LOLA LOBATO

Because I love you...

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:31:00 +0000

Spring is here!!! Changes come and so I come to my blog. In another format, reinventing it, and implementing new ideas.

I have spent 3 weeks cooking, taking pictures and tasting food. I think I've gained some pounds.
The day I made the cosmo shoots it was 10 am and here I was trying the cosmo shoots and laughing by myself and testing the results.

The house became a total chaos at eating time. We only ate what I was doing for my blog. My mom would call me to ask what was I doing? I was cooking for my blog... so dinner could be a dessert and breakfast could be dinner. This weekend we just ate all the time: panna cotta in all dimensions and forms.

My dining room became a tabletop set where I took all the pictures. There were spoons and plates everywhere. My kitchen was a test kitchen 24 hours a day and my visits to the grocery were simultaneous and daily for a little something. In my closet, if I was going to get a pyjamas, I found tablecloths and forks and knifes. I am surrounded by cooking utensils everywhere. The fridge is filled with containers and little plastic bags labelled with sauce recipes and work in progress.

But today I am very happy, I just opened my new blog. This one will always be here as part of my work. But my new posts will be in the new one with the same address.

I love you all for being with me all the time. Your visits to my blog accompany me and push me to give the best of me: honest and spontaneous.

Welcome to LA MAISON DU MONDE

Lola
xoxo

Piñata Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 23:35:00 +0000

This recipe was brought to me by Andy and Esteban, since they found this recipe they've been making bread almost everyday with unimaginable toppings and fillers.

I called mine piñata bread because I added so much seeds and cramberries, that every time I sliced a piece they come out like a piñata.

The recipe is by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois from the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, extremely easy it is just a perfect recipe.

It's addictive. I ended up eating the whole bread myself without even realizing. And because it's so easy to make you will want to make bread dough for every meal.

Makes about 4 loaves of bread; can be halved or doubled easily

Ingredients:

3 cups lukewarm water

1.5 tablespoon yeast (or two packets)

1.5 tablespoon kosher salt

6.5 cups unsifted, unbleached all-purpose flour

Preparation:

Mix the water, yeast, and salt together. Then add all the flour at once, stirring with a wooden spoon. Once all incorporated, let your dough rise on the counter for at least 2 hours, but as many as 5 is fine. Refrigerate your dough until you are ready to make your bread. The dough will last 2 weeks in the fridge.

When you are ready to bake the bread, sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and pull off a portion of dough the size of a grapefruit. Shape the dough into a smooth ball by pulling the top of the dough over itself and tucking it into the bottom. Let rest 20 minutes (longer if you added a bunch of nuts). Then put your pan in the oven with a boiler pan under it and heat up the oven to 450*. Wait another 20 minutes. Score the top of your bread, put it in the oven, and pour a cup of water into the broiler pan. Bake for 30 minutes and until the crust is perfectly golden. The only way to mess it up at this point is to under cook it, so be brave. Let the bread cool before slicing into it, or don't wait and enjoy the warm, warm bread.

Additional:I added mine, cranberries, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and pinoli. And on top olive oil with sugar.

A lazy sunday stress free bread!

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 23:19:00 +0000

After being away from my blog for two months, I come back again. Even this post, it's about Xmas. For three months, I've been having some problems in my neck due my cervical spine, so I've been wearing a soft collar, going to therapy, doctors etc... and I stopped using my computer as much as I could. Overall, I haven't been very energetic.

But Christmas came along and all my kids came home. And, making an effort with the help of my dear ones, enthusiastic enough with a lot of love, I made my Christmas dinner. Which I am going to share with you.

I wanted to create a magic Xmas dinner. One where we would be sitting at the table eating unexpected flavors, having fun, being happy and surrounded by loved ones...

Three days before Christmas I couldn't sleep, so between dreams and wakefulness, I started dreaming about the textures and flavors I wanted to incorporated in the menu.

And that is how everything started.

We opened dinner with a soup of leek, pear, tarragon, and a little bit of cognac. We called it: Velouté de poireaux et poire.

The salmon. I made it with a crust of almonds, pecans, sesame seeds, cranberries and orange peel. Seasoned with ginger and soy sauce. Saumon en croûte de semences.

My fabulous helper was Andy, my older son's girlfriend. She's already part of the family. My blondie daughter-in-law spent the whole day making all the apple delicatessen: apple cake, apple tart, and a special apple tart with amaranth and coconut flour for a special gluten-free guest.

Molecular honey caviar made for the appetizer. We had it over brie cheese brochettes. Another plate was sashimi with sake granita, this recipe I saw in Donna Hay. I added a seaweed topping that looks like caviar.

These are inspired by the Venezuelan Hallacas that are famous during Chistmas. I didn't have the time or the energy to make the Hallacas I usually make.

So that night between dreams and wakefulness, these Hallacas dumplings came along. They are kosher and organic. We called them: Boulettes de Noël Vénézuéliens. We loved them for their size: they were a perfect food sample.

For fun, I incorporated two blind tastings into the menu (totally unexpected). One was a tequila lime jelly shot covered with crystals of lemon peel and sugar. And the other one was Mochi, the Japanese rice cake ice cream filled with lychee.

We laughed so much just at the idea of a blind tasting. I think this is something I will do more often. The perfect way to break the ice or just to immediately change the mood.

The dessert table was my Christmas wonderland decorated with small and tiny Xmas trees. We had the apple tart, a berry tart, and the famous Buche de Noël.

Some family moments...

The Christmas menu in French that Laura made. Big enough with 14 dishes to please and pamper everyone. Vegan, vegetarian, meat lover, pescetarian, kosher and gluten free.

The kings and queens getting ready for the family picture...

Santa came along and brought the total chaos of opening Christmas presents....

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!!! Remember, the best is yet to come.
Live with passion + dream big + eat slow + cook with love. And then the magic comes along...
Thank you so much for being here.

xoxo
Lola

Hippie Chic

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 19:57:00 +0000

When I saw this bowl I knew I had to get It. Made in Turkey but It reminds me at Missoni knitwear. I can't go out without buying a little something for the kitchen or the table. That is my thing, I have table top items everywhere. I use them on a daily bases. I am the one who thinks that everything has to be used almost immediately, I am the same with shoes.

What I've been cooking lately is quinoa with veggies.

I add carrots, zucchini, broccoli, red onion, orange zest and cranberries.

I am in the mood of Hippie Chic style: food + home + life.

It is the freedom to mix and match with no rules. Eat mother nature's gifts, a fresh mix of vegetables, fruits, grains, seeds and nuts. Everything spontaneous, natural and stress free.

I bought these beauties and decided to make a Hippie Chic salad with them.

For my Hippie Chic salad I made a light vinaigrette with dijon and walnut oil.

I love quinoa!
Originated in the Andes region of South America, specially from Bolivia and Peru. The Incas called the mother of all grains.
This is super grain of the century.
Commonly referred to used as a grain but what we eat is the seed of the plant.
Has the most protein of any grain and contain all amino acids. High in fiber and nutrients.
Is gluten free, cholesterol free and easy to digest.

For my quinoa bowl:
1 cup of quinoa, follow the packets recipe.
I tend to add a little less water than is said.

I sauté in olive oil:
1 red onion - finely chop
2 garlic cloves - mince
2 carrots - finely chop
1 zucchini - finely chop
1 steam of broccoli - cut into very small florets
1/4 cup cranberries
1 orange zest

Combine the crunchiness veggies with the cooked quinoa.

Additional: sometimes I add toasted pin nuts, almonds.
raisins, lemon juice, mint, cilantro.... any thing you like...

It was in Venezuela where I had my first kiss

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 00:41:00 +0000

The day arrived with big hope and much enthusiasm, presidential elections in Venezuela.

How can I forget my dear Venezuela? I had my three kids in Venezuela, my first job in Venezuela, and my first kiss in Venezuela. Even though I have lived there in three different times, each time I saw a vibrant city, happy people, magnificent nature, and wonderful weather all around.

Today I am making Venezuelan arepas. They are a round bread made of pre-cooked corn meal.

You can fill them with almost anything: cheeses, meats, fish, chicken, vegetables, sauces, creams.

The dough is usually made with water, though I sometimes make it with vegetables juices and add more nutritious things like toasted sesame seeds, oats, flaxseeds and spelt flour.

This is the pre-cooked white corn meal a packet seen in all Venezuelan households.

These are my colorful arepas: for the yellow I added turmeric, for the blue, cabbage with baking soda, and for the red, beet.

For the orange I added carrot, the green, spinach, and the white I did with water and added the additional spelt flour, flaxseed, sesame seeds, and oatmeal.

There are particular things that I miss. The aroma of coffee every morning, the smell of freshly baked bread from the bakeries. Dawn with the view of the mountain El Avila, the friendly and joyful Venezuelan people, and, of course, las areperas. They are everywhere and some are open 24 hours a day.

Arepas filled with carne mechada (shredded beef), avocado and chicken, black beans and cheese, and tomatoes with veggies.

This my version of "Reina Pepiada." It is made with avocado, chicken and mayonnaise. This arepa was made with the beet dough and garnish with micro purple radish.

In a very personal sense, I always remember the good times with families and friends in Venezuela. All those memories are linked through food:

Eating at the big table at my grandparents home, my grandfather David going to the market Sunday morning and coming back with huge boxes of fresh food ready to be shared with everyone.

Las cachapas at my abuela Theo's, the welcoming big Sunday soup (hervidos) de mi tia Marisol, el pan de jamón, and the smell of hallacas on Christmas.

The gourmet dinners with written menus at my Dad's and Orietta's, having a fresh juice with my Tita.

Fresh fish (pargito frito) at the beach, tequeños at the piñatas, cachitos from the bakery.

Early Sundays buying flowers and having breakfast to catch up with my friend Maria Ines.

The Shabbat at Jacob's mom's.

The chicken brassery with yuca for lazy days.

The nanny, Luz Marina, helping me make scrumptious meals.

My mom's super healthy meals, way before people used to even talk about organic.

My grandmother Dolores cooking for me special food because I didn't like anything....

And today I have my heart set on a peaceful, secure, and happy Venezuela to come..

All my love to Venezuela!

Crete

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 20:37:00 +0000

We arrived to Aghios Nikolaos and walked around the charming village, until lunch time. I had two names of places where to eat, having in mind I am always looking for where the locals eat fresh and without any tourist pretentiousness. I decided to go Stavrakakis taverna so I got a taxi and drove about 4 miles to Exo Lakonia a little village. We arrived to the place up the hill, a small house with a beautiful bongaville facade and few tables at the front and the inside. At the front door was a wall menu all in Greek. So we just asked to bring all the vegetarian dishes to try them all.

Fishing boats arrive daily with fresh fish at the village.

With local people from the neighborhood at Stavrakakis taverna in Exo Lakonia, Panagia. I wanted to take a picture of them and they asked me to be in the picture too.

The art of making the authentic Greek coffee by the real Manolis Stavrakakis.

Organic home produced family tavern, we had all vegetarian meal, everything super fresh and with a home made taste.

Zucchini blossoms stuffed with rice, this dolmades were beautifully made and very delicious. This something I have to do at home.
The wine ring you see next to it was something you couldn't stop eating.

For dessert we had figs and kumquats in syrup with a homemade liqueur serve from that green bottle, I didn't know what it was but it was like a kind of Ouzo, Tsikoudia or Raki. A perfect and digestive after the meal.

A home made meal, that was exactly what I wanted. Just to fell I was eating at a someone else's home. Totally local food.

An now at home nostalgic for the fabulous Greek trip, I have been eating inspired in all my greek memories.

I bought these two wonderful books which now I adore, "Vefa's Kitchen" by Vefa Alexiadou an authority on Greek food, called the bible of authentic Greek cooking and "Food from Many Greek kitchen" by Tessa Kiros, a beautiful book with inspiring pictures: a celebration of colors and capturing moments.

And from Tessa Kiros comes this recipe of wine rings made with wine and olive oil.

This is the third time I made them, they are addictive like the ones I tried in crete. Once you try it you can't stop eating them.

Love having it with a strong coffee!

Krassokouloura

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (I used all spice instead)

Salt

6 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup white wine (I added 2 more spoons)

Additional ( I added 1 spoon of fennel seeds) next time I will try adding sesame seeds instead.

Preparation:

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl stir with a wooden spoon, add the wine and olive oil and combine.

Continue mixing with your hands until you get a soft an uniform dough.

Knead well for few minutes and divide the dough into oval balls (makes about 20).

Let it rest uncovered for about 5 minutes .

By hand roll each out into a rope about 10 inches long, join the ends and pat one end over the other to close.

On a lined baking sheet, bake for about 20 to 25 minutes until crisp and golden.

Quick & easy to make! keep them in a tin to last.

Obsessed with the C

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 23:14:00 +0000

Adding a lemon zest for a vibre flavor and for the C.

I didn't have fresh basil so used an emergency cube. When I have a lot herbs and I know I am not going to used them immediately to preserve them I freeze them in ice cubes trays with olive oil. I have mint, parsley, cilantro, tarragon and basil all just in case.

The salmon was ready to be bake with a crust of whole grains.I found it at the whole food market, a frozen mix with cranberries, almonds, quinoa, barley and wheat berries. In this case I also bought it for an emergency fast meal. I seasoned the wild salmon with teriyaki sauce, added the crust and of course, lemon peel. Fast and ready to bake!

This is an other pasta which I love with olive oil, garlic, baby heirloom tomatoes, parmigiano Reggianno, fresh arugula and lemon zest.

A breakfast cake with olive oil, yogurt, lemon juice and peel.
You can really feel the flavor of yogurt and the olive oil. I adore the topping, lemon and lime zest with brown sugar. Total deligh with a cup of tea.

Back to basic and simplicity. Every thing with lemon, after having all kinds of tea for a chest congestion that lasted several weeks my desire for lemon continues. Pasta with lemon zest, salmon with lemon peel and even a cake with lemon. I have to tell you about this pasta.

Made while we were locked at home with the shutters down due to the not welcome home guest, Isaac. Thankfully, Isaac was just a storm with heavy rain and wind here in Florida.

A basic pasta

Ingredients:

Spaghetti

750g chopped tomatoes (I used Pomi Italian tomatoes comes in a box packaged BPA free)

1 onion chopped

3 tbs butter

1 lemon zest

capers

Parmigiano Reggiano

fresh basil(I used a cube of frozen olive oil with basil)

salt

Preparation:

In a saucepan medium heat sautéed the chopped onion with butter until onions are tender add the tomatoes and cook slow until the sauce is reduced.(I added to the sauce the basil cube) and continue cook until it melts in the sauce.

Cook the pasta al dente.

Serve, adding as a topping to your taste capers, lemon peel and the parmesan cheese.

My savage tart

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 18:31:00 +0000

As if it came from the woods, just a selection of mushrooms: Shiitake, Oyster, Enoki, Trumpet, White Beech... what ever you like. I also used Portobello mushrooms as part of the ingredients for the filling.

Line the shell with parchment papper and fill with dried beans or ceramic weight, to prevent shrinking or bubbling while baking.

Ready to go to the oven, I arranged the mushrooms on the top, they were too beautiful to be hiding on the filling and I wanted to keep a organized wildness in the concept.

Bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown and puffy.

I served it with a green salad and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

Since I wanted something wild on my table and naive at the same time, here comes my savage tart.

Ingredients for the filling:

A variaty mix of mushrooms

2 Portobello mushrooms diced

1 small onion finely chopped

1 leek finely sliced

3/4 cup of heavy cream

1/2 cup of Gruyere cheese grated

5 eggs

Olive oil (for sauté)

a pinch of salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg

Ingredients for pastry:

1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour sifted

8 tablespoons of unsalted butter chilled and cut into small cubes

pinch of salt

2 tablespoon of water

To make the dough: In a bowl combine the flour, salt and butter with your fingertips until mixture resembles breadcrumbs, add the water little by little and mix until the dough starts to come together into a ball.

Flatten the ball into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured suface and line onto the pan pinching the base all over with a fork, and chill again for 15 minutes before baking.

Line the tart with parchment papper and fill with dried beans or weights, bake for about 20 minutes until the dough feels firm. Remove parchment paper and baking weights and return tart crust to the oven for about 10 minutes

For the filling:

In three separate batches keep the same large pan at low heat with a little olive oil, sauté the onion and leek until caramelized. Remove from pan and put to the side. Follow with a few drops of olive oil sauté the selection of mushrooms being careful turning them around without breaking them and toss with some of the caramelized onion and leek while cooking them (I want them to have flavour and to keep the shape intact, so they could be tasty and look nice at the top. Season with salt and pepper, remove from pan and continue to sauté the Portobello mushrooms with a little olive oil, remove from pan (I don't want them to be mushy so I drain them). Meanwhile, leave it on a colander so they could release the juices and squeeze all the moisture out before adding it to the mixture.

For the mixture:

In a bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Add the caramelized onion and leek with the Portobello mushrooms.

Pour the mixture onto the tart crust and bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown and puffy.

Great for a picnic!

For a sumptuous breakfast, a chic brunch, making a hip lunch, and dinner al fresco...

Monemvasia-Greece

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 00:28:00 +0000

As soon as I arrived to Monemvasia I walked into a bakery to try the traditional hand made cookies made of almonds and sesame called Amygalota. It tasted as if it was made in heaven.

Eating with this scenery, makes you realize the wonderful pleasures of life.

My fascination for feta cheese drove me to ask for any plate that had feta everywhere I'd go. I had daily a Greek salad and continued eating feta in different ways: honey, figs, walnuts.

Even the menu was a work of art authentically made. Matoula's tavern has been open since 1950. A family restaurant with traditional recipes that comes from generations to generations.

This pie was similar to a spanakopita made of spinach, leek, and cheese.

Fried Mullet, local fish from the water to the table, fished everyday.

Monemvasia wines are made with local sun dried grapes a Malvasia type produced in the area. A gold color with fruits and earths aromas.

Simplicity, local and fresh is the heart of much of the Greek cooking. Flavors are pure, amazing, unique and an unforgettable taste.

Simple pleasures of sitting al fresco enjoying traditional Greek cuisine.

Monemvasia is divided into two, the medieval town carved on a side of the rock and the modern side outside the rock where most of the locals live.

Local fish store. Fishes laid on marble counter with care and minimum manipulation.

Now I understand the difference between an Estiatorio and a tabepna...

In greece there many types of eateries:

A tavern may have no table cloth or just paper cloth, a psarotaverna is a seafood tavern, an estiatorio may have table cloth and acts as a formal restaurant. Olinomageirio are simple eateries, Mezedopoleia is a tapas bar, Zacharoplasteio is a patisserie, Kafenelo a coffee with limited food and Ouzeri a place for Ouzo.

Monemvasia
That means single entrance, a peninsula off the Peloponnesian east coast. At first glance it appears to be uninhabited, but following the edges of the cliffs we arrived to a gate entrance with fortifying walls that take you to a magical medivial little town totally authentic and antique.... that is where I spent my birthday, protected by walls and surrounded by a powerful natural scenary.

My concerns in advance were where we were going to eat on that special day. Making my research I arrived with two options: first I wanted to eat real and authentic food with no tourist adaptation of menus. One of the restaurant options was Marianthi, located along the main cobble path and the other was Matoula a taverna with a great view on the Clift over looking the sea. The food was extremely fresh, super delicious, the wine was local which complemented the meal. When a simple meal is glorious everything around shines and that is how I felt there.

Carrot soup

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 22:15:00 +0000

These potatoes have nothing to do with the soup just wanted to share them because I found the love potato just before they were going to the oven.

A homey and comforting carrot soup for the gratefulness of the earth.

Came out lovely, aromatic and with a velvety texture.

Ingredients:

8 carrots chopped

1 cup of butternut squash peeled and cut into chunks

1 onion finely chopped

1 leek chopped

1 tbsp fresh ginger root peeled and finely grated

3 tsp of olive oil

Salt

optional: coconut milk and toasted unsulphured coconut flakes

Serves 6

Preparations:

Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion and leek sauté until the onion begin to golden and get soft. Stir in the carrots and squash, grated ginger and cook for a minute. Season with salt. Add water to cover about 5 cups, bring to a boil. Simmer over a low heat and cover with a lid for about 30 minutes until veggies are tender.

Working into batches purée the soup in the food processor or blender until smooth and creamy.

Serve with coconut milk & toasted coconut.

Simple and sustainable. Totally vegetarian!

It was love at first sight

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 22:27:00 +0000

I found them on my visit to Chicago for my son's graduation.

At home I broke them into pieces placed them on a big plate and covered them with a glass dome to take it to the table and present it as my new little treasure.

Olivia's market a neighbor grocery in the heart of Bucktown, Chicago

Locally made products, hard to find specialty items, natural and organic.

While we went for a walk trying to know his neighborhood we stopped to buy some milk at his grocery store: Olivia's Market, a lovely food store that looks like a scene coming out from a movie.

It's a neighborhood grocery with locally made products, organic, artisan cheeses, natural Amish chicken and a beautiful selection of fresh flowers that transport you to the countryside.

But what got my attention was the great selection of chocolates. When I saw them it was love at first sight, I knew I had to try them. I bought one and on the following day I was back to get some more. They are extremely delicious, smooth melting in your mouth while you immediately get the same feeling as being in love.

Visually they are like modern art pieces to you mouth. As a texture they melt silkily, every bite finding little crunches of fruits, nuts or flowers.

They are artisan chocolates made by Ethereal. I was happy to find out they are from Illinois so they were a great goodie to bring back home. The other good thing is that they are organic,local ingredients, hand made and no preservatives, no dairy and gluten free plus most of them are vegan.

I love their combinations of flavors, like the dark chocolate with strawberries, rose petals and pink peppercorns. When you bite them they are like the beginning of a new love story.

The pistachio & cranberry has some sprinkles of sea salt that make it unforgettable every bite.

The macadamia & raspberry with lime zest has a hip look and it's the perfect encounter between sweet and sour.

They also have olive oil meltaway, truffles, mendiants and other exciting confections with more combinations of flavors to die for.

Queen's Diamond Jubilee

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 21:51:00 +0000

Oxford Street getting ready for the celebrations.

Windows for the Jubilee Celebration at Selfridges.

Love all the goodies from the food halls of Selfridges, Harrods, and Mark & Spencer.

Victoria Sandwich Union Jack decoration.

My Victoria Sandwich Cake.

Afternoon tea time with a view.

Taken in Rottingdean on my way to have cream tea at the Olde Cottage tea room.

Queen's Diamond Jubilee here at home in Florida. After coming from London few weeks ago I became more passionate for UK and having special feelings for England, It remained me of my student life in London and Brighton and therefore the great moments, parties, friends and the fantastic and lovely tea time at the countryside.

This is the Victoria Sandwich Cake, named in honor of Queen Victoria. Perfect for an afternoon tea or any celebration.

It's fast and easy to make.

Victoria Sandwich Cake

Ingredients:

175g butter

175g caster sugar

175g self raising flour

3 eggs

1 lemon zest grated

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling:

4 tbsps of strawberry jam

6 fresh strawberries sliced

1 pint of whipping cream

Additional for decoration:

Icing sugar

Blueberries and raspberries

Butter and flour 2x20cm cake tins and line with parchment paper.

Beat together the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy,add the lemon zest. Gradually beat the eggs and flour and mix well until smooth.

Divide the mixture between the two cake tins and bake for about 20 minutes until cakes are golden and brown at 350ºF.

Allow to cool completely.

Mix the sliced strawberries with the jam.

Whip the cream.

Spoon about half of the whip cream on one of the cakes and spread the strawberries jams. Sandwich the cakes together.

For decoration have the option to dust with icing sugar or used the remaining cream on top with the berries.

My visit to Venice

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Sun, 27 May 2012 15:48:00 +0000

An enchanted city that looks like it is from a fairy tale. Full of details, food, art, praying and carnival.

I enjoyed as a child getting lost in Venice, just walking and walking and finding the most amazing architectures and piazzas with adorable places to eat.

Everywhere I looked I found the most inspiring views, art everywhere. We took the vaporetto and rode through the canal.

If you are thirsty just relax have a cold Bellini at the piazza and keep wandering around. Definitely drinking an aperitif and having a good conversation could happen anywhere.

While walking with no direction or destination to a specific place, I arrived to the most amazing place Rialto market where everything was extremely fresh, appealing and colorful. I love the way they sell the the artichokes hearts. My feeling was that there was not even a need to have a refrigerator because if I lived there l would buy food daily to cook and eat fresh.

Beautiful sun dried tomatoes and Limonchello everywhere. Just around the corner to the market you could eat fresh fried calamary with a squeeze of lemon and a glass of local white wine.

Any meals would taste great with the freshness and quality of the ingredients.

After my trip I came enthusiastic with the idea of just buying seasonal veggies just locally grown. Here in Florida there are some organic farms that deliver weekly from local harvers.

Campo della pescaria in Rialto, a daily fish market with amazing sea creatures.

Perfect for a Venice antipasto with grilled vegetables, olives and seafood.

A magic city with visual delights. We got from the airport to the hotel in a water taxi. Most of the hotels have a little dock at the back, our taxi driver got confused and let us in the wrong dock. So we found ourselves lost in a little narrow alley with four heavy luggages like tourists coming out of a comedy movie. All until someone came out of nowhere and asked us if we needed help carrying our stuff to the hotel which we said yes and he started walking very fast making it hard to follow him. I was running to the level of his steps, thinking he was going to run and take our belongings, just like in the movies. I said to myself Lola too much Netxflix. But in the end I was totally wrong, he kindly took us to the hotel.

Eating with a view is almost anywere.

Now at home thinking of Venice, better make myself a Bellini and enjoy the afternoon brezze.

Bellini

Just mix and serve

3 ounces of Prosecco (chilled)

1 ounces fresh white peach puree ( peel fresh peaches, cut in pieces and blend in the food processor, press the puree through a sieve)

The idea is to put two teaspoons of the peach puree in the base of a chilled champagne glass and pour the chilled Prosecco

Per bottle is about 2 or 3 peaches.

You may add one or two drops of raspberry puree to give an enchanted color to the drink.

Just a bite

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 17:33:00 +0000

A little tapa, the other night I had friends coming over we had wine and I made 2 tortillas de patatas that became my left over for the following day, a Spanish montadito breakfast.

I toasted a sliced baguette drizzled with olive oil, and placed a slice of Manchego cheese, olive oil and pepper, a piece of tortilla de patatas and on the top roasted red peppers.

A divine glorious way to start a day followed by a cappuccino or even a glass of red wine would be much better...

Shall we eat?

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 19:21:00 +0000

Veggie salad sprinkle with basil, cilantro, mint herbs and a Dijon vinaigrette. I am venturing more in to making these veggie plates a part of my lifestyle. It can be served as a first course, a companion to fish, chicken or meat. It goes well with anything and can satisfy any taste, you just choose what you want to place.

I am totally convinced that we always have to keep doing things just for ourselves, specially if it is things that make us happy. We have to be able to know when to stop the saturation of the daily life routine.

am fascinated with casseroles I just throw any veggie and drizzle it with olive oil, coarse salt and voilà it's magnificent. These Le Creuset casserole are so great to wash and you can take it from the refrigerator to the oven or microwave and be ready for the table.

I went to a fantastic birthday party thrown by a friend for her mom.

I loved her idea, a brunch on a Saturday morning. She got a huge Venezuelan food truck parked at her garage with arepas and cachapas. Arepas is a kind of bread made of corn dough, you can have it stuffed with meat, cheese or any thing you like. My favorite is chicken with avocado. Cachapas are like a pancake made from fresh corn and hand made cheese. They are really delicious, if you ever have the chance and come across one you must try it.

Debbie's cheese table, I love the way she served a dip using a bread as a bowl.

Everybody is talking about the detox diet, I have friends that have been drinking special combinations of fruits and veggie juices, others doing the detox clean program of Gwyneth Paltrow and so I decided to do a month of cyber detox.

I took some time for myself and decided to place a pause on my old routine. I started by just taking quality time for myself. A kind of inner side vacation. Slow down everything, eating exactly what I want, being more organized with my menus and being able to enjoy it without being rushed.

I started to move faster by taking Zumba classes, a great latin dance fitness that boosts and renews yourself with special energy. I love exercises that are attached with music so I decided to take belly dancing too, It brings out the inner goodness. We are planning to do a Moroccan girls tea dance that will be something interesting for future posts. I keep walking as much as I can even if Florida is a driving city.

I am also in the process of giving my blog and online store a twist pushing it more towards real life. Not that before it wasn't. Its that I have always been too conscious about privacy and now I decided to open more the door and give everyone a quick peek of my life and my dear ones. Like opening the curtains to have a look inside. I think it’s the only way to share some of the things I like best, eat !

My friend Debbie called me yesterday telling me that she was going to make a cheese table inspired in the one I always do. I told her the idea is to break the rules and not be perfect, to not have matching dinnerware or table cloth. If the theme is cheeses and wine, I always fill the table with a variety of honeys, marmalades, fruits, nuts, breads and all kind of beautiful vegetables to eat and mostly to use as part of the decoration. You have to do it in a free way, making every thing look fresh, tempting and inviting.

When I place the cheeses on the board I like to have a feeling that there is a story behind each plate and that the veggie selected next to the cheese with the almonds, the honey and the figs have to tell you something while smoothly leading you to try the next plate.

PASTA TIME

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:45:00 +0000

It was my first attempt in making pasta from scratch, I invited friends over to have an interactive cooking experience.

The pleasure of eating fresh pasta is worth making the dough.

We made spaghetti, beet fettuccine and ravioli filled with pumpkin.

The dough we made by hand and then we used a pasta machine to roll it out.

The pasta in the drying rack, we did several batches of pasta. At a moment every thing looked like a chinese laundry. I loved it. Pasta everywhere!

I try it later on my own to make more pasta for a dinner and I found it to be a bit hard labour. Definitely It's something I will be doing with friends surrounded by music with a glass of wine.

We started with the basic recipe with 3 eggs and 2 1/4 cups of unbleached all purpose flour. Then we continued by mixing the flour with semolina, my idea was to experiment with other kinds of flours like coconut flour, rice flour, flaxseed meal and spelt.

For the pumpkin ravioli I made a puree by roasting the pumpkin with olive oil and thyme. Mashed it with a fork adding butter, salt, pepper and pinch of grated nutmeg. For the sauce I melted butter with sage and served it with Parmigiano Reggiano. This is alway one of my favorites tortelli di zucca, pumpkin + butter + sage + parmigiano .

I found a recipe which I want to try it is by adding to the pumpkin puree amaretti cookies, nutmeg, Grana Padano and mostarda mantovana (spicy sauce made of candied fruits syrup and mustard essence)

For the beet fettuccine we made the dough adding beet juice. The color came out beautiful, but for my disappointment after boiling the pasta the intense color tends to fade away.

So I try the second time boiling it into beet juice in stead of water which helped a little better to retain more of the color.

At the end were so hungry that we made the sauces fast and easy, for the spaghetti we just sautéed radicchio with dry chili, garlic and olive oil.

Mi piace la pasta!

Roasted Veggies

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 23:25:00 +0000

I made these roasted veggies several times during the holidays, because they were yummy and extremely easy to make. This is an adaptation from a recipe I saw in Olive magazine, on my UK adorable subscription. Because everything is roasted there is not much of a hassle, I could do it on a lazy day as a vegetarian plate or as a side dish with a roasted chicken. I added the chestnuts to give a festive attitude but the whole combination of veggies are fantastic. You could have it without the cream but to me thats the special touch.

Ingredients:

1 small pumpkin or squash, peeled and diced

2 fennel bulbs, cut into slices.

2 big caps of portobello mushroom, diced

150g of chestnuts, I used a packet of 5.2 oz all ready roasted and peeled.

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 bay leaf

olive oil

butter

salt and pepper

For the tarragon cream:

a little bunch of fresh tarragon, chopped

1 cup of heavy cream

2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard

In a casserole toss the pumpkin, fennel, chestnuts with the garlic, bay leaf and olive oil. Seasoned with salt and pepper.Roast for about 20 minutes until tender. Meanwhile cook the portobello with the butter until any liquid that it has given off has evaporated. Reserve and toss in the casserole before serving. For the tarragon cream, in a small pan, heat the heavy cream with the mustard and tarragon and drizzle to serve.

Upside down little puddings

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:43:00 +0000

New Year came along and I wish you all the best a happy, healthy, prosperous and well savour life to live.

I made these little puddings the last day of the year thinking we may have to have a bite of something sweet with a glass of Champagne for the transition to the new year.....

I spent the night in a Greek tavern, eating fresh mediterranean food, dancing on the table and drinking Retsina, surrounded by very happy people and great music.

Back to the little puddings, the recipe came from the British magazine Delicious.

(I don't know why but they remind me of Downton Abbey)

For the topping:

30g soft butter

30g soft brown sugar

24 shelled pecan halves

100g cranberries (fresh or frozen)

For the sponge:

100g soft butter

100g caster sugar

Finely grated zest of 1 orange

2 eggs, beaten

50g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking power

50g ground almonds

For the crème anglaise:

150ml whole milk

50ml double cream

2 large egg yolks

25g caster sugar

1 tsp cornflour

Finely grated zest of 1/2 orange

For the topping mix the butter and sugar together, spread the mixture over the base of the little baking cups. Arrange pecans and cranberries on top.

To make the sponge cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat the in the orange zest. Gradually beat in the egg, adding a small spoonful of flour with the last addition.

Sift over the remaining flour and baking power, and gently fold into the mixture along with the ground almonds.

Divide the sponge mixture between the baking cups, put in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer pushed into the center of the pudding comes out clean.

For the crème anglaise bring the milk and cream to the boil, briefly whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl, then whisk in the cornflour and orange zest.

Whisk the hot creamy milk into the yolk and sugar mixture, then return it to the pan and stir over a medium low heat for a few minutes until the mixture thicken. Do not let mixture boil.

Turn out onto serving plates and serve with the hot crème anglaise. They are great without the cream too, their flavour and texture are delicate and soft. Comforting and easy to make.

Serves 8 (mini baking cups)

I must start the year thanking all my blogging food communities and blogger friends for encouragement, support, sharing your precious moments and treasures.

I respect your courage, commitment, determination, and perseverance.

My great admiration to all of you!!! all the best

Lola, xoxo

The night before Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 05:39:00 +0000

My first Christmas

My happy Christmas moments started, with a grandfather with a toy store, getting double Santa's presents and being spoiled as being the first daughter and first granddaughter.

Living in houses with no fences, friendly neighbors. Friends go from home to home knocking at the door with a cuatro, maracas and furruco singing christmas carols gaitas and parrandas. Smell of Hallacas in every house, music everywhere, festive day and night. Then I moved to were I had white Xmas and a chimney with the smell of fresh pine, apple and cinnamon. Later moved again, smell of cookies and hot chocolate, I had the glorious joy of having three children, and Santa's came along....

Living in so many places, I have knit all those memories into one, family and friends, sharing and cooking.

Of coursed my beloved Christmas tree that brings light into the house. But nowadays I feel Xmas in a very nostalgic way, kids have grown up, family are far away, some can't make it for Christmas, others are not longer with us. Presents are not longer in the tree, have to be sent by mail and sometimes those moments have to be shared with my computer.

I just want to wish you the same as I tell my kids:

Continue be curious it's the road to creativity, never stop dreaming. Enjoy the small and simple moments maybe the most important one to remember in future. Always find time to be with your self, observe nature, move, eat conscious. Have tolerance and respect to others. Always have your heart open to give love and receive, and the most important: LIVE WITH PASSION.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
and a Happy Holiday.

Lola, xoxo

Jewely for napkin rings & chestnut soup

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:46:00 +0000

Looking for napkin rings that I could use for my Christmas table, I found these giant stone rings. I thought it was perfect for what I wanted, so I tied them to a metal string and within seconds I had my napkin rings. The dishes I used, which I had bought at a flea market, had various black and white patterns. Perfect to use under my Royal Worcester golden soup plate.

The idea is to mix the old with the new using different textures and patterns, keeping it timeless & chic.

The chestnut soup with chocolate curls

I made it it last year on Christmas Eve as part of a nine-course tasting. The recipe is from Mireille Guiliano, author of the book French Women Do not Get Fat.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound of chestnuts or a jar
2 or 3 cups of vegetable or beef broth
1 / 2 cup of heavy cream
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons of crème fraîche
Dark chocolate, 60% to 70% cacao, for garnish

I prepared it using a jar of chestnuts which helped the whole process take less time. If they are natural cook them for about 50 minutes with two cups of broth, add more if necessary. When they are soft, blend them while adding the broth and the cream. Heat again for a few minutes until it simmers. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve individually with a touch of crème fraîche and chocolate curls.

A dish that does not go unnoticed, and gives an exciting opening to what is yet to come...

The Côté Bastide linen tablecloth, mini trees, candles votives and chocolate are sold at my online store: http://shop.lolalobato.com

Relax and have a cocktail

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:13:00 +0000

This is my tropical Christmas cocktail, being in Miami I shouldn't wait for a white xmas to come. I enjoy my Christmas tree with a see view and a nice sunny weather.

Holiday season: parties, celebrations, shopping, cooking, cleaning and planing the new year to come. I have been running from one place to an other with the online store and the holiday season.

It's nearly the same as having a real shop with a window.

We do sales, coupons, take pictures, write, send store products to different directories, social media, marketing, check inventory, packing, post office, answer questions online an over the phone..... plus running a home with daily emphasis on food sounds good! but not when you are just one person doing it all.

That is when I say relax and have a cocktail instead of run Lola run!

For me a cocktail is taking your time, you have to enjoy it slowly and of course socially . A cocktail is a type of flirting with the glass and the drink, changing your mood and switching you to another atmosphere were every thing is slowed down, please don't misunderstand me I am not inducing anyone to drink, just have only one.

So if you are over stressed with the holiday seasons relax and have a cocktail

Ingredients:

2 oz rum

1 oz lemongrass

1 oz lemon juice

lemongrass syrup:

2 cups of water

1 cup of sugar

3 stalks of lemongrass, sliced

To prepared the syrup:

Add all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to low and keep cooking slow for 30 minutes, stir, strain and let it chill.

In a cocktail shaker with ice combine all ingredients, shake, strain and serve.

you can make the lemongrass and keep it in the refrigerator for future use...

Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:07:00 +0000

I made the cranberry sauce with 12 oz of fresh cranberries, 1 cup of orange juice, 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest.

For the center table arrangement, I place a rosemary plant with salvia leaves and berries in an ice bucket. I like to use things in as many ways as possible.

I love casseroles you can take it from the oven to the table, specially if you have to warm up so many dishes at the same time.

The sweet potato with a dash of ginger is a totally comfort food.

That night I downloaded all the pictures that were from the night before when I started cooking, I was on the phone and doing three things at the time while I was erasing stuff in the computer and voilà.... without realizing all my 50.000 pictures I had in stock were gone. I panicked got help and manage to rescue the whole packet , thank God, a few weeks ago I updated the computer and most of my pictures were safe. I lost most of the Thanksgiving pictures especially all the making of each dish...

Anyway, I did all the dishes I wrote on my menu except the pumpkin flan and the dill scones.

I got two delicious desserts from my friends a carrot cake and a tower of profiteroles au caramel.

If you are vegetarian do NOT READ THIS!!!

I had my concerns about the turkey, at first I thought about not making it but this time It was the first Thanksgiving I didn't have any left over turkey, It was crunchy outside and juicy inside, I was basting almost every 20 minutes until done for four hours and half.

For the meat lover this is the recipe, for the vegetarian I will write soon the veggies plates.

Roast turkey with chestnut stuffing

The night before: I cleaned the turkey, (organic & kosher) seasoned it, and did the stock.

For the seasoning paste:

butter - about 8 oz in this case being kosher I used vegetable margarine

garlic - whole head

rosemary, sage and thyme - about a table spoon of each

worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper

blend all the ingredients and make a paste, season with salt and pepper and rub the paste under the skin and all over outside. This with help to keep moist inside.

For the stock:

neck and giblets

1 celery

1 carrot

1 onion

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

4 cup of water

2 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat the oil and brown the neck and giblets, add remaining ingredients and simmer until reduced to about 4 cups. About 45 minutes. Strain. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerated.

For the stuffing:

12 ounces chestnuts (I used two packed roasted whole chestnut)

1 apple - chopped

3 celery ribs - chopped

1 large onion - chopped

1 country bread (I used a Tuscany country style bread) cut in small cubes

small bunch of fresh sage, rosemary and thyme - minced

olive oil

salt

Toast the bread already cut into small cubes with olive oil and minced rosemary, until become gold and crusty like croutons.

In olive oil cook onions, celery, apple, chestnuts and herbs until soft. Stir together with the toasted bread.

While roasting:

64 oz (2 QT) chicken broth

1 cup white wine

Baking the turkey:

Fill main cavity and neck- end cavity loosely with stuffing. Sew cavities closed and tie legs together, secure wings to body with a small skewers.

Place turkey in roasting pan and add 1 cup of chicken broth.

I usually cover the the breast loosely with aluminum foil for the first hour of the cooking time, to get an uniform roasting.

The secret for me to have crisp and juice is to keep basting every 20 minutes and keep adding more broth or wine when is needed. And when a part of the turkey starts to get brown too quickly, I cover that part loosely with small piece of aluminum foil. Even If I know for the weight and stuffing, mine will be done in approximately 41/2 hours, I used a thermometer to make sure It is properly done. Breast should register 165° (74°C) and thighs 175°F (80°C).

Leave it rest for about 25 minutes before carving.

For the gravy:

4 cups reserved from the turkey stock

pan and juices reserved from turkey

1/2 cup fat from pan and juices

6 tablespoon all purpose flour

Scrape bottom of roasting pant to loosen any browned bits, adding 1cup of the turkey stock pour into a large measuring cup. Let stand until fat rises to surface. Spoon fat off and reserve 1/2 cup. In a saucepan boil mixtures of juices with the rest of the turkey stock until reduced to 3 cups.

Meanwhile pour reserve 1/2 fat in a saucepan add flour cook until golden brown, stirring constantly. Add stock mixture and continue stirring. Cook until sauce thickens, check season to taste with salt and pepper .

Cook with passion, eat slow and celebrate with love...

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:34:00 +0000

We are on a Thanksgiving countdown! I know everybody has already their thanksgiving recipe in their blog, I don't yet, I have been late and slow. I've wanted to write about it but I've been going back and forth with it. With mixed feelings of whether to make the turkey or not.

Worst of all I got an email with the request to adopt a turkey http://www.adoptaturkey.org/ which I totally agree with. It's an organization, a farm sanctuary that promotes compassion and protects all farm animals. They are right which really puts me off with the THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION. But, I have family and friends coming over on Thursday for Thanksgiving, especially looking forward to eat turkey. I am thinking we are all happy eating and celebrating as millions of American are all celebrating at their home and in reality it is the saddest day for all the turkeys.

I have been celebrating for over 21 years, since I first came to USA. It has become a family tradition to cook together and eat together. I wasn't sure if my family and I were ready to break the tradition of the turkey and do it without.

Even with all those mixed feelings I decided to do it again like any other year, I bought the turkey a kosher organic. And now I just have to put all my thoughts together and get into a good vibe to write the menu and start cooking.

The Thanksgiving menu

For dessert: I am going to make an apple tart and pumpkin flan

Hors d' oeuvres: brie cheese with fig marmalade and macadamia nuts, roasted garlic with rosemary and Sra Ines olive oil and fennel tortas.

Salad: fennel with apple and caramelized walnuts, a mixed of greens with oranges, pecans and cranberries.

Side dishes: potato galette, sweet potato puree with a dash of ginger (I hate the idea of marshmallows with sweet potatoes), brussels sprouts with orange peel, glazed pearl onions with raisins and almonds, baby carrots with mustard seeds and honey. (I like the presentation of a big plate with a variety of baby vegetables prepared each in a different way)

Breads: corn bread and mini dill scones.

Sauce: cranberry (of course)

Turkey stuffing: chestnuts, apples, celery, onion and rosemary country bread.

Turkey : seasoned with sage, rosemary, garlic and thyme.

I must said my friends are bringing corn pudding, some other veggies and a dessert. (I will take pictures too)

Let's see how the menu will end up being done, I will be posting as soon as I can every dish I'll be cooking.

I know we all have things to be thankful for, I sure have.

Meanwhile I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

No mater what: cook with passion, eat slow and celebrate with love...

It's not a Tiramisu

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 01:58:00 +0000

If you are a coffee, liqueur and cream lover, you will adore it. Extremely easy to make.

Minimal cooking involved, just layers and refrigeration, better to do it the day before.

Layers of creams, lady fingers, chocolate, amaretti cookies, almonds and coffee.

I did it in a tart pan with a removable base, to keep it in place, I added two walls of foiled paper around to maintain the deep shape. I used a vegetable peeler to make the chocolate curls.

Ingredients:

(for the cream)

8 oz mascarpone cheese

6 oz heavy cream whipped

1/4 cup caster sugar

( to sprinkle)

1 tablespoon finely ground coffee

2 oz chocolate chopped into very small pieces

2 oz chocolate curls

1 cup of sliced toasted almonds

1 cup of amaretti cookies crushed into small pieces

2 packets of lady fingers

(for dipping the lady fingers)

4 cups of expresso coffee

4 tbls spoons of caster sugar

8 tbls of brandy

Preparations:

Make a cream by whisking together the mascarpone cheese, the heavy cream and the sugar. Chill. For dipping the lady fingers make three cups of coffee expresso, stir in the sugar and add the brandy. Place it in a bowl and let it cool.

Start the first layer with the lady fingers dipped into the coffee mixture and lay them in a row in a tart mold, cover it with thick cream. Sprinkle with some of the chocolate pieces, spread the second layer, dipping the lady fingers in the coffee mixture, then cover with the cream and sprinkle with the amaretti cookies chopped. Continue the next layer in the same way this time sprinkling with coffee grounded and chocolate pieces.

Cover the top with coffee cream, the chocolate curls and toasted almonds. Chill overnight .

Another stress free dessert!!!

Tea towel
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Pie server
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Spoons
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Coconut and peanut butter sauce for the chicken satay

noreply@blogger.com (Lola Lobato) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 23:32:00 +0000

A chicken satay with coconut milk and peanut butter sauce, this one of my family's favorites. Everybody loves them at home. It's great for entertaining. The sauce it's completely delicious. Your friends will be satisfied. If they are vegetarian just serve the sauce with grilled veggies and rice.

The idea is to bring some far away sparkle into the home. Those tastes become friendly and we get totally used to making them on our own.

For the chicken marinate:

In a bowl combined all.

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup lemon juice

6 garlic cloves minced

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 tablespoon brown sugar

For the chicken I usually make about 6 to 8 chicken breast, I cut it into strips with a kitchen scissors. Marinated, leave it for about an hour in the refrigerator.

You could do it the night before for a more intense flavor and cooked the following day on the grill.

For the sauce:

In a saucepan add the following ingredients and cook over low to medium, stirring constantly until sauce its thick and creamy.

11/2 cup of coconut milk

1 cup of peanut butter

1/ 4 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed

2 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger root

6 garlic cloves minced

I serve them with jasmine rice, a topping of sliced fresh coconut roasted and a salad with mango, cucumber, red pepper, scallions, cilantro and toasted peanuts. which I will post soon...

Tip

Soak the bamboo skewered for about 20 minutes in a bowl of cold water to keep them from burning while you are grilling.