Coffee-Cinnamon ice cream is an excellent combination for us coffee lovers, and with vanilla, it is everything!
The fact that this one is vegan is a plus.
For this recipe I used unsweetened vanilla coconut milk. However, if you don’t want an enhanced vanilla flavor you cant use regular unsweetened coconut milk. But for me, the vanilla coconut makes the ice cream taste a little decadent.
Speaking of recipes with a long name …
I have been thinking of making this cake for a while. However, everyone is stepping up with the pumpkin recipes, so I wanted to make something classic with a twist, just to make it a little different. So last week I was stuck in traffic from Palo Alto to Redwood Shores and it took me over 3 hours to get home (about 11 miles) – a route that usually takes 25 minutes! That gave me plenty of time to think about this recipe since I was literally ‘starving’!
It was pretty much like “what about a streusel? what about shot of coffee in the cake? 3 hours later…a cinnamon swirl and a coffee icing! And of course, I also talked to a couple of friends to catch up with life (what better thing to do while you’re stuck in traffic?).
Bread is one of the most popular and ancient foods in the world. Have you heard of anybody who doesn’t like bread?
Bread, flatbread, focaccia, ciabatta and of course…pizza.
Pizza was one of those foods that – for me, a regular mortal – was completely intimidating. I am not going to say that it is a walk in the park, but like a lot of recipes, if you just follow the instructions it is totally worth the time.
Marble Cake is certainly a crowd pleaser.
Chocolate Marble Cake and coffee! There’s something about the combination of coffee and cake that warms the heart. At least for many of us, it is wonderful. But the combination of vanilla, chocolate and coffee is basically beyond genius!
It is practically impossible to talk about Latin food and not talk about picadillo. I think that there is a picadillo (sautéed or stewed ground meat) recipe in every country in Latin America. Even Spain and the Philippines (where they call it giniling) have their own version of Picadillo. In Venezuela, we simply call it carne molida or ground meat. The first time I heard picadillo was from my cuban friends in Miami. My friend adds olives and raisins to her recipe and it is to live for!
Picadillo is very versatile, and it is also the base for many dishes. We use it as the base for sauces (like bolognese, omitting the red peppers), to fill empanadas, it could be used in pastries and tacos as well. It can be the main dish on top of rice or pasta or vegetables.
If you like pizza and you like pie, then you should love this Fresh Tomato Galette.
This pie filled with burrata, pesto, caramelized shallots, fresh basil and thyme has been in my mind since I read a post by Food 52 talking about Cheddar, Mustardy, Tomatoey Galette, while we were vacationing in Florida.
To make this Tomato Galette is easier than you think and it makes you enjoy the last days of summer to the max – especially for some of us who are in denial of autumn.
And I don’t have anything against autumn or winter.
I love a pumpkin pie – can’t wait to share my recipe with you guys. Dinner for christmas and new year’s eve and of course wrapping presents. I just really love summer….
Some people don’t justify the use of the food processor for pie but for me, the process is entirely simplified by using one. I guess is a personal preference.
The dough is almost completely done after mixing it. You just need to push it a little bit until all ingredients are combined. Try not to overwork the dough, just place it in the refrigerator right after you form a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap for approximately 30 minutes.
There is a reason to keep the dough cold and it is to obtain a flaky pie.
In the meantime prepare the rest of the ingredients. Slice the tomatoes, the cheese and sauté the shallots until caramelized.
After that, you just need to roll the dough until you make a circle and start assembling like you would pizza.
I spread a layer of pesto. Sprinkled a small amount of breadcrumbs and then layer the cheese. I sprinkled a little salt and pepper over the cheese.
Then placed the tomatoes and shallots.
You don’t have to worry about making the perfect round since the borders are going to be folded and the galette should look a little rustic.
I brushed the borders with egg wash (egg beaten with a tbsp of water) and sprinkled some parmesan on top of the borders and the center and the rest of the breadcrumbs.
Bake it for about 30 minutes and your entire house will smell divine!
Sprinkle fresh leaves of basil and serve after it has been cooling for 10 minutes or at room temperature.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
For the crust:
1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of unsalted butter, cold and diced
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4 tsp of salt
6 tbsp of iced water
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp of water
For the filling:
3 tbsp of pesto
(I used this one)
3 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 burrata (8 oz) or mozzarella cheese, sliced
2 tsp of fresh thyme, chopped
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 tsp of balsamic vinegar or balsamic reduction
(I used this one)
1 tbsp of breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp of butter
pinch of parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
Place flour and diced butter in a large bowl and blend with a fork or pastry blender until pieces are pea-size. Stir in parmesan and salt.
You can place flour, butter, parmesan and salt in the food processor and process until pieces are pea-size. transfer to a bowl.
Add 6 tbsp of iced water (one at a time) and stir and push moistened dough until all dough feels moistened. Form dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or 24 hours.
Dice the tomatoes very thinly and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 1 tsp of fresh thyme. Set aside over an oven sheet pan with paper towel for about 30 minutes. Dice the mozzarella or burrata.
Cut the shallots and slice them very thinly. Place them in a small pan with a tbsp of olive oil and a tbsp of butter over med-low heat. Season with fresh thyme (1/4 tsp) and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Stir until they are caramelized or light brown, about 8 minutes and stir the balsamic reduction (or vinegar). Set aside.
Preheat oven to 375° Faherenheit.
Cover sheet pan with parchment paper. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll dough to a 12-14 inch circle. It does not have to be perfectly round. Transfer the dough into the sheet pan and finish rolling the dough (from center to the sides – turning it to stretch from all sides).
Spread 3 – 4 tbsp of pesto all over the dough, leaving about an inch circle from the border. Sprinkle 1/3 tsp of breadcrumbs and place the burrata slices on top (or mozzarella). Layer the tomatoes and shallots, sprinkle the rest of the fresh thyme and about 1/3 tsp of breadcrumbs. Fold the dough borders over the filling, overlapping the borders and leaving some of the center of the filling exposed.
Whisk the egg with a tbsp of water and brush over the border of the dough. Sprinkle some shredded parmesan over the dough and the center.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until de center is bubbly and the borders of the crust are browned.
Let it cool for approximately 10 minutes before serving. You could serve it at room temperature as well.
Lemon Bars are one of our favorite treats.
If you ask me, lemon bars are a MUST during the summer, just like ice cream. The intense lemon tanginess mixed with the sweetness and buttery flavor and the crunchy texture of the Biscoff cookie crust is a definite yes!
Sometimes I run out of ideas of how to prepare chicken and sometimes the easiest way to find inspiration for me is to watch the Food Network – of course when they have regular programs. I just can’t stand the reality shows playing over and over and the festival of constant contests…sorry but not my cup of tea.
Luckily, I came across a recipe from Sunny Anderson that involved adding lemon zest to chicken meatballs, and I LOVE lemons! So I thought I would give it a try and make it my own.
To make it my own I decided to add some fresh basil and a few ingredients I regularly use for turkey meatballs. One thing led to another, and I ended up adding some ricotta and tomato paste as well since ricotta + basil + lemon + tomato = heaven.
And in fact, it was! The meatballs come out super tender and juicy with the fresh flavor of the lemon….delicious! So good that I had to make a post about it!
I love Tzatziki so I thought I would make one with basil instead of dill to go with the meatballs.
They paired fantastically!
I like the meatballs to be a little toasty outside and the ricotta makes them really tender and soft in the inside and if you serve them with the tzatziki it makes an extraordinary combination. They complement each other wonderfully.
We went to see Jason Bourne last weekend and it was pretty awesome 🙂 Have you guys seen it?
I hope you try this recipe. It is a different and delicious way to eat chicken. It is also a great alternative as an appetizer for a dinner party. You can also serve them with fresh bread and make sandwiches with the meatballs and the tzatziki…Yum!
Here is what you need:
For the Meatballs:
1 lb of ground chicken
4 tbsp of ricotta
2 tbsp of olive oil
3 tbsp of mayo
1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp pepper
1 tsp of thyme
1/2 tsp of oregano
1 sprig of fresh basil (about 7-8 leaves), chopped
2 tbsp of tomato paste
1/3 cup of breadcrumbs or panko
lemon zest of 1 lemon
For the Basil Tzatziki
1 cup or 8 oz of fat free yogurt
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup of english cucumber, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of pepper
Meatballs:
Preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
In a medium to large bowl, whisk olive oil, mayo, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and thyme. Once you have mixed all ingredients add the ground chicken and add the breadcrumbs. Combine all ingredients and form the meatballs – approximately 22 (I used a small cookie spoon so that all meatballs would be the same size).
Place meatballs in a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until meatballs are throughly cooked.
Tzatziki:
Stir yogurt with lemon juice, basil, garlic, salt and pepper, add the diced cucumber. Test for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
You can add 2 tbsp of brown sugar to the chicken mixture before you form and bake the meatballs to obtain a hint of barbecue flavor.
Try to use an english or a persian cucumber for the tzatziki, their skin is thinner and not waxed, so they don’t need to be peeled or seeded. They are usually sold wrapped in plastic.
Nutritional Facts calculated on 5 servings
I love coffee, I would say that in almost every possible way…
I cannot conceive of beginning the day without a cup of coffee.
I always come up with different ways to make fruit smoothies and cocktails and I realized that I had never tried to make a coffee smoothie kind of drink at home. So I decided to give it a try and make something similar to Starbucks’ Caramel Frappuccino, but different at the same time, a summer caramel espresso granita! I have tried their caramel espresso granita but for me, granita is not about sweetened ice. It is more about a frozen drink or sorbet.
I usually have cold brewed coffee but I didn’t have any at this time. So I brewed a couple of nespresso small cups, added sweetener and caramel syrup while it was hot – it dissolves and mix better while hot. Then poured the coffee and some creamer into an ice tray.
I took some almond vanilla creamer and poured it as well and just let it freeze for a couple of hours – this would be even better if you do it overnight.
Then, you just have to blend as you do with any cold smoothie, add some liquid to help the blending process, I added a shot of just brewed espresso and that was it…
I cannot tell you how good it is! The best iced coffee!
You definitely need to try your iced coffee this way. It had the sweetness of the caramel, the hint of the vanilla and a very distinctive coffee flavor. The best part is that it keeps its coffee flavor and intensity as it melts, it didn’t become that watery “quasi” coffee drink with the sad pieces of ice floating in it.
I wasn’t sure to post a recipe for this since it is so easy and so customizable so let me know if you want me to, but you can make it however you like your coffee. You could simply use regular creamer or add vanilla to it, soy milk, almond milk or coconut milk. I served ours with cocoa powder, just because cocoa.
Ok, and for the risk takers, a little whisky would give it a nice kick… the possibilities are endless.
