Azoresgal~Life on an Island

  Our red potatoes taters are ready to harvest, after 12 weeks of slumber in the ground. I have to admit these are my favorties, they are "new" potatoes still. They are tender, with a slight crispiness, and the skin is not tough yet, you can scratch it off with a finger nail. This time of year is when I believe we eat the freshest produce possible, from the garden to our table. The lettuce, the peas, the green beans, the cabbage, even the green onions (that I should leave alone, or we won't have onions in the fall). Everything is fresh and vibrant, and smells like the earth, and you just know that it will all taste wonderful with the addition of the simplest ingredients. This potato salad is just that, very few ingredients, just enough to compliment each other, but let the taste of the red potatoes shine! I used greek yogurt instead of mayo,  it is light but still creamy and it tastes amazing. 1 kilo red potatoes, skin-on, 3/4 inch dice 1 cup plain Greek yog...

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with this hearty  Guinness Shepherd´s pie. Simple comfort food, warm, filling and so delicious! It’s easy to make, frugal and freezes beautifully! Make it in a large dish or as individual portions in ramekins so that you can freeze and have a ready-made meal on days when you don’t feel like cooking.  I do have another Shepherd´s pie recipe on the blog, it too is simple and yummy, the big difference in this one is the dark stout beer and the wine. I imagine this must be what a tradtional Irish pie would taste like, with rich flavors ! It was a huge hit with the kids and Mr. G, and I will be making it again ! For the meat mixture: 800 grams lamb or beef (cubed or ground is fine) 1 large sweet onion, diced 3 large carrots, peeled and diced 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp butter 3 tbsp flour 1 cup Guinness stout 1 cup red wine 1 cup beef broth 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 2 tsp dried basil 2 tsp dried oregano 2 tsp dried sage 3 c...

 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...

 For dinner last night, I made some delicious home made gnocchi.  Can I just come out and say that, gnocchi makes me happy! They are like tiny soft, fluffy, billowy pillows, that hold sauce beautifully....I bet you just smiled! Gnocchi  is a small Italian pasta/dumpling, made with either potato, ricotta, or semolina. Traditionally made by hand by rolling the dough into ropes which are then cut into "pillows" and then each pillow is rolled onto a board to make ridges. These ridges can also be made by using a fork ( I filmed a little video, see below ), although you can just leave the little pillows be, the ridges help them absorb sauce. These are easy to make, just give yourself some time. No rushing, turn on the radio, pour yourself some wine, and be patient. The main ingredient in anything home made, is love, so no need to be perfect, for it to be delicious ! My family absolutely loved the gnocchi, not a single one left over, technically the bowl I made myself in the af...

“All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast.” – John Gunther  This weekend Mr.G and I hosted a brunch for some family and friends. I think that brunch is the perfect meal, it's not too early, it's relaxed, you can eat breakfast or lunch, drink coffee or Mimosa's! The hardest part really is deciding on the perfect spread - balancing the sweet and savory foods and of course making sure it all comes together at the same time. The night before, I set the tables and prepare anything that can be made  ahead of time. There is no shame in buying pastries, cookies and bread from the bakery, it means more time for other things. I think I did pretty well, if I do say so myself!  It was the perfect lazy Sunday spent  around our table with delightful company, enjoying delicious food. This, was our brunch spread: Blueberry Muffins Greek Yogurt Parfaits Pancakes Bacon Breakfast Sausage Scrambled Eggs Oven Roasted Potatoes Sauteed Mushrooms Assorted Cook...

Sweet or Salty ??  Salty wins almost everytime! Crispy,crunchy, potato pancakes...yes run to the kitchen, and make these ! 1 small onion  4 medium potatoes 1 large egg 2 tablespoons self-raising flour Salt and pepper  olive oil, for pan-frying Peel onion and grate into a small bowl. Peel and grate potatoes into a large bowl. Remove excess moisture from potato by firmly squeezing handfuls of grated potato over the kitchen sink. Add onion, egg, flour, pepper and a generous amount of salt to the potato and stir well to combine. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based, non-stick pan over medium to medium-high heat. Drop mixture into pan and flatten slightly, either make one large pancake, or smaller induvidual pancakes. Cook pancakes for about 4-5 minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked through. Adjust the heat if the pancakes are browning too quickly or too slowly. Better a low heat than high,so they cook evenly. While frying up ...

I was surprised to find some, American sweet potatoes, at the grocery store, in a blink of an eye, I had a couple in my shopping cart ! They are very different,from their Portuguese cousin. They have different, flavors, and texture, and not to mention , the coloring is very different too. I knew exactly what I wanted to make with them...a gratin ! This was soooo amazing. There are quite a few photos, but that should not scare you off, because it really is super quick to make. Give it a try, you will not regret it.  Sweet Potato Gratin 2 cups heavy cream 2 cloves of garlic, pressed 2 pounds peeled and trimmed sweet potatoes (2 very large potatoes) 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme ( I used dry) 1 1/2 teaspoons  salt 3/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 2 cups shredded cheese 1. Preheat oven to200/ 400 degrees. In a small pot bring cream and garlic just to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside. 2. thinly slice the...

These roast potatoes are yummy, crunchy on the outside with a tender inside, and with lots of flavor from the roasted rosemary and garlic. Sounds good, right? Oh..... and so very easy to make.  cut the potatoes in half,  then slice them again, you dont have to, but it gives you more side to get crispy ( remove any taters with spots) add them to a bowl next, smash up your garlic cloves, as many or as little as you like add them to the potatoes ( remove the garlic skins, if it bothers you ) next add in you rosemary, rub off the little leaves through your fingers next season with sea salt then drizzle with the olive oil mix everything up, and place on a baking sheet ( I line it, with parchment, makes for easy clean up) Rosemary and Garlic Roasted Potatoes 1 kilo  bag of baby potatoes, quartered or halved, depending on size (you want them all to be about the same size) 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced 4 sprigs o...

This is such a wonderful soup, smooth and creamy, and can be eaten hot or cold (we prefer it hot).  I never make this soup, without ever thinking of my husband's grandmother. I first made this soup, almost 15 years ago, shortly after we were married, and the "inlaws" came to dinner. Mr. G's grandmother, was also invited. I know that when I served the soup, she absolutley loved it, and commented that she was so happy her grandson, had married a great cook. At 23, to hear this from the family matriarch, was a real compliment. She was always very kind to me, and never, ever spared the lovely comments. I just always knew she was on my side, cheering me on, every chance she got. So everytime I make this soup, I remember her, and the sweet woman she was.     butter, leeks, potatoes, cream   sauté the leeks in butter   add the chopped potatoes   cover potatoes with boiling water/or chicken stock   cook till p...