Category: Uncategorized

Cranberries Uncanned (Holiday Series Pt 3)

Are you still eating cranberry sauce from a can? I know I say I won’t judge you but I will give you the side-eye for not going fresh. I mean, once you learn how easy it is to make cranberry sauce from scratch you’ll never go canned again.

I want you to walk away from this post with not only the know-how on how to make cranberry sauce but that cranberry sauce ain’t just for turkey. That’s right i said it. You can do so much more with cranberry sauce like appetizers, drinks, entrees and desserts. The sky’s the limit or at least your imagination.

Basic Cranberry Sauce

1 12oz. bag of cranberries (fresh or frozen)

1 cup of water

1-2 cups of granulated sugar

Wash and sort cranberries. Place cranberries in a sauce pan with water and 1 cup of sugar. Allow to simmer. You can add more sugar depending on how sweet you like your sauce. After about 10 minutes of cooking and you can no longer hear the berries popping you can turn off stove. Pour sauce into a bowl and allow to cool. Sauce thickens as it cools.

Cranberry Sauce

Here are some other dishes I used cranberry sauce in.

Baked Brie topped with warm Cranberry Sauce

Pork Tenderloin Medallions and Whipped Sweet Potatoes with a Cranberry- Pomegranate Sauce

Wine Spritzer made with Cranberry Sauce, your favorite white wine and topped with seltzer.

Cranberry Shortcake made with a cranberry, apple & pear compote

I hope the post has you ditching the can and being inspired by fresh cranberries. CIPapproved

November 24, 2014
2+2+1= Gravy (Holiday Meal Series Pt 2)

So your gravy is…well…not the best. Lumpy is just the start of what makes your gravy unappealing. So what do we do to make it better? Well we turn to a little math, If you have this little equation you are well on your way to better gravy. 2 + 2 +1= Perfect Gravy. That is 2 Tablespoons of fat plus 2 Tablespoons of flour plus 1 cup of liquid and you’ve got gravy kinda. The only special equipment I suggest for this gravy making task is a whisk,it helps to eliminate lumps.

2 Tablespoons Fat ( butter, olive oil or fat drippings from meat)

2 Tablespoons all Purpose Flour

1 cup Liquid (stock,broth or meat drippings)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Melt fat in a sauce pan. Once melted add flour and allow to cook for about 1-2 minutes. Then add liquid while whisking to prevent lumps. Allow to simmer until thickened 3-5 minutes. Taste so that you can adjust seasonings as needed.

Once you have this basic gravy down then you can get a little fancy with it. You can make a mushroom beef gravy by sauteing freshly sliced mushrooms before melting fat and adding flour and using either a beef broth, stock or dripping from cooked beef. Or maybe you want something a little spicy add cracked peppercorn to the melted fat before adding flour. The varieties are limitless and left only up to your imagination and taste-buds.

Now you’ll be the champion of gravy at your next holiday meal

November 18, 2014
WE Rock!

Have you ever gone to a conference and after just an hour wondered why you were there? I have. You were sold on the wealth of knowledge you would gain by attending and it just never happened. That was not the case at the WE (Women Entrepreneurs) Rock Conference. They set out for females to be able to look at themselves and their businesses differently. And they achieved that.

They provided a place were women in business could come together, learn from each other, network, aspire one another and gain the knowledge they need to take themselves & their businesses to the next level.

Their guest speakers included keynote speakers Jai Stone, of Jai Stone ULTD & Ronnie Tyler, of Tyler New Media LLC and a special inspirational message from Judge Lauren Lakes, of Paternity Court. Their panelists shared information about social media, finances, writing books, answering your calling, making profit on purpose and being able to live a limitless life. There was no way to leave their not motivated and charged up about yourself and your business.

This was the 4th year for WE Rock and they already have plans for a bigger & better event for 2015. They’re taking it on tour so look for them in your city. Visit their website www.WeRockNational.com to find out cities and dates and how you can be apart of the WERock Nation.

Special thanks to the co-founders Melisa Alaba and Edeline Dryden for having the foresight to create such and awesome event.

November 16, 2014
Let’s Make a Plan ( Holiday Series Pt 1)

So they passed the baton to you this year. You now have the honor of hosting the holiday meal. Yeah!? Wait a minute you just realized that you’ve never done this before. Time to panic. I mean you know how to cook but a holiday meal? Get those Martha Stewart ideas out of your head… I mean it’s your first holiday meal. Don’t get me wrong she’s phenomenal but kinda makes you crazy trying to get that picture perfect Holiday dinner.

So how do you go about having an unforgettable Holiday meal? Easy….all it takes is planning. “If you don’t have a plan, plan to fail”. It’s true. So here are some steps to get you going in the right direction.

         1. Create a menu. Yes, actually know what it is you want to feed people. My rule of thumb is don’t try new dishes unless you have time to try them out beforehand. Stick to the dishes that are your strong points. This is also your opportunity to delegate. Yes it’s okay to ask your aunt who makes the best macaroni & cheese if she would do the honor of gracing your table with a dish. Or if you like you can cater a portion of your meal. I’m not judging and if the people at your table are then maybe you shouldn’t invite them to next year’s holiday meal.

          2. Have a head count. Nothing worst than having a table full of people and not enough food for everyone. Talk about embarrassing. Knowing your head count helps you with the next step.

         3. Create a shopping list. Now that you know what and how much of it you’ll need to cook. You can make a list of all the things you’ll need to actually cook dinner. Re-check recipes to make sure you have everything listed to complete dishes.

          4. Shop. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE NIGHT BEFORE TO GROCERY SHOP! Waiting until the last minute causes so many problems. It’s unnecessary stress

a)overcrowded stores

b) unable to get all the items you need cause you’re not the only one wanting them

c). You miss out on taking advantage of sales.

         5. Prep. Check recipes to see what you can make in advance. Make a timeline going from things that take the longest to the least amount of time. This way you’ll know what dishes need to be started first, do things that will help ease your cooking … like chopping onions and freezing them until you are ready to use.

These are some suggestion to help make your turn at holiday meal hosting easier to handle. If I’ve missed something or you know of anything that can make this easier please leave a comment. I’d love to hear what’s on your mind.

November 10, 2014
Bring on the Holidays (Holiday Series)

So Halloween is over and now it’s time to prepare for the big guns….Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s a time of family and friends and lots of food. So many make it a very nerve racking time of year and it doesn’t have to be. It’s all about planning and being prepared for anything. For the next couple of posts I will help get you ready for the holiday meals before you. I’ll take you from shopping lists, how to make the perfect gravy, un-canned cranberry sauce and even dessert. Hope it helps to ease your mind for this holiday season.

November 1, 2014
I’m A Newbie

pic cred Inbound Authority

My blog is less than a year old which makes me a newbie at blogging. Half the time I’m not even sure if I am doing it right, I learn something new everyday. I don’t have a problem with saying I don’t know something. I think that makes it easier to learn and for people to share. As long as you act like you know people assume that you know and won’t share.

Because I’m new to this blogger game I knew I was going to need help. I needed someone who had the experience, the willingness to teach and a great personality. I turned to Ms. Stacey Taylor, the SistahChick. She felt honored that I would ask her to guide me along this bumpy path of blogging. I felt even more honored that she accepted the role. We connected on so many levels, We are both mothers, entrepreneurs, natuaralistas and fabulous in our 40’s. What more can a newbie want? I know there is a lot of hard work to come but I’m looking forward to it.

P.S. She doesn’t know this but I am officially making her my fairy godmother…hehehe

Make sure to follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube @thesistahchick. And don’t forget to follow me if you aren’t already on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @TheChefInPearls

October 22, 2014
A Quickie…Potato Wedges

As you already know I am a football girl. To be more exact I am a New York Giants football girl. Unfortunately I now live in Atlanta Falcons territory. So when my Giants were scheduled to play dem dirty birds of course I had to hit the kitchen.

I wanted to keep it simple so I went with making a batch of loaded potato wedges. Pretty simple to do and you only need a few ingredients.

baking potatoes

thick cut bacon

green onion or chives

sour cream

cheddar cheese ( shredded)

olive oil

kosher salt

black pepper

Lay bacon strips on a baking sheet. Place in cold oven and adjust temperature to 400(by doing this you actually have strips that don’t curl up)should take 12-15 minutes. Split potatoes in half(cuts baking time down). Drizzle potatoes with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt & black pepper. Place potatoes cut side down on baking tray and place in oven, roughly 25-30 minutes. Check tenderness with a knife. Remove bacon from oven and place slices on paper towel to drain. While potatoes finish baking dice bacon and cut green onions. I like to thin my sour cream out with heavy cream to make it easier to drizzle(you can add thinned sour cream to a squeeze bottle for even easier drizzling). Remove potatoes from oven. You want to work with them while still hot. Place a couple of halves on a plate and slice into wedges. Sprinkle with cheese, bacon, drizzle sour cream and then top with green onion. Viola.

October 6, 2014
A Quickie. ….Flatout

I wanted to add something else to the pantry list, flatbread. I usually keep naan in my freezer. Naan or nan or khamiri is a leavened, oven-baked flatbread. It is typical of and popular in West, Central and South Asia. I keep them for times like today where i needed a quick fix for lunch.

On my last supermarket visit I decided to try Flatout’s Artisan Pizza Crust. I thawed one added sauce, spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, garlic and cheese (all leftovers from yesterday’s frittata) placed it on a lightly greased baking sheet for about 10 minutes.

Voila. ….lunch. Cut & plated and added some wine. It’s all about the pantry baby.

September 22, 2014
Football Season is here!!

I am a football fan. More importantly I am a New York Giants fan. I grew up watching football 1. because my bothers played and 2. because back in the day we were a one t.v. household and my brothers were older and bigger and therefore controlled the t.v. It was inevitably for me to have a love for football. And so to this day I love football season and all the excitement it brings.

With football season comes Monday Night Football. The N.Y Giants had their first game of the season on Monday Night Football. What better way to enjoy than for me to have the usual suspects over to enjoy it with me, my brother Dion aka Santa Dee, my sister-in-law Cassandra aka Sandy, my girlfriend Nykki aka Nykki and my hubby. With folks comes the need for food. Menu sweet and simple:

Chipotle Rubbed Chicken Sliders

BBQ Spiced Chicken Nachos

Seasoned French Fries

Chipotle Rubbed chicken tenders on top ciabatta rolls with carmalized red onions, gouda cheese , pesto mayo, lettuce & tomatoes

BBQ Spiced cheken atop tortilla chips with black beans, diced red onions, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, siracha sour cream, shredded cheese and guacamole

We ate and drank well but My Dear, Dear Giants did not win. Trying to figure out how I can get a meeting with management, the staff and the team. Until the next game…..

September 11, 2014
A Quickie…..Cami Cakes

A dear friend of mine (who shall remain nameless) gave me a short list of places I should visit and try their eats. Cami Cakes was on that list. While out earlier this week I finally made it. I’m not even sure where to start about this place. I have gone to many places where the presentation was phenomenal from the opening of the door to the customer service but then fell flat on the taste of the food. Not so at Cami Cakes. I had the pleasure of visiting their Vinings location. The place was inviting and the staff friendly and most helpful. I wanted to try their Red Velvet cupcake but the young lady behind the counter would not sell me what she had been removing from the case. She said they were no longer fresh (so they aren’t all about profit but good eats). I opted for the Cami Sweetheart since I couldn’t wait for the fresh batch of Red Velvet. The Cami Sweetheart is Chocolate cupcake with a cream cheese filling topped with a chocolate glaze. It was delicious…the cake moist…the filling not too sweet…the chocolate glaze was the truly the icing on the cake. I was in cupcake heaven. I plan to visit their newest location that has a creamery……cake & ice cream. How could you go wrong?. They have several locations and also now ships across the states. Click here for more on Cami Cakes

The Showcase of yummy goodness

Presentation is KEY

The Cami Sweetheart

August 29, 2014