Food for Thought

I just had a moment of enlightenment today. I realized I am an artist, and that cooking is my stress reliever. Just like an artist paints and draws, or a musician strokes the guitar, I create edible art that appeases almost all the senses! My efforts to create a masterpiece that smells amazing, looks artful, and tastes awesome satisfies the creative aspect of my brain. Not to mention, jamming to old jazz and blues while sipping on a glass of wine, are a perfect marriage. I immediately sail away on vacation to some country like Italy or France...sometimes I feel like I am in a movie. Sounds crazy, but it's amazing when you find something you love to do so much, it just becomes your outlet. In this chaotic world that makes it more difficult for anyone to find their place, I have found mine--the kitchen! The best part of it all is that I get to share this love with everyone!

Attempting to Conquer the Pork Chop!

Hello friends! Guess what I made for dinner? I am still brainstorming about the pork chops because those little guys are the biggest challenge for me. It is so hard to lean pork and keep it tender! I also had this strange orange cauliflower sitting in my fridge since last week! I had to use it today before it goes bad! Not sure about how it will come out until I actually DO cook, since I am always experimenting on the fly! Check this recipe I tried and watch me make it on my video! It was definitely a rush job, but it came out FABULOUS! I am not even kidding! My bf and I were completely stuffed on a meal with virtually no carbs! There was a small blunder in making the Cuban Cauliflower Mash, but it still came out delish. I will remember to leave out the milk next time.
Pork Chop in Blue Cheese Gravy w/ Spicy Cuban Cauliflower Mash Recipe
Ingredients
mojo marinade
adobo seasoning
2 tablespoons butter
4 thick cut pork chops
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh chopped garlic
1/2 cup sliced onions
1/2 cup sliced peppers
1 teaspoon fresh chopped scallion
1 & 1/2 teaspoon of blue cheese dressing
Directions
1- Season and marinate chops prior to cooking and refrigerate if possible.
2-First saute onions and peppers with olive oil, then remove and save for later.
3-Then in the same pan melt butter, scallion, and garlic over medium heat. Then fry chops in butter until no longer pink and the juices run clear (about 20 min.). Turn only occasionally to evenly brown.
3-Once chops are thoroughly cooked, add cooked onions and peppers back in. Stir in blue cheese and mix around with the natural juices of the chops and onions. Cook on low heat for about 5 min.
Spicy Cuban Cauliflower Mash
Ingredients
1 large head of cauliflower (yellow preferably)
1/2 cup grated mozzarella
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon butter
fresh chopped garlic
1 teaspoon adobo
black pepper
fresh parsley
Directions
1-Boil cauliflower for 15-20 min. or until very soft.
2-Strain the cauliflower then transfer them into a blender along with all the other ingredients.
3-Garnish with fresh parsley

Emergency Appetizers!

So its Sunday, and my good friends are coming over for some fun in the sun. As we start to crack open some beers I realize that appetizers are a must right now! In emergency cases when I virtually have no food in my fridge, I love making bites on toothpicks. I do carry a pack of toothpicks because they always come in handy. So I decided to make these Turkey Kielbasa bites with sauteed red pepper and queso blanco. It was quick and easy and literally took 5 min.
Turkey Kielbasa Bites Recipe

turkey kielbasa
queso blanco
red pepper
toothpicks

Directions:
Saute red pepper and kielbasa for 5-10 min. in a nonstick pan. Then cut cheese into tiny bite size cubes. Then with toothpick pinch pepper, then cheese, then sausage on the bottom. SUPER EASY!!!

What's for dinner tonight?

I sometimes wonder if my bf fell in love with me or my cooking. Ever since we've dated, much of our time spent has been bonding in the kitchen over a glass of wine, and great conversation while making dinner. This has been our romantic time, and takes us away from a stressful day to a romantic date over wine or martinis. This hobby is great because it has turned out to save us a lot of money and calories from going out. So tonight it's Friday night, and I am wondering what to cook for my boyfriend and I. I want this to be a little extra romantic and delicious! As I browse through my tiny fridge, I note that I have shrimp and portobello mushrooms. Yummy! So, I decided I am going to make dinner with shrimp and portobello mushrooms but what?! So I keep looking...ah! I have some onions, sundried tomatoes, garlic, and fresh parsley and cilantro! I don't have brown rice, but I do have bulgur wheat, and wheat pasta! As my wheels turn in my head, I have decided to make a shrimp and portobello saute over bulgur wheat with mushrooms all made in a garlic and white wine sauce! Remember this is all based on what I ALREADY had in my kitchen. If you only have pasta, or rice, or risotto...USE IT! And if you are missing a couple of ingredients, don't fret, maybe you can substitute with something else. Stay tuned for my video on how to accomplish this magical dinner tonight! This is my first time so lets see how this goes!
Shrimp Bello in White Wine Sauce Recipe
4 cups peeled large shrimp
2 Cups sliced baby portobello mushrooms
1/2 dry white wine
chopped fresh parsley
chopped fresh cilantro
chopped fresh garlic
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons of sundried tomatoes
butter and/or olive oil
1 tsp salt or to your taste
1/4 tsp pepper or to your taste
1/2 tsp rosemary seasoning
1 cup of bulgar wheat or brown rice
1 & 1/2 cup water
In pot where you will cook your rice or bulgar wheat, saute with a teaspoon of butter or olive oil 1 tablespoon garlic & onions for 1 min. Then add 1 cup of mushrooms and stir around for another 2 min. Pour in the rice/bulgar wheat and mix around for 1 min. on medium heat. Pour in 1/4 cup of wine and allow to sizzle for a min. Then pour in the 1 &1/2 cup water with salt and pepper and rosemary seasoning. Mix around and add a pinch parsley. Cover and set to simmer for about 10 min.
In a large saute pan add a tablespoon butter and/or olive oil with 1 tablespoon garlic for 1 min. Then add the rest of the mushrooms and stir for 1-2 min. Add a teaspoon more of olive oil then add the shrimp and season with salt, rosemary seasoning and pepper and stir around for 1 min. Next add the cilantro and parsley and stir for 30 seconds before tossing in the 1/4 of white wine. Cover and let sizzle on medium low heat for approx. 5 min. Uncover and stir around and then add sundried tomatoes. Cover for another 2 min. on low heat and your done! View the video from Saturday, July 24, 2010 blog as a quick reference.