Asparagus with an Orange vinaigrette

I haven't posted a recipe in the longest time (I'm sorry), so this past weekend I lived in the kitchen to  bring you not one, not two but three Spring inspired recipes! I also have a very very special video series that I'm adding to blog and these three recipes will be the first video I'll be posting (stay tuned for that by the end of this week). 

I also want to mention that I'm in the process of changing blog platforms (pray for me) so please be on the look out for the new and improved Fashion According to the Menu powered by Wordpress.

Ok now for this delectable recipe. I have actually been in search for recipes that I could add to my list of spring inspired dishes and this dish made it to the top of my list. It's a very simple recipe but it was delicious and I love the fresh citrus flavor. All of the recipes that I will be sharing this week share that common citrus/fruit theme. I hope you all try this recipe and please be sure to let me know how it came out.

According to the Menu: Doubles

Hello again hungry fashionista, today I come to you with a fantastic recipe for a Trinidadian classic, Doubles. As you should already know, I have West indian roots (Barbados, Haiti and Cuba) and I am certainly not stranger to Caribbean cuisine, that's why last week when I was in New York and my friend, Kayla, asked us if we wanted to go to the local Trinidadian restaurant, I was more than happy to say yes. There was so much wonderful Caribbean cuisine to choose from, like Roti and  bake and shark but I decided to get Doubles because they are such a great portable meal. After my first bite I was instantly hooked. I was craving Doubles for the next two days after that but unfortunately I never got to go back to that Trinidadian restaurant before heading home. So I decided to make my own. I found this recipe while scouring the internet and they came out beautifully. Check out below for my step by step instructions on what I did to make these delectable little treats.

Maple-Mustard Salmon

Hello my hungry fashionistas!! I'm coming to you today with a quick and yummy recipe. This recipe is great for an easy weeknight dinner and the flavors are something everyone can appreciate. If you do decide to try this recipe, let me know how it comes out. 

Vision Board Brunch

This past weekend I hosted a vision board brunch at my apartment and invited some amazing ladies to brunch and make their own personal vision boards.
We had a wonderful time eating and putting our aspirations onto paper. I made a few yummy dishes and I figured I'd post recipes since the ladies enjoyed the dishes so much. The recipes are for Cinnamon Sugar donut muffins , Spinach and Ham Quiche, Sausage Pancake bites and orange sorbet mimosa .

2013 according to the Menu

In this previous post, I did a review of some of my favorite outfits of 2013. Now I want share with your some of my favorite recipes and restaurants of 2013. I was able to do as much cooking and dining out as I would have like but I will certainly be doing A LOT more in 2014. Please stick around because 2014 is going to be amazing.

Creamy pesto pasta with scallops. Recipe here. 

Santa Fe Stuffed Peppers and Spanish Quinoa

 I'm going to save you the lame excuses as to why I haven't done a food post in a while and just say that I will start doing them again and more often. Now to the recipe, this dish came to fruition because of a strong craving for spanish cuisine one night. I searched my pinterest for a recipe that would satisfy this craving and came across this one. I thought this was a pretty health conscious choice but I wanted to add some kind of carb to it. I thought of making a mexican rice but thought it would be counter intuitive to eat rice with such a figure friendly dish like stuff peppers. Cue the Quinoa. I figured I could satisfy my rice craving with a tasty quinoa substitute. This make shift recipe came out even better than I could imagine. I probably won't eat spanish rice ever again (lie lol). Any way if you want to know how I made the peppers, check out the recipe above and the recipe for the quinoa and more pictures are below.


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Peach Almond Crumble

It's hard to believe that the summer is almost over *cue the violins*. But just because the summer is ending doesn't mean we still can't enjoy all of our favorite summer goodies. Peaches are definitely one of my favorite summer treats and to be able to make a tasty dessert with them, is just icing on the cake, (or should I say, crumble on the peaches).  To find out how I made this delicious dessert, check out the recipe inside. 

Cherry Lime Margarita

So tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo ( the 5th of May) and it is a big holiday in Mexico. Because Mexico is so close to the USA and a lot of people living in the USA are originally from Mexico, the holiday is also celebrated here. It's usually one big party and the main attractions are the drinks!! If you are having your own party tomorrow or just need an excuse to get Shwasted (Sh*t faced + Wasted ) you should really try this recipe I created for cherry lime Margaritas. 

Jerk Chicken Tostados

So a day last week, I was craving some mexican like crazy. So I went to my trusty pinterest page for some recipe inspiration and came across this pin for Jerk Pork Tostados. I loved the idea of mixing to two different food styles and I happen to have all the ingredients to make it except for the pork which I just substituted with chicken. I also decided to boil the chicken and instead of slow cooking. The recipe came out perfectly. Here are some of the pictures I took as I was preparing it. You can check out the link above for the recipe.

Sweet and Spicy Meatloaf Cupcakes

Everything is better as a cupcake. These delightful little morsels of happiness are no exception. I am actually shocked to say that these meatloaves are even better than my mom's recipe. I love my mom's meat loaf but these cute cupcake versions are just so tasty. One of the key ingredient is actually the pesto I made for my Scallops with Linguini in a Creamy Pesto. It add the most delightful flavor along with the jalapeños I added for some heat. They are also pretty figure friendly. By swapping ground turkey for the usually ground beef saves you a good 50 calories per serving. Now if that doesn't have you breaking out the cupcake pans I don't know what will.

Ingredients:

Meatloaf

1lb Ground Turkey

1 small onion (chopped)

2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

1/4 cup Parmesan Shredded Cheese

1/8 cup Jalapeño (finely chopped and deseeded to lower spiciness)

1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs

1/4 cup Buttermilk

1/4 cup Pesto

1/2 tbsp Cayenne Pepper 

1/2 tbsp Black Pepper

1/2 tbsp Salt

Topping

1 cup Barbecue Sauce

1 cup Ketchup

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

1 tbsp Cayenne Pepper

Mashed Potatoes 

Chives for garnish

• 1.Heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan and place over low heat.

2.Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for about a minute. Set aside to cool.

3. In a small bowl, combine Panko and buttermilk and set aside for 5 minutes. Then in a large bowl, place turkey, pesto, cheese, salt and pepper, the onion mixture, cayenne pepper, and the panko mixture. Mix with your hands until just combined.

4. Fill cupcake wells to the top with meatloaf. Brush top with some glaze, then bake for about 30 minutes, removing the pan every 10 minutes or so to brush on more glaze. (At the end of baking, you will not have used all of the glaze mixture – just keep it in the saucepan on low and stir it every few minutes.)

5. Cool for 5 minutes. Put mashed potatoes into a pipping bag and pipe about 1/4 of the mashed potatoes on to the top of the meatloaves. Garnish with chives.

                                            

Shamrock Shake

First I want to apologize for my absence. As you all know I've been pretty ill for the past few months and because of that, I have a lot of things going on at work to making up for the time. I haven't been able to pay attention to the blog but that ends today. I have so many wonderful changes and special things that I can't wait to share with you all. Thank so much for reading this blog. I truly appreciate you all.

Ok, now to explain this delightful treat. If you aren't familiar with the shamrock shake, here's a little background. The shamrock shake is a drink from McDonalds that comes around once a year around St. Patrick's day. Their version is made of ice cream but this version was made slightly healthier by using frozen yogurt. I think this might even be better than the original because of the addition of the creamy super fruit, avocado. If you would  like to try out this festive treat, check out the recipe below.

Scallops with Linguini in a Pesto Cream Sauce

When I'm looking for cool new recipes for the blog, for some reason I always want to cook something that I can see myself getting at a fancy restaurant. I share these recipes for the fabulous fashionista that likes to cook, like myself and I always image her (and myself) wanting to eat such delicate and fabulous things. This meal could easily be served at your local fancy Italian restaurant. I promise you if you make it right, you will have all the praise of those you serve it to (its that good). 

Scallop Risotto

So I was searching the Internet for dinner ideas and I came across this recipe for risotto. I had all of the ingredients except for mushrooms and barley, so I decided to put my own spin on it (as I usually do with any recipe) and used some scallops and basmati rice instead. The recipe came out beautifully and it tasted amazing. Check out the recipe below so you can be the judge.




Ingredients
1 cup Basmati (jasmine) rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes, optional
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces, 3 cups
2 cups Small Scallops
2 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1/4 lemon juice

1.Bring a pot of salted water (about 2 cups) to boil. Add the rice cook until al dente, 15 minutes. Drain well.

2.Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, pepper flakes (if using) and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the onion is tender and beginning to brown which should take about 5 minutes. Stir in the drained rice mixture. Add 1/2 cups of broth, cover and cook until the rice is tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

3. While the mixture is cooking, in a small frying pan, heat a 1/2 tbs of oil. When the oil is hot heat the scallops for about four minute and then turn off the heat.

4. Stir in the asparagus and scallops and continue to cook rice mixture, covered, until the vegetables are tender for about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1/2 cup broth, cream cheese and Parmesan until melted and creamy. Sprinkle with chives and sprinkle with the lemon juice.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup and Garlic Mash Potatoes

As I shared with you all yesterday, I am here with 2 of the four recipes that you could make for thanksgiving. The first recipe is a Butternut Squash Soup which tastes like a dream and would be a great way to start off any thanksgiving meal.

Jalapeño Popper dip

So this past Sunday, I was so grateful to attend a quint potluck at my blogger twin, Waverly's, house. As with all potluck, everyone was asked to bring a dish and I decided, after scoring pinterest for recipes, to bring this one. This recipe was so quick and easy to make and tastes even better than a real jalapeño popper. Everyone at the potluck seem to agree with me because they ate the whole thing.

Red Velvet Truffles

When cooking, I find it important to really stick with what you know and then add to that to make something special. I have made many a Red Velvet Cakes in my day (like when I was 16 lol) , be it for high school cheerleading fundraisers or as dessert for a nice family meal but I love the way this recipe gave me a new twist to a classic.  

Now, you have two options when making this recipe, you can make the red velvet from scratch (which I did) or you can by a box cake and make it. Either way it is a dish that you are not going to want to pass by. 

With the holiday season coming up, I thought it would be cool to add a candy corn but then I realized that I should have just made the cake orange. Well, you live and you learn. If I decide to make them again, which I probably will, I will make them orange for Halloween and I'll be sure to let you all know how they turn out. 

Mini Cinnamon Cheesecakes with Pumpkin Pie frosting

 In cast you didn't notice, it's fall! With fall comes all of the yummy comfort food that we know and love. One of those comfort food, that can be seen everywhere, is pumpkin pie. I love pumpkin pie, it is just the essence go the winter fall season. Any variation of the dish is welcomed by me and today's recipe is no different.
I found this amazing recipe on pinterest (follow me here). I know I've said this before but I love pinterest, it's a creative mind's playground. As with all of the recipes I find, I always like to put my little Trisha-spin on it so I hope you like my variation of this fall classic.

Curried Shrimp and Rice and peas

One of the most popular dish in the Caribbean culture has got to be Curried chicken but curried anything is just as good. The amazing thing about a curried sauce is that it goes well with pretty much any type of meat and vegetables. Curried shrimp has got to be one of my favorite, mainly because I love shrimp. If you love shrimp as much as I do then I think you'll love this recipe.

Ingredients:

1lb Deveined and skinned, Medium frozen Shrimp

1 tsp Season All

1/2 Black pepper

2-3 tbs Curry Powder 

2 tbs of Olive Oil

1 cup chopped onions

1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flacks 

1 tsp of All spice

2 carrots, peeled and sliced 

1 1/2 low sodium chicken stock

1/2 cup diced tomatos

1/2 cup Green pepper

Heat oil in a large skillet. Put in Onions and cook until tender. Stir in shrimp, curry, pepper, all spice, tomatoes and green peppers and cook until aromas are released. Add in chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. To thicken add 1 tsp of corn starch. Serve with streamed rice and peas. 

• Enjoy!

Warm Chicken and Brie Sandwich

A picture of the real version of the sandwich

Continuing our journey through my trip in Vegas, I thought I'd bring you a delectable little recipe. As I said in previous post, the food selection in Vegas is superb and this recipe is my interpretation of a sandwich I had at a restaurant named, Mon Petit Ami, located in the Paris hotel and casino. This sandwich was so delicious I had to replicate it some how so I came with the following recipe.

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breast

1/2 Onion sliced

Brie Cheese

1/4 Granny Smith Apple Sliced

Olive oil 

1 Ciabatta loaf

1.Pre heat oven to 375
2. Grill two chicken breast that are seasoned with salt and pepper. While the chicken is grilling, heat 2 tbs of olive oil on medium heat. When the oil starts to pop when a drop of water is placed in it, put chopped onion in the pan and cook until onions are transparent and limp.
3. By this time, the oven should be heated to 375 degrees. Place the ciabatta loaf onto a baking sheet and place into the oven to bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown
4. When the chicken is finished thoroughly grilling, place them on a plate to cool slightly.
5. Remove pan containing onions from heat and place to the side.
6. Cut very thin slices of apple and cut cheese in to 1/4 inch thick slices. If desired, remove the cheese from  the "Croute" (the harder, bitter casing).
7. By this time, the bread should be golden brown and ready to be remove from oven. Remove bread and let cool for five minutes.
8. Once cooled, the bread is ready to make your sandwich! Cut loaf in half and then cut each half horizontally to make your sandwich. Place chicken, then apples, then onions, then cheese into sandwich and close. If the onions aren't  hot any more, you may put sandwich in the oven for a few minutes to melt cheese.

Bon Appétit!

Tasty Tuesdays : Trisha's Spinach Artichoke Dip

I actually got this recipe from the food network's show, Down Home with the Neelys, but as with any great recipe you want to customize it and make it your own. For my version of the recipe I added, fresh jalapeno pepper for an extra kick. Everyone love Spinach artichoke dip. It's like the most popular appetizer ever! Naturally, I had to have this as an appetizer at my house warming party. It's really quick and easy to make but it tastes so good.

Ingredients:
Because I was making this for a dinner party I doubled all of the ingredients but you can just make it as is.

• 3 tablespoons butter 
• 1 Jalapeno pepper
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
• 1 (8-ounce) jar artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles (recommended: Rotel)
• 1 cup shredded 4 cheese blend (I used a Mexican blend and it worked really well)
• Tortilla chips

 1.Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it foams, add the shallot and garlic, and saute until softened,  for about 3 minutes.

 

2. Then, Add the flour and cook while stirring until it becomes a light blonde color.

3. Slowly stir in the heavy cream, and the drained spinach, and simmer until it starts to thicken, about 5 minutes.

Lastly, Stir in the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, jalapenos and cheese and cook until the cheese is melted. Remove to a serving bowl and serve with tortilla chips.