Watermelon Cooler-Agua de Sandia

Hey!

How was everyone’s Father’s Day? I hope all the Father’s out there were treated nicely! We hung out with my Dad all day. By the end of the night he probably just wanted to tell us to get out! We had a great time eating and laughing. It was awesome watching my dad with the youngest grandchild who is only about a month old.

Over summer break I try to get in all the doctor’s appointments that we need to and this summer is no exception. That’s what I did last week and that’s what we are doing this week. Pretty routine stuff.

Watermelon….what a wonderful thing! It mine and Julieta’s favorite summer fruit. When I was pregnant with Julieta my Dad would bring a watermelon over to my house every other day  because that was all I could keep down. No wonder he is the world’s best Dad ever! That and so much more…Thanks, Dad!

This cooler or watermelon water is one of the drinks I love to make in the summer.

The color of this agua is beautiful! It is so refreshing on a hot summer day!

Watermelon Cooler

4 cups diced seedless watermelon

Cold Water just enough to loosen the watermelon and help the blender along.

1/2 tbsp sea salt

1 lime, juiced

1/4 cup sugar or to taste

Directions

Place diced watermelon in blender, by batches, add a small amount of water to help the blending process. Blend until smooth and strain. Place strained mix into a pitcher (taste for sweetness) and add salt, lime juice and sugar and mix really well!

Make sure you give the cooler a good stir every time before serving!

Enjoy!

Besos,

Flor

 

Papaya Coconut Ice Cream

Hola!

This week flew by! I have tons of house work to do but I have kind of not done much this week! I did make it to the library the other day and checked out what seems like a good book. I am making myself read at least an hour a day and so far so good. My  reading adventures had kind of fallen by the way side.

The weather as not been very summer like at all. We had strong storms come through the day before yesterday and it looks like there will be rain again this weekend. I guess that’s ok since I have pretty much stayed home all week.

The weather hasn’t stopped me from making ice cream! I bought my ice cream maker in March and I have only used it maybe twice. I guess even though it’s not hot it’s good to practice my ice cream making.

This Papaya Coconut Ice Cream was so good. Papaya is a tricky fruit. It’s the kind of fruit that cannot sit around too long waiting for you to eat it whenever you want. When it’s ready it’s ready!  Papaya is a fruit that I always have at home in the summer. If no one feels like eating papaya when it’s ready and it starts to get soft this ice cream is perfect!

This was so easy and simple. I love using my ice cream maker. It’s like magic!

Papaya Coconut Ice Cream

 

 

Ingredients

14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

14 oz. evaporated milk

14 oz coconut milk

freshly grated nutmeg

1 tsp almond extract

1 cup pureed papaya

Directions

Mix together in a blender the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, coconut milk and papaya. Add a nutmeg and almond extract. Place mixture in your ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer directions.

If you do not have an ice cream maker chill the mixture in a freezer safe bowl for 1-2 hours until semi-frozen. Remove from freezer and whisk by hand or electric mixer until fluffy and doubled in volume. Pour into freezer container, cover and freeze. Soften slightly before serving.

Enjoy!

Besos,

Flor

Recipe source http://www.coco-cooks.com/

We are “Mint” to be together!

Hola!

My vacation started yesterday and I am super happy! I set my alarm for 8 am and actually got up at 7:50. Getting up before my alarm clock rings is usually not my style but I want to take full advantage of the days and not sleep in too late!

If you follow me on instagram (@micasayourcasa) or like my Facebook page (Mi Casa is your Casa) you will see lots of pictures that I don’t always post to my blog. One of those pictures would be of the mint that grows in my backyard. It kind of grows wild. My mom had given me a piece of Yerba Buena (Hierba Buena) or mint  years ago and it has just multiplied all over my garden areas.

This is what it looks like.

I usually pick it through out the summer and dry it to use in different ways. I just strip the leaves off the stems and put it on wax paper covered cookie trays to dry in my sunroom. I turn and mix up the leaves every day to make sure they all dry very well.

If I don’t turn them every day it will take longer for them to dry. The picture below is of the mint drying for three days.

Once the mint is completely dry I just break and crush it up with my clean hands and store it in a mason jar for future use.

The Spanish name yerba buena translates as “good herb” and is part of the mint species which varies from region to region. I am not sure which species this is but I believe it is spearmint.

How is is used you ask?  You can use it for cooking. I love using fresh mint in albondigas. You can find a recipe for albondigas here  http://micasayourcasa.wordpress.com/2013/06/10/flors-albondigas/

Yierba buena is supposed to be medicinal also.

• Yerba Buena tea used as body pain reliever . Good for headache, stomach ache and tooth ache.
• Yerba Buena poultice used for Rheumatism, arthritis and headache   – crush the fresh leaves squeeze sap. Massage sap on painful parts with eucalyptus.
• Yerba Buena tea for cough and colds   –. Drink as tea. Acts as an expectorant.
• Yerba Buena as mouth wash for swollen gums and tooth aches   – steep 6 grams of fresh plant in a glass of boiling water for 30 minutes. Use solution as gargle.
• Yerba Buena tea for menstrual and gas pain   –. Drink infusion. It induces menstrual flow and sweating.
• Yerba Buena minty scent for nausea and fainting   – crush leaves and apply at nostrils of patients.
• Yerba Buena leaves for Insect bites   – crush leaves and apply juice on affected part or pound leaves until paste-like. Then rub this on affected part.

I have used  mint tea for upset stomachs and it has always worked. I also make iced brewed min tea in my Mr. Coffee Iced Tea Maker all summer long. It’s very refreshing and smells beautiful!

I guess I have always just used yierba buena or mint because my mom also used it. So far so good…

Please always use caution when trying new things. Make sure you consult a physician first before trying anything new!

Besos,

Flor

Flor’s Albondigas

Hola!

Happy Monday! Ahhhh…last day of work then I am on vacation. I hope the day flies by! How was everyone’s weekend? Mine was good. Not too busy but busy enough! Lots of stuff to do at home!

Have you ever heard of albondigas? They are meatballs prepared in a Mexican, Spanish or South American way. My way, the Mexican way is kind of like a soup and they are delicious. Albondigas are a staple in my house that get eaten up quickly! My mom would make them very basic, but I like to add spinach, potatoes, kale any kind of vegetable to pump up the nutritional value.

Aren’t those albondigas beautiful?

Albondigas

Ingredients for Broth

2 tbsp veg or olive oil

1/2 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large tomato, chopped

1 tsp. salt

8-10 cups beef broth

Ingredients for Albondigas

2 lbs. ground beef or 1 lb ground turkey and 1 pound ground beef ( I use turkey and beef)

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 tsp. salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped or 1 tbsp dried mint

1/4 cup white rice

1 tsp. ground cumin

Directions

To make broth:

Heat oil in large pot. Saute chopped onion until soft (about 2-3 minutes). Add minced garlic and saute for about another 2 minutes. Add chopped tomato and allow mixture to cook about another 3 minutes until tomato is also soft. Add salt and allow to cook for about another 3 minutes. Make sure everything is thoroughly mixed. Add 8-10 cups beef broth and bring to a boil then lower to a simmer.

While your broth is cooking get your albondigas ready!

To make albondigas:

In a large bowl combine ground meat, finely chopped onion, salt, finely chopped mint and rice. Make sure all ingredients are well combined. Form 1″ meatballs and drop into broth.  After the albondigas ingredients are all mixed up I roll my meatballs as I drop them into the broth. Add ground cumin to broth and mix well. Allow albondigas to simmer for 30-40 minutes until rice in albondigas is well cooked. At this point you can add your choice of vegetable to raise the nutritional value and to make the albondigas a bit heartier. I added spinach to mine but another great option is kale or potatoes. Just add the veggie and simmer until those are cooked as well. 

Serve and enjoy with corn tortillas and your choice of salsa.

This is the first recipe I have “written”  myself through step by step. I really hope I didn’t miss anything! Feel free to make adjustments to your taste!

Have a wonderful day!

Besos,

Flor

 

Lights

Hola!

Have any great plans? I am going to have a fairly quiet weekend here. Cleaning house and doing laundry.

Can you believe I am still trying to catch up on scrapbooking with pictures from 2012 ? Here is a layout with our pictures from Lights at the Zoo at Brookfield Zoo.

Going to the zoo always involves whichever family members want to come including my brothers and their families and my cousin and her family. Last year the majority of us went. The surprising thing is that it was 70 degrees and balmy! It is usually maybe about 30 degrees or below in December when we go to the Lights! It felt so different…so un-winterlike. It was just weird. Either way we had a great time!

I am super excited to try a new scrapbooking style/tool. I purchased Project Life. It seems like it will be an easier and faster way of scrapbooking. I will still be adding lots of embellishments ( I have so much that I have to add some!) to make the pages really pop. It’s been for sale for a while on places like HSN or QVC. They are just now starting to sell Project Life at Michaels, Hobby Lobby and Archivers.

I was so excited at the store when I found  Project Life that I had to take a picture! I hope to be starting it soon. I would like to start with my 2013 pictures so wish me luck! For more information on Project Life visit this spot http://www.beckyhiggins.com/

Have a fabulous weekend!

Besos,

Flor

Supplies Stampin’ Up!, Papertrey Ink

Cheesecake Parfaits with Cherry Pie Filling

Hey!

I am tired. I can’t seem to get up in the mornings and don’t feel like doing anything when I get home…must be the weather or the anticipation of being on vacation. I have a hard time being at work when I know someone is home without me. They are probably glad I am not home, but I would like to think otherwise!

Isn’t it awesome when you feel like you have found the perfect recipe for every occasion? That is definitely the case with this dessert recipe. Sometimes you want to make something quick but homemade that tastes absolutely divine.

I actually made these parfaits for Mother’s Day. Please excuse my ugly picture. I made the parfaits the night before and when it’s time to eat dessert at my house you better not dilly dally taking pictures!

The cheesecake filling is heavenly . It’s sweet (but not too sweet) and airy.

The whipped cream topping was light and fluffy!

Cheesecake Parfaits with Cherry Pie Filling

Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (20-ounce) can of cherry pie filling

DIRECTIONS:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form.

In another clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl and beaters as needed. Fold in 1/3 of the whipped cream to lighten it; then add the remaining whipped cream, gently folding until the filling is light and fluffy.

Using 3-4 wine glasses, pour the filling into each glass, layering with the cherry pie filling.

Serve chilled. Makes 3-4 servings

I made this for a work BBQ and everyone loved it. I was so happy! The only difference was that I put them in mini nut cups, added some graham cracker crumbs to the bottom of the cup then layered the cheesecake filling, some pie filling and then a few sprinkles of graham crackers crumbs to make them pretty.

If you don’t feel like turning on your oven this is the perfect dessert.

Besos,

Flor

Recipe adapted from http://damndelicious.net/

Hi

Hola!

I am officially on countdown for vacation! Only 4 days until vacation not counting the weekend! OHHH I can’t wait! It’s been a bit busy here but nothing too exciting this week.

Zumba is making me sad. My feet hurt so much by the time I am half way into it that it makes me want to cry! I can’t concentrate on the routine because the pain in my heels is so bad. It is obviously not for me because of that. Maybe I need to wait until I actually have the proper orthotics for my gym shoes? I guess I should be doing a non-impact exercise. I thought of water aerobics but I really don’t want to put on a bathing suit and isn’t that really for mature ladies of let’s say an age of 80? My husband suggested Yoga but I don’t think I can bend like that! Any suggestions?

I made this card a while back for my swap group but hadn’t posted it. This is a great card to make if you are making a lot of cards where you can use the “assembly line” way of making them.

I really like the way the colors complement each other. This card has a natural feel to it yet it pops because of the colors.

Today is a very important day. My son turns 21 years old! He is such a great kid…I guess I should say man! That is just so weird! I have a  son that is a man!

I took this picture just this past Sunday as he was installed as a Junior Deacon at the Masonic Lodge he belongs to.

I totally remember my pregnancy with him…it was horrible! I was sick for six months! And after he was born he had colic so he didn’t sleep….and neither did we…but it was all worth it! He was so wanted and we are so lucky to have him. I pray that he fulfills his dreams and that he continues to be the wonderful son and person that he is. I am truly blessed that he is mine! Happy Birthday to my Julian! I love you, papí!

Besos,

Flor

Supplies: Stampin’ Up!, Cricut