Recipe #11 Quick Quesadillas!

The cousin of our favorite basic cheese-sandwich: The Quesadilla! A quesadilla can be made in mere minutes and can include meats, veggies, and plenty of toppings for a simple yet filling meal!

(Prep Time: 2-5 minutes       Cook Time: 5-7 minutes       Serves: 1 Half-Quesadilla)

Ingredients:

• 1 Tortilla
• About 2-3 handfuls of cheese (4-6oz)
• Any additional meats of toppings (such as onion!)

Tools:

• Small Plate for assembly
• Knife and cutting board (if you add meat or veggies)
• Spatula
• Griddle or Pan

Directions:

• Crease a tortilla in half along the diameter and fill one half with as much cheese as desired
• Fold the unused half of the tortilla across the cheese
• Transport the quesadilla near the griddle
• Warm a griddle at high heats and allow to warm up
• Once warm, use the spatula to carefully move the quesadilla onto the griddle
• Allow one side to brown and the cheese to begin melting
• Once browned and par-melted, flip and allow the same for the other side
• Remove from the griddle, cut with a knife or pizza-cutter, and enjoy!

Tips:

-Don't flip early, unless you want a cheesy filled mess all over the griddle.That is very hard to remove from a griddle...trust me..

-To add meat, imply stuff it in before the cheese and cook slightly longer on the griddle. Same applies for veggies.

-Serve with salsa, Guacamole, and Sour Cream (its good)

Recipe #10 Easy, Storable Breakfast Burritos

It can be a stressful time each morning getting ready for school; getting up, cleaning yourself up, finishing that english paper you should have finished last night, and breakfast. While I cannot finish your english homework, I can help you make breakfast as easy pie. Or in this case burrito. This recipe is quite dandy because in under an hour, you can easily make a couple weeks worth of breakfast! Imagine not needing to cook breakfast for 3 weeks! Additionally, these burritos can heated up in your microwave for a quick and easy meal without having to splurge 15 dollars for 4 breakfast bowls from the local supermarket. Enjoy! 

(Prep Time: 10-15 minutes   Cook Time: 30-40 minutes   Serves: 20-25 burritos [depending on size] )

Ingredients: (might seem like a lot!)

• 8 slices of Bologna (8 oz)
• 1 Lb of Bacon
• 1 Can of Spam (12 oz)
• 1 Lb of Chorizo
• 30-36 eggs
• 24 Tortillas

Tools:

• 1-6 large pans or Skillets (depends on whether you make all kinds of burritos or just one kind)
• Wooden Spoon
• Small bowl for whisking
• Fork or whisk for eggs
• Small butcher knife
• Steak Knife
• Cutting Board
• Lots of napkins or paper towels

Directions:

-Potatoes:

1. Slice up about 2 potatoes on a small cutting board and place on well-oiled and hot skillet
2. While they cook on one side, season one side with seasonings such as as garlic powder or rosemary
3. Flip the slices after they have begun to brown and cook the other side
4. Set aside for use in the burritos

-Chorizo Burritos

1. Crack and scramble about 6-8 eggs with appropriate seasoning (go crazy)
2. Brings a large pan or skillet to medium heat and squeeze chorizo into pan
3.  Stir with a wooden spoon until the chorizo has begun to brown and sizzle
4. Pour your egg mix and potatoes onto the chorizo and stir around
5. To more evenly cook, smash the mix up with the spoon while mixing
6. Once the egg and chorizo has cooked, turn off the heat and move the mix to a large plate
7. Dab the chorizo-egg-potato mix with paper towels (you know which dab i'm referring to hopefully) and divide into even parts 
8. Warm up some tortillas over a hot flame (use a pair of tongs if you are a beginner) and place your breakfast mix onto the tortilla
9. Roll up in a tortilla, roll  the burrito in a napkin or paper towel and store/eat!

-Bologna Burritos 

1. For this burrito, it would be suggested to use a large frying pan with butter.
2. Dice up your bologna with a clean knife and cutting-board and toss them into a greased pan on medium heat
3. Once the bologna has begun to round and brown, toss in your potatoes and 6-8 eggs
4. Repeat steps 4-9 under Chorizo Burritos

(not to scale)

-Bacon Burritos

1. Bring a skillet to medium-high heat and once heated, layer strips of bacon across the length of the skillet
2. Using Long Tongs, flip the bacon every couple minutes until desired crispiness has been reached (warning: Hot Grease warning)
3. Lay the bacon on a plate covered in napkins to absorb the grease away
4. Cook eggs and potatoes in a large frying pan and lay on a separate plate
5. Repeat steps 8 and 9 under Chorizo Burritos

-Spam Burritos

1. Open a can of spam on a cutting board and cube it. Season and move to a hot skillet
2. Fry up until the spam has begun to change from pink to dark red and the consistency has solidified throughout
3. Repeat steps 4-9 of Chorizo Burritos

Tips:

-don't try to make too many burritos at a time unless you have lots of time! While the skillet can be reused over and over again with a simple rinse, pans will pile up and require constant cleaning

-Skillets usually wok better than pans for these recipes because they already come non-stick without the oily taste of cooking oil or butter

-Cheese can always be added to increase the weight of each burrito!

Reheating and Storage

-To store, wrap each burrito up in napkins or paper towels and store 5-6 burritos cooled in air-tight baggies 

Each bag of burritos can be stored up to a month in advance for eating

To reheat, simply microwave both side for about 30 seconds each and serve warm. Be careful, they will be hot!!!

(Just Cause)

Recipe #9 Shrimp and Sausage Spaghetti in Pesto Sauce

Coming home from a long day of work..err..school leaves me exhausted and quite hungry. It's always delightful to come home, ask my mom what's for dinner, and tasting those delicious meals every evening. This post will be dedicated to one of those creative and tasty dishes she makes, Shrimp and Sausage Spaghetti in Pesto Sauce. Enjoy!

(Prep Time-5-10minutes       Cook Time-30-35 minutes      Servings-About 7-8 medium sized bowls)

Ingredients: 

• 2 medium-sized jars of Prego Basil Pesto Sauce/Alfredo Sauce
• 1 1/2-2 boxes of spaghetti noodles (1 1/2-2 lb.)
• 1 1/2 lb. of pre-cooked bay shrimp (so you don't have to clean shrimp if you don't want to)
• 1 package of raw Italian Sausages (about one half to one link per each person eating)
• Italian Seasoning
• Salt
• Butter

Tools:

• One large pot for spaghetti
• Colander
• Tongs
• Large spoon for stirring spaghetti
• Large pan for cooking the sauces and meats
• BBQ/grill
• Small wooden spoon for stirring sauces
• Small steak or cook's knife

Instructions:

(This recipe can be a fairly interesting way to test multi-tasking abilities. For this dinner to work out, the sausages and pasta should be at cooked about the same time, whilst the sauce should be cooked lastly [after the sausages have been cooked and the pasta has been partially cooked])

-Sausages

• Clean grill thoroughly and preheat grill or BBQ to low/medium-low heat.
• BBQ the sausages to desired doneness (about 10-12 minutes each side)
• Once grilled, use a cutting board and knife to cut up the sausages into thin slices

-Pasta

• Fill large, flat-bottomed pot with water and bring to a rolling boil
• Place noodles into a pot and dash a couple tablespoons of salt in. Stir every 30-60 seconds until the noodles are al-dente

-Sauce

• Heat a few pats of butter into a large pan bring the pan to medium/medium-high heat
• Once butter is melted, add the jars of sauces into the pan and stir.
• Once the sauce has begun to simmer, add the shrimp and sliced sausages into the sauce 
• Continue to simmer until the shrimp and sauces has cooked thoroughly
• Serve pasta first, then top with sauce and meats!

Tips:

-Make sure to be on your toes for this recipe. Learning what item to cook first will make sure that the sausages won't burn, the noodles won't stick, and the sauce stays creamy!

-Serve with bread and butter, this little side always tastes good with pasta!

Recipe #7: Carne Asada Fries!

First of all, I'd like to give a shoutout to all my pears! Just kidding, but I would like to give a shout out to my mentorship at Cantina Grill Restaurant for teaching me how to create this very delicious plate. 

While first learning how to cook behind the kitchen and stoves of Cantina Grill, my favorite recipe to watch and help create was the Carne Asada Fries. It isn't that hard to create this delicious American-Mexican combination and maybe you too can try this recipe out as well!

(Prep Time: 20-30 minutes       Cook Time: 10-15 minutes      Servings: One Plate- about 2 people)

Ingredients:

• 3 handfuls or about 4-5 ounces of Fries (Oven-Ready can be easier to make but home-made or freshly-fried fries taste better)
• 2-3ounces of Carne Asada (pre-marinated)
• 1/2 cup of refried beans
• 1/3 cup of Chopped Tomatoes
• 1/4 cup of Chopped Onions
• Cheese, mixed blend, shredded (your choice on how much to add)
• Sour Cream
• Guacamole
• Cilantro

Tools:

• Wooden Spoon
• Butcher or carving knife
• Cook's/Chef's knife
• Grill or griddle for cooking Asada
• Small serving spoon, even a tablespoon
• small cutting board

Directions:

-Fries:

• Oven-Ready: Set oven to 450 and cook for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown
• Frying: Place fries in a deep fryer or in a skillet with oil for about 5-8 minutes at 350 degrees. When cooked, dab with paper towel to absorb excess oil

Asada:

• Place your Asada onto a grill or griddle at medium heats until charring begins to form on end, about 5 minutes per side

Preparation:

• Using the cutting board and a chef's knife, dice up your tomatoes, onions, and cilantro for garnishing.
• Fresh Guacamole can be made (later recipe) while waiting for the fries to cook or the asada to grill
• Fry up a can of refried beans or refry a skillet of beans from an meal earlier that weak

Assembly:

1. Layer your fries into a flat layer on the plate, then drizzle beans across the top of the fries (even layers=even bites)
2. Using a butcher knife, chop up the carne asada into small cutlets and evenly disperse the cutlets over the beans.
3. Apply generous helpings of cheese across the plate (the more the better, I always say!)
4. Though I would recommend the oven or an overhead broiler, microwaving actually works okay in this case. Microwave the plate until the cheese has begun to melt onto the beans, fries, and asada.
5. Garnish the fries with your chopped tomatoes and onions and top with chopped cilantro
6. Layer on guacamole and sour cream for a creamy dip atop your fries 
7. Ta-da, one delicious plate of Asada-Fries!

Tips:

• These fries don't have to just be Carne Asada! Pollo Asada, Carnitas, Pastor, and all other Mexican grilled meats taste delicious with beans, cheese, and fries!

Post #16: Strainers vs. Sieves

This one will be short one today. This post came to mind after writing my recent pasta-cooking post where I mentioned the use of colanders to strain pasta. A colander is constantly confused with it's very similar cousin, the Sieve.

A colander looks like this:

 

A colander is usually a wide-brimmed, plastic of metal bowl with large round holes punched into them. It has a flat bottom and can stand up on it's own with ease. 

A colander is used primarily for the use of straining water out of pasta, rice, or soups.

The commonly mistaken cousin of the colander is the Sieve. The Sieve is usually just a wire or metal basket with a handle. The metal has very fine grates or holes throughout the base used less for straining and more along the lines of finding and collecting solids.

The sieve is used to scoop out solids from soups, usually meats, vegetables, and large spices. The smaller shape is used to search smaller regions of a bowl or pot, compared to a colander which indiscriminately  drains all liquids away.

This tool is useful for scooping out unwanted fats, spices, and excess ingredients as well as for making broth from thick soups. 

Another alternative tool is the french Chinois.

 

The chinois is considered a better quality sieve, with a thinner collection area that can be used for mashing or for pastry sifting.

Post #15: Cooking Rice Easily!

The staple of empires, the builder of civilization, and the sustenance for millions around the world: Rice! Whether you like it spicy, fried, hispanic, or in a delicious jambalaya, everyone has eaten or at least tried this staple grain.

The concept of coking rice is a fairly simple process, though difficult to perfect. While at first, your rice might turn to mush or become hardened, practice makes perfect. You cannot make a perfect pot of rice without failing a couple times.

Cooking Rice follows three basic steps:

-Rinse

-Cook/steam

Rest

A fairly rule to remember is to use about 1.5 to 1.75 cups of water for every cup of rice. Rice needs to absorb water to cook and to expand in size. If the rice proves too mushy or loses shape, use less water or cook for less time. If it becomes too hard, use less water next time around. It's all about experimentation.

Soaking/Rinsing:

• While not necessary, preemptive soaking helps to improve grain size and create purer or cleaner tasting rice.
• Soak until they expand to their fullest size, then drain to allow the dirty water to be flushed away.

Cooking: 

• The most common form of cooking Rice is through the Absorption method. This method involves filling a pot with water, dispensing the wanted amount of rice and allow the rice to absorb and cook using the hot water.
• Constantly stir softly until the water has evaporated (but do not lose all of the steam!)
• Remember that steam from 5 seconds ago? Once the water has almost evaporated away, turn the flame off and allow the steam to cook the rice the rest of the way through (taste-test often for best results).
• Let the rice rest for a few minutes, then serve!

Your rice should be slightly sticky, soft, and tender!

Another alternative is to use a rice cooking/steamer such as this:


These machines combine the whole process of cooking rice and usually have space for steaming veggies as well! If you want to buy one, buy cheap and for the long-term!