Hey Guys

Long time no blog! I decided to sign up for the A-Z Challenge again this year, with my mom. We have been so incredibly busy I have had no time to blog. That's why I like the A-Z Challenge. It forces your hand.

I don't really think you'll be surprised about my theme, cause with me, it's always all about the food. I will be giving my usual quick, easy and affordable recipes, as well as some restaurant reviews. Although I am completely swamped (as usual) with school work, I will do my best to get around and visit as many new blogs on the list as possible.

Thanks for your support in the past, and I am looking forward to visiting with all of you in this A-Z Challenge 2015!!

A-Z Challenge- Letter Z is for ZEPPOLE!

YAY! We made it. I can't believe it.  For my very last A-Z post and letter Z recipe, I chose one of my all time favorite Italian fun desserts to eat- zeppole! Almost every pizza place you walk into in New Jersey, has zeppole on their menu. The only problem with that is, I'm a bit of a zeppole snob. I blame it on my G-ma. She makes the BEST fresh zeppole in the world. I am gifting you all with her recipe.

Grandma spoils just about everything Italian for me to order out, because nothing ever tastes quite as good as her Italian food. G'ma's favorite ingredient is love. Everything single thing she makes, just  tastes better. There is no comparison to that, LOL.

My Grandma and Grandpa! Aren't they cute?

Thanks so much to all of the support, and new followers and wonderful comments. Big thanks to Miss Faraway Eyes for highlighting me on her blog and to Alex J. Cavanaugh for commenting every single day! It always makes me smile when I hear my phone notify me of comments! Thanks so much everyone. 

Ingredients:

2 yeast packets
2 cups warm water
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp. oil
4 cups of flour
A heaping cup of LOVE

Mix in one cup of the flour at a time into the first four ingredients. Let rise 1/2 hour to an hour.  Take about 2 oz with fingers and drop into oil in deep fryer until golden. (use the recommended amount of oil the deep fryer suggests) Remove with slotted spoon. Place on paper towels and try to keep grandchildren's hands off zeppoles while they are still so hot. While zeppole are still hot, sprinkle with powdered sugar or my favorite trick- place zeppole in individual paper bags filled with powered sugar, so each grandchild can shake their own without burning their fingers! Then, mangia...(eat)

A-Z Challenge Letter Y is for Yummy Recipe

Not sure if you could tell from yesterday's brief post, but it was the first day of NJ ASK testing and my brain was a bit fried. Sorry about that. Today, I am back in full force with another yummy, yummy Greek recipe for you. I  already posted about the Athenian Cheesecake I made for my Ancient History class. But did I happen to mention what else I made for my GATE classmates and teachers while we were studying Ancient Greece? I made spanakopita, or spinach pie. This recipe may not be as ancient as the cheesecake, but it's full of feta and spinach and phyllo dough and overall yummy, gooey, goodness. Hope you like it!!

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. fresh spinach, washed, dried, trimmed, and coarsely chopped
• 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 bunch scallions (about 3 oz. or 10 small), white and light-green parts only, trimmed and finely chopped
• 2 cups crumbled feta cheese (10 oz.)
• 1/2 cup finely grated parm cheese
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh dill
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• Kosher or sea salt
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil for brushing; more as needed
• Eighteen 9x14-inch sheets frozen phyllo dough (I used Athens brand), thawed and at room temperature
• 2 tsp. whole milk
  

To make the filling: Heat a deep saute pan over medium-high heat. Add a few large handfuls of the spinach and cook, tossing gently. As the spinach starts to wilt, add the rest a few handfuls at a time. Cook until all the spinach is wilted and bright green, roughly 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the spinach to a colander set in the sink. Let cool slightly and squeeze with your hands to extract as much of the remaining liquid as you can.Wipe the pan dry with a paper towel. Heat the oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the scallions and cook  about 4 minutes or until soft. Stir in the spinach, turn off the heat, and let cool for 5 minutes. Then stir in the cheeses, eggs, dill, parsley, nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp. salt and mix thoroughly.

TO ASSEMBLE: With a pastry brush, lightly coat the bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking pan with some of the oil. YOU MUST work quickly! I can't emphasize that enough. Have everything you need right at your fingertips, so it goes easy and quick for you. Now, lightly oil one side of a phyllo sheet and lay it in the pan oiled side up and off center so that it partially covers the bottom and reaches halfway up one long side of the pan (the edge on the bottom of the pan will be about 1 inch from the side). Lightly oil the top of another phyllo sheet and lay it oiled side up and off center so it reaches halfway up the other long side of the pan. (If your pan has sloped sides, the sheets may be slightly longer than the bottom of the pan; if so, let the excess go up one short side of the pan and then alternate with subsequent sheets.) Repeat this pattern with 4 more phyllo sheets.Next, lightly oil the tops of 3 phyllo sheets and layer them oiled side up and centered in the pan. Spread the filling evenly over the last layer. Repeat the oiling and layering of the remaining 9 phyllo sheets over the filling in the same way you layered the previous 9. With the oiled bristles of the pastry brush, push the edges of the phyllo down around the sides of the pan to enclose the filling completely. With a sharp knife, score the top phyllo layer into 24 rectangles, being careful not to cut all the way through to the filling. Using the same pastry brush, brush the milk along all the score marks (this will keep the phyllo from flaking up along the edges of the squares). Bake the spanakopita at 375 degrees until the top crust is golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool until just warm. Cut out the rectangles carefully along the score marks and serve.

My first attempt at this did not come out exactly "perfect" (but it sure tasted  good)
My second attempt went way better as I found my pace and rhythm. I was able to bang the pie out with much less difficulty, once I got used to working with the phyllo dough. 

**Faith's A Foodie Tips:  Although I do my very best to keep most of the recipes here quick and easy, this recipe is not one of them. Mainly because working with phyllo dough can be a bit of a pain and  more difficult because it dries out really fast and gets brittle when it's exposed to air. You must work very quickly to get this done. It helps me to have everything I need, right on hand and to keep a clean, clear work station while assembling. That makes a world of difference. FYI- you can choose to serve this spinach pie warm or at room temperature, which is the traditional way of serving. I happen prefer mine warm. Also, it helps to bake this pie more evenly if you position your rack in the center of the oven. Enjoy!

A-Z Letter X is for X Marks the Spot

Can't believe we only have three days left! Today's letter is letter X. X is for X marks the spot.

X marks the spot for Italy. Today is a quick one  I really want to go to Italy. But my parents said we can go when I turn 16. Ughh ... I bet that I could persuade them to let us go a little earlier. Anyway, I want to tour all around Italy. Eating my way all around. I would consume everything from gelato to freshly made Italian bread.

A-Z Challenge Letter W is for WING DIP

Good Morning Everyone! My W is for Wing Dip. 

This dip is delicious and quite addictive! It's great for parties, events or just any time you are craving wings but don't want to deal with all the fuss and mess. Be warned- if you bring this dip to someones house for a party-(1) you will become an instant rock star. (2) From now all this is all everyone will ask you to bring with you! It's that amazing.

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 cups cooked and shredded chicken breast (just shred with the tines on your fork moving back and forth over the chicken)

1 cup Marie's Blue Cheese Dressing

½ cup of Louisiana Hot Sauce

1 brick of Philadelphia Cream Cheese

Soften the cream cheese. In medium size bowl, add all ingredients except chicken. Mix well. After shredding, add the chicken. Mix well (make sure you mix enough that there are no longer clumps of cream cheese)

Evenly spread the mixture into a 9x9 baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 15 minutes, or until bubbling. I like to give it a good stir about half way through.

*Faith's A Foodie Tips: This wing dip is something I make ALL the time. Trust me when I tell you that if you substitute any name brands, and don't use Marie's Blue Cheese, or Louisiana Hot Sauce, this does not taste as good. Also, if you don't take the time to really shred the chicken, the texture will be weird and not good. And last but not least, the BEST chip to use to eat this dip- Frito Lays Scoops!! It has to be scoops. They are the only chip hearty enough to not snap when picking up this heavy dip.

Enjoy!!

A-Z Challenge letter U is for Under Done & V is for Venison Stew

Today I want to combine my letters U & V. Let's start with letter U. Under done...It is easy to make food under done. Then again, it is very easy to overcook food. When I cook I always try to keep track of how long I have the food cooking.  But I always get distracted and time slips away from me. So I almost always end up winging it. (Sometimes I can tell just by the smell of something baking that it is done.)  Lucky for me, 95% of the time I don't have to put my food back in the oven or on the stove.  

If you are the kind of person that can't eyeball things, I would just buy a good timer and follow the recipe. Those are two things I always fail to do when cooking. But the result of not using a timer is not properly cooked food.  Eventually I will mess up bad then maybe I will finally learn to use instructions!

Letter V- V is for Venison Stew. Around where I live, deer hunting is very popular. Hunters are always looking for new and different ways to prepare venison. I have never prepared this particular recipe for stew before. But I desperately needed a "V" and this recipe came highly recommended. I am sure if you do not have venison on hand, or are opposed to utilizing it, it could be exchanged for another protein. 

Faith's A Foodie Quick Tip for cooking venison: try to remember cooking venison can be a little tricky- it is tough and has a tendency to dry out in a pan much more quickly than other proteins, such as beef. 

Ingredients:
2 lbs of cubed venison
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tbs of sugar
3 tablespoons of flour
2 cans beef broth
1/2 cup of red wine
3 tablespoons tomato paste
24 small white onions
1 lb small carrots
1 lb potatoes, cubed
1 lb white turnips, cubed
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

Brown meat in olive oil.  Add sugar and stir until caramelized. Stir in flour until meat is well coated.  Add broth, wine, tomato paste and seasonings.  Stir until blended and smooth.  Add vegetables and simmer 2-3 hours on low heat.  Remove the bay leaf before serving.  Enjoy!

A-Z Challenge Letter T for Totally Amazing Puerto Rican Food

When we were down in Florida, my family and I went to the most amazing Puerto Rican restaurant. I LOVE Puerto Rican food and this place was the best I have ever eaten at. If you are ever down in Orlando, Florida and you are craving some yummy PR food, go visit, "Made in Puerto Rico".

Me and my family at Made in Puerto Rico, minus Dad cause he's behind the camera :)

First of all, they had the door and windows open (which is how I discovered this place) and the most delicious smell was wafting out at me before I even walked inside! I followed my nose to the end of a strip mall, and found this place!! When you enter the restaurant the atmosphere is crazy cool. It is a large space, with huge murals on the walls that look just like San Juan. It is vibrant and bright and the servers all wear traditional outfits. I could have just sat there and stared at the art on the walls for hours, taking it all in.  But we were hungry.

This was the sampler app- we loved every single thing on it. 

We told Hector, the manager, we wanted to sample a little bit of everything. And that's just what we did. We started with a sample platter that was truly amazing. Man are the portions generous!  Even the kids meals (which my little sister ordered) were ample and large.  I can't even remember everything we sampled or all of the names of what we did eat on that sampler are, all I know is this: there wasn't one thing we didn't like nor were we disappointed with anything. My only wish is that this restaurant was closer to my house so I could go there at least once a week!

This was Dad's pork chop! It tasted amazzinng!!

For pork lovers, I would recommend what my Dad ordered, it's called Momma's Kan Kan. It was a ginormous pork chop over rice and beans. I ordered the grilled skirt steak with red beans and rice. It was absolutely delicious. I ate every bite. My mom ordered the plantains and they were fantastic. (She spent a lot of time down in Puerto Rico and she went on and on about how authentic and amazing this place was). But the one thing I will be dreaming about for quite some time (my mouth is watering now just thinking about it) was desert! We had the cheese flan with guava and white goat cheese. OH MY WORD. It was ridiculous!! It melted in your mouth.

My skirt steak- delicious!!

Mom's plantains

Oh my word, best PR desert ever! Flan with guava and goat cheese with a caramel drizzle YUM

Overall, it was a good thing we had a lot of walking to do the rest of the day, because I was full to the max. It's funny, out of all the "fancy" restaurants I ate in all week in the Orlando/Disney area, my family and I all said the same thing- our favorite meal  of our entire vacation, hands down, was eaten at Made In Puerto Rico!