BOOOOOOOOOOO! The holidays are over.

          Merry belated Christmas, you turkeys! I hope most of you had a good holiday with your family, I know I did. We spent the first part of the week in New Mexico with my family, then we spent the rest of the week in the Phoenix area with Donnell's parents. I always look forward to Stewart Family Christmas and this year was no exception. It was Don's first Stewart Christmas and he was greeted warmly & enjoyed getting to know everyone. Likewise, this was my first holiday with his parents. They graciously opened their lovely home and it was good to have a chance to get to know them better. 
          But wouldn't you know it? All week, I was using the "mind over matter" school of thought to combat what I was pretty sure was a cold (and some bourbon too, if I am being totally honest). And after a relatively crapulent red eye flight from Sky Harbor to Thurgood Marshall BWI, the cold took full effect. The cold seemed to say "Hey guess what, a******, not only do you have to go to work tomorrow, but you'll also feel like you have a mild case of the Black Plague". What fun! 
          Griping aside, I am glad we are home and that we, along with our families, had a great holiday. AND MY SWEETHEART TURNED 39! Happy birthday, babe! We went to Seasons 52, one of our favorite restaurants and he picked up a lovely pair of soft, Italian leather loafers as his birthday present. 
           I have been meaning to get this recipe posted for ages and have not been on task. But, here it is! This halibut recipe is outstanding and one of our favorite recipes. It's filling and satisfying, no matter what time of the year. MAKE THIS! 

Baked Halibut and Sautéed Vegetables

Ingredients

-       1 ½  to 2 pound of halibut filets

-       2 small zucchinis

-       2 small yellow squash

-       1 medium yellow onion

-       1 to 2 fresh tomatoes

-       3 to 5 cloves of garlic 

-       1 tablespoon Italian blend seasoning

-       salt and pepper to taste

-       ¾ cup crumbled feta

-       non-fat cooking spray

Fish marinade

-       1 bottle of Italian or Greek dressing

Preheat Oven to 450˚ F

1-    Using a large bowl, place the fish in the bowl and pour the entire bottle of dressing over the fish. Move the fish around using a spoon and make sure the fish is submerged. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

2-    Dice the onion into small pieces. Spray a large, non-stick pan with the non fat cooking spray. Over medium heat, add the onions to the pan and spray the onions with the cooking spray as well. Sauté for about 3 minutes.

3-    While the onion cooks, dice the squash and zucchini. Combine the two in a bowl and set aside. Next, dice the tomato and put in a separate bowl.

4-    Finely dice the garlic. Use as much or as little garlic as you like (I PREFER A LOT OF GARLIC).  Sauté for about one minute, or until fragrant.

5-    Add the squash and the zucchini to the pan and stir. Add the Italian seasoning. Sauté for about 4 minutes or until softened. Add the tomatoes to the pan and stir again. Cook until the tomatoes start to break down, about two minutes. Salt and pepper according to taste.

6-    Remove the fish from the marinade bowl, and allow the excess to drip off. Place the fish in a 9” x 13” Pyrex baking dish, and sprinkle the top of the fish with salt and pepper.

7-    Ladle the vegetable mixture over the top of the fish evenly.

8-    On a plate, using a fork, break the feta cheese up into tiny bits. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the vegetables.

9-    Place the dish in the preheated oven and allow to bake for 15 minutes. Allow the  fish to rest for about 3 minutes before serving.  Et voila!

Eating healthy AND LIKING IT. ( Said in a domineering tone )

         Recently, we started committing to cooking and eating healthier. Don is being very disciplined about it and I applaud him for his resolve. I myself, have not been as stringent. I have had moments of weakness.
         Yes, I ordered myself a cheese bagel with light chive cream cheese and bacon from Bagels, Ect. yesterday morning. I was immediately struck down by justice's swift sword. When I opened the bag, I did not find my custom ordered bagel, I found a vegetable bagel with too much cream cheese. It was really bothersome, but I didn't let it weigh me down. I had even more upsetting meal earlier in week that evoked two of the worst feelings, guilt coupled with buyer's remorse.

Devastation.

          It was a cold, glum day and I was feeling particularly sorry for myself for no particular reason. First thought: get somethin' real greasy for lunch and put some cheese on it. "That will cheer me up", I says to myself, I says. So I go to a chain fast food restaurant and ordered their new sandwich, which was purported to be delicious. In reality, it was disgusting and I took two bites and returned it to its box. I was left to eat my french fries and ponder my life choices. 

         The upside of this new diet we implemented is that we are both excellent cooks and have really been rocking the mall with all of the BS healthy recipes. I have been very pleasantly surprised by how awesome some of our new dishes have turned out. I made this recipe up before we started the regiment, but the only real oil is non fat cooking oil spray. So it's not 100% on the level, but it's a hell of a lot better than deep-frying. 

FIRST! BEFORE YOU START COOKING, WATCH THIS SAUCY MINX TEACH YOU HOW TO ROLL EGG ROLLS. 

If you aren't familiar, they're easy to mess up and then you'll miss out on the hot mess that posted this video to YouTube. Fast forward to 2 minutes in, that's where she starts rolling. 

Come on to my house, aaaaaaaa-my house, I'm gonna give you......... some stuffed peppers

Today kicked my posterior, so rather than grace you some of my glittering wit, just read my recipe and make it! Ya hear? Ok........... BREAK! 

Jake's Stuffed Peppers with Chicken

Stuffed Peppers 

Ingredients 
4 green bell peppers
1 pound ground chicken 
1 yellow onion 
3 strips turkey or pork bacon 
4 cloves of garlic 
1 medium zucchini 
1 roma tomato 
1/2 cup green or kalamata olives 
1/4 cup of chicken stock 
1 tablespoon of cornstarch 
2 teaspoons of garlic powder
2 teaspoons of onion powder 
2 tablespoons of fresh chopped basil 
salt and pepper to taste 
1 cup good quality store bought marinara sauce 

Preheat oven to 375˚ F 

1- Dice the onions. Over medium heat in a large frying pan, sauté the onions with non fat cooking spray. 
2- Dice bacon into small pieces, and add to the onions. 
3- Finely chop the garlic. Once the onions are tender, add the garlic to the pan. 
4- Dice the zucchini, add to the pan. 
5- Add the ground chicken to the pan. As it cooks, continue to break up the chicken into small bits with a spatula. 
6- As the chicken browns, dice the tomato. Once the chicken is nearly done, add the tomato to the pan. 
7- Dice the olives and add them to the pan. 
8- Heat the chicken stock in the microwave. Once warmed, add the cornstarch to the chicken stock and mix well. 
9- Turn heat off, pour the chicken stock/cornstarch to the pan and stir well. Allow to rest so the stock will thicken up. 
10- Cut tops off the bell peppers and remove the cores, seeds and veins. 
11- Fill the peppers with 1/4 of the meat mixture. Top the peppers with 1/4 cup of marinara. 
12- Bake for 45 minutes until peppers are visibly cooked through and the top edges are starting to brown. 

Enjoy! PS, adding chicken sausage to the meat mixture is not a bad idea. Also, adding grated parmesan cheese to the top of the peppers isn’t a bad idea either. 

PSS- Also, adding some tomato paste and tomato sauce to the meat would really primo too! 

Can we still be friends and you'll start reading my blog again?

Hey, you turkeys. It's been a long time since I have posted to my blog, but why deprive the world of my amazing recipes, glittering humor and awkward life situations? THERE ISN'T a good reason! Miss you, love you, bye. That's all the attention you get for today. 

Jake’s Famous Lamb Shepherds Pie

Adapted from Rachel Ray’s 30 Minute Shepherds pie. Made righteous by Jake Stewart.

2 lbs Ground Lamb

1 yellow onion

4 large cloves of garlic 

1 teaspoon, ground mustard 

1/2 teaspoon, ground cinnamon 

1 or 2 teaspoons, dried oregano

1 or 2 teaspoons, dried basil 

1 or 2 teaspoons, season salt

2 teaspoons, fresh ground black pepper 

1 cup of frozen peas and carrots 

2 tablespoons of butter 

2 tablespoons of all purpose flour

2 cups beef stock (Kitchen Basics)

2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire  sauce

3/4th a tablespoon of corn starch (If necessary)

3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes 

1 cup of sour cream 

1/3 cup of whole milk 

Salt and pepper to taste (For mashed potatoes) 

Dried Parsley 

Paprika

Bring about 3-4 quarts of water in a large stock pot. Rinse the potatoes well, cut them into quarters, add to pot and salt the water generously. Allow to boil until fork tender, about 10-15 minutes. Watch closely, or the starch will cook down too much. Drain potatoes and place them back in the stock pot to cool. 

1- Dice the yellow onion. In a large sauce pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté onions until translucent (5-8 minutes). In the meantime, thinly slice the garlic. (DON’T CRUSH THE GARLIC!!!)

2- Add Garlic to pan with onions and stir well. Allow to sauté about 60 seconds, or until fragrant. 

3- Add the ground lamb meat to the pan. Allow to brown, but make sure you’re properly separating the meat evenly so this browns well (make sure you’re incorporating the onions and garlic). While the meat sautés, add the six spices and stir well.

Note- I like to over season meat, feel free to play with the spices. The amounts listed here are less that what I generally make shepherd’s pie with. 

4- Once meat is cooked, turn off heat and allow to rest and cool for a minute or two. Place your colander in the sink and place the meat in the colander. Using the backside a spoon or spatula and press the fat out of the lamb. It’s very fatty and needs to be drained.Allow meat to sit and drain, about 5 minutes. 

5- In a smaller sauce pan, heat the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the flour and stir vigorously with a wisk. Allow to bubble for about 10 seconds, stir again, but be careful not to burn. Slowly start to add the beef stock to the butter/flour mixtue. Continue to stir in the beef stock, still using a wisk. Add the Worcesterhire. Allow the sauce to simmer (If the gravy isnt had think as it should be, in a separate bowl, add 3/4th's a tablespoon of cornstarch to an extra 1/2 cup of beef stock and mix well. Add to the sauce, should help thicken nicely. Salt and pepper to taste. 

6- Return the drained lamb meat to the large sauce pan. Over medium heat, add the gravy and the peas and carrots to the meat and mix well, and heat everything through, about 4 minutes. Turn off heat. 

7- Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes well. Then add the sour cream, milk and salt and pepper to taste. Mash well again until smooth. 

8- In a 8” x 11” casserole pan, ladle out the meat mixture and smooth it out. Then top with the mashed potatoes and distribute evenly. Evenly dust the top of the potatoes with the parsley and paprika. 

9- Turn broiler on to 450˚ F, bake for 5-10 minutes, until top of the potatoes is browned. WATCH CAREFULLY! Don’t burn them. 

Now go eat your heart out! 

GET SOME SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS, SON.

Everyone needs this recipe..... 

Delicious, rich, flavorful, and leaves you feeling virtually guilt free.

Turkey Sausage and Peppers

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Turkey Sausage (Mild or Hot)\
• Olive Oil
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 2 small yellow onions
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 14.5 oz can of salt free diced tomatoes
• 1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
• 1/2 can of (or 3 oz) tomato paste
• 1 cup sodium free chicken stock
• 1 & 1/2 tbsp italian blend seasoning
• salt 
• pepper 

1- In a large sauté pan, heat three table spoons of olive oil over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, lay down all the sausages. Sauté until well browned on either side. Place on a plate and set aside. Turn off heat. 

2- Dice the onion and pepper into long thin strips. Turn heat back on to medium. Add the onion and pepper to the pan, saute until tender

3- While onions and peppers are cooking, chop the garlic finely. Add to pan with peppers and onion, stir and allow to cook about 60 seconds. 

4- Add 1/4 cup of red wine to deglaze the pan. Open all three cans of tomato product. Add to pan and stir, bring to slight boil. Add the other 1/4 cup of wine and the chicken stock 

5- Add spices to pan, salt and pepper to taste.

6- Return sausages to pan and push them down to the bottom of the pan. Allow to cook for about 15 more minutes. Turn off heat, and allow to stand about 5 minutes. Serve as you like, over noodle or by itself. Enjoy!

La dee da dee, let's have a PARTY!

Jake likes a party.

It’s no secret that I like a good time. Moreover, I like throwing parties at our house. There is much joy to be found in planning what hors d'oeuvres you’ll serve, what kind of drinks will be offered, what (if any) decorations will be needed, and of course a guest list. An added bonus, you get to complain to others about the  rigors of party planning. 

For myself, my favorite part of getting ready for a party is preparing the food. Don’t get me wrong, I see nothing wrong with laying out charcuterie plates, or hummus with crudités or even big bowls of popcorn, chips and assorted nuts. I like to go the extra mile and put a little love into the party experience. And lets face it, after everyone’s had their third cocktail, the cook instantly becomes everyone’s hero. Here are a few of my favorite recipes. 

Oven Fried Ravioli

Ingredients 

• One package of Butoni 4 Cheese Ravioli (20 oz, any brand of refrigerated or frozen ravioli is just fine) 
• 3 Eggs 
• 3 cups of italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 Jar of marinara sauce (Newman’s Own Sockarooni is my favorite) 
• Salt and pepper

If you buy frozen ravioli, make sure you lay it out to thaw completely. 

Preheat oven to 375˚, line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. 

1- Using a pie tin or shallow bowl, place breadcrumbs. In another pie tin or shallow bowl, crack all three eggs and beat thoroughly, sprinkle salt and pepper in eggs. 

2- Start dredging the ravioli. First dip the ravioli into the eggs, allow the excess egg to drip off. Then dip the ravioli into the breadcrumbs and coat well. 

3- Line the ravioli on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle the tops of the ravioli with salt and pepper. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned. 

Serve on a platter with the marinara sauce. If you are hosting a large group, just double the ingredients. 

Phyllo Triangles

Ingredients 

• 1 box of store bought phyllo dough (in the refrigerator cases) 
• 1, 16 oz package of Jimmy Dean Hot sausage 
• 1, 8 oz package of cream cheese
• 1 jar of marinara sauce 
• cooking spray
• 4 tbsp of melted butter

Pull out the phyllo dough about an hour before to thaw. 

Preheat oven to 350˚

Watch the video below about how to fold phyllo triangles. Use only one thin sheet of phyllo at a time. 

1- In a large pan, sauté the sausage until evenly browned (no pink left). In a colander, drain the fat away from the sausage. Return the sausage to pan lower the heat all the way to the lowest level. Add cream cheese and mix it well into the sausage. Turn off heat. 

2- Lay out the two strips of phyllo dough. Spray the length of the dough with cooking spray. MAKE SURE YOU’RE ONLY USING 1 SHEET! Place about 1 tbsp of the sausage cheese mixture at one end and fold like the video shows, sort of like how you fold a flag. 

Brush the last end of the phyllo dough with the butter and to help seal the triangle. 

3- Place on a cookie sheet, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until brown. Serve on a platter with the marinara in a bowl. Enjoy!

How to Fold Phyllo Dough

AND I'M BACK!

         Hello, you turkeys. It's been a minute since I last posted a new recipe, but there has been a lot going on. The highlight so far, WE GOT TO GO TO THE SUPER BOWL! And it was an absolute blast. New Orleans was great, our friends are always a blast to hang out with, and the energy of being at the Super Bowl is truly awe inspiring. I am not a big sports fan, but it was still an awesome experience. But, then you come back to real life stuff; school, work, dogs, my amazing cooking, friends, church, family, brunch. Ya know, the usual. Hmmmmm, let's see, there has to something else going on this month. Oh, that's right.

MY BIRTHDAY!

Not quite sure what's going on tomorrow for the actual day, but the day after that, we're off to Miami, FL. Again, not 100% sure what all will happen when we are down there, but I know a good time is in store for us. Enjoy this recipe, you pavos (that's Spanish for turkey). 

Sauteed Spinach and Artichoke

Ingredients 

• 27 oz of bagged spinach
• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 14 oz can of marinated and quartered artichokes
• 1/2 tbsp of crushed red pepper
• 3 tbsp of grated parmesan cheese

1- Crush garlic cloves in a garlic press. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic saute for one minute, or until fragrant. 

2- Add spinach to pan, all at once. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil. Allow the spinach to sit and wilt for about three minutes, and then stir and cover again. 

3- Once the spinach is wilted, add the crushed pepper and also any salt and pepper you’d like to add. Remove the pan from heat for a few minutes. 

4- Open the can of artichokes, and drain the liquid. Dice the artichokes into small pieces. Return the pan to the heat and add artichokes, stir well. 

5- Once everything is heated through, turn off heat. Add the cheese, and stir. Serve warm! 

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.