Sloppy Joes!

So I was invited to a house warming a few weeks ago. One of the items on the menu was this messy burger meat thing that you slopped onto a bun and go to town on it!

Usually I am a very picky eater! I will not eat something that does not look appealing to my eyes. I try to eat the same things most of the time. Like I do not like anyone messing with my breakfast. Breakfast to me should be Eggs Benedict or Bacon, eggs and hash browns. Thats it!

While I don’t eat fast food very often, I often stick to what I like the most, so only breaded chicken sandwiches I will eat.

Now imagine my dilemma when I show up to this party and thats the only food item on the menu besides salad! And I had not eaten before so I was ready to eat anything at that point.

The Sloppy Joe was kept in a crockpot and you had to slop it over some buns…I skipped the bun and just ate it with chips. Well I said to myself, either I was really hungry or that was pretty good!

So I came home and set about testing out how to make this Sloppy Joe. I don’t like sweet so I knew I wanted mine to be a little on the spicy side. I made it like 3 times before I settled on this recipe being my favorite.

These are perfect bites for having a game night or if you have a grad party or even a BBQ!

Give it a go and if you like it, please subscribe to my YouTube Channel and give the video a thumbs up!

I shall be back soon with a Coconut Curry Shrimp recipe!

Click here for Sloppy Joe recipe and video.

Had to run a million stairs and a huge mountain! Well really it was only a few stairs at the Target Field and it was one small hill at Gold Medal Park…but my legs seriously felt like it was on fire! Never mind it burning and my heavy breathing on the day of, its the next day that my calves felt like it was being squeezed in a not so nice way.

OYE the things I do just to fit into some dresses. I have a love-hate relationship with my trainer. I love that I get results and that he pushes me to my limits and beyond, but at the same time I say to myself…”I pay this dude to torture my body”. However the next day when I wake up and I have that sore feeling…its actually a really good feeling. I know it is working then or at least something is working.

If you want to see what one of our outdoor workouts look like check out my friend and fellow blogger Kaitlyn’s YouTube Channel.

I have fallen off the wagon in the last two weeks and have been eating everything that I am craving. I shall be back at my normal healthy eating next week. Which means I must clean my fridge out, hence the creation of this One Pot Chicken & Rice dish!

This is a great dish to use up whatever vegetables you have hanging around in the fridge. if you have any canned beans, toss that in too with it. You can make this vegetarian, by omitting the chicken.

Remember if you like the video, hop on over to my YouTube Channel and give it a thumbs up and subscribe to my channel to see when post something new.

Click here for One Pot Chicken and Rice recipe and video.

See you soon!

I am not complaining, but it has been blistering hot and humid here in MN. The wind will not blow! And with my dark coloring, I end up just looking burnt and charred! For some reason the sun is attracted to my forehead. Not attractive at all.

I sent the monster and her friend that was having a sleepover, outside to water the plants as they looked very thirsty, the plants, not the monster, I looked out the window, and sure enough, those two had water everywhere, but the plants! An hour later I see two drowned looking rats squish their way into the house…I had to go water the plants myself!

This pulled pork recipe came about with my need to meal prep for the week with as little time as possible. And again for me to use it in different ways so I don’t get bored.

I don’t like pulled pork only because it is always too sweet. So my pulled pork is not your conventional pulled pork recipe. I actually browned my sugar to give the pork that dark, brown, smokey flavor. And then I added a very little ketchup for sweetness.

It turned out fantastic on the first try! Sorry I don’t have a video of it. I did do one, but while I was caramelizing the sugar (the most important part) my camera shut off, without me knowing it.

So I will have to redo that step and then post the video. In the meantime you should definitely give this Pulled pork a try!

Click here for Pulled Pork recipe. You can always find more recipes and videos on my Youtube Channel!

See you next time!

Hi there!

Welcome back, if this is your first time stopping by, then hold on to your seat cause you are in for a treat.

I have been testing and tweaking this BBQ Chicken recipe for a while now. My goal was to make it as easy and simple as possible with ingredients that I had in my fridge. I did not want it to get too out of control. I also wanted to make it in my oven, since I live in the coldest state and it helps in the winter months.

I first made it on my grill. While it tastes fantastic and it was super juicy, I had to constantly watch it in case the skin on my chicken went up in flames! Which is why the second go around, I decided to try it in the oven. It came out great! It did not lack for color either as you can see from the pictures.

Some ideas to eat this with, how about a simple mashed potatoes and salad! Date night dinner baby. Or better yet when you watching Game of Thrones sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to see who is going to be killed off this week.

Remember if you like this video and would like see more, head on over to my YouTube Channel and subscribe and give it a thumbs up so I know to make more likes these.

Click here for Oven BBQ Chicken recipe and video.

I hate waiting on people. I hate when I tell someone a time to be at a certain place, to when to meet me and they don’t leave their house until 5 minutes before the meeting time! Its rude to keep someone waiting, especially if you don’t have a good excuse.

Like telling me that traffic was bad! That is not a good excuse, if you know that time of the day will have more traffic then leave a little earlier. I do not like to wait.

I am bringing you an awesome chicken wing recipe. Cause lets face it, who does not love a good chicken wing?

If you are grilling these, you must watch it, as it will go up in flames because of the sweetness in it. You can also bake these in the oven. I used a sweet chili sauce that I found in my local grocery in the ethnic isle. Add some Meyer lemon juice to help even out the sweetness, threw in some cayenne for spiciness and walla! You have the perfect sweet, lemony, garlic wings!

You are going to need extra napkins for this one.

Till next time, keep cooking! Please like, share and subscribe my YouTube Channel. So we can help spread the love!

Click here for Sweet lemony Chicken Wings recipe.

Did you survive your Thanksgiving Holiday? Did you venture out into the Black Friday abyss of chaos?

I managed to survive two Thanksgiving holidays this year. The first being mine and the second with the Kubes family.

I am going to show you my two turkeys that I did this year. I am really hoping to actually share this recipe sometime in the future. But there is only so much turkey I can eat! Especially since I don’t even like turkey.

The first Turkey is baked and the second is deep fried. Both tasted fantastic and they were both juicy. However we ate most of the fried turkey before we even sat down to dinner. So I am going to go out on a limb and say that was our first choice.

And honestly after eating all that Thanksgiving food I just wanted something normal to cleanse the palette. I had a sudden craving for Beef Chow Fun! NOT to be mistaken for pad Thai.

This Beef Chow Fun is usually served with white sticky rice, but I added in wide noodles and it was fantastic. I wanted to share this with someone who loves Thai Food and drove all that way to deliver it while it was hot, but I was greeted instead with a Crabby Pants! So no more Thai Food for him.

But if you like Beef Fun Chow when you go to the restaurant, here is your chance of making it at home! And I even made a video for you, how sweet is that.

If you liked this video and recipe, remember to pop on by my Youtube Channel and give it a thumbs up and Subscribe to get the latest recipes!

In the mean while click here to get Beef Chow Fun Recipe.

While everyone is celebrating Valentines Day, I am over here missing Ash Wednesday in Trinidad. This is usually the day after Carnival Monday and Tuesday and everyone back home heads to the beach or to the river to make ‘a cook’.

A ‘cook’ in Trini term means you are going to cook your meal, usually some kind of curry or broth (soup) at the beach. And its normally cooked over a thrown together fireside. With wood and bricks/huge rocks.

Nothing beats the taste of a good spicy curry cooked over a wood fireside! Damn I can taste it now. Oh how I miss Carnival in Trinidad. I miss the food and the music and the atmosphere. Seeing all the bands, hearing the loud music from the big trucks.

Anyway in case you are wondering its 40 degrees here today in MN and that to us is summer right there! No beach, but I did make the best darn Curry Goat ever! I have made 2 other Curry Goat recipes on here already, but each one is different.

The green seasoning remains the same, as any true Trini will use green seasoning in every meat they cook. In this recipe I added Anchor Masala and roasted geera powder which is local to Trinidad cooking. It gives the meat a smokey flavor.

Not everyone will eat spicy food, in my green seasoning I added peppers and this is why I used Thai chili peppers. As I do have a monster that loves her curry, and she can handle her heat, just at a certain level. It was so hard to edit this video as it only made me hungry.

I will make another Curry Goat recipe, but next time I will cook it in my Tagine, stay tuned for that.

I hope you have been loving the videos and I am trying to make sure I tape each recipe I make so you at least have an idea of how to make my dishes.

If there is ever any special recipe you would like to see on the blog drop me a note. I love a good challenge!

Remember if you like the video don’t be shy about giving it a thumbs up and checking out more recipes on my YouTube Channel and subscribing to it.

Thanks for stopping by…toodles!

Click here for Trini Curry Goat recipe.

You can find my other Two Curry goat recipes here. Curry Goat and Curry Goat 2.

So nothing new here other than we got another 8-14 inches of snow again today. I am so ready for winter to be gone. And no it is not beautiful, like a lot of people seem to think. It is chaos to drive in, back breaking trying to shovel yourself out before work, sand and salt everywhere that makes the snow look a dirty brown color.

I just want some sunshine so I can complain about how hot it is, and that the heat is making my hair frizzy and its charing my skin.

Today, I am sharing a post that I was lucky enough to do for another blog. It is called 196 Flavors. It is the first bilingual blog (French and English) that features unique and authentic  world cuisine.

They feature a different country or region each month. This month they are taking you on a tour of Tunisia and its beautiful cuisine. These are authentic recipes that they provide to you. my only contribution to this was cooking and photographing. The recipe is from 196 flavors.

I was assigned a flavorful, comforting Lamb Stew called Mermez. For the full recipe and an explanation of why this stew is one of Tunisia’s authentic food, check out the write up that I did at this link, Mermez.

Again the recipe is from 196 flavors. The video below is mine and its the longer version that I made of Mermez. The actual recipe uses a pressure cooker. I slow cooked mine because I had all the time in the world that day!

Check out 196 flavors and their wonderful recipes and as usual if you like the videos, head on over to my YouTube Channel and give it a thumbs up and subscribe to it.

I can finally smell again! Just in time for March Madness. Thats all that is going to be on at the gym. As soon as you walk in the door the guys will start in on whose winning and whose bracket is being knocked out. And yes of course I am in on the betting. Though I do not watch the games, I love checking my bracket at night to see who is beating me.

As you have read I have collaborated with 196 flavors and this is my second recipe that I have done. They provide the recipe and I do the cooking, photographing and the eating! At least I don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen testing out a recipe. These are recipes that have been tried, tested and handed down through time.

They are as authentic as can be and it is true to that regions nationality. After doing the research on these recipes I feel like I was actually in Tunisia!

This Dwida Mfawra is from North Africa and its basically a steamed vermicelli or broken pasta. It is a thinner pasta that is steamed over the lamb stew as it cooks. Incredibly delicious and easy to make. The spices like the harissa and the tabel make this dish unique. You can find the tabel online at Amazon and harissa at any middle eastern grocery.

The recipe for this dish was provided by 196 flavors. Check them out for more unique Tunisian Dishes.

In the meantime click here for this Dwida Mfawra recipe and for an extended write up on the history of this dish. And if you like the video, head on over to my Youtube Channel for more recipes and subscribe!

Growing up I did not eat beef or pork, in fact I did not start eating beef or pork until I was well into my 20’s! It was against our religion, and it still is! My parents and my younger brother still do not eat either.

What I ate back then I hated with a vengeance! My grandparents grew their own rice in a lagoon, and harvested it once a year.  It was kept in the huge wooden box beneath our house. I mean a huge 20 by 20 box! This rice is what we now call the real brown rice. It was organic brown rice, and I remember riding on the bull cart with my grandparents and and my brother and sister and going to the rice Lagoon to help harvest the rice.

Honestly I doubt we helped very much, if it rained the Lagoon would flood and fill up with water up to our knees. And so we would dive around in that dirty, brown water throwing a ball around or looking for tortoise’s. Fun times!

Anyway this brown rice we had year round! I hated it because we literally ate rice 7 days a week! When we did not eat that we ate roti. We ate roti with every different type of side dish that could go with it without meat. My grand mother would cook the green papaya to eat with roti and believe it or not it came out like pumpkin! Another favorite back then that she use to make was green bananas. I hated that back then, but I crave that today! Mainly because we cannot find the green, young bananas to make that dish.

Today, I love a good steak! I still don’t like pork chops or any type of pork unless it is stewed. And I don’t eat beef unless it is steak or maybe a sloppy Joe. I don’t like burgers.

My whole point to this story, what you did not like back then you may like today. Our tastebuds change as we get older. Also our cooking styles! I love anything that is one pot. Less clean up and it is quick. This Steak and Potato dish is an epic one pot dish! I cannot tell you how delicious it was. I surprised even myself!

I used a really good steak for my dish and paired it with a salad. Fantastic!

And as usual, I shall urge you to head on over to my Youtube Channel and subscribe and give the video a thumbs up! Yah know so you can support and share the love!

Thank you for stopping by!

Click here for Steak and Potato recipe.

I believe everyone but me has seen Black Panther and the new Avengers movie! I mean how many times do we have to avenge the world with new super heroes?

I feel like a super hero every time I get home from work and is able to get the dishes and dinner done by 9pm! Other days I wish I had a private chef and full time maid service. Though I love to cook, I am hoping the private chef would be better at telling me no to hotdogs and carbs in general! My brain just tells me to eat it, you only live once, who cares if you have a big belly going everywhere with you, just blend in, and then it just laughs at me like we are good friends.

The maid service is so that I will have more time to focus on my private chef than cleaning! Seriously my windows and doors are always closed, so how on earth does dust miraculously appear on my floors and shelves!

I truly admire those people that say they are doing spring cleaning! I mean in my defense we have yet to find spring in Minnesota. That is my excuse at least. Okay serious question now, is it legal for me to call the pow pow on the neighborhood kids at 8pm for making too much noise and squealing and riding their bikes that late? Yes I said THAT late! Luckily my monster don’t squeal, but she has pouting and being moody down to a science! Those little buggers play right next to my bedroom window when I am trying to get my 12 hours of beauty sleep. Yes I said 12 hours! Otherwise I simply cannot function the next day.

What I did manage to accomplish one evening was this awesomely, semi healthy, veggie packed Beef and Veggie Stir-fry. This stir-fry can be eaten on its own or with rice. Of course I ate mine with rice because my brain was telling me to blend in again!

I know there are some strong people out there that carbs can’t get to…so this dish is totally worth it. Give it a go.

Now you all know how tired I get and how early I need to be in my bed to function, so just think of how much I love you, my followers, by making these videos so you can see how easy it is to make these dishes and learn the step by step process, so you too can feel like a super hero. Therefore you should totally pop on over to my Youtube Channel and share the love, by subscribing or giving it a thumbs up!

In the meantime…click here for Beef and Veggie Stir-fry recipe.

Anyone here watches Naked and Afraid? I have been watching this Discovery show since it  first started. I mainly like to see what the naked people catch and cook to eat. A lot of times they just go hungry. What a fantastic way to lose weight right?

While watching it I always think to myself, I am not sure I would make it past the first day! I mean in my normal day to day life, if I don’t get my breakfast by 915 am, you do not want to be around this gal. Then when I don’t get  my tea, boy I get snarly! I simply won’t survive.

What’s even worse is I get cold in 80 degree weather with my clothes on! Can you imagine without my clothes? OYE

So last Sunday here in good old MN it was 84 degrees…beautiful! Today…54 degrees and cold. I think at some point along the way I have come to accept our rigid weather  changes or rather embrace it.

So while it  was chilly outside yet deceivingly sunny, I decided to take a stab at this leg of lamb that has been sitting in my freezer for a few weeks. I did not  want to go outside to grill and I did not want to heat up the whole house by lighting the oven for hours. So my next  option was to throw it in the crockpot.

Now how shall I marinate this 2 pound leg of lamb so that I can use it in multiple ways. I decided to make a homemade jerk seasoning rub that  is low maintenance and i can use it on other meats if their are left overs.

I grilled my herbs on the broiler, but you can lightly char them on the stove top on your open flame as well. Then the easy part is you throw everything in your magic bullet or food processor and walla!

I literally placed my seasoned leg in the crockpot on low before i went to bed and turned it  off when I got up the next day!

Very easy and low maintenance. Give it a go and if you have left over jerk it goes great on chicken wings!

Click here for Jerk spiced leg of lamb recipe.

I know you are wondering what the heck is an Asado? An Asado is one heck of a big BBQ!

In Argentina and Paraguay and a few other South American countries, a big BBQ is called an Asado. In fact today is Paraguay’s Independence day and it is guaranteed that there will be an Asado or two. To these countries an Asado is considered an event. Its not just a BBQ to them. While the meats are not seasoned the way it is in America, it is about the cooking process and the types of wood that is used.

To read about this tradition and how it came to be head on over to 196flavors for the recipe and process.

In the meanwhile drool over these meat filled pictures!

Hi there!

Its been about 2 weeks since I last posted anything. I was away for Memorial weekend and I just felt too lazy to cook and video and blog.

I usually go away to a lake house every Memorial weekend, this year in 14 years we actually had 90 degree weather. I am not complaining, but there was two houses next to us on either side and we were the only house hold that would be inside all day and only came out when the sun set! Brown people are terribly afraid of sunlight, we actually like to keep our winter color!

The lake water was seriously ice cold, but we did catch a huge big mouth, wide mouth or large mouth bass! I really cannot recall the correct term for it.

This week my little monster who is not so little anymore is graduating from middle school and heading into the big leagues of high school. I can hardly believe it! Granted she is taller than me by a foot or a head, and her feet is the size of a basketball player. I am just bracing myself for a whole new set of teenage torment coming my way.

Today I decided to make this beautiful Pork Tenderloin with a Grape Reduction. Here is the thing, I cannot cook pork to save my life. I literally always cook it till its too darn dry and no matter how much a salt it, I feel like it still never has flavor. Honestly I don’t like eating it.

I only like pork if its ribs or stewed. I have managed to solve my flavorless and dry pork with this grape reduction. It is savory and it packs quite the punch!

I did this recipe early on in my blogging life, before I started doing videos, so today I just did the video of it but the recipe is the same.

And as usual I am closing out with please follow me on Youtube and subscribe for more creative recipes like this one.

Click here for Pork Tenderloin with Grape Reduction recipe.

The first thing I do each morning when I wake up is turn on the news, while I convince myself that working is important and that the only way I can live the life of luxury (not really) is if I drag myself out of bed every day and put on my big girl clothes and speed to work.

Last Friday, flashing across my TV screen I distinctly saw breaking news. I can’t see worth a darn without my glasses, so I am thinking ok great which country are we at war with today.

Imagine my shock to see one of my favorite food stars had committed suicide. I am an avid follower of Anthony Bourdain. I love his CNN travel show to different countries and different view on food and their structure. I simply could not believe it!

I mean, I just saw him on Sunday for that weekends No Reservations! The food world will miss him, his drinking and his sarcasm. This right after the death of Kate Spade. I am not a purse or bag type of person. Like I know many, many women who has, lots of bags and purses. I have maybe 5 in my possession and I seriously only use 1 or 2…because I hate switching everything over. But I am a foodie gal and I will miss Anthony Bourdain.

I remember how excited we all were to watch the episode when he went to Trinidad. Our little island getting this kind of recognition. Especially when we are known for our love of food.

Speaking of food…I am sharing with you a quick, juicy recipe of Asian Marinated Grilled Chicken. Perfect for BBQ’s or on the stove top if you have a grill pan like I did because it is always winter in MN.

The longer you marinate the meat for the yummier it will be. But of course you all knew that already! And yup you guessed it, I made a video.

Remember if you like or heck if you don’t like the video still head on over to my Youtube Channel and subscribe and give it a thumbs up!

Click here for Asian Marinated Grilled Chicken recipe.

Quick post today to share with you the video of a Cambodian Curry Chicken I did in partnership with @196flavors.

As usual if you like this recipe video and want to see more head on over to my Youtube Channel and hit the subscribe button!

Until then head on over to 196flavors for this recipe.

Every time I go back home to Trinidad, one of my most favorite things to eat is a Roast Pork Sandwich. I have never been able to master how Trini’s make their roast pork. It does not help that everyone has a different process either.

One of my fondest memory is every Friday buying a roast pork sandwich from the neighborhood bar (rum shop). The lady that owned it only made it on Friday and Saturdays. I believe she fried her pork pieces and smothered it in the best sauce ever!

I was finally able to find a butcher close to my house that I can order a whole hogs leg. It takes a few days to get it but at least I know its fresh and not frozen for months. The marinade for this hog leg is so simple and you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry. What’s the catch to this delicious roast pork?

It takes time to cook. My hog’s leg was 10 pounds and I cooked it for about 4 hours on the charcoal grill. It is important to get a leg that has skin and fat on it. The fat keeps it juicy and who does not love a crispy skin?

I made a video of this to show you exactly how to do it. Head on over to my YouTube Channel for more recipes like this and be sure to subscribe to get it right away in your in box.

Click here for Roast Pork recipe.

I never knew about the connection between Spain and Oxtails or more specifically bulls tail. In fact I did not know about a lot of the history of different foods and recipes until I started blogging for 196flavors.

Over at 196 flavors they believe in authenticity and showcasing where a recipe came from. If you have not seen some of the articles I have written for them you should definitely check it out.

While some of them are hard to write, because it is in another language like this Oxtail Stew from Spain, you will be amazed to hear about the history of how that recipe came to be.

Today I am sharing with you one of the recipes I did for 196flavors. This recipe was past onto me by 196flavors, so it is not my own. The finished dish and the pictures however are mine. And yes of course it all went into my tummy!

Before you knock it, do give it a try. I have posted a video of it as well on my Youtube Channel. So give this Roba de Toro or Spanish Oxtail Stew a try today.

Well we have not seen the sun here in Minnesota for like 3 days. Of course I should not be complaining because I actually love when it rains and there is a massive hurricane in Florida.

However this is that time of the year once again when I have to rake up a zillions bags of leaves. Not fun. I just think about all that time I waste every year raking up leaves. I could so be laying on my couch neflixing and chilling.

Funny joke, I got some new neighbors this past Summer and lucky for them there are no trees in their yard so they don’t have to worry about picking up a 100 bags of leaves….or so they think!

I was out mowing my lawn earlier this week and I saw one of the neighbors outside sucking up leaves from their yard with this thingy…you know what I am talking about. And I could not help but chuckle because dude has no idea just how many times he will be doing that cause all the leaves from my yard blows into his. Of course all the other neighbors leaves blows in to my yard too! Its a vicious cycle. A funny vicious cycle until l have to haul out 24 bags of leaves to the curb.

So as everyone knows I do a few recipes every month for 196flavors and this month in case you have not figured it out yet, This month we are doing Cuba! How awesome was that Cuban black beans and rice? If you missed it, be sure to check that out.

This week I did Ropa Veija and guys it did not disappoint! Have you ever heard about a dish called old clothes? Well this is it! Ropa Veija is actually commonly known as old clothes! You want to know why well heck head on over to 196flavors to find out! I got the whole history and stuff written up over there.

Now if you like this video remember to check out my Youtube Channel and subscribe and give a thumbs up!

When you try this Ropa Veija, pair it with the Cuban Black Beans and Rice. They go great together!

It is winter here in MN so that means all the grills have been tucked away and we will be hibernating until May of 2019. Goodbye sunshine and warmth. Bring on cold the faces, ears and icicles for feet!

For some people winter means skiing,building snowmen and ice fishing. Not me. No way are you getting this sweet summer child to go out on the ice to fish! The fish I get at whole foods is just as good for me!

But I do love going to the movies in the winter. I mean it is still a fortune to buy a bag of popcorn and a water but at least its inside where it is warm.

Speaking of movies, I took my monster and her gang to go see The Hate U Give. We both read the book and wanted to see that movie. I strongly believe in reading the book first before seeing the movie. My thoughts on the movie…

Interesting? It told the view point of a police officer, a black police officer no less. But it also showed the point of the witness. I don’t want to give it away and ruin it for those of you who have yet to see it. What I took away from it…my monster wants to protest, and I admire her for that, but at the same time as a parent I know that protesting can get violent and she could get hurt. That is my issue. Have a voice but it must be peaceful.

The movie did not bash the police or the victim so don’t go see the movie with that in your mind. Be open minded. Try to look at both sides.

And while you are doing that, eat some of these sweet, spicy sticky drumsticks! These were so easy to make and I literally popped it in the oven and that is lunch all week for me. Now if you guys missed me…I will be raking leaves.

Click here for Sticky Baked Drumsticks recipe.

And don’t forget to pop on by my Youtube Channel for more recipe videos!