Chamorro Chicken. A spicy tangy take on grilled chicken inspired from the Island of Guam.

“Chamorro Chicken & Finnadene”

Have you ever been to Guam? Don’t worry Neither have I. But having been with my husband who is half Guam /half Philipino for over 12 years, I have had the pleasure of trying the delicious, refreshing and spicy flavors of what Guam has to offer! This particular recipe was actually taught to me by my husband’s cousin John, who has a lot of tasty secrets from growing up on the island as a child!
This chicken is spicy, sweet, tangy and salty, those happen to be all of my favorite flavors ..so when I saw that this recipe had everything I love all rolled into one, I was an immediate fan. Just the smell of the marinated chicken was making me drool and once it was being grilled in front of my eyes and the smoke flavors flowed through the air and hit my nose, I was pretty much in heaven! I have cooked this dish for a few of my friends and every single one of them have told me it is hands-down the best chicken they have ever had! It’s addicting to say the least. I probably made it about 8 times in the first month after I learned the recipe lol. The “Finnadene” dipping sauce, which is pretty much the “Guam Ketchup” (they put it on everything!) makes the dish! I could almost drink it! It’s a very simple recipe to follow, even the unexperienced cook could pull this off blindfolded!

This dish is typically served with white rice, I also like to serve steamed veggies with it. The next day I like to serve the leftovers right on top of some mixed greens, pouring the Finnadenne all over it like a dressing and eat it as a spicy salty refreshing chicken salad. One time I couldn’t even wait for lunch I ended up eating it for breakfast!

For the chicken:
I use about 1 to 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast sliced into “tender” like pieces. Once you have it cut up, put it in a container then start layering in the components of the marinade.

The Chamorro Marinade:
1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
Juice of 3-4 Lemons
1 tablespoon fresh Garlic
2 diced green onions
1/2 sliced yellow onion
4-6 chopped red Thai chilies (or 1 sliced Jalepeno)
1 tablespoon of honey
1 teaspoon of both salt and pepper
1 healthy squirt of Sriracha hot sauce

Put the lid on your container, give it a good shake making sure the chicken and all of the ingredients are well mixed together, then stick it in your fridge until dinner time, I usually let this sit for at least 4-6 hours.

For the Finnadene sauce:
Use a small container with a lid.
1/3 cup Soy Sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
3-4 diced red Thai chilies
Dash of pepper
1 diced green onion
1 teaspoon fresh garlic
(1/4 cup diced cucumber & a
Small Handful of halved cherry or grape Tomatoes) This is optional, but I think it is almost necessary, I love getting the chunks of fresh cucumber and tomato in my sauce …they marinate so well and soak up alllll the flavor!

I make the sauce the same time I marinate the chicken, that way they both have time to sit and all their flavors can marry together deliciously.

(The chicken and sauce can tend to be a little spicy so if you’re not into “too” much spice, just cut down on some of the chilies or hot sauce. The lemon and honey are a good balance but it is definitely more on the spicy side just FYI!)

Grill the chicken on medium-high heat with olive oil, since you cut it into nice thin pieces it should only take about 3-4 minutes on each side depending on how thick it is. You really want to see those nice charred grill marks on the chicken. Place your chicken on a clean cutting board after it is finished cooking, let it sit for about 1 to 2 minutes then go ahead and slice it up into 1 inch bite sized pieces.

I truly hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do! Bon appetitè

Cheesy Stuffed Bell Pepper Casserole…. Mmm Mmm Mmm

So do you love stuffed bell peppers but do you not love the kinda hassle it takes to make them and eat them? Well, you will definitely need to try this recipe out; this is my cheesy stuffed bell pepper casserole! Literally cook the meat, chop up the veggies, steam the rice and throw it all in a big casserole dish, bake it, smother it with cheese, stick it under the broiler for a few minutes and you will have one mouthwatering dish that will leave you coming back for more! Takes only about 10-15 mins to prepare and less than an hour to cook. You can come home Fresh from work, throw the dish together really fast still in your work clothes, pop it in the oven then go relax for a little while, let the day melt away and just wait for that tasty aroma to hit your nose, then, you will know your dinner is ready!

All you will need is:
1 lb of ground sirloin
2 cups steamed instant brown rice
3 green bell peppers, diced
1 sweet/ yellow onion, diced
1 can diced tomatos
3 lil cans of tomato sauce
1 tbls of chopped garlic
Dash of Soy Sauce
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Dash of pepper, Lawrys salt & garlic salt
Some sliced provolone cheese

How to make it:
Pre Heat your oven to 375
Go ahead and Steam your rice and set it aside. The brown rice I use calls for 1 3/4 cup of water and 2 cups of rice, steams in about five minutes flat.

Chop up your onion and let that start to brown, then add in your sirloin meat and let that begin brown also, go ahead and season it now with all of your spices, garlic and sauces. Drain the fat & set-aside.

Grab your casserole dish, spray it with some non-stick cooking spray, chop up your bell peppers in about one each pieces and put them in the casserole dish, add the can of diced tomatoes and your three cans of tomato sauce, your meat and onion mixture and your rice. Mix it well. Cover it with foil and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes. Take the dish out of the oven, layer on that cheese and stick it under the broiler for about 2 to 3 minutes.
Try to let it cool for about five minutes, I know it will be hard but trust me this is a dish Ive burnt my tongue on many times from being to impatient lol, it is definitely worth the wait!
Serve it with a side salad or garlic bread, sometimes I do both or one or the other! Although you definitely don’t need to serve it with anything, it was a little hectic in my house tonight so I just ate the dish itself and that’s it!

Enjoy!

P. S.
Don’t feel guilty if you go back for seconds, I totally just did 😉

Fresh & Satisfying: Salmon with Quinoa and Asparagus

In the mood for something light, fresh, flavorful and very satisfying?! Then you have to try this recipe for the most amazing Salmon, it is literally to die for!

You seriously can’t get an easier dish with so much flavor for dinner and on your table in about 20 minutes!

All you need is:
Your favorite fresh Salmon
Quinoa
Asparagus
Cherry Tomatoes
1 packet of “Simply Organic Italian Dressing Mix”
2 tbls Butter
1/4 cup Olive Oil
& juice from about 3 Lemons!

Set your oven to Broil

Start your Quinoa, 2 cups water to 1 cup quinoa, takes about 15-20 minutes to cook and yields 4 cups.

Whisk your dressing mix, oil and lemon juice. Line a baking pan with foil, spray with non stick cooking spray, lay down your Salmon and spread your asparagus and cherry tomatoes around evenly. Pour dressing over everything, slice butter and spread evenly over Salmon and Veggies, broil for about 15 mins.

Spread some Quinoa on a plate, put your salmon and veggies right over it and pour on all that yummy juice left over in your baking pan & Bon appetite’! ….You might be licking your plates on this one, just a warning!

A quick DIY tip and Meal Planning & Prep Talk

Its Monday, so that means a busy day for me; laundry, cleaning and of course tidying up! Here is a quick DIY for a home made febreeze and some meal planning/ prep/ grocery talk!

DIY
Just made another batch of my homemade febreeze, I don’t think I can bring myself to buy it anymore. Making at home is too easy and you most likely have all of the ingredients at hand already so why wouldn’t you?
All you need is some hot water, 4 tablespoons of baking soda and a fourth of a cup of your favorite fabric softener and boom. Febreeze.

“Meal Planning and prioritizing”

I usually do my grocery shops once a week, early Sunday mornings or lately I have been going Saturday nights after dinner. I think it is now my new favorite time to go, there is usually no one there and I am in and out of there and home in about 40 minutes. I always like to make dinner list for the next week, casually during the week and make an entire grocery list of exactly what I need so when I get to the store there is no dillydallying, I stick to the list and I am out of there before I know it. Also I am a bit OCD so I even put my list in order of the aisles at the store lol
I like to look on Pinterest, thefoodnetwork.com, kraftrecipes.com and hopefully I can catch a cooking show during the day for some yummy inspiration.
After I do my shop I always print out my dinner list for the week and stick it up on the fridge, my hubby likes to know what’s for dinner that day and it is nice knowing what I will make for that day so I can do my “dinner prep” during the day when I get a free moment. For example I will steam rice for dinner during the day in my cooker if I know we are having it that night and whatever meat we are going to have I will lay it out to defrost so when I go to make dinner later it is ready to go. Also if I am making a soup, stew or casserole I will just honestly make it during the day when the kids are napping. Those are dishes that can hold up for a couple hours on their own and be easily reheated later without tasting like a “leftover”. It’s little things like these that help me make dinner quickly and make my life a whole lot easier when I have a crying baby who wants to be held while I cook. I like to make about 80% of my dinners homemade, with fresh ingredients, but I also like to cut corners when I can and do a box side, bag of steamed veggies, or a bag of salad mix, Something quick and easy that’s already assembled for me. No matter what time I make it there is always a hot delicious dish on the dinner table waiting for my hubby as he walks in the door from a long hard day of work.

Furthermore, Here is my dinner list for the week:

-Beef n veggie stew served over mashed potatoes.
-Chicken adobo and white rice.
-Salmon with Quinoa and Asparagus.
-Shrimp Scampi with spinach and cherry tomatoes. red lobster cheesy biscuits.
-Home made spaghetti sauce and home made meat balls. Caesar salads.
-Roasted chicken, baby red potatoes n veggies.

Can you believe the picture of the jambalaya I made for dinner last night was just a simple follow the box recipe? That Zattarans Jambalaya box mix, all I did was add chopped hot Louisiana sausage and some frozen shrimp. 25 mins later I had a spicy savory meal that tasted like it just came straight from nah’lins!!!

***Tonight I will be making my homemade spaghetti sauce and homemade meatballs, I will prepare a “Caesar salad bag kit” where all I have to do is cut open the dressing pouch and toss it, can’t get any easier than that. Check Back later for my recipe, I will do step-by-step picture tutorial to make it extra easy for you guys!

Comfort food at it’s Finest: Home Made Spaghetti and Meatballs!

The Ultimate Comfort food: Spaghetti and Meatballs!

Want a really easy, delicious and dynamite dinner for tomorrow?! We’ll look no further, I promise you my recipe for my homemade spaghetti sauce and meat balls is going to have people bowing down to you! Simply follow my recipe and it’ll take you straight to flavor town!

The Spaghetti Sauce:
1 huge can of crushed tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste
1 can of tomato sauce
2 tbls Olive oil
1/2-3/4 cup water
2 tbls of chopped garlic
1 large sweet onion
2 celery stalks, diced
Hand full of baby carrots, diced
Hand full of chopped mushrooms
1 bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tbls of dried parsley
1 tbls of dried basil
1 tbls of sugar
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp of Lawrys salt
Dash of garlic powder

For the Meatballs
1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1 tbls do chopped garlic
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1 tbls of dried parsley
1 tsp of pepper
Dash of Lawrys
Dash of soy sauce
Dash of Worcestershire

In a large boiling pot sauté one large diced onion and your garlic in a couple tablespoons of olive oil, while that is going chop your carrots, celery, mushrooms and bell pepper and add them in. Let that cook for a few minutes then add in your crushed tomato, tomato paste and tomato sauce. Add in your seasonings and your water, simmer for 30 minutes covered, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, In a large bowl add your ground beef, egg, garlic and seasonings, mash together and roll into balls about the size of golf balls, after your sauce simmers for 30 minutes add your meatballs and GENTLY stir, simmer another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve over your favorite type of noodles and garnish with parsley and Parmesan, enjoy!

All you Need is love 💗

Make him feel special, make him feel loved, make him feel wanted and make him feel appreciated.

I live to please him, when he is proud of me, I am proud of myself. He has given me the most beautiful gift anyone can give, he gave me the gift of becoming a mother.
Now I am blessed with being able to be a stay-at-home mom. Were we financially stable enough for me to quit my job? probably not, ( who really is these days?!) but he knew that would make me truly happy. It’s simple reasons like these, where both of us put each other’s needs before our own, that help us become the perfect team I believe. I am fire, he is ice, where I am weak, he is strong, we both complement each other. For being complete opposites I feel we are kindred spirits, yin and yang. After almost 13 years of being together, he can still make me blush with a simple compliment. Sure we have had our ups and downs, who hasn’t? I believe we were made to be broken so we could come back together even stronger.
Yes we fight, I think it wouldn’t be normal if we didn’t. We are not afraid to call each other out on our shit, pardon my French, but I believe that is one of the key ingredients to making a marriage work, openness and honesty.
Yes I can admit to being a little stubborn sometimes, ok a lot stubborn, but he is always there to wake me up and whip me back into reality and let me know when I am acting like a little “brat” LOL & believe it or not it’s one of the things I admire him for. I know I am a handful and I know it takes a lot to put up with me sometimes, so I know he is truly special for being able to take me at my worst and still love me for it.
He is one of the most generous, kind hearted, REAL people I have ever known. There is literally nothing he can’t do! No, seriously he is good at everything (Sports, DIY, gardening, daddy duty, you name it) annoying right?! I know I am truly lucky to be able to call him my husband. All I truly have to give him is my love and devotion and in return that’s honestly all I need for the rest of my life to be happy. Sorry for all the cheesiness …but I think it’s the simple reminders like these, The I love you texts, The secret notes hidden in your car, surprise quick visits at work with the kids, the random flowers, the surprise treats from your fav goodie store, and all of the rest of the “little things” in between that let your partner know, no matter what, that after everything is all said and done, they are still the peanut butter to your jelly. The Spaghetti to your meatballs. The sun to your stars and the moon to your life.

No go ahead, call them and tell them you love them ..I know that you want to, trust me they want to hear it 💗

Mouthwatering EASY Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Well today was interesting to say the least, I knew it was going to be a long one because I woke up With a clogged kitchen sink and a flooded kitchen floor! Add a teething five-month old and a very precocious three-year-old to the mix and I’m sure you can get the gist of how the rest of my day went. All things aside I still made the most of it, I did some V-Day crafts to keep the princess busy, I got a few loads of laundry done to distract myself from the river in my kitchen…. and I was still able to pull off a delicious & savory dinner that totally melted the entire day away!
There’s nothing fancy about these enchiladas, they are just simply scrumptious. They are my go-to recipe when I am craving that cheesy-spicy goodness when I want Mexican food at home. They are great to make when you entertain because you get a lot of bang for your buck, and they also make delicious leftovers! I swear these are always better the second time around! & I know most people think enchiladas may be intimidating, but I have learned to cut a few corners and I must say these definitely taste like the real deal!

What you will need:
2-3 Chicken Breasts (or if you want to make your life really easy, a store-bought rotisserie chicken, shredded)
– 1 onion
– 1 tbls minced garlic
– 1 can diced green chilies
– 1 can of red or green enchilada sauce, whichever you prefer. I used red this time.
– 2 diced fresh tomatoes
– 1 big bag of shredded cheese
– Corn tortillas
– Veggie oil for frying

Serves 6-8

Preheat your oven to 375. Spray a casserole dish with non stick spray. In a sauce pan, bring some water and your onion to boil. Once boiling, add your chicken. Boil for about 15 mins. While that’s going, fry about 15-18 corn tortillas in a about 1/4 cup veggie oil for 10-15 seconds, each side. Stack and Set aside.
Once your chicken is done, take it out and with 2 forks simply shred it apart. Next take your onion out and chop that up too.
In a large bowl add your shredded chicken, onion, can of green chilies, your garlic and tomatoes. I season my mixture with pepper, Lawrys, garlic salt and a little oregano. Toss well.
You are now ready to assemble. Instead of rolling each tortilla by hand, I like to do my dish “casserole” style by simply layering each component. Saves you a lot of time and hassle and tastes the exact same.
Grab your dish, spread a little sauce on the bottom, then about 5-6 of your tortillas, followed by your chicken mixture, then 1/3 of your bag of cheese and some more of your sauce. Repeat once. Finally add your last layer of tortillas, followed by the rest of your can of sauce and the rest of your cheese.
Cover it with foil and bake for about 45 minutes. Take your foil off and broil for about 2 minutes or until your cheese is nice bubbly and brown. I like to let this sit for about 10 minutes so everything kinda sinks in.
Since we “slaved away ;)” making this dish, this is where I make my life a lot easier and just whip up some box mixed or pre made-ready to go Spanish rice. Top your enchilads with a dollop of sour cream and a dash of tapatio for a nice finishing touch and viola! Simple, easy, cheesy and delicious.
Here are a few guide line pics to help out 😘

Living my life as a Mommy and Wife

Life is short. Period. I live my life the way I want to. I do what makes ME happy. I take nothing for granted and I am extremely thankful to be living the life I was blessed with. I am happily married to my best friend and my soul mate and I have 2 amazing children; one beautiful little girl who fills my life with love and one adorable bouncing baby boy who gave my life all the luck Ill ever need. I invite you on my first blog journey/ adventure where I would simply like to share some tips in all things mommy and wife! This includes all things and especially cooking & baking, crafting, DIY and good old honest Mom and Wife confessions and advice, I am an open book and I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve so I ask you to please not judge and keep an open mind. I would also love to hear what you have to say, sooo please don’t keep any secrets, share with me anything you think is worth hearing because trust me I WANT to hear it! Buckle your seat belt kids, I’m sure this is going to be a bumpy ride 🙂