Smores Brownies

Ingredients

A box of brownies mix (mix according to package directions)

a bag of mini-marshmallows

2/3 cup of melted butter

1 cup of chocolate chips

3 cups of crushed graham crackers

1/4 tsp of salt

1/3 cup of sugar

CRUST

1. Mix 2/3 cups of melted butter, salt, sugar and crushed graham crackers.

2. Place on bottom of a baking dish and flatten equally.

3. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

BROWNIE MIDDLE

1. Mix the brownies according to package directions. Add the chocolate chips.

2. Pour over the baked graham cracker crust.

3. Bake according to package directions.

TOPPINGS

1. After the brownies have been baked. Place the marshmallows on top evenly.

2. Transfer the oven from bake to hi-broil.

3. Place the container in the oven. Do not leave it, and watch it as the marshmallows melt and start to brown a little bit. Remove from oven.

4. Top with broken pieces of graham crackers while  still warm and sticky.

It was a great desert! :) It is best served warm as well. Enjoy it with a glass of milk!

Tres Leches Cake

It is a cake made with three different kinds of milk! It tastes the best after a day of refrigeration and it is easy to make.

Ingredients:

1 box of Cake mix, french vanilla (although yellow cake can be an alternative)

1 can Condensed Milk

1 cup Whole milk

1 cup Half & Half

1/2 pint Whipping cream

1/4 cup Sugar

1/4 tsp Vanilla extract

Strawberries

Baking Instructions

1. Bake cake according to package instructions. After cake has cooled down, use a fork to place holes on the cake ever 1/2 inches for the milk to get absorbed.

2. Mix the condensed milk, whole milk and half & half milk in a bowl. pour over cake mixture.

3. In order to make the whipped cream topping (I prefer making my own instead of the packaged ready-made ones), you must whip the cream, sugar and vanilla extract until it forms soft peaks.

4. Decorate top with strawberries.

5. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. It does taste better a day after refrigeration as well.

Turkey Meatloaf (Apologies for the not so artistic picture, my parents were hungry :) )

Ingredients:

2 packages of Turkey Ground meat

1/4 cup of onion flakes

2 tbsp of garlic powder

2 tbsp of pepper

2 tbsp of salt

3 tbsp of italian seasoning

4 eggs

5 cups of cornflakes, crushed

Directions:

1. Whisk the 4 eggs in a bowl. Add the turkey meat.

2. Add all the dry ingredients. Mix, preferably with your hands. They are the best instruments to a cook!

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

4. Spray cooking spray on a baking sheet. Form the log and enjoy the aroma of the spices!

5. Cook for 30-35 minutes. Enjoy! One can also make meatballs using the same recipe but of course molding them into tiny meat-balls instead. :) It would go great with pasta as well!

** You can use meat alternatives, but I suggest using different spices depending on the meat you use to bring out more flavor. Maybe herb de provence would go great with chicken ground meat, something with cumin and pepper for beef, and so on and so forth. Possibilities are always endless!

This is something that would be interesting to try and cook with children around. My cousins always were very interested in cooking when they were 3-5 years old (I took care of them a lot when they were younger). They loved being on step ladders and mashing, whisking and smelling the ingredients we would put on the food. Cooking is a good way to introduce a lot of concepts to children like temperature, health and sanitation, spices, fruits and vegetables and so on and so forth. Sometimes it gets the job done easier, but sometimes it does take a little bit more time to cook with children in the kitchen. My verdict? It’s worth it! I learned a lot of cooking skills from my mother and maternal grandmother so it’s a bit cool to pass it on to my younger cousins and other youth and friends my age through the years.  So, make cooking fun and try cooking with kids or youth, or maybe your parents or siblings! There’s no time like quality time, so get creative!

Spaghetti with chicken and tomato wine sauce

We had a bible study last Friday and I decided to cook some Pasta with some Parmesan and basil bites (no picture for that, but it’s quick and easy to make). Fellowship is more fun with a lot of food!! =]

Ingredients:

7 pieces of chicken breast, cut into strips

tomato sauce

minced garlic

chopped onions

3/4 cups white wine

bay leaf

dried basil

black pepper

red chili flakes

How-to cook:

1. Saute garlic and onion in olive oil. Add the chicken strips and wait until meat is cooked.

2. Add the tomato sauce. After awhile, add the white wine and wait until it simmers.

3. Add the bay leaves, some dried basil, black pepper, and red chili flakes.

4. Add the pasta and top with grated parmesan cheese and parsley flakes.

For the parmesan bites:

All you need is ready-made pie crusts that you can cut into small rectangles and twist into bow like dough bites. Sprinkle with basil and parmesan cheese and pop it into a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Chicken enchiladas with tomatillo salsa

* This weekend, I decided to make some chicken enchiladas. One of my friends came over and wanted to learn how to make something easy, so this was a recipe we learned together.

Ingredients: Tomatillo salsa Minced Garlic Chopped Onion Tortilla Shredded chicken Can of chopped green chilies Sour cream Mexican, blend cheeses

Instructions:

1.Mix 1 cup sour cream and 1 cup of tomatillo salsa in a bowl and mix until combined.

2. Sautee minced garlic and chopped onions in oil.

3. Add chicken and the 1 cup of sour cream-tomatillo mix and mix in the pan. Add the green chillies. Add 1/2 cup of mexican blend cheese.

4. Preheat the oven at 350 while wrapping the chicken filling in tortilla. Spread the remaining sour cream-tomatillo salsa mix on top and top with 2 cups of mexican blend cheese.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Serve with nacho and pico de gallo.