Azoresgal~Life on an Island

If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men. ~St. Francis of Assisi I am sad and angry, our beautiful dog was hit by a driver yesterday, and left to die on the road. I do not know how someone, could hit an animal, and not even stop to knock on our door, and let us know. We are the only house on the street, it's not like they had to pick and choose who she might belong to. I cannot understand how someone could have such disregard for a life. This poor animal, literally found us,  about 3 weeks ago, she was a stray, who was hungry, thirsty and dirty. We fed her, gave her water, and most of all gave her her love. I like to think that the short time she did spend with us, she knew she had a family that would take care of her. I suppose what I struggled most with was having to tell our children , what had happened and why their four legged friend was not waiti

This is one of our favorites at our table, even the kids love it. It´s quick and easy and DELICIOUS !! Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Pizza pizza dough ~~ home made or store bought 1 package of smoked salmon 1 tub of sour cream ( you won't use all of it) 1 package goat cheese (the package with 2 rounds) chives, black pepper & salt (if you like) Heat your oven up, really hot, as high as it will go, trust me, good pizza needs good heat. Flaten out your pizza dough, on a floured pizza pan or cookie sheet. Spread a nice thick layer of sour cream on top. Next, add strips/pieces of the smoked salmon, and cubes of the goat cheese. Sprinkle chopped chives on top, and season with black pepper, and salt if you wish (the salmon and goat cheese are quite salty, so adjust to your liking) Next, bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. notes: When done, slice, and drizzle with some olive oil, and shred some parmesan cheese on top,,, I also bet a drizzle of balsamic vinegar

I made these for dinner Sunday night. It was out of desperation ( hence no step~by~step pictures ).....you know what I mean...it's almost dinner time, tummies are growling...and you have no clue what to make. These little beauties popped into my head, I have had this recipe for a very long time, it was ripped out shame on me  of a magazine, while waiting in a doctor´s office. I don´t know which is worse, the fact that I ripped it out of a magazine, or the fact that I was maybe 12, when I did this. Seriously what 12 year old needs a recipe for crepes, I laugh everytime I think about it, I swear I thought everyone in that waitng room was staring at me. All I have to say is that I am glad I did, it is a great recipe, very easy to make, and you can either make them sweet or savory.  As for fillings, shoot for the moon, you can pretty much fill them with what you like. Popular at our house , is honey and cream cheese, or strawberry jam....over course sprinkled with icing sugar.

 Being able to buy all the little things needed to make Sushi, makes me extremely happy! In Angra, there is a wonderful little gourmet shop, Coisas e Sabores , a fantastic place to find all kinds of spices, teas, chocolates, and one of a kind gifts. It is one of my favorite places to stop in and look around, for something new and different.....or sometimes even something essential, that one may need, and can´t always find available on the island, in the  supermarkets. If you get a chance, and find yourself in Angra, on the main street, where the  Sé Cathedral is located, pop in and pay the shop owner Ana Barbara , a visit, I promise you won´t, regret it. xo,Diana

Happy St.Patricks Day !!!!!! ***recipe taken from here Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes With Bailey's Frosting Ingredients Cupcakes 1 cup unsalted butter 1 cup Guinness stout 2 ⁄ 3 ; cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted 1 cup light brown sugar 1 teaspoon table salt 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup white sugar 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda 2 eggs ½ cup sour cream Frosting ½ cup unsalted butter 4 cups confectioners' sugar 1 pinch table salt 3 tablespoons irish cream ( Bailey's or Carolan's) 1 tablespoon milk green sprinkles Directions Preheat oven to 350°F Grease 24-30 cupcake cups, or fill with paper liners. In a saucepan, heat the butter, Guinness, cocoa and brown sugar, whisking often, until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Into the work bowl of a stand mixer (or into a large mixing bowl), sift together salt, flour, white sugar and baking soda. Add the cool

Happy  π (pi)/ Pi Day everyone !!!  If you remember anything at all about math class way back in the day , we learned that  π (pi)= 3.14, and well, today just happens to be March (3) the 14th, also known as Pi Day. Listen I don´t make these things up you know, for me it was just another excuse to use up some more frozen blueberries, and bake a pie. Although, does one really need an excuse to bake a pie, this blueberry pie was amazing, the only thing missing was a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, to kerplop on top of it. Blueberry Pie - Double Pie Crust 6 cups (about 2 1/4 pounds or 1 kilo) of fresh (or frozen) blueberries, rinsed and stems removed (if using frozen, defrost and drain first) 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1/4 cup (about 30g) all-purpose flour (for thickening) 1/2 cup white granulated sugar (100g) 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 2 Tbsp butter (unsalted), cut into small pieces Egg wash ingredients: 1 egg 1 tablespoon milk Directions 1 Prepa

This one is a keeper, all the wonderful flavors of stuffed green peppers, but oh so very quick to put together. Even the kids loved it, and they won't go near stuffed peppers with a ten foot pole. I added bacon to the recipe, because....well because bacon makes everything taste better. Next time, I think I will add in some chopped Linguiça/chorizo, I have a feeling the great smoked flavors will be an added bonus to this casserole. Stuffed Green Pepper Casserole 500 gr. ground beef 2 small packages diced bacon (optional~I added that in) 2 small onions chopped 2 medium green peppers, seeded and chopped 1 and 1/2 cups tomato sauce 1 cup rice (uncooked) 2 cups chicken broth  OR 2 cups boiling water + 2 chicken cubes shredded cheese Directions -In a little bit of olive oil, brown the ground beef, bacon, diced onions, and diced green peppers. - Remove from heat, to the pot add, the uncooked rice, the tomato sauce, the chicken cubes and the boiling water

I don't know what it is about, Sunday afternoon, that always leaves me feeling sad. Right around 4pm, it just hits me like a ton of bricks. I suppose it has to do with the fact that the weekend is over, and that Monday morning is just lurking around the corner. It is almost, as if I still get that knot in my stomach, you know the one, like when we were kids, and you knew that Monday, meant going back to school. Crazy how somethings you can never shake or forget. Dinner around ours, on Sunday nights, is usually breakfast food. I had bought some frozen blueberries, and decided upon making blueberry pancakes. I had to giggle, when I saw there lovely hue, because it was quite reflective, of how I was feeling....blue. this is the recipe I used, I just added in a bag of Bluberries xo, Diana

finding Panko crumbs, and  White Truffle Balsamic Vinegar, at my favorite gourmet shop seeing my Peanut Butter Truffles, on the cover of the paper and a write up inside the paper, and 3 more of my photos Such a fun experience :) xo, Diana

I could lie to you, and say this cake is extremely healthy, because it is made with zucchini......but I would be lying right through my teeth. I could have, just left this cake with no frosting...but it looked naked, and a naked cake would be , just sad !. I went for the gusto and made a chocolate ganche, because I just happen to have, some full fat cream  I have know idea who bought it  in my fridge. Please, please make this cake.....life is to short not to. Convince yourself that you are eating a serving of vegetables if you must, I promise, it will be the best zucchini you ever ate ! ingredients mix your dry ingredients first then add in all the rest of the ingredients (trust me) mix everything up pour into a greased and floured cake pan bake for about 60 minutes @ 180º cool the cake , them turn out, and enjoy OR..... make some ganache add the chocolate and the cream into a bowl heat both in the microwave...when hot whisk add in the gra