Here’s what we did:

1. Making the dough was easy using the pre-made mix.  All we did was add almost boiling water and 1 tablespoon of Spanish Olive Oil.

2. Place dough in Churro maker

3. Pump out the dough according to package directions and fry for about 4-5 minutes in 350 degrees F vegetable oil.

4. Drain and sprinkle with powered sugar.

5. Enjoy with a cup of hot chocolate!

2 ¾ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ sticks of butter
4 oz cream cheese
1 ¾ cups sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and powder, set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in dry ingredients.
4. Using a small cookie scoop, drop round balls onto a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat. Sprinkle with raw or colored sugar.
5. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until lightly browned.

My latest healthy dish is Spaghetti Squash, I love how easy it is to make. This dish is delicious & healthy as well — who would ask for more?  Here’s the recipe in  a few quick & easy steps.

Ingredients:

1 lb Spaghetti Squash
1/2 lb asparagus
1/2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 14 oz can of fire-roasted tomatoes with garlic
Salt & Pepper to taste
1T Fresh Basil, chopped
fresh grated Parmesan cheese (for topping)

1. Score a whole spaghetti squash with a knife and roast it at 350 degrees for about an hour.

2. Slice it open and remove seeds. (allow it to cool off before handling)

3. With a Fork remove the flesh and set aside.

4. Heat oil over medium-high heat and saute the asparagus until bright and green.

5.  Add squash and can of tomatoes, mix and cook through until hot (about 5 minutes or so). Add fresh basil, Salt and Pepper to taste.

5. Serve and top with Parmesan Cheese.

Enjoy it and be healthy!

Making cookies or food with my kids and loved ones is one of my most treasured moments, it’s just us with the recipe and the food. It’s about watching your kids grow and learn, allowing them to get their hands dirty to accomplish something on their own. And bonus… we all get to enjoy eating it!

There are so many easy cookie recipes that kids and parents can do together, here’s a few that you can start with. What’s your favorite “parent and kid cookie recipe”? Share the recipe (and the story) with us today.

My wish for all the parents our there is for you to enjoy your treasured moments with your kids, they grow up way too fast.

Mix… Bake… Eat (in moderation)… and be Merry.

Writing from the heart,
Betty

Sugar Cookies: (By Alton Brown)	Chocolate Chip Cookies: (Nestle’s Original)

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (by Betty Hakes)	Suprise Cookies (My Martha Stewart)

At first I thought it was just a phase for us, but as I sit here 6 months later looking for some great deals on green tea, it’s much more than a phase, it’s a lifestyle change.

I must admit I am really loving tea more than coffee as my daily morning routine (not that I don’t sneak in some Cuban Coffee once in a while, but don’t tell Ron that.)

I enjoy the Green Tea in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon.  I also enjoy a Passion Fruit tea or a Chamomile/Tilo mixture before going to bed.  For a special treat I’ll brew some Jasmine Green Tea.

Do you have tea story?

Here are a few of my favorite places to search for tea:

Full disclosure, I am an affiliate and these are affiliate links (that means I am compensated by the company if you buy at these online stores using these links). I appreciate your support.

I had never heard of this before so I forwarded the message out to my Cuban family and friends. My sister married a man from Oriente, and his family is the one with the information!! I’m thinking this must be a local tradition to Oriente because I have never heard of this before. My family is from Havana and my mom lived in Pinar Del Rio and Marianao for a little while.

Here’s the tradition: Once someone is pregnant, someone in the family makes the Alinado (directions follow below) then it is put in a big bucket or container and it’s buried underground until the baby is born.

Once the baby is born family and visitors drink it to celebrate the birth of the baby.

I think it’s actually a pretty cool tradition!! What do you think? Are you from Cuba and have heard or participated in this tradition? If so, comment here — I’d love to hear about it.

Graciela (my sisters’ mother-in-law) explained the recipe to me, but can’t give me specific measurments, this is the best I can do right now:

Alinado Recipe

You will need to double this recipe as necessary. Graciela just eye’s this and “feels” the right amounts. You’ll need to experiment yourself. Follow your heart and I’m sure it will be awesome!

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 package ciruelas pasas (prunes) ** must have
Fresh fruits such as: apple (cubed) and grapes
2 cups Rum

Directions: Make the syrup: Bring water to a boil, stir in sugar. Turn the heat to low and stir constantly until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat and add fruit and rum to taste.

Make Cincinnati area proud! Open call is 11/11 — check out the information below:

NOW CASTING FOR AMERICA’S BEST CHEFS!

FOX’s HELL’S KITCHEN is looking for the best, most talented Chefs, 21 and over, who are passionate about cooking and skilled on the line.

Can YOU stand the heat?

OPEN CALL: Thursday Nov. 11 2010
11:00am – 3:00pm

Red Star Tavern
450 S Fourth St
Louisville, KY 40202

For more information go to www.fox.com/hellskitchen
Call: 310.591.6439// HK hotline: 866-226-2226
Email: hellskitchencasting@gmail.com or hellskitchen@theconlincompany.com

————————————————

Let me know if you make it! My husband and I are fans of Hell’s kitchen and we’ll be following your success on TV!!

Love Olay

If this is the first time you make Paella there are some ingredients and equipment to buy. Paella kits take the guess work out of it and some kits come with enough for 2 – 3 meals.

Here’s a recipe from the Spanish Product Store I think you’ll love:

Paella a la Valenciana

The world famous rice dish! Perfect for any gathering.

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

6 cups of very strong chicken broth (bouillon)
1/2 tsp of saffron
1/4 tsp of smoked Spanish paprika (Pimentón de la Vera)
1 small onion, peeled
2 small chickens, about 2-1/2 lbs each
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 lb of cooking chorizo, in 1/4 inch slices
1/4 lb piece jamón serrano ham, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
4 tbsp chopped garlic
2 roasted piquillo peppers
1 lb small or medium shrimp, shelled
2 (Optional) Live lobsters, boiled, split and divided into tail sections and claws(discard or keep the head and small claws); or
4 (Optional) Lobster tails, split lengthwise;
8 (Optional) King crab claws; or
8 jumbo shrimp, in their shells, preferably heads on
3 cups Bomba or Calasparra rice or other short grain Spanish rice
5 tbsp chopped parsley
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 lb fresh or frozen peas
18 clams and/or mussels, scrubbed

Lemon wedges & Parsley for garnish

Preparation:

Heat the broth with the saffron, pimentón and the whole onion. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Remove the onion and measure the broth — you need exactly 5-1/2 cups.

Cut the chickens into small serving pieces — the whole breast in 4 parts, each thigh into 2 parts, the bony tip of the leg chopped off, the wing tip discarded, and the rest of the wing separated into 2 parts. Dry the pieces well and sprinkle with salt.

In a metal Paella pan, with about a 15 inch base, heat the oil. Add the chicken pieces and fry over high heat until golden. Remove to a warm platter. Add the chorizo, and jamón to the pan and stir fry about 10 minutes. Add the chopped onion, scallions, garlic, and pimentos and saute until the onion is wilted. Add the shrimp and the lobster and saute about 3 minutes more, or until the shrimp and lobster barely turn pink (the lobster will cook more in the oven.) Remove the shrimp and lobster to the platter with the chicken. Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat it well with the oil. Sprinkle in the 5 tablespoons of chopped parsley and the crumbled bay leaves. (You can make in advance up to this point.)

Stir in the chicken broth, boiling hot, the wine, rice, and peas. Salt to taste. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, over medium high heat about 10 minutes. Bury the shrimp and the chicken in the rice. Add the clams and the mussels, pushing them into the rice, with the edge that will open facing up. Decorate the paella with the lobster pieces, then bake at 325 F, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let sit on top of the stove, lightly covered with foil, for about 10 minutes. To serve, decorate with lemon wedges and chopped parsley.

Lobster can be a little expensive, so replace it with a comparable amount of shrimp if you wish!

Recipe courtesy of Spain GourmeTour magazine.

Let me know if you make it and how it came out.

Recipe got me to thinking that many people I speak with don’t know what Jicama is, so wanted to tell you more about this legume that looks like a turnip.

• Jicama skin, typically peeled best with a potato peeler, is a tan/brown color and it’s flesh is white. (Usually do peel before eating.)
• Jicama is a popular dietary staple in Latin America and widely grown in Mexico and Central America. Also referred to as a Mexican potato and the Chinese potato.
• Can be used as an alternative to the water chestnut.
• Doesn’t discolor when exposed to the open air for awhile.
• Raw jicama is often used as an accompaniment to raw vegetable platters.
• When jicama is used in cooking it tends to take on the flavors of the ingredients that it is being combined with. (It’s is a nice complement to stir-fry dishes)
• Jicama is available year-round. When purchasing jicama, select tubers that are firm and have dry roots. Make sure that the jicama has an unblemished skin and that is not bruised. Once purchased, store jicama for up to two weeks in your refrigerator.
• With only 46 calories for 1 cup of sliced Jicama and it’s high amount of vitamin C — seems like a good food you should try.

Let me know what you think about Jicama!

If so, check out these deals on Orbitz!

Send me pictures