Tag Archives: salt

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, Snacks & Appetizers

whole wheat “easy cheesy” crackers

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It may seem obvious but the motto of cracker making should be “the thinner the better.” I’ve made various cracker recipes that perhaps will eventually make it to the blog, but here’s one that we really liked! We even ate the “too thick” ones.

I did one batch in pretty flower shapes and then said, “Forget this!” and moved on to the efficient method. :)

Of course, the USA is the ruling nation on variety, right? 50 different types of everything on the shelves. Well, in Ecuador we don’t have that and that’s okay…but every once in a while I miss things likes Triscuits, Wheat Thins, etc. So, hello! Make your own variety!

This really is an easy recipe (at any elevation) in the whole line of cracker recipes, so give it a try…

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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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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 .

Breakfast

high-altitude glazed cinnamon scones

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As usual, I have included the original sea level notes in my printable recipe below, so this is for everyone!

Just to give you a little picture of what’s happening at the moment… I’m currently sitting at my computer, feeling the floor (and maybe the walls) literally shake. If you have ever lived in South America, you probably have experienced their version of partying. It’s almost 10:00, it started over an hour ago and it will probably go on for a couple more hours at least. Someone (I don’t know if just a neighbor or if the guards were called) is banging repeatedly on their door but to no avail. Besides the cultural differences which has been already written about in many books, I think I have just always been an old soul. How does anyone have the energy to scream and stomp and scream and cheer and holler and dance for so many hours to music crashing through most floors of this tall apartment building?

Update later: the party lasted almost 5 hours and multiple people tried to get them to stop. I didn’t call the guards because I knew it was futile, but I would have if they had woken the baby. Thank goodness they didn’t. He and Mike slept like…babies. ;) This is different than when we lived in Arequipa, Peru – we were told by our neighbors (after other neighbors partied all night) that if one called the police, the police would tell the “guilty” who called them. This would endanger them depending on the situation so no one ever called. Everyone partied and everyone hated it, haha! 

Oh goodness, that has NOTHING to do with these amazing breakfast scones, but I am having a hard time concentrating. :)

These really were amazing! Especially with a steamy cup of coffee right next to it.

I adapted it for high-altitude and it actually worked well the first time! Usually at 9800 feet elevation it takes multiple tries, if ever, to get dough recipes to rise (or not collapse) properly.

I’m really falling more and more in love with the website. It really does share terrific financial tips, recipes, and so much more. You can thank for these scones!

 for the printable recipe.

Soups

slow cooker lasagna soup

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In general, Mike and I love soups. Sometimes that’s all we order at certain restaurants and we like eating it at home, too.

I’ve tried many different new-to-us soup recipes over the years, usually in the crockpot, but most aren’t truly share-able, in my opinion. I only want to post on here the ones we really liked and want to remember!

So here is one. Lasagna in soup form! I didn’t do much adjusting from so you can read about it there or  for the printable recipe. Hope you enjoy it, too!