Bragging Rights

Tonight's dinner was a treat because my husband Andres cooked. He cooks for a living so it's hard to get him to cook at home anymore. I brag about his cooking all the time and so I wanted to feature him as one of my favorite cooks. 

This evening he made sauteed chicken legs with mashed potatoes and gravy. I added a side salad of arugula and feta cheese with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. 

Eggplant and Me

I've been trying to eat a bigger variety of healthy foods because as we all know that what we eat is important to staying healthy. I am a certified carnivore and I eat a good variety of vegetables but there have been certain ones that I had no desire to try, or did try, and never ate it again.

Eggplant was one of those vegetables , so I decided to brave it and buy an eggplant. I  started looking up different ways to cook it and in what style. The only time I ever liked eggplant was from a Thai restaurant when I lived in Washington, D.C. because when I tried it when I was younger, it was very bitter and turned me off from it ever becoming a part of my vegetable regimen.

So after reading all the ways to cook eggplant, I decided to try this recipe and share my experience with you.   I use a lot of spices and pretty much eyeball measurements using  my own judgement on how much to use.  If a recipe calls for something I don't have, I just find a substitute. I  use whatever's at hand.

As you can see in the photo , I chopped the eggplant and some garlic, onion, red and green pepper. I heated a pan with olive oil, and threw in the onion, peppers and eggplant. Then I added my spices, salt, pepper, turmeric, coriander ginger, pepper flakes, brown sugar, white vinegar. I also added some Tamari sauce,  and a little bit of chicken broth. I let that cook on a very low burner for about 10 minutes.  Lastly I added fresh basil.
I also had some boneless chicken thighs and prosciutto. I cut the chicken into bite size pieces and seasoned them with spices, then wrapped them with prosciutto, then I lightly fried them in a little olive oil.
These pictures are the end result.

Sauteed Eggplant and Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Thighs. 

It really was a delicious meal.  I like the softness of the eggplant, as the meat really does remind you of the feel of eating an egg. So in conclusion, I find that I like eggplant if it is cooked this way, with no bitterness. I'm definitely going to make this dish again.

Kula vizuri

Barbara,
AKA Sistah Girl



Side note: I was diagnosed with arthritis years ago and because I love to use natural healing. I started researching and learning about natural remedies for arthritis from different cultures and found turmeric, a wonderful healing spice. It's used in many countries and is known for it's beneficial properties.  For years, I have used it in my cooking and also as a tea and as a result, I don't suffer from joint pain anymore.

I do a lot of cooking and almost every night I like to try something new. I share a lot of pictures of my food on my Instagram page, so I thought why not share them on my blog.  Although this blog is called Sistah Girl Desserts, I realized that this site shouldn't be limited to just desserts because we love to try different tastes and mixtures, whether sweet or savory.  I love to cook, using new or old recipes and finding new ways to try new epicurean delights.
I saw this sauce on a video and I immediately wanted to try to make it. I had never heard of pickled blueberries before and since I love blueberries, I wanted to try to make something different from what I am used too.
I know how to make a sweet sauce, but I never thought about making blueberries have a savory flavor.
After searching the internet for a good recipe, it seems that everyone makes them different but always with vinegar being the main ingredient. Some say to use white distilled, while others prefer to use different vinegar's. I use many vinegar's, but since this is my first time making this, I used organic apple cider vinegar. Also I discovered that some like to use heat while others just refrigerate overnight. I combined all the ingredients and just refrigerated. 
I decided to  add freshly ground pepper and used sea salt instead of kosher salt. First thing I'm going to do is try this on some lamb chops. I take a pic and let you know if it is a triumph or failure.

 Savory Pickled Blueberries. 

1 C apple cider vinegar
1/4 C organic cane sugar
1 T sea salt
1  tsp pepper
12 oz blueberries  or 2 6 oz containers
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly (optional)

Combine all ingredients. Make sure blueberries are covered with vinegar Give it a shake, than transfer to a glass jar and tighten lid. (I use recycled jars.)  Refrigerate till ready to use.

Pickled Blueberries 

Sweet Potato Tart
The baking season is upon us, so add our delicious tart to your Holiday menu. We've created a vegan dessert as part of our menu.  Order yours today and we'll deliver it to your door. Honolulu and surrounding areas only.  www.sistahgirldesserts.com

Family Meals

Sistah Girl Desserts may have started with an apple pie, but my love of cooking goes farther 

back than that.  As a self proclaimed chef, I am always trying new recipes and I take enormous

pride in the recipes I create.  My kids used to say that when they were young  they always felt
like they were eating gourmet meals at our evening dinners. But to me, it was my way of 
introducing them to different tastes.  I was always taught to be prepared to eat anything if 
you were a guest of someone, so what better way to teach them graciousness then by 
 introducing  them to different ethic cuisines.

My Mom was from Rhode Island, so we grew up eating baked beans, canned brown bread,
and coffee ice cream. My father, who was from South Carolina, introduced us to
okra, beans and rice. Rice was always on the stove and every Saturday he cooked beans.
One of his southern traditions was making Hoppin' John (black eyed peas and rice) on New
Year's Eve, which is supposed  to bring you good luck in the coming new year.  My parents 
 took pride in their culinary traditions, so growing up I learned to enjoy two different regional 
 cuisines which are still a part of my everyday diet. Plus my father was a military man, so we 
 traveled extensively during my childhood, eating different cultural foods.  And because of
that, I learned to cook.

 In our family, if you were a young adult, unemployed and living with your parents, there
were two things you had to contribute to the house:

• One: The house had to be clean when they got home from work and

• Two: dinner better be ready or cooking. 

At some point I was back living at home and the task of making the family evening meals became  my responsibility.  What was serendipitous, was that during that time, I had purchased a cooking encyclopedia from a traveling salesgirl, so I used that book and learned the art of cooking. I still refer to it from time to time.  I call it my culinary bible.

After making some traditional meals, my Dad would say "surprise me." So family meals 
became a culinary experiment, with me trying many recipes.  I would always make something 
different. And because of that, I refined my cooking and baking skills.
My father was very critical and if he didn't like something, he would let me know.  I remember
this one time I made Yorkshire Pudding for dinner. I remember him looking at me

sardonically and telling me never to make that again. I had to agree, it was awful. 

But errors like that have made me a better cook and I take pride in my cooking and take many chances when creating new recipes.  And because of my love of cooking, Sistah Girl Desserts was, for me, a natural progression. It just took  me some time to get here. 


As always.......bake with love.

Barbara
Co-founder/Baker

What the Munchies Creates

Strawberry and Blueberry Crepe with Creme Cheese Filling

So I had what some might call the munchies. I had eaten dinner and as always, whether it's ice cream or cake, I have to have dessert. That's how I grew up. 

 So I decide since I have a cream cheese filling already made (from last week) and fresh berries, I'm going to make crepes. I go to grab the butter, no butter, so I think no problem, I'll use coconut oil. So I get out my blender, crack the eggs; add the milk, oil, salt and water. I then get the flour tin and no flour, WTF! We are never out of flour!  I am always well stocked, ready to use at a moment's notice.

So now I'm panicking because it's late, I have no cash, (I'm on a shoestring budget this week) and I've already started the process. What to do???? I'm panicking and I'm hoping that I can find something that can be used as flour.  So I start opening the cabinets, cursing, trying to see what substitute I could use and then I spot my savior… old fashioned oats.  

 So I get out my blender, grind those babies into flour; add it to my half prepared mix. I whip the mix till it's light and fluffy; pour that sucker on a hot skillet and hallelujah!  I've got me some crepes. They turned out to be delicious.

Pictured is my most wonderful Berry filled Crepes. Mmmmmmm…….
So my advice to those lovers of cooking... let your inner cook guide your skills to your most creative culinary delights.

As always with love,

Barbara

The SGD Squad

Moving Forward in the Holiday Season

 Homemade Goodness at your Fingertips! 

"Double Trouble" Chocolate Cupcake Mix and Frosting Kit
Free Shipping!

   As we move forward this fall and into the holidays, we've  become wiser to the ins and outs of running a small business and to the challenges that comes when working closely with family.  But we continue to push onward toward our goal to becoming a successful gluten free baked goods company and providing you with our delicious desserts.

  Over the summer, we redesigned our website and added new products to our line.

Because we're a small business, we had to come up with some pretty inventive ways to do our research and development.  So we  recruited our friends, family and neighbors  across the nation to taste and critique each potential product. They loved helping us and didn't mind being our test subjects because they loved our goodies and became impatient  to test  more  of our delicious desserts.  Maybe some of you saw them on Instagram and Facebook.

  For all you local folks out here in Hawaii that haven't tasted our scrumptious fare, then you're going to want to try what your neighbors are enjoying.  And you can be assured that all Sistah Girl Dessert are made fresh from scratch and always made to order.   Please check out our menu and order your mixes today. The holidays are upon us and we look forward to sharing the season with you.

  But if you love to bake, live far away, and want to experience our wonderful desserts, for you, we've created our "Double Trouble" Chocolate Cupcake mix that's to die for, and you're going to be blown away by our melt in your mouth "Rockin" Raspberry Brownies. So order your kit today and experience what our friends and family out here on the islands are eating and enjoying. You'll be happy you did.

  As always, our desserts are made with only the best organic and natural ingredients available. And even though we use no gluten, we will never sacrifice good taste and what tastes good.  So be prepared to be amazed by what I consider the best gluten free desserts available on the market today.

  Also, please peruse our website, read our story and checked out our great dessert menu.   

And Remember.... ALWAYS BAKE WITH LOVE!

Sweet eats,

Barbara Blanco

Co Founder/CEO/Baker