Sherry Berry's Creative Kitchen

Mommy's Mac n' Cheese

2011-12-07T15:12:00.006-06:00

I know. I know. It's not good for you, but it's good to you :) Comfort food. Cheesy goodness. I made this recipe last year over the Holidays and it was a big hit, so I made it again (by request) this year. It's been a while since I've updated the food blog. Okay, it's been a year. Give me a break, I'm a mom now lol. Here ya' go:

Mommy's Mac n' Cheese

Ingredients:

2 cups dry, whole grain elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons evaporated fat free milk (I use Carnation brand)
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 1/4 cups of boiling hot water
3/4 cup of shredded Colby Jack or Cheddar Jack cheese
3 cups shredded (about 12 oz.) American cheese (not the processed junk. You can find the real stuff at the Deli at your grocery store)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

1. Cook macaroni according to package directions, drain off water in a colander and set aside.

2. Heat oven to 350ºF.

3. In a large bowl, mix evaporated milk, flour, and melted butter.

4. Gradually add 1/3 of the boiling water, beating constantly with a wisk.

5. Add 1/2 of the American cheese and continue beating until smooth and creamy.

6. Stir in half of the macaroni.

7. Repeat steps 4-6 until all the macaroni, American cheese and boiling water is mixed well and creamy.

8. Add salt.

9. Transfer to lightly greased 2-qt baking dish.

10. Cover with foil.

11. Bake for 25 minutes.

12. Remove from oven and remove foil.

13. Evenly sprinkle Colby Jack or Cheddar Jack cheese over the top.

14. Place pan back in oven and bake for another two or three minutes until cheese melts.
15. Turn on oven broiler on high. Watch closely until top of cheese turns a crisp golden brown.
16. Remove from oven and let sit for ten minutes. Serves 8-10. or one todddler for three days lol.

Warm Autumn Apple Dumplings

2010-09-28T21:56:00.008-05:00

This is a delicious dessert that is quick and easy to prepare, and your guests are guaranteed to love it. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 whole Granny Smith Apples or fresh peaches.
2 cans (8 Oz. Cans) Crescent Rolls
2 sticks Butter
1-½ cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Ground Cinnamon, To Taste
1/2 of a 20 oz. bottle of Mountain Dew Soda

Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.

Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples.

Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan.

Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

Aaron's inside-out burgers...

2010-04-10T22:16:00.011-05:00

I actually give Mr. Berry all the credit for this one. While watching Aaron McCargo's "Big Daddy's House" on Food Network, he decided to try these burgers because they looked so good on-screen. Definitely not the healthiest choices, but it's a good 'company food' to entertain family with. With Spring now in bloom, there's usually an emergence of backyard barbecues, picnics and family reunions to partake in. Try out this "inside-out" burger and let me know what you think.

Ingredients:

6 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces
8oz Cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced OR diced red onions if you're like me, and don't like mushrooms.
2lbs Ground chuck
1 large shallot, diced
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4oz Swiss cheese, cubed
4 Hamburger buns

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare swiss cheese and mushrooms (or onions) and slice bacon.

Add bacon to skillet, and cook until done. Once bacon is done, drain all fat, except for 1tbsp.

Add mushrooms (If you're using them) and sauté in pan for a minute or so. If your'e using onions, add them at this time. Set mixture aside.

Add ground check to a large bowl.

Add salt and pepper and 2tbsp Worcestershire sauce. Mix well. Divide into 8 equal parts and make patties.

Combine the cheese into the cooled mushrooms and bacon mixture. Take 1 patty and top with 2-ounces of the filling.

Place another patty on top and pinch around the edges to make sure that the filling is totally covered. Make the rest of the patties the same way.

Over medium-high heat, heat a large skillet with grapeseed or olive oil. Once hot, add the burgers and cook for 2 minutes per side. Place the pan into the oven and cook for 4 to 6 more minutes for medium burgers.

Click here to view video from food network

Mama O's Warm Lemon Butter Pound Cake

2010-02-28T21:45:00.014-06:00

My grandmother used to make the best pound cake every Sunday. She would send half of it home with me (despite my mother's dismay) lovingly wrapped in lots of foil paper. I miss my grandmother, and I miss her pound cake, among other things she would prepare in her kitchen just for me ;) This recipe is dedicated to my "Mama Ophelia", whom I'm sure has attributed to the 20+ pounds I've gained over the years. Disclaimer: I suggest that you bake this right before you have house guests over; Otherwize, it's likely that you'll eat the entire cake on your own...

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter (room temperature)
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup of milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, whip butter while gradually adding sugar.

Mix until fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time to butter/sugar mixure.

In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients.

Gradually add dry ingredients and milk (about a 1/2 cup at a time of dry ingredients and 1/4 cup of milk alternating until all ingredients are mixed together) to butter/sugar mixture.

Add vanilla and lemon extracts.

Grease with butter and flour a 10" bundt pan (or tube pan if you prefer).

Bake one to one and a half hours or until toothpick or knife tests clean.

Let cool for ten minutes and remove from pan. Dust with powdered sugar (optional).

Serve warm :) Enjoy!

Cocoa Cake Squares

2010-01-20T18:23:00.008-06:00

Last night after dinner, I had a sweet-tooth. I looked around in the pantry and cupboards to see what I had on hand, then surfed online to find recipes. I found this recipe online and modified it a little. It actually came out very moist, light. fluffy, and surprisingly not too sweet. It was a perfect cure to my sweet tooth, and Mr. Berry liked them too.

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup nonfat milk (I used 2%)
2 eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup boiling water

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray a square Pyrex dish or baking pan with a thin coat of Pam.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda in large bowl. Add milk, eggs, oil and vanilla. ("always pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients"- I can hear my mom saying that in my head :)

3. Beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Add water; stirring with spoon until well blended. 4. Pour batter into prepared pan.
5. Bake 18-20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

6. With a spatula, loosen cake from edges of pan.

7. Place square baking dish upside down over a cake plate. Cool completely. Cut cake into squares.

Optional: Sprinke with powdered sugar and/or garnish with whipped topping infused with grated orange peel.

(I apologize for the photo below being sideways; You get the picture, I'm sure.) Thanks for viewing! Feel free to comment here.

Doc's Spinach Artichoke Dip

2010-01-06T20:19:00.035-06:00

Happy 2010 folks! Hope you all had safe and happy holidays! This next recipe is also cause for a celebration. I've served it at parties (okay, well...two so far) and for intimate get-togethers.

I appropriated the recipe from a friend several years ago, and have used it ever since. Mr. Berry and I actually try spinach dips at restaurants in an attempt to compare them to this recipe, and some have some close, but most have failed. Try it, and you'll see what I mean. Comments welcome :)

Ingredients:

2 10 oz. packages of chopped spinach
8 oz sour cream
8 oz monterrey jack shredded cheese
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts
1/2 onion (chopped fine)
1 stick of butter
4 oz of philadelphia cream cheese (fat free or light will do)
2/3 c fresh parmesean cheese
garlic to taste (I used two cloves)
Tortilla chips

optional : ground cayenne pepper for garnishing

Directions: (see pictures below)

Gather all ingredients from the list above.
In a large pan, slowly melt the stick of butter as shown below.
As butter is melting, chop onions.
Chop garlic. Add onions and garlic to pan. Saute for a few minutes.
Remove spinach from package(s) and place in small, microwaveable bowl.
Place spinach in microwave for a minute on high power or until no longer frozen. It should still be bright green in color.Set aside.
Remove artichoke hearts from jar. Chop artichoke hearts finely (or cheat like I did and use the food processor.)
Onions and garlic should be well sauteed in butter.
Add spinach, stir, and cook for ten minutes on medium heat.
Add cream cheese and mix well.Add sour cream and mix well.Add artichoke.
Remove from heat;
Add parmesean cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Add to casserole dish; Add Monterrrey jack on top.Heat in oven on 350 degrees until cheese is melted on top.
Once cheese is melted (I like mine to have a tinge of brown crust on top--but that's just me :)
Let cool for five minutes and serve with tortilla chips. *I also like to add a sprinkle of ground cayenne pepper on top of my serving for an extra KICK.

Banana Nut Muffins

2009-12-22T14:02:00.007-06:00

Ingredients:

3 Ripe Bananas (the riper, the moister the bread!)

2 Eggs

1.5 cups Flour

4 oz. Butter (room temperature)

1/2 cup Chopped Pecans or Walnuts

1.5 cups Sugar

1 tsp. Baking Soda (or Dry Yeast)

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract (optional)

Pinch of Salt

Additional Butter for baking dish

How to make muffins:

Preheat oven to 375°F

1. Sift flour and baking soda together and reserve.

2. In another bowl, stir sugar, eggs, vanilla, and butter until homogenous. Incorporate flour, and stir until smooth.

3. Mush bananas with a fork and stir into batter. Then add nuts and stir well.
4. Butter muffin pan and pour in batter.

Bake for about 55 minutes. The banana nut muffins are done when the tip of a knife comes out clean and dry.

5. Let cool off for about ten minutes and then remove from muffin pan.

You can serve this warm (with butter mmmm) or room temperature.Voilà! Bon Appétit!

Tropical Milkshakes (Mango, Papaya & Strawberry)

2009-12-02T19:37:00.009-06:00

What you need:

1/2 bag of frozen fruit (you may use fresh fruit also) of your choice
3 scoops of vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup of milk

Directions:

Pour 1/2 bag of frozen fruit (or subsitute) in blender. Add milk. Add vanilla ice cream.

And blend for about 30 seconds (depending on the power/speed of your blender).
Stir and repeat. Note: you may need to use some sweetener of some sort to make your milkshake a little sweeter. You may add sugar (raw or processed), honey, stevia, agave nector, splenda, etc.

Voila! Enjoy your tropical milkshake!

Perfect Green Beans :) (Thanksgiving Day hit)

2009-11-28T14:51:00.019-06:00

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving holiday! Mr. Berry and myself had a relaxing day with my mom, dad and brother. After dinner, while dad and MB were watching football, mom, my brother and I had fun putting up the Christmas tree and eyeing the insane Black Friday ads.

I didn't do much this year; I was delegated the 'green stuff' and the 'dessert'. I had it easy- (I think it's because my mom didn't want me doing much, since I'm now 7 months pregnant :)

Luckily a local grocery store had greenbeans on sale for .77 cents a pound...so I grabbed them and decided to make them my 'green veggie of choice'.

Try this, and you're sure to have perfect and tasty green beans, whether they be for a holiday dinner or a just your normal family dinner during the week. What's your favorite holiday green veggie? Comment here:

What you need:

1 tbsp olive oil (doesn't have to be extra virgin)

1 tbsp butter

2 tsp fresh cracked pepper

1 tsp salt

1/2 lb of fresh green beans (about 2 handfuls), rinsed with stems removed

1 medium sized pot of boiling water

1 medium sized bowl of ice water (for ice bath)

1/4 c of cooking Sherry wine

1 tsp of galic and shallot mixture (8 garlic gloves to two shallots, minced)

Directions:

Rinse green beans and remove stems if you have not done so already.

Place beans in hot boiling pot of water.

Let boil in pot covered with lid for no longer than five minutes. While beans are boiling, prepare you saute pan. Add olive oil. Heat on medium heat (if gas range, and on medium high heat for electric range).

After olive oil is heated, add butter.

Remove beans from boiling water and add immediately to ice bath.

Keep in ice bath until you are ready to saute them. The ice bath helps the beans keep a bright vibrant green color. Once saute pan is hot and butter is melted, add green beans and the tsp of garlic/shallot puree.

Saute beans for a couple of minutes, then add the Sherry.

I used Osborne Sherry, but you can use one of your choice.

Let wine reduce for a two minutes or so.

Remove from pan, and add fresh pepper and salt to taste.

Serve and Enjoy!!!

KA's Crockpot Chicken Tacos

2009-11-23T16:45:00.023-06:00

Thanks to one of my friends I got this recipe from, this was a big hit, and very easy to do! Just set it aaaaannnnd forget it! (homage to the Ronco rotisierre infomercial for those who didn't catch that.) Anywho, try it and you'll love it. Please comment here.

All you need:

3 chicken breasts (you may use frozen)
1 package of chicken taco seasoning
1 can of Rotel diced tomatoes and chiles (or pico de gallo)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup of olive oil
20 or so corn tortillas (I prefer yellow corn, not sure why...but you can use white.
3 tbsp. canola oil

Directions:

Set crockpot on low. (Don't laugh, I love my 'old skool' hand-me-down crockpot better than I do my brand new one. For some reason I think the old one cooks the food better.)

Add Taco Seasoning. I used McCormick's but any brand will do.

Put chicken breasts on top of the taco seasoning. Add the Rotel, water and oil.

Leave in crockpot for 6-8 hours. Around the sixth hour, turn up heat to high.

This step is optional: Pour contents of crockpot in a a deep skillet (including liquid.)
Push chicken pieces to the sides of the pan, leaving a 'hole filled with sauce'.
Add two tablespoons of flour or cornstarch to the 'hole' for thickening the sauce.

As the sauce thickens, use two forks to shred chicken.

Turn the heat to a low setting and begin to prepare tortillas. In a omlette pan (8" skillet), heat up three tablespoons of canola oil on a medium high setting. Place tortilla in pan. Once you see the tortilla bubbling up in the middle, flip. After about twenty seconds, remove tortilla from pan and place on a folded paper towel to drain excess oil. Repeat until you have the desired number of taco shells.

Add your toppings (I used colby-jack shredded cheese and shredded iceburg lettuce.)

Oven-Fried Wings for Football Sunday

2009-11-08T19:57:00.031-06:00

It was a rainy and lazy Football Sunday today. Instead of going out to our favorite wing spot, I decided to create our own wing bar at home. It was pretty easy, and they turned out great! My mother gave me the idea.

What's your favorite game day finger food or snack? Comment here!

Let's get wingin'! Here's what you need:

5-6 lbs of chicken pieces (I chose to use drumettes, because it's my favorite 'wing part')
2 tbs. canola oil
Seasoned chicken fry mix (I used McCormick's brand, you can also use Bisquick)
Cajun seasoning (or a combo of garlic salt, red pepper, and paprika)
Shallow cookie sheet or baking pan
large bowl
clean, unused produce bag (I usually grab a couple of extras while grocery shopping for this purpose :)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

1. Gather ingredients. Rinse chicken pieces in cool water and place in large bowl (do not pat dry). Coat cookie sheet with the canola oil. Season chicken with coarse ground pepper and seasoned salt.

2. Pour seasoned chicken fry mix (or substitute) in produce bag. Add 4-5 tbsp. of cajun seasong to bag and mix well. If using the garlic salt, pepper, and paprika mixture, use 2 tbsp each. Add a few chicken pieces at a time to the bag, lightly shake bag to evenly coat chicken.

3. After chicken is evenly coated, place on the cookie sheet. Repeat until all chicken pieces are coated and place on sheet.

4. Place pan in oven and set timer for 25 minutes.

5. After 25 minutes, take pan out and carefully flip chicken over (browned side up). Set timer for an additional 20 minutes and place pan back into oven.

6. Remove pan from oven. Use tongs to place chicken on a serving dish.

7. Pair chicken with baby carrot sticks and celery or use another finger food and dipping sauce or dressing of your liking.

8. Enjoy the game!!! (and your wings!)

Chicken Lettuce Wraps-- (like P.F Changs)

2009-09-15T21:09:00.038-05:00

I love these as a quick lunch, snack or appetizer. Definitely not the same as P.F. Chang's', but a close second, in my opinion. Give them a try and I'm sure you'll really enjoy them.

Do you have a lettuce wrap recipe that you want to share? Please comment here

Okay, so let's get started!!

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons canola oil

4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup water chestnut (canned is fine)

1/2 cup sliced carrots

1/2 red bell pepper

3 tablespoons chopped onions

1 teaspoon minced garlic

10 crisp leaves of romaine or bib lettuce (rinsed and patted dry)

Dipping Sauce:

1/4 cup sugar (or sugar substitute of your choice)

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons water

Dipping Sauce "KICK" add-in:

1 tablespoon hot mustard

1-2 teaspoon garlic and red chile paste

Stir-fry sauce:

4 tablespoons soy sauce

4 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Start with making the dipping sauce. Dissolve 1/4 c. sugar in 1/2 c. water.

(Note: The mixture in the photo below looks dark because I used raw sugar. Also, if you would
like a thicker dipping sauce, add less water.)

2. Gather all the other ingredients you will need.

3. To the sugar/water mixture, Add 2 tbsp. soy sauce.

4. Add 1 tbsp. of lemon juice. (You may use a freshly squeezed lemon. I chose to use bottled lemon juice, since I had it on hand in the fridge.)

5. Add 2 tbsp. each of both rice wine vinegar and ketchup.

6. Add a dash of sesame oil (approx 1/8 tsp.) Mix well and store in fridge for later use.

7. Next, we make the dipping sauce "kick" add-in.

You will need the hot mustard and chili paste for this.

8. Mix in the 1 tbsp. hot mustard and 2 tsp. chili paste in a bowl and set in fridge for later use.

Note: Eventually when your lettuce wraps are served, you will mix the dipping sauce and the 'kick' add-in together for the desired flavor you want. Some may like their dipping sauce hotter/spicier than others, so it's best to keep them separate and allow your guests to mix their add- in for their own desired flavor.

9. Now for the filling for the lettuce wraps: Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and saute them in the 3 tbsp. of canola oil on medium to high heat. 5 minutes on each side until done.

10. When done, remove chicken from pan.

Note: Keep pan heated for stir fry. Also keep any residual oil in pan.

11. Hand shred chicken into smaller pieces as shown below.

12. Now, add veggies!

13. Chop water chestnuts, carrots, garlic and onion in small pieces. I cheated this time and used my food processor...lol. You may do the same.

14. Coarsely chop red bell pepper. Add to other veggies.

15. Add ingredients for the stir fry sauce. (Soy sauce, brown sugar and rice wine vinegar.)

Wisk stir fry sauce together and set aside. Make sure brown sugar is fully dissolved.

16. Add shredded chicken, red bell pepper, onions, carrots and water chestnut to hot pan.

17. Add stir-fry sauce to the pan and saute the mixture for a few minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.

18. Gather lettuce leaves and place about a spoonful of stir-fry mixture in the middle of each lettuce leaf.

19. Remove dipping sauce container from fridge. Add desired amount of the "kick" mixture to the dipping sauce. I suggest adding in a teaspoon at a time until you get the flavor you want. For me, two teaspoons of "kick" was all I could handle. Place in a small dipping container.

If you choose to, you may also pour dipping sauce over your lettuce wraps if you prefer not to 'dip' them in the sauce.

20. Enjoy!!!!

For what it's worth, Mr. Berry gives these lettuce wraps a "two sauce- filled thumbs up!" :)

Chicken Enchiladas Verdes - Quick and Easy

2009-08-11T19:16:00.015-05:00

My earliest memory of enchiladas verdes was when I was a kid. My parents used to take us to this mexican buffet called Pancho's-- any of you remember it?? Raise the flag! (lol just thinking about it.) By no means was it authentic, but it was cheap, quick, and pretty good for the price. Well, since then, they've closed down many of their locations. Consider yourself lucky if you have one near you...lol (insert sarcasm here:)

In memory of Pancho's, here's a quick and easy enchiladas verde recipe I created on a whim. It was actually pretty good and only takes about thirty minutes to prepare. Comments welcome.

Ingredients:

10-15 white corn tortillas

1 can of green chile sauce

2 cups of white cheese (jack, queso blanco, or white cheddar, etc.)

1 can of diced green chiles and tomatoes (Rotel brand is what I used.)

2 cups of cooked, shredded chicken (I used some left over from a previous dish.)

1/2 cup of canola oil

9 x11 baking dish

Directions:

1. Heat canola oil in shallow pan or skillet on medium heat. Quickly dip one tortilla in the oil until softened (don't leave them in too long, or they will begin to harden.) Lay a tortilla flat and fill with cheese and shredded chicken-- about 1/4 cup of filling down the center. Tightly bring the edges over the filling to close it and then lay the tortilla seam side down in a 9x13 baking dish. Repeat until all of the tortillas are filled.

(excuse the blurry photos... I was having technical difficulties with my camera)

2. Pour verde (green chile) sauce over enchiladas.

3. Add green chiles and tomatoes.

4. Add remainder of chees(es).

5. Heat in oven on 350 degrees for twenty minutes. Cheese should be melted.

6. Let cool for five minutes, and serve with a coordinating side dish. I chose Mexican rice and I mixed in black beans.

Blackend Salmon w/ Summer veggies

2009-07-31T20:18:00.015-05:00

The first time I had blackened salmon was at the Aquarium restaurant in Kemah, Texas some years ago. It was so good, I had to find out what was in this 'blackened' seasoning. Come to find out, it just a bunch of seasonings I use on a regular basis all combined into one. Go figure. Anyways, this is one of my favorites, and I thought I'd share it with you all. What's your favorite fish and how do you prepare it? Please comment here.

What you'll need:

2 fresh Atlantic salmon fillets (skinned is ok)

2 tbsp blackened seasoning (or cheat using a store bought one...lol)

1/2 lb veggies of your choice (I used zucchini, yellow squash and broccoli)

Directions:

1. Rinse and pat fillets dry with a paper towel.

2. Evenly coat both sides of the fillets with blackened seasoning.

3. Heat a cast iron skillet with medium-high setting. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to skillet. If you don't have a cast iron one, stainless steel is the next best thing. Once pan is hot, add fillets. If your fillets have skin, cook skin side up. After five minutes or so, carefully peel back and remove skin.

4. While your salmon fillets are cooking, prepare your veggies. I chose to julienne one yellow squash and one zucchini for this dish.

5. I also used one large broccoli crown.

6. Add all veggies to a steamer pot, or saute in a pan with olive oil and oregano. Steam until veggies are lightly steamed and firm.

7. Cook salmon for about 4-5 minutes on each side. When the flesh of the salmon is slightly transparent, it's done. You definitely do not want to overcook your salmon...it will result in a dry, non flaky piece of fish!

8. When done, serve with veggies! Enjoy.

Creole Chicken w/ Fried Cabbage

2009-07-16T17:40:00.018-05:00

A friend needed a place to stay at one time. I was living alone then, and allowed her and her canine companion to live with me for a month until she saved money for closing costs on her new home. In exchange for my sofa bed, she would cook, clean and do grocery shopping. I never asked her do to these things, she just did. I didn't cook as often then as I do now, because I was single and always on the go-(fast food, delivery and take out where my friends...lol) One day, she created this dish that she said her mother used to make for her all the time growing up. She basically boiled a whole cut chicken and simmered it in tomato sauce and seasonings. She served it over rice, and I must say that it was a delightful detour from the norm.

I decided to make my version of the dish a few weeks ago. Instead of using a whole chicken, I used drumsticks, because that's what I had in the freezer that day. I also thought I'd add some fried cabbage on the side to balance the meal. Have you ever had a friend introduce you to a dish that was part of their family tradition? Please share your comments here.

Creole Chicken w/ Fried Cabbage

Ingredients:

1 lb of chicken (cuts of your choice)

2 small cans of tomato paste

1/2 cup celery

1/2 cup scallions

1/2 onion

1/2 bell pepper

1/4 cup fresh corn (optional)

1/2 cup of frozen okra (optional)

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 tbsp fresh ground black pepper

4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 cup of hot, cooked rice (whole grain is my preference)

for fried cabbage:

1/2 head of fresh green cabbage

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 tsp red pepper flakes or ground cayenne pepper

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Rinse and place chicken in a large pot of water. Bring to a rolling boil.

Add all seasonings (salt, pepper and thyme). Continue to boil uncovered for 20 minutes.

Add celery, corn, and okra. Omit items if desired.

Add tomato paste and let simmer until water is reduced by almost half.

Add onions, scallions and bell peppers.

Let simmer for another ten minutes, while you are preparing the cabbage.

Slice cabbage in thin strips, place in frying pan with chicken stock and seasonings.

Simmer on medium heat, covered until cabbage is tender.

Serve chicken over rice, and add cabbage on the side. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

Enjoy!

Spinach Omlette (Sunday Brunch at home)

2009-07-01T00:03:00.019-05:00

Of course this doesn't beat the brunch at the Four Seasons or the Ritz, but it comes really close--

(that was me tooting my horn, in case you missed it :) Just kidding.

Believe it or not, I didn't always know how to make an omlette. *gasp!* Some years back I had this crazy idea to impress Mr. Berry with breakfast one morning, and called a friend up to instruct me on how to create this egg masterpiece we call an omlette. My friend then invited me over to teach me how to make one. Afterwards, I asked, "That's it?..." My friend said, "Um yep...that's it." I don't know why I thought it would be more complicated to make. So I went to the grocer's to pick up the things I needed to make the omlette, and needless to say, Mr. Berry enjoyed his breakfast that next morning. Since then, I've gotten more creative and honed in on my omlette 'stuffings' of choice.

Sherry's Omlette favorites:

Ham, grilled sweet onions, scallions, cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, swiss, provolone, paremesean, or mozarella), peppers, spinach, basil, and garlic. What's your favorite omlette combo? --comment here.

A couple of Sunday's ago, I was craving a spinach and cheese omlette. How did I make it, you ask? Like this:

Ingredients:

handful of fresh spinach
half an onion, diced
shredded cheddar cheese
two slices of jalepeno jack cheese
salt and pepper to taste
3 eggs (sub egg whites or egg beaters if you wish)
basil
parsley
one glove of garlic
8-10 inch omlette pan or cast iron skillet
(or if you want to cheat you can use one of those omlette 'shaped' pans...

Sautee fresh spinach in a teaspoon of olive oil and galic.

When spinach is sauteed to your liking, set aside.

Dice half an onion and saute in a teaspoon of butter and basil until slightly transparent.

Crack three fresh eggs into a bowl and beat well. I always add a two teaspoons of warm water to the mixture to make the eggs fluffy. This is completely optional, of course.

Add a pinch of salt and pepper to eggs.

Melt a teaspoon of butter or non stick spray to your pan, then add eggs.

As the outside of the omlette cooks, pull the outsides to the middle of the pan to insure even heat distribution to the uncooked portion of the omlette.

Once the omlette is mostly done, start to add your cheddar cheese. Then proceed with the spinach and onions. Gently slide omlette out of pan onto a plate and carefully fold over. Top with slices of pepper-jack cheese and garnish with fresh parsley.

Optional: Add a fresh fruit salad on the side- I had some apples and oranges on hand, so that's what I chose to use, but by all means go crazy with kumquats and starfruit if you wish. lol

My fancy-smancy apple corer ;) Ya' dig?

No brunch is complete without a mimosa! (or virgin momosas with sparkling white grape juice if you a party pooper.)

Voila! Enjoy...

-S

Tazo Chai Icecream Float

2009-06-25T16:24:00.000-05:00

One of the posters on a networking site that I frequent suggested this. Because I am a big fan of the Chai lattes from Starbucks and often purchase the concentrate to enjoy my Chai lattes at home, I figured this would be a quick try. It actually turned out pretty well!

All you need is:

Chai concentrate (brand of your choice; I suggest Tazo)
Vanilla Icecream (brand of your choice; I'm partial to Haagen-Daz Vanilla)

Two scoops of vanilla icecream in a bowl; Pour about a 1/4 cup of Chai concentrate over icecream. Yum!

Grilled Chicken Spinach Wraps

2009-06-17T01:04:00.012-05:00

I got this idea from reminiscing. When I was in college, there was a food court in the basement of our dormitory adorned with the usual cafeteria style and snack bar foods. On occasion, they would offer something different, to appeal to more tastes. I specifically remember a "build your own wrap" station, in which you could pick from a variety of veggies, beans, rice and/or grilled chicken. They would then pan saute everything you chose in a skillet in front of you, and then wrap it up like a burrito, cut it in half and serve it on a plate (or in my case, most days I would take it to go in a Styrofoam container and go up to my room to study). I miss those wraps...lol They were good, and a great alternative to burgers, pizza, and chicken fingers. What was your favorite food memory from college? Please leave your comments here.

Since I had some left over grilled chicken and corn-black bean salsa from our Mesquite chicken salad, I decided to use my creativity to devour all the ingredients we had left :)

I sautéed some spinach in some virgin olive oil and garlic until tender and prepared some yellow rice (you can use any rice, of course) with diced peppers.

Warm the spinach tortilla wrap in the oven on 375 for five to ten minutes or until warmed throughout. Place a tablespoon of corn/bean salsa mixture in the middle of tortilla.

Add chicken, rice, and sautéed spinach.

Add cheese (optional) . I used jalapeño-jack.

Wrap like a burrito (envelope style) and cut in half.

Yep, it's that quick and easy, and it's a great snack or a fancy-smansy lunch box alternative to the usual turkey sandwich. Enjoy!

Southwestern Mesquite Chicken Salad

2009-06-11T19:21:00.007-05:00

One of our favorite old 'standbys' for lunch is Chili's. When we can't decide on a place to eat, we usually end up at the one around the corner from our home. I usually alternate between to two or three of my favorite items on the menu; One of which is their Mesquite chicken salad. It's so good,. . . yet so deceiving, because although one may think of a salad as being a healthy choice, this one, deceptively, is not...lol .

810 Calories (1050 with the side of ranch dressing)--but it's SO darn good!

Do you have a restaurant fave that you like to mimic at home? Please share here:

What is it? - "Grilled mesquite chicken breast, applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, corn relish, cilantro, crispy tortilla strips and a touch of BBQ sauce. Served with Jalapeno Ranch dressing." -.

Mouth watering yet?

It's good stuff...so occasionally I make 'my version' of it at home for dinner and have leftovers for a couple of days. Here's how:

Ingredients: (serves 4)

4 chicken breasts

2 tbsp Mesquite seasoning

1/2 tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp fresh cracked pepper

1 3/4 cups yellow corn (frozen, canned or cut off the ear is fine)

1 1/2 cups black beans (rinsed and drained)

1/2 red onion

1 cup of fresh cilantro leaves

2 cups Mesquite barbecue sauce of your choice

2 cups Colby-Jack or Jalapeno-Jack cheese (shredded)

1 bag of Blue and White crunchy tortilla strips (or chips)

1 head of romaine lettuce

Optional items: pico de gallo, fresh lime wedge for garnish, jalapeno ranch dressing

Directions:

Prepare romaine lettuce my chopping edible sized portions into a bowl and set aside.

Season chicken breasts with mesquite seasoning and pepper. Grill for 6 to 8 minutes on each side at 375 degrees.

Once done, slice chicken breasts and set aside.

Prepare corn: (if canned, rinse and drain; If frozen, thaw; If fresh, cut off of ear as shown below:)

Add corn to large skillet.

Add black beans to skillet with corn....

Dice red onion and add to corn/bean mixture.

Add ground cumin and a pinch of salt and pepper to mixture. Cook on medium setting until mixture is desired temperature throughout. Turn heat off, and set aside.

Take tortilla strips (or chips ) and very lightly crush them into small pieces.

Now time to make our salad!

Place a handful of the chopped romaine lettuce on a plate or in a shallow salad bowl.

Add cheese...

Add desired amount of the corn, bean and onion salsa mixture ...

Add crushed tortilla chips (or tortilla strips).

Top off salad with sliced, grilled chicken breast, and generously coat chicken with mesquite barbecue sauce (optional) with a pastry brush or small sauce mop.

Garnish with cilantro leaves and enjoy!!!

Chocolate Ice Cream cake...(not what you think!)

2009-06-10T14:17:00.017-05:00

When I saw this online, I was so anxious to try it that I made it the same day. I must say, ice cream and cake (at least not in the 'traditional sense'--genius! It's like the best invention since the wheel ...or sliced bread even!

It came out very moist and yummy. The cool thing is, you can experiment with different ice cream and cake flavors. (I've heard that mint chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate cake are a big hit with some ....I'm tempted to try vanilla cake and dulce de leche ice cream....hmm--I wonder... :)

If any of you tried this recipe before, please share your ice cream/cake flavor combos!!! Click here to comment!

Ingredients:

Box of cake chocolate mix (not the kind with the pudding in the mix)
3 eggs
1 cup of water
A budnt cake pan, greased or in my case, thinly coated with a non-stick spray (such as Pam)
1 pint of ice cream, softened
Large mixing bowl :)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix water and eggs into cake mix.

Add ice cream, and beat everything together with a mixer for approx. 4 minutes.

Bake in oven on 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Let cake cool in pan for a couple of minutes, and then carefully remove cake from pan.

Suggestions: Serve with a dusting of confectioner's sugar, a thin icing, whipped cream, or the frosting of your choice. I had a small bit of chocolate icing left from a previous cake, so I melted about 1/2 cup of that in the microwave and drizzled (fo' shizzle) over the cake. (I know it wasn't a 'perfect'- looking drizzle but it will do...)

So moist and yummy! Enjoy!

Salmon Croquettes (Just like my mom used to make!)

2009-06-05T22:48:00.021-05:00

I used to love when my mother would make these! When I got my first apartment in college, one of my first tasks was to make my own salmon croquettes like my mothers, but in my own kitchen :) At the time, I actually thought that making croquettes was the 'only way' to eat salmon [from a can]. Oh what a nieve little cookie I was! Later on, as I got older, of course I tasted a grilled and blackened salmon fillet and that opened my eyes to a whole world of 'salmon' possiblities! Mr. Sherry Berry's mom used to make them for him as well, so we share a common childhood favorite. For those of you who have recipes that call for 'canned salmon' please share them in the comments section!

Ingredients:

1 15oz can of salmon- (Make sure you remove all bones and skin, or use two small cans of boneless, skinless salmon)

*drain canned salmon, but leave about a tablespoon of juice*

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 onion

1 green bellpepper

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp of breadcrumbs

1/2 cup of crushed crackers

3 tbsp. olive oil

(you may add chopped celery and/or scallions if you'd like in lieu of vegetables above)

Directions:

1. Add olive oil to pan, set to medium heat.

2. Add salmon, eggs, breadcrumbs and crushed crackers to bowl. I had club crackers on hand this time, but I usually prefer to use saltines.

3. Chop onion and bellpepper and add to mixture.

(I cheated and used my food processor... didn't feel like cutting up onions today.)

OH! ....and look what I found inside my bellpepper--- a baby bellpepper!!

That's never happened to me....ever.

4. Add salt and pepper and mix well. I've found that a fork works best.

5. Using tablespoon portions, form mixture into several balls. You should be able to make 8-10.

6. Place them in heated pan with the olive oil. Pan fry until golden brown on each side, while flattening into a patty.

(approx. 3 minutes per side.)

7. Enjoy! Great with brown rice and veggies (i.e., steamed cabbage, grilled asparagus, sauteed spinach, or green beans.)

Spicy Italian Sausage Penne Bake

2009-06-01T13:38:00.017-05:00

I got the idea from a friend's blog and it's been a big hit among friends and family. I must give "Delish" credit for this one. The way I prepare it is slightly different, but with same ooey-gooey, comforting goodness as the original.

Ingredients:

16 oz. penne pasta (I used the Barilla whole grain penne)

1/2 – 3/4 lbs. hot Italian sausage, grilled and sliced
2 10 oz. jars of pasta sauce
3/4 c. heavy cream
2 tsp. italian seasoning
1 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. white pepper1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 c. mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese (or you may use the shredded Kraft Italian cheese blend)

Directions:

1. Grill Italian sausages and slice them.

2. Set sliced sausages aside.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Boil pasta until al dente.

4. Drain pasta and add Italian sausage.

5. Add pasta sauce, heavy cream & all spices to the pot.

6. Stir occasionally over medium heat for 5 minutes.

7. Pour pasta into 9×13″ baking dish.

8. Top with mozzarella & Parmesan (or Italian blend) cheese.

9. Bake 25-30 minutes until cheese is bubbly and browned.

10. Enjoy!

New York Strip with Baja Slaw

2009-05-29T17:43:00.030-05:00

I've been wanting to do the Baja slaw for a while. I got the idea from a local favorite restaurant. They no longer serve the baja slaw, so I was very sad to see it go, however I feel this is the perfect opportunity to perfect my own. Let's just say this is a slight variation or twist on 'their' recipe ;) I think this slaw is very versitile-by itself, as a side dish, as a salad, or used as a garnish if you'd like.

Sherry Berry's Baja Slaw

1/2 red cabbage

1/2 green cabbage

1 red onion

2 1/2 carrots

3/4 cup of fresh cilantro

1/2 jicama root, julienned (optional)

Directions:

Coarsely chop the red and green cabbage.

Cut up the red onion, . . .

Grate the carrots, . . .

and cut (or chop) the cilantro.

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl.

Toss in a cranberry orange (or similar) vinaigrette dressing. I used about a 1/4 cup.

For a shortcut, I used this one by Organicville but you can also use the recipe shown below*:

Let slaw sit in fridge for about ten minutes for flavors to settle.

This Baja slaw is a delicious pair with a steak, grilled chicken or barbecue (ribs, sausage, brisket, etc.) and has quickly become a summer grilling accomplice, so this may not be the last time you see the slaw, or variations of it in this blog.

Now let's get to grillin'!

1. Pick a nice cut of meat- (below are my recommendations, but I chose a NY strip this time.)

Steak: Porterhouse, flank, filet mignon, strip, tenderloin, bone-in ribeye or a T-bone.
Chicken: Grilled or smoked chicken quarters, drumsticks, breasts, or thigh filets.
Fish: Grilled salmon, halibut, sole, seabass, tuna steak, or snapper.

2. Marinate meat overnight. I chose to use a McCormicks Grill Mates steak seasoning, but you may use onion powder, chopped garlic gloves, and pepper in lieu of prepared seasoning. I rubbed the marinade over the steaks, and poured a 1/2 cup of vinegar over them and let sit overnight covered in the fridge. You can marinate for as little as 30 minutes if you wish; Just allow time for the flavors to marry. Puncture the steak(s) with a fork many times on each side (50-60 punctures on each side will suffice.)

3. Heat the grill to 375, and grill steak(s) for 7-10 minutes on each side. For desired internal tempertures, depending on how you want your steak prepared, you may use a meat thermometer. You may also baste the steaks with a steak sauce after flipping each side.

4. Once steaks are done, serve with a side of Baja slaw, and you're ready for a backyard barbecue (or dinner party indoors- where there's no mosquitos...lol)

*Cranberry Orange Vinaigrette

1/4 cup cranberry juice concentrate
1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Combine all ingredients in a jar, shake well, and pour over salad (or slaw in this case). Refridgerate for up to five days. Always shake well before serving.

Homestyle burgers and fries

2009-05-23T01:09:00.019-05:00

I had a craving for a good burger this weekend, but didn't really want to go out to another burger joint in town, so we decided to make our own with some fries on the side :) Any opportunity to use our grill is a must...

1. Grilled the burgers according to the internal temperature desired- using a meat thermometer. Hubby wanted medium-well burgers (145-150 degrees) and I wanted well done (160 degrees and above). I used the McCormicks Grillmates hamburger seasoning. If you want a 'jucier" burger, use a 80/20 or 85/15 lean to fat ratio ground beef.

2. Cut 2 to 3 russet potatoes in slices and seasoned them with cajun seasoning.

3. Fry potato wedges in a pan with a little canola oil. Keep a lid on the pan to keep the moisture in. This keeps the potatoes soft as well.

4. When potatoes are browned on both sides, remove from oil and drain in a dish lined with a couple of folded papertowels or napkins.

5. Build your burger as you wish; I prefer a slice of American cheese, romaine lettuce, pickles, spicy brown mustard and a 'swig' of ketchup. I also added a little more of the hamburger seasoning on top-- Mr. Sherry Berry prefers barbecue sauce, tomatoes and extra pickles on his ;)

Enjoy,

Sopaipilla Cheesecake Squares

2009-05-23T00:54:00.006-05:00

I came across this dessert on one of networking sites I visit often. One of the ladies shared this recipe and I had been wanting to try it for a very long time. I finally made it, and it was yummy! Disclaimer: This dessert is fattening, addicting, and is REALLY rich. So eat it in moderation, or share it with a group of people..lol

Enjoy,

INGREDIENTS

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 (8 ounce) cans crescent roll dough
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sliced almonds or pecans

DIRECTIONS

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Beat the cream cheese with 1 1/2 cups of sugar, and the vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth. Unroll the cans of crescent roll dough, and use a rolling pin to shape the each piece into 9x13 inch rectangles. Press one piece into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture into the baking dish, then cover with the remaining piece of crescent dough.
Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the top of the cheesecake. Stir the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar together with the cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkle over the cheesecake along with the almonds.
Bake in the preheated oven until the crescent dough has puffed and turned golden brown, about 45 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 squares.