This was way more delish than I expected. I bought some packaged Uncured Wildflower Honey & Maple Ham. Fried it up with some butter (I like it a lil’ crispy). Melted Pepper Jack cheese on top. Then threw on some sunny-side-up eggs. Whoa. Delish! Talk about a SweetJamz.
❤
Whenever I was sick, as a kid, my Mom would make me soft-boiled eggs.
It’s actually a pretty sweet memory. Ya gotta love when Mom takes care of you. Although, my Mom was a nurse – so the minute your high temp was gone, you were tossed back in school. (She was also the pull-the-band-aid-quick kinda Mom. I just hope I got some of her immense strength.)
Recently, I’d been trying to perfect the soft-boiled egg. For some reason my old “boil for 4 minutes” routine was becoming quite inconsistent. But today, I felt a bit of AHHH.
Today’s attempt was first boiling the water. Then setting the two eggs in the water. Lowering the boil to about 4-5 on the burner. I let them soft boil for 6:40. And, well, got some perfection. I’d guess seven minutes for four eggs. I’ve also heard if you have more than four eggs, you need to do batches because these soft-boilers are sensitive!
You take the eggs out and rinse with cold water for a bit. Use the wider end of the egg to tap and peel. Add some salt & peppa. These were de-lush for sure! Miss you, Mom!
Enjoy!
❤
julie
Ever wanted to learn how to make tortillas from scratch? I met Litzi while volunteering for CoachArt – and here she teaches us how to make her famous quesadillas!
Recipe (download it here—> Chef Litzis Quesadillas)
Directions:
– Heat beans in pan on medium heat. Add 1/3 cup of water, or more, as needed. Heat until bubbling.
– Mix one mug of water with one mug of masa mix in a bowl until the right consistency (not too liquidy, not too dry).
– Roll masa into small balls.
– Take massa ball and place in tortilla maker. Flatten ball by pressing down with tortilla maker – but it’s important to not press too hard – you don’t want the tortilla to be too thin (it will be unmanageable). It’s best to use something like plastic wrap, parchment paper or cut out garbage bags like Litzi used – so that the masa mix doesn’t stick to the tortilla maker, TRUST US ON THIS!
– Open tortilla maker and transfer tortilla onto heated pan and cook both sides until browned.
– After the tortilla is browned on both sides, you are ready to eat it.
– Secure extra tortillas on a plate wrapped in a clean kitchen towel to keep them warm.
– Spread refried beans on tortilla.
– Then add cheese on top.
– Fold & enjoy!
Voila! Another great SweetJamz!
❤
julie & litzi
Let me just tell you – I struggle with the slow cooker. Almost everything comes out like mush. Who wants mush? (Besides my lovable dog?)
All I can say about this recipe is – fresh ginger, garlic, soy sauce – oh my!
Here’s the recipe.
My suggestions would be to stick with flank steak. Don’t cheap out on the meat. I find flank steak to be so tender! Plus, we learned the trick of unwrapping the meat and putting it in the freezer for 30-45 mins to make it easy to slice.
We added brown rice & some steamed broccoli – a great combo. I could see adding the raw broccoli to the slow cooker when you add the carrots.
We also have a friend, Bobby, who hates most foods. If a gun was put to his head to eat mushrooms, raw onions or gaucamole – he would pull the trigger first. I’m gonna say, this dish has a potential Bobby rating of a 10 (out of 10) – as long as you leave the broccoli out. 🙂
Enjoy!
❤
Julie
Ok, kids. It’s our first QUICKIE! This is beyond DEE-LISH. And pretty quick——>
Recipe (download the recipe here—> Quickie Potato Pizza):
Ingredients:
1 Large Potato
1/3-2/3 Tomato Sauce
2 tbsp Parmesan Cheese
4-6 Slices Prosciutto
1-4 eggs
Cup of Mushrooms
3 oz. Mozzarella Cheese (sliced or shredded)
1 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Directions:
– Wash & cut the potato (unpeeled) into very thin slices. Heat a frying pan with olive oil. Arrange the potato slices in a ring pattern, overlapping. Sprinkle on the parmesan – cover and cook on lowish heat for 5 mins.
– Spread the tomato sauce onto potatoes. Add mozzarella & mushrooms, salt & pepper. Crack egg(s) on top. Cover & cook on medium heat for 5 mins or slightly longer.
– Divide into four & plate along with a slice of prosciutto.
No joke, this is DEE-LISH times ten & not heavy. Great breakfast for guests.
❤
julie
Ever wanted to know the BEST fast food burger in LA? Here we go —->
❤
Julie
We were snuggled up in Big Bear with some friends & our pups & decided to make this very tasty Snowfall Chicken Parmesan —>
The “secret sauce” in this is mind-blowingly good. The sun-dried pesto sauce itself would be amazing as a spread for baked bread.
SWEETJAMZ SNOWFALL CHICKEN PARM (Recipe download here —> sweetjamz-snowfall-chicken-parm
INGREDIENTS:
4-5 THIN chicken breasts
1 tablespoon + olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ cup chopped onions
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
½ teaspoon EACH Italian seasoning AND red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper + ¼ cup water
4 slices mozzarella cheese (or 1 cup shredded)
Sun-dried tomato pesto ingredients:
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (I prefer NOT in oil)
3 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoons salt + 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 pinch red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Optional:
chopped parsley or basil for garnish
pasta
DIRECTIONS:
– Boil water & cook pasta according to package
– Begin “Secret Sauce:”
Blend all the ingredients in a food processor (NOT an old blender) except the olive oil. Start the food processor and drizzle in the olive oil slowly while still mixing. Stop the machine, scrape down the sides, and adjust salt & pepper to liking.
– For Chicken:
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat with olive oil. Add salt & peppered chicken to pan. Cook until no longer pink, flipping once. (Note, totally overcooked our chicken due to the pieces being so thick – thin pieces are the ultimate way to go here.)
– Preheat the oven on the broiler setting
– Finish tomato sauce:
Sauté’ the onions in a pan on medium heat until soft. Add garlic & let cook 1-3 minutes (enjoy the aroma).
Add the crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, dried basil, & entire pesto mixture (note, the original recipe only asked for 1 Tbsp. of pesto mixture – we used it all & it was a dream.) Stir to combine. When the sauce reaches a simmer, add a ¼ cup of water, lower the heat, cover and allow to simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the sauce thickens a bit. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
– Official assembly:
Place chicken on top of pasta, top with a spoonful of sauce & then mozzarella.
Broil 1-2 minutes until cheese is bubbly & just melts. Add additional sauce on sides if desired.
– Garnish with chopped parsley or basil.
Voila! You’ve got yourself another SWEETJAMZ.
This recipe was inspired by Littlespicejar.com
Featured wine: Whalebone Winery – Bob Wine 2011
❤
julie
If you can believe it, I was once in Philly & had a terrible cheesesteak! Shouldn’t that be illegal? This recipe was fun & really pretty easy. Boneless short rib, provolone, onions & peppas – a tremendous combo for our “Not So Philly” cheesesteak sandwich. Watch us make it here:
SWEETJAMZ “NOT SO PHILLY” CHEESESTEAK
(A printable version here—> not-so-philly-cheesesteak)
(Makes 3-4 hearty sandwiches)
Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless short rib
Bread: baguette, hoagie rolls, or whatever floats your boat
6 slices of Provolone Cheese
1 red & 1 green bell pepper
½ Onion
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Directions:
-Place unwrapped meat in pan lined with parchment paper in the freezer for 40 mins.
-After 40 mins – slice the meat thin
-Slice the onions & peppers
-Sauté’ the onions to start with some olive oil in a pan
-Then add the peppers to the onions – cook until softened (we liked them a little crispy)
-Preheat the cast iron & cook the meat with some olive oil – making sure the meat is not overlapping & occasionally flipping it until done
-Add Provolone slices and place lid on to let the cheese melt
-Cut the bread into individual sandwich sizes and half them down the side
-Heat bread in the oven on 350 for a few minutes
-Place heated bread on foil & start assembly with meat/cheese & then onion/peppers
-Wrap sandwich up in foil for a few minutes to let it keep melting
-Unwrap & dig in
Recipe source: Bon Appétit
Voila – you’ve got yourself another great SweetJamz – A Slater/Friday Production.
❤
julie
Hello. Our names are Julie & Jason. And we are Taco-holics. Do we eat tacos a little too often? Define often?!!
Let me tell you about this little game changer, though. Move over taco shell, it’s Guerrero Tostadas to the rescue:
I prefer a hard shell over a tortilla any day, but I find most taco shells go stale or are stale when you open the package. These tostadas lasted so long and were so crunchy & amazing.
It’s fun to change the meat on these – turkey, beef or ground tofu. I recently started mixing in a refried bean to the meat (after the taco mix) & it’s perfect for these. Add your favorite toppings & voila!
With just two of us, the 22 count tostada packaging makes for an extended Taco Tuesday (hello, Taco Wednesday, Thursday & Friday) but who’s complaining?
Thanks for stopping by SweetJamz – a Slater/Friday Production.
❤
julie
Fresh Ginger & Pear, oh my! We made this delicious Bulgogi recipe:
Who doesn’t love a good marinade. And we found it with this Bon Appétit Basic Bulgogi recipe <—click here.
We used a beef for stir fry that was already cut in strips, but the idea here is to get very thin strips to allow the meat to absorb the hot-sweet-salty marinade in minutes, not hours.
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Bulgogi Recipe: (Printable version here – basic-bulgogi)
INGREDIENTS:
4 SERVINGS
¼ pear, grated
1 garlic clove, grated
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon gochugaru (coarse Korean hot pepper flakes), or 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (<– we used this)
1 tablespoon grated peeled ginger
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 pound boneless pork loin, trimmed hanger steak, boneless short rib, or skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
Kosher salt
Sliced scallions (for serving)
PREP:
Combine pear, garlic, soy sauce, gochugaru, ginger, sugar, and sesame oil in a large resealable plastic bag or medium bowl. Using a sharp knife, slice meat into very thin strips. Add to marinade, seal bag, and squish everything around until the meat is coated. Let sit at room temperature 30 minutes, or chill up to 8 hours.
Heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high until oil is shimmering. Remove half of meat from marinade, letting excess drip back into bag; season lightly with salt and cook in a single layer without moving until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Toss meat and continue to cook, tossing occasionally, until cooked through and crisp at edges, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil, remaining meat, and more salt.
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We served this over brown rice (cooked with coconut milk instead of water), topped with scallions…along with our tasty sautéed shishitos as a side.
More fun marinade recipes here!
Thanks for stopping by SweetJamz – a Slater/Friday Production.
❤
julie
Looking for a low-budget fun Friday night date? Making pizza at home does the trick. Every. Time.
When I was a kid, my Dad did a lot of the cooking. And every once in a while around 10pm, suddenly, out of nowhere, the most beautiful scent would be in the air: a sweet tomato sauce & a fresh baking crust. Dad was making pizza – yippee! My Dad totally had a leg up on the fourth meal concept. And what kid doesn’t absolutely love pizza.
Now, it’s time for another confession. He would make the pizza from this:
Not kidding. And sure, it wasn’t great, but it was pizza for heaven’s sake. (We rarely got the take out pizza treat – take out pizza was for fancy nights!) Oddly enough, did you know you can STILL buy this Chef Boyardee mix? Hilarious. And yes, my old coworker, Josh, bought me one. Jason & I made it. And yes. It’s terrible. 🙂
So, no, I’m not suggesting you buy the box. I went rogue a couple years ago and went so far as growing my own yeast (a How-To guide is here). It’s quite tedious – you literally have to care for it weekly. We did end up getting one or two great pizza crusts from it, but it was definitely hit or miss. I couldn’t rely on it working out. But when it did. Wow.
This time we went super easy. We bought Fleishmann’s Pizza Crust Yeast:
We also bought a can of pizza sauce & our favorite toppings (mushrooms, mozzarella cheese & basil). The nice thing about this crust is there’s no waiting time for the dough to rise. You mix it up, knead it for four minutes, roll it out, add sauce & toppings & voila you’ve got a pizza ready for the oven.
There’s something so fun about making pizza with someone. And pizza just always brings me back to the joy of being a kid.
I’d like to work on making the bottom of the crust more crisp, but this really was delicious. Give it a try.
Thanks for stopping by SweetJamz – a Slater/Friday Production.
❤
julie
Some girls like to snuggle up to a good romance novel, I prefer to romance my taste buds with tasty Shishito peppers:
I’m not sure why this took me so long, but Shishitos are an easy, light, delicious snack. I just pan fry them with olive oil & add some sea salt. I like them to get a little charred. Jason & I also love dipping these in soy sauce.
I came across four great recipes for Shishitos here. There’s Pan-Seared Shishitos with Sesame Seeds (that sounds yummy), Char-Grilled Shishitos, Shrimp, Shishito & Pineapple Skewers (woah) & Shishito Tempura.
The heat in the Shishitos range from mild to super hot, so be careful. And if you see a slight orange/red hue, that one is most likely hotter. But, again, I’m not a super spice-hot person & I absolutely love them.
Thanks for stopping by SweetJamz – a Slater/Friday Production.
❤
julie
SweetJamz 