 I may sound like a broken record but it is so important to use rotisserie chicken (or any other food product for that matter), to their highest potential. That’s why it is important to save the bones cartilages and some of the crusty dark brown skin of the chicken to make homemade chicken stock. It is easy, convenient and almost free, smile. My recipe changes often, depending on which aromatics, herbs, etc., that I have at home or in my garden at the time. Category: HACK Approx. Prep and Cook Time: under 30 Minutes Approximate Cost: $3.60 or .60 cents per cup Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free Servings: 6 to 8 cups INGREDIENTS: All the bones and skinned parts of 1 Lemon Pepper Rotisserie Chicken ($1.00 4 to 5 stems of Italian Oregano (.10) 6 to 8 large Cuban Oregano leaves (.10) 6 to 8 Culantro leaves (.10) 1 large Onion chopped (.45) 8 Garlic cloves (.40) 3 Celery stalks with leaves, chopped (.25) 2 large Rosemary stems (.10) 5 Cachucha or ajicitos dulces (peppers) ($1.00) 1 large spring of Sage (.10) 1 gal. Water (0) DIRECTIONS: Debone and skinned the rotisserie chicken and remove all fat. I only use super roasted brown skin for less fat and more flavor. Sauté in olive oil the onion, celery and garlic until golden, then add the bones and skin. Carefully add the water, all the herbs, peppers, bring it to a boil and then bring the heat to low to simmer covered for 20 minutes. Allow the stock to cool and then strain to obtain your golden flavorful stock. Divide into several containers and freeze what you are not using that day.
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 A great friend of mine showed up at my door with a full bottle of homemade Mango Juice. I was disciplined enough to not drink it all and instead, I thought about using some of this amazing juice in one of my cakes recipe. I combined the flavors of mango, lemon and Amaretto in the baby cakes and the frosting for a punch. My cakes are moist, reminding me of the Caribbean, where these fruits are abundant in almost every home backyard. Thanks Gus & Elba! Category: Dessert Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 40 Minutes Approximate Cost: $8.02 or .57 cents per baby cake Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: (Not GF, however, can be if you use Gluten Free Flour) Servings: 14 Baby Cakes WET INGREDIENTS ($2.82) 2 eggs (.32) ½ cup evaporated milk (.50) ½ cup fresh Mango juice (priceless, it was a gift, smile) ¼ cup peanut oil (.50) 1 ½ tsp. fresh lemon juice (.50) 1 tbsp. lemon zest (.0) 1 tbsp. Amaretto Liquor ((1.00) DRY INGREDIENTS ($1.30) 1 ½ c. all-purpose flour (.60) 1 c. granulated organic sugar (.50) 1 tsp. baking powder (.10) 1/2 tsp. baking soda (.10) DIRECTIONS for the BABY CAKES
INGREDIENTS for Buttercream Frosting ($3.90) 1 c. unsalted butter, softened at room temperature ($1.00) 2 tbsps. Mango juice (0) 2 tbsps. lemon juice (.60) 1 tbsp. Amaretto Liquor ($1.00) 1 tbsp. lemon zest (.10) 3 ½ c. of powdered sugar ($1.20) DIRECTIONS for the FROSTING
 Nothing is better than a serious homemade stir fry. Each time you make it you chose whatever protein you love; shrimp, beef, chicken, pork or all combined, smile. Category: Entrée Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 30 Minutes Approximate Cost: $18.29 or $6.10 per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free Servings: 3 Ingredients 8 pork tenderloin medallions, pat dry ($3.00) 1 tsp. Angie’s dry seasoning (.15) ¼ c. Angie’s basting olive oil ($1.50) 1 tsp. Roasted Garlic and Herbs seasoning (.15) ½ lb. fresh asparagus, washed, pat dry & diced ($1.50) 1 red bell pepper, rinsed, pat dry and sliced ($1.35) 1 Shallot, peeled and sliced (.40) 1 Garlic head, chopped (.30) ½ c. chicken or beef broth (.60) 5 large dried Shiitake mushrooms, hydrated in 1 ½ c. broth ($1.00) 1 small can sweet corn, drained, rinsed, drained again (.99) 1 ½ tbsp. Soy sauce (.10) 1 tsp. of cornstarch to thicken the sauce (0) 1 pack of organic brown basmati rice ($2.45) Directions Season the pork tenderloin medallions with 1 tsp. my dry seasoning , 1 tbsp. my basting olive oil and 1 tsp. Roasted Garlic and Herbs seasoning. Refrigerate until time to use. Prep all the veggies as I indicated above under ingredients. Re-hydrate the mushrooms in the broth and keep the broth for the sauce. Remove the mushrooms, cut them, set aside. Meanwhile, add the soy sauce to the broth, then separately mix the cornstarch with 1 tsp. water together. Then gradually, the pour into the broth. Cook and stir constantly over med heat until it boils becoming bubbly. Cook for a couple of more minutes to complete the cornstarch cooking. Done. Now you are ready to sauté all the veggies and the corn in basting oil. Remove from the wok when done. Time to sauté the pork medallions until golden. Add any seasoned leftover oil from the medallions to the sauce and stir well to combine. Bring all the veggies to the wok, add some of the sauce and stir. Microwave the rice (1minute and 30 seconds.). Start plating and drizzle some of the sauce over the rice, veggies and pork medallions. Bon Appetite!  Who doesn’t like chili? Especially if you combine my crazy ingredients to make it so yummy, and at this cost per serving! Category: Entrée Approx. Prep and Cook Time: Under 30 Minutes Approximate Cost: $7.45 or $3.15 per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free Servings: 3 Ingredients 2 c. diced pork tenderloin steaks (approx. 1 ½ c.) ($2.00) 1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained, rinsed and drained again ($1.00) 1 ½ tbsp. Angie’s basting oil (.40) 1 tsp. Angie’s dry seasoning (.20) 1 tsp. Roasted Garlic and Herbs Seasoning (.20) 1 tsp. Curry powder (.10) 1 large corn ear cooked and kernels cut from the husk (.50) 1 jalapeno (.20) 1 onion, chopped (.40) 1 frozen so Frito cube (.20) 1 c. beef or chicken broth ($1.00) 1 avocado ($1.25) Directions Season the pork tenderloin with my ½ tbsp. of basting oil, dry seasoning and Roasted Garlic and Herbs. Refrigerate. Also, cook the corn in salted water. In a pan, sauté the onion, then add the diced pork and cook until is no longer pink. Add the corn kernels, so Frito, black beans, broth and curry powder. Cook briefly until the sauce looks thick to your like. I like mine a bit juicy. Slice the avocado and jalapeno. Done! 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  Summer is here and we all know it is the best time to find juicy organic tomatoes. That is, if you are not growing them at home. It is too early to harvest tomatoes now. However, the best next thing to do is to go to your local farmer’s market and support them by purchasing their good stuff. Category: SIDE Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 10 Minutes Approximate Cost: $5.95 or $1.49 per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free __X__ Vegetarian __X__ Servings: 4 Ingredients 2 large organic tomatoes ($3.50) 1 med Vidalia onion, chopped (.50) 1 small bunch of green scallions, chopped (.15) 1 tbsp. lemon juice (.50) 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar (.30) Salt and pepper to taste (.10) 3 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil (.90) Directions Rinse the tomatoes, pat dry, and slice in not too thin slices, set aside. Peel and slice the onions in approximately the same size as the tomatoes. Chop the scallions, set aside. In a non-reactive bowl mix the lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Then drizzle the extra virgin olive oil until an emulsion is obtained. Assemble your salad and enjoy!  It may cost you a lot in a nice restaurant and that is ok if you want to do it. Another alternative is to make it at home, in no time and just as yummy. And where can you get this meal for under $10.00 per serving??? Priceless. Category: Entrée Approx. Prep and Cook Time: Under 30 Minutes Approximate Cost: $19.85 or $9.92 per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free Servings: 2 Ingredients 2 filet mignon cut steaks ($14.75) ½ lb. fresh asparagus, washed, pat dry, bottoms cut and discarded ($1.75) 2 c. of cauliflower florets ($1.75) Salt and pepper to taste (0) ½ c. olive oil ($1.60) Directions Pat dry the filet and season with 1 tbsp. of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate. In a baking pan, add the asparagus, cauliflower florets. Season with oil, salt and pepper. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown, remove from oven and allow to rest. Meanwhile, sauté the filet steaks over med-high until golden brown on both sides. Once done to your like, start plating. Enjoy your meal!  If you check my posts out you will know that I always use lots of veggies in my meals. Furthermore, that I love to make odd combinations to avoid boredom, since I make these veggies weekly. Today, I decided to shred red cabbage, with celery stalks, its leaves and culantrillo. (Culantro or Culantrillo is a cooking herb similar to Cilantro but with a stronger flavor) I processed it all in my food processor and used it as I would use any regular slaw or salad, with my favorite salad dressing. I also left few leaves whole to stuff them later with fish or meat for other meals. Time for you to try my hack, smile. Category: HACK: VEGGIE Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 10 Minutes Approximate Cost: ($1.50) or .50 cents per serving, not counting the extra leaves Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free __√__ Vegetarian _√___ Servings: 3 to 4 servings Ingredients 1 med size red cabbage ($1.00) 3 celery stalks with leaves on (.50) 5 Culantro leaves (.25) Directions Rinse all these ingredients and cut smaller to help the food processor. Keep in the fridge in a glass container until use.  Have you ever purchased a frozen bag of mixed seafood? I had done that once and I was not necessarily pleased with it. So, this week, I had some small portions of various seafood at home and decided to make my own mix. The result was fabulous and of course, my husband ate the whole darn thing, smile! Category: Entrée Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 35 Minutes Approximate Cost: $19.40 or $6.47 per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free Servings: 3+ Ingredients 2 Fresh cod filet, sliced on generous rectangles ($3.70) 9 large shrimp ($3.95) 2 large Octopus tentacles ($8.00) 1 tsp. Angie’s Dry Seasonings (.20) 1 ½ tbsp. Angie’s Basting Olive Oil (.45) 1 large Rosemary spring (.10) 1 box of Parmesan Couscous ($2.00) 5 med to large Shiitake mushrooms, chopped ($1.00) Directions to make My Seafood mix: Season the cod and large shrimp with 1 tsp. Angie’s Dry Seasonings and 1 ½ tbsp. Angie’s Basting Olive Oil. Refrigerate. Pat dry the octopus and cut in about 1” pieces diagonally. Sauté them with the mushrooms in 1 tbsp. of my basting oil until golden. Remove the mushrooms first. In the same pan, sauté the shrimp until golden and remove immediately to not overcook them. Start making the Couscous now and meanwhile, add all the seafood pieces to the pan to keep them warm. Start plating. Directions to make Parmesan Couscous: Follow the box directions, you only need the box and my basting oil. Cooks in no time. My Links: 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  Who doesn’t like chicken and who doesn’t cook it or eat it at least once-a-week? I don’t know the answer but chances are that we all eat chicken at least once-a-week, SMILE! Category: Entrée Approx. Prep and Cook Time: 35 to 40 Minutes Approximate Cost: $7.50 or $2.50 per serving Difficulty Level: Easy Allergens, Other: Gluten Free Servings: 3 Ingredients for the Tenders 8 Chicken tenders ($3.00) 1 tbsp. Angie’s Dry Seasonings (.20) 1 tbsp. Roasted Garlic and Herbs (.20) 2 tbsp. Angie’s Basting Olive Oil (.50) 2 Rosemary twigs (.15) 2 Sage twigs (.10) Ingredients for the Medley Potatoes ½ lb. of baby medley potatoes, rinsed, cut in half ($2.50) 1 tbsp. Roasted Garlic and Herbs (.20) 2 tbsp. Angie’s Basting Olive Oil (.50) 2 Chopped Rosemary twigs (.15) Directions Season the chicken tenders with 1 tsp. Angie’s Dry Seasonings, 1 tsp. Roasted Garlic and Herbs and 1 tbsp. Angie’s Basting Olive Oil, rosemary and sage, refrigerate. Meanwhile, prep the potatoes as indicated above. Prepare the seasoning by mixing the Roasted Garlic and Herbs, my basting olive oil and chopped rosemary. Add the potatoes and stir well to coat. Place in a nonstick baking pan and cook at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Stir them half way through to make sure they get the brown color all over. Also, place the chicken tenders on a nonstick baking pan and cook along with the potatoes for about 20 minutes or until done inside. (Remember that all ovens cook differently based on calibration.) When done, remove from oven and allow to rest for few minutes before plating. Enjoy! My Links: 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 |
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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