To say that I love the Food Network, would be an understatement!  One of my favorite shows is Chopped Jr.  Last year I got the opportunity to audition for the show and I got started practicing mystery baskets in preparation, just in case I got the call.  I’m going to share some of my mystery baskets!  Experimenting with mystery basket combinations has helped my creativity in the kitchen and expanded my knowledge of different food ingredients!

Entree Basket:  Okra, Bugles, Tilapia, and Dried Cherries….30 minutes….GO!

The first thing to pop in to my head was to make sure that the tilapia got cooked to perfection! So I run and get some aluminum foil and to place the tilapia on and season it up. So next I add some veggies to my tilapia to give it more flavor and color. Then wrap it up in my foil pouch and bake it! Then I get started on my salad! I cut up kale and throw it in the bowl, still checking on my tilapia ever now and then, I cut carrots,onion, and bell peppers! Then I get the fish out and it is PERFECT!!! So I have to make my vinaigrette with the dried cherries and crumble my Bugles for a crouton and then I hear 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,0!!! Time is up! I ended up with baked tilapia with veggies and a kale salad with a cherry vinaigrette and Bugle croutons! Sounds good to me!!! Let’s eat!

Be sure to watch for more Mystery Basket Mondays here on Jenna’s Kitchen.

Be sure to tune into Food Network August 29th at 7 pm central time to watch my Chopped Jr. episode!