Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Almonds and Honey

Now as dark as these wings and Sprouts look in this picture trust me they weren't burnt! LOL! I'm telling the truth! I have to keep reminding myself that when I'm using honey to keep a more steady eye on the food so it won't get so dark. Like I mentioned in my Crips confetti Salad blog, we didn't like Brussels Sprouts until these. I found this in Rachael Ray's Magazine. Yummy!!!! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 pounds Brussels sprouts (I used less because I wasn't sure if we'd like them)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup slivered almonds
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
3 Tbsps honey
3 Tbsps freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place sprouts, butter, and almonds on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper; toss to combine. Roast, stirring, until golden brown and tender, 35 to 40 minutes.

Transfer to a serving bowl; immediately dress with honey and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.


Jill's Comfort Zone

Hot Spicy Chicken Wings

If you love hot and spicy food, well then this is right up your Ailey!!! Man these wings are super hot and delicious! I found this recipe on Cooks.com. This is a thumbs up!!! I forgot to add in the Jalapeno pepper and I'm glad I did because WHEW!!!! These didn't need anymore boosting. LOL! Jazzie don't care for food that is too spicy but she tuffed it out last night! Truly delish!!! Beena loved every bit of it except scrubbing the cookie sheet! LMAO!!! Dinner was fantastic!!!! Enjoy!!!!

Ingredients:

1lb chicken wings
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
3 to 4 Tbsps Tabasco Sauce
2 Tbsps red pepper flakes
2 Tbsps Jalapeno peppers, chopped

Preheat oven 350 degrees; combine tomato sauce, seasonings, peppers in a bowl. Dip wings in sauce and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 30 or so, basting occasionally with sauce.

 Just look at that sauce!!!  Can you feel the heat?  WHEW!

In the oven they go!  My hair looks a mess but hey, it's the weekend!  LOL!





Jill's Comfort Zone

Coconut Custard Pie

OMG...now you know I don't like baking but this was truly inspiration!!! I had my Grandmother on my mind yesterday morning...may she R.I.P.! That woman could cook her butt off!!! I truly miss her and this pie was one of my favorite desserts...one of many that she use to bake. Yes, this is my Grandma who made me try my first Chicken Foot and I've fell in love ever since. Well I wanted to feel her presence and keep her close yesterday so I decided to make this pie. I can't remember where I found this recipe but I truly want to thank the person for sharing it. Betty Swain for Bear, Delaware! I don't know you but this was one easy recipe and truly delish!!!! I know that I cut the recipe out of one of the many magazines that I receive. I just forgot to write the name of that magazine down. So I want Betty to know that she was part of a special moment in my life yesterday and many more days to come. Each bite was a delite and my girls truly enjoyed it. We sat at the table laughing at the stories about Ms. Sweetie (my Grandma). I'm sure she was looking down on us smiling! I just ate another piece and it even taste better today than yesterday. I just might whip up some heavy cream tonight to put on top of the slices. Yummy! Enjoy!!!!

Ingredients:
*Betty used Pastry for her pie crust.

1 cup flaked coconut, chopped
3 eggs, beaten
2 2/3 cups milk
2/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsps all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 frozen deep dish pie crust


Line the unpricked pastry or pie crust (Which as you can see, I didn't follow directions but it turned out just fine. LOL) with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove foil; bake 5 minutes longer. Sprinkle coconut over crust; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, sugar, flour, vanilla and salt. Pour over coconut; sprinkle with nutmeg. (Once again, I didn't follow the instructions and I mixed the nutmeg in the mixture. LOL) Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate leftovers.

 
 

I should have covered the crust edges with foil because as you can see the edges burnt. I knew better but hey, practice makes perfect right? It was still delicious!



Jill's Comfort Zone

Crisp Confetti Salad

Hi my faithful readers and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! Yes I know, it's been a while since I've blogged about anything. I'm was going through some things and busy, busy, busy but I'm back now. I have so many tasty recipes to share with you guys which will take me sometime to get around to blogging about them. So please be patient with me. Anyway, I had such a Blessed Thanksgiving! My mom came to PA to visit us for two weeks and I enjoyed every moment! She stuck to her word and didn't cook a thing for Thanksgiving! LOL! We she did help me master her famous cornbread stuffing!

This recipes that I made last night was truly delicious!!! I believe I found this in either Rachael Ray's or Kraft magazine. I'm not sure because it's been so long since I've had it. The recipe called for some Planters Dry Roasted Peanuts but I forgot to buy them when I went food shopping yesterday so I just proceeded without them. I also added cucumbers because what's a salad without them? As you can see it's very colorful!!! I served this delish treat with Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Almonds and Honey, Hot Spicy Chicken Wings, and Coconut Cluster Pie! We don't really like Brussels Sprouts but after last night...this will become a frequent side dish in our house from now on. I just have to find tasty ways to make them. The last time I steamed with and added salt n pepper. And there was another time where I just sauteed them in some butter with onions and peppers. We didn't like it at all so I never made them again and that was like 2 to 3 years ago. Recipes for last night dinner soon to follow.

Ingredients:

4 cups coleslaw blend
2 cups sugar snap peas
2 large red peppers, cut into-strips (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup green onions slices
1/4 cup Planters Dry Roasted peanuts
1 can (15.25 oz) tropical fruit salad, drained
1/2 cup Kraft Zesty Italian dressing
1 cucumber, sliced

Combine all ingredients except dressing in large bowl. Add dressing to coat. Serve immediately.

Makes 10 servings, 1 cup each.

Enjoy!!!!



Jill's Comfort Zone

Chipotle Shrimp Pasta Madness

I was introduced to Chipotle in Adobe Sauce in 2008 and boy I've been hooked ever since!  LOL!  Now this dish that I made was random and I went way to far with it!  LOL!  Talking about spicy madness well this dish was just that!  LOL!  At the time my brother had just dropped in on me...yes, dropped in!  Aggghhh...that's a whole other story that I don't care to share. Anyway, I wanted some spicy shrimps and I was on a Chipotle spree for about 3 months...everything had to have Chipotle in it!  Hahahaha!  So I pulled together some ingredients and explored!  Now you can tell I didn't really know the true power that Chipotle in Adobe Sauce possessed...I had the nerve to add red crushed peppers!  WHEW!  This dish was FIRE!!!  Literally!!!!  LOL!  It was so good but HOT to death!  My brother thought I was trying to kill his ass!  LOL!  My kids nose was running (remind you I had not yet to taste because I was too busy serving) and eyes watering but they kept eating it!  I'll never forget this pregnant girl on the block...my brother was talking to her mother at the time and she wanted some.  So my brother fixed her a plate!  The girl face turn red as fire!  I felt so bad but she kept eating and saying how good it was.  I warned her that it wasn't good for the baby while my brother sat their CTFU!  SMH! 

Anyway, back to the recipe!  I really don't remember how much of what I put in here so I just warn you...leave out the damn red pepper flakes and PLEASE pureed the Chipotle in Adobe Sauce, add a little oil, and don't use too much!!!!  I used to whole damn can!  LMAO!  Oh and make AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!  I have a picture of the ingredients so I won't list them here.  Trial and Error=Delicious!!!!  LOL

 Do you see how dangerous this sauce looks?  SMH

 Enjoy!

Jill's Comfort Zone

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

I can't stress enough how much I love bacon!  So with two of my favorites combined into one...I'm in heaven.  These Bacon Wrapped scallops are delish, quick and easy to make.  I served this with fried potatoes with veggies and steamed green beans.  We had game night around this time so Jazzie chose Sorry!  I truly enjoy spending time with my girls!  Love It!

Wrap bacon over scallops and secure with a toothpick. Place on baking sheet. Broil 6 minutes on each side or until bacon is crisp. Squeeze lemon over each. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Jill's Comfort Zone

Oven Fried Chicken

Oh you know I had to experiment. One day I was looking at this whole chicken and thought "I sure don't want bake chicken". I didn't wanna stand over the stove frying chicken either...I was just in to mood for something new and quick (hassle free). Ha, well I ended up cutting up the chicken then still looking at it I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I never made oven fried chicken before so why not!

Pretty simple...all you need is a fryer chicken, flour, your favorite seasoning blend and butter.  Preheat oven 425 degrees.

Cut up the chicken, season with salt and pepper.  Then I seasoned my flour with my usual seasoning when I fry chicken and toss to coat the chicken pieces.  I can't remember how much butter I used but I melted some and poured in a foiled lined baking pan.  Add the chicken to the pan and cook for about an hour or more.  After 30 minutes or so turn the chicken, lower the stove temperature to 325 degrees and cook for the remainder cooking time. This was really delish!!!!  The chicken comes out nice and crispy as you can see!  Yummy!

Enjoy!

Jill's Comfort Zone

Baked Scallops

Who doesn't love seafood?  Well I sure do!  The girls and I truly love some seafood.  I haven't been able to cook as much seafood like I use to do to the fact that I moved to the West End and we're not near a Fish Market.  I don't like to buy seafood from the Supermarkets because it's not really fresh.  Man oh man how I miss having my monthly seafood feasts.  SMH!  Well I enjoy scallops...sometimes they can be a little too fishy depending on the way they are made.  I like them baked most of the time and served over some pasta.


Ingredients:
*1 1/2 lbs bay scallops or sea scallops, quartered or whole
*2 Tbsps dry white wine or sherry
*1 Tbsp lemon juice
*1/4 tsp sea salt
*1/4 tsp white pepper
*1/8 garlic powder
*1/2 cup bread crumbs (optional)
*1/2 tsp dried parsley
*pinch cayenne
*2 Tbsps melted butter
*sprinkle paprika

Preheat oven 400 degrees.  Pour melted butter into a baking dish.  Distribute butter and scallops evenly inside the dish.  Mix wine, lemon juice, salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic powder and dried parsley in a bowl.  Pour mixture over scallops.

Bake until scallops are firm, about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!


Jill's Comfort Zone

Jamaican Beef Patties

Well I'm getting ready for my Housewarming/Birthday Celebration on June 11th!  I'm going through my cook books trying to finalize my menu and put together my shopping for next month.  Time to get started!!!!  I tell ya, I'm sooooo excited about this gathering because I'm going to see some old time friends and family that I haven't seen in years!  Some are traveling miles just to come see me and I'm sure my delicious food plays a big part!  LOL!  But all jokes aside I get all choked up every time I buy something or start arranging things for this even!   I'm looking forward to a great time next month!  Great friends, delicious food, wine and music...you can't expect nothing but the best time ever!!!!

Which brings me to this recipe which was a big hit at my previous Housewarming about 6 or 7 years ago.  I'm thinking about making these next month but not sure.  I just wanted to share this recipe with you guys because it was truly delish.  I can't remember where I found this recipe from (I found it a along time ago.) but I found it online some where.  One ingredient I didn't use was the Jamaican rum.  Maybe I'll contact Jazzie's dad to see if he can get a hold of some one of these days but for right now I'll just do without it. 


 Ingredients: (Yields 48 appetizer size patties) *Double ingredients for more.
*1 pack puff pastry, (I used something else but can't think of the name right now) Update: I found them!  hahaha

*1 Tbp Jamaican rum
*1/2 lb ground beef
*1/2 cup diced onion
*1/2 cup green onion
*2 Tbsps diced jalapeno peppers
*1 tsp thyme
*1/4 cup curry powder
*1 tsp salt
*1 tsp white pepper
*1/4 cup bread crumbs

In a sauce pan, begin to brown the ground beef over medium heat along with the onion, green onion and the jalapenos.  Add thyme, curry powder, rum, salt and pepper.  Combine and cook for an additional 3 minutes turn off the heat, add the bread crumbs and let cool.

Remove the puff pastry from the freezer about 20 minutes prior to using it.  Lay out the puff pastry sheets and cut out 48 circles with a 2 inch cookie cutter.  Remove the excess dough scraps and using a rolling pin, roll out each circle slightly.

In the center of each dough circle, place a tsp of the cooled meat mixture.  Fold over the dough to form a half-moon shape.  Crimp together the edges with a fork.  Place on a cookie sheet and place in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.


I didn't take a picture because I was too busy in the kitchen at that time.  It was a crazy moment in the kitchen with my Bestie, Ebony Simpson!  LOL!  We still laugh about it this very day!  I couldn't find my cook books...OMG it was a crazy moment but everyone had a great time! 

Enjoy!


Jill's Comfort Zone

Meatloaf

I have been trying to master meatloaf for sometime now. Every time I made it it always fell apart! Well last week I nailed this MOFO!!!! It stayed together...nice and firm and it wasn't dry either! I'm so proud of myself! ;) I wanted to serve mashed potatoes with it but I was out of potatoes so we had mixed veggies and seasoned rice! Since I chopped up too much onions and peppers I added the rest to my rice.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup yellow onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup green bell peppers
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 Italian seasoning
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 bread crumbs
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
About 2 splashes of Worcestershire Sauce
EVOO

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small nonstick sauce pot or pan, heat EVOO over medium high heat. Once oil is hot add onion and green peppers and saute for about 5 minutes. Set vegetable mixture aside and allow to cool.


Combine ground pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, Italian seasoning and paprika in a small bowl. In a large mixing bowl combine seasoning blend, eggs, milk, half of ketchup and Worcestershire Sauce. Beat mixture well using a whisk or fork.

Next form meat mixture by adding together all ingredients to the ground beef. Now using your hands or a wooden spoon, mix all the ingredients together until uniform. Form meat mixture into a loaf by lightly packing into the loaf pan. Slightly round off the top of your loaf for presentation purposes. pour the remaining ketchup over the top of the loaf. Evenly spread the ketchup over the top using a spatula or spoon.


Bake at 350 degrees for about 2 hours. Don't allow meat to dry out. Let meatloaf stand for about 12 minutes before slicing. This was truly delish!!!!



See....still in tact!  Love it!!!!  Go Jill!  Go Jill!  LOL


Enjoy!


Jill's Comfort Zone

Herb Roasted Chicken Leg Quarters

So last night I had no choice but to cook what I had left in my freezer! LOL! I'm so serious...my freezer is so empty right now. I'm heading to the market in a few minutes. I just haven't been in the mood to go food shopping but enough is enough. I don't usually by dark meat but I saw a recipe months ago that I wanted to try which me me buy these quarter legs a few weeks ago. And can you believe I forgot what recipe I was going to use for these? SMH! Well I saw this recipe on this food blog, http://www.cookingbytheseatofmypants.com/ and thought I'd give it a try! It was quick and simple. I truly enjoyed it and so did the girls. You can find the recipe at the link listed above. And I did more than rinse my chicken...I CLEANED it! I hope that's what the blogger meant. :/ I added some cayenne...you know I love my food spicy! ;)

I served this with some Great Northern Beans and Jasmine rice. This is what we're having for dinner tonight along with some salad and strawberry muffins.

Enjoy!

Jill's Comfort Zone