Desserts And Good Food

     Twenty years ago I tasted quiche for the first time and I fell in love with it. I was planning my oldest daughter's wedding and my friend Barbara offered to make mini quiches as appetizers. Everybody at the wedding reception was delighted. Since then I have made it for breakfast, brunch or to take to potlucks.      The recipe I am sharing with you today was inspired by Barbara who taught me the basics of how to make quiche. I developed this recipe and now share it with friends and family.          For the filling: 1 1/4 cup of Swiss cheese, shredded 1 1/4 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded  1 cup spinach, chopped  6 slices of bacon a pinch of salt  1 small onion, peeled and diced 1 cup heavy cream 6 eggs 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon white ground pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt  quiche dough - recipe below   Cook the bacon in a skillet until a little brown but not toasty. Transfer to a...

       A few months ago I bought a guava paste to make some guava turnovers to share with my neighbor but she talk me she don't like to much the guava taste. Then she ask me if I can fill the turnovers with strawberry I felt disappointed but not defeated.       When I go into my kitchen I start thinking if I can made that recipe with strawberries. When I was in middle school I take a class called domestic economy, where we learn making clothes and, how to cook. One of the recipe my teacher teach us was to make guava paste. I take the recipe and make a few changes and here is the recipe for make strawberry paste. Turn really good and I want to share the recipe with you. Ingredients: 4 cups strawberry pulp 4 cups granulated sugar 1 8 x 8 glass pan plastic wrapping paper     Wash and dry the strawberries. Cut the tops and discard. Cut the strawberries in small  dices.    In a medium pot add 1/4 cup of water and 1 teaspoon fresh le...

    With the spring and summer arrives so the beautiful fruits and vegetables show up.  I couldn't resist the tentacion to buy some, even when I didn't know what I going to do with them. When I get home I look at the beautiful peppers and, suddenly I had the idea of making this flavorful salsa. I have tomatoes, parsley and for a contrast in flavor I decide to add mango and a can of pineapple chumps.        I made a few batches of salsa and shared it with my friends to see their opinion and,  everybody love it. Hope you enjoy as much as we do!!     Ingredients:  2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil 1 small onion, small dice salt and ground black pepper to taste 1/4 teaspoon of smoke paprika 4 bell peppers, red,green,orange and yellow, medium dice 3 Roma tomatoes, peeled and seed out  1 cup of pineapple, medium dice   1 cup of mango, medium diced      In a large frying pan over medium heat, add the...

        Do you want to be a better cook? Come with me and learn the tips and techniques I been learning front all the years I spend in the kitchen. Lessons I learn from my mother, family, friends and ones I learn in the Culinary School.  In this post I'm going to share with you the secret used in professional kitchen.    When you go to a restaurant and place the order for your food, they get ready your meal in 15 to 20 minutes. You wonder, how they can do that, the food taste so good and fresh. To do something like that, you have to spend many hours in your kitchen. What is the secret?      Mise en Place, a French term that means, have all your ingredients, tools and equipment ready to start cooking.  A technique or method use for chef in professional kitchen, to assemble meals so quickly and effortlessly. One of the basic skills I learn in Culinary school.   In the restaurants, they part cook some of the ingredients in the re...

    Pico the Gallo is a very simple salsa you can use for an appetizer, serve with chips, or to make tacos. Even I tried in a pizza and was delectable. Ingredients: 1 large tomato, chopped 1/4 cup red onion, small dice 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro  1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seed remove and dice Juice of 1 lime Fine sea salt to taste In a medium glass bowl combine the tomato, onion, cilantro and jalapeño. Add the lime juice and mix until combine. Season with salt to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator until ready to serve. You can served with chips , or to make fish tacos .

     Last Christmas I went to Texas to spend a few weeks with my grandson. My daughter love to cook like me, and always want  me to try some on her recipes. This time she wanted me to try a  simple and delicious Brussels Sprout recipe. I couldn't resist the temptation to take photos and, write down the recipe to share  on my blog. Ingredients: 1 package brussels sprouts Salt and, ground black pepper to taste 2 tablespoon Extra virgin Olive oil Preheat the oven to 350°F     Transfer the brussels sprout to a medium bowl; rinse and remove the bad spots. Cut in half and add the 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a large baking sheet and, bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile prepared the Sauce. Ingredients: 1/4 cup Mayonnaise Sriracha sauce to taste Honey to taste In a small bowl add 1/4 cup of mayonnaise. Add Sriracha sauce to taste and mix well. Start adding the honey little by little until your tast...

       Every Friday I surprise my family with new recipes. I enjoy all the comments they made when I started serving the goodies. For me that was the part I enjoyed the most.      This simple, satisfying appetizer was a hit in our Friday Night reunion. The c runchy and soft texture was a perfect match with the salty and spicy flavor.   Ingredients: 6 yellow new potatoes 6 slices of bacon, cook but not toasty 3 tablespoon French butter  Salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup shredded Provolone cheese 1 Tbsp. olive oil Preheat the oven to  350°F    Fill 3/4 of a medium pot with water and bring to a boil over a medium high heat. Add the potatoes and cook for about 20 minutes or until tender. Transfer the potatoes to a baking dish.     With the hand masher, smash the potatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste.     Add 2 tablespoon olive oil to a baking sheet and arrange the potatoes about 3 inches apart...

      Sofrito is the base on Puerto Rican Cuisine. This method of cooking have been in use for thousands of years around the world. What makes Puerto Rican Sofrito unique is the combinations of ingredients and the passion that's goes in making it.      Sofrito have two parts, first the base, some people call recaito. This part include, a combination of onions, garlic, peppers and herbs. The second part is to slowly fry the ingredients, adding annatto oil, cook ham, tocino(bacon), green olive, capers, tomato sauce and others ingredients (depend of the recipe ). Ingredients: 4 yellow onions, peeled, large dice 1 head of garlic, peeled 1/2 bunch of Culantro, rinse well and drain  1/2 bunch of Cilantro, rinse well and drain  1/2 pound of Ajices dulces, rinse cut in half and seeded  4  Cubanelle peppers, rinse,  seeded and chopped 1/2 tablespoon dry oregano Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of the food processor and g...

      If you like the flavor of balsamic vinegar, you are going to love it more when you make this sauce. When I reduced the Balsamic vinegar to a syrup was a big surprise for me, the change on the flavor was something I don't expected. This tasty and incredibly easy to make sauce, have many uses in cooking. Try it over your favorite salads, appetizers, fruits, ice cream, desserts, you name it. Can you imagine you can make something that good with only one ingredient. Ingredient: 1 cup of good quality balsamic vinegar  In small sauce pan at medium low heat add the balsamic vinegar and simmer until reduced to 1/4 of a cup.  It will look like a syrup and will take about 45 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and set aside until needed.  Let me know  in a comment what do you think about the flavor.

     Simple syrup is used to add flavor and moisture to cakes and pastries. It can be made with water or fruit juices, liqueurs and spices. You can use  simple syrup to substitute the corn syrup in some recipes.                                                                                       Ingredients: 1 cup pineapple juice 1 cup granulated sugar In a small sauce pan combine the sugar and the juice and stir until combined. Bring to a boil over medium high heat stirring to dissolve the sugar and cook for about 2 minutes.  Skin the surface as needed. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heat proof glass container.     When the syrup gets cold, stored covered in the refrigerator until needed. Tips:  Pour the syru...

     Salads are great, specially in the summer months when you can find all kind of vegetables and fruits to make a delightful combination to please your palate.     Salads are great for lunch and if you adding a small sandwich or a bowl of soup you have a complete meal.     To make a contrast in flavor and texture in this salad, I add a crunchy topping of homemade croutons and, baked chicken breast.   To compliment the flavors of the salad I used a good quality avocado organic vinaigrette. The combination was amazing.  Try it and, I hope you enjoy as much as I did.          Ingredients: Medley mini tomatoes Homemade croutons, recipe follows 1 avocado, pit remove and cut in medium dice Green lettuce, torn 1 cucumber, seeded and slice 1 stalk of celery, small dice Red onion, slice Chicken breast, baked Organic avocado vinaigrette, store bought    Homemade seasoned croutons: 2 cups 1/2 in-diced 1...

      This is the classic guacamole recipe, one of the most popular Mexican dip. Creamy avocado and chunky vegetables with spicy fresh chili peppers. Make a fabulous starter, serve with yellow corn tortilla chips.                         Ingredients: 3 ripe avocados, peeled  2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seed remove and dice juice of 1 lime 1/4 cup yellow onion, small dice 1 garlic clove 1/4 cup cilantro, wash and chopped  2 fresh red chili pepper salt to taste Cut the avocados in half, then remove the pits. Scoop the flesh out of the shells and place it in a food processor or blender. Process until almost smooth, then scrape into the bowl and stir in the lime juice. Chop the onion finely, then crush the garlic. Add both to the avocado and mix well. Stir in the cilantro.  Remove the stalks from the chiles, slit them, and scrape out the seeds with a small sharp knife. Chop the chiles finely ...

    Key West Florida is one the most beautiful cities I ever seen. With the most spectacular sunset and Incredibles views surrounded the city, is one of those places you fell in love and don't want to leave.    U.S. Island city located at the southernmost tip of the Florida key archipelago. It's known for its coral reefs, destination for diving and snorkeling and for their famous Key lime pie.    With narrow streets and small shops line together where you can find all sort of stuff for your enjoyment daily life. Clothes, shoes, personal products, beauty salons, barber shops, coffee shops, bars, courtyards and gardens. Thank you to my daughter who share  her recipe with me.           I ngredients: 1 cup and 1 tablespoon of Graham Cracker Crumbs 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup butter melted Filling: 1 can of sweetened condensed milk 6 egg yolks 3/4 cup of key lime juice 1 tablespoon of key lime zest   Topping 1 cup of heavy...

        The sweet and creaminess of the bananas, contrasting with the spicy and crunchy outside of these fritters, going to be a hit in your next family gathering. Serve warm with vanilla caram el sauce to add another layer of flavor to this simple dessert. Ingredients: 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 1/4 teaspoon table salt 1/2 teaspoon ginger pinch of nutmeg The zest of 1 large lemon 1/2 cup room temperature water 3 bananas yellow and firm, peeled and cut into 1-inch lengths  1 cup Panko breadcrumbs Vegetable oil for deep-frying Vanilla caramel sauce Confectioners' sugar, for dusting  Heat the oil to 350°degrees   Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, lemon zest, nutmeg and, ginger in a mixing bowl.  Whisk in water until smooth batter form.  Place bananas into the batter, coating lightly. Roll in the   breadcrumbs.  Deep-fry until golden ...

    Traditionally made for Christmas, we enjoy this flavorful rice whenever we have an excuse. This rice is typically made with sofrito, the most important ingredient in the Puerto Rican Kitchen. Since having left my country many years ago I always look for ways to bring Puerto Rican flavor to my table. If you are not able to find the ingredients for sofrito you can still enjoy this flavorful rice. The ingredients for the sofrito in this version are very easy to find at your local supermarket. Ingredients: 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 pound pork meat, large cubes For the sofrito: 1/2 cup onion, small dice 1 red bell pepper, small dice 1/4 cup green pepper, small dice 1/4 cup celery, small dice 1/4 cup carrots, small dice 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped   1 large clove of garlic, minced 1-12 oz. can unsalted tomato sauce 1/3 cup green olives 1-16 ounces can pigeon peas, drain    2 cups long grain rice 3 1/2 cups low sodium chicken brot...