Stuffed artichokes!!!

Artichokes are one of my favorite vegetables...they are so versatile and could be used as a side dish, in salads, and even as a main course like this one. They definately need lots of prepping and lots of hand strength as when raw they tend to be extremely tough but I could assure you it is so worth the struggle!!!! My mother has been making stuffed artichokes since I could remember, what I don't remember was her struggle cleaning them out because the end result was heaven. The aroma of lots parsley, pine nuts, beef bouillon, bread crumbs, & garlic cooking in lots of delicious extra virgin olive is simply..let's say tantalizingly ambrosial!!!!

Coco for Coconut Oil!!

So recently I began experimenting with this extraordinary super food virgen coconut oil..IMPRESSED I am as a little goes a long way and the flavor it adds to rice, vegetables, chicken, and even pancakes not to say the least is exquisite!!! I don't use it with my Italian dishes but it blends perfectly with my latin or asian inspired meals like the one I cooked the other night with chicken, red peppers, yellow peppers, onions, peas, and a grating of ginger... all served with fluffy coconut rice. It has a sweet nutty flavor that enhances a variety of foods... simply just worth the exploration of finding ways to tantalize your palate!!

Chicken basics....

Why do I call this chicken basics????
Chicken, onions, celery, & carrots simply marry harmoniously!!!! In addition to this they are must have basics for your fridge...to this delight I added paprika, bay leaf, marjoram, orange zest, lemon, oregano, and rosemary than braised it slowly in champagne.  Boil up some penne and toss with parmigiano reggiano and you got yourself a weeknight comfort food dinner!!!

Pierna Asada

This is a new twist for me as most of my post are traditional foods that I grew up with. This pork leg however is a traditional dish found in Cuban homes.... why is it going to be a tradition in my home you ask??? Well I adopted a delicious Cuban little baby last year and will always do my best to introduce his culture in our home making it our tradition too!!! I am not going to lie I have searched a ton of recipes and this was not my first attempt but it was certainly my first success because what is important about making the pierna asada is getting the delicious crispy and golden!!! I found this recipe online by an old little lady showing her work on you tube.. pekiskitchen. All she used was salt!!!!

NEW YEARS 2012

For the last 7 years my husband and I have a tradition of celebrating New Years by ourselves with brand new pajamas. It's quite exciting as we make a fancy dinner that includes indulgence of our palatte! We serve Prosecco, Champagne, Caviar, smoked salmon, etc..... What I would like to really talk about is the pasta I have been doing for the last 7 years. My local market is Fresh Market and every year they sell little pastas's that are called Sachetti (little bags). They look like small little money bag filled with mozzarella, asiago, ricotta, a parmeggiano cheeses. I serve it with extreme richness of black truffles, chantarelles mushrooms and creme fraiches, and a generous amounts of parmeggiano reggiano. When I say its heaven in your mouth I literally mean it. The chanterelles melt in your mouth along with the black truffles!!! After this we never get to the next course which is a protein of some sort, this year I made filet mignon but I made it for New years day dinner as again we never get the the next course after eating richness of the Sachetti pasta =)

Christmas in my home

I grew in in a home with many cultures, Panamanian, Italian, and Chinese. For Christmas, however, we tend to lean toward the Italian traditions yet without forgetting where the other dominant side is from, Panama.

For Christmas we serve a variety of seafood and it is a feast of many courses that last all night. Sometimes depending how many we are we do not get to finish what is on the menu. We do not serve everything all at once as we cook it as we eat it. Some of the traditions are bacalao salad (salted dried cod fish), insalata rinforze, which is a cauliflower, pickled red peppers, carrots and anchovies salad. Another salad is an octopus salad that we make. Traditionally, the typical Italian Christmas involves 7 fishes. Depending on the household you will find a little more or a little less. What you will usually find is spaghetti with clams!!! In Naples, Italy you will always find eels on the menu too. Not easy to find in south Florida I found some beautiful Bronzino fish. My menu this year did involve 7 pieces of seafood yet we only got to 5 of them but ate the rest within the next few days =) Two more things that you would always find in my mothers house along with the seafood is a beautiful ham and delicious Panamanian tamales!!! Although we make the ham Christmas Eve and show it, our household tradition is to eat it the next day with Crackers, cafe con leche (coffee w/ milk), and some panettone! I love Christmas and our Christmas feast but most of all I take pride in doing Christmas the way my mother taught me.

Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because I from first hand experience have seen this holiday how it brings together everyone from every culture. I love how everyone seems to adapt to this wonderful day of thanks. This is also a holiday I kind of like keep the food traditional, as I cannot seem to think of celebrating Thanksgiving without a turkey. In my home, we always have a delicious turkey, mashed potatoes made with butter, evaporated milk, and cream cheese. A vegetable of some sort should also be included, this year I created a savory tart with duck fat Brussels sprouts. The stuffing is one of those things that I like to play around with and be a little creative, this year I did a cornbread stuffing with French chestnuts, cherries, andouille sausage, and lots sage! AHHH and the cranberry sauce! So easy to make and I have heard so many different recipes for this tart delight I even heard of someone making it with rum! I made my cranberry sauce with blood orange juice, cranberries, and sugar, nothing fancy just refreshing. Of course let’s not forget desserts! Every year I usually make a panna cotta with figs that have been macerating in vin santo which is an Italian dessert wine, this year however, I made a bourbon candied orange pecan pie that sounded quite intriguing as I was glancing through the Epicurious website. I also made a vanilla ice cream and an orange and bourbon glaze to marry them both together! AMAZING!!!!!

Last, but not least, I couldn’t forget to make a Thanksgiving cocktail! I created a delicious apple cider martini! Cozy and refreshing…

The holidays in my home have always been special! My mother always made a huge event of all of them and the linens and décor were always spectacular. This year I got a beautiful orange red tablecloth and found some old orange linen napkins and I went to the crafts store to get some raffia ribbons in red, orange and brown along with some glittery orange leaves. The colors in the table looked so vibrant and so warm that it felt like it was a cool fall day in my dining room in Miami!!! =) The point is, dress up your Holidays and find inspiration where you can! This Thanksgiving was just my husband and I but my mother taught to always make it special even if it just two of you!