Simply Tweaked

Pretty much every year I look forward to having this stew. Why you ask? Well every year on January first my mother makes this. It is a traditional meal to celebrate Haitian independence day. But, there are times I cannot wait a whole year for this yummy stew, like now...so I made it. I always feel like I should consult my mother to re-tell me how to make this so I don't stray to far from the recipe. But I still like to make it my own. The original recipe calls for squash, but I decided to use pumpkin instead. Tis the season! I just love the feeling of picking my own fresh veggies and cooking with it, it is very rewarding! I ended up taking this little guy home with me! So I broke down this missive delicious pumpkin (used about half of it and stored the rest), cooked it in chicken stalk, and pureed it with sauteed garlic and shallots. To accompany it, I quartered 6 small yukon gold potatoes, chopped cabbage, 4 celery stalks chopped, 5 small carrots ch

If you are strapped for time, in a rush with about an hour and change to dedicate to finding something super easy and quick to make, then this is for you.The aroma and flavor of this stew will have you putting this on your bi-weekly 'To-Make' list. Now this recipe was originally vegan friendly, but a meal is not a meal if it doesn't have meat in it, to me any ways. So my simple tweak for this recipe, Moroccan seasoned meatballs. Make sure to preheat your oven to 400 degrees. What goes into this is about a pound of ground beef, coriander, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and fresh parsley.  Now for the measurements of the seasonings I used the 'That looks about right' method, where you sprinkle each until it looks about right. Sorry, but no measurements here, next time I promise! But! I used about a table spoon of chopped fresh parsley.  Once you have mixed all of these ingredients, scoop out one table spoon of the meat mixture and place

These are the sweet fix I needed for the week. I had peaches sitting on my counter and I had no clue what to do with them. I stumbled onto this recipe while scrolling through my pinterest and knew I had to do make it. The creamy center is a great compliment to the wonderful crust and and topping. My simple tweak was using coconut milk instead of regular milk for the filling and glaze.  As well as using my food processor to blend the dough for the crust and topping.  Super simple and super easy. Make sure to let it sit in the refrigerator for about 2 or three hours to solidify the center, and have at it! I enjoyed mine with a scoop of So Delicious coconut ice cream, and it was a perfect pair! Try out this recipe and let me know what your simple tweaks are. Ingredients Crust and Topping 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats (or quick oats) 1/3 cup dark brown sugar  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 10 Tablespoons unsalted butte

The original recipe called for the use of a pressure cooker, yet one more handy dandy thing I do not have in my repertoire of kitchen gadgets. So for this I used my regular slow cooker, just for the first bit. I used dried shitaki mushrooms instead of porcini (I couldn't find them in my local grocery store). While I had those steep in some hot water, I started browning my short ribs, which I cut in half. I set them aside to rest and in the same oil I added in my onions and mushrooms and cooked until they became golden. I added the remainder of the ingredients and let simmer for a few minutes.  I then transferred the meat and veggies to my slow cooker and let it cook away on low for 4 hours. Afterwards I removed the meat and set it aside, and transferred the sauce to a deep pot, set it on high and added in my egg noodles when it began to boil.  While the pasta cooked I sliced the beef, once the pasta was cooked through I added in the beef, dijon mustar

After visiting Cafe Bella in Boston (I suggest if you're ever in the Randolph MA area you must go!) I have been thinking, nay, dreaming of their braised beef dish. Since I am no longer in Boston I had to find a recipe for this, and thank goodness I did. This dish takes a lot of dedication if I must say. The braising liquid itself asked for about 8 hours on low to simmer away. Now I'm not one to just have a pot on the stove for hours and hours. So my simple tweak to this recipe simplifies this and has you sleeping easy and waking up to the smell of an Italian bistro.  I could not for the life of me figure out what meaty beef bone to buy so I opted for beef broth. I didn't have fresh oregano so I just used a table spoon dried oregano. I added all of the ingredients for Yai Yai's Sunday sauce into my trusty slow cooker and set it on low and let it simmer away while I rested peacefully throughout the night.  The next day I started on my braised beef, first sear

I have always loved chia seeds, but rarely used them. When I saw that you could actually make pudding with them I just had to try it. This is a yummy simple treat to either have as dessert, or for breakfast. My simple tweaks were instead of greek yogurt, I switched it for some So Delicious vanilla coconut milk  yogurt. I thought the consistency of the coconut milk yogurt would have been a lot better for the thickness of the pudding than soy milk yogurt would have. I also used praline maple syrup instead of just regular maple syrup, and used two additional tablespoons of it in the pudding. I wanted it to be a little sweeter than what the recipe called for and it was perfect.  Try out this super yummy, try it out and let me know what your simple tweaks are! Ingredients 1 cup vanilla-flavored unsweetened almond milk 1 cup So Delicious coconut milk yogurt 4 tablespoons Praline Maple Syrup, plus 4 teaspoons for serving 1 teaspoon pure   vanilla extract Kosher salt 1/4

This is a little tweak from my coconut and black bean rice, just as good, and just as simple. The only tweaks I made was to add about 3 tablespoons of dill, a can of cannellini beans, and nixed the nutmeg. The coconut milk really rounds out this dish and gives it a depth straight from the Caribbean. The dill gives it a light buttery  herby note while the cannellini beans give it a nice creamy finish. What tweaks can you make to this side dish? Coconut, Dill, and Cannellini Rice Ingredients 1 cup  coconut milk 1 cup Basmati rice 1 can cannellini beans (strained and rinsed) 1 shallot (minced) 1 cup water salt and pepper to taste 3 tablespoons dill  1 tablespoon unsalted butter Instructions 1. Heat a deep pan over medium low heat and melt butter. 2. Add minced shallots and saute until fragrant. 3. Add cup of rice and saute, about two minutes. 4. Add in the rest of the ingredients and put the stove on high and let boil for one minute, then reduce

I am known for having random thoughts on a daily basis. I was talking to my sister one Saturday night, bored out of my mind and a thought popped into my head, "I want to make moonshine" I said "Huh? why" she asked, "I don't know I just want to. I think I'll make apple pie moonshine." So I hopped out of bed and went to the grocery because I had absolutely nothing to make moonshine at home. I just knew it needed to have EverClear. So of course while at the store just moseying around I decided that google might help in this situation. I google 'Apple Pie Moonshine' and since I already made the effort to get out of bed and head to the store I definitely wanted to find the easiest recipe I could find. I went over it and saw that the ingredients list was short, which is what I like when it comes to an impromptu cooking session. So as per the list I picked up some apple cider, some apple juice,and cinnamon sticks. As I was about to leave th

This recipe is fantastic as a side dish to any main course. It's herby, citrusy, and all around delicious. I served this to a friend who has heard of quinoa but has never tried it himself. I found myself at the end of the night giving him step by step instructions on how to recreate it.  I feel it is the lemon juice that really makes this dish pop, the tangy-ness of the lemon coupled with thyme, basil, and parsely really gives you that feeling of freshness. Very healthy and very easy. Let me know what your tweaks are, for me this dish is perfect as is! Fresh Herbed Quinoa Ingredients 2 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken stock 1/4 cup fresh  lemon juice 1 1/2 cups quinoa Dressing: 1/4 cup   extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 3/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves 1/4 cup chopped fresh   parsley leaves 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves 2 teaspoons lemon zest Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Directions For the quinoa In a medium sa

This makes for one super easy, not to sweet, gourmet looking cake that will have everyone going for seconds. I decided to make this cake for me and my brothers bi-weekly dinners, he's not much of a sweet tooth any more (this guy would have probably eaten buckets of sugar in the past). So since my brothers new found aversion to everything that is too sweet, I wanted to find a recipe that he and I could both really enjoy (I still partake in all things sugar myself). Lately I have been strapped for time, between running to class and running errands non-stop, I wouldn't be able to find the time for a recipe that called for 1000 steps to perfection. And with just two hours to prep, cut, bake, and cool I couldn't ask for a better recipe.  Now I'm one to stock my pantry and fridge with everything I think I will need, but peaches was not one of them. So I had to rush to the store, sniff and fondle many peaches until I found the right ones for this recipe