Author Archives: Kathia Rodriguez

About Kathia Rodriguez

My name is Kathia, and I'm original from Costa Rica, I love to cook and create new recipes, it's my passion. I love sharing my experiences, tips and recipes with you, hoping the my passion for cooking is transmitted in these delicious dishes. I invite you to join me in this journey of flavors.

Dulce de Leche Cookie Bars #CreativeCookieExchange

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dulce de leche cookiesOh yes! we have cookies again, and we are celebrating a little early 5 de Mayo, because we want for you to have all what you need before this huge celebration.
All the cookies the we make today are inspired in this celebration, all Mexican or latin inspired cuisine.
I made, this delicious Dulce de Leche cookies, so easy and so good, they are made with only a few ingredients and I know you don’t believe it but the flavor of the dulce the leche is not heavy, so you can enjoy more then one piece, and the change I did is the instead of round cookies I spice it up by making little squares or bars, easier and different you know me I’m very practical, I like simple and easy recipes.
And know you just need to buy or make a good Dulce de Leche so you can make this super delicious cookies, and share with your family and friends, and don’t forget to make some extra for your 5 de mayo celebration too.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 stick softened butter
  • 1 /2 cups AP flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 cup Dulce de Leche
  • pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. In a bowl of a stand mixer, cream sugar and butter for 5 minutes, then add the dulce de leche, in other bowl mix flour, salt and baking soda and add to the mixture above, place the dough in a 8×8 pyrex, previously grease, and distribute well in the pyrex.
  3. Bake for 30 minutes.
  4. Cool completely before cutting in pieces, if you prefer, you can shape in round cookies.

This recipe makes one hold cookie.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Level of the recipe: Easy

And for more inspired, delicious cookies for 5 de mayo and more check out my friends amazing recipes.

The theme this month is Cinco de Mayo – and what better way to celebrate than baking cookies! Creative Cookie Exchange has decided to stop using the linky. What this means is that the only way to join in the fun is to become a host. Just contact Laura at thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com and she will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links.

You can also just use us as a great resource for cookie recipes–be sure to check out our Facebook page, our Pinterest Board, and our monthly posts. You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:

Roasted Garlic Butter #NationalGarlicDay {Giveaway}

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rosted garlic butterI bean wanting to share this recipe with all of you, and what a perfect day to share this then on #NationalGarlicDay, I’m so happy to team up with Heather from girlichef to celebrate, create and share delicious tempting recipes with this amazing ingredient.
We have for you all kinds of recipes, perfect for a night out away of vampires and zombies, yes zombies hate garlic, but anyway just remember the after delight your self with this recipes having a piece of gum in hand is not a bad idea.
Ok the recipe, this is the perfect butter, pack in garlic for those delicious, crunchy and cheese garlic bread. Is made with roster garlic which give to the butter a more smooth flavor and the flavor is between sweet and garlicky of course.
You can cook with this butter, add to mash potatoes, grill corn, the list is endless, but most important is for you first, to make it, like I said before, is pack in garlic.
Hope you try this recipe soon, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a chance to win amazing prizes.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 stick of butter (room temperature)
  • 5 garlic heads
  • 2 tablespoon of oil
  • 3 tablespoon chopped parsley
  • salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  2. In a baking dish, place one tablespoon of the oil on the bottom, cut off just enough of the top to expose all of the cloves, place on the baking dish, pour the rest of the oil, salt and pepper, cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes.
  3. In a bowl, once the garlic is completely cool, add the garlic cloves of one head, butter, parley, salt and pepper, and mix until well combine.
  4. Save the other heads for meat, poultry of any other recipe you would like to make from my friends here.
Preparation time: 15 minutes total
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Level of the recipe: Easy

And here’s how you can enter to participate in this giveaway and check out all this fabulous recipes.

Giveaway

In honor of National Garlic Day and our love of the stinking rose, we are giving away a Garlic Lovers Prize Pack (valued at over $100) that includes:

  1. The Garlic Farmers’ Cookbook
  2. One-year membership to the Garlic Seed Foundation
  3. 5 Garlic Button Covers
  4. OXO Good Grips Garlic Press
  5. The Ultimate Garlic Peeler
  6. Tumbleweed Pottery Garlic Clove Canister Keeper with Vented Lid
  7. Terra Cotta Garlic Roaster
  8. 2 Bulbs of Whole Black Garlic

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post (mandatory) answering this question: What is your favorite GARLICKY dish (or one that you’d love to try)?

 After you’ve answered the question for entry into this contest, be sure to record that you did so in the rafflecopter widget below; doing so will unlock many more optional ways to earn entries.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to residents of the Continental USA. Entries will be accepted through 11:59 pm ET on Thursday, April 24, 2014. All entries will be verified. A winner will be chosen from qualifying entries via random draw, and notified via email within 48 hours of the close of this contest. The winner will have 24 hours from the time the email is sent to respond with their complete name and mailing address (no P.O. Boxes). If no response is received within 24 hours, a new winner will be chosen.

Prizes provided by The Garlic Seed Foundation, Food Lust People Love and girlichef. Prizes may vary slightly from images shown and are subject to replacement with comparable items if ones pictured are no longer available at the close of this contest. Items may be shipped separately.

Lemon Coconut Bundt Cake #BundtBakers

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lemon cakeThis month we are all over spring, and the bundt cakes are inspired by this beautiful season.
Who doesn’t love spring, saying goodbye to the winter, the smell of the flowers and all the cleaning the we need to make, yes I do really clean my house like nobody business.
And this month I have to said thank you to Tara from Noshing with the Nolands for this amazing theme.
Ok but back to the cake, with a classic flavor in this season lemon, and some coconut flavor just to give you a preview of the summer.
This cake has a soft crumb, with a strong flavor of lemon and coconut, a little tart but sweet and with some crunchy peaces.
Hope you make and enjoy it.

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 cups AP flour
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
  • 2 sticks of butter
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup grated coconut
  • Zest of 1 lemon

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
  2. In a bowl sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and add the lemon zest, set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream sugar and butter for 5 minutes, then, add the eggs one by one, next add vanilla and coconut extract, mix for 2 minutes.
  4. To make this cake moist and with a soft crumb, we alternate dry ingredients with the buttermilk, and important is start with dry and finish with dry, at the end you did tree additions of flour and two of buttermilk, after all is combine, add the coconut by hand and mix just to incorporate the coconut.
  5. Prepare a bundt cake pan, and add the batter, give it a little paddle to the button just to make sure there is no air bobbles, bake for 1 hour.
  6. My bundt pan is about 10 cups of capacity.

This recipe makes 1 bundt cake.

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Level of the recipe: Easy
BundtBakers
#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme.  You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board right here.
We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Potato Roll Stuffed with Ham and Cheese in Red Sauce #SundaySupper

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potato rollThis week we have everything stuffed, roll and wrap, and you know the I’m a huge fan of this theme.
I have many recipes here in which I made stuffed, and roll and this recipe is no exception.
In this occasion I went in a simple direction making something common in the every day meal in to something incredible yummy.
Mash Potatoes are perfect for an easy delicious meal, and if you stuffed the mash is just out of this world, yes you can make a roll with mash potatoes and love it.
And because I love simple meals this recipe is super easy to make and your kids can help you too.
Change the way you serve and eat this classic dish and WOW your family today.
Enjoy.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pound yukon gold potatoes
  • 1/2 pound of smoked ham or any kind of deli meat you like
  • 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 cup of your favorite marinara sauce
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Optional, baby spinach

DIRECTIONS

Cook the potatoes for 30 minutes, keep the skin on, this prevent for the water to penetrate the potato and making to soft, this way it maintain more starch. (sorry no picture of this one)
Once cook, peel the potatoes and mash, add salt, pepper and the butter.

MASH

 

Cut a piece of aluminum foil, spray with little cooking spray and place the mash potatoes and form a rectangle.

MASH2

 

Then place the deli meat of your choice, I used turkey and sprinkle with some of the mozzarella cheese.

MASH3

 

With the help of the foil, form the roll, and don’t worry doesn’t has to be perfect.

MASH4

 

Preheat the oven to 350F. In the bottom of the baking dish spread about 2 tablespoons of the marinara sauce.

MASH5

 

Know cut the roll in have and then in 3, place each peace in the dish add the rest of the marinara sauce and the cheese, bake for 20 minutes, just to melt the cheese and warm up the peaces and is ready to eat.

Serve 6 peoples.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes plus 20 in the oven
Level of the recipe: Easy

Check out my friends recipes here.

Starters and Snacks

Entrees and Mains

All things Sweet

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 4:00 pm PT. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Spring Salad #HealthyEatingKids

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spring salad
For a long time now I bean wanting to share this easy recipe with you guys, my daughter loves salad and this is one of her favorites, did I tell you the she is only 5 years old? Well yes, she is in fact a big fan of salad.
So one day she came up with all this things the she like to eat, and we make this super healthy delicious salad.
Is full with vitamin C, have the right portion of fruit, and because is toped with feta cheese, doesn’t need dressing, because the cheese is so creamy by itself, when you mix the salad it comes all together, and the grapes gives it just the right amount of sweetness.
Make it with your children, I’m sure the they would love the idea of a healthy, delicious, salad, made by there on hands.
Enjoy.

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 cups of fresh spinach
  • 1 cup of dice harts of palm
  • 2 tomatoes chopped or 1 cup of cherry tomatoes in half
  • 1/2 cup of crumble feta cheese
  • 1 cup of green grapes in half
  • 1 cup of dice cucumber
  • Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a bowl put all the ingredients mix, very carefully, add salt and pepper, and serve.
  2. This salad is great by it self, or as a side dish with any meat, double or triple the recipe and you can take it to a party.
  3. Or just add any other ingredient the you or your kids like.

Yields 4 servings.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 0 minutes
Level of the recipe: Easy

Peanut Cajeta (Fudge) #TheLeftoversClub

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peanut cajetaThis month for the #TheLeftoversClub I decided to make something very traditional of my country, here in american fudge is super famous, but in Costa Rica we made cajetas, and we made this sweet delicious candy with powder sugar and condensed milk, I know right, different, intriguing and so delicious.
Is so popular in my country the you can find this candy in every corner, with peanuts, coconut, chocolate, vanilla, well you can imagine all the flavors.
I hope my friend Marrie Matter like this, because is really made with a lot of love.
And you really need to make it, is so easy and am sure your kids and family will love it too.
Enjoy
If you want to join The Leftovers Club just click and make sure to read all the rules or just send me an email and I will send the info to you.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups of powder milk
  • 1 cup chopped roasted unsalted peanuts
  • 1/4 cup hold milk
  • 1 can of sweet condensed milk
  • 4 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a microwave save bowl, pour the condensed milk and butter, place in te microwave for 5 minutes.
  2. After the 5 minutes, stir until the mixture is homogeneous, add the peanuts or the nut of your preference, and cook in the microwave for 1 minute.
  3. Once ready add the powder milk and the milk, mix with a spatula until is completely combine.
  4. Place the cajeta in a pyrex slightly grade, and cover the hold dish, the same way you do when making fudge.
  5. Let it cool completely before cutting in pieces.

Yields 22 pieces of cajeta.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 6 minutes
Level of the recipe: Easy

leftovers-club-badge


Orange Rolls #TwelveLoaves

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orange rollsIm so exited to share this month recipe for the #TwelveLoaves group, and this month we have orange in all kinds, ways and form.
The most delicious recipes made with all kind of orange, juice, marmalade, jam, curd, anything you can image with orange we have it.
And I have for you this delicious orange rolls, made with a bread like dough, perfect for breakfast, warm out of the oven.
In the inside they have orange marmalade, I must say that is not from scratch, but coming soon in a tutorial, but equally delicious on this rolls, something that you’ll taste but almost invisible is the glaze, made with orange juice and powder sugar, give this rolls the perfect sweetness and balance.
I hope you love them and enjoy as me.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tablespoons of dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup lukewarm water
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 5 cups of AP flour
  • 1 jar of orange marmalade
  • 1 stick of butter melted plus 3 tablespoons

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer place sugar, yeast and water, let it rise for 5 minutes, then add the sour cream,1 stick of butter, eggs, vanilla extract and sugar, start mixing on low speed, add orange juice and salt, mix until combine, add the flour one cup at a time.
  3. Place the dough in a flour surface and knead for 5 minutes, place dough in a grease bowl and let it rise for 1 hour.
  4. After the hour, cut the dough in half, roll out one of the half and spread half of the orange marmalade, roll to made the form and cut in little rolls, made the same with the other half.
  5. Place all the pieces in grease baking dish pour the rest of the butter, and bake for 50 minutes.
  6. It depends on the oven, just check and made sure they are completely cook in the center.
  7. Once they out of the oven, add the glaze, just by mixing, 1 1/2 cup of powder sugar and 1/2 cup of orange juice.

Makes 18 rolls.

Preparation time: 25 minutes plus 1 hour of rising
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Level of the recipe: Easy

Looking for more recipes inspired with orange? Check out this links

#TwelveLoaves April: Oranges. The month of March was filled with gorgeous strawberry breads! We have chosen ORANGES for our April theme! Choose a recipe including oranges. Your bread of choice recipe must include in the recipe: oranges, orange marmalade, orange zest. In addition to being in the dough, it could also be added to a glaze. Whatever you bake, (yeasted, quick bread, crackers, muffins, braids, flatbreads, etc) have fun and let’s have a delicious month of bread with ORANGES.  Let’s get baking!

If you’d like to add your bread to the collection with the Linky Tool this month, here’s what you need to do!
1. When you post your Twelve Loaves bread on your blog, make sure that you mention the Twelve Loaves challenge in your blog post; this helps us to get more members as well as share everyone’s posts. Please make sure that your bread is inspired by the theme!
2. Please link your post to the linky tool at the bottom of my blog. It must be a bread baked to the Twelve Loaves theme.
3. Have your Twelve Loaves bread that you baked this April, 2014, and posted on your blog by April 30, 2014.

#TwelveLoaves is a monthly bread baking party created by Lora from Cake Duchess. #TwelveLoaves runs so smoothly thanks to the help of the lovely Renee from Magnolia Days and Heather from girlichef.



Basic Pasta Dough Recipe #FromScratch

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pastadoughMy intention with this new theme is to show you how easy it is to make basic recipes from scratch, and for you to incorporated them in your every day.
We all watch a lot of cooking shows, but do you wonder if that is simple to make or is something the they rehearse previously?
And now you will have the answer, and you will see how easy it is.
Today you will learn an easy and basic pasta dough, that you can make in minutes and use for different shapes and recipes, the best part? Is completely homemade, how satisfying is that.
And here we go.

ingredients1

 

You need 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 4 tablespoons water, 2 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil.

ingredients2

 

In a work area or bowl, mix salt and flour and form a mound, make a well in the center of the mound and add the eggs and oil.

ingredients3

 

Use a fork or a bench scraper and mix the dry with the liquid ingredients by dragging the flour into de center. Keep doing this until you have form a sticky ball, adding water as needed in the process.

ingredients4

 

This is how your dough should look like after mixing with all the ingredients, in my case I add 4 1/2 tablespoons of water, it all depends on the weather that day. Knead the dough util is smooth, elastic,. even in color and no longer sticky. About 10 minutes.

Wrap with plastic and let it rest for 30 minutes.

ingredients 5

 

After 30 minutes your dough is going to be soft and smooth. Now you can star to make the different shapes for delicious recipes.

ingredients6

 

Cut the dough in half, and if you have a pasta machine star in 7 all the way to 1, just remember in 1 the dough will be super thin, perfect for lasagna sheets and ravioli, after you roll the dough in the thickness the you want, uses the other attachment to cut for spaghetti or fetuccini. If you don’t have this machine, just use a rolling ping to roll out the dough, and cut with a knife to make the different forms, its easy, just a little bit more labor intense.

Remember when working with fresh pasta you must cover with a damp towel to keep it form drying out, if you want you can wait until it dries and wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.

 

 

 

Apple Cinnamon Bundt Cake for #BundtBakers

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apple cinnamon cakeI’m so happy to be back to this group, baking is something the I really love, and this month we are baking with spices, thank to Deepti of Baking Yummies for this amazing theme.
It is a huge challenge to created a bundt cake with different spices the combine well in different flavors, like fruits or just to think in make something out of your comfort zone.
My inspiration for this cake? Apple pie, defiantly a favorite in every house, and I try to bring this flavors and make something very similar, delicious and different.
You notice by reading the recipe the it is simple but pack in flavor and the texture is just perfect.
Apple and cinnamon is like a good marriage, go well, you fell good and taste delicious.
So I hope you make it and enjoy it with you tea or coffee.

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 cups flour
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 stick of butter
  • 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • pinch of salt
  • zest of one lemon
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 2 granny smith apples pealed and dice

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. In a bowl sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
  3. In a bowl mix the apples with lemon zest, lemon juice and cinnamon.
  4. Cream sugar with butter for 5 minutes, add eggs one by one and vanilla extract, add dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk, and mix just to combine, add by hand the apple mixture.
  5. Place in a grease bundt pan, and bake for 1 hour, remember to check the center of the cake with a toothpick to make sure is completely cook.

Yields 1 cake.

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Level of the recipe: Easy

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme.  Follow our Pinterest board right here. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Deepti from Bakingyummies is hosting and she has chosen the theme as spices.

Last month all of us baked with chocolate and after thoroughly enjoying each other’s cakes, it was time to add some spice to the group.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com or ask to join our private Facebook group.

And don’t forget to take a peek at what other talented bakers have baked this month. Here are the links:

 
BundtBakers

Hazelnut Espresso Cookies #CreativeCookieExchange

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hazelnut espresso cookiesAnd here we are again, so happy to share this recipe with all of you, is different and so delicious with a cup of coffee.
Our group this month is giving ideas in cookies incorporating coffee or tea, and let me tell you Yes! What a great theme.
And of course I create this delicious chewy, crunchy, nutty and with a hint of espresso to wake u up, just in case you need it.
So come and let us delight you with all this amazingly delicious cookies we have create for you.
Enjoy.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 sticks soften butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup withe sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon grown espresso coffee
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chopped hazelnuts

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
  2. Cream butter and sugars, add eggs one by one.
  3. In a bowl mix flour, salt, baking powder, espresso powder and nutmeg.
  4. To the butter mixture add, vanilla and the dry ingredients, mix until incorporated, about 2 minutes.
  5. Add by hand the hazelnuts.
  6. Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, with an ice cream scoop pour scoops of the cookies in the baking sheet, living a good space between them.
  7. Bake for 12 minutes of until golden brown.

This recipe makes 16 cookies.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 12 minutes
Level of the recipe: Easy

The theme this month is Wake from Winter with Coffee and Tea–because unlike last month, now our Spring Fever has some basis in reality! Creative Cookie Exchange has decided to stop using the linky. What this means is that the only way to join in the fun is to become a host. Just contact Laura at thespicedlife@gmail.com and she will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links.

You can also just use us as a great resource for cookie recipes–be sure to check out our Facebook page, our Pinterest Board, and our monthly posts. You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:

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