Chicken-Spinach-Asiago Quiche

I'm mad at myself for not taking pictures of "the process", but I had company and I was so busy whipping this up and running my mouth that I totally forgot. Anyhoo...I DO have a picture of the final product...and let me say, this was DAMN GOOD!!

I NAILED THIS RECIPE!


Ingredients:

1 Frozen DEEP DISH Pie Crust (these usually come in a 2-pack)
1/2 cup diced onion (I used green onions because that's all I had)
1 boneless chicken breast (cooked and diced - season however you like)
1 - 8oz container of fat free sour cream
1 - 9oz package frozen CHOPPED spinach (thawed and drained WELL)
1/4 teaspoon garlic SALT (not powder - seriously, don't substitute)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cup grated asiago cheese
3 eggs (or 3/4 cup of Egg Beaters - which is what I used)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream


**NOTE: I made a couple of substitutions from the original recipe. It normally calls for 1/2 cup of crumbled, cooked bacon...but I forgot to pick some up, so I skipped it and I'm glad that I did. Instead I added a small can of diced mild green chile - because let's face it...green chile in a quiche is ALWAYS good!!!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Allow pie crust to thaw for about 20 minutes. Afterwards place the crust in the oven for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients. MAKE SURE THAT YOU REMOVE ALL WATER FROM THE SPINACH - otherwise you'll end up with a wet quiche and it won't set. Also, drain the little bit of fluid from the chiles too (should you decide to use them).

Pour everything in the pie crust and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and line the edges with foil (so the crust doesn't burn). Put back in the oven and back for another 40-45 minutes...or until the top is slightly golden. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Allow quiche to sit for at LEAST 20 minutes before you cut into it.

**NOTE: It might be a good idea to bake this on a cookie sheet. It'll make it easier to put in the oven and take out. Also, it'll catch anything that may ooze over the edges (although mine didn't ooze even though it looked like it wanted to).

ENJOY!! I know I did!!

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Now back to our regularly scheduled program...

So sorry for the inconvenience of going M.I.A.! Wow...I had no idea just how many people stopped by here regularly...I started getting hate mail and death threats!! HAHAHA!!

Hope you like the new format - believe me it was a MESS to put together!! But I think my HTML skills are ON POINT now!! Back in a few with a new meal...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

I know, I know...

I was supposed to post the recipe for Beef & Potato empanadas...but what had happened was...lol...the meat ended up becoming taco and burrito filling. I didn't care for dough recipe, so I'm going to have to go back to the drawing board.

I'm not posting recipes that I haven't personally tried. But I WILL tell you, the filling was FANTASTIC!!!

I'll try it again this week and see what happens! Stay tuned!

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Menu Plan Monday - Week of March 16

I know it's been a minute since I posted my MPMs. I stopped because the menus were getting boring and my silly children seem to enjoy the same meals OVER and OVER and OVER again. I decided to mix things up and start trying some new dishes on them!

Here goes...

Beef & Potato Empanadas with Spanish Rice
Baked Lemon Dill Tilapia Fillets with Rice Pilaf
Jerk Chicken (using breast fillets) with Red Beans & Rice
Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry with Steamed Coconut Rice
Chili (with either fries or Fritos)
Green Salad with every meal

**NOTE: Recipe for the empanadas will be posted as soon as I finish taking pictures of the process!

Enjoy!

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Pastel de Tres Leches (Three milk cake)

I have a wicked sweet tooth...but most of the time I can keep it under control. I've been dying to make a Tres Leches cake for quite some time.

Over the years they've become popular enough to be found in larger supermarket chains and bakeries that have a Hispanic population near by. Usually, they can be a little on the pricey side - especially if you're just trying to get your hands on a good slice of cake!

You know I like to keep things simple...so I hunted down a recipe that looked extremely easy (read: not time consuming) and one that I could play with as far as the recipe was concerned...because yall KNOW how much I like to add my own flair! A friend of mine came by and had a slice yesterday and paid me a HUGE compliment..."This tastes better than a Mexican's cake! My mom would hate you!!"

That only means that my mission was accomplished!! I made an authentic Mexican dessert (minus all the ridiculous mixing and egg separating that's normally called for)!! Hey...not bad for a Black and Chinese girl, eh?

Ingredients:



CAKE
1 box of Duncan Hines butter or yellow cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup water

MILK SAUCE (with a kick)
1 can condensed milk
1 cup of half & half
2/3 cup of fat free evaporated milk
1/4 cup Malibu Rum (any flavor - I used Tropical Banana)

FROSTING (with a LITTLE kick)
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 capful of Rum *big grin*

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray and flour lightly. Mix together the cake mix, water, oil, eggs and vanilla. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes. While the cake is baking, prepare the milk sauce.



In a large bowl, mix condensed milk, evaporated milk, half & half and the Rum with a wire whisk. If you've never purchased condensed milk before, you'll need a spoon to scrape it all out of the can. It's extremely thick.

Once the cake is finished, allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.

With a long tined fork, poke holes in the cake about 1/2 inch apart.




Pour the milk sauce over the entire cake.



(Thanks Bri for taking pictures while I poured!!)

The liquid will absorb quickly, so don't freak out if it disappears within seconds.



Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at LEAST an hour. I baked my cake at night (which is usually when I'm in the mood for baking) and refrigerated the cake overnight. It might be a good idea to do this when you're in no real rush to eat it...just a thought.

When you're ready to frost the cake, combine the whipping cream, sugar, vanilla and Rum with an electric mixer (on low) until the cream begins to peak...don't worry about it...if you've never made whipped cream before, you'll KNOW when it's starts to peak. Don't over mix (like I did because I was distracted by my children) , it won't look as fluffy and pretty!!

Carefully frost the cake and add your choice of fruit topping (or not). I used jarred Mango halves and added about 2 teaspoons of the juice in with the whipped topping.




Cut yourself a slice and ENJOY!! Please keep in mind that this cake IS perishable...keep it refrigerated!



OMG...it's to DIE for!! Really...it is!

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Honey Corn Dogs

My 4 year old LOVES corn dogs. One can usually find them frozen in my house ALL THE TIME because 4 out of 5 days a week he asks for them. When I'm feeling a bit adventurous, I whip out this recipe and let the kids help with pour and mixing. Kids love to help in the kitchen!

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken or turkey hot dogs
4 cups vegetable oil
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. vegetable shortening
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons of honey
8−10 wooden skewers

Directions:

Bring 3 cups of water to boiling in a large saucepan. Add hot dogs and bring back to boiling. Remove from heat; cover 20 minutes. Pour enough oil to a 2−inch depth in a skillet and heat to 350 degrees. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a medium−size bowl and blend with fork.

Add shortening and cut in with fork until the size of small peas. Combine milk, honey and egg in a 1 cup measure. Stir into flour− cornmeal mixture. Pour mixture into a tall glass. Remove hot dogs from water and dry with paper towels. Insert skewer into the hot dog, and be sure to leave about 1 inch for handle. Dip hot dog into batter; let excess batter drip into glass. Drop into hot oil and fry 2 minutes, or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Caribbean cuisine! Feed your family (and maybe a guest or two) for under $20!

One of my favorite restaurants is Cha Cha Cha located in Silverlake, California. The food is a divine mix of Caribbean and South American cuisine. The jerk pork is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!! My mouth waters as I type this...cuz there's no telling when I'll get to go back. It's on the other sie of town and I've YET to drag my husband there.

I've been itching for plantains, but I had to come up with a meal to wrap around it. I decided on jerk chicken and coconut rice (over red beans and rice - which was a definite runner-up).



5.75lbs of chicken legs @ $6.54 (exactly 20 pieces of chicken)
1 bottle of Italian salad dressing @ $1.54 (you'd be amazed at what you can marinate with this stuff)
1 box of light brown sugar @ $1.58
1 jar of Thyme @ $2.88
7 plantains @ $1.78 (I found these puppies at one of the local Hispanic markets)
1 can of coconut milk @ $.50
1 - 2lb bag of calrose rice @ $1.65
1 jar of crushed red pepper @ $1.98
1 jar of cinnamon sugar @ $1.48

Add that up...it's $19.93! Two key ingredients that weren't on my shopping list are GROUND ALL-SPICE (I generally keep it on hand, but it costs no more than $2.00) and SOY SAUCE (and even though I rarely use it, one simply can't be HALF Chinese and NOT have this in the house!).

With 20 pieces of chicken and nearly 7 cups or more of coconut rice...you can feed quite a few people...or have a gang of left overs. I chose to use chicken legs because it's more cost effective. Maybe next time I'll use an inexpensive cut of pork roast and make shredded jerk pork!

Jerk Chicken Marinade:

1/4 cup Italian dressing (I use this because it contains the various spices and oil required to give it the right flavor)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon thyme
1 teaspoon all-spice
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Mix all of these ingredients in a bowl and pour into a large ziplock freezer bag. Put all of your chicken into the bag and toss the chicken until well coated. I let my chicken marinate for about 6 hours, but you can do it longer if you'd like the flavor to really stick! Stick it in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook it. (I only mentioned this part because sometimes good sense ain't so common if you catch my drift!)



Traditionally you would grill the meat, but for the purpose of this little exercise, we'll bake it! Place chicken in a 2 - 13x9 baking dishes and bake uncovered for about 50 minutes at 350 degrees. When it's done, cover loosely with foil and let it sit for about 15 minutes.

[BEFORE]

[AFTER]


Coconut Rice:



3 cups of uncooked Calrose rice washed and drained
3 cups of water
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 teaspoon of kosher salt

After washing the rice, pour in water, coconut milk and salt. Bring to a rolling boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 18 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Fried Plantains:



4-5 medium plantains
1/4 cup butter
cinnamon sugar

In a medium skillet, melt butter and saute plantains for about 4-5 minutes on each side until they're nicely browned. Drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Dinner is served!



Enjoy!

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Another Chicken Dish! Feed your family for under $16!

When I was growing up, my mother did just about EVERYTHING one COULD do to a chicken...fried, baked, broiled, boiled...you name it, she's tried it. I even went on a SERIOUS chicken strike during high school. I refused to eat ANY kind of chicken and you couldn't PAY me to eat an egg. I was OVER IT!!

I went thru something similar after having my first son...but that was entirely different. I couldn't stand the sight or feel of raw chicken. That took YEARS to get over. I didn't start serving chicken to my family again until maybe 5 years ago. Yall think I'm playin! Ask my husband!

Anyhoo...here's another meal that's easy to make, easy on the pocketbook in our tough economic times and even your KIDS will eat it!

Chicken, Mushrooms and Artichokes in a white cream sauce served with rice pilaf and a salad. The recipe can be found HERE



2lbs. of boneless chicken breast @ $4.99
16 oz. package of whole mushrooms @ $2.98
1 jar of Alfredo sauce @ $2.50
2 boxes of Rice-a-Roni Rice Pilaf @ $1.29 each
1 small container of sour cream @ $1.50
1 bag of salad @ $.98

Add that up... and it's $15.53. I already had artichokes on hand, as well as capers but together they shouldn't run you more than an extra $5.

It's very simple...wash and saute the mushrooms in a little olive oil, then set aside. Do the same with your chicken breasts. Normally I cut up the chicken into small pieces, but this time I chose to leave the meat whole.





In a large pot, empty the Alfredo sauce, add 3/4 jar of water and maybe 2-3 tablespoons of sour cream. Add artichokes (cut up) and maybe 2-3 tablespoons of capers. Season to taste.

ENJOY!!

• 
• 
• 
• 
•