Almost a year in the U.S. of A.

It is now October, we are in Fall on the Northern Hemisphere, the cold is making an entry and leaves are slowly landing on the soil. Trees are red, yellow and orange. It's raining and mostly cloudy, strong wind blowing, and the pace of hectic summer is gradually fading away.
It's been almost a year since I came for a visit to the US, it was my forth so far and well...I eventually stayed here. I got my residence all in a matter of months, and I have had a wonderful 2014 along with my husband. Yes, I got married this year! I haven't posted anything for a very long time, so I thought an "Almost year in review" photography would be nice!

Enjoy the pictures.

New York - Nov. 2013

Key West - Dec. 2013

Atlanta & Carrollton - Mar 2014

Savannah - April & August 2014

Making a selection was hard, but this was a good year for me so far. Best to you all!

old armchair crochet patching idea

So this is my first post via phone...yeah for those who know me I am not the techiest person on earth...

For a change I decided to cover a damaged armchair with lovely granny hexagones! You can find a tutorial on granny squares here 

Pretty much you do 6 instead of 4 angles. And follow the same technique throughout.

So instead of throwing your armchair away and upholster it all together, you might want to try this cute option and just patch the damaged area...

Enjoy patching & crocheting!

ART TAKES PARIS

Hello dear readers! Once more this year I'm asking for your help! I want to have my artwork exhibit in Paris and all I need from you is to "Vote" for my work on this link http://maria-constanzagarrido.see.me/atp2013



You may log in with your Facebook account if you have one or you may create an account of the See.me website.

Please, I'd truly appreciate it if you take the time and help me by clicking!
Much love and appreciation!

Messy Indie Cooking Vol.8 - Nice Summer Salads

I've been experimenting with salads lately and here are two recipes I'd love to share with you.

Lentil Tabbouleh

 Ingredients: 

(Serving for 4)

- 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils

- 1 cup cooked bulgur

-small leek or small scallion

-a bunch of parsley & cilantro (coriander)

-Olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and cumin as you find fit.

Preparation:

I called it Lentil Tabbouleh mainly because it has all the ingredients except tomatoes. I wanted to do a variation of the famous mezze. Here all you need to do in advance is cook your lentil and bulgur separately in advance. 

Cooking lentils is very easy, you might want to clean them well as sometimes little stones come in the package...I used small sized lentils as they cook faster and are usually much cleaner. (It could take up to 40 min to cook). I put some salt, pepper and bay leaves while cooking them. Drain them when done and let it cool. (I made these the night before, so it worked perfectly)

Cooking bulgur is even easier...it could take you just 5 to 10 minutes. Just pour bulgur in water with salt and pepper. Drain and let it cool. 

Chop all your other ingredients very finely, the secret to a good tabbouleh is that all greens and herbs are chopped in a very tiny manner!

Add lentils, bulgur and the greens in a bowl, mix and season with salt, pepper, lemon juice and cumin at choice...

Refreshing and nutritious!

Russian Inspired Salad

Ingredients:

(Serving for 4)

-4 large potatoes chopped and boiled

-2 large carrots chopped and boiled

-6 cherry tomatoes

-2 pieces of fennel (half a bulb with filiform leaves included)

-Olives

- 1 small scallion

-2 cucumbers

-2 pickled cucumbers

-a bunch of parsley

-salt, pepper and olive oil at choice

 (Boiled egg is optional, I did not add it here).

Preparation:

Start by cooking your potatoes and carrots together. The fastest way is to peel and chop them in small cubes. These will take up to 20 minutes to boil and be ready. Drain and set aside, allow them to cool.

Start cutting your scallion, parsley, fennel, cucumbers (both natural and pickled) and tomatoes. Chop all small and nicely. 

Once your potatoes and carrots have cooled down, place the previous cut mixture to it. Mix it well and add black olives and egg is desired.

Season with salt, pepper and olive oil...ready for serving!

Enjoy!

Bon Appetit!

Messy Indie Cooking (Baking) Vol.7 - Absolutely Vegan Yummy Pumpkin Bars

It's been since 2011 that I haven't posted a recipe on this blog...gladly I was making a nice vegan baking recipe I thought it would be awesome to share.

I started taking pictures late, so I'll basically narrate the process instead of posting pictures of every step like I usually do.

Ingredients:

for dough

1 1/2 cup of flour

1/2 cup of brown sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon powder cardamom

 100gr margarine (melted and let cool a few minutes)

1 teaspoon vanilla essense

for filling

2 1/2 cups of chopped pumpkin (Cooked the night before with 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cardamom)

3 tablespoons of sugar if it's not sweet enough

4 tablespoons of corn starch

diced almonds (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven at 160°C.

Prepare your mold or pan by spreading margarine on it and then placing aluminum foil side ways. I suggest using a squared one mine is 23 x 23 cm (or 9x9 inches I think). Also spread margarine over the foil on the bottom and sides of pan.

Start by mixing flour, sugar, salt and cardamom. Mix well. Then little by little pour in the melted margarine and the vanilla. Use your hands to work the dough but not too much, it should make a ball on its own.

With your fingers place dough on the pan spreading it equally throughout.

Bake for 20 minutes or until light golden and crispy.

For the filling, I used the blender and put the pumpkin, corn starch, and sugar. When it's fully blended drain some water, it should be slightly humid but not too much.

Then, sprinkle some diced almonds and mix, do not blend.

Once the dough is ready from the oven, let it cool a little and then spread the filling over it. 

Place it once more in the oven for 30 min or until the bars are set. 

Remove from oven and lift it up thanks to the aluminum foils, carefully place it on a plate and let it cool...once it's colder cut it into squares. Once they have fully cooled off, you can eat them next to a nice cup of black tea.

VOILA!

 

Bon Appetit :)