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*

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!!

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Viva La Mexico!! Feed your family for under $22!

Let's face it...Mexican food is not only easy to prepare, but it's very inexpensive. I always turn to Mexican food whenever I'm throwing a dinner party because I can feed more people for less...call me cheap! Hey...our economy is bad...sue me!

Here's another family favorite that seems to be a crowd pleaser! My infamous Enchilada Bake and spanish rice!



2lbs. 80/20 lean ground beef @ $2.88 (ON SALE)
1 bottle of salsa verde @ $1.89
2 large cans of green enchilada sauce @ $2.89 each
3 dozen corn tortillas @ $.98
16oz. Mexican blend shredded cheese @ $4.59
1 bag of green onions @ $.99
1 bunch of cilantro @ $.50
1 small can of olives @ $.49
1 box of Rice-a-Roni Spanish Rice @ $1.18
1 can of whole kernel corn @ $.58
1 can of diced tomatoes @ $.58
1 bag of salad @ $.98

Ok, add that up at it's $21.42 and this meal can feed a family AT LEAST twice! I tend to load plates up with salad to make the meal stretch a little further!! I DID say I was cheap, right? Hehehe...

Complete recipe and cooking instructions are found HERE.

Trust me, if you start breaking your meals down by price, you're sure to control your spending at the grocery store. It's a start to sticking to a budget...try it and let me know how it works out!

Enjoy!

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Menu Plan Monday - Week of February 16th

I know it's been a while since I've posted my weekly menu. I had to stop because my kids keep asking for the same foods EVERY SINGLE WEEK! How boring!! Who wants to eat the SAME things EVERY SINGLE WEEK?? Eww...

So I decided to ask what everyone wanted, then throw in some things that I wanted...see I'm so selfless that I never consider my own cravings...but I've been craving some out-of-the-ordinary food...I can't wait to post the recipes (that'll come later). I want to post pictures as I'm cooking!!

Here goes...

Chicken, Mushrooms & Artichokes (in a light cream sauce)
Rice Pilaf
Jerk Chicken
Red Beans & Rice
Plantains
Tacos
Buffalo Wings
Green Salad with every meal

Enjoy!!

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Buffalo Chicken Salad...give that green salad a KICK!

I serve salads with just about every meal that I serve. I'll be honest, I don't really care for salads at home (I realize this is mostly a mental thing). Something about store bought, bottled salad dressing completely turns me off (although I WILL admit that Target's Market Pantry Ranch Dressing and their Caesar Dressing ARE THE BOMB!) and I'm almost SURE that restaurants are probably using the same thing coming out of a much larger bottle!! Again...yes, I know...it's all mental! HAHAHA!!!

In my grand attempt to shed the last of this baby weight before my 20 year high school reunion this year, I've been forcing myself to eat salads for lunch...I've tried all sorts of things in my salad just to make it interesting...that can be hard sometimes!

I had some left over chicken breast that I already cooked...and thought if I added some wing sauce to the meat, it would satisfy my current craving for buffalo wings (since we didn't have any more) and possibly make for an interesting lunch salad!




And interestingly enough...this sauce doesn't give me a wicked case of heartburn like every other spicy thing in my house!!

Buffalo Chicken Salad!!!!



Enjoy!! I know I sure did!!!

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Comfort food! Feed your family for under $10!

You know...when I first started thinking about posting low cost dinners, it never occurred to me that this is how I keep my grocery bills down. I mean, don't get me wrong...spending $150-$180 a week DOES add up...but with that money I'm feeding a family of 6 (including formula and diapers).

I may not be posting my Menu Plan Mondays anymore (mostly because my family has become boring by requesting the SAME stuff EVERY DOGGONE WEEK!!), but I still have a plan (and my calculator) when I go grocery shopping. I started thinking in terms of breaking the cost of EACH meal down...because let's face it...not ALL of my grocery budget is actually spent on food - cleaning supplies add up quickly too!

So anyway...here's a cheap meal...and these prices are taken directly from my last shopping receipt.

Meatloaf, rice & gravy, green salad and corn bread




2lbs. of 80/20 lean ground beef @ $2.88 (ON SALE)
1 box of Kroger generic cornbread stuffing @ $.98
2 cans of Kroger generic beef gravy @ $.68 each
1 - 16oz bag of rice @ $.79 each
2 - 12oz bags of green salad medley @ $.98 each
2 boxes of Jiffy corn muffin mix @ $.45 each
4 eggs (2 for the meatloaf, 2 for the cornbread) @ $.50 (I actually spent $1.49 for a dozen...but we're breaking down the cost of THIS meal).
1 can of cream corn @ $.58

Ok, add that up and it's $9.95! I know...you hate me right now! HAHAHA!! I'm not counting the salad dressing because lawd knows I KEEP salad dressing in this house!

I don't do tomato based meatloaf...I never have enjoyed the taste of baked ketchup! Eww!! If you prefer ground turkey, that's fine too...I only buy it when it happens to be on sale (which isn't often enough).

This meal is enough to feed us all (except the baby of course) for 2 days.



Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 and prepare your baking dish by spraying the bottom with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the meat, stuffing mix, 2 eggs and about 1 1/2 cups of warm water. Stick your hands in the bowl and mix everything WELL. Dump meat into your baking dish and form it into a loaf...make sure it's packed firmly, you don't want any gaps or holes on the inside - I don't know why...my mother used to just tell me that all the time!! I'm sure there's a reason!! HAHAHA!!

Bake uncovered for about 50 minutes to an hour. Everyone RAVES about this recipe...if you haven't tried it...do so...it's super easy!

Enjoy!

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The Banana Cake...revisited

So...you know I hate to waste bananas...I hate to waste food period...but ESPECIALLY bananas...so I'm always looking for easy things to make with my over ripe left over fruit.

I know this is something like cheating, but I always keep a box or two of yellow cake mix in my pantry. I like adding different flavors to them to see what I can come up with. Tonight I baked another banana cake and this one is FANTASTIC!! It's SUPER moist and it smelled sooooooooooooooooooooo good while it was baking that everyone in the house talked about it.

Unfortunately, my kids had to be in bed before it could cool down all the way...so yes, they were extremely disappointed! OH WELL...there's always after school tomorrow!!

Ingredients:

1 box of yellow cake mix (the one with pudding in it...which brand doesn't matter)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons all-spice
1 cup ripe mashed bananas (about 3 small ones...or 2 medium ones)

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Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray bundt pan with cooking oil and lightly dust with cinnamon sugar. Flour leaves that icky white dust all over it...and cinnamon sugar makes a nice sugary crust without the "dust". Combine all ingredients and bake for 45 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes and frost once it's cooled completely.

I like to use cream cheese frosting...whatever is cheap at the store! I prefer the whipped version because it works better. I just put about a cup of frosting into a snack size ziplock, seal and snip off the tip of a corner...and then I pretend to be a pastry chef! HAHAHAHA!!

Enjoy!

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Asian Flair! Feed your family for under $22!

All things are possible. With the rising cost of food, the media has reported that companies like McDonald's has been making a KILLING with YOUR hard earned money. So let me ask...do you think eating McDonald's everyday is healthy? I try to resist the urge to give my kids fast food unless I'm rewarding them for something. Let's face it, as much as I enjoy eating out...I'd much rather eat something that I KNOW is healthy and I KNOW it's good for my entire family.

You can easily spend $22 at Mickey Dee's and get some fat and calorie filled junk food...or you can spend that same money on something that's healthy and that tastes great!

Now, I've posted before about my love for Fresh & Easy. Keep in mind the prices I'm posting are the actual prices of the items I've purchased there. These prices might vary from your local markets like Whole Foods, Sprouts, or Trader Joe's.

Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry, Steamed Rice and Chicken & Veggie Pot Stickers



2 - 16oz bags of Frozen Stir Fry Vegetables @ $1.69 each
1.75lbs of skinless, boneless chicken breast meat @ $5.17
1 bottle of Soy Vay's Veri Veri Teriyaki Sauce - $3.79 (or your favorite Teriyaki sauce)
1 - 2lb bag of calrose rice @ $1.65
1 large bag of chicken and vegetable pot stickers @ $7.49 (I actually got this at my local Korean grocer - I already had this in my freezer)
You can get frozen pot stickers at Trader Joe's for 1/2 the cost!

Add that up...that's $21.48! My entire family ate (minus the baby of course and I have enough left overs for 2 more meals!)


Directions:

Cut the chicken into small strips or chunks. Pour about a cup of the teri sauce over the chicken and allow it to marinate in a bowl for about 10 minutes. Of course the longer it marinates, the more flavorful it'll be...but I like to prepare things as quickly as possible...and it's just not that serious sometimes! Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and saute the chicken until it's no longer pink. Add both bags of stir fry veggies and cover. Let it cook on a medium high flame for about 10 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, you should have your rice cooking too. The secret to a perfect pot of rice is FOLLOWING THE DIRECTIONS!! Too much water will make your rice mushy. Not enough water will make your rice hard...and who wants crunchy rice? Eww...

Pour the remaining amount of teri sauce over the veggies and mix (as well as you can). I usually add about 1/4 cup of cold water to 2 tablespoons of corn starch to the sauce to thicken it up (because the veggies are frozen and retain lots of water on their own). Who wants soupy teri stir fry? YUCK!



Mix the corn starch and water in a small cup and just pour it in the skillet. Turn up the heat as mix. The sauce will begin to thicken. I know it'll seem like a lot of sauce, but trust me...the sauce over rice is WICKED!!! And I don't really DO soy sauce on white rice. Funny...I'm half Chinese and I don't like soy sauce! That's like being American and not liking ketchup!



I used oyster sauce (that brown goop on my plate) to go with the pot stickers ...which I deep fried (straight from the freezer until they were golden brown). I had a mean craving for oyster sauce last night...must be the Chinese in me!!

Enjoy!

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Chicken Salad the NEW tuna

I know I haven't blogged in a while...I've been consumed with my love of Facebook and I'm in the middle of trying to get myself into nursing school...so please forgive my absence.

I make this sometimes when I can't bring myself to pay the extra for albacore tuna. Ever since I started eating albacore, I haven't looked back and regular chunk tuna...the stinky stuff (as I like to call it). My family had been eating chicken salad sandwiches for 3 days and they all thought they were eating tuna until I told them it was CHICKEN!!

Ingredients:

1 apple (any kind) diced
2 celery stalks (chopped)
3 cans of chunk white chicken meat
2 cups of light mayo
1 tablespoon of dill weed
Salt and Pepper to taste

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Directions:

Pretend like you're making tuna...dice up one apple and chop the celery. I know you must think that the apple is a strange ingredient, but trust me...it gives the salad a nice flavor. Break up the chicken with a fork, add mayo and seasonings...mix well. I use the dill weed to substitute relish...for this dish AND tuna (because I don't particularly care for the little pickle pieces). It gives off the same flavor without the actual pickle pieces (which kinda makes me wanna gag just thinking about it!!) It's THAT easy!!









Enjoy!

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Smoothies

I know it seems silly for me to post this, but some people really DON'T know how to make a smoothie (trust me, I actually KNOW some of those people). I have several variations that I like to make depending on the purpose.

You need a liquid. I've tried several different juices, vanilla soy milk, vanilla RICE milk and regular milk (well...Lactaid...heheheh). You need a thickening agent. I've used yogurt (plain, vanilla and fruit flavored), silken tofu (for the protein factor - don't knock it...I lost a gang of weight after baby #1 using this stuff) and ice cream. You need FRUIT - because what's a smoothie without fruit? Eww...the thought alone scares me!! HAHAHAH!!

Here's my personal favorite...

Ingredients:

6-8 ounces of orange juice
1 cup of vanilla yogurt
1 medium sized banana
3-4 frozen strawberries (because they aren't always in season)
Ice cubes (maybe a handful)

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Directions:

Toss everything in a blender and turn the damn thing on!!

See how easy that is? HAHAHAHAHAA! Sometimes I make them for my kids after dinner. If I make it for myself, it's usually a meal replacement - but then I'm using tofu for that instead of yogurt. If using tofu, add a sweetener like honey or Splenda...otherwise it'll be bland and have a chalky taste.

Enjoy!

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Wicked Buffalo Wings

Just in time for the Super Bowl festivities that are getting ready to take place!! Over the weekend I had some of the BEST buffalo wings I've EVER had...never mind that they were served to us via ROOM SERVICE and we only got 6 wings for $10 (plus 7.75% tax, $2.00 delivery and 18 % gratuity) - that's roughly $2.50 EACH - they were till the best I've ever had.

I came home from my weekend getaway inspired!!

Ingredients:

3lbs. chicken wings (with tips cut off and separated)
1/2 cup of margarine
3/4 cup of your favorite hot sauce (separated) - I used Louisiana Wildly Wicked Wing Sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

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Directions:

Now, some people prefer to deep fry their wings and dip them in flour before doing so...but I like to cook healthy when I can - so I baked my wings. Preheat the oven to 425. Line two cookie sheets with foil and coat foil with cooking spray. In a large bowl combine wings with about 1/4 cup of sauce, salt and pepper...mix well and let sit for about 10 minutes before cooking.



Bake wings for 15 minutes on each side. While the wings are baking, in a large skillet melt 1/2 cup (or one stick) of margarine and pour in the remaining sauce. With a wire whisk, mix well until it starts to thicken. Once the chicken is done cooking, place the wings inside the skillet and toss them to coat evenly. Allow the wings to simmer in the sauce. The longer you allow them to simmer, the spicier they will be. During the last minute or so, drizzle honey over the wings and toss.



I served them for dinner with a large salad and everyone LOVED them! I'm glad because I had never made buffalo wings before! HAHAHAHA!!!

If you plan on making more than 3lbs of chicken wings, double the sauce recipe! Good luck...and as usual, ENJOY!!

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Menu Plan Monday - Week of January 5

I know I've been behind on posting my menus. The truth is I haven't been sticking to my menus and haven't really been planning with the holidays and all that. But now that the holidays have moved past us (and left us BROKE), let's get back to it!!

Korean BBQ Shortribs
Kimbap (Korean sushi)
Steamed White Rice

Meatloaf
Rice and Gravy (being half Chinese, we're ALWAYS eating rice!)
Tuna Casserole (which I've been TRYING to make for about 3 weeks now)
Won Ton Soup
Green Salad (with every meal as usual)

Enjoy!

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I am soooo lame. The holidays had me wound up and busy! I didn't have time to blog, let alone sit still long enough to have a complete thought!

I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday! I plan on posting my new recipes THIS WEEK!! Stay tuned!

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