Azoresgal~Life on an Island

These cookies are just the right texture, nice and soft on the inside and the blend of spices and molasses makes them extra delicious. The taste of ginger is very subtle, and not over powering, as ginger sometimes can be. They bake up really quickly, about 10 minutes in the oven. The dough does have to be chilled, the longer the better, it will keep it from being sticky when you roll it out. I had a great time making these, with my kids, they were very hand´s on, rolling out and cutting the cookies, the dough held up really well ! It was fun to watch them decorate them, all in their own style. There were lots of laughs, you can only imagine some of the nonsense they came up with ! I hope you all had a beautiful Christmas Day ! 1/2 cup butter, softened 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar 1/3 cup molasses 1 egg 2 tablespoons water 2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, nutmeg and ...

Wishing you and your family health, happiness, peace and prosperity this holiday season and in the coming New Year. May the magic of Christmas fill your heart all year long.

I have been feeling under the weather this week,  a battle with the flu. On Monday right after I baked and packaged cookies for Simon´s school, I went straight to bed. I have been a bit of a sleeping beauty this week, my husband is amazed at how much I have slept. I am not surprised, my body tends to shut down, when it has had enough, it just requires me to sleep. While I do have the flu, I have been worrying about some things lately, and just wore myself out I suppose. As most of you know, I live far away from my family, factor in that Christmas is upon us, I become an emotional mess. This year is different, my mom, has been having some health issues, to many frequent  ambulance rides to the ER, because of her heart. My baby sister just gave birth to a beautiful healthy baby girl, but there were some complications, and my sister is weak, but on the mend. I worry about my father, and what it´s been like for him to see my mom, in and out of the hospital. I just feel helpless, I...

My family and I were invited to a friend's house for brunch today. When she made the invitation, I knew right away what I wanted to make, to take to her house, Granola Parfaits. I love the layers you get in parfaits – nice creamy yogurt, crunchy granola, along with fresh fruit. They just always look delish, and somehow it feels like your eating dessert for breakfast. My intial plan was to make   individual parfaits, but I had no idea how many other guests would be there. So I actually only made the one in the picture, that I promise you did not go to waste. I went ahead and assembled everything in my trifle bowl, a much better way to feed a crowd. I have a great recipe for granola, but went with a store bought one, only because it had chocolate in it, don´t judge me ! I also nixed the fruit this time around, because did I mention there was chocolate in the granola? Parfaits or Trifle, both  are so incredibly easy to make and so delicious! 1 tub greek...

Tis' the season for peppermint bark!  It’s super easy to make, 3 ingredients, and a little bit of time. Layers of smooth, white chocolate and dark chocolate  topped with  crunchy minty candy cane pieces.  Perfect for gift giving, packed into little cello bags, or tins. I think because it's homemade, just makes it extra special. 16 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped + 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 16 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped + 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 (6-ounce package) candy canes, or peppermints unwrapped and crushed 1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside. 2. Place the dark chocolate and oil in a medium heatproof bowl and set it over a small saucepan of barely simmering water over low heat. Melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally, until completely smooth. Using an offset spatula, spread the melted chocolate in an even layer on the prepared cookie sheet. The melted chocolate should cover an area ...

I don’t know what it is about pecan pie, that just might make it one of my favorite desserts. It could be the  scrumptious sweet syrupy filling, or the buttery crunchy pecans, or the fact that both are married to a delicate, flaky crust. Indeed it could be all of these things, add in some chocolate, and how could anyone resist this pie. It's a homemade pie, that's sweet, simple and made for sharing ! 1 (9") pie shell , deep dish 3 eggs, slightly beaten 1 c. light corn syrup 1/2 c. sugar 2 tbsp. butter, melted 1 tsp. vanilla 1 c. chocolate chips 1 1/2 c. pecans In medium bowl stir eggs, syrup, sugar, butter and vanilla until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake at  180//350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted half way between center and edge comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Makes 1 (9") pie. *** for the longest time, pecans and corn syrup, could not be found in any of the grocery...