Jan 29 2006
This is how they make coffee at my great grandparents’ house. If I remember correctly, they add a piece of panela to the coffee so it’s not that bitter. The good coffee is exported and the more bitter coffee is kept in-country.
Jan 28 2006
Plenty of Pumelos to go around, originally uploaded by my_amii.Here I am eating 1/8th of the Pumelo.
Jan 28 2006
No, not candied Cacaroches – Candy Cacaroches…it’s just the shape..they are made of brown sugar.
We got these after paying our bill at a restaurant in Cali.
Jan 28 2006
This is a traditional meal from the Valle de Cauca (Valley of Cauca) State in Colombia where my family lives. It is meant for 1 Person, but I managed to split it and be completely satisfied.
In the Bandeja is: bean soup, chicharon, avocado, chorizo, ground beef, steak, aprepa, and a fried egg. Mmmmm…yummy.
Jan 15 2006
This recipe is “Yllow Rice Salad with Roasted Peppers and Spicey Black Beans†from Epicurious.com
Ingredients:
4 teaspoons ground Cumin
1/4 Cup fresh Lime juice
2 1/2 Tablespoons Vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
2 Cups Water
1 Cup Basmati Rice
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup sliced Green Onions
1 15-ounce can Black Beans, rinsed, drained
1/2 Cup chopped roasted Red Peppers from jar
1/2 Cup chopped Green Bell Pepper
Directions:
Over medium heat, stir 3 teaspoons of cumin in a small skillet until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Whisk lime juice and oil into the skillet.
Stir turmeric and remaining cumin in saucepan over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 2 cups of water, rice and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover; simmer until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Cool the rice. Mix onions and half of dressing into rice. Season with salt and pepper.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine black beans, all peppers, and the remaining dressing, and toss to coat.
Serve over a bed of the yellow rice.
OR
Layer the yellow rice and bean mixture into a warm tortilla; wrap-up, and eat as a burrito.
Jan 14 2006
Ingredients:
1 15oz. can of Chick Peas, rinsed and drained
2-3 cups of cooked Rice
2 cups of plain Yogurt or 1 cup of plain Yogurt and 1 cup of Sour Cream for a thciker consistency
1 Hot House Cucumber (seedles), peeled and finley shredded
the juice of 1 Lemon
1 Garlic clove, pressed
1 ununsed bag of Mint Tea
Salt to taste
ground Cumin to taste
Sambal Oelek to taste (optional)
Directions:
Tzatziki Sauce:
In a medium-large bowl, combine the Yogurt and shredded cucumber. Make sure that you have pressed out and disguarded any liquid that the cucumber released! The continue by adding the pressed garlic, the crushed mint inside of the tea bag, the lemon juice, and salt. Mix together and taste, adjust salt as needed. This is always best made at least a few hours before and then refrigerated to let the garlic flavor come out, but it can be eaten right away as well.
The Whole picture:
In a large skilett, add the chick peas and rice, season with some salt and ground cumin to taste. Heat through. Place on a serving platter and top with the tzatziki sauce and some sambal oelek or it can be topped off individually as desired.
Jan 12 2006
Texas Chicken Cordon Bleu
Ingredients:
4 Chicken Breast halves
1Cup of Corn Flakes, crushed
1/2 teaspoon of Oregano
1/2 teaspoon of Basil
1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon of Salt
dash of Pepper
2 long thin red Chili Peppers of your choice, cut in half length-wise and seeded
4 slices of Prosciutto Ham
4 slices of Emmentaler Cheese (Swiss Cheese)
1/2 Cup of Milk
Toothpicks
Directions:
Preheat oven to 200°C (417°F). In a bowl, mix together corn flakes, oregano, basil, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Pour the mixture onto a plate. Pound chicken breasts out with a mallet to make the chicken thin (If you do not have a mallet, you can use a large rock or an unopened can). In the middle of each chicken breast layer 1 piece of prosciutto ham, 1 slice of cheese, and 1 half of a chili. Roll and fild all ends of the chicken and secure with toothpicks so that the filling will not melt out.
Pour Milk in a bowl. Roll the bundles of chicken in milk and then in the corn flakes mixture. Place the chicken seam-side down in a casserole dish or a baking dish. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes at a time or until the juices coming out of the chicken runs clear.
Cucumber Salad
Ingredients:
1/2 of an English Cucumber or 1 whole regular Cucumber, thinly sliced
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon of dry Dill
about 3 Tablespoons of Red Wine Vinegar
1 teaspoon of Waldkreauter Oil (Forest Herb Oil)
Directions:
Place cucumbers in a large salad bowl. Sprinkle on salt to taste and mix with a fork. Then, sprinkle on pepper to taste and mix. Sprinkle on the Dill and mix. Pour on the vinegar and mix. Pour on the oil and mix. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Jan 07 2006
Ingredients:
4 white Champignons, cleaned*, and halved
4 brown Champignons, cleaned*, and halved
2 Oyster Mushrooms, cleaned*, and chopped
4 Cantharellus, cleaned*, and halved
1 small Onion, diced
1 large clove of Garlic, crushed
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
200 grams of Cream
100 grams of Creme Fraiche
1 Tablespoon of grated Parmesan Cheese
enough Spaghetti for 2 people (about 1 large handful)
1 teaspoon Oregano
1/2 teaspoon of Basil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Directions:
Cook spaghetti according to package directions. In a large pan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is soft. Add mushroom and saute for a few minutes until they have begun to soften. Add cream, creme fraiche, and Parmesan as well as oregano, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Let cook on medium-high until it has thicken a bit. Then, add the cooked and drained spaghetti to the sauce and mix. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
*To clean mushrooms DO NOT wash in water! This will cause the mushrooms to absorb water and in turn will not let them absorb the flavors of the food they are cooked with. Instead, brush off all dirt with a mushroom brush or by hand.
Garlic Bread
Ingredients:
1 Baguette
Butter
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Basil
Salt
grated Parmesan Cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 200°C (417°F). cut baguette in half and then cut it in half vertically. On each piece spread on butter. Then sprinkle on garlic powder, onion powder, basil, and salt to taste. Then, sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on one half of each bread and place the top back on. Place the bread pieces in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Then, separate the bread so that the cut side is facing up and bake for another 5 minutes or until golden brown.
Salad
Ingredients:
A handfull of Salad-in-a-Bag (sorry I was really lazy)
Your favorit dressing (again, I was lazy)
Jan 06 2006
Ingredients Pastrami Sandwich :
2 Slices of wheat Bread
5 slices of Pastrami
1/4 Cup of Sauerkraut
1 slice of Provolone cheese
Butter
Directions:
Spread butter on 1 side of each slice of bread. The buttered side is the outer part of the sandwich…so that the bread does not burn to the pan. Layers on cheese, pastrami, sauerkraut, and other slice of bread.
In a pan mealt a small amount of butter on medium-high. Place sandwich in pan and let cook, flipping every 2-3 minutes to keep from burning. Add more butter if necessary.
Goes well with potato chips, pickle spears, and a Radler (see recipe bellow).
Ingredients Radler:
1 Pils Beer
1 carbonated Lemonade (Sprite, 7UP, etc)
Directions:
Mix 50/50 in a beer glass, stir, and enjoy!
*A Radler is known as a Shandy in English.
Jan 05 2006
Directions:
Soak the noodles in lukewarm water until they have softened. Then, remove then from water and set aside. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil until very hot (to test, sprinkle water on oil and see if it pops,be very careful not to burn yourself with flying oil). Add the scrambled egg, cook until done, and then remove from skillet and set aside. Then, add the shrimp and fry in the left over oil. Remove the shrimp onto the plate with the egg.
In a bowl, whisk together fish sauce, peanut butter, sherry, soy sauce, garlic, and left over oil.
In the large skillet, now add the noodles and sauté about 1 minute. Then, add the shallot, 1/2 the bean sprouts, and the sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the shallots begin to soften. Remove from heat and add egg, shrimp, remaining bean sprouts, peanuts, and red pepper flakes.
Serve with lime wedges on the side and use fresh-squeezed lime juice individually for a tangy taste. You may also garnish with fresh coriander (cilantro).
*For a Vegetarian version, leave out fish sauce and shrimp. Add firm tofu in the place of shrimp if desired.
