Strawberry Cake

Strawberry cake has always been my family's favorite dessert. My mom would always bake this cake when i was younger and still bakes it once in a while.We would usually eat a slice after dinner or if we had a sweet tooth through out the day. This cake is very easy to prepare, convenient,delicious and it doesn't take much time to bake.

Ingredients:

Strawberry cake mix

3 eggs

1/3 cup of vegetable oil

3-1/3 cups of water

Non-sticking baking spray

Vanilla frosting (optional)

Cake sprinkles (optional)

 * Preheat oven in advance to 350 F.

Steps:

1. Dump strawberry cake mix into a bowl and add the 3 eggs,the 1/3 cup of vegetable oil and the 3-1/3 cups of water.

2. Start blending the cake mix, water, eggs and oil at a medium speed for about 2 minutes. Blend until it is moistened enough and make sure that there isn't any chunks of mix left.

3. Grease the sides and the bottom of the pan with the non-sticking baking oil spray. Then pour the strawberry batter into a 13 x 9-inch pan.

4. Stick the strawberry cake batter in the oven at the 350 F temperature for about 30-35 minutes.

5. After 30-35 minutes, insert a toothpick at the center of the cake and if it comes out clean, the cake is ready to be taken out. Let the cake cool off for about 10 minutes before adding the frosting.

5. After it cools off, you may start to add your desired amount of vanilla frosting and sprinkles on the cake.

6. Finally you are ready to cut up a piece of your strawberry cake and enjoy a slice! 

Coconut Chocolate Balls

Feeling for chocolate? Don't want an ordinary chocolate bar? Got your solution. Coconut Chocolate Balls! I make these before I watch a movie or before I play video games. Great for party desserts too. Easy to make and delicious if done right.

Ingredients:

Milk

Butter

Tea Biscuits/Graham Crackers

Milk and Dark Chocolate

Shredded Coconut 

Steps:

1. Melt and spread the butter in a pot.

2. Add the chocolate pieces and pour milk. Stir till melted into a liquid state.

3. Crush crackers.

4. Mix crushed crackers and melted chocolate together. Then leave out to dry.

5. Roll mix into small balls. Then roll the chocolate balls in some shredded coconut and there you have it! Coconut Chocolate Balls! Enjoy.

Project 4: Culinary Design Blog

Curry Goat

For this assignment, I chose to make my favorite Jamaican "Curry Goat". My family cooks this for dinner on rare occasions. Curry Goat is delicious and I would recommend it to anyone. This meat has the protein and offer the healthy red blood cell we need!

Ingredients:
- Curry Goat Meat
- Curry Powder
- Onion
- Pepper
-  Garlic
- Water
-Thyme
-Season salt

Steps:

1. Buy the Curry Goat Meat  

2. Cut up the meat into ice cube sizes

3. Wash the meat thoroughly

4. Apply the Curry powder on to the meat as you rub it in 

5. Apply the garlic and cut up the onion and pepper for flavor 

6. Pour the meat into a pot.

7. Cook it on the stove to cook for 2 hours

8. Apply some water time for time once see it dry out

9. Then EAT UP! 

Yellow Cake.

Playing the role of a culinary designer I chose to make a "Yellow Cake" for my project. I chose the yellow cake because, it reminds me of the holidays or special occasions. My mother and I would always make it for either a graduation, birthday, Christmas, or other holidays.

The yellow cake is well known and you can get the box from your local grocery. Baking this cake is easy and takes about 30 minutes to heat properly. When it is done it will be a sort of golden. tone. Before putting the chocolate icing on the cake make sure it cools for 10 minutes.

Ingredients
Cake mix
1/2 Vegetable oil
1 cup of water
3 eggs
Chocolate frosting

*Additional Ingredients* (not necessary)
Butter and flour for the pan
Mittens to take out the cake
A timer to keep time of how long the cake is in the oven

First I gathered up all my ingredients. I put some butter and flour on my pan so that my cake wouldn't stick. I then dumped the cake mix into the pan, thus preheating the oven to 350 degrees. After that I put in the cup of water, 1/2 of the vegetable oil and cracked three eggs into the pan. I then took my whisk and stirred the mix for about two minutes, making it thinner and yellow looking. After this I put the mix back into the original pan and placed it in the oven. I waited for about 35 minutes before taking it out, I waited an additional 10 minutes before placing the frosting on.

You can make this cake for any event! It's quick convenient, and tastes amazing!

Project #4: Culinary Design Blog (Stuffed Shells Recipe)

4 Cheese Stuffed Shells

Making a pasta dish has a comfort food quality. It's easy to make, doesn't take long to cook, and it's delicious. I made a variation of this dish based on a recipe by Rachael Ray, the queen of 30 minute meals. I'm not really a person who cooks everyday, so when I do decide to make something I want it to last a few days throughout the week. This recipe is for a group of 4-5 people. 

Ingredients:

• 20 pieces of jumbo pasta shells
• 32 oz container of part skim ricotta cheese
• 1 pound of shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup of pecorino-romano cheese
• 1 cup of shredded asiago cheese
• 1/3 cup of chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Shred the mozzarella, pecorino-romano, and asiago cheeses.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta. Cook shells for 12-15 minutes. They should be soft but still undercooked in the middle. Drain pasta and cool.
4. In a big bowl, combine ricotta, 1/2 of the shredded mozzarella, pecorino-romano, and asiago. Add the chopped parsley to the cheeses and stir.
5. Heat a large skillet, add one tablespoon of olive oil and add the garlic. Saute for 5 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Pour a little sauce into the bottom of a 9x12 sized casserole dish. Fill the shells with the cheese mixture and place them in the dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the shells and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese on top. Place in the dish in the oven for about 7-10 minutes to melt the cheese on top. 
7. Serve a few shells onto a plate and enjoy!

sauce on bottom of the dish. arrange the shells with cheese inside

pour sauce over

add mozzarella on top and put in the oven

let it cool slightly

place onto a plate, neatly

Project #4: Culinary Design Blog

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

For this assignment, I chose to make my favorite Strawberry banana smoothie of all time. My mother introduce me to the smoothie, and her mother introducer her to this smoothie, and continued to be passed on by generations. This smoothie is indulging and healthy!

Ingredients:

- 1 Banana

- 8 Strawberry

- 1 cup of milk (either: 2% milk, 1% milk, whole milk, or evaporated milk)

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

-  5 cubes of ice

- Granulated sugar (according to taste)

- Optional: Whip cream

Steps:

1. Wash strawberries thoroughly  

    2. Cut and peel the strawberries and banana

    3. Gather all ingredients in a blender 

    4. Blend until smoothie and creamy

    5. Pure into a cup

    6. Garnish with whip cream and a strawberry on the side.

    7. Enjoy!

Estofado de Pollo - food art 1064

Estofado de Pollo - Food Art 1064

Peruvian cuisine is recognized today as consisting of the most varied gastronomy worldwide.  With 400 plus dishes represented throughout the three regions that make up Peru, influenced by the immigrant traditions of Spanish, African, Chinese and Japanese there is something for everyone’s palate. In NYC you have many Peruvian restaurants to chose from, however the best is always home-made. For this purpose, the dish I prepared is one that you would eat at our house any day of the week.

Estofado de Pollo con Arroz (Chicken Stew with Rice) 

Ingredients List for Chicken Stew:

4 – 8 chicken drumsticks (skinless)

2 red onions finely chopped

1 tomato diced

4 potatoes peeled and cut in quarters

2 packets of sazon goya seasoning

Adobo to taste

1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons of parsley

Salt and pepper seasoned to taste

Cooking Instructions for Chicken Stew:

1.)   In a large pot heat the tablespoon of extra virgin oil

2.)   When oil is hot, add onions. Cook and stir occasionally until they begin to look transparent

3.)   Add chicken drumsticks, tomatoes, sazon goya, salt, pepper and adobo to taste. Combine all ingredients

4.)   Cook on low to medium heat and bring to a boil for 20 minutes

5.)   Add potatoes and leave on medium heat until both chicken and potatoes are fully cooked

Ingredients List for Rice:

¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons of chopped garlic

2 cups of white rice

2 ½ cups of water

Salt (seasoned to taste)

Cooking Instructions for Rice:

1.)   Put oil in a medium/large pot. Turn on medium high letting oil warm up

2.)   Once oil is hot, add garlic and fry until brown (just a few seconds)

3.)   Rince rice. Add wet rice to pot and stir

4.)   Raise heat and bring water to a oil (boil for a few seconds)

5.)   Add water and salt. Stir again

6.)   Lower heat, cover pot and let simmer for 15-20 minutes

7.)   Turn off, uncover and fluff rice with a fork. Rice grains should be plump and soft

***Please note my mom was helping me with recipe and she made her own rice. The original recipe should be made with white rice, although this rice was yummy too!