Eat Off My Plate

I burn. Therefore. I. Am.
Behind every good meal is a good story.
Spicy Shrimp & Noodle Soup  In an effort to kick the shit out my flu-like symptoms, I decide to make some soup.  I sauteed onions, cilantro, minced garlic & mushrooms in butter, seasoned it with dried ginger, red pepper flakes, onion salt and black pepper. Next, I added some homemade chicken broth, lemon juice & cinnamon simple syrup.  Once it came to a boil, I added some shrimp that had been marinating in cayenne pepper, ponzu sauce and ginger.  In a separate pot I boiled some ramen noodles with the lemon rinds.   Not only was stupid delicious, it actually helped!!! I feel a lot better, although I still sound quite mannish over the phone! LOL! 

Spicy Shrimp & Noodle Soup 

In an effort to kick the shit out my flu-like symptoms, I decide to make some soup. 

I sauteed onions, cilantro, minced garlic & mushrooms in butter, seasoned it with dried ginger, red pepper flakes, onion salt and black pepper. Next, I added some homemade chicken broth, lemon juice & cinnamon simple syrup. 

Once it came to a boil, I added some shrimp that had been marinating in cayenne pepper, ponzu sauce and ginger. 

In a separate pot I boiled some ramen noodles with the lemon rinds.  

Not only was stupid delicious, it actually helped!!! I feel a lot better, although I still sound quite mannish over the phone! LOL! 

I Got Bars…Lemon Bars - As some of you may know, last Thursday I tried my hand at baking. I set out to bake a chocolate cake & lemon bars. Well, the chocolate cake was an epic failure, to say the least…but I digress.

I started with the crust, which was this beautifully creamy & luscious mixture of butter, sugar, salt & flour. The lemon base is a concoction of eggs, sugar, flour, lemon juice & zest. It conjured ideas of ice & vodka. LOL! But, alas it had to be baked. After fitting the crust & browning it in the oven, I poured in the yummy lemon base & baked until it was firm. My anxiety due to the cake fiasco was perfect for letting it properly cool.

When it was cutting time, I carved out a tiny sliver & to my delight, it was AMAZING!!! I cut the rest into perfect squares & topped them with my mix of confectioners’ sugar, ginger powder & cinnamon. It perfectly married the sweetness & gave it a slight savory dimension. They were almost completely devoured by my family, but I managed to save couple for my friends at work, Michael & Abel! 

Raspberry Crumble - Every Sunday after church, my family and I go out for lunch. My Aunt Violet, Cousin Iyani & I ended up at Red Lobster. Now Iyani is a wild-eyed, cunning, 11 year old sweetheart. As soon as we sat down, she was already figuring out her dessert order. When she came across the apple crumble, that was it! But, of course she ate too much & had no room for dessert, so told her we make it later. As I was shopping for the ingredients, I came across some raspberries, that was it! 

I made the crust…butter, heavy cream, ice water & flour. The smell of my hands when I finished was heavenly. I then macerated the raspberries in rum & brown sugar. Iyani made the crumble w/ butter, oatmeal & brown sugar. Once the dough had chilled for an hour, I rolled it out, fitted the ramekins with the crust & we loaded it in the oven! 

After about 40 minutes we had a beautifully browned crust, bubbling sweet raspberries & this golden crumble that I sprinkled w/ a mixture of brown sugar & ginger (I love that combo!) & it was topped off with some fresh whipped cream! (my forearm was screaming.)

Tilapia Cakes & Slaw – This meal was a necessity. I’d taken out the Tilapia the night before so I had to cook it. I knew that didn’t want to beer batter it for tacos or bake it. I remembered that I made the cakes for brunch once & enjoyed them but they weren’t quite what I wanted them to be. I gave it some thought. They needed bite & a crunchier exterior. I quartered the fish & popped it into the food processor with lemon juice, minced garlic, egg & seasoned breadcrumbs. Blitzed it out & mixed it in a bowl with finely chopped celery & red onion. Once mixed I formed the patties & coated them in more seasoned bread crumbs. They were then pan seared in butter & topped with a spicy brown butter lemon cream sauce.

Now for the slaw. Super simple. Julienned red peppers, shredded cabbage & carrots, covered in Awesome Sauce. (I just named it!) White wine vinegar, mayonnaise, horseradish, lemon juice, garlic salt, pepper and honey!

 Necessity + Creativity = Randomly Dedamnlicious 

Tomato & Basil - This weekend I was on an cool little tomato & basil kick!

Stuffed Mushrooms (Left)

My cousin Aaron is a vegetarian & I’d been promising to make him something special. I gutted some portobello mushrooms, diced & seasoned some tomatoes, basil & vidalia onions. I coated them with extra virgin olive oil & loaded it into the mushroom caps. Topped it with homemade breadcrumbs & slide them under the broiler. His wasn’t covered in Dill Harvarti though. =)

Betta Than McDonalds

On Sunday morning, I was still feeling my Saturday night…I needed something yummy. I toasted some french bread & basil in rosemary garlic butter. Grabbed some bacon, brushed a little maple syrup on it & popped it into the broiler. Seasoned & oiled the tomatoes & put them in the oven to roast. Scrabbled up the eggs. Then the fun part…assembling it: Bread, mayo, bacon, tomatoes, asiago cheese, eggs and toasted basil. Talk about super yum!! 

Gonuts Donuts - My son came in last Saturday from basketball practice, like, “Mom. I’m hungry! Can you please make me something?!” When he asks me to cook, especially on a Saturday, I always try to make something different & fun. So I made him donut fritters dusted with cinnamon & sugar w/ caramel sauce & a veggie & sausage frittata (not pictured)! 

Gonuts Donuts - My son came in last Saturday from basketball practice, like, “Mom. I’m hungry! Can you please make me something?!” When he asks me to cook, especially on a Saturday, I always try to make something different & fun. So I made him donut fritters dusted with cinnamon & sugar w/ caramel sauce & a veggie & sausage frittata (not pictured)! 

Meatballs on French Last night was my night to cook for the family. So I whipped up some meatballs & spaghetti! It was super yum! Bum status on posting a pic of it. Anyway. Today around 3:00P, all I could think about was those leftover meatballs. When I realized a had a loaf of french bread my little fat girl did a somersault!! I came home & got busy! Toasted the bread in basil butter, shaved some grueyer, put the meatballs & sauce in the broiler until hot, then covered it in cheese, let it get all gooey & mixed some minced garlic & mayo! Assembled it & hot damn!! 

Meatballs on French

Last night was my night to cook for the family. So I whipped up some meatballs & spaghetti! It was super yum! Bum status on posting a pic of it. Anyway. Today around 3:00P, all I could think about was those leftover meatballs. When I realized a had a loaf of french bread my little fat girl did a somersault!! I came home & got busy! Toasted the bread in basil butter, shaved some grueyer, put the meatballs & sauce in the broiler until hot, then covered it in cheese, let it get all gooey & mixed some minced garlic & mayo! Assembled it & hot damn!! 

Buttery Sugary Fruity Fluffy Goodness - I had to be at church at 9:00A on a Saturday morning. Do you have any idea how sigh/UGH worthy that is!? I figured the only way to not fret, was to get up early and make something yummy! Oh & I was seriously crazing this!! I sliced up some french bread, soaked it in cinnamon, nutmeg, heavy cream and eggs. then, caramelized a Granny Smith Apple in brown sugar, butter, a bit of lemon juice and a dash of ginger. The tartness of the apple is not completely masked by the sweetness and the french toast soaked everything up beautifully! 

Buttery Sugary Fruity Fluffy Goodness - I had to be at church at 9:00A on a Saturday morning. Do you have any idea how sigh/UGH worthy that is!? I figured the only way to not fret, was to get up early and make something yummy! Oh & I was seriously crazing this!! I sliced up some french bread, soaked it in cinnamon, nutmeg, heavy cream and eggs. then, caramelized a Granny Smith Apple in brown sugar, butter, a bit of lemon juice and a dash of ginger. The tartness of the apple is not completely masked by the sweetness and the french toast soaked everything up beautifully! 

Choco’s Meal - The other great thing about not going out with the girls, was that my son was home. He’s rarely there on weekend. That’s his “Dad time”. Since I was and he doesn’t eat crab I made him a platter of herb crust fried shrimp and fries (not pictured) LOL!! He covered it in ketchup. Initially, I wanted to scream, but that’s how he likes it, so hey!! Call me a snob but I like my ketchup on the side. 

Choco’s Meal - The other great thing about not going out with the girls, was that my son was home. He’s rarely there on weekend. That’s his “Dad time”. Since I was and he doesn’t eat crab I made him a platter of herb crust fried shrimp and fries (not pictured) LOL!! He covered it in ketchup. Initially, I wanted to scream, but that’s how he likes it, so hey!! Call me a snob but I like my ketchup on the side. 

Stellaaaa - Friday afternoon I sent the girls a “Let’s have dinner” text. Well by the evening…Ashlynn was chilling with her dad, Cinnamon hit me with the “Count me out” joint and Danielle had a tummy ache. So, I went to the market and got some snow crab. It’s my favorite Friday chill back meal. My first thought was to grab some champagne, but as I was headed down the isle Stella caught me eye! Like an old friend. Familiar. Comforting. Perfectly complimentary to the the snow crab and garlic herb butter! 

Stellaaaa - Friday afternoon I sent the girls a “Let’s have dinner” text. Well by the evening…Ashlynn was chilling with her dad, Cinnamon hit me with the “Count me out” joint and Danielle had a tummy ache. So, I went to the market and got some snow crab. It’s my favorite Friday chill back meal. My first thought was to grab some champagne, but as I was headed down the isle Stella caught me eye! Like an old friend. Familiar. Comforting. Perfectly complimentary to the the snow crab and garlic herb butter!