Dry Shrimp Soup

I'm not sure if you can find dry shrimp outside Mexico, but here is very common. So I tought I'll just share a quick recipe.

Dry Shrimp Soup

It is nutritious, cheap and delicious.
 
Ingredients

a bit of onion
3 large garlic cloves or 7 small
bay leaves
ground white pepper
sea ​​salt
a pound of tomatoes
a pinch of thyme
a pinch of ground chile morita in olive oil (if you want it spicy)

Chop all the ingredients above and fry over low heat with olive oil.
Blend, return to pot.

a quarter of dried shrimp (they are only about 8 large ones)
5 carrots
5 potatoes
3 large or 5 medium nopales
a bunch of spinach

Chop and add to the tomato sauce.
Add water to fill the pot.
Raise the heat to high simmer.

Serve with chopped avocado.

Enjoy!

 

Quick recipe with garbanzo or chick peas

It's not a great photo but I highly recommend it, ti's yummy, nutritive, fast and cheap.

Just cook them and mix them with chopped tomato, lime juice and salt.

Ice cream recipe

This recipe is super yummy and super easy, specially if you have a Kitchen Aid mixer.

You'll need:

1 can of evapored milk
1 cup of fruit
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water

Put the milk in a container and in the freezer.
When is half frozen take it out.
Blend all the other ingridients.
Mix the milk very fast until it raises.
Add the fruit mix.
Freeze.
Enjoy.

 

Experimental baking

Using the last recipe I made again Bluberrie cake and chocolate Tofu cakes, all without baking powder, and mixing only with a fork.
So, the one on the right would be blueberry, in the other two have chocolate (water chocolate from Oxaca), tofu, butter and sugar they are the same mix, but the one on the left has eggs, it's so interesting to see how that change everything.

WIP and recipe

I've been busy, but still there is time to craft, or may I say that I need to craft to get my mind clear?

Here is some.

Pants for new baby who was born on this month.

Socks-slippers for a friend.

Blanket for baby to be born.

Bolero for me from Hew pattern on Ravelry.

And also, blueberry cake.
I improvised this recipe and made it twice so I was able to improve it, I did love it, this is it.

1 butter stick
1 cup of sugar
2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 eggs
2 little plastic boxes of blueberries
1 teaspoon of baking powder
A sip of vanilla extract
A bit of salt
Extra sugar for sprinkle

Preheat oven on 3 for gas.
Add some flour to the blueberries and stir.
Mix butter with sugar with a fork, add all the rest and mix with the fork.
Grease and flour a pan, put the mix in it and sprinkle the sugar on the top.
Bake for 25-35 minutes.

Voilá.

Pie crust

Today I watched the movie Waitress, and I liked very much, right now I am at my mother's house so she really needs to come at end and kind of ruin to me with her bitter comments, but I tried to keep my mind in peace, in a happy place, were it belongs. So the movie is not a big deal, but I liked, it's just the kind of movie I like now, just about love, and very "cursi", as we said in spanish about movies full of honey and maybe too much.

It also kind of reminds me of when I was pregnant and sure those weren't so happy days except that my soon came along and make everything wonderfull and worthly.
So, there's a lot of emotions there, but I wasen't going to speak about that but about this; I foun a nice place for finding recipes, an internet place, it is http://www.elise.com/recipes/
And I wanted to add the pie crust recipes here:

All Butter Crust for Sweet and Savory Pies (Pâte Brisée)

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
3 to 6 Tbsp ice water

1 Cut the sticks of butter into 1/2-inch cubes and place in the freezer for 15 minutes to an hour (the longer the better) so that they become thoroughly chilled.

Dough is ready to shape.

2 Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add ice water 1 Tbsp at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, add a little more water and pulse again.

3 Remove dough from machine and place in a mound on a clean surface. Gently shape into 2 discs. Knead the dough just enough to form the discs, do not over-knead. You should be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. These small chunks of butter are what will allow the resulting crust to be flaky. Sprinkle a little flour around the discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days.

4 Remove one crust disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes in order to soften just enough to make rolling out a bit easier. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. If necessary, add a few sprinkles of flour under the dough to keep the dough from sticking. Carefully place onto a 9-inch pie plate. Gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the pie dish.

5 Add filling to the pie.

6 Roll out second disk of dough, as before. Gently place onto the top of the filling in the pie. Pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together. Trim excess dough with kitchen shears, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang. Fold the edge of the top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork. Score the top of the pie with four 2-inch long cuts, so that steam from the cooking pie can escape.

All Butter Crust with Almonds

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1/2 cup finely ground blanched almonds or almond flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1 heaping teaspoon brown sugar
3 to 6 Tbsp ice water, very cold

Follow directions as for the All Butter Crust Pâte Brisée, but with the above ingredients. Include the ground almonds in with the flour and the salt and sugar in step 2 above.

To Pre-Bake a Pie Crust

If your recipe calls for a pre-baked crust, as many custard pie recipes do, follow all the steps above until you get to the point where it says to put in the filling. Note that you will need to make only a half recipe if you are only doing a bottom crust. Freeze the crust it for at least a half hour, until chilled. This is an important step in pre-baking. Otherwise the crust will slip down the sides.

Preheat your oven to 350°F. When the pie crust is sufficiently chilled, line the pie crust with parchment paper, wax paper, or aluminum foil. Fill at least two-thirds full with pie weights - dry beans, rice, or stainless-steel pie weights. Bake with weights for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, cool a few minutes and carefully remove pie weights. Poke small holes in the bottom of the pie crust with a fork and return to oven (without the weights) and cook for an additional 10 minutes, until the crust is golden. Cool completely before filling. You may need to tent the edges of the pie with aluminum foil when you bake your pie, to keep the edges from getting too dried out and burnt.

Combination Butter and Shortening Crust

Recipe adapted from The Best Recipe cookbook from Cooks Illustrated.

Ingredients for one double-crust 9 inch or 10 inch pie:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup (a stick and a half) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 cup of all-vegetable shortening (8 Tbsp)
6-8 Tablespoons ice water

Steps:

1 Mix flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture. Toss to coat the butter with a little of the flour. Cut butter into the flour mixture with 5 one second pulses. Add shortening (a tablespoonful at a time, not one big hunk of shortening) and cut into mixture with about 4 more one second pulses. The mixture should resemble coarse cornmeal, with butter bits no bigger than peas. Turn mixture into a mixing bowl.

2 Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of ice water over flour mixture. Using the blade of a rubber spatula, press down on the dough, using a folding motion, until the dough sticks together. Add up to 2 more tablespoons of ice water if the dough will not come together. Do not over-knead the dough! Divide the dough into 2 balls and flatten each into 4 inch wide disks. Dust the disks lightly with flour, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days before rolling out.

3 After the dough has chilled in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, you can take it out to roll. If it is too stiff, you may need to let it sit for 10 minutes at room temperature before rolling. Sprinkle a little flour on a flat work surface and the top half of one of the disks of dough. (We use a Tupperware pastry sheet that has the pie circles already marked.) Using a rolling pin, apply light pressure while rolling outwards from the center. Every once in a while you may need to use a metal spatula or a pastry scraper to gently lift under the dough to make sure it is not sticking to the rolling surface. You have a big enough piece of dough when you place the pie tin or pie dish upside down on the dough and the dough extends by at least 2 inches all around.

4 When the dough has reached the right size, gently fold it in half and then in half again. Lift up the dough and place the folded point of the dough in the exact center of your pie dish. Gently unfold. Lift the edge of the dough with one hand while easing the pastry along the bottom of the dish with the other hand. Do not stretch the dough.

5a If you are only making a single crust pie, use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the lip of the dish. Tuck the overhang underneath itself along the edge of the pie dish. Use the tines of a fork to crimple the edge of the pie crust.

5b If you are making a double crust pie, roll out the second disk of dough. Use a pastry scraper to help gently roll the dough around the rolling pin. Unroll the dough from the rolling pin over the fruit-filled pie, centering the dough correctly on the pie. Use a kitchen scissors to trim the overhang to an inch over.

Fold the edge of the top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together.

Finish the double crust by pressing against the edges of the pie with your finger tips or with a fork.

6 Use a sharp knife to cut vents into the top of the pie crust, so the steam has a place to escape while the pie is cooking. Optional Before scoring, you may want to paint the top of your crust with an egg wash (this will make a nice finish).

Egg Wash

A lovely coating for a pie can be achieved with a simple egg wash.

1 Tbsp heavy cream, half and half, or milk
1 large egg yolk

Beat egg yolk with cream and brush on the surface of the pie with a pastry brush.

And that's it.

Day of the dead food

When we, Mexican celebrate anything, usually the celebration will include buzz, music and very complicated dishes, because Mexican cuisine is related with holidays and viceversa. Day of the dead is not an exception, so we have different kinds of bread of the dead, "alfeñique" (some kind of hard candy), "mole" (a very complicated sauce with turkey or chicken), "calabaza en tacha" (pumpkin boiled with cane sugar) and, of course skulls in sugar, chocolate and "amaranto" seed. So I found one recipe for the bread but I haven't try it yet, I will include because it is already in English, but I warn you.
I will write more about this later.

Pan de Muerto

Bread for Day of the Dead
foto
5 tazas de harina 5 cups of flour
3 cucharadas soperas de levadura comprimida desmoronada 3 level Tbs. of yeast
5 yemas 5 egg yolks
5 huevos 5 eggs
2 barras de margarina 2 sticks of margarine
1 taza de azúcar 1 cup of sugar
3 cucharadas soperas de agua de azahar 3 Tbs. of anise water
1 cucharada sopera de raspadura de naranja 1 Tbs. grated orange peel
2 huevos para barnizar 2 eggs for the glaze
1 pizca de sal 1 pinch of salt

1. Deshaga la levadura en 4 cucharadas soperas de agua tibia, agregue 1/2 taza de harina y forme una pequeña bola de masa suave. Déjela 15 minutos en un lugar tibio hasta que crezca al doble de su tamaño.
2. Cierna la harina con la sal y el azúcar; forme una fuente y ponga en medio 3 huevos, las 5 yemas, la margarina, la raspadura de naranja y el agua de azahar. Amase bien.
3. Agregue la pequeña bola de masa de levadura. Vuelva a amasar y deje reposar en un lugar tibio durante una hora. La masa deberá aumentar su tamaño casi al doble, nuevamente.
4. Vuelva a amasar. Forme los panes del tamaño deseado y póngalos en charolas engrasadas.
5. Bata los 2 huevos para barnizar y pegar los huesos y las lágrimas.
6. Adorne con formas de huesos y lágrimas hechas de la misma masa y péguelas con huevo batido. Barnice el pan con huevo y espovoree con azúcar.
7. Meta los panes al horno precalentado a fuego medio, durante 30 o 40 minutos. Sáquelos y déjelos enfriar.

1. Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water, add 1/2 cup of flour and make a little ball of soft dough. Leave it 15 minutes in a warm place until it grows double the size.
2. Sift the flour with the salt and the sugar; make a hole and put in 3 eggs, 5 yolks, the margarine, the grated orange peels and the anise water. Mix well.
3. Add the yeast mixture. Knead again and leave in a warm place for one hour until it doubles in size.
4. Knead again. Make the bread the size you want and put in greased pans.
5. Stir the 2 eggs in preparation for basting and attaching the bones and tears.
6. Decorate with forms of bones and tears made with the same dough and attach with beaten egg mixture. Baste the bread with eggs and sprinkle with sugar.
7. Bake the loaves in the preheated oven on medium heat for 30 or 40 minutes. Take them out and let them cool.

DULCE DE CALABAZA EN TACHA

PUMPKIN COOKED IN BROWN SUGAR

Ingredientes Ingredients
1 calabaza de castilla mediana 1 medium squash
3/4 kg de guayaba 3/4 kg guava
1/2 kg de cañas 1/2 kg sugar cane
2 l/2 kg de piloncillo o l l/2 de azúcar 1 1/2 kg. brown sugar
canela y clavo de olor al gusto cinnamon and clove to taste
3/4 1 de agua 3/4 liter water

1. Lava todas las frutas, y córtalas en trozos grandes, dejándoles las pepitas.
2. Pela las cañas y córtalas en trozos delgados, las guayabas en mitades y el piloncillo en pedazos.
3. En una cazuela grande pon a calentar el agua y agrégale la calabaza, el piloncillo, la canela, los clavos de olor y la caña.
4. Tápala y cuece el dulce a fuego lento. Hay que mover suavemente de vez en cuando, para evitar que se pegue.
5. Después de 20 minutos añade las guayabas.
6. El dulce estará listo cuando la calabaza esté suave.
7. Dora un poco de ajonjolí y espolvoréaselo.
8. Sírvelo con leche.

1. Wash all the fruit, cut them in big pieces, leaving the seeds
2. Peel the sugar cane and cut into thin pieces, the guavas in half
3. In a large pan heat the water and add the squash, the brown sugar, the cinammon, the cloves and the cane.
4. Cover and cook the squash at low heat. Stir periodically so it doesn't stick.
5. After 20 minutes add the guava.
6. It is ready when the squash is soft.
7. Brown some sesame seeds and sprinkle onto the squash.
8. Serve with milk.