Okay so if you are like I was growing up you probably hated beans or still do. I remember my mother always telling me how important it was for me to eat them because they were very good for you because they contain a lot of fiber, as well as a host of other good for you nutrients.
Well it wasn't until I got married that I began to like beans. As I have mentioned in earlier post my husband is from overseas. Specifically he is from Angola, Africa. Angolan food is a similar to a mix between Cuban, Portuguese, and African flavors. This is mainly because of two reasons. The first reason is because Angola was colonized by the Portuguese, so the country is heavily influenced by Portugal. The second reason is because Angola was once a communist country and was allies with Cuba because of this. Many Angolan's and Cubans migrated between countries leaving their impressions on one another.
Like in Cuba, black beans and rice, are pretty staple foods in my husband's country. When he moved here he would make them every week, just about. I noticed though, that he did not make his beans the usual way that I was used to seeing them made. What I learned is that they way they prepare beans in his country are almost like a two step process. First they boil the beans, and then they "marinate" them.
Well the first time I tasted these "marinated" beans I was hooked! So I decided to learn his method and couple it with the way my mom made hers and came up with my own recipe joining together the two techniques. So I hope you out there who find yourself disliking beans, give this recipe a shot, as a promise you will enjoy it going forward, and then you too will be able to enjoy the wonderful nutritional benefits of the extraordinary bean.
Smoked Turkey w/ Pinto beans
Ingredients:
1 pkg of smoked turkey pieces (2 drum legs or 2-3 wings)
1 tall large can of pinto beans (28 oz), drained and rinsed
1/2 of a medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic minced or 2 tbsp of minced garlic
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp of olive oil
Directions:
First thing you will need to do is rinse off your smoked turkey pieces and cover them with water as you place them in a crock pot. Put the lid on and let the meat cook in the crock pot for about 4-6 hrs, or until meat begins to fall off the bone. (If you don't have a crock pot, boil the smoked turkey on the stove for about 2 hours on med-low heat.)
Once the meat is done, remove it from the liquid to cool and reserve the liquid to the side for later use.
Using a 6qt pot over medium heat, combine olive oil and onion to the pot and sauté until the onions becomes translucent. Next add in the garlic and the beans and sauté them about one minute. Now using a strainer, to catch any bones, strain the reserved liquid from the smoked turkey, into the pot with the beans and onion mixture. The liquid should cover the beans. If you do not have enough then use enough water to make sure the beans are covered. Add the bay leaf and lower the heat to med-low and let simmer.
While the beans are simmering take your cooked smoked turkey and pull the meat away from the bones. Discard any skin and bones for trash. Once you have pulled away all the meat add it to the bean mixture and continue to let simmer over med-low heat for about 30mins, checking back often to just stir.
Once the 30mins has passed serve the beans, along with baked cornbread. Makes about 4-6 servings.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Apple Rum Crepes
These little darlings are a hit in my house. Now I didn't grow up eating crepes but I stumbled across a couple recipes over time and have played with the ingredients to come up with my own perfect mix that helps these to be tasty but also not so fattening.
Now you can use pretty much use any fruit topping or filling that you choose but I personally prefer the apple rum topping. So play around with this recipe and see what works for you. Enjoy!
Crepe Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup of fat free skim milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 tsp of Sugar
1 tsp of Rum or Vanilla Extract
Dash of salt
2 tbsp of butter, sliced into 8 thin shavings
Apple Topping Ingredients:
2 medium sized apples, peeled, and sliced thin
1 tbsp of butter
3 tbsp of brown sugar
1 tsp of Rum Extract
1/4 cup of apple juice
Directions:
To prepare the crepes, combine all of the crepe ingredients except the butter, into a blender, and blend until smooth. Set this aside for now until the Apple topping is finished.
To prepare the apple topping, first you will want to add the tbsp of butter into a large skillet over medium heat, and let it melt. Next add the sliced apples, toss them around in the butter and spread them out in a single layer and let them cook for about a minute on each side until they are little soft. Once they become a little soft add the brown sugar and Rum extract and toss them around again until all the apples are equally coated with the brown sugar. Finally add the apple juice and let the apples simmer on low heat for about 5-10 minutes until completely soft and most of the liquid has evaporated or become thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.
To finish up the crepes, heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place one the thin slices of butter into the pan and coat the bottom of the pan with it. Pour about 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan and quickly tilt pan in all directions in order to spread out the crepe mixture into a bigger circle. (you will want to do this quickly as the batter will cook rather fast and you want the crepe to be thin almost like a film, not thick) Cook about a minute on that side or until the bottom is slightly browned, and then use a spatula to carefully flip the crepe to the other side, and cook for about 30secs or until that side is slightly browned as well. Carefully remove the crepe and fold over half ways onto a plate and repeat this procedure for the next 7 crepes, for a total of 8.
Now to assemble, give each person 2 crepes and top with some of the apple topping, sprinkle with some powder sugar or top with some whip cream, whatever you prefer and enjoy! Makes 4 servings
Now you can use pretty much use any fruit topping or filling that you choose but I personally prefer the apple rum topping. So play around with this recipe and see what works for you. Enjoy!
Crepe Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup of fat free skim milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 tsp of Sugar
1 tsp of Rum or Vanilla Extract
Dash of salt
2 tbsp of butter, sliced into 8 thin shavings
Apple Topping Ingredients:
2 medium sized apples, peeled, and sliced thin
1 tbsp of butter
3 tbsp of brown sugar
1 tsp of Rum Extract
1/4 cup of apple juice
Directions:
To prepare the crepes, combine all of the crepe ingredients except the butter, into a blender, and blend until smooth. Set this aside for now until the Apple topping is finished.
To prepare the apple topping, first you will want to add the tbsp of butter into a large skillet over medium heat, and let it melt. Next add the sliced apples, toss them around in the butter and spread them out in a single layer and let them cook for about a minute on each side until they are little soft. Once they become a little soft add the brown sugar and Rum extract and toss them around again until all the apples are equally coated with the brown sugar. Finally add the apple juice and let the apples simmer on low heat for about 5-10 minutes until completely soft and most of the liquid has evaporated or become thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.
To finish up the crepes, heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place one the thin slices of butter into the pan and coat the bottom of the pan with it. Pour about 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan and quickly tilt pan in all directions in order to spread out the crepe mixture into a bigger circle. (you will want to do this quickly as the batter will cook rather fast and you want the crepe to be thin almost like a film, not thick) Cook about a minute on that side or until the bottom is slightly browned, and then use a spatula to carefully flip the crepe to the other side, and cook for about 30secs or until that side is slightly browned as well. Carefully remove the crepe and fold over half ways onto a plate and repeat this procedure for the next 7 crepes, for a total of 8.
Now to assemble, give each person 2 crepes and top with some of the apple topping, sprinkle with some powder sugar or top with some whip cream, whatever you prefer and enjoy! Makes 4 servings
Gumbo Recipe
So I have 2 ways that I like to use to make gumbo, and one is completely homemade, and the other is semi-homemade. The first way I prefer to use for special occasions as it takes a lot longer to prepare and requires a lot more ingredients. The second way, I use part of my homemade recipe and cut it short by using Zatarin's Gumbo Mix.
So if your wanting to make this recipe during the week I would say use the second version and if your doing this on a weekend or special occasion go ahead and invest the time as it will be a lot more authentic if you do and the taste will be well worth it as well. I always serve ours with baked cornbread muffins. So here you go, enjoy!
Gumbo-Homemade
Ingredients:
6-8 chicken wings
2 cups of sliced Smoke Sausage, Andouille, or Kielbasa
1 pd of crab legs (or less, your preference)
1 pd of uncooked deveined shrimp (or less, your preference)
1 can of Italian diced tomatoes
1 box of chopped frozen okra, thawed
2 tbsp of Cajun seasoning, divided
2 tbsp of Italian seasoning, divided
2 tbsp of Creole seasoning (I use Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning), divided
1 tbsp of Gumbo File (I also use Tony Chachere Gumbo File)
Directions:
The first thing you will need to do is put your cleaned chicken wings in a 6qt pot and cover them with water until the pot is about 3/4 full. Add 1 tbsp each of Cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning, and Creole seasoning. Let the chicken and seasonings boil on medium-low heat for about 40min to an hour, or until you see the chicken begin to fall off the bone. (you may need to check back every 15mins to check the water level; you want to make sure the chicken stays covered with water) Once the chicken begins to fall off the bone, you will need to spoon off any foam that has appeared on the surface of the water. After you have done this add in the smoke sausage, diced tomatoes, and the other 1tbsp of Cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning, and Creole seasoning. Let this continue to boil for another 20mins at med-low heat. After the 20mins has passed add in the 1tbsp of gumbo file, and the crab legs, and boil another 20mins. Finally you can add the shrimp and the okra and boil for about another 10mins. Now you can serve the gumbo over rice and with a slice of baked cornbread if you choose. Enjoy!
Gumbo-Semi-Homemade
Ingredients:
6-8 chicken wings
2 cups of sliced Smoke Sausage, Andouille,or Kielbasa
1 pd of uncooked deveined shrimp (or less, your preference)
1 can of Italian diced tomatoes
1 box of Zatarins Gumbo Mix
Directions:
The first thing you will need to do is put your cleaned chicken wings in a 6qt pot and cover them with water until the pot is about 3/4 full. Let the chicken boil on medium-low heat for about 40min. (you may need to check back every 15mins to check the water level; you want to make sure the chicken stays covered with water) Once the time has passed spoon off any foam that has appeared on the surface of the water. After you have done this add in the smoke sausage, diced tomatoes, and the Zatarain's Gumbo Mix package. Let this continue to boil for another 20mins at med-low heat. Finally you can add the shrimp boil for an additional 10mins. Now you can serve the gumbo with a slice of baked cornbread if you choose. Enjoy!
So if your wanting to make this recipe during the week I would say use the second version and if your doing this on a weekend or special occasion go ahead and invest the time as it will be a lot more authentic if you do and the taste will be well worth it as well. I always serve ours with baked cornbread muffins. So here you go, enjoy!
Gumbo-Homemade
Ingredients:
6-8 chicken wings
2 cups of sliced Smoke Sausage, Andouille, or Kielbasa
1 pd of crab legs (or less, your preference)
1 pd of uncooked deveined shrimp (or less, your preference)
1 can of Italian diced tomatoes
1 box of chopped frozen okra, thawed
2 tbsp of Cajun seasoning, divided
2 tbsp of Italian seasoning, divided
2 tbsp of Creole seasoning (I use Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning), divided
1 tbsp of Gumbo File (I also use Tony Chachere Gumbo File)
Directions:
The first thing you will need to do is put your cleaned chicken wings in a 6qt pot and cover them with water until the pot is about 3/4 full. Add 1 tbsp each of Cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning, and Creole seasoning. Let the chicken and seasonings boil on medium-low heat for about 40min to an hour, or until you see the chicken begin to fall off the bone. (you may need to check back every 15mins to check the water level; you want to make sure the chicken stays covered with water) Once the chicken begins to fall off the bone, you will need to spoon off any foam that has appeared on the surface of the water. After you have done this add in the smoke sausage, diced tomatoes, and the other 1tbsp of Cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning, and Creole seasoning. Let this continue to boil for another 20mins at med-low heat. After the 20mins has passed add in the 1tbsp of gumbo file, and the crab legs, and boil another 20mins. Finally you can add the shrimp and the okra and boil for about another 10mins. Now you can serve the gumbo over rice and with a slice of baked cornbread if you choose. Enjoy!
Gumbo-Semi-Homemade
Ingredients:
6-8 chicken wings
2 cups of sliced Smoke Sausage, Andouille,or Kielbasa
1 pd of uncooked deveined shrimp (or less, your preference)
1 can of Italian diced tomatoes
1 box of Zatarins Gumbo Mix
Directions:
The first thing you will need to do is put your cleaned chicken wings in a 6qt pot and cover them with water until the pot is about 3/4 full. Let the chicken boil on medium-low heat for about 40min. (you may need to check back every 15mins to check the water level; you want to make sure the chicken stays covered with water) Once the time has passed spoon off any foam that has appeared on the surface of the water. After you have done this add in the smoke sausage, diced tomatoes, and the Zatarain's Gumbo Mix package. Let this continue to boil for another 20mins at med-low heat. Finally you can add the shrimp boil for an additional 10mins. Now you can serve the gumbo with a slice of baked cornbread if you choose. Enjoy!
Friday, April 16, 2010
let's catch up!
Hello everyone!
SoI haven't posted in a while because I have been super busy handling my mother and wife responsibilities, you know your first ministry is to your own family. So any who I thought I would use this post to catch up by providing you with three new recipes.
The recipes I will be posting (in individual post) are smoked turkey and pinto beans, gumbo, and rum apple crepes.
Well I hope you all have the opportunity to try out some of these recipes this weekend, but if not print them out and store them in your recipe binders for safe keeping.
Good Night Peeps, I'll talk to you soon!
SoI haven't posted in a while because I have been super busy handling my mother and wife responsibilities, you know your first ministry is to your own family. So any who I thought I would use this post to catch up by providing you with three new recipes.
The recipes I will be posting (in individual post) are smoked turkey and pinto beans, gumbo, and rum apple crepes.
Well I hope you all have the opportunity to try out some of these recipes this weekend, but if not print them out and store them in your recipe binders for safe keeping.
Good Night Peeps, I'll talk to you soon!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Quick Tuna Casserole
Today one of my friends asked if I had any ideas for a quick casserole that she could make in fewer than 45 mins for dinner. Well I originally planned on posting one of my favorite casserole dishes that I was actually inspired to make from a recipe I saw in a magazine once. However I realized that I didn't exactly know the measurements for the dish as I have never measured the ingredients out yet.
So I decided to post a different recipe that is much easier to give directions on because it is seriously that simple! So for all of you tuna and cheese lovers out there here is a great tuna casserole recipe just for you! Enjoy!
Tuna Casserole
Ingredients:
1 large can of tuna in water, drained
1 small can of cream of mushroom soup
1/2 of a bag of Extra Wide Egg Noodles
1/2 of a small onion, chopped
1/2 of a large size Velveeta cheese block
2tbsp of Italian Seasonings
2tbsp of butter
Directions:
First thing you will need to do is put about 5-6 cups of water on to boil, to cook your noodles. Once the water begins to boil, place noodles in the water and boil according to the package. Next you will need to start your sauce while the noodles are boiling. You will want to place the cream of mushroom soup into a medium sized saucepan along with the onions, and about 1 cup of the water from the noodles. You will want to simmer this mixture until it begins to liquefy and all the chucks of cream of mushroom have become smooth. Next you will need to cube the Velveeta cheese into small chunks and gradually mix all of the Velveeta cubes into the cream of mushroom sauce until it is melted and smooth. Now you will need to mix the tuna into the sauce. By now the noodles should be done and you will need to drain them and then toss them in the butter and Italian seasonings. Once you have completed this you can stir the sauce into the noodles and let simmer an additional 5 mins and then serve.
Now there are of course variations to this recipe. I sometime like to add peas to the dish as a way to mix in a vegetable and get my son to eat them.
I have placed the casserole in a baking dish and topped it with Colby cheese and baked it till the top was bubbly and a little brown.
However you would like to try it go for it and see how you like it.
So I decided to post a different recipe that is much easier to give directions on because it is seriously that simple! So for all of you tuna and cheese lovers out there here is a great tuna casserole recipe just for you! Enjoy!
Tuna Casserole
Ingredients:
1 large can of tuna in water, drained
1 small can of cream of mushroom soup
1/2 of a bag of Extra Wide Egg Noodles
1/2 of a small onion, chopped
1/2 of a large size Velveeta cheese block
2tbsp of Italian Seasonings
2tbsp of butter
Directions:
First thing you will need to do is put about 5-6 cups of water on to boil, to cook your noodles. Once the water begins to boil, place noodles in the water and boil according to the package. Next you will need to start your sauce while the noodles are boiling. You will want to place the cream of mushroom soup into a medium sized saucepan along with the onions, and about 1 cup of the water from the noodles. You will want to simmer this mixture until it begins to liquefy and all the chucks of cream of mushroom have become smooth. Next you will need to cube the Velveeta cheese into small chunks and gradually mix all of the Velveeta cubes into the cream of mushroom sauce until it is melted and smooth. Now you will need to mix the tuna into the sauce. By now the noodles should be done and you will need to drain them and then toss them in the butter and Italian seasonings. Once you have completed this you can stir the sauce into the noodles and let simmer an additional 5 mins and then serve.
Now there are of course variations to this recipe. I sometime like to add peas to the dish as a way to mix in a vegetable and get my son to eat them.
I have placed the casserole in a baking dish and topped it with Colby cheese and baked it till the top was bubbly and a little brown.
However you would like to try it go for it and see how you like it.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Going International..........Samosas baby! lol
Aloha Beauties!
Today I attempted (with success fortunately, lol) to re-create one of my favorite foods that I use to eat, while living in South Africa. I lived in South Africa for about 4 months back in 2003, which by the way, is where I met my husband. (He isn't South African he is actually Angolan, but was living in South Africa at the time)
I am not sure what is used in typical Samosas for the pastry dough however I remember it being similar to the consistency of Fillo dough. For my spices, I chose curry powder, turmeric for added color, some chili powder for a little heat, garlic pepper because I just LOVE that stuff, lol, and cumin because it just sounded like it should go there for a little bit of a smoky background flavor I guess. (Hey remember I am winging it here, lol)
I also used some fresh garlic, (because we put garlic in everything in my household, we are serious garlic lovers) onion, and some fresh parsley and lemon juice.
Till later luvs, bon appetite!
Today I attempted (with success fortunately, lol) to re-create one of my favorite foods that I use to eat, while living in South Africa. I lived in South Africa for about 4 months back in 2003, which by the way, is where I met my husband. (He isn't South African he is actually Angolan, but was living in South Africa at the time)
While I was living there I use to go to this little East Indian Pastry place not that far from where I lived in Pretoria. I would always get these things called "Samosas". These little meaty gems were like the best thing ever when I was there. I had never had them before and I loved the East Indian spices. I actually love lots of different international foods. I like to think of my taste buds as international explorers, they are always up to taste a great new food exploration. Among their favorite pallets to "visit" are Cuban, Mediterranean, and East Indian flavors.
So anyway I have noticed these Samosas all over in the frozen grocery sections lately, but not so much with East Indian flavors but more along the lines of things like spinach and cheese. I guess they are becoming more and more popular as appetizers here in the States.
Well I decided that I wanted to include a recipe in my cookbook for the Samosas similar to what I had in South Africa. Of course I didn't have a recipe and as I do best I decided to wing it once again off of memory and what I know to be some of the usual spices used in East Indian cooking. The ones I had in South Africa were beef, but I am always trying to find ways to make things I love in a healthier format, so I decided to try and use ground chicken instead as chicken is usually a much leaner meat than beef.
I am not sure what is used in typical Samosas for the pastry dough however I remember it being similar to the consistency of Fillo dough. For my spices, I chose curry powder, turmeric for added color, some chili powder for a little heat, garlic pepper because I just LOVE that stuff, lol, and cumin because it just sounded like it should go there for a little bit of a smoky background flavor I guess. (Hey remember I am winging it here, lol)
I also used some fresh garlic, (because we put garlic in everything in my household, we are serious garlic lovers) onion, and some fresh parsley and lemon juice.
So I did my thing and got everything all meshed together and then I assembled my little deliciously meaty triangles and I proceeded to deep fry them. I found that they actually cooked very quickly once assembled. This was my first time working with Fillo dough and I did find it a bit tricky at first but once I got the hang of it, it was a breeze.
In the end they came out great! I loved all the East Indian flavors, however next time I will try and see if I can accomplish the same success if I bake them. As I said I do prefer to try and find ways to make my dishes as healthy as possible if I can and I would prefer to have the Samosas baked. I am sure I can accomplish that as I have already created a great recipe for home-made egg rolls that I bake instead of deep frying, and they are SO good. I like them even better then the fried egg rolls; I will definitely have to share that recipe with you guys soon.
So I have posted a pic of the finish product. I served the Samosas over salad and sprinkled it with feta and cilantro and a squeeze of lemon.
If you want this recipe, you'll have to wait for the book. ;-) lol I have to save SOME things for the book you know. However I'm a nice person so if you REALLY want the recipe because you are planning a get together or something email me at cookitlikemama@yahoo.com or you can become a fan on Facebook and send me a note.Till later luvs, bon appetite!
Wingin' it at a Pineapple Upside Down Cake ;-)
Hi All-
So today I tried my hand at making a pineapple upside down cake. I have never made one before because I couldn't remember if I liked them or not, lol. My husband is originally from overseas, and I like to try and introduce him to new foods of our culture here, as vice verse. Currently he is hooked to my sweet potato pies and peach cobbler; however a girl gets tired of eating the same deserts ALL the time, lol. Well it was time to introduce him to something new and today it was Pineapple Upside Down Cake!
Well anyway, as the situation goes most of the time, I did not have a recipe for this cake nor did I feel like looking one up, so I decided to wing it and see how it would turn out.
I had a pretty good idea of what ingredients probably went inside the cake because as we all know you can pretty much see them, lol.
So I proceeded to make the cake, while keeping note of my measurements so in case it turned out well I would be able to share it with all of you. By the way I usually never measure ingredients but I have had to start recently since I started writing this cookbook I am working on.
I knew the cake required yellow cake mix, brown sugar and probably butter to make the topping, as well as pineapples and those maraschiano cherries. (Tip or Note: If your like me and can't justify spending the money on a bottle of those maraschiano cherries which you will rarely use, you can do like me, and just buy a can of fruit cocktail and fish the cherries out of their ;-) you see, lol I am ALWAYS thinking outside the box, lol)
Any who the cake turned out great actually and I found out that I do in fact like Pineapple Upside down cake and so did the rest of the familia. So I am posting the recipe I came up with, along with pictures, using a round 9 in cake pan.
Hope you guys enjoy!
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients:
1 box of yellow cake mix
1 can of sliced Pineapple (reserve juice from can to the side)
1 jar of maraschino cherries (or can of fruit cocktail, see my note in above post)
2/3 cups of Brown Sugar
4 tbsp of butter
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. First thing you will need to do is make the yellow cake batter as directed on the box. However the liquid that the cake calls for you will want to use the juice that you reserved from your can of pineapples as a substitution for that liquid. (For instance my box cake mix called for 1 1/3 cups of water, and my can of pineapples came with about 3/4 cup of pineapple juice. So I used that juice and mixed in the additional 1/4 cup of water to make one cup and then also added the other 1/3 cup of water) After the cake batter has been prepared, set it aside. Next put the 4tbsps of butter into the 9in cake pan and into the oven to melt, about 3-5 mins. (Keep an eye on the butter though as you do not want it to burn.) Once the butter has melted remove from the oven and add the brown sugar by sprinkling it evenly over the melted butter. (If lumps form be sure to smash them out with a fork.) Now you will need to add the pineapples around the edges and place one in the middle. (I ended up using about 6 slices of pineapple for my pan, but depending on what type of pan you will use that amount may vary.) Next add a maraschino cherry in the wholes of all the pineapples. Once you have completed that step spray the sides of your pan with some of the non-stick cooking spray that has flour added, then pour in your cake batter. Place the cake in the oven and bake. Now as far as time, I originally decided to go with the amount of time that the box called for, but when I went to check it at that 30 mins mark my cake was still jiggly. So I ended up letting it stay in for an additional 20 mins making a total of 50 mins. I would tell you to do the same as I did, start with what your box calls for and if it isn't done (It will be done when you stick a knife in it and it comes out clean.) then leave it in and just keep checking on it every 10 mins until it is done.
So today I tried my hand at making a pineapple upside down cake. I have never made one before because I couldn't remember if I liked them or not, lol. My husband is originally from overseas, and I like to try and introduce him to new foods of our culture here, as vice verse. Currently he is hooked to my sweet potato pies and peach cobbler; however a girl gets tired of eating the same deserts ALL the time, lol. Well it was time to introduce him to something new and today it was Pineapple Upside Down Cake!
Well anyway, as the situation goes most of the time, I did not have a recipe for this cake nor did I feel like looking one up, so I decided to wing it and see how it would turn out.
I had a pretty good idea of what ingredients probably went inside the cake because as we all know you can pretty much see them, lol.
So I proceeded to make the cake, while keeping note of my measurements so in case it turned out well I would be able to share it with all of you. By the way I usually never measure ingredients but I have had to start recently since I started writing this cookbook I am working on.
I knew the cake required yellow cake mix, brown sugar and probably butter to make the topping, as well as pineapples and those maraschiano cherries. (Tip or Note: If your like me and can't justify spending the money on a bottle of those maraschiano cherries which you will rarely use, you can do like me, and just buy a can of fruit cocktail and fish the cherries out of their ;-) you see, lol I am ALWAYS thinking outside the box, lol)
Any who the cake turned out great actually and I found out that I do in fact like Pineapple Upside down cake and so did the rest of the familia. So I am posting the recipe I came up with, along with pictures, using a round 9 in cake pan.
Hope you guys enjoy!
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients:
1 box of yellow cake mix
1 can of sliced Pineapple (reserve juice from can to the side)
1 jar of maraschino cherries (or can of fruit cocktail, see my note in above post)
2/3 cups of Brown Sugar
4 tbsp of butter
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. First thing you will need to do is make the yellow cake batter as directed on the box. However the liquid that the cake calls for you will want to use the juice that you reserved from your can of pineapples as a substitution for that liquid. (For instance my box cake mix called for 1 1/3 cups of water, and my can of pineapples came with about 3/4 cup of pineapple juice. So I used that juice and mixed in the additional 1/4 cup of water to make one cup and then also added the other 1/3 cup of water) After the cake batter has been prepared, set it aside. Next put the 4tbsps of butter into the 9in cake pan and into the oven to melt, about 3-5 mins. (Keep an eye on the butter though as you do not want it to burn.) Once the butter has melted remove from the oven and add the brown sugar by sprinkling it evenly over the melted butter. (If lumps form be sure to smash them out with a fork.) Now you will need to add the pineapples around the edges and place one in the middle. (I ended up using about 6 slices of pineapple for my pan, but depending on what type of pan you will use that amount may vary.) Next add a maraschino cherry in the wholes of all the pineapples. Once you have completed that step spray the sides of your pan with some of the non-stick cooking spray that has flour added, then pour in your cake batter. Place the cake in the oven and bake. Now as far as time, I originally decided to go with the amount of time that the box called for, but when I went to check it at that 30 mins mark my cake was still jiggly. So I ended up letting it stay in for an additional 20 mins making a total of 50 mins. I would tell you to do the same as I did, start with what your box calls for and if it isn't done (It will be done when you stick a knife in it and it comes out clean.) then leave it in and just keep checking on it every 10 mins until it is done.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
And so we begin...........
Hello All!
I have created this new blog as a prelude to my upcoming book of the same title as this blog. The book will be a cookbook geared towards young woman (but certainly not only for them) with lots of different types of home-style recipes which sometimes may have a little tweak here and there to modernize it a bit.
I want this blog and my upcoming site to be more of an interactive cookbook if you will. I want to share my recipes and tips that I have learned throughout the years with you. Whether you are wondering, "How do I get my meat sauce to be more Bolognese style and less chunky?" or "How do I cook, from scratch Banana Pudding?" I have those answers and I will share them with you here on this blog and at my site.
As well I would like to help you come up with great recipes for whatever food is perplexing you for dinner tonight. I am great at coming up with recipes when my pantry is down to its bare bones, but I know most aren't. I will also use this blog to share my tips on making your food stretch when your funds are tight for the week. I come from a family of seven and I definitely learned how to make a little money feed a lot of people, and I will show you how to do that too.
Well you maybe wondering, what qualifies me to teach you anything about cooking like his Mama? And why the title "Cook it like his Mama"? Well, first off I grew up with a mother who catered. My mother was not an educated chef, she just had a love and passion for cooking and God blessed her to be good at it too! Although she worked full time as a Mail Carrier, she managed to keep a part time catering business running with no formal advertising or marketing. She was simply good and once someone tasted her food, they spread the word and so did her business. So I grew up helping to make all this wonderful food she catered. I have been cooking since I was about nine years old. My earliest memory of catering is that of my sisters and me sitting around the table rolling up hundreds of turkey roll ups for a catering job one day.
Now, my mother has retired from her Mail Carrying position and has decided to finally fulfill her dream in opening a restaurant. I will be sure to let you all know once she opens, so you Indianapolis peeps can go and check her out. Nonetheless now I cook on my own and I guess I have been blessed with my mom's talent because I have noticed that I too find enjoyment in cooking, and maybe for a different reason than my mom has. I like to think of cooking as art. When I am creating a new recipe or tweaking another one, I imagine it to be similar to painting an abstract picture. Most of the time I just throw things together that seem like they work well and I just see what comes out. I personally believe that is how cooking should be done, because you never know what great masterpiece you will come up with till you try. Plus, it is only food you can't kill it so if you mess up just try and fix it and if you can't than discard and start from scratch like a blank canvas.
I decided to write the book, which spawned this blog, because I felt it was needed. I have so many of my young girl friends who call me asking me how to make traditional home-style foods, or wanting to know a recipe for chicken because that is what they have in the fridge that day. I thought man there needs to be a cookbook for all the young women out there (and men too, lol) who do not know how to cook traditional home-style foods. They may not know because either they had no interest in learning when they were young, or maybe they grew up in a house (like many people have) where their parents didn't really cook, they ate more boxed foods instead, or maybe they did learn but just didn't really care for their recipe, and want to learn a new way to cook the dish. Whatever the reason, I just felt their needed to be a cookbook for those things presented in a related manner to today's young person.
So let us begin your cooking journey together. Ask away, what questions do you need or want answered? I will try and answer as many questions as possible each day. Send your questions to cookitlikemama@yahoo.com. Alright all let's get cookin!
I have created this new blog as a prelude to my upcoming book of the same title as this blog. The book will be a cookbook geared towards young woman (but certainly not only for them) with lots of different types of home-style recipes which sometimes may have a little tweak here and there to modernize it a bit.
I want this blog and my upcoming site to be more of an interactive cookbook if you will. I want to share my recipes and tips that I have learned throughout the years with you. Whether you are wondering, "How do I get my meat sauce to be more Bolognese style and less chunky?" or "How do I cook, from scratch Banana Pudding?" I have those answers and I will share them with you here on this blog and at my site.
As well I would like to help you come up with great recipes for whatever food is perplexing you for dinner tonight. I am great at coming up with recipes when my pantry is down to its bare bones, but I know most aren't. I will also use this blog to share my tips on making your food stretch when your funds are tight for the week. I come from a family of seven and I definitely learned how to make a little money feed a lot of people, and I will show you how to do that too.
Well you maybe wondering, what qualifies me to teach you anything about cooking like his Mama? And why the title "Cook it like his Mama"? Well, first off I grew up with a mother who catered. My mother was not an educated chef, she just had a love and passion for cooking and God blessed her to be good at it too! Although she worked full time as a Mail Carrier, she managed to keep a part time catering business running with no formal advertising or marketing. She was simply good and once someone tasted her food, they spread the word and so did her business. So I grew up helping to make all this wonderful food she catered. I have been cooking since I was about nine years old. My earliest memory of catering is that of my sisters and me sitting around the table rolling up hundreds of turkey roll ups for a catering job one day.
Now, my mother has retired from her Mail Carrying position and has decided to finally fulfill her dream in opening a restaurant. I will be sure to let you all know once she opens, so you Indianapolis peeps can go and check her out. Nonetheless now I cook on my own and I guess I have been blessed with my mom's talent because I have noticed that I too find enjoyment in cooking, and maybe for a different reason than my mom has. I like to think of cooking as art. When I am creating a new recipe or tweaking another one, I imagine it to be similar to painting an abstract picture. Most of the time I just throw things together that seem like they work well and I just see what comes out. I personally believe that is how cooking should be done, because you never know what great masterpiece you will come up with till you try. Plus, it is only food you can't kill it so if you mess up just try and fix it and if you can't than discard and start from scratch like a blank canvas.
I decided to write the book, which spawned this blog, because I felt it was needed. I have so many of my young girl friends who call me asking me how to make traditional home-style foods, or wanting to know a recipe for chicken because that is what they have in the fridge that day. I thought man there needs to be a cookbook for all the young women out there (and men too, lol) who do not know how to cook traditional home-style foods. They may not know because either they had no interest in learning when they were young, or maybe they grew up in a house (like many people have) where their parents didn't really cook, they ate more boxed foods instead, or maybe they did learn but just didn't really care for their recipe, and want to learn a new way to cook the dish. Whatever the reason, I just felt their needed to be a cookbook for those things presented in a related manner to today's young person.
So let us begin your cooking journey together. Ask away, what questions do you need or want answered? I will try and answer as many questions as possible each day. Send your questions to cookitlikemama@yahoo.com. Alright all let's get cookin!
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