Sunday Sancocho

What can be better on a cold - and I mean frigid cold day then a nice bowl of Sancocho. 

What is Sancocho? (all my gringo friends may ask) Just the BEST stew ever! 

It is full of yuca (cassava), green plantains, white sweet potato, yautia blanca y amarilla (I have no idea what the equivalent is :-D),yellow potatoes, sweet yellow onions, garlic, red bell pepper, carrots, corn on the cobb, auyama (pumpkin squash), coriander seed and fresh cilantro.  There is a version of sancocho that includes "7 carnes" or seven "types" of meat.  I know, I know - I thought the same thing first time I tried it, but interestingly enough they use smoked and fresh pork chops, gallina (hen), smoked chicken, longaniza (pork sausage), and beef.  

Over a bed of Piping hot white rice and avocado wedges on the side......Yum-O.  And that's a Sunday Sancocho for ya!

  

  



Thanks to Llumidla for her awesome recipe :)



Clothing Swap Party!!

Tonight I hosted my first ever Clothing Swap!  We had a blast!!!  The girls loved it so much, we decided we are going to do one at the end of each season! 
That's one of the things I do love about NY, I get to live each climate change throughout the year.......
Of course this never ending winter does have me a little stir crazy - but what to do? 
Stay warm and enjoy the sunny days.





Strawberry Daiquiri Cupcakes

The girls brought along many tasty appetizers, so I decided to make something to sweeten up the evening.
So, with me and my new found love for mini confections (heehee)..... I decided on cupcakes.
These were a nice addition to our girls night! 
I adapted this cupcake from a recipe in a book I found at my local library called "who you calling cupcake" this book has awesome ideas! 
This cupcake in particular is a coconut cake with a rum & strawberry infused filling and frosting.  Everyone loved them! 
And of course you know who had one for breakfast Saturday morning :)

Korean BBQ

There is one thing I just can never get myself to do.......

Eat at a buffet - UGH!

But after tonight I have gained all new respect for Korean BBQ Buffets.
Our friend took us to this spot in Korea Town in Flushing, Queens. Basically there is a smorgasbord of fresh seasoned meat that you choose, take as much as you want and grill it yourself on the table top grill there is at each booth.


I never thought I'd pay at a restaurant to then have to cook my own food, but it was a great experience and the food was amazing!  They had shrimp, mussels, pork, Korean bacon, prime rib, pork ribs, sausage and of course Kimchi, pickled radish and all the veggies you can imagine!  Tons of Side dishes, dumplings and all! Great place.  Now we can't wait to go back!

"Dark Mamba"

Pass The Brew Please....

2011 is my year!  I definitely got the best wife award this year! 

I got hubs a Home Brew Kit for our anniversary and boy does he love it! 

He just bottled up his first brew tonight. In 2 weeks (all NYC locals) we will sample

"Dark Mamba" 

Yes, we named it!  Apparently it's a right of passage for all home brews. 

You've got nothing on this Kobe!

Atypical Flan

Today hubs had this great idea to recreate a dessert he loved as a child.  He could only describe it as....something like a "pumpkin flan" (flan de auyama) but with the consistency of creme brulee.  Hmmmmmm, better than mom makes?  Oh Yeahhhhhh

This recipe was inspired by both coconut flan (most common in the southern part of the Dominican Republic) and a pumpkin pie sans the crust :)

I used whole coconut milk and I believe that added to the intense nutty flavor and complimented the rich pumpkin. Nothing like a flan, I added a twist by caramelizing sugar to make that nice glaze on the bottom. 
I love mini anything, so I did a few in ramekins.  It's in "Recipe's." Try it out, tell me how you like it.