It's been a WHILE!!!

Hello everyone! It's been quite a few months, huh? Well, I apologize for leaving you guys! I caught so much for "abandoning" you with no recipes for the past few months, but now I'm back and hopefully better than ever!!! :) 

I went through a death in the family, as most of you know, back in February. You all know how much my dad means to me and it was very unexpected when he passed, so I didn't take it lightly. I'm finally getting better and able to feel emotions again, so I won't be slacking on here anymore. I want to give a shout out to all of my family and ESPECIALLY friends who have helped me cope through the past few months. I know I have been hard to deal with and I'm still not over it, nor am I healed, but I'm coping and that's all I can do. So again: You guys know who you are! THANK YOU!

So anyway, silly 'ol me; I've probably lost followers within the past 6 months, but I'm finally back and I hope to continue and stick with my food blogging this time! I really enjoyed sharing my recipes with everyone when I first started this blog and, of course, I loved the feedback I got from everyone, whether it was through Facebook messages, e-mails, or on the blog itself, it felt great!

Today I started cooking and I felt that feeling I would always get when I knew I was about to food blog or come up with something fantastic. I kept telling people on Twitter and friends on Facebook that I would be starting my blog back up, but I just didn't think I was ready. Well, I AM! While I was cooking today I started taking my step-by-step pictures of the soup I made and by the end I was garnishing it and trying to make it look pretty. That's when I knew for sure that that recipe would make the blog! I'm really excited and I can't wait to start sharing again!

Now! Make sure you keep your eyes out for the next blog post which should show up sometime tomorrow!

And just to catch up with me, here are some pictures of what I've been up to for the past few months! :)

Birthday Beach Trip in February!

My cousin and best friend on Easter. I'm a dweeb. :)

The Easter Feast at my Aunt's house.

My daughter's birthday trip to Disney World!

And my family with my daughter's favorite Disney princess in Disney World!

 

Well there's that! Now don't forget about me these next few days and if you're enjoying the blog don't forget to put that follow button!!! I sure do love it when I see I have new followers! :D

Gingery Chickpeas in a Spicy Tomato Sauce Served with Cilantro Rice

What's up folks? It's me again! I know it's been a while, but I'm here with yet another amazing recipe! It's a must have and I hope you all enjoy it as much as my family did!!!

I found out about this recipe on Twitter and thought I would give it a try. I thought it would be a good recipe but I didn't expect to be so impressed by it. Even Stacy, who is the pickiest eater I know loved it and asks that I make it often. Of course you know by now that I will make the recipe my own, but if you would like to take a look at the original recipe, you can find it here. There are so many different bursts of flavors in this recipe and it's indescribably good!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb chicken, cut up into bite sized pieces

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 onion, large, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons minced ginger root

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

3 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes

2 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 container of fresh mushrooms

about a cup of fresh chopped cilantro

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or more, if desired)

Here's What I did:

I started by sauteing my onions over medium heat.

Once the aroma was kicked up a notch in my kitchen, I added the ginger, salt, pepper, garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper, mushrooms, and chicken. I let this cook until the chicken was cooked on the outside.

 Next I added the vinegar and diced tomatoes.

Once that was brought to a boil I stirred in my chickpeas and brought the heat to low. I let this simmer for about 45 minutes, like the original recipe suggests, and stirred occasionally.

At the very end I topped this with cilantro for garnish. I served this mixture over Cilantro Rice and that recipe can be found here.

I can't wait to have this dish again! It's bursting with so many different amazing flavors, and although I think the original recipe would have been delightful, I think my addition of mushrooms and chicken is what made this recipe so good!

Enjoy!!!