June 2015 – Jones Home Kitchen

Sweet Fried Plantains

Hello and happy Tuesday! I’m very excited to share with you a very simple and delicious recipe for fried plantains.

Plantains, my favorite memory of cooking as a child. My mother would buy them and wait days before being able to make them. It was torturous waiting for the plantains to ripen up enough to make!! I would help my mom cut them and I would watch her do the rest. Within minutes the house would smell of the sweet plantains. Then I would steal one and gobble it down before my mom noticed!

Now usually when I go to the grocery store I can find a few of these gems hidden away by the bananas but, they are not ready to be cooked yet (of course!). I like to let them sit for about a week (give or take a day or two depending on how ripe they were when I bought them). The ultimate plantain is one that is almost completely black and soft, that’s when they’re the sweetest! So a little patience goes a long way with these!!

So, once you’ve found a couple stow them away for ripening (put in dark cold spot to help ripen quicker). I personally have always fried the plantains in vegetable oil, but there are other recipes that just use the oven to cook them. But I’m just going to use the method I’ve always used just for simplicity, authenticity and that’s the only way I’ve ever done them 😉

I start off with cutting off the ends of the plantains, then scoring the peel from top to bottom for peeling. Peel off the skin and cut the plantains at an angle so you have longer slices, cut about 1/4 inch thick or so. Warm up a skillet with vegetable oil for frying! Use medium low heat and fry until you notice the bottoms are started to get brown, about 5 minutes. Then flip over and do the same. When both sides are nice and brown they are all done!! How simple right?! I lay them on a sheet of paper towel just to soak up some extra oil. Let the plantains sit for a few minutes to cool down then you may enjoy!!

There you have it, sweet fried plantains. A Puerto Rican classic side dish, enjoy with some Arroz con Pollo, Arroz con Gandulez or just as a snack! I’m so happy to share a little slice of childhood with you and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do, thanks and as always, Enjoy.

Ingredients: Servings: 4
– 2 large ripe plantains
-3/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:
-Cut ends off of plantains, score down the side and peel.
– Cut 1/4 inch pieces at an angle
-Fry one side for approx. 5 minutes on medium/low heat or until bottoms are brown
-Fry other side until brown and enjoy!!

-Cris J.

Quick update!

Hey everyone, it’s been a busy weekend so far! So apologies for not posting any recipes. I’ve been working on a recipe for fried plantains so I will post very soon (tomorrow, hopefully!), and I also made some homemade pancakes yesterday that are my absolute favorite so I want to share that with you all as well 😉 so remember to come back soon and check out my page on Facebook to see more recipes that are being shared! Have a wonderful Sunday!

– Cris J

Jalapeno Popper Portobello’s

Hey there, just starting off with a quick cheesy and spicy side dish (or lunch in my case!) So these are jalapeno popper portobello mushrooms! So cheesy and gooey with some kick to them.
Okay so, I had a thing with mushrooms in the past, and by that I mean I used to HATE mushrooms with a passion. I think it may have been a texture thing and also because they are funny looking and I’m kind of weird that way. But anyways, since meeting my husband I’ve been trying new mushrooms and liking them! I started with shittake mushrooms, and by pan frying them they to me at least taste like bacon, so win win for me!! Now I’ve worked my way up to eating a whole portobello which is a huge accomplishment for me haha

. Portobello Mushroom, Jalapeno Pepper and Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Now onto the good stuff, the recipe for this delicious mushroom. I start with cutting out the stem to make it even to stuff and add some freshly ground black pepper.
Then I add a layer of cheese and add in some jalapenos, I prefer more because I love the spice but you can add as little as you’d like!

Mushroom with layer of cheese and peppers

And, another layer of cheese to finish it off!! You sure can never have too much cheese ya know. I also wet the bottom of the mushroom with some olive oil so it doesn’t stick to the pan, just enough to get it moist and a few drops on top to get the cheese melted quicker. Pop it into an oven preheated at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes (you will know it is done when the cheese is bubbling and the mushroom is soft)

And there you have it!! The Jalapeno Popper Portobello, what a treat! So cheesy and spicy. I love it as just a lunch or a side dish for dinner. Hope you try it soon and as always, Enjoy!

Ingredients: Servings: 1
– portobello mushrooms
-sharp cheddar cheese
-jalapeno peppers
-1/8th teaspoon black pepper
-2 tsp olive oil

Directions:
-Preheat Oven to 400 degrees
-Cut out the stem and season with black pepper
-Put first layer of cheese and jalapenos on top, then top off with cheese
-Cook for about 20 minutes or until mushroom is soft and the cheese is melted and bubbling!

-Cris J.

Green Powerhouse Smoothie

Okay so I know that I said I would do my first recipe post tomorrow but I have a couple of quick ones I’d like to share with you today!! Alright so this is my savory green smoothie, it’s packed with lots of flavor, nutrients and can be done in about 5 minutes or less. If you’ve made green smoothies before you know that they are very versatile and you can use whatever ingredients you have handy 😉 I enjoy making these smoothies to kind of clean out my fridge at the end of the week haha! For the smoothie pictured I used:
– 1 cup coconut water
– 2 cups packed baby spinach (organic, washed)
– 5 strawberries
– half a mango
– 1 tsp light agave nectar (or honey if preferred)

So, put all the ingredients in a blender and blend that bad boy until it’s nice and green and all the veggies/fruits are well blended! This makes 2 servings so share with a loved one and enjoy the lightly sweet but nutrient packed smoothie for breakfast, lunch or just a snack in between! As always, Enjoy!

-Cris J.

*Also please excuse the lousy pictures as I was too hungry the day I made these and just wanted to gobble it all up before I got a good shot in!

Happy Wednesday!!!

Hey everyone! Hope your having a great week so far! I just wanted to start off by saying that I’m so sorry for not posting in almost a week 😦 it has been a busy week, but hey that’s not a good enough excuse! Okay so, just a quick update here, I am finishing up the first recipe and will be posting tomorrow. It’s a delicious Greek Lemon Chicken that I know you will love. This is a recipe that my hubby looks forward to coming home and eating lol. So I sure hope that you enjoy it as much as we do! Hang tight and tomorrow I will kick off my first recipe. Be sure to check out my Facebook page Jones Home Kitchen as I post daily food motivations, share recipes from others, and interact with anyone that wants to contribute to the page! Have a great rest of your Wednesday, and stay tuned tomorrow for some yummy Lemon Chicken!!

-Cris J.

Welcome to Jones Home Kitchen!!

Hello all and welcome to Jones Home Kitchen! I wanted to start off with just introducing myself and why I decided to start my blog. My name is Cristina Jones and I am a new nurse in the emergency department (yikes! is the reaction I usually get). Helping people in their darkest hours is a passion of which I am blessed to have. I am a wife (of almost a year) to a wonderful man named Andrew and we have made our home in the beautiful city of Chicago. My passion for cooking began when I was very young, I come from a long line of great cooks, but my mother’s has always been my favorite. She is Puerto Rican and my father is Cuban so I luckily have learned many different techniques and styles of cooking from them both. In this blog I want to share my family recipes and approach a cleaner way of eating! I love using whole clean foods in my recipes, and also incorporating healthier alternatives when possible. In this blog I will include appetizers, entrees and some desserts (for those with a sweet tooth). I have for a few years now been wanting to start a blog and start sharing my recipes with others so here I go! Please bear with me and feel free to give suggestions about anything, I sure would love any help I can get! Well that’s all I have for now without boring ya, so check back real soon as I am working on my first recipe to share and it will for sure be a crowd pleaser this summer.

-Cris J.