Orlando Culinary Academy!!

Hello Hello.....

Exciting news today!! I just applied for the Orlando Culinary Academy to get my A.A.S. degree in Culinary Arts. I will get training in culinary, baking and hospitality & restaurant management.

I start on September 29th......

www.orlandoculinary.com

Wish me luck!!!

Ciao'

Simply Delicioso - Ingrid Hoffman

My girl Ingrid is the bomb latina on FoodNetwork. I DVR her shows every sunday, if you have never seen or tried any of her receipes you are missing out. Below I have provided you with some of Ingrids tips for cooking...Get to love her...because most of the receipes I post are provided by her.

Ingrid's Sizzling Tips

Grab Some Guavas: For a fun party munchie, lay out some chilled guava shells and a variety of fillings. Have some herbed cream cheese, some sweet peppers, some salted nuts and anything else you think would be tasty. Let your guests mix and match and come up with their own combinations. The unique use of guava shells will get everyone interested and let them have fun.

Put That Pepper Jelly to Use! - Do you have some jalapeno or other pepper jelly sitting in your cupboard? It seems at one time or another, everyone gets a jar and doesn't know what to do with it. The next time you're grilling steaks, put a dollop of jelly on them right before you take them off the grill and let it make a glaze or crust. Delicioso!

Marinade in Heaven: Marinating is an excellent way to get flavor into your beef. Be sure to allow several hours for the marinade to penetrate or overnight for really thick or dense cuts. Let your imagination run wild when it comes to flavors. Try using a bit of your favorite hot pepper sauce to give your fajitas a running start to spicy stardom.

Bring on the Heat: A pepper's heat lives in the white ribs and seeds inside it. For most uses, it's a good idea to take the seeds out, but you can leave the ribs in or take out all or part of them depending on how hot you like your food. You can take any pepper from wild to mild with just a paring knife.

Sit, Then Slice: Whenever you cook any piece of meat, let it rest a bit before you cut it. If you slice into it straight off the grill, all the yummy juices will run out instead of staying where they belong - in the meat! For a thin cut, like skirt steak, a few minutes is fine. For a big chuck roast or tri-tip, 20 minutes under a little foil tent will do the trick.

Ingrid's Cooking Corner

Cuts of Beef: Go to your butcher shop and stand in front of the beef case and your head might start to spin from the number of different cuts available. From short ribs to sirloin tip, from filet to flank steak, it's hard to believe they all come from the same place.

Just as in the U.S., Spanish and Latin cooks use every cut of beef in their cooking, but you'll find some differences in which ones are most popular. And here's a bonus: Many of these cuts will be less expensive than the ones you might be used to using.

All in the Pepper Family: Did you know that peppers have been grown in South America for over 6,000 years? It's true! And if you want to make your cooking truly delicioso, you're going to want to make friends with these marvels of flavor.

Guavalicious: There's a fruit out there that is one of the most versatile, nutritious, abundant and delicious things on the planet, and I'll bet you've never eaten one fresh. It's the guava! Throughout Central and South America and the Caribbean, the guava is very much like the apple is the U.S. It's a fruit you can find everywhere and everyone has their favorite way to cook with it.

No Internet

Sorry guys. I did not have internet service for a long time. Then I went through a big move. So now that I am settled I can focus on my blog. I am trying to put up a new background. Keep checking back for updates!

Thanks!

Ciao'

Coquito

Coquito
(Coconut Rum Eggnog)

INGREDIENTS
6 eggs

3/4 bottle white rum

2 cans coconut milk (or cream of coconut for a sweeter taste)

2 cans evaporated milk

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons vanilla

1 cup brandy

PREPARATION
In a blender, beat the eggs and rum at high speed. Lower blender setting and add all additional ingredients. Bottle and chill through. Serve in small liqueur glasses.

Try New Things!

So living in New York is really what got me into trying different foods. For one you have no choice because there is always something different on each block and two I just love to eat. :)

I was turned onto these delicious looking pancake things with cheese on top by my co-worker Mona. She is Columbian and brought these in one day and I could not keep my mouth off of them. So I give you the receipe to make them at home or you can go buy them at your local grocery store and pop it in the toaster oven with a slice of cheese on top and YUMMY in your TUMMY....I promise.

Arepas de Queso Colombianos
(Corn & Cheese Griddlecakes)

INGREDIENTS

2 cups yellow or white pre-cooked corn meal

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups water

2 cups queso fresco, finely crumbled, or grated queso seco, or Parmesan cheese

butter

PREPARATION
In a large bowl, combine the corn meal and salt and stir well. Slowly pour in the water a little at a time while stirring, adding only enough to make a firm and moist dough that easily holds its shape. Add the cheese and knead into the dough until well incorporated. Take 1/3-cup portions of dough at a time and shape them into balls. Flatten the balls to form thick patties, approximately 3 to 3 1/2 inches round. Generously grease a skillet or griddle with the butter, and cook the arepas for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until they are cooked through and have lightly browned. Spread the patties with butter if desired, or split in half and sandwich with additional white cheese. Serve immediately. Makes 8 arepas.

Want to make your own SOFRITO?

*Sofrito Basico
(Basic Sofrito)

Incorporate this sauce into a bean dish, soup, or stew or use it as a first step in making other dishes.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup olive, vegetable, or annatto oil

2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/3 cup coarsely chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup coarsely chopped ripe tomato, or 2 to 3 tbsp. tomato sauce

1/3 tsp. salt, or to taste

PREPARATION
Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and bell pepper and sauté 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in fresh tomato or tomato sauce and salt. Sauté another minute, until all ingredients have softened and onion is translucent.

*Sofrito Picante
(Hot-and-Spicy Sofrito)

For a subtle effect, select a mild to medium-hot chile, such as a serrano or jalapeño. For more intense heat, try an habanero or a Scotch bonnet, using half the amount called for in the recipe.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup corn or other vegetable oil

2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 to 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh chile of choice

1/2 cup coarsely chopped chorizo or cured ham

1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh oregano (or 3/4 tsp. dried

)1 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme (or 1/3 tsp. dried)

Salt to taste

PREPARATION
Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, chile, and chorizo or ham and sauté 2 to 3 minutes, until vegetables have softened. Stir in oregano and thyme, and salt if desired, and continue sautéing until onion is translucent.

*Latina.com

** I have always wondered what made my chicken and other meats taste sooo freaking good. Its the SOFRITO people. I live by this stuff. If you try it once you will be hooked!!

Cool Off With These El Vernano Bebe

Caipirinha

INGREDIENTS
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges

2 1/2 heaping tsp. superfine sugar, or to taste

2 oz. cachaça (Brazilian liquor) or light rum

1/2 cup ice cubes

PREPARATION
Place lime wedges and sugar in tall bar glass. Use muddler or end of wooden spoon to mash lime and sugar together. Add cachaça and stir. Add ice, cover and shake. Serve immediately. Makes 1 drink.

Coconut-Pineapple Batido

INGREDIENTS
1 can (16 oz.) cream of coconut

1/3 large, ripe pineapple (about 4 cups), peeled and coarsely chopped

1 cup evaporated milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup crushed ice

PREPARATION
Combine all ingredients in blender and frappé until smooth. Makes 4 to 5 servings.

**Both receipes courtsey of Latina.com