Oxtails,steamed cabbage, and candied yams.. just a little wednesday night din din

Oxtails

2-4lbs (serves 3-4 people)
Goya Adobo all purpose seasoning
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
garlic powder (to taste)
accent salt (to taste)
Beef slow cooker seasoning (half a package, my favorite is Crockery Gourmet)
2 large yellow onions

1. Season oxtails first, then fill pot with water to cover just above the tops of the meat.
2. Add half package of beef slow cooker seasoning making sure to stir and mix throughout.
3. Add chopped onions and place uncovered on the stove at medium heat
4. Bring to a boil then cover pot with top and place on low heat. Let oxtails cook for about 3-4 hrs (depending on heat temperature) and they will be fall of the bone.

*Don't be afraid to taste your food as it cooks. Make sure to continuously season your meat as needed as your watching it on the stove. Use salt in moderation but If you make a mistake and it is ever too salty add water.


Steamed Cabbage

2 medium sized cabbage heads
2 chopped yellow onions
Goya Adobo all purpose seasoning
salt
garlic
pepper
butter (half stick)
vegetable oil (cap full)

1. Chop cabbage until it is very fine, do this as well to the onions.
2. In a sautee skillet on medium heat, add cap full of vegetable oil, butter, and enough water to cover the bottom of the pan.
3. Add onions and let them simmer for about 2 minutes
4. Next, add cabbage and seasonings
5. It will take less than 10 minutes for your cabbage to cook completely leaving the flame on medium heat.

Nothing like your Mom's boiled cabbage!


Candied Yams

3 large sweet potatoes
1 1/2 sticks of butter (My favorite is Imperial)
3/4 cup of sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
nutmeg (to taste)
cinnamon (to taste)
marshmellows (small size)

1. In large boiling pot, allow sweet potatoes to boil on medium heat for about 45mins or until tender in the center. This is the tricky part. Be sure not to let the potatoes get mushy or over cook. The trick is to stick a sharp knife through them and if they go through easily, take them off of the stove.
2. Once the potatoes are cooled off, peel the skin off with your hands. (It should come off easily)
3. Next, Chop potatoes into medium sized pieces and place in an oven pan.
4. Cut the butter into pieces and place it in the pan as well.
5. Season the sweet potatoes with sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg (only you know how much is enough!) I love them really sweet!
6. Place foil covered pan into the oven at 350 degrees letting bake for 20 minutes.
7. Add marshmellows and let the potatoes cook for another 10 minutes.
Enjoy!

Blackened Chicken Alfredo

I love Chicken Alfredo because it's delicious and quick. Thanks to one of my readers I am now sharing the recipe I use all the time. Don't be afraid to add your own mix of veggies to the mix.

Blackened Chicken

2-3 Chicken breast chopped
Blackened seasoning *I usually use Tony Chachere's creole seasoning
Olive oil *2 cap fulls

Directions
On medium heat, pour olive oil in bottom of the pan and a couple splashes of water. Add seasoned chicken and sautee until chicken is cooked completely

Place cooked chicken to the side to later add to the sauce.

Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through. Stir in chopped parsley.




For the Alfredo noodles, follow the direction on the box.


When serving keep the noodles and sauce separate until ready to serve. I sometimes add mushrooms or green onions to my Alfredo as well. Enjoy!

Dry Rubbed Lemon Pepper Cornish Hen/ Baby Arugala salad

Cornish Hen... What is a Cornish Hen? I had to Google this one. I've been eating them for years and I have always wondered what is this little bird? It looks like a chicken, taste like a chicken, and yes it is simply just a young chicken. They are perfect in my opinion because its more convenient and more time efficient than cooking a whole chicken, and its less mess to clean up. So calm your fears.. it is just chicken.


Ingredients

1-2 Cornish hen (1 per person)
Lemon Pepper seasoning
Goya Adoba all purpose seasoning (optional but one of my favorite seasonings)
Garlic Powder
Olive Oil (about a cap full)
cayenne pepper if you like it spicy *

1.) Make sure after rinsing of Cornish Hen the insides are thrown away (kneck,gizzards etc)
2.) Cut the Hen directly down the center through the breast opening the chest cavity. This will be the side that lays flat in the cooking pan.
3.) Season the Hen on both sides to taste making sure you dry rub everything all over front and back
4.) Pour about a cap full of olive oil in a foil pan and baste the chicken front and back in the oil.
5.) Leaving the chicken face down in the pan, pour a little water to cover bottom and fold the sides of the foil around the hen making a little pocket. There should be very little to no gaps in this pocket. This little foil basket makes easy clean up.
6.) Leave the hen baking on 350 degrees for about 45min-1hr. The Hen should be tender and falling apart. Enjoy

p.s. notice I do not season the Hen with salt because Lemon Pepper is usually salty due to the acidity. Please use salt if required once the Hen is finished baking and you have had a chance to taste it.


Baby Arugala Salad

Baby Arugala is a type of lettuce but Baby spinach is just as good. In my salad I use:

cucumbers peeled diced and tossed in apple cider vinegar
Ocean Spray craisins
diced tomatoes
diced red onion
shredded cheese (monteray/colby, blue cheese, or feta)
Newman's own Raspberry Vinaigrette

Mix ingredients in a salad bowl and toss dressing with clean hands :)
garnish with a little salt and pepper!

Quick Taco tips!

Tacos are one of those dishes that are quick and yummy! It would seem as though they are an effortless duty but don't be suprised when your tacos soon taste better than everyone else's. Here are a couple tips and the products I use to make my tacos.

Ortega taco shells, ortega taco seasoning, and ortega salsa.
To season the ground beef I use Goya Adobo all purpose seasoning, Accent, dash of salt, dash of pepper, dash of Lawry's seasoning salt. Garlic powder, onion powder, and sometimes a little chopped white onion to add to ground beef while cooking. I bake my taco shells in the oven for about 2-3 minutes on 350 degrees. This makes a huge difference, this makes the shells very crisp. My favorite cheese to use is Monteray/Colby mix shredded, and I usually add sour cream, and jalapenos to the side. I place each item (tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream etc) in a side dish and let my family make their own tacos however they please. I hope this helps! ........ :)

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Please follow directions and measurements to the exact amount! Unsalted butter means unsalted.. ;) Cider vinegar means cider vinegar.. add one egg at a time means... you all get the point...

Ingredients

---

• 3 ⅓ cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 ¼ cups sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 6 tablespoons red food coloring
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk
• 1 ½ teaspoons cider vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• Frosting: 1 pound (two 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, softened and cut into small pieces
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 5 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

How to make it

---

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease and lightly flour three muffin tins. Place cupcake papers in the tins.
• To make the cake: In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.
• In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts, alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overheat.
• In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.
• Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake each tray for 20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for 1 hour. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.
• Frosting: In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, about 3 minutes.
• Add the vanilla and beat well.
• Gradually add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating continuously until smooth and creamy.
• Cover and refrigerate icing for 2 to 3 hours, but no longer, to thicken before using.
• When the cake has cooled, spread the frosting liberally on the cupcakes.
• Makes 30 cupcakes

Quick simple side dishes

My sauteed Spinach

Bag of Fresh spinach leaves
3 garlic cloves chopped
salt
pepper
butter
olive oil
1 diced red tomato
1/2 diced red onion

1) On medium heat, pour two cap fulls of olive oil into sautee pan
2) add 3 teaspoons of butter and a half cup of water
3) Add tomatoes, onions, and garlic and cook until tender
4) Add spinach after rinsing off and cleaning
5) Make sure to leave heat on medium it only takes a minute or two for spinach to cook completely so make sure veggies are tender before adding
6) Add salt and pepper to taste



Fried Corn

 2 cans of yellow sweet corn
1/2 Stick of butter
Red bell pepper diced
Olive oil
Green bell pepper diced
1 white onion diced
salt
black pepper
cayenne pepper

1)  On medium heat in sautee pan pour enough olive oil to cover bottom of pan (about 3 cap fills). Add butter and half cup of water as well
2) Add diced onions, red peppers, and bell peppers
3)add corn
4) Add seasoning of salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
5) Let cook for about 10 mins or until corn bright yellow and tender

My favorite Collard Greens

I use to think that greens took all day to cook but really they don't.. my parents just use to cook them very slow. I keep mine on medium heat and let them sizzle the whole time then I let them cook on med-low for about an hour..total cook time is about 2 1/2 hrs.

Ingredients
1 bag of collard greens/ 2 bundles ( I prefer the bags because they are already chopped you just have to clean them)
1 can swanson chicken both
1 chopped onion
2 smoked turkey drums
salt
pepper
Lawry's seasoning salt
3 cloves fresh garlic
onion powder
garlic powder
apple cider vinegar

1) Fill large cooking pot with 4 cups of water and 1 can of chicken broth
2) Add chopped onions and smoked turkey and bring to a simmer. Make sure to let the turkey drums cook in the juice for at least 20 mins to give water a flavor.
3) Slowly add handfuls of cleaned collard greens letting them soften and stirring as you add the rest
3) Add chopped garic, salt, pepper, seasoning salt, onion powder, and garlic powder to your seasoned preference.
4) Add 3 cap fills of apple cider vinegar and let greens cook at a medium simmer for about an hour and a half
5) Let greens cook until tender make sure to stir and taste greens as they cook, make sure they do not get too mushy.
6) Turn fire down low for last 30 min. serves 4-6 people