Spaghetti Squash

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Cassandra Vara

Spaghetti Squash by Erika Rendon

Video and Audio Production by Cassandra M. Vara

Erika Rendon, senior double major in Corporate Finance/Financial Services and Risk Management, shares a fun and healthy recipe she calls “Spaghetti Squash.” After discovering the recipe on YouTube, Rendon decided to put her own spin on the quirky dish. Using a large squash instead of noodles, Rendon creates a “pasta” dish filled with delicious vegetables.

Ingredients

• 1 large squash
• 1 bell pepper
• 5-10 regular mushrooms
• 2 large portabella mushrooms
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 T of vegetable oil

Directions

Using a knife, carefully puncture the large squash, creating about 5 slits. Pour about 1/2 cup of water into the a microwaveable container and place the squash inside. Microwave the squash for ten to fifteen minutes, dependent on the size of the squash. While that is cooking, dice the tomatoes, mushrooms, and pepper. Coat a pan with the tablespoon of vegetable oil and toss in your diced veggies. Cook on high and occasionally stir the vegetables to ensure even cooking. Once the squash is done, remove it from the microwave (wearing gloves as it will be extremely hot). Let it rest for a couple of minutes before cutting it open. After cutting open, remove the seeds and fibrous inner strands from the squash. Using a fork, scrape the insides of the squash until the flesh becomes pasta-like. Put your spaghetti squash in a bowl and mix in the cooked vegetables. Enjoy your healthy meal! Serves 3-4.

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Shrimp Po’ Boy

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Haha wjat

Shrimp Po’ Boy by John Aponte
Videography and Production by Nicolas Campana

John Aponte, parent to St. Mary’s University student Nicolas Campana, shares his love for food, and offers advice for anybody wishing to take up cooking.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb shrimp
  • 1 bag Cajun fish batter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 bag shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
  • 1/4 head of lettuce
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 3 baguettes
  • mustard
  • salt

Directions

Peel shrimp. Add salt to pot of water and boil. Once boiling, add shrimp to water and wait for white, soapy substance to rise to indicate shrimp are clean. Drain pot and pour shrimp into separate bowl. Mix fish batter with eggs and whisk. Coat shrimp with batter. Coat bottom of a pot with cooking oil. Fill small pot about halfway with vegetable oil. Place about seven shrimp in pot at a time, with space between them to allow for even cooking. Let shrimp fry until golden brown, then place on plate and pat dry to remove excess oil.

Shred 1/4 head of lettuce. Slice tomatoes. Place lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, mustard, and shrimp onto baguettes. Makes three servings.

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Cod Pisano

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Chrystalla Georghiou

Cod Pisano by Rosie Cortez
Videography and production by Chrystalla Georghiou

Rosie Cortez, a sophomore majoring in math, learns to cook breaded cod pisano from her father for the first time. Cortez talks about how learning how to cook not only brought her closer to her father, but taught her a lot of things about herself.

Sauce Ingredients 

  • 1 lemons cut into fourths
  • 3 cloves of garlic – minced
  • 3 eggs

Sauce Directions 

Separate the egg yokes from the whites in to two different bowls. Beat the egg yokes till they are frothy. Slow in to sauce pan on low heat continuously. Add garlic and lemon juice to taste.

Ingredients

  • 4 fillets of bread cod fish (or seafood of choice)
  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1/2 cup pasta of choice
  • 1 head broccoli

Directions 

Pre-heat oven to 350℉. Warm sauce pan on medium heat, add two table spoons of olive oil into the pan. Once hot add two fillets of breaded cod. Brown on each side for 4 minuets, then transfer on to baking sheet and place into oven for eight minuets. when finished place on to plate. Boil water for pasta and add one table spoon of olive oil to the water, once boiling add pasta. Then boil broccoli for 3 minuets in hot water or until deep green (add spices if needed). Makes 4 servings.

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Crab and Salmon Sushi Rolls

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Stephanie Zaragoza

Crab and Salmon Sushi Rolls
Videography and Production by Stephanie Zaragoza

Frida Teran‘s, a junior majoring in Biology, at St. Mary’s University, manifests her creative mind in her ability to combine different ingredients to make delicious crab and salmon sushi rolls. Peace and quiet fill the kitchen as she begins putting all the ingredients in the seaweed then rolling the sushi together to make a great combination of sushi rolls with vegetables, seafood and rice.

Ingredients

• 4 cups of cooked white sushi rice
• 5 Nori (seaweed)
• 1 package of Surimi (immitation crab)
• 0.35 lbs of raw salmon
• 1 package of cream cheese, divided in thin strips
• 1 cucumber, cut in thin strips
• 1 medium sized avocado

Directions
With moistened clean hands, grab some sushi rice and press it into a sheet of Nori, covering only half of it. Place a small amount of surimi, salmon, cream cheese. cucumber, and avocado over the rice evenly. Tightly roll everything, starting from the rice area. Moisten with water the end of the Nori sheet and use both hands to finish forming the roll. Using a sharp moisten knife, start cutting the roll from the middle out into bite size sushi pieces.

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Huevos Rancheros

Posted on April 11, 2012 by lives4life911

Huevos Rancheros by Nicole Maxwell
Videography and Production by Colin Castillo

Nicole Maxwell shows us how she spends her spare mornings spoiling herself with this delicious Southern treat. She first discovered huevos rancheros after she moved here from California for school and has fallen in love. She is currently an alumni and working in the field of Media Production. This spicy breakfast helps her get ready for her day.

Ingredients

  • 2-3 eggs
  • 2 oz. diced red bell pepper
  • 1 oz. Sriracha sauce
  • 3 oz. Your Favorite Salsa
  • 1 oz. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions

In a pan over medium heat combine the olive oil and the diced bell pepper.  Sautee the bell peppers until the peppers are soft and a little charred. Crack eggs in a bowl and scramble with a fork. Pour the eggs in the pan working in the bell peppers throughout.  Plate the eggs and pour the salsa over the eggs followed by the Sriracha sauce. If you believe this dish might be too spicy feel free to substitute a lighter bell pepper and exclude the Sriracha sauce.

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Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Posted on April 4, 2012 by emilyscruggs



Chocolate Fudge Brownies by Daniel Villarreal
Videography and Production by Emily Scruggs

Daniel Villarreal, a sophomore psychology major, makes his favorite dish: chocolate fudge brownies. An avid baker, Villarreal shares his coveted tip for making the best brownies.

Ingredients

  • 1 pkg. Betty Crocker Classic Chocolate Brownie Mix
  • 1 pkg. Hershey’s syrup
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 egg
  • 9″ x 9″ pan

Directions

Pour Betty Crocker mix into a large mixing bowl. Add vegetable oil and water, stirring frequently. Next, add the egg. When mixture is mostly blended, add the Hershey’s syrup and stir until completely blended and smooth. Pour mixture into ungreased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. When a toothpick can be inserted and pulled out clean, the brownies are done. Let cool before serving. Serves nine.

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Flan

Posted on April 1, 2012 by carlaarodriguez

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Flan
Story and Photos by Carla Rodriguez

Growing up in a house overflowing with family members, Anastasia Zavala needed a form of escape that eventually led her to a devotion for pastries. As a biology major at St. Mary’s University, Zavala doesn’t have a lot of time to work on her beloved hobby.

“I love the school, it’s so small and quaint. Whenever I’m sitting outside with my coffee, I can’t help but be just as relaxed as I am when I’m baking,” she said.

“It’s a nice trade-in, but I still wish the school had a kitchen students can go to.”

Aside from reading and painting, Zavala taught herself how to keep busy in the kitchen by baking.

“One day, I was craving some cookies. As everyone was off to work, at soccer practice, or running around, I walked into the kitchen and just so happened to find all the ingredients I needed to make some.”

She began small, slowly making her cookies more complex.

After about one month, Zavala had prepared nearly a dozen different forms of cookies and wanted to venture off deeper in the world of baking; today, she now is able to turn any ordinary dessert into a mouth-watering piece of joy.

Awkwardly enough, if you give her a spatula and tell her to cook dinner, you’re more than likely to become good friends with the neighborhood fire department than end up with a delicious plate.

“Food in general is too complicated, or at least I’ve subconsciously tricked my body into thinking so,” she says. “Sweets can help any day turn into an even better one, so I would much rather bake a brownie than, say, meatloaf.”

Zavala considers flan as her favorite treat that requires a little amount of ingredients and effort.

She first taught herself how to make flan for a Christmas dinner with her family.

Since then, she realized how a delicious-caramel-dripping plate could come from such an easy recipe; it has become her go-to dessert for all sorts of dinner events with friends and family.

Although she has only recently begun conquering the world of sweets and chocolatey delights, one of Zavala’s goals for the future is to become the wonderful grandmother everyone sees on television: cookies always in the cookie jar, along with the main reason why her grandchildren have a mouth full of cavities.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 c of sugar
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 13 oz cans evaporated milk
  • 1 T of vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Pour 1 cup of sugar in warm pan. Stir sugar until brown and caramelized. Quickly pour 2-3 T of caramel in bowl. Blend eggs together with wisk. Mixing in milk slowly. Mix in 1/2 c of sugar, then vanilla. Pour custard into caramel bowl. Place bowl into a larger bowl with 1 to 2 inches of water. Bake for 45 minutes. Makes 3 medium sized servings.

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Brissa Jaqueline Renteria

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Story and Photos by Brissa Renteria

Warm spices flowing through the kitchen. Conjoining smells of autumn and baking. A great season approaches us, and Tanya Compean shows us how to start the last months of the year off right by sharing a great family recipe.

Never having to worry about cooking in the dorms, Compean finds it easy to relax on an evening after school and work and find a kitchen through her friends who live off campus.

“I chose this recipe because the ingredients used together make a pastry that a lot of people have not heard of,” says Compean. “When one thinks of the ingredient pumpkin, what usually comes to mind is Thanksgiving and pumpkin pies. However, this recipe can be made year round and the pumpkin and chocolate chip mixture is very unique and delicious.”

With baking being one of her passions and hobbies, Tanya says she favors pastries, especially Mexican-styled pastries. Her favorites include sweet bread, flan, and pastel de tres leches.

Compean is a full-time senior at St. Mary’s University and will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing in December 2011. What she enjoys most about being a Marketing major is the opportunity for creativity. “I am a very creative person and there is a wide range of areas where I can apply myself to express this and much more.”

Originally from California, Compean says she chose St. Mary’s because she likes the professor to student ratio in the classroom. “When applying for colleges four years ago, my main focus was if I was going to get a better education from one university over another. Now that I am a senior, I have grown close to my professors where I can ask for help and guidance with ease and realize that St. Mary’s was one of the best decisions I have ever made.”

Presently, Compean works part-time at a marketing agency in which she will have an entry-level position when she graduates in December. Compean says this will allow her to “learn more about the world of marketing and advertising. I have never been too busy with work or school not to bake, so I know I will continue doing so in my free time!”

When out of the classroom, Compean says she likes to visit new and native restaurants. As a daughter of two Mexican nationals, she grew up eating a lot of Mexican and Spanish-styled foods. “A favorite entree of mine is green chile enchiladas and Spanish rice,” Compean says.

Compean offers this advice: “Stick to your passions! Mine is baking, and since I do live on campus with no kitchen available to me, I can always find a way to bake, that doesn’t stop me!”

Ingredients

  • 1 c canned pumpkin
  • 1 c white sugar
  • 1/2 c vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 2 c all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp milk
  • 1 T vanilla
  • 2 c semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, baking soda,milk, vanilla and salt. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Add chocolate chips. Scoop dough onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350° F for approximately 10 minutes. Makes 24 cookies.

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Cuban Lechon Asado

Posted on February 29, 2012 by William Mabie

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Cuban Lechon Asado
Story and Photos by William Mabie

Watching Joaquin “Quino” Toranzo at work in his kitchen is like watching master artists at work in their studio. The soft crooning of Bobby Darin and Frank Sinatra coming from his stereo mixes in the air with the fragrant aromas emanating from the pork shoulder he prepares.

He works in tempo with the music as he sings along in his own smooth baritone voice. Grinding away with the pepper dispenser, he holds it up with his arm outstretched as he sustains a note in the musical standard “Beyond the Sea.” One can tell that here in the kitchen, Quino is truly in his element.

A senior at St. Mary’s studying political science, international relations and English literature, along with holding the prestigious title of student body president, Quino embodies the spirit of this university.

Outgoing but modest, his body language projects his carefree nature, but he takes his responsibilities serious. To him family is paramount, and part of the reason he found himself attending St. Mary’s is just for that reason.

“My cousin told me of the honors program as I was nearing graduation, so I applied and was accepted,” he says as he chops cloves of garlic. “I had visited the campus before when Mike Huckabee and Hilary Clinton were holding their political rallies here, and I thought it was interesting that of all the places in San Antonio that they could have held them, they both chose this school.”

With another graduation on the horizon, Quino has his sights set on earning his MBA, with the possibility of a doctorate in political science, and beyond that maybe even law school. Eventually, He hopes to become an entrepreneur with ties to the service industry, where his eclectic style can blossom into an illustrious career.

As he rubs the seasoning into the pork shoulder, one can really get a sense of Quino’s love of his labor.

When asked about his favorite foods, Quino lets out a laugh and wonders out loud, “Where to begin?” He says his guilty pleasure is macaroni and cheese, but if he had to pick a meal as his favorite, he’d take a rare, juicy filet mignon with a loaded potato on the side, either baked, mashed, or scalloped.

“This recipe is a personal favorite of mine,” he says as he prepares the dish for the oven. “My mother learned it from my paternal grandfather, which in turn was handed down to me. I’ve altered the ingredients over time to suit my own tastes, but only a little.”

The advice he gives about the recipe is simple: patience. “Cooking this can take a long time when done right. You need to let the meat soak up the juices over night for the full flavor to come alive.”

Hours later, as the oven timer goes off and the meal is finally ready, the smell is the first thing that hits you.

The first word that comes to mind is ‘heaven,’ but it’s not until you take that first bite that the true sense of the word sinks in.

Ingredients

  • 15 lbs. pork shoulder
  • 4 T. olive oil
  • 4 T. Comino
  • 4 T. salt
  • 2 T. pepper
  • 2 whole garlic
  • 1/2 liter Mojo Agrio
  • 1/2 liter Naranja Agria
  • 1 stick butter

Directions
Spread the pork shoulder on a 15″x18″ baking tray with at least a 2″ rim. Make “x” shaped incisions in the shoulder in a grid pattern, leaving 1.5″ between each incision. With a baster, inject a cocktail of Mojo Agrio and Naranja Agria into each incision, leaving enough to repeat this process later. Now, peel your garlic cloves and cut them into four wedges. Insert wedges of garlic into the incisions until you exhaust both heads of garlic. After the pork has received the vampire-slayer treatment, repeat the basting with the Mojo and Naranja Agria cocktail, this time allowing the cocktail to be poured on the whole of the shoulder. Now spread the salt, pepper, and comino on the shoulder and rub it into the incisions. Before refrigerating, cover the tray with aluminum foil.

Refrigerate the pork shoulder overnight to allow for proper marinating. When you are ready to cook the pork, preheat your oven to 375* F, and pull back the aluminum foil. Now pour the olive oil over the shoulder and cover the tray with the foil again. Let the shoulder cook for two hours before flipping the shoulder over, pouring the pork’s own juices over it every half hour. Allow the shoulder to cook another two hours at 375* on its other side, still pouring it’s juices over it and into the incisions every half hour or so.

Now that the shoulder is basically fully cooked, remove the foil and raise your oven’s temperature to 475*, making sure the pork skin is exposed to allow it to crisp. When the skin starts to brown, remove the pork from the oven. Allow time to cool, and enjoy!

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Cheese Enchiladas

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Preston Jones

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Cheese Enchiladas
Story and Photos by Preston Jones

San Antonio is a predominantly Hispanic city, where Mexican-styled food is an important part of the city’s culture.

A native from El Paso, Dion Jeraldo Castro pays tribute to that culture by making cheese enchiladas.

After graduating in May 2013, Castro hopes to attend a graduate school in California to pursue opportunites in acting.

Castro has starred in high school plays, made his own music videos, and also was featured in other videos he produced on YouTube.

Already being a talented actor, Castro wants to take his skills to the next level and try to and find professional work.

Recently, Castro switched majors from Exercise and Sports Science to English-Communication Arts and discovered a passion for course such as Film Studies, Media Production and Graphics. Additionally, he plans to earn a minor in drama which will give him some experience in acting.

In addition to acting, Castro also is passionate about basketball.

As a member of the Rattler basketball team at St. Mary’s, he plays shooting guard and has been on the team since his freshman year.

Growing up in El Paso, Castro says that some of his favorite foods to eat are Mexican.

He enjoys enchiladas, tacos and flautas, but also likes other foods.

“I enjoy Italian food as well, such as Chicken Parmesans and Chicken Alfredo. One of my favorite dishes is a Japanese dish called Chicken Teriyaki,” says Castro.

Castro likes to cook simple foods such as bean and cheese tacos, nachos or these cheese enchiladas.

“Living on campus prevents me from cooking as much as I would like and am often stuck with going to the [school] cafeteria, or eating fast food,” he says.

Castro feels that this dish relates well with the St. Mary’s community and is simple to cook.

It is one of the first meals that his mom taught him to make while growing up in El Paso.

“This dish is very simple to make,” says Castro.

Basically, what  is seen in the directions is the way to prepare this dish.

The best advice that Castro offers when making this dish is to use only as much cheese as desired.

“If you’re not a lover of cheese, then do not pour it on. But, if you do love cheese, then go head and go nuts,” says Castro.

 Ingredients

  • 1 24 fl oz bottle Canola Oil (use as needed)
  • 17-20 Red tortillas
  • 32oz bag of Mexican shredded cheese
  • 2 3oz cans of Old El Paso Enchilada sauce
  • Foil

Directions

Cover the bottom of a flat round pan with canola oil, and turn the heat to medium high. Pour the Old El Paso sauce into a medium sized pan, and turn pilot to medium high to heat the sauce. Have a large pan to place into the oven ready on the side and preheat oven to 350. Take the red tortillas one at a time and run through oil just to soften, and then dip in Old El Paso sauce to cover tortilla. Place tortilla in baking pan, put cheese in the middle and roll tortilla. Push tortilla all the way to the side of pan. (Note: Spray pan with nonstick spray before putting tortillas down. Repeat steps four and five lining up rolled tortillas until bottom of pan is filled. Once pan is filled pour left over sauce into pan just to moisten the top of tortillas. Pour as much cheese as wanted over tortillas. Cover pan with foil and place in oven. Bake until cheese melted, take out of oven and let sit for 5 minutes, then serve and enjoy. This recipe will make up to six servings with three enchiladas on each plate.

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