Hi Everyone! This past Sunday we planned another BBQ, I swear it must of been 110 degrees out. I washed some clothes picked up some of my daughters old shoes for the less fortunate and then the heat took over. I just couldn't. I opened the window and screamed at my husband (hey! no bbq, arroz con pollo today), he was very happy to hear that. I happen to make a very good arroz con pollo, allot goes into it. Are you ready:

1 pack (4 pd) boneless Chicken Breast (cut into 8 pieces each)
2 limes (juiced)
salt & pepper (2 pinches of each)
1/2 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium yellow onion (diced)
1 green bell pepper (diced)
1 red bell pepper (diced)
3 garlic cloves (minced)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1 cup of tomato sauce
1/2 cup of dry white wine
1/2 cup of vino seco (this is Spanish dry white wine) It's only for cooking
1 (12oz) bottle of bear
3 cups of chicken stock
3 cups of valencia rice
5 threads of saffron

Over medium heat pour the olive oil in a dutch oven (a big pot), add the chicken pieces, lime juice and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Brown the chicken on all sides. Remove the chicken and set a side. To the same pot add onion, peppers, garlic and cook until translucent (you may need to drizzle with some more olive oil if not enough in pot). Add tomato sauce, cumin and bay leaf, cook for another 5 minutes. Then add the chicken, wines, beer, and cook for another 5 - 8 minutes. Add the stock and bring the pot the a boil and adjust the seasoning adding a little more salt (only if needed). Add the rice and saffron. Bring the mixture to a complete boil, cover and then set on low and let it cook for 20 minutes. I think the reason my out come is so tasty and out right good is because I don't just leave and come back in 20 minutes. My technique is I stirr it every 5 minutes up to 20 minutes and what I'm doing is spreading all the liquid to absorb more evenly. Some might think (oh but she's letting all the steam out, the rice won't cook). Believe me if you just leave it their it will burn on the bottom and not absorb like it should.

TIP* While I'm browning the chicken (which takes like 10 minutes) I'm dicing my onion, peppers and garlic into a medium bowl. SAVES TIME.

This may sound complicated but its not. Your basically just throwing and pouring all these ingredients into a pot. It's fun, for me at least. Enjoy!!!!

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

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Breaded Steak & Mash Potatoes

I got home today and everyone was in the pool kind of like doing thier own thing. I didn't exsits for a minute... a couple of minutes. It kind of sucked but hey life happens.... I made breaded steak with mash potatoes. Even though I was treated like shit today when I got home that was one of their requests.... First you season the steaks with alot of garlic salt then you dip the steak into the beated eggs (I beat like 5 eggs for like 6 steaks), then dip into ground crackers (they come ready in the store) and then stack the steaks in a plate for an hour in the fridg so the breading will really stick) and fry at high for like 4 minutes on each side. OMG soooo good and tasty. let me just say we had no left overs. I'm still pist because they were such jerks when I got home, but I tell you, if it weren't for cooking..........I would have lost it.

My followers....the kids and I went out for lunch (riding our bikes) and I was out of it! So I made my husband an omlett tonight. OK, are you ready. I asked him, what do you want for dinner, he was like I don't know so finally he said he wanted a sausage omlett. Super quik I was so tired (it was 96 today) too hot...remember (bike riding). Quickly I beat 4 eggs, 1 tbsp of onions (dised), 1 chorizo (spanish sausage) and salt and pepper (you know.. a pinch of each) and just wisk all that up and pour it into a small pan on medium heat. Watching it all the time, until it's firm and then you FLIP it over and keep watching it until you see it ready and you FLIP it over again (and you get it) When it's all firm just serve it. My husband likes it with a banana, but then again he riuns every meal with a banana. This is a quick meal. Or like he likes to call it... A hunger killer!!

Pretty In Pink

I love this picture, reminded me of my little Ms. Princess at home. My daughter! The one that refused last night to have my homemade chimichurri sauce on her flank steak, forget it she said, after saying what is that green stuff anyways? Why even try explaining AGAIN. She just had her steak with white rice. Anyways here is the recepi I really want to share it with you because it's different than most out their. Just one thing, when you make it you have to let it sit for atleast 1 hour before serving.

1 cup parsley (chopped)

2 tbsp fresh oregano (chopped)

2 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper flaked

3 tbsp of red wine vinegar

1/2 cup of olive oil

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Put the first 5 ingridients into a small food processor/blender and process until it becomes course paste. Scrape it out the paste and place in a bowl. Stir in the olive oil, add salt and pepper and that's it, your done. Now remember to let it sit atleast 1 hour.

Have a great weekend and make my food your gonna love it. Don't make it a mission, just love when your doing it enjoy yourself.

Hi Everyone! Today I will be BBQing! Well actually my husband is, I'm am more of an indoor cook. I'm making Skirt Steak with homemade Chimichurri Sauce. I've made this dish many times before, it's actually a favorite in my house and super easy. I gotta tell you, once you make your own chimichurri sauce, you will never buy the store ready one. After many dinners and bbq's of this dish, my youngest son asked me to "edit" the sauce a bit. He suggested instead of 1 tsp of pepper flakes to just add 1/2 of a tsp. Pepper flakes go along way guys. You can have this meal with mash potatoes, white rice, pilaf rice, veggies whatever! Were gonna have it with just white rice today, it's also a favorite in our house. By the way this is not just any ol' Flank Steak and Chimichurri recipe, This is a Michelle Bernstein dish. For those of you who haven't heard of her, she is one of the most exciting Latin chefs today.

One Thing That Scares You

One Thing That Scares You

Rainy Weekend

Hi everyone. The out come of my Friday Dinner was fantastic. The Spicy Tomato soup was awsome, my father in-law loved it and the crab cakes were super. He couldn't beleive I actually made them from scratch!

Now I do I have to tell you that I found a glitch in the receipe. As I am getting ready to mix my crab mixture and start forming a "patty shape" to begin frying, I noticed that the patty was not forming, it was crumbling apart. I looked at the receipe and said to my self "I followed everything step by step to the "T") I always do, my husband always teases me about that because he says that if I were to lose my (Blue Susies Kitchen Book) where I keep my favorite recepeis, you know the ones that turn out right, my niece gave it to me years ago when I started cooking, my husband says I will die if I lose it and he is right I will.

Anyways back to my crab cakes..... After pausing for like 3 minutes with my mouth wide open, I was like NO! Like an Iron chef I had to think fast (before my husband came in from gardeing), OK Susie now what???? I know.... bread crumbs, I need bread crumbs. You see thats when I realized what went wrong. The receipe I was following asked for 1/3 cup of cracked, crumbled Ritz crackers. For all the other ingridiens and 1 pound of crab meat 1/3 cup was NOT enough. I pulled out what I had, Italian Bread Crumbs and added it to my mixure like 2 cups and vuala!!!! My patty's formed and my Savanah Crab Cakes were deliciuouse and the soup that accompanied it was just perfect. If anyone needs any of the receipes I make and blog about or are interested where and whom I get my inspiration from, send me a comment.

Today's Menue

Today I will start my weekend making, Spicy Tomato Soup and Savanah Crab Cakes. My kids don't eat anything with red, green or black so for them I will be making grilled cheese. In my house it's not easy, it's like working in a restaurant, everyone wants something different. I should let them starve one day. I should just make one thing and if they eat they eat. I bet after a few days they will be begging for some red, green and black stuff all over their food. LOL

Happy Friday. I know to some people cooking may not seem so attractive, but after many years of NOT cooking I started looking for something else to do besides driving kids everywhere. Turns out i'm pretty good. I have people to testify on my behalf. I now have a collection of cook books and only watch Food Network (and CSI on Monday nights)! I don't use choppers, I rather dice my onion and mince my garlic manually, I enjoy it so much. It's never too late in life. We all have some hidden talent. Just search, you will find it. Pick up a cook book this weekend, pick a dish and make it, just do it. Let me know how it turns out.