Wait, how long has it been?

It's been 2 full years. And I'm back. But this time, I'm doing it from Brooklyn, NY.

In the last 2 years I quit my job in Santo Domingo, moved 1500 miles, started a new job, and started a Master's program in TESOL. The fiancé became the husband, and for a year and a half, we journeyed the nightmarish process of immigration together until he finally came to NY to stay in August (Yes, just a few weeks ago.).

So much change (and work) in the last year overwhelmed me. I missed the ocean and my life in the DR. I missed our apartment, with the sea breeze and our view of the crystal blue water. I let fear and exhaustion snuff out my creativity, passion, curiosity for life. I felt like I lost my sparkle. Sometimes it fades into the background, and we are only reminded of it in our deepest moments of self-searching - that it is still there, waiting for us to pick it up again.  I am grateful to have picked it back up again. Thank you for waiting for me, little light.

Today's recipe is going to be a recipe from my Mom. My parents were instrumental in listening to me this year, giving me advice, telling me to keep going, and never giving up on me, even when I felt like giving up on myself. So, thank you, padres. I couldn't have done it without you.

Oven-baked (GF) Breaded Chicken

(Adapted from Betty Crocker)

Oven Baked GF Breaded Chicken with Black Beans and Rice, Salad, and Avocado

1 tablespoon vegan butter (I'm using Smart Balance!)

1 cup of gluten-free flour (It can be Gluten Free Bisquick, like in Betty's recipe, or it can be a mix. I used what I had in the fridge, which was half garbanzo bean flour and half pancake mix flour. It sounds strange, but the pancake mix gave it a sweetness that I loved!) 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon chili powder 

1/4 teaspoon pepper 

2 eggs, beaten 

3 lb chicken drumsticks and thighs

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter in a 9x13 baking dish in the oven.

In a medium bowl, mix the gluten-free flour, salt, chili powder, and pepper. Place the eggs in a separate, wide container. Dip the chicken into the eggs, and then coat it with the gluten-free flour mixture. Keep going until all of your chicken is coated! 

Place the chicken skin-side down in your baking dish. Bake for 35 minutes, and then turn the chicken. Bake for another 15 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked! 

Serves: 6-8

a buen tiempo!

Starting Again

About 2 years ago, when I first found out I was moving to the Dominican Republic, I started a blog that was supposed to follow my life throughout the one year I would be spending in the DR. A year later, it had a grand total of 2 whopping entries - both of which I had slaved over each and every word, terrified about how each one might sound to an outside reader.

Now, a couple of years deep living in Santo Domingo, DR, I'm ready to start over again. Mostly, I'll be writing about my adventures in cooking and living abroad - 2 always-changing parts of my life that have developed simultaneously. This ain't no joke y'all, and it isn't changing any time soon.

As much as I have started to find happiness in cooking, there is so little time (and when I say time, I really mean money) to be able to make what I want, when I want. So, the recipes I'll be showing are meals on a budget that anyone can make. AND! to make things even less complicated, I am currently cooking without the availability of an oven.

a buen tiempo!