 Rylan, one of my 4 grandsons, went back to the kitchen to cook. This time his creation was a super yummy Cobb Salad for lunch. Bravo!!! He did it again, the last time was Pizza. Category: Entrée/Salad Approx. Prep and Cook Time: Under 30 Minutes Approximate Cost: $5.40 Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free Servings: 1 Ingredients 1 chicken breast, (seasoned with my dry seasoning, seared and sliced) ($1.00) 1 tbsp. basting olive oil (to marinate and later seared) (.30) 1 tsp. dry seasoning for the chicken breast (or to-taste) (.20) 3+ large Romaine lettuce leaves, (rinsed, pat dry, and chopped large) ($1.00) 6 cherry tomatoes, (rinsed, pat dry, sliced in half) (.70) 2 to 3 slices of Fully cooked bacon, (sold @ Costco) (broke into pieces) ($1.00) 2 hardboiled eggs (peeled, chopped) (.40) ½ a small avocado (sliced) (.65) Cesar salad dressing to-taste (.15) Directions Have all your ingredients prepared before assembling the salad as indicated above. Get a nice glass bowl and look at the photo montage as follows for ideas to assembly. Enjoy! Angie’s Dry Seasonings: http://www.angieslifehacks.com/family-life/oven-roasted-bacon-chicken-and-angies-seasonings Angie’s Basting Olive Oil: www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil Angie’s Homemade Pesto http://www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/angies-homemade-basil-pesto-sauce
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 One of my 5 granddaughters, Siennita, the youngest, decided to make dessert. She chose to use her Bela’s homemade brownie mix, not from a box of course, smile. The outcome? We couldn’t stop eating her creation that was as AWESOME as she is. BOOM!!!! Category: Dessert Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 45 Minutes Approximate Cost: $8.15 AND YOU WILL STILL HAVE DRY MIX LEFT. Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: for GF, please use a Gluten Free Flour Servings: The DRY MIX IS Enough to make at least 2 (9x9 baking pans) A. BROWNIES DRY MIX (to make the DRY MIX INGREDIENTS ONLY) ($3.75) 3 CUPS SUGAR ($1.00) 1 ½ CUPS ALL-PURPOSE OR GF FLOUR (.50) 1 CUP COCOA POWDER ($1.00) 1 TSP SALT (0) (1 CUP CHOCOLATE CHIPS (an OPTIONAL ADD-IN at baking time) ($1.25) SIFT FLOUR, COCOA POWDER and SALT Add all these ingredients into a bowl, except the chocolate chips and mix well until well combined. Then either use the following recipe to bake it or place the dry mix in a Mason Jar in your pantry until time to use. It yields approximate between 5 to 6 cups of Brownies DRY MIX. B. WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE ONE 9x9 baking pan BROWNIES MIX RECIPE ($4.40 2 ½ CUP OF THE DRY MIX (from the large dry mix batch I listed above) ($2.00) ½ CUP MELTED, UNSALTED BUTTER ($1.00) 1 TBSP. VANILLA EXTRACT ($1.00) 2 EGGS (.40) 1 (9X9) Baking Pan C. BAKING DIRECTIONS Preheat your oven at 350 degrees, grease a 9X9 and cover with parchment paper. In a med-size bowl add the dry mix ingredients and mix well. Then, in another bowl mix the wet ingredients until combined. Next, add the dry ingredients to the wet, whisk well, then add the chocolate chips, stir and place in the baking pan. Bake for 30 to 40 MINUTES, depending on your oven. Allow to cool before unmold it and slice it.  Wait until you try these babies, you will be making them often, smile. Category: Dessert Approx. Prep and Cook Time: Under 30 Minutes Approximate Cost: $4.45 or .37 cents per cupcake Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: For GF please use a Gluten Free flour Servings: 12 PART A: INGREDIENTS TO MAKE MY HOMEMADE BAKING CAKE MIX ($1.60) 1 ¼ c. all-purpose flour (.60) 1 ¼ tsp. baking powder (.10) ½ tsp. baking soda (.10) ½ tsp. of salt (Kosher, or regular) (.10) ¾ c. organic white/blonde sugar (.20) 1 tbsp. Pure Vanilla Powder (.50) 1- quart size Mason Jar (These mix ingredients amount will render 2 cups of dry mix) DIRECTIONS TO MAKE MY DRY HOMEMADE CAKE MIX FOR YOUR PANTRY In a med-size bowl, mix all the ingredients listed above, make sure they are well combined. Move to a Mason Jar of your preference, that seal perfectly, so that the mix can be stored for several months, (if it last that long since you will be making cakes often, smile.) The dry mix render a bit over 2cups. PART B: RECIPE TO MAKE HOMEMADE CUPCAKES with my DRY MIX ($2.85) PREHEAT YOUR OVER TO 350 DEGREES F. Oil spray a 12 cupcake pan, (depends on pan size), or use cupcake liners, set aside. You will need 2 bowls; Bowl #1: In a med-size mixing bowl, add all the wet ingredients listed below, ↓ and whisk well to combine.
Bowl #2: Next, add all the wet ingredients to my dry cake mix bowl and whisk or beat just until all ingredients are combined. Pour half of the batter into the cupcake liners and fill just half way. Add few chocolate chunks over them, and cover them with additional batter just until it gets near the top but not to the top. Finally, add few more chunks on top to-taste. Bake the cupcakes for 15 to 20 minutes depending on your oven calibration. A toothpick should come out clean. If you plan to frost or decorate the cupcakes, let them cool down first. Also, never ever over beat your mixes. Beat/mix only until all the ingredients are soft & combined and never open the oven to check until the cooking time is done or they will deflate.  Traditionally, many people believe that Picadillo, a ground beef dish, originated in Spain. Others believe in Cuba, or the neighbor islands. Whichever is the true original country, I thank you and then developed my own recipe as I always do. Is such a simple dish and you can create it with whatever you like to add that you love. Category: Entrée Approx. Prep and Cook Time: Under 30 Minutes Approximate Cost: $8.40 or $2.80 per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free Servings: 3 Ingredients 1 lb. low fat ground sirloin beef ($6.48) 1 tsp. Angie’s dry seasoning or to-taste (.20) 1 tsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (.30) 1 Sazón Seasoning envelope (.15) 2 frozen Sofrito cubes (or make your fresh) (.25) 4 to 5 oz. tomato sauce (.32) 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar (.10) 2 tbsp. roasted red bell peppers, drained, sliced (.15) 2 med-size russet potatoes, peeled, rinsed and cubed small to cook fast (.45) Note: I did not add the following goodies on today’s dish. However, you can add capers, olives and garnish with chopped Cilantro, Parsley or both. Directions There are just few simple steps. Start working on the potatoes before anything. When done, drain and set aside. In a skillet over med- heat with 1 tsp. of my basting oil, sauté the beef to release any unwanted fat until the pink color turns light brown. Next, drain the fat and add the dry seasoning, Sazón Seasoning, 2 frozen Sofrito cubes (or make your fresh), tomato sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Stir and cook over med-low until all ingredients are well combined and look juicy. At that point, add the potatoes to the mix and simmer until a bit thick, about 3 to 4 minutes. Garnish with cilantro or parsley and if you have cooked rice, serve it with the Picadillo on top. An avocado slice will not hurt either, smile. Now you are ready to plate. Enjoy. Angie’s Dry Seasonings: http://www.angieslifehacks.com/family-life/oven-roasted-bacon-chicken-and-angies-seasonings Angie’s Basting Olive Oil: www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil Angie’s Homemade Pesto http://www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/angies-homemade-basil-pesto-sauce  Isn’t this dish combination looking freaking good? Sure, and since I just happened to have salmon, sweet potato, corn and plenty or Cilantro, in minutes, this healthy dinner was ready and at what cost, smile! Category: Entrée Approx. Prep and Cook Time: Under 30 Minutes Approximate Cost: $8.10 or $4.05 per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free Servings: 2 Easy Ingredients 2 salmon steaks, (pat dry and seasoned) ($5.00) 1 tbsp. Angie’s seasoning and some to sprinkle over the cooked corn (.20) 2 tbsp. Angie’s basting olive oil (1 tbsp. to marinate and 1 tbsp. to pan seared all) (.50) 1 ½ c. frozen Trade Joe’s Organic Sweet Cut Corn, follow directions in the bag ($1.20) 1 handful of cilantro, (rinsed & chopped + cut leaves to garnish) (.20) 1 large sweet potato, (peeled, slice ½ inch rounds, quick boiled, drain & seared in oil) $1.00) Super Easy Directions Prepare all the ingredients as indicated under “Easy Ingredients”. Next, follow the photo gallery listed in this post. BOOM, you are ready to plate this easy meal. Enjoy! Angie’s Dry Seasonings: http://www.angieslifehacks.com/family-life/oven-roasted-bacon-chicken-and-angies-seasonings Angie’s Basting Olive Oil: www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil Angie’s Homemade Pesto http://www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/angies-homemade-basil-pesto-sauce  Sometimes, your grandkids tech you “New” cooking techniques, smile! One of my grandsons, age 19th, showed me how he bake it from a box and improve it by adding Oreo cookies, smile.! Category: Dessert Approx. Prep and Cook Time: Under 30 Minutes Approximate Cost: $5.29 or .59 cents per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: NOT Gluten Free Servings: 9 Ingredients 1 box of Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix ($3.69) 5 or to-taste Oreo cookies broken into pieces ($1.00) 1 egg (.20) 1/3 c. Peanut oil (.20) ¼ c. Evaporated milk (.20) Directions 1. Follow the box directions for the brownie mix. Place the mix in an 9x9 baking pan. 2. Top the mix with the Oreo cookies chunks. 3. Bake according to the box directions. 4. Allow to cool down and enjoy this delicious combination alone or with ice cream.  In cooking, especially in baking, not all measuring tools are one-fits-all. There are the dry ingredients, the wet ingredients and the tsp./tbsp. spoons tools FOR WET OR DRY. Also in baking, the “eyeball measuring” that we all use when making meals does not apply here. Therefore, since it’s always nice to know how to learn new HACKS to improve our daily lives and meals, here are some that I use frequently that might help us all. 1.MEASURING DRY INGREDIENTS: Often times many people not familiar with a lot of baking rules use the baking measuring tools incorrectly. When you are measuring Dry Ingredients such as flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, etc. only use the Dry Measuring tools. First, scoop the ingredient into the measuring and more important, level off the top with a flat knife or spatula to measure perfectly as the recipe calls for. Furthermore, after you measure the flours, make sure that you sift to remove lumps or any unknown particle in the bowl, before adding the wet ingredients. Some dry measuring and sift tools look like these: See photos 1 &2. 2. MEASURING WET INGREDIENTS: On the other hand, when you are measuring Wet ingredients only use the Wet Measuring tools that looks like these: See photo 4. MEASURING WET AND TRY TABLESPOONS AND TEASPOONS See photo 3. 3.FINALLY, ADHERE TO THE ROOM TEMPERATURE RULE: If the recipe call for MILK, EGGS, BUTTER, BUTTERMILK, JUICE, etc. make sure that these ingredients are at room temperature. Take them out of the fridge, allow them to sit out for a while and only use them when they are not cold anymore.  The truth is that lots of HACKS makes our lives easier. The question is, how many of us know most of them and for those who do know, how often do they use them. Therefore, the following are some that I use frequently that might help us all. 1.EGGPLANTS: How to remove the bitterness in eggplants before cooking them. First rinse thoroughly, pat dry and slice in whichever form you prefer. Place in a flat container, sprinkle with salt, allow them to sit there for about 30 to 40 minutes to remove most of the liquid it contains and in the process, eliminate the bitterness. The nice thing is that the less liquid it contains makes them cook perfectly and not soggy. 2. SALADS: How to keep Romaine, and other leaves for salads fresh. If the product is not pre-washed, I cut the bottom and discard, detach the leaves of romaine, cut in half, rinse them and drain in my spinner, place a piece of paper towel in the bottom of a container, place the dried leaves and cover with another piece of paper towel. Then, I seal the container as best as possible and refrigerate immediately. 3. LEFTOVERS: As we all know; leftovers are part of our lives. You make ribs, meatloaf, beef stew, etc. and end up with leftovers. Do you throw them away? Hopefully not. The same goes for Salads. Therefore, don’t throw away your leftover salad from last night dinner and do this: First, make sure that the family salad bowl doesn’t get salad dressing, that everyone takes their individual serving and then use the salad dressing of their choice in their own bowls. Therefore, if there is any salad left in the family bowl, place it in a glass container, put a piece of paper towel on top to keep it the moisture out, seal it well and use it tomorrow for lunch inside your sandwich or as a salad lunch. TOMORROW, we will discuss Baking Measuring Ingredients/tools, stay tuned!  More than often, people BBQ their ribs and they come out great. However, I prefer to bake mine over very low heat for a long time. The end result, I have to handle them with super care because the bones fell of the meat so easily and I want them to look great when I plate them. Category: Entrée Approx. Prep and Cook Time: under 4 hour Minutes Approximate Cost: $13.00 or $4.33 per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free Servings: 3 Ingredients 1 slabs of baby back ribs ($11.50) ¼ cup Angie’s Dry Seasoning (see my link below for the recipe) ($1.50) Directions Clean the ribs of all fat you can and season with my dry rub or the one of your choice. Next, place them in a baking pan they’ll fit in, then wrap them with a large piece of aluminum foil to make sure that they are wrapped all over and no steam can escape. If you have to fold it twice that’s fine. Refrigerate overnight. The next day, turn the oven 275 degrees and cook the ribs for 3 to 4 hours until tender. Once done, take them off the oven and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes. Time to enjoy them with any side you prefer. Angie’s Dry Seasonings: http://www.angieslifehacks.com/family-life/oven-roasted-bacon-chicken-and-angies-seasonings Angie’s Basting Olive Oil: www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/the-flavor-series-recipe-2-angies-basting-olive-oil Angie’s Homemade Pesto http://www.angieslifehacks.com/cuisine/angies-homemade-basil-pesto-sauce |
ABOUT THE AuthorI am a blogger, a photographer, a jewelry designer, a gourmet cook, and a recipe book writer. I am also a flea market flipper, an avid gardener, an interior/ outdoors designer, an avid golfer and traveler. Categories |
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