Cultures collide

Red sauce and black beans are a huge part of my being. They are as important to my genetic make up as my X and Y chromosomes. Italian and Cuban. A tantalizing combo that makes me who I am. It gives me my louder than life persona, my amazing hair, the olive in my skin, and my hips! Oh, these hips!

Back to red sauce and black beans....

Last weekend, I decided to make a big batch of each. At the same time.

Hard work I tell ya.

Hours and hours of stirring, and boiling, reducing to a simmer, tasting, adding, dashing, and chopping onions and garlic to really make things amazing.

My house smelt... different. But so unbelievably deliciously wonderful.

Onion, garlic, basil, green pepper, Italian sausage, ground beef, tomato, beans...

I can’t explain the smell, but it was decadent.

My Italian grandmother passed 4 years before I was born. And my Cuban grandmother passed when I was just 3 years old. I would do anything to have the opportunity to cook right alongside them. Watching their techniques, learning their tricks, and taking in their personalities to see where I might have gotten some of my traits. I would ask them how they fell in love with my grandfathers. How they migrated to this city, that I call home. What’s their favourite colors? What’s their favourite songs?

And I would ask them the secret.

The secret to a marriage that followed their vows
And raising a family of 5 healthy children.

I would then thank them.
For my olive skin, my wonderful hair, and these hips... ohhhh these hips!
And for black beans and red sauce.

Because I love black beans and red sauce with every inch of my  heart.

Home.

This is where I spent the long summer days of my childhood.

Romping around, exploring, and getting dirty.

And this is where I would tie string to a stick, and then tie the string to half a hotdog bun, and wait for hours... hoping to catch the big one.

And this is where I would stare up at the sky, and watch the clouds go by as they changed shapes from a dinosaur eating pasta to a puppy playing ball.

And this is where I would beg springs newly hatched ducklings to come to shore and say hello.

And this is where I would jump as high as I could on my trampoline to see if I could touch the tippy tops.

And this is where I would be when mom would yell for me to come inside and get cleaned up, because dinner was almost ready.

And while all the fishing, jumping, cloud watching, and getting dirty was going on...

All I wanted, was to grow up.

Boy, was I nuts or what.

It feels good to look at these pictures and remember how easy life was.

It feels just like home to me.

Not so girly but girly chicken salad

Once upon a time...

A bunch of girlfriends decided to get together for a girly dinner. Good times were to be had by all.

And on the menu? Arbor mist and chicken salad. but of course!!! Somehow boys got into this equation, and our girls dinner was no more. Surely, they would not eat any of our girly chicken salad, right??

Wrong. Mouthfuls of chicken salad was devoured in record speed, and seconds were requested. By boys.

"Hey, when are you going to make that chicken mayo stuff again?" I guess my chicken salad ended up not being so... girly. Boys. They not only make us crazy, and forgot to bring their dirty socks to the laundry room, but they eat everything. EVERYTHING!

Start off my chopping half of a red onion, half a green pepper, and as many red globe grapes as your little heart desires!!

Boil chicken breast. ON THE BONE. I usually cook about 3. This is enough for a dinner for 2, and lunch the next day. Remove all meat from bones once it has been cooked, and cut into bite size chunks.

Toss onions, grapes, peppers, and chicken in a big ole bowl.

Now here is the tricky part, and it totally depends on what YOU like. But this is the master mix, a little of each and you are good to go! Oh, and a tiny little itty bitty spoon of sugar. Do it, it’s good.

Mix it all up nice and good, and take a few sneaky bites here and there. Its the law.

Bake up some yummy croissants.

 

And pile on a bunch of this mix of ohhhhh myyyy goddd!

And sit back, and watch grown men moan and groan as they stuff their face with girl food.

And smile in silent satisfaction.

Followers!

Hello faithful readers,

I have decided to take my blogging into a different direction.

Instead of just cooking and baking, I will be sharing my life, past and present. Stories will be shared that have made me smile, and Im hoping they will do the same for you.

On that note, my site manager has informed me that I had a whopping 300+ readers last week! As soon as I reach my first 100 followers, you will be entered into a drawing to win a prize plus my all time favorite cookbook. But, you have to formally FOLLOW me for this to happen!

Thanks for keeping up with my changes! I promise, this will be the final!

Thanks,
Forever Honeymooner

Marlena and Mary

2 weeks ago, I decided to make a very big decision. It was time to put in my 2 weeks at work. I decided it was time to move on, and I am very happy with my decision.

I had the oppertunity to work with some wonderful people. They have made me laugh, and helped to brighten the dreary days of corporate America!

On my last day of work, my 2 favorites decided to play pay back. Pay back for what?? Pay back for making them experiment every single thing I have made in my kitchen for the past 6 months. They have tried and scrutinized all of my creations, and have given me great feedback (Nothing better then a constant thumbs up!) Last friday, I arrived to my last day of work to find 2 things.

Chocolate cupcakes with creamcheese frosting, adorned with grasshappers!

Grasshopper explanation: Marlena was amazing at helping me keep my cool when I wanted to fly off the handle. With the words "Patience grasshopper" I was transformed to a cool, calm and collective grasshopper. And this is where Marlena got her nickname "Wise Owl". Our nicknames stuck and put a smile on my face daily.

And HUGE kisses, filled with an Oreo concoction from Bakerella! Complete with a paper tucked inside saying "We are going to miss you!"

So sweet I tell ya! I love those girls!!

Marlena (Owl) and Mary,

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the super yummy goodies. But more than just that, thank you for being AWESOME!

Love,

Angela

 Otherwise known as Grasshopper.

Bacon Fritatta = Fabulous!

Ever wake up and think to yourself.. "I want breakfast, but not JUST breakfast."???  For me this means, I want something for breakfast but I dont want the usual eggs and toast kind of breakfast. I want something different.

And this is where I got the idea for a bacon frittata.

But before I start with that, lets just talk about how wonderful breakfast is. Eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, veggies, cheese, bagels, toast, strawberry jam, orange juice, Champagne and orange juice (makes my brain happy).
The world of breakfast food is fabulous.

On to the bacon frittata.

Chop up some yummy fresh onion and green peppers. I LOVE onions and green peppers. It makes my world go 'round!

Fry up some good 'ole bacon!

Make sure you drain the bacon on a paper towel. This is pretty important.

You dont want your Fritatta to not look as fancy as it sounds. Extra bacon fat = no good.

Chop the bacon into bite size peices

And cook up the onions and peppers in a little bit of butter. and ok, a spoon full of bacon fat for flavor.

Just do it.

JUST DO IT!

In a prett pink bowl, combine the drained cooked onion and peppers, 6 eggs, 1 cup of milk, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, half of the chopped bacon and 1 cup of shredded cheeder cheese.

Im aware that this doesnt look beautiful yet. But hold on. And yes, if you have a pretty pink bowl, use it!

Im convinced pink makes the world a better place. Just like breakfast food and champagne.

Pour into a baking dish, and smother the sucker with MORE cheese. I used colby jack for the top.

And the rest of the chopped bacon. Mmmmmm...

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, and you have yourself a wonderful, fancy fritatta.

I love saying the word, Fritatta.

FRITATTA.

Cute, aint it?

Daddy and his pineapple cupcakes

There is something you should know about me; I’m a daddy’s girl. 100%, all the way, never gonna be any other way...

Daddy’s girl.

My daddy is my hero. The kinda guy who knows how to be a dad AND a father. I think that’s very important. He’s worked his fingers to the bone to provide myself and my brothers everything we ever wanted. At 61 years old, he still gets up every morning at 6 o'clock AM, to go to work. And when he comes home, he works. And on the weekends, he works. And when he’s not working, he’s thinking about work. Because he enjoys providing for his wife and his kids. His kids are now grown, and providing for ourselves... but he still works. All day, every day. I don’t know how he does it, but he does.

One day, I’m going to provide for my dad. I’m going to give him back everything he has ever given me. I’m going to be super successful, and make him swell with pride for his only daughter. And then I’m going to give him a huge wad of cash, and tell him to sell his business. And to find a bunch of hobbies, because now its on me. Everything he will do will be on my tab. I don’t know how I will do it, but Ill figure that out soon.

My wheels are turning.

My dad is a very hard man to please. If he eats something, and its not wonderful... he will by all means, let you know! So, I knew that when his 61st birthday rolled around last week, I had to pull out all the stops. I had to make him something that he was going to enjoy. Because everyone should enjoy their birthday treats. Even more so, when you’re 61 and you still get up at the crack of dawn and work until sunset.

Daddy likes pineapple and daddy like coconut. He also likes cherries. Therefore, he LOVES pineapple upside down cake.

So what did I come up with? How about Pineapple cake, with a maraschino cherry tucked inside? Topped with a light whipped frosting, and dipped into candied coconut...

Wanna know whats sweeter then this cupcake? The fact that my daddy LIKED it. He REALLY liked it.

Mission Accomplished.