cozy journey

            every ending has a new beginning....

 Yay! The cozy blog just got cozier. Though sadly, all of my precious content didn’t make it’s way with me. Still, (a few teary eyed moments later😂) I am happy to kiss the old good bye and say hello to bigger and better things to come! Of course if there are any past recipes you just can't live without I will be happy to repost them for you! 💛 -jess xoxo

cozy home space

food crush

I'm not gonna lie. I love the weekends! To me, Saturdays are the most perfect excuse to sleep in, let go of your "every day is Monday mentality", and treat yourself to something special: cozy buttermilk pancakes of course!

          Good Morning, Buttermilk Pancakes!

INGREDIENTS:

*makes about 8 (4-inch) pancakes

1 cup flour (I like to use all-purpose)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 & ½ tablespoons melted butter

1 cup buttermilk

1/8 cup of water

1 teaspoon cooking oil

PREPARATION:

1) Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium to large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, melted butter,the buttermilk, and water together. Then add it to your flour mixture, gently incorporating it until a few lumps remain.

* Be carful not to over mix or you’ll end up with tough pancakes. The goal here is light-n-fluffy ones!

2) Heat a 12inch, NONSTICK skillet over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes. Brush the pan with the teaspoon of oil. Then pour ¼ cup of batter per pancake into the skillet, and cook until large bubbles appear, 1-2 minutes. Flip the pancake, and cook until golden brown on the second side, maybe a minute longer. Set the pancake aside on a warm plate next to the burner. Repeat with the remaining batter, stacking each new pancake on top of the previous one. Serve with your favorite berries, maple syrup, and butter!

cozy journey

love this man, despite our differences….

 What’s a girl to do when her husband suddenly declares that he’s a born-again,  full blown, charismatic (wait for it)….vegetarian?! Well as any right minded, meat loving wife would do: take major offense and begrudgingly make her, obviously, very confused man prepare his own meals!

 Yes, embarrassingly enough, that was my first knee jerk reaction to my hubby’s initial conversion. It’s been about nine months now, and although I may personally not be converted to a meatless eating lifestyle anytime soon, I have learned to embrace his choice and love him, despite our very opposite views on the matter. 

 So does that mean saying goodbye to grilled steak or roasted chicken forever? Most definitely not! It’s more like a developing expansion of myself in the kitchen. In the mean time, please enjoy my effort to please and grow with these delicious garlic, onion, cauliflower, and bread crumb stuffed portobello mushrooms. 
   💛 -jess xoxo

food crush

Garlicky Roasted Cauliflower & Breadcrumb Stuffed Portobellos

INGREDIENTS:

½ head cauliflower, cut into ½ in to 1 inch pieces

Few sprigs of fresh thyme

Salt pepper to taste

3-4 Tablespoons Olive oil, divided

½ med onion , chopped fine

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1  cup fresh sourdough or buttermilk breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons melted butter

¼ cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano, plus little extra for topping

½ teaspoon salt  

Fresh cracked pepper

2 large portobello caps, stems removed and black gills scraped out with a spoon

PREPARATION:

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread the cauliflower in a single layer onto  pan. Pour about 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil over cauliflower and salt-n-pepper them. Add a few sprigs fresh thyme over the cauliflower.

 Place the pan in the middle rack of oven. Roast the cauliflower until it’s carmelized and tender, about 20 minutes. Make sure to stir them halfway through for even cooking, and discard any large stems from the thyme when done roasting.

2)  While the cauliflower roasts,  heat a tablespoon olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, and cook for another 30 seconds or so. Set aside for now.

3) Place breadcrumbs in a medium bowl. Mix in 2 tablespoons melted butter, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ cup grated cheese. Gently add both the roasted cauliflower and cooked onion-n-garlic mixture. Season with a little fresh cracked pepper.

 4) Brush the bottom of a shallow roasting pan with olive oil. Place portobellos cap side down onto pan, and fill with breadcrumb mixture. Top with a little extra grated cheese. Place pan back in 425 degree oven on middle rack, and roast for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until bread crumbs are nice and golden. Top with a few fresh thyme leaves if you like.

food crush

Chicken Tacos with Pico de Gallo and Chipotle Sour Cream Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

Pico De Gallo

1)1 medium onion, chopped fine

2) 2 small roma tomatoes, chopped fine

3) 1-2 jalapeños, finely chopped, seeds and stems discarded

4) 1/4 Cup chopped cilantro, finely chopped

5) 1/2 lime

6) salt and pepper

Chipotle Sour Cream Sauce

1) 1 Cup sour cream

2) 1-2 Tablespoons diced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

Additional Toppings

1) shredded lettuce

2) combination of grated Queso Fresco and Cojito Cheese (shredded cheese like Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, or Cheddar can be used here also)

The Chicken (time saver tip: skip the chicken thighs and use ground chicken instead!)

1) 1 & 1/2 pounds skinless chicken thighs, trimmed, and cut into chunks

2) 2 Tbsp olive oil

3) 1 large onion, chopped

4) 1 large jalapeño, seeded, stemmed, and chopped fine

5) 1-2  medium tomatos, chopped

6) 2 tsp minced garlic

7) 1 Tbsp chili powder

8) 1 Tbsp ground cumin

9) 1/2 tsp ground coriander

10) 1/2 Cup water

11) salt and pepper

Tortillas

1) 10-12 medium flour tortillas

2) coconut oil ( or any oil you prefer for frying)

PREPARATION

For the pico de gallo:

1) combine the first four ingredients  in a medium bowl and mix well. squeeze lime juice over mixture. add salt and pepper to taste.

For the chipotle sour cream sauce:

1) mix sour cream with the diced chipotle peppers including some of the adobo sauce. salt and pepper to taste.

For the chicken filling:

1) First salt and pepper the chicken chunks. Heat olive oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat until it shimmers.  Add the chicken and cook until its no longer pink and cooked through, about five minutes. Transfer the cooked chicken to a large bowl and let cool down for a bit.

2) In the mean time reduce heat to medium. Add a tablespoon more olive oil to the same skillet and stir in the onions and jalapeños. Sauté a few minutes and add the tomatoes and minced garlic. Continue to sauté smashing the tomatoes. While the vegetables cook, take the cooled chicken and coarsely grind it in a food processor. Then add it to the vegetables. Mix in the spices and water, and simmer till most of the water has evaporated, about five minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and cover till ready to serve.

For the tortilla shells:

1) In a medium skillet add oil until it fills the pan to about a depth of a quarter of an inch over medium high heat. When the oil shimmers, add a tortilla and lay flat( using tongs). Fry the first side for about 30 seconds. Flip tortilla over and begin to shape the tortilla into a “shell”. Cook both sides of the outer shell till golden, about another 30 seconds on each side.

 2) Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

 Serve chicken with the fried tortillas, pico de gallo, chipotle sour cream sauce, and additional toppings. Eat!

cozy home space

cozy journey

Let’s face it. We all know that food plays an incredible role in our relationships. Have you ever heard of the term the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach?  I believe there’s some truth to that, though not just for men, but for women, children and even our homes too! That’s why I have chosen to make food an emphasis to a cozy home. While we all may not be master chefs, we certainly could whip up a lovely bite from time to time. 💛 -jess xoxo

food crush

Pan Seared Chicken with Aglio e Olio

PAN SEARED CHICKEN BREASTS

2 lbs of chicken breast tenders (pounded thin and evenly, odd pieces trimmed off)

3 Tablespoons olive oil (or cooking oil of your choice)
½ cup whole wheat flour (or again, flour of your choice)
salt and pepper

1. adjust of oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat to 200 degrees. spread flour in a shallow dish.

2. season the chicken with salt and pepper. dredge though the flour to coat, shaking off any excess.

3. heat oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.
add the chicken and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes on each side. transfer the chicken to a pan in the oven to keep warm.

AGLIO E OLIO

1 pound thin spaghetti

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons minced garlic
¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt
3 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
fresh lemon juice 
pepper
grated parmesan cheese( for serving)

1. Boil spaghetti according to package directions, making sure to save ¾ cup of the pasta water before draining it.

2. Meanwhile, cook 4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, 4 tablespoons minced garlic, ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes, and a teaspoon of salt in a 10-12 inch skillet over low heat, stirring often, until the garlic is golden( not burnt, burnt garlic turns bitter; the goal here is to bring out the garlic’s nutty sweetness) about 5 minutes.

3. Add the cooked spaghetti, reserved pasta water, the parsley, lemon juice, pepper, and salt to taste. mix well. 

4. Top pasta with chicken, sliced on the diagonal. serve with parmesan.