Azoresgal~Life on an Island

Well here it is another Christmas day ! I hope you are enjoying a beautiful day with your families where ever it is you may be ! We are all still in our pyjamas, watching movies, enjoying new gifts, and just relaxing. I do not know about you , but I am really exhausted, I feel like I was hit by a truck. I gave it my all this week, really just trying to do and make or bake all of my kids favorite things. It's what I love most about Christmas, getting everything ready for them, in the hopes that many, many years from now, they may stop and remember, "that´s how mom used to make it". Find myself a bit overwhelmed, I admit that baking gingerbread cookies this year, was something I had crossed off the to do list. Somehow I thought it was something the kids would not miss, boy was I wrong, yesterday mid afternoon, Simon asked, "when are we baking the gingerbread cookies?" I told him "we already have so many other things on the dessert table, we can leave them ou...

The Nanaimo bar, whose origins are said to be from Nanaimo, British Columbia is one of Canada´s much loved desserts. It is certainly one of my all time favorites! Sooooo why is it, that I never make them? I will tell you why....because they are down right dangerous! Do not be fooled by these little no-bake squares, they are pure evil, in an ohhhh soooooo delicious way. They are creamy and crunchy and chocolaty all at the same time. I made these babies yesterday, it's only one little tin, it is sitting in my fridge, and I can hear them calling me, you know like in the film Jumangi! You know what I mean! If you have never had them, you are in for a treat, they are amazing ! Please do not be discouraged by what seems like alot of steps, they are very easy to make, and so worth it, I promise ! Crust Layer: ½ cup butter, softened 5 tbsp cocoa powder ½ cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1 egg, lightly beaten 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs ( marie cookies work) ½ cup chopped ...

 I must say, that sometimes , I feel I bit guilty about being a stay at home mom, mostly when it´s cold outside, and I send everyone out the door in the early chilly morning. The kids go off to school, and Mr. G off to work, and Luna and I get to hang out in a toasty, warm home and wait for them to come back. We are a couple of weeks shy of winter, but they leave when it's dark, & arrive when it´s dark at the end of the day. Now we, in fact do not get snow, we might get the odd hail storm, but it does get chilly for us. So when they do come home, I want them to eat something warm and comforting. Pot roast is one of those comfort meals I  love to make for them. It is really easy to make, do not be scared, aside from browning the meat, everything else just goes into the pot. It´s also a one pot meal, and you know you can´t beat that, little to no clean-up. It just needs time, to bubble away in the oven, while the super delicious smell of the roast wafts through your h...

These are really easy, and are a great last-minute addition to Christmas cookie trays. I use red crystilized cherries with almond extract, and they are always scrumptious. They are just sweet enough, buttery,  airy and light, and just melt in your mouth. With so few ingredients, there is no excuse not to make them. I bake them every year, they have become a Christmas staple at our house. Ingredients 250 grams butter, softened (2 cups) 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup icing sugar 2 teaspoon vanilla extract/ or almond (optional) 1/4 cup red maraschino cherry/ or  crystallized fruit or glacé fruit 1/4 cup green maraschino cherry/ or  crystallized fruit or glacé fruit Preheat oven to180/ 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl and using an electric mixer, combine butter, flour, icing sugar and vanilla extract; mix until mixture is a smooth consistency. ( I just use a wooden spoon) Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper. Spoon out dough onto parchme...

 I love the simplicity of this recipe, with very few ingredients it is a keeper in my books. Brazilian Carrot Cake is a popular cake in Brazil, it’s different from the American carrot cake recipes. This has no addition of spices, it is just made with carrots, that are blended not grated with the other ingredients. It is rich in flavor, has a wonderful fluffy texture and is coated with a delicious chocolate sauce. 4 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped 4 eggs, 1 cup canola oil 2 cups sugar 1 pinch salt 2 1/2 cups flour 1 tablespoon baking powder chocolate sauce 4 tablespoons cocoa powder 6 tablespoons  sugar 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons milk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions:  for the cake Heat oven to 350F/180 C  Put eggs, carrots and oil in a blender. Blend on high for about 2 minutes or until there are no more big pieces of carrots left. Add sugar and salt and blend until well incorporated. Add 1 cup of flour ...

This is one of my favorite breakfast dishes ever, I love to prepare it for Mr.G and I on lazy sunday mornings. Smoked salmon layered on a toasted bagel, topped with a poached egg and a lemony hollandaise sauce, it's magical, an explosion of flavors. I love the presentation of this dish too, it's so beautiful!  Try it for your next lazy weekend, great for brunch, lunch or dinner, so simple to make, but delicious in taste! For this recipe, you’ll need to know how to poach eggs . It’s not difficult, promise! You’ll also need to make a batch of hollandaise sauce . 4 poached eggs 1 batch  Hollandaise Sauce  smoked salmon, sliced thin 2 bagels Split and toast the bagels. Put one half on each plate, or two if your really hungry! Place a  layer of smoked salmon on each toasted bagel half. Top each salmon-bagel with a poached egg. Spoon hollandaise sauce generously on top. Serve immediately. ***butter the bagels if you wish *** top with dil...

Another kitchen confession of mine, I was afraid to make hollandaise sauce, how about you?  Well fear no more, I am going to show you a quick and easy way to do it, using a kitchen blender! If the great Julia Child did it this way, then so can we! I promise you, your weekend brunch will never be the same again, I am addicted to this rich lemony sauce, and eggs benedict is something I look forward too now on Sunday mornings! 3 egg yolks 1/4 teaspoon salt Pinch black pepper ( I like cayenne) 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice 8 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces Directions: In a blender, combine the egg yolks, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Set aside. In a small saucepan over medium-high, add the butter and heat until foaming. Blend the egg yolk mixture at top speed for 2 seconds then, with the blender running, remove the cover and pour in the hot butter in a thin stream of droplets. By the time two-thirds of the butter has been a...

These were so much fun to make, messy, but fun ! I think the best part was the look on the faces of my kiddos...priceless! They loved them, they couldn't get over how creepy they looked! These would be great for a Halloween party, or perhaps a fundraiser, they are sure to spook everyone out ! 8 small red apples 8 oz white chocolate/200g 2 Cup Sugar ½ Cup water 1 Tbsp Red food dye lollipop sticks/ branches (cleaned) Start out by washing your apples. If the apples don’t stand on the counter, just slice a little off the bottom. Place your lollipop stick in the apple at this point. Gently melt the white chocolate in the microwave or over a ban marie. Spoon the white chocolate all over the apple and allow the excess to drip off. Place them on a tray lined to parchment paper to dry, for roughly an hour. The chocolate has to be completely set before adding the ‘blood’ caramel. To make the blood caramel: Place the sugar and water in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Heat o...

 This chicken stroganoff is absolutely delicious! When I make it for dinner, there are never any leftovers. It has a creamy tangy sauce, that just goes hand in hand with some white rice. Topped with crunchy  matchstick  potato chips, it is real comfort food. It is minimal preparation, simple ingredients and made in one pot...it's a keeper for sure ! 1 kilo chicken breast, cleaned and cut in ½ inch cubes 1 teaspoon paprika 6 cloves of garlic, minced 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 1 large onion, diced 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 3 tablespoons ketchup 2 tablespoons yellow mustard 1 cup tomato sauce 1½ cups cream Salt to taste In a large bowl, mix the chicken cubes with the salt, garlic, the paprika and the flour until all the chicken is coated. In a large skillet over medium high heat, heat the olive oil and the butter and sauté the onion until translucent (about 2 minutes). Add the chicken and...

This  peanut brittle is super easy to make thanks to the 'microwave' and oh so tasty, I warn you it is addictive!  The good news is that if you happen to.... eat the entire pan without even realizing it, it takes about 10 minutes to make a whole new batch!

This sauce served with your favorite pasta, makes a great simple weeknight meal, but it is also perfect for times when you need something fancy for company. It's so lovely, so quick and easy, seriously, the sauce cooks in less than 20 minutes. The important thing  is to use a good pasta/tomato sauce, it will give the sauce great flavor. My family absolutely loved it, I hope yours does too ! 6 tablespoons butter (1/3 cup) 1⁄3 cup unflavored vodka 1 jar of your favorite pasta/tomato sauce (3 cups) 1 cup heavy cream salt/pepper/chili flakes to taste In a medium saucepan, combine the butter and vodka. Cook over medium heat just until you can't smell the vodka, about 5 minutes. Add the pasta/tomato sauce and cream, stirring until combined, and cook until heated. Add salt and pepper to your liking, add chili flakes for some heat if you wish. Serve over  your favorite cooked pasta. Add grilled chopped chicken for a complete meal. source

Today I decided to conquer a kitchen fear of mine, the Pavlova. I confess that meringues are not my best thing, whether I follow a recipe or not, I find they always fail. That being said, I have always wanted to make a pavlova, in books and in magazines they always look so pretty.   Pavlova when done right, has a crisp shattering shell, and a soft, gooey marshmallow inside. To contrast the crunchy, sweet meringues, the dessert is usually topped with whipped cream and fruit. I must toot my own horn here, these were amazing, I did a happy dance as I served them. I topped mine with passion fruit, it was a great combination, tart, and sweet in one bite. The beauty of this recipe, all the ingredients start off in the same bowl...yes that´s right all dumped into one bowl, then beaten into billowy meringues. I won't lie, I thought, how in the heck will that work...but it did.  So very easy to make, all you need is a mixer, and some patience while the pavlova bakes. So are you ready t...

This meal is SUPER easy, it's made in one pot and most importantly everyone loves it. The genius behind this recipe is Nigella Lawson, her use of orzo  pasta instead of rice, to produce a creamy, risotto-like dish, with  no stirring, is like I said, genius. The fact that it comes together really quickly, makes it perfect for week night meals. The sweetness of the peas next to the crunchy salty bacon are a match made in  heaven. The recipe as is, makes 4 small servings, so for my family of five, I double it. Well do you think you will try it ? I hope you do, it really is a keeper !  2 Tbs. garlic-flavored oil (or add a peeled garlic clove to regular olive oil and cook until golden; discard garlic, use oil)  6 ounces cubed pancetta (or diced, thick-cut bacon)  1 1/4 cups frozen petits pois (baby peas)  8oz orzo pasta 2 1/2 cups boiling water  Salt, to taste  1 Tb. soft butter  2 Tbs. grated Parmesan ( I added 1/2 cu...

This simple tart, is out of this world, it's a favorite dessert at our house. It's a Portuguese classic, it has a rich, crumbly, buttery cookie-like base. The topping is.... dreamy, it's caramelized, crunchy and nutty. Really easy to make, you don't even need a rolling pin for the crust. Hardest part, just keeping an eye on the topping once it goes into the oven, you don't want it to burn. The tart  has a wow-factor- it not only looks delicious, it tastes amazing.  Trust me,you will have to make it, and see for yourself ! Crust 1 egg 150 grams sugar/ 3/4 cup  125grams butter, soft/ 1/2 cup  ½ teaspoon salt 200 grams flour/ 1 and 2/3 cups 1 teaspoon baking powder Almond topping 125 grams sugar/ 10 tablespoons 125 grams butter/ 1/2 cup 4 tablespoons milk 200 grams blanched, slivered almonds ( a little under 2 cups ) pinch of salt Preheat oven to 180C/350°F. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the egg,  and sugar until uniform. A...

Springtime is in full force here, and you can really see it in the vegetable garden. The spring onions and the rhubarb are growing tall, the new potatoes will be ready to harvest soon. The cabbages are looking lovely, and the pumpkins are already showing signs of a good crop to come in the autum. Snow peas are ready for picking, and so is the lettuce and the arugula. Amazing how the garden is all fresh and new again. We are already eating plenty of salad around here, because everything tends to grow at the same time. Now the wonderful Mr.G, bless his heart, will eat his salad, with just olive oil and vinegar if need be. Uhhmm, me not so much, I need a dressing, drizzled all over my rabbit food  salad. Enter this quick, and delicous sweet balsamic vinaigrette, it is better than anything you can buy pre-bottled. It is tangy and sweet and will add extraordinary flavor to the simplest of salads. Trust me, you will want to eat salad for lunch and dinner, that can´t be a bad t...

 If you love  salty/sweet combinations – these cookies are for you ! The cookies are chewy with big chocolate chunks and  topped with a sprinkling of sea salt.  The combination of flavors are wonderful together!  If you are worried about the salt, you don´t have to add it, you will still have a great cookie! 3/4 cup white sugar 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup butter 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 200 grams semisweet chocolate chopped// 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips coarse sea salt for sprinkling on top 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 2. In medium bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir with fork so all ingredients are mixed. 3. In large bowl, combine sugars, and butter. Mix until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth and fluffy. 4. Add 1 cup of dry ingredients at a t...

Made this for dinner tonight, it´s really, really good. This one is a keeper for a couple of reasons, it is easy to make, comes together quickly, and it’s delicious. The heat of the curry powder, and the delicate coconut milk, give this dish such wonderful flavor.  While it cooks, and simmers away, it smells heavenly. My family absolutely loved it, the kid's even asked for seconds! If this were just for hubby and I, I would have added some chopped cilantro, right at the very end, but because not all our kids like cilantro, I sprinkled it on our individual plates. I served it with basmati rice, but can just imagine how great jasmine rice would be perfect here too! 1 kilo boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces  salt and pepper to taste  4 tablespons vegetable oil (to begin) 2 tablespoons  yellow curry powder (use red for more heat) 1 small onion, thinly sliced or finely diced 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk ...

Bôla de Carnes, is a traditional Portuguese bread, it´s a savory quick bread, that has all sorts of cold meats, leftover meats, or deli meats added to it. I also like to add some cheese to it, just because it can´t hurt !  This is one of my favorite things to make to take on a picnic, or to serve at parties, but it´s also really handy, when you don't know what to make for dinner! This was the case for yesterday, the day got away, as sometimes it does, I knew I had leftovers for Mr.G, but wasn´t quite sure what to make for the kids, when I remembered this. There are many versions for this, and for the most part they are made while using "the force ", no recipe, just eyeballing it. When there is a recipe, the common measure used is a "chavena" known to you and I as a coffee cup/mug, and yes it is a legit form of measurement! You can make this in two different ways, the first is as a cake, with all the cold cuts chopped in, and poured into a tube pan. The second wa...

                                                                                           “A mother is a person who seeing there are only 4 pieces of pie for 5 people… announces she never did care for pie” -Tenneva Jordan.

If you live on love Pinterest like I do, I am sure you have seen these dainty little pastries on there. They really are visually stunning, but even better is they are delicious. A combination of sweet, flakey and crunchy.  The sweetness comes mostly from the apple, making them a nice light dessert.  We thought they were best eaten warm , out of the oven, although they were still lovely at room temperature. Don’t be scared to bake these, they are really easy to make, I promise, pinky swear . 1 sheet Puff Pastry, thawed ½ lemon lemon juice 3 red apples, cored and sliced very thin ( I used pink lady)  appricot/peach preserves ( I used fig) cinnamon powdered sugar Preheat oven to 375º// 190c Spray muffin 6 muffin tins with cooking spray. Fill a medium bowl with water and squeeze the juice of ½ lemon into the water. Cut the apples in half and core. Slice very thin with a mandolin or knife. Put into lemon water and microwave for 3 minutes until...

 This is such a great and easy way to make breakfast! I have been making these all week long, and it has been a great big hit, Mr.G has really enjoyed them. Truth be told, I have too, shocking I know, as there is no butter, cream or chocolate in the recipe! All kidding aside, breakfast is a very, very important start to your day, and hello can we talk about Chia seeds ??! So good for you ( google it ) and so amazing in this, they poof up in the milk, and make it nice and thick. I love that it's so quick to put together, the night before, pop them in the fridge and in the morning, you have no excuse not to have breakfast. I made some during the week with blueberries, but my favorite has been with sliced bananas , kinda sorta tastes like a bananas foster, well kinda sorta... wink...wink ! Go on give them a try, I promise you will like them ! Ingredients ⅔ cup oatmeal (150ml) 1 tbsp chia seeds 1 tbsp brown sugar/ maple syrup/ sweetner of choice 1 tsp cinnamon 3/4--...