Spiced Apple Cider

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! 

Though I love any reason to celebrate with family and friends, there is something special about wintertime gatherings that just warms my heart! And speaking of warmth, who wouldn't love a simple drink that helps to keep you warm during this chilly season?! This recipe is a concoction of ideas I got from my Spelman Sister Dyanna over at The High Suite Life, one of my favorite bartenders in DC Jeremy at 1920DC, and some quirkiness of my own. This is a wonderful drink for large groups and functions because it is easy and quick to make. Even when it begins to run low, the re-up process doesn't take long. Plus, it makes everyone feel all warm and fuzzy...which leads to creating all types of hilarious memories. I hope that you all enjoy it as much as we have!

Ingredients:

• 64 fl oz of apple cider (of course purchase more if you're having a large party)
• Jack Daniels Honey
• 2 crisp apples
• vanilla extract
• peppermint extract
• nutmeg

Let's go!
Before adding anything, turn your crockpot on high so that it can begin to warm. Peel your apples and cut them into 1/2 inch chunks. To prevent splashing, I add the apples before the liquid. In your crockpot, add your chopped apples, the entire jug of cider, 3 cups of Jack Daniels Honey, 2 tbsp of vanilla extract, 1 tbsp of peppermint and top with nutmeg. **Now, if you don't have access to a crockpot, combining this on your stove top in a pot works just as well.** Stir occasionally in your crockpot. As it begins to warm, you will be able to smell the yumminess that awaits you!  

Grab a ladle and pour up! 

7 Layer Dip

7 Layer Dip is an easy dish that I was JUST introduced to a few months ago! It requires only 10 ingredients and truly involves no cooking. This is also great for parties because it's easy to transfer and is also vegetarian-friendly. Dips are wonderful additions to parties because people tend to gather around the bowl. Placing a serving of this dip and your favorite tortilla chips on a plate can be a wonderful conversation piece. I served this at my good friend's holiday party this past Saturday and it was definitely a hit. Megan served lots of yummy food and many of us were stuffed when we left. Since we were full, we didn't take advantage of the few leftovers. But my good friend Kelli woke up the next day regretting that she didn't take any of this home! I hope that you enjoy making this and that your holiday season is just a little brighter because of it. 

Ingredients (serves 25 people):

• 2 cans of refried black beans
• 1 package of taco seasoning
• 1 16 oz container of sour cream
• 1 8 oz container of soft philadelphia cream cheese
• 1 jar of quacamole (I suggest Whole Foods' for freshness)
• 1 jar of medium salsa
• 1 bag of shredded 3 cheese
• 1/2 cup of green onion (chopped)
• 3 stalks of romaine lettuce
• tortilla chips

**Note! You will need a few different mixing bowls. One large bowl for the dip and two for mixing some of the ingredients.**

Here we go!

Mix the refried beans and 3/4 of the taco seasoning in a separate bowl. Once thoroughly mixed, add to the large bowl. Next mix the sour cream and the cream cheese. Make sure the cream cheese is soft so that it mixes well with the sour cream. Once blended well, add the next layer on top of beans. The rest of the steps are quite simple! Add in the guacamole. Then pour in the salsa. Add your chopped green onion. Next add the lettuce. Make sure you rinse and dry your stalks before adding to the dip. Tear the leaves from the vine and then rip into smaller pieces. Spread on top of the green onions. Lastly, add your shredded cheese and viola! Grab a plate, a dollop of dip, your tortilla chips and dig in!

Baked Tilapia Arugula Salad

I had this salad for lunch today and it was so yummy! Even though I usually only crave hot foods in colder months, this salad was filling and tasty. For people on the go, I suggest keeping tilapia on hand in your refrigerator. Besides being one of the healthier fish options, it does not take long to thaw and it is versatile (meaning it can be baked, fried, or grilled). Preparation and cooking time combined was about 25 minutes. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Ingredients: 

• 1 tilapia filet
• arugula
• red onion
• cherry tomatoes
• bleu cheese crumbles
• dried cranberries
• balsamic vinaigrette
• black pepper
• cilantro
• old bay
• evoo

Preheat your oven to 375. Lay your filet on 
your foil and season the fish. Because you're going to wrap the foil & also place the fish on a bed of salad later, I don't find it necessary to season both sides. Season with black pepper, old bay, and cilantro. Lastly add about 1tspn of evoo. Wrap your fish in your foil and place in the oven for 15 minutes.

While your fish is cooking, you can begin to prep your plate. After rinsing your leaves, add your arugula and then the following ingredients:

• 1/4 cup red onion (chopped)
• 2-3 cherry tomatoes sliced in halves
• 1 tbsp bleu cheese
• 1 tbsp dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup low-fat balsamic vinaigrette

Once your fish is done, open the foil and allow it to cool for about 5 min. Place it on top of your wonderfully created salad bed and dig in!

Angel Hair Shrimp Pasta in a Cream & Spinach Sauce and 6 Cheese GarlicBread

This post should have been written last night. However, after getting home late from work and the grocery store, there was no time to post before "Scandal." Hey, gotta have priorities!

Watching TV is one of my favorite pastimes, EASILY! I have been a proud watcher of "Scandal" since its first season.  Whenever I have a good show that I enjoy, I love to have a good meal to accompany it. Tonight I made dinner for two of my Spelman sisters, one of their mothers  and myself.  The reviews were two thumbs up all around! I hope you enjoy it!


Ingredients:

• 1 pound medium shrimp deveined
• heavy whipping cream
• smoked gouda
• 4 cheese Italian shredded (mozzarella, smoked provolone, asiago, romano cheese)
• 3 cheese blend shredded 
• garlic cloves
• whole grain angel hair
• fresh spinach
• extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
• black pepper
• crushed red pepper
• old bay
• salt
• basil
• slap ya mama (if you have it)
• French loaf

**Note: 1. Make sure you purchase your shrimp fresh, not frozen. This not only saves time on thawing, but also enhances the flavor of your meal. 2. Clean up as you go! Once you're finished with your meal, you don't want to worry about cleaning the kitchen completely!**

The steps are in order of preparation. The longer the sauce cooks, the more flavorful it will be. The pasta doesn't take long to cook, so it will be the last step. Let's get started!

Cream & Spinach Sauce

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup smoked gouda
• 1 cup 4 cheese Italian blend
• 2 hearty handfuls of fresh spinach 
• 1 tbsp crushed red pepper
• 2 tbsp basil
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• a few pinches, like 2, of salt

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook on low heat. Occasionally stir so that the cheese won't become lumpy. While the sauce is thickening, you can begin on the shrimp.

Shrimp (for white sauce pasta)

After removing the legs and tails from the shrimp, in a mixing bowl, combine the shrimp, 2 tbsp of evoo, old bay seasoning, and slap ya mama. Mix with your hands until all shrimp are covered with seasoning. Depending on the size of your bowl, you may have to do a second coating but please do so at your own discretion. 

In a large skillet, lightly grease with evoo and heat on medium. Once heated, add the shrimp to the skillet and cook until done. Once done, cover with a top to hold the heat. 

6 Cheese Garlic Bread

• loaf of French bread
• garlic olive oil (I will do a separate post on how to make your own garlic olive oil)
• smoked gouda
• 4 cheese Italian shredded
• sharp cheddar shredded

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Slice your loaf into 1/4 inch equals.  In a square baking pan, spray a non-stick spray on the bottom of the pan. Then, drizzle garlic olive oil on each slice. DO NOT DROWN YOUR SLICES IN OIL! Grate smoked gouda, then add equal parts of the 4 cheese Italian and sharp cheddar blends on to each slice. Once the oven is at the appropriate temperature, place into the oven and cook until the cheese is melted.

Pasta

In a large pot, add water and 2tbsp of evoo. EVOO or any other oil is added to prevent the pasta from sticking while cooking. Once the water is boiling, add your pasta. The pasta only takes 5 minutes to cook so it is important to watch it or set a timer. Once the pasta is done, drain the water off and get ready to plate your food!

Let's put it together!

• Place pasta in bowl.
• Top with cream & spinach sauce.
• Add shrimp.
• Remove cheesy garlic bread from oven & place on plate.
• DIG IN!

Welcome!

     The picture above is easily one of my favorite pictures! It was taken at a church picnic and the seriousness about that turkey burger was intense!

     This has been a long time coming! Many of you reading this have been asking me, "Whitney! When are you going to start a cooking blog?" or "When are you going to start doing food vlogs?" Well, look no further! "Cooking with Whitney B." is finally here! My love of all things culinary started as a tiny tot and under my Granny's tutelage. I wasn't doing much cooking, but she would allow me to crack the eggs, add flour and even sometimes use the mixer. I watched her cook with such love and compassion. As the mother of 8, wife, grandmother, godmother, and much more, she is a cook's cook. Until I left home for college, I did not do much cooking. Involved in various extracurricular activities, in addition to a rigorous academic load, I did not take the time to learn how to prepare food for myself. As long as tasty food was available, I was satisfied!

     However, my first year of college, I lived off campus with no meal plan. WHAT WAS I GOING TO DO FOR FOOD?! I knew about the staples to have, but how was I actually going to create edible meals like my Granny? Day by day, I started calling Granny to ask her how to make my favorite dishes. I quickly got the hang of things by the end of my first year. I was terrified of grease! Thankfully, Granny had purchased a deep fryer for my apartment. The first "big meal" I cooked was fried chicken, Velveeta macaroni and cheese, green beans and candied yams for a class council meeting held at my apartment. I WAS SO NERVOUS! But my friends kept eating and I kept frying. Now, the first batch of chicken did not turn out right, but the next few were tasty! I remember enjoying that moment so much. There was a certain joy and fulfillment I received while feeding my ravenous friends. I slowly started practicing more dishes and inviting people over. Junior year, my good friend, Sierra, taught me how to clean shrimp! That forever changed my life! Between her rice cooker, my George Foreman grill and the oven in our dorm, we created some good treats! 

     After graduating from college, I was introduced to making more money. My stomach got excited because it knew that we were about to start eating really good now. Trips to the Farmer's Market and Publix would soon increase! As a working, young adult, I began having Sunday dinner with friends at my apartment. Usually I would do all of the cooking, but my roomie, Jalika, would sometimes introduce a new dish too. Seeing how food brought my friends together inspired me to keep doing those dinners. We had fish frys, taco nights, pasta night, traditional soul food dinners, and more! I had two college friends who encouraged me then to start doing blogs about food. But I did not see the vision yet. 

     Well, here I am at 26 and full of more clarity than ever before! I am bridging my love for food and entertainment and pursuing my life's dream. You can call me the creative brain child of Rachael Ray, Wendy Williams, Oprah and Bevy Smith! I am excited about this journey and invite you along for the ride! I will post recipes, DIY projects, restaurant reviews, videos and some additional surprises. I look forward to this journey!

Whitney B.