Thankful for Pinterest

Do you have Pinterest? You should get it if you don't. Then be prepared to have it consume any idle time you have. Actually, be prepared to have it also consume the time when you should be doing productive things...like homework, or cooking dinner, or paying attention to a story your fiancé is telling you. It's okay, fiancé, I wasn't listening to you because I was Pinteresting our wedding. (yes, Pinteresting is a word...just like Tweeting and Facebooking and Instagraming). 

If you have been living under a rock, Pinterest is a social photo sharing website where the user collects ("pins") photos and compiles them into themed files ("boards"). You can peruse others' boards and re-pin what you like, or you can pin photos straight from the web. Imbedded in each photo is the website from which it came from, so you can always get to the original source of the photo to buy it, cook it, do it, or see more like it....

Did I lose you yet? Let me paint you a little picture. You're enjoying a hot cup of coffee on a lovely Sunday morning in November wondering what you could bake today. You log onto Pinterest, scroll through the "Food & Drink" collection and stumble upon an enticing looking Pumpkin Coffee Cake that someone pinned. You click on the photo in order to see the recipe and realize that you have all the ingredients! After repinning the Pumpkin Coffee Cake photo so that you never, ever lose it, you get to work baking. An hour later, you are face to face with a cake that looks pretty close to the picture you just pinned. You cut a piece, you take a picture of it (because you know you'll blog about it later) and sink your teeth into it. You're speechless. It's incredible. A thousand words come to mind to describe this cake. But you don't need to use them. Because a picture is worth a thousand words. And it all started with a picture...

Melodramatic? I think not. Pinterest is that epic. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I am proud to say I am thankful for Pinterest this year. Pinterest has helped me start planning my wedding. It's fed many hungry tummys. It has brightened my day with adorable pictures of baby animals. And you should be thankful for it, too. Because without Pinterest you may have never know about the best Pumpkin Coffee Cake you will ever, ever eat!

Here is the link to the original blogger who posted this recipe: 

http://www.prettygoodfood.com/2012/02/pumpkin-coffee-cake-with-brown-sugar.html

Now, go create a Pinterest account!

Viva Peru!

I took a little trip to Peru. Peru is beautiful. The people. The Andes. Machu Picchu. Everything about Peru is stunning. Indigenous people dressed up in colorful dress with their llamas by their side. Flute music blowing in the wind high up in the mountains. Snow capped peaks and rushing rivers. Sacred ruins. Dancing. Lima sunsets and crashing waves. Did you know Peru has 28 of the world's 32 microclimates? I didn't either. And I only went to two of them. If you want to be blown away, go to Peru. It is beautiful...

When I was in Peru, I also got engaged. That was the most beautiful thing of all. I got engaged atop Huayna Picchu- 8,920 feet above the sea. When you see a picture of Machu Picchu, look for the mountain in the background. That is Huayna Picchu. Then, look at the very top of the mountain. That's me! Getting engaged. So Epic and so beautiful. I am so lucky. And oh so happy!

The best things happen when you least expect them to. That is so, so true. 

Stop expecting and just embrace and amazing things will happen to you. I promise. 

OK so onto the food. I love going to new places and trying new food. If you like seafood, go to Lima. And order ceviche. They make it with lots of lime, cilantro, and red onion. It's so fresh. If you like things hot, ask for salsa picante. I didn't not get ceviche in Lima, so I don't have any more suggestions. 

When you're in the mountains, your eat mountainous things- like Alpaca and Guinea Pig. Alpaca is good. Guinea Pig is not. I technically didn't try the Guinea Pig, but that's because it's Guinea Pig. I did however carve the Guinea Pig because that's how they roll in Peru. Men serve the soup, women chop up the Guinea Pig. Then they lose their appetite and don't eat the Guinea Pig. They also eat lots of potatoes and fava beans and quinoa. I fell in love with quinoa. More about that in a bit...

I also fell in love with Pisco Sours, which is a more dangerous infatuation. What is a Pisco Sour, you may ask? Well it's Pisco, lime, simple syrup, and egg white. What is Pisco you may ask? It's a type of brandy made from grapes invented in Peru. Chileans might get made if they heard me say that. They think they invented Pisco. I don't really know. I'm just thankful someone invented it. Here is the recipe so that you can make one too!

3 parts Pisco (you could substitute vodka/ whisky/ amaretto, but then it wouldn't be a PISCO sour!)

1 part sugar syrup (which is one part sugar dissolved in one part water)

1 part lime juice (fresh squeezed, please!)

1 part egg white (i.e: one egg white = one part)

Blend all ingredients, shake with ice, strain and serve. To be a true Peruvian, you can garnish with a couple drops of bitters (but who really keeps bitters on hand?)

If you give someone a Pisco Sour, they're going to want a delicious Peruvian bowl of Quinoa Soup to go with it! 

You can add Quinoa to your favorite soup, or you can use my recipe! The nice thing about soup is that there are no rules. Put in what you have. Leave out what you don't. 

Prepare:

1 White Potato (peeled and cut into chunks) 

1 Sweet Potato (peeled and cut into chunks)

Yellow and/or Green Zucchini (cut into half rounds)

1 Red Pepper, 2 Celery Stalks, 1 Onion, 2 Carrots, 2 Cloves Garlic (diced)

2 Large Chicken Breasts (cut into large pieces)

Chorizo Sausage (cut into rounds- I only added this because I had it- it's yummy with or without)

Measure out: 

10 Cups Chicken Broth / Water Combo (whatever ratio works)

1 Cup Quinoa (read the box- you may need to rinse first)

In a large dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Add the red pepper/celery/onion/carrot/garlic mixture and cook a couple minutes until soft and translucent. Spice up with cumin, saffron, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken and chorizo (if using), quinoa, potatoes, and liquid. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through and starting to fall apart, about 20 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook about 10 minutes longer, or until the zucchini is just cooked (al dente). I topped the soup with cheese. You can top with cilantro. Whatever floats your boat. And don't forget your Pisco Sour!

Viva Peru!