a domestic disturbance

The Secret Starbucks

2012-01-30T16:10:00.000-03:00

Another 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!

According to this article, 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!

Better World Books

2012-01-27T17:56:00.004-03:00

This post is a shout out to my favorite online bookstore - Better World Books. 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 :)

They (the books) even sent me a lovely little message to confirm my order:

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.

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...

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.

Photo from Better World Books

Happy Birthday Bucket!

2012-01-16T21:11:00.000-03:00

My little boy turned one. That means that he's roughly the equivalent of a 15 year old human (according to Cesar), I think. With him around, time goes by so fast and for a while I could measure it by his growth -- by marking it on the wall. But he's all grown-up and now I measure it by how many pairs of Havianas he's eaten (always the right one). So, for his birthday I gave him something else to eat. A birthday cake!

He wasn't too sure about it at first,

but then he realized he could eat it, too.

Bucket's 1st Peanut Butter Carrot Cake

from Brown Eyed Baker

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
1 cup shredded carrots
1 egg

Whisk together flour and baking soda. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Pour batter into greased pan and bake at 350F/180C for 30 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. I used a small loaf pan along with 4 cupcakes which took about 25 minutes.

Let cool and ice with your choice of doggie frosting. For this one, I combined peanut butter with a little light cream cheese and honey, though it wasn't easily spreadable - peanut butter would work great!

And now, a look back to when he was just a teensy playful puppy...

Green Bean Casserole Do-Over

2011-11-28T19:32:00.001-03:00

A few Thanksgivings ago I made a simple (basically prefabricated) green bean casserole. This year, I took a little extra time to make one from scratch using fresh ingredients, and it paid off. I followed this Alton Brown recipe, replacing the chicken broth with veggie broth. To save a little time on the big day, I went ahead and cooked the beans a day ahead - then put them in the refrigerator in the dish I planned to use.

Green Bean Casserole
Adapted from food network
Beans

1 lb / 500 grams fresh green beans, trimmed and rinsed
1 gallon water
2 Tablespoons kosher salt

Bring water and salt to a boil. If you're using table salt, you'll want to use less than this! (oops.) Cook beans to your preference (Alton blanches for 5 minutes, I boil for 8-10), drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.

Onion Topping

2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup flour
2 Tablespoons bread crumbs
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or about 1/2 t. table salt)
Nonstick spray

Preheat oven to 475F / 245C. Combine onions, flour, breadcrumbs and salt (may want to use seasoning salt) and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with nonstick spray and evenly spread onions on pan. I sprayed a light layer of oil on top of the onions also. Bake until golden brown, tossing every 10 minutes, for about 30 minutes.

Mushroom Sauce

2 Tablespoons butter
12 ounces / 350 grams mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or less table salt!)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 Tablespoons flour
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup half and half (or combination of half milk, half cream)

Saute mushrooms in butter with salt and pepper until they begin to lose some liquid, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and nutmeg and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Add broth and simmer for 1 minute. Add half and half and cook until mixture thickens - 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the beans. Pour into casserole dish (I used a deep round one - I thought 9x13 would be too big), top with remaining onions and bake at 400F / 200C until bubbly, about 15 minutes.

Many commenters had issues with the onions burning, but I didn't have any problems. Just keep an eye on them in that hot oven and flip them whenever they're looking browned on bottom. I think this version is better than the one I grew up with and I'll never have to open a can of congealed cream of mushroom soup again...woohoo!

Last year I made a cherry chutney that a lot of people liked, but I hated it after pitting all those cherries and cooking them in vinegar for an hour. Ugh, the smell of warm vinegar! For those of you who enjoyed it, here's the recipe.

A Very Modern Art Halloween

2011-10-31T15:24:00.000-03:00

Can you guess what we were last year for Halloween? Does this help?

From MoMA

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí! I'm even signed!

Because I'm a sucker for details I added a pocket watch with ants, an ant ring, one false eyelash and another melting clock hanging over a stick in my hair. Guille, as Dalí, made himself an evil eye cane and funky mustache and then practiced his crazy face.

This year, we reversed roles...

from akgmag

I was Andy Warhol, Bucket was Edie Sedgwick...

...and Guille got to be pop art. Here's The Factory family:

From Art.com

Can you see the resemblance?

They don't exactly look thrilled but I had a blast!

Happy Halloween!

My Occupy Wall Street Rant

2011-10-10T19:32:00.001-03:00

from here

My anti-corporation rant focuses on the blatant use of toxic chemicals in health and beauty products. I'm also highly concerned about the same for food, but there's already a documentary about that. In fact, I'm surprised that there wasn't a revolution and mass protests when Food, Inc. came out. I mean, didn't that just make you so mad?

Anyway, I'm super upset about corporations getting away with killing us slowly. I feel that science and the government has failed us here. Just because a chemical is perceived (and given legality) to be safe in low doses and hasn't YET been proven to cause cancer, doesn't mean that it's ok to put them in products that I put on my body every day. Products that are absorbed by my skin - the largest body organ. Once you think about it, it really just comes down to common sense.

I don't know if this fits in with the Occupy Wall Street revolution. Honestly, the movement is disjointed and difficult to understand. I assume that it's largely fueled by anger over financial institutions and government complacency, but it also seems to be an outlet for expressing disapproval of corporate irresponsibility. So, I thought I would do that and invite you to join me.

From Crain's New York

Here's what I'm mad about. I recently came across GoodGuide, a consumer informational website that lets me determine how safe a product is for health, and how good or bad a company is in terms of environmental and community impact. You search for a product and view it's rating for each of these 3 elements on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the best, 1 being the worst). Sadly, I found out that my favorite hair gel (Biolage) received a 4 health rating for its use of propylene glycol - suspected of causing immunotoxicity, respiratory toxicity, and skin or sense organ toxicity. Aw boo. Worse yet, my favorite hair cream (John Frieda Frizz-Ease Secret Weapon) received a 3 health rating for propylene glycol, triethanolamine, phenoxyethanol, and propyl paraben (the latter two being of low concern). And you don't even want to know the rating for Kiehl's Creme de Corps (ok, I'll tell you - it's a 1!). Holy crap, corporations, why are you doing this to me? With all of the advances in science (particularly biology) and technology, and increasing consumer support for green products, how can you still be using questionable chemicals? So, I asked some of them. Frizz-Ease was nice enough to respond and here's their main point:

In summary, our marketed products meet the safety expectations outlined by the European Union, US Food and Drug Administration, and Health Canada legislation as well as other country regulations.

Hmm, wait a minute. The same government that is currently being protested for lack of corporate oversight? Uh-oh. Your response doesn't make me feel any better and, frankly, I'm afraid of using your product and I'm also concerned about how to properly dispose of it! In a world with a finite water supply, I'm surely not satisfied to wash my hands of this situation, lest I later drink in this toxic waste.

I'm not trying to single these companies out - it's just that I researched them because I've been using their products the longest. And the original Frizz-Ease serum actually has a 10 health rating - so good for them for that. Too bad I didn't know to stock up on that product instead of the nasty one I brought with me. And too bad that crappy products are on the market. It seems that it's up to the consumer to research every product we buy and make safe choices.

Yes, I know that I should have realized this years ago. But I grew up in a consumer society that was content to ignore confusing, lengthy ingredients and just assume that all products for sale in the US are safe. I know that for the baby boomer generation, these products offered a convenience and experience that had never been offered before. But today's corporations must now deal with a consumer group that grew up watching FernGully and Captain Planet. So watch your backs, health and beauty corporations trying to overload me with toxins to placate my ego. Sure, I want to be beautiful and you've made enough money playing off of that vulnerability. But now I want to live. And I've got my eye on you.

from The Captain Planet Foundation

Sweet Noodle Kugel with Membrillo Jam

2011-09-30T20:22:00.001-03:00

Whenever I describe my husband's Jewishness (or lack thereof) I say that he's Jewish, but the wrong half. This is incorrect, of course, because you're either in or you're out - based on your mother. My mother-in-law is not Jewish (well, actually, she is in the same 'wrong-half' way, as her father was Jewish) but my father-in-law is. This means that there is a long history of Jewish culture in the family, but no Jewish mothers with sacred recipes. Too bad, but at least Smitten Kitchen features an array of Jewish food. Celebrating the New Year with my great-uncle-in-law inspired me to figure something out so I cooked up a proper feast for Rosh Hashanah, I think.

There was challah, zucchini latkes, two kugels and an apple cake (and a chicken - not of my doing). Having no real experiences to go off of, I'd say it featured some traditional dishes but I have no idea how they compare amongst many other versions. It was mostly Smitten Kitchen recipes, since I trust her and I don't think she's trying to trick me. ahem.

So here's the most interesting part of it all - sweet noodle kugel (which my autocorrect seems to want to change to bugle). Really, I think this is a brunch food. It's super sweet and soufflé-like but it has freaking noodles in it. Still, it's almost like eating cake. I can't explain it, as it confuses me, but I keep eating it just to see if I can figure it out. I can't, but that's alright.

I replaced the cottage cheese with ricotta (based on availability) and I subbed-in some casan crem (sour cream). My recipe is also for half a batch - which was plenty because everyone else at dinner was just as confused as I was and ate small pieces of this sweet casserole. I added membrillo because our uncle remembered long ago eating a kugel his mother would make with layers of membrillo. I had no idea how to do that, so I swirled in some jam.

Sweet Noodle Kugel with Membrillo Jam
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

225 grams (1/2 pound) wide egg noodles
4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar (I would probably reduce this by a Tablespoon or 2)
300 grams ricotta cheese
150 grams sour cream
85 grams (or 1 stick) butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt
1/4 cup membrillo jam

Cook the noodles al dente, drain. In a large bowl, beat eggs until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, then the ricotta cheese, sour cream, butter, vanilla and salt. Stir in the drained noodles. Drop blobs of jam into the mixture and swirl with a knife. Pour into a greased 9x9 pan and bake at 350F/180C until kugel is set - mine took about 50 minutes but my oven runs hot.

No-Chicken Noodle Soup

2011-08-31T16:42:00.001-03:00

As we shake off the last chill of winter, I'm finally getting around to cooking up some comfort food. Here's a vegetarian version of chicken noodle soup to see you through these last days of cold and flu season. Of course you could throw in some tofu in place of chicken, but I thought the simplicity of this recipe was its greatest strength. Well, that and the homemade noodles.

No-Chicken Noodle Soup

adapted from Food Network with inspiration from The Pioneer Woman

(Double this recipe if you prefer more soup than noodles)

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1-2 ribs celery (I used 2), diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 clove garlic, smashed (and diced)
1 small onion (or 1/4 medium onion - 1/2 cup), diced
1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
pinch of dried thyme
6-8 cups vegetable stock (or water and vegetable powder)
pinch of turmeric
pepper to taste
handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, toss in all the veggies and season with salt and cook until tender (6-10 minutes, depending on the size of recipe you're making). Toss in thyme and cook for 30 seconds. Add stock or water+veggie powder, turmeric and pepper. Simmer for a little while (maybe 10 minutes) then bring to a boil before adding noodles.

Pasta Noodles

from The Pioneer Woman

(Serves 2)

2 eggs
1 cup flour

In a medium bowl, make a well in the center of the flour and crack in eggs. Slowly mix together with your hands. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until dough becomes smooth, adding flour as necessary (see Ree's photos for the perfect consistency). Let dough rest for a bit before rolling out. Roll onto a floured surface as thin as you can get it - the thinner the better. Cut thin noodles with a sharp knife or pizza wheel.

Add noodles to your boiling soup and cook for 2-5 minutes (depending on thickness) until noodles are cooked. Toss in some pepper and parsley. Add a squirt of lemon if you like. Of course, this is even better as leftovers.

Sprinkle Doughnut Cupcakes

2011-08-18T18:00:00.001-03:00

I found this recipe for gorgeous glazed doughnut muffins on MyBakingAddiction and just couldn't leave well enough alone. Not only did I dip them in the glaze, I also dunked them in sprinkles. It was my birthday week. The batter seemed more cakey than muffin-like so I'm calling them cupcakes. I was expecting something more dense, like a cake doughnut, but was pleasantly surprised by their lightness. Of course, the flavor is closer to a cake doughnut than a yeast doughnut and it's slightly reminiscent of spice cake. It would make a delicious take on a cider doughnut if you added cider to the batter and/or the glaze. Although, I think the best combination would be with a maple glaze and a glass of cider. aww, now I miss apple cider. a lot.

Anyway, have you noticed that cupcake shops are springing up all over town? Well, maybe not cupcake-only shops but definitely bakeries with a strong focus on cupcakes. But what the hell are they putting on top?! Is that merengue? Damn it. Whip up a freakin' buttercream for crying out loud.

Doughnut Cupcakes

1/4 cup / 57 grams butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups flour
1 cup milk

Cream together butter, oil and sugars until smooth. Add the eggs, beating to combine. Stir in baking powder, baking soda, spices, salt and vanilla. Stir flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined. Spoon batter into 12 cupcake liners (sprayed with oil to ensure they don't stick) filling the cups nearly full. Bake at 220C/425F for 15 to 17 minutes or until they're a pale brown a cake tester comes out clean.

Glaze:

3 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (or maple, if that's something that exists in your country)
2 Tablespoons hot water

Whisk together all ingredients until smooth.

Plus, don't forget that you need a crapload of sprinkles. Like, more than 100 grams.

When cupcakes have cooled slightly, dip the crown into the glaze and allow glaze to harden. Cool on a rack with something underneath to catch the glaze drippings. (ps - these will make a mess on your liners) Let chill in the refrigerator before the applying second coat of glaze. I brushed on a thin second coat because I didn't want it to be too runny or thick, as the sprinkles would quickly ooze off. Immediately dunk the cupcake into a bowl of sprinkles and allow to set in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. (seriously, they will end up in a multi-color puddle otherwise)

Don't forget to share these with Twink and Starlite and all ~~the slaves~~ your friends in Rainbow Land!

Starbucks? Yes, Starbucks!

2011-08-06T18:20:00.002-03:00

In case you missed it on Facebook, I'm all smiles this weekend because we finally got a Starbucks in Rosario and I'm well-caffinated. The prices are as ridiculous as you'd imagine: 14-20 pesos for lattes and cappuccinos. But, if you think about it, a tall is way bigger than most coffee drinks you'll find around town and you might just wonder who in Rosario can even fathom finishing a venti. I ordered a latte and was shocked that it came with whipped cream -- which I'd nearly forgotten about -- and I didn't even have to say 'with whip.' Hmm. I wonder how I order it without whip. Sin crema? And just in case you're afraid that you won't get your money's worth, this Starbucks experience comes complete with fake American niceties...Have a Nice Day! :) Oh, how I missed that.

They've got most of what you'd expect to find in their pastry case (including bagels and muffins) and they've somehow managed to import bottled tazo teas and Altoids. Maybe you think that Starbucks is over-rated or the epitome of capitalism, but if you've spent the last few years drinking the exact same coffee in every "cafe" by the thimbleful, you're likely as excited as I am. This is better than Christmas.

Starbucks is now open at Alto Rosario, and I heard a rumor that they're opening two other stores soon - one on Orono and another on Cordoba.

Nutrísimo

2011-07-12T16:08:00.000-03:00

Because after a season full of patriotic holidays and fatty foods, I need a break. Nutrísimo is a vegetarian take out/delivery joint with nutrient rich meals and snacks, and they're pretty yummy. Above is a big alfajor (7 pesos), with an amazing strawberry filling, that's covered in a thin layer of white chocolate and a sprinkling of semillas de lino (I forget what they're called in English but they're super good for you). And below is half of a serving of leek and tofu pie (14 pesos) and a piece of soy milanesa roll (30 pesos), which comes with brown rice and beets.

They also sell whole grain pastas, risottos, waffles, medialunas, empanadas, and some amazing looking multigrain bread that I've been meaning to try.

Nutísimo
9 de Julio 1451
Rosario

Alfajores Santafesinos: Take 2

2011-06-27T08:26:00.005-03:00

Yep, this was my second attempt at making the official alfajor of Santa Fe province. The first attempt, well, it taught me a lesson on meringues. I crossed a lot of lines with this recipe. First, I made a completely Argentine concoction, which is pretty much in opposition with almost all of my posted recipes. I usually try to replicate the tastes of home with what is available to us down here. Second, I had to get over my fear of raw eggs -- which, it turns out, isn't too hard when they taste like fresh marshmallow. So, thanks to Katie's challenge and encouragement, here I am embracing a taste of our current homeland.

The defining characteristics of alfajores santafesinos are (thick!) layers of dulce de leche sandwiched between thin crispy cookies and a sugary, egg white glaze that slightly crackles on your tongue as it dissolves. As a vegetarian, my challenge was creating a thin, crispy cookie without using lard. In my first attempt, I followed a recipe that called for melted butter - these shrank up hopelessly in the oven and weren't at all flaky.

The baked cookie inside of the cookie cutter - Just look at that shrinkage!

So, I asked around for suggestions - but nobody had any clue. Seriously, no one I know in Santa Fe could help me out with a recipe. But everyone could describe the perfect alfajor, and warned me not to screw it up. Hmmm. No pressure. I did, however, get a Sandra Lee-like suggestion to use pre-made empanada dough instead and, in my desperation, I did so. I will get to that later.

In the end I settled on this recipe from La Majuluta, and swapped out lard for an equal amount of vegetable shortening. Also, I translated it all by myself so there's another big girl victory. I tried it her way (still shrinkage problems), but also switched it up with my knowledge of pie crust makings and that worked way better for me.

Top: Pre-made dough, Bottom Left: Made with cold shortening, Bottom Right: Made with melted shortening

Cookies:
300 grams all-purpose flour
1 pinch of salt (that's a direct translation, so get to pinching)
60 grams vegetable shortening
2 egg yolks
100 ml warm water (do you know that American measuring cups actually list ml? nice.)
1 Tablespoon booze (some recipes call for anise liquor, but I used vanilla vodka)
A few drops of lemon extract (which I didn't use, but suggest)

Filling:
400 grams dulce de leche repostero (specifically for baking)

Glaze:
200 grams sugar (superfine if you've got it)
80 ml water
1 egg white, room temperature

Whisk together flour and salt. Use a pastry cutter or two knives to blend in the chilled shortening (see, here's my pie crust expertise at work). Stir in the yolks, water, booze, and extract to form a crumbly dough - try not to over mix, just get it to stick together. Form a ball and flatten slightly, to create a disc shape (to make rolling out easier). If you have limited counter space, you may want to divide the dough into two discs. Cover and put in the freezer for at least 20 minutes, or until you're ready to roll it out (if you leave it longer, let it sit out for 10-15 minutes before rolling). Roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1.5 mm thickness (thinness!). Use a 7 or 8 cm cookie cutter to cut into circles and prick them with a fork to prevent puffing (I got 39 cookies out of it, after re-rolling the scraps.) Bake at 200C/400F for 10 minutes, or until they begin to turn golden. Let cool. Assemble a three-cookie-layer sandwich using nearly one full tablespoon of dulce de leche between each layer.

Make the glaze by bringing the sugar and water to a boil until the mixture reaches 112C - I got a candy thermometer to ensure success this time around. Start beating the egg white shortly before the sugar hits 112 (beat on low speed for maybe 1 minute). Let the syrup cool briefly, like 20-30 seconds or when the needle on the thermometer starts to drop. Slowly add it to the egg while you continue to beat it (no one wants to be defeated). It shouldn't take more than 30 seconds to combine them and get a nice shiny white glaze - like thin marshmallow fluff. Use a pastry brush to immediately brush the sandwiches with the glaze - this is super tricky and I found it impossible to get all of the sides covered, but work fast and at least spread a thin layer on top. Let them drip and dry (which takes about 2-3 hours) on a cooling rack.

Immediately after adding the glaze

Now, as I mentioned above, you can use pre-made empanada dough for the cookies. I tried it with La Saltena's small rounds (8cm) - poking them and baking for 10 minutes. This, however, resulted in a giant alfajor that disturbingly resembled a combination of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and a BK Stacker, and was too chewy to qualify as a cookie.

Alfajor Sandraleesino

I'm glad that I added a classic Argentine dessert to my recipe box, and I'm especially glad that I wrote it out in English - that's one less hurdle for the next round.

For more delicious alfajor recipes from all over Argentina, please stop by these blogs!

Alfajores Marplatenses: Seashells and Sunflowers
Alfajores Cordobeses: From Argentina to the Netherlands, For Love!
Alfajores Mendocinos: From Argentina With Love
Alfajores de Maizena: Ana Travels
Alfajores Salteños: Buenos Aires Foodies, Bee My Chef

¡¿Cabina Fotográfica?!

2011-06-17T17:23:00.001-03:00

Well, we couldn't very well call it a photobooth, now could we? Cotillón (party props and attire - you know, funny hats and such) is a very important part of Argentine weddings and parties. You usually bust it out on the dance floor around 3am. But what if your party doesn't include dancing? Enter the photobooth: so popular that it's almost cliché at home, but soon to be all the rage here.

What do you need?

1) Any cotillón that you have stolen from weddings

2) Funny mustaches and glasses on sticks

3) Additional props, as needed (a feather boa is pretty much a necessity and a small blackboard is nice)

4) An empty picture frame

5) A sign that says "cabina fotográfica"- you know, since it's such an odd concept

6) I would also say that you need some sort of background but large groups are likely to rush the booth and you would need a wall full of fabric for that so don't beat yourself up over it.

Links to printable mustaches:

Stachist

Print and Cut Disguise Kit

Print and Cut Mustaches Masks

Mustaches Template

7) A puppy to try your props on

Links to printable glasses and more:

Photobooth Props (play with the size)

Glasses

I traced the staches onto black goma eva and the glasses/bow tie/lips onto card stock paper, then cut them out and super glued them onto some kebob sticks.

Here are some of the resulting photos (but not the professional ones - those I'll post later):

Pastelitos!

2011-05-25T19:50:00.000-03:00

In celebration of 25 de Mayo this year, we fried dessert. Sure, last year it was soup. This year it was serious. Last weekend at my father in law's birthday party we ate the most delicious pastelitos, aka warm, fried dough sprinkled with sugar and oozing with something sweet. Here's a photo of them in all their fried glory by Diego Llarrull.

Photo by Diego Llarrull

A post on From Argentina With Love convinced me that these are quite simple to make...just in time for 25 de Mayo! Instead of a recipe, I'm just going to say that we used pre-made empanada dough rounds (Yuli), some filling, and some sugar, along with oil for frying and almibar. To be more specific, we placed a square of filling - either dulce de membrillo, chocolate, or a spoonful of dulce de leche - in the center of one dough round, wet the area around the filling and then topped with another dough round, sealing the dough around the filling.

To make this lovely flower shape, place your forefingers under the dough on opposite sides of the circle, pull up slightly and pinch the dough together using your middle finger and thumb. Repeat on the other side of the circle. We didn't moisten and and seal the edges so that we could have more fried dough surface area. However, it is advisable to do so if you use dulce de leche as a filling.

Dulce de membrillo is a traditional filling for pastelitos.

Chocolate is not.

This is not a science project, it's a jar of homemade (by the afore mentioned father in law - he's a real Renaissance man!) dulce de membrillo. The syrup (which results from boiling membrillo with sugar) is called almibar - we'll use this later.

So we take our little dough creations...whoops, some membrillo is poking out. But, no worries.

And we fry them in some hot oil (over medium heat) - this is sunflower oil.

They take about 1-2 minutes each to turn golden, and then should be removed to a paper towel where they will be immediately drizzled with a spoonful of almibar or sprinkled with sugar, or both!

Not long afterwards (because they should be eaten warm) they will be taken to the table to be consumed immediately with patriotic gusto.

Oooh, melty chocolate. (I'm warning you, this is not a traditional filling and may cause funny looks from locals)

Ooozing dulce de leche (also not traditional for pastelitos, watch yourselves)

Here's a familiar taste. Happy 25 de Mayo, Argentina. Sorry if I have displayed unpatriotic behavior by changing up the fillings, but they're delicious.

Favorite Chocolate Cupcakes and Dulce de Leche Frosting

2011-05-16T18:56:00.002-03:00

I've been baking mucho lately. I should probably work more and bake less, but that is no fun. I've found two excellent chocolate cupcake recipes. One is Smitten Kitchen's flourless Chocolate Soufflé Cupcakes. These are so rich that they don't need frosting but they do need something to fill the little sunken center on top, so I plopped in a scoop of ice cream. The second is a well-traveled Cooks Illustrated recipe for Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes, which I found the following half-recipe for on Cookie Madness. This is now my go-to recipe for chocolate cupcakes. I guess that's why they're the ultimate.

My Favorite Chocolate Cupcakes
Ganache Filling:

1 oz / 28 grams bittersweet chocolate
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 Tablespoon powdered sugar

Put all ingredients into a microwave safe bowl. Heat 10-30 seconds, until mixture is warm. Whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until just chilled, no more than 30 minutes.

Cupcakes:

1 1/2 oz / 42 grams bittersweet chocolate
2 1/2 Tablespoons / 15 grams cocoa powder
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons hot coffee
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons / 58 grams bread flour
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons / 72 grams sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large egg, room temp
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine chocolate, cocoa, and hot coffee in a mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth and refrigerate for 15 minutes. In a separate bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Whisk oil, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth, then stir in flour mixture. Divide batter between 6 baking cups and place 1 rounded spoon of ganache on top of each cupcake. Bake at 350F/180C for 17-19 minutes, until just firm to the touch.

The Ultimate recipe includes a creamy chocolate frosting recipe that I didn't make because I'm afraid of eating raw eggs. Instead, I topped with dulce de leche cream cheese frosting. Though, I would also suggest a cream-based mocha frosting or a perhaps even a marshmallow frosting, if you're into that sort of thing.

Dulce de Leche Frosting

from Joy the Baker

56 grams / 1/2 stick of butter, softened
113 grams / 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 ounces (this is half of 3/4 cup) dulce de leche
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 - 2 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese on medium speed for about 30 seconds, until very soft. Scrape down sides of bowl and add butter and dulce de leche. Beat on medium until well incorporated. Add the salt and powdered sugar. Beat on medium for about 3 minutes, until fluffy and lighter in color. I noticed that it wasn't quite thick enough for frosting so I continued to add powdered sugar until I got the right consistency. This makes enough for about 12 cupcakes. The frosting also went well with vanilla cupcakes with chocolate ganache centers.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting

2011-04-29T18:05:00.001-03:00

According to a jar of amazingly delicious peanut butter that we were gifted by a friend who had just returned from Cordoba (the province right next to ours), Hernando, Cordoba is the nation's peanut capital. If you ever see a jar of "La Campiña" you should grab it, and a spoon, and go. to. town.

This jar of peanuty goodness inspired me to bake peanut butter cupcakes. And a jar of Nutella inspired the frosting for such. Sometimes, brilliance awaits you in your cupboard. The peanut flavor of the cupcakes is perfect, almost (not quite but almost) overwhelming the Nutella. And they're a bit more dense than a light and fluffy cake. I busted out a spoon to finish one off. I would suggest making these as mini cupcakes - thus having a more equal ratio of peanut to Nutella flavor. Or, making them as smaller cupcakes - I filled about 1/2 - 2/3 full, so this could be reduced.

Another way to boost Nutella flavor, while cutting into the density of the cake, would be to scoop out a bit of the middle and fill with Nutella. Or double the amount of frosting that I made. Whatever your poison. Or cupcake pan size.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes
from Liv Life

1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
42 grams / 3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1/4 cup milk

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt - set aside. Beat brown sugar*, peanut butter, butter, and vanilla until blended (4-5 minutes). Add the egg and egg white, beat until combined. Add the flour mixture in a few additions, alternating with the milk - beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until combined.

Spoon batter into 10-12 muffin cups (I would say to aim for 12). Bake at 180C/350F for 20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

*I used part (about 1/4 c.) white sugar, as I'm quite stingy with my smuggled-in brown sugar

Nutella Frosting
from Good Life eats (I made half of the recipe, as follows)

85 grams / 3 ounces cream cheese (Finlandia), at room temperature
14 grams / 1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup Nutella
1 3/4 - 2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream butter and cream cheese. Add Nutella and vanilla and continue to cream. Slowly incorporate powdered sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat on high until fluffy and smooth.

DIY Napa Valley

2011-02-16T16:09:00.001-03:00

We didn't want to leave California without spending a day, or at least part of a day, in that famous wine country. At first, it seemed like the easiest thing to do would be to go with a tour company. But after reading some questionable reviews and not wanting to be rushed or get bus sick, we decided that we could perhaps handle it ourselves. It seemed overwhelming and logistically impossible but it turned out to be our favorite Cali day.

We rented a car from whichever rental company was open the latest in our SF neighborhood - it ended up costing $38 (including insurance). The car plus gas wasn't even close to the price that tour companies are charging. We drove out of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge.

We used the AAA Wineries Guide Map (Northern California), which lists all of the Sonoma and Napa Valley wineries and provides information on tour times, tasting rooms, and hours. Our strategy was to select a handful of wineries with tasting rooms that did not require us to call ahead for an appointment, as we didn't want to have to stick to an itinerary. I looked up online reviews to narrow our choices. We picked one winery with a set tour time and headed there first.

The route took us through foggy Sonoma County...

...past lovely countryside...

...and finally we arrived at Clos Pegase, a temple of art and wine.

That's Faribolous by Jean Dubuffet up there... and a couple of Robert Morris pieces below.

The place is basically a fantastic outdoor sculpture garden...

...oh, and a vineyard...

...complete with a huge cellar filled with more art and wine. We shared a tasting and took home a bottle of their Reserve Chardonnay.

Since we were in Calistoga, we felt like we had to see the geyser there but it was totally lame-o.

Anyway, we had lunch in downtown Calistoga and then wandered on to our next stop, St. Supery Vineyards and Winery.

Another gorgeous spot with tasty wine. We had fun with their genuine and knowledgeable staff in the tasting room and took home a bottle of Moscato.

Finally, we felt that we should visit one of the big boys before closing time, and we were in the mood for champagne.

We shared a Reserve Tasting at the bar at Domaine Chandon.

And I giggled all the way home.

We packed a lot into one day - we left SF at 9am and were back by 7pm - but were pleasantly surprised that we were able to take a tour and do three tastings, in addition to sightseeing and a leisurely lunch. We're so glad that we DIY-ed it, as we got a great experience for half the price of a tour. We shared all the tastings so that we could still drive. I was also worried about getting too tipsy at the first place (5 wines) and practiced spitting in the bucket. It felt silly at first but another couple stumbled away after their shared tasting, not knowing if they would make it to another winery that day. Therefore, I say there's no shame in spitting! But, I couldn't bring myself to spit champagne and I left Chandon feeling pretty happy (and apparently hungry, I killed an entire bag of Goldfish crackers on the way home).

This is Why I'm Fat

2011-02-03T12:26:00.000-03:00

So, here's the reason (ok, reasons) why I had to go on a diet...

It started innocently enough in the quiet town of Phoenicia in the Catskills. Giant pancakes from Sweet Sue's.

But once we hit San Francisco, it was all downhill from there...

Here's breakfast at Blue Bottle Coffee:

Followed by lunch at City View Dim Sum:

And a stop at Ghirardelli Square for hot chocolate with caramel and sea salt...

...and a Domingo.

Then a delicious beer sampler from 21st Amendment Brewery:

Local/Seasonal brunch at Nopa:

Whoops, I forgot to take photos of our amazing food. Well, here's the bar...

Dinner in the Mission District at Pancho Villa Taqueria, where there is a varied veggie selection but carnitas are a must for meat-eaters.

And, strangely, this is the only photo I took of sourdough from Tartine Bakery, though it took us 3 days to eat the whole loaf.

At some point while in North Beach, I completely lost it and became the salt water taffy monger at Z. Cioccolato.

Luckily, a glass of house wine at Caffe Triste helped me channel my inner beatnik.

And the icing on the cake...is rose flavored at SFMoMA's Rooftop Coffee Bar.

Other favorite eating spots were Cowgirl Creamery and Out the Door (eat the steamed buns), both in the Ferry Market Building. Places that we're sad we didn't get to include Bi-rite Creamery, Dynamo Donuts, R&G Lounge, St. Francis Fountain Diner, Delfina, and Millenium. So, I guess we have to go back.

The recommendations for most of the above came from either David Lebovitz or 101 Cookbooks. And special thanks to Matt for the tip about Sweet Sue's, which will someday appear in his cross-country guide/memoir of the best restaurants ever.

Adventures in Cabbage Soup Dieting

2011-01-26T10:21:00.000-03:00

You know that feeling that you get after the holidays when your clothes are quite snug and you're sure you've probably put on a few pounds but you haven't stepped on a scale so it isn't real? Yeah, me too. And doesn't it totally suck when you actually do get on that scale and it's worse news that you'd thought? Yikes. Then it's time for drastic measures. Enter The Cabbage Soup Diet. Seven days of weird eating strategies supplemented by non-hearty bowls of...you guessed it...cabbage soup.

Day 1 was easy enough, only fruit and your soup. Day 2, however, was harder on me - only veggies and soup, no fruit - which meant that my sweet tooth was killing me. An allowed baked potato saved the day. Here it is along with some curried veggies:

Curried Roasted Vegetables

3-4 cups of cubed vegetables - I used onion, garlic, red pepper, carrot, broccoli, eggplant, zapallito, and about a quarter of a calabaza
Drizzle of olive oil
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
salt and pepper

Toss all ingredients in a bowl until veggies are coated with spices. Spread out veggies in one layer on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Roast in a hot oven (400F, 205C) for 15 minutes covered with tinfoil and an additional 15 minutes without foil, or until cooked to your preference. Turn every 10 minutes for evenness and to prevent sticking.

Day 3 was a piece of cake - fruits, veggies, and soup. And I should note that we didn't make the cabbage soup recipe, we actually made our own version. It included cabbage but not really any seasonings - just veggies simmered with nothing but water, salt, and pepper for about half an hour.

Day 4, however, was not. Bananas and skim milk day. Oh, the humanity. But we made a feast of it. First, banana milkshakes: Combine a banana with about a cup of cold skim milk and a few ice cubes in a food processor until well blended. Add a few drops of vanilla or almond extract for great flavor.

Banana "Ice Cream"

Bananas
Lemon juice

That's it! That's all of the ingredients. Slice the bananas, brush with or dip in lemon juice. Freeze the slices in one layer for a couple of hours. Blend in a food processor, scraping the sides as needed, until the slices get creamy...like ice cream! Add a touch of skim milk if you're having trouble blending.

I'll make this "ice cream" again along with a dollop of peanut butter of dulce de leche blended in. It's amazing how close the texture is to actual ice cream.

Days 5 and 6 permitted the eating of beef or chicken. And for me that meant tofu. I experimented with 2 cooking styles. Both began by cutting a block of tofu into 1cm thick slices and pressing between two dish towels for 30 minutes - I stacked a couple of Harry Potter books on top of a cutting board covering the towels. This process is to soak up the water so that the tofu will hold onto a marinade.

The first method called for dry frying the tofu before marinading.

Tofu Marinade (for half of a block of tofu)

1 onion, chopped
1 big clove of garlic, chopped
2 T. soy sauce
shake of tamarind sauce
1 T. lemon juice
pinch of red pepper flakes
pinch of dry mustard powder
pinch of ginger powder
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of vegetable powder

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, add dry fried tofu, add enough water to cover the tofu. Marinade for 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Saute tofu in the marinade until most of the liquid evaporates. Add any additional vegetables if you like. I added tomatoes (added for the last 5 minutes of sauteing) for day 5...

...and carrots and broccoli for day 6. I also added black and white sesame seeds, though these weren't part of the diet plan. (I also ate vegan chocolate on a few of the days...a girl's gotta break some rules.)

The second tofu-cooking method I tried was for baked tofu. This goes into the marinade right after pressing. I tried a lighter, curry powder based marinade with mint but the flavor either wasn't as strong as the soy sauce based marinade or I didn't let it sit long enough. So, that recipe is going to take some experimenting.

After marinading, bake the tofu (flipping every 20 minutes) on a lightly oiled baking sheet for 45 minutes to an hour at 180C, 350F. This gave it a great texture but because the flavor was so subtle, I went ahead and sauteed the baked tofu in the marinade and added a tomato.

Day 7 - the home stretch - incorporated vegetables and brown rice. I had been reluctant to eat an avocado all week due to it's high (good) fat content but tossed one with a couple of tomatoes, a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds for a salad on the last day.

Of course, I took some liberties with the diet foods (it's not like there are cooking instructions) and I still had a small cup of coffee with milk and sugar for breakfast each day to keep my sanity. In the end I lost nearly 2 kilos but, most importantly, I found new and different ways to eat healthy foods. I will say that this diet can screw with your system, so watch out for weirdness and be careful. The great thing is that I'm satisfied with smaller portions and I don't have crazy cravings now. It's kind of like someone hit my reset button and I can appreciate food and drinks in moderation again. Also, my jeans don't muffin-top me so much. Awesome.

Argentine Gifts - Drink Edition

2010-12-14T19:43:00.000-03:00

I'm running out of time but wanted to mention a few other uniquely Argentine gifts. If you've ever been to Argentina you probably recognize the bottle of Fernet Branca above. This tiny version was found at a wine store and will be much easier to lug home than a full bottle but it still gives the recipient the full Argentine experience. Read more about Fernet here.

If you want to give a mate to someone who won't actually drink it, how about a keychain from Raices instead?

And finally, I've mentioned Inti Zen tea before, but it's worth a reminder. The variety box gives you 8 blends including yerba mate and dulce de leche. Happy Holidays from Argentina!

The Passion of The Soap

2010-12-09T19:20:00.000-03:00

Before you rush home for Christmas/New Year/Whatnot you'll have to pick up some souvenirs from your beloved Argentina. Dulce de leche and Malbec are soooo overdone. I thought I would dedicate a few posts to Argentine souvenirs.

I really love the soap from La Pasionaria (and no, they're not paying me to say so...though they should since I buy so much of it). And, they have several Argentine-themed soaps - perfect souvenirs!

Here's one from the Patriotic Scents line (which includes the three flowers considered in the contest for the national flower). The orange one (pictured below) is not the winner but is my favorite and is actually la passionaria.

And instead of taking home a tub of dulce de leche (which you can actually buy in the states), you can take an easy-to-pack bar of dulce de leche scented soap, which is oh so much easier for packing.

And in case you want to pass along Argentina's signature drink but don't want to have to smuggle all the gear and a package of yerba home, here's Yerba Mate soap! (Look - it even explains what it is in English on the package).

Wow, it seems that I have confessed my love for this exclusively Argentine brand but I couldn't help but get carried away - the soaps were just so photogenic. The shops are in various locations around the country and there are several in Rosario including a kiosk in both malls. Most soaps are sold in sets of three in addition in individual bars. There's a three-pack of red wine scents too. ¡Salud!

Permanent Residency Obtained

2010-12-01T11:32:00.000-03:00

(FYI-You need a copy of the signed page in this book to apply for residency based on marriage)

We celebrated our one year wedding anniversary last week. Weeee! And yet, I still hadn't gotten notice from the immigration office regarding my residency. As a reminder, I've had to renew my temporary version of permanent residency every three months since we submitted all required information to immigration right after our wedding.

As a heads up to anyone who has to go to the immigration office in Rosario - they've decided that they will just give out a finite amount of numbers each day so you can't just go during open hours and expect to be helped. They were out of numbers before 11am yesterday.

So, here's something that they don't tell you: You can check the status of your residency application here - click Consulte Su Trámite de Residencia. This is how we learned that my permanent residency had come through and my papers were ready to be picked up as of November 1. However, the immigration office had told us to wait for a notice to come in the mail. Don't do that. It's December 1 and I haven't received a notice. Just go get your stuff. So, now I have some more papers (that don't even have my photo stapled to them this time), which allow me to apply for a DNI.

So, previously I had thought that a DNI was required for me to apply for an American residency visa on behalf of my spouse. However, after communication with the US embassy in Buenos Aires, it seems that an established residency (so, Residencia Precaria in my case) is sufficient. Then what could possibly be the benefit of applying for a DNI at this point? Well, I suppose that I'll be able to get a credit card from the grocery store now. Hmmmm. Question: is having a DNI overrated???

Scenes from el Circuito

2010-11-23T17:48:00.000-03:00

I suppose if I'm gonna eat like a champ, I need to exercise like one too. Luckily, the city of Rosario has come up with a brilliant initiative for recreation: Cambiá el aire! Calle Recerativa.

On Sundays from 8am to 1pm 13km of streets are closed to traffic so that bikers, skaters, runners and walkers can enjoy without fear of getting run down by cars. Yay! I don't have to be afraid anymore :)

Peas 'n Carrots Masala

2010-11-17T10:26:00.000-03:00

I will not pretend that I know anything about Indian food, aside from the fact that I like it and cannot buy it here. I also didn't know the difference between curry powder and garam masala but I decided that I wanted to try a masala recipe so I watched this video and made my own.

Garam Masala

2 T. cumin seed (semillas de comino)
2 T. coriander seed (semillas de cilantro)
2 T. black peppercorns (grandos de pimienta negra)
1 T. cardamom pods (cardamomo)
1 cinnamon stick (canela en rama)
4 bay leaves (hoja de laurel)
1 t. whole cloves (clavos)

Toast all spices except bay leaves in a pan over medium heat - tossing continuously - for about 3 minutes. Let cool. Grind all ingredients together (including bay leaves).

My notes: All ingredients are available at dieteticas in Rosario, but I used already ground cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon). I didn't want to aromatize my coffee grinder so I used an emulsion blender with good enough results - I had to sift out some seed shells that wouldn't grind. The scent of garam masala is way different than curry powder (which is available at Safyta and other spots around town).

Forrest and Jenny's Masala
adapted from En Samayal Pakkam

2 1/2 cups fresh shelled peas and carrots, diced
1 small or medium onion
1" ginger (jengibre)
3 garlic cloves
1 t. fennel seeds (hinojo)
1/2 t. cumin (comino)
1/4 t. coriander seeds (cilantro)
handful of fresh cilantro leaves (I didn't have any)
2 or 3 mint leaves
1 green chili (or substitute cayenne pepper to taste - I used 1/4 teaspoon)
2 T. oil (I used sunflower)
1 big tomato, finely chopped
1/2 t. turmeric (cúrcuma)
1/4 t. chili powder
1/2 t. garam masala
salt to taste
1 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream or plain yogurt

Steam peas and carrots with some salt until soft - to your desired tenderness (5 minutes for me), set aside. Blend together everything from onion to green chili into a paste - I used an emersion blender but it left some chunks so I would suggest a food processor. Fry paste in oil 'until the raw smell goes away' - about 5 minutes. The recipe didn't list amount or type of oil so I used 2 T. sunflower oil.

Then add chopped tomatoes and turmeric, chili powder and garam masala. Saute for 5 minutes until the tomatoes are mushed up and oil spots appear on top.

Add water (more if needed) and bring to a boil. Add vegetables and bring to a boil. Taste for seasoning, add salt and other spices to taste. Give the gravy a minute to cook down a bit, then remove from heat and stir in cream.

I served over white rice. Yes, that's my impatient shadow looming over this dish. Clearly, I was very hungry. Between the ginger, pepper, cayenne, and chili powder it's a spicy dish but the level of heat can be easily dialed up or down according to your tastes.

Quinoa Is Good For You!

2010-10-20T16:14:00.003-03:00

Being a superfood, quinoa is totally good for you. The tricky part is getting it clean - I have to pick it over for rocks and other random debris, then soak it for a few minutes (skimming off any floaters), and rinse in a wire mesh colander. I also give it a bit of a scrub between my hands while soaking to get rid of any clinging saponin.

Double Broccoli Quinoa

adapted from 101 Cookbooks

3/4 cup quinoa, cleaned
3 cups broccoli, cut into small florets and steamed
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
1/4 cup parmesan
salt
juice of half a lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons heavy cream

After cleaning quinoa, bring to a boil with 1 1/2 cups water and a big pinch of salt, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes - it's done when you can see the curlicues. To make the broccoli pesto, puree 1 1/2 cups steamed broccoli with nuts, parmesan, salt, and lemon juice in a food processor. Drizzle in the olive oil and cream and pulse until smooth. Toss pesto and quinoa with the remaining florets. Add extra salt, lemon juice, or parmesan, as you prefer. I added a few dashes of Al Wok seasoning (brand is Indo Deli), which includes garlic, coriander, ginger, onion, and basil.

Quinoa with Black Beans

adapted from All Recipes

1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
splash of olive oil
1/2 cup quinoa, cleaned
1 cup vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
dash of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup corn kernels
1 1/2-2 cups cooked black beans
handful of chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic and saute until lightly browned - about 6 minutes. Add quinoa and cover with stock. Season with cumin, cayenne, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in corn (if using frozen, simmer until heated through), beans and herb. Then, pat yourself on the back for making such a healthy meal and reward yourself with dessert.

¡La Fabrica del Taco!

2010-10-15T20:15:00.005-03:00

Found: Amazing tacos just a short 3-hour* drive from my house to Palermo Viejo.

*Assuming there are no protests being held between here and there

La Fabrica del Taco serves by far the best Mexican food that I've tried in Argentina. The decor is Mexican kitsch and the lighting is jaundice yellow...it just adds to the charm. Sure, I could spy on our table through a small keyhole from a stall in the ladies' room. So what? Better to keep an eye on all that guacamole.

And the drinks are refreshing - we tried la limonada and la michelada. Reasonably priced considering the neighborhood: Guacamole with nachos and salsa (which included mango among its delicious ingredients) was AR$21.

Mild, medium, and hot sauces are free...guess which are which:

Cheeky, aren't they? Tacos are on the small side - I had a vegetarian taco with cheese ($15) and Guille had two of these multiple-meat tacos ($13 ea) that came with a fresh slice of pineapple.

Road trip, anyone? ¡Andale Andale Arríba Arríba!

Ree's Petite Vanilla Bean Scones

2010-10-12T15:05:00.002-03:00

This recipe is delicious, in every way. I only wish that I had a bigger house so I could invite everyone over to share them. That's the problem with a tiny apartment - no room for entertaining. So, I ended up eating way too many of these tiny scones. And I'd rolled the dough out too thin so I had more than 24. Yikes.

Keep in mind that this recipe takes some time - the scones will need about 30 minutes to cool completely (and if you're working in batches like I had to, this time will be extended) and the glaze needs nearly an hour to set. Plus, if your vanilla bean is encased in a glass tube you'll need extra time to shriek about it.

I bought the one above at La Defensa, but I found them cheaper and in easier-to-open packaging at Rey de Copas (Rioja 1629).

Petite Vanilla Bean Scones

from The Pioneer Woman

Scones

3 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
5 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
226 grams (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled
1 large egg
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 vanilla beans (I only used one, so I added a teaspoon of vanilla extract)

Glaze

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup whole milk (I used 2%)
1 vanilla bean
dash of salt

Scones

Split two (I used one) vanilla beans down the middle lengthwise and scrape out the beans. Stir into cream. Set aside for 15 minutes (you can throw the rest of the scraped bean in the cream for additional flavor, but remove before using cream).

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut cold butter into pats, then use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles crumbs.

Mix vanilla cream with egg, then combine with flour mixture; stir gently with a fork just until it comes together. Turn dough onto a floured surface and lightly press it together until it forms a rough rectangle (mixture will be crumbly). Use a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick. Use a knife to trim into a symmetrical rectangle (but save and bake the scraps for your husband to eat), then cut the rectangle into 12 symmetrical squares/rectangles. Next, cut each square in half diagonally to form two triangles.

Transfer to a parchment lined or non-stick cookie sheet and bake at 180C (350F) for 18 minutes, removing just before they start to turn golden. Allow to cool completely before adding glaze.

Glaze

Split one vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the beans. Stir into milk and allow to sit for a while. Whisk powdered sugar with the vanilla milk until smooth. One at a time, dunk each scone into the glaze, turn over to coat the entire scone, remove and allow the excess glaze to drip back into bowl. Place on a cooling rack to set - takes about an hour.

Then, figure out how to fit more people into a studio apartment.

Overnight (or not) Cinnamon Rolls

2010-10-04T15:31:00.012-03:00

There is a secret family recipe for my great-grandfather's famous cinnamon rolls but I am not privy to that information so I tried this recipe and was simply amazed. Amazed, I tell you!

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

from Alton Brown

Dough:

4 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 large whole egg, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
6 Tablespoons (85 grams) butter, melted
3/4 cup buttermilk
4 cups AP flour, plus additional for dusting
2 1/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
oil or cooking spray

Filling:

1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
pinch salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons (21 grams) butter, melted

Icing:

2 1/2 ounces (1/4 cup) cream cheese, softened
3 Tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

See Alton's recipe if you are so fortunate as to have a stand mixer (not that I'm bitter or anything). Otherwise, using a hand mixer, combine egg yolks, egg, sugar, butter, and buttermilk. Add about 2 cups of flour along with the yeast and salt. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface and knead by hand for 15-20 minutes kneading in all but 3/4 c. flour and adding more as necessary - dough should be soft and moist but not too sticky. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, lightly oil the top of the dough, cover and let double in volume 2 to 2.5 hours.

Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and salt; mix until well incorporated. Set aside.

Butter 9x13-inch baking dish. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface.

Gently shape dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Roll into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle. Brush dough with melted butter, leaving 1/2 inch border along the top edge.

Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving 3/4 border along top edge (I left one all around but will remember not to next time); gently press filling into dough.

Beginning with the long side nearest you, roll dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness.

Using a serrated knife, slice into 1.5-inch rolls; yielding 12 rolls. Arrange cut side down in the baking dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator *overnight or up to 16 hours.

*I didn't have all night, so I covered with plastic wrap and left out at room temperature for 30 minutes. Remove rolls from refrigerator (or not) and place in an oven that is turned off. I ended up flipping over the end pieces so that the cut side faced up (opposite of the way they are shown in the picture below) and the gooey goodness would be less likely to ooze out of the roll).

Fill a shallow pan 2/3 full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; about 30 minutes (see pic below). Remove rolls and shallow pan of water from the oven. Cover rolls lightly with plastic wrap or damp towel. Preheat oven to 180C (350F).

When oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown. 25 minutes was enough for me. Keep an eye on them - some commenters that baked for 30 minutes said they were too dry. I misted the rolls with water while still in the oven at about 15 minutes into the cooking time.

While the rolls are cooling slightly, make the icing by mixing cream cheese (with hand mixer, if that's what you've got) until creamy. Add milk and combine. Sift in powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Spread over the rolls and serve immediately.

Easy Peasy & Asparagus Pasta

2010-09-28T18:22:00.005-03:00

This blogger has now gone where she had never gone before - the land of meat. Well, I didn't really go there but I looked up recipes for Guille, went shopping for prosciutto, and told him how to incorporate it into the recipe. So, I didn't actually touch it but I did cook next to it. Yeah, marriage!

Spring just arrived and brought along some lovely English peas and asparagus.

While my vegetarian version of this pasta was delicious, I'm sure that the prosciutto added an extra level of flavor that many others can appreciate.

Pea & Asparagus Pasta (Prosciutto optional)

Adapted from yumsugar

1 c. shelled fresh peas
1 bunch of asparagus (or 3/4 pound), cut on the diagonal into 2 cm pieces
2 1/2 cups dry bow-tie pasta
1 T. (15 g.) butter
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
About 180 g. prosciutto, cut into ribbons (optional)
1 small onion (can use green onion or shallot)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Big pinch of salt (not much needed if using prosciutto)
Pinch of black pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine (substitute with stock if you don't have any on hand)
1/4 cup vegetable stock
1/3 cup whipping cream
1-2 T. lemon juice (optional)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the chopped asparagus. After 2 minutes, add the peas. Cook another 2-4 minutes - until the veggies reach your desired texture - they should be tender but still have some pop. Remove veggies using a slotted spoon and immediately place in a bowl of ice water to shock. Return the veggie water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente, reserve pasta water.

Meanwhile, in a separate pan (or 2 pans if you're making 2 versions), melt butter and oil over medium heat. If using prosciutto, add now and cook for 2 minutes. Add onion and garlic and saute until tender (5-8 minutes), add salt and pepper. If using wine, add and turn up heat to medium-high for 3 minutes, then reduce heat back to medium. Add stock, cream, peas, asparagus, parsley, and optional lemon juice (Gui did not want lemon added to his version). Toss to coat and add additional salt and/or pepper, if needed.

Add in the pasta and toss to coat. If needed, add as much pasta water as you like. Stir in parmesan cheese. Here are both of our pots - we split the recipe to make half in each (that's about 90 g. of prosciutto in Gui's pan):

Both of us ended up with leftovers - yum! If you're making the veggie version, I would add either wine or lemon juice (along with a little lemon zest) for flavor, as using just stock and cream will leave the flavor a little flat. The butter (double the oil) and cream (replace with stock or pasta water) can be left out for a healthier dish.

Since we used the same recipe to make 2 versions, all we needed was one extra pan to each get what we wanted. It seems there's room in the kitchen for both of our styles.

Sleeping in Barcelona

2010-09-23T19:07:00.007-03:00

Room Mate Emma is a lovely, moderately priced hotel that provided the perfect refuge in Barcelona. Located in the upscale Eixample district about 3 blocks from the subway and Passeig de Gracia (Casa Mila) and 2 blocks from Las Ramblas, it's an amazing value. Plus, it's modern with fresh design and ambiance (lighting and surround-sound music channels in each room).

Even the shower has style! That said, the bathroom doors are glass so its kind of an intimate space. Being a standard room, we didn't have a view, but we also didn't mind since we nearly slept through most of our first day (jet lag, ugh) and the lighting can be adjusted to fit your mood. As is common in Europe, our double room didn't have a double bed but 2 smaller ones pushed together (which temporarily solved our nightly sheet fight). It seems that they do have rooms with a double bed and they told us to check the next day to see if one was available but the next day we heard them giving that speech to another couple - so if you really want one I suppose you'll need to request in advance. Still, we were just so glad to be able to check-in at 9am!

We didn't have breakfast here, but there are many nearby cafes. Oh, and there are free apples in the lobby! Score! (I'm talking about edible apples, not a Mac - instead there's a PC in the lobby for free internet access - but we got an excellent wifi signal in our room.) Everyone has an opinion on hotel stays so check the reviews on TripAdvisor to see if it would fit your travel style. And if you book far enough in advance, it can cost under €100 per night. No, they're not paying me to write this post - we genuinely enjoyed our stay.

Eating & Drinking in Barcelona

2010-09-15T11:34:00.007-03:00

A few highlights of Barcelona eats...

Chorizos Artesanales with caramelized onions and fried plantains with lime and coriander mayo at El Atril in El Born.

Pimientos de Padron (salted fried green peppers) at Cervesería Catalan along with a caña (draft beer) and a rosé...yes, I know it's a beer house (and a rather fancy one) but I was saving that for Bruges.

An assortment of tapas also at Cervesería Catalan, which was easily our favorite restaurant and we weren't the only ones who thought so... 30 minute wait even though we went late (after 11pm). Totally worth it. This is only a percentage of the tapas we tried here - the best part is that fresh food just kept coming throughout the 'meal'. Below: grilled sausage with caramelized onions, jamon crudo mondadito, peanut battered cheese croquette with raspberry sauce, grilled shrimp.

Patatas with alioli (garlic sauce - yikes, that flavor will follow you around the entire day) at QuQu (a little overrated).

Obviously, we needed something to wash it all down...

Una clara (beer and fizzy lemonade) at Drac Café outside the natural science museum in Parc Ciutadella. Great for a mid-morning snack (hummus, nachos, etc) and a shady place to sit and get spritzed by hydro-fans.

Sangria from Atril...goes down easy

And we just couldn't resist the novelty of icebarcelona, which is basically just a large freezer modeled to look like an igloo night club.

For 15 euro you get coats, gloves, and a drink in ice glasses.

Of course, these are just a few tastes of the city. There are still Spanish wines and cava to try, along with the multitude of tapas this city has to offer. Plus there's paella and tortilla and gazpacho...oh my! El Born is a great neighborhood for tapas bars and restaurants...everything from € (where bars compete for offering the cheapest mojito) to €€€€ (where I haven't been because 4 euro signs are just too much). Tapas bar hopping is totally acceptable and can be easily affordable, especially since many places will give you a free tapa with your drink anyway. As I've mentioned, TimeOut is an excellent resource for finding trendy places to eat & drink. ¡Salud!

Honeymoon Tour - Travel Planning

2010-08-30T10:53:00.009-03:00

It all happened so fast - we planned (briefly), we went, and now we're back. How did we end up in Europe without much warning? Well, you know that scene from When Harry Met Sally in which Sally is talking about her failed relationship with Joe of which the highlight was the fact that they didn't have kids and could fly off to Rome at a moment's notice? Sally and Joe never went to Rome - never took advantage of their freedom. Well, we did. Not to Rome, however, but to Barcelona, Paris, Bruges, the Canary Islands and Madrid.

For 8 months, we let anything and everything get in the way of our honeymoon - weather, exams, work, etc. We considered going to an all-inclusive tropical getaway that required little planning but, in the end, we really wanted to see the world while we're free to do so (that is, before we get a puppy). And so we picked a date to leave that was less than 4 weeks away, with the intention of going to Barcelona, Paris, and Bruges. But since we were flying all the way to Europe we couldn't miss the opportunity to visit our nephew and family in Gran Cararia. And the best flight deal we could find was in and out of Madrid - so we extended our layover there to get a few days in. Thus, we ended up with a random assortment of cities and circled our way around the continent.

Gare du Nord, Paris

Our trip did not leave a light carbon footprint but we hadn't left Argentina for nearly 2 years, so I figure we saved up for it! We took 6 planes including our trans-continental flights, connections, and 2 low-cost carriers (Vueling and Ryanair). We took a Thalys train to Bruges and also from Bruges to Charleroi airport. We stayed in 3 hotels and 2 B&Bs. Our planning was mostly focused on these travel/lodging logistics for the first few weeks. A key goal was to carry our luggage onto the flights, so as not to waste time (and money!) with checked baggage and to also avoid dragging a huge suitcase on and off of public transportation in strange foreign lands. So we each took a suitcase that conformed to the airlines' size requirements for cabin luggage - Ryanair's is a thin 20 cm for width. The tricky part was keeping them each under 10 kilos - we had to start lighter since we knew we would be picking up a few things on the road. Ryanair was the only airline to actually weigh every cabin bag (Guille's was a little over at that point but mine was under so they let us slide...whew). Thankfully, we didn't have to start layering clothing and filling our pockets to lessen the weight of our bags like several other travelers did.

Our luggage on Ryanair

Of the multitude of guides that we searched through, we relied on TripAdvisor for hotel reviews (though I don't recommend it for restaurants - a lot of travelers seem to prefer the Hard Rock Cafe over local eateries), TimeOut and Lonely Planet online guides for restaurants/things to do, and DK Eyewitness Guides (Top 10) for carrying around on our iPods - but these were better for sightseeing than restaurant/bar/club tips. Lonely Planet has a mapping feature that would be great if you have time to plan your entire trip in advance and have continuous mobile internet access (or want to carry around print-outs), but is less helpful as an on-the-go tool. Still, I made a few maps because it let me visualize where I was going and then help me find interesting spots in those areas. Lonely Planet is good for finding hotels but not so much for user reviews. I also used Google Maps to visualize cities in order to plan for transportation vs. walking but, again, you can't create a map and then access it on your iPhone so you'll have to carry print-outs. TimeOut provided current info on both trendy and traditional spots, but you'll need an Internet connection to read through it and will have to look up directions elsewhere.

HopStop is an absolute must for getting around NYC but I found that the Paris version to be as stand-offish as a Parisian waiter. It was really picky about addresses and didn't recognize 'places of interest' such as Notre Dame and the airport. We used the free MetrO iPhone app instead for directions on public transportation - once you download the maps they're accessible offline.

Trying to be tech-saavy, I used TripIt, an iPhone app that lets you forward your confirmation emails and automatically populates your trip with flight and hotel information, along with maps and weather. It worked for about half of our plans and the other I typed in. It was a great place to track the important stuff and could have been more useful for directions if we would have had time to plan out all locations we wanted to visit and add the addresses to TripIt. Still, a girl needs a little spontaneity. You can use the TripIt Google map or the Google maps app on iPhones (easy to add bookmarks) and use these as offline maps/directions but you need to zoom in on each part of the city that you want to see and also read through all the steps for directions while connected to the Internet first. This is super helpful for getting yourself around town, especially when used together with GPS to find where you're at on the map.

Pardon My French

2010-08-26T19:14:00.004-03:00

Excuse me, I've been away. Recaps to follow!

Orange Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

2010-07-13T17:55:00.004-03:00

This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten by way of Smitten Kitchen, who provides a list of suggested variations on Lemon Yogurt Anything Cake. I decided on an orange/blueberry combination, using frozen berries. I was really afraid that these berries would sink since they were so wet after thawing - I let them sit in a sieve to thaw/drain for an hour then spread them out on paper towel for a while. I've changed the recipe to include only half of the amount of vegetable oil, since it really wasn't necessary and next time I might just leave it out and sub extra yogurt.

Orange Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

1 1/2 c. + 1 T. flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (a 500 g. container didn't quite have enough so I tossed in a spoonful of vanilla yogurt also)
3 eggs
2 t. grated orange zest (I went a little over this using 2 oranges)
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 1/2 c. blueberries
1/3 c. freshly squeezed orange juice

Glaze

1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 T. freshly squeezed orange juice

Grease and flour a loaf plan, lining the bottom with parchment paper. Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk together yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, orange zest, and oil. Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Toss the blueberries with the remaining 1 T flour (I used 1.5 T for my frozen, wet berries and mixed in a dry bowl instead of letting any flour touch wet paper towel). Gently, but quickly, fold berries into batter and pour immediately into prepared pan.

Bake for about 50 (+) minutes or until a cake tester placed in the center comes out clean. Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup orange juice and remaining 1 T. sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves. Set aside. Allow loaf to cook in the pan for 10-15 minutes before flipping out onto a cooling rack. Place rack over a sheet pan. While loaf is still warm, use a toothpick to poke holes all around, then pour the orange-sugar mixture over the top and allow it to soak in.

Combine powdered sugar and orange juice to make the glaze (the amount I used is half of what Ina's recipe calls for, but it was plenty). Pour glaze over cooled loaf. My berries may have clustered a little but they didn't sink...success!

Gooey S'mores Brownies

2010-07-05T15:29:00.006-03:00

Yes, I've been reading Joy the Baker's blog again. Back at it with the brownie thing. This time, I wanted to use up the rest of the s'mores supplies that my family brought down from the US. I haven't seen marshmallows or graham crackers anywhere in Argentina so you may have to do some importing for this recipe. After reading through the comments for S'mores Brownies, I decided to go with a more fudgy batter, but I thought the mallow placement and incorporation of graham crackers was genius. So I combined these elements with this batter. I really wanted them to be reminiscent of s'mores, so I used pieces of Hershey's chocolate for an authentic flavor. I also wanted a more gooey marshmallow so I didn't add them until 15 minutes into cooking time.

I'm so in love with these brownies. They're very similar to the taste of a s'more combined with everything you love about brownies. These are my favorite.

Gooey S'mores Brownies

1 1/3 c. flour (plus another 2 T. if using Argentine flour)
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
150 g. butter
3/4 c. cocoa powder
2 T. strong coffee
1 2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla extract
1 c. graham cracker, broken into pieces
1 Hershey's chocolate bar, broken into small pieces
12 marshmallows

Butter and flour a baking dish - the baking time for this recipe is based on using an 8x12 glass pan - if you use 9x13, you will want to decrease baking time by possibly 10 minutes. (Note that Joy's recipe is for 18-25 minutes.) Preheat oven to 350.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt - set aside. Combine butter and cocoa powder in a double boiler, add coffee and stir to melt ingredients - set aside to cool slightly. Whisk together eggs and sugar, add vanilla. Slowly add chocolate mixture to sugar mixture. Add flour mixture and stir to combine. Fold in the graham crackers.

Pour batter into prepared pan and top with chocolate pieces. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from oven and quickly place the marshmallows on top of the batter (don't worry if it seems not to stick - don't push them in too hard). Put brownies back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes. (Adjust time if using a larger or metal pan).

Allow to cool for 20 minutes, cut into 12 squares, then I recommend eating immediately while still warm.

Rosario's Own Wee Britain! (kind of)

2010-06-29T18:23:00.005-03:00

Once upon a time, the English came to Rosario to build and operate a railroad. And while they were at it, they built a tiny village within 2 oddly shaped blocks. Strangely, I didn't even notice it until recently - it's next to Shopping Alto and and Parque Scalabrini Ortiz. I'm not telling you this because I want you to go there, though - it's not a tourist attraction. It's referred to as Barrio Ingles - Batten Cottage (or what's left of it). It seems like an ironic cross between a Disney village and a ghetto.

La Capital did a short article on it 2 years ago, when it was around 120 years old. From what I can tell, Peron nationalized the railways in 1948 so the Brits have been gone for a while. It seems that it's now controlled (or not) by a federal agency - ONABE - which is something like a department of public assets, among other things. According to the article, some residents are paying 120 pesos a month to become eventual owners. Who knows how long that takes, or how someone gets in on that deal. But it's obvious that some residents sincerely care about the upkeep and preservation of their 'houses' and others are likely on government support. One neighbor admits that Batten Cottage lacks unity among residents and others complain about the lack of municipal support. Clearly, community block associations aren't a thing in Argentina. But the fact that it's under the auspices of the Argentine government pretty much explains what's going on here.

Here's a crappy part...

Yeah, that's a horse pulling a garbage cart - belonging to the people who dumpster dive.

And here's a lovely part...

So whether you're looking for a place to park your garbage horse or a picket fence, Wee Britain has it all!

Garden Vegetable Soup

2010-06-22T11:31:00.007-03:00

It's been unseasonably warm lately (considering its the Northern Hemisphere's equivalent of December) and along with the unseasonable weather came some unseasonable veggies, perfect for making Alton Brown's Garden Vegetable Soup. I made roughly half of the following recipe:

4 T. olive oil
2 c. chopped leeks, white part only (from approximately 3 medium leeks)
2 T. finely minced garlic
Kosher salt
2 c. carrots, peeled and chopped (approximately 2 medium)
2 c. diced potatoes
2 c. green beans, cut
2 quarts (8 c.) vegetable broth (which you can make with the green parts of the leeks)
4 c. peeled seeded and chopped tomatoes (approximately 6 medium tomatoes)
2 ears corn, kernels removed (about 1.5 cups)
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
*1 T. tomato paste
1/4 c. chopped parsley
1-2 t. lemon juice

Heat the olive oil in large, heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the leeks, garlic, and a pinch of salt and sweat until they begin to soften, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, and green beans and continue to cook for 4 to 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the tomatoes, corn kernels, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the vegetables are fork tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and add the parsley and lemon juice. Season, to taste, with kosher salt. Serve immediately.

*I added tomato paste for flavor since our winter tomatoes weren't exactly ripe and juicy.

I also didn't have any lemon to squeeze on top but added a little shredded parmesan.

Wedding Favors

2010-05-28T17:17:00.007-03:00

Oh right, the wedding. I never got around to doing as many wedding re-caps as I'd thought about but, honestly, when it was over I was pretty burnt out and couldn't bring myself to talk about all of those carefully planned details. But it's been just over 6 months now (how long is one considered a newlywed?) and we were reminiscing the other night with some new friends, trying to explain the favors we gave out to our guests. So, dear friends, here are some photos of our personalized M&Ms, complete with our faces, names, and wedding date.

Of course they were totally cheesy and our faces were a little distorted (Guille's head is super huge in one of the pics) but that just made it even more fun and lighthearted. Plus, M&Ms are kind of gourmet here (being an import) so it was fun to add an American element to the wedding. We ordered them online (uploaded 2 photos) and had my family bring them down. We didn't have wedding colors so we just got silver, gold, and pearl. Oh, and they tasted great.

So, it's been over 6 months and I still don't have permanent residency. I had to go back to immigration and pay (at the bank) another 10 pesos to renew my temporary status AGAIN. There's an additional delay because an E was left off of my name on the Interpol records. And of course we had to fight about it because those immigration workers obviously don't want to be working. The last time I had to go in to provide something they lost, they said that everything was ok. So we were like, why didn't you tell us then?! And the dude helping us actually said, well there are a bunch of people working here it's not my problem. Really, dude? It seems like you all have on the same shirt. You all are suppose to be working together to finish things. Oh, but I forgot that I'm in Argentina and there is no final authority or anyone willing to take responsibility. Sit back, drink your mate, and get paid.

I wasn't the only pissed off immigrant that day. Another guy started yelling about how his worker was so mean and unconcerned, and made him feel so bad about himself. Why was that necessary? He yelled that someone should blow up the place. Did security detain him? HA! What security? The workers laughed.

Veggie Corn Chowder (and a national holiday)

2010-05-25T16:32:00.006-03:00

Today's a big day for Argentina - not only are we celebrating the yearly revolution day but today is the country's bicentennial. To me, this equates to even more food and fireworks. Weeee! It's traditional to eat stew today, locro in particular. But Guille's mom is out of town and I'm not going to attempt a family dish (but Katie does a good job here). So I spent all day in the kitchen yesterday working on my soup repertoire.

Corn Chowder

2 T. butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T. flour
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 carrot, shredded
1/2 t. thyme
1 can creamed corn
2 c. corn (I used frozen)
1-2 c. vegetable stock
1 c. milk
1/3 c. cream
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
black pepper and salt to taste

Saute onion and garlic in butter, when they start to soften whisk in flour, stirring constantly for a minute. Add in pepper and carrot (Add 1 T. EVOO if it's too stiff). It will be pasty but allow to cook for a few minutes. Season with thyme and a shake of salt. Add one cup veggie stock and simmer until veggies are soft. Add creamed corn, milk, and cream. Bring to a boil and add potato and corn - drop heat to a simmer, add salt and a good amount of black pepper to your taste and cook until potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes), adding stock if necessary to thin stew to your preference. You can re-heat this on the stove top with 1/4 c. milk or stock.

Throw in some empanadas! These are from Safyta (Dorrego, entre Mendoza y San Juan) and, yes, that's a little powdered sugar sprinkled on top of humita empanadas. Super delicious.

Here's the chowder and chili on a plate - yep, these are pretty thick. Happy 200!

Amelie Petit Cafe

2010-05-22T17:17:00.004-03:00

Here's a glimpse into an adorable cafe in my favorite part of town...

Desayuno is AR 7.50

San Lorenzo 734 (the block where the street begins) across the street from Museo Estevez.

Chili sin Carne

2010-05-19T15:14:00.009-03:00

It's been chilly out and I needed something to warm me to my bones - something with spice! This recipe uses a packaged blend of finely chopped dried chilies and other spices that I found at Falabella (Narda Lepes, no 2 HOT) in place of chili powder - only because I couldn't find anything close enough in powder form. The same amount of chili powder can be substituted. The other spices include oregano and cayenne pepper (among other stuff) so I'd toss a little of that in too. I also used dried beans but you could use one can of each - black and kidney beans, drained.

I used fresh tomatoes, peeled and crushed, because I read that canned tomatoes are actually somewhat toxic due to BPA. To easily peel tomatoes, cut an X into the bottom and drop into boiling water for about 15 seconds. Remove and, using a fork and knife, immediately peel skin off. It should almost fall off in 4 pieces. Cut out the core, chop up and smush a little with a fork. Let these rest in a bowl for a little while before adding to chili - they'll get a little juicy.

Chili sin Carne

1 T. olive oil
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
1 cup bell pepper (I used half of a red and half of a green)
1 carrot
1 bay leaf
1 zucchini (zapallito)
1 c. corn
2 T. chili mix
3/4 T. cumin
Big pinch of salt and a few twists of the pepper mill
3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped (and smashed)
Beans*
Tomato paste to taste (I used about 2 T.) or use a greater quantity of tomato puree
1 c. vegetable stock
1 T. apple cider vinegar

*3-4 c. cooked or canned beans - I used about 1 1/2 c. (combined) dried black beans and kidney beans. Either soak overnight or bring to a boil, cover, remove from heat and let sit for an hour. Then simmer for one and a half hours - being careful not to let them dry up.

Chop and then saute onion, garlic, pepper and carrot in oil along with bay leaf until they start to soften. Add chopped zucchini and corn kernels and cook until soft, about 7 minutes. Add chili powder, cumin, and s&p and cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, cooked beans, stock, and tomato paste. Simmer for 30 minutes. Taste to adjust seasonings. Stir in cider vinegar and add water if you want it thiner. Simmer another 5 minutes or so. Remove bay leaf. Add cornbread (I only used 1 T. of sugar with this recipe) and toppings!

Save some for leftovers - it's even better on day 2!

Cold Spinach Dip

2010-05-05T18:18:00.006-03:00

This one's a quickie, just so I don't forget. I was dying for some dip for my plain lays potato chips and realized that it must be easy to whip one up. I found a ton of recipes when I googled 'cold spinach dip' but I didn't really feel like getting that involved. This is a recipe to play with - maybe add in caramelized onions and other seasonings!

Dip, baby!

1 cup fresh spinach
1/2 cup Casan crem (closest thing to sour cream we've got)
1 T. mayonaise
Salt & pepper to taste (garlic salt, if preferred)

Blend until dip-able!

Oatmeal Craisin Cookies

2010-04-25T17:56:00.004-03:00

Yep, I'm still here - I bet you thought I'd punked out and left Argentina. Nah, I'm just hiding in my little apartment...working away. But today I stopped to make a taste of home and use up the rest of my craisin stash. My mom mentioned a similar recipe and said that she'd send it but I couldn't wait - so I just modified the Quaker recipe and gobbled these up! This recipe is for only half of a batch - 18 cookies.

Oatmeal Craisin Cookies

3/4 c. flour (I used wheat flour from Coto but it's not whole wheat so use your best judgement if you incorporate wheat flour. Also, if you're using Argentine flour you'll need to add 2 T. more)
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 c. quick oats
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
113 grams butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 c. dried cranberries

Whisk together flour, bs, bp, cinnamon, salt and oats - set aside. Cream butter and sugars, add egg and vanilla. Slowly add dry ingredients until incorporated (batter will be slightly dry), mix in craisins. Drop spoonfuls onto non-stick cookie sheet and bake 12 minutes at 180C (350F).

Lupines and Popcorn!

2010-04-05T19:27:00.005-03:00

A while back, Katie of Seashells & Sunflowers, wrote a post about Argentine street snacks. One of my favorites, lupines, was missing and no one seemed to know what they were. Well, finally I managed to snap a photo before devouring a package. It seems, though, that I may be one of a very few number of people who actually like these - many of Guille's friends had never even seen them. It's a seed that's been soaked and salted, quite similar to edamame. You have to bite the casing and pop the seed out. Here, Guille demonstrates the proper way to bite:

Here are some casings separate from the inner seed:

I imagine that lupines are totally good for you so grab some from a street vendor - most popcorn vendors sell them but you'll probably have to ask - they'll likely be kept in a cooler. And help me start the lupines revolution!

Eating popcorn in Argentina means eating a sweet, sugary snack. Pochoclo or pororo (not sure why there are two words) is made and sold by street vendors, and is impossible to ignore once you've smelled that delicious melting sugar. And you can make it at home using the old shake-it-over-the-stove method. I vaguely remember my mother making popcorn this way in the early 80s before an air-popper, and later microwave popcorn, took over.

Sweet Popcorn

Vegetable Oil (enough to coat the bottom of your pot, about 2-3 T.)
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
1-2 cups sugar

Heat oil over med-high heat in a large pot, add a few kernels and wait until they pop. Add all of the kernels and cover the pot. Once you hear popping, start shaking the pot across the burner, but allow it to rest on the burner for a few seconds at a time. Occasionally let out some steam. Once most of the kernels have popped add half a cup of sugar, cover and shake.

Once the popping has slowed to one or two seconds between pops add more sugar (to your taste), lower the heat to medium, and stir continuously with a wooden spoon - allowing the sugar to melt onto the popped corn. You may need to remove from the heat, cover, and allow the sugar to melt before stirring again.

Also, Diego invites you to light his fire.

Día Nacional de la Memoria por la Verdad y la Justicia

2010-03-24T11:31:00.003-03:00

Today is a memorial day of sorts, translated to Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice. An Argentine's Facebook page looks like a ghost town today - everyone has taken down their profile pictures in remembrance of the 30,000 Argentines who disappeared during the Dirty War. Going Local Travel also blogged about this Facebook phenomenon here. NPR ran a recent story on on the war's continued effects here.

The holiday is new, created a few years ago, but I wonder if it's enough to really prevent those human rights violations from occurring again. The day's motto 'Nunca Mas' (Never Again) is, I think, misleading. While the holiday might serve as a reminder and a warning against mass atrocities, it's commonplace to find such on a smaller scale in daily life. I've complained about the overwhelming feeling of distrust for the police and justice system in this country, and the Argentine Post recently reported on the high level of corruption that Argentines believe is inherent in the political process. The outcome of this attitude is complete disrespect for government and authority, and sadly, for the holiday itself. Many Argentines hit the bars and clubs last night, taking advantage of the chance to sleep in. I know this because the streets were full of drunk, disrespectful, shouting people throughout the morning.

To really translate the message of remembrance into Argentine life would involve demanding truth and justice today. We need to replace Argentine cynicism with expectations. We should EXPECT more from all levels of government and stop ignoring the injustices that occur so frequently around us. We have to stop letting ignorant and abusive people and companies take advantage of us. We have to reclaim the right to walk down the street without being robbed, beaten, sexually harassed, or electrocuted by faulty power lines. I wonder what those 30,000 'disappeared' would have thought about the current situation here. They were a threat to the dictorial state because they read, they had ideas, and they knew the difference between right and wrong. Don't ignore the wrong Argentina! Pretending that you or your friends weren't robbed is today's equivalent of pretending that your neighbor didn't disappear. I know of one situation in which a person was robbed at gunpoint and then recognized the robber as a security guard at a grocery store - the robbery was not reported. Today's situation can easily escalate again to great injustice.

Today is meant to honor the memory of the disappeared - to do so, we have to protect our small, seemingly miniscule rights. Silence is not going to save you Argentina, it's smothering you.

Eat, Drink, and be Green!

2010-03-17T20:30:00.004-03:00

image from drinks are on me

This year I'm taking it easy on the green. Just a simple day with Irish Car Bomb cupcakes (and beer) to celebrate. I've found two amazing, similar recipes from Smitten Kitchen and Drinks are on Me that each feature a yummy Guinness-based chocolate batter.

I also came across the Working Holiday Agreement, which allows students and recent grads from Ireland and the US to live and work in each others' country for a year. Wish I would have known about this sooner! Still, thought it would be nice to pass along today.

Saint Patrick was a gentleman,

Who through strategy and stealth,

Drove all the snakes from Ireland,

Here’s a toasting to his health.

But not too many toastings

Lest you lose yourself and then

Forget the good Saint Patrick

And see all those snakes again.

Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!

Permanent Residency Remains Temporary

2010-03-09T14:08:00.003-03:00

Well, the immigration office's 'system' is apparently functioning again. I know this because they printed out a fee page which required me to pay 10 pesos to renew my temporary permanent residence status for another 3 months. Of course, in order to pay the fee I had to go stand in a line at a bank and then return to the immigration office. We were really upset that they charged us a fee to renew this crappy status when they openly admit that we committed no wrongdoing. It's up to the Argentine police to check my INTERPOL records, but they're busy and haven't gotten around to it. However, when we said that this was unfair they blamed me for being American - "Your country is the only one that doesn't sign police records, so..." - so what?!? So I deserve this delay and additional fee because you ask for things that you won't accept and you blame me for your process?? And they said that I would have to pay the fee for each renewal, hinting at the fact that I probably won't be getting permanent residency in 3 months either. Thanks Argentina. You're a real pal.

Permanent Residency Update

2010-03-05T13:21:00.007-03:00

Bureaucracy in this country is a pain in my ass. Listen, I know that it's a pain everywhere so this isn't just me venting about Argentina - I'm simply passing my experience along.

As I mentioned, upon complete submission of my documents and proof of marriage to an Argentine I was issued a temporary version of permanent residency - which seems to be of absolutely no use since I couldn't even get a Carrefour credit card without a DNI. Well, being temporary, it's expiring and I should have been issued the permanent version by now. We've checked with immigration several times and they finally admitted that the FBI record requirement is a hoax. Since the FBI doesn't sign the Good Conduct Certificate, it's unacceptable to this country. However, they KNOW that the FBI doesn't provide a signature but they still make you go through the hassle of getting the information anyway. Really, they're checking my INTERPOL records to verify that I'm not an international criminal and apparently this is the job of the Argentine police. However, it seems to take a very long time for someone to enter my name into the online database to do this search so they're going to issue me another temporary permanent residency for 3 months. However, we've been twice this week and their system has been 'down' so we'll just have to go back next week.

Why does this matter? It matters because I can't apply for a DNI - the Argentine equivalent of a social security number - without permanent residency. And without a DNI (or proof of starting the DNI process) I can't file a Petition for Alien Relative (the first step in the US immigration visa process) at the US Embassy in Buenos Aires. I'd have to file in the States. (According to the 'attached eligibility requirements' link on the embassy's site.)

In addition, we're having trouble getting a marriage book - it's like an ID for proving your nuptials - that everyone has to pay for and have. Above is a picture of us posing with a prop marriage book. Apparently, they've been out of stock for, oh, several years now. Every now and then they'll get a shipment but it seems these are usually doled out to friends of the Registro's workers. Guille went in and confronted them about this today. They said that they're first come first served. Not in the order that you get married, but in the sense that if you happen to pop by one day when these rare surprise shipments arrive then of course they'll give you one, if there are any left. I mean, why would they bother to let you know that something of importance that you paid for was available? Or, better yet, why would they bother to actually mail it to you? These are questions that are, honestly, silly to ask.

C'est la vie...or rather, Es la vida.

Tears in my Beer

2010-02-26T19:37:00.003-03:00

What can I say? I've got restaurants to talk about and recipes to post, but it's hard for me to continue my ex-pat blog when I really just want to re-pat myself. It's not like Argentina lost it's charm - there continue to be many facets of life that I love here - but the gritty bits seem to be taking over the good. I feel like everything and everyone is corrupt. It's second nature to constantly watch your back because you're likely to be taken advantage of at every turn. And I'm glad that I'm not the only one that realizes what a sham it is to live like this. The Argentine Post recently discussed the lack of trust in this country. But when everyone - from the guy who insists that you pay him for 'watching' your car to the president - will jump at the chance to screw you over, it's hard to deal.

Why am I so down? Last week Guille was attacked on the street while out for a run. (He's okay now - I'm so glad) But the police wouldn't come and the hospital didn't have any ice to stop the swelling. We've had to get a lawyer in order to get the situation in front of the justice department. You'd think that we're doing the right thing. Trying to have a criminal prosecuted. But people have warned us against doing so. Argentineans are so reluctant to stir the pot that they ignore their best interests and turn a blind eye to the worst injustices. The police will warn you against pressing charges. They'll tell you that the criminal will come after you as soon as they're released from their 2 hour stint in jail. And it's a real travesty of Argentine society that this is allowed to happen.

And so, what can I do but go out in search of some sense of normalcy. An Antares brew pub opened in Rosario recently, with good food and tasty beer - though, of course, it isn't without it's hiccups. (I imagine that it's tough to develop continuity in an Argentine restaurant chain.) The 18 peso sampler is a fun way to try all 8 brews - you get a shot of each.

The food is reasonably priced and the sandwiches are huge. Gui and I ordered a spinach, mushroom, blue cheese pizza. Once we bit into it we realized that it had no mushrooms. We debated whether or not it mattered enough to cause a scene, but I couldn't be screwed over again. We asked the waitress who took the uneaten portion of our pizza back to the kitchen for mushrooms. 10 minutes later she admitted that there were no mushrooms but that someone had gone out in search of such. Right. At 11pm on a Saturday. But she gave us a free cheese plate. Another 10 or 15 minutes later we learned that the search was unsuccessful - would we like to choose something else from the menu for free? No, we just wanted to finish what we'd started. And so we got our re-heated pizza back.

Our waitress insisted that we order something else so we ordered a brownie for dessert - which came with a shot glass of complimenting beer. Nice. Although not quite enough to make up for the sting of reality. I'm exhausted. I hate that everything is a fight, a constant struggle. But I'm glad that someone finally solved the "beer or ice cream? dilemma." One thing at a time.

A Box of Chocolates

2010-02-14T20:33:00.003-03:00

For Valentine's day, I got to pick out all of the gorgeous chocolates that I wanted - thus eliminating my usual need to bite into every chocolate and abandon half of the box. I still forgot what was inside some of them, but I knew it would be delicious.

While February isn't exactly the best time (weather) for chocolate, I managed to eat these before they melted. Absolute deliciousness.

Find them at Cacao del Sol (Italia 557) - prices are reasonable for fancy pants chocolates. Happy hearts day.

A Domestic Sell-Out (aka Pudding Cookies)

2010-02-09T16:01:00.005-03:00

I feel like an American housewife from the 1950's who has just discovered how to cut corners with a secret little box. Of course, coming out of an era in which everything was made painstakingly from scratch without due credit, it's easy to imagine how ready-made little secrets began to penetrate traditional baking. Adding Jell-O pudding mix to cakes and cookies made them moist and fluffy, who cares what those funny sounding ingredients are! Preservatives? Bring 'em on! Of course housewives embraced a faster, easier way to cook. They were expected to slave away in the kitchen all day without recognition. Today, a cake made from scratch gets a round of applause...who even knew they still made those?!

But can you imagine the revolution of food that took place? It ruined wholesome consumption and created the unfortunate system of eating today, but it must have been so liberating for women. Here's how it plays out in my mind:

1950's dude - "What's for dinner tonight honey?"

His cool wife - "Your salisbury steak dinner is in the oven and there's a cake on the table - I'm going out for drinks with the girls!"

So, I realize that processed food was once considered a good thing. But I had mixed feelings about using a boxed pudding mix in my own homemade cooking (you have no idea how much I loathe 'semi-homemade' - like it's okay to lie to your friends so that they think you're some kind of Donna Reed. Who pretends to cook something from scratch?? Perhaps someone who wants other women to feel envious of her homemaking skills, or rather her ability to find a chemically-engineered secret). But aside from this rant, I had a box of chocolate pudding that my mom brought down so I thought I'd put it to the test. And it worked. Those housewives found moist fluffy goodness in a tiny box. I'm not sure how it works and I'm not sure what all of those ingredients are but it made a lovely cookie (aside from the distinctive alkaline flavor).

(photo from my new iPhone cam...now I can work from anywhere...eeeee...mixed feelings)

Still, I felt guilty so I looked up the ingredients on FoodFacts, which gives you the pros and cons of food. How funny is it that it says 'This product contains controversial ingredients"??? That's exactly how I feel about all processed foods. Controversial. Is BHA a bad thing because it's potentially cancerous or a good thing because it's an antioxidant and it keeps food from spoiling? Honestly, science hasn't been able to answer these types of questions about our food. So should we stop eating it? Maybe. But here's the recipe in case you feel like throwing caution to the wind!

Chocolate Pudding Chip Cookies

adapted from Nestle Toll House

1 c. flour
1 package (4 servings) instant chocolate pudding mix
113 g. (1/2 c.) butter, softened
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 t. baking soda
1 large egg
1 large egg white
3/4 c. chocolate chips or chunks (original recipe calls for 2 cups, which just seemed ridiculous)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (my addition)

Combine flour and pudding mix in a small bowl. Beat butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in brown sugar and baking soda until well combined. Beat in egg and egg white. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chips. Drop dough by rounded teaspoon 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 180C, 350F for 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Cool on baking sheets 2 to 3 minutes, remove to wire racks to cool completely.

These are best eaten immediately, while the obvious flavor of Jell-O pudding mix is less noticeable than when completely cooled. Also, if you put these in an airtight container they'll lose their outer layer of crunchiness so it's best to leave them out.

I feel that many women today are trying to find something that was perhaps lost in American cooking over the past 50 years. Something that our grandmothers replaced with quick fixes in order to take back their own lives. Before the world changed, cooking was mandatory for many housewives, whether they enjoyed it or not, at the expense of a woman's precious time. We can't blame Betty Crocker for making 'homemade' a thing of the past because it set a lot of people free. Rachel Ray probably doesn't want to admit this, but it's nearly a full-time job to feed your family 3 home cooked, unprocessed meals every day. Not just to prepare and cook it, but to schlep to the store often enough to have fresh produce on hand.

As American women re-enter the kitchen by choice we can't blame our mothers for a lack of organic recipes and neither should we be pretentious about our choice to be more in tune with nature. Instead we should understand why this gap exists and seek to fill it ourselves. Our mothers and grandmothers made it possible for us to have fulfilling and successful careers. What we can craft for our children is a balanced method for incorporating food into life.

Will I make these again? Sure, with organic pudding mix. We'll see if the proof is really in the pudding or in the chemical additives. (PS - yeah, I can't actually buy organic pudding here so someone else will have to try it and tell me how it goes!)

Marriage and the Road to Permanent Residency in Argentina

2010-02-01T20:02:00.010-03:00

I had coffee with a group of expats recently, all married to Argentines, and I realized that there are a bunch of us...and perhaps there will be more. So I thought that I'd go ahead and post my Argentine marriage experience for anyone who's interested.

To get married in Rosario, I (as a foreigner) had to provide the following to the Registro Civil:

Neighborhood police certificate (Certificado de Vecindario) - This is basically to prove that you live in Rosario (you must have an address - I showed my 'certificate of cohabitation' which I got from Tribunales a while back in order to be on Guille's insurance. The certificate is easy to get - you need 2 witnesses with DNIs and have to pay a fee).
Copy of passport - If you find that you've stayed beyond the legal 3 months and didn't renew your entry into Argentina, then you'll need permission from immigration (expensive - I think the price just went up but it was 100 dollars) issued before the wedding (and it only lasts for 10 days so you have to hurry up and get hitched!) This basically provides permission to marry, but the form is for permission to leave 'Habilitacion de Salida.' You have to request this from immigration, take their form to the bank and pay the fee there, then return to immigration on the same day and finish the process.
Copy of spouse's DNI
Fees
Blood test results

You can only be married by a judge in Argentina. You either have to go to the courthouse (bring your whole family!) or pay the judge 500 pesos to go to your wedding site, if her schedule allows. Of course, you have to make an appointment for this civil wedding - but not more than 30 days out (this is for the reg. civil on Wheelwright). Some provincias require more information, like medical history and such. Of course, if this isn't your first marriage then you have to provide additional documentation.

Here's the list of information that I had to provide to immigration in order to apply for permanent residency:

Valid passport (and a photocopy of the entire passport)
Birth Certificate (not a copy) with Apostille
Good Conduct Certificate from country of citizenship (issued by the FBI)
Good Conduct Certificate from Rosario
4 passport photos
DNI of spouse (and a photocopy of the entire DNI)
Marriage certificate AND a copy of the signed page in the marriage book from Registro Civil - another fee that you'll have to stand in line at the bank to pay
Fee - AR$600 at the time

Seems like a simple enough list, right? HA! Well, the Argentine Consulate that I consulted before leaving the US didn't mention the apostille and they also said that the good conduct certificate needed to be issued by your city of residence in the US - so I schlepped to the downtown NYC precinct for no reason. Fun times.

The US does not issue apostilles outside of the country so I had to request it from my state of birth. The requirements and fees are different for each state but you need to send at least the birth certificate and a letter of request, and probably a self-addressed stamped envelope (which may prove tricky if you need to buy US stamps outside of the US!). This US Embassy link provides the links for each state's apostille office.

The FBI wouldn't accept the digital printout of my fingerprints taken in NYC so I had to be fingerprinted (with sticky ink) at a police station here using the FBI's fingerprint card and then I sent that to the FBI with additional info. It's a good idea to send two or more sets of fingerprints to ensure that they're all readable. Another small fee - $18. This FBI link shows how to request it.

To get a good conduct certificate in Rosario, you need to go to the police station at Catamarca and Entre Rios to be fingerprinted, then wait 15 days to pick them up. And then you take these to the Tribunales to the department of Registros Universales. They give you a form to take to the bank to pay a fee, then you go back and give it to them. Then you wait a week or 2 to pick it up.

All English documents have to be translated and stamped by the Translators' College.

Once the immigration office had everything they needed, they issued me temporary permanent residence (a paper with my picture stapled to it). That was 2 months ago. Now I have to keep checking with the office to see if they've received something (not sure exactly what) that will allow me to proceed with permanent permanent residence and my DNI (which is another enduring process, I'm told).

Really, I can't complain though. It's nothing compared to the US immigration process. The annoying part is having to wait in line after line in order to answer a question or pay a 2 peso fee. The running around is also exhausting and confusing. Though, in the end, it seems that I'll never be more than a permanent resident. I'm not sure if this is officially true, but the immigration office told me that I can't become a citizen without giving up my US citizenship. So...yeah. Resident alien sounds nice.

Buenos, entonces...

2010-01-25T17:46:00.006-03:00

I finally found Spanish class that speaks the same language I do. And by that, I mean that there's a teacher speaking Spanish and a student 'answering' in English. My version of Spanish (or Castellano) is a half-in, half-out sort of deal. I'm not willing to commit to speaking completely in this god-forsaken language but I'll throw out what I know to complete a sentence...as in "Gimme another glass of cerveza, por favor."

So, when Bueno, entonces asked me to review their language videos I was delighted to see someone with a similar attitude struggling along! Honestly, it is helpful and I am learning but mostly it just makes me feel good about myself to know that I'm not the only loser in Argentina (no offense, David). Plus, Jimena speaks so articulately that I feel like maybe I do understand Spanish when I watch these videos.

To find the series helpful, I think you do need somewhat of a background in Spanish. My background is having started Spanish classes several times at a variety of institutions. (I can't tell you how well I know the vocabulary for school supplies.) Going through the first week of classes, I've been reminded of some of the basics and now we're pilling stuff on top. Useful stuff, like 'Don't bust my balls' and 'I'm useless.' I was hoping that I could just watch and remember most of the new phrases - and I did for some, like the proper time to use 'dale' - but by the third lesson I started taking notes. It provides an opportunity for learning alongside a little sarcasm (the best medicine). And I'm learning all kinds of inappropriate vocabulary and phrases that I wouldn't be able to ask my Spanish tutor about (without blushing). I also love that David doesn't hold back with his frustrations about Spanish - ahhh, thank you, it IS a sexist language!

Anyway, as I said, I've watched a week's worth of Bueno, entonces... - 6 classes. I've been having trouble finding time to watch an entire 35-40 minute episode every day so it may take me a little longer but I think a little extra time is great to actually practice using what I learn. The real test will be to see if I get a better handle on the past tenses from these videos.

I'm really excited to finish the series and it's nice to have some control over learning (meaning I can wear pjs and I don't have to go to class and be nice if I'm in a bad mood, etc). A lot of people seem to like it for their iPods and I would definitely have watched it while on the subway in NYC but I'm afraid I'll get mugged if I try to do something like that in public here. I just watch in the comfort (and safety) of my home - usually while eating breakfast or ice cream.

Bueno, entonces... also has a Spanish grammar blog and teaches daily Spanish phrases on Facebook.

Everything Brownies

2010-01-15T18:46:00.007-03:00

I debated what to call these for a while. 'Everything But the Kitchen Sink Brownies'? Too long. 'If It Ain't Broke Brownies'? Confusing. 'Turtle Brownies'? Eh. 'Dulce de Leche Swirl Brownies'? Not descriptive enough. In the end it does't matter. They're superb. Not to mention they're the lovechild of Joy the Baker's Old School Fudge Brownies mixed with a bit of inspiration from David Lebovitz's Dulce de Leche Brownie recipe.

I thought about just making the entire DL recipe but I'm so addicted to Joy's batter that I figured 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' (hence the name consideration). Typically, I'll make these brownies with walnuts and chocolate chunks and they're divine. But I've been meaning to toss in some readily available, always in abundance dulce de leche. And so I did. Heaven help me.

Everything Brownies

1 1/3 c. flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
150 g. butter
3/4 c. cocoa powder
2 T. strong coffee
1 2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla extract
3/4 c. chopped walnuts
1/4 c. chocolate chips or chunks
200 g. (or 1 c.) dulce de leche

Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil - I used a glass baking dish is closer to 8x12 inches. Grease foil.

Pour half of the batter into the baking pan. Add half of the dulce de leche in dollops - drag a knife through to swirl. Add the other half of the brownie batter and repeat with the rest of the dulce de leche. Sprinkle on the chocolate chips. Bake for 25-30 minutes if using a glass baking dish - or until a knife inserted comes out without crumbs (don't be fooled by clinging dulce de leche, though). 'Too Much of a Good Thing Brownies'? As if. These are already gone.

Rugelach!

2010-01-04T10:48:00.014-03:00

I've spent my entire life picking raisins out of cinnamon rolls, cookies, cakes, scones, pies. You name it, I've picked a raisin out of it. It's not that I detest raisins entirely, not at all. In fact, I've always enjoyed a box of Sunmaid raisins straight from the refrigerator and you'll find me mixing Raisinetes with my popcorn at the movies. But if it's been baked, plumped or heated - keep it at a reasonable distance - I've taken out a restraining order against it.

And so I'm making a traditional raisin dessert and leaving out the raisins - no need for me to pick them out of my own cooking. My apologies to any religious or ethnic groups that this offends. Yes, I'm a food globalizer.

In truth, there are a million varieties of rugelach (rugalach?) so I'm not really committing any new offenses to this amazing pastry. Still, making this clearly sacred cookie was an obvious reminder that I'm sooo not one of God's chosen people. I burned my thumb making the messiest, most unattractive rugelach I've ever seen.

I wanted to make both the apricot and the chocolate ruglelach found here. Only to realize that this recipe might be some sort of trap - for one thing 16 x 4 does not equal 50. I thought perhaps it was an honest mistake and decided to cut each circle into 12 pieces instead of 16. But the 1/2 inch thickness was way off. I googled the original author of the recipe Joan Nathan and found the correct instructions here.

I tried the apricot first; after seeing the mess that it turned out to be I looked up instructions on YouTube.

So it seems that the filling should really be spread in a ring and that one cup of jelly is quite excessive. (At this point, I remembered that episode of Sex and the City where Charlotte had to beg to be Jewish three times to prove her dedication.)

The dough was tricky to work with, being so sticky, and required that I roll it out between sheets of wax paper, then refrigerate for 15 minutes before removing paper, then adding filling and trying to roll-up, but if it got too sticky again in the few moments that it was out, I had to refrigerate again in order to roll without breaking the dough.

In the end, it was delicious and surprisingly edible. I changed the fillings a bit, as reflected below. I used mini chocolate chips but will only use dark chocolate in the future - probably without the sugar. Also, when she says to immediately remove from the baking sheet and place on a wire rack she isn't kidding. Don't think to yourself - ah, my wire rack doesn't really fit these things, I'll put parchment paper over it so they don't fall through. You'll be picking paper off of your cookies for half an hour.

Rugelach Dough

8 ounces cream cheese (available at Jumbo)
227 g. or 1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour

Apricot Filling

3/4 cup apricot jam, slightly warmed
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Chocolate Filling

1 cup shaved bittersweet or dark chocolate, or mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup sugar
dash of cinnamon

1 large egg, beaten

1/4 cup sugar

Combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, salt, lemon juice and vanilla in food processor. Pulse a few times before adding flour then pulse until soft dough is formed. (I used chunks of cool butter to make a flaky crust, some recipes instruct to cream the cheese and butter together--do whatever works for you). Place dough in bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Divide into 4 balls and roll out between sheets of wax paper into a 9 inch circle. (This is where I had to refrigerate the dough again for about 15 minutes).

Apricot filling:

Spoon jam onto the rolled-out dough (steering clear of the edges and middle). Combine the rest of the ingredients and sprinkle on top of jam. Slice dough into 12 wedges. Roll up each wedge, curved end first toward the point. You're suppose to bend the ends in like a croissant but mine weren't wide enough.

Chocolate filling:

Combine ingredients and spread on top of dough. Brushing the dough with a little melted butter first might not be a bad idea. Slice the circle of dough into 12 wedges and roll up each toward the point.

Brush the top of each rolled rugelach with the egg wash and sprinkle with a little sugar. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, place rugelach about one inch apart and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. It's a good idea to rotate the pan half way through baking. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool immediately. Rolled-up dough can be frozen and baked later.

Luckily, it was delicious so I'll definitely try again - after buying an oven mit. I'm not giving up!

Feliz Navidad...again

2009-12-23T15:23:00.006-03:00

Well, I suppose that Christmas is here again. That year went by quickly. Too quickly. But at least I squeezed in some time for Christmas treats. This year, I added more cookies, chocolate dipped pretzels and pumpkin bread to my holiday repertoire.

The pretzels are half dipped because I didn't want to make a complete mess and they turned out great! I melted about 30 grams of chocolate in the microwave-stirring every 10 seconds until smooth (I melted both semi sweet and white chocolate separately). That was enough to cover 15-20 pretzels each. Then I had a blast with the toppings. After dipping (5 pretzels at a time) and carefully placing on a baking sheet covered with wax paper, I added sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, or a drizzle of melted chocolate. Then let set in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Mom's Pumpkin Bread

I know this recipe as Mom's Pumpkin Bread, but it may be from a can so please don't sue me if you own it.

My family brought down the bag of pretzels but you can also find them in the international aisle at Jumbo. Mom also brought a can of pumpkin but it's probably easier to make your own puree if your can opener looks like this:

I made a few changes to her recipe - using chai tea in place of water and substituting 1 t. of baking powder for one of baking soda. I also didn't fill up the whole cup of oil and added a little vanilla. Next time I'll toss in a cup of nuts. Here's the resulting recipe:

3 1/3 c. flour (I used mostly sifted wheat flour - but the wheat flour at Coto is nearly like white flour instead of true wheat flour)
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
3 c. sugar
1 can (15oz) pumpkin puree
A bit shy of 1 cup oil (I used sunflower)
4 eggs
2/3 c. chai tea
1/2 t. vanilla

Mix all dry ingredients except sugar and set aside. Mix sugar, eggs, and oil in a super large bowl (see how mine nearly overflowed). Add tea and vanilla. Slowly add flour mixture - add pumpkin last. Mix well. Split batter between 3* floured bread (budin) pans filled 2/3 full. Bake 40 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool slightly (15 minutes) and flip out of pan while warm.

*I couldn't fit 3 pans nicely in my tiny oven so I baked in 2 (one was rather large) pans for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Most deliciously served with cream cheese :)

Merry Christmas!

Minimoon

2009-12-20T20:13:00.006-03:00

I've been in a whirlwind since the wedding. The day after, we took my family back to the Buenos Aires airport and then made the trip back home--arriving after midnight. Gui took an exam the next morning while I packed for our quick version of a honeymoon.

We spent 3 nights in Villa General Belgrano in Cordoba at Altos Belgrano (hotel & spa) taking advantage of a low season, slow time of the week promotion that included some spa freebies. It was so lovely to leave the city and smell fresh air again. Here's a nice view of the golf course from our room...

And, being that I was free from worrying about fitting into my wedding dress, I was finally able to enjoy beer again. Luckily, this was exactly the place to be with an assortment of local brews--we tried them all! Yeah, minimoon.

We also took a short day-trip to La Cumbrecita...a tiny little village with hiking trails and streams and ponds to explore.

Scenes from the long and winding road home...

Now to begin planning a more elaborate honeymoon to take place during the European spring. No official plans yet except for a stop in the Canary Islands - suggestions welcome!!!

iPhoto's enhance button...

2009-12-07T20:15:00.002-03:00

...is amazing! Just look at the difference that it made in this photo...you can see each grain of rice as it flies into my meticulously planned up-do.

Of course, it didn't perfect every picture - it often overexposed a pic, leaving it too grainy, and I had to turn the shadows down - but for quick DIY photo editing, it's your best friend. All of the amazing wedding blogs that I followed made me drool over processed RAW photography, but it was impossible to find photographers experienced in that type of method here. This, however, saved me a lot of money and I'm totally happy with the results :)

Making a Memory

2009-12-07T19:04:00.006-03:00

One of my mother's famous catch phrases is 'We're making a memory' and while I rolled my eyes each time that she said it while I was in high school, I increasingly realize the significance of trying desperately to remember a moment in time. I've got a terrible memory though, so the photos of the wedding will be an important reminder to me in the years ahead.

To make them a little more special than sifting through iPhoto (who knows what will exist by our 50th anniversary), I was inspired by 2000DollarWedding to create a book using blurb. So that's what I'm doing with any snippets of free time that I find - putting together a book of our wedding photography. The software is easy enough to use but the time it takes to create it will depend upon how picky I'm going to be about layouts and backgrounds, etc., and how much creative control I'll try to wrest from my new husband ;) Here are just a few of the pre-ceremony photos that I'm including:

All photos were taken by Luis Vignoli. :)

Meet the Trilnicks

2009-12-04T18:37:00.002-03:00

Pesto Pasta Salad

2009-11-09T18:28:00.005-03:00

This is my second attempt at this summer salad, and it turned out exactly how I had hoped it would this time. However, the measurements are by no means exact, as I used the taste-and-season method.

The recipe is taken from elements in this basic pesto but I never seem to have enough basil for a classic pesto and G isn't a big fan of garlic. The idea is to include equal parts nuts and cheese with a double to quadruple amount of basil.

Here's a rough estimate of my ingredients:

1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 handful of Italian parsley
1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped (pine nuts are nearly impossible to find down here)
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 T. olive oil
1 T. mayonnaise
1 squeeze of lemon
1 generous pinch of salt (depending on saltiness of cheese)
3 turns of the pepper grinder
1 1/2-2 c. whole grain spiral pasta (I just dumped in what I had left - no exact idea)
1 1/2 c. grape tomatoes, halved
1 splash of pasta water

Boil pasta in salted water until cooked to your preference and drain, reserving a small amount of pasta water (I kept 1/2 c. to be on the safe side). Combine basil, parsley, nuts, cheese, salt and pepper in food processor and blend until the nuts are in tiny pieces. Add olive oil, mayo, and lemon juice and process until fully combined. In a large bowl, combine pasta and pesto, adding pasta water as necessary to evenly coat the pasta with the pesto. Stir in tomatoes. Super yum.

Hopefully my basil will grow enough to satisfy my need for pesto throughout the summer!

Scenes from an Argentine Wedding

2009-11-06T18:54:00.005-03:00

I went to my first Argentine wedding last weekend. This wedding started off pretty normal...

But after...
dinner, a performance by some dancer from Bailando por un Sueno (Argentine Dancing with the Stars), a belly dancer, a slideshow of the happy couple and their childhoods, tango serenades from the brother of the bride, a singer (the highlight was the Spanish version of Unbreak My Heart), a slideshow of the civil marriage, a random video montage, and three rounds of dancing, we looked like this...

Luckily, at around 5:30 am, they brought out pizza and sandwiches...we were getting hungry again! We left shortly thereafter. Of course, we needed all of Sunday to recover.

And I leave you with this little dance...

'Invitations' is not a big enough word to describe this

2009-10-27T21:54:00.011-03:00

Wow, this was something. I mean, it's just a card, but it wasn't so easy. First, the vision in my head when I think 'wedding invitation' was nowhere to be found. Apparently, letterpress doesn't exist in Argentina for invitations. Also, your only choices, really, are ink jet or laser printing - forget DIY gocco - you're not gonna find an affordable gocco set on MercardoLibre (Argentine eBay). And good luck trying to explain any 'fancy' printing styles in Spanish.

We decided, then, that we needed to get involved in designing something that we liked and could produce. We ended up taking a picture of the gates of our reception venue and having our sister-in-law in Spain turning it into a printable design. I love the effect she used to give it a retro feel.

Fortunately, Guille's brother offered to take over the invitations and gifted them to us, buenisimo!

We ended up with 2 designs - I chose a chandelier as the inside graphic for the ones I sent (as is hanging when you walk through the gate), and Guille's mom came up with a cute Spanish phrase for a music stave that went on all of the ones distributed to Spanish speakers. My favorite detail is the shadow of the gates that is on the reverse of the front flaps - so cool!

We ended up writing separate texts for each language instead of translating it directly - there's a different tone here - I get that, but luckily I got to write what I liked in English. They printed the invites on a kind of sparkly, off-white paper and rounded the top - a sweet detail - and then Guille's mom brought them over from Spain. We went out in search of envelopes, with no idea of what color we wanted but found a nice sand color with a little sparkle to match at Papel Plus.

We printed them ourselves and then hand addressed the outside envelopes for the international invites.

For the ones that we delivered here, we added a wax seal, which turned out to be pretty fun. We don't have wedding colors so we just picked some fun ones for the wax.

For the lighter colors, we found that it was easier to melt a chunk of the wax in a tiny spoon instead of putting it directly on the flame, which could sometimes turn it black.

Lovely! Thanks to L & I for such amazing work :)

Vegetarian Rosario

2009-10-16T11:05:00.006-03:00

I've briefly mentioned these vegetarian restaurants but they're worthy of their own post - it's not easy being green in an extreme meat-loving country, but I hope these spots will stick around.

Verde Te Quiero Verde
(Palace Garden Shopping, top floor)
Verde has become my go-to place for Saturday lunch. Freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices, natural flavor infused water and teas, and healthy eats, like spinach mashed potatoes. I'm a big fan of the woks and tartas, but there is still a lot on the menu that I haven't tried - like the pizzas and salads. I also haven't tried the 35 peso brunch buffet as seen here:
It just seems that there's something new to try each time. Here's the tapas sampler that included cheesey baked tofu, olive tapenade, roasted tomatoes, herbed cheese, another spread (carrot and butternut squash?), seeds and nuts, and toasts. It was plenty for both of us.

Oh, and the homemade bread...yum.

Sana Sana
(Alvear y Brown)A healthy way to go out to eat. The lunchtime specials here are fulfilling and more budget-friendly than dinner. Their lentil-loaf (inspiration for lentil burgers) came on an overflowing plate and was only 15 pesos with drink. Last week, this veggie wok with rice noodles was 17 pesos with drink (orange or lemon juice). Lunch also includes tasty rolls.

So thanks, veggie places, for daring to be different. :)

Atlanta love...

2009-10-10T12:00:00.005-03:00

here

An Argentine friend of mine is visiting Atlanta for a conference and asked me for some tips about my university town. So I thought I would share them with all (and write them down before I forget...it's been 5 years since I've been there now). Here are some spots that I recommend:

For southern food:
The Varsity (for greasy, fast-food brought to your car - honestly though, don't eat too much, but do get a peach pie)

here

Silver Skillet (diner - for pancakes, of course!, or pie, or both)
The Flying Biscuit (for brunch)
Mary Mac's Tea Room (traditional southern food)
Thelma's Kitchen (for Sweet Potato Pie and traditional souther food-good luck if you're a veggie)
Sweet Auburn Bread Co. (for Sweet Potato Cheesecake)

By neighborhood:
Atlanta can be surprisingly quiet for a city. It's really the best of both worlds-you can have a yard and all the conveniences of city life. It's not as great as NYC with public transportation, though - you can get around but it's really a driving town.

Sweet Auburn
Seems a little rough around the edges but this is an historic part of town-visit Sweet Auburn Curb Market (grab an Italian sandwich from DiRienzo's) and soak up the history of the neighborhood.

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Downtown
This is where Georgia State University is squished into the city. Yes, there are homeless people occasionally hanging out in the library but that's part of the charm. ;) Wander around the Fairlie Poplar District - plenty of spots for a quick bite - Try Ali Baba for falafel or Rosa's Pizza.

Check out First Thursdays, which is an open house art walk - artist studios and galleries open up their doors on the first Thursday of every month and give you free wine and cheese - perfect for the starving student.

The World of Coca-Cola I haven't been to the new location, but as a kid I went to the World of Coke for field trips nearly every year - Georgia public schools really want you to know the history of coke, apparently. It's basically a museum but the fun part is trying all of the coke brands sold around the world. The worst part is the tummy ache that follows.

I don't really have sports loyalties and I'm no baseball aficionado, but I still wear a Braves hat. If you have the chance to eat boiled peanuts while watching a game, do it. There are plenty of cheap ticket options, but the cheapest are skyline tickets for $1 - available for non-sold out games, 2 1/2 hours before the game - and you have to go directly into the ballpark. You could go to your seat, or go to the Top of the Chop party zone for beer and ballpark food with a view (take your glasses). Look under Tickets on the A-Z guide for more info.

here

The best way to see Atlanta is from the Sun Dial Restaurant and Bar on top of the Westin Peachtree Plaza (closed through the end of the year for tornado repairs). The restaurant is expensive but if you're on a budget, the view is worth the price of a martini from the bar.

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Virginia Highlands
The most adorable part of town, full of shops and restaurants. It's like Park Slope with more greenery and real houses.

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Walk N. Highland Ave and grab a pint at Limerick Pub or a noddle bowl at Doc Chey's. Blind Willie's is a great blues bar (Good times listening to Lotsa Poppa singing about killing the ice cream man...classic). Harry & Sons is an affordable Thai restaurant and Ben & Jerry's is, well, some of the best American ice cream around.

Little 5 Points
Fun, hipster neighborhood. Best place to find vintage clothes (at places like Junkman's Daughter). Here's a map.
The Vortex is a burger joint with attitude representative of the area, but there are plenty of restaurants and cafes.

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Midtown
Park Tavern in Piedmont Park. While you're in the area, the Atlanta Botanical Gardens is one of my favorite spots in town. And during the summer, there are free movies in the park - check Screen on the Green.
Apres Diem Cafe Bistro - perfect for dinner, after dinner coffee or drinks. Nightly DJs and Wednesday night Jazz.
The Old Spaghetti Factory (budget lunch specials)

The Fox Theatre is worth a visit - the ceiling looks like the night sky. Mom used to take me to the summer movie series (probably more for the air conditioning than the old films - looks like they're not so old anymore).

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Brookwood
Cafe Intermezzo European coffehouse - amazing spiked coffee menu and cakes of all sorts!

Buckhead
This part of town is about upscale shopping at Lenox Mall and Phipps Plaza. Plenty of upscale restaurants too, like Atlanta Fish Market and The Capitol Grill. Though I usually just stuck with Fado Irish Pub. If I were visiting, I would try this cheesey place with live jazz and fondue, but I haven't been. It seems like there's a lot of Atlanta that I still need to experience!

Sweet Water Brewing Co. use to have a happy hour during which you bought a pint glass for $5 or $7 (I don't remember) and filled it up as many times as you could before closing - a cheap but inebriating way of trying all of their brews. It was held outside but it seems that they have an indoor bar space these days. And now they have tours with a sampling on Wed, Thurs, Fri, which is still only $8, but I hear that it's gotten a little too yuppie frat party-ish on Fridays.

It's really a nice town...enjoy!

Ice Cream Sandwiches

2009-10-04T21:58:00.009-03:00

I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful it has been to meet other expats in this city. And I'm surprised that it took me so long! It's great to share experiences and pass on tips (not to mention receive them!). In recent weeks, for the first time since I left New York over a year ago, I've stayed up talking with friends into the morning hours...and I actually understand all of the conversations. It feels good to laugh at jokes again instead of asking for the translation.

When K invited us over for a super delish cornbread salad this weekend, I thought it would be totally fun to take individually wrapped ice cream sandwiches. I tried to wrap the sandwiches in wax paper (and also tried parchment paper) and wanted to tie a string around each but it just turned out to be impossible to wrap a melting sandwich like a Christmas present. No matter, I stacked them up in tupperwear with wax paper in between each layer - fancy, I know.

Ice Cream Sandwiches or Alfajores Helados
Chocolate Wafers from Smitten Kitchen

1 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 c. + 2 T. sugar
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda
196 g. (14 T.) slightly softened butter
3 T. whole milk (I just used the 2% that was in my fridge)
1 t. vanilla extract

Combine all dry ingredients in food processor and pulse until mixed. Add butter, cut into chunks, and pulse several times. Combine milk and vanilla, add to the other ingredients with the processor running and continue to process until the dough clumps around the blade. Knead a few times then form into a log 14 inches long and 1 3/4 inches. Wrap tightly in wax paper and refrigerate for at least an hour. (Note: I only made half of this recipe so my log is smaller. hehehe)

Slice 1/4 inch thick or smaller. Some of the commenters had problems making small slices (due to the crumbly nature of the dough) and suggested using a very sharp knife and applying pressure to both ends. I didn't have big problems but the slices are delicate and I carefully transfered each to a parchment lined baking sheet - leaving an inch of space between them, as they spread when baking. I ended up with nearly 30 slices, though I may have eaten some uncooked.

The baking process is pretty specific. Place oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat to 180C (350F) and bake on top rack for 6 minutes then rotate the sheet and finish on the bottom for another 6 minutes. (This is the time that mine took but total cooking time could be 12-15 minutes). Cool completely before assembling sandwiches with ice cream, then freeze immediately, do not allow cookies to touch. If you leave them in the freezer in an air-tight container for a few hours or overnight, the cookies will soften just enough to bite through, but still have a wafer crunch.

This is the perfect place to make these. When you have amazing helado available to you in a multitude of delicious flavors, there's just no reason to hold back. I decided on cookies & cream, mascarpone with berries, and dulce de leche split - a half kilo was more than enough for 12 sandwiches.

After I had already finished the assembly, Guille suggested adding coconut around the ice cream rim - perhaps next time. This is going to be the summer of the alfajor helado.

Turning a Side Dish into Dinner

2009-10-02T16:33:00.007-03:00

To turn green beans with almonds into a main course, I tossed in a couple handfuls of wheat pasta - it goes well with these flavors.

Warning: if you like your beans crunchy, then you know how to alter.

3 c. fresh green beans, ends snapped off
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 T. e.v. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
3 handfuls of corkscrew wheat pasta (about 1 c.)
1/2 c. chopped almonds, toasted

Drop beans in well-salted boiling water and cook for 10 minutes. (Alternatively, you can steam the beans). In the meantime, saute onion in oil, seasoning with salt, pepper, and additional seasonings such as Seasoned Salt (copycat recipe) or even a little veggie powder, until the onion begins to soften. Add pasta to boiling beans (or steaming water) and continue to cook until al dente. Add beans, pasta, and 1/4-1/2 c. bean/pasta cooking water to the onion and saute together for a few minutes, giving the flavors a chance to come together. Add more salt as needed, or choose to garnish it with parmesan cheese. Once most of liquid has evaporated, sprinkle almonds on top and serve.

If you're not a vegetarian, you would probably be interested in adding bacon or using bacon grease in this recipe!

La Radio du Jazz

2009-09-23T10:48:00.006-03:00

Our venue told us that we can bring in our own music to play over their system when the musician(s) aren't playing. We have a ton of songs that we like but we listen to over and over again...sometimes I just want to hear something that's not on our iPod.

I don't know why it's so hard to think of music...I guess I just have to hear it to remember it. And so I've been listening to the radio through iTunes while working and jotting down songs that would make good reception music.

My favorite station is Linas Jazz - it's a French station that plays the best jazz and blues. Like this fabulous tune...

I've also been listening to KCSM, The Bay Area's Jazz Station. Another great place to find music that you're not sick of hearing is the NPR World Cafe, which is also on iTunes through the NPR Program Stream. Please let me know if you have favorite stations!

This one is fun too...

Fruity Goodness

2009-09-20T18:48:00.003-03:00

I don't know why I do this, but I always seem to take fresh, good-for-you fruit and mix it with flour, butter, sugar, and any other number of ingredients to make delicious, warm, not-so-good-for-you treats. It's a rare day when a fruit from my kitchen gets eaten in its full nutritional glory. But at this point, it's research. I'm still learning about cooking, baking, and food...and putting together a list of recipes that I will return to year after year. And so, in the name of research, I present 2 keepers and one that needs work.

Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
adapted from Joy the Baker's Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

1 egg, beaten
1 c. buttermilk
28g. (2 T.) melted butter, cooled
1/4 t. vanilla extract
3/4 c. flour (I used wheat-white combo)
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/4. t. cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1 T. brown sugar
1/4 c. old fashioned oats
1 banana, sliced

Mix together eggs, buttermilk, cooled melted butter and vanilla. Add flour, bp, bs, salt, spices, sugar and oats. You can fold in banana now or add later. Coat pan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat before adding batter - 2 T. per pancake. I like to add the banana slices into the cooking pancake. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side. The batter is very oatmeal cookie-ish! This makes plenty of pancakes for 2 hungry eaters.

Banana Strawberry Muffins
from The Joy of Baking

113 g. (1 stick) melted butter
3/4 c. light brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 t. vanilla extract
2 large bananas, mashed
1 c. fresh strawberries, sliced into bite sized pieces
2 1/4 c. flour (I used wheat-white combo)
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. salt

Whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and mashed banana. Stir in melted butter until combined.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gently fold in the berries, making sure they are coated with flour. This helps to prevent the berries from sinking during baking. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are just combined. Do not overmix the batter or tough muffins will result. Bake at 180C (350F) for 20-25 minutes.

This recipe is brilliant, the muffins were delicious!

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins
from Recipe Lover

1 1/2 c. strawberries
1/2 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. plain yogurt (or buttermilk, or sour cream)
1 egg
About 50g. (3/4 T.) melted butter
1/2 c. chocolate chips

Combine strawberries and sugar and let sit for at least an hour so that the juices come out. Combine flour, bs, bp, and salt. Strain liquid from strawberries and mix well with cooled melted butter, egg, and yogurt. Stir into flour mixture. Add strawberries and chocolate. Bake at 200C (400F) for 20-30 minutes.

These didn't turn out so hot for me. Maybe the wheat flour overshadowed the strawberry flavor or maybe it's because I used buttermilk instead of yogurt. But these didn't seem sweet enough and were a little rubbery. Gotta tweak this one.

Well, that's a few for the recipe file!

Wedding Workout #1

2009-09-16T14:52:00.006-03:00

Weed pulling is a fun and enjoyable sport...I just love the pop that the root makes when it's yanked from the ground. I recommend this exercise for targeting arm, butt, and thigh muscles...you'll definitely feel it the next day, ouch.

Clearly, I've given up on the gym - it smelled like sweaty boys and was way too hot, making it even less desirable for me to exercise. I'm supplementing my weed pulling with pilates for my current workout - I'll let you know how it goes - possible before & after pics. Until then, enjoy these hints of spring!