Unusual Recipes: Monte Cristo Sandwiches(click here for pictures!)

August 27, 2010

Just a little over a year ago I posted my very first blog post. It described one of my many trial and errors I’ve had since I began this cooking journey, and if you’ve been following me on this journey, you may have noticed that while exploring the vast depths of the culinary world, every once in a while I’ll share with you, my devoted readers, an unusual recipe. A recipe, that to some, may sound atrocious, crazy, down right outrageous, and in a way, some time they are, but in the same hand, they’re freakin’ delicious!

Recipes such as Avocado Pie, a recipe that I adapted from Food Network’s Magazine – who woulda thunk a savory fruit such as avocado could be so tasty in a sweet pie?

Or Seared Scallops served over Smashed Fava Beans, two healthy and delicious foods that get waaay too little recognition.

And Fruit Salad Spring Rolls with Mango Mint Sauce, the perfect balance between sweet and salty, chewy with a bit of a crunch, served along side a refreshing sauce to top of the whole shi-bang !

Now out of my recipe box of unusual creations , I present to you the Monte Cristo Sandwich . Aaaahhh where do I begin with this amazingly unique sandwich , well let’s start with what it is! A Monte Cristo Sandwich is a variation of the French Croque Monsieur , both have ham and or turkey and cheese fillings, and both are grilled but instead of serving a poached or fried egg atop , the Monte Cristo sandwich is dipped in it’s entirety into an egg batter , then grilled like French Toast. Basically it’s Frenched toast stuffed with turkey, cheese, and in my variation thinly sliced apples.  It’s just the perfect sandwich. A perfect balance in textures and flavors. Crispy on the outside, moist and savory on the inside. The tart apple compliments the savory turkey, and pungent Swiss cheese, in a way that’s out of this world, and dipping it into an egg batter gives the bread a perfect moistness. And then lightly dusting it with powdered sugar is like the icing on the cake.    You know it sounds delicious, so stop reading this post, print out the recipe and get to cookin’ ! I promise you you will not be disappointed in fact you’ll be  surprised at how supercalifragilisticexpialidocious  this actually taste! Enjoy!

CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO I MADE OF ME MAKING THIS RECIPE!

Here’s What You’ll Need:

8 slices of  sourdough bread 8 ounces of thinly sliced turkey breast 4 thinly sliced slices of Swiss Cheese 1 Granny Smith Apple peeled, cored, and thinly sliced 3 large eggs beaten 1 tablespoon of butter

Directions:

In a shallow bowl combine eggs,  and set aside in the refrigerator.

Next assemble your sandwiches, evenly divide the turkey and apple slices between four slices of the sourdough bread, then top each with a slice of Swiss cheese, then top with another slice of sourdough bread.

heat butter in skillet

Next quickly dip each sandwich into the egg batter and place in heated skillet, cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until golden brown and cheese is melted. Top with powdered sugar and enjoy

BETTY CROCKER GOT IT GOING ON YALL!(click here for picture)

August 14, 2010

I know what you’re thinking… Is that a boxed muffin mix? Are you really blogging about a boxed muffin mix? A Betty Crocker muffin mix? Yes it is, yes I am, and yes it is!

Let me tell something about this boxed muffin mix

1. It is just so simple to make, just three household ingredients, and an oven

2. It’s so moist and delicious, sweet, crumbly , just melt in your mouth scrumdiddilyuptious!

3. It’s by Betty Crocker, sprinkled with Cinnabon cinnamon so you know it’s gotta be good!

Now my family usually doesn’t buy too much boxed foods, but this one we make a huge exception for, it’s a staple in our pantry. Since it’s so easy and quick to make , we keep it on hand, and make it to go along side breakfast, or as a sweet snack, or even on occasions like these when the whole family has an all-inclusive sweet tooth, this boxed muffin mix, sure does come in handy.

I myself like to enjoy the finished product with a cup of chai tea, while reading one of my all time favorite books A Separate Peace by John Knowles, it’s the perfect way to start, end , or even take a break from a hectic day.

Photosynthesis In The Making

August 4, 2010

Just over a month ago, I convinced my mom to let me grow my own basil plant! Week after week I would see fully grown plants of basil in the grocery store and I would dream of someday  having my own, and I would always beg my Mom to buy it, promising that I would take care and nurture it, but time and time again I was denied.

Until finally,while browsing the Dollar Section at Target, I came across a starter kit for growing Lemon Basil, which my mom finally agreed to get for me , stating that if I’m going to grow basil I might as well grow it from scratch.

I have to admit, at first I didn’t think it would start to grow so quickly. I imagined it would’ve taken weeks before I even saw the slightest sign of growth, but low and behold after just 5 days, it’s first buds were springing forth!

I mean it’s now week 7 and just look at that growth. Look at that. Just look at how God’s making it grow, it’s beautiful. Pretty soon, it’ll be ready for cooking use, and we’ll be able to whip up some mean cuisine!

Chicken Mango Lettuce Wraps (click here for picutures!)

July 28, 2010

Summer is officially officially here, and you know what that means, no matter what part of the world you’re in – HEAT!!! It’ s too hot to do to and from the grocery store shopping for ingredients to whip up a meal, it’s too hot to stand in line to pay for those ingredients, and it is definitely too H-O-T HOT to slave over a hot stove for additional hours on end trying to make something to eat.

It’s summer time.  It’s time to relax by or in the pool, go to the movies (see Inception!), watch the sunset, and enjoy meals that are refreshing, healthy and delicious, and that require close to nothing to assemble.

Chicken Mango Lettuce wraps are the perfect summer treat because they are refreshing; they’re a way to get in a serving of fruit, vegetables and protein so they’re very balanced and healthy. They require close to nothing to assemble – just a few house hold staples , just lettuce, rotisserie chicken, and fruit, and there you go a balanced and refreshing meal that can  be enjoyed any time of the day guilt free. Best of all NO STOVE REQUIRED!

Check out my video for this stove-less recipe!

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 cups of chopped chicken

1 large mango cubed

3/4 cups of chopped jicama

1/4 cup of fresh chopped cilantro

8 Butter Leaf Lettuce Cups

For The Vinaigrette:

2 tablespoon of light extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup of orange juice

Salt

McCormick Peppercorn Medley

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of Dijon Mustard

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons of honey

Directions:

First whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette being mindful to have equal parts honey to mustard (you can also use honey-mustard if you like), season with salt and McCormick pepper medley to taste, then set aside.

Next toss together ingredients for the wraps filling (minus the lettuce of course), drizzle with vinaigrette, toss once more, and fill lettuce cups with mixture. Enjoy!

Also check out this website for more ways to incorporate vitamin packed mangoes in your diet while they’re in season

Fruit Salad Spring Rolls with Mango-Mint Sauce Click Here For Pictures!

July 22, 2010

Fruit Salad. Yummy Yummy. Fruit Salad. Yummy Yummy. Fruit Salad. Yummy Yummy. YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY FRUIT SALAAAAD!!!

Check out my video too!

Do ya’ll remember that song? It’s from a T.V show called The Wiggles. I use to watch that show all the time when I was younger, that show and Barney, I loved me some Barney.

Anywho… Fruit salad is very yummy, especially on a hot summer day , when it’s too hot to turn on an oven or slave over a hot stove to satisfy an undying sweet-tooth, nothing beats a cool and refreshing mixture of naturally sweet fruit.

And who needs a bowl and fork to enjoy fruit salad , by using spring roll wrappers, you can transform an ordinary fork food, into a unique and refreshing finger food. All you need is some fresh fruit, spring rolls, hot water, and a little creativity, and there you go , a light snack and a serving of fruit! BOO-YAH!

Here’s A Tip: To save money, buy the fruit and portion it yourself! And Make sure you set a few spring rolls aside for yourself , these fly by quick! Before I could even get my camera, there was only one left!

What You’ll Need

This is what I used , but please do feel free to use whatever fruit you like.

16 spring roll wrappers

2 cups of warm water

3 mangos cubed

1/2 pineapple cubed

2 cups of watermelon cubed

3 fresh mint leaves

1/4 cup of orange juice

Directions:

First make the mango sauce – in a blender combine 1 cup of mango and the orange juice, and blend until smooth. Transfer to an airtight container along with mint leaves and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving (to give the mint time to infuse the sauce)

Next assemble you fruit salad spring rolls – Place each spring roll in water, and let sit until softened,( not too long or else they’ll star to disintegrate) then, Place onto a clean damp cloth and take a little bit of each fruit, until each wrapper has at least 1/3 cup of fruit inside, then fold left and right edges over the fruit, and roll from the bottom to the top.  Enjoy with Mango dipping sauce.

CONGRATULATIONS NOELLE YOU’RE THW WINNER TO MY PREPOLOGY MICROWAEVEABLE BWL SET GIVEAWAY!

July 20, 2010

Congratulations Noelle from An Opera Singer in The Kitchen! you are the winner for my Prepology Microwaveable Bowl set giveaway!! I’d like to thank EVERYONE who stopped by my site and joined in the giveaway and all the sites who told their readers about it, I really do appreciate all the support! Please stay tuned I will be hosting more giveaways soon, and thank you thank you sooo much for participating in this one!!

Until Next Time,

- Shauniece ;-)

Colorful Bowls of Microwaveble Prepology: The Giveaway( click here for pictures)

July 12, 2010

Today I decided to clean out my kitchen cabinets. Every so often at least every other week, my neat kitchen cabinets get so out of control and messy, I can’t even close them, so every now and then I try to straighten them out and bring the kitchen to come type of order.

So this time, while I was setting all of the like contents of the cabinets with each other, (the griddles with the griddles, the pots with the pots, the rosters with the roaster, the skillets with the skillets, and so on), I realized that  one particular pile had more contents than any other.

I picked up a few things from that high pile and asked my mom “Mom, why do we have more bowls than anything else?” My mom went into great detail as to why we have so many bowls- all of which come in various shapes, sizes, and materials ranging from tiny metal spice  bowls to giant ceramic gumbo size bowls, there are just so many! My wise mother explained to me that bowls are essential for a chef, for example a chef would only use a steal bowl to whisk egg whites for a meringue, but never to microwave something. And a cook would store foods in an air tight bowl,  to make sure nothing gets inside. A cook would always serve warm food such as soup in a heat concealing bowl, so that it would be warm long after it has been served. And sometimes if the chef is feeling silly, she or he might even serve food in a very whimsical bowl.

Bowls are used for everything, and every chef should have a variety of bowls in their cabinets, even if the bowl is used for nothing but steaming food in a microwave. Which is why I’ve decided to give a brand new set of colorful Microwaveable bowls by Prepology . I simply adore them, they’re very cute,They come in all types of sized such as a 6.76 oz red bowl, one 6.76 yellow bowl, one 13.52 oz green bowl, one 20.28 oz tangerine bowl, one 37.19 oz eggplant bowl, all 5 with matching  vented lids The set is very user friendly, and great for storing and reheating, and they steam lids, goodness, whoever invented them was a GENIUS !

Here’s How to Enter:

You must complete the mandatory entries before completing the optional entries.Each optional entry must be added as a separate comment. Comments that do not follow the rules will not be counted and will be deleted.

Example: After you have left a comment on this post, and have subscribed to my blog via the RSS icon to the right, say you’ve blogged about this giveaway, leave an additional comment on this post with a link to the post, and I will count you as having 3 entries into this giveaway!

MANDATORY ENTRIES:

First : LEAVE A COMMENT on THIS post telling me one food that taste great steamed.

Second: SUBSCRIBE to my blog via the RSS icon to the right.

PLEASE TELL ME IN THE SAME COMMENT COMMENT THAT YOU SUBSCRIBED! Thanks! ( Ex: String beans are great steamed. I subscribed)

Optional Entries

Blog about this giveaway( 2 extra entries!)

Tweet about this giveaway (1 extra entry!)

You DO NOT have to have a blog to enter in this giveaway. • Make sure you include your email address – in the email field, not the comment field – so I can contact you if you are the lucky winner I will email the winner to obtain their snail mail address at that time. (I will also update this post, announcing the winner.) You have until 10:00 pm (PST) on July 17, 2010 to enter for a chance to win. Winner will be chosen from the comments through Random.org, a random number generator. Must be a United States resident

Don’t worry – I’m not selling or giving your mailing address to anyone. It will be between you and me.

Have fun and let’s get started!

Please note that I am not an affiliate nor am I getting paid for this giveaway. I purchased this set with my own allowance yall!

4th Of July Nilla Firecracker Bites (click here for pictures)

July 7, 2010

Okay, I know  I’m 3 days late , but I really wanted to share this dessert with you, and I didn’t take all these pictures, or make a video for nothing!

This 4Th of July, my family and I were invited to an Independence day celebration, and at the last minute we were asked to bring a festive dessert. So while we were shopping in the grocery store, and thinking up ideas of what to bring, I saw a recipe for Firecracker Bites on a box of Nilla Wafers, and I thought that  would be  the perfect dessert to bring to the party!  But instead of filling the bites with pudding, I decided to use vanilla ice cream. They’re cute,bite sized, and really who could go wrong with Nilla Wafers, ice cream, patriotic sprinkles and whipped cream, the combination is born to be delicious!

What You’ll Need: (Here’s a video to help you out and make you laugh too!) 1 box of Nilla Waffers 3 pints of Vanilla Ice Cream (preferably Ben & Jerry’s) 1/2 cup of red,white,and blue Jimmies 1/2 cup of red licorice strips

Directions:

First using a cookie scooper,scoop ice cream into balls, and place them into the freezer until firm, about and hour or so.

Next, when ice cream is firm, place onto a Nilla wafer, then top with another wafer, and proceed to decorating it how ever you like!

A Day At The Santa Monica Pier ( Please click here for pictures! Thanks)

July 1, 2010

I just love the beach. I love walking on the sand and feeling its warmth between my toes.  I love walking along the edge of the water and having the cool waves splash against my legs. The beach is just refreshing.

To me, the best time to go to the beach is early afternoon, in the middle of the week, when everybody’s at work , and the beach is clear. Especially if your going to Santa Monica. That’s the best time to walk up and down the pier. No rush, no crowd, theres a nice cool breeze , and relaxing sun, and it’s all so lackadaisical.

And if your hungry, there are endsless restaurants to choose from, all of which serve deliscious seafood, and exoctic cuisine. Ahhh I love the beach..

Today, my mom and I decided to get out of the house and take a trip to Santa Monica pier- and we had so much fun!

First we stopped inside a fish market , because an unique sight caught my eye. As I approached the market, I realized what I saw were live lobsters, and crabs! How cool is that!

Then we had a mini photo shoot near the Route 66 sign.

Down the pier we saw a man with beautiful Parrots.

They were very friendly too!

Lastly we stopped at one of our favorite Pier restaurant Mariasol, which serves authentic Mexican cuisine.

My mom and I enjoyed fresh chips and salsa, andLatin music while we waited for the chicken fajitas we ordered, but let me tell you, they were well worth the wait!

After lunch, my mom and I watched the water for a while, and headed back down the pier, where we notced a school of trapeze artist flying through the air.

Today was such an amazing day, it sounds like something from a fairytale, but it’s true, we really did experience it, and we really enjoyed ourselves. You see it doesn’t take alot just to relax and have fun, sometimes, you just need to take a 20 minute road trip and relax with people you love.

And The Winner Is…….

June 29, 2010

Congratulations Amber you are the winner for my Paula Deen Speckled  Prep bowl set giveaway!! I’d like to thanks EVERYONE who stopped by my site and joined in the giveaway and all the sites who told their readers about it, I really do appreciate all the support! Please stay tuned I will be hosting more giveaways soon, and thank you thank you sooo much for participating in this one!!

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