Tres Leches Cupcakes

Have you ever tried tres leches at cafe rio? It is an amazing south american dessert. It is Jack's very favorite, so I have been trying to duplicate it at home with no success. But I just tried this recipe and it is amazing! I love to cook but I don't really like to bake, but this dessert is totally worth the time and effort once in awhile.


Makes about 28 cupcakes


8 eggs, separated
1 1/3 C granulated sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1 1/4 C all purpose flour
3 T corn starch
1 t baking powder
pinch of salt
6 oz evaporated milk (1/2 can)
11 oz condensed milk (3/4 can)
3/4 C heavy cream or 1 can of coconut milk, unsweetened (I used heavy cream)

In a big bowl, beat the egg yolks and 1 C of the sugar until pale and fluffy.
Add the vanilla.
In another bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, corn starch, and salt.
Mix until combined with the yolk mixture.
Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
Add 1/3 C sugar at the end. Do not over beat!
Fold the whites into the yolk and flour mixture, being very careful not to deflate the batter.
Fill cupcake liners about halfway.
Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until golden brown and when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
With a serrated knife, remove the top golden layer on each cupcake to expose the sponge. You can toss the tops in the trash or proceed to eat them all! You can see the pile of cut off tops on the left edge of the photo above.
Mix the three milks and spoon them into the cupcakes.
Put about three T of the milks into each cupcake.
Wait for the milks to be absorbed and add more. You will see a pool of milks at first, like the photo above, but soon the milks will completely absorb into the sponge cake.
Refrigerate the cupcakes covered for 5 hours or overnight.
Cover with whipped cream (or a merengue) and cinnamon or strawberries.

Ham and Lentil Crockpot soup

This is a VERY common dish in Spain. I like to make this if I have leftover ham in the winter months.

This lentil soup recipe is made with ham and garlic, cooked in the crockpot.
Cook Time: 9 hours
Ingredients:

* 2 cups lentils
* 1 to 1 1/2 cups diced ham
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 1 bay leaf
* 2 ribs celery, chopped
* 1/2 cup diced carrots
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* seasoned salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients with 2 quarts water in the slow cooker. Cook on low, covered, 8 to 10 hours. Taste and adjust seasonings and serve.

You can add the seasonings at the end so that you can get it to taste just right. I usually add about 2 tsp of salt, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp pepper and a dash of extra virgin olive oil.

Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes

These are a twist on traditional candied yams, they are very yummy! I made these without the pecans and liked them much better that way:

Drain and Mash
2 29oz cans of yams
add
1/2 cup milk and 2 beaten eggs
add
1 c sugar
1/3 c melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt

Put mixture in 9x13 glass casserole

Mix together
1 c shredded coconut
1 c crushed pecans
1 c brown sugar
1/3 c flour
1/3 cu melted butter

Sprinkle this mixture on top of yam mixture. Bake for 30 minutes at 325

I think that the smoother you can get the yams, the better they taste. I put mine in a blender and it got them really smooth.

Easy Curry Chicken

I made this the other night and Jack and I loved it. If you like Indian food/curry, you'll like it. I used lite coconut milk instead of heavy cream and it was really good. I also used shelled edamame beans instead of zucchini because I didn't have any zucchini on hand. The edamame was really good though. I also left out the fresh basil because I did not have any. I thought this was really great and we'll for sure make it again. One warning though, your house will smell like an Indian restaurant for about a day....that is how curry goes!

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Cooked white rice
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup (1 ounce) almonds, roughly chopped

Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels. Cut it into 1-inch pieces and place in a bowl. Sprinkle it with the curry and cinnamon, toss, and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and zucchini and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Heat the remaining oil in the skillet. Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Add the broth, cream, salt, and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer. Return the onion and zucchini to the skillet and heat until the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.

Divide the rice among individual bowls, top with the curry, and sprinkle with the basil and almonds.

Tip: You can vary the ingredients depending on what you have on hand. Consider substituting coconut milk for the cream, eggplant for the zucchini, cilantro for the basil, or cashews for the almonds.


Yield: Makes 4 servings

Love - Melissa

Mushroom Sauce

I tried this new recipe a couple of weeks ago and we loved it. The best part was, it was really easy. We used the sauce with cooked pasta.

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INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
  
• 1 1/2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/3 cup milk

1. In a sauce pan over medium heat cook the onions, green pepper, red pepper, mushrooms and butter until mushrooms are tender. Stir in the cream of chicken soup and milk. Cook until smooth.

This past week

The following 3 posts are some recipes that I made this past week. Cody and I loved them all. I hope you enjoy them as well. I cannot wait to hear what you think.

Asian Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

1/4 C. Teriyaki Sauce
2 T. Olive Oil
2 T. Honey
2 Cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t. Ground ginger
Salt & pepper to taste
1 lb. Pork Tenderloin

In a zip-Lock bag combine teriyaki sauce, oil, honey, garlic, ginger, salt, & pepper. Cut tenderloin into slices 1/4 inch thick and place in bag to marinade. Marinate for 2 hours to overnight. Place pieces of pork and marinade into to fry pan and saute both sides until golden brown. Serve over rice or with mashed potatoes.

Amazing. The tenderloin is so tender when you cook it this way. This recipe has an incredible flavor. Let me know what you think!!