Tuesday, April 30, 2013

The lonely blog.

Hello strangers! Sorry I haven't been posting much, this job really has taken a toll on me. All I ever do when I get home is REST! Not even taking a nap is on the agenda, I just lay there like a zombie while G crawls and jumps all over me. Lol! To make it worse this dumb bug has gotten to the three of us (Danny, G and I) and it's making us feel terrible. Thankfully, I feel better enough to write a quick recipe! Now that you are updated on this boring life of mine, though I'm sure very common in most households haha....


Here's my next question, Have you ever had ceviche with BROCCOLI & CAULIFLOWER in it?! Weird to think you never thunk of that?! Hehehe Well this recipe is a play of a vegetarian ceviche my mom once made. It's simply all the ingredients of a regular ceviche (tomato, onion, cucumber, cilantro, salt, lemon, shrimp, imitation crab, etc) but without the shrimp. Well she also made this with tilapia, which to me means it was healthy! I don't know how true that is but, I love the taste of these new ingredients, because they add crunch and a subtle freshness to the dish. As if it weren't fresh already! This is my version of both common and new....

This recipe yields 6 servings (Leftovers of this are the best!)

Broccoli and Cauliflower Ceviche
Ingredients:
  • 2 Lbs frozen shrimp
  • 2 Cucumbers
  • 5 MED tomatoes
  • 1 bunch Cilantro
  • 2 C. blanched broccoli
  • 1 C. blanched cauliflower
  • 1/2 Onion
  • 1 pkt Imitation Crab
  • Lemon Juice (1 Lemon or Lime)
  • Juice of one Orange
  • Clamato (as desired)
  • 3 Tbsp. Ketchup
  • 1 cup of shrimp broth
  • Salt and Garlic Powder to taste.
Toppings: Avocado, Valentina, Chopped Jalapeno, Tortilla Chips.

In a large pot add water, Salt and Garlic powder to taste. 1/4 of a roughly chopped onion. Let boil, then add shrimp with shells on in batches until they're pink. (Watch them closely. They will cook fast and bubble over) Take out with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl to cool. Once cooled, peel and cut in half.

In the same water used for shrimp, blanch whole bunch of broccoli, then cauliflower for about 30 seconds. Take out and let cool.

Finely chop broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, crab, and cilantro. Add to chopped shrimp.
Add ketchup, shrimp broth, orange juice, lime/lemon juice, salt, clamato. Mix until all ingredients are combined. Serve chilled and topped with any of the above suggestions. I sometimes add chopped mango as a topping, it's delish!

 This is the brand of crab I use, feel free to leave it out!

I love my ceviche with lots of avocado, valentina hot sauce, some more ketchup, chopped jalapenos, red pepper flakes and a side of tortilla chips.

Sorry for the lack of pictures, I wasn't feeling good and completely forgot I was supposed to take some! Lol. Hoping I feel better, because I need to get cooking!!!! :)

GOOD VIBES!

-MARI

Monday, April 22, 2013

Holy Cheesecake!

If the title didn't get your attention, then this might!


This weekend I decided to take my traditional cheesecake recipe and try some new flavors and toppings.
Here's the recipe for my Classic Cheesecake:

This will yield 2 cheesecakes.
Ingredients:
2- 8oz. Cream Cheese Pkts.
2- Eggs
1- Sweet & Condensed Milk
1- Evaporated Milk
2- Pre-made graham cracker pie crust

Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Divide evenly between both pie crusts. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and serve chilled. Both cakes will puff up while baking, once it's cooled it'll sink in.


Simple right? Well, here's how to make it extra special...

Add homemade strawberry sauce. In a sauce pan add about 1 cup of frozen strawberries, 3 tbsp of sugar, 2 tbsp of water or enough so sugar won't burn. Let simmer until it reaches desired consistency. I like mine chunky so it takes about 10 minutes. If you like your strawberries more broken down, then leave them to cook longer. Serve over chilled cheesecake. (In the above pic I had only put a bit of the strawberry sauce, because I wasn't sure if i was gonna like it or not! You can add as much as you like)



BUT WAIT...here's how you make it REAL special...ADD CHOCOLATE!!!

Ingredients:
1 8oz. cream cheese pkt.
1 Egg
1/2 Sweet & Condensed Milk
1/2 Evaporated Milk
1 Chocolate Pie Crust
1 bar of Hershey's Milk Chocolate
4-6 Tbsp Nestle Chocolate Milk Mix
Pinch of Cinnamon

So this recipe is for only ONE cheesecake. After I had poured half the mix into one pie crust, I left the other half in the blender and I added 1 melted bar of Hershey's Milk Chocolate (It's the one you can get on the side of the cash register, melt in microwave for about 15 secs, stirring every 5 secs) and about 4-6 tbsp of Nestle chocolate milk mix. Depending on how chocolaty you want it add more or less. And last but not least, a pinch of cinnamon to activate the flavor of the chocolate. Blend ingredients together until combined. Add to chocolate pie crust. Bake both at 350 degrees. The chocolate one might take a bit longer.
(IF YOU WANT TO MAKE TWO CHOCOLATE CAKES, SIMPLY DOUBLE THE RECIPE. EXCEPT THE CHOCOLATE, TASTE IT FIRST, THEN ADD MORE AS NEEDED)




COME ON! HOW CAN YOU SAY NO TO CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE?!? ESPECIALLY SUCH AN EASY ONE TO MAKE! THIS IS MY PERMISSION SLIP TO SLIP A BIT AND TRY THIS! SO GOOOO! :)

-MARI


side notes: 
  • Try not to open the oven until the 40 minutes are up. It will cause the cake to sink in too soon and it won't bake evenly.
  • Watch your strawberry sauce and stir frequently, it can get messy.
  • Allow the cheesecake to cool and set in the 'fridge for at least 30 mins. or overnight so you won't be tempted to eat it, lol.
  • Try not to pass the rim of the crust when pouring the mixture in, it can stick and burn to the sides.
  • Don't be afraid of a little brown on the edges.
  • Try other fruits, the possibilities are endless.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

On time blogging.

Not really...muurrrr been super tired. So I'm late on posting, how will you ever forgive me?! ha SIKE! Well here it is...

Yose's Bomb Posole


Ain't that a looker! :) I must warn you this recipe is SUPER..........easy! Lol I swear every time she makes this stuff I eat, and eat, and...eat! Who would have thought something so flavorful is a cinch to make! You will find that it's the same ingredients being used throughout, but at different stages building flavor on top of flavor. Making it complex and hardy in such a easy manner. 
I personally like it with all the toppings, but you can add what's to your liking. I've even heard of others topping it with avocado...Mmmm ENJOY! :)

INGREDIENTS:
Juanita's Mexican Style Hominy


Chiles Guajillos soaked in warm water until tender.

"Consome" or Chicken Flavor Bouillon. We use this brand for everything!

Pork Espinazo (Backbone Meat) and Pork Feet(These are optional)
One whole onion 
Garlic Powder or Whole Garlic
Salt to taste

Toppings: Thinly sliced radishes, cabbage, lime, raw onion, and that almost black salsa that unfortunately I can not share with you! Serve with a side of tortilla chips.

  1. Cut meat into small to medium pieces. Add to a large pot with bones and all, cover it with water, add 2 Tbsp of garlic powder, 2-3 Tbsp of consome, half the onion, salt to taste. Let simmer for 30 mins.
  2. While meat cooks, add softened chiles into a blender, 1 Tbsp of garlic, 1 Tbsp consome, half the onion, and enough water to make a smooth chile. Set aside.
  3. Drain and rinse hominy and add to pot until tender (al dente would be applied in this situation). Strain chile into pot once the hominy is tender. Taste for seasonings, add salt if needed.
  4. Let all come to a boil. TAH-DAH! You have posole! :)


This is the secret salsa! It's rich, bitter, sour, salty, VERY spicy, but oh so delicious! I'm sure you can find a recipe of this or you might have one already. Sorry, but this one can't be shared.  WOMP! WOMP!

Add any topping you would like! Try this recipe, it's a MUST when it's so easy. Oh, I had to share this beautiful pic of the sunset. Everything was perfect that day :)

*I have decided on the desserts I will attempt tomorrow....but you'll have to wait and see what they are tomorrow. They will also be very simple to make!
-mari:)



Thursday, April 18, 2013

STAY TUNED!

Happy Friday Eve guys!!!! I'm sure I'm not the only one happy tomorrow is Friday! Which means....

      Tomorrow is the first "FEATURE FRIDAY!" and I will be featuring my sister. She will be making her bomb POSOLE. I swear I can't get enough of that stuff when she makes it!
We'll see how she does, cause I'm making her take all the pictures and try to come up with a recipe. So, I won't have to do it, 'cause I'm telling ya, it's MOST DEFINITELY not easy!!! Just like me, she cooks from instinct. I'm sure she'll do fine! :)

     Since I haven't had much time to work on recipes, this weekend I plan on making some desserts! Mmmmmm....I've been wanting to tackle making a custard pie with fresh fruit of some sort completely from scratch. Even the pie crust! Eeeeeeppp! I also want to do either a pumpkin cheesecake or pumpkin bread pudding with drizzle of caramel over some ice cream...

 *SIGH* I could go for one of those right now LOL!

Back to the blog! :) STAY TUNED to see what's in store for the next few days!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Just a quick one..

Hello there! Sooo I thought I would be spending more time on here than I actually have been, but I've been busy 'cause I got a job...WHOOOO! I really like my job, just now I actually have to work when I would usually be working on recipes! But that won't keep me from blogging.

 I have a quick recipe to share with you today. I didn't plan on sharing, but it was so good that I had to share! This means I didn't measure ANYTHING. I'm hoping this will inspire you to follow my lead and add your own creativity to it!

OKAY, I don't want to bore you. Without further ado...

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP



Ingredients:

Shredded chicken (chicken breast or rotisserie chicken)
4 small or 2 large tomatoes
1/4 med onion
2 tbsp cilantro
1 bay leaf
pinch of cummin
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of oregano
pinch of paprika
2 heaping spoonfuls of chicken bouillon
canned corn
canned beans
10-15 tortillas
Toppings: Sour cream, Avocado, Onion, Lime, Jalapenos, fried tortilla strips, red pepper flakes. These are all optional.


  1. Add chicken to a large pot with enough water to cover it fully. Add chicken bouillon. Cook until chicken is cooked. Let the chicken cool in chicken stock until it's cool enough to shred.
  2. Take chicken out of the broth and place in a bowl. Strain broth into another bowl to remove all the little bits (If it has any, either way just do it. DO NOT THROW CHICKEN BROTH AWAY!) Save a cup of the broth for later use.
  3. Add the remaining broth back into the pot and start to boil. Add cilantro, bay leaf, cummin, cayenne, oregano, paprika, salt & pepper and any other spices you would like to add.
  4. While the broth and spices are boiling, add tomatoes to a blender along with the onion and that cup of broth you had saved prior to this. Blend until it's very blended. It should be almost the same consistency as the broth, if it's not add more broth from the pot. (Yes, it looks...like...well not so appetizing, but it will be good i promise!)
  5. Once the broth comes to a hard boil add the contents of the blender. As well as that same amount of water. (i.e. If your blender was half way full, add that same amount of water)
  6. Let boil for another few minutes, you might want to taste at this point to adjust seasonings as needed, but BE CAREFUL contents will be super hot. Add shredded chicken, corn and beans.
  7. Let all these warm through for another few minutes, in the mean time...stack up all the tortillas and cut into thin strips. Add half to soup and turn off heat.
  8. Fry the other half in a separate pan with oil in it until they are crispy. These will only be used as a garnish.
  9. Serve soup in LARGE bowl...ok, ok serve it however you want. Add any of the toppings above and feel free to be adventurous!
Yesssss, I know this isn't the best recipe. I had to write it off memory and fatigue HAHA! I really couldn't keep this one away from you guys though! 

Feel free to ask any questions as I'm sure I left several things out and due to the fact that this "recipe" is kind of vague. I seriously hope you guys try this!


*Side note: I know commenting on here isn't so easy cause well it's just not. Remember, I have other means of communication waiting to hear from you!

Signed,
I'm tired yet excited for you to try this one:)


**My condolences, thoughts, & prayers go out to ALL those affected by the horrible events that took place in Boston. God help us ALL!**

Friday, April 12, 2013

Jumbo Stuffed Shells


So before I begin this recipe I feel the need to share some info with you guys that can be changed.

I used ground beef, but it can be substituted with turkey or sausage.
For the sauce I used Ragu, because it's what I had on hand. Feel free to use any pasta sauce you have at home or even homemade.
The cottage cheese can also be substituted with Ricotta.
I don't usually measure so I tried my best to measure everything out with this recipe, some ingredients can vary in amounts depending on your preferences. I will let you know which ones further into the recipe.

This recipe yields 4 servings for four VERY hungry people. Simply, cut the recipe in half if you need to make less servings. This recipe might have many steps, but don't let that discourage you from trying it. 
One quick tip: when adding foil in the end, add a light sprinkle of cooking spray to prevent the cheese from sticking to it.

Ingredients:
  • Jumbo Shell Pasta-12 oz. box (I only used about 30 shells from it)
  • Pasta Sauce- 1 can or jar (3-4 cups if homemade)
  • Ground beef- 1.5 lbs
  • Mozzarella - 2 cups
  • Cottage Cheese - 2 cups
  • Zucchini(shredded)- 1 cup
  • Carrot(shredded)- 1 cup
  • Dried Oregano(pinch), Dried Parsley(1/2 tbsp), Dried Basil(pinch), Onion Powder(1 tsp), Italian Seasoning(1 tbsp), Garlic Powder(1tbsp), Salt & Pepper to taste.
  • Parmesan Cheese(optional)
  • Save about a cup of your pasta water once the pasta is cooked. This may or may not be used later.
Meat and Veggies Stuffed Shells



Put salted water to boil in large pot. Once, it boils add shells and only cook them for about half the cooking time. (Check your box for instructions on how to cook.)




In a different medium sized pan add the ground beef. Add Oregano, Parsley, Basil, Onion pwdr, Italian Seas., Garlic Pwdr, and salt and pepper. Cook until meat is browned. Set aside and let cool. (In this picture I'm demonstrating what a tablespoon to me would look like, use a measuring spoon for more precise measuring)





In a large bowl, shred carrot and zucchini until they yield a cup each. Add cooled meat, cottage cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella (the other cup will be used later), 1/4 cup of pasta sauce (This can vary. If you want it creamier add more cottage cheese. If you want it saucier, add more sauce). Mix until mixture is combined. Set aside.















Add some sauce to the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish (Again this can vary depending on how many shells you are making.) Stuff shells with a spoonful of the meat mixture and assemble into baking dish.

Once your baking dish is filled with shells, top them with remaining sauce (Add pasta water if needed, because all shells must be covered in sauce in order to cook, just don't drown them in it!)


Spread remaining cup of mozzarella cheese evenly over all the shells. Add parmesan cheese as desired. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until it's all bubbly. Remove foil and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and slightly golden brown. Serve along with a chef's salad and/or garlic bread.




Remember: I appreciate the feedback and would really like to know if you tried it and what you thought about it. Send me pics as well! Thanks for stopping by!

-mari

Thursday, April 11, 2013

I want you on my blog...

Quick update: I was finally able to fix my account! So, expect a recipe tomorrow.

So while I had time to think about ideas on what my blog will include, I thought I'd share, because most of them will include YOU!

Every Friday I will do a "Feature Friday" where i will feature a recipe from you guys! Except tomorrow since it will be my FIRST recipe (super excited!) I will be my first guest LOL. 
How will this work you may ask? YOU will email me your recipes. It can be ANYTHING! From any culture, any food group, vegetarian, meatless, desserts, healthy...really ANYTHING! I will randomly pick one and try it out for the first time and feature it on my blog that Friday. If your recipe isn't picked that week I will still keep it in the drawing until it is picked. I know a lot of you are very good cooks so share, share, share!

I would like to try new recipes as well, so if you have a recipe you would like me try out for you I'd be more than happy to do so. Again, email me that recipe, where you got it from(must give proper props), and let me know it's something you'd like me to try and that it's not for the "feature friday"

Also, I will do a giveaway at 500 views! I'm not quite sure what that will be yet, but the views are going up daily so expect it soon!

I won't be posting recipes daily, unless I really can. Even though I'm a stay at home mom, this is serious business haha

I eventually, upon your request, would like to give "personal cooking classes"...ok I don't like using that term cause i sound...ummmm....cocky! HA! If you'd be interested let me know. If I get enough of you that want me to teach you a few things at home I'd really like to do it.

Ok I think that's it! Thanks for all the love and support. Really makes my heart happy!
Email those recipes to marivalenci@aol.com OK, GO!!! :)


-mari



Wednesday, April 10, 2013

OVER-EASY Intro

Hello to all, welcome to my food blog! Here you will find recipes, pictures, and tip & tricks on how I manage to present a full course meal at our kitchen table (almost) everyday on more of a personal level. Hopefully this will inspire you to try my recipes for all the non-cooks and those who are far more established than I am. Both simple and complicated recipes will be posted, as well as healthy and some...well...not so healthy. My inspiration definitely comes from my cultural background, equally matched by my experimental love for food, that has brought me to create my own unique style. I have yet to learn a lot of this passion of mine. Therefore, bringing me to this! MY BLOG! I hope to learn a lot from you (if there is anyone out there! lol) by sharing our love for food. Thanks for stopping by! And PLEASE share your feedback and ideas! COME BACK SOON! :)


A little about me: 
  • My name is Marisol, but I go by Mari.
  • I am 22 years old and a stay at home mom to a beautiful and bright two year old that we call "G"
  • I have been in love with her daddy since 2008 and we live in Arizona.
  • My blog name came from my ultimate love for eggs, they go with anything and are good anytime of day, in my opinion.
  • I have always loved cooking and pretending I have my own cooking show (We're getting too personal here :])
  • I learned to cook from my parents, especially my dad. Also, by watching too many cooking shows and competitions.
  • I hope to one day have the balls to own my own restaturant, until then this will do.
For any questions feel free to ask on here, or the links below..DON'T BE A STRANGER or A CREEP LOL but really! I'd love to hear your thoughts (but please try to keep them positive whether it's critism or not!)

Marivalenci@aol.com