Welcome/bienvenidos to the official Taste of St. Mary’s University (StMU) blog showcasing the work of graphic design and multimedia students. We are gradually building an online cookbook as well as a community of students, staff, faculty, family, friends, Marianists, alumni, local businesses, media professionals and foodies through this special project.
Recipes, photos, videos and announcements will be posted hereafter. We encourage you to subscribe to our blog so you can get a Taste of StMU!
Apple Pie by Mariana Flores-Sosa Videography and Production by Ivan Leonel Briones
Mariana Flores-Sosa gives us the rundown and basics of making a great apple pie, why baking has become and escape for her, and how to approach cooking for first-timers. Learn how to make great food that is both simple and rewarding! To make this dish, follow the recipe listed below:
Ingredient
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 to 7 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pastry for double-crust pie
1 tablespoon butter
1 large egg white
Additional sugar
Directions
In a small bowl, combine the sugars, flour and spices; set aside. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice. Add sugar mixture; toss to coat. Line a 9-in. pie plate with bottom crust; trim even with edge. Fill with apple mixture; dot with butter.
Next, roll remaining crust to fit top of pie; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in crust. Beat egg white until foamy; brush over crust. Sprinkle with sugar. Cover edges loosely with foil. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 20-25 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack. Recipe by: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/apple-pie/
Daniela Cardona teaches us her quick and simple recipe for noodles! This dish takes little time to prepare and can be made with ingredients you have laying around! Do yourself a favor for flavor and WATCH NOW!
Ingredients
• 1 lb. linguine or noodles of your choice, cooked al dente
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Directions
Boil noodles to an al dente state. In a wok or large pan, put in butter to melt then add garlic and toss until fragrant. Add in noodles, and toss. Add in soy sauce, teriyaki and sugar and continue to toss until coated evenly. Turn off heat and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired and enjoy!
Quarantine Noodles by Natalie Serna Videography and Production by Joshua Duran
Junior St. Mary’s student Natalie Serna cooked her favorite dish, which is cavatappi pasta and other spices, that she learned during quarantine. start boiling water then add the cavatappi pasta noodles with a generous amount of salt. once the pasta is al dente, drain all the water. in a separate pan on the stove at a medium heat add the butter and spread around the pan then add the noodles. first add half a cup of white cheddar cheese, then one tablespoon pesto sauce and continue to stir. then add a teaspoon of truffle butter and sprinkle of cayenne pepper. add salt and pepper for taste.
Ingredients:
Cavatappi noodles
Pesto sauce
Butter
White sharp cheddar cheese
Truffle butter
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne
Directions: start boiling water then add the cavatappi pasta noodles with a generous amount of salt.
once the pasta is al dente, drain all the water.
in a separate pan on the stove at a medium heat add the butter and spread around the pan then add the noodles.
first add half a cup of white cheddar cheese, then one tablespoon pesto sauce and continue to stir.
then add a teaspoon of truffle butter and sprinkle of cayenne pepper.
Drunk Ceviche By Vimar Miranda Videography and Production by Daniel Diaz
Today we have the greatly revered chef by the name Vimar Miranda preparing a simple ceviche dish. This is a simple yet fresh tasting dish that can be eaten straight out of the bowl or on tostadas.
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh shrimp (or cooked)
1 fresh serrano or jalapeño pepper, very finely chopped
½ a red onion, very thin cubes
1–2 garlic cloves very finely minced
1 cup diced cucumber
¼–½ cup fresh cilantro chopped
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 semi-firm Avocado
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
3-4 fresh squeezed limes
Preparation: Wash all the veggies before you begin! If using frozen shrimp make sure to de-thaw them out in a bowl with cool water before adding them to the mix. Begin by finely chopping most of your ingredients and slowly adding them into the main mixing bowl. Once all the veggies are in, begin to mix in the shrimp. Once that is complete finish off by adding the lime and salt to taste! Enjoy
Sandra Soto is a St. Mary’s University alumna, VMECHS counselor and mother of three from Brownsville, Texas. In this video she shares her favorite, simple oven-baked salmon recipe. This recipe is a crowd-pleaser and is a great option for busy families because it can be made in 5 easy steps!
Ingredients:
1 Oven Pan
Aluminum Foil
1 Salmon Fillet
2-3 Cloves of Garlic
Salt
Pepper
1/3 Cup of Olive Oil
2 tbsp. of Butter
Celery and vegetables of your choice
Directions: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place a piece of aluminum foil large enough to wrap your entire salmon fillet in your pan and then add your salmon. Chop up your vegetables into bite-size pieces and add them on top of your salmon. Season the vegetables and salmon with pepper, salt, 2 tbsp of butter and 1/3 cup of olive oil. After that, make sure to wrap and seal your salmon and vegetables with the aluminum foil. Lastly, place your pan in the oven for 50-60 minutes and enjoy!
Sabrina Evans, an StMU alumna with a BA in communication studies, bakes a moist chocolate chip banana bread on camera. Evans talks about her first experience baking banana bread. She describes the “sense of comfort and a sense of consistency” from the banana bread that brings back memories from her college days and the people she loves.
Ingredients:
3-4 medium, overripe bananas
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups All Purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
dash of ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Prepare a 9×5 baking pan by lining it with parchment or foil and lightly spraying with nonstick spray.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Prepare a 9×5 loaf baking pan by lining it with parchment or foil and lightly spraying nonstick spray.
Mash the bananas with a fork or whisk.
Whisk in the sugar, egg, vanilla, and vegetable oil.
Mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
The batter will be lumpy. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan (top with more chocolate chips if you want).
Bake for 55-60 minutes (start checking for doneness with a toothpick at 55 minutes). Let cool.
Dyslexia teacher Blanca Gutierrez goes through the steps on how to make an easy lasagna. After working for 39 years, Gutierrez describes her journey into the kitchen and what makes cooking so special for her.
Ingredients
1-pound ground beef
1 (32oz) jar spaghetti sauce
32oz cottage cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 large eggs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons dried parsley
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
9 lasagna noodles
½ cup water
1 spray can of olive oil
Directions
In a large skillet over medium heat brown ground meat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain the grease. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix the cottage cheese, eggs, half of grated Parmesan cheese, dried Parsley, salt ground black pepper. To assemble, spray the bottom and sides of a 9×13 inch baking dish with olive oil. Evenly spread ¾ cup of sauce mixture. Cover with 3 uncooked lasagna noodles, 1 ¾ cup of the cheese mixture and ¼ cup sauce. Repeat layers once more: top with 3 noodles, remaining sauce and sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Add ½ cup water to edges of the pan. Cover with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with olive oil.
Bake on preheated 350-degree oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes, let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Michael Lopez, a current student at Texas A&M University, shares how to recreate his favorite dish: Arroz con Pollo. Through his tips and tricks and simple but flavorful ingredients, you’ll be able to create a meal that you won’t be able to find in just any Mexican restaurant.
Ingredients: Chicken:
4-6 Whole Chicken Thighs (varies depending on number of servings)
~2 tablespoons Season-it-all
1 tablespoon of garlic
salt and pepper to taste
Rice:
4 cups of water
2 cups of dry white rice (brown rice also acts as a substitute if necessary)
~ 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1/2 of a chopped yellow onion
1 green bell pepper
1/4 cup of fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 4oz can of tomato sauce
1 Teaspoon caldo de tomate
Dash of garlic salt, cumin and pepper
Directions:
First, season raw chicken thighs with a generous covering of salt, pepper and season-it-all. Add about a tablespoon of oil to pan and brown chicken thighs on medium-high heat until skin is crispy. The inside does not need to be completely cooked; it will boil later with the rice. In a separate pot, begin to boil 4 cups of water for the rice. Including about a teaspoon of oil, fry dry rice in another separate pan until brown, about 10 minutes. Add chopped onion, bell pepper and diced tomatoes to rice once it is browned and stir occasionally for about 3 minutes. Add boiling water to the pan with the rice and vegetables. Add tomato sauce, caldo de tomate, garlic salt, cumin and pepper. Lastly, add browned chicken thighs to the pot, cover, and simmer on low heat for about 20-25 minutes or until both the rice and chicken are cooked thoroughly.
Sheila Peña is a mother and a teacher who enjoys cooking. In this video, she shows you how to make Skillet Enchiladas and talks about her experience with cooking.
Ingredients
¼ cup of avocado oil
1 ½ pound of ground beef
2 cans of enchilada sauce
1 package (8oz) of shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese
12 corn tortillas (Cut in small squares)
1/8 to ¼ cup of corn masa mix
½ cup of water
Directions
Turn the stovetop between medium and high heat and fry tortillas in batches in avocado oil in 12 in pan. Remove fried tortillas and set aside on a plate. Remove excess oil. Cook beef in the 12 in pan. Once the beef is cooked, add enchilada sauce and stir. Add cheese mix and stir. Mix masa and water in a separate cup. Add masa mixture and stir. Add fried tortillas and mix it all together.