olivesandcherries

08/09/2024

Chicken with Chorizo Fried Rice ♥️🙌🏽♥️

Pan fried two bone-in thighs with paprika, oregano, a squeeze of lemon and salt & pepper. Add olive oil to skillet and place chicken in skillet skin side down over medium high heat. First side about 7 minutes then gently flip to keep skin on and cook for another 5 minutes before flipping again for another 3-4 minutes.

Remove chicken.

Then cooked chorizo in skillet before increasing the heat and adding leftover cold steamed rice. Pan fried with peppers.

Returned the chicken, season dish with a little salt and pepper, then allow it to absorb the flavors for about 7-10 minutes over medium low heat.

Serve and enjoy!

03/09/2024

Rockstar Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup all purpose flour plus 1 to 3 tablespoons (see notes)
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature 
½ cup extra creamy peanut butter (I used Skippy)
¼ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoon Mexican vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of your favorite sugar sprinkled or granulated sugar will work too. :)
1/4 c mini chocolate chips (I used bittersweet)

Preheat oven to 350°

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda then set aside.

In another bowl, beat peanut butter and butter together until smooth. Add both sugars, egg and vanilla and beat with hand mixer until nice and fluffy.

Slowly add 1 cup of flour mixture and mix until well combined.

*if dough is too tacky, add 1 tablespoon at a time until smooth in consistency but not firm. You want the dough to be light

Now fold in chocolate chips.

Using your hand, take a small amount of dough - about 1” in diameter (less than the size of a ping pong ball) and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Using a fork, gently press a cross-cross on the tops then sprinkle with your favorite sugar sprinkles or granulated sugar.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool..

***once cooled, hide 2-3 to enjoy for yourself later 😂 these are sooooo good!!!

25/08/2024

Lunch date with my favorite Dino! 😆🩵🦖🩵

25/08/2024

Rainbow Piñata Cake by Yours Truly 💚

21/08/2024

Wedding Appetizer - Sautéed Shrimp over Cheesy Grits ♥️🤤♥️

21/08/2024

Fried pickle chip on a deviled egg 💚🤤

For the fried pickles, I used thick sliced dill pickles.

The first and most important step is to dry each slice with a paper towel so that the flour mixture and egg will stick.

Mix 3 parts panko to 1 part all purpose flour, a few dashes of cayenne, a 1/2 tsp of garlic powder and paprika with a little salt and pepper.

Beat a couple of eggs and set aside.

Heat peanut oil or vegetable oil in cast iron skillet over medium high heat until it reaches 375 degrees.

Now, dredge pickle slices, one at a time for full coverage in flour and then egg and then back in the flour/panko mixture.

Place in hot skillet for a couple minutes until golden brown.

Remove and place on rack over a sheet pan to allow excess oil to drain. Top on deviled egg.

For the deviled egg, I used Helmann’s Real mayo, a very small amount of yellow mustang and and a dash of Cajun seasoning for the egg yolk mixture. Pipe in egg white and the that portion is done ♥️

21/08/2024

Sandwich platters for my son’s school’s faculty & staff ♥️

Italian subs, chicken salad sandwiches, cucumber tea sandwiches, turkey & muenster cheese sandwiches pasta salad ♥️

Teachers deserve the very best ♥️ I hope to be able to do something like this at least every quarter ♥️ Huge THANK YOU to my friend for helping make this happen ♥️

13/08/2024

Fancy Chicken Salad 😆

This was made fir a very large crowd but this is what I used to make it:

Rotisserie chicken - skin removed and chopped
Scallions - sliced
Green grapes - cut small
Pecans - chopped
Dried cranberries
Celery - diced small
Helman’s mayo
Sour cream (not too much, just to give it a nice tang)

Mix everything together and season with salt and pepper ♥️

Serve on your favorite bread. I used cheese croissants for this platter. They really complemented the chicken salad nicely ♥️

28/07/2024

When my son asked if we could make big breakfast on Saturday, I couldn’t say no! We had the best time cooking together and he even made his favorite “N-neh-Nem” cookies for us 🥹♥️

Our big breakfast will always have potatoes, chorizo and eggs, buttered eggs, bacon refried beans, sausage and fresh fruit ♥️ Mijo wanted a waffle too ♥️

This also my very first post introducing my beautiful son’s face to all of you ♥️

25/07/2024

Braised Oxtail Potpie for Chef Favorite Chef Pick ♥️

Super proud and honored to have made it to the quarterfinals. Best of luck to the final 12 ♥️

My recipe for this will be posted soon! So stay tuned ♥️

24/07/2024

Yesterday, I turned our leftover meatloaf and mashed potatoes in to a brown buttered gnocchi with toasted fennel seed, Italian sausage and meatloaf (without the topping), fresh spinach, San Marzano tomatoes and cream ♥️ I used an aged Gouda/parm “Caramella” cheese in the gnocchi and to top it ♥️

The gnocchi turned out really good.. like little pillows of potatoes 😆

For the gnocchi, I used leftover buttered mashed potatoes that had been made with heavy cream and a little milk.

I took about 3 cups of mashed potatoes, 1 1/2 c of all purpose flour, 1 egg at room temperature and about 1/4 cup grated Caramella cheese (but you can use Parmesan or any hard cheese, freshly grated). Mix by hand until well blended and it feels like a ball of pillowy dough. Then grab a handful and create a rope-like strand and cut off small pieces. Gently roll until each is shaped like a mini barrel.

Heat unsalted butter over med high heat and toss in gnocchi, do not over crowd the pan. Gently move them around until they turn a beautiful golden brown - not burned. You only need a couple of minutes on the heat to achieve this.

I then placed them in my meat mixture. I added about 2 cups of chicken stock so break down the consistency a little. Allow the stock to reduce over medium heat for about 30 minutes and then it’s ready to go!

Toss fresh spinach in and allow to cook for a few minutes right before serving.

Top with cheese and enjoy!!

13/07/2024

Pasta Salad ♥️

1 box of Cellentani Pasta - cooked and drained
1 6.7 ounce jar sundried tomatoes - chopped, reserve olive oil from jar
1 large red bell pepper- diced small
1/2 c sliced Kalamata olives
Hard salami - diced (I had it cut thick at the deli)
2 packs of feta with sundried tomato
1 bunch fresh basil - chopped
2 roasted garlic cloves - minced
A few dashes crushed red pepper
1 c extra virgin olive oil
1/3 c red wine vinegar
A few twists of pink Himalayan sea salt to taste

Mix all of the above and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

Serve and enjoy!

12/07/2024

Thank you all so very much for your love and support during this Favorite Chef Competition ♥️ I’ll be forever grateful and thankful to have made it this far ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

10/07/2024

Elotes!!

Made with Mexican Crema, Cojita cheese, fresh lime juice and tajin!!! Sooooo good!!

10/07/2024

Caprese Salad with Kumamoto Tomatoes and a wonderful Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil, fresh basil and pink Himalayan Sea Salt & cracked pepper.

I’m not a fan of balsamic vinegar on my caprese but if you are, drizzle some on top ☺️

07/07/2024

Capirotada

Ingredients:

3 bolillo breads
2 large Granny Smith apples
1/4 c granulated sugar plus another 1 cup for the cinnamon raisin syrup/broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon, plus 1 more tsp
1 c raisins
5 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp Mexican vanilla
6 c water
Thinly sliced medium cheddar cheese - about 10-12 slices

1. Cut bread into 1” - 1 1/2” inch chunks - lightly toasted in butter over medium heat.
2. Two granny Smith apples, slightly peeled and sliced then sautéed in 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, 1/4 c granulated sugar, and a tsp Vietnamese cinnamon for a couple of minutes; just to absorb the cinnamon and buttery sugar.
3. To make the cinnamon raisin syrup/broth, bring 6 cups of water to a boil with 1 c sugar, raisins, cinnamon sticks, a teaspoon of Mexican vanilla, and a teaspoon of Vietnamese cinnamon. Be sure to stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Lightly boil until reduced by half. The raisins will plump up and start floating to the top and the color of the broth is a rich brown color and not too thick. With a slotted spoon, remove raisins. Reserve all of the liquid.

*while broth is cooking, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4. Toss apples, raisins and bread together with slices of cheese torn apart and mixed in.
5. Slowly add in the syrup until completely coated.
6. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until golden.. serve immediately and enjoy!

*I made a cinnamon cayenne caramel sauce to serve with it..

1 cup light brown sugar, packed
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp Vietnamese cinnamon
A couple dashes of cayenne 
1/2 cup half and half, or use equal parts heavy cream and milk

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and simmer over low heat, whisking constantly until thickened - about ten minutes.

05/07/2024

Shrimp Diablo Salad ♥️

2 lbs jumbo shrimp - peeled and deveined. Sautéed in butter with freshly squeezed lemon juice, minced garlic and salt & pepper. Remove and give a rough chop. Reserve liquid from skillet to dress the salad once everything is combined.

1 large jicama - peeled and diced

3 large jalapeños - stems and seeds removed, then diced.

3 large avocados - diced

1 lb bacon - cooked and roughly chopped & cooled.

1/2 c sliced scallions

1/4 c cilantro - finely chopped

Mix all of the above together and then drizzle liquid from sautéed shrimp. Season with salt and pepper.

Refrigerate and chill for about an hour before serving…

04/07/2024

The EVERYTHING Garden Salad was SO GOOD!!!

A giant bowl paired with your favorite dressing is all you need 💚

In this salad, I used everything we had including 1 lb fresh spinach, 1/4 head of iceberg lettuce, micro greens, 1 large garden fresh cucumbers, 1/2 large tomato, carrots, snap peas, scallions and a gentle squeeze of lemon juice - WOW.

02/07/2024

30/06/2024

Cast your vote now if you haven’t already ♥️

Please share this link to help keep me in 1st ♥️♥️♥️

Love, Your Girl -
Carmen

One chef will win $25k, an advertorial feature in Taste of Home, and a cooking experience with Carla hall.

30/06/2024

Shrimp & Sausage Étouffée ♥️

2 lbs peeled and deveined shrimp - season with a couple dashes of your favorite Cajun seasoning and place in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use them.

1 lb smoked sausage (DO NOT USE ANYTHING WITH CHEESE IN IT LOL) - sliced and set aside

Dice the following:

1 medium green bell pepper
1 small yellow or white onion (I used yellow)
2 celery ribs

5 cloves of garlic (equal to about 2 tablespoons) - minced

1 14.5 ounce can of unsalted petite diced tomatoes

Seasoning:

1 tsp thyme (if you have fresh, use about 4-5 sprigs)
1 tablespoon fresh chopped flat leaf parsley plus more for garnish
1/4 tsp cayenne
2 bay leaves

1/4 c all purpose flour
1/4 unsalted butter

2 cups chicken stock

Start by making a blonde roux with the butter and flour over high heat. To make this, you’ll need to constantly whisk it, being careful not to burn it. If you sense the heat is too hot, lower it slightly. Continually whisk until your arm falls off LOL - but seriously, whisk until it turns a beautiful peanut butter color.

Now add the celery, bell pepper and onion. Mix in until well combined over medium heat and allow to sauté until tender - about 8 - 10 minutes.

Now add the garlic and tomato and allow to cook for another 2 minutes.

Stir in spices and bay leaves.

Next, slowly whisk in chicken stock. At this point, add the sausage.

All should be well combined and slightly thickened. Allow the flavors to come together and simmer over medium heat for about 30 minutes.

Finally, add your shrimp and allow to cook for about 3 - 4 minutes.

Serve and enjoy with steamed rice. Don’t forget to garnish with chopped parsley ♥️

25/06/2024

Hey Everyone!!!

Today your vote counts as 2!!!

Please share this post and vote for me to be your FAVORITE CHEF!!! I have to keep in 1st to stay in this competition and it’s gonna get even more exciting!!! ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

https://favchef.com/2024/carmen-reddy

One chef will win $25k, an advertorial feature in Taste of Home, and a cooking experience with Carla hall.

22/06/2024

HERE WE GO!!!!

Thank you all so much for all your continued support! Please continue to vote daily and share my posts and let’s get me to the quarterfinals! Link in bio ♥️

19/06/2024

Hot Ham & Mozzarella Cheese Sandwich with sautéed onions and mushrooms, bacon, tomato and a garlicky aioli ♥️🤤

16/06/2024

Red Beans & Rice ♥️

Recipe to follow soon!

16/06/2024

Capirotada ♥️♥️♥️

This one is for YOU, Mommy ♥️♥️♥️

Recipe to come soon ♥️

16/06/2024

Chicken pot pie anyone????

13/06/2024

Herbed Lemony Buerre blanc sauce
One large shallot, finally minced
9 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cold
1/4 c Pinot Grigio
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 c heavy cream
1 tablespoon freshly minced flat leaf parsley
Pink Himalayan sea salt and pepper to taste

Add 2 tablespoons of cold butter to a saucepan with shallot and sauté until lightly translucent for one to two minutes.

Stirring 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice over medium heat and stir occasionally, reducing to about 1 to 2 tablespoon.

Remove and strain through fine mesh.

Add cream and remaining butter to saucepan with vinegar and lemon juice mixture and allowed to come to a soft boil while whisking vigorously. Add parsley and seasoned with salt and pepper. Stir until velvety smooth, remove from heat.

13/06/2024

Tonight’s dinner: pan seared swordfish topped with an herb beurre blanc served with carrot purée topped with roasted vegetables and fresh dill ♥️

09/06/2024

Family ♥️