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Tag: friends

  • 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.

  • 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 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.

  • It’s all about the Chocolate

    It’s all about the Chocolate

    pic via brainscape.com
    pic via brainscape.com

     

    Imagine….snow falling outside…the family gathered around the fireplace…everyone with a mug of hot chocolate in hand…this is the ideal winter picture. This is the image everyone brings to mind when they think of winter and the Christmas holidays. The key to this image though is the hot chocolate. I mean that’s that comfort drink that brings out the kid everyone. Chocolatey, sweet and so warm to your insides.  Funny thing is I stopped liking hot chocolate back when I was still living in New York. It still brings back fond childhood memories though, of when I used to drink it, whenever I prepare it for family and friends.

    This past weekend I had a small group of young people over to taste test some hot chocolate recipes I had been working on. We started of with a hot chocolate mix similar to the ones you buy in the stores but better. It was a hit. The secrets to my hot chocolate always getting great reviews are that : 1. I never use water only milk 2. I always add cinnamon when heating up the milk 3. I  add vanilla after removing the mixture from the heat. It was really easy to make the mix and it stores for up to 3 months in an airtight container. I added fresh whipped cream to everyone’s hot chocolate once I poured them into cups.

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    INGREDIENTS

    • 3 cups nonfat dry milk powder
    • 3 cups powdered sugar
    • 1½ cups cocoa powder, dutch-process or natural
    • 6 oz of semi-sweet baking chocolate
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch

    DIRECTIONS

    1. Break/chop baking bar into pieces and place in freezer for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes add to blender or food processor and grind to a powder. Add powder to a mixing bowl.
    2. Add the rest of the ingredients to mixing bowl.Whisk together all the ingredients. Working in two (or more) batches, depending on the size of your food processor, pulse the ingredients in a food processor until the chocolate is finely ground.
    3. To make hot cocoa, 2-3 Tablespoons (add more or less depending on you level of chocolate desires) of the cocoa mix in a mug and stir in 1 cup of hot milk. Top with whipped cream or miniature marshmallows, if desired.
    Hot Chocolate with fresh whipped cream with grated chocolate on top
    Hot Chocolate with fresh whipped cream with grated chocolate on top

    Recipe source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe and Food 52

    So longing to create new hot chocolate memories of my own I found a hot chocolate I thought I would love. It seemed like I would be drinking a chocolate bar with whipped cream on top. How could I go wrong?  The recipe called for dark baking chocolate but I was having a hard time finding it any of the markets I went to so I substituted semi-sweet chocolate instead. Everyone’s thought was that it was too rich including myself. If I were to remake this hot chocolate I would use less chocolate, use a mix of semi-sweet and milk chocolate, use more milk a little less sea salt in the whipped cream.  I do think I have found a way back to liking hot chocolate again.

    Ingredients

    Sea Salt Chocolate Whipped Cream

    1 cup heavy whipping cream

    1 tablespoon sugar

    3 tablespoons cocoa powder

    3/4 teaspoon sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling

    Melted Hot Cocoa

    8 Squares (4 ounces) Dark 100% Cocoa Baker’s Chocolate

    2 Squares (1 ounce) Semi-Sweet Baker’s Chocolate

    2-4 teaspoons honey, depending on how sweet or bitter you like your chocolate

    3/4 Cup Whole Milk, at room temperature

    Begin by preparing the sea salt whipped cream. Beat the cream and sugar in an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment at medium-high speed until the cream holds a very soft peak. Gently whisk in the sea salt and cocoa powder until incorporated. Cover and set aside.

    To make the hot cocoa, melt down the chocolate pieces in the top of a double boiler, stirring constantly. Add the honey and milk and continue stirring until it’s one fluid mixture and becomes very warm. Evenly distribute the cocoa between two serving glasses and top with the whipped cream and a pinch of sea salt for garnish. Serve immediately.

    Hot chocolate with sea salt chocolate whipped cream
    Hot chocolate with sea salt chocolate
    whipped cream

    Recipe source Adventures in Cooking.

    How can you make hot chocolate without marshmallows? Exactly so I whipped a batch for this evening of hot chocolate. We dipped some in chocolate candy melts and added sprinkles and crushed peppermints. Here’s the link to the recipe.

    With the leftover hot chocolate mix, marshmallows, some candy dipped spoons and a couple of mugs we made a few gifts for my daughter’s teachers.  You are now fully equipped to make some wonderful images that will include hot chocolate and even marshmallows. Go forward and make memories.

    CAM00289

     

  • Turkey, AGAIN? (Holiday Series Finale)

    Most people haven’t thought beyond turkey sandwiches on the day after let alone what’s gonna happen to the leftover leftovers. And by day 3 believe you me your family doesn’t want anything more to do with turkey either. Here’s a way to move beyond that bump in the road.

    My one suggestion is to get rid of the turkey. No I don’t mean throw it away.  I mean get it out of your family’s eye sight. Then you can re-introduce it at a later time…in a different form. First things first you have to…

    Freeze your leftover turkey. Remove you turkey meat from the carcass. Portion them out into plastic freezer bags and date. Try to remove as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn.The USDA says that turkey can last in the freezer for up to 4-6 months. If you want to keep it moist when you thaw, freeze with gravy or some stock.

    Now that you know how to freeze turkey you need to know what to do with it once you decide to thaw it. Actually this is one for the day after the big meal or the day before the big freeze. This one may get rid of quite a bit of your leftovers and still keep the family interested. Got turkey? Mashed potatoes? Gravy? Vegetables? Then you’ve got the makings of Turkey Shepherd’s Pie.

    2 cups cubed leftover turkey meat

    1 1/2 cups gravy

    2 cups of leftover vegetables (broccoli, peas, carrots string beans whatever you like or rather whatever you have on hand)

    3 cups leftover mashed potatoes

    1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

    Heat oven to 400°. Lightly grease a 9″x 9″ pan. Heat gravy and turkey together in a sauce pan. Transfer heated mixture to 9″x 9″pan. Top meat with vegetables and then top vegetables with mashed potatoes (Have potatoes at room temperature or warm some. It makes the next step easier to do). Spreading potatoes out to within a 1/2″ of edge of pan. Sprinkle shredded cheese across top of potatoes.  Place pan on top of sheet pan and bake in oven for 30 minutes.

    Ok so suppose you still have turkey to freeze after this dish. Consider yourself lucky and proceed to freezing it. What do you do with the turkey when it comes time to thaw. It’s really up to you. Take your favorite recipe and substitute the meat it calls for with your thawed turkey meat.   Like Chili or maybe a Brunswick Stew. Or try adding it to a dish that doesn’t traditionally have meat in it like maybe your favorite Mac & Cheese recipe. Use your imagination. .you never know you create a favorite for your family.

    I hope this series has helped with the madness of holiday meals. Let me know how this series may or may not have helped you. Leave a comment.

    Happy Holidays from Cassandra as The Chef In Pearls and owner of Gems and Baubles. Now go make some memories!

  • 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

  • Bring on the Holidays (Holiday Series)

    tholiday meal pic

    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.

  • Different

    It's what sets us apart...how we stand out...being different isn't a bad thing...being different makes us who we are
    It’s what sets us apart…how we stand out…being different isn’t a bad thing…being different makes us who we are
  • A Quickie…Potato Wedges

    A Quickie…Potato Wedges

    CAM00071

    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.

  • Football Season is here!!

    Giants football

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

    closed chicken sandwiches

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