Azoresgal~Life on an Island

 I cannot begin to tell you how super excited I am that we have baby bananas in our garden ! Seriously..baby bananas ! Never in my wildest dreams, did I think, one day, in our backyard, we would have banana trees. The kids are blown away by them..and actually visit them daily to see how they are growing ! I hope all four trees will surprise us this year, with our first banana crop !

This is a favorite summer time salad.  Ok the bacon really helps make it a favorite summer salad ! The cranberries add some sweetness along with the saltiness of the bacon. The crunch of fresh broccoli  and the nuts and seeds, just makes it a winner ! I would say the most important part here is the bacon    the dressing, the rest is really a mix and match of what you might have on hand, at the momment ! SALAD: 2 heads fresh broccoli, washed and cut into bite-size flowerets ½ cup chopped green onions or red onion or white ½ cup dried cranberries or raisins or grapes 1 cup slivered almonds or walnuts or sunflower seeds ( or combination) ½ – 1 cup crumbled bacon  (about 200g diced, fried and drained) DRESSING: 1 cup mayonnaise 3 tablespoons white vinegar ⅓ cup sugar ½ teaspoon ground black pepper Add broccoli,  bacon, onions, cranberries, nuts and seeds to a large bowl.  Next, make the dressing by mixing mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and pepper in a small b

Yummy breakfast sausage, nicely seasoned, without yucky chemicals and preservatives. The perfect start to any day !  Really, really easy to make, I promise ! 1 1/2 t. salt 1/2 t.  sage 1/2 t. savory 1/8 t. nutmeg 3/4 t. marjoram 1/2 t. black pepper 2 t. brown sugar 1/2 t. red pepper flakes (optional) *t.= teaspoons 500 g. ground pork Combine all ingredients together. Mix thoroughly. Shape into thin patties. ( I like one Tablespoon of mixture ) Fry on medium heat, in a little olive oil, until browned all over. Enjoy !

 POPCORN.....OREO COOKIES.....WHITE CHOCOLATE !!! A  perfect combination. Sweet, then salty, then crunchy...oh my ! So easy to put together, which makes it quite dangerous, and tempting to make when ever a craving sneaks upon you !. My kids loved it, it was a special treat to celebrate the last day of school. The most difficult thing here, is really the white chocolate, it can be fussy to melt, because it burns quickly. Please give this a try...and be fair, share it ! Ingredients 2 Tbs vegetable oil ½ cup popcorn kernels 16 oreo cookies 200g white chocolate + tablespoon of crisco or butter ¼ cup rainbow sprinkles 1. In a large pot with a lid, heat the vegetable oil and popcorn kernels over medium heat. Pop the popcorn until all of the kernels are done popping, 3-5 minutes. 2. Transfer the popcorn to a large bowl and let cool. ( I salted my popcorn) 3. Meanwhile, finely chop the oreo cookies. 4. Toss the cookies with the popcorn. 5. Melt the white chocolate  in

 Making homemade salad dressings is so easy, we almost always have the ingredients in the kitchen to make them. Which means, it's not a bummer if the grocery store doesn't have the bottle of dressing you like...uhhhm if you happen to live on an island like me. Alright even if you can easliy buy it..why not just try it out..its really quite nice to know exactly what is going into the dressing ! Catalina Dressing 1/4 cup ketchup 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1/4 cup onion, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon onion powder) 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce 1/2 cup canola oil salt and pepper, to taste Place first 6 ingredients in a food processor or blender (or use a handheld blender) and process until smooth. Add the oil in a steady stream with the machine running until the mixture comes together. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Store in the refrigerator for up to one week.

As I wrote that, I can hardly believe it ! This school year just flew by, even the kids noticed that. I am so looking forward to just hanging out with my babies. It was a busy school year, and we are all tired and ready to relax ! I cannot wrap my brain around the fact that, next year, we will have a 9th grader, a 6th grader, and a 3rd grader ! It was only yesterday they were in preschool ! This year as thank you gifts, for the teachers, bus driver and helpers, I baked mini lemon poppyseed loaves , using this recipe. It was also requested (by Simon) that I bake cupcakes, and of course I obliged ! I am one happy momma, let the summer begin !

Everytime, I make this cake, I get asked for the recipe ! I don´t know why it has taken me so long to share it on here. It is a wonderful, easy cake!! It has a light lemon flavor and isoh so very moist. I like to add the poppy seeds, but of course that is optional. Want to make it even more "lemony" add some grated lemon peel. Be warned, it will disappear quickly. It is great with coffee...and fantastic with a tall cold glass of milk...I promise ! 1 package white or yellow cake mix 1 small package  Jello  lemon pudding 4 large eggs 3/4 cup vegetable oil 3/4 cup 7 Up 1 tablespoon poppy seeds (optional)  *grease and flour a cake pan In the bowl, add the cake mix,  instant lemon pudding, eggs, vegetable oil and 7 Up.  Beat for three minutes on medium speed. Bake in a 180/350 degree oven for 45,  or until cake tests done with a toothpick.  Cool in pan 10 minutes and flip onto a wire rack to cool completely. Lemon Glaze 2 cups confectioner's s

This was divine....seriously divine ! My kids absolutely loved it, they love bacon, just like their momma ! As I made this, I kept thinking, of how great this would be, with some jalapeno peppers added to it. I can hardly wait, for all the jalapenos in the garden to grow.When that happens, I will for sure have to give it a try. This is such an easy dish to prepare, I have said it before, just as fast as using the stuff that comes in the box. Give this version a try, I think you will like it ! To this recipe , I added 200g. of diced bacon, which I pan fried.

I was so happy to find Quinoa at our grocery store ! I was very curious to give it a try. Quinoa is a grain, that is prepared and used much like rice, but is much healthier. We really liked it, even the kids, it has a wonderful nutty flavor. The quinoa, the mushrooms, and thyme were a perfect combination. It was a very delicious dish. Ingredients 1 cup quinoa 2 cups chicken stock (water + stock cube) salt & pepper, to taste 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 500g mushrooms, sliced pinch of dried thyme Directions Rinse the uncooked quinoa really well. Add it into a medium pot, pour in the stock and bring to a boil for 15 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.  Remove from the heat, cover and for about 5 minutes. While the quinoa is cooking,  heat apan over medium-high heat.  Put the olive oil and butter in the skillet, heat them until the butter is melted and then add in the sliced mushrooms.  Let the mushrooms cook, stirring once or twice,