Whatcha' Got Cookin'

06/09/2021

We’re open in Buena Park at Sugar Plum! There are so many fun, unique finds here: clothes, collectibles, jewelry, candles, etc. And, of course, gourmet foods! 😋👩‍🍳😉 We are open today until 7 at the Buena Park mall so come by, find some fun hinges, and say, “Hi!” And, to all of our FB friends, remember to move over to our new page, https://www.facebook.com/Whatcha-Got-Cookin-100505072266741

06/08/2021

Hello Whatcha’ Got Cookin’ fans! It has come to our attention that our page was compromised and we have created a new page. If you are a FB user and follower would you please like and follow us at:

https://www.facebook.com/Whatcha-Got-Cookin-100505072266741

Thank you!

Founded by two fun foodies, we offer locally-made seasonings and mixes to help every person easily create delicious meals.

06/03/2021

Today we wanted to share a colorful, healthy salsa that’s great for a dip or a topping for tacos. Black Bean and Corn Salsa is easy to make, healthy and so pretty and colorful that it may become your “go to” dish to bring to parties! You combine all the ingredients, except tomatoes and avocado, together and let them chill. Right before serving add the tomatoes and avocado, stir, and serve with chips or as a taco topping. Here’s the recipe:
Black Bean and Corn Salsa
2 cans black beans, drained
1 16oz can of corn, drained
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
6 Tbsp fresh lime juice
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup red onion, chopped fine
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, chopped

Mix first 8 ingredients together in a bowl.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cover and refrigerate until cold. This can even be prepared a day ahead .
Mix the tomatoes and avocado into the salsa.
Serve and happy partying!


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06/02/2021

Gourmet French Fries are not hard to make using common ingredients! Yes, this favorite restaurant and event treat can be enjoyed at home. You only need the following ingredients:
A bag of frozen french fries
Olive oil
Chopped garlic
Chopped fresh parsley
Kosher salt
Grab a bag of fries from the store that will serve your group, usually about 2 lbs. Now, following the package directions, you want to bake or fry the French fries until they are crispy. (This would be great time to try that AirFryer you got and haven’t used yet.😉) While your fries cook, finely chop about 1/4-1/2 cup of parsley for garnish and some garlic, around a 1/2 cup of you don’t want the fries too garlicky and more if you like lotsa’ garlic. Add about 1/4-1/2 cup oil oil to a medium pan and add the garlic. Simmer on low heat until the garlic is soft and golden. Be sure you don’t burn the garlic or it will taste bitter. Right before you are going to pull your fries from the oven, pour the olive oil and garlic into a large bowl. Add the parsley and sprinkle with salt. When your fries are crispy and golden brown remove them from the oven and pour them into your large bowl. Gently toss the fries so that they are all evenly coated. Move the fries from the bottom of the bowl to the top to evenly distribute the garic, parsley and salt on each fry. Plate your fries and add salt if needed. You will be the hit of any gathering with these fries!
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05/31/2021

Today is Memorial Day and we wanted to remember those men and women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice serving us and our nation. Thank you for both our safety and our freedom!

05/27/2021

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to share some fun with friends and family again at picnics and potlucks. If you are too, then this Cornbread Salad recipe is a great pick! It’s easy to make and doesn’t require any unusual ingredients. However, this slightly different southwest-inspired salad is so tasty. AND, it goes with so many different main dishes: grilled burgers or dogs, fried chicken, or ribs, making it an easy take-along for parties when you might not know what everyone else is bringing.

CORNBREAD SALAD (serves 10)
1 box Jiffy Cornbread Mix
2 15 oz cans pinto beans, drained & rinsed
2 15 oz cans corn, drained
3 medium tomatoes, chopped (Roxanne uses Roma tomatoes)
2 C. grated cheddar cheese
1 C. mayonnaise
1 C. sour cream
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
1/2 C. green onions, chopped
1/2 C. green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 C. red bell pepper, chopped

1. Bake cornbread according to directions. Cool.
2. In a bowl, mix the mayo, sour cream, and ranch dressing together to create your dressing.
3. Chop the green onions and both peppers. Put into a large bowl.
4. Add the beans and corn to the bowl. Crumble in the cornbread.
5. Mix together and top with the dressing. Mix everything together and chill.
Let us know how this turned out for you!

05/26/2021

Do you have plans this holiday weekend? Maybe a potluck or barbecue with friends and family? This great recipe is from my sister, Carla. It’s easy, tasty, can be modified for vegetarians, and can easily be doubled to serve a crowd.

Carla’s Beans (serves 6)
28oz vegetarian baked beans
4-6 slices of bacon (omit for vegetarian)
3/4 cup chopped onion (cooked)
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (use a vegetarian substitute)
1 Tbsp dry mustard
Cayenne (to taste)
Black pepper (to taste)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Fry bacon until crispy, crumble and set aside. Reserve about 2 Tbsp of bacon grease.
3. Using the reserved bacon grease, sauté the onion until soft.
4. Drain beans.
5. Mix all ingredients together. If it looks too dry, add a bit more ketchup.
6. Pour into a baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes.
So fire up the barbecue or meet up for a potluck. Enjoy!

05/21/2021

Who doesn’t love S’mores? But sometimes you just don’t have a handy campfire. Well, S’mores Cookies have the the flavor of this classic, minus the mess. ( I know, it’s so much more fun to have this treat with a warm sticky marshmallow, a piece of broken Hershey bar, held together with a slightly broken graham cracker. Oh, and sticky hands and a stick too, but maybe that was only my fun experience! ) We found this fun, easy recipe at thespruceeats.com. These cookies have a rich, buttery cookie bottom topped with a square of chocolate bar and a toasted marshmallow. Now, a little disclaimer here, our cookies didn’t look quite like the ones on the website. We have all seen the Pinterest fails, well, our cookies spread a bit too much so they look more like fried egg cookies. 😂😂. But, this is part of the fun of cooking. You try something new, if it doesn’t turn out quite like you expected, try it again and see what went awry. So, we are going to go back to the kitchen and try “s’more” to make our cookies look as good as the ones in the recipe. We’ll keep you posted and if you make this tasty cookie, let us know how yours turned out. Enjoy! 🏕🏕

05/19/2021

The perfect, easy, versatile curry chicken salad! Our Coconut Curry Chicken Salad mix only needs two cans of chicken, I like to use the Costco brand, and one cup of plain yogurt, not Greek yogurt. The mix has our curry blend, dried coconut and golden raisins. It’s a perfect blend of sweet and savory. To make this easy salad, combine the mix with the yogurt. Once it’s blended together, add in the two cans of well-drained chicken and stir it all together. Let it chill for at least two hours but overnight is even better. Our Coconut Curry Chicken Salad is so versatile! Serve on a croissant, salad greens or a lettuce wrap for a quick meal. An easy appetizer is filling endive leaves with the salad and topping it with chopped dry-roasted peanuts. You can order the mix directly from us and have it ready to use anytime you are looking for an easy meal or appetizer! Enjoy!

05/13/2021

Are you looking for a tasty healthy soup that’s great as a starter soup or a surprisingly filling main course? The answer is Spinach and Cilantro Soup with Tahini and Lemon. I know, it’s a mouthful, but this easy soup is so springy with its fresh green color and is chocked full of healthy spinach and cilantro. You can even make it a vegetarian or vegan friendly soup by using vegetarian stock.
So, you make a sauce that you drizzle on by combining tahini, fresh lemon juice, garlic, salt, cumin and red pepper flakes. Set that aside. Get a large pot and bring your stock to a boil, then stir in your spinach, cilantro, a bit more salt and some more tahini. Add a bit more lemon juice too. Now, you can use an immersion blender if you have one to purée the soup. I don’t have one so I used my blender and ladled the soup in and puréed it. That worked fine too. 😀 Ladle your soup into bowls and drizzle the sauce on it. Add additional lemon and salt if desired. Serve it up with a nice roll. 😋
That’s it! Thanks to NYTCooking for this recipe. Enjoy!

05/12/2021

Need an easy recipe that will impress your guests? Do you want everyone to know that you have figured out how to cook over the last 12 months or so? If that’s you, then this easy recipe might be your new “go to” company meal. Rosemary Pork Tenderloin is so easy! You create a wet rub of Dijon mustard, rosemary, garlic and pepper. Slather that on your pork tenderloins then bake on a bed of rosemary stems and smashed garlic. Slice and serve with an easy side dish and a nice salad. (This would also be nice with chicken instead of pork.) Boom! So pour a nice glass of wine and do a little silent cheers with yourself because you got this!! 👩‍🍳

ROSEMARY PORK TENDERLOIN
INGREDIENTS
Rub Mix
1/3 C. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp chopped rosemary leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced

2 pork tenderloins, about 1 lb each
4 stems, rather long, fresh rosemary
3 cloves garlic, smashed

DIRECTIONS
1. Grab a bowl and mix the rub ingredients together. Slather it all over the pork tenderloins. Wrap the tenderloins in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for an hour, or more.
2. Preheat the oven to 375.
3. Spray a roasting or baking pan with non-stick spray. Place the rosemary stems and smashed garlic on the bottom of the pan. Remove the plastic wrap from the tenderloins and place the meat on top of the rosemary and garlic.
4. Place the pan in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Check the temperature of the meat with a probe thermometer, until it reaches an internal temperature of 160:degrees. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice, serve and enjoy!

05/06/2021

Do you know what special day this is today? It’s National Nurses Day! We wanted to give a BIG THANK YOU to all the nurses out there who have worked hard to keep our medical facilities up and running during this difficult time. Under the easiest circumstances, nursing is a demanding, tiring calling. Helping people who need the most loving care and are sometimes feeling (and acting) their worst is challenging. We appreciate all of your hard work! Today, we wanted to single out our favorite nurse, Catie Johnson, Lisa’s daughter-in-law. She graduated last year with both a Bachelor’s degree and an RN. She is an ER nurse and that area of the hospital is always a hopping place!
So we asked Catie which of our meals was her favorite and she said, “Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad.” That is also one of Eric, her husband’s, favorites. But, they LOVE it served as a hot pasta dish. So, one mix that can be made two different ways. To prepare it, you only need 2-3 cups of cooked chicken and 1 cup of ranch dressing. The super easy directions are on the package. If you think it looks yummy in the picture, you can order some from us .Thanks again to Catie and all other nurses for their hard work!