Dan's Chicken with Mashed Potatoes

You can never have enough chicken dishes. This is something that I have learned. The more chicken recipes you have the better. This one comes from my friend Dan. I contributed the mashed potatoes.

Dan Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:
chicken breasts
a can of cranberry sauce
soy sauce
lemon juice
salt and pepper

Method:

Combine the cranberry sauce, lemon juice, and soy sauce until it is thoroughly mixed. Then put the sauce over the chicken in a baking dish and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and you have a delicious dish.

Mashed Potatoes Ingredients:
Quartered Potatoes
garlic poweder
salt
pepper
butter
milk

Method:

Bring a pot of water to boil. Then put in the potatoes and cook for about 15 minutes or until tender. Once tender, strain and put back into the pot. Then add the seasonings, butter, and milk. Finally put the masher to the potatoes. Mash until its the consistency of your liking. Enjoy!

Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

This might be one of my favorite dishes to make because it is easy to make, and it is loved by most people so its always a hit. This is sure to be a favorite of yours once you have made it.


Ingredients:
Sliced chicken breast
abobo seasoning
salt
pepper
a bag of frozen broccoli
paprika
red pepper flake
pasta

Method:

While a pot of water is boiling for the pasta, slice the chicken. Once the chicken is sliced, I put it into a pan with some oil and saute. I cook the chicken for about 4 minutes and then I add the seasonings. When the pasta is half way done I add the broccoli to the chicken. The broccoli will be done by the time the pasta is done. If you must have this with grated Parmesan cheese go ahead, but it really doesn't need it. Serve with a side salad and you have a delicious and nutritious meal. Enjoy!

candied bacon

The possibilities are endless when it comes to cooking bacon. When you add sugar to the bacon it becomes sweet, salty, fat, and delicious. The combination of the sugar and the bacon leaves you wanting one more bite. This is the recipe my friends Dan, Adam, and I made.

Ingredients:

2 cups Dark Brown Sugar

Bacon

Cinnamon

Method:

spray two cookie sheets with Pam nonstick spray or any other kind of nonstick spray. Then place the bacon on the cookie sheets. Then sprinkle the bacon with cinnamon and  1 cup of brown sugar. Place in a 400 degree oven and cook until the first side is browned which is about 8 minute. Then flip the bacon over and put more cinnamon, and the other cup of brown sugar and cook for another 8 minutes. There you have it, candied bacon. mmmmmm delicious! Enjoy!

fried cookie dough

I think it is safe to say that when you batter something and deep fry it, it instantly becomes even more decadent and delicious than it was before. For instance an Oreo cookie is much better fried than on its own. I decided to make a dish in that it had to good by itself. I thought of cookie dough. Yes, deep fried cookie dough. It is really easy to make if you follow my recipe.

Ingredients:
a tube of chocolate chip cookie dough
two eggs beaten
a tablespoon of water
flour
breadcrumbs
oil

Method:
I like to just rip apart the cookie dough and eye ball the size of the them. The size should be about the size you would use if you were baking them. I then coat the cookie dough in flour, then the beaten eggs with the tablespoon of water, and then coat them in breadcrumbs. I don't have a deep fryer, so pan fried them in a skillet. Once you have all of the cookie dough battered, I fried them for 45 seconds on each side. I like to fry them for a short amount of time because I like to have it oozy if that is even a word. Serve them as is, or with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and a cherry on top if you wanna get fancy. This is definitely a food that would be described as heavenly. Enjoy!

Annie's Clark Brunch

After a night of overindulging, there should always be a great diner in the area to cure the hangover that you probably have. Being a student at Clark University, I am thankful for the existence of Annie's Clark Brunch. It has all of the usual diner breakfast favorites from omelets, eggs, massive pancakes as big as the plate it is served on, and two varieties of hash. They also have great lunch options as well so  if you wake up closer to noon you have the option of getting lunch. I usually get two fried eggs with spicy steak hash, toast, and home fries. With a cup of coffee, I guarantee your head will feel just right after a night of drinking too much. For any Clark student, going to Annie's is a must do thing. If you haven't been there then there is something wrong with you. Clarkies, this one is for you. Enjoy!

Drinktime: Victory Storm King Imperial Stout

This is beer is for beer drinkers. If you don't drink beer or have a taste for it this is not for you. I stumbled upon this beer yesterday wanting a dark beer because it was kinda chilly last night. I usually like to drink darker beers when it is colder. This is a perfect beer for a cool or cold night. It has a very high alcohol content for a beer at 9.1%. It is very delicious and a good choice if you like your beer to be dark and robust. The Victory Brewing Company in out of Downinghton, Pa. I would recommend checking out any of their other beers. I have had their Golden Monkey which is a Belgian style ale. Overall I would give Storm King two thumbs up. Its a beer I would purchase again.Cheers!

Drinktime: Porkslap Pale Ale

My very good friend Colin and I are what you would consider beer geeks. We love Beer. We seek out new beers constantly. Porkslap is a great beer that I had not tried before but is a favorite of my friend Colin. We obviously had this with the pork chops I made yesterday. It is pretty mild pale ale. The hops you can subtly taste and its very delicious. It i brewed by Butternuts Beer & Ale which is out of Upstate New York.Yes I know its in a can, but lately microbreweries and regional brewers have decided that beer in a can is not that bad after all. So I challenge you this weekend to give Porkslap a try. It has one heck of a name, so why not try it. Enjoy!

Pork Chops with Caramelized Apples

This is a dinner that is absolutely delicious. The combination of apples of pork go together so well. This dish will be part of your repertoire  of recipes. 

Ingredients for pork chop:

Four Pork Chops

one onion sliced

2 tablespoons of McCormick Smokehouse Maple spice

1/2 cup of beer

2 tablespoons of maple syrup

one tablespoon of garlic powder

salt and pepper

oil

2 apples sliced

2 teaspoons of sugar

tablespoon of chili garlic paste

teaspoon of cinnamon

Method 

I like to marinate the pork chops before cooking them. For the marinade, I combine the beer, maple syrup, garlic powder, McCormick spice, and salt and pepper. I marinated the pork chops for about 20-30 minutes. I then cooked onions in some bacon fat and oil for 2 minutes. I then added the apples and caramelized them with sugar, and cinnamon. I cooked the apples until they looked soft. I then cooked the pork chops for 4 minutes on each side with some McCormick spices. I served the pork chops with potatoes and broccoli. This is a satisfying meal that hits the spot. Enjoy!

Fried Rice

This is a great recipe to have when you have leftover rice. I like to make rice and then put it in the refrigerator for a day so that the rice gets to a perfect consistency for frying. You can put anything in the fried rice you want to. If you want chicken, onions, fried eggs, an scallions you can do that. Its all up whoever is making it. This is my version of fried rice

Ingredients:
leftover rice that has been in the refrigerator for a day.
leftover meat from my short rib recipe
half a chopped onion
1/3 cup of soy sauce
tablespoon of sesame oil.
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Method:

In a wok or a frying pan if you dont have a wok, saute the chopped onions for about 2 minutes on medium heat. Then I added the chopped up left over short rib meat from the night before. I heat that through for a minute. I then added the sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice. I stir fried the rice and meat mixture until the ingredients were fully incorporated and were heated through. That is fried rice. Make it your own by putting whatever you want into it. Enjoy!

Braised Short Ribs and Rice

Braised short ribs are a favorite dish of mine.This is a perfect dish for a cold day. It makes your stomach feel all warm and good. It is an easy dish in that you can leave it in the oven and it will get better the longer you leave it in.  Here is the ingredient list:

Ingredients
beef short ribs
1 onion
2 chopped cloves of garlic
sliced onion
1 chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup of salsa verde
1/2 tomato sauce
1 cup of salsa ranchera (if you cannot find salsa ranchera you can use any regular salsa)
1 tablespoon of cumin
salt
pepper
two strips of bacon
1/2 tablespoon of oregano
1/2 tablespoon of parsley
1/2 tablespoon of thyme

Method:

In a pan on medium heat, brown the strips of bacon. When the bacon is browned I take it out of the pan and brown the short ribs on both sides with salt and pepper. When the shortribs are browned on both sides, I take them out of the pan and put them in a baking dish. Then I saute the onion and peppers for two minutes. Then I add the salsa and the tomato sauce to de-glaze the pan. I then add the herbs and cumin. When the sauce is cooked I pour it over the short ribs. I then put the short tibs in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. After the first 30 minutes I bump the heat up to 415 for another 30 minutes. Then after that I bump the heat up again to 425 for the last 30 minutes. I serve over rice and you have a very delicious dish. Enjoy!

Homemade Steak Fries

If you research the cuisines of the world, you might find that the majority of them cut potatoes and then fry them in hot oil. It is a fact that as humans we love french fries. Talking about them will just make you wanna drop whatever you are doing and buy some of them or if you have the ingredients you can make them yourself. Here is a recipe for Steak Fries. Thick cut wedges of potatoes covered in oil and spices. Then baked in the oven. 

Ingredients:

four large potatoes, cut into wedges. (I like to keep the skins on because they taste good and they have some nutrients in them)

tablespoon of garlic powder

tablespoon salt

tablespoon pepper

tablespoon paprika

half a cup of vegetable oil 

tablespoon of sesame oil

Method: 

Once you have the potatoes washed and cut, combine the spices and oil with the potato wedges until thoroughly mixed. Place on a baking sheet and place into a preheated oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes I like to flip the potatoes so each side gets equally browned. I then bake them again for another 15 minutes. I flip them again and cook for 10 minutes and after that they should be golden brown and delicious. Serve with ketchup or just stuff them into your face because they are that good. 

Drinktime: unique jello shots

For a special day here at Clark University, my friends Sara and Lisa made special jello shots. These are really cool and delicious at the same time. These jello shots are unusual in that they are in hollowed out strawberries and oranges.

My friends followed the jello recipe on the box of jello. My friend Lisa said she replace the cold water with the alcohol. She used one cup of boiling water. For the lime jello she used Pineapple Jack rum. Citrus vodka in the strawberry and orange, and regular vodka in the blackberry. If you make these jello shots your friends will probably think of you  in a better light because of your creativity. Shout out to my friends Sara and Lisa for making these. They were delicious and I admit that they were very creative. Enjoy!

Pork and Chicken Tacos with Rice and Beans.

This is a version of taco night. I marinated the chicken breasts and boneless pork chops. I served it with Mexican rice and re-fried beans. Here is the recipe for the pork and chicken:

Marinated Pork and Chicken Tacos
Boneless pork chops
2 chicken breasts
mesquite seasoning
salt
pepper
Italian seasoning
chili garlic paste
half an onion sliced
olive oil
cumin
For the Tacos and the garnish
mozzarella cheese
corn tortillas
salsa verde
diced onions

Method:
cut the chicken into strips. Then combine the seasonings in a bowl and mix them with the meat. Make sure that the meat is fully coated with the seasonings. Marinate for 30 minutes. You can marinate the meat longer if you wish for more flavor.  Then in a pan with some oil cook the meat about 5 minutes on each side on medium high heat. When meat is done chop the meat into bite sized pieces.

Tacos:
Take two tortillas and place some of the cheese between the two tortillas. Place the tortillas in the toaster oven until they are pliable. Then take the tortillas and place some of the meat on the tortillas. Then place the diced onions and salsa verde. With that you have a a great taco to serve along side beans and rice.

Mexican Rice:
1 cup of uncooked rice
salt
2 cups chicken stock
cumin
1/2 cup of tomato sauce
half a diced onion
garlic powder
oil

Method:
Heat a pan to medium heat and with enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the rice and saute until golden and puffy. Then add the onions and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the tomato sauce and the chicken stock. Stir to incorporate. Bring to a boil and then when its at a boil bring to a low heat and cover for 20-25 minutes.


Beans:
I have leftover re-fried beans so i just reheated those. If you do not have any re-fried beans left over, use the recipe I made earlier on the blog. Enjoy!

Baked Goods

  Sometimes baking sweets just need to be done. Homemade brownies, and cake just taste that much better when you make it yourself. Being a novice baker at best, I rely upon the baking mix to my baked goods. I made funfetti cake with chocolate frosting, brownies, and peanut butter cookies. I just bought the mixes and followed the instructions on the box. Enjoy the baked goods!

Chicken and Chorizo Stew with Potatoes

This is a really good dish to have on a cold or cool day. Its a stew that does not take long to cook like a normal stew. Here are the ingredients:

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
one link of chorizo sliced
one onion chopped
one clove of garlic minced
tablespoon of oregano
teaspoon of rosemary
tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds
teaspoon of sesame oil
2 tablespoons of parsley
salt
pepper
tablespoon of cumin
a small can of tomato sauce
water
Chopped potatoes

Method:
With the chopped onion saute in a pot with some oil and sesame oil for two minutes. Then put in the sliced chorizo and cook for another two minutes. Then add the garlic, rosemary, parsley, oregano, and cumin. saute that for two minutes. Then add the tomato sauce and water. Bring this to a boil and then add the potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes and then add the chicken breasts which should be sliced. Cook this for about 15 minutes and add the toasted sesame seeds at the end. Serve with pasta, rice or serve as is. It is a very hearty meal and I guarantee you will like it. Enjoy!

Molletes

This is a dish that I was introduced to a couple of year back when working with Mexicans at a kitchen job I had. They decided that they make something Mexican which was different from the typical American fare that we would make. Molletes are a sort of open face sandwich. They are made with a roll topped with re-fried beans, cheese, salsa verde, pico de gallo, and meats ranging from chorizo to chicharron.

Ingredients:
Re-fried beans(use the recipe from this blog)
sub rolls/ or hot dog buns
chorizo
salsa verde
mozzarella cheese

Method:
In a pan steam the chorizo for about 8-10 minutes. Cut the sub roll or hot dog bun in half. Then spread some of the re-fried beans on top of the halved bun. Then spread the mozzarella cheese on top of the re-fried beans. When the chorizo is done let it cool before slicing on a diagonal. Top the cheese with the chorizo and stick in the toaster oven to melt the cheese. When the cheese is melted put the molletes on a plate and top with salsa verde. There you have it folks. That is how you make Molletes. They are delicious and you should try them because they are addictive. Enjoy!