Boiled Peanuts

 

Do I love me some boiled peanuts!!!!  They are sooooo good!  When I was little I looked forward to visiting my family in South Carolina!  My grandma, may she rest in peace, use to grow them.  I could eat these day in and day out!  Every time my dad comes to visit us he'd have tons in tow just for me.  And when it's out of season he'd bring me the ones in the can.  There's nothing to cooking green peanuts.  They take a long time to cook but it's worth the wait!

You just rinse and throw them in a pot with some water.  I add salt, pepper and some cayenne to give it a kick!  Boil until the peanuts are soft.  That's all to it! 

Jill's Comfort Zone

Ritz Crackers and Chocolate

 

I made these delicious treats back in November 2007 for Jazzie's class.  I was looking for something different to make besides cup cakes.  One of my MySpace Foodie buddies, Scott, told me about this yummy semi-healthy treats.  Of course I checked ahead of time that none of the students were alergic to peanut butter.  They were a big hit!  The teachers put in requests for more.  Easy, quick and delish!

Ingredients:

Crunchy Peanut Butter
2 cups semi-sweet morsels
1 cup butterscotch morsels

Make sandwiches using the crackers and peanut butter.  Melt the morsels in a double boiler.  Dip crackers in the chocolate and let them set up on parchment or wax paper.

Using Double-Broiler:

Pour water in bottom boiler and put on low heat.  Don't let it boil and don't cover.  As chocolate starts to melt, stir, working chocolate from the sides of the bowl into the center.  When chocolate pieces are almost entirely melted, remove the bowl from heat, stir, and let the remaining chocolate melt by the heat of the larger mass. 

Enjoy!

Jill's Comfort Zone

NYC Vacation 2012

Hello Followers!!!  I've been gone for way too long!  Well I'm back and have so much to share with you guys.  2012 has been ruff for me but I thank God for continuing to Bless me with the ups and downs so that I can move on.  First let me start with the fact that I've decided to go back to school to finish up my Bachelors Degree in Legal Studies a few months ago.  I'm on the right path yet still have some obstacles to get through.  Dealing with a testy teen, a curious 10 year old, school work and other things has slowed me down from blogging but I'm going to try to squeeze in some me time.  Although I cook daily but coming here to tell you guys about our delicious meals has been a big challenge.  When I come here I feel at ease and stress free.  I enjoy sharing all my adventures, recipes and cooking challenges with you.  Well I'm gonna work on being more consistent.  Any how, I'm Blessed to be here! 

 

 On our way to NYC!!!

I had a wonderful Summer ending seeing all my old school friends and family!  Oh what a wonderful treat!  Met with some old friends and their family at BBQ's for lunch!  We had a blast talking about our old school adventures!  Thanks everyone for coming out to join my family and I!  Pictures of us below....

 

 As soon as I stepped off the subway, my childhood friends was there to greet us!  And my vacation begins...

Day #1 in NYC...heading to BBQ's to have lunch with some great friends and family!

August 28, 2012 (Happy Birthday to my lil diva, Sabrina!!!)

Thanks for joining us for lunch guys!  My H.S. and childhood friends!

 Another Childhood friend join us at BBQ's for lunch!  We grew up in 

Vandyke Housing together in Brooklyn, NY!

 My foodie buddy stopped by BBQ's as well!  I love this woman right here! 

 

 

 Later on that evening at Old Timers Day  (R.I.P. Joko!)!!! It truly was great seeing all of my friends!!! 

My best friend and god sister with my lovely nieces!

 Love you sis! 

 

Friends for 25+ years!

Jazzie and I visited my childhood amusement park, Coney Island, that I haven't been to in over 15 + years!  I finally got my famous fried frog legs which was DELISH!!!!  Oh man, I could use a few right now! 

 

My favorite ride of all....Polar Express!

 

 The ending to my Summer was a blast!

Jill's Comfort Zone

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