Happy New Year'

"Polka Blue" by Royal Albert

One of my Boxing Day bargains. Not really a bargain as it cost heaps to begin with - but paying less than half of the original price feels good.  And I'm delighted with my Christmas present. Not just a lucky shot this pic. I think the new camera has something to do with it. The potential picture taking in 2013 is rather exciting.

Happy New Year Everyone!
Mariana xx

Baileys panna cotta and tiramisu trifles

In English:
Tomorrow I will not be serving cake, that's for sure. Don't get me wrong, I love cake, but I just feel like doing something more "desserty" if you know what I mean.
Plus I love boozy desserts so here are two for you to make! First up is a Baileys chocolate panna cotta with coffee kahlúa jelly and mascarpone, grated chocolate and raspberries on top. Phew. Beat that if you can!
The second recipe is my favorite. I know I'm nagging but this is just too darn good not to post. Tiramisu trifles. My dad was literally licking his empty glass because he loved it so much.

Oh, and another thing: HAPPY NEW YEAR! See you in 2013! :-)

Recipes after the jump!
Recept på svenska följer efter bilderna!








Tiramisu trifles







Baileys chocolate panna cotta med kaffe-kahluagelé, mascarpone, riven choklad och hallon
4 portioner

Chokladpannacotta
1 dl grädde
1/4 dl gelésocker
30 gram fint hackad mörk choklad

Baileyspannacotta
2 dl grädde
1 dl Baileys likör
1/2 dl gelésocker

Espresso- och kahlualager
80 ml espresso
1/2 dl kahlua
1/2 dl gelésocker

Att servera med
Mascarponeost (eller vispad grädde)
Riven mörk choklad
Ev. Hallon

Chokladpannacotta:
Koka upp grädde och gelésocker i en kastrull. Låt koka cirka 20 sekunder och häll sedan i den finhackade chokladen. Rör om ordentligt och låt koka ytterligare 10 sekunder. Häll upp i fyra portionsglas. Ställ in i kylen cirka 10 minuter eller tills lagrret stelnat.

Baileyspannacotta
Koka upp grädde, Baileys och gelésocker i en kastrull. Låt koka 30 sekunder, häll sedan upp i portionsglasen över chokladpannacottan. Låt svalna och ställ sedan in i kylen tills lagret stelnat, cirka 1 timme.

Espresso- och kalualager
Koka upp espresso, kahlua och gelesocker i en kastrull. Låt koka 30 sekunder och häll sedan upp i portionsglasen över Baileyspannacottan. Ställ in i kylen cirka 30 minuter eller tills lagret stelnat.

Servera med en klick mascarponeost (eller vispad grädde), riven choklad och eventuellt hallon.

Tiramisu trifles
Ungefär 6-8 portioner beroende på storleken på glaset

Kaffesirap
1 1/2 dl starkt kaffe eller espresso
1/2 dl kahlua
1 dl socker

3 dl grädde
1 burk mascarponeost
2 msk socker

Cirka 14-18 st savoiardikex

Kakao, att pudra ovanpå
Riven mörk choklad


1. Brygg starkt kaffe eller espresso. Häll i en kastrull tillsammans med kahlua och socker. Koka upp och låt sedan blandningen sjuda cirka 8-10 minuter. Låt svalna.

2. Vispa grädden hårt. Tillsätt mascarpone och socker och vispa till en slät smet. Lägg en sked eller två av mascarponekrämen i varje portionsglas. Pudra lite kakao över.
Dela varje savoiardikex på längden och dela sedan i fyra mindre bitar. Lägg dem som ett lager över mascarponekrämen. Använda 2-3 hela kex per glass. Häll lite kaffesirap över kexen och fortsätt sedan lägga i lager som förut, mascarpone, kakao, kex och kaffesirap. Avsluta med ett lager mascarponekräm.

3. Pudra lite kakao ovanpå och generöst med riven choklad. Förvara gärna i kylen ett par timmar före servering så att kexen hinner suga åt sig kaffesirapen.




In English:

Baileys chocolate panna cotta with coffee kahlúa jelly and mascarpone, grated chocolate and raspberries

I don't like using gelatine in my recipes, instead I use something called jelly sugar. Not sure how easy it is to find outside Scandinavia though!

4 servings

Chokladpannacotta
1 dl heavy cream
1/4 dl jelly sugar
30 gram dark chocolate, finely chopped

Baileys panna cotta
2 dl heavy cream
1 dl Baileys
1/2 dl jelly sugar

Espresso- and kahlua jelly
80 ml espresso
1/2 dl kahlua
1/2 dl jelly sugar

To serve
Mascarpone cheese (or whipped cream)
Grated dark chocolate
Raspberries

Chocolate panna cotta:
Let cream and jelly sugar come to a boil in a saucepan. Let simmer for 20 seconds then add the chopped chocolate. Stir until melted and let simmer an additional 10 seconds. Pour into 4 serving glassen. Put glasses in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Baileys panna cotta
Let cream, Baileys and jelly sugar come to a boil in a saucepan. Let simmer for 30 seconds and then pour into serving glasses over the chocolate panna cotta. Let cool in fridge for about 1 hour.

Espresso- and kahlua jelly
Let espresso, kahlua and jelly sugar come to a boil in a saucepan. Let simmer for 30 seconds and then pour into serving glasses over the Baileys panna cotta. Put back in the fridge for another 30 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of mascarpone cheese (or whipped cream), grated chocolate and raspberries.


Tiramisu trifles
About 6-8 serving depending on size of each serving

Coffee syrup
1 1/2 dl strong coffee or espresso
1/2 dl kahlua
1 dl sugar


Mascarpone cream
3 dl heavy cream
1 tub mascarpone cheese (250 g)
2 tbsp sugar

About 14-18 savoiardi biscuits/ladyfingers

Cocoa powder, for dusting
Dark chocolate, grated


Coffee syrup
1. Make 2 dl strong coffee or espresso. Mix with kahlua and sugar in a saucepan. Let simmer about 8-10 minutes. Let cool.

2. Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Add mascarpone and sugar and whip until smooth. Put a heaping spoon, of the mascarpone cream into each glass. Powder some cocoa powder over mascarpone.
Break each ladyfinger in half lenthwise and then break it into 4 pieces. Then layer them over the mascarpone cream in each glass. Use two-three ladyfingers for each serving. Spoon some coffee syrup over the ladyfingers and then keep on layering with mascarpone cream, cocoa powder, ladyfingers and coffee syrup ending with a layer of mascarpone cream.

3. Powder some cocoa on top and grate a generous amount of chocolate over each serving. Store in fridge for a couple hours before serving to make sure the ladyfingers soak up the syrup.

Black Eyed Pea Stew

" We will open the book. It's pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and it's first chapter is New Year's Day."

-Edith Lovejoy Pierce

I'm taking a little break from blogging till mid January. Until then please enjoy this Black Eyed Pea Stew I made in 2011. It is hearty, delicious, and perfect for a New Year Meal!
 

Happy New Year everyone! Like most of you know, eating black eyed peas on New Year's day is supposed to bring good luck. We had some ham and the bone left from Christmas, so I put it to use in this easy, and flexible stew. If you don't have black eyed peas, no big deal, use another bean, like navy, or even kidney beans. I used a bag of dried beans but you could use a few cans of beans instead.

 

This recipe makes quite a bit, but it freezes nicely.









Black Eyed Pea Stew

Ingredients

one bag (16 oz.) dried black eyed peas, or 3 cans
one ham bone with 3 cups diced ham
3 carrots chopped into bite sized pieces
3 ribs of celery chopped into bite sized pieces
1 onion chopped
2, 15 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
salt and pepper to taste
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, or 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

if you like some heat, you can add some dried chipotle pepper, or even a tablespoon or so from a small can of chopped chipotle peppers, (the smokiness works well with the smokiness of the ham) if you are using the canned peppers, and aren't familiar with using them, start with a small amount first, (they can get spicy), and adjust to your taste.

Directions

Cook the black eyed peas if using dried. I used a crockpot. (I think this is the best way to cook them, because all of the ham flavor gets infused into the black eyed peas.) Add the peas, a tsp of salt, the bay leaves, the ham, the bone and the chopped onion to the crockpot and fill the crockpot almost to the top with water. (I used a 4 quart crockpot.) If using a larger crockpot, I'd start with 8 cups water, add more later if needed.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours or until the peas are soft. If you are using a larger crockpot and have the time, you can add everything else and cook until the carrots and celery are soft. (an additional 3 hours or so.)

I poured it all into an 8 quart pot on the stove and added everything else and cooked for 20 minutes or so, until the vegetables were tender.

If you are using canned black eyed peas, drain the peas and rinse, throw it all in a large pot on the stove, add 4-6 cups water or broth, cook on medium heat for an hour or so, until the vegetables are tender and the flavors have blended. If needed, add water or broth to get the consistency you like.

Adios Cupido=Shoot That Poison Arrow Away!

Attention...Dear Amigos...you are about to enter the "Controversial Zone" If you think you can handle breaking away with tradition and all that it involves, if you are ready to wave your flag in the air, paint your face in war colors and in the best Bravehart  behavior yell Freedom, You are in the Right Place, Carry On and Keep Reading!

In my few weeks on Blog world I have realized things move super fast , one holiday is barely over when people are already planning and decorating for the next. Perhaps I need to drink more coffee and catch on if I want to be among the best. If that is the case the I'm way ahead of the pack with this post. At the same tine, very appropriately it might as well be my proverbial Kiss of Death!

Valentine's Day is 49 days away, and in  my family we  really don't celebrate it. I don't drive me husband crazy with hints of what would be nice to get that day, we, don't exchange cards, buy expensive chocolate, fight crowds for restaurant tables, pay exorbitant amount of money for flowers that on regular basis are $9.99 at the grocery store, neither or I go all out with decorating. I'm not going to lie. I like the colors, the cute decorations around that time of the year and see how pretty some houses get dressed up to celebrate Love Day! But I've never gone out of my way to do any of those things...am I the exception to the rule? Perhaps. But I'm O.K with that.

Is not that I'm The Grinch of Valentine's Day. Is just that I totally dislike the way such a nice event has been transformed into a Hallmark Holiday. No meaning, no real feeling for most just, buy and get kind of thing
.

For a couple of years now I've tried to give my own meaning to the celebration of Love and what better way than to sharing and giving the gift of Life. February 14th is National Donor Day! That day people are encouraged to sign up for organ a tissue donation, as well as blood, marrow and blood stem cells.There are hundreds of thousands of Americans, adult and children in vital need of organs and every 2 seconds someone in America needs blood.

Me and my older son make appointments to go together to our local Red Close donor center and give blood. He was able to do it last year with me since he was at age to do it. To me in particular is always a painful challenge since my veins collapse almost at the same time they are putting the needle in and the sweet nurse has to try again, and again. At the end is all worth it ! I feel happy that I have made a significant contribution to my fellow brothers and sisters.

Again, I have nothing against all people out there who chooses to give and receive flowers, cards, some bling and yes Chocolate...after all at this blog we Support 100% all things chocolate. We as a family decided to make Valentines a Day of Giving since everyday we are blessed gifts of  Love and Health by The One Above.

Does it means that I won't decorate for Valentine's at all....no, but I won't be rushing at it. I will make crafts with my little one, and hang a little heart here and there, but other than that Cupid can go fly and aim his arrows somewhere else, I will be getting my little pinch of love from the Red Cross!

Besitos,

Lizy

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Sincerely, Paula

Christmas was here

  oh why oh why does it go away so quickly?!

 We couldn't have asked for a better few days--we even got snow! Crazy big and beautiful flakes flying down all day on Christmas Eve. 

We played outside 

and delivered treats while snowflakes stuck to our eyelashes.



We snacked on cheese....mmmm......cheese.

gouda

brie with chives

spanish manchego

peach jam, grapes, pears

an assortment of

Feliz Navidad=Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a Beautiful Christmas! Blessings!

Time to Go Home Now, See You All Next Year!

Besitos, 

Lizy

Sharing Good Wishes with the World and:
Sincerely, Paula
Happy Go Lucky

Christmasy Things

I can't believe It's almost here! 

These last few weeks have been so much fun. We've had visits from BOTH grandmas and grandpas, explored downtown, got out of school(!!!), and just enjoyed being home together doing all kinds of Christmasy things.



Here are just a few of them....

lights at Temple Square, City Creek, Grand America

photos from my iphone

 

Gingerbread Housing.....

(all

Chocolatines de Navidad=Christmas Brownies

Just in time for the Holidays I came across this recipe and what's even better I had every single ingredient handy! Isn't that perfect? Yes it Is!!!! Very simple and quick to make, you will be waiting more for them to bake and cool, than for them to disappear right before your eyes! They are very hard to put down and you will be coming back for just one more bite.

Without further ado here is the recipe:

M&M's Christmas Brownies

1 8oz package of Cream Cheese

1 egg

1/8 cup of Milk

1/3 cup of Sugar

1 Package of Brownie Mix of your preference, Cake style is preferred.

1/2 cup  Milk M&M's

1/4 cup Marshmallows (optional)

These are Milk M&M's but Almond or Peanut would be great too!

I found that Marshmallows give Brownies extra gooey texture!

Heat your oven at 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl mix the Brownie mix according to instructions. Pour 2/3 of the mix in a parchment paper covered 9x13 baking mold. Drop the 1/4 cup of Marshmallows all over the Brownie mix. Set aside.

By the time I had to add the Marshmallows I think only a few were left! LOL

In a separate bowl, mix the Cream Cheese, Egg, Milk, Sugar until everything is well blended. Pour this mix over the mold containing the Brownie and Marshmallows. Try to cover as much area as possible.

Pour the rest of the brownie mix and with a fork or a knife scrape the surface to create a marble look a like look.

Add the 1/2 cup of M&M's spread all over your brownie/cream cheese mix and place it in the oven for 40-45 minutes until spongy but after testing it with a knife in the middle comes out clean.

It can get any easier and delicious than this!

Have them with a glass of milk or a cup of your favorite coffee! Yummy!

The layer of Cream Cheese, just puts them in a whole new category of sweet and savory morsel!

Give this little guys a try! You will love them as much as my family does!

This is going to be my last post until Christmas! Wishing you all Peace, Love, Harmony and Health! Feliz Navidad! Merry Christmas!

And remember, everything tastes better with a pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

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A Luz de Vela=Candlelight Walk

Hola Amigos! Seems like up here,  we are going to have a White Christmas after all! The kids are finally on Christmas Break and excited about Christmas! Time to celebrate the Season with the family.
I want to share with you a candlelight walk through our home. Today was a very dark and windy day, a blizzard is hitting us at this moment...not the best when you need to take blog photos, but perfect if you want to create an atmosphere of coziness with the warmth of aromatic candles, tucked in under a thick blanket and sipping a cup of hot cocoa! Ready?....let's go for a little walk.

Our entry comes to life with our simple and traditional tree, a candy garland to give the area a touch of whimsy, my FIL's sled from back when he was a little 7 year old and an old tool box filled with bags of treats to help us count down the days left for Christmas.

Here you are also going to run into our Baker Santa right next to one of his latest creations, a gingerbread house and a peppermint infused candle to put you right in the holiday mood!

Our Kitchen has little touches of Christmas here and there, because for us, the main attraction of this area are the different smells of the season... ginger, clove and spices! It sure feels like Christmas!

I am crazy about signs and this one is one of my favorites and since the kids are now off it will live to it's expectations...keeping a full Cocoa Bar for all to enjoy 24/7!

Even Mrs Claus and Santa share their love for cocoa and goodies around the kitchen!

Our kitchen faces the family room, to us our main room and here, a variety of Nutcracker Folks await friends and family  offering their cupcakes, gingerbread cookies and even s'mores, all with a smile of course.

There are trees around the house to make each member feel special...but a tree comes to life at night when all the lights shine and makes us feel all warm inside!

Each one with it's own magic!

Each one with it's own story!

All the elements above help fill this house with spirit of Christmas. But the most important one is Love! and that one my friends...no matter the frightful weather outside always shines with a light of its one creating the Picture Perfect HOME! Happy Holidays!

Besitos,

Lizy

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