Café con Leche

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February 28, 2008

Chicken Curry with Potatoes and Squash

Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons ground coriander
* 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure chile powder, such as pasilla
* 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
* 3 tablespoons water
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 3 onions, halved and thinly sliced
* 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
* One 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
* 12 curry leaves
* 2 teaspoons garam masala
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* Kosher salt
* One 3 1/2-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces, wing tips removed
* 1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
* 3/4 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dic
* One 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
* 1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
* Steamed white rice, for serving

Directions
1. In a small skillet, toast the coriander, chile powder and turmeric over moderate heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the water to form a paste.

2. In a very large, deep skillet, heat the oil. Add the onions, garlic, ginger and curry leaves and cook over moderately high heat until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in the spice paste, garam masala and pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the oil separates from the paste, about 2 minutes.

3.Season the chicken pieces with salt. Add the chicken, potato and squash to the skillet and stir to coat with seasonings. Stir in the coconut milk and chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over moderately low heat until the chicken is cooked through and the potato and squash are tender, about 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken pieces to a bowl. Season the sauce with salt and pour it over the chicken. Serve with steamed white rice.

From Food & Wine Magazine

Posted by Rosa at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 26, 2008

Why French Women Don't Get Fat

This is a very quick read with what I think is common sense but apparently it's not so common as some of the reviewers on Amazon rave about her tips. Her basic tips are

1. Walk everyday, take stairs
2. Drink water as much as you can
3. Don't eat mindlessly or too much
4. Eat whatever you want
5. Eat fresh food
6. Avoid prepackaged or processed food

Posted by Rosa at 02:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 09, 2008

Fettuccine with Broccoli

Ingredients
fettuccine
broccoli, cut into small florets
olive oil,
red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon lemon zest
parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Cook the fettuccine until it's al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
2. In a skillet over medium-high heat heat the olive oil until it's shimmering, then add the broccoli florets to the pan and sprinkle them lightly with salt and pepper. Leave them alone to brown, 2 minutes. Add a splash of pasta water to the broccoli and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is barely tender.
3. Drain the pasta and toss it with the broccoli. Add the red pepper flakes, lemon zest and parmesan, and toss to combine. Add a drizzle of olive oil and more parmesan when serving.

Posted by Rosa at 09:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thai Coconut Soup with Chicken and Mushrooms

Ingredients
1 thumb fresh ginger, minced
1 stalk of lemongrass, diced
3 cups chicken broth
1 lime, zest only
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 pound chicken
1 1/2 cups of coconut milk
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeño pepper, diced

Directions
1. In a stockpot, cook chicken for a couple minutes then combine the ginger, lemongrass, chicken broth, lime zest, lime juice, and fish sauce and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Gently simmer until the chicken is cooked, then stir in the coconut milk, mushrooms, cilantro, and jalapeño.

2. Bring the soup back to a simmer but don't boil and cook long enough for the chicken to cook through.

Posted by Rosa at 08:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 08, 2008

Chipotle in Adobo

This product is a must have in your pantry. I use it to make a quick salsa, sauces for meat, and even to give pasta a kick.

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Chipotle chiles are smoked jalapeno chiles that have been canned in a red sauce typically contains tomato puree, paprika, salt, onions, oil, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves and oregano.

Chipotle in Pasta: Adding a small amount of canned chipotle chiles in adobo adds a smoky and complex flavor to the tomato sauce. Don't forget to replace cheese with 'queso blanco'

Salsa: Roasted Tomatillo-Chipotle Salsa. Salsa keeps a few days in the refrigerator.

Posted by Rosa at 09:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pork Loin Roast with Brown Sugar Glaze

Ingredients
Brown Sugar Glaze
1 C Brown Sugar
2 tbsp. Flour
1/2 tsp. Dry Mustard
1 tsp. Cloves
1/4 C Vinegar

Directions
1. Mix together all ingredients and brush glaze on meat.
2. Preheat oven to 350° F. Over high heat add about 2 tablespoons olive oil to a an oven-proof skillet. Place pork, fat side down in pan. Sear for about 2 minutes, then turn and sear the other side. Place in oven and roast until done, about 45 minutes. To make sure that it's cooked and not overcooked and dry you will need to check with a meat thermometer. The temperature should be 150-155° F. Place on a cutting surface and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing. The meat will continue to cook to the proper temperature. Slice, serve and enjoy.

Posted by Rosa at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 07, 2008

Ana Karnina

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Book Description
Considered by some to be the world's greatest novel, Anna Karenina contains two plots: the tragedy of Madame Karenina, in love with a man who is not her husband, and the story of Konstantine Levin, a sensitive man whose personal philosophy is Tolstoy's reason for writing about him.

Anna Karenina , the sister of Stepan Oblonsky, comes to Moscow in an attempt to patch up a dispute between her brother and his wife, Dolly. While there, she meets a handsome young officer named Aleksei Vronski, who is rumored to be in love with Dolly's younger sister, Kitty. However, Konstantine Levin is also in love with Kitty, and he succeeds in marrying her.

The forbidden romance between Anna and Vronsky has tragic consequences, and is masterfully set in counterpoint to Kitty's more enduring marriage with Levin, who is a reflection of Tolstoy himself, often illuminating the author's search for meaning in life, his love of a natural, simple existence, and various other views and convictions.

City vs Rural Life
In this novel Tolstoy shows us through the character of Levin the valuable role of rural society in preserving the family. City life is shown through Ana who is a creature of the social and urban world. Ana's character revolve less around virtue, and more around romance, sex, and societal affirmation.

Audio Duration: 33 hours, 34 minutes

Posted by Rosa at 09:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 06, 2008

Economic Hit Man

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"Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" is a quick read that at times reads like a thriller, at others like a boring diary entry and still other times like a historical account of events. John Perkins spent the 1970s working as an economic planner for an international consulting firm. His job was to travel to countries like Indonesia, Panama, Saudi Arabia and Colombia to forecast the economic feasibility to build a countries infrastructure using American companies.

We have heard/read about some if not all of the events he discusses but most likely have never connected the dots. By the end of the book it becomes clear that American companies and our government are using debt through legitimate means to keep nations subservient to the developed word.

Posted by Rosa at 09:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)