Sriracha Chicken Alfredo

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Sriracha Chicken Alfredo
Story and Photos by: Marissa Colunga

Surrounded by cooking her whole life, Miriam Robles, sophomore economics and international relations major, decided to make a meal she has never tried before: Sriracha Chicken Alfredo.

This dish combines both savory and creamy flavors into a delicious Italian cuisine.

Although this was her first time cooking this dish, it certainly didn’t show as she effortlessly chopped, mixed and diced like a well-seasoned chef.

“While I don’t cook in the residence halls, I tend to cook at home a lot more,” Robles says.

When Robles isn’t in the kitchen, she’s busy studying.

Her varied interests led her to a double major.

Her dream is to go to law school and eventually work for the ACLU as a civil rights attorney.

Her parents, who are avid chefs, helped blossom her love for cooking.

Showing her Hispanic roots, Robles loves to cook Mexican food.

Her favorite dishes are Chilaquiles and Albondigas soup.

“The reason I cooked this dish is because I’ve always loved Italian food and wanted to make a meal that is both easy to eat and quick to make,” Robles says.

“Because this dish is quick to make, you need to have all the ingredients on hand or run the risk of overcooking the meal. To make the meal even tastier, experiment with the amounts of servings. For example, you could add more Sriracha sauce if you are a fan of spices,” she advises.

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz fettuccine
  • 1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 4 Tbsp Sriracha
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup shredded Parmesan
  • 1 Tbsp dried parsley
  • Fresh parsley as garnish

Makes 2 servings

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, Sriracha and a pinch of salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Pour in cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and let the chicken cook for 3–4 minutes. Stir in shredded Parmesan and dried parsley. Add the cooked pasta and toss to coat. Serve with fresh parsley as garnish.

 

Cheesy Pizza Roll Up

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Cheesy Pizza Roll Up
Story and Photos by Daniela Gonzalez

A lazy Saturday night, a Pinterest account, and a fully stocked refrigerator was all Travis Guerra, freshman computer science major, needed to create one of his all-time favorite dishes: A Cheesy Pizza Roll-Up.

“I really did not have anything else to do that Saturday. I was bored and too lazy to go out to actually buy food, so I decided to login to my secret Pinterest account and make something with the ingredients I had in my fridge,” Guerra says.

Guerra has a special love for Italian cuisine. He loves everything that the Italian culture has to offer, including its food delights. His favorite food to eat is homemade Lasagna. He also enjoys eating Chinese and Japanese food.

“Whenever friends from school come over, I make this dish for them. It is one of their favorites,” Guerra says. “Also, when I visit them at the residence halls, they ask me to make a pizza roll-up for them.”

Besides seeing this dish as a delicious and tasty meal, Guerra thinks the roll-up is fairly easy to do. Guerra says a person can fill the roll with almost anything they want. It does not have to be exactly like the instructions say to do it like.

“I keep on telling my friends that as long as they have an oven and a craving for Italian, this should be easy to do,” he says. “You can easily make the roll-ups in the dorm lounge, go back to your dorm, and have a relaxing evening with a great, delicious meal.”

Guerra believes this recipe is perfect for any occasion. Whether it is a quick meal to share with friends or a snack to munch on when watching a movie, making a pizza roll up should do the trick.

Ingredients

  • 1 roll of Pillsbury pizza dough
  • 2 cups of pepperoni
  • 1 block of mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup of sliced ham
  • 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 stick of butter
  • 1 tbsp. pepper
  • 1 tbsp. salt
  • ¼ cup of pizza sauce

Directions

First, preheat the oven to 400 oF for 10 minutes. Next, expand the pizza dough on a metallic pan In a wooden cut board, cut the mozzarella cheese block and ham into small cheese slices. Place columns of pepperoni, ham, and mozzarella slices throughout the whole pizza dough mix. Spread the shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the pepperoni, ham, and mozzarella slices. Roll the pizza dough into a cylinder. Shut both ends of the cylinder so the filling won’t leak through. In a separate bowl, melt a stick of butter. Once melted, mix the butter with the tbsp. of pepper and tbsp. of salt. Spread the mix on top of the rolled dough. Put the rolled dough in the oven to bake for 20 minutes. Once ready, let the roll chill for 5 minutes. Finally, in a separate bowl put some pizza sauce, cut the roll, serve, and enjoy!

Makes 2-3 servings.

Sopa de Letras

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Sopa de Letras
Story and photos by Elizabeth Arredondo

Being 193 miles away from home can make one very homesick. Sometimes the only thing that can cure your homesickness is making one of your favorite childhood dishes. Ximena Mondragaon, a sophomore political science major, is no stranger to learning and working in the kitchen. She started learning how to cook at the young age of 9 years old. Her favorite dishes are soap de letras and green enchiladas. She is a daughter, sister, friend, student, and role model. She aspires to run for governor and be a political science professor in the future.
Mondragon is very involved on campus and she loves that St. Mary’s University has given her many opportunities in life. “I love the community of St. Mary’s University. Everyone has been so kind to me and really helpful. I also like all the opportunities St. Mary’s has provided me with” Mondragon says. She is a part of the Marianist Leadership Program, Kappa Delta Chi, and Mecha. She also started her own Political Science club.
The dish she prepared is called Sopa de Letras and it is one of her favorites. “The dish prepared has been passed down trough generations. This soup is the first thing the women in my family learn to cook. I learned to cook this soup when I was 9 years old. At 9 I started to learn how to cook and from there I have learned to cook many Mexican dishes. I love going home to cook with my mom and grandma because its a bonding and learning time. I will one day pass down this dish to my kids.” she says.

Sopa De Letras

Ingredients
• 1 Bag of La Moderna Alphabets/Letras
• 2 cubes of Caldo de Pollo Bouillos
• 2 Slices of chicken breasts
• 2 pieces of celery
• 2 whole carrots
• 1 Bulk of Garlic
• 2 Medium Tomatoes
• Vegetable Oil
• 1 Onion

Directions

1. Open and wash the chicken
2. Lay out 2 strips of chicken on a chopping board and chop it up into little pieces
3. Chop up carrots and celery into small pieces
4. Blend tomatoes, garlic, onion and 1250ml of water
5. Heat up a large round pot and add a dime size amount of vegetable oil
6. Put pasta into the bowl and slowly stir until golden
7. Add blended ingredients to the pot
8. Add chopped up chicken to the pot
9. Add chopped up veggies into the pot
10. Add 2 bouillons
11. Stir into boil
12. Let the pot sit for 15 minutes
13. Serve

Serves 6-8 people

Meatloaf

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Meatloaf, The best kind of Comfort food.
Story and Photos by Isabel Vera

Cooking is the easiest way to bring together and feed a family. Lucia Vera, a St. Mary’s alumna, has always believed the act of cooking food was a way to provide for her family.

This notion was inherited from her mother who not only taught her how to cook but also about the significance of taking on this role.

“I like cooking all types of food from traditionally Mexican food, Chinese, Italian, American, and even Indian food,” she says.

Coming from a family of 13, she learned that cooking was an act of labor and love and that it brings people together.

“I remember watching my mother roll out tortillas and make enough for all of my brothers, sisters, dad, and herself to have every day,” Vera says.

Vera chose an American comfort food that would be quick to make and to prepare. With St. Mary’s being her alma mater.

She wanted a simple and easy dish to serve and eat. Spring time at St. Mary’s is known for Oyster Bake and that annual event is full of simple foods.

Vera wants to replicate this simplicity with a spring time dish people could enjoy quickly.

“I not only like to cook multiple types of dishes but I like many different types of food and like to infuse that in my daily meal preparations,” she says.

“There are definitely dishes that I like to cook that have cultural significance but this dish does not have any special significance other than it being a comfort food. It is just a nice simple meal to make and eat,” Vera explains.

Meatloaf has many variations such as either topping it with gravy or with a tomato-based product, or even choosing to add certain vegetables like onions.

Although it is a recipe that essentially has you “mixes meat and a few spices and vegetables,” the way the product tastes depends on preference and experience with the dish.

Vera’s advice is to add certain spices such as pepper and salt along the way and not just at one time.

She also advises to put foil on the meatloaf to control how the meatloaf cooks.

Taking off the foil at the 45 minute mark will “brown” the top half of the dish to allow for a more appetizing meatloaf.

Vera suggests to add some side dishes with meatloaf such as mashed potatoes to compliment it.

“Meatloaf by itself can be boring but adding just a simple side dish can make a huge difference. Cooking is a joy of mine that I hope to pass down to my daughters just as my mom did for me,” Vera concludes.

 

Ingredients:

  • 6 lbs. of ground beef
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 ½ cup of oats
  • 3 tsp. garlic
  • ¾ cup of diced bell pepper
  • ¼ diced onion (optional)
  • 1 tsp. of black pepper
  • 3 tsp. salt
  • 2 (6 oz) can of tomato paste
  • 1 (8 oz) can of tomato sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Dice the bell pepper and onion. In a mixing bowl mix the ground beef, eggs, oats, garlic, salt, and pepper into one raw mixture. Add in the bell pepper and onion. Mix in tomato paste and tomato sauce. Spray Pam in the pan that being used for the meatloaf. Place and press mixture firmly and evenly into pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 ½ hours. Take out of oven and let cool down. Makes 15 servings.

Crafting the art of Sushi

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Dragon Roll Sushi by Louie Anthony Cortez
Story and photos by Ricardo Reyes

St. Mary’s University has and continues to bring a diverse set of students through its doors over the years, each with their own set of skills. Louie Anthony Cortez was one of those students, skilled in writing and cooking.

Cortez graduated from St. Mary’s with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2000 and a master’s degree in English Literature and Language in 2010. For over 15 years, Cortez has served as the office coordinator at the Blume Library. His passions have always included writing and cooking. While writing is a prominent activity in his life, the skill of cooking came later.

Cortez’s love for cooking began after he graduated with his bachelor’s degree and returned to live at home with his parents.

“Cooking provided me the opportunity to foster a relationship with my mother I did not have before college. It also made me much more independent,” Cortez says.

Like many Hispanic families, food is a way of communicating and bonding. While his first dishes were traditionally Hispanic recipes like enchiladas or tamales, Cortez has also taken a fondness for Asian cuisine.

The dragon roll sushi is one of Cortez’s favorite entrees because of its simplicity and versatility in combining some of his favorite seafood: crab and shrimp.

“Not only is it delicious, but I love making this dish with friends. It is a lot of fun teaching someone how to make their own sushi,” he says.

Dragon Roll Sushi

Ingredients

  • 4 cups sushi rice
  • 4-6 nori sheets
  • 20 medium size shrimps
  • 1 cup Tempura
  • 2 Avocado
  • 2 Cucumber
  • 100gr Tobiko
  • 100gr BBQed eel or Crab

Directions

  1. First, mix the tempura with a little bit of water and stir until combined to a thick even mixture. Cut off shrimp tails, and dip the shrimps, one by one, in tempura mixture and deep fry for about 30 sec or until the outside gets golden-brownish.
  2. Slice the cucumber into long slices, and use a peeler to peal thin avocado layers.
  3. Spread the rice on the nori sheet, and flip it over the mat so that the rice is now facing upwards. Lay the avocado the cucumber sticks you have cut in advance, and line up some tempura shrimps and on top of that slices of eel. Roll it inside-out style and cut the endings, but leave the rest whole for now
  4. Elegantly, cover the top of the roll with the layers of avocado you made with the peeler, and use the bamboo mat to tighten it to the roll.
  5. Use a little spoon to carefully spread some Tobiko on the roll.

Makes 2 servings

6th Magazine Launch Party

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The sixth Taste of StMU magazine launch hosted over 85 people to try the dishes of 14 different chefs on Wednesday, April 12 in UC-A. Each chef was invited by one of the graphic design students in Brother Dennis Bautista’s graphic design course.

Bautista, professor of English and communication studies, teaches his graphic design course every other semester. Throughout the course of the semester, the students prepare for their magazines. The course begins by offering several tutorials on the programs needed to produce the magazine. After the tutorials, photojournalism tips, gathered content and much needed collaboration from classmates, a magazine is born.

This year the students each created a 12-page, full color magazine. The featured dishes at this year’s magazine launch included Sopa de Letra, Flan de Queso, Canoas, Siracha Chicken Alfredo, Southern Fried Cabbage, Cheezy Pizza Roll-Up, Quickie Chili, Bibimbap, Enchiladas Verdes, Dragon Roll Sushi, Strawberry Jelly Cake, Meatloaf, Tinga and Pizza Rolls.

Along with the graphic design students, faculty, staff and alumni, there were also five professional graphic designer judges in attendance. The five judges included Emily Harris, graphic designer at St. Mary’s; Kristen Cadena, graphic designer at St. Mary’s; Martha Dixon, alumna (B.A. in English communication arts) and founder of 50-foot Creative Design and Marketing; Amanda Rodriguez, alumna (B.A. in English communication arts) and marketing programs developer at Southwest Business Corporation; and Charles Ramirez, alumnus (B.A. in English communication arts) and graphic design coordinator or the Archdiocese of San Antonio. Each judge was invited to attend the event by Bautista. The professional designers were in charge of going through all 14 magazines and voting on the “Professionals’ Choice Award” winner. Everyone else who attended the event also had the opprotunity to cast a vote for the “People’s Choice Award” winner.

The People’s Choice award went to Madison Perales, sophomore communication studies major, and her chef, Ricardo Garcia, who is a senior psychology major. They earned a total of 81 votes from the people who attended the event.

This year, the Professionals’ Choice Award went to Xuanzi Elly Liu [see magazine], exchange student from Beihang University and current junior English major. Her chef was Jsiu Lim, student from south Korea.

Both winning chefs were presented with an appreciation apron that had the Taste of Stmu logo on it. All chefs were also presented with a $25 gift card from one of the sponsors of the event, Fratello’s Deli.

The other sponsor of the event, Henry’s Puffy Tacos, also made the event possible with their generous donations; Aramark also assisted with the event by providing all the heating equipment for the dishes being served.

Everyone enjoyed looking at the magazines, taking a break from their busy day and having a bite to eat from the 14 chefs.

 

Strawberry Jelly Cake

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Strawberry Jelly Cake
Story and Photos by Selina Rodriguez

A good challenge and spending quality time with others is something that inspired Iris Bermea, an alumna of St. Mary’s Univeristy, to choose cooking as a hobby.

Bermea graduated from St. Mary’s with a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science and is currently working for Cadillac dealership.

“I enjoy the company I work for right now and plan on growing with it,” she says.

Bermea says her love of cooking and baking was inspired by her mother whom she watched cook just about every family meal since she was little.

“I remember always wanting to help my mom cook for our family and being really proud when everyone liked the meal we had prepared,” she says.

“She has taught me to cook every dish that I now know how to make and I am so grateful to her for that. I am trying to make some new dishes here and there though,” Bermea says.

In 2016, Bermea’s chili recipe won 2nd Place at the St. Mary’s inaugural chill cook-off.

“St. Mary’s was a great university to attend. I love the community-based environment; nothing compares to the friendships I made there,” she says.

“I thought I would prepare this new cake dish because I have a co-worker’s birthday coming up. I love making recipes with and for people. It’s a good and inexpensive way to make people feel special on their birthdays because they know you put in that effort for them,” she says.

“I don’t really have a favorite type of food. I truly love all kinds. I am not a picky eater at all but I love my mom’s chicken quesadillas if I had to pick,” she says.

To a fellow cook or baker, Bermea offers important advice.

“Never give up on trying to perfect a dish. It won’t always be a piece of cake, but just try to enjoy it and learn from mistakes you make. You will get better with practice and a positive attitude,” Bermea advises.

Ingredients

  • 1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix
  • 1 (3-ounce) box strawberry-flavored instant gelatin
  • 1 (15-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 stick of butter, softened
  • 1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
  • 7 cups confectioners’ sugar

Makes 8 servings.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. Then, in a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil, and water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. For the frosting: In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup of the strawberry puree and the strawberry extract. (The rest of the puree is leftover but can be used in smoothies or on ice cream for a delicious treat.) Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth. Spread frosting in between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with sliced fresh strawberries, if desired.

 

Paleo Stuffed Avocados with Cilantro Cream Sauce

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Healthy Paleo-Diet Keeps Hall Director Motivated
Story and Photos by Paige Gandara-Valderas

As a full-time hall director in Founders Hall, Samantha Garcia enjoys cooking when she can.

Garcia, a San Antonio native, received her undergraduate degree in leadership and development from Texas A&M and a graduate degree in Seattle. She enjoys that St. Mary’s has a nice family feel to it and that everyone supports
one another.

“We all have each others backs. It’s an ‘I’ll scratch your back and you scratch mine… and if you can’t scratch it back just yet, don’t worry about it’,” Garcia says.

Growing up in San Antonio, Garcia’s favorite foods are primarily Mexican. Her favorite ingredient is avocado. She uses avocados in just about anything she eats.

“You can put avocados in any dish and it goes great with Mexican food!” Garcia says. “I love avocados even in my smoothies.”

The dish that Garcia prepares is Paleo Stuffed Avocados with Cilantro Cream Sauce, a recipe from her sister.

Cassy Joy Garcia, Garcia’s sister, is a food blogger and soon-to-be published author. She runs her own website at Fedandfit.com.

The significance of  the dish was to showcase a  healthy option and also because it is one of her sister’s first dishes. Garcia’s tip on preparing the dish is to not overcook the avocados in the oven because they can burn easily and ruin the flavor.

Garcia also enjoys her yoga workouts. Yoga, for Garcia, is a great exercise.

Garcia likes to promote mental, emotional and physical health. Garcia has also done a podcast series with her sister called “Fed and Fit Podcast: College Student Series,” which is five episodes long.

“I’ve been in college for a really long time and I am able to give a lot of insight about that. Especially since I work with college students on a daily basis,” Garcia says.

There should always be that leeway according to Garcia. It’s important for her to live in a balanced lifestyle.

“It’s all about that 80-20 balance. Eighty percent should be a really healthy portion, but 20 percent is whatever you want,” Garcia says.

 

Ingredients

  • 1 pound chicken tenders
  • 5 avocados
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • Chicken broth
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1/2 tablespoon cumin
  • 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 cup cilantro
  • 4 limes for lime juice

 

Directions

Sautee 4 cloves of garlic with 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil for flavor.Then, wash, dry and season the chicken tenders with a pinch of kosher salt, then sautee in extra-virgin olive oil. After that, simmer the chicken tenders in broth for about 20 minutes, then shred immideately after. Add the cumin, chili powder, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and the black pepper to the shredded chicken to taste.Halve and de-seed five avocados and lay them out on the baking sheet to bake at 400 F for 5 minutes. For the cream sauce, stir one can of full-fat coconut milk, lime juice and cilantro. After the avocados are baked, pull out of the oven and drizzle with the cream sauce to serve.

Chili and Cornbread

Chili and Cornbread by Brandon Littlefield
Videography and Production by Troy Grohman

Brandon Littlefield, a former student at St. Mary’s, studied engineering at the university until 2006. In this video, Littlefield cooks a nostalgic winter-time favorite of his youth: chili and cornbread; it has been a family tradition to prepare this dish whenever it first starts getting cold.

Ingredients

For Chili:

  • 1 tbs. of olive oil
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • ½ cup of carrots diced
  • 2 tbs. of cumin
  • 1 lb. of ground sirloin
  • 1 can of crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can of chipotle peppers
  • 1 can of kidney bean
  • 1 can of pinto beans
  • 1 can of black beans
  • ½ tsp. of oregano
  • 2 tsp. of adobo sauce
  • 2 cups of water

 

For cornbread:

  • 1 bag of cornbread mix
  • 2 ½ cups of milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 can of corn
  • cupcake wrappers
  • cupcake pan

 

Directions

To start the chili, begin by sweating the bell peppers onions and carrots for about 5-10 minutes. Once the vegetables are sweated and they become soft, add in the cumin and the ground sirloin, raise heat to high until the meat is fully cooked. Once the meat is done stir in the crushed tomatoes, water, adobo sauce and oregano and add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer the chili on low heat for 30 minutes while stirring occasionally. Then add the beans and simmer on low heat for another 30 minutes. Then the food is ready to serve.

To start the cornbread, mix in bag of cornbread mix with egg milk and corn stir in a mixer for about 3-5 minutes until it is smooth then pour in cupcake wrappers, in the pan. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until cooked all the way through (check by using a toothpick).

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken Cordon Bleu by Anuar Duran
Videography and Production by Alexis Z
epeda

Anuar Duran, Junior computer science major at St. Mary’s University, demonstrates how to cook his favorite dish, Chicken Cordon Bleu.  After learning from a friend how to prepare the dish, Anuar follows suit by teaching his friends how to cook the dish.

Ingredients:

  • 4 large chicken breasts
  • 1 container of Bread crumbs
  • 4 slices of Prosciutto
  • 1 package of shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 4 slices of muenster cheese
  • 2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 2 tbsp basil
  • 1 tbsp pepper
  • 1 tbsp season salt
  • water
  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter
  • 3 eggs

Directions:
Begin by preheating the oven to 150 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine water, garlic, salt, pepper, basil, season salt in a large bowl and brine the chicken for 15 minutes.  After 30 minutes, dip the chicken breasts into the flour, egg wash, and breadcrumbs in that order.
Once the chicken is breaded, stuff each breast with 1 slice of Muenster cheese, 1 handful of mozzarella, 1 slice of prosciutto and close with toothpicks.  Once the oven is preheated, place the chicken breasts onto a greased baking sheet and allow to bake for 30 to 35 minutes.