Ingredients:
-1 cup sour cream
-2 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
-1 tbsp. lemon juice
-1 tsp. paprika
-1 tsp. ground black pepper
-1 tbsp. hot sauce
-1 tsp. Parmesan cheese
Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and mix together. Serve cold.
Enjoy,
Eric
I’m still working on the dough recipe but I’m getting closer to finding the taste I want. This is what I’m going for with this whole pizza thing. I get tired of eating one pizza with a few toppings so why not make a few with a bunch of different toppings?
Toppings used:
Pepperjack Cheese
Cilantro
Dry Salami
White onions
Mushrooms
Feta Cheese
Ham
BBQ Sauce (I’ll post the recipe later)
Red wine sauce
My pizza sauce
Garlic salt
Crushed Red Pepper
Almost ready to enjoy,
Eric
Pacman, you’ll find him.
Ingredients:
-4 thinly sliced yukon gold potatoes
Seasoning
-2 tbsp. chili powder
-1 tbsp. smoked paprika
-1 1/2 tsp. salt
-1 tsp. cayenne pepper
-1 tsp. garlic salt
Mix these ingredients in a small mixing bowl
In a deep fryer heat up canola oil to 350F. Dump in the potatoes, about 15-20 slices at a time, stir frequently. Line a strainer with paper towels. When the chips start to turn golden brown take them out and place them in the strainer. Take a pinch or two of the seasoning and pour over the chips and shake the strainer with the chips. Place chips on a separate plate and serve.
Enjoy,
Eric
Black bean and rice mountain
Ingredients:
-2 cups white steamed rice
-2 strips bacon cut into small pieces
-1/4 cup water
-2 tbsp sofrito
-2 tbsp tomato sauce
-1 tsp oregano
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tsp black pepper
-10 ounce can black beans, drained
In a medium sauce pan on high heat cook the bacon. Leave the bacon in the pan and reduce heat to medium. Add water, sofrito, tomato sauce, oregano, salt, pepper, and beans. Cover and cook for 15 minutes stirring frequently.
Pour black beans over rice and serve.
Enjoy,
Eric
I have a friend that hunts and catches fish in Alaska. He gave me a few different things to try out so I will be posting them shortly.
Ingredients:
Ground elk meat -I’m going to make a chili out of this
Elk Steak - Rosemary and wine something or other
3 sockeye salmon fillets- too many possibilities
1 smoked sockeye salmon- made a salmon chowder with a few friends of mine. I’m looking to turn it into a smoked seafood chowder with smoked oysters and another smoked shellfish so we’ll see.
Should be some good recipes coming your way. So check back often.
Eric
Here is a quick list of my recipes for your weekend football party:
-Cheese Dip
There you have it. Some easy recipes for your football party this weekend. This time next year I expect to triple that list so come back soon!
Ingredients:
-1 box velveeta
-8 oz can tomato paste
-2 tomatoes, diced
-1 jalapeno, minced
-2 tbsp chili powder
-2 tbsp hot sauce
-1 tsp cayenne pepper
Melt the cheese first in a medium sauce pan then add all the ingredients. Cook on medium heat, do not boil.
New dough recipe I’m working on so I’m not sure how long to cook and what to cook it with. It looks good and tastes fine but I’m not going to post a recipe yet. I’m in beta stage.
Don’t enjoy yet,
Eric
Add this to your dip arsenal. Wait, you don’t have a dip arsenal? Oh…..
Ingredients:
-4 ripe mashed avocados (they are ripe when you can shake them and you can feel the pit move
-1 tbsp. roasted red pepper
-2 tbsp. lemon juice
-1 tsp. lime juice
-1 tsp sour cream
-1 tsp chili powder
-1 tsp cayenne pepper
-t tsp salt
Mix them all together and you turn yourself around, that’s what it’s all about. Place covered mixture in refrigerator for about 15 minutes then serve.
Enjoy,
Eric
This is any easy pasta sauce that doesn’t take much work. It’s nothing special but it’s a quick and easy sauce you can make in under 45 minutes.
Ingredients:
-1 zucchini, chopped in big chunks
-1/2 onion, sliced thin
-1/4 cup tomato sauce
-1 can tomato paste 8oz
-1 can stewed tomatoes
-1/4 bottle red wine, use something you like
-1 tsp Italian seasoning
-1 tbsp paprika
-1 tbsp pesto
Saute the onions and zucchini in a medium sauce pan. Pour in the tomato sauce, paste, stewed, and wine. Heat for 15 minutes on medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Add the italian seasoning, paprika, and pesto. Cook for another 10 on medium heat.
Serve over pasta.
Enjoy
Eric
I’ve created a monster. Don’t think about how many calories are in this or if it is good for you. It’s dessert, of course it’s good for you.
Ingredients:
Fudge
-1 bag Godiva milk chocolate
-1 can condensed milk
-1 tbsp melted butter
Cheesecake
-1 stick cream cheese
-1 can condensed milk
-1 cup whipped cream
-1 tbsp vanilla extract
-4 tbsp. lavender reduction
Get a springboard pan and put a layer of shortening all around the inside.
Steep 5 tablespoons of lavender for 15 minutes. Take the liquid and heat in a small sauce pan on high heat for 10 minutes or or until 50% percent of the liquid is gone (lavender reduction).
In a mixing bowl mix the cream cheese until fluffy. Then stir in the condensed milk and vanilla extract slowly. Then fold in the whipped cream. Set aside.
In a medium sauce pan heat up the chocolate on low heat, stirring constantly. Once the chocolate is melted pour in the condensed milk and butter. Stir together and pour in springboard pan and place in refrigerator for 35 minutes or until the top of the fudge starts to get hard. Pour in cheesecake mixture, cover, and place in freezer for 2 hours. Once the cheesecake is set then it is ready to serve.
Enjoy,
Eric
Next time I make this I will make it in smaller glass serving cups instead of a springboard pan.
This takes all of 5 minutes to put together. It’s a refreshing salad that you can serve to anyone.
Ingredients:
Salad:
-1 romaine lettuce, chopped
-2 green olives
-1/2 yellow bell pepper
-4 strands green onions, chopped
-sliced ham
Sour cream Sauce
-1 tbsp. cilantro
-1/2 cup cilantro
-1/2 tsp. chili powder
-1/4 cup lemon juice
Combine all sour cream sauce ingredients together and place in fridge. Place salad ingredients inside of flour tortilla and wrap. Spoon sour cream sauce on top of wrap and sprinkle additional chili powder on top.
Enjoy,
Eric
While I was going to high school in Texas (Dad was in the Army so we moved a few times) I remember the Friday night football games being bigger than anything else in the planet. One thing that I remember being excited about, well besides football and performing during halftime as a band geek, was my trip to the concession stand and buying a Frito Pie.
Those crazy Texans really outdid themselves with this recipe. I really think it’s the end all says all of football party food and it deserves a post.
Ingredients:
-Bag of Fritos
-Chili (I’ll post a recipe for my chili after the bowl that is super)
-Cheese
On a plate dump some Fritos then pour some hot chili on top and then put some cheese on that.
It may sound disgusting and frankly, I don’t care what you think, try it and thank me later 
Mindy (my wife) and I were visiting local grocery stores last weekend in the search for different ingredients to use for cooking. We went to a grocery store that had a great selection of premium produce. Mindy needed some jelly and decided to buy a jelly that was made by the grocer. As we were driving home I checked out the ingredients list and it read as follows:
Red Raspberry Juice (concentrate, water), sugar, citric acid, citrus pectin.
I said, “you have got to be kidding me. We paid $3.99 for a 12 ounce can of jelly that is from concentrate and doesn’t contain actual fruit in it”. By fruit in it I mean fruit chunks and the simple appearance of fruit like existence. They might as well have put food coloring and added high fructose corn syrup (“Eric, high fructose corn syrup is good in moderation!!!” I hate that commercial with a passion).
The stuff looks like the cranberry in a can that you get during Thanksgiving, except for this stuff is $3.99 and mocks me while I sleep.
Here is where most of my inspiration comes from when I’m cooking, anger. There is absolutely no reason this stuff should be sold for $3.99 and passed off as a quality handcrafted product. They took the easy way out by using the juice concentrate.
Expect a few recipes from a little website called www.ericriveracooks.wordpress.com showing you how to make your own jelly for less than $3.99 per 12 ounce can. I’m doing research, I have a couple books checked out from the library and I promise to show you how to make a superior product.
I’m not even a big fan of jelly but the wife loves it so that’s all that matters to me.
Thanks for stopping by,
Eric “Jelly Making” Rivera
Ingredients:
-5 large russet potatoes cut in half lengthwise
-Olive oil
-Cheese, your preference
This is a very simple recipe. First preheat the oven to 400F. Then scoop out some of the inside of each potato so you can get a potato skin, not a baked potato. I like to create a little boat out each potato so I can stuff it full with toppings. Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil then place on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 35-45 minutes. Stick a fork in them and you will be able to tell when they are done when the potato is flaky. Once you take the potato out put the shredded cheese on.
Suggested toppings:
Bacon
Chives
Guacamole
etc………
Enjoy,
Eric
