tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9364606597910636352024-03-13T03:47:45.609-03:00a domestic disturbancethe life and times of an amateur in argentina. no hablo español.meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.comBlogger153125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-34267425454795349882014-01-30T19:02:00.000-03:002014-01-30T19:12:15.014-03:00Simple & Pillowy Pavlova<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Pavlova is incredibly simple to make but can easily turn into a catastrophe. The trick is knowing your oven and keeping the temperature consistent throughout the cooking time. I've adjusted <a href="http://catslovecooking.com/2011/11/27/my-favourite-pavlova/">this perfect recipe</a> (originally from Donna Hay) to make a pavlova of optimal ratios (to serve about 5-6 people).<br />
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Pavlova<br />
<ul>
<li>3 egg whites</li>
<li>3/4 cup sugar (superfine recommended - I use regular sugar)</li>
<li>1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch</li>
<li>1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar</li>
<li>Few drops of vanilla extract</li>
</ul>
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Topping</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>200 ml (3/4+ cup) cream, whipped with a Tablespoon of sugar and drop of vanilla extract</li>
<li>Fruit - acidic fruits best complement the sweetness and creaminess (Here, I've used about 1-2 passionfruit, 2 kiwis, 2 peaches and a handful of strawberries)</li>
</ul>
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Preheat oven to 150C / 300F.</div>
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Whisk whites until they hold soft peaks. Gradually add sugar and continue whisking (about medium speed) until stiff peaks form. You also want the sugar to be completely dissolved - check by rubbing the whites between your thumb and forefinger, if grainy, keep whisking. However, it never fully dissolves for me (using regular sugar) and that's fine.</div>
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Add cornstarch (sprinkle evenly oven mixture) and vinegar and vanilla and whisk until just combined (some prefer to fold these in).</div>
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Turn out onto Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet and shape into 7 inch circle. </div>
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Decrease oven heat to 120C / 250F and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes. (If you have a gas oven, this will be the hardest part of making this! I usually have to carefully monitor the temperature and crack the oven door to maintain it.) You can insert a knife to be sure it's cooked. Turn oven off, leave the door open a bit and allow pavlova to cool completely in the oven (it will most definitely crack).</div>
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Top cooled pavlova with slightly sweetened whipped cream and fruit. I love using passionfruit for this, but if it's not available, I make a simple fruit sauce (raspberry or strawberry) to mix with the fruit. In Rosario, you can find passionfruit (maracuya) frozen from the verduleria on Mendoza, between Espana and Roca (100 grams is enough).</div>
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Oh, and eat it immediately, as the cream will start to break down the merengue, so don't assemble it until the last minute before serving.</div>
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meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-12105213942079575002013-09-13T12:48:00.000-03:002013-09-13T12:48:12.905-03:00La Vaca NegraIlly coffee? Check. Coffee cocktails? Check. Pet-Friendly? Check!!! If you need me, you know where I'll be.<br />
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By day...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZHyUYcsFGfLpyvIqhvcGQmnkbX7_1zYwKqUzLoY1By9ynFW42A293H1IH-cby1wCGDA_rlahr2CYnwaPcwqAo6Q9uL0ZSMPhpQYOuC_C-COw0_g7a6-M2TMBzvaWx9Ty-vKWYy2yQFZ29/s1600/20130906_141426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZHyUYcsFGfLpyvIqhvcGQmnkbX7_1zYwKqUzLoY1By9ynFW42A293H1IH-cby1wCGDA_rlahr2CYnwaPcwqAo6Q9uL0ZSMPhpQYOuC_C-COw0_g7a6-M2TMBzvaWx9Ty-vKWYy2yQFZ29/s320/20130906_141426.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Or by night...<br />
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Hot & cold in the same glass!</div>
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Cocktail with Cointreau and vodka</div>
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Complete with coffee art. Come. on.<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/LaVacaNegraCafeBoutique">La Vaca Negra</a> is on Bajada Sargento Cabral. It usually looks like this because I'm always there:</div>
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<br />meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-1871659333950606612013-03-11T10:21:00.006-03:002013-03-11T10:21:56.535-03:00La Receta Famosa de Brownie (por fin!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Finalmente, traduje la receta que uso siempre para hacer un brownie rico. Me pregunto si es una buena idea, porque tengo la sensación que no me van a invitar a las cenas si pueden hacerlo sin mi! Pero, bueno, acá está la receta más pedida de mi cocina:<br />
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<b>El Brownie Más Rico</b><br />
<ul>
<li>1 1/3 taza (170 gramos) harina (0000)</li>
<li>1/2 cucharita (2.3 g) polvo para hornear</li>
<li>1/4 cucharita (1.42 g) sal</li>
<li>150 gramos manteca</li>
<li>3/4 taza (88.5 g) cacao amargo en polvo (no de Nesquik, tiene que ser de buena calidad)</li>
<li>2 cucharas de sopa de espresso o cafe fuerte</li>
<li>1 2/3 taza (335 g) azúcar</li>
<li>2 huevos</li>
<li>2 cucharitas de esencia de vainilla</li>
<li>3/4 taza (85 g) nueces, picados en trozos</li>
<li>42.5 gr. chocolate semi-amargo, picado en trozos </li>
</ul>
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Enmantecar y harinar una bandeja de 20 x 30 cm. Combinar la harina, polvo para hornear y sal - dejar a un lado. En un baño maria, derretir la manteca y agregar el cacao en polvo y el café. Revolver para combinar y removerlo del calor para que enfrie un poco. En un bowl grande, batir los huevos con el azúcar y agregar la vainilla. Agregar lentamente la mezcla de manteca/cacao. Incorporar la mezcla de harina y después las nueces (guardando un puñado para poner arriba). Poner la masa (si, es un poco pesada) en la bandeja preparada, untándola con una espátula. Salpicar con las nueces y el chocolate picado. Hornear a 175º C por 25-30 minutos, o hasta que un cuchillo salga limpio.<br />
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meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-78530553648156936992012-10-17T14:54:00.002-03:002012-10-17T14:57:02.517-03:00Ice Cream Festival & More Love For San Remo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This past weekend was the <a href="http://www.rosario.gov.ar/sitio/noticias/buscar.do?accion=verNoticia&id=24076">first annual artesian ice cream festival in Rosario</a>. Fitting for the Argentine city with the highest ice cream production per citizen -- there are around 70 ice cream factories for Rosarinos who consume between 8 and 9 liters annually. And perhaps more impressive is the quality of Rosario's ice cream, which is actually more like Italian gelato - with impressive creaminess and flavor.<br />
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And so, over 30 heladerías participated in the festival, which was postponed a week due to rain. You had to buy tickets for scoops - this year it was 5 pesos per scoop - and then you went around getting scoops from your favorite brands. It was super fun but it was also a 'get in and get out' kind of event. Thus, no photos.<br />
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This longest line was for <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/GELATERIA-ITALIANA-SAN-REMO/367845811369">Gelateria Italiana San Remo</a> (the San Remo with locations on Buenos Aires and on Pte. Peron, which I blogged about <a href="http://adomesticdisturbance.blogspot.com.ar/2009/03/gelato-by-any-other-name-isnt-same.html">here</a>).<br />
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What's really impressive are their unconventional flavors like Tomato Jam swirl, Roquefort and an assortment of floral flavors. Since the line was so long at the festival, we went to their shop on Buenos Aires and brought home a kilo of gustos!<br />
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Clockwise from the center (12 o'clock): Dulce de leche granizado, Mascarpone with berries, Rose, Tomato jam swirl, Roquefort with walnuts. And there are plenty of other flavors left to try. San Remo is also cheaper than some of the larger chains. </div>
<br />meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-37085099947057726732012-09-17T23:55:00.000-03:002013-05-24T17:27:53.406-03:00Pasta Frola (Quince Tart)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Another Argentine recipe? Who <i>am</i> I? I make recipes from home ... not from this place I have lived close to 4 years ... wait. Uh-oh. It occurs to me that, perhaps, maybe, this <i>is</i> my home. And I've come to appreciate the foods I frequently eat. Food that everyone here already loves, so I don't have to insist on them trying my weird foreign food. I'm not sure why <strike>I'm such a hold out</strike> it took me so long but, inspired by Katie's <a href="http://www.seashellsandsunflowers.com/2012/09/the-envelope-please.html">Argentine Recipe Contest</a>, I gave in. I love pasta frola! I eat this a lot. I want more. Okay, there. I said it.<br />
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I did want to make <a href="http://www.seashellsandsunflowers.com/2012/08/tarta-de-dulce-de-membrillo-con.html">Vivi's recipe with mascarpone</a>, but 2 trips to the supermercado proved useless so I went without it.<br />
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<b>Quince Tart (Pasta Frola)</b><br />
<i>Adapted from <a href="http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2008/07/jam-tart/">David Lebovitz</a></i><br />
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<i>Note that David's recipe is for a 9 or 10 inch (24 cm) tart pan, though I used a 28 cm pan. I liked the ratio it left me with, but you'll notice less crust atop the tart, plus it was a bit of work to squish and spread the bottom dough out, but it was worth it and I'll do it again. I did use extra quince 'paste' (dulce de membrillo).</i><br />
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<ul>
<li>1 1/2 cups (190g) flour</li>
<li>1/2 cup (70 g) polenta (cornmeal)</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I used a little less of fine table salt)</li>
<li>2 teaspoons baking powder</li>
<li>9 Tablespoons (110 g) unsalted butter, room temperature</li>
<li>1/2 cup (100 g) sugar</li>
<li>1 large egg</li>
<li>1 large egg yolk</li>
<li>1/8 teaspoon almond extract</li>
<li>2 cups (550-600g) quince paste (dulce de membrillo)</li>
<li>2 Tablespoons port</li>
<li>2 Tablespoons raw sugar</li>
</ul>
<div>
Whisk together flour, cornmeal, salt and baking powder - set aside. Beat together butter and sugar, mix in egg, yolk and extract. Slowly add dry ingredients, just until dough comes together. </div>
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<div>
Measure out about 325 grams of the dough (about 3/4 of the dough). Pat it into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap and chill. Roll the remaining dough into a log 2-inches in diameter, wrap and chill.</div>
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<div>
Put quince paste into a bowl with port and mash with a potato masher. Add a splash of hot water if necessary to develop spreadable consistency.</div>
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<div>
Remove dough from refrigerator and let return to room temp slightly. With the heel of your hand, evenly press into the bottom and sides of an unbuttered removable bottom tart pan. Spread quince evenly over dough. </div>
<div>
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<div>
Remove log of dough from refrigerator and slice into thin cookies, then lay over the jam. Sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool and serve at room temperature. This is even better the next day.</div>
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<div>
Make miniature Vigilantes (cheese topped with quince) with any unused membrillo!</div>
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<br />meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-29154209871854981362012-08-24T19:21:00.000-03:002012-08-24T19:23:55.645-03:00Quinotos en Almíbar (Kumquats in Syrup)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I fell in love with quinotos last Christmas in Cordoba. Direct from the tree, they were tangy, sour and sweet in all the best ways. I picked up a kilo recently but I suppose they're out of season so they were a bit rough on the palate. So I decided to add a crapload of sugar to make them candied and syrupy.<br />
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For such a simple recipe, I found a variety of cooking techniques. All <a href="http://lamajuluta.blogspot.com.ar/2008/10/quinotos-en-almbar.html">Argentine</a> recipes required you to let the quinotos sit in salted water for 3 days or boil them with salt, then rinse. None of the recipes written in English mentioned this, but I figured that since I'm here I better not skip the step. Of course, I couldn't be bothered to wait 3 days.<br />
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I really wanted to candy them whole (because they're amazing that way) but these had too many too large seeds, so I had to halve the quinotos to remove the seeds (which was a huge pain and made me regret attempting such a sizeable batch). Note that if you do cook them whole, you'll need to poke small holes in them first.<br />
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The cooking times also varied widely between <a href="http://www.theravenouscouple.com/2009/06/spiced-candied-kumquats.html">10 minutes</a> and <a href="http://chezpim.com/bake/candied-kumquat">2 hours</a>. I settled on 20 minutes, but could have removed the quinotos and continued cooking the syrup to make it thicker. Probably a good idea.<br />
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<b>Candied Kumquats in Vanilla Syrup </b><br />
<i>Inspired by <a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/kumquats-spiced-syrup-with-cloves-cinnamon-star-anise-10000000833347/">Cooking Light</a></i><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>750 grams kumquats, stems removed and washed</li>
<li>Big pinch rock salt</li>
<li>3/4 cup sugar</li>
<li>1 1/2 cups water</li>
<li>1/2 vanilla bean (or a super small one like the only ones I can find now), scraped</li>
<li>3 or 4 whole cloves</li>
<li>Pinch cinnamon</li>
</ul>
<br />
Boil kumquats in salted water for 8 minutes. Drain, immerse in a bowl of water and scrub lightly with your hands to remove salt. Drain again and rinse well.<br />
<br />
Combine sugar and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Once sugar has dissolved, add kumquats, vanilla seeds, cloves and cinnamon. Drop heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until tender and translucent. If thicker syrup is desired, remove the fruit but leave the syrup and continue to boil for another 10-15 minutes, or until it reaches desired consistency. Transfer quinotos and syrup to a large jar (or several small jars) and seal. If you know how to jar, you can let these sit for 2 weeks in the refrigerator to let the flavors develop. I refrigerated mine for only two days before serving.<br />
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Candied kumquats are delicious served over ice cream or pavlova (maybe make it pistachio).<br />
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<br />meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-86753037457315638682012-08-11T19:10:00.001-03:002012-08-11T19:10:26.168-03:00Advances in Graffiti!Just about 6 months ago I was lamenting the lack of quality graffiti in Rosario. There were plenty of spray painted scribbles and an obscene amount of walls, poles and anything else that could be slapped with paint completely covered with the colors of the city's two rival football teams -- but not a lot of street art. But now, it's getting interesting...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7zGMSCR4pkE0P6judDS_s84M6oM1TUWWciiqbzDI2ve_sa3uJFDd38DZUdppWQlCL_F-y-2wJgZDjpUNDrgCV9RuA7SLs0n3SMTbOaxHNczMNqvKdqSJaOK0RkEhNgAj_Y_rrO8iebeBq/s1600/IMG_0968.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7zGMSCR4pkE0P6judDS_s84M6oM1TUWWciiqbzDI2ve_sa3uJFDd38DZUdppWQlCL_F-y-2wJgZDjpUNDrgCV9RuA7SLs0n3SMTbOaxHNczMNqvKdqSJaOK0RkEhNgAj_Y_rrO8iebeBq/s400/IMG_0968.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dorrego entre San Juan y Mendoza</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPINwwo_z8G2wB5prlNslGk1QFkno0AAJYGT0fHW1ZYNi-rNf1kbglibMwDSLdmGbIZar1a8ezdMXedq9umm3WjOR5imX504xrVrOmFNa44pw4VEYYmmPQu3e1r5nDmp2K1M5uH14RA01e/s1600/IMG_0971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPINwwo_z8G2wB5prlNslGk1QFkno0AAJYGT0fHW1ZYNi-rNf1kbglibMwDSLdmGbIZar1a8ezdMXedq9umm3WjOR5imX504xrVrOmFNa44pw4VEYYmmPQu3e1r5nDmp2K1M5uH14RA01e/s400/IMG_0971.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dorrego entre San Juan y Mendoza</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhpmMtJ8_qFRHxaG2kVxK9N_b-S1igEEo2OvcSiXeSlJNsdOp20Q6rmdkkDZOezFXiA_6EYPvih5NmALZ44upis_qrQDAI0m4ySIZBHa2cm4QLs0LWQ0HF8lRPdySAUcjOX3jljLrqAdv/s1600/IMG_0978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhpmMtJ8_qFRHxaG2kVxK9N_b-S1igEEo2OvcSiXeSlJNsdOp20Q6rmdkkDZOezFXiA_6EYPvih5NmALZ44upis_qrQDAI0m4ySIZBHa2cm4QLs0LWQ0HF8lRPdySAUcjOX3jljLrqAdv/s400/IMG_0978.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 de Febrero entre España y Italia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qDa6M7bOFKg7yxjnYUrMU5YOlcnv-mfRoWyQCcvNFSj0w5lDVoljYxwLAWZs9RLnZ5jnyGfh6iKpykBWxzNmEKI723YXMGtGpDF8ZMhWAmWnCXHJotPu5Cudzlf0OCbnjgq6kVlfh7as/s1600/IMG_0985.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qDa6M7bOFKg7yxjnYUrMU5YOlcnv-mfRoWyQCcvNFSj0w5lDVoljYxwLAWZs9RLnZ5jnyGfh6iKpykBWxzNmEKI723YXMGtGpDF8ZMhWAmWnCXHJotPu5Cudzlf0OCbnjgq6kVlfh7as/s400/IMG_0985.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parque España -- CEC</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8SjRWb3QfkQmPMhwD2Pp2EuPN9-qwx1L9Iws0i6fAtiCDcjEPBR3kNKiIw0xuCVGHSo_ULbM4ed0-s_OpiH8CFuGQQZSxKTs8mrGQx2ZZgryddPzQmW5j-mgbOm0AVK6qR30fOCR-Bbj/s1600/IMG_0998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8SjRWb3QfkQmPMhwD2Pp2EuPN9-qwx1L9Iws0i6fAtiCDcjEPBR3kNKiIw0xuCVGHSo_ULbM4ed0-s_OpiH8CFuGQQZSxKTs8mrGQx2ZZgryddPzQmW5j-mgbOm0AVK6qR30fOCR-Bbj/s400/IMG_0998.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moreno entre Cochabamba y Pasco</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVE2lPNNZ3FfIiiAP2uIY9J35L9gb6GYOjfNyejepnxWXAVBvbYwJUpqfSkMtDyQMCWxNHViic1Qsp0EdOvKxxHgwBuBr5Fy0C0u_3XvKZCAQC29xg_QOLaj_3EjELh9mUWw5GX-7xKmfg/s1600/IMG_0999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVE2lPNNZ3FfIiiAP2uIY9J35L9gb6GYOjfNyejepnxWXAVBvbYwJUpqfSkMtDyQMCWxNHViic1Qsp0EdOvKxxHgwBuBr5Fy0C0u_3XvKZCAQC29xg_QOLaj_3EjELh9mUWw5GX-7xKmfg/s400/IMG_0999.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boulevard Oroño entre Montevideo y Zeballos</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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...and I like it!meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-52306441942766038922012-07-16T11:18:00.000-03:002012-07-16T11:18:23.915-03:00Crepes in Rosario!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
So there's this block that I've mentioned before because of a spacious <a href="http://adomesticdisturbance.blogspot.com.ar/2012/01/secret-starbucks.html">Starbucks</a> and my <a href="http://adomesticdisturbance.blogspot.com.ar/2012/02/doppio-zero-possibly-best-pizza-in.html">favorite pizzeria</a>. I want to move to this block because now it's also home to Rosario's first creperie, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ManjulaCrepes">Manjula Crepes</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJYq7OMM0ub7kzPruQI8FAjtqwPrNyAIyaRNSr7zmZvWMTMrY6yVnyXP2sW8NOe9ulons3kS3FNcUdoUyrRqNXtlvYY7CVmpiXR92nWC4R53dsxiCX4kYTf0NPyNlg2wp_7JTPxwnX7ba_/s1600/IMG_0992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJYq7OMM0ub7kzPruQI8FAjtqwPrNyAIyaRNSr7zmZvWMTMrY6yVnyXP2sW8NOe9ulons3kS3FNcUdoUyrRqNXtlvYY7CVmpiXR92nWC4R53dsxiCX4kYTf0NPyNlg2wp_7JTPxwnX7ba_/s400/IMG_0992.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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They've got a full menu of both savory and sweet crepes so you can have a full crepe meal! Of course, I'm partial to anything with Nutella. And they have waffles too!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwtHLPbUwZEROC064lSo7v2qTjqRL4oLezfY_JnTtdPJSmmmVOJhkcVgIwz2XvB-1xxloyvfP1mqAzbWSltiI-e9cPuRegnWjUq4fBzxYM3xXFow1xYWlxjlSvhnj8bYrSldDU2gnumnR/s1600/IMG_0996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwtHLPbUwZEROC064lSo7v2qTjqRL4oLezfY_JnTtdPJSmmmVOJhkcVgIwz2XvB-1xxloyvfP1mqAzbWSltiI-e9cPuRegnWjUq4fBzxYM3xXFow1xYWlxjlSvhnj8bYrSldDU2gnumnR/s400/IMG_0996.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Manjula has a casual atmosphere and you order at the counter, something that's actually quite unusual here. They also have a patio to the side with those outdoor heater things. And the patio is dog-friendly!<br />
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The creperie is named after the character (Apu's wife) on the Simpsons -- and the same owners also have a shawarma/falafel place called Apu's. How sweet...and savory!<br />
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Find Manjula at Tucuman 1216, along with all the rest of my favorite spots on the block. Just ignore that giant gym on the corner ;)meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-70043639810379961132012-07-02T15:00:00.001-03:002012-11-29T17:51:02.612-03:00Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Blondies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWeDt6XejuuVu1Viq6cSXQxbUh7FbfRpnj294g-M0mmGKi9T7NK4UA_7NScPd7hLNUa3x7UmFZAjL5aDVVvabiERR6lKL-q4p3Kn6BQWoZXHGfjAsi4U_ApzssYajDlW8-9Xmk3l7ZJNOi/s1600/DSCN4204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWeDt6XejuuVu1Viq6cSXQxbUh7FbfRpnj294g-M0mmGKi9T7NK4UA_7NScPd7hLNUa3x7UmFZAjL5aDVVvabiERR6lKL-q4p3Kn6BQWoZXHGfjAsi4U_ApzssYajDlW8-9Xmk3l7ZJNOi/s400/DSCN4204.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Mostly, I make brownies. But after a recent conversation about peanut butter (and having found that several of my students hadn't tried it) I thought about making a peanut butter version of blondies, and I'm glad I did. It adds just a touch of something special to dress up blondies and make them worthy competition of their all-chocolate cousins. </div>
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<b>Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Blondies</b></div>
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<i>from <a href="http://twotinykitchens.com/2011/01/28/fudgy-peanut-butter-blondies/">Two Tiny Kitchens</a></i></div>
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<ul>
<li>1/2 cup peanut butter</li>
<li>1/3 cup (75g) butter, softened</li>
<li>2/3 cup white sugar (I used a bit less)</li>
<li>1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (I did not pack it)</li>
<li>2 eggs</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract</li>
<li>1 cup flour</li>
<li>1 teaspoon baking powder</li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon salt (I used a pinch more because my peanut butter wasn't salted)</li>
<li>1 cup (170 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chunks (I used a bit less)</li>
</ul>
<div>
The original recipe calls for a 9x9 inch baking pan, but I used an 8x12 pan and wouldn't go any smaller. </div>
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<div>
Cream together peanut butter and butter, gradually blend in brown sugar, white sugar, eggs and vanilla; mix until fluffy. Combine flour, baking powder and salt and stir into the butter mixture until well blended (I went ahead and used the hand mixer for this since it's somewhat heavy). Fold in chocolate chunks. </div>
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Bake at 375F/175C in a greased pan for 30-35 minutes, or until the top springs back when touched. (I actually cooked it for about 35-40 minutes, but the edges were not as gooey - still, I wanted to be sure the center was fully baked.) Cool and cut into small squares.</div>
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To comment on my changes: I used less sugar and it was still perfectly sweet enough. I added an extra pinch of salt (after tasting the batter) because the most common brand here (Sytari) is not salty like American peanut butter. And, yes, I cooked it longer than most recipes require.</div>
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I don't know why these are served in small squares, but my great-grandmother cut them the same way. I guess the idea is to make people happy but not fat. :) Portion control. Unless you eat them all. With ice cream. Whoops.</div>
<br />meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-15165875189625690562012-05-16T12:15:00.000-03:002012-05-16T12:17:46.494-03:00Faux Hostess Cupcakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsloT0Wx6oEFj18aZb4se0Ax1r9Y8VvhieKS1b3fYPfUeZb8gvZWZoFtDHClvcZrPzhq4tG-4zYjwsA5LE6rBgK8v0l99zMDbLAEnDVxMnDQUpI_-E3LoeaAWhYpFGmkWKoLHlyFFDiWQJ/s1600/IMG_0889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsloT0Wx6oEFj18aZb4se0Ax1r9Y8VvhieKS1b3fYPfUeZb8gvZWZoFtDHClvcZrPzhq4tG-4zYjwsA5LE6rBgK8v0l99zMDbLAEnDVxMnDQUpI_-E3LoeaAWhYpFGmkWKoLHlyFFDiWQJ/s400/IMG_0889.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Last weekend, a friend of mine boldly went where many many men have gone before. He turned 30. I suppose it gets us all at some point. As I await my birthday, I know there's no point in hiding, but it's not easy to accept that it may be time to act like a grown-up. So, instead, let's eat cupcakes reminiscent of childhood! At a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fenicia-Brewing-Company/122908307743410">bar</a>! </div>
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<b>Copycat Hostess Cupcakes</b><br />
<i>From <a href="http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/2012/02/homemade-hostess-cupcakes.html">Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice</a></i><br />
<ul>
<li>1 cup flour</li>
<li>6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon baking soda</li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon baking powder</li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon salt</li>
<li>113 grams / 8 Tablespoons butter, softened</li>
<li>1 cup sugar</li>
<li>2 eggs, room temperature</li>
<li>1 egg yolk, room temperature (use the white for the cream filling)</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon vanilla</li>
<li>1/2 cup boiling water</li>
</ul>
<div>
Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, beat butter until smooth and creamy - about 2 minutes. On medium speed, gradually add sugar, beating until light and smooth - about 5 minutes. On low speed, beat in eggs and yolk one at a time, add vanilla. Beat in flour mixture in 4 additions, beating well after each one. Then drizzle in hot water, 2 Tablespoons at a time, until batter is smooth and shiny. Fill cupcake liners no more than half-full. For mini cupcakes, a rounded teaspoon of batter was enough. For regular cupcakes, use 1/4 cup of batter. Bake at 350F / 180 C until a toothpick comes out clean - about 15-20 minutes. I ended up with 36 mini cupcakes and 2 big ones.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNhlHoVWaU0HXIyNvbCRZLGxX6j1V5Mk2Xh9oljbEc0bdw_mkIAzYrumVaiOoynxiqeZ-3qrYd8TibXZjQCVKWdAVFLxAXgOF2IwzutEvYW0285tHic3rCOli65j9ufaKRBdgFUT2Uv_0/s1600/IMG_0891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNhlHoVWaU0HXIyNvbCRZLGxX6j1V5Mk2Xh9oljbEc0bdw_mkIAzYrumVaiOoynxiqeZ-3qrYd8TibXZjQCVKWdAVFLxAXgOF2IwzutEvYW0285tHic3rCOli65j9ufaKRBdgFUT2Uv_0/s400/IMG_0891.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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For the cream filling, I used my recipe for meringue frosting and added butter.<br />
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<b>Cream Filling</b><br />
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;">
<li>2.5 Tablespoons water</li>
<li>1/8 teaspoon cream of tarter</li>
<li>1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon sugar</li>
<li>1 large egg white at room temperature</li>
<li>1/2 Tablespoon light corn syrup</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon vanilla</li>
<li>1.5 Tablespoons butter, softened</li>
</ul>
Whisk first 5 ingredients together in a stainless steel bowl. Set the bowl in a wide, deep skillet with about an inch of simmering water. Be sure the water level is at least as high as the depth of the egg white in the bowl. Beat egg white mixture on low speed until it reaches 140F/60C. Do no stop beating while the bowl is in the skillet. Beat on high speed for exactly five minutes. Remove bowl from skillet and add vanilla, beating on high speed for two to three more minutes to cool. Beat in butter. Transfer to a pastry bag with a star tip. When cupcakes are cooled, insert tip into the middle of the cupcake, about half-way down and squeeze in cream until cupcake is heavier...stop when (or before) it begins to crack.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh9nsgOgKoufWm7Yj-wq-D-TLsDb8Ua6WpDk88VTC6rJwAZ1xEBuH-p2nrdUx_FC7o6VeSEpTWo2d5nEA9F5rYklxxt9stteovnatlqPaPbz5w0CcBDxORsaSN9Ym0FDt_eGtBLybM6Dlv/s1600/IMG_0894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh9nsgOgKoufWm7Yj-wq-D-TLsDb8Ua6WpDk88VTC6rJwAZ1xEBuH-p2nrdUx_FC7o6VeSEpTWo2d5nEA9F5rYklxxt9stteovnatlqPaPbz5w0CcBDxORsaSN9Ym0FDt_eGtBLybM6Dlv/s400/IMG_0894.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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After filling cupcakes, spread a thin layer of chocolate ganache over the top.<br />
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<b>Chocolate Ganache</b><br />
<ul>
<li>100 grams semi-sweet chocolate, chopped</li>
<li>Scant 1/4 cup heavy cream</li>
</ul>
<div>
Warm cream for about 10 seconds in microwave. Stir in chocolate and let sit 2 minutes. Stir to combine. If necessary, briefly warm in microwave. Spread a thin layer on cupcakes. Actually, I thought the ganache tasted too much like real chocolate for a copycat Hostess cupcake, so I suppose if you're going for authenticity, you should use a ganache recipe that includes butter and vanilla, too. </div>
<br />meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-66491347495677414232012-04-21T21:41:00.000-03:002012-04-21T21:41:14.251-03:00Bombones Caseros<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3Jbc5CLU9oq1V9foUBDbuIh1DiZB-M_yiElShu1TNGQOy9J582ZEc6hMImqbpjYbRz7jvbicwkWgqdXtr-xyzswSRBpHR_BK6Q3aSzCHORN2eFoGsVaD6gdgKc87YUKyaLPFl6cgLEaW/s1600/DSCN4016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3Jbc5CLU9oq1V9foUBDbuIh1DiZB-M_yiElShu1TNGQOy9J582ZEc6hMImqbpjYbRz7jvbicwkWgqdXtr-xyzswSRBpHR_BK6Q3aSzCHORN2eFoGsVaD6gdgKc87YUKyaLPFl6cgLEaW/s400/DSCN4016.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I took a chocolatería class this morning at <a href="http://www.casasuiza.org.ar/">Casa Suiza</a> and came home with these! The fillings I chose include dulce de leche, coconut, ganache with ginger, ganache with coffee, maroque (peanut butter cream), rum soaked raisins and almonds. Here's the inside of one with almond and dulce de leche.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-O9Zv_Gk_7DLr3fvZdM2DDeNgZQVTCafdGsiAwLY5Z_fwJpTc7hiD-Oe8Od9Nea6pAO-duOcIxJRemILGcPRC2aalpsbFpd-g7bms25UxmlfmR3z7C-MilY-MdDUHoyL4Ceqn_lUljoPf/s1600/DSCN4025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-O9Zv_Gk_7DLr3fvZdM2DDeNgZQVTCafdGsiAwLY5Z_fwJpTc7hiD-Oe8Od9Nea6pAO-duOcIxJRemILGcPRC2aalpsbFpd-g7bms25UxmlfmR3z7C-MilY-MdDUHoyL4Ceqn_lUljoPf/s400/DSCN4025.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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After three and a half hours, I left with 24 bombones and a ton of Spanish practice. I've also taken the Argentine Art History class at Casa Suiza and I happily recommend both classes and hope to take more!meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-51994398584953375252012-04-06T11:04:00.001-03:002012-04-07T11:54:22.817-03:00Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcakes<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAx15_ZprQdvHRXxmxcutboEKwtagp6E3MayxkSvWeShdq_45rCcSs0zoUgpxICTF1MW3jyzZv6SvRGvtoiTcwxsnFPuJEPvak4y0n3yF5raEcK718Ah4BgaTsawOo74AB2NJdGMTrcwNd/s1600/DSCN3943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAx15_ZprQdvHRXxmxcutboEKwtagp6E3MayxkSvWeShdq_45rCcSs0zoUgpxICTF1MW3jyzZv6SvRGvtoiTcwxsnFPuJEPvak4y0n3yF5raEcK718Ah4BgaTsawOo74AB2NJdGMTrcwNd/s400/DSCN3943.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
These are my favorite cupcakes, and making them miniature leaves you with perfect proportions. The inspiration for these came from Junior MasterChef Australia - a show based on mini chefs (ages 8-12) that had me so hooked I watched an episode or two every day until I'd finished both seasons. I can't explain why I love it so much, except that they're all so nice and wonderful to each other. They give encouragement and hugs...awww...something you never see from professional chef competitions. Anyway, I thought it was darling and I learned a few things too. Like how to make lemon meringue pie cupcakes. Thank you, <a href="http://www.masterchef.com.au/lemon-meringue-cup-cakes.htm">Isabella</a>.<br />
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<b>Lemon Cupcakes </b>(makes about 15-16 miniature cupcakes)<br />
<i>from Bella Lately</i><br />
<ul><li>1/2 cup + 2 heaping Tablespoons (equivalent of 1/8 cup) flour</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon baking powder</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest</li>
<li>1/8 teaspoon salt</li>
<li>1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened</li>
<li>1/4 cup + 1 heaping Tablespoon sugar</li>
<li>1 large egg</li>
<li>Few drops of lemon extract - optional</li>
</ul><div>Whisk together flour, baking powder, lemon zest and salt in a bowl. Beat butter and sugar in a separate bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in egg and extract until just combined. Spoon into cupcake liners but do not overfill. Bake at 375F/190C for 20-25 minutes - test with a toothpick. Remove from oven and let cool.</div><div><br />
</div><div>This batter is quite butter-heavy, so experiment with your favorite lemon cupcake recipes. This one is actually from a lemon poppyseed cake that is divine.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9AiT6nKTfM8tfjCFqlB0HAt29nqEhC4VvMOtn1dyA8LJ1uKfQzbUym0G_helvyDG2FDkXFciDnlc9u80lHc5VD0bzLy_BXMdjn5PGP92Ea1_x0YmAV12MNK7j5RvHUEZ7owWghY3ijYk/s1600/DSCN3929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9AiT6nKTfM8tfjCFqlB0HAt29nqEhC4VvMOtn1dyA8LJ1uKfQzbUym0G_helvyDG2FDkXFciDnlc9u80lHc5VD0bzLy_BXMdjn5PGP92Ea1_x0YmAV12MNK7j5RvHUEZ7owWghY3ijYk/s400/DSCN3929.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once cooled, use a knife to cut a small cone out of the top of the muffin (about half way down the cupcake) to make room for the curd.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Lemon Curd</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>adapted from <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/09/layered-lemon-love/">Smitten Kitchen</a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><ul><li>4 egg yolks</li>
<li>2/3 cup sugar</li>
<li>1 Tablespoon (14 grams) butter, cut into pieces</li>
<li>1 1/2 lemons (smaller sized or one big one), grated and juiced</li>
</ul><div>Combine all ingredients in a double boiler over boiling water. Cook and stir until mixture begins to gel or thicken ever so slightly (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and immediately press through a strainer. Allow to cool. Chill in the refrigerator to thicken. Keeps for one week in the fridge. Can be frozen. This recipe makes enough for 2 batches of mini cupcakes ~30.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Once chilled, pipe it to fill the holes in the cupcakes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKpRLw1qObPOw2reU0hWTQ4yTQApBWh3wgKqrAHcVI1uofNqzBDOna-ndqX5hPCfDFyci3T1gpIeYbGCRNLNjjGbFz123fqrXiwlmGXlY4uX-SZhMSXXQMVkk04Bbrz_HY7XlFRPOyxyn/s1600/DSCN3941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKpRLw1qObPOw2reU0hWTQ4yTQApBWh3wgKqrAHcVI1uofNqzBDOna-ndqX5hPCfDFyci3T1gpIeYbGCRNLNjjGbFz123fqrXiwlmGXlY4uX-SZhMSXXQMVkk04Bbrz_HY7XlFRPOyxyn/s400/DSCN3941.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Meringue Frosting</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>half-recipe from <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/09/layered-lemon-love/">Smitten Kitchen</a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><ul><li>2.5 Tablespoons water</li>
<li>1/8 teaspoon cream of tarter</li>
<li>1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon sugar</li>
<li>1 large egg white at room temperature</li>
<li>1/2 Tablespoon light corn syrup</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon vanilla</li>
</ul><div>Whisk first 5 ingredients together in a stainless steel bowl. Set the bowl in a wide, deep skillet with about an inch of simmering water. Be sure the water level is at least as high as the depth of the egg whites in the bowl. Beat egg white mixture on low speak until it reaches 140F/60C. Do no stop beating while the bowl is in the skillet. Beat on high speed for exactly five minutes. Remove bowl from skillet and add vanilla, beating on high speed for two to three more minutes to cool. Use frosting the day it is made.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Pipe the frosting on top of the filled cupcakes. You can use a kitchen torch to brown it a bit if you like. I'm not as fancy as some 12-year-old cooking prodigies. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghj6jcH1uhlZbB56pdGQ8PkKu-GL-cKDPpSby4ElasIbd-oINeuhg1CIjwcFLzr3FbW3yPyRdMz1PZ5DrOWDD7E4_L_eCNPwLwgE2-Q3cc7WSlqkevNTHqCrtm97JSPnUfB4AR06WNJ8Nj/s1600/DSCN3949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghj6jcH1uhlZbB56pdGQ8PkKu-GL-cKDPpSby4ElasIbd-oINeuhg1CIjwcFLzr3FbW3yPyRdMz1PZ5DrOWDD7E4_L_eCNPwLwgE2-Q3cc7WSlqkevNTHqCrtm97JSPnUfB4AR06WNJ8Nj/s400/DSCN3949.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-12172076696046486672012-03-28T12:17:00.005-03:002012-03-28T12:24:21.642-03:00Roasted Beet Malfatti & Creamy Roquefort Sauce<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15e3vKk2a_eTESE4F5RFy7PRLkmRzeut5yeuajN8XGuqBC0kQhX2oA-8VxBf5JtRt1fZQKqhgv1WighrAaUlTdwkKcOng5gAXXVGAGsJLRRZ-AeNXq7eCV04kJmZGCvPdC4ZsYPBDh1QW/s1600/DSCN3818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15e3vKk2a_eTESE4F5RFy7PRLkmRzeut5yeuajN8XGuqBC0kQhX2oA-8VxBf5JtRt1fZQKqhgv1WighrAaUlTdwkKcOng5gAXXVGAGsJLRRZ-AeNXq7eCV04kJmZGCvPdC4ZsYPBDh1QW/s400/DSCN3818.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I'm so happy to be doing another group post with Argentine flavor! The last time, we tackled a national specialty - <a href="http://adomesticdisturbance.blogspot.com.ar/2011/06/alfajores-santafesinos-take-2.html">the alfajor</a>. This challenge is no easier and is just as emblematic. We're cooking gnocchi! Maybe gnocchi doesn't sound very Argentine to you, but this dish is actually so Argentine that it has its own day of the month. Each time the 29th rolls around you're sure to see restaurants full of diners with plates of gnocchi (or ñoquis, as they're known here). Why? Because it's Dia de los Ñoquis, or Gnocchi Day. Just as with the US, Argentina is a country of immigrants and this dish is strong reminder of European influence.<br />
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"Ñoqui" is also a slang word (from lunfardo) that is used to refer to someone who expects to get paid without actually doing any work. Think immigration office. (Ha! I probably shouldn't say that since I'm still waiting for my DNI to arrive.)<br />
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So, however you want to look at it, happy pasta day or happy lazy day. Let's all forget work and eat pasta!<br />
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Here's what my fellow bloggers are making for Gnocchi Day:<br />
<ul><li><b>Aledys of <a href="http://fromargentina2holland.blogspot.com/">From Argentina to the Netherlands for Love</a> -- <a href="http://fromargentina2holland.blogspot.com/2012/03/gnocchi-alla-romana-on-argentinean.html">Gnocchi all a romana</a></b></li>
<li><b>Katie of <a href="http://www.seashellsandsunflowers.com/">Seashells and Sunflowers</a> -- <a href="http://www.seashellsandsunflowers.com/2012/03/butternut-squash-and-ricotta-gnocchi.html">Butternut squash and ricotta gnocchi, two ways</a></b></li>
<li><b>Rebecca of <a href="http://www.fromargentinawithlove.typepad.com/">From Argentina With Love</a> -- Ricotta and potato gnocchi</b></li>
<li><b>Paula of <a href="http://beemychef.blogspot.com/">Bee My Chef</a> -- <a href="http://www.beemychef.com/2012/03/los-noquis-del-29.html">Spinach gnocchi</a></b></li>
<li><b>Ana of <a href="http://anatravels.org/">Ana Travels</a> -- <a href="http://anatravels.org/2012/03/28/los-noquis-del-29-arugula-gnocchi/">Arugula gnocchi with tomato sauce a la Ana</a></b></li>
</ul>I really did attempt to make gnocchi but, as usual, I just don't have the patience for this dish and I ended up with malfatti (bigger gnocchi). Beet is not a traditional gnocchi flavor but I had to try something different -- and pink, apparently.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOVYH3fwM3RImdp0iBW0EqbGLiboN2KNWXPM4Gere8F64StKoQ2Tb6WWJUP0iK18fi-xowO8H6CfiSF3LLLcBUX7Ln22MKxO71vOLoS71CSzv4ESME750r1PiBLfZYHUQzn6e_4J8k464/s1600/DSCN3814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOVYH3fwM3RImdp0iBW0EqbGLiboN2KNWXPM4Gere8F64StKoQ2Tb6WWJUP0iK18fi-xowO8H6CfiSF3LLLcBUX7Ln22MKxO71vOLoS71CSzv4ESME750r1PiBLfZYHUQzn6e_4J8k464/s400/DSCN3814.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><b>Roasted Beet Malfatti</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><i>Recipe seems to originally be from Bon Appetit. Also see <a href="http://www.eatabeet.com/2009/06/spring-is-here-beet-gnocchi/">Eat a Beet</a> and <a href="http://www.thefifthtine.com/2011/04/roasted-beet-gnocchi-with-gorgonzola.html">The Fifth Tine</a></i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><ul><li style="text-align: left;">3 small beets (of which you will use 3/4 cup, grated)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">450 grams (1lb) ricotta</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">1 egg</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">3/4 cup parmesan cheese, finely shredded</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">~3/4 teaspoon salt (original recipe calls for 1 teaspoon)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Pepper to taste (a few twists for me)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">1 1/2 cups flour, divided + crap loads more for rolling</li>
</ul><div style="text-align: left;">Wrap beets in tinfoil and roast at 200C/400F until tender 45-55 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes and peel skins off. Coarsely shred and measure out 3/4 cup and place in a large bowl. Stir in ricotta, egg, cheese, salt and pepper. Add 1 cup of flour -- it will look like that big pink blob, pictured above. At this point you're suppose to either lightly shape and roll into a log (which would be super long if you tried to do the whole thing) or roll each individual gnocchi in the remaining 1/2 cup of flour. My dough soaked up all the flour on the counter and then asked for more. In total, I probably incorporated 1 1/2 cups into the dough and used another 1/2 cup just for rolling into logs, which I did in a few batches. This lead to malfatti. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiki6CEkVUy-T35Y3_AZaKUIkS58iuJfpN8Yu6tXdr2TPVNnlqEXm8DfA4synVoAwMgIC5In0EQc9QR0wKRNLkmBJIAW8Xha_oU_piIZAYN7C4zdJzbKFRjKO5bgOdz9lPia7SAZrYE_MZK/s1600/DSCN3828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiki6CEkVUy-T35Y3_AZaKUIkS58iuJfpN8Yu6tXdr2TPVNnlqEXm8DfA4synVoAwMgIC5In0EQc9QR0wKRNLkmBJIAW8Xha_oU_piIZAYN7C4zdJzbKFRjKO5bgOdz9lPia7SAZrYE_MZK/s400/DSCN3828.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Anyway, cut one-inch pieces of the dough log to form each gnocchi. You're suppose to roll along a gnocchi board or fork to get those classic indentations, but this dough was too wet to roll so I just pressed it with a floured fork. I noticed that one of the other recipes just left the pieces as balls. Anyway, get it to whatever shape you can and then line them up on a baking sheet. I then popped them into the refrigerator for about 15 minutes and they came out easier to handle.<br />
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<b>Creamy Roquefort Sauce</b><br />
<ul><li> Drizzle of olive oil</li>
<li>1 big clove garlic, minced</li>
<li>28g (2T) butter</li>
<li>2 T flour</li>
<li>1 cup milk </li>
<li>1/3 cup sour cream</li>
<li>Pinch nutmeg & dried thyme</li>
<li>120 grams Roquefort or blue cheese, crumbled</li>
</ul><div>Saute garlic in oil for one minute, add butter and melt. Add flour constantly whisking to create a roux and cook for 2 minutes. Add milk slowly while whisking to keep lumps from forming. (This never works for me in a pan that's not non-stick, so I add part of the liquid until it's warm and then remove to a bowl and whisk like crazy until dissolved, then return to the pan and continue adding liquid.) Stir in sour cream until melted. Once sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, add nutmeg, herbs and cheese and stir until melted. Taste and season with salt, if desired. (I went with a roux-based sauce instead of cream because of all the cheese in this recipe, but it would probably be amazing too.)</div><div><br />
</div><div>Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and drop in gnocchi in batches so that the pot doesn't get too crowded. Cook for 4 minutes - or until they float to the surface plus an additional minute. Remove from the water into the sauce. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDd8qclluGfQD2t0KcO8PcHlkxuDNmmbljJFYHengbTaxEpjrvqisfMggLs-gErXrNsUys8HJ7bj0MDa7frMtzfd6HcineARhGy1Hmv8TUAEUriQarC6NiBi7GwMn1A09qhGtjXp8q0Njp/s1600/DSCN3838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDd8qclluGfQD2t0KcO8PcHlkxuDNmmbljJFYHengbTaxEpjrvqisfMggLs-gErXrNsUys8HJ7bj0MDa7frMtzfd6HcineARhGy1Hmv8TUAEUriQarC6NiBi7GwMn1A09qhGtjXp8q0Njp/s400/DSCN3838.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Don't stir it around too much or your sauce will turn pink. Whoops! Garnish with a handful of toasted walnuts and additional cheese. This recipe is quite rich so I used reduced-fat ricotta and sour cream. I'm not sure the ricotta was the best idea, as it was quite grainy - you may want to go with full-fat. Also, many ricotta gnocchi recipes suggest draining the ricotta and I would try that for this recipe too - perhaps it wouldn't require so much flour.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzy5IDJty3tIFkxA0PqS9k1VHGhzXf-HF7Ttokk_E8SqyfJWouQFN57YoxEe2mvurHvZcqTSaK5NfpOB5xUeZ5GRFjknSK2LDpcWZ5HxiA9LbxonPeA4wNZ7ubdwQi8LHFL7eGVRR7ZGsM/s1600/DSCN3849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzy5IDJty3tIFkxA0PqS9k1VHGhzXf-HF7Ttokk_E8SqyfJWouQFN57YoxEe2mvurHvZcqTSaK5NfpOB5xUeZ5GRFjknSK2LDpcWZ5HxiA9LbxonPeA4wNZ7ubdwQi8LHFL7eGVRR7ZGsM/s400/DSCN3849.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
In the end, it was quite heavy but Guille loved it. He said it reminded him of when his mom would make gnocchi when he was younger. And she only makes it every 5 years. Smart lady. Gnocchi is exhausting...and now I'm going off to act like a ñoqui.meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-40273811405103098452012-03-09T19:23:00.002-03:002012-03-09T19:29:29.809-03:00Lentil and Tofu Curry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQeNUDA1pY8JisZOiEzxsLvsfqbuvyN-F0X9ygQXPbK7RfGfkG-3VdwOZUVSyBo1_CLSU5lcB_w6jbXarA58T-OKaIAgC9ekXUfpij6lvaD1FFjCWo246ztDAB0t37EyJEhwVLMiN0rqn/s1600/DSCN3680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQeNUDA1pY8JisZOiEzxsLvsfqbuvyN-F0X9ygQXPbK7RfGfkG-3VdwOZUVSyBo1_CLSU5lcB_w6jbXarA58T-OKaIAgC9ekXUfpij6lvaD1FFjCWo246ztDAB0t37EyJEhwVLMiN0rqn/s400/DSCN3680.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b>Lentil and Tofu Curry</b><br />
<i>adapted from <a href="http://appetiteforchina.com/recipes/red-lentil-and-tofu-curry/">appetite for china</a></i><br />
<ul><li>1 small onion, diced</li>
<li>1 clove garlic, minced</li>
<li>1-2 T olive oil</li>
<li>1/2 cup lentils, rinsed and drained</li>
<li>3 cups water (or use part veggie stock)</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon ginger powder</li>
<li>1/2 block of tofu (about 250 grams)</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon cumin</li>
<li>1 teaspoon curry powder</li>
<li>dash of cayenne pepper, optional</li>
<li>~1/2 teaspoon salt</li>
<li>1 1/2 cups fresh spinach, chopped</li>
<li>chopped cilantro to garnish, optional</li>
<li>brown rice and plain yogurt to serve</li>
</ul><div>Saute onion and garlic with a pinch of salt in a swirl of olive oil over medium heat until golden, about 2 minutes, add ginger and stir. Add lentils and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until lentils are soft, about 20 minutes. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Meanwhile, cut tofu into cubes and gently press between paper towels to remove excess moisture. In a wok or skillet, heat a Tablespoon of oil over medium heat and gentle stir fry (after adding tofu, don't touch it for about 2 minutes to allow it to slightly brown, then stir). Add curry, cumin, cayenne (to your preference) and salt - cook for another 1 to 2 minutes then stir in spinach and allow to wilt, about 1 minute. Add mixture to the lentils and simmer for 5 minutes to meld flavors. Add more spices, as needed. Serve with brown rice and plain yogurt. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Heads Up! The "natural" flavor of the La Serenisima brand of Greek yogurt, Griego, is not actually plain, it's sweetened. So don't put it on this dish! Also, it's not actually Greek yogurt as it is thickened with cream instead of just being extra-strained like real Greek yogurt. Man! Why do we have to get the fake versions of everything?! Also, the Danone (aka Dannon) logo is also on this yogurt, so don't go blaming Argentine industry alone. If you're trying to eat healthy and wholesome, GOOD LUCK! Also, if you think that the US is alone in it's struggle with obesity, read this <a href="http://www.seashellsandsunflowers.com/2012/03/on-being-fat-in-argentina.html#disqus_thread">post by Katie at Seashells & Sunflowers</a>. </div>meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-26080774364648787122012-02-22T18:37:00.001-03:002012-02-22T18:40:31.616-03:00Macaroni & Cauliflower & Cheese<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2d5M-GpdRMgxF0UVMetcUPiCPUNRnT5qBcsnx2Q_1nip67Z4ttSp_2bJOPgQ7HGmlUjY8howHUEQv75A4JAWI_T9l3JnkivsNDTY-iBKs7C_TgLU50yxvYO6S8s-jj6DKak0FyD164JhG/s1600/DSCN3688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2d5M-GpdRMgxF0UVMetcUPiCPUNRnT5qBcsnx2Q_1nip67Z4ttSp_2bJOPgQ7HGmlUjY8howHUEQv75A4JAWI_T9l3JnkivsNDTY-iBKs7C_TgLU50yxvYO6S8s-jj6DKak0FyD164JhG/s400/DSCN3688.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I had every intention of making a healthy mac and cheese, and I do think this is a pretty acceptable version, but I wouldn't insult you by saying it's good for you. It started, innocently enough, with this <a href="http://www.eat-yourself-skinny.com/2012/02/lightened-up-mac-cheese-with.html">Eat Yourself Skinny recipe</a>. But here's where I went wrong: there was no wheat pasta to be found (only the vegetable kind, which I'm not sure is any better and it didn't come in the right shape anyway) and we certainly don't have Smart Taste or whatever, and I didn't use reduced-fat cheese or fat-free half-and-half - because what the crap <i>is</i> that?? We may have a few reduced-fat cheese options but they're the shredded, processed kind that include additives. Fat-free half-and-half does not exist here and it's silly to think that it's an actual thing - it's full of corn syrup and artificial ingredients. So, I thought it best to use real cheese and milk. What this recipe does have going for it is cauliflower to replace some of the volume of pasta - so it is healthier compared to most versions. But let's be honest, the only way this is healthy is if you eat a small portion - like, smaller than the <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/06/southwestern-black-bean-salad.html">salad</a> you'll serve next to it:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNd8Ff1oQGxTkpI76Cn5uDLit2qy4bw7pCVU9rKmJTIFU3zVJbvU8YvwT62zwtPl_3T7uE2q5_VMtQupWM_eXCyc9kjz0ZuIfgsQV0R2D2vC56sKN-8s5e0Pa_RZYZqgVrQ4fnN5gQbq9F/s1600/DSCN3686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNd8Ff1oQGxTkpI76Cn5uDLit2qy4bw7pCVU9rKmJTIFU3zVJbvU8YvwT62zwtPl_3T7uE2q5_VMtQupWM_eXCyc9kjz0ZuIfgsQV0R2D2vC56sKN-8s5e0Pa_RZYZqgVrQ4fnN5gQbq9F/s400/DSCN3686.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b>Mac & Cauliflower & Cheese</b><br />
<ul><li>325 grams elbow macaroni (about 12 oz?)</li>
<li>1/2 large head cauliflower, chopped into florets</li>
<li>1/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs</li>
<li>~ handful of parsley, chopped</li>
<li>4 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely shredded</li>
<li>1 medium onion, diced</li>
<li>1 Tablespoon olive oil</li>
<li>115 grams/4 oz. Finlandia Light (reduced-fat cream cheese)</li>
<li>1 1/2 cups cheddar, gouda, or similar cheese, shredded (I used half gouda, half Tynbo)</li>
<li>1/2 cup 2% milk</li>
<li>2 teaspoons Dijon mustard</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon salt, plus a bit more</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon pepper</li>
<li>Few leaves of fresh basil, chopped</li>
<li>Butter to coat pan</li>
</ul><div>Butter a casserole dish and preheat oven to 375F/190C. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente - adding cauliflower for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Reserve ~1 cup pasta water and drain. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, parsley, 1 Tablespoon Parmesan cheese and a shake of salt and pepper, set aside. Sauté onion in oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Mix in Finlandia, cheeses, the remaining 3 Tablespoons of Parmesan, milk, mustard, pepper, basil, macaroni and cauliflower, stirring until creamy and combined (about 1 minute), adding reserved pasta water as necessary - I added about 3/4 cup. Pour into prepared casserole dish and sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture. Bake for about 20 minutes. Note that the crumbs won't brown because there's no oil or butter in the topping. If desired, mist the crumbs with olive oil.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYYjxymuFIC8ShOn7kQFTlJJtUWKcVp3tQIdtG6JgSMkRTG5vx7ISX8yhxxBnIsP4zYBN0s1uBMWo4kAcX37dtwqKXow-7aMTRFK0Pq48zIE8sX92ajNkg0X9nPpc9qUOh4QXqbyTMicUh/s1600/DSCN3655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYYjxymuFIC8ShOn7kQFTlJJtUWKcVp3tQIdtG6JgSMkRTG5vx7ISX8yhxxBnIsP4zYBN0s1uBMWo4kAcX37dtwqKXow-7aMTRFK0Pq48zIE8sX92ajNkg0X9nPpc9qUOh4QXqbyTMicUh/s400/DSCN3655.JPG" width="400" /></a>meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-21501590802840378572012-02-20T16:31:00.001-03:002012-02-20T16:32:15.553-03:00Roasted Vegetable Sandwich & Curry Fries<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsPF4osCmRUQXnZSNsMTkaKHF1aoBvuvNzLgCpfNhyphenhyphenoWN4f3O4X7aKe-kB9yjR1DQ9mLTi1eqHWkPzrJCrPPxdXlJmYGYGvnZ-SjqZYcqLFQk46vyxhPxTb-7p5Ws8Y8G9SmdcZOSHS8P/s1600/DSCN3566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsPF4osCmRUQXnZSNsMTkaKHF1aoBvuvNzLgCpfNhyphenhyphenoWN4f3O4X7aKe-kB9yjR1DQ9mLTi1eqHWkPzrJCrPPxdXlJmYGYGvnZ-SjqZYcqLFQk46vyxhPxTb-7p5Ws8Y8G9SmdcZOSHS8P/s400/DSCN3566.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Roasted Vegetable Sandwich</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This doesn't really require a recipe - just slice up some summer veggies and toss in a bowl with a good drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh herbs. For this one, I used eggplant and zucchini cut into 1/4 inch thick slices, red pepper cut into strips 1/4 inch thick, and carrots sliced even thinner. After coating veggies with oil and seasoning, roast in a hot oven (450F/230C) for 20-25 minutes - flipping them over after 10 minutes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I found multigrain flat bread "buns" at the grocery store and I heart them. Stuff like this isn't so easy to find around here so if you're looking for it, the brand is Oroweat and they're called Flats. I found them at Coto.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Serve veggies on a bun with hummus or Dijon mustard. Add a slice of cheese if you're feeling it. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn9VvWKLVZF8jp38iNTWiTr0RLeiFJ1OK20IzZvbYnZQvkhEq6kyvsKdOAP5esoTMlNb4dWNyLUwe9OdJODlrmwskv3r392xgogMRPFJnED_DthDjKloJt6XKRbqNr1sUvAunULOU2lgJW/s1600/DSCN3568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn9VvWKLVZF8jp38iNTWiTr0RLeiFJ1OK20IzZvbYnZQvkhEq6kyvsKdOAP5esoTMlNb4dWNyLUwe9OdJODlrmwskv3r392xgogMRPFJnED_DthDjKloJt6XKRbqNr1sUvAunULOU2lgJW/s400/DSCN3568.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b>Curry Fries</b><br />
<i>(adapted from <a href="http://www.theppk.com/2012/02/baked-garlic-curry-fries/">Post Punk Kitchen</a></i><i>)</i><br />
<ul><li>2 large Russet potatoes</li>
<li>1 teaspoon mild curry powder</li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon salt</li>
<li>1 large clove garlic, finely diced</li>
<li>Drizzle of olive oil to coat</li>
</ul><div>Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and preheat oven to 425F/220C. Slice potatoes about 1/4 inch thick and boil for 3 minutes. Immediately remove to an ice bath. When cool, lay out on a towel in a single layer to dry and blot the tops with a paper towel - a little moisture is okay. Combine potatoes, curry powder, salt, garlic and a drizzle of oil in a bowl and toss until coated. Place fries in a single layer on a non-stick or greased baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes on each side until golden brown.</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis9LQKxUwsFuq-A1XBZSJoe_8aLcfz3k3r5V_B8w_2NFR9RTHTEtL8AHtAiVEkkYJYa2rRYsAgIy0k84kGLqJS3XmMXFL9cQpfeh7tOE0Zlr34rpKe7o2ZI3hi8rjmmwOCNgOYf6fAG23F/s1600/DSCN3576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis9LQKxUwsFuq-A1XBZSJoe_8aLcfz3k3r5V_B8w_2NFR9RTHTEtL8AHtAiVEkkYJYa2rRYsAgIy0k84kGLqJS3XmMXFL9cQpfeh7tOE0Zlr34rpKe7o2ZI3hi8rjmmwOCNgOYf6fAG23F/s400/DSCN3576.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
If you're baking the veggies and the fries at the same time, you may need to add a few minutes to the cooking times.meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-19035397797096061502012-02-15T13:55:00.001-03:002012-02-15T13:58:34.275-03:00Vegetarian Biscuits & Gravy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9D_sIN4OWS_DsrGVL-jH8g7EOAMHx041b3pGwYJ0GzXWjQuM01UBSluLJZF0a4QM3hT6ZZI8ra2aYk8CJVCDR5EWePAt0ni7qw7qF3WItamo_NBPP5PYtyaizBZtn9cSsfBIAS11usb_n/s1600/DSCN3607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9D_sIN4OWS_DsrGVL-jH8g7EOAMHx041b3pGwYJ0GzXWjQuM01UBSluLJZF0a4QM3hT6ZZI8ra2aYk8CJVCDR5EWePAt0ni7qw7qF3WItamo_NBPP5PYtyaizBZtn9cSsfBIAS11usb_n/s400/DSCN3607.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This dish should not be confused with all of the healthy recipes I've been posting lately. There's a time and place for healthy food and a time and place for the stuff that makes life worth living. This was for a special occasion: Valentine's brunch. That said, it isn't so bad as this recipe uses veggie patties instead of sausage and I swapped out some white flour for wheat flour in the biscuits - although, I did add cheese. ;)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtn7a121iiNqDEXntgVXWUIzkpBL3HrAkWndtJf75rIIeWiRBoi8mfhRLK_kYaa0SBOHMpM5PwCqi6KMQs1rRqfDFQximVC6Wa65MreryjXDwYKAxBsxefpeklx1hfYELM6xknqnKgB0jG/s1600/DSCN3601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtn7a121iiNqDEXntgVXWUIzkpBL3HrAkWndtJf75rIIeWiRBoi8mfhRLK_kYaa0SBOHMpM5PwCqi6KMQs1rRqfDFQximVC6Wa65MreryjXDwYKAxBsxefpeklx1hfYELM6xknqnKgB0jG/s400/DSCN3601.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b>Biscuits & Veggie Gravy</b><br />
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<b>Parmesan Biscuits</b> (<i>adapted from <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/southern-biscuits-recipe/index.html">Alton Brown</a></i>):<br />
<ul><li>1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour</li>
<li>1/2 cup wheat flour</li>
<li>4 teaspoons baking powder</li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon baking soda</li>
<li>3/4 teaspoon salt</li>
<li>2 Tablespoons (28 grams) butter, cold</li>
<li>2 Tablespoons (28 grams) vegetable shortening, cold</li>
<li>1 cup buttermilk, cold</li>
<li>1/3 cup shredded cheese (I used parmesan)</li>
</ul><div>Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Using cool fingertips or a pastry blender, blend butter and shortening into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in buttermilk. Stir just until dough comes together - it will be sticky. Turn out onto floured surface, dust top with flour and fold dough over on itself 5 to 6 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round and cut out biscuits with a biscuit cutter or a glass. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible, and cut out the rest of the biscuits. You should have about 12 biscuits. You can lay them out on a baking sheet so that they just touch or you can space them out a little. I pressed my dough out a bit thinner and stacked 2 biscuits tall so that they would split easily. Bake at 450F/230C for 15-20 minutes.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Vegetarian Gravy:</b></div><div><ul><li>2 veggie burgers (or veggie sausage)</li>
<li>Olive oil, as needed</li>
<li>1 Tablespoon (14 grams) butter</li>
<li>1/4 cup (or 2 heaping soup spoons) flour</li>
<li>2 cups buttermilk (or 2% milk will work) plus extra for thinning, at room temperature</li>
<li>Veggie powder, salt and pepper to taste</li>
<li>1 sprig fresh thyme, stripped</li>
<li>Handful of fresh parsley, chopped</li>
</ul><div>Cook burgers in a drizzle of oil over medium heat, squishing and flattening them a bit until they start to break up and get crispy on the bottom. Flip them over and repeat - start breaking them down into crumbles. Once thoroughly cooked, remove the crumbles from the pan with a spatula - it's okay to leave some in the pan, and try to leave all of the oil. (Since I didn't use a non-stick pan, I went ahead and added enough water to cover the bottom of the pan, let it warm up and started scrapping out the bits that were stuck - you should probably do this with oil or butter but it seemed excessive.) Add butter and melt, swirling around the pan. Whisk in flour for about one minute. (Alternatively, you could whisk milk and flour together before adding it to the pan.) Add buttermilk, veggie powder, a pinch of salt, thyme, and crack in some pepper. Whisk constantly for a few minutes, making sure there are no lumps of flour. Stir in a handful of fresh parsley. Either let it simmer until it's at a thick enough consistency or whisk in more milk, depending on the consistency you'd like. Add more salt and pepper, if necessary (I think heaps of pepper are necessary). Stir the crumbles into the gravy. After I'd removed the crumbles, it took me about 10 minutes to make the gravy.</div></div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0LEEbAyjdhyphenhyphen9BLc7I5DIDwmXgtCVGIVWefDJqB1WBgtOzwmMVI30gzEBnc3wn0RGLS-6iwd14fZWtTGbIJ2HFK7yYGcDMirfdM-ZT4jHYPFaWuN_4nL4V63Vudoz03e0OR1UlZWLWh1x/s1600/DSCN3604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0LEEbAyjdhyphenhyphen9BLc7I5DIDwmXgtCVGIVWefDJqB1WBgtOzwmMVI30gzEBnc3wn0RGLS-6iwd14fZWtTGbIJ2HFK7yYGcDMirfdM-ZT4jHYPFaWuN_4nL4V63Vudoz03e0OR1UlZWLWh1x/s400/DSCN3604.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b>Parmesan Heart: </b><br />
Now, if it's Valentine's Day (or if you're just really nice) you could make a heart-shaped Parmesan crisp by using a Tablespoon of shredded cheese for each heart and shaping it on a non-stick baking sheet. Bake at about 350F/180C for 7-10 minutes, checking frequently. Then, you can just turn off the oven and let them set in there, getting all crispy for another 10 minutes while you're finishing the gravy. While they're still warm, but not gooey, carefully remove them from the pan.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorDxVwo3tsTG7646jnUwta1UwZG7Wvr9dYBVTiKSQCHRXx9mXmTWG6tObSSOv4Ru4GJUpWYIVe6vtGyFGsGKi7RjuTSVEDRIH35bH5SUU3Yf6txICfXmtnomV9X0WvilEaCwTPiMUPJk-/s1600/DSCN3602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorDxVwo3tsTG7646jnUwta1UwZG7Wvr9dYBVTiKSQCHRXx9mXmTWG6tObSSOv4Ru4GJUpWYIVe6vtGyFGsGKi7RjuTSVEDRIH35bH5SUU3Yf6txICfXmtnomV9X0WvilEaCwTPiMUPJk-/s400/DSCN3602.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Serve alone or with other brunch dishes, like scrambled eggs with basil. </div>meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-86307408719046149622012-02-13T21:27:00.001-03:002012-02-13T21:37:10.758-03:00Mendoza Wine & Beer!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2YshsgDI9V1i7Wbc9sOykGnn4_s_0JpxtnayY43pBjIiUrm24YzPIwhJdQQximhq7vogyXJ5IabL3iIH4Bi7ScyQh0Tf27m3-5gh27wPNzI-zINY680pnAvWe5dC4SJ5ihOv-_57ezN0/s1600/DSCN2836_2.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2YshsgDI9V1i7Wbc9sOykGnn4_s_0JpxtnayY43pBjIiUrm24YzPIwhJdQQximhq7vogyXJ5IabL3iIH4Bi7ScyQh0Tf27m3-5gh27wPNzI-zINY680pnAvWe5dC4SJ5ihOv-_57ezN0/s320/DSCN2836_2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Not long ago, we took a quick trip to Mendoza - the heart of Argentina's wine industry. So here's a brief recap of the 5 days/3 nights we spent there with some great new friends (the nights following and preceding this trip were spent on a bus to/from Rosario, which is not actually a bad way to travel when you consider that you get to play Bingo and are given wine with dinner).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRMUeaLcbbo3zWy2NkyuIXQ-CYhAtMuAMvU_vdcqYgZdeXgdyQk1ldigp5Bddr3C42ark2vdnerYqNzvNfzBlTnk3WKLLzoWqzVPDMtdpqtYWy397uws4n-58QJG6BnPIXgAafx2F98UnR/s1600/DSCN2842.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRMUeaLcbbo3zWy2NkyuIXQ-CYhAtMuAMvU_vdcqYgZdeXgdyQk1ldigp5Bddr3C42ark2vdnerYqNzvNfzBlTnk3WKLLzoWqzVPDMtdpqtYWy397uws4n-58QJG6BnPIXgAafx2F98UnR/s320/DSCN2842.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
Here's the tasting room of the chalet we stayed at via <a href="http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/212973">Airbnb</a>. Our stay included a free bottle of the chalet's wine (Bodega Calle) each night. And here's the backyard...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qm7ssFwqdy9QJPG6Qz4xzXT2tUsOWVDb4sBfygPMzJ8m8U_1lKoZikeCvcRuqZCJ-8poHYJ_DlTQA4CcT8x7Qs1tAzeSvgEt6RSJRG1DuQxheIc-jefotR_a-y4M2EqpEmvmJ85ONJfY/s1600/DSCN2881.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qm7ssFwqdy9QJPG6Qz4xzXT2tUsOWVDb4sBfygPMzJ8m8U_1lKoZikeCvcRuqZCJ-8poHYJ_DlTQA4CcT8x7Qs1tAzeSvgEt6RSJRG1DuQxheIc-jefotR_a-y4M2EqpEmvmJ85ONJfY/s320/DSCN2881.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I'll get to the wine in a minute. First, we did <a href="http://www.argentinarafting.com/">this</a>:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHRftcmrHbuNGRfLD6zbG_9XKcnsl32NucbJPd1gwqlOML_R90zRmDYwyjExmTPLtyYbJQo72oyjzM9FQPBdj1-TR1fsvKzzO1m00QZNtDIEM0RCOyTJjMFRZcX9a3uqIv_t4NPRDZkDmP/s1600/374614_3003271249566_1495894622_33086728_1234535017_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHRftcmrHbuNGRfLD6zbG_9XKcnsl32NucbJPd1gwqlOML_R90zRmDYwyjExmTPLtyYbJQo72oyjzM9FQPBdj1-TR1fsvKzzO1m00QZNtDIEM0RCOyTJjMFRZcX9a3uqIv_t4NPRDZkDmP/s320/374614_3003271249566_1495894622_33086728_1234535017_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And then some of this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGyUFyN6z4U66KkJHanTTvksomPwQ-7Df8YDurnntOKoMkYr_1ssJpxMl95DR9My9d-cjeRBHXcRpV2Rr5hZoUxs-mlPp_hSheqabxDAcl5PEuGJmvjJHVo3vh9NBEFk1u93-Wu42uA_H/s1600/IMG_0667.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGyUFyN6z4U66KkJHanTTvksomPwQ-7Df8YDurnntOKoMkYr_1ssJpxMl95DR9My9d-cjeRBHXcRpV2Rr5hZoUxs-mlPp_hSheqabxDAcl5PEuGJmvjJHVo3vh9NBEFk1u93-Wu42uA_H/s320/IMG_0667.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
Before happily stumbling upon the obscure but impressive <a href="http://www.cervezajerome.com/">Jerome</a> brewery (find out more about it <a href="http://www.fromargentinawithlove.typepad.com/from_argentina_with_love/2011/07/cervezeria-jerome-jerome-brewery.html">here</a>). We had wanted to go but didn't know how to find it -- luckily, we passed it on the way to the horseback riding place in the Potrerillos.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3CfPIxv9CN934VSqNpURciZHkqdXZxVonjOWRyW46IWyGC333S1wyW9eE0Pqj1Nf0lBpl2FyP5EJ8HaD46u3KnIbsroEz16ul_t9YVCzKcVRP6UKQZ2KcpNfsCv_BCea7e6tg5l4eqnY/s1600/DSCN2893.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3CfPIxv9CN934VSqNpURciZHkqdXZxVonjOWRyW46IWyGC333S1wyW9eE0Pqj1Nf0lBpl2FyP5EJ8HaD46u3KnIbsroEz16ul_t9YVCzKcVRP6UKQZ2KcpNfsCv_BCea7e6tg5l4eqnY/s320/DSCN2893.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
We drank some of this:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqs46z69eg3S_CjJNq80LdXck6FEq1x1l4XaM-z6GaSW_Xlt7PBldcab4GLQAmCv7wfnnP0hW1bv0KlRO3WOKM_mu7U_Ess5D66cHBGTaOdTnbfFRzDbsgPYv2-Zb8kTaBUYllamxMD2Px/s1600/DSCN2918.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqs46z69eg3S_CjJNq80LdXck6FEq1x1l4XaM-z6GaSW_Xlt7PBldcab4GLQAmCv7wfnnP0hW1bv0KlRO3WOKM_mu7U_Ess5D66cHBGTaOdTnbfFRzDbsgPYv2-Zb8kTaBUYllamxMD2Px/s320/DSCN2918.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">And ate some of this:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UB0jdH5m0lsTC9-i1zscxEGrN3rZtv29iFriQacXfk0DoKA_TthbtPhRVGalJkqMdjBWaeJ9vVCULVX8HtcPqjO5ZRXY-MFUIPaOvfxk47BjLBShQE9XoE4PRGdZw_zGuMlgKBKbMYW-/s1600/DSCN2926.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UB0jdH5m0lsTC9-i1zscxEGrN3rZtv29iFriQacXfk0DoKA_TthbtPhRVGalJkqMdjBWaeJ9vVCULVX8HtcPqjO5ZRXY-MFUIPaOvfxk47BjLBShQE9XoE4PRGdZw_zGuMlgKBKbMYW-/s320/DSCN2926.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The next day, we attempted a wine tour of Maipú by bike. We chose <a href="http://mrhugobikes.com/cast/index.html">Mr. Hugo</a> as our bike rental company because of good reviews. Let me tell you that this was quite an experience. You get this little <a href="http://mrhugobikes.com/recorrido.html">map</a> of the area with a handful of wineries and other interesting places and you think "aw, how fun and adorable is this?!" And then, not far down the road, you realize that the bike lane does not continue and you're sharing a bumpy and broken highway with trucks and traffic. Oh, and then you realize that everything is way more spread out than you'd thought in your crooked little mind that thinks it's on vacation. And so you KNOW that you're not going to make it to even half of those great places on the map. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpRgwumW0iNNatlPjucmEfcM9akFqWFLR2dZhfOe0fN20sZ-vu5K6BKSIOdsld3OXqVZbUMF6IuVRknXrB9HVixrl6NSOT_ADI-cJKY66qS1eO_6Co-zD0PC2HYHv5pF-uYH0FGJMyodn/s1600/IMG_0679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpRgwumW0iNNatlPjucmEfcM9akFqWFLR2dZhfOe0fN20sZ-vu5K6BKSIOdsld3OXqVZbUMF6IuVRknXrB9HVixrl6NSOT_ADI-cJKY66qS1eO_6Co-zD0PC2HYHv5pF-uYH0FGJMyodn/s320/IMG_0679.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Finally, you'll arrive somewhere, probably dying of exhaustion, and you'll wonder how you're ever going to hold a sophisticated glass of red wine in your sweaty calloused hand. But, if you head for <a href="http://www.tempusalba.com/">Tempus Alba</a>, fear not. Their brilliantly air conditioned restaurant is the perfect place for a delicious lunch to accompany a six wine tasting. I'm serious - the food was the best of our trip. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteQYVGkzB-PReBFJVx6MnyDxB9OMKDznCBA3sUfweSkzkeb7MftLhYKyeiAZ_eF5U_zxlWS-jivJ7qooNYsxGcrdBTxtFoR4zl1dwU8v1s3cLfOYBwLzVMp-gNmzQE52HUzFNe3xFxai7/s1600/IMG_0668.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteQYVGkzB-PReBFJVx6MnyDxB9OMKDznCBA3sUfweSkzkeb7MftLhYKyeiAZ_eF5U_zxlWS-jivJ7qooNYsxGcrdBTxtFoR4zl1dwU8v1s3cLfOYBwLzVMp-gNmzQE52HUzFNe3xFxai7/s320/IMG_0668.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
But I didn't take a picture of it because this was a wine tour, after all. The prices are quite reasonable for the quality and service. The tasting was around 30 pesos and lunch was about 40-50 pesos for a plato principal. Here's the view from the patio:<br />
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We managed to cram in one other winery tasting (at some snotty place) before booking it to Trapiche to make it in time for our scheduled tour. I had more fun playing in the fountains than on the actual tour, but it was mostly air conditioned so I didn't gripe!<br />
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Plus, the tour ends with a tasting of three Trapiche wines (included in the tour price - I think it was around 35 pesos). Trapiche is one of the most well-known, commercial brands of Argentine wine so, of course, it lacks the charm of a boutique winery but it's still good wine and you get a look inside an industrial brand.<br />
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That was, sadly, all the wineries that we made it to that day on the bike tour. We were too exhausted to ride out to the olive oil factories and the wine museum had closed. But we passed close to Historias y Sabores on the way back and stopped for a 20 peso tasting that included chocolate, tapenades, jams, and liqueur. And we took home some Chardonnay jam.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrBNBfNHTJVhoWk0EGHAPehZhNNe4SO5vraiTijoc8F3IzhNtF-V0s6RjLR9JMJ9nJaiNdzELUxUsAIU6E5CcisAaImPdUCv-PrpyXJkbhwZNkWJoPSMqc3xe-8j15Z8qgRk3T_K3zwMW/s1600/DSCN3066_2.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrBNBfNHTJVhoWk0EGHAPehZhNNe4SO5vraiTijoc8F3IzhNtF-V0s6RjLR9JMJ9nJaiNdzELUxUsAIU6E5CcisAaImPdUCv-PrpyXJkbhwZNkWJoPSMqc3xe-8j15Z8qgRk3T_K3zwMW/s320/DSCN3066_2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
We went ahead and returned the bikes on time, though Mr. Hugo doesn't hurry you and he gives you another glass of wine upon your return. You'd think I'd have been flat out drunk by then, but the biking must have sobered me up quite quickly. So we went to this nearby (it's on the bike map) cerveceria just before closing time.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_JNzDvaZhUKFewhB-whr32kG6wXjgWu1mrRIt6-KKs6xnj2Wgff2PTE8l4I_kqZWcvt7mhqzUN5IiYHrOe2Un6JqNNTEjlSr3icxfHdYf0RYrOA9bJACvVaV2k-V9UNAGSVbIDjqHWB18/s1600/DSCN3089_2.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_JNzDvaZhUKFewhB-whr32kG6wXjgWu1mrRIt6-KKs6xnj2Wgff2PTE8l4I_kqZWcvt7mhqzUN5IiYHrOe2Un6JqNNTEjlSr3icxfHdYf0RYrOA9bJACvVaV2k-V9UNAGSVbIDjqHWB18/s320/DSCN3089_2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Wouldn't you know it -- there was another tasting! This one was cheaper.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSbrnV30q0irOA5q8jPMdmVAWvIr2Dsf-xSnA5bbgNPgxrQSo_PAaMDhY_RZyxZ-zS5Pdoi0sab5gW-0wBq0N2NvUoOhyphenhyphen9xoi9Mcb8LrcdBBMNTfYBFDCP6qCbg976dcL1OdanZjcebe6/s1600/DSCN3106.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSbrnV30q0irOA5q8jPMdmVAWvIr2Dsf-xSnA5bbgNPgxrQSo_PAaMDhY_RZyxZ-zS5Pdoi0sab5gW-0wBq0N2NvUoOhyphenhyphen9xoi9Mcb8LrcdBBMNTfYBFDCP6qCbg976dcL1OdanZjcebe6/s320/DSCN3106.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
So that was the end of the bike tour for us. The map from Mr. Hugo was helpful, as his staff wrote out the prices and closing times for all of the stops for us. Some places might require reservations, like Trapiche, so it's still helpful to do some research ahead of time. We also got a discount from Hugo for the restaurant at the DiTomasso winery so we went back the next day for lunch.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4HFIBcR55hXxryY_JmOp-_I9mEyGHgBlNcqRstdL3rIurCSiJvdedPphMNSbeQZCNJbMHCJsvbz6NAtFPqKkFd0qyxb72anNdpA8sHCEYpFF6IbTpW9H0afil0l_COs6r1X1ErtQ1-gh/s1600/DSCN3130.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4HFIBcR55hXxryY_JmOp-_I9mEyGHgBlNcqRstdL3rIurCSiJvdedPphMNSbeQZCNJbMHCJsvbz6NAtFPqKkFd0qyxb72anNdpA8sHCEYpFF6IbTpW9H0afil0l_COs6r1X1ErtQ1-gh/s320/DSCN3130.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The power went out so we drank cold wine and ate cold salads. I would have loved to have had lunch in the vineyard at Cecchin but when we got there (and it is NOT easy to find) they told us they were full, even though we called the day before and they said reservations were not needed. Hmmph! I guess Mendoza is more of a winging-it kind of trip.<br />
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Finally, our last stop was at <a href="http://www.flichman.com.ar/">Finca Flinchman</a> - my favorite bodega. We had to make a tour reservation and it's about 20 kilometers outside of Maipú, but it was worth it.<br />
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The <i>free</i> tour included a <i>free</i> tasting! And it featured this lovely sparkling Chardonnay Malbec. Yep, you read that right.<br />
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We took home a few bottles of our favorite Malbec, Gestos, which is a blend of the varietal from two altitudes, along with as many other wines as we could carry. Unlike the majority of the other wineries (that cater to dollar-toting tourists) the prices at Finca Flichman are a steal - way cheaper than we can get here in Rosario and are in pristine condition.<br />
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I can't believe it took me so long to get to Mendoza. Now, it's going to have to be a recurring pilgrimage. I'd love to try some of the upscale wineries and restaurants but I haven't figured out how to play the lottery here yet. And I'm not sure it would be enough. We got lucky with the rental house, which made our trip so much more affordable by splitting it between the five of us - plus we were able to cook our own meals.<br />
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In addition, we rented a car (from a local company instead of an international one - cheaper still!) and it made the trip. Without it, we wouldn't have been able to stay out in Lujan de Cuyo or have made the trip to the excursion spots and wineries so easily. We even ended up on the Dakar route and were passed by some of the competitors -- this was a different kind of vacation.meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-40292123977051122622012-02-10T16:09:00.001-03:002012-02-10T16:11:35.326-03:00Ratatouille & Parmesan Polenta<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXY9JpC8kVpL3IhesYx5PbLRnyc5-Z_pLPfxe_CcFol_1_ceaH-VDEKwuyt8JKUsM5G9gJSyXMEwfa-I8fZDYMFY0T1FANA1NUhNV3X8uyBWOXwvOE-_s6MrZZfwr2y2EahA9wx4-KBR3Z/s1600/DSCN3484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXY9JpC8kVpL3IhesYx5PbLRnyc5-Z_pLPfxe_CcFol_1_ceaH-VDEKwuyt8JKUsM5G9gJSyXMEwfa-I8fZDYMFY0T1FANA1NUhNV3X8uyBWOXwvOE-_s6MrZZfwr2y2EahA9wx4-KBR3Z/s400/DSCN3484.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This dish is a combination of <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/07/rat-a-too-ee-for-you-ee/">Ratatouille's Ratatouille</a> from Smitten Kitchen and <a href="http://www.eat8020.com/2011/12/80-skillet-ratatouille-with-parmesan.html">Parmesan Polenta</a> from Eighty Twenty (a great healthy recipe resource). I usually make couscous (flavored with Mediterranean spices) to go with this ratatouille but tried something even healthier (?). This ratatouille recipe is my favorite - not too many spices and no big lumps of eggplant.<br />
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<b>Ratatouille's Ratatouille</b><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">from Smitten Kitchen</span></i><br />
<ul><li>1/2 onion, finely chopped</li>
<li>2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced</li>
<li>1 cup tomato puree</li>
<li>2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided</li>
<li>1 small eggplant</li>
<li>1 small zucchini</li>
<li>1 yellow squash (I usually can't find this here so I don't mind leaving it out)</li>
<li>1 long red bell pepper</li>
<li>Few sprigs of thyme</li>
<li>Salt & pepper</li>
</ul><div>Mix puree, garlic, onion and 1 Tablespoon oil in the bottom of a baking dish. Season generously with salt and pepper. Thinly slice vegetables and arrange slices atop the sauce in concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the dish, overlapping so that just a bit of each flat surface is visible, alternating veggies. Drizzle the remaining Tablespoon of oil over the veggies and season generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle fresh thyme over the top. Cover dish with a piece of parchment paper (or tinfoil) cut to fit inside. Bake at 375F/190C for 45 to 55 minutes, until veggies have released their liquid and are clearly cooked but not totally limp. The sauce will bubble up around them. </div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Parmesan Polenta</b></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">from Eighty Twenty</span></i></div><div><ul><li>2 teaspoons olive oil</li>
<li>2 cloves garlic, finely chopped</li>
<li>2 cups vegetable broth</li>
<li>1/2 cup cornmeal </li>
<li>2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese, shredded</li>
</ul><div>Heat olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan, add garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the heat up to high, add broth and bring to a boil. Gradually add cornmeal with continually whisking. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often to prevent lumps. Stir in parmesan in the last minute of cooking time. </div></div><div><br />
</div><div>Serve ratatouille atop polenta and garnish with just a tad more parmesan cheese.</div>meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-22683029660551764952012-02-06T13:03:00.000-03:002013-07-05T20:02:20.162-03:00Doppio Zero<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
UPDATE JULY 2013: Sadly, this place is no longer on my favorites list. It's gotten progressively worse and the last 2 times I went, there were problems (raw gnocchi, wrong orders) with the food and everyone had to eat/wait for others to eat at different times. The worst part is that the manager seems completely indifferent and wants you to pay full price for your late dish without bothering to apologize or even talk with you. None of the original managers or waiters are there today. I can get over mistaken orders, but their attitudes have now ruined several attempts to enjoy a night out with good food.</div>
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We first found this restaurant in Funes and were super happy excited to learn that a <a href="http://www.doppio-zero.com/index.php">Doppio Zero</a> just opened in Rosario, too!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9tYm0rP7SMBrcHh_no99EKExTCSGZkBtUytLp4QRoJOQ3VSOCqVCkykO0K6_DsoTrtBq6XhOc15F1GP8kXoxsRiTXCBGSOaPf0-3dq141I0eYt-Pg101WcWpSpdOSm64nJHozDnUvO9M/s1600/IMG_0763.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9tYm0rP7SMBrcHh_no99EKExTCSGZkBtUytLp4QRoJOQ3VSOCqVCkykO0K6_DsoTrtBq6XhOc15F1GP8kXoxsRiTXCBGSOaPf0-3dq141I0eYt-Pg101WcWpSpdOSm64nJHozDnUvO9M/s400/IMG_0763.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFBT1jzQAE1ju9BIQ2-i-UjP039RPOxS4mUNemxn3P_slHfYGTHfr1EztttENuh2cxOGKZRcSSQDIppGphotgUpPRIoWIJtMLdnoN6k_aMbeRMSU5Xpq7PfiS0WUhsbwqTAlF7G5n4sYx/s1600/IMG_0761.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFBT1jzQAE1ju9BIQ2-i-UjP039RPOxS4mUNemxn3P_slHfYGTHfr1EztttENuh2cxOGKZRcSSQDIppGphotgUpPRIoWIJtMLdnoN6k_aMbeRMSU5Xpq7PfiS0WUhsbwqTAlF7G5n4sYx/s400/IMG_0761.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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There's a full menu of Italian fare - from aperitifs to bruschetta, pizza, pasta and desserts!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwnIknoMtjOuBXzjYBEIQ9IFwOgoO0dU93QZtI9tFsLlUQnysnKIfLMXgFLltbAsQ9Zv08t1rMnjEFXLWLDXd4Yddokt3RdXxDKgovXql_3ZbgrftM-6xta3-GO06mOGYfgyxyqs5EeEP/s1600/IMG_0759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwnIknoMtjOuBXzjYBEIQ9IFwOgoO0dU93QZtI9tFsLlUQnysnKIfLMXgFLltbAsQ9Zv08t1rMnjEFXLWLDXd4Yddokt3RdXxDKgovXql_3ZbgrftM-6xta3-GO06mOGYfgyxyqs5EeEP/s400/IMG_0759.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivV_4alwxtkMReOHvHcv1pjYfeMH4_vTzbf2UJCSZzs1Af0WYEmtIGkk0W193OKwuROoKlLKsNcyUQHn3W_fThM_xsWi1GsM_q4rq2aZDfsi6yHewCiyghw-4s7Z-f_7Ik2V5_pqyuEHW/s1600/IMG_0764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivV_4alwxtkMReOHvHcv1pjYfeMH4_vTzbf2UJCSZzs1Af0WYEmtIGkk0W193OKwuROoKlLKsNcyUQHn3W_fThM_xsWi1GsM_q4rq2aZDfsi6yHewCiyghw-4s7Z-f_7Ik2V5_pqyuEHW/s400/IMG_0764.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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And there are desserts with Nutella, oh, yes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7HFRXrCYW5F2pqEoo_E8gMrE4f4kDn4yyMtF-N51B6M-4NeqGza3bYqrZ_i7wkfGwIqSHqisisqb4fGTEntFewr7Mz18eRWA1fHi9o7Y5fGrlR21cvoNBZ08le992COtoZmer4zXp6Kb/s1600/IMG_0766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7HFRXrCYW5F2pqEoo_E8gMrE4f4kDn4yyMtF-N51B6M-4NeqGza3bYqrZ_i7wkfGwIqSHqisisqb4fGTEntFewr7Mz18eRWA1fHi9o7Y5fGrlR21cvoNBZ08le992COtoZmer4zXp6Kb/s400/IMG_0766.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Doppio Zero</div>
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Tucumán 1281, Rosario!</div>
meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-26415939558326679902012-02-03T14:51:00.001-03:002012-02-03T14:52:14.033-03:00More Healthy Food!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipqZnptiSd77tdMSHSA8OWAjfKbDPmg6R85Dux00uLbclsjsoHC1IKB0dgZvLhtwW4cdQ7S84KEnnH__x4XDU1Re7jEueGRz1E7oeQt07tRdAHtukPqIKeHUWDkzoCOIOCAQIfdXEOqPv6/s1600/DSCN3523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipqZnptiSd77tdMSHSA8OWAjfKbDPmg6R85Dux00uLbclsjsoHC1IKB0dgZvLhtwW4cdQ7S84KEnnH__x4XDU1Re7jEueGRz1E7oeQt07tRdAHtukPqIKeHUWDkzoCOIOCAQIfdXEOqPv6/s400/DSCN3523.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
That there is the only shot I got of this meal before hastily gobbling it up -- guilt-free!<br />
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<b>Lemony Quinoa With Broccoli & Cashews</b><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">adapted from <a href="http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/1801">Whole Foods</a></span></i><br />
<ul><li>Half of a green pepper, chopped (I used this instead of sundried tomatoes per a comment suggestion)</li>
<li>1 onion, finely chopped</li>
<li>2 cloves garlic, finely chopped</li>
<li>1 teaspoon olive oil</li>
<li>Pinch salt & pepper</li>
<li>1/2 cup water</li>
<li>1 cup veggie broth (or substitute water and veggie powder)</li>
<li>3/4 cup white wine (I didn't have any so I substituted veggie broth)</li>
<li>1/4 cup lemon juice</li>
<li>1 cup uncooked quinoa, cleaned</li>
<li>2 cups broccoli florets</li>
<li>1/2 cup cashews, chopped</li>
</ul><div>Saute onion and garlic in oil for just a few minutes, season with salt and pepper and add water, broth, wine, and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Stir in quinoa, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Toss broccoli into the pot, cover and simmer for another 10 minutes. Toss gently to combine. Garnish with cashews. </div><br />
<b>Roasted Carrot & Avocado Salad</b><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">from <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/08/roasted-carrot-and-avocado-salad/">Smitten Kitchen</a></span></i><br />
<ul><li>1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into two-inch segments</li>
<li>2 Tablespoons olive oil, plus a drizzle to finish</li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon ground cumin</li>
<li>Course salt and black pepper</li>
<li>1/2 avocado, pitted and sliced (obviously, I just used the whole thing)</li>
<li>Juice of half a lemon</li>
</ul><div>Toss carrots with 2 Tablespoons oil, salt & pepper (as much as you prefer - I used a big pinch and 2 twists), and cumin. Arrange on a baking sheet and roast for 20-30 minutes at 400F/200C until tender and browned. To serve, arrange avocado slices on top of roasted carrots and dress with lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, and extra salt and pepper if necessary.</div><div><br />
</div>meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-82538766297010585402012-02-02T15:05:00.001-03:002012-02-02T15:05:53.625-03:00Best Broccoli Salad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4J_We6g9Lg59XPYx4y0HkhdS_ADD2JgR80gIBavDmBQl7wvnWa0a3-FaU8GVUHOu-V5KGyhrDkUndWQuBxxMsPCo9DZm3dog87WQZtRNR6Kj9H6q1Z8iGAMZtez-_F88caBrYPhCjlrN/s1600/DSCN3530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4J_We6g9Lg59XPYx4y0HkhdS_ADD2JgR80gIBavDmBQl7wvnWa0a3-FaU8GVUHOu-V5KGyhrDkUndWQuBxxMsPCo9DZm3dog87WQZtRNR6Kj9H6q1Z8iGAMZtez-_F88caBrYPhCjlrN/s400/DSCN3530.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
There are too many ingredients in this salad (or side dish) to come with a name for it that includes them all. Really, it's a dumbed down version of what Heidi at 101 Cookbooks calls <a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/broccoli-crunch-recipe.html">Broccoli Crunch Recipe</a> and it. is. fabulous. Actually, I just had it for lunch and had to post immediately.<br />
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<b>Best Broccoli Salad (or something)</b><br />
<ul><li>1 medium-large onion</li>
<li>4-5 cups small broccoli florets</li>
<li>Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt (or less)</li>
<li>2 Tablespoons peanut butter (original recipe calls for almond butter)</li>
<li>3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice</li>
<li>1 teaspoon honey</li>
<li>2 Tablespoons olive oil</li>
<li>2 Tablespoons hot water</li>
<li>2 small apples, cut into thin slices</li>
<li>Small handful of almonds, toasted (or substitute peanuts)</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Start by caramelizing the onion - sauté with a drizzle of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Once caramelized, move onions to a paper towel to crisp up a bit. Meanwhile, get water boiling for the broccoli and either blanch or steam until it reaches your preferred consistency (it should have a crunch to it) - Heidi barely cooks it for 15 seconds but I steam mine for at least 5 minutes with a sprinkle of salt, then rinse with cool water to stop the cooking. I took her suggestion to dry it in a salad spinner and thought it was a brilliant trick - no soggy broccoli. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Make the dressing: Whisk together the salt (less if your peanut butter is salty), peanut butter, lemon juice, honey, oil and hot water. Full disclosure here - I only had a little over a cup of broccoli so I scaled everything back a lot (though I still used a medium onion) and I made the dressing using the juice of half of a small lemon along with about a teaspoon of everything else and a pinch of salt. I omitted the garlic and the red onion from the original recipe mostly because it was just too many steps. Pour dressing over broccoli and apples, top with caramelized onions and nuts. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The number of steps and dirty dishes aside, this was an amazing recipe. Here's a close-up of that creamy dressing and layers of flavors: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vqtQ3tEDNgmd_Y4ctdBRix80wEDf4tfjVE70J-AqZCWejsxAS5mNFaAi1_PkYzyvm_i2xEVMeXA_VPAetdSBc4w3EWqmIxK9qEVFzK-xm2Qk3g9NAfI_K_4aa96WonCRglE8QjI7G4oP/s1600/DSCN3534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vqtQ3tEDNgmd_Y4ctdBRix80wEDf4tfjVE70J-AqZCWejsxAS5mNFaAi1_PkYzyvm_i2xEVMeXA_VPAetdSBc4w3EWqmIxK9qEVFzK-xm2Qk3g9NAfI_K_4aa96WonCRglE8QjI7G4oP/s400/DSCN3534.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-18469631322438384942012-02-01T17:01:00.002-03:002012-02-02T15:06:46.923-03:00Cornmeal Crusted White Bean Burgers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnD2x2NXZIWWR-KHow9Ouvx5EwlI_D8B0ZG1gd5393NY3jmEmNlQjApaiCwbRD6A32dLZfx2DHii0oiVzafWURkD_75K4bzq80eBKJpHUC4xjxMPy57i4IKKtoOdHdB_4qC5ln2Tu61_8Q/s1600/DSCN3493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnD2x2NXZIWWR-KHow9Ouvx5EwlI_D8B0ZG1gd5393NY3jmEmNlQjApaiCwbRD6A32dLZfx2DHii0oiVzafWURkD_75K4bzq80eBKJpHUC4xjxMPy57i4IKKtoOdHdB_4qC5ln2Tu61_8Q/s400/DSCN3493.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I'm back on the (healthy foods) wagon so I'll be posting some lighter fare in hopes of revisiting it soon. I loved the flavor of these burgers, though they are a little mushy - as in, don't think you can just toss it onto the parilla because it's kind of like grilling mashed potatoes. And to give fair warning - these are lightly fried (something I neglected to notice until after assembly).<br />
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<b>Cornmeal Crusted Bean & Quinoa Burgers</b><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">from <a href="http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/bean_guacamole_burgers.html">Eating Well</a></span></i><br />
<ul><li>1/2 cup water</li>
<li>1/4 cup quinoa, picked over, soaked, scrubbed & rinsed (I may be exaggerating here but I hate gritty bites of quinoa)</li>
<li>3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided</li>
<li>1/2 cup red (I used green) onion, chopped</li>
<li>1 clove garlic, minced</li>
<li>2 1/2 cups cooked white beans, well drained (I only made half of this recipe and used one can of beans - drained & rinsed)</li>
<li>1 teaspoon smoked paprika (I didn't have it so I used sweet paprika and a touch of cayenne)</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon ground cumin</li>
<li>3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro (or substitute parsley), chopped</li>
<li>3 Tablespoons cornmeal, plus extra for coating burgers</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon salt</li>
<li>Freshly groung pepper to taste</li>
<li>Dash of hot sauce (This was my addition and may have messed with the consistency of the burgers, but I really don't think that's what made them mushy)</li>
</ul><div>Bring water to a boil and add quinoa, returning to a boil. Turn heat to low, cover and cook until water has been absorbed, about 10 minutes. Uncover and set aside. Sauté onion and garlic in 1 T oil until soft, about 3 minutes. Add beans, paprika and cumin. Mash beans to a smooth paste with a potato masher. Transfer mixture to a bowl and cool slightly. Stir in quinoa, cilantro, 3 T cornmeal, salt & pepper (and a dash of hot sauce if you'd like). Form mixture into 6 patties and coat with cornmeal. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook 3 burgers at a time until brown and crisp on both sides, 2 to 4 minutes per side. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUT_3I9WqFyzkYi_Ss7wkHjmUfZ1tQndFJ5nxA6QqKGkPgNlnRKLAFKZcFwThbJpCLPf35VhacrURQ9BeHFdVNEua_D_RxzKKXRdEaGAShyphenhyphenOIO61TToQKLQBybBxZ0W-9J_xwR_BSAMr8/s1600/DSCN3486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUT_3I9WqFyzkYi_Ss7wkHjmUfZ1tQndFJ5nxA6QqKGkPgNlnRKLAFKZcFwThbJpCLPf35VhacrURQ9BeHFdVNEua_D_RxzKKXRdEaGAShyphenhyphenOIO61TToQKLQBybBxZ0W-9J_xwR_BSAMr8/s400/DSCN3486.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
You know, until they look like this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7X2jj4Na3WfU6tFUelVjpRp0QQlQszZzrdGTwRbGRxK3WkC5BaWhicla73wvjfFnSPcnResw9fpIwT8BPshI2wdRbmVG4yf6zunzTLwpuRVOJrTqo7b8fegFekQXKMRICsUvW-W59puLc/s1600/DSCN3491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7X2jj4Na3WfU6tFUelVjpRp0QQlQszZzrdGTwRbGRxK3WkC5BaWhicla73wvjfFnSPcnResw9fpIwT8BPshI2wdRbmVG4yf6zunzTLwpuRVOJrTqo7b8fegFekQXKMRICsUvW-W59puLc/s400/DSCN3491.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The original recipe also includes a guacamole recipe, which I'm sure is lovely, but I just tossed on some avocado slices and mustard. Yum. Oh, and if you're a super good girl you would use a whole wheat bun. Whoops.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_T6KSSvfQ-VlrLu968naFmqCyeQY7GePzlJ99mcVN62OYsQYz7QmNgZLRC7Z-k0bksxIpwFQK1sNy7dyxPTvDBHo0ynjaYXiSA3yEjHiaUjgST1BccrAbmYOtrdWy7mgQegw1eyiyg80/s1600/DSCN3496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_T6KSSvfQ-VlrLu968naFmqCyeQY7GePzlJ99mcVN62OYsQYz7QmNgZLRC7Z-k0bksxIpwFQK1sNy7dyxPTvDBHo0ynjaYXiSA3yEjHiaUjgST1BccrAbmYOtrdWy7mgQegw1eyiyg80/s400/DSCN3496.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-48792779818541004872012-01-30T16:10:00.000-03:002012-01-30T16:10:42.799-03:00The Secret StarbucksAnother Starbucks quietly opened recently in Rosario - so quietly, in fact, that the address isn't even listed on their website yet and I've seen no advertising for it. It's a big, sunny store on Tucuman (and almost Mitre). Let's meet for coffee soon!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmQ6oYYkS_n4HWUZZsrQh5rnoidtKD86-egc9RbE7PYEfsTCLU_jJpcDleb3zOfrCgU2oUnKUP8uRNxHHYabhbQg4HAqzFbi7EwCOhyf3H2IqPmyl-IsST35qbdGRgtGSDPCHHVFmp6KW/s1600/387326_301878733181136_100000770342005_753558_754922733_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmQ6oYYkS_n4HWUZZsrQh5rnoidtKD86-egc9RbE7PYEfsTCLU_jJpcDleb3zOfrCgU2oUnKUP8uRNxHHYabhbQg4HAqzFbi7EwCOhyf3H2IqPmyl-IsST35qbdGRgtGSDPCHHVFmp6KW/s400/387326_301878733181136_100000770342005_753558_754922733_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
According to <a href="http://www.on24.com.ar/nota.aspx?idNot=50556">this article</a>, they're also opening one on Cordoba and Oroño soon. None of the stores are selling iced coffee (as in cold drip coffee) but said they might if enough people ask for it. Go! Ask! I can't afford to keep getting those damn frappuccinos!meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-936460659791063635.post-11024792601896042892012-01-27T17:56:00.004-03:002012-01-27T17:59:53.836-03:00Better World Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQlrsQnVcGz34yHkD78DGqi1CTUiZQHRQSQIV_CnzIUTC6tx-BcJ5JQmYlzErPwXKYhCTbuXPmRX_jpzxSHe9I1mcMh01qcFNaIHGrqJNs0Ju4HZhBw2UsiHrVrgtReMavmmwWLA7vHoE/s1600/book-for-book-impact.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQlrsQnVcGz34yHkD78DGqi1CTUiZQHRQSQIV_CnzIUTC6tx-BcJ5JQmYlzErPwXKYhCTbuXPmRX_jpzxSHe9I1mcMh01qcFNaIHGrqJNs0Ju4HZhBw2UsiHrVrgtReMavmmwWLA7vHoE/s320/book-for-book-impact.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This post is a shout out to my favorite online bookstore - <a href="http://www.betterworldbooks.com/">Better World Books</a>. You may have already heard about my love for this great organization, but it's worth saying it one more time because not only is it a literacy charity, it's an amazing resource for expats. Because it's hard to buy affordable English books down here, and if you order them from Amazon you'll end up paying bundles on customs charges and shipping. But BWB offers free worldwide shipping, and customs isn't a problem since it's a charity. I ordered 4 books and it took a while - over 6 six weeks - but I have them here now :)<br />
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They (the books) even sent me a lovely little message to confirm my order:<br />
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<div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">Holy canasta! It's me... it's me! I can't believe it is actually me! You could have picked any of over 2 million books but you picked me! I've got to get packed! How is the weather where you live? Will I need a dust jacket? I can't believe I'm leaving Mishawaka, Indiana already - the friendly people, the Hummer plant, the Linebacker Lounge - so many memories. I don't have much time to say goodbye to everyone, but it's time to see the world! I can't wait to meet you! You sound like such a well read person.</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">I know the trip to meet you will be long and fraught with peril, but after the close calls I've had, I'm ready for anything (besides, some of my best friends are suspense novels). Just five months ago, I thought I was a goner. My owner was moving and couldn't take me with her. I was sure I was landfill bait until I ended up in a Better World Books book drive bin. Thanks to your socially conscious book shopping, I've found a new home. Even better, your book buying dollars are helping kids read from Brazil to Botswana. Eagerly awaiting our meeting...</span></div><div><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Since they finally arrived, I thought I would post this message to let all the expats out there know about such a terrific find. And ps - I'm not being paid or anything to say this, I just really appreciate the reading material. </div></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Times;">Photo from <a href="http://www.betterworldbooks.com/info.aspx?f=our_impact">Better World Books</a></span></span></div>meaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297837493616138942noreply@blogger.com0