Shaken Baken Blog

It's  December, and I feel like I've been fighting off a cold the whole month. The some days warm, some days cool temperatures are killing my sinuses and my immune system. First sign of a scratchy throat or runny nose keeps me running to the pantry for soup ingredients. Whatever I have is what goes in the pot. Chicken soup is one of the easiest soups to put together and you can use any type of pasta. As you can see here, all I had on hand was some Fusilli Bucati  pasta that I was saving for a cold salad. Guess what? It worked today. 2 Large Chicken Breast or 4 thin sliced 8 oz fusilli pasta (1/2 box) 6 cups water  48 oz container chicken broth 1 tsp. granulated turmeric (for color, flavor, and health properties) chopped scallions for garnish salt and pepper 2 chicken bouillon cubes Boil chicken breast in 4 cups water. Add 1 chicken bouillon cube to water. Season water with salt and pepper to taste. Remove ch...

It's  December, and I feel like I've been fighting off a cold the whole month. The some days warm, some days cool temperatures are killing my sinuses and my immune system. First sign of a scratchy throat or runny nose keeps me running to the pantry for soup ingredients. Whatever I have is what goes in the pot. Chicken soup is one of the easiest soups to put together and you can use any type of pasta. As you can see here, all I had on hand was some Fusilli Bucati  pasta that I was saving for a cold salad. Guess what? It worked today. 2 Large Chicken Breast or 4 thin sliced 8 oz fusilli pasta (1/2 box) 6 cups water  48 oz container chicken broth 1 tsp. granulated turmeric (for color, flavor, and health properties) chopped scallions for garnish salt and pepper 2 chicken bouillon cubes Boil chicken breast in 4 cups water. Add 1 chicken bouillon cube to water. Season water...

                    Chocolate, Chocolate, and more Chocolate!   This super addictive chocolate dessert came courtesy of  my dear friend Isabell.  As a self-proclaimed chocoholic, I asked her not to ever make it again, but you know how friends are. The cool thing is how simple it is to make. This semi-homemade dessert incorporates store bought and made from scratch ingredients. If you have all day to do the entire dessert from scratch, kudos. If you don't, you can still achieve the same delicious results.     Ingredients Devil's food cake mix (prepared and cooled) instant chocolate pudding mix (prepare and set aside) Chocolate syrup   Whipped Cream 16 oz. container heavy whipping cream 4 tbsp. confectioners' sugar 2 tsp. vanilla extract         Prepare cake according to box instruc...

                    Chocolate, Chocolate, and more Chocolate!   This super addictive chocolate dessert came courtesy of  my dear friend Isabell.  As a self-proclaimed chocoholic, I asked her not to ever make it again, but you know how friends are. The cool thing is how simple it is to make. This semi-homemade dessert incorporates store bought and made from scratch ingredients. If you have all day to do the entire dessert from scratch, kudos. If you don't, you can still achieve the same delicious results.     Ingredients Devil's food cake mix (prepared and cooled) instant chocolate pudding mix (prepare and set aside) Chocolate syrup   Whipped Cream 16 oz. container heavy whipping cream 4 tbsp. confectioners' sugar 2 tsp. vanilla extract         Pre...

I usually make a batch of macaroni salad once a week to go with...pretty much anything :) Chicken, sandwiches, burgers, you name it.   I use pretty much the same ingredients that I use  to make my "classic potato salad"   with one more addition; albacore tuna. It's simple and can be done in minimal time. Ingredients  16 oz. box elbows macaroni 1/2 cup chopped onion 2 large boiled eggs 1 can solid white tuna in oil (drained) salt & pepper 1/2 tsp. paprika 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1 tbsp. brown mustard 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish Directions Add cold water to a large sauce pot, bring to a boil. Lightly salt water, add macaroni to boiling water. Let boil for 8-9 minutes, till tender but still firm. Drain macaroni in a colander. Run under cold water a few seconds to stop the cooking process. Add salt and pepper to taste, mayo, mustard and pickle relish. Mix lightly. Add in chopped onions, boiled egg, and tuna....

I usually make a batch of macaroni salad once a week to go with...pretty much anything :) Chicken, sandwiches, burgers, you name it.   I use pretty much the same ingredients that I use  to make my "classic potato salad"   with one more addition; albacore tuna. It's simple and can be done in minimal time. Ingredients  16 oz. box elbows macaroni 1/2 cup chopped onion 2 large boiled eggs 1 can solid white tuna in oil (drained) salt & pepper 1/2 tsp. paprika 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1 tbsp. brown mustard 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish Directions Add cold water to a large sauce pot, bring to a boil. Lightly salt water, add macaroni to boiling water. Let boil for 8-9 minutes, till tender but still firm. Drain macaroni in a colander. Run under cold water a few seconds to stop the cooking process. Add salt and pepper to taste, mayo, mustard and pickle relish...

Smell That? That's the smell of crispy seasoned fried whiting.  A rare find unless you get it frozen in the bag at your local supermarket. While I'm visiting my family in Brooklyn, I make sure to pick up a few pounds of fillet at the local seafood market and freeze them for later. If I really get the craving, I will get the frozen bag and make due.  After thawing the whiting fillets in the refrigerator overnight,  rinse them in cold water and place them in a plastic container.  Pat them dry and season them with your choice of go to seasonings: salt pepper seasoning salt garlic powder  paprika I  always sit the container back in the refrigerator until it is fry time. Add enough vegetable oil to a frying pan or skillet until it is 1/2 full and let it heat slowly. Oil will begin to pop when it gets hot.  While oil is heating, add  1 TBSP of old bay seasoning to 2 cups of yellow corn meal.  Dip each fish fillet in the seasoned...

Smell That? That's the smell of crispy seasoned fried whiting.  A rare find unless you get it frozen in the bag at your local supermarket. While I'm visiting my family in Brooklyn, I make sure to pick up a few pounds of fillet at the local seafood market and freeze them for later. If I really get the craving, I will get the frozen bag and make due.  After thawing the whiting fillets in the refrigerator overnight,  rinse them in cold water and place them in a plastic container.  Pat them dry and season them with your choice of go to seasonings: salt pepper seasoning salt garlic powder  paprika I  always sit the container back in the refrigerator until it is fry time. Add enough vegetable oil to a frying pan or skillet until it is 1/2 full and let it heat slowly. Oil will begin to pop when it gets hot.  While oil is heating, add  1 TBSP of old bay seasoning to 2 cups of yellow cor...

I can't raise my hand high or fast enough :) Ice cream is comfort food. There is never an inappropriate time to indulge. Look at my surroundings. These photos were taken today. Yet, all I can think about is throwing down a nice bowl. Maybe it's the snow :) A few months ago I came across the brand " Halo Top " that claims their entire pint of lo cal ice cream is 240 calories. :/ Can you imagine being able to eat an entire pint of cool, creamy, goodness that will only cost you the equivalent of doing a few loads of laundry?  I've been trying to find the "eat the whole pint" brand of ice cream for months, and lo and behold my local Shop Rite in Poughkeepsie, NY has started carrying them. They were on sale for $2.88 a pint, so I decided to try them out.   The lemon cake flavor, which is my favorite cake-cake, seemed to be amongst the popular flavors, so I  decided to go for that one. Of course you can't go wrong with chocolate, so I scoope...

I can't raise my hand high or fast enough :) Ice cream is comfort food. There is never an inappropriate time to indulge. Look at my surroundings. These photos were taken today. Yet, all I can think about is throwing down a nice bowl. Maybe it's the snow :) A few months ago I came across the brand " Halo Top " that claims their entire pint of lo cal ice cream is 240 calories. :/ Can you imagine being able to eat an entire pint of cool, creamy, goodness that will only cost you the equivalent of doing a few loads of laundry?  I've been trying to find the "eat the whole pint" brand of ice cream for months, and lo and behold my local Shop Rite in Poughkeepsie, NY has started carrying them. They were on sale for $2.88 a pint, so I decided to try them out.   The lemon cake flavor, which is my favorite cake-cake, seemed to be amongst the popular flavors, so I  decided to go for that one. Of course you can't go w...