Category: Cook’s Treat from Caridad

This Tuesday Tip – a recipe for Scottish Shortbreads- is from my friend Irene Peterson whose latest release – KISSES TO GO – is on the shelves right now!

From Irene:
When first married, I lived across the street from three ladies from Scotland. Trying to impress them, I made some shortbread, only I didn’t have butter, so I used margarine. They said the cookies were lovely, but what were they?
Continue reading “Scottish Shortbreads from Irene Peterson”

With the weather finally getting warmer, I thought Lois Winston‘s recipe was the perfect Tuesday Tip for today!
Continue reading “Sex by Chocolate for Two Ice Cream by Lois Winston”

Easter is a toss-up holiday in my family and where we spend it depends on who asks us first! If we go to my sister’s, we have a baked ham and other goodies as well as an Easter Egg hunt, even if the kids are all in their teens. They still love it. Sometimes the neighborhood kids will join in as well and it’s a blast. We give the little ones a head start so they can grab the eggs off the lawn.

If we go to my husband’s family, it’s Italian fare with an assortment of traditional goodies, like a delicious egg bread that has colored whole eggs baked into it.

What kinds of things do you do for Easter?
Continue reading “Easter Goodies”

It’s been a long time since I gave you any kind of recipe, maybe because I’ve been trying to stick to this diet and failing miserably. Especially with Valentine’s Day and chocolate abounding everywhere!

Anyway, this is my friend Irene Peterson‘s Famous Fudge. Really easy to make and even easier to eat! Irene has a new release coming up with Kisses to Go. It’s a story about a chef (always good) and art historian, stuffy British royalty and it has some paranormal happenings as well. Is it a good book? RT gave it 4 stars!

So here’s Irene’s Famous Fudge recipe (And yes, I hear you all. I’ll go back on the diet soon!):
Continue reading “Famous Fudge by Irene Peterson”

We were always sports fanatics. I grew up watching everything and anything sports-related. Naturally, watching led to participating.

My mami, all 5 foot one inches of her, had played tennis and basketball (!!) in Cuba. Mami is the one wearing those mod sixties sunglasses in the picture.

Papi played volleyball on a club team in Cuba that was exceptionally good. Papi is the tall slender one at the right in the photo.

My brother was a great football player. He’s the one hamming it up at the top of the bench.

My sister, Carmen, and I played everything in high school — field hockey (soccer was not a “sport” back then), volleyball, some basketball (I’m vertically challenged), volleyball and softball. Carmen is standing next to my mom and I’m standing next to my dad. Accurate since my sis is a twin to my mom, while I took after my dad — except height-wise. My sis and her family ended up with all the height.

Anyway, being sports fanatics and becoming totally emerged in American culture, one of the biggest sports events was the Super Bowl. Being Cuban, that also meant a ton of food would be available for friends and family who were coming to watch the game.

Here’s one of our favorites for you to try out for your Super Bowl spread!
Continue reading “Super Bowl Sandwiches”

It’s holiday time and if you’re having a party or going to one and need something fun and tasty to make, this is the dip for you!

The recipe for the Tex-Mex dip was first given to me by the wife of one of my husband’s professors at Columbia.  Since then I’ve played with it, made some changes and it is a favorite with all my friends and neighbors.  I always make a double batch because I know that it will go very quickly.  Serve the Tex-Mex dip with tortilla chips for dipping.  I love it on top of my hamburger – it makes it a great Tex-Mex burger!

Sour Cream Topping
(This is enough for a double batch.  Use only half for a single batch and put the excess into a bowl for people to use as dip)
1 pint sour cream
½ cup Mayonnaise
1 envelope taco seasoning mix

Mix all of the above and let sit for at least half an hour.

You will need the following ingredients.  After chopping and grating, you will layer them as noted below.  A flat dish is best so that your guests will be able to dip more easily.  If you like guacamole, you can add it as another layer right after the bean layer.

Ingredients:

2 medium tomatoes – finely chopped. Let them drain in a sieve to get rid of their juice.  It will keep the dip from getting watery.
1 8 oz. Can of pimentos – finely chopped
2 scallions – finely chopped
1 16 oz can of refried beans – Try to use the fat free and if you like it spicy, use the spicy refried beans from Old El Paso
1 16 oz. Can black pitted olives – finely chopped
4  oz sharp cheddar cheese – grated
4 oz Monterey jack cheese with jalapenos – grated

How to layer:

Place refried beans on the flat dish – spread them out to form the base.
Pimentos
Scallions
Place half of the sour cream topping if you are doing a single batch
Tomatoes
Black olives
Combine grated cheddar and montery jack – spread all around to hide what is underneath this layer.  If you have a gadget known as a Supershooter, place chunks of both cheeses in the feed tube and just grate it right onto the black olives.

If you like things spicier:  Add a few drops of tabasco sauce in the sour cream topping.  Substitute monterey pepper jack cheese for the regular monterey jack cheese.   Also add some jalapenos in the same layer as the pimentos

Thanksgiving is almost here and I’m going to share a family favorite.  No, not plantains or roast pork.  The Pineiro family follows American traditions to the max for American holidays.  Roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry molds, you name it! I can’t take total credit for the following muffin recipe.  It came from a magazine some time ago, but as anyone who loves to cook knows, you can’t just leave anything alone. Or at least I can’t, so I’ve amended it over the years, including doubling the recipe because a dozen muffins won’t cut it at my family’s Thanksgiving table.

My sister, Carmen, does the bulk of the Thanksgiving meal since Christmas Eve is my meal to make. Anyway, these cranberry maple muffins are a favorite and I hope you will try them and love them as well.

This recipe makes about 24 large muffins.

To start, grease and flour the muffin pans or use cupcake cups.  Preheat the oven to 375.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound cranberries
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 stick butter, soft at room temperature
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 4 teaspoons maple syrup

Steps to do in the food processor:

1.  Mix flour, walnuts, salt and baking powder.  With the steel knife, pulse a few times until you have a coarse meal.

2. Using a medium slicer, slice the cranberries. If you want to use the steel knife, just pulse small portions at one time until you have a coarse chop.  You want to have big enough pieces to see in the batter.

Steps to finish are done with a mixer (I have a big Kitchen Aid mixer which is large enough to hold all the ingredients).

• Blend eggs and sugar until you have a smooth mix.  Scrape down sides of bowl.
• Add soft butter and blend until smooth, about one minute.
• Keep the mixer going and add the buttermilk and maple syrup.
• Add flour/nut mixture and blend until smooth, but do not overwork the mixture.
• Remove bowl from mixer and hand fold in the cranberries.

Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full. Cook until light brown and toothpick inserted in the middle of cupcake comes out clean. Cooking time should be about 30 minutes.

These are great warm, whether right out of the oven or reheated. They keep for quite a few days without getting stale.

Share them with family and friends and may you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!