Sugar Passion

16/07/2025

Portuguese Shepherd’s Pie with Ground Beef & Vinho Verde 🇵🇹
Comfort food with bold, rustic Portuguese flavor! Perfect for dinner or meal prep.

🥩 Beef Layer Ingredients:
3 lbs ground beef
½ cup Vinho Verde (Portuguese white wine)
1 small can tomato sauce or tomato puree (about 6 oz)
1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 dry bay leaf (remove after cooking)
½ tsp dry red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
Salt to taste
½ cup beef stock
2 tbsp cornstarch
½ cup frozen peas and carrots
🥔 Mashed Potato Topping:
2½ to 3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled & quartered
½ tsp salt (for boiling water)
Warm milk (to desired consistency)
Butter or olive oil (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste
Optional: Shredded cheese (mixed into mash or sprinkled on top)
Optional garnish: Chopped chives or parsley
🔪 Instructions:
Prepare the Meat Layer:
In a large skillet, sauté chopped onion until soft.
Add ground beef and cook until browned. Drain excess grease.
Add garlic, smoked paprika, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, and salt. Stir well.
Add the white wine and let it simmer for 2–3 minutes.
Stir in tomato sauce or puree about 6 oz.
In a cup, whisk 2 tbsp cornstarch with ½ cup beef stock until smooth. Add to meat mixture.
Cover and simmer on medium heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add frozen peas and carrots, mix well, and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off heat, cover, and set aside.
Make the Mashed Potatoes:
Boil potatoes in salted water until fork-tender (about 15–20 min).
Drain and return to pot over low heat to dry out any excess water.
Mash thoroughly and mix in warm milk to desired creaminess.
Add butter or olive oil if using, then season with salt and pepper.
Optional: Stir in shredded cheese.
Assemble the Shepherd’s Pie:
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
In a Pyrex or oven-safe baking dish, spread a thin layer of mashed potatoes (½ inch).
Add all of the meat mixture.
Top with a thick layer (1½–2 inches) of mashed potatoes. Use a fork to create texture on top.
Optional: Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.
Bake & Finish:
Bake at 375°F for about 25–30 minutes, until heated through.
Broil for the last 5–10 minutes until golden brown on top. Watch the broiling ut can burn easily.
Garnish with chopped parsley or chives if desired.
🍷 Pairs perfectly with a chilled glass of Vinho Verde!
💬 Let me know if you try it or make your own twist!

23/05/2025

Mango Chia Pudding
A wholesome, make-ahead breakfast or snack layered with creamy yogurt, fresh fruit, and crunchy toppings. This recipe is naturally sweetened, packed with nutrients, and easy to customize.

Ingredients (Serves 1):

For the Chia Pudding:

-2 tablespoons chia seeds
-½ cup unsweetened almond milk (or your preferred milk)
-1 teaspoon pure maple syrup (optional)
-¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
-A pinch of ground cinnamon (optional)

For the Layers:

-4 tablespoons vanilla Greek yogurt (such as Two Good Blended Vanilla)
-½ cup fresh diced mango (or other fruit: blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, blackberries, etc.)
2 tablespoons granola (such as MadeGood Mini Granola, crushed)
-Drizzle of maple syrup, to taste

Optional Toppings & Variations

-Shredded coconut (for a tropical version)
-Pumpkin purée + pumpkin spice (for a fall version)
-Additional fruit, diced or puréed, depending on preferred texture

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Chia Pudding:
In a mason jar or small bowl, combine the chia seeds and almond milk. Stir thoroughly to prevent clumping. Cover and refrigerate for 5 minutes.
Remove from the fridge and stir again to break up any lumps. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until thickened.

2. Assemble the Pudding:
When ready to serve, layer the chia pudding with 4 tablespoons of vanilla yogurt.

3. Add Fruit and Toppings
Spoon the diced mango (or your chosen fruit) over the yogurt layer. Top with crushed granola and a light drizzle of maple syrup for sweetness.

Optional Variations

For a tropical twist, add diced pineapple, kiwi, or mango, and top with dried coconut and granola.
For a cozy fall flavor, mix in pumpkin purée and a dash of pumpkin spice before layering.

Notes

This recipe is ideal for meal prep and can be made a day in advance.
Adjust the sweetness and spice levels to suit your taste.
vegan? Use plant-based yogurt and ensure your granola is dairy-free.

05/05/2025

Happy Cinco De Mayo made some Chicken White Bean Chili, Baked Spicy Chips, Roasted Tomato Salsa Verde, Pico De Gallo, and Black Bean Corn Salsa

Roasted Tomato Salsa
I roasted the following
2 large tomatoes (washed, dried and quartered )
5 tomatillos (washed, dried and quartered )
1/4 white onion (washed, dried and quartered )
1/4 medium Jalapeño
1/4 medium Pablano Chili
Spray with olive oil , roast at 425 F preheated oven, for 25 minutes
When out of oven let cool for 10 minutes, blend till smooth with 4 springs of washed cilantro, 4 garlic cloves (peeled) salt and pepper to taste and fresh lime juice.
Tips used parchment paper to line baking pan for easier clean up. Adjust salt, pepper and lime juice to your liking.

23/04/2025

Mediterranean Bowls with Chicken and Shrimp Shrimp and Chicken marinated separately with Avocado Oil, Dry oregano and fresh lemon juice let marinate for 30 minutes. Shrimp sautéed till done I added 3 slivered garlic cloves. Chicken can be grilled or broiled till done and I like my chicken a little crispy. Bowl had cooked lentils according to package salt optional. Chopped English Cucumbers, Chopped Red Onions, Chopped Tomatoes, Basmati Rice I made earlier (optional), drained canned chickpeas, Greek yogurt sauce made with black pepper, fresh chopped dill and lemon juice. Feta cheese and olives are optional as a salty topping and great flavor. You can make a separate vinaigrette with olive oil or avocado oil, fresh lemon juice and black pepper (salt optional) to drizzle all over everything. Can be served over a bed of lettuce, cauliflower rice or quinoa .

19/04/2025

Good Friday Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Nova Lox, Capers, Red Onion Cream Cheese Everything Bagels, Salmon Sushi Rolls, Salmon Bites and Shrimp Garlic Lemon Pasta 🐟 Belly

To prepare the sushi, I used fresh salmon fillets that I trimmed into long strips  about 1 inch thick and 4 inches long and completely skinless. (I divided my salmon into some strips and some into little tiny squares because I used the raw butes for sushi cups)  Season with a little black pepper and sautéed lightly in a frying pan till thoroughly cooked with a little truffle oil till golden brown .  When the sushi was done, I let it rest on a plate while cooking the other pieces. Meanwhile, I made sushi rice I prepared as directed on the package. I washed my rice really well and drained it. I used 2 cups of washed rice and 3 cups of water and cooked for 20 minutes with lid.  I’ll let my rice cool down for 20 minutes and seasoned it in a bowl with a little salt and 3 teaspoons of rice wine vinegar..  For the rolls I used nori seeweed sheets. The filling for some of the rolls was my cooked salmon, raw thin carrot matchsticks, cucumber matchsticks and some had avocado. My sushi toppings were avocado, chipotle mayo (I see avocado oil based mayo), black russe caviar, and crunch onions. The sushi bites I filled my nori squares with prepared sushi rice, raw salmon season with sugar free teriyaki sauce and placed it on top of nori squares, and topped with sesame seeds. Pooped in the oven at 375 F till golden brown and completely cooked, topped with chipotle mayo and avocado (caviar is optional)

10/03/2025

Cookie Trays for the 65th Tic Toc Event: Teaching Culture and Art to children.
Brownies Funfetti Cookies Chocolate Chip Cookies Strawberry Cookies #

01/01/2025

25/12/2024

Catered party for 100 people
Very casual Company Christmas party
Menu
Chicken Garlic
Penne with Meat Sauce
Roasted Pernil (Toasted Crispy Shredded Pork)
Green Salad
White Rice
Italian Sweet and Spicy Sausage with Sautéed Onions
Arroz con Gandules (Porto Rican Style Rice
Chocolate Cake with Ganache
Rum Cake