Sunny Side

Sunny Side Breakfast Sandwiches

I almost never do a breakfast post so I'd thought I'd share this easy recipe. I would say the only thing that took time was preparing the sausage, other than that it's nothing to complain about. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day but I tend to skip it often :\ not on purpose, I'm just kind of lazy. I got inspiration from Pinterest on this recipe and added my own twist. Instead of using a traditional grape or strawberry jelly, I used a cranberry sauce and spinach/tomato spread for the biscuits.

You'll need:

Spinach
Tomatoes
1 Can of Biscuits
6 pieces of bacon
Pork Sausage in ground form
Seasonings: Sage, Cayenne, Black Pepper, Thyme, Parmesan Cheese, 1 tsp of jerk marinate
6 eggs or depending on however many sausages you plan on using
1 glass cup

Mix the pork sausage, and seasonings in a bowl, don't be afraid to get those hands dirty. After mixing it, take a cutting or board or flat clean surface and form the sausages into patties. I made my patties in the pan I made them in so that it'll be easier. Take a glass cup and use it as a cookie cutter but if you choose to be more technical I guess you could use a cookie cutter LOL same difference. All you're doing is cutting a circle in the center of the sausage patty. As you have your circle in the patty take one egg and crack it in the center. Sprinkle with black pepper, parmesan cheese, and paprika on the yolk. It's ok if the egg whites are oozing on the side of the sausage, you'll live and it'll still be edible. If you're anal about that just make your patties a little bigger and cut a little more meat off the center. Make about 2 sausage patties at a time to quicken the process. You don't have to worry about sausage tearing it wont tear just as long as you flip it at the right time. As sausage begins to form at the bottom, take your spatula and flip carefully but quickly to get the other side to cook. Set aside, once it's finished, repeat!

I made my bacon on the side too!

Spinach Spread:

Half a bag of spinach, diced tomatoes, season to taste and sauté in a pan. After cools you could add cranberry sauce or spread the biscuit with cranberry sauce, afterwards the spread. Works both ways. See, easy as pie...

You're biscuits should be done baking at this point. When you dress the biscuit, you'll notice the fluffy yolk in the inside of the sausage, so it's well cooked if you did it right! Enjoy! Don't hesitate to serve with a side potatoes ^_^

Seasons Eatings

Gumbo with the "fixins"....

Ok you're going to need:

Neckbones
Okra
Onions, Tomatoes, Green Onions, Parsley, Kale
Habanero Peppers (JUST 1 or 1 1/2 if you like spice)
1 small tin of tomato sauce for texture
Shrimp (Fresh or Frozen, I prefer fresh)
Crabs (doesn't matter)
Andouille sausage
Coconut Milk (optional)
Chicken Stock or your meat's broth
Your favorite spices: I USED ALOT for instance, crushed pepper, salt, black pepper, cayenne, Tony's, Slap Ya Mama's and so much more. I needed that kick

Preparation

After hunting for crabs throughout north Houston and finding out only 1 store had crabs Christmas Eve, was exhausting. That lucky store was Fiesta. I usually go to Asian marts for my seafood but noooo they just had to be sold out and of course everybody and their mamas were making a gumbo so yeah... -___- I did buy 4 lbs of shrimp from Hong Kong Market for $30 which I didn't mind because they were tiger shrimp and fresh. I only like fresh seafood in my gumbo so it's worth the price. Nobody said making a gumbo for a Christmas event was going to be cheap LOL. I got about 2-3 lbs of cleaned blue crab from Fiesta for about $14 or so. Not that bad since they were already cleaned just needed to be seasoned and thrown in the pot. I won't say I got any sale out of this lol, I expected the prices.

Gumbo is a special occasion meal meaning once or twice a year type thing. Made a special pot for Christmas for my boyfriend's family. Pot was HUGE including everyone's appetite after bringing it over. Crabs, shrimp, andouille sausage, chicken, etc are the main attraction but it's all in the roux. Roux is easy but the duration is rather annoying because you're constantly stirring until it creates a dark brown color. Another option could be already mixed roux which you could boil with broth or water added with your favorite vegetables.

Before the Crabs were added
 

Onions, garlic, green onions, tomatoes, celery, parsley sautéed with extra virgin olive oil until tender. Add a handful of flour, stir until brown and keep stirring frequently. I used broth from the neck bones that I seasoned and boiled separately in a pot, to put into the gumbo later. Yes! Neck bones are amazing in gumbo. Neck bones don't have a surplus of meat but they do have enough flavor to go around. I used 1 package of neck bones and chopped them
up, seasoned them, tossed in some onions, and let it boil till it builds up a broth. Pour it into the vegetables and flour stir continuously, let it boil.

I added my spices and sometimes I could get a little too spicy so to weigh the spice down, I add coconut milk. Yes coconut milk but NOT the whole can just gradually. Besides coconut milk gives your roux some texture but don't worry it still keeps it color. After test tasting go ahead and spice it up to your taste. Boil it down on medium heat. Boiling for about 30 minutes and gradually adding water to thin out your roux and preventing from sticking it to pot.

Andouille sausage and turkey necks are added in the roux. Roux will get thicker but nothing a little water can't do. Remember season to taste as your gumbo is cooking! Season at your discretion.
Great thing about gumbo is your meat can be seasoned so well and it season the whole pot! Another option you can use is crab boil and gumbo boil for the roux. Nothing wrong with using one or the other or maybe even both. No harm done.

Seafood ALWAYS come last, they don't take long to cook at all which is the best thing about them neither do you need to season them with salt since they come from salt water. Maybe spices like paprika, cayenne, cumin, or anything with a kick. Honestly not necessary since your gumbo is well seasoned and the seafood will be filled with flavor. Okra is usually before the seafood but there's no preference whether you add it now or later. I added the okra before the seafood FYI. at this point everything should be in the gumbo: turkey necks, sausage, crab, shrimp, okra, seafood and etc. Throw it all in there without mercy, let it be on a low simmer and just have it boil for about 30-45 minutes. Keep it on low, it needs to be at a simmer standing so it can have time to soak in all those flavors.

Little Italy

Spicy Butterfly Cornish Hen with Chicken and Crab Stuffed Shells...

The Finale!

It was my little brother's 19th birthday and he was too excited already after waking up to Jay-Z tickets so he had an awesome day. Couldn't complete it without food though. Thought about taking him out but I figured a home cooked meal satisfied the soul much more. I gave him a menu and he chose what he wanted so this was his doing in a sense. I've never made this before but knew it would be easy. I had a hell of a lot of groceries so why spend money when I could cook? Only thing I purchased was the $0.77 shells that I stuffed and $2.76 ricotta cheese. Got an idea from my girl Noms post one day and Pinterest. I had a light bulb! I had random Cornish hens in the freezer so I put em to work!


Cornish hens are sooo easy to prepare it's literally a baby hen. If you can make baked chicken then you can make this. I butterflied the chicken before seasoning. Taking the  knife at the top of the breast and splitting it down to the butt. Don't chop the chicken in half! JUST SPLIT IT sort of like an open heart surgery LOL.

Searing

Seasonings: Jerk (my fave) cumin, rosemary, paprika, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce, lemon, salt. Pan sear the chicken before baking and sear it season side down first before flipping. I sear the chicken until it's almost done then put it in the oven 375 degrees. Before placing it in the oven I turn over the chicken and add tomatoes, spinach, and lemon juice. I made 2 Cornish hens so 375 sufficed. If you're only making one I say 300-350 degrees depending on how crispy you like your chicken.

Chicken and Crab Stuffed Shells

Shells before the oven!

Used half a bag of shells and boiled them with salt and olive oil and cooked to al dente and placed them on a foil sheet to cool and so the noodles won't stick together.

For my stuffing, I sautéed lump crab meat and chicken breast with onions and tomatoes. Chicken and crab were well seasoned then I proceeded to add spinach and garlic. Separately, I used half a container of ricotta cheese which I seasoned with black pepper, salt, Parmesan, and mozzarella. Take 1/2 a teaspoon of the ricotta stuff the shell then take your sautéed chicken and crab and stuff the top. Add a generous amount. Don't be afraid to stuff them, the noodles shouldn't break they're pretty strong. It's common sense don't over stuff. Grab a case of tomato sauce which could be a homemade tomato sauce or your favorite brand. Pour your sauce at the bottom of your pan and place the stuffed shells on top, stuffed side up. Presume using your favorite shredded mozzarella cheese and sprinkle over the top and BAKE! 350-375 degrees is fine since you want the shells a nice brown color and Til the cheese is well melted. To die for :)

Serve dinner with your favorite salad. I love spinach so I use spinach in replace of lettuce. Lettuce is nothing but water ugh I don't care for it. Wine is perfect with this FYI. ENJOY! ^_^

The "secret" that's not really a secret...

Stuffed Chicken Linguine Dressed with a Portabella Mushroom Lump Crab Wine Sauce

Finished Product
Optional: Seasoned Avocados ^_^

 

Who doesn't love pasta? Pasta is probably one of the easiest things to make with a mild prep and cook time. There's so many ways to make pasta that's what I love about it. Pasta is all about your prerogative. I made a pasta with one of my favorite noodles, LINGUINI! Please be mindful, I made this recipe up and I wouldn't be surprised if someone had similar if not the same idea as well somewhere in the world. Besides pasta I was thinking of a cream sauce with some type of seafood. I didn't want shrimp though since everybody and their mom feels shrimp makes everything perfect and "fancy" -_____- LOL! My "secret" was crab meat. I love lump crab meat and I don't mean salad crab meat or imitation crab sticks LMAO, I mean authentic lump crab meat that you can purchase from an international store with a fresh fish aisle. I went to Hong Kong Market to purchase crab meat and boy it was NOT cheap I can't lie to you. 1lb+ of lump crab meat is about $14.99 so 15 bucks and this particular market doesn't count tax so it was $14.99 on the dot. I didn't mind purchasing it because 1) I'm sharing this recipe with people and I rather not do any half stepping 2) It has actual flavor 3) why would you buy imitation?

 

Chicken Stuffing

Chicken breast is pretty cheap for the most part. I was looking for thin sliced breast to make it easier to fold and stuff but I couldn't find it so I bought the normal boneless chicken breast and my mom slice them in half for me. I misplaced my mallet to pound the chicken, but all was not lost I could still stuff it the way I want I would just have to use more toothpicks or skewers. I used toothpicks instead since I wasn't grilling. Season your chicken to your taste I used the following that I almost always use on my chicken:

Salt, Pepper, Paprika, Cumin, Curry, Maggi, Bay Leaf, Jerk

Believe it or not I used my mom's leftover cornbread dressing, spinach, and garlic to stuff the breast, fold it, then seal with toothpicks. I proceeded to bread them with bread crumbs for that crispy coating. I seared them in a lightly oiled pan until they got a golden brown color. I didn't cook them all the way because I baked them right afterwards. So sear the stuffed chickens for about 15 minutes, turning them so they won't burn, and use tongs not a fork -_- Let them back for another 20 minutes and VOILA!

Lump Crab Meat Sauce

While your chicken is cooking, your noodles should be boiling at the same time your making your sauce.

White Wine
Portabella Mushrooms or simply your favorite mushrooms
Garlic
Lump Crab Meat
Butter
Onion
Tomato
Bell Pepper
Milk, cream, or Half and Half
Spinach
Cilantro
Flour
Salt, Pepper, Paprika, parmesan cheese
Mozzarella or your favorite cheese (goat cheese would've been great or asiago smh just thought about that)

I sautéed my veggies, added a half cup of flour, cooked it down till it was brown, added milk, butter and let it simmer. Seasoned, added my wine and lump crab meat last and let it cook altogether for at least 20 minutes on a simmer.

Your chicken should be ready at this point so remove it from the oven. Set aside to cool, noodles need to be coated with crab meat sauce, at least the majority of it and tossed lightly, I used some to pour over my chicken breast. Add a little extra virgin olive oil as well ^_^ it's optional. Swerve! Garnish with parsley or cilantro! BON APPETIT

BBQ A La Carte

Korean BBQ made with love...

In case you're wondering, this place is located in Spring Branch so depending on your location it may be a little ways but it's so worth it including the price. It's on 1949 Gessner Dr. behind Memorial City Mall. It's open til 2am, so this would be great hangover food!
 o_o

Went out a night outing to BBQ Garden Korean Restaurant with my favorite person to eat with, Angelica and a friend of hers, who's now our eating buddy as well. I'm at work, we were texting thinking of what new place we should crash and thanks to yelp and it's reviews, we picked this place literally in the most random spot next to I-10. First of all I must say next to the food, the customer service was exquisite and Koreans sure know how to make you feel at home. I mean they were so nice to even charge my phone for me even though they don't have outlets anywhere. The décor I will give it 5 out of 5 stars because it's very homey not cliché but homey. It's not your average A
sian spot. Maybe I'm boostin, but I liked that. EVERYTHING is Korean in there even the gum you take to go after eating I mean EVERYTHING.

I found it interesting that they were very traditional as well. They handmade their dumplings where customers would sit with not a care in the world LOL! So if you're a dumplings fan, I would try them :) We started off looking at their amazing menu that had everything on it and which would take you about 20 minutes to decide since everything looked so good. We end up going with the beef and pork. The beef cooks very fast and I don't know what type of marinate they used for the pork but Lord knows, I will find out because it had a beautiful taste. It had every side unimaginable, from kimchi (Asian pickled cabbage), to fish cake, to raw yellow sweet potatoes that are actually very good for you. It was too much and let's not start on the sauces spicy or mild smh just wonderful. I thought it was Christmas the way I was acting, but our waitress got a kick out of my excitement lol!!!

If you're in the Houston area and love Korean bbq or if it's simply your first time, go and check it out, you won't be sorry ^_^

What to do with leftovers?!

 
Thanksgiving was more than a blessing and I'm more than thankful for the people that shared it with me. To be around your loved ones makes the holidays much more better but what makes it the best is the food. A holiday isn't right without a feast. While my thanksgiving was pleasant, I was still thinking of what I may do with leftovers. Every year we have so much leftovers and eating the same plate is boring -_- I'm thinking of cornbread dressing croquettes or something but I wanted more of an appetizer so egg rolls came to mind first. 

I Pinterest ALOT of things for ideas and searched for egg rolls with a thanksgiving plate twist. I didn't find the recipe on Pinterest I just researched to see how others made theirs and there wasn't too many things I like about some recipes. Egg rolls are easy so I just went with my own ideas. All that cornbread dressing, turkey, or etc you have rolled up in an egg roll just sounds like heaven YUMMY! :D This was a hit in the house, my siblings and mom smashed it immediately. 

Stuffed Thanksgiving Egg Rolls

Stuffed Thanksgiving Egg Rolls 

I went to a Hong Kong Market by the house and bought some egg roll wraps for $0.99! Do NOT but rice paper, those are for steaming not frying. You will look just as stupid as the rice paper if you deep fry that. 1 egg and 1 tsp for egg wash

For my egg rolls I added these items in order, no seasoning needed. Your leftovers should already have seasoning or flavor that's just me. Turkey, cornbread dressing, cabbage, and cranberry sauce MAN! Get the egg wash and brush the corners, roll it up till you can't see the filling, fold the corners and brush a little bit with the egg wash, fold in, fry! So simple and easy. You can bake them too but frying takes about 3 minutes front back to cook. Let it cool, cut them diagonally in half, garnish with cilantro or basil, serve optionally with your favorite cranberry sauce. Easy to make cranberry sauce but that's doing the most, buy a can of cranberry sauce $0.87 at your local grocery. You'll save soooo much time, nobody wants to deal with fresh cranberries and boiling them and etc, not that serious. This is a very good hor' douerve recipe to serve wanted or unwanted guest LOL very simple. Prep time really depends on how many egg rolls you're making. I would say it took me 15 minutes to prep and 10 minutes to cook. Bon Appetít! Enjoy my dears. 

It's That Time of Year Again ^_^

Holiday Eats

O_O
 

3 Layer Cake: Butterpecan, Strawberry, Red Velvet

Psalm 75:1...It's that time of year again, where we don't regret what we eat. Who diets during the holidays and is ok with themselves, that's lame? -_- If there's any season you need to reconsider your diet plan, it's the holidays. Gluttony is taken place during Thanksgiving and Christmas even when you know you can't finish your plate; the fact that ALL of this food is surrounding you, I say eat like it's your last meal. Thanksgiving is the probably my favorite holiday in my house. We wouldn't live without my mom's cornbread dressing and we wouldn't let her rest without making a large batch. I can only speak from my own experience but like any other loyal child I defend my mom's undefeated title of "Best Cornbread Dressing." Until you've experienced such greatness you would understand. That post will be apart of Thanksgiving post later on this week, rather not spoil the glory.

Every Thanksgiving, it never fails, I have a new idea to make and more groceries to buy whether we have a crowd or not. I love the holidays though; it helps me become a little more and more creative. For instance I bake a cake every year but it's always a boring cake. I'm not the best baker but I will make any Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines look appetizing LOL! For instance I took a random idea from the top of my head and purchased 3 boxes of cake mix with some of my favorite flavors like butter pecan, red velvet, strawberry, and made a cream cheese frosting enough to coat the cake. All you needed was 3 cake pans whether it's square or circle and separate each cake. After it's done baking and cooled, slice the slight hump it may have at the top of the cake so when you're ready to stack each cake on top, the cakes will be on a flat surface. Frosting wasn't hard, you don't have to make it from scratch either that's the fun part about baking. Everything is made already so don't be afraid to buy cream cheese frosting or any frosting of your choice. It's the same thing. Frost in between and all around the cakes and VOILA! Please frost ONLY when cakes are cooled, your cake will look like it's been sweating if it's even a tad bit warm -_-

I have leftover ideas for those that don't know what in the hell to do with all that Thanksgiving food. Holiday food at most times taste better the day after, some people are sleep to truth! Thanksgiving eggrolls filled with dressing and turkey and cranberry sauce for dipping? Check my posts in the next couple of days to see what I'm talking about, it'll most definitely blow your mind. Leftovers is so cheap to make, at least for me it is since we have probably 3 days worth of Thanksgiving food.

Thanksgiving 2013
 

I don't know if I'm more excited about my family or the food. We cook and just reflect on life during this awesome time. There's so much glory on food during the holidays. Besides my family, I'm thankful for God giving my mom and I the gift of cooking. You ever go to somebody's house and attempt to try their food and you wonder why they would embarrass themselves? :| Yes, there are people with no shame and the funniest part is they're so quick to offer a plate to you with no disregard if you'll vomit or not LMAO! Cooking is an art or gift that everyone was not blessed with so if your mom/grandma can go hard in the kitchen BE THANKFUL! God bless!

Alluh My Caribbean Ghels Dem....

Red Beans and Rice with Pan Seared Spicy Jerk Chicken and a side of Glazed Plantains and Cabbage

My cravings can be impossible sometimes and I get the most craves at work. When you work in an area that has food EVERYWHERE it's impossible not to be hungry. So when I'm bored or have some downtime at the office, I'm all over yelp. I yelped Cuban or Jamaican food and immediately said I want plantains, rice and peas, and jerk chicken. I'm not Jamaican or Cuban but Nigerian food is not a huge difference to either of the two. Shot my mom a text that I have to stop by the grocery store after and mom went to the store instead and bought leg quarters, red beans, cabbage, plantains you name it she got it for me. I had my supplies but I had to have my favorite spices with me if I was trying to make this as "Caribbean" as possible.

Curry, Bay Leaf, Paprika, Cumin, Maggi are my secret weapons!

Red Beans and Rice

Jamaicans call their red beans and rice "rice and peas" which is literally the same thing so don't go to Reggae Hut asking for red beans and rice LOL! Only Jamaican Restaurant that I really give my money to is Jamaica House on Westheimer, a couple lights past the Houston Galleria Mall. Oxtails, Peas and Rice, the mac and cheese, it's just all good. Oxtails are not the cheapest neither does it have a lot of meat, so I use that only on special occasions. My red beans and rice are not Popeyes, they're BETTER! (well in my opinion) no comparison since there's nothing like a homemade meal. ^_^




Red Beans and Rice simmering on low heat
 

Onions
Green Bell Pepper
1 Habanero (be careful the heat is in the seeds and skin)
2 Garlic Cloves
Cilantro
1 Tomato
Half of a small tomato sauce tin
3/4 cups of chicken broth, if necessary
Half a package of Neck Bones
Secret Weapon Seasonings (use what makes you happy)
2 cans of red or kidney beans, or 1 bag of dried red beans
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Maggi Cube, LMAO! I'm sorry I love those damn cubes so much flavor what do you expect from a naija ghel

Yes I use neck bones in my red beans and rice smh so good and soooo much flavor. I broil my neck bones in a separate saucepan first so that it can build up a broth that way I don't have to use so much chicken broth in my rice and beans. Neck bones are very optional but I used them for my cabbage and beans and rice so it's really up to you. After neck bones have completely broiled in the saucepan you can add it to your bean pot and sautéed vegetables.

Let's see how well ya'll follow directions...I hope you didn't add rice -_- that's boiled separately and rice needs to be boiled partially. Yes partially unless you don't want to mix your beans and rice then fine, but I mix them so I partially boil the rice so the rice won't be mushy or too soft while cooking in the bean pot. I HATE mushy rice, I'm not eating sushi so there's no reason my rice should feel like baby food...that's gross -_-

Pan Seared Spicy Jerk Chicken

My mom did a pre-marinate of the chicken before I got home so that the chicken can grasp all the flavors. I usually like my meat to sit in marinate or seasoning that I usually make up at the top of my head just so the chicken won't lack juiciness on the inside.

Marinate:



Jerk

Cumin

Salt

Black Pepper

Cumin

Onion

Garlic

Cayenne

Paprika

Sear it in a nice size pan depending on the size of your chicken. I used leg quarters so I need a large pan. Extra virgin olive oil for the pan add some onions then place the chicken thigh down. Use tongs if you can! Flip occasionally so your meat won't burn. The aroma of your house will be amazing! If you want you could even chop a pineapple in the pan and sauté it in the pan before adding your chicken. It's simply for flavor.

Plantain were easy nothing special, made a brown sugar glaze and instead of frying it like I usually do I just sautéed it in the glaze. The cabbage was soaked in the left over broth of the jerk chicken and seasoned well with some neck bones for extra flavor. VOILA! The Lord is good.

 

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Bombay

I interned for Exxon Mobil during my undergrad days last year and every course period we had luncheons for the interns where we or the staff would pick a place to network. We were craving pizza but not your average Papa Johns, Dominoes, or Pizza Hut, something different.

Gateway of India (Top)
Hawaiin Kuntal (Bottom)

Somehow Bombay Pizza Co. located Downtown Houston right on busy Main Street became a topic of discussion. I'm open to trying new places so I went ahead. The décor is very homey and laid back so nothing too over the top. Viral Patel is the owner of Bombay by the way and made the pizzeria based on an Italian/Indian taste. An Indian twist that threw out the traditional ingredients to a basic pizza for instance instead of using regular chicken, in substitution of that there's Tandoori Chicken YUM! I love the fact that you can eat the whole pizza without filling overstuffed. Usually the crust of any kind of pizza makes you full the fastest, but Bombay uses a stone baked, wafer thin crust which is just as good as a stuffed crust pizza only it's lighter and MUCH better for you. My first pizza that I tried was called the "Gateway of India" with a side of sweet potato fries and it had EVERYTHING that I loved on my pizza, from chicken, spinach, cheese, crab meat, cilantro, and most importantly the artichoke hearts....so DAMN good. It's too good to be true. The Bombay sauce is just...Lord!  I sat there and ate it all by myself while the interns looked at me, but I have no shame so that's fine. :D

Bombay was featured on the Houston Press for a number of years and even received love from Food Network, since then, I've been back maybe twice when I have time. Never a dull time or dull flavor. You can't order a pizza without asking for Lychee drink which by the way doesn't taste like one from the grocery store. I give it 5 stars for the menu because it's simply amazing no other way to put it. If you can, besides the Gateway of India Pizza, please try the "Hawaiin Kuntal", "Sonia Ritas", or the "Slumdog" if you like a little spice those are the BEST selections. Ever in the downtown area, please stop by.

Has Taco Lokoz met their match?

 

Ruby crowned King of Hangover Tacos

Whoever invented Taco Trucks, you need a hug. Food trucks make people raise their eyebrow but keep them loyal after their first visit. Probably one of the best hangover foods you can get your hands on besides a basic waffle house. (Not that I've had a hangover or anything) o_o but any who...you get a lot for your buck too.

If you're from the northwest part of Houston, you'd know the infamous Taco Lokoz taco truck and their cheap eats. Taco Lokoz, located on Veterans Memorial is well known for their dirt cheap prices food ranging from as low as $0.99-$2.00. Only problem with Taco Lokoz is EVERYONE goes there and the service is beyond slow :| There's a very important trait that Taco Lokoz lacks and that's 24 hour service....

Good food, slow service is so bittersweet.

I'm a yelper, I drive or yelp to find the next experience, I didn't
go wrong with this one.

Pastor Pork and Breaded Steak Tacos

Yelped taco trucks near the 77041 area near my office and behold Taqueria Ruby open 24 HOURS and $0.50 more expensive which isn't a big deal. Located on 290 and Huffmeister in Jersey Village, TX this taco truck is something you may want to consider despite the petting zoo that's displayed at the location LOL.

Literally on the right side of 290 so you might not want to drive so far that you run past it.

Now the décor is not the fanciest or the snazziest, it's a Mexican theme with the oldschool tables, flags, antique pieces you name it, but I liked it. It's different not your average traditional taco truck. All the atmosphere needed was some tumbleweed. I won't say this is the best taco truck ever but as far as Taco Lokoz goes, their crown has been given to Ruby. If you think otherwise please explain to me why. To be honest I rather a food truck open 24 hours and run out of food vs. a truck that's only open from 12-9 -_-

Delicious, first time going and due to the 4.5 star rating, I had to try it. There's no lines, no hassle, and they're prep time is moderate....all in all good tacos. Recommendations would be:

Pastor Pork on Corn Tortilla, and Breaded Steak Tacos seem generic but are A-1. Lengua Tacos aka Cow Tongue o_o were a little dry not my favorite but once that green sauce touches it, that's all she wrote.  You can't eat these tacos without cilantro and onion of course and their green sauce is a go. Don't care too much for the red sauce but as a bonus besides Jesus himself, the lime made it whole! AMEN! Don't knock it till you try it.

No It's Not Shipley's

I'm a Shipley's fan, but I'm a fan of mom and pops donut shops. Shipley's is too cliche at times and there is only 1 location in Houston that by far takes the cake and its Shipley's on Westheimer, owned by innovator, Mike Simon. What Shipley's do you know serves beignet fresh, smoothies, custom donuts and etc....yep, he's the mastermind to ALL those creations. Besides the glazed donuts or warm kolaches eh I could go for more variety, and only his location satisfies me. Think it's far, they deliver don't worry.

Spicy Boudin Kolaches filled with all types of heaven only comes from a mom and pops called "Hot Donuts" on 290 and North Eldridge West. Caught a dub since it's next to my office. I wasn't introduced to it by anyone, I saw the sign "boudin kolaches" while driving and made a U-turn o_o 

WHO DOESN'T LOVE BOUDIN?!?!

Applause to the cute Asian couple owners that are so welcoming every time I walked in. Went a few times and the owners were soooo nice since my first visit which was only a mere 2 weeks ago. I love customer service it doesn't tell you about your food but your character. Sometimes I go in there before work and the lady gives me extra goodies just for visiting. That my friend deserves any tip.

5 stars for the treats and customer service. Eventually I'll attempt to make an inspired boudin kolache. 

Recommendations: Bluberry donuts & Spicy Boudin Kolaches

Sunday Late Lunch

Spinach Addiction...

I think spinach is my secret ingredient for everything, I literally think ANYTHING is good with spinach. Haven't seen or made anything without it. I love it plus it's good for you. Vegetables are amazing but spinach is heavenly. >_<

At the top of  my head I thought of a quick easy lunch that would take me no longer than even 45 minutes to prep, contained shrimp and chicken but most definitively spinach (swoons) I didn't want anything heavy but something filling yet hearty. 

Somehow I thought of the chicken tortilla soup from chilis or a couple of my fave Mexican spots. I would order some soup as an appetizer with chicken quesadillas. Usually fills me up in one sitting....but there's something that most tortilla soups and quesadillas dont have. Soup is either bland and quesadillas are filled with more cheese and less meat, so annoying (rolls eyes) Any who, you don't have to be Hispanic to give it a twist. 

Nearby Latina Foodmart past Greenspoint almost always has a sale. If you know me personally you know I'm frugal. I could have all the money in the world and still be frugal when it comes to food. I'm always up for a sale or bargain :D

$.99 avocados, 3 stalks of cilantro for $.99, $.49 black beans AND coconut milk WHAT?!!!? That shrimp wasn't cheap though LMAO! 

Chicken and Shrimp Quesadillas 

Chicken breast and shrimp sautéed with onions, spinach, tomatoes, 1 habanero (be careful with those all you need is half of one. The heat is contained in the seeds and the skin of the pepper it is VERY HOT!!!) Seasoned with some of my fave spices like paprika, slap ya mamas, cayenne, and etc. and of course the generic salt, black pepper. Seasoning is at your discretion though. 

Did I mention I don't use measurement cups or spoons? I'm African I eyeball everything. Don't believe in them unless I'm baking which is rare :|

Chicken and Shrimp Tortilla Soup

So I took the same ingredients as my quesadillas not a big deal, instead got 4-5 chicken legs well seasoned them boiled them in order to make a broth. I'm really big on using chicken broth sometimes because any meat has it's own broth to be honest. A can of chicken broth contains a little too much sodium depending on the brand so I rather make my own broth which doesn't require me to do much but boil the chicken and enough water to cover the bottom of the pot probably less than half a cup. If I use broth it's usually 1 can. 

Added onions, green onions tomatoes, spinach, black beans and then only 1 cup of low sodium chicken broth. All those herbs and spices from the chicken legs season the broth to the point where I don't need to add extra seasoning AT ALL, mind you this is all eyeballing no measuring. 

Let it soak up everything, cover walk away. Serve with tortilla chips. I took a whole wheat tortilla flip it in the pan until it was crispy, broke it seasoned with like, oregano, salt, black pepper. Garnish with your favorite cheese. Sour cream is optional, can't eat it Mexican food without it ❤️😍

Easy "Gwak" (Guacomole) 

1 avocado

Salt

Pepper

Tomatoes

Small red onion

Season to taste

Here Fishy Fishayyyy

Who doesn't love fish?!

OK! So Tuesday, I'm sitting at my desk at work (not that I shouldn't be working or anything) but noticed I come up with all my random ideas at work...what did I crave? Spicy Fried Fish, oh but I'm supposed to be eating a little cleaner yet often for this workout plan I decided to squeeze in my schedule (rolls eyes) Anywho...substitutions is key to me, so I throw away ground beef (not if it's very lean) and use fish or ground turkey

Spicy Tilapia Burger with a Pineapple Slaw & the fixings  

To be honest, it doesn't matter how you cook your fish as long as you give it a little kick. I don't have a particular way just as long as it's spicy, has a homemade slaw, and veggies to compliment all the flavors. Fry your fish or sear it at your discretion. Simple. Prep time: 20 minutes MAX!

 

I use slaw to dress my sandwiches instead of a salad, I like tangy and zesty so yeah.

 

Pineapple Slaw:

 

1/2 cup of shredded lettuce or half 1/2 bag of packaged coleslaw depending on your serving size

salt, black pepper, paprika, lemon juice, ranch, mayo, and honey mustard, chopped pineapples. VOILA.