Fruit Cake

Fruit Cake

I chose this recipe because it's very easy to make. If a bunch of your friends were to drop by unexpectedly, you could whip this cake up within an hour. It doesn't require any fancy, or hard to find ingredients. Most importantly, it's delicious! 

I usually prepare it over the weekend and enjoy it with my family and friends.

Ingredients:

2 eggs

8.5 oz milk

2 sticks of butter

10.5 oz sugar

17.5 oz flour

vanilla extract (optional)

fruit of your choice

 powdered sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. Cream the butter and the sugar using a mixer.

2. Add the milk and the eggs. Mix thoroughly.

3. Add the flour and vanilla.

4. Pour the mix into a cake pan and decorate with the fruits you've chosen.

5. Bake for about 50 minutes on 440 F.

6. Add some powdered sugar on top.

 

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

For our culinary project, I decided to do something that I know the best which is baking. I decided to make Red Velvet Cupcakes, the recipe isn't mine.  I got the recipe from food network.com, it is from Paula Deen.  I chose this recipe because it's very close to my heart.  The first time I made this recipe it was for my boyfriend's birthday but it also was the first time I was meeting his family and friends.  I wanted to make something that was different from regular chocolate or vanilla cupcakes so I made Red Velvet Cupcakes.  I must of done a good job in making these cupcakes because they were a hit with his family and friends.  I have to say that I feel as if I won them over with these cupcakes.

The recipe goes as follow...

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Grab a nice cold of milk and a cupcake .... Enjoy!

Art Food Yum!

Art Food Yum!

Javier's Stew Beef With Bittermelon

This is a recipe my parents cooked just to have something to eat. This recipe is what they learn as youths growing up in Guyana. There really is not a recipe tht have accurate of teaspoon or such. You just use your ingredients on how you see it or how you think you should cook it. Mainly you assumption But I should give you an idea on how its supposed to be done.

Ingredients

1. 2 to 3 cups of rice

2. A pound of chicken or beef
3. Seasonings ( Black Pepper, Lemon Pepper, Soul Seasoning, Oregano, Old Bay Seasoning
4. Celery
5. Parlies
6. Scallions
7. 1 onion
8. 2 garlic
9. 1 tamatoes (green)
10. Bittermelons



Direction

1. Clean the chicken then cut the chicken or beef you can let the chicken soak with vinegar and lemon in warm water for a while. (In this case all of this was done along time ago so it came out of the freezer clean and the beef was cut a long time ago so my pops was cutting the chicken already.) 2.Get a cooking pot and put at least 1/2 of cup of cooking oil into the pot. Let the cooking oil get hot before you put anything into it. 3.Dice the bitterlemons into cubes. Also dice the parlies, scallions, onions, garlic, tamatoes small or into cubes if you can. 4. After the the cooking oil gets hot add the chicken or beef into the pot. 4.While the chicken is cooking add the seasonings as well. 5. Add the celery parlies scallions onion garlics tamatoes and bittermelons into the pot. 6.Let it cook for at least 35 - 45 mins. (stir fry).

I apologize if you feel certain things were left out. Certain things that was supposed to be shown and explain was cook or done ahead of time.

Candy-Coated Bacon

This is an original recipe I created a few months ago. This recipe combines two of my favorite ingredients that are equally delicious on their own, but together make a surprisingly tasty snack. The crunchy bacon, covered with the chocolate and M&M's mixed together make a salty sweet desert. This desert isn't calorie conscious and is best served with any juice or soft drink.

Ingredients:
-4 slices, Oscar Meyer thick cut bacon
-1 cup, Baker's chocolate chunks
-1 bag, plain M&M's
-Wooden skewer sticks

Directions: 1)Place bacon strips flat in frying pan. 2)When bacon has cooked, quickly slide bacon on to wooden skewer sticks. 3)Bring 3cups of water to a boil. 4)Pour 1cup of chocolate chunks into glass bowl and set in boiling pan. 5)Stir continually until chocolate is fully melted and smooth.6)Poor chocolate over bacon. 7) Place M&M's on top of chocolate while it is still warm. 8) Place in refrigerator for 30mins or until chocolate hardens.

Lia's Easy Breezy Butter Cookies

I chose this recipe because of its simplicity. Butter cookies are simple, fast and incredibly delicious. They do not require any cooking skills whatsoever and the ingredients can be found even in the most neglected kitchen. They are an excellent solution for those impromptu visitors and they go magnificently with a good cup of coffee or tea.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter,softened

1 1/4 cups sifted sugar

2 large eggs

Directions:

1) Beat the butter, sugar and salt together until smooth and creamy.

2) Mix in the egg until well incorporated.

3) Add the flour and mix.

4) Shape dough into small balls and place them on a slightly greased cookie sheet.

5) Bake Butter Cookies at 350 degrees for twenty minutes or until lightly browned

6) Serve and ENJOY! :)

How To Eat Jaws: Fried Shark by Justyn Richardson

Sharks are known to live in warmer waters, so places like the West Indies, and in Florida, Australia, Hawaii are known to have them. In the West Indies however one of the few places known to eat sharks. Here is a recipe that can work for almost every type of shark including “Jaws” the famed white shark. The best shark to cook is the white shark. This recipe is a tradition that is been popular in every family in Trinidad and Tobago, where I am from this has been cooked in many family events, Sunday dinner, or for a holiday. It has been passed down from generation to generation and I am no exception to this. I have enjoyed this dish for all twenty-one years of my life and it means as much to me to cook as it is to eat it is my favorite dish and it is one of the first dishes I was thought by both my grandmother and my mother.  Fried shark can be eaten with plain rice (white rice), fried rice, or even with French fries. To drink fried shark is good with a glass of wine white or red, sparkling wine or juice, or even a tall glass( or bottle)  of beer for kids it goes well with soda ( all kinds) , juice (which ever you like). This is a very vise tile dish and can be used under every occasion. A little known fact about shark and other fish it is a good source of Omega-3 which is good for your brain and taste good too.

Ingredients list:

1.  Shark of your choice (get shark skinned and sliced by your local fish market due to the skin of shark is very rough and may cut skin)

2.  lemon juice

3.1 size appropriate bowl to place shark in when cut.

4. 1 size appropriate plate to place shark when done seasoned.

5. 1 size appropriate plate to place shark when done fried.

6. 1 role of Paper towel

7.  1 Fork

8.  Vegetable oil

9. Iodized salt

10. Black pepper

11. Seasoned Salt

12. Adobo

13. Granulated Garlic

14. Fish Fry

Cooking Instructions: Note number of pieces of sharks may call for more or less of these ingredients.

Step 1: remove pieces of shark and place in the cooking bowl.

Step 2: Rinse pieces of shark under warm water and

Step 3: cut lemon in half and carefully sprinkle on all the shark pieces

Step 4: add 1 tea spoon of Iodized salt

Step 5: add 1 tea spoon of Black pepper

Step 6: add 1 tea spoon of Seasoned Salt

Step 7: add 1 tea spoon of Adobo

Step 8: add 1 tea spoon of Granulated Garlic

Step 9: then when steps 4-8 are completed mix with hands until ingredients are settled into the shark

Step 10: get sizable plate and poor fish fry into plate the more the better

Step 11: take pieces of shark and sprinkle fish fry on the shark and make sure to get both sides ‘t and don’t be shy to use a lot of fish fry.

Step 12: get frying pan and poor vegetable oil until the oil reaches halfway point in the pan.

Step 13: then set to medium and pre heat for 2-3 minutes

Step 14: when ready place pieces of shark in pan and wait 3 minutes then turn shark to other side using a fork and wait 3 minutes

Step 15: when shark is cooked turn off pan and place 2 sheets of paper towel over the size appropriate plate and place shark on top of paper towel

Step: 16 wait 2-3 minutes to cool

Step 17: Enjoy!!!!  

Cheesy Tortilla

This recipe came to me after some herbal inspiration and a limited supply of groceries. I had a big appetite was in a mood for something fast and cheesy. All I had was eggs, shredded mozzarella cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, some garlic, black pepper, baloney, and tortillas.

                               Ingredients

1.      Baloney

2.      Eggs

3.      Shredded Mozzarella cheese

4.      Shredded cheddar cheese

5.      Black pepper

6.      Garlic

7.      Tortillas             Direction: 1) scramble egg on in small container 2) cut baloney into small pieces and mix in with the scrambled eggs 3) put eggs and baloney in pan and fry them 4) add cheese, the garlic, and black pepper 5) put eggs in tortilla and add more cheese 6) put tortilla in oven to melt the cheese even further  

Mel's Ghoulish Ghost Cake

     This is a  variation of a cake my grandma used to make for Halloween when I was younger.
It was definitely one of my favorite holiday cakes especially with the little ghosts on top. The chocolate ganache and cream cheese frosting goes perfect with the moist red velvet and to top it off a cup of milk. This is a fun quick recipe that anyone can make. The perfect fix for a sweet tooth.

Ingredients for cake:
- 1 box Betty Crocker Red Velvet Moist cake mix
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/3 cup of water
- 1/3 cup of oil
- butter
- cheesecake frosting
- ghost peeps
- 9 inch circular baking pan
-10 tooth picks

Ingredients for chocolate ganache:
- 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2) Mix cake batter, 3 eggs, 1 1/3 cup of water, 1/3 cup of oil until it is smooth and there are no lumps. 3) Lightly butter baking pan and pour mix in. 4) Bake cake mix for 30-35 minutes. 5) When the cake is ready let cool 15-20 minutes in fridge. 6) Boil 1/2 cup of heavy cream for 5 minutes. 7) Pour boiling heavy cream into 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips and mix until thick. Let cool in fridge 15 min. 8) Spread cheesecake icing over cake neatly. Place cake back in fridge for 10 minutes.
9) Take 10 ghost peeps and stick tooth picks half way in them. 10) Pour chocolate ganache in the middle of cake, take a knife and slowly spread to edges. Slowly and naturally it will pour down the sides and create the drippy effect. Let cool in fridge 20 min. 11) After ganache has hardened, take ghost peeps and place them however you'd like on your cake. 12) Take a slice and a glass of milk & enjoy!!!

Chocolate Marshmallow Souffle

I chose this particualr recipe because I love desserts and this is one of my favorite because it has both chocolate and marshmallows!This chocolate marshmallow souffle was introduced to me by my younger sister. She is studying to become a chef and I knew she would be the perfect person to help me prepare it. Although she's done it several times she let me do all the work while she took pictures and I actually enjoyed it. My family is familiar with this recipe and we like to enjoy it every once in a while. I also love it because this recipes makes us come together as a family as we enjoy this delicious dessert.

Ingrediants :

3 tbsp. butter

3 tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. milk
1/4 c. sugar
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate grated
30 marshmallows
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Directions:

1.First you melt the butter in a saucepan, and than you stir in the flour and salt. After that you add milk and cook it over low heat while stirring constantly until it's thick and smooth. 2. After that you add sugar, chocolate and the marshmallows and you stir until the marshmallows are completely melted. 3. You than remove it from the heat and slowly add the egg yolk and vanilla and blend it well. Than let it cool. 4. When it's finally cool, you carefully fold in the egg whites into the chocolate marshmallow mixture. 5. Next you pour it into a casserole or a souffle dish, you than place it in a pan of boiling water and bake it in a 350 degree oven for about one hour or until it's set. 6. After it's done you can serve it with whatever you may like, such as whip cream on top or marshmallows and a strawberry like I did.

Rakesh's Chicken Parmesan

                        This recipe I actually looked up on FoodNetwork.com by chef Tyler Florence. I chose this recipe because I really enjoy eating Italian food.  Also I always wanted to make a simple but delicious Italian dish but never had the chance too. I chose to make Chicken Parmesan because I really like eating it at Olive Garden and it was not that hard to make when I seen the video on how to make it. The dish also combined two of my favorite ingredients to eat chicken and cheese.

    Ingredients
    1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
    1 medium onion, chopped
    2 garlic cloves, minced
    2 bay leaves
    1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted
    1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves
    2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
    Pinch sugar
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
    4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 11/2 pounds)
    1/2 cup all-purpose flour
    2 large eggs, lightly beaten
    1 tablespoon water
    1 cup dried bread crumbs
    1 (8-ounce) ball fresh buffalo mozzarella, water drained
    Freshly grated Parmesan
    1 pound spaghetti pasta, cooked al dente

Directions : 1)You first saute the pan with olive oil and place it over medium heat.2)Then after the oil becomes hazy chop up onions and galic and bayleaves, then place in the pan and stir for 5 minutes until it becomes soft.4)Now add olives and basil, then carefully add the tomatoes and stir util sause becomes thick.5)About 15 minutes add sugar, salt, and pepper then lower the heat and cover the pan so it can keep warm.6)Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.7)Now place the chicken breasts side to side and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them and pound the chicken about 1/2 inch thick.8)Put the flour in a shallow platter and season with salt and pepper.9)Now add water and eggs and beat until frothy.10)Put bread crumbs on a plate and season with pepper and salt.11)Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high flame in a large oven-proof skillet.12)Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken in the seasoned flour and then dip in the egg wash and then duck it in the bread crumbs.13)Add olive oil to a pan and wait for the pan to be hot.14)Now place the chicken breats in the pan for 4 minutes on each sideuntil golden and crusty.15)Place the tomato-olive oil sause over the chicken and sprickle mozzarella, parmesan, and basil.16)Bake the Chicken Parmesan for 15 minutes until cheese is bubbly.17)Take out of oven and serve with hot spaghetti.