Cooking | A Daisy Garden

Posts Tagged ‘Cooking’

Cuban Pastries

Posted in Baking, Cooking, Photography, tagged Baking, Cooking, photography on October 19, 2012| 10 Comments »

Whenever I visit my Dad, I look forward to eating specialties that are found only in the area where he lives. When he took me to the bakery all I had with me was my cell phone, but I still had to take some photos…

I’m not sure what these are called, but they are filled with creme, the outside is made with phyllo dough, and it has a crispy thin crust of the most delicious thing you can imagine!

This is flan, which you have probably had in the past… but not like this!

These are filled with guava and made from ~~millions~~ many layers of phyllo dough.
When you bite into them, it is so good that you begin to smile almost immediately.

These are my favorite!!!
They are filled with a meat mixture that is so delicious!
When you take a bite, a symphony begins to play in your mouth
of sweet phyllo dough,
with salty filling,
all nice and warm.

Have I made you hungry?!

Happy eating! 🙂

Have a terrific weekend!

Daisy

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Sofrito

Posted in Cooking, Photography, tagged Cooking, photography on September 22, 2012| 6 Comments »

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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Gooey Cinnamon Rolls

Posted in Baking, Cooking, Photography, tagged Baking, Cooking, photography on July 17, 2012| 8 Comments »

Today, I made cinnamon rolls…

The whole house smelled so good! There’s nothing like the smell of bread or rolls baking.

Are you hungry yet??

I made enough to share with my neighbors across the street.
They were very appreciative. 🙂

I topped them off with cream cheese frosting. It’s so much better than the
plain sugar icing. These rolls go really good with coffee. 🙂

Go ahead and have one. You can start your diet tomorrow.
Like I am.

Happy eating,
Daisy

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Farmers Market

Posted in Cooking, Photography, tagged Cooking, Farmers Market, photography, Summer on July 16, 2012| 19 Comments »

One thing I like about Mondays is that I get to go to the Farmers Market!

This Farmers Market is huge! There are hundreds of vendors and also a very large Flea Market section in the back. You can find anything here from socks to tomatoes. It’s like a gigantic outdoor department store! And so much fun!! I think my favorite section is the antiques area where you can find lots of interesting items. However, today I didn’t have time to go back there so I just went straight to the veggies and fruit which was what I came for.

Everything is so fresh. Lemonade anyone?

The peaches are so sweet and juicy! I’m thinking..peach cobbler… oh yeah, I’m supposed to be on a diet.
The cherries are one of my favorites so we bought 2 lbs for $2!

There were lots of cherries. We walk up and down the aisles looking for the best prices and produce.

I couldn’t believe all those radishes for $1!!

If you’ve never had a Florida avocado, I suggest you do. They are delicious!
And those hot peppers? I like to put them in a bottle with garlic, vinegar, and olive oil. You can use the oil for dressings and the peppers in anything from scrambled eggs to chili.

Watermelon and summer. Can’t wait to make frozen watermelon treats! My favorite!
Just blend watermelon, sugar, ice, and a little water. Pour into ice cube trays and freeze for a couple of hours. Place 4-5 in a glass and serve with a fork. Use the fork to break up the cubes.
My Dad made these for me when I was a little girl. I can’t make them as good as he did but close enough. They are so good when it’s hot outside! Very refreshing! 🙂

Beefsteak tomatoes! All I can say is, “Wow!”

My husband likes asparagus so we got 2 bunches for $3.

On the way out, I snapped this photo. The peaches were calling me.

Dinner tonight was delicious… nothing like fresh veggies.

Happy marketing, 🙂
Daisy

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28th Anniversary!

Posted in Baking, Photography, tagged Baking, Cooking, Food, photography on July 9, 2012| 5 Comments »

Last week, for our anniversary, my husband took me to Cheesecake Factory. If you have never been to this restaurant, you should definitely make plans to go. They have great food, but of course their specialty is cheesecake. They offer more than 30 flavors of cheesecake. Yes, 30!

eeny meeny miny moe

As you walk into this beautiful place… right there on display, are just some of their fabulous cheesecakes. As you wait for your table you can see and decide which one you will have for dessert. (Notice I didn’t say “if” you have one, but which one you will have)

Oh my.

Decisions, decisions…

Gasp!

I don’t know if I can do this… choose just one??

This is torture.

Triple Cho-co-late? Uh, oh.

My husband, who’s better at making decisions than I am, chose the “white chocolate caramel macadamia nut cheesecake.” The menu describes it like this: White Chocolate Chunk Cheesecake Swirled with Macadamia Nuts and Caramel on a Blond Brownie Crust. ” Because we had a full meal (which was also delicious!) we thought it best to share one slice of cheesecake. We knew it would be substantial. And it was.