Thanks!

I realized at one point this was really more baking than cooking, but I figured I would give it a whirl. I don’t know why I have such a disdain for baking while I couldn’t be happier when cooking. Maybe it’s because every time I bake I end up with 10 dirty measuring spoons and cups, more flour on my counter top than in the bowl and the finished product never looks nearly as pretty as it should. But I’m just guessing.

The recipe I tried was rather easy and let’s face it – anything using food coloring is automatically fun. Beware of that stuff by the way – it stains EVERYTHING. This is one of the few things I’ve made that required me to buy ingredients I don’t keep stocked in my kitchen. Honestly, I didn’t even know there was such a thing as white balsamic vinegar. Learn something new everyday.

Without further ado – I give you red velvet waffles. Just like the cake but in waffle form. Great for breakfast with maple syrup. Awesome for dessert with ice cream. Or as was my case tonight, a heavenly dinner with a side of strawberries.

Red Velvet Waffles

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon red food coloring

1 teaspoon  white balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons melted butter

1 1/2 cups milk

3 eggs, separated

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, baking powder). While mixing ingredients, begin warming waffle maker.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks, food coloring, butter, white balsamic vinegar, vanilla extract and milk. Whisk together.

Add the wet ingredients to the large mixing bowl of dry ingredients and combine well. Beat the remaining egg whites and add to mixing bowl. Mix well.

Add batter to heated waffle maker and cook according to your waffle maker’s manufacturer instructions.

Finish off with your preferred topping: powdered sugar, maple syrup, butter or in my case vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!

I took a little video tour of my kitchen, because why not? I have the technology (I can rebuild him – am I too young to actually know that reference?) so I might as well incorporate it into my blog.

Some highlights and lowlights:

- I love yellow. Yellow walls. Yellow trash can. Some yellow appliances. Accents? Lemons. I’ve been promised a lemon tree for the summer that I can then keep in the kitchen during the winter. I’m going to hold the husband to that. Don’t judge the yellow – it’s all part of what makes my happy place happy, dammit.

- I basically doubled my cabinet space from my old house so I’m sure I’ll redo my cabinet system another dozen times before I’m content. Having a lazy susan in the corner cabinet = big girl kitchen.

- I went from an electric oven to a gas one. I’m still having to tweak the way I cook. I know gas is supposed to be so much better, but for 30 years I’ve used electric. I’ve definitely had more than one snafu as a result.

- It looks like Pfaltzgraff Cloverhill Floral threw up in my kitchen. That’s because it did.  Back when my husband and I were still living in sin, my would-be sister-in-law worked at Pfaltzgraff and informed me my pattern was being discontinued. She proceeded to mail me 8 huge boxes of Pfaltzgraff,  sending me anything she could get her hands on in my pattern.  I have more dishes than I know what to do with. Therefore, many of them became decorative pieces.

- My “island” is pitiful. The only thing I disliked about this kitchen is that it didn’t have an island. Currently, I have a makeshift kitchen cart standing in as an island. Some day I’ll have a big girl island again. Some day…

Without further ado, I give you my kitchen. There’s no audio because my allergies are killing me. I’m not a big fan of my voice on tape to begin with, so there was no way I was going to talk while all nasally and stuffy. As I’m still waiting for my spiffy new blog domain name to be created, I haven’t been able to transfer to my hosted site as of yet. Because of that, this link to the video will have to do, rather than having it embedded into the blog. Once hosted, I’ll come back and revise. For now, see the video here.

Therefore, I did what people recommend you do to get more followers: I engaged. I started following people with other like interests – sports, music, tv shows, etc. I would comment here and there when I thought appropriate. Before I knew it, I had increased my following significantly. Unfortunately, at that point, I had little time for blogging.

I started using Twitter as @Chef_Stacey with a spiffy avatar of myself. However, for various personal reasons I changed it to @ChefHLMongoose, keeping Chef in my name and working in Hot Little Mongoose, a nickname bestowed upon me by one of my closest friends. I enjoyed writing under the mongoose persona. It became my creative outlet. I could be funny and sarcastic. Speak my mind. And of course use spiffy mongoose hashtags.

As is the case everywhere in life, not every one is going to like you. I get that. At the end of the day, Twitter is a gathering of mostly strangers judging you solely on thoughts & ideas of 140 characters or less. It is a lot like high school. And guess what? I hated high school. I was a skinny, geeky girl with big glasses who got straight As.  Teenagers are unkind. Apparently, so are adults.

More and more I’ve been reading things that leave me feeling empty. People attacking each other. The gossip. The lies. The drama. It’s not worth it any more. I have taken a hit personally, professionally and emotionally.

I have met some truly great people on Twitter, some in real life. And for those who enjoyed my wit, humor or ramblings, I thank you, but moving forward I will be focusing on my blog.

I’m headed back into my kitchen.  For those who choose to keep following, enjoy the blog. For those who don’t, it’s been a great ride.

#foodlovingmongoose

EDITED:

From comments and @ replies I received, I realized I gave the impression I am leaving Twitter. I am not. I will just be using it mainly to promote my blog. But thanks everyone for the kind words and sentiments.

There have been many changes in my life since I last posted.  Most importantly, I’ve upgrade to a new kitchen!  Hubby and I recently purchased a new home which includes a much larger kitchen than the one in our previous townhouse.  This means more space for creative cooking, which I’m thrilled about.  We are still getting settled, but it’s coming along.

Now to the subject at hand.  Tilapia!  I am a big fan of fish, but typically have not enjoyed tilapia.  It’s much too mild for my taste.  However, back when I was high-protein dieting (as mentioned in my previous blog), I discovered this quick and easy recipe.  At that time, tilapia was diet approved and this recipe included cheese (swoon).  As usual, I made some modifications to the original, adding garlic for taste and paprika for a little extra color.  The result is a tasty dish that turned this girl into a tilapia lover.

Broiled Parmesan Tilapia

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup softened butter

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon celery salt

2 pounds tilapia fillets

Olive oil

Directions:

Set oven to broil.

In a small mixing bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise, lemon juice, basil, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.

Arrange fillets in a single layer in a large glass baking dish.  Cover with a little olive oil.  I actually use spray olive oil.

Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes.  Flip the fillets and broil for another 2 minutes. Remove pan and cover with the Parmesan mixture on the top side.

Broil for another 2 minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork.  I paired with long grain rice and a small salad splashed with balsamic vinaigrette.

Enjoy!

However, in the meantime, here is one of my favorite recipes.  My current diet doesn’t allow cheese.  Man, I miss cheese…

This recipe is so easy, you have to put it in the title.  I’ve made this for just about everything – family dinners, birthday parties, bachelorette parties, etc.  The best thing about it is that it is easily converted into a smaller or larger dish.  Large party?  Double it.  Just the two of you?  Cut it in half with some leftover for lunch the next day.  I will often make this recipe as stated for me and my husband and then enjoy it the remainder of the week for lunch.

Easy Baked Ziti

Serves 8

Ingredients:

16 ounces (1 box) ziti

16 ounces ricotta cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, separated

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

10 ounces (1 jar) spaghetti sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare ziti according to package directions.  While ziti is boiling, combine sauce, ricotta cheese and 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese in a large bowl.  Mix until well blended.

Drain ziti and place in a 13″ x 9″ casserole dish.  Pour sauce mixture over ziti and combine.

Please note if you are making this for a dinner party or large get together, you can prepare ahead of time up to this point, cover and refrigerate until needed.

Top the sauce and ziti mixture with the Parmesan cheese and remaining mozzarella cheese.

Place casserole dish in the oven uncovered for 30 minutes.  Cheese should be melted and lightly golden. Serve immediately.  I paired with a slice of garlic toast.

Enjoy!

This was something I literally just threw together to see how it turned out.  And it was delicious.  Plus, I had everything I needed on hand, which is always a plus.  This recipe is so ridiculously simple that even my cooking-challenged friends (you know who you are) can make this with ease.

Cheesy Stove Top Chicken Bake

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

1 can cream of chicken condensed soup

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 box Stove Top stuffing (6 serving package)

1/2 soup can milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare Stove Top according to package directions.  While preparing the stuffing, place chicken breasts in a casserole dish.  Combine the cheddar cheese and cream of chicken soup in a small mixing bowl.  Fill the soup can halfway with milk and add to the bowl.  Mix well.

Pour the mixture over the chicken breasts.

Add the stuffing on top of the chicken breasts.

Place casserole dish in the oven uncovered for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Cheesy mixture should be bubbly.

Serve with side of your choosing.  I went with mashed potatoes, which was a lovely accompaniment. Enjoy!

Anyway, Kristi’s beautiful creation made me realize I can do the same with my chicken BLT salad.  Since I still had my trifle bowl out from my Coffee Chocolate Trifle with Strawberries, I thought tonight was as good of a time as any to experiment.

I had actually planned on making this yesterday.  I started marinating the chicken in the afternoon, but my Sunday got away for me (as it has a tendency to do).  However, I think the extra  marinating time was worth it.  The chicken was flavorful and juicy, making the perfect base for this tasty trifle.

Chicken BLT Salad

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts

Italian dressing

2 cups shredded carrots

2 cups chopped tomatoes

1 head romaine lettuce

12 slices bacon

1 cup croutons

Directions:

The day prior to preparing, put chicken breast in a medium size bowl.  Pour Italian dressing of your choice over top until covered.  Marinate in the refrigerator overnight, turning occasionally.

About half an hour prior to preparing, remove the marinating chicken breast from the refrigerator.

Preheat pan to medium and begin to render the bacon.  This will take about 5 minutes.

Drain bacon on paper towels and set aside.  Once cooled, cut cooked strips of bacon into small pieces.  While bacon is cooling, pour out the majority of the grease from the pan and return pan to the burner.  Remove chicken breasts from the marinade and add to the pan.  Cook on medium heat about 5 minutes per side or until cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, cut romaine lettuce into strips.  Put in a large bowl and add 8 tablespoons of Italian dressing.  Toss lightly and set aside.

Once chicken is cooked through, remove from pan and let sit for 5 minutes.  Pat off excess grease with a paper towel.  Cut chicken breasts into small cubes.  Place chicken in the bottom of a trifle bowl.  Layer remaining ingredients as follows: tomatoes, carrots, bacon and romaine lettuce.  Top with croutons around the the edge of the bowl.

Once trifle has been presented, toss and serve with additional dressing, if desired.

Enjoy!

Many people are afraid to make mussels.  I think it might be the whole beard removal process which isn’t all that difficult or time-consuming.  I recommend that for anyone who hasn’t already done so, throw caution to the wind and give it a whirl.  You’ll be surprised just how easy it is and fear making mussels no more!

Angel Hair with Mussels in Garlic and White Wine

Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/4 cup butter

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 pounds fresh mussels

8 ounces angel hair pasta

Directions:

To start, I just want to mention that it is best to cook the mussels the day you purchase them.  However if you must buy them in advance, clean as I’m about to instruct, place in a bowl, cover with a damp towel and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Scrub the shells of the mussels with a stiff kitchen brush and rinse under cool running water.  Utilizing a small paring knife, remove beards.

In a large pan, heat the butter on medium until melted.  Utilizing a garlic press, add garlic to the butter.  Sauté for approximately 1 minute.  Do not allow garlic to burn.  Add white wine, parsley, lemon juice and pepper.  Stir and allow to cook for an additional minute.

While you are making the sauce for the mussels, you should begin preparing the pasta. Follow packaging instructions.

Drain mussels and add to the pan.  Spoon sauce over the mussels and stir.  Increase heat to high.  Once the mussels start steaming (I was unable to get a great picture because of the steam) cover and reduce heat to low.

Steam until all shells open (approximately 5 to 7 minutes).  Separate angel hair into two large bowls.  Top pasta with mussels (be sure to discard any mussels that haven’t opened) and ladle sauce over top.  Use an appetizer fork to remove mussels from their shells and be sure to provide an extra bowl for the empties.  Enjoy!

People I know who despise salmon have actually told me they enjoy this recipe.  I can’t take credit though.  This is one recipe that I found that I love as is.  Thank you recipezaar.com!

Baked Marinated Salmon with Crab Mashed Potatoes

Serves 2

Baked Salmon Source: Recipezaar.com

Ingredients:

3 minced garlic cloves, separated

6 tablespoons light olive oil

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon parsley

2 6-ounce salmon fillets

2 lemon slices

4 tablespoons butter, separated

4 medium-size potatoes

1/2 cup chopped crab meat

Milk

Directions:

Baked Marinated Salmon

In a medium size baking dish, prepare marinade by mixing 2 minced cloves of garlic, olive oil, basil, thyme, salt, pepper, lemon juice and parsley.

Place salmon fillets in the baking dish, and cover with the marinade.

Marinate in the refrigerator about 1 hour, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 375° F. Place each fillet on a sheet of aluminum foil,cover with marinade and top with a slice of lemon.

Seal aluminum foil, creating foil packets.

Place foil packets directly on middle baking rack. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, until salmon easily flakes with a fork.

Crab Mashed Potatoes

Peel potatoes and cut into eighths.  Add to a medium-sized sauce pan and fill with water.  Place pan on high heat and allow to boil.  Reduce heat to medium-high.  Allow to cook for 20 minutes.

While potatoes continue to boil, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a small frying pan on medium.  Add 1 clove of minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add crab meat and sauté for an additional 4 to 5 minutes.

Drain potatoes well and mash.  Add 3 tablespoons of butter and mash until well mixed.  Add milk for desired consistency and stir.  Add crab meat to mashed potatoes.

Stir until blended.  Plate mashed potatoes with salmon.  Enjoy!