Volleyball: 2013

How To Get Rid Of Acne And Pimples Naturally

As someone who likes to cook, I try to stay informed by what I eat so that I may minimize or avoid certain illness or disorders. One of them is acne. I hate how pimples pop up during the most inappropriate times such as a few years ago during my high school prom. It's not uncommon since most teenagers have to go through this. But it's embarrassing and can ruin what could be a perfect moment.

Now

Tres Leches Cake Recipe

Along with churros, tres leches cake is another Mexican dessert that I like. It's very sweet because of condensed milk. Although it takes a long time to make, they're worth it. FoodNetwork.com has a recipe that's simple to follow.

Tres Leches Cake From Scratch, Traditional Mexican Treat

Ingredients

For the cake:
Vegetable oil
6 3/4 ounces cake flour, plus extra for pan
1 teaspoon baking

Simple Churros Recipe

Almost every street festivals and county fairs that I've been to had churros. These very sweet and crunchy Mexican treats are essentially deep-fried dough and could be made from your kitchen. Allrecipes.com has a really simple recipe to follow.

Crunchy Churros

INGREDIENTS for 10:
2-1/2 cups water
1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon white sugar
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Individual Apple Puff Pies Recipe

Adapted from Food.com. Granny Smiths apples were used instead of red baking apples because that's what I had at the time. Everything else was followed as best as possible.

Ingredients for 9 Servings (source):
1 (17 ounce) packages puff pastry
12 ounces cut up red baking apples ( approx. 2 medium sized apples)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons flour
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon

Bacon-wrapped Bake Eggs

One of the tastiest breakfast to make is a baked egg wrapped in bacon. You'll need a muffin tray to bake in oven.

Baked Eggs in Muffin Tin with Bacon

Ingredients for 4 serving:
6 bacon
4 eggs
shredded cheese
black pepper
parsley
Direction:

Preheat oven at 400 deg F. Brown bacon (avoid fully cooking). Line each cup of muffin tray with the bacon. Cut up 2 of 6 bacons and place those pieces

Chicken Marsala Recipe

This recipe is from Food.com, except it's served on spaghetti instead of fetuccini. Source: http://www.food.com/recipe/copycat-recipe-for-carrabbas-chicken-marsala-50979

Ingredients for 4 servings:
4 tablespoons butter
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
4 shallots, chopped fine
1/2 lb mushroom, sliced
1/4 cup dry marsala
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions
Pound

Alfredo Sauce Recipe for Chicken and Pasta

This Alfredo sauce works with most pasta and chicken combination. Sliced grilled or baked chicken breasts are probably the best to use. For the sauce, see below.

Ingredients for Alfredo sauce:
1/4 cup Butter
1/2 Small Onion (diced)
1/2 Clove Garlic (minced)
4 oz Flour
1/3 cup White Wine
1 pint Heavy Cream
12 oz Parmesan Cheese
6 oz Romano Cheese
Bay Leaf
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 Lemon for

Crab Cakes Recipe

Crab Cakes

Ingredients (source)
2 tbsp (30 mL) butter
1/4 cup (60 mL) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 mL) milk
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) nutmeg
1/4 hot pepper sauce
2 pkg (each 200 g) frozen crabmeat, thawed and drained
1-3/4 cups (425 mL) dry bread crumbs
1 egg
2 green onions, chopped
2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh parsley
3 tbsp (45 mL) vegetable oil
Preparation

In small saucepan, melt

Sliced Chicken Bacon Wrap

Made this for a quick lunch: sliced chicken breast, bacon, tomato, pepper jack cheese, avocado, prosciutto, lettuce, and a little mayo. All wrapped in a tortilla. Nothing special, but fabulous!

Swirled Almond-Toffee Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

Cake Batter:
2 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
2 cup Granulated Sugar
3 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Salt
3 tbsp Vanilla
2 large Eggs
2/3 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Cappuccino Coffee Drink
1/2 cup Milk

Melted chocolate:
3 oz Almond-Toffee Chocolate, Chopped
2 oz Butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 °F.

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In

Pomegranate Topping on Cheesecake

Pomegranate is a fruit that's recently been catching on to many foodies. I like them because they're tasty, though difficult to eat because you don't bite into them as you would an apple. Work is necessary to eat pomegranate, much more work than eating an orange.

Still, you can't deny the benefits, such as being a rich source of antioxidant, improving blood flow, and possibly slowing down the

Yummy Slow Oven Roasted Ribs

These slow roasted ribs were prepared with a completely made up rub. Surprisingly it's tasty.

First, I rubbed salt and pepper on the ribs and pre-cooked them in the oven at 400 deg F for 15 minutes. Let cool a little, then, applied a second rub made up of ingredients below. I went by feel, so I don't have precise measures. Best estimate is 1/4 cup per ingredient depending on how many ribs

Delicious Orange Poundcake

Glazed Orange Poundcake

Ingredients (source):
6 oz. (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened; more for the pan
4 medium navel oranges (about 2 lb.)
9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. plus 1 pinch table salt
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
5 oz. (1-1/4 cups) confectioners’ sugar
Position a rack in the center of the oven

Layered Nachos

When my brother had an Xbox party with his friends, he asked me to join them. He was serving nachos for snacks and he got creative. He made layered nachos. Not layered nacho dips, but the nachos themselves were set up in layers like a pyramid. It looked great and worthy of pictures.

The ingredients were simple. Sorry I don't have the exact amount since it's my brother who made it. But

Sausage Gravy Recipe From Scratch

Great for breakfast biscuits, whether premade, frozen, or also cooked from scratch. I love biscuits and gravy as an alternative to pancakes for breakfast.

Sausage Gravy From Scratch

Ingredients for Gravy:
1 lb Pork Sausage (not the link type)
1/4 cup Flour
2 cups Milk
Salt and Pepper
Direction:

Crumble and brown sausage in a saucepan (e.g. Farberware Classic 2-Qt. Covered Double Boiler).

Delicious Fried Mozzarella Cheese Sticks Recipe

Fried Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

Ingredients:
1 block Mozzarella Cheese
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Milk
1 1/2 cups Italian Bread Crumbs
1/2 tsp Garlic Salt
2/3 cup All-purpose Flour
1/3 cup Cornstarch
1 qt Oil for deep frying
In a bowl, combine blend eggs and milk together. Mix well.

In a second bowl, combine bread crumbs, garlic salt, flour, and cornstarch.

Cut cheese into desired size sticks. Dip each

Amazing Tiramisu Brownie Recipe

Ingredients
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup butter, softened
1-1/3 cups plus 1/4 cup sugar, divided
8 Eggland's Best Eggs
1 cup cake flour
1/4 cup instant coffee granules or espresso powder
2 cartons (8 ounces each) Mascarpone cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking cocoa
Directions
In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate. Stir until smooth; cool slightly. Beat

Chewy Chocolate Cookies Recipe

From: Cook’s Illustrated Jan/Feb 2009, Issue 96

Chewy Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
1/3 cup granulated sugar plus 1/2 cup for coating
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1 large egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup dark brown

Salted Caramel Shortbread Bar Recipe

Salted Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars

For the shortbread:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
For the caramel:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
For the chocolate:
4 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 tsp light corn syrup

Easy Green Bean Casserole Recipe

Easy Green Beans Casserole

Ingredients:
1 can of Campbells Cream of Mushroom Soup
3/4 cup Milk
2 cups Green Beans
1 cup French's Fried Onions
Seasoning of choice
Direction:

Preheat oven at 350 deg F. In a large bowl, mix soup and milk until smooth. Add green beans and 1/3 cup of fried onions. Stir thoroughly. Pour mixture in a baking dish (i.e. Rachel Ray Non-Stick Pans). Bake in oven

Twice Baked Potatoes

Twice Baked Potatoes

Ingredients
Potatoes (medium to large)
Butter
Sour Cream
Salt
I wanted to try a new way of making twice baked potatoes. Before baking the potato in oven, microwave (e.g. Panasonic Genius Microwave Oven) them first for 5 minutes per potato (depending on the size). Then bake in oven at 350 deg F for 1 hour.

Let cool to touch so that you may slice off the top, scoop out the

Simple Bean & Cheese Dip Recipe

Easy Bean and Cheese Dip

Ingredients:
8 oz Refried Beans
3 tbsp Salsa
1/2 tsp Cumin
All Purpose Seasoning
3 tbsp grated mix cheese (Cheddar and Monterey)
1/4 cup Chopped Black Olives
1/4 cup Chopped Tomatoes
1/4 cup Chopped Onions
1/4 cup Chopped Jalapeno (Fresh preferred)
Direction:

Mix all beans, salsa, and cumin in a bowl, season to taste, and microwave until very warm or hot. Then pour and

Creative Sandwich: Bacon, Apple and Onion

Plenty of creation to discover in the kitchen. And anything with bacon should always be good enough to eat. Here's a sandwich made up of bacon, a few slices of apple, brie cheese, and leftover caramelized onion served on toasted wheat bread. Yum!

Energy Boosting Foods: Roasted Asparagus Recipe

Delicious, healthy, and very simple to make. Often a favorite appetizer or side dish during bbqs, roasted asparagus are perfect snacks. But did you know that asparagus has a high Vitamin B content? That makes them a natural source of energy. So if you constantly feel tired or expect to work a long day, be sure to include asparagus as part of your diet. It'll help.

This recipe is for making

Simple Blueberry and Raspberry Muffin Recipe

Great for breakfast and snacks. Maybe even a healthy dessert. This muffin recipe includes oat bran for fiber and protein, berries for anti-oxidant and Vitamin C, and wheat germ for more vitamins and other nutrients.

Oat Bran Muffins

Ingredients for 10
1 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Oat Bran
1/4 cup Quick Cooking Oats
1/4 cup Wheat Germ
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp

Healthy Snacks Roasted Chickpeas Recipe

Just like quinoas, chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are low fat, yet, loaded with protein. These legumes should be considered if you're eating healthy. They also go well with soup and salads.

Oven Roasted Chickpeas

Ingredients:
1 can Chickpeas (drained, rinse, skinless)
1/2 cup Olive Oil
Seasoning
Direction:

Preheat oven to 400 deg F.

Once the chickpeas have been prepped properly,

Low Fat Quinoa Chicken Parmesan Recipe

The general recipe for this fantastic quinoa chicken parm is from this site http://dhftns.com/healthy-quinoa-chicken-parmesan-recipe-low-fat/. A few changes were made because I didn't have the ingredients at the time.

Quinoa Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:

1 Cup (184g) Qunioa
2 Cups (16oz) Water
1 Medium Red Onion (Chopped)
3 Cloves Garlic (Chopped) or 1 1/2 Teaspoons Minced Garlic
1

Quinoa Breakfast Frittata Recipe

I wanted to learn how to incorporate quinoa for breakfast. I found a great quinoa frittata and made it with a slight modification: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mini-frittatas-with-quinoa/detail.aspx

I did not use muffin trays. Instead, this frittata was made in a 4x8 baking pan. But the recipe and direction was followed closely.

Quinoa Frittata Casserole

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups water
3/4

Simple Quinoa Snack Cakes Healthy Recipe

The recipe for this healthy snack is a slightly modified version of this http://www.spoonforkbacon.com/2011/11/cheesy-quinoa-cakes/. I used grated cheddar cheese and just a store-bought light mayonnaise instead of Aioli.

Quinoa Cakes

Ingredients for 10-12:
2 cups cooked quinoa
2/3 cup grated fontina cheese
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 egg, lightly beaten
2

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers Recipe

This is a variation of http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/quinoa-stuffed-peppers-2/. I didn't have/use celery, carrots, cheese and black beans. Also, I incorporated less than the listed package of spinach and diced tomatoes because I used what we had leftover from prior cooking. The bell peppers were not cut lengthwise, but they were still cut in half. Additionally, I used a lot more

Quinoa as Rice Substitute and Some Recipes to Consider

Here's something to think about. I've been reading about quinoa and its health benefits and how it could be part of my everyday diet. I tried quinoa at a girlfriend's house. She's been trying to lose weight and have been into a lot of diet plans without having to take pills. So her regiment includes a lot of running and plenty of quinoa in her meals.

For me, quinoa may take some time to get

3 Easy Leftover Turkey Ideas and Recipes After Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving dinners are exciting and a time well spent with family. The next few days after the dinner can be a dilemma for some, especially the host, because of so many leftovers. But it's a good dilemma. We all like to be creative with our leftovers, specially the turkey. How many ways can you eat and finish up leftover turkey? Here are three simple and easy ways to do so.

1) Turkey

Crispy Pan Roasted Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breasts
Seasoning

Direction:

Preheat oven to 400 deg F.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add a little oil. Season the skin side of chicken breast. When the pan is nice and hot (the oil will be shimmering) put the chicken in, skin side down. Season the other side of the chicken. Let it cook for 6-8 minutes. Flip the chicken when the skin is crispy and cook for

Simple Flan Recipe

Do you like cooking for the holidays? Do you make sweet treats?

Then check out this easy flan recipe I learned from my mom who learned it from her mom, and so on. It's unfortunate that my aunt, who is diabetic, is not able to eat this. But it's tradition.
Traditional Flan

Ingredients:
4-5 whole Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Condensed Milk
1 cup Sugar