CuteChick Recipe #6- Jerk Shrimp White Cheddar Alfredo over Farfalle

Sooo... I spent all day yesterday trying to find a new alfredo recipe since I've been craving it so much lately (i'm the most craving having non pregnant girl you'll ever know!) but nothing jumped out at me at all. I decided to take matters into my own hands do some experimenting. I swear some of my best dishes come out of me just throwing stuff together! I was originally gonna make a shrimp scampi version of an alfredo sauce but I didn't have any lemons on hand. I then remembered I had just bought some jerk seasoning the other day and that's where the idea was born. This recipe is actually super easy & sooo good! Once recommendation I will make that I didn't actually do is to add about a teaspoon of flour to the butter before adding the cream. This will thicken the sauce up :-)
Here's the finished product

Ingredients
2 cups of heavy cream
1 cup of milk ( I used whole)
2 cups of grated parmesan (NOT the stuff in the can! lol)
1 cup of grated extra sharp white cheddar cheese
7 oz bag of medium shrimp ( any size will do, this would definitely taste good w/ chicken or scallops also)
1 15oz can of diced tomatoes (drained)
3 tblspns chopped green onion
about 2 tbspns of jerk seasoning (I used Ochos Rios brand, McCormicks would work great as well)
2 tblspns of minced garlic ( i use the squeezable kind)
5 tblspns unsalted butter
2 tspns of onion powder
salt & pepper to taste
1 tbspn of olive oil
1 16oz box of farfalle (bowtie pasta....penne, linguine or fettucine would work great also)

First things first, season the shrimp w/ the jerk seasoning in a bowl & set aside. Here's the one I used.

After this, go head & begin boiling your water for the pasta (cook according to package instructions)  and heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over med/high heat. Add the shrimp to the oil & cook for about 5 minutes. You do not want to thoroughly cook the shrimp at this point, this is just going to add a little color to them. Once you've cooked them for the 5 minutes put them in a bowl & set aside. Add your butter to the pan & melt. Once melted, add your garlic and saute for about 3-5 minutes. Season the garlic w/ the onion powder. Whisk in the heavy cream followed my the milk & bring to a light boil. You want to whisk the milk & cream about every minute or two. DO NOT LEAVE UNATTENDED! because it will boil over! Once it's reduced some (after about 10 minutes) stir in the cheese (reserve 1 cup of the parmesan) until melted. Here are the cheeses

 After the cheese has melted, season w/ salt & pepper and then stir in your tomatoes & shrimp. Reduce heat to medium and cover. After about 10-15 minutes your sauce is done! Thoroughly mix the sauce in w/ the pasta as well as the reserved cup of parmesan cheese. Top w/ the green onion & dinner is served! Now how easy was that? I hope you guys enjoy this one as much as I did!

CuteChick Recipe #5- Chipotle Lime marinated chicken enchiladas !!

Oh My Goodness!! I can't believe it's been almost a month since my last recipe post! I am slipping! I've actually been a little busy bee w/ catering a few events so yay me!! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, I know I did! As much as I love Thanksgiving food, I'm definitely over it by day 3,lol. This recipe was inspired by that! Now this is a dish that's fairly easy & quick to make but try to plan ahead so that you give the chicken enough time to marinate. I only marinated mine for 4 hours but you can certainly marinate it over night for an even more intense flavor. Now most of my recipes definitely allow room for additions & omissions. Since my daughter ate this as well, I didn't add a lot of spice but I recommend adding a fresh chopped jalapeno or a tablespoon of red pepper flakes to the vegetable sautee' or you can add more chipotles or cayenne pepper to your marinade. Below is the finished product, but as usual I will provide step by step photos. Enjoy!!

Ingredients
about 3/4 - 1lb of boneless skinless chicken breast (boneless thighs will work equally as well)
1 15 oz can of black beans
1 15.25 oz can of yellow corn (can be omitted)
about 3 cups of shredded cheese (I used extra sharp because it's what I had on hand, any mexican blend would work fine)
1 medium onion
1 orange bell pepper (any color is fine)
2 tblspns of minced garlic
about a 1/4 cup of sliced green onion
jar of verde (green) enchilada sauce
can of red enchilada sauce
about 24 corn tortillas (more or less depending on how many people you're serving)
Marinade

1/3 cup of lime juice (about 2 medium sized limes)
2 chipotle peppers in adobo (they come in a can)
2 tbspn of worcestershire sauce
2 tbspn of olive oil
about 2 tspns of the following seasonings (garlic & onion powder, cumin, thyme, bay leaves, salt & pepper, paprika, chili powder)

First things first! let's marinade this chicken! mix all of the marinade in a small bowl or measuring cup.

Once your chicken is cleaned, pat dry & place in a gallon sized ziploc bag. Pour the marinade in the bag & shake it up some so all of the pieces are evenly coated. Place it in the fridge & let it hang out for a little while.

 This would also be a good time to chop your onion & peppers, i'd suggest a small/medium dice

 Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Once your chicken has marinated the preferred amount of time, take it out about 30 minutes before you actually cook it so it can rest it bit. Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil (any oil would be fine) in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once your oil has gotten hot, place your chicken in the pan & sear well on both sides, once it's seared well, reduce your heat to medium & place a lid on top. Cook the chicken until it's completely cooked. I normally just cut into the largest piece to make sure the meat is all white. Remove your chicken from the pan & place into a bowl. Increase your heat back to medium high & sautee' your onions for about 5 minutes & then add your minced garlic, beans & corn & cook together for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

During this time, your chicken has cooled down some. Take 2 forks & shred the chicken to your desired consistency & add it back to the pan w/ the vegetables & thoroughly mix together. It should look something like this

Time to make the actual enchiladas! In a bowl mix together the green & red enchilada sauce. Here are the ones I used, just the store brand, nothing fancy.

On a separate plate, take 2 corn tortillas & overlap them,(i'd recommend zapping them in the microwave for a few seconds to make them more pliable) as you would when making a burrito. Place a 2 spoonfuls of the chicken veggie mixture in the center of the overlap, sprinkle a little cheese & green onion & roll up.

 In lasagna style baking dish, spoon about half of the enchilada sauce in the bottom & then place the enchiladas in the pan until full. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the enchiladas & top w/ the rest of the cheese & green onion.

 Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until cheese has melted & browned some. Well folks, that's it!!! It seems like a lot but it's honestly pretty easy to make. Enjoy!!

CuteChicksCook Events!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend...I know I did!!! I had the pleasure of catering 2 separate events this weekend. I did Pink Friday for The Pink Zebra Boutique in Little 5 Points on 11/18/11 & on Saturday I catered the Grand Opening for The Urban Edge, a unisex salon in Alpharetta. I had a ball at both events & everyone LOVED the food :-)  Here are a few pictures from both events!

Here's my area at Pink Friday!!!

My yummy red velvet cupcakes!

Spring mix salad w/ mandarin oranges, toasted walnuts & gorganzola cheese w/ creamy raspberry vinaigrette (homemade)

Ceasar salad w/  parmesan & butter garlic croutons (homemade of course)

BBQ turkey meatballs

Bacon wrapped Asparagus spears

Mac & Cheese muffins

Deviled eggs

Spicy Chicken & waffle skewers w/ honey syrup

The whole spread!

CuteChicksCook Launch Dinner Party!!

Since a few friends of mine always talk about how they've never tasted my cooking, I decided to throw a little launch dinner for CuteChicksCook. I invited most of my close friends & associates to sample & give me feedback on some selections from my menu. The response was wonderful! None of my friends are "yes men" type of folks, so I knew they would let me know if something was sub par. Everyone had a great time (as evident from the video,lol) as well ! Here are some pictures & a little video one of my best friends put together for me. Love them!!

Jambalaya

Confetti Rice

Spicy BBQ Short Ribs

Herb Baked Chicken

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Collard Greens cooked in Smoked Turkey

Me & some of my wonderful friends!

Me

my girlies!

CuteChick Recipe #4- Shrimp & Bacon w/ Smoked Gruyere Cheese Grits

Want to impress someone for breakfast or just want to jazz up your brunch? Then this dish is perfect!  The smokiness from the bacon along with the smoked gruyere complimented each other really well. This is definitely a stick to your ribs type of meal as well, I swear I didn't get hungry again to well after lunch time! This is also a recipe where the sky is the limit in regards to ingredients, if you u don't have bacon, crumbled breakfast sausage would also work or if you don't like shrimp, crawfish or scallops would also be delish! Enjoy!!!

Here is the finished product :-)

Ingredients
5-6 ounces of raw, peeled & de-veined shrimp ( about 6-7 shrimp per serving)
1/4 cup each of diced onion & green pepper
3 strips of bacon (beef or pork....this ain't a turkey bacon type meal :-)) roughly chopped
about a teaspoon of minced garlic
4 oz. grated Smoked Gruyere cheese (or any other smoked or non-smoked cheese you prefer)
teaspoon of grated parmesan cheese (the kind in the green can will do)
6 tablespoons of unsalted butter
Seasonings (salt,pepper,garlic & onion powder,red pepper flakes,parsley flakes)
Quick grits (prepared according to package) about 4 servings will do, you may certainly increase all of the above ingredients if cooking for more than 3-4 people

To get started, season you shrimp w/ all of the above seasonings (about half of a teaspoon for each one) and the parmesan cheese & set to the side. Saute` the onions & peppers in 2 tablespoons of  butter over medium high heat for about 5-7 minutes. While they are cooking, you may certainly begin to prepare the grits. Once the onions & peppers are soft, add the minced garlic and cook for about another minute. Add the bacon to the pan & cook until it starts to brown & crisp a bit.

As the bacon browns, add the shrimp & cook until pink and firm.

 Once your grits have absorbed all of the water, season w/ salt, pepper & the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. As the butter melts, thoroughly stir in the grated cheese.

 Spoon your grits into a bowl & top w/ the shrimp and bacon mixture. Now how easy was that?

Restaurants & Thangs

The other day, my best friend & I decided we were hungry so we decided to hit up our favorite Cuban spot, Papi's. It's located down in midtown off of Ponce De Leon & I fell in love w/ them again, lol. Everytime I go I make an effort to try something new off of the menu. This time I ordered the smoked pork, black beans and rice, tostones & salad.

Now I actually just started experimenting with pork since I didn't eat it growing up & theirs' was cooked perfectly! This is definitely a spot I would recommend if you want good, wholesome food at a reasonable price. They also have a full bar there as well :-)

CuteChick Recipe #3 - Black & Red Bean Chilli w/ Cornbread

Nothing like a hearty chilli to knock the chill off! It's been a bit nippy in the A recently so I figured a big, flavorful pot of chilli would be ideal. Chilli can definitely be a laborious dish depending on how it's prepared but I made this relatively quick w/ some kitchen staples that most of us normally have on hand. Now I prefer a spicier chilli, but since my daughter has to eat it, I didn't add any heat. For a more adult friendly chilli, I recommend adding some crush red pepper flakes or a chopped jalapeno. If you REALLY want to kick it up, throw in a scotch bonnet (habanero) pepper! Enjoy Cuties!



Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef (turkey works as well)
1 medium onion (chopped medium dice)
1 green bell pepper (chopped medium dice)
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
1 15.5 oz can each of red beans & black beans (pinto works well as well)
1 14.5 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can of chilli style diced tomatoes
6 oz can of tomato paste
1 14oz can of beef broth
1 packet of chipotle taco seasoning (or any taco seasoning)
seasonings (salt,pepper,garlic & onion powder, chilli powder, cumin powder)
Cornbread mix (prepare according to package instructions)


To begin, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil over medium/high heat in a large dutch oven pot & sautee onions & peppers for about 5-6 minutes. Once they've softened some, add the garlic & let cook for another 5 minutes. 

Add your ground meat and all seasonings. Cook until mostly browned w/ some pink still present. Add your tomato pasted and thoroughly distribute.

Once the tomato paste has been mixed into the meat, add both cans of tomatoes. Season again with salt & pepper and then add your beans. Make sure you rinse off the beans in cold water before adding them to the pot.

Cover pot & let cook down for about 10-15 minutes. Once it has reduced some, add your beef broth & the taco seasoning packet to the pot. Cover with lid & reduce heat to allow for a slow simmer.

This whole process should be completed in about 35-45 minutes.

While the chilli is simmering, take this time bake your cornbread....& then you're all done!!! enjoy!!!

I garnished mine w/ some crushed tortilla chips, pickled jalapeno slices, shredded sharp cheddar, sour cream & cilantro. Yummyyy!!!!!!!

Restaurants & Thangs!

Sooo.....this monday afternoon I had an impromptu lunch w/ a few of my friends at one of my FAVE spots here in Atlanta, Pappadeaux. I've been to the location on Jimmy Carter Blvd. a few times but this was my 1st time dining at the Marietta restaurant & needless to say, I was not disappointed! Since I had already eaten, I didn't order an actual meal (can u believe it?!?) lol, I did finally try their oysters. I had half of them prepared the BBQ style & the other half pepared in the Baton Rouge style in which they baked them in a parmesan sauce. They were sooo good!!! If I had been hungrier I know for a fact that I would have at least ate 2 dozen! I also ordered the creme brulee` which they serve with fresh berries. It was divine!! It was just sweet enough but not too rich and it had a wonderful texture. I would definitely recommend it! Welp, that's all folks. Oh yeah, here are some pics as well!

And please don't be afraid to suggest new restaurants to try readers! Until next time!

CuteChick Recipe #2 - Chicken Tacos w/ Jalapeno Lime & Cilantro Slaw!!!

Hey CuteChicks ...or shall I say ChicasBonitas? Lol, ok ok, enough of the cornballness! My next recipe is a relatively simple one & took virtually no time at all! For some odd reason, I am a slaw fanatic so this recipe is right up my alley!  This makes for a great quick meal during the week or a great meal for entertaining as a lot goes a long way! With the help of store bought seasoning packet & a quick, tangy slaw, your friends & family will think you spent WAY more time on this than you did!


Ingredients
Tacos :

3 good sized boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets cut into small chunks (boneless thighs would work great for this too!)
Seasonings ( onion & garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper)
Juice of 1 lime
1 packet of McCormicks chicken taco seasoning1 package of tortillas (soft flour or corn, whatever your preference)
Assorted toppings (salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream, lettuce, tomato...whatever you want)
Olive oil

Slaw:
A little over 1 cup of shredded cabbage (I used a store bought mix that included red cabbage & carrots)
 3 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon of chopped jalapenos (fresh or pickled...I used pickled)
1 tablespoon of thinly sliced green onion (diced red onion works well too)
1 1/2 mayonnaise
Juice of about half a lime
1 teaspoon white vinegar
celery salt (or plain salt), pepper & sugar to taste
1 package of tortillas (soft flour or corn, whatever your preference)

You want to start by tossing your cut chicken in the lime juice & seasoning the chicken with the everything listed above & set to the side. Simple enough right?

Now time to make the slaw. In a measuring cup, whisk together the lime juice, mayonnaise, vinegar, celery salt,pepper & sugar. I would suggest tasting a bit to make sure it's to your liking. Next, mix in the jalepeno & onion. Pour about half of the mixture into a bowl.

Add the cabbage & cilantro along with the rest of the mixture & mix well. I definitely recommend making this about an hour or more ahead of time so the flavors can mesh. Trust me, this slaw tastes better the longer  it sits! This should be your final outcome

Time to cook our chicken! In a medium large skillet, heat up about 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil. Add your chicken & cook until done or until a sample piece is no longer pink in the middle. Once my chicken was done I added the entire packet of chicken taco seasoning & about half a cup of water.

Place a lid on top and let cook for an additional 10 minutes. Welp, that's all folks, your done!!! Spoon your chicken into warm tortillas & add all the toppings & slaw you want!!! Enjoy!!