Sweet Plantains with Coca Cola Recipe (Platanos en Tentacion)

Hola Amigos: Today I'm sharing with you an easy recipe to prepare Plantains! I can't get tired of this delicious and versatile fruit! No matter the stage of it's life cycle, it's good! To make this recipe you need to have the plantains as dark skinned as possible, almost black or black! It's o.k. they are not spoiled, they are perfect for this dish!
Dark plantains are easy to find at your grocery store. By the time they are out in the shelves for us to purchase, they are already brownish yellow, after that it takes only a couple of days for them to turn black.

Platanos en Tentacion or Sweet Plantains are an almost mandatory side for all of our meals. Much like fries in America or Tortillas in Mexico, plantains are loved green when they are a salty snack or like in this case, sweet and cooked slowly in butter and sugar, your favorite fruit juice or Coke. When you eat them all the time, variety is important!

A few weeks ago I made a batch to go along with my Rice and Beans with Coconut Milk, perfect together, as every meal needs a little bit of sweetness to make it even better!

If you had plantains before, let me know what's your favorite way to have them! This is just an easy recipe with a a few ingredients for days you want to have something different and tropical as part of your lunch or dinner but not necessarily as a dessert or smoothie. Hope you guys are having a great week! Keep in mind my friends, everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos

Lizy

Sweet Plantains with Coca-Cola

Ingredients:

3  Ripe Plantains

4 TBSP Butter or Margarine

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Cinnamon Stick

Coca-Cola 

Directions: 

Peel the plantains and cut them in 2"-3" pieces. In a large pan, melt butter and brown the plantain pieces. Add sugar, cinnamon and enough Coca-Cola to cover the plantains. Cook plantains on low heat, covered until they are soft and the sauce has caramelized. About 20-30 minutes. Serve hot. Enjoy!

Prep and Cook Time :20-30 minutes                                                           Serves  4-6

Sharing my sweet side dish at these Fabulous Parties:

Lady Behind the Curtain

Cheesy Baked Mostaccioli Recipe

Hola Amigos! After cooking all week, we all feel like taking a break on the weekends, and the best way of doing it (and cheapest) is to cook a casserole big enough to feed an army and tasty and satisfying for your soldiers not to mind reheating leftovers the next day!
Mostaccioli is a favorite. My grandma used to called it Macarrones Asados! She made the most delicious food ever, well I think we all  believe our grandma's are the best at everything anyways, right? I'm sure they are!

I asked my readers on FB how they have theirs, with meat as a main dish or plain as a side, but you know Facebook, No One gets to see what you post there unless a) you have a large fan base b) you pay to promote your status, or c) your  family and friends love you so much they keep up with what you do. I'm blessed and proud to have option C . I got 2 answers, one from my friend +Diane Kaul blogger at Giraffe Legs and she likes it as a main dish with meat in it, delicious and with endless options and the other one from my sweet adoptive little "sis" and blog designer,  Brooke, creative at Uplifted Designs who likes it as a side. Knowing my boys, I decided to play it safe and make a big casserole as a side.

This is a common recipe, everybody has their own little extra special ingredient and that is what I'm interested on exploring. New possibilities and tastes for a classic!

My motto bake 2 freeze 1 applies to this dish, only don't bake  it after you are done preparing it, freeze it well sealed right away and then bake it for that day you are scratching your head for what to have for dinner!
They all liked it  and I was able to stay out of he kitchen for the weekend a win win situation in my book if you ask me!

Thank You for visiting the blog today! I wish you all a healthy and productive week! Before you leave don't forget to let me know what makes your Mostaccioli extra special and a hit among your family and friends! Big Hug and remember my friends, everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

Cheesy Baked Mostaccioli 

Ingredients:

2 Cups Uncooked Tube Shaped Pasta

1 Jar (24 oz) Spaghetti Sauce of your choice

1 (10 3/4 oz) Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup

1/2 Can Milk

1 Large Egg, Beaten

2 Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded (about 16 oz)

1 Cup Cottage Cheese

Pepper. Salt and Garlic Powder to taste

1 Cup Cheddar Cheese "Pringles" Chips, Crushed

1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven at 350 F.

In a large saucepan prepare your pasta with plenty of salt in the water as indicated on the package. Once drained, place it in a large mixing bowl and start adding ingredients to it mixing after each ingredient is added carefully not to break the pasta. After the last cheese is added, the cottage cheese, check the pasta for flavors and add the condiments, pepper and garlic powder to taste and extra salt if needed.

Pour the mix in 2 separate, previously greased baking dishes. I used (2) 9x9 dishes.

*If you are going to freeze one baking dish, cover the container well and freeze. Remove from freezer, thaw in the refrigerator add the toppings after it thaws and  you are ready to bake it.

Top the remaining baking dish with crushed chips and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 45 minutes. Let it rest and serve with salad, garlic bread and enjoy!

Prep Time 20 minutes                      Cook Time 45 minutes                       Serves 8-12

Sharing my Easy Cheesy Baked Casserole at these Fabulous Parties:

Gina's Craft Corner, Little House Living, Feeding Big, The Princess and her Cowboys, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Lady Behind the Curtain

"Hot Tamales" Spiked Hot Chocolate Recipe

Hola Amigos! It's a beautiful 15 F today!!!! Oh yes! Beautiful compared to yesterday's bone shattering -16 (feeling like -35 F)! I haven't been out of my little house since Sunday when I went to the store and stock up like I was going to hibernate for months. I don't drive in the snow, so I knew what was coming for me! Truth be told, although I'm a homebody, I like to have the "choice" of getting in my car and drive to the store to get that extra ingredient missing of  a recipe, take a quick trip to my favorite coffee shop or just go browse the latest and greatest at the local dollar store.

I'm serving time in an Ice Cell and turning into a Hot Mess (aka Cabin Fever-itis), but since the only thing worse would be running out of chocolate, I'm celebrating my lock up with this Spiked Hot Tamale Hot Chocolate, and believe me...it is a celebration on a mug for sure!

Nothing fancy here, just a few ingredients with a lot of flavor and kick! Hard to feel when it's so cold,  the extra juice bottles and gallons of milk I got on Sunday, kept in the garage, are frozen!!!! Yikes!

This time I didn't have any whipped cream, or cute marshmallows, or sweet sprinkles, just Peppermint Hershey kisses, melting in the hot chocolate and some extra sweetness thanks to Marshmallow Fluff.

This tastes just like the candy, sweet, spicy and hot! only with a little something extra for grown ups.

Thank You for visiting the blog today! It's always a pleasure to enjoy your company and your comments on each post! We will be looking forward to the weekend when finally this cold front will be gone for good...I hope! Remember my friends, everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

"Hot Tamales" Spiked Hot Chocolate
Ingredients:
1 Tablet "La Abuelita"
4 Cups Whole Milk
Pinch of Salt 
1 Cup Peppermint Hershey Kisses
4 ounces Tequila
2 ounces Hot Damn Cinnamon Schnapps 
Marshmallow Creme and Powder Cinnamon to top it
Directions:
In a saucepan, bring milk to simmer and add your chocolate tablet, stir until it melts. Add s the pinch of slat and whisk. Add Hershey Kisses to the mix and keep stirring until they melt as well and everything is well combined.
Add Tequila and Cinnamon Schnapps and whisk one more time before dividing the mix into 4 mugs.
Top your hot chocolate with some Marshmallow Creme, sprinkle some powdered cinnamon and a few extra Hershey Kisses. Cheers and Enjoy...bottoms up!

Total Prepare Time: 10 Minutes

Sharing my Sweet Spiked Fiery Hot Chocolate at these Fabulous Parties:

My Snippets of Inspiration, Gina's Craft Corner, Little House Living, Feeding Big, The Princess and her Cowboys, Love Bakes Good Cakes, Lady Behind the Curtain

Avgolemono - Lemon Rice and Chicken Soup Recipe

Hola Amigos! How is this Polar Vortex treating you? Today was supposed to be back to school after Christmas vacation, but school was cancelled leaving kiddo more time to do this:

With temperatures getting lower literally by the hour, only something hot and creamy will do the trick to bring the body back to an "I'm ready to go outside and do more shoveling" state of mind!

This is one of my favorite soups and the I get it every Friday (the only day they prepare it) at the Farmer's Restaurant by my house. I'm not 100% sure my version has all the "magic" ingredients they put on theirs, but is quite close, and will do for as long as we remain snowed in!

You can have it with pita bread on the side or like me, open your oyster crackers and have fun. I always keep a big bag or 2 at home.

My soup has a bit more rice therefore thicker than the Farmer's version, but as you all know, I just love rice, maybe as much as I love chocolate , lol...crazy I  know!

I sure hope you are not part of the 140 million Americans feeling the effects of the "Freeze" as the Weather Channel reports. But if like me you are stuck right in the middle of the whole thing, this is your soup to have! Trust me, you will thank me after several bowls! stay safe, stay warm and remember everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

Avgolemono - Lemon Rice and Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

1 Large Whole Chicken Breast,  Chopped (around 1 1/2-2 cups)

5 Cups Chicken Broth (for more wholesome flavor use the broth where you cook your chicken)

1/2 Cup Rice (I use 3/4 Cup since I like my soup thick and with lots of rice)

1 TBSP Butter or Olive Oil

1 Cup Onion, Diced

1/2 Cup Carrots, Diced 

1/2 Cup Celery, Diced

3 Eggs

1 Large Lemon, Juiced

1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

Salt to taste

Lemon slices for garnish

Pita Bread or Oyster Crackers 

Directions:

In a pan, melt the butter on a little bit of oil for it not to burn or heat olive oil alone and saute veggies until onions and celery are translucent, around 5 minutes. Set aside.

On a large pot add chicken broth bring to a simmer and add rice. Cook until rice blooms (opens), add sauteed veggies and chicken. Add red pepper flakes and salt if needed. Keep cooking for flavors to integrate, about 5-10 minutes.

Now comes the tricky part, in a separate bowl beat eggs and while doing this add the lemon juice. Keep the whisking going, now slowly add a ladle at a time of the soup mixture to temper the eggs, you don't want to end with an omelette in you soup. Add one or two ladles full, I don't mind if rice or veggies get into it, the idea is to bring the eggs at the same temp of the soup in the pot.

Pour the egg-lemon mixture into the soup pot keep  mixing  and remove from heat. Serve hot with lemon wedges, oyster crackers or pita bread, enjoy!

Prep Time: 10 Minutes                           Cook Time 30 Minutes                            Serves 6

Sharing my tangy hot soup at these Fabulous Parties:

Smart School House, Ginger Snap Crafts, All She Cooks, Lady Behind the Curtain, Ducks' n a Row, Kitchen Meets Girl, My Girlish Whims, Memories by the Mile, My Snippets of Inspiration, Gina's Craft Corner, Little House Living, Feeding Big, Love Bakes Good Cakes

Rice and Beans with Coconut Milk Recipe

Hola Amigos! I really wanted to make the first post of 2014 memorable! Perhaps an awesome and gooey dessert or a 5 star meal, but after getting and digging a foot of snow the first 2 days of the year and with temperatures today -5 without windchill, the only kind of food I can think of is good old fashion comfort food, nothing fancy, just good!!!!

This rice is very common in the Atlantic Coast of my country. Folks there eat it as part of their daily diet with saucy chicken or spicy escovitch fish! I had mine with a hamburger patty in a spicy onion and mushroom sauce, my 1-2-3  version of Salisbury steak!

Add extra beans with butter if you want! I know, not the leanest and healthier thing to eat but it's good I tell ya! On the plus side, it's a side dish rich in fiber!

You can taste the sweetness of the coconut on every bite but by no means the rice is sweet, just a hint!
As a side, serve it with something definitely sweet, yellow plantains, mine I soaked in coke, that's why they are a bit on the dark side.

Now that we all had a taste of the sunny Caribbean, let's go out and do some more shoveling! (hopefully not)! I hope you guys are having a wonderful first week of the year! Remember that everything could be memorable and taste even better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

Rice and Beans with Coconut Milk Recipes

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cup Long Grain White Rice

1 Can Coconut Milk

2 Cups Chicken Broth

1 Can Red Beans, drained

1 Can Pinto Beans, drained

1 Chicken Bullion (dissolved in broth)
2 Cloves Garlic Minced
1 tbsp Butter

Directions:
In a large pot on medium high heat, melt butter and toss minced garlic until slightly golden. Remove from pot. Add rice, coconut milk, broth and beans. Stir Cook uncovered until the liquid evaporates. Cover, low the stove temperature to medium and cook for 12 minutes. Stir the rice first with a large spoon and then with a fork to separate the grains. Cook for another 15-20 minutes until grains are soft. Serve as a side and enjoy!

Total Cook Time: 30 minutes

Sharing my Homeland's Caribbean Cuisine at these Fabulous Parties:

Tartertots and Jello, Th Best Blog Recipes, Home Maid Simple, The Shabby Nest, Six Sister's Stuff, What's Cooking with Ruthie, Made from Pinterest,Swe Licious Home Decor, Becoming Martha, Walking on Sunhsine, Flamingo Toes, 504 Main, Navy Wifey Peters, Twigg Studios, Nifty Thrifty Things, Will Cook For Smiles, Suburbs Mama, Lines Across, The Chicken Chick, This Gal Cooks, I Should be Mopping the Floors, Smart School House, Ginger Snap Crafts, All She Cooks, Lady Behind the Curtain, Ducks' n a Row, Kitchen Meets Girl, My Girlish Whims, Memories by the Mile, My Snippets of Inspiration, Gina's Craft Corner, Little House Living, The Princess and her Cowboys Love Bakes Good Cakes