Arroz con Leche *recipe edited*

I couple of months back I posted up a recipe for arroz con leche that I found online, I do love that recipe but it didn't turn out as creamy as I liked so I instead came up with another way to make it and it's a much more simple recipe. 

Arroz con leche

1 1/2 cups rice 

6 cups of milk (I used whole milk)

2 cinnamon sticks

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup condensed milk

*orange peel or orange zest

*1-2 cups of milk

In a pot add the milk, cinnamon sticks, ground cinnamon and rice. Turn the stove onto medium high heat and bring the mix to a low boil, make sure to watch the pot because it will boil over quickly if you aren't paying attention. While you are bringing it to a boil make sure to mix it so the rice doesn't get stuck to the bottom.

After about 7-8 minutes the mix should start to boil, mix again and then turn the heat low (on my stove I turned it down to a 2). Cover the pot and let cook for about 10 minutes (again make sure you stick around to make sure it doesn't boil over) there will start to be more rice than liquid, stir again making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot. Let cook for another 10 minutes, by this time the liquid will be almost gone and you can take it off the heat. Add in the condensed milk and vanilla, mix and serve while warm, you can sprinkle a little more ground cinnamon ontop. 

*I usually add in an orange peel or orange zest to my rice pudding to give it a subtle zing to the pudding but I didn't have oranges so I omitted them this time, but if you do add in the orange peel place it in the pot at the same time you place in the cinnamon sticks to let the Orange flavor develop in the rice pudding and remove when you are ready to serve. 

*Also if you like your rice pudding a little creamier just add 1-2 more cups of milk when most of the liquid is evaporated, mix in the milk and let it cook for another 5 minutes before removing from heat and adding the rest of the ingredients. 

Guava Cheesecake

I found this absolutely delicious recipe for a New York cheese cake a while back and it has been my go to recipe ever since. Around thanksgiving with my younger sister pregnant with her first baby and my husband acting like a pregnant woman with his cravings, both begged me to make them a cheesecake but to incorporate guava into it and of course I couldn't say no to a pregnant woman...or my husband. I made a few alterations to the original recipe like adding a crust and not using multiple bowls {I mean who really wants extra dishes to wash}. The site for the original recipe also gave me a great idea on how to prevent leaks into the springform pan using a crockpot liner. If you are planning on making this for a dinner or party make it a day or two ahead of time so you give it enough time to chill in the fridge {cheesecake is always best the next day}.

Guava Cheesecake 

3 cups of vanilla wafers 

8tbsp + 2tbsp unsalted butter room temp 

4 8oz packs of cream cheese room temp

5 large eggs room temp

1 pint sour cream room temp

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tbsp corn starch 

2 tsp vanilla extract 

2 tsp lemon juice 

2 tsp lemon zest

1/2 package of a 14oz guava paste

1/4 cup water 

Preheat the over to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. 

In a food processor add in the vanilla wafers and 2 tbsp of butter. Blend the two together until the cookies are fully crushes and start to clump together. Press the crumble into the bottom of a springform pan and let chill in the fridge while you make the cheesecake mix.

In a bowl mix the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in the sour cream and eggs one at a time until smooth. Next add in the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest. Set aside the mix and start on the guava mix.

In a small pot add the water and chop up the guava paste into small squares. Cook on medium heat, stir until the guava  paste has dissolved and the mix no longer has any lumps. Now you can either mix the guava mix with the cheese cake mix so you get a nice taste of guava in each bite or you can spoon pieces of the guava mixture into the cheesecake mix once the cheesecake mix is in the springform pan and use a tooth pick to lightly swirl the guava and create a nice marbled patten.

Place the cheesecake and place it into the crockpot liner then roll down the sides so that it doesn't touch the cheesecake. Grab a large casserole dish or pan that will be able to fit the springform pan inside to create a water bath for the cheesecake. Now fill the casserole dish with cold water so that it reaches about halfway up the pan. 

Place it into the preheated oven and bake for 2 hours and 15 minutes or until you can place a knife in the middle and it comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 2 hours on the counter. Once cooled, cover and place in the fridge to set overnight. 

Recipe adaptation from http://foodforahungrysoul.blogspot.com/2010/12/new-york-cheesecake.html?m=1

Hot fudge lava cake

It been a while since I've posted anything on here, my apologies for that. I'll admit I've just been to lazy to take pictures but I promise I'll try and post more. 

Well let's talk about the amazingness that is called a lava cake. The first time I tried one was from dominos and although it wasn't from a five star resturant it was pretty damn good. Yesterday was the second time I had one from red robins while I was out with my family, my little sister and her boyfriend. Louis asked if I could try and make one at home, plus I found out my little sister (who is also growing a tiny baby in her belly!) loves them as well, so I was up for the challenge.

I came across this recipe while I was skimming through the awesomeness that is pinterest. I have to admit I was quite intimidated by the thought of pulling off baking a chocolate lava cake but this recipe made it very easy. A very big thankyou to Letsdishrecipes.com for blogging this great recipe. 

Here is the link to the blog: http://www.letsdishrecipes.com/2015/01/hot-fudge-lava-cake.html

Enjoy all of the chocolaty-goodness! 

Cream cheese guava crepes

It's been a long time since I've made crepes, and last week Louis asked me to make some but I got lazy, so this morning I decided I would surprise him with some sweet cream cheese and guava crepes. 

I had some left over guava from the cake I made my mom earlier in the week for her birthday and decided to use it as a filling. Plus what goes better with guava than a sweet cream cheese. 

Crepe mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp melted butter

3/4 cup warm water

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup flour

In a bowl whisk the eggs and milk together, next add in the melted butter, water, sugar and vanilla extract. Slowly whisk in the flour making sure there are no lumps. Heat a pan to medium low heat and spray a little non stick cooking spray on the pan, you will only need to do this once or twice while cooking the crepes. Spread 1/4 cup of the mix along the bottom of the pan, rotating the pan slowly to evenly distribute a thin layer of the crepe mix on the pan. Let it cook for a little less than two minutes or until the sides of the crepe start to come away from the pan, flip and let cool for another 1-2 minutes on the other side. 

Guava filling

1 tin of guava 21oz

1/3 cup of water

Open the tin and using a butter knife cut the guava into small squares, remove from tin and add it to a small pot. Add the water in and bring the mix to a boil making sure to stir. Once it starts to boil lower the heat and let it simmer. We are doing this to just loosen the guava and make it spreadable. Stir until there are no more lumps in the guava mix, remove from heat and let cool down a bit.

For the guava drizzle I just added some of the guava to a little squirt bottle and added about 1-2 tsps of water to the mix. Shake the bottle so the guava become a little more runny and use it to top the whip cream. 

Sweet cream cheese mix

8oz cream cheese softened

1/2 cup of powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup of milk

In a bowl mix the cream cheese with an electric mixer until it is smooth. Add in the vanilla extract and milk, next add in the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.

Whipped cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream

3 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Add everything to a bowl and using an electric mixer whisk until it forms peaks, place in the refrigerator for it to firm up a bit while you assemble the crepes.

For the crepes add a thin layer of cream cheese, then a thin layer of the guava (the guava is pretty sweet so you don't want to add too much). Fold the crepe over and add the whipped cream and drizzle with a little bit of guava. 

Louis absolutely loved it, and it reminded me a bit of the Entenmanns guava puffs.  

Pumpkin spice Rice Krispies treats

I'm As I have said time and time again I love pumpkin anything. When me and Louis were out on Sunday for our 11 year anniversary we stopped by target to get some Halloween makeup for the boys. We happened to pass by their pumpkin section. I thought I was about to have a heart attack with all the wonderful pumpkin flavored goodies that lined the shelves. But what stood out was the pumpkin spice marshmallows, I had passed them in shoprite the day before but they were just pumpkin shaped, these bad boys were pumpkin spiced and I just couldn't pass them up. Today I was in such a baking mood making pecan pie tarts, a Dutch Apple pie and decided to pull out the Rice Krispies and the marshmallows to make these treats. The only issue now is trying to keep Jowell and Louis from finishing them all in one sitting. 

Pumpkin spice Rice Krispies treats: 

5 cups of Rice Krispies 

1 8oz bag of pumpkin spice marshmallows 

3 tbsp butter

Line a casserole pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. In a pot met the butter on medium heat. Add the marshmallows in and toss them in the melted butter. Mix with a spoon until the marshmallows are melted and smooth. Remove from heat, pour in the Rice Krispies and mix all together. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole pan. Spray some nonstick spray on your hands and press down the mixture lightly to conform to the pan. Let cook for 10 minutes. Spray a knife with nonstick spray and cut into squares. It will make about a dozen depending on how small or large you cut them. 

Apple pancakes

Apples apples everywhere! Now that I got the ball rolling on making something out of this huge bowl of apples I have sitting on my kitchen table I thought that it would be a nice treat to make Jowell some apple pancakes this morning. We unfortunately ate them all except one before I could snap a picture of the last one left on the plate. 

Apple pancakes: 

1 1/4 cup bisquick 

1 egg

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp baking powder

1 Apple peeled and shredded

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk 

Butter or oil to for pan

Heat a skillet over medium low heat and melt a tablespoon of butter. In a bowl mix all the ingredients together. Pour 1/4 cup of the mixture in the pan and allow to cook, flip when bubbles start to form and pop. Flip and cook on the other side for a minute or two. 

Apple Butter

What's the best thing about fall? Any thing and everything pumpkin spiced...

With a bag full of apples from our outing at Maskers Orchard in Warwick NY a few weeks back I decided to finally getting around to making something with them. And since both my sister and my husband loved Apple butter it was the first recipe to get done on my list of Apple goodies. I found this recipe on my search a recipe I had used a while back. That recipe involved a crockpot and some patience. While some people may love their crockpot I on the other hand do not..or maybe I just haven't figured out how to properly use it because I have a habit of making a mess and some how burning anything I cook in it. So it is hidden in the far corner of my pantry closet buried under boxes to hide my shame of not knowing how to use maybe one of the easiest appliances in the kitchen {wallows in shame}.  This recipe that I have found how ever used a big ol' pot and the stove top which is more my type of recipe. Plus they used pumpkin pie spice so that was another plus in my book. I had a ton of apples so for me I tripled the recipe so I had enough for the family and some to put away in the freezer for later on when I craved a taste of autumn. 

Apple butter:

5 large apples peeled core and sliced (be sure to save the Apple peels so you can make homemade apple cider vinegar) 

2 cups Apple bcider

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt 

Add the apples, sugar and Apple cider, into the pot and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.

Add in the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract and salt.

Lower the heat and let it cook for another 1-2 hours until the apples start to break down and some of the water starts to evaporate, make sure to stir every once in a while. 

Let it cool for a bit and if there are still big chunks of Apple you can use an immersion blender or food processor to make it smoother. You might need to do this in batches depending on how much you have made. If the Apple butter seems to thin add it back into the pot and simmer on medium heat until 20 minutes or until some of the juice evaporates. It should also thicken a bit as it cools. Cool and store in an air tight container or in mason jars. 

Store in fridge for 10 days or freeze and keep for later. 

Original recipe from: http://apple-of-my-eye.com/2013/10/02/pumpkin-spice-apple-butter/

Pumpkin rice pudding

That's right, it's autumn and in my house that means the kitchen will always have the warm sweet smell of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. I still had a few ziplocks of homemade frozen pumpkin purée and a gallon of milk that was going to expire soon, with the air cold and crisp and me and my boys bundled up in cozy socks and sweaters (I refuse to turn on our heater yet) I decided the best route to take would be to make a rice pudding. As I made my original rice puddin recipe I just tweaked it a bit to give it the pumpkin taste. Louis came home and was delighted at the sight of a warm cup of rice pudding greeting him at the table. 

1 tbsp coconut oil 

2 cups rice

2 cups water

2 cups milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tbsp pumpkin spice

2 tbsp maple syrup 

2 cups of pumpkin purée 

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tbsp orange zest

2 tsp vanilla extract

6-8 cups milk 

In a large pot heat the oil over medium heat, pour in the rice and pumpkin pie spice. Pour in the milk/water and bring to a boil. Once it starts to boil cover the pot and turn the heat to low, let cook until you can see the rice and only a small amount of liquid is left over. Now add in the sugar, pumpkin purée and vanilla extract. Mix it in and break up some of the rice. Add in the extra milk and stir it around so there are no large chunks of rice. Let simmer on low heat until it thickens (about 8-10 minutes). Serve warm and you can sprinkle with a little cinnamon and crushed graham crackers. 

Coconut rice

So let me just say I am obsessed with anything coconut. I just love the taste and smell, not to mention how healthy it is for you. I make sure to always have a jar of organic coconut oil in my pantry, you can use it or so many things from oil pulling, to washing your face with it (it works wonders to get rid of acne) to conditioning hair, to cooking or eating (make sure you aren't contaminating the jar of coconut oil, I put half the jar in a seperate container for cosmetic uses and the other half I leave in the pantry for cooking uses). My absolute favorite thing is to use it while making rice, you get the nice hint of coconut while getting the nutritional benefits. What is also nice is that it is not sweet as my husband first thought it would be. You can serve it with anything and you can also make it with brown rice, just add 1/2 cup more of water to that. It is a super simple and easy recipe, trust me once you make it that will be your go to rice recipe. 

coconut rice

2 tbsp coconut oil

2 cups white rice

2 tsp salt

1 can coconut milk (13.5 fl oz) 

1 cup hot water 

In a medium sized pot add the coconut oil and rice. Cook on medium heat for 4 minutes mixing he rice with the coconut oil. Add in the coconut milk, pour the cup of water into the can of coconut milk to get any extra bits of the coconut cream at the bottom of the can, pour it into the pot and add in the salt. Mix to incorporate and wait till the water starts to boil. Once boiling cover the pot and lower the heat to 2 (that's the notch that is on my stove). Let cook for about 15 minutes or until you can't see anymore water bubbling at the top. There will still be some cream at the top from the coconut milk, use a fork and "fluff" up the rice and allow to cook for another two minutes. Serve while hot. 

Pumpkin French toast with cinnamon cream cheese

With the official start of autumn right around the corner and the air being cold and crisp this morning I decided it was time to pull out some frozen homemade pumpkin purée I made last year. Last week Louis took me to Dairy Queen to get a pumpkin pie blizzard and let me just say it was like heaven in my mouth, if you haven't tried it you need to go out and get one...my mouth is watering just thinking about it! 

1 loaf of French bread sliced

4 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup fresh or canned pumpkin purée

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg 

1/2 tsp ginger

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp brown sugar

Butter for the pan 

In a bowl mix together the spices, vanilla, brown sugar, purée, eggs and milk. 

Heat the pan on medium heat and melt a tablespoon of butter in it. 

Dip both sides of the bread into the mixture I usually count to 10 then flip the bread and let the mix soak into the bread for another 10 second. Place on the pan and let cook for 2 minutes or until browned, flip and cook the other side. 

Cinnamon cream cheese

4 oz cream cheese softened 

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon 

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and top the pumpkin French toast with a tablespoon of the cream cheese mix along with maple syrup. 

Can't you just feel fall in the air? 

Original recipe: http://www.cookingclassy.com/2014/08/pumpkin-french-toast/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+CookingClassy+(Cooking+Classy)

Balsamic rosemary chicken with foil grilled veggies

Ok so I have to admit I have been pretty lazy these past few weeks after the wedding. I mean putting together a backyard wedding is hard work, thankfully I had the help of family and friends but after months of planning I felt like I needed a nice looooonnnggg break from doing anything productive.

So what have we been eating you ask? Well Chinese food, pizza, and I have made the occasional rice, beans and chicken, nothing too crazy simply because my brain was on vacation but now it's time for me to get back on the saddle. I need to cut out the Chinese and pizza {oh how I will miss thee} and start cooking and eating some real food, and I know Louis will have no objections what so ever, for the past week he has brought lefts overs from a sloppy joe casserole I made last weekend for lunch, it's safe to say he never wants to see sloppy joe again. 

Another thing is that we haven't used the grill much this summer which is a shame because to been a very nice summer, not too hot and not too cold but just right. My mother and law also gave us her grill because she moved to a nice new apartment so we actually had our own grill instead of borrowing my parents grill. I'm still terrified of turning the grill on {I always picture me accidentally turning the propane on to much and a huge plume of fire erupting when I light the grill and me saying bye bye to my eyebrows and eye lashes} so I just put everything together and make Louis cook the meal. Tonight dinner was pretty simple, grilled balsamic rosemary chicken thighs with veggies grilled in a foil packet, nice, easy and pretty healthy compared to the trash we have been eating {sorry body I know I have failed you with all the yucky stuff I have fed you, it was so wrong but it felt so right}.

Balsamic rosemary chicken thighs:

2lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 cup balsamic vinegar 

3/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup rosemary (dried or fresh)

2 tablespoons lemon zest

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons minced garlic 

Salt and pepper to season 

In large casserole dish arrange the chicken thighs so they lay flat. Take a fork and pierce the chicken thighs a few times so that they absorb the marinade better.

In a seperate bowl mix the rest of the ingredients except for the salt a pepper. Pour the marinade over the chicken thighs, making sure most of the chicken is covered. Cover the casserole dish with foil and place in the fridge, let it sit for 1 hour then remove from the fridge and flip the chicken so the other side can marinate for an hour (so all together it will marinate for 2 hours but you can marinate for longer or even better over night, just make sure to flip them atleast once so they will evenly absorb the marinade. 

Preheat the grill on medium heat. Brush the grates of the grill with some olive oil. 

Remove the chicken from the marinade and season with salt and pepper. 

Place on the grill and cook for 6-8 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill and serve while hot. 

Jowell insisted that he was a big boy and wanted to help with the chicken. 

Original recipe from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/lemon-rosemary-and-balsamic-grilled-chicken-thighs-recipe.html

Grilled vegetables in foil:

1 green pepper

1 large onion

2 yellow zucchinis 

1 cup of baby carrots 

Olive oil

Seasoned salt

Pepper

Garlic powder

Foil

This recipe is super easy can the vegetables you use are interchangeable, these were just the vegetables I had on hand at the moment. Slice the vegetables and set aside. Cut 3 pieces of foil and lay them flat, they need to be big enough for you to put the veggies in the middle and fold both sides of the foil over with out the veggies spilling out. Spray the middle of the foil with olive oil non stick spray. Place the onions down first, then the green peppers, the zucchini and finally the carrots. Drizzle some olive oil over the vegetables and season with seasoned salt, pepper and garlic powder. Fold the foil up the middle first then fold the ends so tree is no way the steam can escape. Heat the grill to medium heat and cook for 20 minutes. Be careful when opening because a bunch of steam will pop out.

Ok let me just say trying to get a picture of this guy is a mission and a half. When I told him act natural this is what he did...yup that's my husband for you.