Azoresgal~Life on an Island

My darling Emma, we love and miss you oh so very much! Happy Birthday sweet angel!

Angel food cake is light, airy and fluffy-as-a-cloud! Simple to make, and super delicious, a perfect spring-time dessert that you can make with only a few ingredients. It is lovely served on its own, but is also wonderful served with fresh fruit, or a fruit sauce and a dollop of whipped cream. 1 cup (130 g) cake flour (not self-rising) 1 cup (200 g), plus 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups egg whites (from about 12 large eggs), at room temperature 1 teaspoon cream of tartar 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Have a 9-inch (23 cm) tube pan ready. (Do not use a non-stick tube pan.) Set oven rack to the lowest position. 2. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. 3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, begin to whip the egg whites on medium speed. When they become foamy, add the cream of tartar and lemon juice. 4. Increase the speed to high and conti...

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...

 This salad is packed with so much yummy goodness! Salad greens, apples, feta cheese, candied pecans, dried cranberries, and a scrumptious dressing!  It´s a show stopping combination, of sweet, tart, salty, crunchy and it’s delicious.  It is super simple to make, yes even the candied pecans, and presentation wise, it´s beautiful! My family and friends love it, and I promise yours will too ! 6 ounces baby spinach ( I used mixed greens, arugula, bib lettuce, romaine ) 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped ( I added candied pecans, walnuts would be great too) 2 Granny Smith Apples, chopped ( I sliced mine, pears would work too) ½ cup crumbled Feta Cheese ¾ cup dried cranberries  Poppyseed Dressing ⅓ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup  milk ( I used skim milk) 3 Tablespoons Sugar 4 teaspoons cider vinegar 2 teaspoons poppyseeds In a large bowl, toss baby spinach, pecans, apples, feta cheese, and cranberries. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, m...

These candied pecans are so easy to make! Just three simple ingredients, and they are ready to eat in less than 15 minutes. They are great to served with drinks, or added to a cheese board. Or you can add them to salads, they  are also a great  homemade gift, or you can eat them by the handful as a snack. They are delicious and oh so addictive! 2 cups pecan halves 4 tablespoons butter, salted 4 tablespoons brown sugar  In a pot or frying pan ( non stick ), melt butter over medium heat. Add  the pecans and toss to coat. Add the sugar, and stir constantly until caramelized, about 5-10 minutes. The more toasted the pecans get, the more flavour they will have, but you must watch so the do not burn. Spread on wax paper and  let cool.

Coscorões, fried crispy-sweet rounds of dough, that are sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon are an Azorean dessert traditionally served at Carnaval time. Today being shrove Tuesday, I decided to make mine, one last sweet treat before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent.  But feel free to make them all year round, they are a wonderful little dessert. 2 cups flour ¼ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons sugar 1 tablespoon lard/shortening 1 egg 1/4 cup water 1/4 cup milk Vegetable oil for deep frying Combine dry ingredients.  Using fingertips, cut-in the lard until the flour is crumbly.  Mix-in the egg, water and milk.Mixing till combined, dough will be sticky. Lightly flour counter, and  knead until you have a smooth ball of dough. Allow the dough to rest for a minimum of 40 minutes. After resting time, divide the dough into about 22 parts. With a rolling pin and on a flat surface dusted with flour, roll out very thin 8 inch circles. I like to roll them ...

Nutella and puff pastry..yup..I don´t blame you if you feel a bit week in the knees! If that weren´t enough, it requires 2 ingredients, ok 3 if you count the egg wash, and it is easy to make. You smother  sheets of puff pastry with Nutella, in layers, then slice it, twist it, egg-wash it and bake it. Simple and delicious, only thing missing, a dusting of icing and a cup of coffee ! 3 sheets Puff Pastry, thawed Nutella** 1 egg, beaten Icing Sugar, for dusting Preheat oven to 200C/ 380-390F Line a baking tray with a sheet of baking paper. Place 1 sheet of pastry on the baking paper. Spread Nutella all over the pastry, a nice thin layer. Place another puff pastry sheet on top,  and spread more nutella over the pastry. Cover with the last sheet of puff pastry. Now place a drinking glass in the centre of the pastry, don't press it down, you don't want to cut the pastry, just mark it. Now cut out from the glass to the edges, making sure you cut throug...