It’s Granita time!

Hey Everyone!! I was really surprised to see that my site was getting at least some traffic! I appreciate all of you who do come to visit my site and read what I write! It’s awesome to know that I’m not just doing this for a few people!! I have a awesome surprise for you all today!! It really is something that can beat the summer heat!! Now as you know some parts of the country are now hitting triple digit heat and here in Texas we have been getting that heat constant now for almost 50 days I believe!! I kind of miss the fact that New York has 80 degree weather over there =p Yes you guys over there I’m jealous!!

So to beat the heat, I had given it a thought to make some awesome GRANITA!! Now basically if you don’t know what a Granita is, it’s basically a semi frozen dessert made from juices, flavorings, and sugar. It’s frozen to create almost a slushy!! It’s just awesome when you put it in your mouth and you feel completely refreshed! The one I had made was a Grapefruit and Ginger Granita! Completely refreshing and I eat this after a meal because it cleanses the palate =]

My dad didn’t even know what a Granita was until I let him try it. He found it refreshing and he is usually picky about trying new things! Kids would love this too!! Parents this is a way to let them have a healthy dessert because sugar is not a key element in this. The natural sugar takes part from the fruits you use.

Below I have the recipe for everyone so you can all try this out!!

Grapefruit and Ginger Granita

• 6 Large Grapefruits
• 4 Tablespoons of Fresh Lime Juice
• 1 Teaspoon of Freshly Grated Ginger
• 1/4 Granulated Sugar (Or less if Grapefruit is sweet)
• 1/4 cup of water

1. Juice all 6 grapefruits and lime. Make sure to strain so there is no pulp.
2. Grate ginger through strainer so the juice of it goes into the grapefruit juice. Be sure that the ginger isn’t too strong for you.
3. In a small sauce pot heat up the sugar and water together to make a simple syrup. Once the sugar is dissolved add it to your juice.
4. Add into your ice cream machine and let it freeze. If you do not have an ice cream machine it is easy. Add the juice into a shallow cake pan and scrape the surface when it is semi-frozen.

I hope everyone enjoys this recipe!! Really it is the easiest dessert you can do! And it is sooooo good! Remember everyone! Eat, Drink, and Tell!!

Condiments I can’t live without

Hey Everyone!! I am currently working on two awesome desserts for all of you to enjoy! I have the recipes ready and all I need is to take the pictures to show you!! I can’t wait to share these with you all since it happens to be some of my favorites! Today I am gonna share with you 5 condiments that I find extremely essential in the kitchen…or at least my kitchen! =]

1. Dijon Mustard!

Dijon Mustard…what else do I even need to say about it? It’s absolutely amazing, plus I use it in so many dressings, marinades, and it’s awesome to put with meats! A big staple in my kitchen!!

2. Ketchup

Who doesn’t have Ketchup in their kitchen? Almost everyone has ketchup in their kitchen! I add it to sauces, and I also like to use it in oddly marinades. Tangy, sweet, and great tomato flavor.

3. Sriracha!!

I love this stuff!! Now I know it says “HOT” sauce but this stuff really isn’t that spicy to me. I know for a lot of Asian cultures especially with Korean, Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese cultures we love our foods spicy. This sauce has a very nice garlic hit to it. It is also sweet in a way almost to me I want to just call it Asian Ketchup. We put it on everything. I even eat it with my scrambled eggs, or if I want it with fries. It is Asian Ketchup. Hands down.

4.Kimchi!!

Duh I have this in my kitchen! I’m Korean and Chinese pfft it’s a given!! Kimchi is basically a pickled cabbage with garlic, onion, and a ton of red pepper. It can come in many different forms. Basically this can spice up anything. I love my Kimchi so get your own! =p

5. Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise just happens to be one of those things that you need in the kitchen because you can do so much with it. You don’t have to have just plain simple mayo, it can become such an awesome product! I like to make my spicy mayo with really good mayonnaise or just make it myself !! I love to make parsley mayonnaise, spicy mayo, and pesto mayo. Great stuff!

I hope you all enjoyed this and got a little inspiration in using these condiments or at least trying some of it if you haven’t already!! Remember everyone! Eat, Drink, and Tell!!

Get my a** in the Kitchen

Hey Everyone! I hope you all are enjoying great food out there. The reason why I titled this blog the way I did was really because I haven’t been in the kitchen in a while. It is actually because a multiple amount of reasons but Summer School happens to be a big part of the entire excuse that I want to put out there. I have to admit, school life has definitely corrupted my culinary life more than I expected it would. I had this whole idea that I would be returning to a regular college to benefit myself in getting a bachelors…and yes that is exactly what I’m doing. What is annoying though is that I’m finding myself more hungry to be in a kitchen everyday. I hate the fact that I have to open up a government textbook telling me about how politicians come up with money for their campaign instead of a cookbook that shows me how to make awesome Ceviche. So I decided this past Thursday that I would get my a** in the kitchen. I should stop neglecting my favorite part of the house where all my taste bud dreams are found. So here I made a seafood dinner and I just felt like it would be nice to have something light since it is summer time.

Yes I actually took time to plan everything, strange though…I didn’t really have to plan too much because mainly I was inspired to cook Chef Chuck Hughes recipes but I made some changes to make it my own. Sorry Chef, no offense I just wanted to change it up a bit ya know? I don’t know if all of you know who Chef Chuck is but he has a cooking show on Cooking Channel Tv and you can check out their site here Cooking Channel. I really do admire Chef Chuck, I think he has really great character and obviously respect him as a Chef because he owns his own restaurant and has for 5 years. I do believe that any Chef out there dreams of having their own place and hopefully I will be able to accomplish that as well. You can all check out his part of the site too by going on cooking channel’s site and clicking on “Chuck’s Day Off.” He has many videos on there to let you experience the inside of his restaurant.

Not gonna lie, I did go a little crazy at Whole Foods Market getting some awesome tomatoes!

Heirloom tomatoes, really do enjoy them.

Fresh Ratatoullie, missing the eggplant because I forgot to get it at the market. Oh well =p

Red Snapper on top then it get’s topped with some goodies!!

So this piece of fish got topped with colorful peppers, thyme, and white cherry tomatoes…and yes butter. Relax! It was only about 2 tablespoons on the entire filet just cut in thinner slices. So seriously, this dish is actually good for you!! Plus I also used Extra Virgin olive oil. I love that stuff…

Finished Product!! Okay so my tomatoes are out of line, still taste great!

Also for an appetizer before the fish I had seared scallops on top of a green gazpacho. Really did copy this off of Chef Chuck Hughes so props to him because it is really good stuff! Seriously everyone you might want to check him out!

Haha yeah it looks stupid putting two on a plate usually we do odd numbers but the scallops were big so I just figured two was fine for 3 people.

Hope you all enjoyed this blog! I will be posting these recipes soon so keep posted! Don’t forget! Eat, Drink, and Tell!!

How many have I eaten?

Hey Everyone! May I introduce you to my mother’s version of Spring Rolls!! Now traditionally this is a Vietnamese dish but my mom puts a Korean twist on it!! Korean marinated Chicken, with fresh, crisp vegetables, and cilantro. I gotta say this dish is very refreshing since here in Texas we are dealing with triple digit heat right now! It’s really nice to get away from the other heavier types of foods and just chill out with fresh ingredients. I do eat this with peanut sauce and my mom’s spicy hot sauce which is the bomb!! Props to my mom!!

These are the two sauces that I use!! Mom made both sauces and for some reason both of them combined together on your spring roll just makes magic happen in your mouth! You get the sweet, salty, nutty flavor from the peanut sauce and then you get the tangy, spicy, somewhat bitter flavor from the hot sauce. It is a match made in heaven!

The overall view! Ahhh makes me want to have it again! I hope everyone enjoyed this!! Don’t forget everyone! Eat, Drink, and Tell!!