In the Pot

Who doesn't love pasta? Cajun Chicken & Sausage Penne

If you love Italian and Cajun food like us, you will truly enjoy this mix of the two! We put this delicious dish together for a special client this weekend and you know we had to save some for ourselves. Bon Appetit! 


 Ingredients:

      

        Serves 2 to 4 people

• 4 ounces penne pasta
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 8 ounces of smoked turkey sausage( sliced into small circles)
• 4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves of chopped garlic
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 4 fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup of dry white wine
• ½ cup of chopped spinach
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Place the chicken, sausage and the Cajun seasoning in a plastic bag. Shake to coat. In a large skillet over medium heat add butter and garlic saute until translucent then add the chicken and sausage ,saute,until almost tender (7 to 10 minutes).

Add the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, mushrooms, spinach and green onion. Saute and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat. ( If the pan is getting dry add another pat of butter  or tbsp of olive oil)

Add the cream, wine,  salt, and ground black pepper. Heat through. Add the cooked penne, toss and heat through.  Pull one chicken breast  out with a fork and cut open slightly to ensure it is fully cooked( Their shouldn't be any red). Chicken should be cooked to internal temperature of 165 degrees . If fully done sprinkle whole dish with grated Parmesan cheese and serve

Chicken seasoned and browning with fresh garlic!

We love veggies!( mushrooms, peppers, and spinach)

Alfredo sauce!

Finished product! Hungry yet?

Summer = Good People, Good Food, & GOOD TIMES!

Growing up a child of the 70's in the mid-west their was nothing like the excitement I felt when SUMMER FINALLY ARRIVED! Almost 7 months of snow and cold weather was enough to drive the sane towards insanity.

Summer hit, school was out and the days seemed to last forever. The family BBQ's  and soul music still linger in my mind. One moment in particular was when I would get in Marilyn Louise's ( My Mother) Gremlin ( Yes the name of a Car made in the 70's) and she would turn on the radio. One song that came on in the summer of 79 that still takes me back to those days was 'Good Times" by Chic! 

I didn't appreciate it then, but looking back those were really "Good Times". Riding shot gun with Mom's windows down on our way to one of my Auntie's summer BBQ you couldn't tell me then their was  anything better!

Enjoy the summer and this family potato salad recipe along with music and images from those days!

                          

Aunt Bessie May’s Potato salad recipe

(Serves about 10-15 people)

5 lbs. potatoes
1 doz. eggs                                            
1/2 c. mustard                             

Salt and pepper to taste
4 lg. onions(finely diced)
1 sm. jar sweet pickle relish
1 c. mayonnaise

Boil potatoes until tender, cut into bite size. Boil eggs, cut into small pieces. Mix the potatoes, eggs, onions, mustard, sweet pickle relish and mayonnaise together, salt and pepper to taste. Additional mustard and mayonnaise can be added for a moister texture. To bring out the flavor, chill overnight.




Mom

                                                         
     

The Gremlin 



                      

MASHED YAMS Recipe: Roasting releases the natural sugars! YUM!

MASHED YAMS

We love YAMS!!

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients:

4 to 6 medium size yams

8 oz unsalted butter

Cinnamon

Olive Oil

Utensils:

Small roasting pan, mixing bowl, small boiling pot,  masher or large spoon, small peeling knife 

Cooking Steps: 

Remove dirt from yams with cold water and then pat dry – Rub yams generously with olive oil - Set oven to 400 degrees - Place yams on sheet pan or shallow baking dish and roast for about 60 minutes (or until you can take a fork and poke right through without resistance) - Take out of oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes – Remove skin from yams with hands or small pairing knife - Place yams in a mixing bowl and set aside – Place butter in a small boiling pot and put on stove top and turn burner on medium - Allow butter to melt and cook until you see the top literally turn BROWN (About 10 minutes) - Once brown, pour butter on YAMS and mash with spoon or masher – add more brown butter if you would like sweeter - Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve

TIP: Roasting YAMS in the oven allows for the natural sugars underneath the skin to caramelize – no sugar needed!

TheCASHFLOW - View Features

TheCASHFLOW - View Features

Humbled to be feature on the this wonderful website! Thanks to Angela, Brian, & Ryan!

From a Slave to Published Author: The Journey of Rufus Estes

As the saying goes, " It's not where you start but how you finish"
Rufus Estes, the youngest of nine, was born into slavery in Murray County, Tennessee in 1857. 

After being freed at 10 years old his family moved to Nashville to live with his grandmother. Young Rufus was required to do many chores around the house, including cooking.  At the age of 16 he started working in a Nashville restaurant.  Five years later at the age of 21, Rufus left for Chicago hoping to find more work.

By 1883 Rufus begin working for the prestigious Pullman railroad company as a porter. During this time Pullman employed the largest number of African-Americans in the country.  Gordon Parks, Malcolm X, and Oscar Micheaux were once employed by the Pullman Company.


Ambitious, Rufus worked his way up to Chef & Manager of several private cars traveling across the world and cooking for distinguished guests including President Grover Cleveland and British explorer Henry Morgan Stanley!

2011 marks the 100th anniversary of  Rufus' published cookbook titled, "Good Things to Eat, as Suggested by Rufus: A Collection of Practical Recipes For Preparing Meats, Game, Fowl, Fish, Puddings, Pastries, Etc.!" He was the one of the first African-Americans to accomplish this extraordinary feat!

The book features recipes from his rural southern roots to the ultra-exclusive world of the Pullman cars!Only about 12 original copies of his books survived by the time it was finally reprinted in 1999.


What a life! We salute you Rufus!


This story is sponsored by:

World Wide Nate!


Nathan Fluellen is a consummate traveler and lives by his motto “travel the world and have the time of your life”!

Nathan is a graduate of Tennessee State University. During his studies there, he befriended a professor who had traveled to more than 80 countries. Instantly intrigued, Nathan immediately knew he needed to figure out how to make traveling the world his profession! To satisfy the urge, upon graduation, Nathan began managing tours for various Fortune 500 companies. This kept him busy traveling domestically, but he knew there was much more of the world to explore.

Nathan’s first international trip to Barcelona, Spain transformed his entire outlook on the world. He realized that although people have differences we are all the same. The experience of new culture, food, fashion, architecture, and mindset unleashed the desire to find that in every corner of the world.

Nathan’s thirst for Travel over the years has brought him to four continents and 19 countries. Some of which include Taiwan, Honduras, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Sweden, England, France, Italy, China, Bahamas, and Japan.

The beauty of diversity constantly inspires Nathan to explore other cultures. This love of travel compelled Nathan to share it with family and friends and has since grown to his own website and blog, www.worldwidenate.com. Here he shares his adventures and reveals his secrets on how to have the time of your life traveling the world. During his travels, Nathan covers everything from dusk till dawn, culinary cuisine, shopping, spa’s, night life, historical sites…… just to name a few. Utilize Nathan’s experiences to plan your next vacation. So come take a peak and see how Nathan can be your guide to living a global lifestyle!!!

There's JOY in the JOURNEY!

Of course Thanksgiving is a time to EAT & EAT & EAT and enjoy family, but how many of us really take a minute to reflect and give thanks for all the blessings that have been bestowed upon us despite ourselves?

This year I was blessed to have the opportunity to fly to Arizona and cook Thanksgiving dinner for a wonderful family. As I drove to the airport that morning I was a little tired from rising at 5:30am to catch the flight, but as soon as I arrived in the home and begin to dig through ingredients and set up the kitchen for the day, a feeling of thankfulness hit me like a jolt of caffeine!

I never thought or dreamed 3 years ago when I walked by faith and started YAMS Catering ( along with encouragement from my wife, mentor, friends and family) that GOD would've blessed me with this kind of opportunity ! Humbled, I begin to cut, chop, saute, mix, taste, and boil for the next twelve hours with a fuel of gratefulness that's hard to describe!

The next day when it was time to fly back to California I thought about the lesson and one of the things that jumped out is "There's JOY IN THE JOURNEY"! So many of us ( Myself included) get frustrated, impatient, or just plain old ungrateful chasing our dreams that we miss the accomplishments and joy that we experience in the process! Take time to reflect and refuel on your way to whatever your purpose is, GOD knows when we are ready for our vision to come to past, but he's also watching to see if we can see the JOY on the way there!?

Happy Holidays,

YAMS