Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

I added some Grenadine to the Frozen Yogurt for a twist and some color.  Grenadine is a syrup made of pomegranate juice, so it is sweet and adds a really nice flavor –  just make sure it’s the real thing and not some corn syrup 

Plátanos Fritos – Fried Plantains

Plátanos Fritos – Fried Plantains

For this dish you need really ripe plantains.  When I mean really ripe is when they look so black that you think you should be getting rid of them.  This is common sense for anyone born and raised in or around the Caribbean, but I 

Turmeric and Ginger Pork Stir Fry

Turmeric and Ginger Pork Stir Fry

I was at the Asia-Markt this morning, and they had Ginger Turmeric tea. I must say I found the combination so interesting I had to have it for dinner – not the tea – the stir-fry! Ingredients: 1/2 lb pork meat – sliced 2 onions 

Venezuelan Shish Kebabs – Pinchos

Venezuelan Shish Kebabs – Pinchos

We’re having such a terrible summer, that I had to make the Shish Kebabs on the stove.  Either way works well, but I must say, with pork it almost works better on a pan, since one can adjust the cooking time and temperature a little 

Banana Stracciatella Frozen Yogurt

Banana Stracciatella Frozen Yogurt

If you’re tired of buying ice cream at the store, try making your own.  Right before serving dinner, I add all the ingredients to the Ice Cream machine, and by the time we’re done eating, it’s ready! Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt 1 banana 

Yogurt with Bananas & Berries

Yogurt with Bananas & Berries

It’s time to add my family’s favorite snack on the blog.  When the kids were little, I started to make “cambur machacado”.  “Cambur” is banana in Venezuela (not in other spanish speaking countries), and “machacado” means mashed.  I think the name started as a joke, 

Kasseler with Sauerkraut

Kasseler with Sauerkraut

Ingredients: 4 smoked pork chops 1/2 Cabbage – thinly sliced 1 can sauerkraut 1 onion – chopped 4 peppercorns 1 teaspoon salt 4 bay leaves 4 dried juniper berries 1 cup apple juice Directions: In a large pot, fry the chopped onions slightly in a 

Mushroom Cream Sauce

Mushroom Cream Sauce

1 lb (500 gr) fresh mushrooms – sliced 1/2 onion – finely diced 2 garlic cloves – pressed 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup milk Salt Pepper Nutmeg 1 teaspoon cornstarch – dissolved in water Parmesan or Pecorino – grated Cooked tortellini Directions: Fry the 

Avocado Shrimp Cocktail

Avocado Shrimp Cocktail

Shrimp Cocktail with avocado was one of my favorite meals in Venezuela. Ingredients: Cooked shrimp – 6 per serving Avocados – 1/2 per serving Salsa Rosada: 2 Tablespoons Mayo 4 Tablespoons Ketchup Lemon Juice Salt and pepper to taste 1/2 teaspoon horseradish Directions: Mix all 

Pork Roast with Quince

Pork Roast with Quince

You can make this dish with quince jam, or any jam of your choice – I would stick to the light ones though (apricot, peach). Ingredients: 1 Pork roast 2 Tablespoons Quince jam 3 Onions – cut in small pieces 4 garlic cloves – chopped 

Cheese Sticks

Cheese Sticks

Ingredients: Puff pastry Parmesan cheese – grated Olive oil Salt Garlic powder Directions: Cut the puff pastry in 1.5″ x 10″ (4cm x 25 cm) pieces. Brush olive oil over the puff pastry. Sprinkle salt, garlic powder and parmesan cheese over the puff pastry. Take 

Cheese Quiche

Cheese Quiche

Being in Switzerland at the moment, there’s no wonder all my dishes this week are packed with cheese.  This is no exception! 1 lb (500 gr) grated Swiss cheese 1 teaspoon cornstarch 3/4 cup half & half (or milk) 1 Tablespoon flour 2 Tablespoons ricotta 

Chicken with Broccoli

Chicken with Broccoli

  I think I like any dish with cheese… I guess it has to do with my swiss roots 😉  In Switzerland, at family restaurants, almost everything has cheese in it – if not, they put cheese on top! Ingredients: 1 chicken – in pieces 

Fish Sticks

Fish Sticks

This is an easy way to make home-made fish sticks! Ingredients: 1 lb (500 gr) fish filets – cut into thin stripes 1 egg 1 cup bread crumbs salt oil Directions: Sprinkle some salt over the fish stripes Scramble the egg in a medium bowl, 

Moussaka

Moussaka

Hola Sonia, aquí te dedicamos mi mamá y yo la receta! It’s been a very long time since we have made Moussaka at home.  We adjusted the preparation of the eggplants to save on a few calories … We have been grilling eggplants for so 

Crunchy French Toast

Crunchy French Toast

I remember eating “crunchy” French Toast when I was a kid.  There’s a tiny little trick in order to make them! Ingredients: 8 slices sandwich bread 2 eggs 1 cup milk sugar cinnamon oil Marmalade, powder sugar, maple syrup Directions: Mix 2 eggs, milk, 1 

Tortellini with Saffron Sauce

Tortellini with Saffron Sauce

Ingredients: 1 Tablespoon Saffron 1/2 onion – finely diced 2 garlic cloves – pressed 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup milk 2 egg yolks – mixed with a little bit of milk Salt Pepper Parmesan or Pecorino – grated Cooked tortellini Directions: Put the saffron 

Crispy Chicken

Crispy Chicken

Ingredients: 2 cups corn flakes 1/2 cup flour 2 eggs 1 chicken – in pieces salt, pepper and garlic powder Oil Directions: Sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder over the chicken pieces. Place the corn flakes in a large plastic bag and crunch them well 

Pork Filet with Prunes

Pork Filet with Prunes

Ingredients: 1 Pork filet 15 – 18 prunes 2 Onions – chopped in large chunks 7 oz (200 gr) sliced bacon salt and pepper 1 cup water Directions: Slice the Filet lengthwise.  Place prunes along the middle. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Wrap the filet with 

Garlic Pizza Bread

Garlic Pizza Bread

Ingredients: 1 Pizza Dough 1 Garlic clove – crushed 2 Tablespoons Olive oil Oregano Marjoram Directions: Make the pizza dough. Warm up the oven to 360ºF (200ºC). Form your pizza bread, cover with a towel, and let rest for 15 minutes. Mix the garlic, olive 

Chicken Fajitas

Chicken Fajitas

I love this dish. Yes, it does take more time to prepare all the ingredients, but then it is a lot of fun to eat! Tip 1:  leftovers taste great, so do not worry about making too much of anything! Tip 2:  Cover the leftover 

Mushroom Omelette

Mushroom Omelette

You can adapt the recipe and make cheese, mushroom or any combination of your favorite Omelette.  It is important though to have a good non-stick pan to make this dish. Ingredients: 7 oz (200 gr)  mushrooms 1 onion – chopped finely Salt and pepper to 

Pizza

Pizza

We like to make Pizza on Tuesdays, because the kids have sport until 6 pm, and then there’s not enough time to cook. I usually set the bread machine to make the dough while we are away, so that as soon as we get home, 

Crêpes

Crêpes

Ingredients: 18 oz (550 ml) Milk 3 eggs 2 Tablespoons oil 1/2 lb (220 gr) flour 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt Directions: Mix all ingredients in a blender. Make Crêpes in a Crêpe pan at med – high heat.  Use a soup serving spoon 

Coleslaw

Coleslaw

This is a very simple, very light version of the classic  side-dish. Ingredients: 1 small cabbage 6 carrots – finely grated 1 lime – juice 2 Tablespoons olive oil 1/4 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon salt pepper to taste Directions: Add the salt to the finely 

Cheese Fondue

Cheese Fondue

Still cool enough to make Fondue one more time, although we even used to make Fondue in Venezuela –   I  remember once eating Fondue at the Beach after bringing the air conditioner to the max, so it would be cold enough to survive eating 

Sauerkraut – Latvian style

Sauerkraut – Latvian style

My mom has always made sauerkraut this way.  I am assuming it is the way it is made in Latvia, since she learned how to make it with her grandmother. Ingredients: 1/2 Cabbage – thinly sliced 1 can sauerkraut 1 onion – chopped 4 peppercorns 

Pork Roast with banana sauce

Pork Roast with banana sauce

I started to make this dish in Germany. It is not particularly German style, besides the fact that I do use German cumin for this recipe. I did mention in earlier posts that the cumin tastes different here.  Now this might be a tricky one 

Rosemary Potatoes

Rosemary Potatoes

The rosemary adds a really nice touch to the potatoes.  It’s a great side dish when making a roast! Ingredients: 2 lbs (1 kg) potatoes 1.5 teaspoons salt 1 rosemary stem 2 tablespoons olive oil pepper to taste Directions Wash the potatoes thoroughly. Slice the 

Lemon Chicken

Lemon Chicken

This recipe is a combination between the way roast chicken is made in Venezuela and the way I used to make it in Florida… It’s also an easy recipe when the kids have friends over – I still have not met a kid yet that 

Chocolate Gugelhupf

Chocolate Gugelhupf

I adjusted one of my great-grandmother’s cake recipes to please my kids… they wanted chocolate! I will eventually post the original recipe. Ingredients: 7 oz (200 gr) Butter 1 cup sugar 4 eggs 1.5 cups flour 1/2 cup milk 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon 

Schnitzel – cordon bleu style

Schnitzel – cordon bleu style

This is a Schnitzel variation served here in Germany.  I used to know it with chicken only, but this is also very tasty! 4 pork chops (boneless) 4 ham slices 4 cheese slices 1 cup bread crumbs 2 eggs – beaten Salt and pepper to 

Meatloaf

Meatloaf

Ingredients: 2 lbs ground beef 2 Tablespoons sour cream 1 Onion – finely chopped and fried in a little bit of oil 2 Eggs 3 Slices of sandwich bread 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon black pepper Directions: Chop the onion finely 

Carbonara

Carbonara

I think I learned how to make this dish in the US – I guess that’s why I add cream to it…  I’m still categorizing it as Italian, although the original should not have any cream in it! Ingredients: 7 oz (200 gr) bacon – 

Chupe andino

Chupe andino

This is one of my favorite Venezuelan soups.  It is really nice to make when expecting guests that are traveling and are not sure when they arrive, because it is a main dish, and you do not have to worry about any last minute cooking! 

Geschnezeltes

Geschnezeltes

This dish I learned with my grandmother (father’s side). I remember watching her make it when I was a kid, and I was truly amazed to see that you could make a sauce by just adding cream to a pan after frying the meat.  It