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Cauliflower, Tarragon, Chicken Creamy Penne

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     This recipe started out of having to pass the food we have in the freezer. The pandemic has changed the way we shop and buy groceries. We do keep staples in the fridge and pantry. It just happened that we had cauliflower and some chicken thighs to pass one night. Seems easy enough to make something delicious out of it. Although they can be bland if they are not seasoned or have herbs in the sauce. A basic cream sauce is always started with a roux which is some flour which is cooked with butter. The roux helps thicken a cream sauce such as for a béchamel or fettucine. Its a building block to many sauces whether it is macaroni and cheese or chicken pot pie. The added cheese makes it a great sauce to put on vegetables or pasta it can also be put into pie shells to make a different pot pie. Here is what you will need to create this dish :   3 Tablespoons of Flour 3 Tablespoons of butter 1 lbs of chicken thighs diced 1 French shallot diced 1 Tablespoon of dried diced garlic (you can ad
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Tomato, Goat Cheese, Prosciutto Pasta

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 Once again this was one of my favorite recipes from a local restaurant. The first time I had tried it was with my husband and in-laws. It has goat cheese in it but it can be made with blue cheese. Although it has a stronger taste than goat cheese. I found happiness in trying to recreate some recipes from local restaurants. Partly due to the pandemic and how the food prices are so high. Being a $20 recipe at the restaurant it can be significantly priced reduced by making it at home.  For this recipe you will need : 225 g of Penne Pasta 1/4 cup of White Wine 1 Pint of cherry tomatoes 100g of prosciutto 2 green onions whites and greens separated 2 garlic cloves sliced 4 cups of arugula 4 tablespoons of goat cheese Here's an instructional video
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Brown Butter, Sage, Pancetta and Butternut Squash Ravioli

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This recipe started out as my love for this pasta. I tried it once at a restaurant and it was quite expensive. I knew I could make it myself. During the summer we planted some sage in our small herb garden and with me baking we always have some butter on hand. I had taken up the challenge of can I recreate this recipe at home. Success happened, browning butter is easy but you cannot keep the stove up high otherwise you risk burning it. I know that its something that makes people not want to make the recipe. Its a recipe which is easy in the fact that you only need 4 ingredients to make. Step by step photos to follow.  You will need: 1 pack of cubed panchetta or proscuitto about 250g (Roma) 1 stick of butter 1/2 cup of butter about 30 leaves of sage 1 pack of butternut squash ravioli   10 inch skillet a big pot to cook pasta   Step 1. You need to start the water to have it boil to cook your ravioli. Step 2.  Take out a skillet to cook your cubed panchetta. Step 3. Panchetta needs to be
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The Convenience of Thrift Shopping Online

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The convenience of thrift shopping online has been growing that now even mainstream stores have decided to set up shop. Recently Nordstrom has decided to expand into thrift store territory by selling second hand clothing.  Initially it had started out with Ebay, then Etsy, facebook marketplace and now poshmark. As a seller and buyer, it is convenience at my fingertips as long as the measurements are correct, the thrifted item will fit. Going to the brick and mortar thrift store to takes a lot of time to find that diamond in a haystack at times they are overpriced mass produced items. At times the markup is significantly more than initially paid. You can find a pair of George jeans second hand for what Walmart sells them when they go on sale. However, I have recently noticed that now physical retail stores have now set up a liquidation section on their website. Which means finding the item cheaper new rather than going thrift shopping hoping to find it gently used. The dichotomy of this
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Tortelini with cherry tomatoes

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Some days are easier than others, when I have motivation I'll make a significant meal which takes a lot of time. Other times I'll just make either a premade chicken pot pie or chicken filets and fries. This recipe is good to use cherry tomatoes from the garden although its good for anytime of year. With our resources we can buy greenhouse tomatoes. Not only does it help buy local but it lowers transport cost. Although its move affordable during the summer months than during the winter months. To create this recipe, you'll need  A pack of store bought beef tortellini 1 1/2 cup of  cherry tomatoes 1 french shallot a clove of garlic 1 colored pepper (yellow, red or orange) 2 Leeks (White parts, although to save time you can buy prepackaged ones). 1/2 cup of white wine Set up for Cherry Tomato with Beef Tortellini Fry Shallot in a little bit of olive oil Then add the yellow peppers Deglaze the pan with the bit of white wine The
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It's been a while!

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It's been a while since I last wrote. Lots has happened since I lost wrote a post. Now I'm back planning to create content based on a debt free life. Yes, its possible to live debt free and enjoy some financial freedom. I might not be a financial advisor but I can enlighten you about how we manage our finances, lifestyle and my cooking. I have a passion for spending time in the kitchen creating recipes. It's something that I missed quite a bit when I had returned to work. It wasn't about going back to work to make money it was more to go back help bring my skills to a corporate environment. Although it didn't work out the job was a bad fit for me, being creative it was hard to fit into the corporate box. We do thrift due to the environmental costs but also the financial costs. At times its cheaper to buy used rather than new. Yes, you might go to the mall and see the most recent fashion trends but they come at a financial and environmental stain. I will update t
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