the over at 350F
8. Let it cook for 20 minutes then take the tin foil off
9. Let it cook for an additional 5 minutes then remove from oven and it is ready to serve

Ham & Potatoes

Tonight I am preparing an easy and delicious meal for my family. We are having ham-steak with homemade mashed potatoes. Ingredients for this meal includes ham-steak, salt, pepper, potatoes, butter, and cream.
Cooking the Ham:
First will be the seasoning of the ham with salt and pepper, then placing on a hot pan over a flame. After you will let it cook for 5-10 minutes on each side. Then take it off the pan and cut up for serving.
Making and Cooking the Mashed Potatoes:
First thing is to skin six potatoes, then you will cut them up in quarters. Then you will boil the potatoes for 15-20 minutes. Next you will place in a bowl with a quarter stick of butter and start mashing. After you will add a quarter cup of cream and continue to mash. Finally you will serve the potatoes with the ham-steak.

Great Hispanic Meal

Over the summer, I was in a family cook-off where my cousin and I prepared a well made meal. We served a Mexican Chop salad and Chicken and Green Chili Enchilada Casserole. The salad was made with ingredients that did not have to be cooked except for homemade chips on the side. The enchiladas were made in a glass holding container where we covered them in an enchilada sauce and melted cheese. It is a great meal and here is the recipes:

Mexican Chop Salad - http://thecafesucrefarine.com/2014/05/mexican-chopped-salad/

Chicken and Green Chili Enchilada Casserole - http://www.familyfreshmeals.com/2014/09/cheesy-chicken-enchilada-casserole-vegetarian-option.html

 

The enchilada sauce is homemade and takes time to cook. It is worth the wait for all this food. The salad is made with cut up corn tortillas that have been toasted and used as chips.