Valentine's Day Dinner You'll Remember

Valentine's Day for me is a hard one...

I refuse to eat out because it's just crazy town. I also am not a fan of a lot of lovey dovey gushy sappy stuff. But, it is fun for a couple to have a reason to celebrate each other and eat a delicious meal!

So, this year I decided that I would cook dinner for my boyfriend. I really haven't cooked for him in a while and this was the perfect excuse!

I seem to get into a rut and always make my "go to" recipes. But,. I stepped out of the box! I've always wanted to try braised beef short ribs and I finally made them. OH MY GOODNESS. If you haven't made them, you must!

The recipe I used was from The Pioneer Woman and it is fool proof. I had also been saving a 2008 Brunello di Montalcino that we popped which paired perfectly with the dinner! 

For sides, I served a creamy parmesan polenta and brussels sprouts with crispy pancetta. Mouth watering. Amazing. Make this now.

Cold Weather Soup

I absolutely HATE cold weather. The only redeeming factors it has are:
A) The clothes
2) Soup -- which is my favorite food group

I absolutely love soup. My friends make fun of me and literally ask "is soup all you eat?!". No....no it is not. However, when it's freezing outside, it does make a frequent appearance in my daily meals. Why do I love it so much? It's easy, cheap, and lasts for DAYS. Literally. It's the meal that has no end. You can literally make one soup on Sunday and by Wednesday you can use the same soup to create a new soup! It's like MAGIC!

All of this to say...I want to share one of my all-time-favorites-never-fails soup recipes.

Ingredients:
Chicken Breast (I usually buy about 3)
32oz of chicken broth
1 bag of frozen veggies (I prefer the the corn, pea, and carrot combo)
1 jar of Hatch Green Chile Stew (sold at Central Market)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Optional: pasta or rice (I use gluten free lasagne corte)

Process:
Boil the chicken in the chicken broth until cooked through
Once it's cooked, shred it and put it back into the chicken broth
Add the frozen veggies, stew, and salt and pepper to taste
Cook until the veggies are cooked through and you're done!
Now, if you wanted to add rice or pasta, you would simply cook that separately while the chicken was cooking and add it in with the veggies, stew...etc.

SO easy and warms the soul :)

Very tasty with a white Burgundy I might add...

Italian Burger

While living in Italy for 3 months, one thing I began to crave was a BURGER!! Now, while I'm home, I miss the Italian flavors that I became so accustomed to having every day. So, I decided to take the flavors of Italy and put them into a burger! Watch the video below for my recipe!

Ingredients:

Ground Beef

Shredded Parmesan

Mozzarella; sliced

1 head of Radicchio; sliced

Balsamic Vinegar

Brown Sugar

Salt and Pepper

Butter; melted

Basil; chopped

Tomatoes; sliced

Buns

Lemon juice

1/2 Mayonnaise

3-4 tablespoons Sriracha 

zest and juice of one lime

Process:

For the spicy mayo, mix the mayo, sriracha, salt/pepper, and the zest and juice of one lime; set aside

Saute the radicchio in a skillet with salt and pepper. Add the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar to taste and the juice of one lemon

For the patties, melt the butter and add in the chopped basil for flavor; set aside

Mix ground beef, parmesan, salt/pepper and form into patties.

Brush butter on both sides and toss on the hot grill for about 3 minutes per side

Brush the butter on both sides of the buns and grill those as well

To assemble, put the spicy mayo on both sides of the buns, add the meat, a bit of radicchio, then a slice of mozzarella, a slice of tomato, and the other bun!

Chicken On The Barbie

When you think of Australian cuisine, what are your first thoughts? This was mine:

Well, I have to say...when I was invited over for an Australian BBQ, I had my doubts. But, I have to say, I was definitely in for a treat.

The meat of choice was chicken! And, my host was making it the way his dad had made it (kind of sort of). He marinated the chicken in a combination of soy sauce, chili sauce, garlic, & ginger.

Then, he threw on the "barbie"! A lot of the delicious marinade fell to the bottom of the pan so be sure to dump the rest on once the chicken is on the grill!

The chicken was served up with a light salad that had tomatoes, cheese, and light vinaigrette.

I was in charge of the wine selection (of course)! So, I asked my friend at Oak Cliff Cellars what he would recommend. I went with the zinfandel, a nice light red that complimented the BBQ chicken perfectly!

A delicious summer dinner and a wonderful memory :)

Strawberry Salsa with Grilled Salmon [VIDEO]

I am FINALLY starting a video blog! It's definitely way over due...

For my first video recipe, I decided to do something pretty simple but packed full with flavor! It's a strawberry salsa with grilled salmon. Fast, easy, and great for summer.

For the print friendly recipe, click here

This is a work in progress...and it's definitely difficult to shoot yourself cooking! But, it's a start! I hope you keep up with "Foodie For Fun", try my recipes, and let me know what you think!

Buon Appetito Ya'll ;)

The Taste

Yes...I auditioned! And here's what went down..

I had applied a few weeks before the auditions and wasn't planning on attending because A) they were in Austin and B) I never got a confirmation.

WELL...the Thursday before the auditions I get a call. They asked if I was planning on coming. Of course I said yes (while thinking to myself "oh crap!"). I hung up. They called back and said I was getting a "front of the line" pass and to bring my BIG personality!

Friday, I called into work. NO WAY was I going to be able to prepare something and go to work that day. The plan? To make pulled pork tacos with a chilled corn salad and leave at 6:30 am Saturday morning in order to be there by 11:30.

NOTE: You had to bring your dish ready to plate. NO heating anything up. Nothing. So, I had to think of something that traveled well and was edible at room temperature.

I literally spent ALL day in the kitchen. First, I started the pork butt. I seasoned it with lime zest, cilantro, garlic, salt, and pepper. Then, roasted it low and slow for about 9 hours until it was like butter! For the corn salad (original recipe here), I changed it up and grilled the corn. Delicious! I decided the taco needed a little something spicy. So, I made an avocado and sriracha crema with lime juice. To garnish, I did pickled red onions that were pickled with sliced jalapeños and garlic. I also added a sprig of cilantro (which I hunted for all day Friday...there was no fresh cilantro to be found!), some lime juice, and a dash of fleur de sel ;)

Now, the important part (so I thought) were the tortillas! Normally, I would serve these with corn tortillas and warm them up. But remember...no warming! So...I decided to just go with the corn tortillas and forget it.

Friday morning, everything was ready and my mom and I set out on our adventure! Oh wait...I forgot the cilantro! So, we stopped at HEB in Waco. Then...my mom spots it...."HOT TORTILLAS". We race to the counter. They have WARM tortillas that are half corn and half flour. PERFECT.

We get to the audition in time. There were maybe 10 people lined up. I get my front of the line pass and wait for them to call me in.

We were called in in groups of 8. They said "take everything out of your coolers but don't start plating". Then, "take the lids off but don't start plating". Finally, "Ok 3 minutes to plate starting now". Don't panic. I'm not sure how they liked it...I keep replaying it all in my head. Who knows?

At any rate, it was a good experience and a lot of fun! Especially the lunch and cocktails post audition at Elizabeth Street Cafe (definitely recommend!).

So, suffice it to say, even if I don't get cast, it was a great experience!

Mercy Street Lunch

Cooking for a crowd is a challenge. If you have not done it, I suggest trying it -- just for the experience!

This week, I did a mini cooking demo and prepared lunch for 45 people at Mercy Street. It was definitely interesting considering the fact that A) I drive a Fiat so it was hard to fit everything in my car and B) I work full time...

So, the goal was to demonstrate and serve a meal that was a healthier version of some of their favorite foods. I did a take on fried chicken and mashed potatoes.

I served up breaded and baked chicken with a chilled potato salad and coleslaw (without mayo!). The funny part was that the oven was too small for all the chicken! So, we ended up pan frying it anyways...

Chicken:

Ingredients:

Chicken Breast

Mayo (olive oil or eggs work as well)

Bread Crumbs

French Onion Soup Mix

Process

-Preheat oven to 350

-Mix bread crumbs and soup mix together

-Slice (or pound) chicken breasts (this allows for faster cooking time and they go farther!)

-Dip chicken in mayo (or eggs/olive oil) and coat with bread mixture

-Bake on cookie sheet or in a baking dish (9x13) for 30 minutes

To pan Fry:

-Heat skillet on the stove with a drizzle of olive oil. 

-Cook chicken for 5 minutes (more or less depending on size) on each side

Potato Salad:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds potatoes (any variety)

1/3 Cup Olive Oil

3 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

1/3 Cup finely chopped red onion

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/4 Cup Chopped Parsley 

Process:

Quarter potatoes and boil (no need to wash or peel

Strain and once cool enough to handle, peel off skins

Mix together everything for the dressing and toss over potatoes

Coleslaw:

Ingredients:

1 Package Coleslaw

1/4 cup Apple cider Vinegar

Juice of half a lime

2 Tablespoons honey

2 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro

2 - 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Clove garlic; chopped

Salt & Pepper to taste

 *best if made ahead

Process:

Mix it all together!

It's not easy to talk, demo, and cook at the same time! Not to mention trying to be fun and interesting! But, I'm learning more every time and it's always a blessing to be able to serve in the community :)

Summer Salads

The Texas Summer is upon us! If you're like me...you want sides that are either A) light or B) cold. Nobody in their right mind wants to eat something HOT! So, this week on Good Morning Texas I whipped up three delicious summer salads. And guess what...there are NO leafy greens!

You can watch my segment here and scroll down for the recipes!

Here are my versions on a few classics!

Up first is potato salad but without the mayo (who wants that when it's hot anyways)! Doesn't it look delicious?

It's basically a German inspired version of our American classic. Use roasted (or grilled) potatoes. While the potatoes are roasting, crisp up a package of bacon and caramelize half of a yellow onion. Once the bacon and onion are ready, add in brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and dijon mustard. Toss your potatoes with your vinaigrette. Add salt and pepper to taste and top with chopped dill and parsley! Delicious warm or room temperature! I served it with sloppy joes and it was a hit! Click here for the recipe.

Next up, is a twist on pasta salad! This one is a Mediterranean Orzo salad. Light, fresh, and easy!

All you do is make the orzo according the box instructions (tip: use chicken broth instead of water for more flavor!). Then, add in EVERYTHING else! Tomatoes, red onion, olives, artichokes, feta cheese, parsley, salt and pepper, lemon juice and olive oil. The end! I fell in love with orzo about a year ago when a friend made it at dinner. He literally just put everything that he didn't use for our fish and green bean side dish into the orzo and it was delicious! This is just my version. Try it and create your own! Here is the recipe.

Last up is fruit salad! I get SO tired of just plain old fruit in a plain old bowl. Get real. It's boring. You got to think outside the box!

Mine calls for watermelon, cucumbers, peaches, jalapeño, mint, agave, and lime juice. I serve it up with whipped cream and crushed up pistachios for a salty crunch! Try adding mangos or strawberries! Or maybe radishes or avocado. Combine veggies with fruit...it's ok! Click here for my ingredients and then make your own version!

Giving Back

As much as I love to eat and cook with my friends and family, nothing compares to being able to share that passion and help others.

Mercy Street in Dallas is always in need of food and meal preparation and I absolutely love helping! They located in West Dallas and believe in building relationships with the younger generation and building up strong Christian leaders in the community.

On Tuesday nights, they hold their middle school Bible study and I volunteered to prepare dinner (about 30 people). I tried to think of something that was semi-healthy, full of flavor and easy to put together!

So, I decided on pulled pork tacos with a cold corn salad. The night before, my mom helped prepare the pork. We got a 9 pound bone-in shoulder. Fat side up, we packed on the seasoning! Cilantro, lime zest, salt, and garlic and roasted it all night.

For the salad, I just tossed together corn, black beans, sliced grape tomatoes, roasted habaneros, diced red onion, lime juice/zest, olive oil, salt and pepper. We served it with big slices of watermelon and that was it!

My friend Maria came with me and I could not have done it without her! We can't wait to do it again soon :)

Gluten Free Bison Pasta

It's healthy, hearty, and down right satisfying! It's "Gluten Free Bison Pasta". Being gluten free has it's challenges...like when you have unreal cravings for BREAD. But, thankfully, there are some really good gluten free options out there now!

I also like to eat healthy when it comes to meat. Bison is grass fed and lean. That being said, you have to give it a little TLC to make it flavorful. So, here is what I did the other evening:

Step 1:  Sauté half of a white onion with garlic over medium heat in an iron skillet
Step 2: While your onion and garlic are hanging out, heat some chicken stock and water over high heat in a heavy saucepan to boiling and cook pasta according to box instructions
Step 3: When your onions are nice and soft, add in the ground bison and a good knob of butter and cook all the way through (this does not mean burn it)
Step 4: Pour in a can of whole peeled tomatoes (I use the Cento or Pomi brands), basil, salt, and pepper. Let this cook down for about 20 minutes.
Step 5: When the sauce is finished, strain your pasta and add it into the iron skillet with the sauce. Then, put 2-3 good handfuls of spinach in. Give it a good stir until the spinach is wilted and there ya go!

*Remember to ALWAYS do a little quality control with the sauce and make sure it's salty enough! And, you can always add a little Parmesan on top for some more flavor!

Birthday Fun!!

Who doesn't love birthdays?? It's a time to celebrate with friends, family, eat good food, and...re-live childhood!

This year, I turned 25 and I celebrated the entire week! But, the last day of festivities, I had a small get together and (as the evite said) we had "drinks and juvenile fun!".

When initially planning a party, my mind immediately goes to: "what will we have to eat?!". Well, I LOVE party food and this year, I wanted fun and cute small bites! So, I first decided to make Marshmallow Pops! Aren't they adorable?! I found this recipe from the Pioneer Woman and I will be making these at EVERY holiday party :)

Then, I found a recipe for bite-sized strawberry shortcakes! They were so cute and easy to make! You can find the recipe here. I only did 2 things differently: 1) for the frosting, I used powdered sugar and 2) I used real vanilla bean :)

Besides the sweets, I put together a simple meat and cheese platter and veggies with a spinach dip. Super simple! Then, I decided to have a craft! This is where I relived my childhood...I bought wine glasses of all shapes and sizes at the dollar store for everyone to paint! And, to ensure the kitchen table did not get ruined in the process, I wrapped it in pink wrapping paper :)

It was super fun, super easy and an all-around great time :)

Triple Layer Strawberry Citrus Cake

This is what I have to say:

"yuuuuummmmm!"

One of my very good friends turned 25 the other day! And (of course) I had to make her cake! One of her  very favorite flavors is lemon. It's just so light and refreshing and makes just about anything taste wonderful!

But, I wanted to do something a little different than a typical lemon cake. So, I came up with this:

The cake layers are a lemon cake with fresh strawberries. Each layer is topped with a citrus vodka infused glaze. And it all comes together with a citrus marshmallow fluff frosting :)

Hungry yet??

Oh and the best part? It's not even that hard to make! 

So let's get to it!

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

pinch of salt (as always)

3ish cups of chopped strawberries (I just used one whole container)

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk (I used whole milk)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract

2 sticks butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

Lemon juice and zest to taste

For the Glaze:
1 shot of Citrus Vodka (ooor whatever your heart desires)
Juice from half a lemon and half an orange (you can always add more and also add zest)

For the Frosting:
2 7oz jars of Marshmallow Fluff
4 Sticks of butter
4 cups of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
Juice from half a lemon and zest from both the lemon and the orange (remember your taste buds are different from mine! There is nothing wrong with adding more or less)
Yellow food coloring (if you want)

Process:
For the Cake:
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl

Stir milk, sour cream, vanilla extract, and lemon extract in a bowl

And don't forget the lemon zest!

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and the sugar

Beat in the eggs one at a time

Mix in the flour mixture and the milk mixture beginning and ending with the flour

Chop up your strawberries!

Then fold them into the batter. FYI, it was at this point that I added the lemon juice to taste :)

Divide the batter into 3 8" round pans and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes

For the Glaze:
This is super hard....

Combine everything to taste....

Then end.

Now for the Frosting:
Cream the butter until light and fluffy

Add in the marshmallow fluff, vanilla, powdered sugar and juice/zest to taste! BTW I also added food coloring to make it more yellow ;)

Then assemble the cake! Start with the cake layer, then spread the glaze on top, then the frosting and so on until it looks something like this:

It's not perfect but it was delicious!

The cake was moist and pound-cake-ish and the frosting was light and fluffy! All the citrus flavors combined with the hint of strawberries made for a mouth watering dessert.

Hope you enjoyed Baking With Becca!

For the print friendly recipe go here 

Texas Brownies

This is hands down the best no-fail dessert ever! These are brownies that I grew up on and I LOVE to make them. Super easy and a chocolate-lovers dream.

Plus, I have a variation that is to-die-for-delicious!

Ingredients:
For the Brownies:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
2 sticks butter
1 cup coffee
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

For the Frosting:
1 stick butter
2 tbsp cocoa
1/4 cup milk
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Process:
Heat oven to 400 and butter a 9 x 11 inch pan (I also like to coat the pan with extra sugar and cocoa for a nice crust!)
In a large bowl, combine the flour and sugar
In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter, coffee, and cocoa. Heat to boiling
Pour the boiling mixture over the flour and sugar.
Add the buttermilk, eggs, baking soda and vanilla (tip: I like to have my eggs already cracked in my buttermilk when I pour it in. Also, be sure to beat quickly so you don't cook your eggs!)
Pour into your pan and bake for 20 minutes
When your cake has about 8-10 minutes left, start the frosting!
In a saucepan, heat the butter, cocoa, and milk to boiling (keep an eye on the milk so it doesn't curdle)
Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth
Pour the warm frosting over the brownies as soon as they come out of the oven!

Variation: When the cake is done, layer peppermint patties over the top and pop back into the oven for a few minutes until the patties are melted. Top with frosting.

These are great with vanilla ice cream ;)

Click here for the print friendly version

Valentine's Edible Gift

Ok, I have to admit...I am not a fan of Valentines Day. I think it's over commercialized and just down right silly. And, I usually have this attitude...

HOWEVER! It is an excuse to take cute desserts to your friends! So, this year, I got in the spirit :)

I made a super simple treat for my friends that you could do for ANY holiday!

What You'll Need:
1 container of plain fortune cookies (make sure you have enough for all your friends!)
Chocolate Chips (white chocolate and regular)*
Shortening
Food coloring (since its V-Day, I colored the white chocolate pink...of course!)
SPRINKLES!

*you could also use Almond Bark

Before you start, make sure your sprinkles are ready to go and you have a non stick surface ready to set your cookies on.

I started by melting half of my white chocolate chips with about 1 tablespoon of shortening in the microwave. Start with 1 minute then melt in 30 second intervals until ready. Then, I dipped half the cookie in the chocolate and set them on my non stick surface. I did about 4 at a time so there was time for the chocolate to set enough to hold the sprinkles :) So, after you dip about 4, sprinkle them up! My next batch was pink and the last was regular chocolate. So...they should turn out something like this:

Super cute ;)

For display and easy transportation, I bough a few take out boxes! Again, depending on the holiday, you can get whatever color you want!

So, when your friends open it, they get a sweet surprise!

You get more creative and add your own fortunes!

Happy Valentines Day!

Chicken Pasta Salad

Recently, I was asked to do a cooking demo on Good Morning Texas. The theme was "The Big Chill". We've all been there...you get home from work and realize that you forgot to defrost something for dinner. Oops!

But, I have the answer! This is a recipe my mom taught me and I love it because it's fast, easy, and you can make it you own!

Check out my segment here

And, the recipe is below :)

Ingredients:

1-2 Frozen Chicken Breast (feel free to use tenders, shrimp..whatever you have!)

1 Box Pasta (you can substitute with gluten free pasta, rice, or quinoa)

1 Bag Frozen Veggies (I usually use a California medley of broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots)

1 Cup Sliced Grape Tomatoes

1 Cup Diced Red Onion

2 Tablespoons Butter 

1 Cup (or more!) shredded Parmesan Cheese

pinch of salt and pepper

Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar

Process:

Put your frozen chicken in a pot of water with salt and pepper to boil. This can take at least 30 minutes so go ahead and pour yourself a glass of wine ;)

Once the chicken is done, take it out of the water to cool. Once cool enough to handle, slice it into bite size pieces.

Add the pasta into the same water that you boiled your chicken in (this gives it more flavor!) and add another pinch of salt! (since your water is already boiling, this step should take no more than 8-10 min)

While the pasta is cooking, put your frozen veggies, butter, tomatoes, and onions into a bowl to hang out.

When your pasta is finished, pour directly over your veggies (the heat from the pasta will melt the butter and defrost the veggies!).  Sometimes, frozen veggies can be quite large so this is a good opportunity to cut them smaller!

Top with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and cheese. 

Give a quick stir and enjoy! 

Variations that I enjoy:

-Frozen Corn with Black Beans

-Frozen Peas with Cream of Mushroom Soup

-Replace the olive oil and vinegar with some salad dressing (caesar, italian…etc)

-If you use already cooked meat (like rotisserie chicken or kielbasa sausage), it's even faster! 

-Make it your own and have fun!

*this usually serves 4 people and I always allow about an hour total (the time will depend on what type of meat you use)