A Daisy Garden

Most people love a good cappuccino.
It’s not as hard as you may think, and it’s wonderful on a cold day.

Some people call it a cappuccino, others know it as “Cafe con Leche“,
but it’s basically the same thing.

The only ingredients you need are:
Espresso coffee, Milk, sugar, and water.
That’s it!

First thing you do is fill the lower part of your espresso maker with water… just below the “valve” thing-y.  (You can tell I really know the technical names for all the espresso machine parts!)

Place the “basket” in and fill with espresso coffee.  Some people like to really fill it as much as possible (for stronger coffee), but I just lightly fill almost to the top of basket.

Close the top tightly over the bottom, careful not to spill the coffee.

Place on burner with heat just high enough to cover bottom.

Open lid so you can see the very first trickle of coffee when it comes out — this is an important step!  This is not the time to move away from the stove.

Meanwhile, in a glass or heavy cup, pour about 1/3 cup of sugar in.

In a nice big mug, heat up to “scalding”, about 3/4 cup of milk.
I like to use whole milk for this, but it’s perfectly fine to use skim or low-fat.

Make sure you stand there and watch when the first trickle begins…

Pour about 1 Tablespoon of that first trickle into the sugar.
Now you will use a lot of “elbow grease” to stir this sugar with a spoon as quick as you can, until it starts to resemble a paste…  (if you need to add another tablespoon of coffee, go ahead, but BE CAREFUL not to add too much! If it gets too thin, you won’t have that thick foam on top later)

As you turn your hand quickly, the sugar and coffee will be incorporated and you will get a nice, light-colored pasty concoction…
It will take about 2-3 minutes.

Pour the coffee into the sugar mixture, and stir very slowly.

You will have a beautiful frothy mixture of coffee and sugar.

This is actually Espresso… you can pour this into one of those tiny coffee cups that look like a doll tea set, and drink it.
WARNING:  It’s very strong and if you’re not used to it may keep you awake for three days!

Now pour the coffee & sugar into the scalded milk… stirring very slowly…
You’re making a masterpiece here, so take your time.

The top of your creation will look so good, it will look like a Barista make it!

And now there’s only one thing left to do…

Enjoy!!! 🙂

During the Christmas season, I like to have mine with Panettone.
It’s a perfect match.

Happy brewing,

Daisy

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I’ve often been asked how I make Black Beans.  So…

I thought I’d share the recipe since I made some today.

It’s easy & quick and Very Delicious!!
(Just had to add the caps there 🙂

BLACK BEANS

In a heavy saucepan, on medium heat setting, heat 2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil.
Add 6 Tablespoons of Sofrito and cook, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup of tomato sauce,
one large bay leaf, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Add a tiny pinch of sugar and
1 Tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar (or whatever vinegar you have on hand).
Add 2 cans (15 oz each) of plain (unseasoned) Black Beans undrained.
Stir.
Bring to a boil.  Cover.  Turn heat to low/med.
Simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring once or twice.
(Don’t walk away… you don’t want them getting too hot and sticking to the pan.)

Serve over white rice or as a side dish.  Serves 3-4.
If you’d like to prepare enough for 6-8 servings, use the large cans and increase the sofrito to 2/3 cup, tomato sauce to 1 small can, and balsamic vinegar to 2 Tablespoons.  Enjoy!

If you have more time, you could cook the dry beans for 2 hours instead of using canned beans (or cook in your Crock Pot on high for 6 hrs or until softened).
I used to cook it in a pressure cooker for 25 min.  This is only for dry beans, not canned beans!  We don’t want you to end up with Black Bean paste!

Happy Cooking!

Daisy

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I’ve often been asked what I use for seasoning in some of my recipes.  Sofrito is a funny name but it’s an easy, basic and quick way to add a lot of flavor to your dishes.

I usually make a big batch and freeze what I don’t use that day.  You could even fill ice cube trays and after they’ve frozen, place the “cubes” of sofrito into a zip lock bag for later use.  Just drop 2-3 cubes into your pot and it will add so much flavor!

Just blend all the inredients.

You can also place the sofrito in a jar and place in the fridge if you’re going to be using it soon.

I use sofrito in dishes such as Red Bean Soup.  It’s hearty, perfect for a cold winter meal…
Or any day.
It’s just perfect.

I’ll have to post this recipe soon! It’s a good one 🙂

I also use sofrito as a rub on my roast chicken.  The skin comes out crispy and full of flavor.  My kids love this!  How easy can it get?! Just rub on and put in the oven for 1 hour.  Dinner is done!

I use sofrito in black beans, pot roast, and it’s great for slow cooker recipes such as stews and soups.

There are many variations to this but this is what has worked best for me.  I leave out some things so that I can later add what I need depending on what I’m cooking (I add bay leaves to black beans, oregano to soup, cilantro to “posole”, etc).  You get the idea.

Sofrito Recipe 

1 green pepper
1 large onion (or 2 medium)
1 whole head of garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbl vinegar (I use either apple cider vinegar or balsamic)
1 tbl cumin
sprinkle of paprika

Enjoy!

Happy cooking,
Daisy

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