Posts

Showing posts from February, 2018

Chicken Fajitas

Image
At our house, we love tacos, burritos, enchiladas and fajitas! I have never made fajitas, and we don't care for bell peppers. I decided to try making some and substitute mushrooms for the peppers. It was delicious! Filling: 1 large chicken breast, cubed 1 large onion, thick slices 2 garlic cloves, minced 8oz mushrooms, thick slices butter Fajita Seasoning Saute the chicken in butter until no longer pink in the middle. Add onions and mushrooms and saute  until tender crisp. Add garlic and stir. Pour in about a 1/2 cup of water to lift any bits stuck to the pan. Stir in the seasoning and simmer until thickened. For the fajitas: Chicken mixture Flour tortillas Cheese, such as a Mexican blend Sour cream Fajita sauce Heat the tortillas. Add the filling mixture, cheese and sauce. Add sour cream or serve it on the side. 

Golden Milk

Image
I have been suffering a severe cold for over a month. It doesn't seem to go away. Even the boys  got it two times within a month's time, no thanks to the hot weather and the constant construction and congested roads. Please don't make me start on  how annoying and congested and polluted our roads are here in Male' City ,its embarrassing!  So instead of talking about things we have no power over , lets just talk about my recipe before I blow up about congested streets  and talk about my congested nose and throat right? Anyway my congested nose and throat, along with the boys asthma attacks,which comes with the cold, was really getting to me.  I needed something to that had some soothing results. I have heard of the benefits of tumeric for quite some time and even had a tumeric latte pack courtesy of abooayn who prepares lots of these kind of ayuvedic natural remedies and has a lovely Instagram account of vegan and other healing foods. So after a night of coughi...

Hershey's Chocolate Cheesecake

Image
Description Hershey�s Chocolate Cheesecake Cake is rich and decadent combo of chocolate cheesecake and Hershey�s �Perfectly Chocolate� Chocolate Cake and frosting, surrounded with lots of chocolate chips! This cake is definitely chocolate lover�s dream!!! Ingredients For Chocolate Cheesecake: 16 oz. cream cheese-softened at room temperature � cup sugar 3 eggs-slightly beaten with a fork 1 tsp. vanilla � cup sour cream- room temperature 5 oz. milk chocolate-melted For Chocolate Cake: 1 � cup sugar 1 cup+ 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour � cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda � tsp. salt 2 eggs 2/3 cup milk 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 � tsp. vanilla extract 2/3 cup boiling water Chocolate Frosting: � cup unsalted butter-melted 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 3 cups powdered sugar 1/3 cup milk (or more if needed) 1 � tsp. vanilla extract About 2 cups chocolate chips for garnish Instructions To make the cheesecake: ??Preheat the oven to 325 F. Spray 8.5 inch springfor...

French Apple Tart

Image
I try and participate when ever I can with the ladies in IHCC , I heart cooking clubs group. They always have some chef,  whose recipes we will try for a certain period of time.  Now they are doing Ina Garten. I was not familiar with her shows,  so I checked out. Her recipes are pretty simple and straight forward. This week's theme was French Bistro Recipes, now I have never been to a french bistro but I  think they will probably have something simple and delicious like this french apple tart. I found this recipe on food net work channel. I used half of the recipe, because its usually me and my hubby who eats these kind of deserts, while the boys would just take a small bite, say its nice and when I ask them if would like  a slice they would go no. Well at least they tasted it. Making flaky pastry in Maldives  at this time of the year  is a bit daunting as its pretty hot, so have to work really quickly so the butter doesn't melt so first so fast, espe...

Cinnamon swirl bread

2 cups lukewarm water 2 pkg. dry yeast 1/4 cup sugar 2 tsp salt 1/2 cup flour plus more as needed In a 8 cup measuring bowl put all the above ingredients. Stir til partially mixed, leave sit until bubbly. Transfer to mixer bowl with dough hook attachment. Add about 2 cups flour, then continue to add flour 1/2 cup at a time til dough does not stick to sides of bowl, and forms a ball. Put in a greased bowl til doubled in size, covered with a dry cloth. Punch down dough and roll into a rectangle, put on 1layer of melted butter or margarine, then brown sugar, then sugar and cinnamon mixture. Roll up tightly into a log, cut to size of loaf pan, cover with dry cloth til 1/2 again as big. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes or until slightly brown or when touched it makes a thumping sound.

Cheesy Broccoli And Tuna Rice Cakes

Image
Sometimes I get tired making fried rice with left over rice, so was looking up  different ways to use up left over rice. I try to cook rice so I don't have leftovers but when I do  I always end up with fried rice. In  Hugh Fearnley Whittinstall's  Love your Leftovers   book he had a recipe for rice cakes, but it  didn't go down so well with me ,and it also meant I needed to add  half a can of beans as well. But the idea of rice cakes was still there, then I saw this cheesy brocolli rice recipe on Pinterest and thought of trying that out with the addition of canned tuna. Its a bit fiddly so you need to be extra careful  when rolling in bread crumbs, so needs to chill a bit in the fridge before  rolling in breadcrumbs. Recipe : Cheesy Broccoli and Tuna Rice Cakes recipe inspired via Pinterest. 1/2 cup finely chopped  cooked broccoli 2 cups cooked cold rice 1 small onion, finely chopped and browned in a little olive oil 1 can tuna, drained ...

Chinese Takeout at home!

Image
I had a craving for Chinese Takeout. I've made all these dishes separately, but I hadn't made them all at one time. So, I took on the task of all three at one time. SCORE!!! It was awesome, and no leftovers! Egg Rolls   (click here for the recipe) These egg rolls are really pretty easy to do! I think the part about egg rolls that people think is intimidating is just the assembly... the  rolling . It's more like folding them into an envelope shape. The most complicated part is rolling the wrappers and sealing them well, but that gets easy after you do it a couple of times! Don't work on the stack of wrappers while filling and rolling. Assemble each one separately to keep them from getting wet and sticking together. Keep your work space dry and neat. If you lay a wrapper down in water, the water turns to glue. The wrapper will tear when you try to pick it up or fold it. Give it a try! If you have kids, let them try too! It's a fun activity for everyone. I think it wou...

Chocolate Mint Cake Bars

Image
Ingredients Brownie Base 1 box (1 lb 6.25 oz) Betty Crocker� Supreme original brownie mix Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on brownie mix box Filling 1/4 cup butter, softened 4oz cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream 4 cups powdered sugar 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon mint extract 3 drops liquid green food color Topping 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 1 bag (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups) 1/2 cup butter Steps 1. Heat oven to 350�F (325�F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray. (For easier cutting, line pan with foil, then grease bottom only of foil.) Make brownie mix as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan. Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours. 2. In large bowl, beat softened butter and cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add 1/4 cup whipping cream; beat until blended. Slowly add powdered sugar; beat until fluffy. Add mint extract and food color; blend well. Spread over cooled brownies. R...

Sprouted bread

4 cups sprouted whole wheat flour 1 tsp salt 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water 1 1/2 tsp yeast 1 T honey (optional) Put water, yeast, and salt into mixing bowl. Stir til lightly mixed after it is bubbling add flour. Using dough hook beat for 6-8 minutes. Transfer to greased glass bowl and let almost double in size about 1-1 1/2 hours. Punch down and put in greased bread tin. Let rise. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until done

Nadhiya Hussain's Bengali Korma

Image
                                             Photo credits to my better half ??                   The first time I heard about Nadhiya Hussain was   on Facebook. She was the first second generation Bangladeshi  Bristish muslim (not to mention hijab clad) to win the Great British Bake Off. Now she has released a cook book done television shows. So when the ladies in Muslimah Food bloggers group announced  that this month's challenge was  to create a Bangladeshi recipe I decided to try her Bengali Chicken Korma.  It was unlike the usual korma recipes I have seen, there is no yogurt, no cream or much spices and she used eggs in it . The main ingredient was onions , garlic and ginger and they cooked until they become sweet and mush.  Give it a try , it has a nice mellow taste. I used corn oil inst...

Baby Spinach and Kale Salad with Apple, Pomegranate Seeds and Toasted Walnuts

Image
Kale is a superfood high in fiber, iron and calcium and packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, but it's not easy finding ways to make it taste great. This healthy and tasty salad includes plenty of sweetness to reduce the bitterness of the kale. The pomegranate seeds are not only sweet, crisp and juicy, but they are also a superfood with plenty of their own healthy nutrient content.  Ingredients : 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted  1 lb. baby spinach and baby kale (or other greens)  1 cup brussels sprouts, very thinly sliced  1 sweet red apple, such as Fuji or Honeycrisp, very thinly sliced  1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced  1/4 cup pomegranate seeds  2 tablespoons dried cranberries  Salt and pepper to taste  Salad Dressing Ingredients: 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil  2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar  1 teaspoon dijon mustard  Salt and pepper to taste  Directions : Whisk all dressing ingredients together. Toast a...

Valentine's Day Sale

Image
Valentine's Day Goodies for sale! I think there's a theme here. LOL Red Velvet Cake Red Velvet Cheesecake Red Velvet Truffles Cherry Delight Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies Chocolate Caramel Brownies Macaroons with Chocolate Drizzle Red Velvet Swirl Bites... and more. Email me at southernwithatwist97@gmail.com if you are interested in purchasing any of these Valentine's Day goodies! They can be shipped anywhere in the United States for reasonable shipping costs.   Red Velvet Cake Red Velvet Cheesecake   Red Velvet Truffles   Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies Cherry Delight   Macaroons with Chocolate Drizzle Chocolate Caramel Brownies Red Velvet Swirl Bites

Zucchini meatballs

1pound ground turkey 1 cup shredded zucchini 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp rosemary 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper Combine all ingredients in a bowl, make into golf sized balls. Bake on parchment lined cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 16-18 minutes. Can brown in pan with oil. Can use ground beef or chicken in place of turkey. Can use carrots,spinach, or kale in place of zucchini.

Chocolate Stuffed French Toast Muffins

Image
TIME:  25 MINUTES SERVES:  12 What you need INGREDIENTS 24 slices soft white bread 4 eggs 2 tbsp milk 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla essence 2 cups chocolate hazelnut spread Another take on stuffed french toast.  These are easy to take on the go with you and can be filled with a number different treats.  The two pieces of French toast adhere through cooking and become a fun stuffed muffin! Directions Pre-heat oven to 180�C (350�F) and grease a 12 whole cupcake tin, set aside. Using a 4� round cookie cutter, cut out the centre of each piece of white bread, keeping the crusts for breadcrumbs. In a bowl whisk together eggs, milk, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1 tbsp sugar until smooth. Dip a round of bread in the egg and then press into the centre of a cupcake cavity.  Repeat with remaining rounds. Fill each with a heaping tablespoon of chocolate hazelnut spread. Cover with another egg dipped round and gently press the edges to adhere and press...

Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

Image
This is an easy and tasty meal to pull together. It is great for a family, and it looks visually appealing. 1 tablespoons olive oil 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" chunks (I used 4 to 5 cups pre-cooked, shredded rotisserie chicken so I could skip over that initial step below) kosher salt freshly ground black pepper 1/2 onion, chopped 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (I used frozen peas and carrots) 2 stalks celery, chopped 2 teaspoons fresh thyme (I used dried) 3 tablespoons flour 1 large potato, peeled, cubed, and cooked 1 1/2 cups frozen peas 2 cups chicken broth 4 tablespoons heavy cream 1 can refrigerated biscuit dough 1 egg, lightly beaten Preheat oven to 350�. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook until browned on all sides and remove from skillet. Add onion, carrots, celery, and thyme and cook until vegetables are soft, 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and cook 2-3 minutes more. Add ...