June City Life VLOG 2025: In Between Days

 

Happy #Juneteenth

 Today I wanted to share two books that I have in my book collection. This book is one that I purchased this year, "The African American Heritage" by Carolyn Quick Tillery (purchased from Amazon).

I am going to chat with you guys about the book and my family life in regards to cooking. This is how I want to contribute to Juneteenth today.

You can find videos one and two online.

DATE NIGHTS AND BRUNCHES IN THE CITY:

BAR TERROIR

SLIM CHARMER

PERRYS PORCH

GLUTEN FREE HOME COOKED MEALS 2025: 

I share my gluten-free recipes once a month under the "City Life VLOGS". I do have Celiac Disease and Diverticulitis so my recipes err more to the healthy side.

                              

          This is an old recipe that I got from a Marth Steward magazine. It became a family favorite.

                               

Late night pizzas

Early morning restaurant styled scrambled eggs with mushrooms and Chives from my garden.

Easy Paella (not traditional)

INGREDIENTS:

Jumbo Shrimp 

Chorizo

Vigo yellow rice

Saffron

White onions

Peas

Paprika

Garlic 

Parsley

Lemon (garnish)

Cento diced tomatoes, 1 can

Instructions

Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic, and smoked paprika to the braiser with a drizzle of evoo. Sauté until fragrant and soft, about 5 to 6 minutes. 

Add sliced Spanish chorizo and cook for about 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and slightly browned.

Add the VIGO yellow rice and canned CENTO diced tomatoes. 

Stir to combine for about 2 minutes.

Stir in the water according to the VIGO yellow rice package and saffron threads and butter or oil (your choice). add the Jumbo shrimp and Peas as well.

Add salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine. Bring to a light boil and then reduce to a simmer.

Cook, covered, for about 25 minutes on low heat according to the package instructions and leave covered.

Remove from heat and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving, with the lid covered. During this time, the rice will absorb the remaining liquid and flavors. 

Serve with parsley and lemon wedges.

Crab boil

I used a different method this time.

Recipe below.

So, what I did differently this time is that I made a brine.

Brining the crab legs will give them a nice light salty taste, but it will also slightly break down the protien so you don't want to do this for longer than 20 to 25 minutes.

This is the method:

1. Prepare the Brine:

• Use a large pot and fill it with enough

water to fully submerge the crab legs.

• Add salt to the water. A common ratio is about 1/2 cup of salt per gallon of water or to taste.

• You can also add other seasonings to the brine, such as Old Bay seasoning, or

lemon. Let them sit in the brine for 20 to 25 minutes. The brine will add saltiness and adding the Old Bay Seasoning will infuse into the meat. The salt brine will break down the protien so you really do not want to brine them for longer than 30 minutes.

2. Boil the Crab Legs:

• Bring the brine to a rolling boil. I used only 1 cup of my brine and the rest fresh water because I did not want them to be too salty. I added Old Bay Shrimp Oil and Old Bay Seasoning.

Add the potatoes, corn, onions and sausage.

• Gently add the crab legs to the boiling

water, ensuring they are fully

submerged.

• Boil for a few minutes, typically 5-10

minutes for thawed crab legs, or longer

for frozen crab legs.

• The crab is cooked when it is heated

through and the meat is opaque and

tender.