Lemon Meringue Pie

Fort the Filling:

·         1 cup of sugar

·         2 cups of water

·         6 tablespoons of cornstarch

·         2 tablespoons of butter

·         6 tablespoons of lemon juice

·         1 teaspoon of lemon zest

·         3 egg yolks

·         Salt

Fort the Crust:

·         2 cups of flour

·         2 tablespoons of butter

·         2 tablespoons of shortening (Crisco)

·         1 tablespoon of sugar

·         5 or 6 tablespoons of cold water

·         ¼ teaspoon of salt

For the Meringue:

·         3 egg whites

·         6 tablespoons of sugar

·         ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar

·         ¼ teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions:

1.       In a sauce pan, bring water, sugar, salt, and butter on medium heat

2.       in another bowl, mix the corn starch with ¼ cup of water, then add the egg yolks and beat together

3.       Once the water comes to a boil, add the lemon juice

4.       Slowly, add in the egg yolk and corn starch mixture

5.       Mix rapidly until it is well cooked

6.       Remove from heat and add the lemon zest. Let cool.

7.       In a bowl, bring together the shortening and the flour and mix together softly with your hands

8.       Next add the butter, which has to be hard and chopped

9.       Then add the water, salt, and sugar and mix well with your hands

10.   Let the dough rest for 20 minutes in the refrigerator

11.   After 20 minutes, roll out the dough and place it on a pyrex (you don’t have to grease it before hand)

12.   Brush some water on the dough to avoid shrinking and let it rest for 20 more minutes in the refrigerator.

13.   Then, bake the cookie in a 350 degree oven for approximately 25 minutes

14.   Let the cookie cool before adding the filling

15.   Prepare the meringue, firstly beat together the egg whites

16.   Add in the sugar, cream of tartar, and lemon juice and keep beating until the desired consistency is reached

17.   Once the cookie is cooled, add the meringue, the frosting, and bake in the oven for 5 more minutes just so that the meringue can turn slightly brown

18.   Garnish as desired and serve preferably

cold

Lemon Slice-'n'-Bake Cookies

These cookies were extremely quick and easy to make. These are amazing for those times when you have nothing to do and just feel like having something to treat your sweet tooth. I love that these cookies were super rich and crunchy. Once again, they were approved by my audience (my family), which complimented the cookies' tastiness. Baking is an art, and I love experimenting with new recipes to create something that people cherish.

Lemon Slice-'n'-Bake Cookies

(Makes about 30 cookies cut into 1 cm pieces)

(Per 1 cookie: 46 calories, 2 (g) Fat, 6 (g) Carbs, 0 (g) protein)

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup flour
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 large lemon (you will need 1/2 tbsp peel, and 1 tbsp juice)
• 3/4 stick margarine, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp sugar for coating
• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions: 

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, with an electric mixer, mix together the margarine, sugar, and confectioner's sugar until softly. Then add in the lemon and the vanilla into this mixture. 
3. Lastly, add in the dry ingredients.
4. Once the dough is made, spread a piece of wax paper over a counter. 
5. Roll the dough into a log and cover with the wax paper to keep rolling until the log is even. 
6. I measured the log to an even number (25 cm which is 10 in.). Cover the dough and refrigerate overnight or for 1 and a half hours like I did. The more the dough is refrigerated, the better the cookies will turn out. 
7. When it is time to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
8. Cut out 1 cm slices of the dough log and place the cookies on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tbsp of sugar over the top of each cookie. 
9. Then bake them for approximately 

Pineapple Jam Crumb Bars

The end of the week comes around and all you wanna do is lay back and enjoy the last 24 hours before you have to begin a new round of school drama, homework, tests, early mornings, and late night study sessions. My go-to thing to relax and get away from the world is baking (and running, dancing, playing the piano, painting from time to time, watching shows, and...yes, I like to organize stuff, hence my OCD). So, today, I was eyeing my new prized possession. A 127 recipe book with everything you need to and want to know to succeed in a kitchen with an oven. I read through the ones that caught my attention, and this one Jam Crumble Bars was one of them. Although the recipe called for raspberry jelly and pecans, I didn't have any of these two around in the kitchen, so I had to improvise. I grabbed a jar of the best pineapple jelly in Honduras (an old lady from Guinope makes it) and skipped the pecans and added oatmeal instead (weird, I know, but tasty). This was so, so easy to make! And I have so many ideas for what kind of jelly to use in the future that would make them so distinct in their own way (strawberry jelly, apple jelly, apricot jelly, or even grape jelly).  

Pineapple Jam Crumb Bars

Makes about 9, 1" bars

(Per 1 bar: 133 calories, 5.3 (g) Fat, 20.6 (g) Carbs, 1.2 (g) Protein)

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/8 cup oatmeal
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup pineapple jam (the recipe called for blackberry or raspberry jam but any kind is fine!) 

Directions: 

1. Preaheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil
3. In food processor (I used an electric mixture) blend flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, baking soda, and cinnamon.
4. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse crumbs and when pressed, holds together
5. Add about 3/4 of the mix to the bottom of the pan; reserve the rest for later
6. With a spatula or a table knife, spread the jam evenly on the dough
7. Crumble the rest of the dough on top
8. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until it starts to golden
9. When cool, lift foil out of pan; peel foil away
10. Cut and serve! (I wonder what they would taste like if served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Hm... maybe next time.)

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

As I am sure I have mentioned before, oatmeal cookies are a MUST for me. I absolutely love them in any way or form. I absolutely love dried cranberries as well. That being said, this cookie is a perfect blend of these two things. My parents bought me this enormous bag of craisins, and what better way to use them all up than in some pastry, right? I began my search, and I turned to the cookie section in flour by Joanne Chang. A simple oatmeal raisin cookie recipe popped up, but I was out of raisins. Therefore, the magical enormous bag of craisins that had been sitting in my pantry since Sunday practically begged me to open it up. So I did, and as a result, these delightful cookies were born. "These just might be my favorite cookies," my mom said. That meant something, because my mom will choose a chocolate chip cookie anytime over an oatmeal cookie. I promise you will not be disappointed by this exotic mixture.

I am planning to add white chocolate and pistachios next time I make these. 

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Makes about 27 1 tablespoon sized cookies

(Per 1 cookie: 97 calories, 3.8 (g) Fat, 15.2 (g) Carbs, 1.1 (g) protein)

Ingredients: 

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/4 + 1/8 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 + 1/8 cup flour
• 3/4 + 1/8 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup craisins

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Cream together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, until light and fluffy
3. Beat in the egg until thoroughly combined
4. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon
5. Add the craisins and toss to combine
6. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture and then mix until they are completely incorporated
7. Drop the dough in tablespoon sized balls onto the baking sheet, placing them about 2 inches apart. Flatten each ball slightly
8. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the center is slightly soft
9. Be careful not to overbake; soft, chewy, centers make these cookies irresistible! 
10. Enjoy a "healthy" indulging cookie! 

Snickerdoodles

Cinnamony, crunchy, and savory. Merely some senses of what you to taste once you take a bite of these cookies. These cookies are so incredibly easy and so delicious! The smell that envelopes your kitchen when the oven is a step away from ringing is indescribable. The recipe calls for simple things that are most probably hanging around in your kitchen. This recipe was taken from Joanne Chang's book flour. Ever since I bought this encyclopedia of desserts, I have begun trying to accomplish Joanne Chang's perfection one recipe at a time.

 

Snickerdoodles:

Makes about 23 tablespoon sized cookies

(Per 1 cookie: 102 calories, 4.3 (g) Fat, 15.3 (g) Carbs, 1 (g) Protein)

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cups sugar plus 1/4 cup for coating
• 1/8 brown sugar for coating
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/8 cup cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Cream together the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy
3. Beat in the eggs until thoroughly combined
4. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar. SIFT IT, do as the recipe says.
5. Slowly bend the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture until it is evenly mixed
6. In a small bowl, mix together the remaining sugar, brown sugar, and the cinnamon.
7. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and roll to coat
8. Place them on the baking sheet spacing them about 3 inches apart. Flatten each ball slightly 
9. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown on the edges and slightly soft in the center
10. Enjoy with a warm cup of coffee or milk! 

 

{Coating the dough with sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon}

Breakfast Inspiration

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. You can mask a delicious dessert and call it 'breakfast'. With my sweet tooth, I most definitely need to find a way to make something that feeds my sweet tooth but is healthy at the same time. On my plate every morning you will most likely see waffles, french toast, pancakes, cereal, or yogurt. These are a few of my favorite breakfast combinations. 

{Typical yet yummy breakfast: Special K cereal, Almond Breeze unsweetened almond milk, banana, whole wheat toast with Smucker's Sugar Free Apricot Jelly}

{Yoplait Light Strawberry Yogurt topped with kiwi, strawberries, and coffee with whole wheat cookies on the side}

{Homemade Whole Wheat Almond Milk French Toast topped with banana, strawberries, and honey}

{Yoplait Light Strawberry Yogurt topped with banana and slivered almonds, coffee with oatmeal cookies on the side}

{Yoplait Light Strawberry Yogurt topped with Komplete cereal and peaches. Scrambled egg whites with spinach, tomato, and bell pepper on the side}

{Homemade Belgian waffles topped with banana and strawberries with chamomille tea on the side}

{Attempt to homemade Egg Mcmuffins with a healthy twist. Whole-wheat bun with a mini egg omelet with spinach, tomato, and bell pepper; Kraft yellow American cheese, and ketchup. Mango and watermelon on the side.}

{Yoplait Vanilla Greek Yogurt topped with kiwi and whole-wheat toast with peanut butter and jelly on the side}

{Pancakes topped with strawberries and banana with almond milk capuccino on the side}

{Macheteadas topped with strawberries and powdered sugar}

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

My last attempt at making a Quinoa Salad turned out fantastic. The salad was so rich in flavor, and every bite left me wanting more and more. Apart from being so amazingly delicious, it turns out that Quinoa is a very, very nutritious grain. An article in Forbes magazine calls it the "Supergrain of the Future" and says it contains protein, iron, lysine, magnesium, Riboflavin, manganese, and even twice as much fiber as any other grain! (I just looked it up to look smarter). Anyway, my Cross Fit obsessed brother is trying to make smarter choices in his diet and asked me to make him Quinoa. He said he loved the last recipe, but wanted something different this time. As always, I did my research on Pinterest and voila! We have a delicious, healthy, super food.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Quinoa (I used roasted garlic flavored Quinoa, but any kind is fine)

• 2 cups water

• 1 diced tomato

• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced

• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced 

• 3/4 cup diced cucumber with peel

• 1/3 cup chopped olives (You can add more if you love olives. They're personally not my favorite thing in the world.)

For the dressing:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tbsp agave nectar

• juice and finely minced zest of one lemon

• 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano or 1 tbsp dried oregano (I just used Italian seasoning)

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

• Boil Quinoa in two cups of water for approximately 15 minutes. Let cool completely and place it in the refrigerator.

• In a bowl, mix together the lemon juice, olive oil, agave nectar, salt, pepper, and oregano to create the dressing. Whisk well. 

• Mix in the Quinoa with the dressing. 

• Add the tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, and olives and mix well.

• Serve cold and enjoy! 

Recipe adapted from here.

Chocolate Chip Butter Cookies

You can never, I repeat, NEVER, go wrong with a classic chocolate chip cookie. Chips Ahoy, Famous Amos, Mrs. Fields, Pillsbury...you name it, everyone loves it! Chocolate chip cookies are definitely a comfort food. They bring a sense of nostalgia and take me back to when my brother and I used to sneak in the kitchen at midnight to dunk Chips Ahoy in a big glass of milk. Today, after a long, long week of exams, I decided to liberate my stress by baking a batch of these delightful cookies. I kind of made up this recipe simply by adding chocolate chips to my favorite classic butter cookies, previewed HERE. They were so easy and quick to make and turned out to be pretty damn deliciously comforting.

Chocolate Chip Butter Cookies
Makes about 26 tablespoon sized cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/3 tbsp baking powder
• 1/3 tbsp salt
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• Chopped pecans (optional and highly recommended)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix the butter and the sugar in an electric mixer. Then add the egg and mix well until it gets fluffy. 
3. Separately, mix all of the dry ingredients together.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the butter, sugar, and egg mixture. 
5. Lastly, add the chocolate chips. 
6. With a tablespoon, make dough circles and place them on a cookie sheet.
7. Bake for approximately 10 minutes. Do not let them brown too much if you don't want them crunchy.
8. Enjoy with a big glass of milk or coffee! 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Auntie Lili's Quinoa Salad

Last weekend, at my cousin's baby's baptism, my aunt did a spectacular job with the buffet at the celebration. She had so many different flavors that blended in together perfectly. I loved every bite I took, but one thing that stood out to me the most was this Quinoa Salad. Recently, I had heard that "Quinoa is the grain of the future" or "Quinoa is the healthiest grain on earth". I had never tried it, though, and always had the curiosity to do so. This is the recipe to my aunt's salad that introduced me to this adorable "grain of the future". I succeeded to obtain the same flavor as the first time I tried it (humbly, I think mine was even better). Once I was done, thousands of ideas popped into my mind to make a variation of this salad. I could add mandarin oranges, green apples, or pears instead of grapes. I would also change the pumpkin seeds for sliced almonds. Diced cucumber and even garbanzo beans would go perfectly with this salad. 

Auntie Lili's Quinoa Salad
Ingredients:

• 1 cup white Quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons Agave nectar
• salt
• pepper
• cumin
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 3/4 cup grated carrots
• 3/4 cup peeled edamame beans 
• 3/4 cup grapes cut in half
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Directions: 

• Boil Quinoa in two cups of water for approximately 15 minutes. Let cool completely and place it in the refrigerator.
• In a bowl, mix together the lemon juice, olive oil, dijon mustard, agave nectar, salt, pepper, cumin, and cilantro to create the dressing. 
• Mix in the Quinoa with the dressing. 
• Add the carrots, edamame, grapes, onion, and pumpkin seeds. 
• Serve cold and enjoy! 

Christmas Day

The greatly awaited Christmas day has come. Bells are ringing, people singing...yeah, right. I am so glad to finally have the opportunity to say "Merry Christmas"! This is the day where people all around the world come together to celebrate one single thing--baby Jesus! On this day everything on the face of the world ceases to matter. People show love unconditionally. "It's the most beautiful time of the year," Justin Bieber said. This year was a little different for our family. We spent Christmas Eve at my aunt and uncle's house with all of my cousins, throwing fireworks and having a good time. The next day, on the 25th, we had the traditional Christmas Eve dinner that we usually have at my house for lunch. My mom and I spent all morning cooking, which was totally worth it when everyone went back for second and even third servings. This is what Christmas is all about--priceless quality time with family.

{Forever21 shirt and skirt, Kenneth Cole flats, Francesca's necklace}

{I tried this new recipe of Red Wine and Garlic Mushrooms. They were to die for.}

{Trying to make a simple salad pretty? Make a flower out of spinach leaves with a tomato in the center.} 

{Final outcome of working hard all morning. Two words: mouth watering}

Turkey and stuffing

Corn Souffle

Red Wine and Garlic Mushrooms

Arab Dolmas

Simple Salad

Homemade Oreos

Every Christmas eve, my family has a traditional holiday dinner where all of my cousins, aunts, and uncles share laughter, smiles, and hugs. For the past three years (ever since I've been perfecting my baking skills), I have made up some kind of dessert to have around for guests to try. One year I made chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting and Oreo crumbs on top. Another year I made Grayves and brownies with crushed candy cane and Hershey's cookies and cream. This year, I decided to bake Chilenas de Dulce de Leche (Alfajores) and Homemade Oreos. I saw this recipe on Cupcakes and Cashmere, but I will never achieve Emily Schuman's perfection.

Homemade Oreos

(Makes about 40 one teaspoon size sandwich cookies)

Ingredients: 

For the chocolate wafers:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa (I used Hershey's)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg

 

For the filling:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/4 cup  vegetable shortening
2 cups  sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375°F.
2. In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.
3. Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.
4. To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
5. To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream. Dunk generously in a large glass of milk.