Olga's own Rice with a Mole and Smoked Paprika Sauce over Chicken

Olga's own rice is a simple Mexican style rice that I learned how to make and have decided to name after the woman I learned how to cook it from. Out of all the Mexican rice dishes I have had this is by far the tastiest rice I have tried. The Chicken was cooked in a tomato based sauce with garlic, salt, a special Mole rub and Smoked Paprika from Spain. The combination is great, giving the sauce a different edge on spice which comes from the Mole rub and some nice smoky tones from the smoked Paprika. On top to finish the dish I have cilantro and Queso Fresco, no tortillas unfortunately but the Green Onions and Avocado finish the meal.

Peanut Butter Jalapeno Poppers

Yes, it might sound a little odd but is really good. I picked up this idea from an older guy that I met in Italy while on a train. Him and his wife were from Texas and we started talking about food. Then he tells me about this great idea that i have been pretty much thinking about since I heard about them. It is always a little nerve racking if you do not normally eat spicy food or do not have experience cooking with peppers, like myself. However These amazing vegetables have a great deal of versatility and can be used in so many ways.
Specifically this way, is simple and fun for an appetizer mainly. They are not to hot because they are de-seeded first, but they still have a lot of the flavor that the pepper has to offer and a bit of heat.

Chicken Stir Fry

Since I have arrived back from Sweden I haven't had any rice, which for me can be a problem. Once I finally got some rice I have headed straight to all my favorite rice dishes. This one is a simple stir fry with chicken and other vegetables. The vegetables included; Asparagus, Spinach, Cilantro and Broccoli. I cooked both the chicken and vegetables in a sesame soyaki sauce along with some fresh squeezed Lemon juice, Shallots and Garlic. The meal is simple enough and really just requires some imagination and a big pan or wok to cook everything in.

The Perfect Scrambled Eggs

So my first attempt at Gordon Ramsey's perfect scrambled eggs. I must say the man knows what he is talking about. These are the best scrambled eggs I have ever had. However you cannot simply just eat them alone, so I decided to take a quick look into my fridge and pulled out some Asparagus that I just got and a tomato. Heat those up in a pan a little bit of sea salt once they are done and some Lime Infused Olive Oil. Soo good, one of those meals that you start your day off with it and nothing can go wrong.

Spinach & Tomato Tagliettelle Pasta with a Caper Cream Sauce and Avocado

This was a quick lunch pasta, very simple. I have been starting to make Noodles ahead of time to let dry and store for use later in the next 2 days. It definitely helps making them in advance I have free time, especially as things get busier.
Anyway, this is the great thing about pastas, you can make so many different kinds but making small adjustments to the ingredients. It just takes a little curiosity, some knowledge of what sounds good in your mind and the will to experiment. I had recently bought a lot of spinach that I got a good deal on. And typically the way I cook is not based off of what I want but what I have in my fridge, I believe a true cook can make a meal out of anything, as long as a few of the basics are around. Therefore this one I was going to naturally use the spinach seeing as how I have so much of it right now. Once I thought about it though I could not just stay with that and because I was going to do a cream sauce I thought what better then tomatoes, to give a little sweet taste to the sauce. I also just bought a jar of capers that I have been wanting to experiment with so I guess if anything those were the determining factors in the creation of this dish. Capers may be small but can add such a great taste to sauce, both red and white. Then those sauces whether red or white go really well on a variety of fishes and chicken. All together this was yet another great lunch that was perfectly finished with some grated Pecorino Romano and bread. The only thing that I would change about the dish is about adding a glass of dry white wine to the sauce as well to enhance the taste of the sauce.

Stuffed Cannelloni

This is my first time making stuffed Cannelloni, although I have wanted to for a long time now. Inside the mixture contained sauteed red onions, Lime infused olive oil, Oregano & Rosemary, Sharp cheddar cheese, Monterey jack cheese and Pecorino Romano cheeses. I also included Sauteed Spinach, and Lemon Rosemary Chicken. The combination was definitely very good, nothing stood out on it's own in a negative way, and the combination of everything definitely gives a satisfying feeling. The filling had a nice Lemony taste to it, which I think was important for the combination of flavors, in a way I guess you could say that it was a bit refreshing. The pictures are three different shots, I wasn't sure which one would be best. The first obviously is just with the sauce, the second has some of the extra filling on top and the third has more sauce on top of that. The sauce was a cream based sauce, that I added carrots and tomatoes to give it a natural sweetness. I think that carrots are a great natural vegetable to add to sauces to make it sweeter.

Rosemary Lemon Chicken with Bechamel Scalloped Cheese Potatoes, Carrots, Tomato and Avocado

The main item that was new to for this dish is the Scalloped potatoes. I have started practice on my sauces, and a simple Bechamel sauce is a necessary must for a chef's knowledge. For my first time it turned out rather well, and resulted in making the potatoes really good. I also used grated Pecorino Romano, Sharp Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese with the potatoes. The carrots were slightly boiled then dipped in a ice cold bath to preserve flavor and crunch, while the tomatoes were simply salted and avocado sliced. The chicken is actually thighs, which I think tends to be a tasty part of the chicken. But very simply pan fried with rosemary and fresh squeezed lemon juice.

Turkey Sausage Egg Breakfast Sandwich

All breakfast sandwiches have one thing in common, they have fried eggs. Now you can cook them so many different ways, which is the fun part of breakfast sandwiches. This one has toasted bread with melted cheddar cheese on one side and the other has a Parmesan Basil dipping oil spread across it. The onions were once again sauteed with smoked paprika in a pan, but then once finished I used the same pan to cook the Turkey Sausage and then lastly to fry the eggs. This is how I got the fried eggs to look the way they do, by collecting the spices and colors left in the pan by the previous ingredients. This is one way of using less salt and letting ingredients soak up the flavors of other items and the salts they leave behind.

The end result, first off the thing that stuck out the most was the dipping oil that I used on the bread. Put it on one side maybe 4 minutes before so that it has time to soak into the bread, very tasty. Then once again the smoked paprika comes through again as one of the dominant flavors and blends well with the accompanying ingredients.

A Smoked Paprika Avocado Turkey Burger

This is by far a great combination of flavors to put together for a sandwich. The actual burger was simply Ground Turkey that combined with half an onion, garlic and of course salt & pepper in a method that I picked up from my dad. The meat was then pan fried but would definitely be better if it were on a BBQ. The onion were sauteed with Smoked Paprika and the Bread was toasted with butter melted on to the pieces followed with Jack cheese on one side. The other side has some, not a lot, but just enough to taste, Kentucky Bourbon BBQ sauce on it. Lastly I put some sliced Avocado on and it was finished. The Smoked paprika has to be used with caution, especially if it is good Paprika. I get my smoked Paprika from a lady that brings it in from Spain.

The smokiness of the paprika, just like the smoking other meats blends well with quality BBQ sauces, and the marriage of these to flavors paired very well. The actual meat held up pretty well to the strong flavors coming from both the Sauce and the Paprika, although Beef is always a better choice when considering a burger.

Ground Turkey is always the best alternative to Ground Beef, though if your looking for something healthier.

Spaghetti a la Bolognese

Yes, another Bolognese sauce, however I added something more to the dish that made a significant turn of results. First, I used ground turkey meat rather then beef, that already changed the heaviness of the dish. It is not necessarily a very easy thing to notice but if you eat a lot bolognese sauces with ground beef then suddenly switch to ground turkey you can definitely tell the difference. The ground turkey adds a lighter texture to the sauce, and is not so heavy. However the main thing that I added was a mole rub to both the meat when I was cooking it and as well the sauce when I was simmering it, which by the way was about 2 hours for this sauce. The mole rub added a spicy taste that at the beginning was to much however over time when I let it simmer down with the sauce created a very nice marriage between the two.

Gorgonzola Spaghetti with Green Onions

Here is a Gorgonzola Cream sauce that I made after watching one of my friends make something similar back in Sweden. The Green onions were a nice touch because it added a non - creamy substance to the dish, yet complimented the cheese. I think if I had added some other type of vegetable that was very strong tasting, it could have clashed with the already strong tasting cheese sauce.