Sex and the City

I have gotten to a point in my life where I felt old and boring even though I am young and vibrant. Daily life has become mundane and even off days have become either routine or even more stressful with trying to catch up on what was not done on my work days. I am a mother to a 17 month old baby boy and fiance to a hard working man. All of our family is back home in Memphis, TN while we are the only ones in Virginia. Life is tough for me. It's truly the hard knock life. So how do you change that? I always wish that my life is like Sex and the City. The women are fabulous and they seem to have it all, great fashion, great friends, great job, great social life, great balance overall. This is what's missing from my life. The first thing I decided to do to be about that life, lol, is revamp my wardrobe.

I am lucky to have a fantastic older sister who lets me know about all the latest trends and cool places to shop so I ordered a few key items and will continue to do so every now and then until the wardrobe is completely just fab. A big thing for me is time management. I wake up early enough in the morning to throw myself together and get my son ready for daycare. So I have to either learn to wake up a bit earlier for morning fab routine or find some short cuts. Wrapping my hair at night and choosing my outfits all make he morning easier. Setting out makeup and predetermining the look I'm going for works wonders. The weather plays a huge part in my wardrobe, but I have to just go for my look no matter what.

One large aspect of the Sex and the City Life that is not complete or even near it is that set group of friends. My friends, family, and even associates are all in other states so this will take some time. Trent and I plan on buying a new house either in Cali or northern Virginia and from there I will hope to be further along in my MBA program and closer to a job in my career field that might lead to great friends with common interests.

This life is not easy to come by. But I plan on continuing to strive for it because happiness is still along the way. Anywho, got some spring cleaning to do and doctor's appointment for baby on this off day of mine. Setting myself up for success. I love clean house, healthy happy baby, and a happy man :)

More sessions to come. . .

Simply Ahkeeia

So I decided to change the name of this blog from Ahkeeia's Food Blog, to simply Ahkeeia's Blog. Reason? I have still not gotten into the much needed habit of writing down all of my recipes when I cook and I have other things I want to talk about that extend beyond food, like style, fashion, politics, entertainment, babies, relationships, etc. Pretty much everything in life. I hope that you all join in on the conversations and feel free to create new topics of discussion.  :)

Chicken Tortilla Soup

So I wanted to start the soup posts with one that is very popular with most crowds. Chicken Tortilla soup is a great mix between Mexican flavors with American influences. Here's how I did it:

Serves: 4

So there are 3 parts to this recipe.

Part 1: Cook the chicken
1 lb     Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 T  Olive oil
1 T     Garlic powder
1 T     Fajita seasoning
1/2 T  Seasoning salt
The juice of half a lemon
The juice of half a lime

Season the chicken with the spices and squeeze the citrus juice and olive oil over the top. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.

While the chicken is baking, move on to part 2.

Part 2: Start the soup
1 T       Olive Oil
1          Medium onion, chopped
1          Medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 T       Jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1 tsp    Black pepper
2 tsp    Crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups  Chicken stock (Divided)
2 cans  Fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 T       Cumin
1 tsp     Seasoning salt
1 T       Fajita seasoning
1/2 can Sweet whole kernel corn
1/2 can Black beans

Heat a large pot to medium high heat. When heated, add the olive oil, onion, bell pepper, black pepper and jalapeno peppers and cook until soft. About 10 minutes.

Add 1 cup of chicken stock and both cans of diced tomatoes. Add the remaining seasonings. Stir and cook for 20 minutes.

When the chicken has finished baking, shred with 2 forks and set aside.

After the pot has been cooking for the additional 20 minutes, the mixture should have thickened. Add the rest of the chicken stock, chicken, corn, and black beans and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes.

Part 3: Make the Tortilla Strips
2      Small round flour tortillas
2 T   Olive Oil
2 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Sea salt

Heat a medium skillet with the olive oil.

Cut the tortillas into thin strips.

When the pan is heated, add the tortilla strips (a few at a time) and fry, turning once. About 20 seconds per side, until golden.

Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel. Sprinkle with paprika and salt.



Serve the tortilla strips on top of the soup and enjoy :)

New Year. New You.

So every year we all think up a great resolution that will improve our lives and get up closer to an ultimate goal. Most of us look into being more physically fit but fail to realize that we need to ensure we are eating the right amount of calories to reach that goal. The majority of us hate counting calories, myself included, but having a general idea is a great way to start your path to a new you if you desire a better body image. You can get that general idea by taking maybe 15 minutes out of your spare time to do an online assessment of where you are, where you want to be, and how much or little you need to eat to get there. From there try to watch what you eat as best you can and cook more so you can control the calories that we hate to count. It does get easier though especially once you generally know how many calories are in certain key foods you always eat.

I challenge everyone to stick to their goals this year longer than you stuck to your last year's goal. My goal is to become a person who loves to workout and another goal is to keep up with this blog. The ironic thing is, working out has thus far proven to be the easier of my two goals. I am working on gathering some creativity that I have lost over time to make this blog an exciting and interesting read for all.

This week, and for the remainder of January, I will focus on my cookbook and blog. More specifically, I am trying to go section by section picking and choosing recipes and then testing them out to finalize them.

So far in my "Soup, Stews, and the Like" Section of my future cookbook I have:

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Classic Chicken Noodle
Chili
Cheesy Potato
Beef Stew
Gumbo
Clam Chowder
Veggie Soup
Miso Soup
French Onion Soup
Mushroom Soup
Spicy Thai Soup
Lobster Bisque
She Crab Soup

I will probably be adding to and taking from this recipe title list as I determine the direction I want to go as far as food point of view. I think I will try to experiment with chicken and soup this week since I just bought chicken breasts. I will post the results.  :)

Happy Eating and don't forget to try and stick to your goals this year no matter how hard. We can do it!!

Merry Christmas!!

The holidays are always filled with family and celebrations over some good food. I am use to spending this time of year in Memphis, TN with my large family exchanging gifts and catching up on old times. This year was spent at my home in Virginia with my fiance', Trent, and my 14 month old son, Cris. Initially I wasn't going to do anything at all, but last night I decided to head to Walmart before they close to pickup a few items to create my very own Christmas Dinner. So what's on the menu? Roasted Cornish Hens, wild rice, brussel sprouts, and a sweet potato mash. I have included the recipe for the mash as my weekly recipe. Hope you all enjoy and share your thoughts about the holidays and your favorite seasonal meals.


Sweet Potato Mash- serves 4

1 1/2 lbs   Sweet Potato- peeled, diced
1/2 cup     Milk
2 T           Butter
1/3 cup     Brown sugar
1 tsp         Cinnamon

Place diced sweet potato in a pot and cover with water.

Boil for 35 minutes or until very tender.

Drain water.

Add milk and butter and whisk until smooth. (A few chunks are okay. I like texture)

Add the brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir in.

Serve and enjoy.

This recipe is not as sweet as your normal candied yams you would eat, but it is equally delicious and with substitutes for the sugar and butter, like honey, can be a quicker and healthier option.

Beer Battered Coconut Shrimp

As promised, here it is, the first of many weekly creations to come. This week its Beer Battered Coconut Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce. Here's how to do it. . .

This recipe serves 1 person. Be sure to multiply the ingredients if you need more servings.

6             Shrimp, peeled, de-veined, tail-on, large
1/4 cup   Flour (For batter)
1 T         Flour (For dredging)
1 tsp       Salt
 1 tsp      Pepper
1 tsp       Cayenne Pepper
1/4 cup   Panko Bread Crumbs
3/4 cup   Beer (Preferably a dark beer. I user Shiner Bock)
1/4 cup   Shredded Sweetened Coconut
3 cups    Canola Oil
3 T         Ketchup
1 T         Horseradish Sauce

1.) Make sure your shrimp is already peeled. - Very important.

2.) Pre-heat oil in a medium pot to medium high.

3.) In a small sauce container, mix the ketchup and horseradish sauce together. Set aside in fridge to cool.

4.) Set up your batter station. Gather 3 small containers. Fill the first with the 1 T of flour. In the second container mix the rest of the flour, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, panko, and beer. The third container should be filled with the shredded coconut.

5.) One by one dredge the shrimp in the flour, then dip in the batter. Be sure to shake off any excess batter. Press shredded coconut onto the shrimp and set aside. Repeat until all 6 shrimp are coated.

6.) Fry the shrimp in the oil for 2-3 minutes, turning half way. Fry until golden.

7.) Drain on a paper towel.

8.) Serve with the cocktail sauce and enjoy.


I hope you all enjoy this dish as much as I do. If you have any suggestions, as always, feel free to comment. :)

Back in Action!!

It has been quite some time since I have created a new post. Life has been busy and I have lost sight of the things that make me happy the most. I have found a new motivation that I want to thank my brother for. So here is what's in store. . . Weekly posts will consist of the new recipes I've tried. So I don't have to worry about what another does or does not eat, I'm cooking these recipes on my off days where it's just me and my 14 month old son Cristopher. Trent will be at work and I get to have "Me" time.

The first weekly recipe will be posted tomorrow. I want to do a shrimp recipe. I'm thinking maybe Coconut Shrimp with a dipping sauce, Shrimp Po'Boy, or maybe Thai Shrimp. Whichever one I decide, a post will be put up with a great recipe and tips. I'm so excited to have this new beginning and to begin sharing my passion again.

If you have any ideas for recipes or ingredients you'd like to see, feel free to comment and I'll be sure to make it happen for you.