Breakfast Egg Cake

Quick & Easy. Some call this a “Dutch Baby” but I guess that’s because they baked it in a dutch oven. I just used a non stick bread pan. All there is to this is 3 eggs, 3/4 cup of milk, 3/4 cup of all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of sugar, t tablespoon of cinnamon, 1/2 stick of butter.

•Preheat over to 450 degrees

•combine all the ingredients in a blender. blend for about 15 seconds.

•Melt butter in pan.

•Pour mixture into pan, then place in oven and bake for about 12 minutes. Serve hot with syrup.

•Delicious!

See how to make video Here.

Roasted Vegetables

I never knew that when you roasted vegetables in the oven, it was not only easy & quick, the taste was totally different from any other way I have had them. And then I learned that I can just add whatever spices I want to coat them as well as different kinds of vinegars and sauces. Not to mention you can use any kind of vegetable you want. Really, you are limited only by your imagination. From start to finish these should be done in about 45 minutes.

Here’s what I used: for 4 to 6 servings.

4 carrots, sliced into 2 inch sticks; 3 whole onions cut into quarters then half each quarter again; a bag of fresh fresh brussel sprouts, and cut each sprout in half; a small box of mushrooms, sliced.

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon each: oregano, basil, thyme. And 1/2 cup of any seasonings you like, i.e. Adobo, Salzon, Italian seasonings, etc. You will need 1 tablespoon of salt, and if you like some hotness, a tablespoon of pepper, chili flakes or anything you like that will add spice to it. You can even add some curry to this if you like.

The different ways you can make this are endless.

So combine all the ingredients into a pot or bowl large enough to hold everything. Mix it all up and make sure the vegetables are really well coated.

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees, when it’s ready, place the vegetables in and bake for 35 minutes. You need to toss the vegetables every 10 minutes or so, so they evenly cook.

For a touch of sweetness, sprinkle a touch of maple syrup over them before serving.

And for an extra flavorful tip, after you coat the vegetables, let them sit overnight in the refrigerator before you bake them.

Easy Meatloaf

Very easy to make and you can really let your imagination go. Add vegetables, spices, other kinds of meat like pork and lamb, and make different sauces to cover it. You can do it!

Here are the ingredients..

1 and 1/2 pounds ground beef; 2 eggs; 1 onion; 1 carrot; 1/2 cup of milk; 6 garlic cloves; 1 cup of bread crumbs; 1teaspoon celery seeds; 1 tablespoon oregano, Adobo seasoning, Sazon seasoning, creole seasoning; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; 2 tablespoons mustard, 1/3 cup ketchup, salt and pepper.

Place the ground beef in a pot or large bowl. Chop up the onion and add it to the pot. Then add the eggs, (mix them up first), milk,bread crumbs and the salt and pepper. a teaspoon of each is enough. Mix it all up well.

Then fold into a baking pan, forming a loaf, like a loaf of bread,

Mix the ketchup, mustard and brown sugar together and spread evenly over the top of the loaf.

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Best Fried Chicken

Like I do with all the chicken I make, I marinate it in a brine overnight. You can buy brines in the store, they are known as marinades and there are all kinds. I like to just make my own. Really, a brine is just water, or chicken or beef stock and some spices and maybe some olive oil and a touch of vinegar. You can use you imagination. After all, all you are going to do is soak the chicken in some liquid with some flavoring, so you can be as creative as you want.

For this brine I used 2 quarts of water, a half cup of sugar, 3 tablespoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 2 tablespoons of powdered garlic, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and 1/8th of a cup of lemon juice.

Before I put the chicken in, I used a big fork and punced holes in the chicken so that the flavors would seep in.

I put the chicken in the brine, then in the fridge, overnight.

To fry the chicken, I use a fryer specifically made for frying. I see a lot of recipes where they tell you to just put the oil in a pot, heat it up and then drop your chicken or whatever in it to cook. My problem with that is that the oil can spatter, you have to use a thermometer to get the heat of the oil right (different meats have to deep fry at different temperatures for different amounts of time) and I just think it’s too sloppy. Besides, when you are working with hot oil, there is always the risk of fire. With the deep fryer I use, there is a lid, there is a temperature control setting so you know when the right temperature has been reached, and it is designed for frying with hot oil. Best to use the right tool for the right job. Better safe, than sorry. You’ll see a link to what I use below.

When you fry chicken, the whole point is to dredge the chicken in a flour/spice/egg mixture. It’s not hard. Take 2 cups of all purpose flour, put it in a large bowl or pot, add a teaspoon of salt, pepper and any other spices you like.

Then Mix 2 eggs together.

Dip the chicken in the egg, then dredge it in the flour, then drop it in the deep fryer. If you have one like the one below with the temperature gauge on it, fry it on 375 degrees for 15 minutes, then pull it out and serve.

For crispier chicken, sort of like you get at the fast food places, dredge the chicken in crushed up corn flakes.

You will need to experiment a bit with the cooking times. If when you are frying it and the chicken starts to burn, take it out. Don’t forget to put the lid on the fryer.

Don’t go far away from the fryer and keep your eye on it and the chicken for safety and to keep your eye on the chicken. If you are cooking more than one piece, take one out after 10 minutes and cut it open and see if it’s done. if not you will know you will have to cook it a bit longer, maybe another 5 minutes of so.

Deep Fryers are a tool. And like all tools, you have to learn to use them. Once you do, it will be safer and you will get the results you want. Cooking is a learning process. So enjoy the journey and have fun!