Simple Delicious Pasta Salad

An easy weeknight side dish perfect for warm weather days, or picnics. This recipe is good for picky eaters too, as there are no tomatoes or olives present in the salad, and it's not too salty or vinegary.

1. Boil pasta according to the package instructions. It's best to use minimal additional salt as the dressing already contains the perfect amount. When the pasta has finished boiling, drain the remaining water and set it aside.
2. Meanwhile, whisk or stir together mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, vinegar, black pepper, cayenne, and garlic powder; taste before adding salt, then taste again. The dressing should taste just a little bit too salty, since it needs to provide flavor for an entire pound of pasta. Once the dressing is seasoned to your preferences, set it aside.
3. Use a food processor to mince the onion, pepper, and celery until fine. It's best to mince each vegetable individually to avoid over-encumbering the food processor. Place your minced vegetables in a large salad bowl.
4. Add the drained pasta to your salad bowl followed by dressing,  gently stir until everything is thoroughly combined. Taste for salt and pepper.
5. Serve and enjoy! Feeds a lot, and even better the next day.

Cheap Canned Crab Is Only Good For Cat-food

The Walmart brand of canned crab smells like an aquarium. The crab meat is very mushy and strange tasting. When you are eating the meal cooked using the crab, you can feel little bits of shell/cartilage in your mouth. It is an unpleasant texture with any meal. It is better to buy lump crab meat, or the one in the jar. Cheap canned crab will ruin any meal.

Simple Sugar Syrup

When a recipe calls for simple syrup this is how you make it:

1 cup white sugar
1 cup water

Heat sugar and water in a saucepan until simmering. Use for homemade lemonade, iced tea, sauces and lots of other yummy foods.

Double Pork Fried Rice

This is perfect if you're craving some extra tasty and indulgent Asian takeout but don't want to spend 10 dollars a plate. This rice is called "double pork" fried rice because there is both tender sliced Chinese roast pork and bacon in the rice. It makes enough for 4 people and since the frying pan used in the pictures is too small for 3 cups cooked rice + pork and vegetables this fool proof method of stir frying for serving 2+ people at once has been developed. Cooking the components of the dish separately, and then combining as it is done is a way to make sure each part of the rice cooks perfectly, and maintains it's distinct flavor. Sound good? Here's how to make it:

Ingredients

4 slices bacon, chopped into bite sized pieces

1 celery stalk chopped

1/2 onion chopped

1 cup broccoli florets

1 lb Chinese roasted pork sliced very thin

3 cups cooked rice, cold. day old is best.

3 tbsp soy sauce

You definitely want all your ingredients ready and prepped before you start cooking for this meal. 

Fry bacon in the olive oil until just cooked.

Add in broccoli, fry 2 minutes (less if using frozen) and then add in onion and celery. Stir fry for 2 minutes and then make a well in the center of the pan. Add a teaspoon of vegetable oil if necessary and place ginger and garlic in the oil. Fry until you can smell the lovely aroma of garlic and ginger, about a minute. Remove garlic and ginger from pan. Stir fry everything for another 20 seconds, then remove from pan.

Add a tablespoon of oil to pan and then add in soy sauce, then rice. Stir fry breaking up rice as it cooks until it is a slightly darker color, for as long as 5 minutes. Rice should not begin burning. Dump into a bowl with the already cooked vegetables and stir.

Drop chopped pork into frying pan to warm through, adding the liquid from the pan they roasted in adds great flavor.

When pork is hot combine with rice and stir until everything is well combined. Quickly fry eggs in the now empty pan, breaking up and scrambling as it cooks. Combine with rice. Serve and enjoy!

Serves 4

Beef and Broccoli

Try this simple and delicious Chinese style beef and broccoli recipe. Marinated beef sliced thinly and stir fried with crisp broccoli. Frozen broccoli can cut a few minutes off the cooking time as it cooks so much faster than fresh raw broccoli. 

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless beef, cut into small pieces.

4 tbsp oyster sauce

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/2 cup sherry (or water)

1/2 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tbsp minced or grated ginger

2 cups broccoli cut into small florets

For the sauce:

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon honey

Cut beef into small bite sized pieces. Mix oyster sauce, soy sauce,  and sherry (or water) into the meat. Make sure meat is well coated and allow to marinate for at least an hour.

After meat is well marinated have onion, garlic ready and chopped. 

It is best to put chopped broccoli in the freezer while the meat is marinated. The broccoli will cook much faster when stir frying.

 Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a frying pan or wok and carefully put in broccoli, stir constanstly until broccoli is a little tender, about 2 minutes if using raw broccoli, seconds if usinf frozen broccoli.

Quickly drop in onion and continue to stir to prevent the onions or broccoli from sticking to the pan and burning.

When broccoli is as soft as desired removed everything from pan and set aside.

Add another teaspoon of oil is needed and drop in marinated meat, shaking off excess liquid from each pieces to prevent the oil from splattering. Make sure beef remains in a single layer to keep the meat frying, not steaming or boiling.

 Since the pan used here is too small to keep the beef in a single layer (the recipe was doubled) the meat is moved to the side as it browns, and new meat is added to the center. Once all the meat is browned add the garlic and ginger to the center and quickly stir for a few seconds until aromatic, 30 to 60 seconds. Burning the garlic will result in a very bitter taste. Mix everything in the pan together and stir for a few seconds.

Mix the chicken stock, honey, and extra oyster sauce. Pour over meat and stir until sauce starts to thicken and form a glaze over meat.

 Return the onion and broccoli to the pan and stir to combine.

Serve and enjoy!  Feeds 3

Chinese Roasted Chicken

Oven roasted Chinese takeout is so much healthier than the greasy fried alternative, and since you're making it at home you know exactly what went into it. You can use these tender chunks of chicken marinated with chinese flavors in everything from salad to fried rice. Either dark meat or white meat can be used, with the latter taking less time to cook.

Ingredients

1 lb boneless chicken cut into bite sized pieces
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 drop sesame oil
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients. Place chicken in a sealed container and marinate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 300 F
Place marinated chicken on a aluminum lined pan, or one with a rack. Place in oven.
Slow roast chicken for 1 hour, if using chicken breast (white meat) remove at this point.
If using dark meat chicken after the first hour is up lower oven to 250 F
Roast for 30 minutes more, then check to see if juices run clear.
Chicken should be tender and delicious.

Serves about 3.

Try dicing the roasted chicken for use in this easy Chinese chicken fried rice recipe.

Tender Asian Roast Pork

You can use these pork chunks marinated with chinese flavors in everything from salad to fried rice. An inexpensive pork shoulder will melt in your mouth beautifully with this marinade. This marinade works well when making Chinese Roast Chicken as well.

Ingredients

1 lb boneless pork shoulder cut into bite sized chunks

1 teaspoon oyster sauce

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 drop sesame oil

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients. Place pork in a sealed container and marinate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 250 F

Place marinated pork on a aluminum lined pan, or one with a rack. Place in oven.

Slow roast pork for 2 hour, after the first hour is up check to see if juices run clear.

Pork should be tender and delicious. If not browned to your liking turn the broiler on for 5 minutes at the end of the cooking time until pork is browned.

Serves about 3.

Try dicing the roasted pork and using in this easy pork fried rice recipe.

A Healthy Breakfast

Fill your plate with a combination of these breakfast entrees and sides ranked by how healthy a serving is.

Perfect

• Fresh fruit is a safe option for any breakfast plate. Fresh fruit is packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals.
• Pack a ton of vegetables into your breakfast with a protein and fiber rich egg omellete .
• Water is literally the healthiest thing you can put into your body, have a lot of it, and have it often. You'll feel so much better for it.
• A hearty salad with lots of colorful vegetable is a light way to start your morning, dress lightly with lemon and a little olive oil.
• Milk is both good for you, with a ton of vitamins and minerals and filling as well. 2% or skim is best.

Good

• Hard boiled eggs are both filling and nutritious. Eating only the egg white is even better!
• Fresh squeezed fruit juice is not as good as raw fruit, but is still nutritious.

Decent

• Scrambled eggs can be healthy and better tasting by using a minimal amount of oil or butter.
• Bagels are great especially if they are whole wheat and without excess cream cheese.
• Sweet plantains can add some variety to your plate without breaking the bank.

Bad

• Bacon is so salty greasy and delicious, and it is for those reasons that we must eat it in moderation!
• Pop Tarts are just sugar, with a very very small amount of fruit sugar paste spread inside.
• Juice with added sugar or corn syrup should be avoided.
• Hashed Browns are crispy and yummy, but just like the bacon can be greasy and should not be consumed daily.

Easy Egg Recipes

We have gathered together a variety of tasty ways to get you egg-cited about eating this protein packed incredible edible super-food.

If you want to get a little more fancy try bringing these deviled eggs to a picnic.

A classic side item for breakfast is fluffy scrambled eggs served with a yummy side of bacon .

For a fast nutritious breakfast you can make this easy yet hearty egg omellete .

If you're looking for a new way to eat simple hard boiled eggs then you may want to try seasoned hard boiled eggs with butter. 

Delicious Way To Eat Hard Boiled Eggs

If you're tired of the same ole hard boiled egg, but somehow still want to eat hard boiled egg, you have come to the right recipe. Here's what you need for an indulgent yet simple plate of eggs.


Eggs , as many as you can eat!
A dash of salt
A dash of pepper
A dab of butter

1. There is a great method for preparing hard boiled eggs on this site. Follow the instructions to prepare your eggs.
2. Add butter, salt, and pepper and use your fork to lightly mash the still warm eggs.
3. Enjoy this delicious and interesting snack or mini meal.

How To Hard Boil Eggs The Right Way

If you overcook an egg when boiling it, it gets a sulfuric taste and dark green ring around the yolk. Yechh! Peeling eggs are much harder if they are farm fresh! Eggs a few days old are best, your supermarket's eggs are probably a few days old when you buy them. If you absolutely must use eggs hatched the same day you plan to hard boil them then steam for 20 minutes instead of boiling. They should be easier to peel that way, if they still aren't put in the fridge for a day and they should be fine.

Preparing perfectly cooked hard-boiled eggs are a snap if you follow these simple steps:

1. Put eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water.
2. Set heat on high and let water slowly come to a boil.
3. When water is at a hard boil remove pan from heat and let sit for 12 minutes.
4. Cool by pouring cold water into the saucepan or by setting the eggs on ice.
5. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Enjoy!

Simple Hearty Omellete

Ingredients

4 eggs, cracked open and lightly beaten
half small onion chopped fine
1/4 bell pepper chopped fine
1/4 cup tomato diced (optional)
1/4 cup diced ham
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (or whatever cheese you love)
a dash of salt and pepper
1 tbsp butter

Combine all ingredients except butter and cheese.
Melt the butter in a small frying pan under medium heat.
Pour egg mixutre into the frying pan.
For the first 30 seconds likely stir contents of the pan while the eggs are still wet.
Sprinkle cheese all over omellete.
Let egg cooks till cheese is melted and egg seems 90% cooked.
Use a spatula to carefully fold omellete in half.
Transfer to a  plate.

Eat and enjoy!

Healthy and Moist Baked Chicken

Ingredients

5 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon, lemon halves reserved
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp pepper
4 cloves garlic minced
3 sprigs thyme leaves
2 bay leafs
1 onion quartered

Preheat oven to 350 F
Mix oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic, and thyme in a bowl, smashing in a mortar pestle would be even better.
Spread mixture under the skin of the chicken breast, thighs, legs, and back, being careful not to tear the skin, as it is protecting the garlic and herbs from becoming burnt and bitter.
Use your hands to generously rub the butter all over the outside skin of the chicken.
Put squeezed lemon halves, bay leafs and onion inside the cavity of the bird.
Place chicken breast side down in a roasting pan lined underneath with potato slices if you really wanna get tasty with it, or you can put the chicken straight in the pan.
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes before turning chicken over breast side up.
Bake for 45 minutes more or until juices run clear.

Serve and enjoy this delicious meal.

Easiest Slow Cooker Pasta Meat Sauce

Throw everything into the slow cooker when you leave for work, and come back to the most amazing italian scent in your home. It's like cooking all day without having to stand there!

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

1 onion chopped fine

1/2 bell pepper chopped fine

2 cloves garlic minced

a sprig of thyme

1 bay leaf

1 cup tomato or your favorite pasta sauce

1 cup Parmesan or your favorite cheese

Dump everything into the slow cooker. 

Set slow cooker on high.

Step away from the machine and go have some fun.

In 4 hours check on meat, if not as tender as desired go for another hour or two.

Right before serving stir in cheese.

Serve over boiled pasta.

Feeds 3.

Easy Authentic Homemade Sofrito

So much better than the store bought ones, this recipe will add that extra something something to all your dinners.

Blend 3 green bell peppers, 1 red bell peppers, 2 onions, 1 whole head of garlic cloves, and a bunch of cilantro or culantro... 

....and that's it!


Blend it all until it's like chunky salsa, not completely liquified.
You can freeze extras of this for a longgg time, and use it in almost everything.
Freezing in a convenient ice cube tray is the true puerto rican way, for 1 tbsp of sofrito use 1 ice cube.

Rice Cooker Spanish Yellow Rice

A great side for almost any protein imaginable. The rice cooker makes the rice come out perfect every single time.

Ingredients 

1 rice cooker cup of rice
fresh water
1 tbsp olive oil
half an onion diced very fine
half a pepper diced very fine
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 packet Sazon Goya

Saute onion and peppers in olive oil for 4 minutes or until softened.
Add in tomato paste and cook 2 minutes more to remove "raw taste".
Dump washed rice into rice cooker.
Add sauteed vegetables, stir until rice is coated.
Add enough water to reach 'line 1'.
Place chicken bouillon cube and Sazon in rice.
Cover rice, set rice cooker to "cook", and cook until done.
Fluff , put top back on rice and let sit for 4 minutes. Serve.
Serves 2.

Alternative Method ****

Try substituting the onion, peppers, and garlic for 3 tbsp of store bought or homemade sofrito .

Crisp n Tasty Healthy Salad

Ingredients

4 cups of any combination of : lettuce (roughly chopped) tomato (sliced or chopped) cucumber (sliced thin) spinach onion (sliced extremely thin) carrot (slices thin)

1 lemon sliced in half

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Drizzle a tbsp or so of olive oil into the big bowl you're going to serve the salad in. 

Squeeze half the lemon on top of the oil. 

Sprinkle in a little salt and pepper. 

Place vegetables on top. Repeat steps 1 through 3. 

Serve and enjoy, the salad should be perfectly dressed!

Feeds 2

Sweet Plantain

You may have seen this dish called "platanos" or "platanos maduros". Platanos means plantain, but maduros means mature. This is because the plantain are very ripe, maybe even over ripe when you make this dish. Don't be fooled for recipes that call for sugar, yellow plantains, cooked correctly are sweet enough to serve for dessert. 

Ingredients

2 yellow plantain

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp oil

Cut plaintains in half lengthwise.

Cut plantain pieces into smaller pieces.

If I'm cooking other components of the dinner I put the plantains in a bowl and cover with a damp paper towel to keep it from going brown. 

When you're ready to fry heat oil and butter in a frying pan until the butter is bubbling. Add in plantain.

Cook each side for about 4 minutes on medium heat, turning each piece around every so often to make sure it's not burning. The sugar in the plantain can be so sweet, or burn so bad.

When the plantain is browned on both sides remove from pan carefully as they will be so tender and fragile. It's best to use a spatula to remove from oil.

Serve warm. Feeds 4

American Style Bacon

Bacon and eggs are the classic American breakfast. First you make this, then you make our recipe for perfect scrambled eggs. Put those two together and the result is a very satisfied tummy.  That little teaspoon of oil is the difference between uneven amateur bacon, and perfect restaurant style American bacon. While bacon is usually made from side and back cuts of pork, in the United States, it is almost always prepared from the belly of the pig ( and is thus referred to as "streaky", "fatty", or "American style" outside of the US and Canada).

Ingredients

1/4 lb bacon
1 teaspoon oil

Put the teaspoon of oil in a spacious frying pan and set the heat to medium high.

Lay your bacon out flat. Now cut it in half for easier handling in the hot pan.

When oil is HOT add in bacon one piece at a time, be sure to not overcrowd the pan, there should be one layer of bacon in the pan. Overlapping pieces make for chewy uncooked sections of fat in the bacon.

As bacon sizzles, flip over pieces as the underside gets brown and crispy.

When bacon is a lovely brown all over, remove from oil and place on paper towels to drain.

Serve warm, feeds two people but I could easily eat all that bacon myself.

A popular quote on the mania around American bacon follows:

"There is: bacon ice cream; bacon-infused vodka; deep-fried bacon; chocolate-dipped bacon; bacon-wrapped hot dogs filled with cheese; brioche bread pudding smothered in bacon sauce; hard-boiled eggs coated in mayonnaise encased in bacon — called, appropriately, the 'heart attack snack'; bacon salt; bacon doughnuts, cupcakes and cookies; bacon mints; 'baconnaise', which Jon Stewart described as 'for people who want to get heart disease but are too lazy to actually make bacon'; Wendy's 'Baconnator' — six strips of bacon mounded atop a half-pound cheeseburger — which sold 25 million in its first eight weeks; and the outlandish 'bacon explosion' — a barbecued meat brick composed of 2 pounds of bacon wrapped around 2 pounds of sausage."

— Arun Gupta

Perfect Easiest Scrambled Eggs

Everyone likes their scrambled eggs a certain way, this recipe is flexible enough for any way you like your eggs...but will still come out pefectly cooked every single time. Give this a try, they go well with our recipe for American style Bacon

Ingredients
6 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of black pepper or red (cayenne) pepper
2 tbsp butter (or oil, or bacon fat)

Crack eggs carefully into a bowl. Check for and remove eggshell pieces before breaking egg yolks.

Add in salt and pepper. Grate onion over egg mixture.
Use a whisk or fork to beat eggs until the yolks are broken and mostly combined into one yellow mixture.

Heat butter, oil, or bacon fat in a pan on medium.

Add in eggs, continuously stirring so the bottom of the pan does not cook too fast. This is why I used a deeper saucepan.

At first mixture will look ugly as little pieces of cooked egg are stirred into the raw egg.

Keep stirring. Then= eggs will get thicker, resembling cottage cheese but tasting much better. Now turn your heat to low if you like your eggs drier, and off if you like your eggs more moist.

Continue to stir eggs using the residual heat from the pan until your eggs are at the "dryness" you prefer. They will always be prefectly creamy and delicious using this method.

Serves 3