Azoresgal~Life on an Island

I realized a couple of days ago, I had not posted this recipe on here. It is such an easy appetizer to put together, and so dangerously yummy, you might not want to share it. Seriously, a layered, hot cheesy dip with all of the great flavours of pizza including pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni, olives and green peppers. I would not lie to you, and I am talking about the "sharing" part. So if you get a chance this weekend, give it a try. Pizza Dip 1 package cream cheese, softened (8oz)  1/2 cup pizza sauce  mozzarella cheese, shredded  sliced pepperoni  diced green peppers, olives, onions (optional) Preparation: Press cream cheese in bottom of 9-inch glass pie plate. Spread pizza sauce over cream cheese .( Here I like to add some oregano, and garlic powder )  Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the cream cheese. I like to dice the pepperoni, and then sprinkle it on top of the cheese. Next you could add, any other toppings you might like...

 Caprese Salad is oh so simple, but oh so delicious. It only requires a few ingredients: Sun-ripened tomatoes, basil, good Mozzarella, and excellent olive oil.  Do not be fooled by it's simplicity, it is glorious!   ingredients slice the tomatoes drain the mozzarella, and try not to take a bite :) slice the mozzarella layer the tomato and the mozzarella slices on a plate stack 8-10 leafs of basil roll them up, like a cigar and slice very thin sprinkle the basil, over the slices drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper Caprese Salad  ripe tomatoes, sliced,  and drained  fresh mozzarella, sliced. Fresh basil leaves, hand-shredded (8-10 or to taste)  olive oil to taste Pepper and salt to taste A pinch of oregano (optional) Slice the tomatoes into rounds, then slice the mozzarella into rounds and layer them over the tomatoes slices. Sprinkle the basil over the tomato and mo...

This past weekend, my family and I were invited, to visit a most wonderful place, on the island, Quinta do Galo. The purpose of the visit, an interview for "Azoresgal", and a chance for our family to get to know this special place. The Quinta do Galo , is tucked away in the lovely village of Terra Cha, amidst many trees, andat the foot of some rolling hills. At the front gates you are greeted, by chickens and roosters who roam freely, and are not at all bothered by the presence of humans. Along the path, there are orange trees, chestnut trees, lemon trees and even some wonderful Magnolia trees. Once inside, it is almost as if you have been transported into an old village, with all its wonderful little cottages, and ox carts. That of course, is just the surface of this magical place. They have all the ammenities for you to be able to spend the day there, even have a party or get married in the chapel. They have horses, and ponies for riding, they will even host birthday parti...

Considering, today is the very first day Lent, these were perhaps something I should not have made today in my kitchen. But you know what they say about the flesh being weak, it is true. These are so over the top, in taste, my husband Mr.G a confirmed peanut butter cup addict, loved them, and my kids, well they are still jumping around, from the sugar high ! I did not make these "mini" as the orginal recipe suggest's, I made them in a regular, muffin tin of 12, I figure, bigger is better. They are really easy to make, which may prove to be a real problem. If, perhaps you are observing Lent, it was not my intention to tempt you in any way, you can always wait out the 40 days, and then make them....Good Luck with that ! Peanut Butter Cups     found here 1 cup creamy peanut butter ¼ cup  butter ¼ cup light brown sugar 1¼ cups powdered sugar 2 tablets of chocolate (200g each) ¼ cup butter 1. Line a muffin tin with paper liners; set aside. 2. In a bowl c...

It's Carnaval time, here on the island, and that means four fun-filled days of eating ,drinking and living it up before, Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. There are several, traditional desserts made at this time of the year, all of which, are very rich,in eggs and sugar. One of these desserts, is the "Filhós do Forno", a pastry baked in the oven, and then filled with a rich lemony pastry filling. I have for some reason avoided making these, because I had convinced myself they where difficult to make. This year I decided to give them a try....I was pleasantly surprised, when I realized, they are in fact like cream puffs. The dough is made in the exact same manner, the only thing that changes, is they are not baked free form, but instead in little muffin tins. These were wonderful, I only regret not taking, the usually step by step photos, but you see, I really was trying them for the first time, and was convinced they would "flop". My family loved them, and I ha...

Today, I made breakfast for my Valentine, the handsome Mr.G. It wasn't anything fancy shmancy or anything, just some waffles and orange juice. The waffles I added bacon bits to the batter, and the orange juice was fresh squeezed, you know what they say  "the love is in the details ". Happy Valentine´s Day friends. a small package, of bacon 150g I diced the bacon up put it in a frying pan fry it up till it's golden brown add the bacon bits and the drippings to the waffle batter ......DO NOT ADD the SALT or oil ASKED FOR IN THE WAFFLE RECIPE make the waffles according to the insructions, of you waffle iron  while you wait for your waffles, why not squeeze some orange juice  this is the waffle recipe I used, I just added the bacon bits to it :) xo,Diana  

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." - Charles M. Schulz peanut butter, maria cookies, butter, icing sugar (2 bags), 2 chocolate tablets pulse the maria cookies into a crumb in a bowl add, peanut butter, icing sugar, and the maria cookie crumbs give it a quick mix next add in the melted butter, and mix  best way to mix......use your HANDS  it should come together, into a soft dough roll the dough into balls keep rolling, till your all finished, then place in the fridge melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave, till smooth and start dipping, I use a tooth pick, you can use a fork or a spoon if you like, go ahead and decorate  Peanut Butter Truffles   Ingredients 1 ½ cups smooth peanut butter 1 cup melted butter 4 cups confectioners' sugar 1 1 ⁄ 3 ; cups maria cookies crumbs  2 tablets of baking chocolate 2 tablespoons butter Directions In a bowl combine t...