Dulce de leche - a south american passion

So, what is Dulce de Leche?

I was born in South America, so for me it's so clear, but so hard to explain what it is.

But I found this sweet explanation from Baking Bites Blog.

Here it goes:

Dulce de leche is a thick, milk-based caramel sauce. It is probably most popular in South American Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries, but variations exist in other countries and cultures as well. The most simple caramel sauce starts with sugar, and depending on the variation you have in mind, ingredients like cream and butter are added to the hot sugar to form caramel. With dulce de leche, milk and sugar are cooked together to make a caramel, a process that takes quite a long time but results in an incredibly rich-tasting sauce with a strong milky flavor behind its sweetness. It is similar to sweetened condensed milk (and can be made from it, too), although dulce de leche is thicker and much more caramelized (darker in color and flavor) than sweetened condensed milk alone.

Try out a few different brands if you are ordering, since dulce de leche, like other types of caramel, can taste different from brand to brand.

Nostalgic

Who never played Super Mario Bros?

(Maybe I'm giving in my age to easily, hehehe).
Anyway, Mario Bros (The Game) Celebrates 25 years in 2010 and I found this video and I wanted to Share with everyone.




Love,

Vic

S'moreos recipe - Light?

From Cut out and keep, one of my new favourites website, here is an AMAZING (And not light at all) recipe:


You will need: 
Oreos, either one or two, depending on how much do you want to indulge
Half a Marshmallow
2 rectangules from regular milk chocolate

With One Oreo: If you've elected to use just one Oreo, twist it apart so that the top and bottom are separate. Face the filled side up, and put the chocolate squares on top, then layer the marshmallow half, then top it off with the remaining Oreo half. Put in the microwave at high for approximately 15-20 seconds. The marshmallow may rise and cause the top half of the Oreo to fall off; this is ok. Simply place it back on top upon removing from the microwave, and enjoy immediately.

With Two Oreos: If you're going for the double Oreo version (good decision), repeat the same steps as above, simply using a whole Oreo for the top and bottom. It may take a few more seconds in the microwave, but it's oh so worth it.

Chocolate quick biscuits

From the blog Chocolate on my cranium (How convenient is that?) here is a chocolate quick biscuits that is fabulous:

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted butter cut into small pieces
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 TBSP. vanilla
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (let's assume that's dark)


Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 
In a large mixing bowl beat butter and sugar for 3 minutes until soft. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. 
Scrape down sides of mixing bowl. Beat mixture again for another 2 minutes. 
With mixer on low slowly add the flour mixture and chocolate chips. 
Mix until thoroughly combined. 
Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Use your fingers to slightly flatten each dough portion. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes. 
Remove from oven and let cool on pan for 2 minutes. 
Remove cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling. Makes about 35 Biscuits.

Where are my keys?

Do you often ask (yourself or someone else) have you seen my keys?

The best solution to avoid that key hunting when you are really late and can't afford to waste 5 minutes looking for your keys all over the house is very very simple:
Get yourself a key holder!
Here are some cute cute suggestions and where to buy it:

4 Silverware Coathooks Modern Decor Recycled art with forks

This one is more of a coat hanger but I am sure you can put your keys.

Find out more HERE

Rooster Coat hooks or Key hooks

This Rooster key holders would look amazing in any kitchen in my humble opinion.

Find out more HERE

Cottage Decor Wall Hooks MAIL KEY ORGANIZER Black

This one is Genious. You can put your mail also. 

In my house would work perfectly.

Find out more HERE

Simply Guacamole

Who doesn't enjoy Guacamole?
I certainly do. And it is as healthy as it gets.

The Guacamole (As fas as I know) comes from Mexico, and here is the original Mexican Recipe:

Ingredients:
2 avocados
Half onion (Any type) chopped
Juice from 1 lemon
tabasco
1 tomato
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Mix everything in a bowl but Tabasco. You will need to be careful with the Tabasco since 1 splash is enough to make it very spicy.

Arriba Arriba!
serve with corn chips or anything else you would like.

South Park and Facebook 2

I posted a while ago some videos of South park satirizing facebook. they are so funny and so real.
You can see them HERE

Today, I stumbled across another one.
My comments: Ha, Ha, Ha

My First Successful Bread Machine Recipe

We bought a Bread Machine.
Exciting exciting.
We bought it at ALDI supermarkets. It was very cheap, only $49 and figured we would give it a try.
Also I am becoming, or at least, trying to become more healthy, not eating meat (just fish for now), bla bla bla


Anyways, the LUMINA bread maker instructions are pathetic. There is no other words for it. And unfortunately when I called in to after sales support, after waiting more than 20 minutes in line, the lady was very nice but useless.  She tried, but she reafirmed that there is no more information of the one that comes with the machine.

Anyway, I've tried a couple of recipes that came in the booklet and its ridiculous. So I decided to try something different and the result was brilliant.

so I called this post my first successful bread machine recipe cause I'm planning to try more soon

Light Oat Bread

Ingredients:
1 and 1/4 cup of water - i use warm water that was boiled in a kettle
2tbsp margerine
2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of whole meal flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 spoon active yeast

Method:

I Put liquid first, then 1/2 of yeast
waited 5 minutes, add the dry ingredients and last, the other half of the yeast
Choose basic bread.

You should follow the instructions from your manufacturer, although mine says to put yeast in the end and I didn't. but that's me! :)

Enjoy!

Love,

Vic

You gotta loooove vintage

How cute is that?

(Just for the record) I love everything that is Vintage and I am definitely buying this one:

(Description from the manufacturer)

These two vintage-look coasters are made from new "Home Ec" fabric from Michael Miller. They are lined with Insul-Bright thermal, heat resistant lining. The same fabric is on the reverse side. These are value priced because the sizes didn't turn out exactly the same! (One measures 4-1/2 inches wide and 5-1/2 inches high, and the other measures 4-3/4 inches wide and 5 inches high.) However, they are so cute and functional! Made from high quality new fabric and machine washable.

They can be bought HERE

Gefilte Fish- My mum's recipe

Ok, So here is the deal:

I live in Sydney, but my mother lives in Brazil. Thanks G. for Msn! :)

I asked her how to make Gefilte Fish, and she explained me via MSN, Mother style, you put a little bit of this, a little bit of that.
So here is the recipe, based on what she said / how I made it.
But first, what is Gefilte Fish? For people that doesn't know (From wikipedia) Gefilte fish are poached fish patties or fish balls made from a mixture of ground deboned fish and very popular in the Ashkenazim Jewish community.


So here is the recipe:
This quantity is enough to make what you see in this photo (Around 15 balls  - in the photo I cut them in Half)

Ingredients:

 - 1 kg of fish, deboned and without the skin. Preference for Carp / Cod / Snapper. I used 5 types. Snapper, Barramundi, Trout, Cod and something else I don't remember the name.

 - 3 eggs

 - 3 onions

 - Salt and Pepper to taste

 - 2 tbps caster sugar

 - 4 to 5 tbsp cold water

 - 4 tbsp flour (Matzomeal during passover)

For the Fish Stock:

 - water

 - 1 fish head (Yacki, I know)

 - Carrots cut in round slices like the photo

 - an extra onion cut in edges

Or you can use ready fish stock, it should work out fine.

METHOD:

 - Prepare fish stock. Use the biggest pan you have at home.

 - in a food processor put onions and fish. Process it until looks homogeneous (Like baby food)

 - In a large bowl, beat lightly the eggs with a spoon. than add Sugar (If you beat the eggs with sugar you can burn the egg yolks), salt and pepper and bit a little bit more. 

 - add the Fish puree to the beaten eggs, than on the top put the flour and start mixing, here you can you a wooden spoon but hands are your best friends.

 - add a little bit of water if the mixture is to hard / dry.

 - Leave the mixture to rest for a couple of minutes (Maybe 10)

Now, put water in a bowl, you will need to wet your hands to make the balls / patties.

Get a Tablespoon to use it as a measurement, so you can have all the Gefilte fish in the same size. Make little balls / oval shapes and place it in the fish stock pan to cook. (Fish stock should be hot, and in the stove, if it was put aside before)

Leave it to cook for around 1 hour in a medium high heat.

Discard the Stock. 

Tradition says you should put one slice of carrot on the top of each fish ball, to simbolize gold. :)

My family serves it cold. 

It can be frozen for around 4 weeks.

Happy Hour Time - Bloody Mary, Virgin Mary or Sake Mary?

Oh, how i love Bloody Mary and Virgin Mary.

For those who doesn't know, Virgin Mary is a "Non Alcoholic" Version of the Bloody Mary.

There is another one, that we kind of invented in Brazil, which was a sake mary, meaning instead of Vodka  put Japanese Sake. Is also very very nice.

You will need: 

3/4 of a glass of Tomato Juice -

1 shot of Unflavored Vodka

juice of half lemon or lime

1 dash of red tabasco

1 tsp of worcestershire sauce

Salt and Lemon to taste

Ice

A stick of celery or cucumber, or a lemon wedge to decorate the glass

Method:

Put all ingredients in a tall glass and mix it up with a spoon. If you are not sure about the measurements, go slowly and fix it by your taste.

For the Virgin Mary, just don't add the Vodka.

Cheers!

The Big Bang Theory CAST

The Cast talks about the Big Bang Theory Characters and explain a little bit more about them. But do we really need to understand more?

It is so odd to see them as normal people. They say they have no idea what they are talking about when they "vomit" all that smart talk.

You gotta loooove BBT.

Empanadas si señor

Empanadas are a must try when any person goes to Argentina.

I learnt how to make them, with an Argentinean friend, when I used to live in Spain. But once I got here in Sydney, surprise surprise, couldn't find empanadas Tapas (the already made and cut rounded dough, that only needs to be filled in and baked).
So I adapted.

Anyway, Empanadas are very similar to  pasties. The traditional ones are filled up with minced beef and here is my recipe.


For the Filling:
Ingredients
500kg good quality minced beef
Oil (no measure, to pan fry the onions, around 2 tbsp)
3 eggs
1 red capsicum - Cut very very little, like if it was a red chilli
2 brown onions chopped
2 cloves of garlic
Sugar (around a tbsp)
1 cup of green olives chopped ( I sometimes use olives filled with capsicum)
Salt and Pepper to taste
a pinch of cumin.
a pinch of paprika
1 Tbsp of Tomato Sauce (Ketchup)
a pinch of chilli (Optional)
50 g of sultanas (Optional)

Method  (By heart)

Your mince should look similar to that. 

In a pan add water and the eggs and leave it to boil. We need the Hard boiled eggs. When it's done, put it aside to cool down.
in the mean time, heat up the oil in a large pan in HIGH and put the garlic and onion.  Keep stirring and after 3 or 4 minutes add the sugar. The sugar will take out the acidity of the onion and give it a nice gold colour.
Add mince and keep stirring until its decently cooked. at some stage here add the Tomato Sauce, cumin and chilli.
If you think is too dry, you can always add a little bit of water while you are still cooking the meat.
Add rest of the ingredients and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes.
Take it away from the heat.

Cut the eggs in small pieces, add to the meat mixture and mix it well. Doesn't require to go on the heat.

For the Dough


you can try one of these frozen sheets from the grocery store. Either Puff or Short crust. Cut in circles. or you can make it yourself:


Here is a suggestion: ( I will bring up other recipes soon)
1/2 flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 cup of water
50g of margarine
1 egg

Method:
In a bowl, put the flour sifter with Salt.  Add sugar and mix.
Make a hole in the middle and add the egg.
Heat the water and add the margarine and stir it until is melted.
Pour over the mixture. Mix quickly to form a soft dough.
Leave it for half and hour and then stretch it using a roll until the dough is thin.
Cut in Circles.



To assemble the Empanadas

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.

You will need a bowl with tap water to wet your hands.
and one egg or egg yolk, lightly beaten to brush the empanadas on the top (That's optional flavourwise, but a good trick  for knowing when its ready)

If you have space, put the circle in a plain surface, otherwise, get your hand palm very slightly wet and place the dough circle in the middle.

Add the meat filling, around 2 TBSP

You will need to put the two "Ends" together now, to make it in a half circle shape.

You can make the "braidy" style or you can use a fork. It is important to use water to "glue" both ends.





Brush the beaten egg on the top to give that golden Aspect

Put it in the oven for around 20 minutes or until gold.

They can be frozen after cooked and to eat that can be even microwaved.

Vanilla Sugar Cookies with Blue Glace Icing

That post comes from The Crafty Penguin, and it looks so cute:

The cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup butter (if you are using unsalted butter, add 1/2 tsp salt)

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla

Prep. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Step 1. In mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. (I like to slice the sticks of butter to make the mixing easier.)

Step 2. Mix in egg and vanilla.

Step 3. Add flour cup-by-cup.

Step 4. Split dough into 2 parts. Form each into a brick. Sandwich each brick between two sheets of wax paper, then roll each brick into a sheet using 1/4 inch cookie slats. Refrigerate dough sheets for 20 minutes before cutting shapes. Save dough scraps to make a third sheet of cookies.

Step 5. Bake cookies for about 14 minutes at 350 degrees F. Cookies are done when they start to turn golden on the edges. Transfer cookies to racks to cool.

NOW THE ICING:

Ingredients:

4 cups powdered sugar

6 tbs milk

6 tbs light corn syrup

1 tsp clear vanilla extract

Step 1. Mix ingredients together until smooth. Icing should be thin, forming a drizzle. This consistency is the flood icing, the background for the cookies. Split icing into several bowls - one for each color. Dye icing to the desired colors. (I left one bowl white and used Wilton Royal Blue for the other two, one with more food coloring than the other.)

Transfer half the icing from each bowl to squeeze bottles to flood the cookies. (Make sure to leave enough in the bowls for the piping icing.) To make the background of the cookies, make a pool of icing in the center of the cookie, then use the back of a spoon to spread the icing towards the edges.

Step 2. Half the icing is left in each of the bowls. This will become the piping icing. Mix powdered sugar into each bowl until icing is the consistency of toothpaste. Transfer icing to piping bags and decorate. 

Her TIP here: Wait until the flood is nearly dry to go for second layers.

Imagine the possibilities of colors and draws! 

No need for explanation

That's an awesome Idea.
Maybe I should do the same and keep the photos in my camera as well.
No need for explanation, just look to the photos and tell me what you think!
Then I found the Guy's blog Here

Basic Cookie Dough

From the amazing The Decorated Cookies here are some recipes of Basic Cookie Dough.

Here it goes:

Ingredients
1 cup (227g) of unsalted butter
1 cup confectioner sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cup of  flour
1 tsp of salt

Method
Cream the butter with the  sugar. Add egg and blend well. Add extracts and blend. 
Mix flour and salt in a separate bowl and gradually add to the mixture. 


Cover dough with plastic wrap (or Ziploc bag) and chill dough for about 2 hours. 
Working with about 1/3 of the batch at a time, briefly knead the chilled dough and roll about 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch thick. 
Cut out shapes. 
Bake cut out cookies on parchment lined baking trays at 190C for 12-14 minutes. 


Note: You can also freeze dough. After mixing, put dough in a Freezer ziploc bag (or wrap well) and freeze. Thaw overnight or for at least a few hours in the refrigerator in the ziploc bag. If too chilled to handle, let sit at room temperature for about 1/2 hour to 1 hour until it's workable. Chilled is good, though, don't let it get too mushy.

LOOK AT YOURSELF AFTER WATCHING THIS

Im not gonna write anything.
Just watch this video.


There is a huge life lesson, particularly to the complainers here.

Love,

Vic

Crunchy Salad Idea

I've been making this salad this week, and people seem to love it.

Its very very easy and I don't have measurements, you gonna have to use your heart!

Crunchy Salad:
1/2 red cabbage
1 bunch of Buk choy (or 2 smalls)
a bunch of cranberries
some sesame seeds
some raising
Pepitas / pumpkin seeds

For the dressing:
3 parts of a good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 part of red wine vinegar
some caster sugar.

Method:
Chop Buk choy and Red Cabbage very thin.
TIP: Buk choy needs to be really well washed. I think I've never got a bunch without a live worm. (I hate this part)


Is yum yum and although has some sugar is not too bad in calories given is mainly buk choy and cabbage.

Hope you like it.

If I only knew that before I got Married

When you have your engagement party, or wedding party coming, you have to write Invitations, and then, you have to write thank you letters.
In my case, a lot went via post, meaning our address needed to be written again and again and again.

I wish my friend from "All by Ju" would have posted that before.
Those are the cuttest rubber stamps I've ever seen before and can be bought here. I must say it is not the cheapest thing on EARTH, but it is exclusive and cute, cute, cute, so it's definitely worth it.

Maybe I will find an excuse and by one myself.

Love,
Vic