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!