Azoresgal~Life on an Island

I adore Leonard Cohen. xo, Diana

That´s right BACON and CHEESE.....did I mention BACON ! Go on, run into the kitchen !! Bacon Cheese Dip 1 unsliced round loaf bread 2 cups  cheese, shredded ( I used 4 cheeses) 1 cup  Parmesan cheese, shredded 1 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup finely diced onion (small onion) 2 packages diced bacon ( fried) 1 garlic clove, minced 1/4 tsp crushed red chile flakes Pre-heat oven to  180º/350 degrees. Slice the top quarter off the loaf of bread and set aside. Carefully hollow out the inside, leaving a 1 inch shell.  Cube removed bread and set aside for dipping. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl, spoon into bread bowl. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and cover with the reserved top quarter of the loaf to prevent the dip from becoming to brown while baking.  Add the bread you scooped out Bake for 45 minutes or until heated through. Serve with bread cubes and crackers. xo,Diana

Something's are best not messed around with and just left simple. Figs are so perfect , they really do not need much to jazz them up. Some figs, a bit of flour, a touch of sugar, a pinch of cinnamon, and a store bought pastry crust.....and voilá....a fig crostata. Fig Crostata 1 store bought pastry crust 12 figs ( give of take) 2 tablespoons of flour 6 tablespoons of sugar cinnamon to taste some milk sugar for sprinkling Pre heat oven to 200º Open up the pastry crust, place on a cookie sheet, leaving the parchment paper underneath. Slice the figs, next mix with the flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Lightly coat, arrange the figs on top of the pastry, leaving a border all around the fruit. Turn over the sides of the pastry. Lightly brush the pastry, with some milk, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for about 40 minutes, till golden, and figs are bubbly. xo, Diana

" quit your job buy a ticket get a tan fall in love never return"  xo,Diana

Gosh, maybe I am wanting fall to arrive, a cobbler and a crisp within days of each other !! Well I won't pull out the sweaters just yet, but it is my favorite season...just saying. In my freezer I had a bag of blueberries, and a bag of strawberries from last years crop. I decided to mix them together, for this berry crisp. I used the recipe for the Strawberry Crisp , from last year. I still used the 4 cups of strawberries, and just added the small bag of blueberries, not worrying about the extra fruit to much. xo, Diana

Bought some lovely peaches the other day, and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them....bake a peach cobbler. The weather has been very cool this week, almost fall-like...sigh. Thats perhaps why, this cobbler hit the spot. the fruit filling for the topping Peach Cobbler Ingredients Filling 10 peaches, sliced or diced 3 Tablespoons flour 1/3 cup sugar or more 1/8 tsp cinnamon or more pinch of salt Topping 1 1/2 cup flour 1/4 tsp salt 1 tablespoon  baking powder 2 tablespoons sugar (plus more to sprinkle on top) 4 tablespoons  unsalted butter, cubed and kept cold 1 cup heavy cream ( I used a little carton, only 200mls)                               ...

Nothing beats the taste of a homegrown tomato.     xo,Diana

Way before, Ina, Martha, Nigella there was Julia. I believe she is the first TV chef, I ever watched. I kid you not, on Saturday morning....I loved to watch Julia, on the PBS channel. There was something charming, friendly about her....and she made everything seem simple, and easy to do. Today would have been her 100th birthday. Below is one of my favorite Julia Child quotes. They are ;) xo,Diana

Salty wins everytime ! I had some leftover cherry tomato salad, placed some spoonfuls on some bread, sprinkled with some mozzarella cheese, placed this in the toaster oven, and heated till the cheese started to melt. Once it was done, I drizzled the whole thing with some truffle flavored balsamic vinegar.  It was oh so yummy, and simple too. xo, Diana

Life is good, dear friends :) xo,Diana