And...A Frittata

Tropical Storm Tastes

Hope everyone is weathering the storm ok...We are doing what we do
best here cooking! Robert has decided to try his hand at nuclear death wings..
I will not be trying these...Pics to follow

Tah Dah!

Drunken Chicken?

Hello Hello!
I hope everyone is doing well, and getting ready for this hurricane!
Tonight is Beer Can Chicken courtesy of our one and only Bobby Flay!
I have purchased a vertical beer chicken roaster..you don't need this but I
always have to have the gadgets! I soaked the chicken in white vinegar, and
then washed the vinegar out. I patted the chicken with paper towels and
made an olive oil and chicken rub marinade. I smothered the chicken and let it
marinate for 8 hours. I opened a can of beer because the recipe calls for a half a can of be
er to be placed on the vertical beer chicken roaster. Now, Now, the recipe calls for you to drink the
other half before ANY cooking is done! I used fresh sage and oregeno,
and placed the sprigs in the can along with 3 cloves of garlic. I also added some
dry rub to the beer can. I placed the chicken on top of the can, with the legs,
facing me and the wings tied back. I chopped some red and green peppers, onions, and
garlic to a pan and placed the vertical beer chicken in the pan. This pan acts as a
drip catcher and helps with basting. I placed the entire pan on the grill, and baste
every half hour. The end result is beautiful!

The Finished Project!

Happy Sunday!

Good Morning/Afternoon...Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!
I was watching Brunch @ Bobby's and got inspired to make his "Peanut Butter
French Toast Waffles with a Mixed Berry and Maple Syrup Sauce". This is
accompanied with a Fried Egg, Grilled Tomato, Ham and
Cheese Sandwich. Sounds delectable!

For this Bobby Flay masterpiece you will need:

INGREDIENTS:

4 large eggs
3/4 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
8 slices good quality sliced white or wheat bread, crusts removed
Nonstick cooking spray or melted butter
4 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
Confectioners' sugar, for garnish
Fresh mixed berries, for garnish
Sliced ripe bananas, for garnish
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
Mixed Berry Syrup, for garnish, recipe follows
Special Equipment: waffle maker

Mixed Berry Sauce
1 pint fresh strawberries
1/2 pint fresh blackberries
1/2 pint fresh raspberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
2 heaping tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

Crack the eggs into a medium baking dish and whisk lightly. Add the milk, sugar, vanilla and salt and whisk until smooth.
Press down on bread slices to flatten slightly. Soak the bread in the egg mixture until completely soaked through, about 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Heat a square 4 slot waffle maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Spray the top and bottom grates liberally with nonstick spray or melted butter. Remove the French toast from the eggs using a slotted spatula, allowing excess egg mixture to drip off. Make 2 at a time on the diagonal of the grates. Press down gently at first, then add a little pressure to the cover and press until the cover is completely closed. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Repeat with the remaining 6. Carefully remove each French toast waffle to a plate.
Smear each waffle with peanut butter. Dust with confectioners' sugar and drizzle with some of the mixed berry syrup and maple syrup. Garnish with fresh mixed berries, berry syrup, banana slices and mint sprig.
Mixed berry sauce:
Combine the strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, sugar and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan, bring to boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries are soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

Transfer the berry mixture to a blender or food processor, add the raspberry preserves and lemon juice and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator stored in a container with a tight fitting lid for 1 week.

Cook's Note: Use leftover sauce drizzled over pound cake, ice cream or frozen yogurt

Ingredients for the Fried Egg Sandwich:
4 Large Eggs
1/2 pound of Swiss cheese (you can use any that you like)
4 Tomatoes (you can use any that you like)
1/2 pound of precooked Ham
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
 4 English Muffins or Toast
Non-Stick Cooking Spray

You will need a cutting board and cookie cutter

Salt and Pepper the tomatoes and turn your oven on to 350 degrees. Drizzle some olive oil over the tomatoes and roast for about 30 minutes and take out the oven. While the tomatoes are roasting, take a skillet, spray with non-stick cooking spray and heat the ham until a little crispy around the edges. Take the Ham out and leave on a plate. Take an English muffin or slice of toast,  add one roasted tomato, some ham, and slice of cheese.  Repeat this for the other three English muffins or slices of toast. Place in the oven until cheese has melted. Using the same skillet as the ham was cooked in, take a small pat of butter and melt it  to cover the surface of the pan. Crack the four eggs into the pan and fry until the edges are done and the yolk is still runny. Take the eggs and place on a cutting board.  Using a cookie cutter, cut 4 circular eggs shapes. Place egg on top of the melted cheese and top with remaining English muffins or toast to complete 4 Fried Egg Sandwiches.

I know this may seem like a lot of work but your tummy will thank you! Until next time ~ Chef V

Just some pics

Yummy!!!

Fish and Chips?

Good Evening Everyone!
So.... I'm sure everyone has heard of fish and chips, however, my good
friend and mentor Chef Elaine and I discussed roasted peppers today.
So instead of chips, I'm going the healthier route...Fish and Peppers!
So I'm starting off with 2 fresh Seven J's farm (Glastonbury Connecticut) raised peppers..one red and one green.
I have placed them on the grill to char. From Elaine's experience, after they
are black, you place them in a paper bag. This is done for a steaming effect.
After they are steamed, you can peel the charred skin and then you have perfectly
roasted peppers which give off tons of Flavor! I will be adding these roasted beauties
to my salad and talipia. Since it's summer it adds wonderful color for Food presentation.
Hope everyone is having a wonderful evening! Pictues to follow! Chef V

Well... we needed an appetizer before dinner!

Nachos layered with a mixture of ranch, blue cheese, salsa, leftover
turkey/sausage/ spinach mixture, and 357 scoville hot sauce!

What's for Dinner?

Hi!
I hope everyone had a productive day. I was so glad to see that I have 4 followers,
thanks to my gorgeous sister in law! I mentioned my blog to a few people at work,
hopefully soon we'll get some feedback and some recipes on here!
So... what's for dinner? I decided on a sweet and spicy rubbed chicken breast served
with a vegetable brown rice. This weekend I was bad so I'm trying to make up
for it. I read an article in my Weight Watchers magazine (Sept/Oct 2011),
that stated, "I don't wait for the next day or week to start over..I begin
with the next meal." I found that to be so inspiring to not beat yourself
up if you have a bad day of eating, just take the necessary steps to regain
control!
On to the chicken! First, I have soaked my chicken in white vinegar..Aura,
a fantastic Chef herself told me that I should always wash meat and chicken
this way...I trust her a lot! After soaking I rinse the chicken thoroughly
and pat it dry. I cut small slits in the breasts (gets the marinade all up in there!) ,
and proceed to season. I add McCormicks roasted garlic and herb grill mate,
along with some honey, onions, and olive oil. Let it sit for about 45 minutes in
the fridge. I baked the chicken for about 40 minutes and made sure it was cooked
all the way through.
Onto the veggie brown rice! I have sauteed onion, green pepper,yellow and green
squash, and mushrooms in olive oil and garlic. The aroma is to die for!
I have prepared my Uncle Ben's brown rice and added the cooked rice
to the sauteed veggies. Nice and healthy with tons of flavor from fusion!
Until next time..V. P.S. What did you make for dinner?

Spicy Sunday~?!

Hello Everyone,

Today starts an exciting new adventure that I hope to stay committed to.
I want to share my passion for food and hope you learn something along the way!
Feel free to offer comments and ideas, I always will welcome them.
After a wonderful weekend with my in laws, I was feeling inspired to
make something spontaneous! What about a spicy Sunday!
So I dashed out of the house off to Stop & Shop for some scotch bonnets, and a
wide variety of chili peppers..hot damn! I wonder who will cry first Robert or myself?