Venturing Out

When I plan ahead and lay out my meal plan before I go shopping, it seems my meals are a lot more successful. I end up venturing out a bit, trying new recipes and different kinds of cooking. 

Monday night, I made empanadas, shrimp bisque and fried plantains for dinner. It was delicious. 

Here is a picture of the empanadas:

When I was in school for my doctoral studies, I learned of a restaurant called Havana Rumba. It's a Cuban restaurant and one of my favorites in Louisville. The first time I was there, I ordered the chicken empanadas from the appetizer menu with a side of sweet potato fries and fried sweet plantains. It was so good that was all I ordered whenever I had a chance to go. 

Ever since then, I've wanted to make my own empanadas and play with the filling. This was my trial run so I followed the recipe exactly. 

The recipe called for a beef filling, but next time I think I'll try shredded chicken and try to replicate the sauce from Havana Rumba. Wish me luck! :)