leftover tacos

This was a simple way to use my leftover jerk chicken and rice. So i heated up the chicken and rice and put a corn tortilla in the toaster oven. When the chicken and rice was heated through I took the mixture and put it on a tortilla. This is just a simple way of using leftovers. Just take whatever you think would taste good on a tortilla, and heat it up. Once its heated through put it on a tortilla and eat like a taco. Its pretty easy and you can have a totally different experience with ingredients that you thought would not go together. Enjoy!

Cajun Jambalaya

One of the only true cuisines that can claim is truly an American cuisine might be Cajun and Creole cooking indigenous to Louisiana. Cajun and Creole cuisine is very different from any other cuisine in America because of the people who settled in Louisiana. Acadian, Native American, Spanish, Italian, African, and Caribbean influences have shaped creole and Cajun cuisine. It is important to understand that Creole and Cajun cuisine are two different things. Creole cooking is for the most part associated with the city of New Orleans. Cajun cooking is usually associated with the country surrounding New Orleans. One of the most common dishes in the Cajun repertoire is Jambalaya. Jambalaya is a one pot meal filled with veggies, rice, chicken, and or shellfish. It is heavily seasoned with Cajun spices such as cayenne pepper. My friend Liz spent time in Louisiana and wanted to make something from there  so I was on board from the start. For this Jambalaya you will need, chicken, shrimp, andouille sausage(if you cannot find andouille you can use chorizo or kielbasa), onions, green bell peppers, celery, tomatoes, garlic, cajun seasoning, bay leaves, rice, chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Cajun Seasoning usually contains paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, thyme, and oregano.

To start the jambalaya, we chopped onions, celery, and green bell peppers. This combination of vegetables are called the holy trinity in Cajun and creole cuisine. Just as the French have mirepoix, which is carrots, celery, and onions, the holy trinity is the Cajun and Creole version of mirepoix. We sauteed the holy trinity for 3 minutes. After that we added the chopped tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. After this cooks for a little bit we added the rice and the broth slowly. The heat should be put to medium after the rice is added. The rice should cook for 15 minutes with occasional stirring. After this add the seasoned chicken, shrimp, and sausage. Cook the meat with the rice for another 10 minutes. After this be sure that the seasoning is right. If it needs more salt add more salt. If it needs more pepper, add more pepper. If it needs more Cajun seasoning, add more of it. This is a great meal for a cold day, it just warms you up. It is also a great meal because you cook it in one pot. I hope this makes you explore the cuisine of Louisiana even more. Enjoy!

Ya Mon

I had heard great things about Ya Mon, a new Jamaican restaurant so I finally decided to order from there. I loved going to One Love, another Jamaican restaurant, but it is a long walk and Ya Mon is much closer to where I live. I love Jamaican food. It is very different from any other cuisine and that's what makes it that good. I ordered two of the most ubiquitous dishes in Jamaican cuisine, Jerk Chicken and the Beef Patty. Jerk Chicken is usually marinated with scotch bonnet pepper which are extremely hot, allspice, thyme, scallion, garlic, and salt. The chicken is grilled to perfection and served with rice and peas, and fried sweet plantain. The beef patty might be the snack food choice of Jamaica. It is sort of like an empanada. The patty is stuffed with a beef, onion and scallion. IT is then baked. Ya Mon also has other Jamaican delicacies such as the national dish ackee and saltfish and curry goat. They also serve many different variations of mac n cheese. This I don't understand because mac n cheese is not Jamaican. Besides the mac n cheese, Ya Mon is wicked delicious and worth the money. It is on Park Ave in front of Spiritual Haze in Worcester. It is very close to Clark's campus which is good because if you go to Clark you should check this place out. Enjoy!

Chicken and Black Bean Chili

I have come to the conclusion that most people love Chili. There are so many different variations that you can satisfy anyone. This is one of the variations that I make. I first slice onions and saute them in some oil for 2 minutes. I then add diced carrots and saute them for another 2 minutes. After the carrots come the diced green bell pepper. Saute the bell peppers for another 2 minutes. I then add some seasonings like salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano. After I cook in the spices for a minute I add the sliced chicken. I brown the chicken on both sides before adding more of the same seasonings plus parsley and thyme. Next comes the drained black beans, chopped garlic, and sriracha. I then add some water to cover and I let that simmer for 15 minutes. After that I add some roux which oil mixed with flour. It is a thickening agent used in French cuisine. If you want gravy, you have to make a roux. When the chili has thickened it is ready to serve with tortilla chips and cheese. Enjoy!

shake and bake fried chicken

Tonight I made fried chicken with my friends. We were unorthodox in our method of making our fried chicken. We used Shake and Bake. We cut the boneless chicken breasts into bit size pieces. For the Shake and Bake, we had to moisten the chicken with some water, and then shake it in a bag with the mix. Once the chicken was fully coated, We fried it in oil. To get the oil to right temperature, let it heat up on medium to medium high heat for a couple of minutes. A good trick is to splash a little water in the oil, if the oil splatters it is hot enough. For a side dish we made cheese veggies. We boiled potatoes, broccoli, and green peas. In another pan, I melted some butter along with some oil. Once the butter melted, I added flour to make a roux. A roux is a classic thickening agent used in French cuisine. It is important to stir the flour with the fat so the flour cooks out. I then added some milk. For the roux to work its magic, the milk has to come to a boil first. When it comes to a boil, I reduce the heat and add the cheese gradually. I then added some adobo seasoning, paprika, and black pepper. I then put the cheese sauce on the veggies. If you don't like broccoli in this sauce there is something wrong with you. Enjoy!

Snack Time: Grilled Cheese

Grilled Cheese is a comfort food classic. Whenever you had a bad day, you could always ask for a grilled cheese sandwich and everything would cease to matter. With a side of tomato soup it is a great meal. For a snack, grilled cheese is a great. You can have just one and you can feel satiated enough to keep on truckin'. For the grilled cheese you need bread and cheese. In a pan with some butter, I grilled the bread until the cheese melted. Grilled Cheese is pretty fool proof. It is very easy to make and its delicious. Enjoy!

Wings!

A staple part of any sensible college student's diet is chicken wings. Boneless or regular, wings are great. Wings are great because you can customize it with whatever sauce you like. From BBQ to regular buffalo sauce, wings are delicious. There are two places in Worcester that I like to get wings from. There is Wings Over Worcester, and there is Wing It Up. A couple of days ago I ordered boneless wings from Wings Over Worcester. I chose honey BBQ and red alert buffalo sauce, which is level 3. I usually get blue cheese on the side. I don't like ranch with my buffalo wings. Enjoy!