My 10 Favorite Recipes of 2013

I baked and cooked many things this year however, these are my top 10 recipes of 2013.  These recipes were delicious and easy to make and that's why they are my top 10. 

1.  Low Carb Chicken Quesadillas

The 10 Most Popular Recipes of 2013

Here is a list of The 10 Most Popular Recipes of 2013.  These were the most popular recipes searched by everyone that visited the blog.  I hope to continue to inspire you to cook and bake in the new year.   


1. Guava Cheesecake

Cornmeal (Arina de Maiz)

After a weekend of eating all kinds of things, I woke up this morning craving some Cornmeal. I can have cornmeal for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  Once the cornmeal cools down I like to add a little bit of cold milk.  That is the way I grew eating it. 

The cornmeal is not too sweet, you can add as much or as little sugar.  I added 5 tbsp, which makes it just right for me.  It makes about 4 servings, so don't feel bad about adding the sugar, you can also substitute for Splenda. 

Ingredients

1 cup water

1 cup evaporated milk

2 cups whole milk

2 sticks of cinnamon

10 cloves

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

4-5 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

1/2 cup finely ground cornmeal

In a pot on medium heat add all of the ingredients except the cornmeal.  Once it starts to boil add the cornmeal, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes, then lower the heat and cook for an additional 7-10 minutes, keep stirring.   Once the cornmeal is done take out the cinnamon sticks and the cloves.  Enjoy!

The Week in Review

Happy Saturday!!

1.  I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.  I had a great time with my family in South Carolina.  We had  a great dinner that included some of the same dishes we had for Thanksgiving.  We had turkey, arroz con gandules (pegean peas rice), pasteles, pork roast, and lasagna.  Lasagna might be odd, but we do like to eat it with our authentic puerto rican dishes.  I made a flan and took some arroz con dulce to my family too.

2.  So what did you get for Christmas?  My husband and I got a puppy, his name is Caico.  We already have a little boy name Cayman, but we thought he needed a brother.  They are so cute together, we are in love with both of them.  They are the most amazing babies.

Happy Hour: Kinky Vodka

Having a great weekend with the family.  Just made this Kinky Vodka, and it's pretty smooth.  This drink was made using Kinky Liqueur, as the bottle states " A Naughty Fusion of Super Premium Vodka Distilled 5 Times with Succulent Mango, Blood Orange Liqueur and Passion Fruit".  This is a really great drink.

Enjoy!!

Ingredients

2 ounces Vodka

1 ounces Sweet and Sour Mix

3 ounces Kinky Liqueur

crush ice

splash of Grenadine

Add crush ice to a glass.  Then add the vodka, Sweet and Sour Mix, and Kinky Liqueur over the ice and finish with a splash of Grenadine. 

Arroz Con Dulce (Rice Pudding)

Growing up in a Puerto Rican family Arroz con Dulce was something my family and I looked forward to during the holidays.  I learned to make it watching my mom.  She had the biggest aluminum pot you can find. She would make about 10 plates, and believe me all 10 plates would be gone before new years.

I remember the house smelling so good with the cinnamon and cloves. A sign that we were about to celebrate one of the biggest holidays, Christmas.  Christmas brings back so many memories of my mom and dad.  It's really hard, but cooking these dishes makes me happy because I'm keeping up with our tradition. I hope to pass it on to my nephews and nieces.

This recipe is an old recipe, the only thing I changed was not using fresh coconuts. It takes about 2-3 hours to cook the Arroz Con Dulce.  But let me tell you, it is delicious and worth it.

The Week in Review

Happy Saturday!!

1.  There are only three more days to Christmas eve.  We start our celebrations on Christmas eve, and we relax on Christmas day.  When do you start your celebrations?

2.  My husband and I decided to go out to one of the malls in our area and finish our list of gifts.  We went to Perimeter Mall, and I was surprised, that there were not that many people out shopping. 

Happy Hour: Frozen Pineapple Margarita

Let the festivities begin!! This is the last Saturday before Christmas.  Put on the Christmas music and get in the spirit of the holidays.  What better way to start the weekend than with a Frozen Pineapple Margarita.

Baked Pumpkin Custard

Custards are these creamy, delicious desserts that are perfect for any occasion.  Eating this Baked Pumpkin Custard is like eating a pumpkin pie without the crust.  I love making desserts that are easy, and this is one of them. 

Having company over for the holidays? Make this dessert in less than an hour.  The best part about it, you can eat it warm or cold. 

I love that this custard is not extremely sweet.  It's velvety and melts in your mouth!!

Ingredients

3 large eggs

1-15 ounce can 100% pure pumpkin

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie

1-14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/3 cups whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

boiling water

sweetened whipped cream

cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F

Whisk eggs in large bowl, then add the pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice until blended.  Whisk in sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, vanilla and salt until blended.

Pour into 6-6 ounce custard cups. Place custard cups into a 13x9 baking pan.  Place dish on oven rack in the center of the oven. Pour boiling water into pan around custard cups to a depth of 1 1/4 inches. Bake for 35 minutes or until center are almost set.

Remove custard cups from baking dish and place on wire rack to cool.  serve warm or cold.  top with whipped cream and sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon over the top before serving.

Best Coffee Cake Ever

This is the Best Coffee Cake Ever.  This sweet and delicious coffee cake has a rich crumbly topping that is perfect for breakfast or even as a dessert right after dinner.  I love desserts that I can enjoy with a cup of coffee, and this is one of them.

This is a crumbly topping with cinnamon and pecans.  Super moist and flavorful,  perfect for the holidays.  It's a Christmas morning breakfast cake that everyone will enjoy.

Baked Pasta Casserole

One of the best things about serving a casserole is that you can feed a bunch of people all at once.  This Baked Pasta Casserole is perfect for that.  It's meaty, cheesy and delicious.

I had a Christmas dinner with my church sisters and I was asked to bring a dish.  I decided to make this dish because I knew that it would be a hit.   I made it a couple of hours before the dinner and since everything was already cooked, all I had to do was bake it until the mozzarella cheese melted and browned.

The Week in Review

Happy Saturday!!

1.  1000 Likes!! I'm super excited because my food blog finally hit 1000 Likes.  Thank you for liking and sharing my page.  Cooking and baking is my passion and sharing everything I cook with you all, is what I love. I want women and men to get in the kitchen and know that they can do anything.  Cooking is not hard at all, if you enjoy it and put love into it, you can cook anything you put your mind to.  Please continue to share my recipes with your friends and family.  Again, thank you!!

2.  Christmas is only 11 days away. Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?  I did, but I still have a few more gifts to buy.  I finally got my husband a nice gift that I know he is going love, I hope.

Happy Hour: Holiday Spirit

Holiday Spirit is a smooth drink and it's perfect for the holidays, hence the name.  I wanted to make a drink that had wine in it and I found this recipe in one of my cocktail books.  It's a pretty drink that can be served at your holiday party.

Happy Holidays!!

Ingredients

2 ounces bacardi

1 ounce Ruby Port

3 ounces cranberry juice

ginger beer

seltzer

Fill a 16 ounce glass with crushed  ice.  Add rum, port and cranberry juice.  Top with equal parts ginger and seltzer.

Gingerbread Men

This is my first time making these Gingerbread Men.  I have made ginger cookies and cakes before, but never these.  I thought it would be fun to decorate them and then eat them with a nice cup of coffee.

Have your children help you to decorate these cookies, they will have a lot of fun. 

Thumbprint Cookies

Thumbprint Cookies are perfect for the holidays.  I've made these a couple of times before and they are a hit.  I have made them with coconut too and they are delicious.  I used raspberry preserves for these, but you can use any kind of jam or preserves you like.

These cookies are fun to make.  If you have children have them help you make the indentation with their thumbs and add the jam.  This is a great way to include your children in what you are doing and spent time with them.

Mofongo

Mofongo is this yummy plantain mashed deliciousness.  It was my husbands birthday and I decided to make him one of his favorite dishes.  Mofongo with fried ribs and Arroz con Gandules.  He was a very happy boy. 

The Week in Review

Happy Saturday!!

1.  Had a great Thanksgiving. My friends and my mother-in-law came to visit us. We cooked and ate so much food.  The Roasted Turkey, the ham and pork roast came out delicious.  I also made a few desserts.  The Guava Cheesecake and the Pineapple, Coconut Carrot Cake were a hit!

2.  We did a little shopping nothing much.  But, now I really need to start buying Christmas gifts.  Have you started your Christmas shopping?

Happy Hour: Pineapple Patron Cocktail

Happy Friday!!  Relax and enjoy this delicious, but simple drink.  Put your feet up after a long week and enjoy this cocktail.  The holiday season can be really stressful, having to deal with family and all of the shopping.  Why not take this Friday to stay home and  enjoy a drink with your significant other.

Ingredients

pineapple juice

1 ounce Patron Silver Tequilla

.25 ounce Patron Orange Liqueur

splash of Grenadine

ice

Pour tequila and orange liqueur over ice. Fill with pineapple juice and a splash of grenadine.  Garnish with lime wedge.

Roasted Turkey

During Thanksgiving I had my family over for dinner.  We made a bunch of different dishes and this Roasted Turkey was one of them.  It came out extremely moist and juicy.  This is a 16 pound turkey that I seasoned a day before and had in the refrigerator ready to roast.

I love turkey and I will be making another one for Christmas this year.  My husband and I love the leftovers to make sandwiches.  Turkey never goes bad in my house. 

I usually roast an 19-20 pound turkey.  But this year I decided to roast a smaller one just because we had so many other meats to eat.  I also made a ham and a pork roast.

I took some of the juices from the turkey and made gravy, I also added some to the stuffing.   Everything turned out delicious.

Ingredients

14-16 pound turkey

1 1/2 stick of butter melted

8 garlic cloves minced

2 tbsp garlic powder

2 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp dry thyme
1 tsp dry rosemary

3 tbsp sofrito

2 tbsp salt

1 tbsp pepper

1 cup of water

Everyone has their own way of roasting a turkey.  Some people start with high temperature at around 450-500, others with a low temperature around 300-350.  I personally like to bake my turkey at a low temperature then raise it towards the end of roasting.  It takes longer but, I believe this process gives you a moist turkey and not dry.

2 or 3 days before start thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

A day before baking wash and clean the turkey.  Pat dry.  Combine all ingredients except the water to create a paste, Rub the turkey inside and out, and under the skin.  Place in roasting pan. Place in the refrigerator until ready to roast. 

Place rack in the lowest level of oven.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Before roasting add 1 cup of water to the roasting pan.   This will keep the turkey moist through the cooking process.  Cook at 325 degrees for about 3 hours with the cover on, then raise the temperature to 350 and bake for another 2 hour, then lower the temperature to 300 and cook for another hour.

If you only have one oven I suggest doing this the night before, or early in the morning so that you have enough time to cook the turkey.  

If Using a Thermometer:

Roast the turkey until a thermometer inserted in the meaty part of the thigh reads 180 degrees.

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!

Guava Cheesecake

Guava pastries are one of my favorite things to eat.  I thought why not incorporate the guava paste into a cheesecake. This is the best recipe I've come up with.  The cheesecake is creamy and the taste of the guava comes through in every piece.