Shish Kabobs

Unfortunately, the summer is coming to an end. So, before I lie in a bed of snow with angels I want to share this amazingly simple shish kabob recipe. Shish kabobs are the ultimate reminder of the summer season and are absolutely delicious and fun to eat (and make). Ask me about the bbq process ...I can't help ya there. But in terms of preparing this easy peasy appetizer, I gotcha. In fact, 90% of this recipe is preparation.

Beef & chicken shish kabobs

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Ingredients:

1 package of beef- stew cut (about 1-1.5 lbs.)
3-4 thinly sliced chicken breasts 
1/2 red pepper
1/2 green pepper
1/2 yellow pepper
1/2 orange pepper
1/2 onion
cilantro
ground black pepper
red pepper flakes 
salt
garlic powder
paprika
oregano
Goya Adobo (without pepper)
distilled white vinegar
wooden skewers
*Bonus ingredient - 1 Mango, for that pop of sweetness*
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Step 1

Cut peppers and onion into strips that will appropriately fit skewers. 

Step 2

Pour a generous amount all the seasonings (cilantro, black pepper, pepper flakes, salt, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, Adobo) into a bowl.

Step3

Add distilled white vinegar to the seasoning mixture. Pour until all seasoning in bowl is fully covered, turning it into a liquid mixture.

Step 4

Place about 5-7 pieces of meat (beef or chicken) in the bowl at a time and use hands to massage the mixture into each piece. 
*If you want an even tastier experience, marinate overnight. Place beef into a large Zip Lock bag with seasoning mixture and put in fridge. If you're also using chicken, do the same in a separate Zip Lock and put in fridge.*

Step 5

*IMPORTANT- wet skewers before use. This will prevent them from burning during the cooking process.*
Place beef, chicken, and vegetables on each skewer in an alternating pattern. Be sure to leave enough  space in between each piece to allow for proper cooking. Make it colorful and fun!

Step 6

Grill those babiessssssss.


*Makes about 10-20 skewers*
*Total time- 30-40 minutes*

Main Bagels

This morning I had none other than thee most delicious breakfast known to man- bacon, egg, cheese, and taylor ham on an everything bagel, toasted. YUUUUUMMMM. One of these and you'll be set 'til dinner. OR you can just do what D does and ask them to scoop out the dough =P (No, really. Ask). After a good night of drinking, Sam, D, and myself decided there was a void that needed to be filled- besides the fact that me & D lied in our 4a.m. bed of morning breakfast sandwich plans for the proceeding few hours. Our go to? Main Bagels, located at 45  Main Ave in Wallington (NJ). Sunday mornings are the best because it's the perfect way to end either an awful week or an amazing one. Despite the [2] not so friendly comments on Yelp, this hearty breakfast sandwich definitely has its spot in my day after drinking (not hungover) survival kit. Throw some salt & pepper on this bad boy VVVVVV and you've got yourself a deal....for like 7 bucks with a drink. Whatever, it's worth it.

Thee most delicious tasting heart disease on the market
(guaranteed)

For some reason, people from New Jersey are the only ones I know of...so far...who are familiar with even the term, "Taylor ham." I guess others might refer to it as "pork roll." Apparently, people from Philly should know what Taylor ham's all about too. Anyway, I would say that the look and taste kiiind of remind me of bologna....fried bologna. But, then again, Taylor ham is Taylor ham and can't really be compared. So, this guy named John Taylor from Jersey came up with the idea in 1856 and ever since then it's been quite the hit. You can only buy it in Jersey (and maybe Philly)- that's what makes it so great =D

Here's some more wiki info if you're up for some random, late night, potentially useless information:
The Product
The Man Behind It All

Dino Nuggets!!!!!!!!

Dino Nuggets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Due to my...hollow pockets, I have been on a strict dino nugget diet. This is far from a complaint, other than the fact that I keep getting these weird premonitions of me 100 lbs. heavier face down in ketchup (i don't like ketchup). Anyway, THEE best ever chicken nuggets ever to be conceived on this here planet. This being a product of Canada, makes me wanna say, 'WOO! Canada.' They can no how be compared to fast food nuggets or anything really. They just...stand on their own- just like the real deal millions of years ago. There are no gross fatty deposits or weird crunchy/squishy tendony stuff when you bite into it (other than the crispiness that crisping tray magnificently creates). What makes me love 'em even more is the horrible HORRIBLE mistake of producing too few Pterodactyls. NO! This one tastes way better than all the other [overproduced T-rexes] ones. I swear. This follows the same idea that SpongeBob macaroni & cheese tastes way better than any other kind. It's true.

A reenactment of my face when I found
the last Pterodactyl in the box

I started eating these God-given dinosaurs because Liz (whom has provided me with this complementary box) would make 'em for Gisella allllllllllllllll the time. Paired with the right BBQ sauce and french fries and this is a meal made in heaven and fit for a queen ... or kid. Either way, you can't go wrong. So, hop on that man-made road and get to your nearest BJ's or Costco or whatever other variation of that food haven you can find. It's completely okay to unleash your inner kid. If you're not interested... YOU LIE! Enjoy =)

Portuguese Tavern

Today's post is not so much a recipe, but a yummy restaurant suggestion. And I'm sure this won't be the last. My mom often works 'til late so when I'm not being so much of a housewife daughter she picks up some food on her way home for the two of us. Last night she grabbed a yummy platter from Portuguese Tavern, located on Crooks Ave. in Clifton (NJ). Here's the link to their website if you want to check it out: Portuguese Tavern
Below is what's left over from me & mamma's feasting hour:

Skirt Steak Platter

Unfortunately I cannot comment on anything other than the {skirt steak platter} because that's all we've ever gotten, but it's delicious. The meat is so tender and flavorful- a little fatty in certain areas, but that's just my picky meat eating habits sharing their complaints. All platters can be found under the Churrasqueira Menu on their website (that term is mostly understood as "steakhouse", featuring all meat dishes). All platters are served with yellow rice, vegetables bathed in vinegar (like 4 pieces, I don't know why), and french fries. It serves about 5-6- depends on who's eating. It sucks that there are no listed prices, but for only 24$ this platter is the way to go. Oh my, all of this Portuguese talk reminds me of Brazilian Rodizio- Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. But, yep. All in less than a day's work = )

Farfalle w/ asparagus & prosciutto

So my boyfraaan Andres spent this past week with me and decided to cook a Sunday dinner for my mom and I (thanks babe). Shocked, but lovin' it, I proceeded to help him prepare the dish below. Lemme tell ya, for someone who doesn't like prosciutto and who was skeptical about this heavy cream of a sauce, I freakin' loved it. Delicious delicious. And the best part is that you can incorporate as many other vegetables and seasonings as you'd like. There are many variations of this dish out there, but this is by far the easiest and fastest. A must try!

Farfalle w/ Asparagus & Prosciutto

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Ingredients: 

1 box of farfalle (bow tie pasta)
6 slices (about a 1/4 lb.) prosciutto, cut into strips 
1 lb. of asparagus, cut into 1" pieces
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
ground black pepper
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Step 1
Boil water for pasta.

Step 2
Once water begins to boil, pour the entire box of farfalle into the pot. Meanwhile, pour 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream into a small sauce pan until it begins to boil.

Step 3 
Simmer for about 6-7 minutes or until it begins to thicken. This will be your sauce.

Step 4
Pour pasta into large serving bowl after draining.

Step 5
Cut asparagus into 1" pieces and submerge  in water  in a microwavable bowl. Cover and microwave for 3 minutes.

Step 6
Pour the heavy cream sauce over the pasta.

Step 7
Place prosciutto strips and asparagus over the pasta.  Give the pasta a good mix.

Step 8
Add grated Parmesan cheese and ground black pepper to taste.  

*Serves about 8*
*Total time- 30 minutes*

Summer Salad

Salad is salad. It's pretty much a boring bed of leaves. However, dress it up and make it look attractive and you'll have yourself a yummy healthy snack. I make a mean lettuce wrap but, that's for another day's post and with a completely different set of instructions. For now, let's stick to this delicious Goya gropin' summer dressed salad. {All suggested ingredients are not shown in the dish photo} What makes this so special is the below ingredient that is unfortunately not sold everywhere (I found this one at a Shoprite in Passaic). This stuff even got Andrezio to eat salad (reminds him of his grandmother).  

Voila!

Summer Salad

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Ingredients:

Lettuce
Tomatoe
Green and yellow peppers
Onion
Cilantro
Carrot shreds
White vinegar
Olive oil
Ground black pepper 
Goya Salad & Vegetable Seasoning!!!!!!!!!!!

* I didn't incorporate any exact measurement for each ingredient because building a salad is like building a home...it's all personal baby :) 
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Step 1
Prepare lettuce and place in a medium or large sized bowl.

Step 2
Prepare vegetables as desired. {I personally despise tomato gook so I remove the center stuff which includes the seeds}

Step 3 
Combine all ingredients in a bowl; add ground black pepper, Goya seasoning, white vinegar, and olive oil.

Step 4
Give that a good tossss & enjoy the fruits of your labor!


*Serving size depends on how much of each ingredient you actually decide to use*
*Total time- 15-20 minutes*

Let's Try This Again...