Holiday Baking Extravaganza

I have the apartment all to myself. This is the perfect opportunity for me to dive into baking holiday cookies! I can take the kitchen captive for a few hours, hoping for some beautiful and delicious baked goods to be created. I have really enjoyed browsing all of the websites that showcase the best food on Internet. They are regularly updated according to the season and often feature foods and ingredients that I have always wanted to try but didn't know where to start.

Today I want to concentrate purely on baking. Anything sweet is permitted. I have been accumulating lots of baking ingredients in the past months from my mom and at the store, so I am hoping that I already have enough to bake the recipes that I like. Otherwise, I will have to run to the local Foodland that is only two block away.

First off are Snickerdoodle Sandwich Cookies. I saw this recipe here: http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1bYEZS/www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/snickerdoodle-biscoff-sandwich-cookies/
I have all of the ingredients minus the "Biscoff Spread". After a quick search on the net, I discovered that this is a European alternative for peanut butter. Hmmm.....I spoke with my Norwegian friend and he hadn't heard of it. I feel comfortable using peanutbutter and will not order this ingredient online.

I am mixing the cookie ingredients together and noticed that I need 1 cup of butter. wow! Since this is my first time making Snickerdoodles, I am surprised to learn just how much butter is used. I will check other recipes later to see if they match, but for now I will continue using this recipe so that I don't get confused.

Everything else went rather smooth and they taste wonderful. (as I had to have the one that "broke". I only added the stuffing for three because they seem too sweet, but I have the homemade cream set aside for anyone who wants me to a doublestacker!

Quesadillas & Ensalada

Ingredientes:
Queso de hebra + 3 tortillas de harina (con media crema, pimienta y cilantro)
Ensalada de aguacate, lechuga, jitomate y cebolla (con alderezo italiano)

Meals for the Week of May 15th to the 21st

Sunday
Breakfast: smoothie and coffee
Lunch: spaghetti
Dinner: mushroom soup and veggie snacks

Monday:
Breakfast: hotcakes w/orange juice
Lunch: veggie ceviche w/crackers
Dinner: broccoli w/cheese

Tuesday:
Breakfast: eggs, toast and coffee
Lunch: black beans and rice w/ chile seco
Dinner: quesadiilas

Wednesday:
Breakfast: fruit plate
Lunch:

My Tropical Garden

Trees I have in my yard:
2 Mango manila
1 Mango manzano
1 Almendro
1 nanche


Trees/bushes I still haven´t got but want:
1 pistachio
4 pineapple
prickly pear
2 vanilla
guava
macademia nuts
cherymoya
dates
cardomom
mangosteen
jicama
watermelon

Fun Things that I would like to buy for the kitchen

Menu for Week of April 17-23

Note: Each meal is for two people. (I sometimes invite a guest or two to join in too, so I try to make a little extra!)

Sunday

Breakfast:
Mango smoothies *1
Pot o´ Coffee

Lunch:
Quesadillas w/Flor de Calabaza *2
Marinated Tomato Salad *3
Lemon Water *4

Dinner:
Black Beans and Rice *5


Dessert: Coffee Cake *6

Monday

Breakfast:
Coffee Cake
Iced Coffee *1
Banana

Lunch:
Tostada *2
Salsa Verde *3
Jamaica Water *4

Dinner:
Mushroom pasta *5
Garlic Bread *6

Tuesday

Breakfast:


*References:
Sunday recipes
1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X5ngNjxZjs
2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f-E5iHOweQ
3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb3iB8xx0Po
4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdBH5ZiHp6s
5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s07sfYPEdRA
6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcMr8edTwTk
Monday recipes
1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1efsuyFdyk&feature=related
2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzO62UOugZk&feature=related
3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-MSEw3c4VQ
4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeeCf6daOI4&feature=related
5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeiEhkNg4Z0
6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1eyL5uzDdo

Welcome to Michikitchen

This is my first post, so before I start with my lists, pictures and recipes, I thought it would be nice to talk a little about my tastes in food. I am a vegetarian, but a very adventurous one! I live in a tropical small town in Mexico, and I have lots of fruit trees growing in my yard. I became a veggie at the age of 17, so I feel very comfortable without meat in my life. I never have cravings, and I don´t get grossed out being around people who do eat and cook meat. In fact, my husband is a carnivore and cooks meat regularly. So....since I am in charge of the shopping list, I must include meat for him from time to time (he requests meat once a week at least). I will not include any recipes for meat dishes because he prepares his meals that include meat. The recipes that I will include will most likely be vegan-based because I tend to cook vegan. (I was a vegan for 8 years of my life.)

This blog is set up for me to organize my kitchen more. I always have wonderful ideas and inspirations, but at times, cooking becomes a big hassle because I do not plan the time nor buy the neccesary ingredients to make cooking enjoyable. I have a small grocery mart about two blocks from my house where I buy most of the veggies and fruits. I go to Costco (which is an hour away) about once every two months to buy items that I stock up on: sugar, flour, cereal, etc... I usually spend about $100 US dollars. In addition, I can buy certain foods from people selling them out of their cars or on bike: homemade bread, yogurt and oranges.

My kitchen is very big and I am slowly buying appliances to make it a fun place to cook and create. So far, we have a refrigerator, microwave, 4 burner stove, toaster oven, mixer, blender, coffee maker, and George Foreman grill. I would like to get a dehydrator, a convection oven, and a brick oven for pizzas. I have seen a lot of wonderful blogs and youtube videos on the net and I may include them in this blog as additional inspirations. I am really not the best cook, but everyone has to start somewhere.

Happy Eating! Michele