CIP-Logo

Year: 2015

  • Miami Life

    Miami Life

    I just got back from a wonderful week in Miami courtesy of my girlfriend Nykki. There was plenty of food, fun and friends.  I’ve decided that this will be a blog of mostly pics. We all know that  ” a picture is worth a thousand words” and I hope you can see what Miami Life was all about for me.

     Cuban Food….YES!

    Celebrating 77 grand years with Bea Hines ( Miami Historical Figure)

     The Night Nykki Learned How to Breathe Fire

    Groupies? Us? Nah….

    Trying to get in the last of my foodie tour

    Random Miami

    The icing on the cake for me was my chance to meet my favorite Reggae Artist Beres Hammond. Unfortunately No pics but that was okay because the hug and the brief chat was enough to have made my entire year. Thanks Nykki and Pam for helping me enjoy Miami. Can’t wait to return.

  • A Quote….

    Uniformity is the plague of sameness

    John Coykendall , Farmer-The Mind of a Chef

  • A Quickie….Chicken Pot Pie

    A Quickie….Chicken Pot Pie

    So while perusing a Facebook group dedicated to people who like cooking, I came across someone’s picture of a pot pie they made. It instantly brought me back to my childhood, where my Mom had a freezer with individual boxes of pot pies for us (something for lunch she wouldn’t have to slave over and we liked them). We even had a choice of what kind we could eat, chicken or turkey. I loved them. One it wasn’t Jamaican food ( it was food I could relate to with the other kids in school) and two I had come to love pie crust( little did I know at the time that was an inferior product compared to what I would later learn to make).

    (In my Gollum voice) I must have the pot pie. So what I would have a late lunch. It would be well worth it. And so my journey began into making an individual chicken pot pie for myself. First things first, I needed to make the pic crust and get it in the fridge so that the fat and flour could make happy time together while chilling out (if you want a truly flaky dough you must use butter and shortening to achieve it). Then I proceeded to chop vegetables and dice chicken breast for the filling and….. And well 2 1/2 hours later I was enjoying (with a slightly burned tongue) Chicken Pot Pie.

  • Cocktails & Conversations with Angie Stone

    Cocktails & Conversations with Angie Stone

    Conversations can be so strong especially when truth  is being spoken.  That’s what I felt took place during Cocktails & Conversations with Angie Stone, presented by Impact Magazine. She seemed to be sharing all of herself with all of us. I learned so much about her  that I had not known before. Things like she was a member of what history has down as the first female rap group, The Sequence. Or how she suffered from sarcoidosis and diabetes . The pain she felt when being photographed  from the neck up because she was a plus sized woman in an industry that didn’t hide it’s desire for smaller performers. Yet through it all she still pressed on.

    In addition to Angie Stone, Tunisha Brown of Impact Magazine held conversations with Demetria McKinney.  She’s an actress and singer known for her works with Tyler Perry and one of the newer cast members of Real Housewives of Atlanta. She shared with us the love of her life, Roger Bobb. And how hard it was for her to keep that relationship quiet when all she wanted to do was scream it from the rafters.

    Tunisha also chatted with Bee Wade, make-up artist and blogger. She managed to be named blogger of the year and appear in Essence Magazine more than a dozen times. All while raising two boys and taking care of her husband, who had been diagnosed with a disease that at one point left him paralyzed. But even dealing with all that she still managed to one of the best in her field.

    What I learned from this evening of conversations wasthat even when life seems to be getting you down you got to push through if you really want it.

     

     

     

  • A Healthier YOU

    A Healthier YOU

    I know on the blog I share a lot of things that may not be so health conscience but they aren’t meant to be eaten on a daily basis. If you follow me on social media you can get a feel for my daily eating habits, which isn’t all bad. With that being said I approached Miss Ebby K of I am EbbyK (a blog about fashion, fitness and faith) about being a guest on her blog. She loved the idea. So I share with my readers what is going to be shared with her readers. I hope you guys enjoy and take a moment to visit Miss Ebby K’s blog. Now go forward and make memories.

    Stuffed Squash

    The food pyramid says …oh wait it’s no longer a pyramid it’s now a plate. Right, so it suggests that as an adult woman you should get between 2-2½ cups of veggies daily and as an adult man you should get 2½-3 cups of veggies daily. So I’m always looking for ways to get vegetables in my meal. From adding fresh spinach and sweet bell peppers to my scrambled eggs or adding shredded zucchini and carrots to my spaghetti sauce when I’m creating an Italian styled meal. In the following recipe you can more than meet your daily vegetable requirement. I served it with brown rice cooked with vegetable broth and olive oil (instead of butter).

     

    Stuffed Zucchini

    serves 2

     

    1 large zucchini 7”-8” long

    1 small yellow 4”-5” long squash, diced

    3 mushrooms (white button or baby portobella), stems removed

    1-2 cloves of garlic minced

    ½ of small onion, diced

    ¼ sweet bell pepper, diced

    1 stalk celery, diced

    1 small carrot, shredded

    ¾ cup kale, rough chopped

    ¾ cup spinach, rough chopped

    ¼ cup of broth/stock ( chicken or vegetable)

    ¼ – ½ cup of panko breadcrumbs

    3 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese

    Olive oil

    Kosher salt

    Black pepper

     

    Heat oven to 450. Half zucchini. Using a spoon remove the core of the zucchini creating a shell. Save core to the side. When both halves are cored drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Take the reserved zucchini cores and dice.  Heat a saute pan with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil add onions,bell peppers, celery, yellow squash and diced zucchini core. Saute vegetables for about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, carrots, spinach and kale cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add broth and then add breadcrumbs until mixture starts to come together. Turn off heat. Add 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese. Fill zucchini halves with mixture, over stuffing. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and remaining parmesan cheese on top of halves then drizzle with olive oil. Bake in oven for 15- 20 minutes or until shell is tender.

     

    You know that spaghetti sauce I mentioned earlier in the post? Why not take a chance on another stuffed squash. Buy a spaghetti squash, half it, scoop out seeds and then place it cut side down into a casserole dish. Add enough broth to cover the bottom of the pan. This helps to steam the squash and adds flavor. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 400 degree pre-heated oven for 30-40 minutes or until tender. Remove squash from pan. Saute your favorite vegetables and add to your favorite sauce. Take a fork and flake up the spaghetti like strands of the squash then top with your sauce mixture and parmesan cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, 5-10 minutes. Eat with a side salad.

     

    I hope this moves you closer to your healthier you in 2015. Now go forward and make memories.


    The Chef In Pearls is a blog where food and fashion meet. A retired Chef learning to live life to the fullest. Please follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @TheChefInPearls  

  • A Quickie….Sargento

     

    So what do you do when one of your best friends is in town and stopping through? Well I always plan to feed people. Problem… she no longer eats meat and she’ll be there in less than an hour. You do what I did. You create a cheese platter with Saregento’s new tasting cheeses.

    One of my best friends, Lavern
    One of my best friends, Lavern

     

    It was a fun experience for us all. My cheese board included 4 of the 8 tasting cheeses Sargento has created: the New Zealander (hands down everyone’s favorite), the Aged Vermont White Cheddar (second runner-up in the list of favorites), the Parmentino (which I enjoyed with a slice of fresh pear) and the Medium Asiago. I included crackers, sliced pear and sliced apples one the board also.


    I look forward to trying the other 4 cheeses Sargento created in this line. I can’t wait to see what I will cook up with these cheeses.  As it stands we still have some of the cheeses left over from last night and I’m thinking quick and easy.  I see grilled cheese in our future with a blend of the leftovers on maybe a nice brioche.