Chicha de Arroz con Piña

My Abuelita and Fidelia Hernandez (Panamá)

Chicas are homemade drinks in Panama.  In Mexico they call them "aguas frescas" I think, every country has their own versions and names for these yummy beverages. 
Arroz con piña is my favorite.  It is a frothy, yummy, sweet, drink that instantly brings back memories of shopping on Avenida Central with my mom and Meme (mi abuelita.)  They would have big jugs of this for sale in little stores and it tasted so good when you were hot and sweaty from shopping with two shopaholics all morning! I learned how to make this by watching one of our babysitters, Delia. She was a wonderful cook and an even better person!

Recipe for Chicha de Arroz y Piña

1. First cut top and bottom off of pineapple (piña.)

2. Continue by cutting rind off. (Do not throw away!)

3. Cut into quarters. Then cut down edge to get rid of center core. (SAVE.)
4. This is what you will have. A bowl of the cut up fruit, a top piece (to plant,) and a pot with all the end pieces, core, seedy pieces etc.

5. Cover the scraps in the pot with water. Add about 1-2 cups of rice, cinnamon to taste (or cinnamon sticks,) a little dash of cloves, sugar to taste (I like raw or turbinado about a cup,) and boil until the rinds are soft and rice is done. You can substitute the sugar with a can of condensed milk at the end if you like that taste, but I was trying to keep it lower calorie and this tastes as good. When it's done take out scraps and toss them in your compost. Put what's left in the blender and puree. Then pour into a pitcher over some ice to cool. To serve I like to get a glass of ice, pour glass about half full of milk, then the rest with the chicha.
Sprinkle with cinnamon.
You can add vanilla if you like and more pineapple juice if you like.
(Also, if you didn't add sugar you can add the condensed milk to the pitcher and add a bit more water.)

Molten Chocolate

The kids wanted those stupid Molten Lava Cakes that they get when we go out to eat sometimes.  I told them we'd make them tonight.  So easy!
I used Paula Deen's recipe here.  (Thank you Paula and the Food Network!)
Talk about bad for ya! Don't think this on is on "Lose It."  I won't be able to eat anything tomorrow!

Molten Lava Cakes 

(Makes 6)

Ingredients:

• 6 (1-ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate
• 2 (1-ounce) squares semisweet chocolate

*I didn't have bittersweet chocolate, so I used chocolate chips and some unsweetened dark chocolate to equal 8 ounces. 

• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 stick) butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons orange liqueur  (*I was out so I used good rum instead.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Grease 6 (6-ounce) custard cups. Melt the chocolates and butter in the microwave, or in a double boiler. Add the flour and sugar to chocolate mixture. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and orange liqueur. Divide the batter evenly among the custard cups. Place in the oven and bake for 14 minutes. The edges should be firm but the center will be runny. Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates.

Beet Salad (so springy!)

I LOVE the beet salad at Ya-Ya's, a restaurant my honey and I go occasionally,  usually sans kiddos.  The last time we were there I thought, "This has got to be the easiest salad on earth to make, why don't I ever make it?"

So tonight:

Beet Salad

• Spring Mix of lettuces and arugula (whatever greens you have) 
• Goat cheese, queso fresco, or feta (I'm using chevre) 

• Some pickled beets (The recipe I found online used roasted beets, but I don't have any so I used the pickled.)
• Slivered almonds (roast til light golden brown)
• Section or slice an orange (or tangerine, or clementine...)
• chopped green onions or sliced red onion

For  the dressing I took:

• Juice of one orange
• Juice of two lemons
• 2 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil (more or less)
• Salt and pepper
• fresh parsley

*Mix the dressing with a whisk and chill.
I tossed the greens and almonds with some dressing (yes, I used too much- will know better next time.) Then I finished it with the beets, cheese, and oranges.
It was almost exactly like the restaurant!  (Much cheaper!)

Salad with Yummy Cornbread Hits the Spot on a Spring Night!

Angel Food Woes

Okay, I'm going to admit it...

I used to be a pastry chef at a 5 star restaurant...
BUT, I can't make an angel food cake to save my life.
My grandma always made us an angel food cake for our birthdays if we were near her house, smothered with lemon glaze and with a candle and fresh flowers from her yard stuck in the hole in the middle.
ALWAYS perfect.

I had been given the Ratio cookbook by Michael Ruhlman for my birthday from a dear friend and found that it had an angel food cake recipe in it.  He says that the secret to a good angel food cake is not overbeating  your egg whites (not into a meringue like I usually do, but to a soft peak and still pourable stage.)
Okay, I did that perfectly.  Bought a new angel food pan at a garage sale and used it.  Fresh farm eggs.  Okay, I didn't have cake flour and used regular flour (could that be the problem?)

I also was impatient as it was Valentine's day and the kids wanted dessert, so I only let it cool for an hour, when the recipe said one and a half hours.  (Maybe that was it?)

ANYWAY...
It looked lovely in the pan baking, rose up and browned perfectly.
When I took it out and turned it over to cook it started shrinking...
When I turned it out it broke and then flumped over to the side.  Ew.

I also made fresh lemon curd from the Ratio cookbook which was divine, but note to self,
don't mix an eggy cake like Angel Food with eggy lemon curd.  Too much of a good thing.
I'm going to make a lemon tart tonight maybe.

Does anyone have suggestions on making a great Angel Food cake?

The recipe I used was:

Angel Food Cake
12 oz egg whites (9-11 egg whites)
12 oz sugar
4 oz cake flour
3 fingered pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1T fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

*If you want the directions let me know and I'll post them.

Sesame Sticks

I LOVE sesame sticks.  They are so expensive though, and not as easy to find here as I'd like them to be.  I can get them in bulk at Whole Foods, but it's a 20 minute drive to get there (and they are still expensive!)

I found this recipe online at RedChiles (a really cool food blog!) and tried it this past weekend.
They are great!
So EASY and CHEAP to make!
I doubled the recipe, and didn't have the chili pepper powder to add.   Plus added a few things which I'll list on my recipe below.  (My recipe also reflects the doubling and extra stuff...)
Next batch I make I'm not going to put as much garlic powder either, they were SOOO garlicky (and this coming from a major garlic lover!) I guess you can add any flavorings you prefer, or cheese...

Sesame Sticks

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Oats
• 2 cups all purpose flour*

*I used about 1 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of baby rice cereal plus 1/2 cup of wheat germ)

• 8 Tbsp Butter
• 1/2 cup Sesame seeds (I think I added a bit more for fun)
• 4 tsp garlic powder  (Next time I'll only use 1 or 2)
• 2 tsp sugar  (I might leave this out too, just because I'm trying to watch sugars)
• Salt per taste
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 cup water

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 325 F.
• Coarsely powder the oats (I used a small food processor,)  then take a bowl and add the rest of the dry ingredients including sesame seeds and mix well.
• Melt the butter and add to the above mixture. This will form a bread crumb like consistency.
• Add water little by little and knead to stiff dough. Keep it aside for 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into smaller portions.
• Then take small balls of dough and place it in between 2 greased waxed-paper sheets. Apply pressure and make it into flat disc. Remove the top cover and with the tip of your hands flatten the dough and make it as flat as possible. (I used a rolling pin.)
• Using a knife or pastry cutter to cut into small strips. Repeat this process with the remaining dough as well.
• Place the strips on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 10-15 minutes until they are light brown.
• Turn them over and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool before snacking!

 Yields: 80 sticks