Pico de Gallo

Pico de Gallo or salsa fresca as some may call it, is an all time favorite at home. We prepare it almost every week to accompany our chili con carne and nachos night. This simple recipe, but full of flavors and colors can be served as a snack with tortilla chips for your guest to enjoy while you serve the main dish. If you don’t already have a favorite way of preparing this salsa, then this recipe is for you. WARNING!!! Fresh homemade salsa is 100 times better then store bought and can be highly addictive!

If you need a good guacamole recipe to go with this salsa check out this recipe: Guacamole Recipe.

Cherry Thimbles Cookies

Introducing Cherry Thimbles Cookies a cherished variation of thumbprint cookies. These delightful treats embody the flavors of miniature cherry pies, boasting a buttery crust and a delectably sweet center. 

Discovered in a vintage magazine back in 2001, this cherry thimble cookie recipe has become an integral part of our family's treasured cookie tradition. While cherry season typically graces us in June, fear not, for these cookies are just as delightful when made with maraschino cherries. There's no need to wait - I assure you, they will only linger for a short time once served on your platter. Enjoy every bite!

Receta de estas galletas Cherry Thimbles en español. 

Baking them in mini cupcakes pan.

Drop marmalade by 1/4 teaspoon.

All ready... now baked with love.

Cherry Thimbles Cookies

Ingredientes: 
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cups confectioner’s sugar (you could add ¼ more if you prefer it sweeter)
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes
36 fresh tart red cherries or 36 maraschino cherries well-drained
2 tablespoons cherry or red currant jelly


Instructions: 

1. Butter 36 mini-muffin cups (1 ¾- inches in diameter) or spray with nonstick coating spray. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2. combine flour, confectioner’s sugar, and vanilla in a large mixer bowl. Add half the butter. Beat a low-speed electric mixer until crumbly.

3. Add the remaining butter. Beat at medium speed until the dough starts to cling together. Gather dough into a log.

4. Form into a log shape on plastic wrap. Wrap and refrigerate for 1½ to 2 hours.

5. Cut logs in thirds. Cut each third into 12 equal pieces. Roll each dough piece between hands to form a ball about ¾ inch in diameter. Arrange balls in muffin cups. Press down the center of the ball with your thumb to make a depression-like small thimble shape, leaving an indentation in the center of each to form a cup for the cherry.

6. Place 1 cherry in each dough cup. Set aside. In a small saucepan, stir jelly over medium heat until melted. Spoon 1/8 teaspoon jelly over each cherry. Place the muffin tins on a baking sheet.

7. Bake at 325°F for 20 to 25 minutes until cookies are set. Using a small sharp knife, carefully loosen the edges of hot cookies with an up-and-down motion. (Be gentle because cookies are very fragile.) Cool in a pan set on a rack. Carefully lift the cookies out of the pan when completely cooled.

If you enjoyed this recipe you will love:

Thumbprint Cookies (Jam-Filled Butter Cookies)

 "For You are my hope, O Lord GOD; You are my trust from my youth." ~ Psalm 71:5

Cornmeal Pudding, Arepa de Harina de Maíz

Receta en español

One of the most requested recipes via email is the Dominican cornmeal arepa. Translated it is cornmeal cake, but I say it is better described as a cornmeal pudding. My inspiration to learn how to prepare this recipe were the arepa stands on the road to Jarabacoa. In 2002, after buying these arepas several times, I knew I could bake a better tasting one at home.

This is a very common and vintage recipe. If I'm not mistaken, a similar basic recipe could be found in the back of some cornmeal package bags. I hope that you can easily make this arepa de maíz dominicana, and share your results with me.

Heart Decorated Cookies (Galletas Decoradas)

Heart Decorated Cookies for Friendship and Love, my version of a coquette cookie.

Last week I shared a picture on Facebook of a few cookies that I was decorating. Here's the final product. These are a classic at home for Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. I hope these romantic cookies inspire you to bake, decorate, and love way beyond this holiday. 

Este post de galletas decoradas para San Valentin en español.

Due to lots of rain and humidity, I could not do little rose buds in advance to decorate these cookies like I wanted to. What I ended up making were these simple but cute flowers.

• For the flowers, I used tip #18, and in the center of the flower, I placed a gold nonpareil.
• For the leaves, I used tip # 67.
• Royal Icing Recipe.
• Sugar Cookie Recipe.

The end product was an incredibly charming and romantic cookie. I carefully arranged them in a small, hand-painted wooden trunk created by my daughter, Crystal. I think this would make a lovely gift for loved ones. 

Valentine ain't over for me, the year has 365 days and they are all days for celebrating love and friendship. I hope this post will provide you with inspiration for making cookies and to continuously fall in love with your partner, your family, your work and above all, God.

For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.~ 1 John 3:11

Carne Salada, Salted Pork

Carne salada (carne frita) could be made either with beef or pork meat seasoned with salt, garlic, oregano, and sour orange or lemon juice. The longer the meat is left to marinate, the better. This dish is one of the popular antojitos (cravings) of many Dominicans who live outside their country.

Receta de Carne Salada Dominicana en español.

In some street meat markets, you will find seasoned meat hanging under the sun to allow it to dry and to help the meat last longer without any need for refrigeration. This allows enough time for customers to buy it before it goes bad. I skip this step because of many reasons one of them being hygiene. I prefer to use fresh meat and cook it myself at home. No sun is needed to make great-tasting salted pork.

Something of Dominicana

Monumento de la Muñeca sin Rostro,

 diseñada por Radhamé Carela del Higüerito, Moca.

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The following recipe is how I cook carne frita at home, it is not too salty, but you could use more salt if you want. I have served mine with fried batatas (boniato).

 I prepared about 4.5 pounds of pork, that's why my bag will probably look fuller than yours.  

Salted Pork Dominican Style

Ingredients:

2 ½ pounds of pork (1.14 kgs)

½ cup sour orange juice or lemon

1 Tablespoon of salt

1 Tablespoon crushed garlic

½ Tablespoon oregano

Abundant oil for frying

Preparation: 

1. Wash and cut the meat into thin strips of the same size.

2. Season with sour orange juice, salt, garlic and oregano. Place in a covered container or in a Ziplock for 1 hour or more, preferably overnight.

3. Fry the beef strips in hot oil, sufficient to cover the meat. Fry strips slightly browned on each side and ready.

4. Serve with tostones, sweet potato fries (batatas fritas), boiled yucca, or rice with stewed beans.

Yield: 4 Servings.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." ~ Galatians 6:9.

Batatas Fritas, Fried Boniato

From January 26 to February 27 Dominican Republic celebrates its patriotic month by commemorating our Founding Fathers and the symbols that identify us as Dominican in the world. It's a month to celebrate our independence and to remember, learn and keep us from repeating the mistakes of the past. Unfortunately it may seem we need Juan Pablo Duarte, Matias Ramon Mella and Francisco del Rosario Sanchez to come back and liberate us from the slavery of certain celebrations that I believe should have nothing to do with our folklore and a few other things which I prefer not to write about for now.

I do appreciate the immense heart of this country that automatically grants Dominican citizenship to those born abroad if your parents are Dominicans. So for a few years now I’ve officially been an American Dominican with cédula and all! At times I feel I do not fit in with must customs here, but while I am here in what I can I hope to help make it a better place.

On another note, there is so much to celebrate in this country: an almost always perfect weather, beautiful coastlines, enchanting forests, beautiful green mountains and the secluded rivers in the mountains that are fascinating. To all Dominicans, celebrate this country by bringing out the best of you and of course with our food and delicious desserts. If you are interested in learning how to cook Domnican food I recommend you my eBook.

Today I’ve cooked something easy, sweet potato or boniato fries that are as popular as the tostones, both are favored side dish fritters for Dominicans. In frying stalls and restaurants these batatas fritas are served as an accompaniment to fried meats, sausages or fish. I love them, and lately I have been preparing them often because I find they are less greasy than fries. Since it's batata season, this tuber can be found everywhere in the local markets at a very comfortable price, only five pesos a pound (about .13 USD cents a pound). So take advantage and prepare these sweet potato fries or any of the recipes with this ingredient that I have shared in this blog. Look for  the links of those recipes below.