Tag Archives: Ecuador

Snacks & Appetizers

jalapeño poppers

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I went to the other end of our house while these were baking and when I came back, whoa, was the air filled with jalapeño scent! Sounds a little overpowering, but if you like this kind of food, it was mouth-watering. Haha, think Scentsy has “Jalapeño” yet? :)

I left the stems on just so the filling didn’t go over all over the baking sheet, but a few of them spilled over a little anyway. It wasn’t bad. Next time, I might not fill them quite so over-full and also place them closer together to prop each other up.

Don’t skip the bread crumbs – it helps hold it all together and makes the best little crunch on top! I didn’t have any so I crushed up some mini toasts and that worked marvelously.

We decided this was a keeper recipe! Print it .

Oh, and p.s. we discovered they’re totally fine reheated in the microwave, but it was best when we would refrigerate the filling & peppers and then make fresh every time. Enjoy!

Sweets: Breads & Muffins

high-altitude raspberry muffins

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Definitely worthy of blogging about! These muffins were created for our altitude of almost 10,000 feet but the cookbook has adjustments for 3 different levels of lower elevations as well.

It’s best to eat these the first day due to the fresh fruit inside, but we ate leftovers for a couple days and they were okay – just not as scrumptious!

From the cookbook Pie in the Sky, they are originally called “Mom’s Blueberry Muffins.” The author talks about the unlimited variations these muffins can withstand – you can combine different types of berries or use blueberries and peach or nectarine slices, or sliced plums and raspberries.

Print the recipe .

Breads

sarah’s pizza dough

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To my recollection, I’ve only ever used 2 pizza dough recipes – at all altitudes. And they were both from friends in Peru years ago! This one is Sarah’s. It is the one I don’t use as much but it is the simplest. An extremely easy pizza dough recipe if you need something with few ingredients and quick!

Did I mention it is practically foolproof? :)

Also, here is a trick to getting it onto the pizza pan:

Once it’s rolled out,

Wrap the dough around the rolling pin and hold over the pan.

Now roll out across the pan. Reshape if needed. That’s it!

What are you favorite pizza toppings? I think, currently, mine are: tomato, green pepper, pepperoni & onion. I LOVE tomato on pizza!

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Breads, Breakfast

breckenridge biscuits

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I’m obsessed with my I bought a couple months ago, specifically about high-altitude baking. I mean, I read it like a novel.

The author-cook {} talks all about her trials with cooking at various elevations and I’m just over here nodding through it all. It’s been a joke these last few years to bake things properly, no matter what I try!

Well, I’m done trying to adjust my own sea level recipes. I’m all about following hers to the T, because they’ve been 100% successful so far.

These biscuits are now a permanently saved & hand-copied-onto-a-notecard recipe that I will always use here in Quito. They are just as fluffy-wonderful as they would be in Eugene, Oregon.

The author is incredibly thorough and detailed in each recipe, giving notes on elevations of 0; 3000; 5000; 7500 and 10,000 feet. My printable version will only show the 10,000 ingredients & instructions. If you live anywhere above sea level, seriously buy this book. And, no, the author has not asked for an endorsement nor even knows I exist. I told you I was obsessed. ;)

 

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Sweets: Cookies & Bars

Happy Valentine’s 2015!

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Basically all my cookbooks and websites are “Americanized,” right? I can’t get the majority of ingredients favorite recipes call for, so I have to plan far in advance for treats like this.

I came back from our latest Stateside trip with white chocolate chips and cinnamon oil… we had already brought the Red Hots down. :) That’s how much I wanted to make these, I know I have funny priorities…

I didn’t change a thing from I had pinned ages ago. The cinnamon really “dies down” in the ocean of white chocolate so it shouldn’t be too spicy for anyone. It was a grand combination.

Hope you all have a great February 14th tomorrow and enjoy your loved ones to the max. xoxo

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Dips

easy blender salsa

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I just turned on my computer for the first time since Tuesday – solely to get this recipe up!

It’s been a staple in our home for a long time but since our Christmas party last weekend, I’ve been asked for it multiple times.

Really, I only made a couple small adjustments from that created this, due to a personal preference. It’s supposed to be a copycat recipe of Chili’s popular salsa. Honestly, Mike and I can’t decide which we like better!

Print the recipe .

I’ll be back on the blog soon. Traveling to the States with a baby is more exhausting than most of you know. ;) Lots to do, people to see and rest to never catch up on. Ha. But it’s great to be back, for sure! More soon!

Soups

good ol’ chili

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If you’re looking for a super simple chili recipe, this is for you.

It’s hearty!

It’s meaty!

It’s full of frijoles!

And just like many soups, it was just as tasty reheated.

I enjoy a variety of types of chili dishes – chicken, vegetarian, lighter, heartier… so I should share more recipes in the future…

But here is a classic! It’s easy to make (in a slow cooker) and great for a cold winter evening for all you not living on the Equator and in a different hemisphere than us. ;)

Print the recipe .

Main Dishes

zucchini lasagna

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Sure, I’ve pinned so many things on Pinterest that I’ll never be able to make it all in one lifetime, BUT I am still diligent at trying new things all the time! This was one thing I had pinned for ages and finally tried. Super glad I did.

I didn’t take pictures after it was cooked because, well, I don’t have a good camera or equipment to make something like messy it’s-already-dark-outside lasagna look even halfway decent. I found the recipe on with beautiful photos.

But trust me. Mike and I ate ALL OF IT. Okay, not in one night but we devoured those leftovers.

Prep takes a little longer if you don’t have a mandoline slicer, but I managed just fine.

To help reduce the liquid in the zucchini, I laid the slices out on paper towels, salted them and let them sit for several minutes. Then I squeezed them with paper towels, broiled them a few minutes and then squeezed them with paper towels again.  I am glad I did as I read a lot of comments about zucchini lasagna being quite watery. Definitely take the time to do this!

I would go out on a limb and say that even those who dislike zucchini would likely enjoy this. It acted more like the “texture” that pasta normally does than have any strong zucchini flavor.

Let me know if you try it! Here’s the .

Sweets: Cookies & Bars

ritz-rolo cookies

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Okay, I made these a long time ago and got other people hooked on them, too… so this is a must-share!

There are no Rolos in Ecuador that I know of, buuuut I had Mike bring down a bag on his last Stateside trip a few weeks ago so I totally need to make these again soon.

I couldn’t find where I found these originally so I went on a hunt. I’m annoyingly careful about giving credit where its due but it’s also in turn annoying to find blog after blog that credits the next that credits the next, etc. I THINK the original creator was ‘s? Good grief. This is why I like cookbooks. Oh I miss my cookbooks…

Anyway! I’m not kidding about these! All skeptics shut their mouths after they experience the perfect blend of chocolate-y sweet and cracker-y salty. Plus, I only share recipes I like on here, so just trust me.

All you do is:

  1. Preheat to 350 F.
  2. Place crackers (salty side down) on baking sheet.
  3. Put a rolo in center of each cracker.
  4. Bake in oven until soft enough to easily squish down but not too melted or that just gets messy.
  5. Remove from oven and place another cracker (salty side up) on each. 
  6. Press down until Rolo reaches edge of cracker.

You can even make one at a time, but who would do that. ;) You need at least 20 at a time, ha.

One note – the couple times I made these we preferred them hardening for much longer than says (till they’re cool). It really can be eaten at any time, but we enjoyed it more after several hours (I know, torture, right). Whatever you prefer!

P.S. These will totally work for high-altitude dwellers. Nothing to it!

Dips

nutella cheesecake dip

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This. 
Was.
Dangerous.

We were planning on going to a party at some friends’ house one Saturday… A “baby” thing happened and we were unable to go.

But that wasn’t before I had already made this dip to bring. The dangerous part? Now Mike & I had it all to ourselves!!

You can use all sorts of dippers for it… fruit, animal crackers, pretzels…even breadsticks or other types of cookies. Whatever sounds good to you and, with this dip, it WILL be good. :)

I thank for such a simple yet scrumptious idea. Check out  for more beautiful creations.

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