chicken quesadilla

Quesadillas are one of my favorite foods to eat. Its cheesy, crunchy, salty, and spicy. It is great dunk food, and will set you right at the end of the night. This recipe utilizes leftover chicken to make chicken quesadillas.

Ingredients
two tortillas
1/4 cup of cooked and chopped chicken
cheese
salsa

Method:

Place the chopped chicken, salsa, and cheese on one tortilla. Cover the cheese with another tortilla and cook in a pan until both sides are golden brown and the cheese has melted. Enjoy!

EVO

When people think of Worcester, MA, they would not think about good restaurants. There are in fact some great restaurants in Worcester, MA, that would be good anywhere. EVO is one of those places. They have a wide variety of menu items that will satisfy every diet on the planet. They have good hamburgers, pizza, and entrees alongside gluten free, and vegan fare. I have had their burgers and the american Kobe burger and the Phat Albert are fantastic. The Phat Albert is EVO's version of the juicy Lucy, which is a stuffed cheeseburger. The pizza is also good. When I went today for Mother's Day I had the hanger steak and it was pretty tasty. It came with mashed potatoes, and green snap peas. Overall, EVO is a great place to eat and its close proximity to Clark University, makes it a great place for students to go out. Enjoy!

chicken croquettes

This chicken dish is perfect for leftover chicken. These fritters are delicious with hot sauce or barbecue sauce.

Ingredients:
a cup of leftover chicken chopped
breadcrumbs
2 eggs
salt
pepper

Method:
Take whatever leftover chicken you have and chop it up into pieces. Then in a mixing bowl,  combine the chopped chicken with breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and the 2 eggs. Mix well and portion into patties. Cover the patties into more breadcrumbs and pan fry. Fry on each side for about 2 minutes per side or until both sides are golden brown. Enjoy!

Cooking with Beer: Chicken braised in beer

There are endless recipes for chicken. You could probably eat a different chicken recipe each day of the year. This recipe utilizes beer as a braising liquid. It is a very delicious one pan dish that has potatoes,onions, and peppers as well as the chicken. I like to use chicken thighs because I think they have more flavor and don't dry out like breast meat.

Ingredients
Two strips of bacon
sliced onion
red and green bell peppers
roasted red peppers
sliced potatoes
chicken thighs
beer
oregano
chopped garlic
parsley
thyme
maple smokehouse seasoning
salsa
green olives

Method:

In a pan, render the bacon. When the bacon is browned,remove and add the chicken which has been washed, dried, and seasoned with salt and pepper. Place in the pan with the skin side down. When the skin side is browned, turn and brown the other side. When both sides of the chicken are browned add the sliced potatoes and cook until they are brown on both sides. When the potatoes are done, add the onions and cook for two minutes. Then add the sliced peppers and cook for two more minutes. Then add the chopped garlic, green olives, and the herbs and spices. Cook for a minute and then add half the beer and 1/4 cup of salsa. Make sure to scrap the bottom of the pan to get all of the browned bits off and into the sauce. Add the potatoes and chicken and cook with the pan covered for about 25 minutes on medium low to low heat. This is a great dish to make because clean up is minimal and it tastes delicious. Enjoy!

Penne with sausage, peppers, and onions

I love making pasta dishes because there are endless possibilities. My inspiration for this was the sausage, onion, and pepper sandwiches I get on the street before a ballgame at Fenway Park. Instead of on a bun, the sausage, onions, and peppers form the basis for a pasta sauce. 

Ingredients:

sweet Italian sausage

onion

green and red bell pepper

two cloves of chopped garlic

tomato sauce

cayenne pepper

oregano

basil

salt 

pepper

chili flakes

Method:

I a frying pan cook the sausages until they are almost fully cooked. I like to put a little water and oil in the pan as well as puncture the skins of the sausage to make sure they do not blow up. When the sausages are cooked, take them out of the pan and put in the sliced onions. Cook those for 3 minutes. After 3  minutes, add the bell peppers and garlic for 2 minutes. I then add the tomato sauce with some water and let that reduce. While that is reducing, I slice the sausage and add the sliced sausage to the pan. On the side I boiled some pasta and when that is almost done, I add it to the sauce to finish cooking. This is a very filling meal. If you want to make it even more delicious add more tomato sauce and place in a baking dish for a sausage and pasta bake. Enjoy!

Spaghetti with vegetable sauce

This is an interesting pasta sauce that is completely vegetarian. Some of my friends have been bugging me to do more vegetarian food so here it is.

Ingredients:
orange pepper
red pepper
onions
garlic
creamed corn
pasta
diced tomatoes

Method:
Saute sliced onions for 2 minutes. Then add the chopped garlic for a minute. Then add the peppers and saute for another 2 minutes. Then add the creamed corn and diced tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. The sauce is chunky and you can serve it as a side dish or with pasta. Enjoy!

Pan Fried Chicken and Waffles

The combination of fried chicken and breakfast waffles is amazing. If you have not tried the combination yet, well then you are missing out. My first experience with this delicious dish was at a local pop up restuarant called WooDaddy Waffles. It was amazing there and I felt like I could recreate the dish on my own. So when figuring out what to do about dinner, I suggested to my friend that we make it. He had never tried it before and was down to try it.

Ingredients:

a whole chicken cut into eight pieces

flour

salt

pepper

cayenne pepper

cinnamon

oil

pre-made waffles.

Method:

Wash the chicken parts and dry with a paper towel. Then in a ziploc or paper bag, mix the spices and the flour together. Then place the chicken pieces into the bag of flour and spices until the pieces of chicken are fully coated in flour. Then heat a pan or pot with about enough oil to coat the pan up to a 1/2 inch. Cook the chicken with the side side down for 7 minutes covered. Then flip the chicken and uncover it for another 7 minutes. Then flip it again for 5 minutes. Finallly, flip it again and cook for 2 minutes. The chicken should be ready. Let the chicken drain on paper towels. You can keep the chicken warm in a 300 degree Fahrenheit oven.  We did not have in our possession a waffle maker so we had to use frozen waffles. Serve the waffles with maple syrup and butter. The fried chicken should be served with hot sauce. This is something that hits all of the taste buds. Its meaty, crispy, salty, sweet, and spicy. Try it out for yourself and realize what you have been missing. Enjoy!