So good, just so incredibly good!

Hey Guys,

Happy FRIDAY!!!!

I've been a little MIA but it's not that bad, hope I wasn't missed or anything.

So earlier this week I was sick. I stayed home and had 2 packs of Ramen Noodle soup. But I didn't want that I wanted REAL SOUP

So I whipped this little batch up in my Le Creuset Dutch Oven (OBSESSED)

Claiming this as my go to soup for the Fall. Chicken, Sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, butter, olive oil, corn, toasted sesame oil, chili powder curry powder and cumin. Emulsified and stewed topped with slivered almonds for a texture variation. Take THAT $7.49 soup from Hale and Hearty

Savory Fall Stew

3 Chicken legs 
1 Sweet Potatoe (diced) 
3/4c diced carrots
1 Spanish Onion (diced)
4 Cloves of Garlic 
2 TBSP of Butter 
2 TBPS of Olive Oil (EVOO is perfectly ok) 
1 bag of frozen corn 
1 dash of Toasted Sesame Oil
Chili Powder
Cumin Powder
Curry Powder
2 Knorr Chicken Stock Gel


Step 1: Heat up a pot large enough to hold 5c of water

Step 2. Add your olive oil, onions, carrots, and sweet potatoes and cook for 5 min then add your garlic. Let this sautee for about 3 min (do not let the garlic burn or else your stock is ruined)

Step 3. Add 5c of water and your chicken stock gel. Put the lid on and give it time to melt into the pot.

Step 4. Add the chicken legs and corn and let this boil on LOW for 20-30 minutes

Tip: I refrained from seasoning it in the early stages because I really wanted the natural flavors of my ingredients to be the stars of this soup. If you want a heavy taste on the dry seasonings then by all means add them in the beginning but if you're like me and wanted just a hint of it wait until the next step

Step 5: If you have an Emulsifier (hand held blender) take the chicken legs out and blend your soup until it's the consistency you want. Normally I like a super chunky texture, but this time I wanted something smooth and creamy so I blended until it was just that. If you do not have a handheld blender just pour the soup into your counter top blender and do it that way. Same thing! 

Step 6: Add the chicken legs back into the soup, and season. I did not measure this part, I went by my eye sight b/c I could tell how much was too much or too little. Add the dash of Toasted Sesame Oil and let it cook on low for about 30 more minutes. The longer you cook, the better it tastes! 


I garnished mine with some slivered almonds just for texture and enjoyed every moment of this soup

Time Keeps Ticking & I Keep on Cooking!!

Happy Thursday!!!!!! Personally I am READY for tonight because one of my favorite shows returns on We TV (Tamar and Vince) I'm definitely a semi-Tamartian and I cannot wait to see what's going to happen this season.

Ok here we go so last week in NJ it was cold, rainy, gloomy. Truth be told, I LOVE that kind of weather. I feel like when it's so nice outside i'm inclined to have to exit the house and go do something. That's all fine and well BUT let's just keep it real I am a VERY busy young woman and when I have the chance to do what is pleasing to me I do it. Don't get me wrong, I love to spend quality time with my family & friends but sometimes all I want is a blanket, some snacks, a beautiful smelling candle and my remote control. I don't pick up the phone, nor do I respond to text messages...WHY...because this is MY TIME to be 100% involved with no one else but Adhari.

I wanted dinner to be harvest like and comforting without all the additional calories. I'm finding new recipes to appease my cravings for good ole comfort food like my mother's mac and cheese (SWEET JESUS IT'S SO GOOD) so I made this gorgeous plate

Cast Iron Baked Chicken over diced White & Sweet Potatoes, Dried Blueberries and Onions
Green Beans 

1 Whole Oven Roaster
1 Onion (Vidalia is my preference)
2-3 White Potatoes
1 Large Sweet Potato
1/2 c Ocean Spray Dried Blueberries
1 bag of steam fresh green beans

Step 1: Thaw out your chicken and make sure you clean it really well. I normally use white vinegar to wash it off.

Step 2: With a sharp serrated knife split your chicken in half (you will need to break the backbone)

Step 3: Season the chicken with Salt, Pepper and Paprika (gives it a beautiful color)

Step 4: Dice your potatoes, onion and then mix in the blueberries (you can use cranberries too)

Step 5: Melt 1 tablespoon of Smart Balance or Olivio or Olive Oil in a large cast iron skillet and sauté the items in Step 4 until everything is coated with the binding fat

Step 6: Place the Chicken on top of your sautéed mixture (in the skillet) and put it in the oven. 375 degrees for 2 hours (check on it every 30min to make sure you're mixture is not sticking to the bottom of the skillet)

After 2 hours the chicken should look like the picture above. Crispy skin is what you're going for.
Steam some green beans or your favorite veggie and that's it.

*Tip* 
Let the chicken rest for about 15min once you take it out of the oven. Resting is a process a lot of chefs/home cooks use to allow the meat to restore it's natural juices so the meat is not dry. And there's nothing worse than your mouth salivating to devour a meal and then it's dry meat. BLEH

This is  GREAT meal to add to your Thanksgiving table as well. I like turkey but if I saw this I'd go straight for the chicken FIRST!

If you try this out please be sure to tell me about how you liked/disliked it. Be sure to LIKE my Facebook Fan Page as well.

Muah

Xo

Sunday Dinner

Happy Monday All!!

I didn't anticipate my entry being about food today because this blog is going to house all sorts of my favorite things. Feels like i've been posting all about food even though i don't have many posts just yet. I posted my dinner on my personal Facebook page last night and received quite a few inquiries on how to make the White Cheese Chicken Lasagna and the Tres Leche cake.



Let me first start off by saying that growing up in a household where my parents background & culture is predominately southern {Mom born and raised in Georgia and my Dad's family is from South Carolina} Sunday dinner was ALWAYS the most amazing meal on the planet. From September to May it was my mothers hands that prepared mac and cheese, collard greens, fried cabbage, corn bread so moist and thick that my nephew calls it "cake", and of course fried chicken, meat loaf {you get the picture don't you}. But from June to August it was my father's turn to lite his Weber grill {the smoker} and throw all types of chicken, ribs, fish, corn etc on it. Sunday's for my family were all about gathering around the table and enjoying a meal together that was more than what we'd get on a weekday. It was about family, there was no such thing as watching TV while you ate, we sat at the table TOGETHER as a family of 2 parents, 2 boys and 2 girls and even though our table only sat 4 it was nothing for chairs to be pulled up to the table so we could all fit.

With that being said, I have a personal connection to what Sundays mean especially in the winter...COMFORT FOOD.

So I pulled up my AllRecipes app on my iPhone and found the recipe for this White Cheese Chicken Lasagna and it was a HIT. I was a little worried about making the beschamel also known as white sauce but it was so creamy and yummy. So here is the recipe which I borrowed. This is not an original creation so I cannot take credit for it. I might not have followed it precisely to a "T" with my layering method. I also used fresh chopped spinach {uncooked} as it's own layer. With the pasta and the white sauce I needed to inject a heavy dose of greens into this meal to balance it all out.

Ingredients

9 lasagna noodles
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the butter until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the flour and salt, and simmer until bubbly. Mix in the broth and milk, and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Season with the basil, oregano, and ground black pepper. Remove from heat, and set aside.
Spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer with 1/3 of the noodles, the ricotta, and the chicken. Arrange 1/3 of the noodles over the chicken, and layer with 1/3 of the sauce mixture, spinach, and the remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Arrange remaining noodles over cheese, and spread remaining sauce evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with parsley and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven.

DESSERT

We're trying not to have so many sweets in the house. No ice cream, no cookies, no sugary snacks or salty for that matter. It's SO easy to watch TV and just indulge and we're trying to steer clear of high blood pressure and diabetes which really doesn't make what I am about to show you seem fitting but anywho....I wanted cake...BAD. And a very good friend of mine made this cake one night and we both fell in love with it so I gave it a try.



The recipe is pretty insanely simple, a child could make it {minus the alcohol}

1 box of golden vanilla cake mix {prepare and bake as per package directions}
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 can of evaporated milk
1 cup of whole milk
1/2 cup of coconut creme tequila {hecho in mexico} {{if you don't have this you can use coconut rum i think parrot bay and malibu sells it}

Bake the cake in a pan and let it cool COMPLETELY {do not rush this process}
Mix all of the liquid milk and alcohol together
With a fork poke holes all over the cake and do not forget to do the corners
Pour the liquid all over {you will see the liquid seep into the holes and you can Gently poke more holes to make more room for the cake to be soaked}

I waited about 1/2 hour to let the cake really absorb all of the liquid. Then I took the whipped topping {otherwise known as cool whip} and spread it on top to create a semi thick layer. I refrigerated it for 20 minutes because I like the coolness of the cake paired with the moisture in texture.

Voila ~ Tres Leche cake!

I hope you enjoy this meal, if you make it please post your comments below about your thoughts and if you altered it a bit.