Summer: Jacagua Hills

Remember the quiet Sunday we spent on my uncle's hillside home?  Well, I took pictures of almost everything. The hummingbird shots were taken this same day while the bird was humming alongside the pool. The post on the preparation of tuna tartare showcased pictures I took this same day. And finally, the pool photos, where Emilu decides she wants to come out of the pool by herself were also taken that day. Here are the rest of the pictures. It was a splendid day. Sunny and bright, even as the city below was covered in a torturous haze.

Potpourri

Mother's Day was yesterday and the family got together over the holiday.  It was a long, rewarding day.  Emilu played with several cousins, and even rode a tricycle.  Part of the celebration included exchanging gifts and I couldn't help but take a few snapshots of the envelopes Emilu and I painted with watercolors.  She was so excited with the paint.  I was surprised to see her dip the brush into the small paint containers and take her brush to the paper.  She's a natural, and apparently a lefty, like her father.

Have you had auyamas before?  These are from my grandfather's farm.  They grow basically anywhere, and they are extremely useful in Dominican cuisine.  This variety of pumpkin is used in soups, stews, as a side, desserts, and specifically in sancocho, a signature dish here. It could be eaten in breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Speaking of sancocho, I love these two cookbooks in my mother's kitchen, especially the state they are in. They belong to my grandmother actually, but she doesn't cook anymore, and now they sit in my mother's kitchen.  There are dozens of recipes inside, organized into several categories, including desserts, appetizers, main courses, sweets, stews, etc. Dominican cuisine is very versatile; and has been influenced by many cultures, including African, European, Mediterranean, even Asian.

Happy Monday

Hi friends! I hope you had a nice relaxing weekend. Ours was very domestic. We went out on Saturday to do some errands, took Piki with us, and came back early. Then a dear friend of ours came over, and we cooked dinner. I made risotto, it was my first time making risotto, because I was honestly very intimated by the involved process, but it turned out delicious. You have to start with good ingredients. We got our shrimp from the Potomac fish market, the asparagus from the greens market, and the block of aged parmesan from Whole Foods. My friend brought this amazing French white wine. It was delicious. Next time I will remember to take pictures.  Sorry!

On Sunday we stayed home the whole day doing basically nothing. Even Emilu slept in (until 9:30 a.m.!)I also cleaned and re-organized my bookshelves and did some DIY projects which I will show you this week. We also discovered that our baby, who's not such a baby anymore, recognizes us in pictures. She points, babbles, and says papapapapa when she holds a picture of us together. That really made my day!

In the kitchen

{Fluffernutter cornflake stuffed French toast}

As part of a new series on this blog I have been dying to introduce, I will be exploring yummy recipes from around the web worth trying out.  The column will be titled In the kitchen.

Some of you might know that I love to be bake, and I'd do it more often if I had more space and time in the kitchen, as I live in a very tight apt. with a baby. I'm also a vegetarian, which proves to be a challenge most of the time, but I find my ways to cook and bake delicious recipes without too much guilt.

Banana cupcakes

I loved cooking in my mother's DR apt. kitchen.  I posted the pictures here.  While staying with them I baked a few chocolate cakes, including cupcakes from Martha Stewart's recipe collection.  And people were so impressed with how they came out.  The secret? Gas stove.  The baking is more even and much faster, which allows for more moist cakes.

These banana cupcakes were simply delicious.  My plan was to frost them but opted to leave them plain because the flavor was perfect.  I'll do it next time.  Speaking of next time, my husband gave me for Christmas a cupcake recipe book with more than 100 recipes.  I can't wait to try them all!

How about you?  Any favorite cupcakes come to mind?  Have you tried Martha Stewart's recipes?  I just love them because I know they will taste great but also because she's so peculiar and exact with everything she puts her name on, I rest assured that the recipes will always come out strong and delicious!

Home for the holidays, Part. 1

Yesterday while Emilu was napping I found myself snapping pictures of my mother's kitchen. She's a great cook, although her baking is much better than her cuisine, and her most sumptuous dessert is the orange pie.

Just recently, I have found myself baking more, and I've discovered how much I enjoy it.  Between baking and cooking, there's a sea of difference, and if I had to choose today, I'd bake more, for there's nothing like the feeling of watching the dough rise in the oven.   

I love the picture above.  Having a rocking chair in your kitchen is such a smart move, let alone a pretty styling detail  Of course, you need space, but in this part of the world, spacious kitchens are sometimes the norm rather than the exception. I've already rocked Emilu to sleep here late in the afternoons or early in the mornings. 

My mom keeps so many  jars and containers, enough to store food for months.  She's from the school of thought where more is better, at least where the kitchen is concerned.

The material most used here is native mahogany. It's used for bedroom closets, linen closets, kitchen cabinets, and of course furniture.  However, my mom complains the wood warps easily without maintenance, which can be a problem. With the holiday homecomings soon approaching, do you have any favorite places and spots around your parents' house? Happy and safe homecomings!

Amazing Cooking Tip

This video has been making the rounds of cyberspace.  So I finally decided to watch it and see what the big deal was.  Wow!  Really transformative stuff.  For you foodies out there, don't pass on this.


How to Peel a Head of Garlic in Less Than 10 Seconds from SAVEUR.com on Vimeo.

(First seen at Marvelous Kiddo)