Azoresgal~Life on an Island

For those of you who share my love for all things cheese, here is a recipe for baked Camembert. Super easy to make, and so delicious. The Camembert  melts into a hot, cheesy dip. Pure heaven. Scoop it up with some crusty bread, or crackers. A great Saturday night snack for two, or if your not in the mood for sharing, just for one.  a box of Camembert Cheese (250g)  2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely minced  1 sprig of fresh rosemary, pick the leaves off the woody stalk sea salt and freshly ground black pepper  extra virgin olive oil red peppercorns optional  Open the box of cheese and unwrap it. Place it back into the wooden container ( mine did not come in a wooden container so I placed it in a oven safe dish).  Score a circle into the top of the skin, then lift it off and discard.  Lay the garlic on top of the cheese, sprinkle some pepper and drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil.  Scatter the...

Who loves French Toast? Better question is who doesn’t? Now imagine french toast that is stuffed with  ricotta cheese and chocolate chips. This is such  a simple idea, but it's big on flavor. It literally takes minutes to prepare and will turn breakfast into something outstanding. Now here's the thing, this recipe is perfect for two people..you and someone special. Great for a lazy Sunday morning, when breakfast in bed is an option. Don't forget the maple syrup and the icing sugar, it brings it all together. 1 cup ricotta cheese (I used low-fat) 1/4 cup powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1/3 cup regular or mini chocolate chips 2 large eggs 1/4 cup heavy cream or milk 4  large, thick slices of bread ( I used 4 thick slices of massa sovada/sweet bread) 2 tablespoons butter powdered sugar, for serving syrup, if desired In a small bowl, combine ricotta cheese, powdered sugar & vanilla.  Stir in the chocolate chips and set the mixture aside. ...

 Portuguese a çorda is true comfort food, it's simple and it warms the soul. It's a combination of garlic,butter, bread, mint, water and eggs. Really quite frugal, as it turns leftover bread into a tasty soup. I have to be honest, I have only come to appreciate this lovely soup, in the last couple of years. One day I just got a craving for it,and made some, I am so glad I did. Every once in a while, I just get the need to make it, usually when I am not feeling well, or feeling a bit blue. Today was one of those days, I am fighting a cold, but much worse struggling with the fact, that Emma's birthday is coming up. Everything has become gloomy once again, and the tears appear from nothing. I just want to crawl away, under a blanket, for the next couple of day's. I know that's not being possible, this warm bowl of açorda was soothing and helped raise my spirits. Now everyone's mother and grandmother has a version for making Açorda, this is my way of making...

Homemade tortillas are very easy and inexpensive to make and they taste so much better than the store bought ones. I love that I know whats in them, sure it will take a little time, but once you try a fresh warm tortilla, it will all be worth it. My kids love them ! I actually have a tortilla press, that was given to me as a gift. If using a press, a ziplock bag, cut to open like a book, and the use of some cooking spray make things really easy. If you are rolling them out, lots of flour, dusted on your counter, helps with avoiding a sticky mess. These are great for fish tacos, burritos, and great as wraps for falafel ! Now don´t be scared, the first time might not go smoothly, but soon you will get the hang of it. Oh, and get the kids to help, those little hands are perfect for rolling the dough into balls ! 3 cups flour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder ⅓ cup canola oil 1 cup warm water (up to) In a large bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder, and oil. Slowly ad...

I baked some mint M&M cookies this morning, to celebrate St.Patrick's Day ! I think the kid's are going to enjoy them, when they get home from school. I only made half a batch of the M&M cookie recipe , because the Mint M&M's I had were only an 8oz bag. It worked out rather nicely, and I ended up with about 20 cookies, perfect for snack today. Hope you have a lovely St.Paddy's Day !

 This is one of my favorite recipes, I have had for atleast 15 years. It is hand written on a tattered and yellowing page in my very old cookbook. I haven’t made it in such a long time and I’m wondering why since it’s SO good. It is a great coffee cake, very pretty and it tastes great too. For variety, you can use your choice of pie filling in place of cherry pie filling, strawberry or blueberry. The glaze is optional, but yummy, I did not add it today, as I was out of icing sugar. I hope you try it, you won't regret it. Enjoy your weekend ! 3/4 cup milk 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 1/4 cups flour 3/4 cup white sugar 3/4 cup butter 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 egg 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 can (19 oz.) cherry pie filling 1/3 cup sliced almonds Glaze (optional) 1 cup powdered sugar 2 tablespoons milk 1/2 teaspoon almond essence Directions: Combine milk and lemon juice. Set aside. Combine flour and sugar in food pr...

Happy Pi (3/14)  Day ! If your a math-lover or dessert-lover, today is the perfect day. I am the latter of the two ! So to celebrate, I made a Chocolate Walnut Pie ! It's easy to prepare, the filling is quick to mix, and you don't even have to prebake the shell. Easy Peasy ! 1  package round puff pastry 1/2 cup brown sugar 2/3 cup corn syrup 1/3 cup chocolate chips 2 tablespoons butter 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla pinch of salt 2 cups chopped walnuts Pre-heat oven to 200C. Line a 8 inch pie plate or tart pan with the puff pastry, cutting to size. In a bowl mix the sugar and corn syrup, microwave just till its warm, enough to mix well. Add in the chocolate chips, butter, vanilla, and salt, mix till everything is combined and chocolate has melted. Next add in the 2 eggs, beat and mix well, adding the walnuts last. Pour mixture into the pie plate, spreading it out to the side of the dish with a spoon. Bake in the oven 20-25 minutes, or until...

This was such a big hit when I made it for dinner ! Not a single cashew was left over ! It´s sweet and spicy and crunchy, every bite is delicious. I served it with some white rice, the perfect match. Next time I want to add some sugar peas for some extra crunch. I used only one pan to stir-fry everything, so there was little clean up. Plus it is such an easy recipe. And I always like easy. Don’t you? 1/2 cup chicken broth/ or water 3 tbsp oyster sauce 1 tbsp  brown sugar 1 tbsp  cornstarch 1 tbsp  white vinegar 4-5  boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in chunks 1/4 tsp  salt 1/4 tsp pepper 2 sweet red peppers, chopped 2 onions, chopped 1 tsp  chili flakes  ( or to taste ) 1 cup  roasted cashews 3 green onions, chopped  about 1/4 oil for frying Whisk together chicken broth or water, oyster sauce,  brown sugar, cornstarch and vinegar; set aside. In wok or frying pan, heat some oil over...

 I had some greek yogurt that had been sitting in the fridge for a while, so these were perfect. You only need 1 bowl, 4 ingredients, and 10 minutes to make these. Flour, an egg, baking soda, and  Greek yogurt....thats it ! These are not very sweet, you could add some honey if you like, but any topping you use will make them sweeter.  While on the griddle I added blueberries to mine, only because I had some, I think bananas would be great too, and a flavored greek yogurt would work as well.  I served these to my  pancake aficionado , Simon, and waited for a verdict. He loved them and said they were "really fluffy and yummy". I made them small, and got about 8 pancakes. Considering today is Pancake Tuesday, you still have time to make them ! Ingredients 3/4 cup //6 oz of your favorite Greek yogurt 1 tablespoon honey (optional) 1 egg  ½ cup flour 1 tsp baking soda ***blueberries if using To begin, heat griddle or skillet over med...