josie's kitchen

crab-meat stuffed sole!!

josieskitchen2 — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 06:30:05 -0500

how has your week going? mine has been great! lot’s of work, but fantastic. i am grateful that i have had time this week to share this recipe with you. it is for crab stuffed sole. if you keep keep lent this is a perfect recipe for it. it is made up of nice sole fillets stuffed with fresh crab-meat.

i made this recipe last week. i used this recipe as a guide. it was so easy to make. i made a crab meat stuffing and took off from there. here is the recipe for crab-meat stuffed sole!!

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of panko bread crumbs
3/4 cup of crab-meat
1/2 white onion
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon of salt
dash of cayenne pepper
pinch of sugar
1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
2 sole fillets
2 tablespoons of melted butter, separated
1 1/2 teaspoons of all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chicken broth
grated parmesan cheese
sliced almonds

INSTRUCTIONS:
mix together the crab-meat, cayenne pepper, onions, bread crumbs, parsley, egg, sugar and salt.

stuff the fillets with the crab-meat mixture. secure the fillets with toothpicks.

melt half of the butter.

and drizzle the melted butter over the fillets.

bake them at 350º F for 30 minutes.

while they are baking, melt the rest of the butter.

whisk in the flour until smooth.

gradually add the chicken broth until you have a uniform sauce.

take the fish out of the oven.

pour the butter sauce over the fillets and sprinkle with sliced almonds and cheese.

bake them for 5 minutes, or until the almonds are toasted.

let the fish rest for 5 minutes and serve.

the crab-meat stuffing was delicious. it went perfectly with the fillet of sole. i really enjoyed the hints of cayenne pepper in it. it was a nice surprise.

this made for a wonderful dinner. i served it with a salad because it felt like a meal on its own.

i hope you try making this at home. it was delicious!!

thank you for stopping by the blog. i hope you have a fabulous weekend!

hasta luego,

dark chocolate mousse with raspberry liqueur!

josieskitchen2 — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:11:06 -0500

i made these delicious mousses last week to celebrate valentine’s day with the irishman and i simply had to share this recipe with you. making mousse can be a scary task to take on, but as you will see below, anyone can do it. this rich dark chocolate mousse was a lovely treat!

here is how the story goes: over christmas, i got my first set of le creuset dishes from the irishman’s sister and brother in law (had to make sure to include him too!). i have always wanted some le creuset and was thrilled to get these super cute dishes as a present from them.

aren’t they cute!!

inside the top box there was a recipe for a dark chocolate mousse that i just knew i had to make for valentine’s day. i was a bit daunted by it, because i had never made mousse before but that did not stop me. i figured i would at least try and if i failed i had the pictures to prove i gave it my best effort. ha! i also really, really wanted to try out my new le creuset ramekins!

and so, i went on and made these cute and delicious mousses. thankfully i did not fail and had a delicious result. here is the recipe for dark chocolate mousse with raspberry liqueur!!

INGREDIENTS:
base:
3 sponge fingers
2 tbs raspberry liqueur
6 fresh raspberries

mousse:
2 1/2 oz good quality dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa)
1 egg - separated
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tbs granulated sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
pinch of salt

glazed raspberry topping:
1 tbs sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbs raspberry liqueur
1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbs cold water
2 oz raspberries

INSTRUCTIONS:
break the sponge fingers in half.

place 3 halves in the base of each dish.

pour a tablespoon of liqueur unto each dish and allow to soak.

after a minute of them soaking, press the lady fingers down with your fingers to squish them into the bottom of the dish. top them with 3 raspberries and set aside.

now, let’s get started on the mousse.

separate your egg if you haven’t already.

we need to melt the chocolate.

but we can’t just melt it in the microwave (that would be way too easy). create a double boiler by simmering some water in a sauce pan.

place a heat safe bowl over and add the chocolate. the bowl should never touch the water and the water should never boil.

while the chocolate is melting, whisk together the egg yolk, vanilla extract and sugar.

at this point the chocolate should be melted.

remove from the heat and let it cool slightly. stir in one tablespoon of the heavy cream.

whisk the egg yolk mixture into the chocolate bit by bit.

in a separate bowl, whisk the remaining cream until think but not stiff. stir that into the chocolate.

let me tell you, at this point my arm was hurtin’ from all that whisking!

so this is what the mousse looked like after stirring in the cream and egg yolk.

whisk the egg white with a tiny pinch of salt until stiff peaks start to form.

gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.

make sure to do this gently.

divide the mousse mixture between your two dishes and cover them.

place in the fridge for at least 2 hours to allow them to set.

after about 2 hours have passed, it is time to glaze the raspberries.

gently heat the sugar, lemon juice, raspberry liqueur, cornstarch and water.

heat slowly until the mixture has thickened.

stir in the raspberries and continue to cook for a few more seconds.

place them in a small bowl and send them to fridge for at least 15 minutes.

top the mouse with the glazed strawberries and serve.

i was very happy with this mousse. it was fluffy and had just the right amount of sweetness.

the raspberry liqueur did not overpower the mousse but complemented the chocolate very well.

this dessert is a definite stunner, look at it:

it was as delicious as it was pretty.

well, that’s it for now. thank you for stopping by the blog. i hope you are having a great week!

hasta luego,

secret recipe club: cheddar & scallions biscuits!

josieskitchen2 — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:00:06 -0500

it is secret recipe club time again! this time i got assigned kim’s blog: liv life too! kim is a mother of two in california. her love of cooking started years ago when her husband bought her a cookbook as a present and it has not stopped since. her blog is full of recipes and tales of her travels. cute pictures of her kids and two seriously adorable maltese puppy abound. i am so glad she was my assigned blog for this installment of the SRC.

this is my favorite thing about SRC, the fact that we are introduced to other bloggers out there who we may never had found out about otherwise.

i have to be honest, had a hard time choosing just one of kim’s recipes to replicate in my kitchen. she has some pretty radical looking recipes that i will be sure to try for us here in new york. i went with the cheddar & scallions biscuits because i was still on a baking spree. besides, i had never made biscuits before and decided it was about time i tried.

here are kim’s cheddar & scallions biscuits!!

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
6 tbs (3/4 stick) cold, unsalted butter - cut into cubes
3 oz (3/4 cups) cheddar cheese
4 scallions, finely chopped
1 cup well shaken buttermilk
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

INSTRUCTIONS:
whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

add in the butter, blending it in with your hands.

this is what the flour looked like after the butter was mixed in.

mix in the cheese and scallions.

make sure everything is blended equally.

add in the buttermilk and mix until well combined.

this is what the dough looked like right after i mixed in the buttermilk. this making biscuits business is really simple so far.

place equal mounds of dough onto a well greased baking sheet.

bake the biscuits in a pre-heated over at 450º F for 17-20 minutes. the biscuits should be golden brown.

these are a great alternative to dinner rolls and the addition of cheese and scallions only makes them better.

as you saw from these pictures, these are really easy to make. they can easily be whipped out for dinner in no time. they took me about 35 minutes from start to finish, even with taking time to take pictures.

another successful SRC entry on my part. make sure to visit kim’s blog to find more of her awesome recipes.

if you would like to become a SRC member, check out the website for instructions and tips.

thank you for stopping by the blog, i hope you have a fantastic week!!

hasta luego,

check out more secret recipe club members below:

happy valentine's day: champagne and chocolate covered strawberries cupcakes!

josieskitchen2 — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:46:00 -0500

happy valentine’s day everyone!! i hope you have a wonderful day filled with sweets and the people you love. i am doing my part by bringing these cupcakes to my coworkers this morning. i wanted to make cupcakes that screamed valentine’s day! and what is more valentine-y than champagne, chocolate and strawberries?! when researching cupcake recipes i came across jenna’s blog: not just a cupcake. she had the exact recipe i wanted to make so i was in luck. i made the cupcakes as per her instructions (with some tiny changes) and the results are delicious!

here is the recipe for champagne and chocolate covered strawberries cupcakes!

INGREDIENTS:

for the cupcakes:
1 cup of diced fresh strawberries
1 cup of rose champagne
2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups of sugar
2 eggs
2 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean
1 1/4 cup whole milk

for the frosting:
2 sticks of butter at room temp
3-4 cups of powdered sugar
1 bag of bittersweet chocolate chips
splash of pink champagne

for the decoration:
chocolate covered strawberries

INSTRUCTIONS:
start by dicing the strawberries. i used a whole cup instead of the 1/2 cup suggested by jenna. i got distracted and cut too many and decided to use them all. ha!

cover the strawberries with 1 cup of champagne and let them soak.

sift the flour, baking powder and salt. a good tip to know is that if you want your cakes/cupcakes to be extra fluffy, sift the flour twice. i don’t know why it works, all i know is that it works.

beat together the sugar and butter on medium speed until they become one.

add the eggs to the sugar and butter mixture. add the eggs one at a time. meanwhile, in a bowl combine the milk, vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds.

i had never worked with vanilla bean before. i had seen it in pictures but did not know what to expect ‘in person’. it was easier to cut through than i expected and the seeds do not smell (or taste, yes i tried them) too vanilla-y.

anyway… add the milk and flour into the sugar and eggs mixture. add them in batches, while beating the mixture at medium speed. do not add the next batch until the previous one has been incorporated. it should be: milk-flour-milk-flour-milk.

mix everything for a minute.

fold in the champagne soaked strawberries into the dough.

i also added some of the champagne liquid for an extra champagne-y taste (using a lot -y words today - sorry about that).

scoop the batter onto a baking cup lined cupcake baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes at 350º F. bake them until a toothpick comes out clean.

let the cupcakes cool completely before decorating them.

to make the frosting, melt the chocolate chips by using a double boiler. this is where you use a heat safe bowl on top of a pot with simmering water to melt the chocolate. make sure the bowl does not touch the water and that the water never boils.

whip the butter while the chocolate melts. once the chocolate melts, give it a few turns with a spatula to make sure there are no random whole chips anywhere.

add the chocolate to the butter slowly and mix until fully combined.

add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time. when you have 1/2 cup of sugar left, add a splash of champagne. keep mixing and add the last bit of sugar. keep mixing until you reach your preferred consistency.

top the cupcakes with the frosting using a piping bag. the frosting will be a sort of glue to hold the strawberries.

prop the strawberries on top of the cupcakes and enjoy.

these are really yummy and surprisingly light. i hope my coworkers will like them.

they are a bit time consuming but definitely worth the effort. i am so glad i found these and jenna’s blog!

i hope you have a wonderful valentine’s day and a fantastic week!

thank you for stopping by the blog,

butternut squash, peanut and curry soup!!

josieskitchen2 — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 06:30:00 -0500

woah! it is cold! like really cold. like “it seems like winter is here to stay” cold. in my, very humble, opinion the best thing to do when it is this cold is to have some soup. if you are looking for a soup recipe to warm you up, look no further than here. this soup has a lot of flavors going on: squash, curry, peanut and some red pepper and ginger undertones. thankfully they each complement each other so well that they don’t become chaos in your mouth. they actually work so well together that your taste buds will be very happy!

here is the recipe for a delicious butternut squash, peanut and curry soup!!

INGREDIENTS:
1 large butternut squash
1/2 large white onion
1 tbs butter
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup of heavy cream
a 1inch stub of ginger
a pinch of red pepper flakes
1 cup of vegetable stock
1 cup of water
a dollop of peanut butter
black pepper and salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:
first, we need to chop everything up. start with the onion.

peel and take out the seeds of the squash before you it into squares.

mince the ginger.

melt the butter and cook the onions on medium heat for about a minute. once the onions start to wilt add the ginger and red pepper flakes and cook them for another 2 minutes.

add the squash and pepper to taste. turn them around to mix things up and cook them covered for 5 minutes.

add the vegetable stock and water to the squash. cook them covered.

don’t forget to add the curry!

cook the squash until they are more than fork tender. squash them with a wooden spoon on the side of the pot.

pour the butternut into a blender and add the heavy cream.

blend until all the butternut chunks have liquefied.

pour half of the soup back onto the pot and add the peanut butter. i only used a dollop because i did not want the peanut to overpower the soup but you can add as much or as little as you’d like.

mix in the peanut butter until it has been completely incorporated into the soup.

add the remaining soup, mixing well to combine. season with salt and pepper and serve.

i hope you try making this soup. all these flavors blend together in such a beautiful and tasty way.

this soup will warm you up on any cold night.

i hope you have a fantastic week!

thank you so much for stopping by :)

hasta luego,

hot toddy & irish coffee!

josieskitchen2 — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:30:00 -0500

the air is getting colder, it seems that winter has finally arrived. whenever the temperatures drop i like to relax at home with a nice warm beverage. sometimes it is a hot cocoa with a spoonful of nutella melted in (try it! i dare you to have regular cocoa again!). but there are other times when i just want something stronger, and that is when i whip out one of these two drinks.

hot toddys and irish coffees are pretty popular drinks during the winter. as you will see they are really easy and quick to make which means, you will not waste time and enjoy them right away ;)

here are the recipes for hot toddy & irish coffee!

INGREDIENTS:

for the hot toddy:
2oz of whiskey
about 3/4 cup of hot water
seedless orange slices
cloves
sugar to taste

for the irish coffee:
2oz of whiskey
about 3/4 cup of freshly brewed coffee
1/4 cup heavy cream
sugar to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

for the hot toddy:

start by pouring the whiskey onto a heat safe mug or glass.

cut the orange in half. slice each half down the middle making sure not to slice all the way through.

lay the orange halves on the flat side and cut slices opposite the seam.

grab a few cloves. choose whole cloves to allow for better insertion onto the oranges.

stick the cloves onto the orange halves. stick as many as you can for a spiced hot toddy.

add the hot water to the whiskey, sweeten it with sugar to your liking and drop the orange slice into it.

and now, for the irish coffee:

start by brewing some coffee. you will need roughly 3 times the amount of whiskey; so about 6oz of coffee.

whip the cream while the coffee brews.

you want to end up with a thick cream that is not fully whipped. we are just adding air to the cream to make it lighter than the coffee, this way it can stay on top. the cream should still be in liquid form.

pour the whiskey onto a heat safe mug or glass.

and pour the coffee - sweeten with sugar to your taste and layer the cream on top. it should sit on top of the coffee easily. don’t worry if it starts to fall to the bottom, the irish coffee will taste delicious either way.

that is it. easy peachy. these are perfect to enjoy on a chilly winter night.

thank you for stopping by the blog. i hope ou had a great week and an even better weekend!

hasta luego,

tofu sandwich with a guinness/bbq/steak sauce/peppercorn marinade!

josieskitchen2 — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:30:00 -0500

i’ve eaten tofu before but i’ve never actually cooked it myself. well, that was until three nights ago when i decided it was time and finally cooked tofu. on my own. at home.

the result was actually pretty amazing (i know, i am surprised too!). tofu sometimes gets a bad rep. i am not going to lie, i was one of those people who thought tofu was soggy and bland. i have since crossed over and embraced the goodness that is tofu. i made a guinness, steak sauce and bbq sauce marinade for it which turned out pretty delicious. and went really well with the gouda cheese.

and now, here is the recipe for tofu sandwich with a guinness/bbq/steak sauce/peppercorn marinade!

INGREDIENTS:
1 14oz package of extra firm tofu
1 small tomato, sliced
a few slices of gouda cheese
whole wheat pita
a handful arugula
1/2 pint of guinness
2 tbs steak sauce
2 tbs bbq sauce (preferably sweet baby ray’s)
8-10 whole black peppercorns
1 tsp olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:
so… tofu…

i was a bit daunted by the prospect of cooking tofu. i had this package of tofu in our fridge for about a week before i decided to cook it.

in case you have never cooked tofu, it usually comes in a container with some liquid in it.

it is important to drain the water and squeeze as much liquid from the tofu as possible. to achieve this i placed a clean kitchen towel on a cutting board.

i cut the tofu in half, lengthwise, and placed each half on top on of the kitchen towel.

i folded the towel over the tofu and covered it with a place setting and a heavy bowl. i left the tofu like this for an hour to drain as much liquid as possible.

after about an hour it is time to start with the marinade/sauce.

whisk together the beer, steak sauce, bbq sauce and peppercorn.

continue whisking until the mixture starts to boil.

let it boil for about a minute.

and then turn off the heat and let it rest. the sauce will thicken as it cools.

now, let’s look at the tofu.

slice each half in half, lengthwise.

and then cut each half’s half into half (got half of that?).

coat and marinate the tofu in half of the guinness sauce (we are using a lot of halves today) for at least an hour.

after an hour has passed, it is FINALLY time to cook and eat. heat up the oven to 350º F.

heat up the olive oil in a cast iron or oven safe skillet and add the tofu. cook the tofu on the stove-top for 3 minutes on each side and move to the oven.

bake until the tofu pieces until they are crispy. it took me about 30 minutes.

cut the pita bread in half and warm them up in the oven for about 5 minutes. open up the pita and stuff them with the arugula, sliced tomatoes, gouda slices and tofu. drizzle with the remaining guinness sauce and enjoy warm.

well friends, i am happy to inform you that i have successfully cooked tofu.

i really enjoyed this dinner. the crispy outside of the tofu was a very nice surprise/treat. no soggy tofu in this house!

and that’s it. that’s how i cooked tofu. it took be a little while but i think it was worth it. now that i know i can actually cook tofu, i will be making more of it often.

anyway, i hope you had a fantastic week and an even better weekend!

are you watching the superbowl? GIANTS or PATRIOTS? let me know in the comments :)

hasta luego,

my family's sazón recipe!

josieskitchen2 — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:11:00 -0500

a big element in dominican cooking is the homemade sazón or seasoning. we use this homemade mixture of herbs and spices to marinate meats and as a base for rice, beans, vegetables and soups. in my family, my grandma makes the sazón and bottles it for each one of us. i wanted to try my hand at it and since jully was here over the weekend she helped me make a batch. we even called her mom and our grandma to confirm we had the right recipe, so you know this is legit!

here is our family’s recipe for dominican sazón (seasoning)!

INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch of cilantro (about 2-3 cups)
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
3 tbs dry oregano (preferably dominican oregano)
1 package of chicken bouillon
1 head of garlic
2 tbs white vinegar
1/4 cup of water

INSTRUCTIONS:
wash the cilantro and peppers well. rough chop the cilantro and put it into a blender. peel the garlic and add them as well.

cut the peppers into chunks and throw them into the blender.

add the chicken bouillon.

and the oregano. we like to ‘grind’ the oregano using our hands. we rub the oregano between our palms and that grinds it and releases the oregano aromatics. dominican oregano has a very earthy and distinctive flavor.

add the vinegar and half of the water.

at this point we had a blender malfunction and had to switch blender. we didn’t have a cover so we used a plate which jully thought was hilarious and that i should share with you:

blend all the ingredients until the mixture is pureed. add more water if you need to to make sure everything is liquefied.

pour into a clean glass container with a lid and store in the fridge. i like waiting a few days before using it to make sure the flavors are well combined but it can be used right away.

we use this seasoning to marinate meats and as a base for stews, soups and beans. my grandma also uses this when she steams vegetable for an extra kick of flavor.

i am so happy we learned to make sazón. but of course, this does not mean that next time grandma calls me telling me she has some for me i won’t go running over to pick up my jar. hers will always be the best one!

thank you so much for stopping by the blog. i hope you are having a fantastic week!!

hasta luego,

jully's barbecue ribs!!

josieskitchen2 — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:30:00 -0500

this weekend, jully came to visit me. we had been planning this visit for a while and finally our schedules synced up to make it happen. the plan was for us to exchange our birthday/christmas presents and cook some nice ribs. if you have been reading the blog, you know that i have mentioned jully in a few posts before. jully is one of my many cousins (there are a lot of us in the family, mostly girls). she is two years younger than me and we are really close. i always have fun with her and this time was no exception. we cooked, laughed, shared some chismes (gossip) and, of course, drank some wine. jully did most of the cooking and food styling while i became her sous chef. it was fun to leave my kitchen to someone else.

these ribs are easy to make; but the only thing about them is that they take about 3 1/2 hours to make. so if you are really hungry, eat a snack before you start. hahaha!

so here is the recipe for jully’s barbecue ribs!!

INGREDIENTS:
6lbs pork spare ribs
4 tbs of adobo
2 tbs paprika
3 1/2 tbs granulated garlic
3 1/2 tbs of ground, dry oregano
1 tbs of ground pepper
2 pkgs of seasoning powder with achiote
1 1/2 bottles of sweet baby ray’s bbq sauce
1 cup of water

INGREDIENTS:
trim the excess fat from the ribs and season them with all of the dry ingredients.

the adobo:

paprika, dry oregano, pepper:

ground, dry oregano; garlic and achiote:

rub the seasoning onto the ribs. massage the ribs well.

place the ribs bone side down and pour the water onto the sides of the pan. cover the ribs with foil paper and bake for an hour at 375º F.

take the ribs out after an hour.

this is what they looked like right after the oven:

take the ribs out of the baking dish and place them in a plate.

discard the water from the dish and place the ribs back in it.

douse the ribs with the bbq sauce. jully insisted on using sweet baby ray’s. i had never even heard of it but now that i have tasted it i can see why she is all about it. sbr’s is awesome!

coat the ribs with the bbq sauce making sure they are well coated.

do this with all the ribs and cover them with foil paper.

bake them for 2 hours at 300º F. this is what they looked like after 2 hours in the oven.

we made all of them. baked them in 2 pans.

these ribs were juicy and tangy. they were so tender, the meat was falling of the bone.

i am so grateful to jully for coming to cook with me. these ribs were delicious!

hopefully she will come cook with me again. it is always a fun time.

thank you for stopping by the blog. i hope you have a fantastic week!!

hasta luego,

as usual, these brands we use (goya, sweet baby ray’s) did not compensate me to use them. as a matter of fact, they don’t even know i am writing about them.

you guys, i am so sorry for not posting. this past week has been really hectic and i haven’t...

josieskitchen2 — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:40:36 -0500

you guys, i am so sorry for not posting. this past week has been really hectic and i haven’t cooked anything. i will try to cook something for friday and if i don’t, i definitely will have something for next week. please forgive me for not posting.

i will be back soon. i promise.

hope you are having a great week!

josie

jully's kale chips!

josieskitchen2 — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 06:30:00 -0500

when i got back from ireland i had an email from my cousin jully (from the chinatown adventures and the cranberry sauce). the email was a simple and to the point missive telling me to make kale chips. the email was followed by text messages urging me to make these chips, and make them now.

Kale chip:

Kale, cut the rib
Olive oil
Adobo
Garlic, i used powder cause i didn’t have fresh but idk how fresh garlic would work out, i imagine it would have to go through a mashers but the garlic powder worked well

Oven til it’s crispy

It was crispy and salty and delish

see: short and to the point. and that is how this recipe was. short, to the point, crispy, salty and delish!

when i told jully that i was sharing this recipe with you today she asked me to also share a picture of her gorgeous cat: eleven. here she is:

she is so pretty! too bad i am allergic to cats and can’t pet her, but i will coo at her pictures all i want!

so now, here is the recipe for jully’s kale chips!!

INGREDIENTS:
3-4 cups of raw kale
drizzle of olive oil
about a tsp of adobo or seasoning salt
3 garlic cloves

INSTRUCTIONS:
start by cutting the garlic into small pieces.

mix in the kale with the garlic and adobo.

drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat thoroughly.

bake the kale for about 10 minutes, until they are crispy.

these are so great!!

they really crispy and garlicky!

i am so glad jully emailed me this recipe. she is all about cooking with fresh ingredients and with very little fuss. this is a great snack alternative!

i hope you are having a great week!!

thank you for stopping by the blog. you are wonderful.

hasta luego,

creamy & spicy potato and leek soup!

josieskitchen2 — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 06:30:00 -0500

today i bring you another soup recipe. this time is for a creamy and spicy potato and leek soup. the potato and leek soup is a staple at many restaurants and it is very easy to replicate at home. i made this on a whim last week and decided i wanted to add a little heat to it as well. i added some red pepper flakes and they definitely got the job done.

here is the recipe for creamy & spicy potato and leek soup!!

INGREDIENTS:
2 large leeks
6 medium potatoes
2 tbs butter
1/2 cup of half & half
1 cup vegetable broth
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt & pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:
start by slicing and washing the leeks. make sure to only use the white and green parts of it.

melt the butter in a medium saucepan.

and add the leeks. cook the leeks on medium-low heat.

while the leeks cook, wash, peel and chop the potatoes. cut them up into cubes to allow for a faster cooking process.

at this point the leeks should have turned brightly green and wilted.

add the potatoes and the red pepper flakes.

cover with the vegetable broth and water.

cook covered on medium heat until the potatoes are fork tender.

pour the potatoes onto a blender.

puree until smooth. it took me about 3 minutes.

pour the soup back onto the saucepan.

mix in the half & half.

season the soup with salt and pepper and serve warm.

the red pepper flakes add a nice kick to this traditional stand by and you can add as many or as little as you’d like depending on your taste buds.

this was a perfect soup for these really cold days we have been having in new york lately.

as you saw in the pictures, this was really easy to make. as much as i dislike this cold weather, having some of this delicious warm and spicy soup makes it much better. i will keep enjoying them while i can.

thank you for stopping by the blog. you are awesome.

i hope you have a great day and a fantastic week!

hasta luego,

pasta with kale and chicken!

josieskitchen2 — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 06:30:00 -0500

have you tried kale? i just started eating it. it was actually jully’s (my cousin) suggestion. when i got back from ireland i had an email from her with a recipe for kale chips (which i made and will share with you soon). she is 100% behind kale and told me i should be too. so i tried kale, and now… i am hooked!

kale is a type of cabbage, from the same family as collard greens. unlike typical cabbage, kale does not for a head and it is closer related to ”wild cabbage”. kale can be green or purple. this time i cooked with green kale. i have yet to try purple kale but i cannot wait!

i made this dish with green kale. it took about 30 minutes from start to finish. it was a quick dish with a flavorful reward. here is the recipe for pasta with kale and chicken!

INGREDIENTS:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbs olive oil
1 cubanelle pepper
2 garlic cloves
1 shallot
2 sprigs of green onions
4-5 sprigs of parsley
1 tsp dry oregano
1 tsp dry basil
2 cups of clean, chopped kale
salt & pepper
2 cups cooked spaghetti

INSTRUCTIONS:
cut up the pepper, garlic, shallot, parsley and green onions:

and cut up the chicken into equal sized chunks.

heat up the olive oil and cook half of the garlic and shallots.

let the shallots and garlic cook for about 30 seconds and add the chicken.

make sure to turn the chicken frequently to cook evenly on all sides. season with the basil, oregano, salt and pepper.

cook the chicken for about 15 minutes, until it is cooked through and no longer pink.

add the peppers, remainder garlic and shallots and half of the parsley and green onions.

cook the peppers and chicken for 3 minutes and add the kale. make sure you wash the kale and remove its stems.

cook the kale covered for 3 minutes until it wilts a bit and turns bright green.

and add the pasta. i used spaghetti because that is what we had at home but you can use any noodle you’d like.

mix the pasta with the chicken and kale and add a bit of pasta water and/or white wine.

cook for about one minute and serve.

top with the remainder parsley and green onions.

look at how green this dish is:

this is a filling, delicious and healthy dish. great for those new year resolutions!

i hope you try making this at home; this was a great dinner. as you just saw - it took me about 30 minutes to cook which makes this a perfect weeknight dinner idea.

thank you so much for stopping by the blog. you are all fantastic!

i hope you have a fantastic weekend!

hasta luego,

ps. friends i saw last night, THANK YOU so much for your sweet comments regarding this little blog. it was a delight to see you all!

irish lamb stew!

josieskitchen2 — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:22:00 -0500

i am very excited to share this recipe with you! i adapted this recipe from the book irish food and cooking by biddy white lennon & georgina campbell. the book was a present from the irishman’s mom while i was in ireland last summer. it has great recipes and a few process photographs which make it a favorite of mine.

one of the recipes is for irish stew. the irishman had told me that irish stew is the best of the stews. he kept talking about it and would bring it up when chatting about something completely unrelated. i took the very strong hint he wanted me to make some stew. i love making stew, because you can just set it and forget it (remember that catchphrase?!). while i made this stew i also made the carrot & parsnip soup and worked on the blog. so here it is, recipe for irish lamb stew!!

INGREDIENTS:
8 medium potatoes
1 1/2lb lamb chops or lamb chump chops
1 large white onion, sliced
small bunch of parsley
small bunch of thyme
small bunch of rosemary
salt & pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:
wash and peel the potatoes; cut them into thick slices and chunks.

in a casserole or heavy pot, arrange the potatoes at the bottom.

roughly chop half of the herbs and tie the rest into a bundle.

sprinkle a portion of the chopped up herbs on top of the potatoes.

place the lamb on top and season with salt and pepper.

add half of the onion.

and repeat the layering with the remaining potatoes, herbs, lamb and onions. top with the herb bunch. add about 2 cups of water and cook covered, on medium-low heat.

check the water level while you cook to ensure the food does not burn. cook for 2 hours, occasionally stirring very gently to avoid the food from sticking to the pot and burning.

remove the herb bunch before serving and enjoy warm.

this was such a great dinner. it was very low maintenance but yielded a delicious result.

i am glad i added the thyme to the stew. it went really well with the other herbs and the lamb.

i hope you try making this at home, it was delicious.

thank you for stopping by. hopefully you are having a fantastic week!

hasta luego,

carrot and parsnip soup!

josieskitchen2 — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:55:00 -0500

well, it seems winter has finally arrived to new york. of course, winter means lots of warm food… soups, stews and baked goods. one of these soups is this great carrot and parsnip soup. it has a very silky smooth consistency with hints of orange and ginger and it could not be easier to make.

it reminded me of a soup i had at a friend’s wedding a few years ago where it was so delicious i actually asked for more. back then i thought i had to recreate this soup at home, and i think i finally did. so here it is, the recipe for a very nice carrot and parsnip soup!

INGREDIENTS:
2 tbs butter
1 medium onion
4 large carrots
1 large parsnip
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp grated orange peel
2 cups of vegetable broth
1/2 cup of half and half
salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:
peel and chop the parsnip and carrots. try to cut them into just about the same size so they cook evenly.

melt the butter.

and add the chopped onions; cook them for 2 minutes until they are translucent.

add the carrots and parsnip to the onions.

and add the vegetable broth.

cook for about 10 minutes and add the ginger and orange peel and more broth if needed. cook the vegetables, covered, until they are tender and somewhat mushy. yes, mushy is the technical term :)

once the vegetables are fork tender, pour them into a blender.

and blend until they are pureed.

ohhh it smells so good and i love the vibrant orange color from the carrots!

put the puree back on the saucepan and add the half and half.

combine while cooking on very low heat and season with salt and pepper.

once everything is combined, serve warm and enjoy.

it is such a tasty soup. it is jam-packed with flavors and it is perfect for cold evenings.

the orange and ginger are a nice surprise and complement the carrots and parsnips really well.

i really enjoyed making (and of course, eating it) this soup. i can foresee myself repeating it a few more times.

thank you for stopping by the blog. i hope you have a fantastic week!

hasta luego,

christmas trip to ireland!! (part 2)

josieskitchen2 — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:43:48 -0500

here is part two of my latest trip to ireland!

on friday we went to skerries. skerries is a seaside town in county dublin. we spent a few hours walking around town and on the beach before heading back into the city to get ready for dinner.

dinner was at the always delicious l. mulligan grocer! i went there last summer upon clare’s recommendation and it was so delicious i had to go back. it was the perfect place for my birthday dinner. as usual, the food was wonderful. we had:

scotch egg:

baked bacon and cheese:

sauteed seasonal mushrooms:

for our mains we had:

roast chicken stuffed with black pudding:

fish over celeriac mash:

rounded up the night with coffee:

spiced chocolate mousse with the cutest gingerbread man.

apple pie with murphy’s sea salt ice cream:

we stayed at l. mulligan grocer until they pretty much kicked us out. after saying good bye to our friends we went back to the hotel were, since we were still wide awake and jet-lagged, we had a few more drinks at the residents bar.

the next day we walked around grafton street a bit more trying to find somewhere to eat.

and i took more pictures of decorations.

we ended up at the exchequer pub on dublin 2.

we had cockles and mussels:

and fish cakes:

after our light lunch we ran back to the hotel because we needed to catch a train back to tipperary.

on the way i picked up some of murphy’s brown bread and guinness ice cream to eat on the ride and snapped a few pictures (i have to come clean now: we missed our train - it was totally my fault and i feel awful about it).

the entrance to st. stephen’s green park:

st. stephen’s green shopping centre:

the decorations inside the shelbourne were gorgeous and full of whimsy. there were christmas details on every corner which made our stay there even more special. look at this cute gingerbread village:

after a day of rest in tipperary, it was time to travel again. we headed west to galway to visit the irishman’s sister for christmas dinner.

the dinner was amazing!

on the menu: ham, turkey, potato stuffing, bread stuffing, steamed broccoli, carrot and potato mash, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, gravy and lots of wine and beer.

the food was just so delicious that we ate everything in about 10 minutes.

afterwards they surprised me with the best sponge cake i have ever had!

isn’t it sweet?? ;)

and for dessert we had trifle and bread and butter pudding with ice cream and cream. i already got the bread and butter pudding recipe from her so i will be recreating it at home soon.

we spent two wonderful days in galway. on st. stephen’s day (december 26) we all went to visit the irishman’s sister’s in laws (got it?) for a wonderful seafood dinner. sadly, i didn’t take any pictures of the dinner. i was so eager to jump in that i didn’t even remember the pictures.

the menu for that dinner included: scalloped potatoes, rice with shrimp, fish cakes and mussels. it was absolutely amazing! i am so thankful they cooked all of it for us.

the cominchas, a local forest.

we spend the rest of our stay back in tipperary. where we got some rest and spent time with the irishman’s parents and brother.

i am so grateful to have had the opportunity to go on this trip. ireland is beautiful and i really enjoy my time there.

walking around the cominchas!

thank you for stopping by the blog. i hope you have a fantastic weekend!

hasta luego!

ps. the shelbourne, murphy’s ice cream, l. mulligan grocer and the exchequer pub do not know who i am and did not compensate me for writing about them. they didn’t even know i was going to write about them, or in some cases, that i was at their establishment. i just shared with you because i thought you might like to read about them.

christmas trip to ireland!! (part 1)

josieskitchen2 — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 09:11:01 -0500

nollaig shona duit (merry christmas in irish)!

finally, the pictures from our recent trip to ireland!

i love that every time i go to ireland there is something new for me to see or do. this time we were dublin for christmas which was simply delightful. the city of dublin really got into decorating, there were christmas decorations everywhere. i am going to write about this trip in chronological order, so you will see everything i did in the order it happened. this is part one. i had to split the post because it was getting to be too long. you can expect the second part for this friday.

we landed on thursday the 22nd and after a lovely (and long) nap we went to trinity college to see the book of kells. i wanted to see it during our last visit but we did not have time. so this visit i knew it had to be a priority. sadly, we were not allowed to take pictures inside the exhibition. being history buffs, we both enjoyed this exhibition and we were in awe at the old library. i simply have no words to describe how amazing it was to turn the corner and find myself in the middle of so much knowledge. there are over 200,000 books in there!!

after the exhibit, we walked around the trinity campus and dublin a bit more. the weather was lovely during our stay. everyone kept commenting on how mild it was in comparison to the year before.

after a nice long walk, we rushed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

dinner was at dobbins in dublin 2 and it was delicious!

i had the slow cooked pork belly with a spring roll of black pudding, calvados and cider jus. you guys, oh wow! it was delish! if you are ever in dublin, go to dobbins and order the pork belly. your taste buds will thank you.

the irishman had the loin of wild irish venison. it came with spiced red cabbage, port and red currant jus.

i only got to taste a little bit of his venison and i can say that it was delicious as well.

looking at the pictures now is making my mouth water still. one of the best meals, we’ve had. after dinner we met with friends for drinks and ring in my birthday. we went to a local lounge were we partied until the wee hours of the morning.

i’ll stop writing here for now. i will post the remaining pictures and stories on friday.

i hope you are having a great week and a fantastic start to the new year. i’ll see you here again friday.

hasta luego,

ps. dobbins did not compensate me to write a nice post about their food. they do not know who i am or that i was going to write about them. i chose to write about the restaurant because we had such a great meal there and in my opinion, great meals are meant to be shared. thanks!

with only a few hours left in 2011...

josieskitchen2 — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 11:51:00 -0500

hi there!

i am back from ireland with a ton of pictures and stories. you guys, it was such a fantastic trip! the weather was nice, the food was delicious and the company was amazing. as usual, everyone was very welcoming and fabulous hosts and hostesses. the post is almost completed and will publish all my stories and pictures in the new year.

can you believe how quickly this year has gone by?! how was 2011 for you?

reflecting on this past year i have many things to be grateful for in 2011. it was a whirlwind of a year - full of family and friends, positive changes, challenges and amazing food. this was a year of many firsts: became an auntie, reached my first 100 posts, went to my first food festival and food demonstration, joined a food club, met many amazing bloggers and cooked with many new ingredients. i am grateful for the food blogging community and all the support and support we lend to each other and hope that we continue doing so in the coming year. i am grateful for the holy trinity of cooking in my family: my grandma, mom and aunt belkis. they are the reason why i love cooking so much. they taught me that cooking is fun and it is the best way to show those around you how much you love them.

next year, i hope to have many more chances to cook and share my recipes with you.

i hope you have a rad new year - full of health, happiness and love.

have a fantastic weekend and a wonderful new year. i’ll see you here again in 2012.

feliz año nuevo!
happy new year!
auld lang syne!

xo,
josie

merry, happy christmas!!

josieskitchen2 — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 06:00:06 -0500

i am writing this from our apartment in new york but as you know i am currently in ireland for the holidays. i will post pictures and stories from my trip once i am back in the states. but i wanted to take a second to wish you a very merry christmas! i hope you are surrounded by amazing food and the people you love.

hasta luego,

holiday food & my birthday: arroz con leche (rice pudding)!!

josieskitchen2 — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 06:00:00 -0500

today is my birthday. yup, december 23rd; happy birthday to me!!

i am currently in ireland!! spending the day in dublin and will have pictures for you when i get back. promise!

every year for my birthday my aunt belkis and my grandma make arroz con leche (rice pudding) for me and the baby jesus (yes, we celebrated the birth of jesus with rice pudding!). to this day, without fail, i always get some homemade arroz con leche.

this year i asked grandma and my aunt belkis for their arroz con leche recipe so i could share it with you. i have to admit that although this was amazingly delicious; it was not as good as theirs. i am not sure what their secret is - i guess i just have to keep practicing and hopefully one day will become as good a cook as they are. but back to my story… i would get arroz con leche every birthday and then, after my (and baby jesus’s) birthday party, we would all go to grandma’s home to get things ready for christmas dinner on the 24th (in dominican republic we have christmas dinner on the 24th). in one of my favorite memories my mom, aunts, grandma, cousins and i are all sitting around a table wrapping pasteles en hoja and we would take many breaks to eat arroz con leche. there was so much laughter and love in that room and i guess arroz con leche always reminds me of that (all together now: awwwww!) so here it is: my grandma and aunt belkis’ arroz con leche recipe!!

INGREDIENTS:
2 cinnamon sticks
pinch of salt
2 cups of rice
2 cans of evaporated milk
2 tbs butter
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
handful of raisins

INSTRUCTIONS:
get 2 cups of water to boil and add the cinnamon sticks and salt.

clean and wash the rice while you wait for the water to boil.

add the rice to the water after the cinnamon has been boiling for 5 minutes.

cook the rice uncovered on medium heat until all the water evaporates.

add the milk.

the butter.

and the sugar.

don’t forget the raisins!

mix everything and cook covered until the rice is tender.

the rice pudding should be a little moist but the rice should be tender and cooked through.

and that’s it. you can eat the rice pudding warm or cold. i prefer my rice pudding cold - preferably after it has been in the fridge for a few hours.

to me, this rice pudding means christmas and my birthday. no matter if i am living in new york or back when i lived in dominican republic, this rice pudding always managed to make me smile. it brings me back to my childhood and just screams family to me.

and to continue with the childhood stories/trend; here is a nursery rhyme about rice pudding:

‘arroz con leche se quiere casar, con una viudita de la capital. que sepa tejer. que sepa bordar. que ponga la aguja en el mismo lugar. contigo si, contigo no. contigo mi vida me casare, yo.’

(rice pudding wants to get married, to a little widow from the capital. she must know how to sew, she must know how to knit. she must put the needle back where it belongs. with you yes, with you no. with you, my love, i will one day wed.)

i hope you have a fantastic weekend and a very happy christmas!!

hasta luego y feliz navidad!