An awesome Weekend and First Time Experiences!!!!!

I had an amazing weekend with the family!!! We enjoyed ourselves at two of the Disney parks and stayed at Pop Century resort. When we got there the first thing we did (after checking in of course) was go in the pool because it was a hot Saturday; we played with our little niece until we could not do it anymore.

The first park we went to was Magic Kingdom and had dinner at The Crystal Palace Buffet (after all my blog is about food isn't it) yes, I had to mention dinner. Food was really good and we got to see some characters and take pictures with them. We saw Winnie The Pooh and his friends, of course our little niece had to take pictures with all of them. It was a really good day but we end it up soooo tired that by 9:00 pm we were in bed. 

Next day was really good also, specially because my hubby and I got to spend the day to ourselves (yes the rest of the family went home early) with no pressure of where to go and what time to be there. We took pictures, (oh by the way we went to Epcot!!) and walked in the hot Sunday afternoon. We went home at around 3:00 pm. 

One of the best things for me was that we had dinner at a restaurant that I had never been to. It might sound silly but I had never been to Cracker Barrel and had been dying to go there. We enjoyed a delicious meal and of course I have pictures of the food. 

My husband had pancakes for dinner, delicious blueberry pancakes with turkey sausage, fried eggs and a delicious raspberry syrup. I was so surprised that he ate all of that in one sitting, he normally brings left overs home. 

On the other hand I had something I had never had before and that was fried steak (it was really good). My fried steak was accompanied by some corn, green beans, delicious mashed potatoes, and homemade biscuits. Yesterday it was different for both of us because unlike my husband eating all his dinner on one sitting I had to ask for a box to take my leftovers home. 

After that delicious dinner we went home rested for a little bit, refreshed ourselves and went out again for dessert. We were craving ice cream and had dairy queen coupons so there we went for our dessert. We had a delicious strawberry covered sundae dipped in chocolate in a waffle bowl ( sounds delish doesn't it!!!)

This was for sure a really amazing weekend (even though I'm exhausted today) but it's worth it. 

Tomorrow my kitchen will be really busy as I will be cooking for my husband's family to celebrate his grandma's birthday. I know I will be busy but all the effort will be worth it at the end; pray for me that everything comes out delish and make sure to read my next blog. 

Bowtie Pasta Night!!!

Last night was a pasta night. Yes, I made Chicken Alfredo with bowtie pasta. I thought it was amazing and of course my hubby (who can eat everything and still stay skinny) liked it too.

We ate this with some honey butter rolls and salad. The rolls were so good that I ate 1 1/2 even though I'm trying to cut on the calories so I can loose a couple of pounds, but let see what happens with that all I know is that dinner was super good ( I love white sauce).

Tonight is left overs night, yes we even have some that were given to use by one of my husband's friends. We are just blessed!!!
And before I forget, if you want the recipe for this delicious Bowtie-Chicken Alfredo go to http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/12/bowtie-chicken-alfredo/.

Have a super good weekend and enjoy your family!!!

Savory dinner!!!

I made pork chops, mashed potatoes and green beans last night for dinner. Let me tell you that it was so good; the mashed potatoes were better then the ones I've had at a restaurant (with skin and all) and the pork chops had the best taste ever because of the sauce that they were marinated in. Let me share with you the recipes of both of my awesome dishes. Enjoy!!!!

Marinated Baked Pork Chops

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice ( I used apple cider vinegar)
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
4-6 pork chops

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a small bowl, thoroughly blend soy sauce, vegetable oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, and ketchup.

Place pork chops in a medium baking dish, and spread with 1/2 the sauce.

Bake pork chops 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Turn, and spread with remaining sauce. Continue baking 30 minutes, or until internal temperature of the chops has reached 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

This sauce tastes like homemade barbecue sauce but better!!!! It's delicious.

The mashed potatoes were creamy and delicious, they really went well with this pork chops. Here is the recipe.

Savory Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

4-6 unpeeled potatoes, cubed
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.

Drain potatoes, and transfer to a bowl. Add butter, and mash with a potato masher or electric mixer until potatoes are starting to become smooth. Add milk and sour cream, and mix to your desired texture. Careful not to over mix the potatoes once they are creamy. Season with garlic, salt and pepper.

Here is my finished product!!!!

Dominican Dish: Dumplings with Salami

One of the things I started to miss from my country was the salami. There are many brands, but this is the one I was able to buy.

 We use it in so many ways; in sandwiches, cooked in red sauce, fried with onions and so on. Last night I made it in red sauce with onions and peppers. I felt like a pregnant woman when is craving a certain kind of food (no, I’m not pregnant).

A type of food that we really enjoy is dumplings, but not the same way they're made here even though we can do it that way.  We prepare the dough with flour, water, salt and a little bit of oil and then make little fingers with it and boil it in water. Here is a picture of how it’s done. 

I had made the dumplings for my hubby before and he liked them, but I had never made them with salami and red sauce. He enjoys red sauce in pretty much everything so you can imagine how much he enjoyed this dish. We had some dumplings and some red sauce left over and he even told me to put it in a small container so he can take it to work because he said this was power food, I just laughed and put it away like he said.

Before I keep writing, even though I'm almost done let me show you the finish product. 

I'm just glad my husband really enjoys the meals I prepare for him because I do it with love. Have a good rest of the day and happy cooking!!!!

The Pineapple Cutter and I

Where I come from you use a knife to cut a pineapple but the first time I saw my hubby cutting a pineapple he took out this utensil that was foreign to me.

Before he started to cut the pineapple with the cutter I was looking at it like “what the heck is that” but I had to ask him anyway. It sounds funny to me now and I can even write about it but at the time it was a little embarrassing to me. He had to teach me how to use it, but to be honest I still prefer to use my knife because I get more out of it then with the pineapple cutter.

Today I have to cut one and decided to give that thing a try. Wish my luck!!!

I wish I could say it was a total success but it was only half a success if you can say it that way, LOL!!! OK, I started to cut the pineapple and half way the cutter was coming out from the sides of the peels (that was not supposed to happen) so I pulled the cutter and got half of the pineapple but the rest of it I had to grab my knife and finish cutting it.

Hey, at least the job is done even though I made a huge mess with the juice on my counter but here is my pineapple cut in pieces (actually, is my husband's pineapple because I don't eat fresh pineapple unless is on a cake or dessert).

Tonight I'm making a Dominican dish for dinner so don't miss out tomorrows post. Enjoy the rest of your day!!!

Fun & Juicy Avocado Salad

I was wondering what type of salad to make for last night’s dinner and came up with the idea of an avocado salad. Normally we don’t buy avocados but we got two as a gift; the first one was ripe and we ate it just plain with our dinner the other day but the other one wasn't ready yet.  As I was looking to see what ingredients I had for a yummy salad, I found the avocado and touched it to see if it was ready, yep it was!!! Ready to be eaten by us in a fun and juicy way.  

We had left over enchiladas with rice so I had to make a fresh side to go with it. My hubby is a veggie lover and in all our meals I have to add a side of veggies, they can be from broccoli to a fresh lettuce salad.

I've been wanting to start a mini diet but it’s very difficult to do it (yes, I love to eat). I’m not overweight but since we got married I've gained a couple of pounds (people say marriage does that to you) so I try to eat my veggies every night to bring the portions of the fattening parts down.  Yes, I know!!! Avocado has a lot of calories but it’s just one and it’s small.

OK, so here is what I’m using for this special salad.

Ingredients:

½ cup Feta cheese

2 cups chopped lettuce

1 Tomato

1 small chopped avocado

½ white onion chopped in small pieces

Some green olives

1 strawberry chopped in small pieces (just to make it look pretty and add sweetness to it )

2 tablespoons of chopped up walnuts (if you want)

Your favorite dressing

Directions:

Cut all your ingredients and mix them all together in a bowl. If you want to add walnuts to it feel free. Serve with your favorite dressing.

Fun & Juicy Avocado Salad

 When my hubby saw this plate, the first thing he said was "oh how fun" yeah!!! that's what he said and as he was eating it he said it was juicy and good. I love his reactions and sometimes those are the words that make the titles of my blogs. 

Have an awesome day and happy cooking!!!! 

Apples or Strawberries!!!!!

Apples or strawberries? This was my question Saturday afternoon when trying to decide what to make for dessert on Sunday when my parents came to visit me. I started thinking about it and looking for recipes to help me out, when the thought hit me, "hey it's not a hard decision, you made a dessert with apples last Sunday and your sister's mother-in law made apple pie". So there you have it strawberries won!!!!
While looking through my recipes I found this awesome strawberry upside down cake, it looked fabulous. I gather all my ingredients and then Sunday after church came and made that delicious dessert.

Strawberry Upside Down Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups of cut strawberries
1 (6 ounce) package strawberry jell-o mix
3 cups miniatures marshmallows
1 box of yellow cake mix

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)

Spread the pieces of strawberries on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Evenly sprinkle strawberries with the dry gelatin powder, and top with mini marshmallows.

Prepare the cake mix as directed on the package, and pour on top of the marshmallows. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the pan to loosen the sides, and turn the cake out onto a serving tray. Store cake in the refrigerator.

As you can see it was a success!!!! and everyone liked it. My dad had seconds and my hubby too. I would recommend it, it's really good and serves about 12 people. Enjoy!!! 

Dinner Looks Beautiful!!!!

OK, I know it's been a while but I've had such a busy week that I didn't even had time to sit and write.
Well, yesterday as I was thinking about what to make for dinner, I looked through my pantry and found this colorful spiral pasta; and said to myself this will make a very pretty plate if combined with the right ingredients. So I gathered everything I wanted to put in it and started putting them together.

We had a friend coming over so everything needed to be perfect ( I think it was). When my husband got home, as usual he inhaled the air and said to me "oh baby it smells wonderful" but he had not seen what was in the oven (including some rolls I had in there). Our friend arrived as I was serving dinner and as she walked in the house and went to greet me in the kitchen the first thing she noticed was how beautiful and tasty dinner looked. I had prepare that delicious pasta, some rolls and some salad to go with it. Usually I ask my hubby how is everything because I like to hear how he enjoys it and how he says it; and his answer was "babe, dinner is awesome and it looks beautiful!!!!"

Here is the recipe for that awesome pasta I made. Remember to always add that extra spice to it, LOVE!!! it makes everything taste better.

Colorful Spiral Pasta with Peas and Ham

Ingredients:

1 ham steak cut in cubes
chopped onions (used half onion)
chopped peppers (used half pepper)
1/2 box of colorful spiral pasta
1 cup of peas
1 cup french fried onions (divided)
2 1/2 cups of cheese (divided)
1 tbs butter
1 can of cream of chicken or mushroom
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of milk
seasoning to taste

Directions:

Follow the instruction on how to cook the pasta from the box. Put butter in a frying pan and add the ham, peppers and onions to it until they are cooked. Mix the peas with the pasta in the last two minutes of cooking and then drain completely. Put the pasta in a baking pan, add the ham, half of the french fried onions, 1 cup of cheese and mix well.
In a separate bowl mix cream of chicken, water, milk and seasonings. Pour over pasta and mix it well. Pre-heat your oven for 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes are over pour the left over cheese and french fried onions over pasta and bake for 5-10 minutes more or until the cheese has melted.

Delicious Lazy Night!!!!

I've learned to love to cook and how to do it in a way that it seems more like a hobby then a responsibility; but I also love not having to think what to make for dinner. I like days when I just get something out of the refrigerator and heat it up in the microwave.

Yesterday night was one of those nights; we got baked sweet potatoes from outback again (what an awesome friend my husband has) and a container half full of ham from another friend. The only thing I had to do was a salad to go with it, but I still had to do something with that ham (even though we could’ve just eaten it like that). I put some butter in a pan and heated the ham up that way, also made some brown gravy to go with it and the sweet potato. Ahh!!! Let me not forget I had some cornbread in the fridge and I also added that to the meal, so not bad for a lazy night.

Baked sweet potatoes, buttered ham, cornbread and a nice salad (lettuce, tomatoes, boiled eggs and some bacon bits) yummy!!!!

Have an awesome and blessed weekend!!!! Enjoy :)

Awesome Stove Top BBQ Rib Tips!!!!

Do you like ribs? Do you like A1 sauce? Well here is the perfect recipe for you. I had some rib tips in my freezer and was wondering how to cook them when I came across this wonderful recipe, I loved it and I think you'll love it to.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup steak sauce (such as A1®)

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/4 cup water

4 (6 ounce) country style pork ribs

1 onion, cut into rings (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whisk together steak sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic, and water in a bowl until smooth.

2. Place the pork ribs in a saucepan with a lid, and pour the sauce over the ribs. Spread raw onion rings over the ribs, and cover the pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and simmer the ribs in the sauce for 45 minutes, or until tender.

I had to try this with some white rice, so I set my rice cooker (which I love). Since it's just my hubby and I, I always make 1 cup of rice and 2 of water but this time added some chopped onions to the water to give it some extra flavor ( you don't have to add the onions, but they'll cook so well that you won't even taste them). My awesome rice cooker has a steamer part to just place on top and then put the lid, how awesome is that!!! so I put some broccoli in it and set it to cook.

Ok, I know you might be wondering, where is the finish product? Let me not forget that I super love baked beans so I added some to the plate. Ok, Ok!!! I won't talk anymore and will let you see the picture, even though I know you already scrolled down to see it. Well, enjoy!!!

Today I get to go to Golden Coral Dinner Buffet with some friends, so it will be until the next time. Lots of love for you and your recipes.

Mac & Cheese with a Twist!!

 

Every time I make Mac & Cheese from a box I have to add my own touch because I think plain like that is just too boring, maybe it's because I still don't have kids.

One of our friends is starting a new diet so decided to clean up the pantry and give out some of the things that were just going to be a temptation. Good for us because we got a lot of the things our friend got rid of. One of the things we got was the home style macaroni and cheese bag; yep they are so good but still boring to me.

Last night I decided I was going to try it, so what I did was follow the instructions on how to make it but when it came to the point of mixing the sauce I added some onions and some Dominican salami (yummy!!!!) cut up in small pieces to give it a twist. After it was done I also decided to put it in a baking dish and bake it (yes I had to) so added some shredded cheese on the top and the bread crumbs that comes in the bag.

It was delish!!!! I served it with some corn on the cob topped with butter.  Here are the pictures, hope you enjoy it.

 

Ultimate Peanut Butter Cookie n’ Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar

If you love brownies, Oreos and peanut butter cookies here is the recipe for you. My hubby is a lover of all three and he loved this recipe, I made for him last night for dessert (of course I also sent some to work with him I have to get this out of the house).

Ingredients:

1 box of brownie mix

1 box of peanut butter cookie mix or chocolate chip

Ingredients called in brownie mix and cookie mix

Oreo cookies

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix your cookie mix as directed in the box and spread it on the bottom of your baking dish. Top with a layer of Oreos.

 Mix together brownie mix; Pour the brownie batter over the cookie dough and Oreos. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 15-25 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting.

You will notice that the brownie is still a little gooey in the middle but it’s OK because that will moisten the cookies on the bottom and the Oreos. It is absolutely insane delicious!!!!!

Enjoy!!! Top it with vanilla ice cream. 

Chicken Green Enchiladas

Have you been in the position where you have no idea what you’re going to cook for dinner? Well, that’s where I was yesterday. I had taken chicken out to defrost but didn't know what to do with it, so sat on my couch and started browsing through my Pinterest to get ideas. As I was looking at the picture of some yummy enchiladas I said “hey, why not make enchiladas for dinner” so that was it, I had dinner all planned. I started gathering the ingredients and was talking to my sister on the phone, so she tells me to give it a twist and make it a little different than what the recipe said, of course I agreed with her and made them the way she told me. Oh boy!!! They were delicious and my hubby enjoyed them so much.

  

   

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless chicken breast

3 tablespoons sour cream

1 cup shredded cheese

1 tablespoon cut onions (small pieces)

8-10 flour tortillas

1 can of mild green enchilada sauce

3 cups shredded cheese

Seasoning to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish

Clean the chicken and season it with salt and pepper (I used my special seasoning). Cook chicken until no more pink juice comes out, wait until it cools down and shred it.

Mix the shredded chicken, sour cream, 1 cup of cheese and onions. In your baking dish pour some of the green enchilada sauce, disperse the mixture evenly among the 8 tortillas. Roll into enchiladas, and arrange in single layer in the prepared baking dish.

When all the enchiladas are arranged in the Pyrex, pour the remaining green sauce on them and the 3 cups of cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Enjoy!!! Don’t forget to add a spoonful of love. Feel free to add your own twist to it.

"Maple Glazed Ham Steak"

Yesterday was another busy day, lots of driving around but at least I got home earlier then Monday. Cooked some yellow rice (it came out delicious this time, I didn't use brown rice for this), steamed some broccoli and for the recipe of the night made “Maple Glazed Ham Steak”

Ingredients:

1 (1 lb.) ham steak
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions:

1 Mix together maple syrup, vinegar and mustard in small bowl.
2 Brush one side of ham steak with mixture and place glazed side down in skillet over medium heat.
3 Brush top of ham steak.
4 Cook over medium heat, turning frequently, until cooked through and glaze has thickened.

I didn't have maple syrup so I used honey instead and it came out delicious.  Like always my hubby was delighted and enjoyed his dinner until the last bite.  

Lasagna for Dinner!!!!

I’m back again!!! Had such a busy weekend and start of the week that didn't have time to post anything on here. Had a completely out of the kitchen weekend, going out with my husband. Sweet!!

Monday was crazy but exciting because I got to see my youngest niece that I hadn't seen in like 6 months and didn't get home until 6:20 pm. I wanted to make lasagna for dinner so before I left in the morning I took my ground beef out of the freezer to defrost and be ready for when I got back. My husband usually gets home at 6:45 pm so I thought I wasn't going to have time to make it, but I put on my speedy shoes and started to put all my ingredients together. 

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef (depends on the size of lasagna)

½ box Lasagna Pasta

Spaghetti sauce (About 1½ cup)

4 oz cream cheese

½ cup milk

Seasonings to taste

3 cups of cheese (or more if you prefer)

Directions:

Season your meat, cook it until is brown and drain. In some boiling water put your pasta to cook (make sure you get a big pan) in a Pyrex put some red sauce in the bottom and carefully start putting the pasta to cover it. Put some of your meat and spread it so it could cover all the pasta. Then add some more pasta to cover meat.

In a small sauce pan mix the cream cheese and the milk until it forms a cream (if is too thick feel free to add more milk), then pour it on top of the layer of pasta. Add the left-over meat and add cheese on top. For the last layer put more pasta and on top some red sauce spreading it all over and top it off with the remaining cheese.

Pre-heat your oven on 350 degrees and cook lasagna for 25-30 minutes or until your cheese is melted and golden.

This is my way of making lasagna!!! Enjoy it with a salad or your favorite side. If you don’t like ground beef, substitute it for chicken. 

By the way I did have time to have dinner ready when the hubby got home (he got home 30 minutes later than usual) just my luck!!!