I HAVE NO TIME FOR THIS, OK, MAYBE I DO.

             No time for stories this morning! I have guests coming, and I am my own housekeeper so I have to get to cracking! I will say that I am not a salad fan. But I do love the beefier varieties of the leafy plant family, such as collard greens, turnip greens and kale. Don bought 6 or 7 bushels of kale, so we needed to get rid of it quick, and voila. VERY SATISFYING! Make sure to let the kale break down, steam it briefly if need be, because that junk is stupid hard to chew almost raw. I kept thinking, "Am I hurting my mouth? Did it cut my tongue?". But no, its just very fibrous. Enjoy!

Massaged Kale & Butter Leaf Salad with Grilled Chicken

Ingredients 

Chicken Marinade 

• 1 1/ lb Chicken Tenderloins 
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup of hot sauce (Crystal’s)
• 3 tbsp of Olive Oil
• 1/2 tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tbsp onion powder 
• 1/2 tbsp fresh black pepper
• 1 tbsp of sodium free seasoning mix (Mrs Dash or the like)

Salad 

• 1 bunch of kale
• 2 tbsp of lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt 
• drizzle of olive oil
• 1 head of butter leaf lettuce 
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 orange or yellow bell pepper
• 1 clove of garlic
• 8 to 10 cherry tomatoes
• fresh black pepper
• Any other salad fixin’ that you like!

Salad Dressing

• 3 tbsp of olive oil 
• 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar 
• 1 tbsp of dijon mustard 
• 1 tbsp of honey or 1/2 tbsp of agave nectar
• fresh black pepper

1- Marinate the chicken. Crush garlic cloves and mix all marinade ingredients in a bowl. Combine the mixture with the chicken in a large Ziplock bag. Shake well and coat the chicken. Open the bag and expel all the air until the bag is flat. Using a food mallet, pound out chicken. Let marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. 

2- Using kitchen shears, trim the leaves from the kale stalks and tear into small pieces. Place in colander and rinse well with cold water. If you have a salad spinner, go ahead and use it to dry the kale. If not, than just vigorously shake the kale in the colander. 

3- Put the kale in a large bowl, and pour the lemon juice and drizzle of oil over the kale and sprinkle with salt. Massage the kale with your hands for 3 minutes. The salt and lemon juice will help break down the kale. 

4- Slice the bell pepper and the yellow onion. In a medium pan, sauté the onions and peppers for about 3 or 4 minutes. Crush garlic cloves, add to pan and cook for 60 seconds. Set aside to cool. 

5- Cut the butter leaf leaves off the stalk. In a colander, rinse with cold water. Spin in salad spinner, or just shake in colander well. Chop into smaller pieces and add to the bowl the the kale. 

6- On a grill or griddle, cook chicken until done, 4-5 minutes each side. Set chicken on a plate, and allow to cool for a few minutes. Dice chicken into small pieces. Add to lettuce and kale mix.

7- Slice tomatoes, add to bowl. Add the onions & peppers and sprinkle with pepper. 

8- In a small bowl, mix the dressing ingredients well. Pour over salad. Toss all ingredients and enjoy!

Fried Chicken - sans the "Fatty, fatty, 2x4 feeling".

              Hello fatties. This is one of my FAVORITE recipes. I had heard of oven fried chicken for some time, but never attempted to make it. It was in March or April, towards the end of the cherry blossom season and I came to DC to visit Donnell. We went over to his friends Narda & Malik's house for supper the last night I was in town. Narda served her EXCELLENT oven fried chicken, and I have been trying to recreate it ever since. I tried to get creative and make up my own recipe, but the truth is Narda's chicken is the best oven fried chicken there is. I have made a few modifications, but not much. And I know a lot of people tend to prefer white meat, but that's a bunch of nonsense. It takes a long time to bake in the oven, and so you need the fat content from the dark meat to keep it from drying out. This would go very well with my recipe for Healthier Collard Greens and big bowl of mashed potatoes! Also, if you don't eat this chicken with Crystal's hot sauce, you're doing yourself a disservice!

OVEN FRIED CHICKEN

Ingredients 

• 12 chicken drumstick 
• 3 t0 4 cups buttermilk  
• 1 cup hot sauce (Crystal’s, preferably)

• All purpose seasoning (Lawry’s, Tony Chachere’s, Goya’s Adobo or the like)
• Salt 
• Pepper 
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• 3to 4 cups of all purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• Nonstick Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 400˚

Now, if you want your chicken to be extra juicy and flavorful, follow this first step. It is not mandatory, the chicken will still be delicious. 

Note - You can use any cut of chicken, but they won’t all cook the same. White meat will dry out on you, so its best to use dark meat, bone in. 

Marinade 

• In a large bowl, mix buttermilk and hot sauce. 
• Place in either a large bowl, large plastic sack or a large Tupperware
• Add chicken and make sure the chicken is fully submerged. Cover or seal well.
• Allow chicken to sit anywhere from 4 hours - overnight. 

Chicken 

- Be careful with the seasonings. I don’t measure out the spices, and all you need to do is make sure that the chicken in entirely covered. Go easy with the salt, the Adobo I use already has some salt in it. 

4- Place the flour in a pie tin. 

5- In a bowel, crack the eggs and beat well.

6- Line two large cookie sheets with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with a generous layer of the cooking spray. 

 7- Dip the chicken in egg and shake off the excess. Then dredge the chicken in the flour, and coat evenly. IT IS SUPER IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THE ALL THE EXCESS FLOUR IS KNOCKED OFF. A light layer of flour is essential to making sure the skin crisps up properly. 

8- Lay each piece of chicken on the cookie sheets. Take the cooking spray and spray the chicken well, making sure that no flour is left exposed and white. 

9- Place pans in oven, with plenty of space in between the racks. 

10- Allow to bake for about 15-20 minutes. After that, check on the chicken. Turn the chicken every few minutes. After the first time you turn the chicken, apply a little more cooking spray to keep the frying process going. 

10- Bake for another 15-20 minutes. Internal temperature needs to reach 165˚ or you can cut the chicken to make sure it’s cooked all the way through. 

11- Make sure to have plenty of Crystal’s hot sauce on hand to serve with the chicken! 

1- If you marinated the chicken, drain the buttermilk away using a colander. 

2- Lay out several layers of paper towels and lay chicken down, pat dry. 

3- Sprinkle the chicken with the all purpose seasoning (I use Goya’s Adobo), garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper. Coat evenly. 

- Be careful with the seasonings. I dalt, the Adobo I use already has some salt in it. 

4- Place the flour in a pie tin. 

5- In a bowl, crack the eggs and beat well.

6- Line two large cookie sheets with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with a generous layer of the cooking spray. 

 7- Dip the chicken in egg and shake off the excess. Then dredge the chicken in the flour, and coat evenly. IT IS SUPER IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THE ALL THE EXCESS FLOUR IS KNOCKED OFF. A light layer of flour is essential to making sure the skin crisps up properly. 

8- Lay each piece of chicken on the cookie sheets. Take the cooking spray and spray the chicken well, making sure that no flour is left exposed and white. 

9- Place pans in oven, with plenty of space in between the racks. 

10- Allow to bake for about 15-20 minutes. After that, check on the chicken. Turn the chicken every few minutes. After the first time you turn the chicken, apply a little more cooking spray to keep the frying process going. 

10- Bake for another 15-20 minutes. Internal temperature needs to reach 165˚ or you can cut the chicken to make sure it’s cooked all the way through. 

11- Make sure to have plenty of Crystal’s hot sauce on hand to serve with the chicken! 

Tex Mex isn't as horrid as you may think.....

          Growing up in New Mexico, I became accustomed to what is known as "New Mexican cuisine". It's has it's own brand of flavor and flair. For one, it's very spicy. And secondly, it is accompanied by one of two sauces, red or green chile. Some people don't get it, but to me, there is nothing better than a big ole dish of pretty much anything savory, slathered in red chile (granted that it comes from the right cook).
          Now don't get me wrong, a lot of you know that I LOVE TEXAS. I love the cities, many of my best friends and family members reside there, and my family's roots are in Texas. But when I first moved to the the Lone Star State, I found the "Mexican" food to be lacking. I grew to like their spin on Mexican food, it's not bad, just different. Rosa's Tortilla Factory is one of my all time favorite restaurants, and it's virtually fast food.
           There is another Tex Mex joint in Lubbock that is a little more high end, called Abuelo's. One of  my favorite dishes comes from their lunch menu, the Chorizo Chicken Medallions. Juicy chicken breasts, stuffed with a spicy chorizo sausage mixture and covered in a cheese sauce. So I have done y'all a favor and recreated it for you to the best of my ability. Enjoy!

Stuffed Chicken

With Chorizo, Shrimp and Feta Cheese

Ingredients 

• 3 or 4 large chicken breasts (with rib meat)
• 10 to 12 ounces of chorizo sausage
• 3 garlic cloves (peeled and bottoms cut off)
• 10 to 12 large uncooked and peeled shrimp prawns 
• 1/2 medium yellow onion
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 4 tbsp hot sauce (preferably Crystal’s)
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups of Italian or panko bread crumbs
• Salt and pepper
• nonstick cooking spray

Cheese Sauce

• 2 tbsp of butter
• 2 tbsp of all purpose flour 
• 2 cups 2% or whole milk
• 1 cup, soft white cheese (Gruyere, Muenster or goat)
• 1 cup, sharp cheddar cheese
• Salt 
• pepper

Preheat oven to 375˚

1- In a food processor, combine first 8 ingredients. Set aside. 

2- Take chicken out of store package, set in a colander allow to drain in the sink. Lay down several layers of paper towels on the counter, and place chicken on the towels. Cover with several more and pat the chicken dry.

3- With the chicken still covered, pound out the chicken with a food mallet, to about 3/4” to 1” thickness

4- On a cutting board, using a serrated blade, carefully cut pocket into the center of each breast. The pocket should nearly run the length of the breast, but be careful not to allow the blade to puncture the opposite side of the chicken breast. Cut all pieces in the same manner. 

5- Liberally fill the pockets with the chorizo/shrimp mixture. 

6- Using a toothpick, secure the open side of the chicken breast. 

7- In a pie pan, crack the two eggs and beat well. 

8- In another pie pan, spread out the bread crumbs

9- in a 9” x 13” Pyrex pan, coat the bottom evenly with nonstick cooking spray. 

10- Dip each breast into the egg mixture, and dredge the chicken in the bread crumbs on each side, coating well. Place in the Pyrex pan. Spray the top of the chicken with the cooking spray as well.

11- Place in oven. Allow to bake 35-45 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165˚. 

12- Take the chicken out of the oven, and set aside on a plate to cool. Once cool enough, slice the chicken breast into medallions and transfer to a plate.   Cover with cheese sauce, and then promptly stuff your face. 

In the meantime, make the cheese sauce. 

1- In a large sauté over medium heat, melt the butter. 

2- Once melted, sprinkle the flour evenly over the butter. Using a whisk, mix the flour and butter well, until combined. Allow to cook for only a minute until the mixture begins to bubble, and turn slightly brown. 

3- Start to slowly add the milk, 1/2 a cup at a time. Using the whisk, blend the milk in well. Allow to continue to cook, until the sauce begins to thicken.

4- Add cheese 1 cup at a time, mixing well. Once all cheese is added, allow to continue to cook. Taste, and add salt and pepper to taste. 

Don't forget to remove the toothpicks!

From the mouth of babes

           I first tasted this recipe in Richmond, Virginia. Donnell and I were visiting his friends Gerry & Jenn Quindoza and their sweet kiddos. Their eldest daughter, Anne-Claire, was responsible for introducing this recipe and Jenn served it to us that weekend. DELICIOUS! And yes, as a brother from Alpha Chi Delta pointed out, this recipe can easily be found just by Googling for it.
            BUT, what's the name of this blog? Jake-Makes-It-Better. And that's what I did. I am not gloating for having bested an 11 year old girl (even though I sort did anyway, jk), I am simply stating that I took a good recipe and made it great. Trust me.

African Peanut Soup

Ingredients 

- 3 tablespoons olive oil

- 2 medium onions, chopped

- 2 large red bell peppers, chopped

- 6 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, with

liquid 

- 8 cups chicken stock (Kitchen Basics)

- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
- 2/3 cup extra crunchy peanut butte
- Uncle Ben’s 90 second Microwave Brown Rice 
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tbsp. italian blend seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. ground mustard
- 1 tsp. crushed red pepper 
- Salt & pepper to taste

I add a pound of pealed & cleaned shrimp (diced well) or a pound of deboned chicken thighs (diced). With the shrimp, just add the shrimp towards the end and allow to cook until the shrimp turns pink. With the chicken, spray a sauté pan with PAM, and lightly saute, but don’t cook all the way through. Add to soup, and any drippings from the pan. Also, adding andouille sausage (chopped well) would probably be amazing. 

ALSO - If you want this to be a vegetarian, just use vegetable stock!

1- Dice onions and peppers. In large stock pot, heat 3 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat, add onions and peppers. Allow to cook until tender, 7 minutes or so. 
2- Crush garlic cloves with a garlic press, add to stock pot. Allow to sauté 60 seconds. 
3- Add crushed tomatoes, spices and chicken stock. Lightly salt and pepper at this step, you can add more at the end if desired. 
4- While the pot reaches a boil, microwave the brown rice according to the directions. Add to the pot. 
4- Bring to a full boil, reduce heat and cover. Cook about 10 minutes. 
5- Add peanut butter and stir well. 
6- Taste, and add more salt and pepper as needed. 

Come on to my house, a-myyyyy house, I'm gonna give you MARINARA.

Good morning y'all!

This is one of my favorite kitchen staples. This marinara recipe is very versatile, and it freezes beautifully. It's great as a dipping sauce or as a spaghetti sauce. It's fairly basic, so feel free to play around with it. Adding ground beef, veal, turkey or chicken will pair wonderfully. Mind you, if you're adding ground turkey or chicken, you will need to increase the amount of seasoning to the meat itself, or else it will turn out rather bland. I'd even go so far as to suggest adding another onion and a few cloves of garlic while you're browning the meat.

And while I do encourage creativity in the kitchen, if you change to recipe more than just a little bit, feel free to not tell people where you got the recipe. If you can see this, more than likely you're a friend (or the friend of a friend) and I think very highly of you, but I am not sure what you'll be serving. So go ahead, be a braggart, and don't give me credit. (Again, this is out of fear that you may have messed up my labor of love) Please and thank you. Bonne chance!

Jake’s Homemade Marinara

Ingredients

• 2 medium Spanish onion
• 2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 8 gloves of garlic
• 2 can diced tomatoes (No salt added, preferably)
• 4 Tbsp of Italian blend seasoning (Feel free to use fresh herbs, just remember to use less. Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Marjoram, Rosemary, etc.)
• 2 can tomato sauce 
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 tsp Sriracha chili sauce (Omit, if you don’t like spice, wimp)
• 1 & 1/2  cups chicken stock (Kitchen Basics)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive Oil

1- Dice onion. Add 4 tbsp of olive oil to a large sauté pan, sauté onion over medium heat, about 6 minutes.

2- As soon as you add the onion to the pan, cut each cherry tomato in half and then add to pan. (after onion has sautéed for about 6-7 minutes by itself)

3- Using a garlic press, crush all 8 gloves of garlic, add to pan and sauté about 90 seconds. 

4- Add the remaining ingredients (only add a little salt and pepper at this point) and stir well, allow to cook over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to stand for about 5 minutes. 

5- Using an immersion blender, blend all ingredients well. Taste the sauce at this point, and add salt and pepper to taste. 

This recipe goes well anytime you need an all purpose tomato sauce. Add a pound of ground beef or turkey, or meatballs. DELICIOUS. 

Gird your loins....... I am about to give you my favorite recipe

        Growing up in New Mexico as little Jake, life was pretty straight forward. I pretty much knew what was going down on any given day. My sisters were older and more cool, as were my older cousins, too. I loved hanging out at my grandmother's house. During the summer, we got to play in the pool any time we wanted to. Hanging out at Merce's house wasn't all sunshine though. Since I was under age 5, I still had to take naps. I'd imagine Merce's play pin dated from the 1950's, and had a top that could be closed.This was not only a security measure, making sure that the child could not escape, but also insured that the small occupant was fairly terrified.
        Church was big part of growing up too. Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights, all the Stewarts could be found at 920 N 1st Street. For at least six months out of the year, there would be a kid's class during the actual worship service. But for the other six months, it meant my little behind had to sit through the entire service, which was very difficult. The only thought that kept me going (other than the fact that is was probably better for all if I just fell asleep) was that there was going to be a delicious meal waiting for me at home. Whether it was at my mom's, my grandmother's or one aunt's homes, it was going to be great. But my favorite dish was my mom's Sunday roast beef! She would wake up very early on Sunday morning, assemble the roast and get that bad boy roasting. There is nothing like coming home and having the robust aroma flooding the whole house! And now I am going to bestow you the greatest thing you will EVER get in your life............

Becky Jean's (My Mom) Sunday Roast 

With Jake's special spin

First, before you even buy the piece of beef, get thee a proper Dutch or French Oven. I would recommend Le Creuset, but if the price point isn't agreeable with you, Lodge makes good cast iron pots too. 

Ingredients 

- 1 Chuck Roast, sized according to your needs

- 2 to 3 Tbsp of Montreal Steak seasoning

- 2 medium Spanish onions 

- 2 cans Campbells Cream of Mushroom Soup

- 2 packets, Lipton's Onion Soup Mix

- 2 cups of good quality Beef or Chicken Stock

- 1 cup of water

- 5 to 6 large carrots 

- 2 garlic gloves 

(If you like potatoes to cook with your roast, add them as you like. I feel that is a bunch of nonsense and boobery, so I will not be helping you with that)

For Gravy 

- 1/2 cup of chicken stock (for a lighter gravy)

OR

- 1/2 cup of heavy cream 

- 1 1/2 tablespoon corn starch

Preheat oven to 225˚ F

1- Coat chuck roast in Montreal steak seasoning, cover with tin foil and refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight.

2- In Dutch oven, combine the two soup mixes, stock and water. Stir well. 

3- Slice onions into thin strips and add to the dutch oven. Crush garlic cloves with garlic press, add to dutch oven as well. 

4- Place chuck roast into Dutch oven. 

5- Shave carrots, cut into 4" pieces, add to dutch oven. 

6- Place dutch oven in the oven and bake for 4 hours. 

7- Remove the roast from the dutch oven and place on a large serving platter, cover with tin foil. 

8- Fish out the roasted carrots and place on the serving platter. 

9- Using an immersion blender (or hand mixer, if you don't have one) blend the rest of the juice and drippings in the bottom of the dutch oven. Blend until smooth. 

10- In a 2 cup measuring cup, mix the heavy cream with the corn starch, mix well. (Or if you want to make the gravy lighter, use the chicken stock)

11- In a small pot, over medium heat, combine the cream mixture with the gravy base. Allow to reach a low boil, then turn off heat. 

12- Transfer the gravy to a proper gravy boat, and make sure to smother your roast beef in this righteous gravy. 

PS - IF YOU DON'T SERVE MASHED POTATOES WITH MY ROAST, YOU ARE WRONG!

WRONG!