I remembered to take a few pictures this time while cooking. I loved the way the enchiladas came out. they were cheesy and gooey and good. Awesomeness on a plate. I love to whip together a meal in no time. That works for me. And, this meal lasts a few days for me. It became dinner and lunch a few days over. I also made a cake from scratch this week as well. It was not as successful as this meal. I will not be deterred. I will try again and soon. The Domesticated Diva will be back in the kitchen asaptually! Keep cooking!!
I love wings. i usually order them. I hardly ever cook them myself. But, I got the urge to have wings with a twist last week. So, I set out to do just that. I didn't want baked wings with sauce. I was craving fried wings tossed with barbecue sauce. This is the specialty of a spot here called "WOW Wings." I did not know their recipe but I thought that it was simple enough for me to replicate.
I started with my eggwash concoction. I used an egg, some milk and seasoning in a bowl. I mixed it all up. I wanted my wings to have a crunchy taste golden skin. I knew it would have been better with buttermilk. But, I just used ingredients I had available. After cleaning the wings, I totally covered them in the eggwash. Then, I dropped then in my flour. Once I made sure they were completely covered in flour, into the hot grease they went. Wings do not take long to cook. I watched them fry up so perfectly and evenly golden. After removing them from the grease, I let them cool.
I combined two different barbecue sauces; Spicy Honey and sweet & Spicy Chipotle. I also added a little mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, vanilla, and hot sauce. I then dipped the wings, one by one, into the sauce. I made sure that they were all completely covered. And, I was done. I also cooked steamed broccoli and mac & cheese as my sides. The only thing left to do was eat. And, it was delicious. So much so, that I cooked it again later in that same week. Simple dish but it made my taste buds very happy. The domesticated diva was definitely happy. Hope you guys try it out!
Here's my recipe:
- 1 pack of wings (8)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup of milk
- Season all/Tony Chachere's
- A pinch of black pepper
- Flour
- Bbq sauce (I used a combination of spicy honey/sweet&spicy chipotle & added mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, vanilla & hot sauce to it)
Directions:
- Heat oil in pan or deep fryer (I used a deep fryer).
- Mix egg, milk, season all, & pepper in a bowl.
- Dip wings in bowl.
- Coat wings totally.
- Flour wings.
- Fry wings.
- Let cool for a few minutes.
- Then dip fried wings into Bbq sauce until totally coated.
- Serve, eat, & enjoy!
In my never-ending quest for knowledge, I've decided that 2012 will be the year I conquer "outside of my box" cooking. I like to cook, love to bake. I really enjoy being in the kitchen pulling it all together. Even if its just for me. I can cook a lot of staple meals. I almost always cook the same things. I need to explore new avenues. That is on my to do list in the new year.
I'm also realizing that I prefer cooking from scratch. I thoroughly enjoy creating things on any level. So, of course, cooking would be no different. I enjoy looking up recipes online and then making them my own. I am always super impressed with myself when the results are even better than I imagined. There is something truly fulfilling about knowing that it all came from you. I have been cooking for a long time. But, this is the first time I can say I really enjoy doing it. It was necessity before. Now, it's a luxury that I relish.
New and more daring dishes will be forthcoming. I am sure I will start with Chinese food. I love it and want to try my hand at it. I have to buy a wok too. This adventure is going to be fun and interesting. I am very excited to see what my hands can come up with. Cooking is a joy that I hope all of you enjoy as well. It makes me happy. I'm going to try my hand at a few cake recipes as well. That should definitely be a great thing. This Domesticated Diva will see you guys in the new year and in the kitchen. Cook on!
Holiday dinners are always a big deal. I haven't been that big on participating in the cooking aspect of it. I'm always good for desserts though. A cake or two and definitely my double chocolate icebox pie are a must. So, this year, I decided to do something different. I decided to try my hand at a few dishes.
I stuffed bell peppers for the first time. I cut my peppers in half and cleaned them out. I then dropped them into a pot of boiling water for about ten minutes. While they were boiling, I worked on my actual stuffing. I browned a pack of ground beef and a pack of sage in a skillet. Once it was all brown, I drained the meat. Next, I sautéed my shrimps. I mixed all of the meat and shrimp together with some bread crumbs. After removing the bell peppers, I let them dry and commenced to stuffing them. I added some more bread crumbs on top of the peppers. Then, into the oven they went for about 20 minutes. They were done. They were great. They were gone before I could snap any pics!
I also cooked baked mac and cheese. But it wasn't my first time. I have that recipe down. They came out moist and cheesy and good. I also cooked candied yams as well. These items are staples though. My turkey day was a success. That made me very happy. I wonder what I will take on next. I'm open to new items. More cooking is coming! Hope everyones Thanksgiving was awesome.
I love Italian food. I have for as long as I can remember. Pasta is something I can eat and feel full all day long. It's also one of the few dishes that I will actually eat as leftovers. Italian food, to me, always taste just as good 2 days after. I want to invest in a pasta maker. I know that it would get a serious workout in my house. Crazy as it sounds, I prefer Italian food to soul food any day. With all of that being said, I took on the feat of another Italian dish. This week in cooking, I try my hand at Chicken Fettuccini.
I used Bertolli's Fettuccini cream sauce in the bottle. I wasn't very sure of my skills when it came to making my own. This was an easy dish to make. The ingredients were simple as well. All I needed was a pack of fettuccine, a bottle of sauce, skinless chicken breasts, and a few spices. Before I cooked my chunks of chicken breast, I started with a little butter, minced garlic and onions in a skillet. I seasoned the chicken lightly with salt and pepper. I added the chicken to the hot skillet and cooked until it wasn't pink anymore. I added the chicken to my sauce to cook some more. I was also waiting on my noodles to come to a boil. Once it was ready, I added it to my sauce and chicken. I tossed the entire mixture until all of the fettuccini was covered with sauce. It smelled so good.
It came out just perfectly. I was very happy with my results. I did forget to add parmesan cheese on top after I plated it. But it was wonderful without it. The only thing that I will change the next time is my sauce. have to admit I went the easy route. I used store bought fettuccini sauce. I did find a great recipe for the homemade kind on allrecipes.com. The next time I will be doing that. I did add a lot of spices to the sauce though. I like spicy food. I guess it has something to do with the fact that I am a New Orleans girl. But, I added cayenne pepper (more than a few pinches) as well as Tony Chachere's to my sauce as it was cooking. Homemade sauce will make it that much better. I'm sure of it. I do not know what I will attempt to cook next. But, I'm sure I will be blogging about it. What are you guys cooking? Any recipes you'd like to share? Feel Free!
I was in the mood for cookies. But I want to make them myself. I came across an incredible food blog. It is the BrownEyedBaker. She has a ton of great recipes. I found one that appeared easy enough and the pictures looked great. Even better, I had all of the ingredients (sans the peanut butter chips) on hand. I like to use what I have in my kitchen when I cook spur of the moment things. That makes things simpler and easier for me. The recipe was for "Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars." Sounds great right? I think you can never go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate. I am not a huge fan of peanut butter alone. But, when combined with chocolate, you cannot go wrong.
There was little to no prep time as I gathered my ingredients. I spent most of my time on the actual mixing of the ingredients. Once everything was mixed together and spread into an aluminum pan, it was baking time. The recipe said to bake between 16-20 minutes. I baked for 18 minutes. I then let the pan cool for 15 minutes. The smell was so delicious. I then cut the pan into bars and stacked them on a plate. I ate a bar with a cup of Silk Pure Almond Vanilla Milk. It was amazing. It was soft and warm and chocolatey. I was happy with my baking skills. Little by little, I am learning more things. Me and the kitchen are developing a deeper relationship. I do not know what I will cook up next. But, I will be sure to keep you guys informed. The domesticated diva will definitely be back.
Cooking is a sport and a talent. Not everyone can play. I think that I am a pretty decent cook. I have the potential to be a great one though. I have a love-hate relationship with cooking. Some days, I am excited about what to cook. Other days, I couldn't care less. Lately, however, I have found a renewed interest in cooking different things. I think I was always just tired of eating the same things day in and day out. I am also a rather picky eater. I blame my Mom for that. I just know what I like.
There are dishes that I will eat in certain restaurants that I've never cooked. One of those meals is Chicken Parmesan. I decided to try my hand at this one. The simple recipe I found here helped tremendously. I purchased my ingredients and got to work. This recipe was so easy to follow. I was done with the prep work and in the oven in less than 20 minutes. I baked it for 30 minutes. The smell wafted throughout the house. I couldn't wait to taste my work. I was impressed with myself. It was so good. I ate it for dinner and lunch the next day. I even fed my brother. He agreed that it was good as well.
Next, I have fallen in love with homemade sugar cookies. I had a taste for some one afternoon. I searched for a recipe. I found one here. My cookies came put perfectly the first try! I was too excited. Since that first night, I have tweaked the recipe to my liking. I have been a baking fool. My nephews love them! They were a huge hit with my fam. I love the fact that days later that the cookies are still soft and chewy. That and taste are the deciding factors in what makes a great cookie to me.
Today, I have tried my hand at lasagna. I have helped make it before. I have watched m aunt make her famous lasagna for years during the holidays. This will technically be my first time cooking it myself. I did not need a recipe for this one. I already knew what to do. I also knew that cheese would be the most important factor for me. I love a cheesy lasagna. I like variety too. I used mozzarella, Parmesan, and cheddar cheeses and lots of it. I layered my pan with lasagna noodles, meat sauce and loads of cheese. I baked it for 30 minutes. The smell was awesome. The taste was even better. I paired it with garlic bread sticks and a salad. The perfect Sunday dinner if I do say so myself. And, I do!! It came out great.
I am sure I will be getting into more cooking soon. I cannot wait. I think I like it more than I have before. It makes me happy to cook. I am more excited about the act of creating meals than the actuality of eating it. Eating is a second thought. I am grateful for the easy recipes that I have found. They have been more than helpful. I am always apprehensive when I am trying something new. Once I have a handle on something, I am sure I won't need to rely on a recipe. I will be able to do it from my head and heart. That is what makes a great cook/chef to me. I cannot wait to cook more and for more people. I am clearly becoming a domesticated diva the older I become. Who would've guessed it??
