May 22, 2010

It’s my version of my lemon shrimp pasta. It’s good…real good. And it’s healthy – there’s no butter and you can be selective about the cheese. But, really, can you have pasta WITHOUT fresh grated cheese? Probably not…I didn’t think so.

Anyway, enjoy the video!

May 20, 2010

Tequila, Cilantro, Lime, Chicken, and Pasta – um…sounds like a party in the mouth! It is…trust me.

Here’s the video.

Enjoy,
-Darius

Whoever said healthy eating couldn’t be flavorful or fun? Keith decided to do a 60-day health challenge, and well, I’m in. I wanted to create delicious recipes that were within his guidelines. You’ll totally enjoy this take on a classic Mexican soup!

Enjoy The Video!!!
-Darius
Part1

Part 2

Here’s another quick video that totally rocks out veggies with cheese – lol.

Feb 17, 2010

Oh – I’ve been here. LOL – I know how you guys get when I’m gone for a while.

Hey – by the way, you can always check me out on Twitter – I tweet often – @dariustwilliams – or you can catch me on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/everydaycookin

Okay, so where have I been? Did you know I’m working to become a millionaire before I turn 30? Check out my other blog – http://www.millionbythirty.com. That’ll keep you abreast of all my business ventures. On the flip side – I’ve been cooking and taking photos – just haven’t had a chance to post them. You know how that goes, right?

So, here’s a mid-week/weeknight quickie! It’s chicken – but done my way – sauteed and then topped with a leek and artichoke ragout over some quite delicious smashed potatoes! This one was a winner – although – I’m not a fan of that marinating liquid they used for bottled artichokes. Nevertheless – here are the photos and the process – there’s no recipe cuz I pulled this one out of the thin air – lol – but it’s easy to follow…I think.

Saute of the leeks and bacon. So, bacon should totally be a seasoning instead of a protein – lol.

Such a perfect sear on those chicken breasts! Gotta make sure the internal temp is correct too.

A touch of butter in the end makes this all worth while.

Yes, more butter – but what’s potatoes without butter?

The finished plate!

Jan 27, 2010

I had a bunch of leftover veggies – I mean everything from leeks to squash…and I couldn’t quite figure out what to do with what I had left over. It also helped that I had some leftover baked chicken breasts too. Oh…and I had puff pastry in the fridge too. See where I’m going with this? Veggies, leftover chicken, puff pastry – yes – it spells POT PIE!

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good pot pie. But I needed to figure out a way to jazz it up a bit…and well, I think I did okay. I could have done better…but this clearly spells a miss to me. It tasted great – it did. But as you can see, the plating just lacked…inspiration.

I petite diced all the veggies and roasted them in the oven. I made a quick pan cream sauce with garlic, shallots, and milk with a bit of flour mixed in…talk about creamy…without the cream – that was perfect. And the puff pastry…I wish I had more of an imagination, but after working 14 hours and not having eaten in 8 of those – well, I was tired an hungry. All I did was cut them into thin strips and baked them. In retrospect I would have done huge triangles and brushed them with the basil oil that I used as a garnish. You do know what happens, though right? You live…and you learn – lol.

I mean really – there’s no recipe…just a process.

1. roast petite diced veggies after you’ve tossed them in olive oil, salt, and pepper
2. saute a bit of garlic and shallots in olive oil – then add about a cup of milk with a tablespoon of flour mixed in
3. season that – with your faves: ya know, dried herbs, salt, pepper, that sort of thing – you know what you like.
4. In the last minute throw in frozen peas and petite diced chicken

That’s it!

I used basil oil (about 25 basil leaves blended together well with about a half cup of olive oil) as the garnish and those lame thin slices of puff pastry…but you can be as creative as your mind allows.

Here’s the picture!