When feeling a bit of nostalgia I always make empanadas. The preparation, the aroma and the taste of the ingredients brings so many memories and in a sense, I get a little closer to home.
Argentine empanadas are often served as a starter or main course made with many flavors and fillings. My family loves them!
The traditional filling recipe includes ingredients like hard-boiled eggs, green olives or even raisins. I make them in a quite simpler way, but very tasty all the same, thanks to the delicious flavors of green onions, cumin and a pinch of paprika.
I’m not that good at pinching the edges to create a braided or twisted seal, so I usually use a really handy dumpling mold that cuts, crimps and seals the dough very neatly.
I always like to brush the tops of the empanadas with one beaten egg yolk for a nice golden color.
After 10 minutes in a 430′ oven they’re ready to enjoy!… they are even better accompanied with a good glass of cabernet sauvignon, and in the background the nice melody of my favorite tango.
In case you want to give it a try, here’s a good recipe!
I’m back to blogging! Many things happened since my last post… all good things… luckily.
My kids finished school and now they’re happily enjoying the summer break.
I had been very busy, working on a new project that I’m hoping to show you soon, but now we are trying to slow down and take pleasure in sharing time together.
I’m also happy to be posting again, in the mean time, here are some pictures of our home.
I finally had the time to sit down and start sewing for this summer!
I made a shirt for my daughter out of a beautiful floral print that I found a couple of years ago and had been holding on to for the right pattern. In the end, I combined some of the old patterns I had and got pretty much what I had in mind.
The fabric is so light and fresh, and I love the cute tiny roses on it. I have quite a nice amount of yards, so I’ll probably come up with a summer dress or a skirt very soon!
Enjoy your weekend!
What glorious days we are having! It is really a pleasure to witness how quickly everything is blooming and reviving after the winter.
All the nurseries are bursting out with plants and flowers. There are so many choices, that it’s hard to pick… This year I bought more hydrangeas, petunias and salvia. I also got some evergreen boxwood called “green velvet” which I love and are easy to maintain with a weekly “haircut”.
Tomorrow is Earth day, and I’m planning on planting more flowers and seeds, do some gardening and enjoy the outdoors.
What better way to celebrate Earth day than working outside taking care of our planet that keeps offering us so much beauty…
New sign for the playroom! Love the bold red and the different fonts… There so many signs for sale everywhere now (they have a huge variety at etsy) that can make a fun addition to any room in the house!
Enjoy your weekend!
My grandmother had ten kids. For each one of them she crocheted a blanket. My mother slept warmly under it every winter when she was young. Then when I was little (about my daughter’s age now) I got to use it as well and remember how cozy it felt to snuggle up under this beautifully elaborated creamy white blanket made of pure wool yarn.
I want to do as my grandmother (in a “smaller” scale) and make a blanket for my son and then for my daughter. I’m no way near the end of completing the first one, but I really do hope they will be ready for next winter.
Although I’m a complete beginner at this, and feel a bit shy about my basic crocheting, here are some pictures of what I had been doing lately.
As you can see my granny squares are the easiest and most basic you can find. But I’m still learning and I am loving it!
I picked these colors for my son (he loves red), I wish I could have found a different tone less vibrant than the red I’m using now, but I really like the combination with the color grey.
I cannot tell you how much I’m enjoying doing this (a little progress everyday) and I get very inspired when I see other people’s beautiful creations… that makes me so eager to keep learning all about the art of crocheting.
So far spring break has been great. At the beginning of the week the weather was just beautiful. We played outside, went to the park, got ice-cream, did some gardening and had a delicious bar-b-q.
Yesterday a big storm came and even though the sun peeks out once in a while, it looks like the rain will stay for a couple of days.
Perfect weather for sewing, reading, drawing and baking. I baked the same cake we had for Easter, upon “request” from my kids :-)
I’m always happy about the fact that my kids love staying home, actually on some occasion they’d even prefer it. I guess they feel comfortable playing and doing what they like at home without having to go places.
We have no big plans for the weekend. Just relaxing, cooking, watch a couple of family movies, and enjoy the peace and quiet, before the crazy schedules start again.
I hope you had a wonderful Easter Sunday as we did. We spent our day with an egg hunt, eating wonderful delicious food and in the company of really good friends.
Today we are having such a beautiful day… The light outside is gorgeous and the air so fresh, the perfect day to stay outside, start weeding and planting flowers, play with our kids (now on spring break) and enjoying the amazing weather!
Have a lovely week!
Along with spring comes thoughts of crisp, fresh air, and a sense of renewal… and I think doing a bit of spring cleaning, helps to bring that wonderful fresh feeling into my home.
Organizing closets, cabinets, drawers, bins, boxes, pantries and other storage areas is not fun at all, but I always try to remind my self that “If I don’t love it, and/or I don’t use it, it’s clutter”. Toys, for example… separating the ones in good conditions to be donated, that my kids have outgrown and don’t play with anymore.
But I had a hard time with their wooden toys. Even though they had other kinds, I remember both of them playing with these toys every-single-day! They loved them!
I love them too and the quality and craftsmanship behind each piece. I remember buying some of them during my first pregnancy and there’s no comparison with plastic toys in terms of durability. Not only do they inspire inventive and truly imaginative play in children, but I think they are simple, beautiful, educational and timeless.
Who doesn’t like a good crispy golden pie? They’re impossibly easy and completely delicious.
I’ve tried a couple of recipes to make my own pie crust and this one, I think, is the best.
I usually make them rather thin because I find that my kinds eat them better without too much filling.
Zucchini pie is probably my favorite one. The ingredients are very few and super healthy. Here is a good recipe if you would like to give it a try.
Corn and peppers pie is super delicious. The green and red peppers gives it great taste and color. This recipe has mustard in it (which I don’t include in my pie) but I’m sure it’s delicious as well.
Ham and cheese pie is the easiest one. After baking the bottom layer of the crust I just add ham (usually smoked), mozzarella cheese and thin slices of tomato, then I cover the filling with the top layer of crust and bake for 10 minutes.
For a shiny pie crust I brush the unbaked top crust with an egg wash.
These pies are great for make-ahead and they taste superb even when eaten cold.
Have a wonderful weekend!
The light this afternoon was just beautiful. We had been having such pretty days that keep announcing the arrival of Spring. Unfortunately I can’t believe we’ll be having snow on Friday… :-(
Longing for spring but feeling like starting to knit something cozy… not exactly sure what that would be. I found some super soft red and white cotton yarn, and I’m ready to give myself a challenge with a couple of patterns I’d love to try!
Have a great weekend dear friend!
I finished this quilt as a birthday present for my daughter a week ago (right on her b-day, just in time before she came from school), but I had been waiting to take pictures of it until today when we finally had a bit of sun.
My daughter really, really liked it!… I was very happy to see the surprise on her face, because she knew I was making something for her, but didn’t know exactly what.
I am very pleased with the result but, oh my goodness! it took me waaaaay much longer than I thought it would take.
The raw edge applique technique was pretty easy and quick, but the hand quilting around “every” single little pennant was painfully slow. I knew there was no way I’d be able to finish it on time, so I did freehand machine quilt in all the rest of the white background.
I do need tons of practice on freestyle machine, it’s not as easy as it looks (especially on a bulky quilt as this one) (53 x 57 inches). In the end it was really enjoyable seeing it coming together. I’m glad that it turned out just in time but especially that my daughter is very happy with it!
On the weekend we visited one of the beautiful museums in metro Atlanta called Fernbank, very cool museum for kids and adults with lots of dinosaur and fossils and big playrooms with lots of hands on stuff and kid friendly areas.
Some of the exhibitions this month were coincidentally what my son is studying right now at school, so it was entertaining and educational as well. Unfortunately it was forbidden to take pictures in some parts of the museum, so I have just a few to share with you.
It was supposed to start snowing in Atlanta… people are not used to that here in the south, so there where signs of caution in many parts along the highway.
Hope you had a good weekend too!
Spring must surely be the most anticipated season of them all. I’m longing so anxiously for warm breezes and sun and already want to get the cold weather out of here.
I wanted to bring a little sunshine to our home by making a spring wreath using faux greenery and tiny cute pink flowers (like the beautiful peach tree pink flowers that are already starting to bloom on our street!)
Are you also yearning for spring to arrive? Or for the lucky ones living in the southern hemisphere … are you instead starting to wish for autumn to bring you some chilly weather and falling leaves?
