Red Velvet Pancakes, Buttercream Syrup, Oh My!

I've been dying to have a dessert style breakfast and this week, during my morning off, I whipped these babies up. I used a formal recipe for the red velvet pancakes, but the buttercream syrup was most certainly a last minute thought. 

Red Velvet Pancakes:
There are a million ways to make red velvet pancakes, some companies make a pre-made mix, but you can also do it from scratch. I prefer to use brown sugar and soy milk, they both seem to lighten the batter a bit.

2 cups of pancake mix
3 tbsp. of brown sugar
1 tbsp. of unsweetened baking cocoa
1 1/2 tsp of red paste food coloring
2 eggs
1 cup of soy milk

Buttercream Syrup:
This was a crazy last minute idea. I had a ton of leftover icing from making red velvet cupcakes, in the fridge. I whipped this concoction up and it turned out to be an amazing topping. Use a whisk to smooth it out.

3/4 cup of buttercream frosting
1/2 cup of soy milk

Enjoy! If you try these, I'd love to see how they turn out! Shoot me an email at erica@rivaflowz.com! I'll show your version here.

Quick, Well Quicker Than Most, Beef Stroganoff

I've been in pasta heaven this week. After a great farfalle (bow tie) recipe, I wanted to try something I'd never tried before. After resolving that I'd have pappardelle, I went on a hunt to find a great recipe to pair it with. Beef Stroganoff seemed to be an internet favorite, but they all wanted me to spend three hours on the recipe. Tuh! I'm a working, writing, and volunteering woman; I certainly didn't have time for that. However, I was able to whip up my own variation of the recipe in a few minutes. It turned out great! Speaking of which, I'll be introducing the Thierry rating. (Thierry is my boyfriend, I'm convinced he'll eat anything, and he's painfully honest.) He's the person I try all these recipes out on and at the end of each meal, I'll ask him to rate it. 

After reading that it was incredibly difficult to find Pappardelle in the supermarket, I headed to Cipriani Le Specialta near Grand Central Terminal. However, I got out of work a bit late and it was closed. However Grand Central has this amazing underground market that came to the rescue! They had pappardelle in their Italian section and the day was saved. It's freezing cold outside, these days, and I made the trek for a side that could've been easily replaced by any other pasta in my cupboard. I wanted you to have the best, so here it is! 

2 pounds of beef cubes

1 cup of sweet red wine

Salt

1 cup of beef broth

1 red onion, diced

5 tbsp. of butter

Black pepper, to taste

2 tbsp of lemon pepper

8 oz of sour cream

1 pound of cleaned and sliced shitake mushrooms

2 tbsp. flour

Cilantro (For Garnish) 

Pappardelle (Very Unusual to Find in a Regular Supermarket, Try a Italian Specialty Store or Use a Different Pasta!)

Saute Pan

Cast Iron Pot or Glassware (Oven Friendly)

Cutting Knife

Cutting Board

Cooking Spoon

Cooking Spatula

Pan for Pasta

1) Prep all ingredients. Be sure to slice and dice your onions, mushrooms, and cilantro. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and make sure you've defrosted your beef cubes beforehand. Pat dry your cubes and season with a bit of salt and pepper.

2) Place your tablespoons of oil into the pan on medium heat. I used my spiced olive oil, but feel free to use any kind you prefer. Add your beef cubes and stir them for about three to five minutes, on all sides. 

3) Pour wine, flour into the pot and reduce for ten to fifteen minutes. Stir until the white of flour is gone. Add the beef broth and bring to a boil. Stir on high heat for another ten minutes. It's going to look a little scary in your pan, but trust me it's going to taste amazing. Turn off the flame.

4) In another pan add your butter, mushrooms, and onions. Cook on medium heat for ten to fifteen minutes or until a golden brown. Add the sour cream to the pan and stir another five minutes.

5) Turn the flame back on your beef, medium heat. Add the onion/mushroom/sour cream mixture to your beef and mix it all together. Add 1tbsp of lemon pepper and stir once more. Do this for 8 minutes. Place the entire concoction in a cast iron pot or some ovenware and place it in the oven for thirty minutes. 

6) After you've placed your mixture, into the oven, put your pappardelle pasta on the stove to boil. Follow instructions on the packet or cook until al dente. 

7) After you've taken your beef mixture out of the oven, be sure to give it a few more stirs to get rid of the coagulation on the top. Strain your pasta, place it on a plate, and add a big spoonful of your beef mixture on the top of it. Sprinkle a tablespoon of lemon pepper on each serving and feel free to garnish with cilantro! 

 Thierry Rating: 10! (Trust me, he isn't biased. He tells me like it is all the time. -_-) 

Recipes I've Been Dabbling With.

I'll be doing a lot of playing around in the kitchen, this week. The gourmet aisle of T.J. Maxx has seen me and it's on.

I haven't had a chance to post any new recipes, because the new semester has been upon me and as a teacher I'm extremely busy this time of year. Here are a few recipes I've been trying, in the kitchen. Although I haven't had a chance to share the process, I almost always guarantee a pic of my creation on Instagram. I hope you'll dare to try them too! They all were incredible.

1) Saute Chicken Thighs: My favorite go to for a quick meal is this recipe. You can never go wrong with boneless chicken thighs, no matter how long you cook them they always turn out super tender. I used lemon pepper to season mine, but feel free to try a variation of sea salts too. Accompanied with salad & a great honey mustard dressing, this meal is to die for. 

2) Crab Stuffed Sole: This was a first for me. I was itching for seafood, when a friend of mine forwarded me this recipe. I topped it with fresh bean sprouts for decadence, but they tasted great with the meal. I had this with my special fiesta brown rice, but feel free to enjoy this with veggies or even linguini.

4) Cinnamon Raisin Scones and Egg Nog Pancakes: I had a few friends over for brunch and I couldn't resist going all out. I made a tantalizing baked egg that I stole from another friend's brunch menu and carbohydrates that I refuse to shy away from.

5) The Incredible Edible Baked Egg: This has become a favorite in my house. After my foodie friend Rochelle had us over for brunch and we demolished these, we ran right to the grocery to get the ingredients. Yum!

Quick Apple Crisp.

Last night I ran out of flour on my quest to whip up a quick apple crisp, however I did have some quick oats nearby. Oats to the rescue!

The outcome was incredible, I asked the boyfriend to bring home some Haagen Dazs Dulche de Leche Ice Cream and topped it off. It was absolutely incredible. I had to share it with you.

Four Apples
1 Cup of Brown Sugar
Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp. of Salt
3/4 Cup of Oats
1/2 Cup of Oil (Peanut Preferably) or 7 tbsp of butter
1/3 cup of Water

Bowl
Mixing Spoon
Cake Pan (8X8)
Knife

1) Set your oven to 350 degrees. (If you hoard all your pots and pans in there, like I do, don't forget to take them out! Lol)

2) Peel, core, and cut your apples into slices. After you've buttered your pan, lay your slices of apples in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle cinnamon on the apples. (I like to use a lot.) Pour your water on the apples.

3) Get your mixing bowl, cut your butter into little pieces. Mix the butter (or oil), brown sugar, salt, and oats. This could be done in a food processor, but I love doing it by hand. Once you have a nice clumpy mix, spread it on to your apples.

4) Place it in the oven for 30-40 minutes. The spread, on top, should be a crispy brown. When you take it out it'll be bubbling. Let it sit for thirty minutes before sharing.

5) When it's all done place a scoop or two of ice-cream on top and enjoy!

Po-ta-to Po-tah-toe w/ Shrimp and Pico de Gallo

Hey Guys!

I know it's been forever, but prepping for the holidays has been absolute madness and bliss. Between drawing out the design for the Christmas dinner table, shopping for the perfect gifts, and holiday parties abundant, I've had little time to create recipes. However, I've been making a ton of meals that take less than 30 minutes in the kitchen. My boyfriend is amazed by meals that appear in front of him, a half hour after he's walked through the door welcomed by uncooked food. I hope you'll be equally amazed. My favorite, from this week, was this stuffed potato:

Two Potatoes (Regular or Sweet) (8 to 10 0z.)
14 Extra Large Shrimp
1 Tbsp. of Sour Cream
1 clove of garlic
2 Tbsp. of Chopped Cilantro
2 Medium Tomatoes
2 Limes
1/4 Onion Diced
1 tsp. of Paprika
1 tsp. of Seasoning Salt
2 tbsp. of Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Skillet
Knife
Measuring Spoons
Microwave
Cutting Board
Cooking Spatula
Mixing Bowl
Wooden/Plastic Spoon

For this recipe, you'll have three different preparations. You'll need to prepare your shrimp, potatoes, and your pico de gallo.

Shrimp Prep:

1) If you have shelled shrimp, be sure to peel the entire shell before you cook them. (Tails and all!) After this, you should butterfly your shrimp, it allows the shrimp to lay flat inside of the potato. After you've butterflied your shrimp, pre-heat your skillet (medium/high) and add your olive oil. Allow five minutes for your skillet to warm up.

2) Add your shrimp to the skillet and sprinkle your paprika and seasoning salt, over it, evenly. Turn shrimp every minute, do this for six minutes. Turn off the skillet.

Potato Prep:

1) This is the easiest part of the entire recipe. Instead of baking your potatoes, we'll be taking the quick route by using the microwave. Pierce your potatoes with a fork, about four times on each side, and lay them on a paper towel. Place them, with the paper towel, into the microwave on high for eight minutes. Stop at four minutes to turn them over. When you're ready to fill them, you'll slit the potato lengthwise and push the slit inwards to create a pocket.

Pico De Gallo Prep:

1) This is my favorite part of the recipe. Pico de Gallo can be bought in almost any supermarket, prepackaged, but I'm a sucker for fresh food. Dice your tomatoes, be sure that all seeds are removed.

2) You should also dice your onions and mince one piece of garlic.

3) Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over your chopped veggies and squeeze your limes over the blend.

4) Add your cilantro and use a mixing spoon to bring all your flavor together. I did this with my hands on the cutting board, but that's a result of laziness. Heh.

Now you're ready to put it all together. Put your slit potatoes on a plate and layer your recipe accordingly. Place the shrimp in first, top it with the pico de gallo, and add a dallop of sour cream to the top. Voila! Enjoy!

Sipping Sunday.

The holidays are around the corner and I'm so excited about concocting some of my favorite drinks. This week I tried a Patron XO Cafe and egg nog mix and I also created my own chai from scratch. They were great, I'll possibly throw the recipes up here sometime this month.

Here are a few that I'm dying to try:

AZTEC HOT CHOCOLATE

from abeautifulmess.com

COOKIE & CREME MILKSHAKE

from tablefortwoblog.com

HOT WHITE CHOCOLATE

from foodnetwork.com

I hope you try a few of these, this holiday. I know I most certainly will. I've got some awesome recipes and tips coming up this week & I'd love your feedback! Look out. 

Family, Fun, Feud and Pork Loin.

(our thanksgiving preparation)

Thanksgiving was magnificent. We convened in Long Island, this year, my mother's house the chosen haven for the splendid spread. Cooking went quite smoothly, because of low maintenance. Dad wanted to try something new, so he ordered a fried turkey from a catering service. So instead of lurking by a hot oven waiting for the bird to bake, we spent this year making small specialties. Mom made her famous chicken and shrimp blend and grandma brought curried goat. I contributed a candied ginger cranberry sauce and a pork loin recipe I've been dying to try.

1 pack of Johnsonville Chicken Sausage

4 Small Granny Smith Apples

1 Chopped Red Onion

1 Bag of Cubed Herb Seasoned Stuffing

1 Bag of Craisins (Dried Cranberries)

2 Cups of Apple Juice

1 tsp. Lemon Pepper

2 tsp. of Powdered Garlic

1 Egg (Lightly Beaten) 

2 (2.5 or Smaller) Pork Loins

1 tbsp. of Cooking Oil (Olive, Peanut or Corn)

Cutting Board
Wok or Large Skillet
Straight Edge Steak Knife
Measuring Cup/Spoons
Baking Dish (Two Quarts or Larger)
Aluminum  Foil
Wood Skewers or Cooking Twine
Meat Thermometer (Optional)

**If you're an experienced cook, feel free to improvise. Replace the seasonings with ones you'd rather savor, use a different sort of sausage or add an extra veggie! Celery might add a great crunch.**

1) Preheat your oven to 500°F. Peel your onions and apples. (Be sure to core apples, but I'm sure you knew that!) Chop apples and onion into small bits. Chop up your sausage, pepperoni style. Not too thin though!

2) Pour the cooking oil into the pan, on a medium flame, and add the cut apples, onions and sausages. Cook for 7-10 minutes and stir frequently. 

3) Lower the flame. Add the bag of stuffing mix, the two cups of apple juice, cranberries and one egg. Stir until blended well. (Feel free to get mushy!) No more than five minutes. Don't forget to turn off your flame.

4) Unpack your meat unto a cutting board. You'll need to butterfly your pork loin. If you don't know what this means, head here. 

After you're done cutting it in half and laying it across your cutting board, sprinkle a layer of garlic and lemon pepper on both sides of the loin. When you're done seasoning, gather a few spoonfuls of the stuffing and spread unto the pork loin. Press your stuffing to every corner with your hands. Roll pork loin horizontally and get ready to pin close. (Some people use cooking twine to close the roll, but I didn't have any on hand. I used skewers instead and they worked just fine!

5) Lightly grease your baking pan with cooking oil and lay your rolled loins inside of it. Cover with foil, place in oven. After ten minutes, you'll want to bring your oven down to 400°F. 

(If you have remaining stuffing, place it in a smaller baking pan and put it in the oven for 30 minutes. You can serve it separately or on the side of your loin!)

6) After 50 minutes (or the meat temperature of 155°F), remove your loin from the oven. If you're unsure your meat is cooked, cut it to make sure the meat is mostly white. It might be very slightly pink. 

**HEALTH WARNING: Typically this meal is only considered a safe leftover for two days, with refrigeration.**

I'm a huge fan of greens as decoration, so I used asparagus for this dish. Be sure to cut a few slices, to show the beauty of your stuffing. 

My family and I absolutely enjoyed it. I can't wait to try it again with a different stuffing. After conquering the itis, discussing politics and the effects of Hurricane Sandy, we retired to the living room for an electronic game of family feud and jeopardy. This was all prompted by Grandma saying she wishes to get on one of the actual shows, because she was absolutely sure she'd take all. Oh, Grandma.

What was your special dish this Thanksgiving? Share your recipe in the comments below! 

(our table yesterday. my mother finally let me decorate this year!)