All posts filed under: North America

Trick or Treating in Costa Rica

Feel like trick or treating in Costa Rica? You wouldn’t be alone.  Although a relatively new holiday to the country, Halloween is growing in popularity with the locals – and why not? Kids get to dress up (and parents brim over with pride). Then everyone eats candy until their tummies hurt. Awesome fun for everyone! (NOTE: Watch out for the rain. October is the rainiest month of the year. Not great for polyester and fluffy bunny costumes). If Halloween isn’t your thing, you can just eat the candy! Or ice cream. Rumor has it that, in Costa Rica, you can get ice cream in “sour cream” flavor. Do you think it would be good on baked potatoes? Or a milkshake..? The entire concept is fascinating to me. Perhaps making it would be easier than yesterday’s epic fail.

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Caramel Milk Candies | Dulce de Leche Candy

Makes about 36 candies Behold my epic fail – homemade “Caramel Milk Candies.” I planned to make these typical South American candies for Halloween. Little did I know, I was in for a real mystery even Sherlock Holmes couldn’t solve. You see, metal cans are not transparent. I was literally cooking blind. As I learned, this is a tragic prospect when it comes to candy making. Despite my diligent efforts (nerdy, even) to make and remake these candies, I failed.  I’d keep going, except I’m terrified of my next gas bill. Ingredients: 1 can sweetened condensed milk parchment paper Method: 1. Bring water to boil. Choose a pot an inch or two taller than the can of sweetened condensed milk. Meanwhile, remove the label from the can. You’ll thank me later, when you don’t have to clean paper shreds out of your pan. 2. Make two holes in your can. This is a safety measure. Not everyone does this. I do because I’m not that into exploding cans. 3. Place can in boiling water. Cover …

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Menu: Costa Rica

Costa Rican food is warm, comforting and upbeat (yes, food can be upbeat – just ask a juicy, lime-green lime). Thank goodness, because I need some happy comfort! You see, I’m nervous – since we won’t be moving into a shiny new-to-us home, we’re polishing up our current residence (and cooking around the mess). First step? Painting my dark wood cabinets (in my dungeon kitchen) a pretty white color. I’m hoping “pretty” and “white” will erase the “dark” and “dungeon” effect. I will also have you know I am not painting them myself. In all honesty, I’m not allowed to do projects that involve “coloring within the lines.” I’m too messy. I think it’s because my mom forbid coloring books when I was little (she said the lines wreck kids’ creativity). Let’s just say I’m really “creative.” Have you ever done a kitchen remodel of any sort? Was it worth it? Or would you rather just eat Costa Rican food? Heart of Palm Salad (Palmitos) [Recipe] Heart of Palm tossed with romaine lettuce, sweet peppers, …

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About the Food of Costa Rica

Lush, tropical greens and mouthwash blue waters make Costa Rica a stunning destination. Eating a typical “Tican” meal is incredibly easy, even if one doesn’t have access to latino markets. The most common dish is gallo pinto (or black beans and rice). This dish often made from leftover rice and seasoned with a little onion and garlic, as well as a healthy splash of Worcestershire sauce (or Salsa Lizano). A great accompaniment for eggs, this filling dish is often found on the Tican breakfast table. For those who love potatoes, Gallitos de Papas are a must-try. Indeed, these paprika and garlic infused cubes of potato delight are another great accompaniment to eggs. Typically, however, they are served in a corn tortilla. Carb on carb – seems logical to me! 🙂 Since I know some of you are getting palpatations just thinking about all those carbs, have no fear. Costa Ricans are known for fresh salads – including a wonderful Heart of Palm Salad (palmitos) which includes any number of veggies – such as tomato, cucumber, lettuce, and …

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Monday Meal Review: Canada

I poured the thick, grade A dark amber maple syrup into the pot and reluctantly added a cup of water to thin it out. Even still, the liquid was viscous, sluggish, sweet. Perfect for simmering dough until tender. I clicked on the range and watched as the syrup shimmered, swirled, and eventually bubbled up. Time to make the doughnuts. I mean… grandpères. One by one, I dropped small, sticky balls of dough into the simmering syrup and watched them dunk, then bob back up to the surface. “Are they ready yet?” Keith was breathing down my neck. A moment later his nose was an inch from the molten hot tub of sugary goodness. “You’ll get burned,” I warned, slapping his fork away. “What’s with you and forks for dessert, anyway?” I muttered. He laughed. You see, almost every time we eat dessert he uses a fork. And every time I ask him why. He also wears his socks inside out. The man is a mystery. Canadian Dijon and Maple Grilled Chicken [Recipe] What I liked …

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Grandpa’s Maple Dumplings | Grandpères

Serves 4 Hot, sweet, syrupy Grandpères served with two scoops of cold vanilla ice cream. Genius. And we have generations of Canadians to thank for keeping this age-old recipe alive. You can eat this for breakfast or dessert. Or a midnight snack. Ingredients: For the dumplings: 2 – 2 1/4 cups flour 1 Tbsp baking powder 1/2 tsp cinnamon pinch of salt 3 Tbsp butter 3/4 cup whole milk For the cooking liquid: 2 cups maple syrup 1 1/2 cups water Method: In a large bowl, mix together flour… … start with two cups and add more if you need to. Stir in the baking powder… A scoop of cinnamon (or Sin as my mom likes to call it) Whisk together with a pinch of salt. Can you see Keith? Now add some buttery goodness. Cut it into the flour with a pastry cutter. Stop when the butter is pea-sized. Next comes the milk. Mix it together until it forms a loose mass, like wet bread dough. Add water to a pot… make it a …

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Canadian Dijon & Maple Grilled Chicken

Serves 6 If you’re looking for a quick and easy marinade, forget the supermarket bottles, loaded up with high fructose corn syrup and chemicals. Our sweet, natural glaze is made with dijon mustard, crushed garlic and rich maple syrup. Special thanks to Kevin from Toronto whose recipe Maple Dijon Grilled Chicken inspired our version. If you haven’t already checked out his blog “Closet Cooking,” you are in for a treat. This guy is an inspiring cook and photographer. Ingredients: 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1/2 cup maple syrup 1/3 cup Dijon mustard 2 garlic cloves, crushed Method: For the marinade: 1. In a small bowl, mix together mustard… … maple syrup… … and crushed garlic. I love how the mustard seeds give the marinade a little texture. Pour over the chicken and marinade for a few hours (overnight is best). Turn once to ensure even coverage of the chicken. To Grill: Preheat a clean, oiled grill to high. Lay on the chicken and let cook a few minutes per side, or until done. The maple …

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Butter Roasted Tomatoes

Serves 2-3 Cherry tomatoes are sweet bursts of summertime. Their flavor deepens when roasted with creamy butter and fresh thyme – a juicy side dish that forgives even the driest chicken and wild rice, while bravely complimenting perfectly cooked meals as well. If that isn’t enough reason to try this vegetarian recipe, these tomatoes actually made my picky husband exclaim “pretty good!” That’s quite the milestone considering the tomato is one of his major food nemeses. Like Batman’s Joker or Superman’s Ingredients: 2 Tbsp butter (or olive oil) 1 pint tomatoes (grape, cherry, or other) 1-2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves Method: Run to your farmer’s market and pick up a basket of beautiful cherry tomatoes. Eat one or two. I won’t tell! When you get home, preheat the oven to 375F Melt some butter over low heat (or you can use olive oil for a vegan version of this dish) Rinse tomatoes and place in a bowl Bathe them in melted butter Sprinkle with fresh thyme – pull the leaves off of 1-2 sprigs. Always pull …

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Treats from Canada (with poll)

Maple Syrup To make 1/4 gallon (1 quart) of maple syrup requires an astonishing 10.5 gallons of tree sap. Traditionally a metal bucket was MacGyvered to a tree to extract the goods. Now a days, a tube connects all the trees into one happy, meandering mess of sap that flows directly into the sugarhouse, where it is finally boiled down into syrup. Dulse Dulse is an edible seaweed eaten in the Atlantic Canada. First it is harvested from the ocean waters, then dried out in the sunl. There are about 250 other varieties of seaweed growing wild on Canada’s shores, but most of them aren’t typically eaten.

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How to cook Canadian Wild Rice

On shopping day, I browsed the bulk bins, hoping against hope that I could find the real thing – Canadian Lake Wild Rice – here, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  As I scanned past basmati, jasmine and wild rice blends, my eye caught something shiny and jet black. I didn’t even have to read the label to know I was in business. The long grains gave themselves away. They look like a pile of runway models in sleek black dresses. Canadian wild rice is all together a different plant than American wild rice.  In fact, the long, spindly needles are more related to wild grass than rice. Canadians have dubbed their special grain Canadian Lake Wild rice, a beautiful and apt description of the rice’s growing environment, where the grains billow above the waters. Recipe (Serves 2-3) Making Canadian Wild Rice is easier than almost any rice I can think of. Just remember my tips about hot dog buns and popcorn. Confused? You won’t be. Keep reading! Ingredients: 1 cup wild rice (rinsed and checked for debris) 3 …

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Menu: Canada

We chose our dessert in .001 seconds this week. What could possibly be better than dough simmered in maple syrup? I like to think of it as deep-frying, but in sugar instead of oil. While this dessert is decidedly sweet, our maple glazed chicken carries a more subtle sweetness, rounded out by garlic and mustard. The rest of the meal showcases farm fresh produce/grains of Canada. Canadian Dijon & Maple Grilled Chicken [Recipe] Chicken coated with a simple blend of maple syrup, Dijon mustard, and crushed garlic, then grilled. Butter-roasted Tomatoes [Recipe] Fresh tomatoes roasted with butter and fresh thyme until tender. Canadian Wild Rice [Recipe] Wild Rice seasoned with fresh thyme makes good use of this Canadian crop. Grandpa’s Maple Dumplings (Grandpères) [Recipe] Drops of soft dough boiled in hot maple syrup. Oh yeah.

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