I know it’s been a VERY long time since I’ve posted, but my life has gotten very, very busy!  So far this year, I’ve been juggling my job, a new puppy (her name is Honey), planning and preparing for my brother’s wedding and I’m working on a new website called JotandGot.  Always on my grind! Making moves, son! But I digress.

My best friend Lindsey makes a mini-Thanksgiving dinner which actually includes cooking a turkey breast and all the fixins’.  I found a recipe on AllRecipes and tweaked it to suite my own tastes.

I’m not sure if you like cranberry sauce, but I do so I used it to add an extra element to it.  If you decide to go this route, I would start it before you make the meatloaf because it takes a while for it to reduce and cool.  Hope you like it!

Thanksgiving Meatloaf

The Basics

• 1 pound ground turkey (I used 93/7)
• 1 cups chicken-flavor stuffing mix
• 2 eggs; beaten
• 1/4 cup milk or chicken stock
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 rib of celery, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• Onion soup mix (optional)
• ½ tsp sage (optional)
• Cranberry Glaze (optional; see below for recipe)

The Rundown
1.        Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2.        Mix all together in a bowl. If the mixture is too wet, just add more stuffing until it can hold a shape.
3.        Season as you would a turkey. I used onion soup, sage and salt and pepper, but use whatever you like!
4.        I like making free-form loafs, but use a loaf pan if you prefer. Bake for 30-45 mins until temperature reads 165 degrees F in center of loaf.
5.        Serve with gravy or coat with cranberry glaze.

Cranberry Glaze

• 2 cups cranberry juice
• 1 ½ tbsp of sugar

1.        Put juice and sugar in a small sauce pan.
2.        Heat until rapidly boiling, medium-high heat.
3.        Let reduce until it’s about ¼ the original size. It’ll take about 15-20 mins.
4.        Put in a small bowl and let it cool (you can try putting it in the refrigerator to help the process along).  It will thicken as it cools.
5.        Drizzle or baste meatloaf with glaze.

This is a different twist on a very classic dish.  I wish I could say I planned it, but I came up with it with ingredients I had on hand.

The garlic and herb spread is definitely the star of this.  The spinach makes a colorful appearance, but doesn’t leave a strong taste — which is great if you have vegetable-resistant eaters!

The Basics

• Ricotta cheese – I used low fat and I didn’t see a major difference in the texture.
• About 1/8 cup parmesean cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1 beaten egg
• Lasagna noodles – uncooked
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 bottle of marinara sauce – I like the green pepper and mushroom kind.
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• Garlic and herb spread – Found in the fancy cheese area in the grocery store.
• Spinach – I used fresh, but you can use frozen if you have it.  Just make sure it’s thawed and drained to removed excess water

The Rundown

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees.
2. In a saucepan, heat the oil under medium heat.  Add turkey and cook until all turkey is throughoutly cooked.  Break up any big chunks if you can.  Add sauce carefully and let simmer on low heat.
3. In a medium sized bowl, mix beaten egg, parmesean cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and ricotta cheese.
4. In a separate bowl, mix garlic and cheese spread and spinach.
5. In a rectangular deep baking dish, add a thin layer of sauce.
6. Layer noodles.
7. Add a layer of sauce.
8. Spoon over 1/2 layer of ricotta cheese mixture.
9. Add a layer noodles.
10. Spoon over all of the spinach and cheese mixture.
11. Add a layer of noodles.
12. Add a layer of sauce.
13. Spoon over the last layer of ricotta cheese mixture.
14. Add layer of noodles.
15. Add a layer of sauce.
16. Wrap in aluminum foil.
17. Baked for about 30-45 minutes until noodles are tender.  Enjoy!

Years ago, I had one of the most delicious appetizer I’ve ever tasted.  But to be fair, almost anything in a cresent roll tastes amazing! LOL!  There are different variations of this including broccoli and/or bacon.

The only thing I would change is adding shredded lettuce in the middle…or perhaps a flower (ala “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”). 

The Basics
2-3 cups cooked chicken, diced
3/4 cup shredded cheese – I used mexican blend because I had it on hand
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1 sliced tomato
2 cans of Crescent rolls (8 count)
1 egg white, lightly beaten
salt and pepper
garlic powder

The Rundown

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix chicken, cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, parsley, and a few sprinkles of garlic powder and salt and pepper
2. Arrange the crescent rolls on a large round pan (like a pizza pan) so that the triangles overlap each other and one corner is facing outwards. You might want to flatten the dough now so it’s easier to fold over later.
3. Spoon mixtureon the the inner part of the crescent roll.  Don’t spread it up to the outward tip because you’re going to fold that over.
4. Top with tomato slices. I tried to spread it out evenly so that sometimes the tomato slice peeked through.
5. Fold over the corners and try to tuck it into the inner ring. 
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 11- 13 minutes or until the crescent rolls are cooked through.

I’m not sure if this happens to everyone, but whenever I hear the word “quiche”, I immediately think of Rosie Perez.  What?  Is that weird?  Hahaha! 

If you’re an aficionado of 90s comedies, you might remember a great movie by the name of “White Men Can’t Jump” in which Rosie Perez is the girlfriend of Woody Harrelson.  Her character (Gloria, I think is her name) is constantly studying to be a contestant on Jeopardy and one of the topics is word that begin with “Q” (quince, quiche, etc).

Anyways, I digress.  Typical Filipino meals (including breakfast) feature rice, and this one particular morning I decided to go a different route.  I’ve only had spinach and cheese quiche made by my good friend Luisa. 

This was good, but I do wish I added some sort of salty protein like sausage crumbles or bacon to make it more lively. I made my own pie crust and followed the Easy Pie Crust Recipe from Allrecipes.com.

The Rundown

• Fresh spinach – Washed, dried and chopped roughly
• Zuchinni – Washed and diced
• Handful of shredded cheese – I used cheddar
• 4 eggs
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup of milk or heavy cream

The Basics

1. While pie crust is cooling, the oven should be preheated to 375 degrees. 
2. Beat eggs in a large bowl.
3. Add milk, cheese and veggies with a few shakes of salt and pepper.
4. Carefully pour mixture to pie crust.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until egg mixture has cooked completely.  Enjoy!

 Do you ever get bored eating the same ole tired food, day in and day out?  One of my go-to people to consult is my BFF Lindsey.  Company chicken is one of her husband’s favorite recipes so I wanted to give it a try.

I’m not sure why it’s called “company chicken”, but I suppose it’s a type of meal you can make for guests.  Whether or not you have company, if you love hollandaise sauce and artichokes you should definitely try this one out!

The Basics

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper
• parsley (optional) – cleaned and chopped
• 2 cans of quartered artichoke hearts – drained, with tougher leaves removed
• hollandaise sauce
• Cooked white rice

The Rundown

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Put artichokes in an oven-safe dish, then add chicken on top.
4. Bake chicken until cooked.  It’ll take about 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, prepare hollandaise sauce.
6. Remove chicken from oven.
7. Place chicken and artichokes on a bed of rice and drizzle hollandaise sauce.  Enjoy!

I tried to make Shepard’s pie for a potluck, and it was a big ole plate of gross!  I was especially mad because 1) I HAD to bring it to the party because I didn’t make a back-up dish (d’oh!) and 2) I bought the more expensive ground sirloin for the meat.  So needless to say, I pretty much threw in the proverbial towel in for Shepard’s pie.

A few months ago, a friend/colleague of mine (shout out to Chris Baker!) told me that this is one of his favorite meals from his childhood.  So when I saw a packet for Shepard’s pie mix at the grocery store, I thought maybe it wasn’t the meal that was gross — maybe it wasn’t a good recipe!  I mean, I’m sure everyone has experienced disappointment after using a “good on paper” recipe from the Internet or a magazine.  It’s beef and veggies in a gravy-like sauce covered with mashed potatoes – what’s not to like?

I bought the packet, but ended using my noggin to create this more tasty and satisfying dish (which means recipe coming soon!).  Two thumbs up and one empty plate!

Love garlic? Already baking something in the oven?  Try this simple garlic spread recipe given to me by my foodie friend Jerald!

You can spread it on bread or add it any recipe like soups, sauces or stews for a strong roasted garlic flavor.

The Basics

• 1 head of garlic
• Milk/heavy cream – about 1-2 tbsp.
• Salt

The Rundown

Cut to top off the head of garlic, just enough to expose each nub of garlic.  Place in a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil (or a small baking dish with a lid).  Form a bowl with the aluminum and add the milk or heavy cream.  Crumple over the foil to make a tight package.

Add to an oven that’s heated from anywhere between 325-375 degrees.  Let bake for about 30 minutes.

Carefully open the foil package. Voila!  The garlic should be cooked thoroughly to a nice golden color and all the milk/cream should be gone.

The skin should be easy to remove.  Remove all the skin, and put the cooked garlic in a small dish.  Add a pinch of salt and mash with a spoon until smooth and delicious.  Enjoy!

This is so easy it shouldn’t really classify as a “recipe”.  I like my chicken coated with barbecue sauce, but I hate when the sauce just wipes off.  This recipe double coats each piece of chicken to achieve a sticky and satisfying result.

The Basics

• Cut up pieces of chicken, on bone and with skin – I used chicken thighs.
• Bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce – I used Sweet Baby Ray’s.

The Rundown

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Meanwhile, wash chicken under water and pat dry with paper towels.  Rub (or brush, if you’re feeling dainty) sauce all over chicken, especially underneath the skin.

Put aluminum foil on a baking sheet, with the shiny side down.   Bake for about 20-25 minutes depending on how thick your pieces of chicken are.

Remove chicken from oven and turn the heat up to 375 degrees.  Brush more sauce on top of the chicken.  Bake for about 10 minutes or until the sauce begins to brown and bubble.

Remove from oven and enjoy!

I was intrigued when I received this recipe from a friend from high school — Brittney, aka mommy-extraordinaire at the Family at the O.K. Corral.  This is a really easy recipe for a tangy BBQ salmon which is sweetened with blueberry jam.

I know what you’re thinking. “Blueberry jam and barbecue sauce?!  Gen, are you sure?” Why, yes. Yes, I am!  I loved it, and I would definitely recommend it for anyone who loves salmon.

The Basics

• Fillet of salmon with skin – descaled and cleaned
• 1 tbsp of blueberry jam
• Barbecue sauce – Use whatever you like.  I used Sweet Baby Ray’s.

The Rundown

In a small bowl, combine a 1tbsp of blueberry jam and 1-2 tbsp of bbq sauce.  Add marinade in a plastic bag with salmon.  Try to remove as much air as you can.  Put in refrigerator for at least an hour to overnight.

After salmon is finished marinating, preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (shiny-side down).  Place salmon on foil.  Baste salmon, but try to save some of the marinade to make a sauce.  Put salmon in oven and bake for about 10 minutes if you want it medium rare inside to 20 minutes if you want it completely cooked.

Heat remaining marinade in a sauce pan.  Warning — It may smell a bit fishy, but that’s ok.  Add a few more tablespoons of bbq sauce.  Add more blueberry jam if you would like to sweeten it a bit.  Once it starts simmering, remove from the heat.

Remove salmon and move rack near the top of the oven.  Baste salmon with sauce and then broil for about 1-2 mins.  Remove from oven and plate.  Serve with bbq sauce.  Enjoy!

This sausage pasta bake was inspired from one of my favorite foodie TV shows “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”.  Basically, it’s a bunch of meat, cheeses, marinara sauce, bell peppers and pasta.  It’s basically love baked in goodness.

The Basics

• Meats – I used Italian sausage (not in casing), Andouille sausage and pre-cooked ham
• Sliced red bell pepper
• Sliced green bell pepper
• Sliced onion
• Cooked pasta
• Marinara sauce
• Parmesan cheese
• Asiago cheese

The Rundown

In an oven-safe pot, saute the Italian sausage until fully cooked.  Add other meats and heat thoroughly.

Add bell peppers and onions.  Heat for about 3-5 minutes.

Add about a cup of asiago cheese and Parmesan cheese.  Mix well.

Add 1 jar of marinara sauce and mix.  Sauce should turn pink-ish from the cheeses.

Top with cheeses and put in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.  Enjoy!