Sweet corn, tomato and avocado salad with a cilantro lime dressing.

I had a dinner party last night. I have a large porch so I set up tables with candles and all white dishes, I had tons of drinks and a signature margarita. A few really great close friends came over and we sat there while a thunderstorm raged on, eating laughing enjoying the start of summer. On the menu was a mustard based potato salad,baked beans full of brown sugar and bacon, cheeseburgers with a secret family seasoning hot dogs and then my new creation the sweet corn salad. I thought Id post this recipe because it just tasted like summer. The corn was sweet the tomatoes juicy and the lime cilantro dressing made me crave that margarita. I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did.


What you will need:
5 ears sweet corn
1 container of cherry tomatoes
1 ripe avocado
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 handful of fresh cilantro
1 fresh lime

What you should do:
Microwave the husked corn for 4 minutes.
Cut off all the kernels and place in serving dish of your choice.
Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and mix with the corn.
Cube your avocado and add into the mix.
In a separate dish mix the oil, lime and cilantro(chopped) then pour over the corn mixture.
Mix with a fork , I usually season to taste with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Keep cool in the refrigerator until dinner.

Spanish rice & veggies with Knox spiced chicken

Chicken can be boring it can be the same every time you fry or boil or even grill it so I like to use different spices to kick it up. Tonight I made Spanish rice ,veggies and chicken spiced with my favorite, Knox spices which can be purchased at, http://www.knoxspice.com/ I used the Yummy Chicken spice and fresh cilantro. Here is the recipe, BonAppetit!

4 thin cut chicken breast
1 pack mushrooms
1 bell pepper
1 red onion
1/2 bunch of cilantro
2 garlic cloves
2 tps of olive oil
1 avocado
1 package goya Spanish rice
Hot sauce if ya like.

Follow the directions to cook the rice while that is cooking in a large pan heat up the oil , garlic and 1/2 of the cilantro. Add the mushrooms, peppers,onion and some salt and pepper to taste.
Once the rice is cooked add the veggies to it and let sit. Then coat the chicken in Knox yummy chicken spice and rest of cilantro. Plate , top with fresh avocado and enjoy!

Drunken Berry Brownies

I have two great loves in my life, one is red wine and the other is baked goods. So this past winter , which I like to refer to as the season of snow and snacks due to my 20 lb weight gain, I came up with this recipe.

Drunken Berry Brownies
You will need:
One package of strawberries
One bottle of your favorite red wine
1/2 cup for marinating the berries the rest for drinking while brownies bake.
Now I like to make my own brownies but you may use a box mix, just make sure you get a moist fudgey mix.
If you would like to make your own like me, here is my recipe:
Oven at 350
4 squares of unsweet bakers chocolate
1 1/2 stick butter
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla

Cut up strawberries and soak them in the wine for at least 3 hours.

Then melt butter and chocolate together in the microwave
stir until chocolate is fully melted then add in the sugar, eggs and vanilla.
blend well and slowly add in the flour.
grease a 9 by 13 pan and bake for approximately 18 mins, check them often due to the low amount of flour the brownies will be thick and bake quickly.


I serve these warm topped with the berries and a splash of wine, feel free to use a chocolate sauce as well just be careful not to use too much and over power the amazing aroma and flavor of those drunken berries! BonAppetit

Sweet Potato Risotto

I love food. I love everything about it from how it is grown to how it is made and finally, the way it taste. So I thought to myself, I blog, I cook, I eat, I should do all three together. So this my friends is the start of my food blog. Please enjoy..

First up on the menu Sweet Potato Risotto.

It seems that even the best of places fail to make risotto, and I mean good creamy cheesy risotto. For those of you who aren't familiar, shame on you. Risotto is a rice dish and can be friends with veggies or meat or alone with tons of parmesan cheese and pepper. This is a recipe I saw then toyed around with to get it to be perfect. I recommend serving with a large salad of your choice and white wine. Bon appetit!!

The dish will need:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 small sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.
2. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until absorbed.
3. Measure 3½ cups of water. Add ¾ cup at a time and cook, stirring occasionally and waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding the next. It should take 25 to 30 minutes for all the water to be absorbed.
4. Stir in the Parmesan and oregano.