Christmas Presents for the Family

Have you ever had that moment when you have no idea how to be smart about shopping for gifts? This year has been a little tight for me and my family. With Christmas approaching and everything else that was going on around my family, Christmas shopping was the last thing on our minds. I decided to think about a better idea for gifts for my family. They say a way to a guy's anyone's heart is through their stomach. So why not bake something exquisitely delicious for our loved ones? The critically acclaimed Chilenas de Dulce de Leche (Alfajores) were the first thing that popped to my mind. I think I would like one of these Christmas boxes as well. This was a perfect way to save up money and make my family smile.


I followed the following steps:

1. I went shopping for the Christmas boxes and all of the ingredients for the cookies
2. I designed a Christmas card in Microsoft Office Word and printed them out on thick printing paper
3. I baked the cookies as the recipe describes
4. I placed wax paper inside the boxes and added about a dozen cookies 
5. I wrote a heart-felt note on the Christmas card
6. Delivered them with joy! 

{I baked the star-shaped alfajores to take to our family Christmas dinner for everyone to enjoy as well as a batch of homemade oreos (recipe coming up soon)}

Arab Weekend

WARNING: IF YOU'RE HUNGRY PLEASE DON'T LOOK AT THESE PICTURES. 

The pleasures of Christmas: eating, eating, and eating! Whenever we travel to San Pedro Sula to visit my other half of the family, they greet us with banquets of exquisite Arab food. This time was not an exception. The motive for our trip was my cousin's new born baby's beautiful baptism. My godmother or "madrina" organized the whole event for her grandson and whenever you put my madrina's name with "celebration" in the same sentence, you can bet it's gonna be priceless. The moment I saw this baby I fell inlove with him. He was so serene and peaceful. He did not moan about everyone trying to hold him. Instead, he seemed to enjoy all of the attention. His older brother, who is turning three in January, is impossibly adorable too. Sometimes I wish I had a little brother...or maybe even better-a sister. 

Day 1 

 {Hotel Breakfast: Whole-wheat toast with fresh strawberry jam, mini cinnamon-raisin roll, a banana, watermelon, pineapple, cantaloupe, and a cup of coffee}

 {Lunch at the baptism: Jumbo shrimp, Fettuccine Alfredo with salmon, salad with mixed greens, green apple, cucumber, and pomegranate seeds...May I add, my godmother made ALL OF IT}

 {I could not stay away from the dessert table. Why choose one when I can have ALL OF THEM? (muahaha). I had a brownie, a lemon bar, a mini red velvet cupcake (not in the picture), and about a hundred yogurt covered raisins and pretzels (I could not stop. They were amazing)}

{For Dinner at my aunt's house that night we had "marmahon" also known as "couscous" with chicken, "hojas de uva" also known as "dolma", and salad}

Day 2

 {Hotel Breakfast round 2: Whole-wheat toast with fresh strawberry jam, fresh pineapple jam on the side, two cranberry-orange biscuits (one I ate afterwards so it's not in the picture), a small alfajor de dulce de leche, watermelon, pineapple, cantaloupe, and a cup of coffee}

 {Lunch at the "Club Arabe"'s all-you-can-eat Arab buffet: "Marmahon" or "couscous", chicken, "hojas de uva" or "dolmas", hummus with pita bread, and salad}

{Dessert table at the "Club Arabe"'s all-you-can-eat buffet: Pecan bar (I had two), banana bread, and strawberries with whipped cream (not in the picture)}

I'm not even sure my clothes fits anymore. And I know this doesn't end here. Christmas is coming! 

Little Things

It's crazy how a person's life can change in a matter of seconds. I have a strong feeling inside of me that tells me that God is in control. I may not understand why, but the loving bond that has spurred inside my family has filled me with hope. I swear I have the best family in the world. To any teenage girl out there, I promise it gets better. I can't imagine how Christmas this year will be like without my grandfather (nagging about how I'm too young to wear high heels), but whatever God has in store for me and my family, I know that we will be together. Nevertheless, I know my grandfather would like for us to smile through the season. Christmas is right around the corner!  

{Reading Divergent by Veronica Roth on a beautiful Sunday afternoon while being hugged by the wind and kissed by the sun}

{After finishing Divergent, I felt completely lost. Luckily, the next day my super mom surprised me with the next book of the trilogy, Insurgent}

{First batch of Christmas cookies for the season: Butter Lemon Cookies}

{Baking Chilenas de Dulce de Leche (Alfajores) as a Christmas gift for my family. They appear to have been drizzled by snow.}

{Improvised desert: a scoop of vanilla ice cream, sliced frozen strawberries, slivered almonds, and chocolate chips}

Guilty Pleasures

This week was just one of those weeks. My mom left on a trip to Argentina, leaving me basically steering the wheel of my entire household. On top of that, every teacher decided to assign projects, essays, and tests for the end of the quarter. Even worse, my physical condition was suffering from a slight female issue (if you know what I mean). As I'm sure you all have heard, STRESSED spelled backwards is DESSERTS, and consequently, like any other hormonal teenage girl I tend to binge eat and wipe out anything sweet you place in front of me-literally. But don't worry, I waited till Friday night to indulge on the devilish Hershey kisses I stole from my mother's closet since she wasn't here (oops). I have no regrets. 

{Stress reliever on a Friday night after a LONG week: Hershey's kisses}

{Family lunch at Ruby Tuesday's: New York Cheesecake and Double Chocolate Cake for dessert}

{Best gift from my mother's trip to Argentina: Havanna Alfajores}

Chilenas de Dulce De Leche (Alfajores)

The combination of a semi-salty cookie that dissolves in your mouth at every bite with the decadent sweetness of a dulce de leche filling make this cookie a piece of heaven on earth. Surprisingly, chilenas are so easy to make and have a great impact on anyone who tries them. It has become a ritual for my mom and I to enjoy a cup of fresh, warm coffee with a chilena on the side at our favorite cafe shop as a pick-me-up on busy Saturday mornings or leisurely afternoons. When my best friend pulled out this recipe from a pile of stored papers, we could not resist the urge to make them and we were certainly not disappointed. Now to be able to enjoy them in the coziness of our homes and to be proud of the work that we did is a thousand times better than that same old cafe shop. 



Chilenas de Dulce de Leche (Alfajores)
This recipe makes approximately 20 sandwich cookies
Baking Time: About 15-17 min. at 325F
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 2 bars of butter (unsalted is best)
• 6-8 tablespoons of powdered sugar, plus more for powdering

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together in an electric mixer, adding the butter first and then the dry ingredients.
2. Divide the dough and roll it out so that it is not so skinny. (Do not touch the dough too much because the butter makes it delicate to heat and will make it harder to work with).
3. Cut out even circles and lay them on a greased baking sheet.
4. Bake for about 15-17 minutes at 325F. (Take them out when they are starting to appear golden).
5. Once they are cool, add the dulce de leche filling (Be careful! They break easily). This can be substituted for any kind of fruit jam or even nutella! Sprinkle sifted powdered sugar on top. 
6. Enjoy with a nice cup of coffee (Honestly, nothing better than this. It's heaven.)