A story about me

 I have seven sisters. No brothers. My parents are from Mississippi. They packed up in the 50’s and headed north and ended up in Illinois. My parents were married for over 50 years and our dad passed away in 2008.

I have nieces and nephews as old as I am. I have 3 kids who are 37 30 and 21 . I have a 12 year old grandson.

My mom made a big dinner every Sunday.

Growing up with 8 girls in the house we were all we had. 

We spent a lot of time with family. We would travel to Meridian Mississippi every year to visit big mama my dad’s mom.

I was 16 years old and I would drive my mom to the south side of Chicago and we would visit her mom, my granny who lived until she was 98.  We would go over on Sunday’s and we would have a nice Sunday dinner. 87th and Throop. We had a family reunion every year at the Dan Ryan woods in Chicago. Times have changed. I host a lot at my house. I have hosted Christmas for the last 20 years. I have also hosted the Fourth of July for the last 20 years. We keep it fun and play games and give away money. Family is everything. We are not perfect. We go through it like every other family. We manage to pull it together 

Broccoli cheese soup

 

Ingredients

• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• ½ cup diced onions (yellow or white)
• 1 cup sliced carrots (I used matchsticks that I cut into half inch pieces)
• 2 ½-3 cups broccoli florets, chopped small
• 1 ½ cups chicken broth
• 1 cup milk (I use skim/fat free)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (or more as desired)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

• In a large pot over medium high heat, melt butter. Add in onions, carrots and broccoli. Cook to soften about 5 minutes (may be more or less depending on the size vegetables you cut).
• Slowly add in broth, milk, and cream. Sprinkle with flour and add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Continue stirring and heating over medium heat until thickened. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
• Once thick, add cheese and stir until melted and smooth. Serve soup and enjoy!

Dude’s Quesadillas

 

Dude’s quesadillas 

Equipment

• large skillet

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of seasoned cooked chicken breast shredded or chopped
• ½ cup BBQ sauce

Dudes quesadilla mix

• 1 (15 ounce) black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) whole kernel corn drained
• 1 jalapeno de-seeded and membranes removed, diced
• ½ cup red onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• ¼ cup cilantro chopped

Quesadillas

• 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese shredded
• 8 flour tortillas (6 inches)

Instructions

• In a medium size bowl mix the cooked chicken with the BBQ sauce until coated. Set aside.
  
• In a small bowl add the black beans, corn, diced jalapeño, red onion cilantro and garlic.
  
• Heat a skillet over medium heat, place one tortilla down on the skillet, layer with shredded cheese, BBQ chicken, bean mixture . When the cheese starts to melt, add another flour tortilla on top.
  
• Cook 2-3 minutes, until the tortilla on the bottom is toasted and turning a golden color, it will start to feel more firm, crispy. Carefully flip the quesadilla over and cook the other tortilla. Once the cheese is fully melted and both sides of the quesadilla are golden brown and crispy remove from the skillet.
  
• Cut into 4 equal pieces. Serve and enjoy!
  

Notes

Amount of quesadillas made will differ based on size of tortillas used. I used small tortillas.

Best meatloaf ever

Ingredients

Meatloaf:

• 1 lb ground beef 90/10 lean to fat ratio
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
• 3 garlic cloves pressed
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh dill weed
• 1 Tbsp minded fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Topping:

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350° and lightly grease a 9×5 loaf baking pan. 
  
• Combine all the ingredients for the meatloaf in a mixing bowl and mix it until ingredients are evenly incorporated throughout. 
  
• Transfer the meat mixture into the prepared baking pan and use a wooden spoon to spread evenly in the pan. If you don’t have a meatloaf pan, shape your meatloaf as if you had a pan.
  
• Cook meatloaf for 45-50 minutes until it reaches the internal temperature of about 155°. 
  
• Mix the ingredients for the glaze and spread it over the top. Bake for another 10-15 minutes.
  
• Let it rest for about 10 minutes before cutting.
  

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

 

Ingredients

CHICKEN:

• 1 pound 500g chicken breasts, (2 large breasts)
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• Salt and pepper, to season

EGG WASH:

• 2 eggs
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper, to taste

COATING:

• 1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup almond flour, (not almond meal)

TO COOK:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

CHICKEN:

• Slice each chicken breast in half horizontally to make 4 fillets. Generously season with Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt and pepper. Set aside.

EGG WASH:

• In a shallow bowl, whisk together eggs, garlic and Italian seasoning. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Place chicken in the egg wash and set aside to let marinate.*

COATING:

• Combine the parmesan cheese and almond flour in a separate shallow bowl.

TO COOK:

• Using a fork or tongs, pick up one of the chicken breast pieces and allow excess egg wash to drip off. Dredge in the parmesan mixture, pressing chicken lightly into the coating with the back of the fork, then turn and repeat. Shake off excess coating and repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
• Heat oil and butter in a large NON-STICK skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry 2 chicken pieces at a time UNTOUCHED for (about 4 minutes). Do not move chicken around as the coating may peel off of the surface of the chicken before it gets a chance to stick!
• Once the coating is crispy, golden and set, flip and continue frying on other side until golden and cooked through.
• Repeat with remaining chicken breast.

Ceviche

 

Ingredients

• 12 ounces cooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail removed
• Or you can use crab meat
• ½ cup fresh lime juice
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 2 medium jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
• ¼ cup cilantro
• 2 green onions, diced
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Chop the shrimp. Place in a medium bowl.
  
• Add lime juice. Toss to coat the shrimp in the lime juice. Let rest for 10 minutes.
  
• Add tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, cilantro, green onions, and salt. Cover and chill for 30 minutes to an hour.
  
• Serve with tortilla chips.

Pineapple glazed ham

 Ingredients

• 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 8.5 oz can crushed pineapple in juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard

Instructions

• In a medium saucepan add the can of crushed pineapple with the juice. 
  
• Add the brown sugar, mustard, cornstarch, lemon juice and salt to the pineapple.  
  
• Stir all ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Continue to stir constantly and cook until the mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir for 1 minute.
  
• Remove from heat and use a basting brush to apply to the ham several times starting 30 minutes before it’s done.
• You will bake the ham on 375 for 1 1/2 hours covering it with foil.
• Remove the foil and cook for 30 more minutes to thicken the sauce.

Honey butter biscuits

 Biscuits:

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

3 tsp. sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2/3 cup whole milk

1/2 tsp. salt

Honey Butter:

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup honey

Preheat oven to 400

Mix together melted butter and honey. Bring to a boil and set aside.

Mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Work the 1/2 cup of butter cut  into the mixture in small pieces with your hands until consistency of cornmeal is reached. Pour milk into mixture and mix well until doughy.

Knead the dough on a dusted surface. Fold and roll with a rolling pin three time . Make sure your surface is dusted with flour.

Cut into biscuits with a cutter or cup and place on baking sheet. Brush with some of the honey butter.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden.

Remove from oven and brush with remainder of honey butter

Dip baby Dip sauce

 

You will need:

• 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
• 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder

Mix the ingredients together and place them in a bowl and use as a dip baby with fries or chicken.

Chicken chunks

 

Ingredients

• 3 chicken fillets, boneless, skin removed and diced

• 1 ½ teaspoons salt

• 2 large eggs

• 1 ½ cups corn starch, divided

• 1 cup water

• 1 tablespoon onion powder

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder

• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

• Place the chicken in a food processor with the salt and one egg. Blend until it forms a paste-like consistency.
• In a shallow bowl or container, place the corn starch. Using wet hands, take a handful of blended chicken and shape into a chunk. Cover the chicken with corn starch, shake off the excess and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Finish shaping and coating the chicken before moving on to the next step.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the water, one egg, mustard, garlic and onion powder, ground pepper and all-purpose flour. You should have a thick but not too runny batter. Place one chunk at a time in the batter and place it back onto the lined baking sheet.
• Place the tray in the freezer and allow them to freeze for 1 hour.
• Heat your oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Deep fry the first batch for 5 minutes. Allow the chicken chunks to drain on paper towel for 3-4 minutes. Deep fry the same batch again for 5 minutes. This ensures that the chicken cooks all the way through without getting too dark.
• Serve these chunks warm with any dipping sauce.

Chicken Alfredo

 

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Teaspoon of seasoning Salt teaspoon of black pepper 
• Flour for dredging
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter divided
• 8 ounces uncooked fettuccine
• 4 ounces cream cheese (I used 1/2 block of Philly) softened
• 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 large cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Take the cream cheese out of the fridge to soften up at least 30 minutes (or longer) prior to starting the recipe, or microwave it for 20-30 seconds. Grate the parmesan cheese. I prep other ingredients while I'm going along.
  
• Boil a large, salted pot of water for the fettuccine. Cook it al dente according to package directions.
  
• Meanwhile, cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have 4 thinner cutlets. Sprinkle them with the garlic powder and salt & pepper on both sides. Coat them in flour. 
  
• In a deep skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter. When the pan is hot, cook the chicken for 5 minutes/side or until golden and cooked through. Take the pan off the heat, and remove the chicken to a plate and set it aside.
  
• Wipe out the skillet/give it a quick rinse if there's a lot of extra grease (no need to wash it unless you really want to). Add in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the cream cheese, cream, chicken broth, and garlic. Return the pan to the burner over medium heat. Once the butter has melted and the pan has heated up, use your spoon to help the cream cheese melt into the sauce. This will take a couple of minutes.
  
• When the cream cheese has been incorporated into the sauce, let it gently bubble for 5 minutes until the sauce has reduced somewhat. You can give it the occasional stir. Slice the chicken into bite-size strips while it's cooking.
  
• Stir the parmesan into the sauce. Let it cook for about a minute. The sauce should be thick enough by now, but if you want to reduce it further, let it cook for a little longer. If at any point the sauce gets too thick, simply add a splash of the hot pasta water to it. Give it a taste and season with salt & pepper as needed.
  
• Drain the fettuccine and add it to the skillet and toss with the sauce. Dish it up with the chicken on top (or mix it in) and grate on more parmesan cheese as desired.
• Top with parsley flakes to make it look like you are all that in the kitchen 🤣🤣

Honey soy Garlic Wings

 

Honey soy  Garlic wings 

Ingredients

• 8 chicken wings
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Rub:

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Honey soy Garlic Sauce:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup honey
• 3/4 cup water
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon onion powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

Wings:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  
• Pat dry wings with paper towels until completely dry.
  
• Combine all the rub ingredients in a large bowl, add the wings and toss to combine. Brush with olive oil.
  
• Line a baking sheet with foil and then place parchment paper on top, arrange chicken wings in one layer, if needed use two baking sheets. Bake for 35 minutes turning at 20 minutes on the other side.
  

Honey soy Garlic Sauce:

• In the meantime, combine sauce ingredients in a small pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until slightly thickened, and sauce coats the back of a spoon.
  

Combine Wings with the Sauce:

• Take wings from the oven, pour the sauce over the chicken wings and return to the oven for another 10 minutes, turning after 5 minutes on the other side.
  
• Place oven on Broil for a few minutes. Then remove from oven
  
• Allow cooling for 10 minutes. As the sauce cools, it thickens. Stir the wings every few minutes to coat in the sauce as it thickens.
  

Serve:

• Serve the wings with your favorite side. I have always served with Mac and cheese 

Stovetop Steaks

 Ingredients

2 lbs New York Strip Steaks (2 steaks), or Ribeye or Top Sirloin Steaks (1 lb each steak, 1 1/4” thick)

1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil, or any high heat cooking oil like canola or extra light olive oil

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered

1 sprig fresh rosemary

Instructions

1. Thoroughly pat steak dry with paper towels. Just before cooking, generously season with 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper
   
2. Heat the cast iron pan until hot then add 1/2 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat, swirling to coat. Once the oil is very hot, add steaks to the skillet. Sear the steaks on the first side for 4 minutes until a brown crust has formed then flip and cook another 3-4 minutes. Using tongs, turn the steak on its sides to render the white fat and sear the edges (1-minute per edge)
3. Reduce heat to medium and immediately add 2 Tbsp butter, quartered garlic cloves and rosemary to the pan. Spoon the butter sauce over the steak, tilting the pan to get butter on your spoon. Continue spooning the sauce over the steak for a minute or until the steak is about 5-10 degrees from your desired doneness (the temperature will continue to rise another 5-10 degrees while steaks rest).
   
4. Transfer steak to a cutting board, loosely cover and rest 10 minutes before slicing into 1/2" strips to serve. Spoon extra butter sauce over sliced steak to serve