Author Archives for thatnursecooks

About thatnursecooks

Hello, welcome to my blog! I’m a nurse from NYC and I love to cook and share my love for cooking with others!

The Best Candied Yams!

Ok so everyone knows candied yams are literally mandatory at the Thanksgiving table. It’s the perfect sweet treat to balance a savory dish and well, I’ll go out on a limb and say Thanksgiving just isn’t Thanksgiving without candied yams!! The dish is called “candied yams”, but the truth is, a lot of people (including me) use sweet potatoes! Either way it’s delightful and you literally can’t go wrong with this recipe! You won’t be disappointed!

Ingredients

3 medium sized sweet potatoes

5 tbsp butter (melted)

2 tsp powdered nutmeg

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp powdered cinnamon

1/2 cup brown sugar (you may use 3/4 cup if you like it very sweet)

2 cups of marshmallows

Directions

Begin by preheating your oven to 375 degrees. Next, wash your sweet potatoes and poke several holes in them with a fork. Place the sweet potatoes in the oven (you may want to use a pan because it drips as it’s baking and may make a mess in your oven). Bake the sweet potatoes for 45 minutes or until they’re soft and easy to penetrate with a fork. Peel the skin off, it should come off easily with your hands, cut the sweet potatoes up into 1-2 inch slices and place into your dish. In a small sauce pan melt your butter. Once the butter has melted, add nutmeg, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Stir for 1 minute and pour the mixture all over your sweet potatoes. You may use a spoon to evenly distribute the mixture on the potatoes. Next, place the marshmallows on top of your sweet potatoes, and place the dish back in the oven for approximately 10-15 minutes or until your marshmallows have a nice, toasted brown color. Remove and enjoy! Tip: You may want to make this the last dish you prepare. This should really come out of the oven and go straight to the table for consumption right away. Once the marshmallows have been sitting for too long they begin to shrink and melt from the heat and won’t look appetizing anymore. Enjoy!!

Jamdown Takeover!

Everytime I visit Jamaica, it’s a treat. The music, beaches, weather, beautiful people, and most importantly, the food! This trip was amazing. I stayed on a resort for half of my vacation, and the other half I spent it traveling all over the island and staying with family. This trip was so special, not because of the explorations islandwide, but because Grace Foods reached out to me while I was on the island and invited me down to their office for a special gift! *insert fanatic scream here* I received their invitation and was down in Kingston at their offices immediately. I was greeted by Jodiann and Petagaye who gave me a warm welcome full of hugs, praises, and adoration for the work I have done over the last year. They let me know they are huge fans of my food blog and presented me with an awesome gift basket full of Grace products for me to try out. Some items I’m familiar with, other items are new to me and I cannot wait to show you all how I incorporate all of these products into some delicious recipes for you all! Thank you once again to the amazing team at Grace Foods for their kindness and generosity! Check out my full unboxing of the gorgeous gift basket on my youtube channel!

Delicious Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Swirl!

If there’s anyone who has got a sweet tooth it’s me! Listen, once I start I just can’t stop! I have tried several carrot cake recipes throughout the years and I decided I’d develop my own. Perfect for entertaining or just simply a snack you’d like to keep coming back to, this carrot cake will satisfy that sweet tooth and more. Swirled with a cream cheese filling and topped off with buttercream icing and sweetened coconut flakes, you’ll keep this recipe stacked in your stash of cake recipes for life!

Ingredients

3 cups of grated carrots (grate fresh carrots, don’t buy pre-shredded)

2 cups self rising flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar (Use 1 cup if you like a sweet cake!!! This cake is not very sweet!)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp rose water

1/2 cup of sweetened coconut flakes (for the topping)

———————————

For cream cheese swirl:

4 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg yolk

1 tsp almond essence

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

You’ll be needing 2 large mixing bowls. In one bowl, mix your 3 cups of shredded carrot, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, rose water, nutmeg, and cinnamon powder. Add beaten egg and vegetable oil. In another bowl mix flour and salt together. Using a hand mixer or whisk, slowly add the carrot mixture to the flour and salt and mix until smooth. Add to a greased loaf pan or non stick loaf pan. Now mix cream cheese, egg yolk, vanilla, & almond essence in a separate bowl and swirl throughout mixture. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick or knife comes out clean after inserting. Cover cake with foil for 2 hours while cake is cooling. This will trap moisture and allow for a moist cake. Once cake is cooled, remove foil and top with buttercream icing or vanilla icing. Sprinkle sweetened coconut flakes on top and enjoy!

Coconut Curry Chick Peas & Potatoes

Have you ever felt the need to just take a break from eating meat and chicken everyday? I’m not sure about you but there are times I just grow tired of meat and chicken. In addition to that, I want to cook something quick and easy so I’m in and out of the kitchen in 30 minutes or less. Here is your solution: coconut curry chick peas & potatoes! Packed with vitamins, minerals, and high in protein, chick peas are a perfect substitute for meat and it’s a perfect fit for vegetarians and vegans alike. I’ve included the step by step video for it which is from my Youtube channel at That Nurse Can Cook. Let this meal spice up your meatless Monday! Like, share, and subscribe to channel!

Step by Step Video Recipe

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at thatnursecancook!

Ingredients

-1 can of chick peas

-2 potatoes, chopped into cubes

-1/2 cup of curry powder

-3 tbsp of corn oil

-3/4 cup of water

-3/4 cup of coconut milk

-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

-1/2 onion, finely chopped

-1 tsp adobo seasoning

-1 tsp chicken seasoning

-1 tsp onion powder

-1 tsp garlic powder

-1/4 cup of scallion, chopped (optional)

Directions

Begin by turning your stove on medium heat. Once your pan is warm, add your oil and allow your oil to warm for 1 minute. Next you’ll add your chopped onion and garlic and sauteé quickly for 20 seconds. After you’ve sauteéd your onions and garlic, add your curry powder and continue to stir for 1-2 minutes. This allows you to toast your curry and bring out the true flavor. Add your coconut milk and continue stirring. Stir for another minute and add your chick peas. Continue to stir as you add your potatoes, and at this point you may want to lower your heat because your mixture could be getting very thick. Add your adobo and chicken seasonings as well as your onion and garlic powder at this time and stir until seasonings are well distributed. Your mixture should be thick at this time, go ahead and add 3/4 cups of water. Turn your heat low, and allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes. Top it off with scallion for a beautiful presentation and enjoy!

Asian Market Adventure!

As many of you know, I took a trip to Thailand last month! As soon as I got back home I headed straight to Chinatown to do some shopping for authentic Asian produce. I took my kids right along with me for the adventure and vlogged our adventure! My son, at the curious age of 5 was curious about the live seafood and new produce he was observing. My daughter, on the other hand was a little bit more cautious and nervous about anything that looked unfamiliar to her. Check out this video for these hilarious children, their huge personalities, and the calamity that ensued when we brought live crab home 😂

Asian Market Adventure with my children: Gregory, age 5 and Aria, age 2

The Thailand Takeover

Earlier this month, I was blessed to spend almost two weeks in the beautiful country of Thailand. A relaxing vacation complete with warm beaches, good company, great local food, night market tours, elephant sanctuaries, temple visiting, and a chance to press the pause button and simply enjoy life. Each day was a new adventure as I trekked through 5 different cities exploring the culture and humbleness that embody thai people. Their food, full of robust, aromatic herbs and spices opened up your senses and satisfied every craving for thai food you’ve ever had! I was fortunate enough to visit the coconut farm and learn how sugar was made from coconut, how coconut oil was made, and of course taste the delightful nutty flavor of coconut juice. As Buddhism is the religion followed by the majority of Thai citizens, I visited intricately adorned temples, walked amongst monks, and gained appreciation for their way of life! Check out my youtube channel at that nurse can cook for my full video blog! In the meantime, enjoy some awesome pictures from my stay!