Summer, we need to talk.......................

What the hell Summer? You really need to consider getting some help and possibly some medication to regulate your mood! You are scaring us and we are very concerned! How about you come on over for some lemonade and we can discuss what the hell is going on in your life that is so bad that you can't throw us a bone and give us 3 consecutive beach days...preferably on the weekend. Lets talk..just let it out because next thing you know Falls gonna come along and bring your relative "Indian Summer" and everyones gonna say "the hell with you Summer! I'm planning my vacations in September, because you can't do your godamn job and be warm and sunny!!!" Get it together ! What ever is responsible for making you so moody isn't worth losing your status as the "fun favorite season"!
  So I am literally writing this from beneath 3 blankets i have fashioned into a make shift igloo type shelter from the freezing temperatures. I am feeling like I want something that can really warm me up but that won't require to much effort because of the coma effect this crap weather is having on me..so time to bust out my friend "the slow cooker" and I am going to make one of my favorite Colombian stews...This is a traditional Colombian dish complete with tender beef, hearty sweet potatoes, sweet apricots in a savory cinnamon garlic tomato and wine sauce...It is a super tasty alternative to the usual beef stew and this is like a $7 dish that you can pick on all day whip up a quick corn bread and call it a day!...:)

 Cold summer Colombian Beef and Sweet Potato Stew...

1	lb boneless beef chuck
1/2	teaspoon sea salt
1/4	teaspoon white pepper
1 1/2	teaspoons canola oil
3	cups peeled sweet potatoes cut into 1inch squares
2	teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1/2	teaspoon ground cloves
1	bay leaf
1	stick cinnamon
1	large onion diced
1	can (28 oz)  whole peeled tomatoes  undrained
1/2	cups dried apricots, cut in half  1/4    cup white wine

                          

 Remove  the excess fat from beef. Cut beef into 1-inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper. In skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook beef in oil for about 5 minutes until brown on both sides.

In slow cooker, mix beef and remaining ingredients. (except the apricots)Cover; cook on Low heat setting 4-6 hours or until beef is tender.  15 minutes before serving add in the apricots until soft. ***don't forget that corn bread!!!

Christmas in June..Introducing Ashlyn Jackson

I never post any of my recipes from my upcoming book..however, this is a special occasion. My niece Ashlyn Jackson just graduated from middle school and she really wanted me to give her a cooking lesson. The requested dish was my "Christmas Enchiladas"..these aren't just any enchilada they are the holy grail of enchiladas that will have you singing Christmas carols!
Ashlyn has always been a fan of Auntie's cooking...since she was a baby. I swear she cut her teeth just so she would be able to eat my food at 6months! It was a total trip having her in the kitchen with me as my little sous-chef. I am also proud to say she took to that knife like it was part of her hand. She had never sliced or diced or minced and she was a natural!! We spent about 2 hours and made the X-mas enchiladas, homemade queso, homeade chips and salsa and my garden guacamole(check out the photos they were all her!!)..2 hours and in a matter of 20 minutes my mum, son and Ashlyn had devoured everything!!!
...So looks like we will be having some cooking camps this summer and I can't wait to see her progress...maybe even kicking my butt in the kitchen!!!

We roasted our own chili's for the tomiltilo and chili salsa verde* that is one of the key components as well as my secret cream sauce that will have you eating out of the pot before you even have time to stuff the tortillas. It is definitely one of those dishes that you need to have some time on your hands to make but the outcome are some enchiladas so spectacular you can serve them to the baby Jesus himself  and are certainly worthy of any celebratory event: )....Congrats Ash!!!!xoxoxox Happy June Christmas everyone!! lol

CHRISTMAS ENCHILADAS

1lb. chicken breast                             1beer

3long green chillis(roasted/diced)         8oz. chive and onion cream cheese

1/2 onion diced onion                         1tsp cumin

8 flour tortillas                                     *salsa verde(recipe in book)1cup
1package shredded cheddar cheese

In a large fry pan place chicken and pour beer in and bring to boil. Poach chicken until white all the way through. take chicken out from stock and slice and dice then return to stock. Add onions,chilli's, cumin and cream cheese and mix until well blended. Heat oven to 425*. Cup tortillas and fill with chicken and sauce and roll. Place side by side in casserole dish. Top with salsa verde and then with cheese. bake for 20 minutes until cheese melts and looks crispy....

This is R E D I C U L O U S!!!......june12th BBQ

Don't adjust your eyes...that is a full on burning fire and those are guests wrapped in blankets this past Sunday. I will not be posting anything 2day because I mostly ate  "wine" at this particular BBQ...I just wanted you to share in this moment!

Can I have some "MORE"?!!......

  Well it was super for Summer to finally show up...I just didn't expect him to show up so ANGRY!!! Between the desert like 97* temperatures and the tornado's..yes I said tornado's, and the torrential down pour thunder and lightening that caused me to loose electricity, summer is behaving more like Mark Walberg in the movie the "The Crush" then an actual season.
Today was absolutely ridiculous! But then a cool breeze name Toni Farenelli blew into town and she brought her notorious "MORE" chicken pasta salad. You may be thinking "what's so gourmet about a pasta salad?"(if your a total jerk) but do not be fooled!!!This is a carefully crafted pasta dream dish!All  the components are skillfully prepared separately and could most certainly stand on their own, but together.....they are amazing! I recommend making a big pot of this so you and the family can enjoy it all weekend...and enough so when you wake up in the middle of the night wanting "More" and wake up in the morning craving "More" you will understand where the name came from...This literally makes enough to fill a spaghetti pot and will cost you roughly 10bucks ! ***I am going to give you 3 separate recipes just tobeak up the reipe and make this easier. So make each one then combine at the end.
MORE
Part1
1lb elbow maccaroni
1/4 cup mao
1/4cup ranch dressing
1tsp each garlic powder and onion powder
1tsp olive oil
*Cook pasta accoding to package directions...then drain and while still warm add mayo dressing and spices ,toss and set aside
Part2
1 diced english cucumber
1 diced tomato
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1/4cup Itailian dressing
*combine all ingreients and toss well and set aside
Part 3
1 lb chicken cutlets coursely diced
1tsp minced garlic
1tbsp olive oil
2tbsp butter
In medium sauce pan over med heat add olive oil brown the chicken on both sides add butter so its melted
remove from heat and add garlic toss and coat all the chicken well.
Finale
In a large bowl or pot combine all ingredients and mix well. cool in fridge 1/2 hour min. Have some and then have some more and some more and some more!

YUMM!!! Rosemary Olive oil Brushed Bruschetta with Marscapone cheese Prosciutto and Orange Marmalade

Wondering what the hell to do with the rest of that Marmalade from the BBQ?...When I was a child my mum used to make little tea sandwiches for absolutely no reason or occasion (my mother is not British so I have no idea why...lol)one of my favorites was  the ham , marmalade and butter with the little crusts cut off...(no tea in sight)... So this is me taking that English favorite and making it into a more acceptable and hearty Big-girl treat and having it make a little sense :-) . Im replacing the ham with prosciutto and the thinly slice white bread with a nice rustic Italian loaf and for the butter a creamy dreamy marscapone.
 Run over to Stop and Shop on Friday for a gorgeous loaf of Italian bread for 99cents!!..some marscapone cheese(if you have never had this it is super buttery and creamy!!) and some prosciutto. Heat up the indoor grill (because it's raining ...AGAIN!!) and slice the bread length wise. Brush with some olive oil and fresh rosemary sprigs...grill till crispy with grill marks. Spread one side with the marscapone cheese and the other with the marmalade layer the prosciutto between the breads and then slice into sandwiches...I would recommend serving with a nice sweet red pepper soup and and big glass of iced tea:) Another fantastic way to serve these sandwiches is for a brunch. Make a nice fruit salad and a plate of grilled spicy red cherry peppers and serve with some prosecco.... Serve al fresco!!(if the rain actually stops)

Diet BBQ Part Dux( Memorial Day BBQ for 6 under $20...and under 10 grams of fat!)

Good thing the world didn't end or you would not have the chance to try my recipes ...now heres a BBQ to Diet for! It was a hard trying to come up with some recipes that combined would still keep with the guidelines I set out in the previous blog...BUT I did it!!! And the trial run this past Sunday with my good friends "crazypants"Jen Fitzgerald and "Bevans" proved a success!
  So heres whats on the menu...Brandy Mandarian BBQ Chicken, Salt and Vinegar Dill Potato Salad, Fresh Corn and a Watermelon Mint Greek Salad...all highlighting the seasons fresh herbs and flavors and saving you big time on the calories so you can enjoy some yummy Lemon Mint Julieups!
The best surprise of all however, is you can do this complete BBQ for 6 people at about $20 bucks!!!This week I got everything at Market Basket...split chicken breast were $2.21 each!! I bought 3 and some delicious buttery potatos for $2.99 a bag and corn $1.99 for 5 ears...and then the watermelon was only $1.70. Add in the little  incidentals and it came to just over twenty dollars!!
Everything can be prepped the night before so you can seriously relax! In fact I would even encourage you to prepare these dishes the day before allowing everything to marry together and really develope the flavors....So lets get started!
Orange and Brandy BBQ Chicken
3 split Chicken Breasts(washed and pat dry)
1/2 cup Orange Marmalade                        1tsp red chili sauce
1/2 cup BBQ sauce                                     1tsp soy sauce
1 nip of Brandy
In bowl comnine all ingredients...except chicken. Reserve 1/2 cup of sauce and place chicken in a baking dish and cover chicken with the sauce chill in fridge over night(minimum 2 hours) and when ready to grill cook till white all the way through and top with reserved sauce just before serving.

Salt and Vinegar Dilled Potatos
12 medium/small butter potatos               1/4cup scallions diced
fresh dill                                                   1tbsp olive oil
1tbsp MALT vinegar                             salt and pepper to taste
 Boil potatos until can be pierced easily with a fork. While warm quarter the potatos then add scallions and fresh chopped dill toss with olive oil vinegar and season with salt and pepper..then cover and chill in fridge till ready to serve.*by tossing everything together while warm it allow all the flavors from the dill to open up

Watermelon Greek Salad
2cups watermelon diced                        1/4 cup red onion sliced fine
1/4cup kalamata olives                           juice from one lime
1/2 cup fresh mint diced                        1/4 cup low fat feta
In a bowl comine the red onion and lime juice and allow to marinate min. one hour. Season with a little sea salt and pepper. When ready to serve layer watermelon mint olives and feta and at the last minute toss with the red onions and lime juice

*Fresh Corn(grill or boil your choice)

It's my BBQ and I'll Diet if I want too! (Strawberry Vanilla Almond Cream Pie with Honey Gram Crust)

My friend Jennifer called me in a panic...she's hosting a Memorial Day BBQ,and like most of us shes on a diet. (Years of Gourmet cooking finally caught up with me...and my ass so I am also on Weight Watchers with her) Anyway, shes a tad challenged in the kitchen and she wants this BBQ to be as WW-friendly as possible. SOOOOO..this whole week I will be experimenting and giving you all some Censational Low fat Weight Watchers friendly BBQ ideas. (Here's my challenge: Come up with a BBQ menu start to finish for around 10grams of fat and under 15 points...for some perspective a children's cheeseburger Happy Meal @McDonald's is 24 grams of fat and 15points and most importantly keeping the cost CENSATIONAL!!The total cost for this was $5.00 and that's for 2 pies!!)
  It's hard being a gourmet chef and being on any kind of calorie restricted anything but I must say it's been fun and so far I have lost 24lbs in 3 months. So this is for all of you who are also trying to loose some lbs. but still LOVE and appreciate Gourmet food.*please excuse some of the ingredients they may not all be made from scratch, however in order to keep with in the guidelines it's necessary.


Strawberry vanilla-almond cream pie w/ honey gram crust
1 quart strawberries thinly sliced
1 package sugar free / fat free vanilla pudding
1 cup fat free milk
1/4 tsp almond extract
1tub frozen fat free whipped topping(cool whip)
8 gram crackers finely crushed in food processor
Butter PAM

Spray 2 pie pans with Butter PAM..pour half gram cracker mix in each and spread to fill bottom of pan. In bowl mix pudding and milk together let set then mix with entire container of fat free Cool Whip pour 1/2 mixture in each and spread to cover the crust and then layer strawberries on top and freeze until ready to serve! 1/4 of this pie is 1POINT and only 2 grams of fat!!!