Lulu's Peach Dessert!

Put peaches in a mold

Add Coconut

Add prunes in small pieces

Make sauce with 1 can condensed milk, 1 can evaporated or regular milk, 3 yolks and 1 teaspoon corn starch
Stir constantly until it thickens.

Put sauce on top of fruit

3 whites

beat whites with sugar

Put meringue on top of sauce

Put in oven at 300 ° F for 13 minutes

Voila, Peach Dessert

Enjoy!

 Ingredients:
1 big can of peaches, cut each peach in quarters
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup of prunes in small pieces
3 eggs, separate yolks and whites
1 can condensed milk
1 can evaporated or regular milk
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 cup of Sugar

Separate the yolks and whites, and let them out for an hour.
Make sauce with the condensed milk, milk, yolks and cornstarch and stir using low heat.
Place the peaches in the mold, put the coconut on top, then the prunes and the sauce.
Beat the whites with the sugar and when it reaches "punto de nieve" (stays in the dish when you turn it upside down) then spread it over the sauce.  Put in the oven/broiler for a few seconds until it gets golden tones.  Enjoy!

Desserts...

http://www.pequeocio.com/7-postres-de-navidad-faciles-y-divertidos/

Sorry it is in Spanish.... got to practice!

How to boil an Egg?

Boiled Eggs

As a kid I experimented with boiling an egg, and it was never hard inside.  So, the formula has to do with the lenght of time you keep the egg in the boiling water.

Here are the steps:

1. Put an egg in a pot, and cover the egg with one inch of water.
2. Turn on the heat until the water boils.
3. Turn off the heat, and cover the pot.
3. Leave the eggs in the pan for 6 minutes for soft boiled eggs, 
   10 minutes for firm eggs,  Or 15 minutes for hard boiled eggs.
4. Remove the egg from the pan with a slotted spoon.
5. When it is cool, crack the shell gently, peel the egg, add a little 
    salt if you like and enjoy.

You can keep the cooked eggs in the shell in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Always be alert when you have a pot of water boiling on the stove!
Turn the heat off right away if all the water evaporates to avoid burning.

Hot Cocoa

Hot Cocoa

Well, if you are a chocoholic like me, Hot Cocoa is always tempting.   So, this is very easy to do.

As with tea, boil water in the pot or teapot for two minutes, and empty an envelope of cocoa in a cup.  

Add the water to the cup, and stir.  Add whip cream and cinnamon if you'd like.

There you go, hot Chocolate.  Enjoy!!!

Aunt Cookie.


PS-  You can substitute water for milk.

There is the Latino version of hot chocolate done with a chocolate bar that you can buy at Latino Stores the brand could be "Abuelita", "Corona" or "Cortes".  You put one bar of chocolate in the pot, per cup of milk and let it boil 3 times.  Stir it all the time and remove it from the heat when it raises, to make sure the chocolate does not spill over.  You will need a special pot and a molinillo (see pic.) which may be sold at the Latino stores as well.  

Serving size: 1 bar
Calories: 160                       Fiber: 1 g
Total fat: 7 g                        Sugar: 20 g
Cholesterol: 0                      Protein: 2 g
Sodium: 30 mg                    Calcium: 2%
Carbohydrates: 23 g            Iron: 2%

How to fry an egg?

Fried eggs can be soft or hard.  That has to do with how long you cook them.

Steps:
1. Get an egg out of the refrigerator
2. Using a small bowl, crack the shell, and pour the egg on 
    the bowl.
3. Put a frying pan on the stove, add PAM or a bit of butter 
    to the pan.
4. Turn on the heat to high, and let the pan warm up.
5. Pour the egg from the bowl into the pan.
6. Cover it with a lid.
7. Check the egg, depending how soft or hard you want it. 
    Usually it takes three minutes to cook.
8. When it is done, turn off the heat, and using a spatula to 
     put the egg on a dish.  Put a pinch of salt on it.
9. Enjoy with some bread or toast.
10. This small meal is so nutritious and has lots of protein.

Lovingly,
Aunt Cookie :)

Spaghetti!

To make Spaghetti, you will need:

1.  Box or bag of Spaghetti (I like whole wheat)
2.  Water
3.  1 spoon of virgin olive oil
4.  Spices:  salt, garlic, oregano,
5.  1 pound of hamburger (90/10 has less fat)
6.  A bottle of pasta sauce
7.  A pot big enough for the pasta.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.
Peel and gently press the garlic and add garlic to the skillet
Add the hamburger, and brown it.
Pour the fat in a container (not on the sink) that you can throw in the garbage.
Add spices and pasta sauce to the meat.  Discard garlic cloves.

Simultaneously, bring a large pot of water to a boil
Add salt and a teaspoon of oil to the water
When it starts to boil put the pasta in.
Let it cook uncovered for 9 minutes.
Check the pasta, and turn off the heat when the pasta is "al dente"
(not too soft, not too hard).

Drain the pasta, and rinse in hot water.  (For salads rise in cold water).
Drain again and toss with the beef.

Serve with parmesan cheese and "buon appetito"

If you would like to know where Spaghetti comes from, check:
http://www.teleticino.ch/video/chilometro-zero/219113/chilometro-zero-best-of

Rice!

Well, let's move on to White Rice.  Rice is so versatil!

It is very simple to make rice, but there are a few tricks:

1. You will need:
     1 cup of rice
     2 cups of water
     1/4 spoon of oil
     1 pinch of salt 
     1 squeeze of lemon
     1 pan

2. Put the oil in the pan and let it warm up a bit.
3. Add the water, the rice and salt.
4. Set the heat to medium high
5. After the water boils, you will see small holes where the water is evaporating.
6. Squeeze a bit of lemon on the rice (to make it even more white)
7. Turn down the heat to low, and cover the pan with a lid.
8. Let it cook for 20 minutes.
9. Check the rice, it should be done.

Disfrutalo!

Aunt Cookieeeeee!

Breakfast :)

Picture by: Glenn McCoy

If all your Life you have been having cereal for breakfast, and you realize that there is too much sugar in those corn flakes, or cheerios, here is a very healthy alternative which is no secret to anyone:
Oatmeal!!
Just pour 1/4 cup of oatmeal on a bowl, and pour some milk or water and put on the microwave for 1 minute.  Add anything you'd like:  sweetner, honey, or berries, or raisins.
The fiber in oatmeal is so healthy!

Have a great day!

Aunt Cookie.

Scrambled Eggs

You can do eggs in so many ways, so today we are scrambling them.  In Spanish you call them "Huevos Pericos".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4vDqlKMbrk

Check this video to see how to make them.

You can add a bit of shredded cheese from a bag to make them even better.

Let me know how did your Pericos turned out!

From your loving,

Aunt Cookie!

Cooking with water - Tea

Well, this is lesson numero 1:  There are so many things you can cook with water.  You can make Tea, Cocoa, Soup, and you can even boil an egg.  Be patient as I will start real basic, but will get to more fun stuff down the road.

HOT TEA:

If you have a kettle or just a regular pot, put a cup of water (I use bottled water) and turn on the heat for 2  minutes.

Then put a bag of tea and sweetner (if you like) in a cup and pour your boiled water on the cup.

If it is too hot, I have learned a trick:
Keep cut frozen lemons in a plastic bag in the freezer and put a piece of lemon in your hot tea.
It will taste great, and will cool down your tea.

Enjoy a nice cup of tea with a book or some happy thoughts!

With my love,

Aunt Cookie

PS: I've heard that it is not too safe to boil water in the microwave, which takes about 3 minutes.

I will survive!

When I left the "nest" and moved to the University in Florida with my brother I had no idea about how to cook.  So, after many mistakes that ended up in the trash can, I taught myself a few recipes, and would like to share them with my dear nieces as they embark in this wonderful adventure which it seems about survival at first, but that could land you in the world of the Gourmet!

Well, my first advice is practice, practice, practice.  And don't get burned (literally).

With my love for C, A, J, AM, S, A, J, J and M you know who you are.

My favorite cartoon:  Mafalda from Argentina.  She says in Italian: "An optimist is a person who puts a foot forward and two back.  Doesn't worry if you made a mess, but keeps on dancing cha cha cha."