Azoresgal~Life on an Island

Can you believe Christmas is just four days away? My goodness I have lost track of how many  trips I have made to the grocery store already. I have also chosen to ignore the fact that I have a ton of gifts to wrap, and crossing my fingers my mailman brings one last missing gift on Monday. In the meantime, instead of entering panic mode, I opted to go into the kitchen and make some homemade Baileys. That's right folks, I made Irish cream, because you all know tis' the season to drink and be merry!  Super easy to make, once you have all the ingredients, it's is as easy as throwing everything into a blender. Then just whirl everything up, and ta-dah you are done! Keep it all for yourself, or make same for sharing, as gifts. Just make it, I promise you will love it! INGREDIENTS 1 cup/250ml heavy cream  ( I used a 200 ml box) 1 can sweetened condensed milk 400 ml (1⅔ cup) Irish whiskey  (I used Jameson) 3 tablespoons chocolate syrup 2 teaspoon vanilla extra...

"And suddenly the memory revealed itself. The taste was that of the little piece of madeleine which on Sunday mornings at Combray…my aunt Léonie used to give me, dipping it first in her own cup of tea or tisane".-Marcel Proust These are lovely little morsels, a mix between a cookie and a cake. Golden crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. Really easy to make, so very delicious, and I promise they will vanish right before your eyes. 2 large eggs 2⁄3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1⁄2 teaspoon grated lemon peel 1 pinch salt 1 cup all-purpose flour 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly powdered sugar Preheat oven to 375°F Generously butter and flour pan for large madeleines (about 3x1 1/4 inches). Using electric mixer, beat eggs and 2/3 cup sugar in large bowl just to blend. Beat in vanilla, lemon peel and salt. Add flour; beat just until blended. Gradually add cooled melted butter in steady stream, beating just until ble...

 Tiramisu is a popular Italian  layered dessert, it literally means “pick me up”. I love it, but I am not a fan of the raw eggs, common in most recipes. This eggless tiramisu isn’t exactly traditional, but it is delicious  and it takes minutes to put together. If you get the urge to take the whole dish ,a big spoon and want to hide where no one can see you, and slowly devour it all by yourself, please don´t blame me! 2 pkg lady fingers 2 tubs marscapone cheese 1 box  Jello vanilla or cheesecake instant pudding (3.9 oz box) 2 500ml bags heavy whipping cream 2 cups very strong expresso or strong coffee kalhua/ Tia Maria/ Amaretto/ Frangelico (optional) cocoa powder  Prepare your coffee and let it cool ( you can brew it as strong as you like it). Once cooled mix the coffee and Kalhua (you can use any flavored liquor). Set aside.  Mix the whipping cream, marscapone cheese and instant pudding, until whipped stiff. Set aside. ...

Biscotti are crispy, and crunchy cookies that just beg to be dunked into coffee.  Biscotti are a traditional Italian biscuit, the word itself means “twice-baked”, this double baking process helps keep the biscotti fresh for a very long time. Not that they last a very long time around here ! The vanilla bean used here really makes a difference, even though they are expensive. I of course cannot leave anything alone, and dipped them in chocolate, necessary no ...worth it yes ! 1   vanilla bean, split, or 2 teaspoons vanilla 3   cups all-purpose flour 1   tablespoon baking powder 1/4  teaspoon salt 3   eggs 3/4  cup sugar 1/2  cup butter, melted and cooled directions 1.  Scrape seeds from vanilla bean, if using; set aside. 2. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat eggs with an electric mixer on high speed for 1 minute. Gradually beat in sugar, beating on hig...

Hey, I saw that ! You wrinkled your nose when you read bread pudding ! This however is not your grandmother's bread pudding. Trust Me ! I had friends coming over for coffee yesterday, and I wanted to bake something for our breakfast. My go to dish is pancakes, ( they love my pancakes ), but there was no electricity yesterday ( yes you read that correctly, the drawback of living on an island...whole other story ), so I could not use my griddle. Now luck would have it that the gods in my pantry  provided me with all the ingredients to make this lovely dish. The only thing I added to the original recipe, was the grated orange zest. Orange and cranberries just go really well together,the perfect combo. This got rave reviews from the ladies, and was a sweet start to our day. I hope you give it a try ! 16 slices bread, crusts removed, cubed 1 cup dried cranberries 3/4 cup white chocolate chips 6 eggs, lightly beaten 4 cups  milk 3/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanil...

Affogato in Italian means “drowned”, and in this case it’s cold vanilla ice cream being drowned by pouring freshly brewed espresso all over it. Seriously, an adult version of a float. It's hot and cold, bitter and sweet ! Want to make it even more adult... add a splash of Amaretto or Frangelico. ! So good ! It’s like having your coffee and dessert all at the same time! I do warn you, after, you have one, you will want more, truly addictive. Affogato Ingredients 1 shot of strong espresso (50ml) 1 scoop of good-quality vanilla ice cream  ***splash of amaretto or  frangelico (optional) Directions Make a shot of espresso. Put a scoop of ice cream in a cup or small bowl Pour the coffee over the ice cream. Enjoy immediately! *** using my Nespresso machine, I just scoop ice cream into a large espresso cup, and then make the coffee xo,Diana