Easy Olive Tapenade

This is a super easy recipe. I threw together 5 ingredients I had on hand into a food processor and that was it! Can be eaten with crackers and cheese, or as a marinade (which I ended up doing for my cod)

Ingredients-

1/2 of small onion

1 roasted red bell pepper

1 cup of green olives

1 clove of garlic

handful of cherry tomatoes

Steps:

1. Finely chop onion, bell pepper, green olives, tomatoes and garlic and place in a mixing bowl

2. Mix all the ingredients

3. Add some of the liquids from the container of green olives (about 1 tablespoon)

4. Add mixture into a food processor and pulse for a few seconds. You do not want it completely blended.

5. Place mixture into bowl and serve cold or room temperature*

Enjoy!

XOXO

* the longer the mixture sits, the better it will taste, but you do not have to wait for a couple of hours….eat it whenever you feel like it!

Chicken Curry

I have no idea why, but the other night I was in the mood for chicken curry……and I have never had Indian food, or curry for that matter, in my life before. It was a random craving but I was determined to make it. This recipe is something I made up as I went along, so whether it is a true, authentic, Indian curry, you will have to be judge of that….but it tasted good to me!

[ If any of you have a recipe for any kind of Curry, please share! Would love to try it out 🙂 ]

Ingredients-

5 chicken breasts

3 carrots (peeled)

½ cup frozen peas

1 small yellow onion

3 garlic cloves

½ cup of cashews (chopped)

1 inch of fresh ginger (grated)

2 cups of chicken broth (plus a splash…1/3 cup)

1/3 cup of full fat coconut milk

1 tablespoon of cornstarch

1 ½ teaspoon of curry powder

1 teaspoon of fennel seed

¼ teaspoon of cardamom

Steps:

1. Using a separate cutting board, cut chicken breasts into 1 ½ inch pieces

2. Season the pieces of chicken with salt and curry powder

3. Finely chop onion and carrots, make them the same size and set aside

4. Finely chop garlic and set aside

5. Take the one inch piece of fresh ginger and use a hand grater, and grate the ginger and set aside

6. Once all vegetables are prepped, preheat a large sauce pan (or dutch oven) over medium heat. Add tablespoon of coconut oil

7. Once pan is heated, add pieces of chicken

8. Cook chicken for 6 to 7 minutes (you are not fully cooking the chicken right now, so don’t get scared if it is still raw!)

9. Take chicken out and place in a separate bowl and set aside

10. Discard any liquid in the pan

11. Bring the pan back to the heat, and add onions, carrots, garlic, and ginger to pan

12. Sprinkle 1 ½ teaspoons (or more depending on your mood) of curry powder and 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds to the mixture and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes on medium heat (if it looks dry, then you are doing it right)

13. Once the onions and carrots have softened, add in 2 cups of chicken broth. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. About 5 minutes

14. Once the sauce is simmering, take out about ½ cup of liquid and place into a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to the ½ cup of liquid and stir until the cornstarch is dissolved (will get thicker…that’s OK)

15. Add the ½ cup of sauce thickened with cornstarch back into the large sauce pan and stir to incorporate

16. Once the sauce has overall thickened, add in 1/3 cup of full fat coconut milk. Stir

17. At this point, the sauce may be too thick for your liking, that’s when you can add in a splash or so more of the chicken broth (I ended up adding about 1/3 cup more)

18. Once the sauce is at its desired thickness, sprinkle in ¼ teaspoon of cardamom and cashews. Stir to incorporate

19. Add chicken back into the sauce and let it simmer for another 5 to 8 minutes, or until it is fully cooked (All depends on how long you cooked it for step 8)

20. Once the chicken is fully cooked, add in ½ cup of frozen peas and stir until they are warmed through (wont take long- 2 minutes tops)

21. Serve with white rice, or by it self

Enjoy!

XOXO

Mrs. McHugh’s Down Home Macaroni & Cheese

I have always been in love with food, so when I was in the middle school, it came as no surprise that I spent all my free time in the Home Economics room. Mrs. McHugh was the teacher for home economics and was the best teacher I have ever had. Now, many many years later, my younger neighbors who are now in middle school, have her as their teacher for home economics. But now, the name of the class is Top Chef and everyone wants to take it. She has one of the best macaroni and cheese recipes, and I have making it over and over again for my neighbor when I babysit.

The recipe I am about to post, includes Velveeta….which I and not a fan of…ever, but I love this recipe

Ingredients-

1/4 cup of butter or margarine

1/4 cup of flour

1 teaspoon of salt

2 cups of milk

1/4 lb of velveeta cheese, cut up

8 oz of shredded cheddar cheese (about 2 cups)

2 cups of cooked & drained elbow macaroni (about 8 ounces)

3 tablespoons of bread crumbs (panko or italian)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit

2. In a large stockpot, bring water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt

3. Add elbow macaroni to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally for about 8 minutes (read package if using different pasta for cooking time)

4. Once pasta is cooked and drained, start roux for the cheese sauce

5. In a separate large sauce pan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over low heat

6. As the butter is melting, add in 1/4 cup of flour and stir constantly until flour is cooked (roughly a minute or two- do not want to over cook the flour, because it will have a burnt flavor)

7. To the flour and butter, add 2 cups of milk and stir with a whisk until it has thickened

8. Add in the velveeta and cheddar cheese to the sauce and stir with a wooden spoon until all the cheese is melted

9. Pour cooked macaroni into the cheese sauce and stir until all the noodles are covered in cheese

10. Pour the macaroni and cheese into a 1 1/2 quart baking dish and sprinkle the 3 tablespoons of bread crumbs mixed with 1 tablespoon of melted butter on top- this creates a nice crust on top

11. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown, and the cheese is bubbling

Enjoy!

XOXO

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BTW—Even though I have been MIA on the blog, I have been active on my instagram account. There you will see all my creations, food that I eat when I’m out, and food I repost from my followers! Use my hashtag #myfortheloveoffood to be featured!

(I have my Instagram linked to the blog, so you can see the pictures I post on the top right of my page)

XOXO

I am BACKKK!

Sorry for the long break! Life has been SUPER busy and I just never had the time to post my recipes! I have been writing and testing a lot of yummy treats for you guys, so I promise I will be on everyday, updating and adding new posts!

XOXO

Arancini- Blue Cheese & Parmesan

I love risotto, I love cheese, and of course anything fried. So its a no brainer that I love arancini. The other night I decided to make my own rice balls that were stuffed with blue cheese and some with parmesan & pesto. I also made a homemade marinara sauce to go along with them. Here it is-

Ingredients:

Tomato Sauce

1 can of Cento peeled tomatoes

Half of an onion, chopped

3 to 4 gloves of garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon of oregano

1/2 tablespoon of basil

1/2 tablespoon of onion powder

Rice Mixture

2 cups of cooked risotto (Cooled)

1/2 cup of Cento Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 cup of grated parmesan

1 egg, beaten

Blue Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

Pesto

Vegetable Oil

Cast Iron skillet

1. Cook the arborio rice according to the package- or if you feel comfortable making your own rice, then do that. I tend to make my own, because when you cook according to the package, you do not always get the big flavors from garlic and white wine. (I posted a Risotto Recipe awhile back, look there for my recipe. Just don’t add any cream, butter or parmesan cheese once the rice is cooked).

2. Once the rice is cooked, put it into a large bowl and let it cool.

3. In the meantime, start the tomato sauce.

4. In a medium sauce pan on low heat, cook 3 to 4 gloves of chopped garlic and half a chopped onion. (You do not want to over cook the garlic and onions, just want them to be translucent).

5. After the garlic and onions are cooked, roughly 5 minutes, add in a can of Cento peeled tomatoes. Don’t be alarmed to see large chucks of tomatoes.

6. Let the tomatoes cook with the garlic and onions for 15 minutes.

7. Add in a tablespoon of oregano, 1/2 tablespoon of basil and 1/2 tablespoon of onion powder.

8. Using a potato masher, mash the tomatoes, so the sauce becomes smooth. (If you want it to be completely smooth, use a blender).

9. At this point the sauce is done, put the burner on the lowest setting to keep sauce warm while you make the rice balls

10. To the cooled rice, add in 1 beaten egg, 1/2 cup of seasoned italian bread crumbs, and 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese. Mix it all together. Set aside.

11. Cut blue cheese into little chucks, as well as parmesan cheese.

12. Place a cup of bread crumbs on plate.

13. Grab a small amount of rice mixture (it will be very sticky, I found that when I put some bread crumbs in my palm and fingers, it made it easier to handle the mixture, or try wetting hands). Roll into a small ball, use finger to make a crater, place a chunk of either the blue cheese or parmesan cheese & pesto in divot.

14. Cover up cheese with the rice mixture and roll back into a ball. (Make sure to cover the cheese completely, or else it will melt out when you pan fry it). Roll in bread crumbs. Do this for the remaining mixture. I alternated between blue cheese and parmesan cheese & pesto, up to you what prefer.

15. Once all the rice rolled into balls, stuffed and dreged in bread crumbs place on a plate.

16. Heat an inch of vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.

17. Once oil is ready, place 4 to 5 rice balls in pan and cooked for 3 minutes on each side.

18. Take the fried arancini out of the oil and place on a paper towel. Cook the remaining rice balls.

19. Place a large spoonful of tomato sauce on a plate and place 4 arancini on top. Add a little more sauce on top, along with pesto and grated parmesan cheese. Serve hot!

Enjoy!

xoxo

Monday Snapshot: Mercado San Miguel

Mercado San Miguel is another famous market in Madrid, located just off Plaza Mayor.

It’s a great place to get tapas from as little as €1.50 and drinks are around €3. They have various stalls with jamon, cheese, olives, as well as sweet treats. It’s perfect for a casual drink night and it won’t break the bank!

Hasta luego!

Lorena
Xoxo

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A Decadent Twist on the Classic Alfredo

I love all cheeses, especially if its melted and poured over my gnocchi. We had a family party the other weekend, so my refrigerator was filled with all sorts of cheeses. The classic cheddar, swiss, blue cheese, romano, gouda, and my favorite- parmesan. One night I decided to create my own alfredo sauce and it came out amazing. Here it is:

Ingredients-

              

3 Tablespoons of Butter

3 Garlic Gloves (2 smashed, 1 finely choped)

3/4 cup of Heavy Cream

3/4 cup of shredded Gouda

1/3 cup of Blue Cheese

1/4 cup of Parmesan

2 packages of Gnocchi

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Melt 2 tablespoons of garlic on low heat and add in 2 garlic gloves smashed.

2. After the garlic gloves infused the butter, roughly 5 minutes, take the gloves out and put them aside for now.

3. Now add another tablespoon of butter to the already melted butter, and 1 garlic clove that is finely chopped.

4. Once the chopped garlic is almost golden brown, pour in the 3/4 of a cup of heavy cream.

5. Let the cream thicken for roughly 15 minutes. Make sure the heat is low- you do not want to rush any part of this sauce.

6. While the cream in thickening, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add salt.

7. Once the cream has thickened, now add in the shredded gouda, parmesan and the crumbled blue cheese and one of the smashed garlic cloves from earlier.

8. Let all the cheeses melt and garlic infuse the sauce, roughly 8 minutes. Add freshly cracked black pepper to the finished sauce.

9. Add gnocchi to the salted boiling water and cook according to package.

10. Combine the cooked gnocchi with the sauce and serve hot!

Enjoy!

xoxo

Potato Pancakes- GLUTEN FREE

I remember years ago when I was much younger, my dad and I tried Rachael Ray’s recipe for potato pancakes. But for some reason we did not like how it came out- which was very odd because we loved her and were always pleased with her dishes.

Since then, I kind of forgot about it and never really tried making potato pancakes again, because I didn’t want to go through all the trouble. But last week I had a random craving for them. It was Labor Day, I had to babysit until well after dinner time and my family was a good family friends house for a BBQ.

Being home alone is great for me. I can create recipes and try things out without everyone coming into the kitchen asking me what am I doing, or sneaking a taste of whatever I might be making. So I decided to run to the store and grab 2 ingredients- Idaho potatoes and onions.

What I came up with was delicious and really easy. And only consisted of 4 ingredients (salt & pepper are always given). So here it is:

Ingredients- makes roughly 12 pancakes

1 Idaho potato
2 small yellow onions
6 to 7 tablespoons of GF flour
2 eggs, beaten
Salt to taste

Optional-

Apple Sauce

Fage Greek Yogurt (or sour cream)

1. Grate the potato with a hand grater and make sure to get the excess moisture out. Use a stack of paper towels and lay half of the grated potatoes onto of the stack of towels. Then place another small stack of paper towels on top and press down and squeeze the moisture out. Place the potato gratings in a bowl. Do the same with the other half of potatoes using new clean paper towels.

2. Grate 2 small onions on the hand grater and get the excess moisture out- do the same as the potatoes.

3. Once potatoes and onions are grated and the excess moisture is out- add in 2 beaten eggs. (beat eggs in a separate bowl and then pour into the potato and onion mixture.) Mix until everything is coated.

4. Add in 6 to 7 tablespoons of gluten free flour. I love using Trader Joe’s All Purpose GF Flour, but any all-purpose flour is fine (GF or not).

5. Mix it all up until the flour is coating everything.

6. Heat vegetable oil over medium in a cast-iron skillet. (Just enough is coat the pan)

7. Once oil is ready, place a small handful of potato mixture onto the pan.

8. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Sprinkle with salt when they come off the pan.

9. Serve with applesauce or Fage Greek Yogurt (I like 0% plain)

Enjoy!

xoxo

Homemade Tzatziki

I made some salmon filets for dinner tonight and realized I had all the ingredients for a yogurt sauce. So I decided to throw together my version of a tzatziki sauce while the fish was baking in the oven!

It ended up being reallllly really easy to make and it was perfect for the salmon. If you LOVEEEE garlic, like my family does, keep the amount I used, if you don’t like fresh garlic as much, just use half the amount! Here it is:

Ingredients-
1 cup Fage Greek yogurt
1/2 cup shredded cucumber
1/4 cup of thinly sliced red onion
1 garlic clove, grated *
2 lemons (juice only)
Salt (to taste)
Dill

1. Throw everything into a medium bowl and mix! That’s it!

* I used a microplane to grate the garlic- I found that it was more like paste rather than using a grater which would make the garlic more minced…you want the garlic almost like a paste because then it mixes better and disappears in the yogurt, and you won’t get a chunk of garlic when you take a bite*

xoxo
Enjoy!