Random

I call this blog “Random”.  I’ve been so busy with school and work along with parties that I have not been able to post anything here that is decent! So sorry, but I hope you enjoy the photos of what has been going on.
 


Here are a couple more photos of the Spicy Green Chile burritos with fresh pan fried tortillas. Garnished with sour cream and fresh cilantro…just the way I like them!







A gift from Italy… I still need to make this and incorporate Mario’s instructions.



Need to grow these “special” bay leaves! 



 


In the mean time, I’ve cut sweet potatoes in half and started to grow them.  My grandmother used to grow these in her backyard and would harvest the leaves to eat.  She would sauté the leaves and eats them with rice.  I am growing these in memory of her.





Some photos from Italian feast 





 




Homemade Italian meatballs and sauce! Mmmm… This photo was taken after I fried the meatballs and threw them in the pot.  I ended up simmering the meatballs for hours afterward.  Looks so "rustic"!





So this filling for ravioli is sooo simple.  I just took spinach, Portobello mushrooms (sliced/diced) and sauteed with lots of fresh minced garlic in canola oil with salt & pepper (I ran out of olive oil)…remove from heat and mix in shredded Parmesan cheese.  Let the filling cool and stuff your raviolis!  I boiled these raviolis and mixed in my homemade Alfredo sauce!  I’ve made this twice and so far I’ve received raved reviews!  I plan on making a bunch and freezing them!  





Sichuan Chicken! Soo spicy!  I made this earlier last week for my uncles.  Original recipe is made with shrimp - one of my favorite dishes as a kid.  I first fell in love with this spicy shrimp dish at one of the restaurants my dad worked at.  He cooked the dish and brought it out for us to eat.  The sauce is soo good with white rice. I learned how to cook this by watching him make it at home. 




My first attempt at making caramel from sweet condensed milk! OMG sooo good! If I can only have one thing to eat forever and ever – I pick sweet condensed milk! LOL Here is a photo of the caramel popcorn I made Friday night.  I am working on my caramel popcorn skills for Fall Festivities!





Now don’t be jealous…. On Saturday we made 14 lbs of Prime Rib for the family along with garlic mashed potatoes (red potatoes, sour cream, butter, garlic, salt/pepper), shrimp scampi, Portobello baked, Caesar salad, corn, and dinner rolls! Below is the cow we roasted!





For every 5 lbs Standing Prime Rib Roast, mix the seasoning below and rub all over meat:

10 cloves minced garlic or 5 teaspoons of pre-minced garlic

2 tbs olive oil

2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp dried thyme

Optional…1 tsp onion powder



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BTW - This Sunday I am taking a Puerto Rican cooking class!  So stay tuned for photos!

Spicy Green Chile Burritos

A few years ago my mom created this Spicy Green Chile Burrito Recipe after she had something similar at a company pot-luck.  Everyone raves about this and always ask for the recipe!  This is a must try!  You can use leftovers in quesadillas!  It is made from pounds of fresh tomatillos and jalapeños.



In the crock pot

5lb of Boneless Chuck Roast Beef (or “tamale” beef)

1 can of beef broth or just water

2 tablespoon of granulated garlic

1 tablespoon of pepper

1 teaspoon of onion powder


Sauce

2 pounds of tomatillos

up to 1 pound of jalapeños (depending on how spicy you want it)  Mild/Medium would be about 3-4 jalapenos. (tip: boil extras and add in more as needed)

1 tsp Salt

½ tsp onion powder

¼ tsp sugar (optional or dash of msg..original recipe)


1) Place the beef in the crock pot.  Pour can of beef broth over the meat.  Season the beef with garlic, pepper, and onion powder.  Cook for at least 3 hours on high and then leave on warm for a few more hours. (usually I leave it overnight  so the meat becomes more tender and can easily be shredded with a fork)

2) Once the meat is done, remove from crock pot to cool.  Reserve the broth. I recommend placing it in a 9x13 aluminum tin pan.  (I usually shred the meat immediately because I think it is easier)

3) Now remove the husks from the tomatillos and take the stem portion off (be careful not to break the skin or else the flesh would all come out during boiling).  Remove the stems from the jalapenos as well.  Rinse them off to remove any dirt.  Place them in a pot and fill with water till it barely covers the tomatillos and jalapenos.  Boil for 15 minutes or until the tomatillos turn a dull shade of green.  Most would say “army” green.

4) Drain the tomatillos and jalapenos and place in blender with 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of onion powder.  I also add 1/4 tsp of sugar because the original recipe from my mother calls for MSG.  Jonathan also likes the sauce a little sweeter.

5) Put 2 tablespoon of canola oil in a pan on med-high.  (The pan needs to be large enough to hold the sauce as well.)   Add 1 tsp of minced garlic to the hot oil.  Add the shredded meat in the pan and “Stir-fry” it for about 5 minutes.  I usually stir until I see some of the meat getting a little crispy.

6) Then pour the sauce from the blender in.  Add 1 cup of reserved broth.  Simmer for about 20 minutes on med-low.  (Also, perform taste test…I usually end up adding up to another tsp of salt)

7) Serve with tortillas and garnish with sour cream and cilantro.



*Note – the sauce becomes very sour if you make the it a day ahead.  So I recommend making the sauce when you are ready to add to the meat.


Enjoy!  Let me know if you try this out and what you think of it!